[David]

Originally Posted by Marc

No, you can't. It's called proper spelling.
Now, the "Spanish" spoken in the Philippines at the time was in fact a local version, which could include such variation of spelling, but it would only reinforce the indigenous character of the piece.
I just wanted to clarify the possibilities for the flexibility, or lack thereof, of the spelling of the Spanish language in a particular time framework.
Said this, the first letter COULD also be a capital "G", and the " ~" symbol above the word usally indicates some kind of contraction. So, "General" is a very very good candidate.

I tend to agree that the first letter is probably "G". See the "G" in the logo of my favorite '70s prog rock band, Genesis.