CHARGES OF CORRUPTION.

Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 314, 14 July 1898, Page 2

CHARGES OF CORRUPTION.

Washington, July 12. lii the course of an interview with Admiral Cervera, the latter stated that ISenor Aunon, the Minister of Marine, had ordered him to fight in the open sea, regardless cf consequences. One shell, Admiral Cerveras said, disabled 80 of the crew of the Infanta Maria Teresa. The Admiral implied that the Cristobal Colon had no big guns on board, because the money intended for the purpose had gone into the pockets of the chief ordnance officer. In our cables this morning it is stated that, General Miles has assumed command of the American forces in Cuba. The following should therefore he interesting :—General Nelson A. Miles, the United Statea Commander-in-Chief, is a man of euormous activity. Of late years he has lost no chance of studying active operations in the field, to which end he came out to Greece during the late war. He was keenly disappointed that he only arrived in time to find the troops encamped at Thermopylw, and no prospect of a battle. The position was, however, strategically interesting, and the General (who is, by the way, an older-looking man than mo3t of the illustrated papers make him out) availed himself of the opportunity to inspect it. The Crown Prince accordingly lent him one of his best horses, and various officers of the Greek staff mounted theirs to accompany him, expecting an easy day. Little did they know their man. General Miles, instead of choosing the broad and level road, headed striight up the precipitous and thickly sides of the Pass. When assured that it was impossible, he merely remarked that it was evident the staff had never seen Indian country, and pressed on, until he suddenly dismounted, tied his horse to a tree, and clambered on foot to the top of the least apparently inaccessible ridge. Great was the chagrin of the Greeks, who never had much horseflesh to spare, and equally grea 1 ; the delight of the American attaches at this opportunity of showing the dilettantes ot the etatmajor what real reconnoitring meant. General Miles was, of course, unable to express an opinion on the Greek dispositions at the time, but he is said to have afterwards observed that on the one hand the defile could be made absolutely 'impregnable with 0000 meu, and that on the other that he would have enjoyed getting twice that number through it under existing conditions.