THOUSANDS OF REBELS HOME

LESS,

Captain Ross, of the steamer Egre mont Castle, which arrived in Sydney from Manila on Monday last, sup plied some detailed particulars of the sanguinary conflict which took place between the American troops and the Filipinos, in consequence of the for mer attempting to take the city of Manila, and thereby converting the streets of the place into a battlefield. The Freedom, writing on Saturday, February 25, states that on the pre vious Wednesday flames broke out in a low portion of the city, known as Santa Cruz, where the population is mostly Chinese. Like lightning the flames spread from house to house, kerosene or some other highly inflam mable substance having evidently been used, and in a very short time, and before any effective work could be done either by the native brigade or by the insurance companies' volun teer brigade, the fire had obtained complete mastery. The Minnesota Guards and other soldiers worked manfully, and per formed what might almost be termed prodigies in their efforts to preserve law and order, but the flames were continually gaining round, until the district between Calles, Lacoste, Gan dara and Aranque was well ablaze. Then the devilish machinations ti the incendiaries began to show them selves again in repeated attempts to cut the hose, but the "boys" were in most cases too strong for them, and two, if not more, met with a short shrift, and their lifeless bodies lying in a side street proved that they had paid the last penalty for their fiend ish work. The damage is estimated between 500,000 and 1,000,000 dol lars. Just about the time that the Santa Cruz fire had been fairly got under control a brilliant glare to the north westward announced that Tondo was the scene of the next conflagration. When the firemen reached the fire it was roaring with the crackling of burning bamboos, and . they were greeted with the "ping, ping" of Mau ser bullets.
