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SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR

1791

SPARROW-HAWK

The American fleet, under Admiral Sampson (q. v.)j being unable to enter the harbor, which was thoroughly protected by fortifications, took position before the entrance, to prevent egress of the Spanish fleet. An American army of 15,000, under Major-General Shafter (q. v.)t landed at Baiquiri, near Santiago, June 23. Advancing, the}7 encountered a Spanish force at Las Guasimas on June 24, and a sharp engagement was fought, the enemy being driven back. On July i a severe and decisive battle was fought on the heights of San Juan and El Caney, overlooking Santiago, resulting in the defeat of the Spaniards. General Linares was wounded. General Vara del Rey, second in command, was killed, and the command of the Spanish forces, which withdrew within the fortified lines of the city, devolved on Gen. Jos6 Toral.

On July 3 the Spanish fleet under Admiral Cervera attempted to escape from the harbor of Santiago. As the vessels appeared in line they were pursued by the Brooklyn, the Oregon, the Iowa and the Texas of the American squadron and trie converted yacht Gloucester. The Spanish ships Maria Teresa, Almirante Oquendo and Vizcaya were within a few minutes forced ashore and surrendered. The Cristobal Colon made a desperate attempt to escape, but was run ashore and sunk about 60 miles from the mouth of the harbor. The two torpedo-boat destroyers, Furor and Pluton, were wrecked within four miles of the harbor. Admiral Cervera, Captain Eulate and more than 1,300 officers and men were taken prisoners. The loss of life on the Spanish vessels was large, while on the American fleet only one was killed. None of the American vessels was injured seriously in the engagement.

On July 17 General Toral surrendered to General Shafter his army and the city and province of Santiago de Cuba, which embraced all eastern Cuba. An American army under General Miles landed on the island of Porto Rico at Guanica, July 25, and advanced toward San Juan, occupying various points without serious fighting. On Aug. 12 a peace-protocol, suspending hostilities and providing for the appointment of commissioners to treat of peace between Spain and the United States, was signed at Washington, the French minister, M. Cambon, acting in behalf of Spain. The American troops, under General Merritt and the fleet under Admiral Dewey made a combined attack on Manila, August 13, and after six hours' fighting the Spaniards surrendered the city with 7,000 prisoners.

The peace-commissioners appointed by Spain, and the United States met at Paris, Oct. i. The United States commissioners were William R. Day of Ohio, Senators William P. Frye of Maine, Cushman K.

Davis of Minnesota and George Gray of Delaware, with Mr. Whitelaw Reid of New York. After lengthy deliberations a treaty of peace was signed, £>ec. 10, 1898. By this treaty Spain relinquished all claim of sovereignty over or title to Cuba, and ceded to the United States Porto Rico, Guam and the Philippine Islands; the United States agreeing to pay to Spain the sum of $20,000,000. The close of the war, which lasted only 113 days of actual hostilities, left Spain with no colonial possessions in the western hemisphere. See PHILIPPINE ISLANDS and PORTO Rico. See History of the Spanish-American War by H. Watterson.

Sparks, Ja'red, an American historian, was born at Willington, Conn., May 10, 1789. He studied at Harvard, settled as a Unitarian minister at Baltimore, and finally became editor of The North American Review. He was ten years a professor of history at Harvard, and for four years its president. His writings include John Ledyard, Gouverneur Morris and Library of American Biography, in ten volumes. He edited the Works of Benjamin Franklin, the Writings of George Washington and Correspondence of the American Revolution. He died at Cambridge, Mass., March 14, 1866. See Memoir by G. E. Ellis.

Spar'row, any one of various small birds belonging to the finch family. They are plainly colored and usually have their plumage streaked with brown, black, gray and rusty. About 30 common varieties aie found in the United States, and among them are a number of good singers. They are hardy birds, feeding on seeds, and some kinds are to be seen in any month of the year. Some kinds go south at the approach of winter, others are permanent residents, and still others come from the far north, where they nest, to spend the winter in the United States. The song-sparrow is one of the commonest and rears three broods a year. The chippy is very common about our yards and houses. The most persistent is an imported bird — the common European house-sparrow or English sparrow, which was introduced into the United States about 50 years ago. Although destroying many caterpillars, it drives other birds before it and has become a nuisance and a pest, but they are too numerous and multiply too rapidly to be easily got rid of. Other well-known kinds are the fox-sparrow, swamp-sparrow, tree-sparrow, field-sparrow and the white-throated sparrow.

Sparrow=Hawk, a small falcon, abundant in the United States. It is about n inches long, with a tawny plumage, marked with bluish and black, a rusty-colored crown and. a chestnut tail. There is considerable variation in its plumage. Notwithstanding its small size, it is one of the most active and courageous of birds. The sparrow-