Paris, Mar. 1.
One of the greatest and most) sanguinary battles in the history of the world has been going on for tthe Inst eight days' on the French front opposite Verdun.
Urged on by a serious economical crisis and nota among their working classes; disappointed in their Oriental illusions by the maintenance of the French and British forces ab Salonika and by the victory at Erzeroum of the Russians, who are now advancing on 'Trebizond and cutting off communications with Bagdad; unable to achieve final success anywhere and dreading the Allies' continual increase of men and ammunition, the Germans are attempting a des-inst their principal enemy"—in Emperor Wilhelm's own words.
This attack has been prepared for at least two months by a concentration of men and material. It has hurled against the French thousands of men and millions of missiles in proportions hitherto unknown. The Germans have chosen absolutely the pick of their army and the German Emperor himself is in command with the Crown Prince.
The Germans are attacking in massed lines and their dead bodies are being heaped up. In face of the enemy's prodigious efforts the French troops are resisting heroically.
After giving up their first lines, when the losses sustained by the German armies were absolutely out of proportion to the result achieved, the French are now solidly established on their second line of defence, six kilometres in front of Verdun, where they stubbornly resist the most furious attacks.
The centre of their position at Douaumont at one moment was lost, but it was retaken at once and there has been no change during the last five days.
The calm and confidence of the French people are absolute.
The battle is still going on. If the Germans do not succeed in taking Verdun, besides the frightful losses they have suffered it will be an irretrievable moral blow after the proclamations issued, the promises made to the German peoplo and the extraordinary intensity of the effort made.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.