During the week the war news has been exceedingly meagre.
From Cuba we learn that the arrangements are being completed for transporting the Santiago troops to Spain in the vessels of a Spanish company. It is also stated that General Shafter has a great deal of sickness in his camp. A telegram from Washington, published here on Friday, puts the number of cases as high as 3,770, of which 2,924 are " cases of fever." Out of what is comparatively a small army the proportion of illness is terribly high, even if the fever, as reported, is of a mild type. All that is known of General Miles's expedition to Porto Rico is that a landing was effected at Guanica with little or no difficulty, and that the troops at present remain there, though an attack on Ponce is expected. Meantime, troops are being daily poured into the island, and it is not believed that the expeditionary force will be complete before another week has elapsed. The Spanish tactics are reported to consist in withdrawing their troops from the outlying districts and concentrating them at San Juan. As this would no doubt give the Americans the maximum of advantage by land and sea it is probably true. It is to be noted that the Americans are very wisely prosecuting the war with all possible vigour during the negotiations. That was the only prudent course to adopt.
