To the Editor of the "Norta-Catya Darty News."
Sir,—May I trespass on your valuable space to a trifling extent by way of reference to some rather amusing "news" items circulated by the " Ostaxiatischer Lloyd" on Saturday, and yesterday. The first item announced that the Russian Ambassador in Paris has issued an order commanding every Ruasian under fifty years of age residing in France to join the Army. No such order has over been issued. The fact which the German correspondent has 50 innocently misunderstood is that, by Imperial Ukase, all Russians residing in foreign countries, and of military age, that is to say up to thirty-five years, are called upon to report themselves for military service. The heads of business houses are exempted from this call, since they are serving their country well in_@ business capacity.
The second item is rather more picturesque. It concerns ignorance, 'a faculty (or a misfortune) which representatives of Kultur are naturally first to discover and deplore. The "Omtasiaticher Lloyd" reported that a Russian Divisional Commander taken prisoner by the Germans expressed profound astonishment ron being informed that Antwerp had fallen. He did not know (said the report) that Antwerp had even been besieged! No such had reached the Russian officers in the field! This alleged confession was solemnly paraded by the "Ontaxiatixcher Lloyd"? 48 character-ie of the ignorance in which Russian officers and soldiers are being kept by their Government with regard to the events of the war.
The fact is, that the fall of Antwerp has been fully described the Russian "Army Messenger," officially inaugurated at the heginning of the war, printed and circulated at the expense of the Government, and distributed from the Army headquarters among all officers in the field. And not only was the fall of Antwerp described in detail in this journal, but comments were added. In one of these notes, the writer pointed out that the fall of the Belgian forts at Antwern was indirectly due to the tact that there are vertical ventilate ing shafts running through the cupolas of the forts, and these, rather than providing efficient means of ventilation, facilitated the passage into the fort of poisonous gases from shells bursting directly above the mouth of the shaft. It was further observed that the Rus-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.