NEWS OF THE WEEK.
WHEN we say that there seems to be grave fears of a war be- tween Spain and the United States in relation to Cuba, we repeat what looks very like a moral impossibility, but is none the less universally credited in Spain, where the war enthusiasm is gathering fast, and volunteers are daily offering themselves for em- barkation to Cuba,—and what is also unquestionably accepted by high political authorities in France, where General Prim has just held a long conference, believed to be on this grave difficulty, with the Emperor. It seems certain that the American Minister in Spain, General Sickles, has presented some note or other,• probably demanding terms in some form or other for the insurgents, and threatening either recognition of the belligerency of the revolu- tionists,—an apparently exceedingly empty threat—or some more serious form of interference in case of refusal, and that this mediation between the Government and the rebels has been vehemently resented by Spain ;—certainly it is not quite consistent with the precedents of the United States' own conduct in 1861. The Spanish Government has despatched two ironclads to Cuba and 3,000 regular troops, to be immediately followed, it is said, by 7,000 more, and altogether, what with Spanish pride, and American sympathy with revolution in all forms but one, the situation is pro- nounced " very critical." It is difficult to believe that Spain can seriously contemplate war with one of the greatest powers on earth, with a divided people, a bankrupt treasury, one colony already in revolt, plenty of others to lose, and nothing in the world to win.
