66 MANILA AND THE PHILIPPINES 



and sent to the small ports to look after the safety of our country- 

 men and the women and children of other nations. 



It was to he expected that of the five ships which were first 

 concentrated in Manila bay two or three would be always at sea, 

 patrolling the islands and visiting the places which were said 

 to be in imminent danger from the Tagals. The two powers at 

 war, America and Spain, could not do that. The former had to 

 remain in front of Manila in her full strength and could not 

 make detachments for purely humanitarian purposes, and the 

 latter was so broken down by the fall of Cavite that she could 

 hardly look after such matters. 



But there was still another reason for concentrating the divis- 

 ion of Admiral von Diederichs in Manila bay, one worthy of 

 special interest and consideration. 



By such concentration on the quiet and well-protected waters 

 of Marwetes bay, near Corregidor, the release from the navy of 

 more than 1.700 trained men from the different ships, the em- 

 barking and discharging of necessary cargoes of ammunition 

 and provisions for the men and officers could be easil}'' done in 

 a few days, whereas without concentration it would have taken 

 many weeks. On June 29, 1898, the German naval division of 

 Admiral von Diederichs had finished that work. The admiral 

 had sent home 1,700 of his old, well-trained sailors and gunners. 

 He had sent home two-thirds of his best and most experienced 

 officers and men, who had been with him three years on the 

 Asiatic station. He had replaced them with recruits, with men 

 who had had only three months' land drilling, who had never 

 been on board a man-of-war before, who had never fired a gun, 

 who were to be the sailors and gunners of coming years, but were 

 inexperienced at this critical time. And now may I ask the 

 question whether any responsible flag-officer would or could do 

 that if he had had the slightest idea, or belief, or wish, or inten- 

 tion, or instructions to meet an adversary in the near future? 



It was a tropical hot midday of June when I received m}^ 

 first impressions of Manila and Manila bay. 



On board the German cruiser Prinzess Wilhelm we passed first 

 the high and wonderfully situated island of Corregidor, which 

 commands the two passages into the interior of the wide bay, 

 and on the top of which powerful American fortifications may 

 be erected in later days. Next the peninsula of Cavite, on our 

 right, came nearer and nearer, and soon the tops of the masts 



