The river is falling slightly in some districts, and it is hoped that the
floods will have entirely gone down in the next ten days.

The distress is terrible, however. In some places the river is sixteen
miles wide, and it will take a long time for such a quantity of water to
drain off.

Below New Orleans, for a distance of fifty miles, it is said that the
country is entirely under water.

A serious break occurred in the levee at Keokuk, Iowa, but with this
exception no levees have given way. It is hoped that the worst is over.

* * * * *

News comes from Cuba that the Spanish have met with two serious reverses.

At Guamo, in Santiago de Cuba, the Cubans, under General Calixto Garcia,
routed a body of Spaniards 2,000 strong.

The Cubans had mined the roads with dynamite, which they exploded as the
main body of the Spaniards passed over.

During the confusion and fright that followed, the insurgents fell upon
the troops, killing many, and finally putting the whole force to flight.

The second engagement was in the Province of Havana, where the Cubans
played another of their old tricks, and led the Spaniards into a trap they
had prepared for them.