He asked permission to leave the island at once, but Sagasta cabled to him that he must remain where he was until Oct. 20th.
General Ramon Blanco will sail for Cuba on Oct. 15th.
The newly appointed commander of the forces in Cuba was Governor-General of the Philippine Islands at the outbreak of the war there, but was recalled for political reasons.
Unfortunately, his record for cruelty is not far behind Weyler's, and so the savage character of the war in Cuba is not likely to be changed by the change of commanders.
The Cubans know Barman Blanco well. He was Captain-General of the island in 1879, when the second insurrection against the Spaniards started.
Under him was Camilo Polavieja, who as Governor of the Philippines has made for himself an unenviable reputation for cruelty.
To these two men was intrusted the task of suppressing the revolt.
The insurrection of 1879 was not a very serious affair; the Cubans as a body took no part in it; but notwithstanding this fact, which was well known to the authorities, fully fifteen hundred men of position in Cuba were arrested, and many of them put to death without being tried or given an opportunity to prove their innocence.
The Cubans have not forgotten this, and they have little to hope from General Blanco, especially as he has announced his intention of dealing with the present trouble in the same manner that he did with the revolt of 1879.
He will find, however, that matters have changed considerably since 1879.