Berlin, March 17.
The Foreign Office publishes the following report:
Great Headquarters, March 17.
The fighting for the advancing cliff om the south slope of the Height of Notre Dame de Lorette northwest of Arras has been decid-favour of the Germans.
In the Champagne yesterday several unsuccessful French attacks took place west of Mesnil. North of Mesnil the attacks have been renewed with stronger forces, The engagement still continues, In the Argonne the fighting is not finished. From the slope southwest of Vauquois in the East Argonnes the French, who had occupied it, have been driven back.
In the Bois de Prétre northwest of Pont-'-Mousson two French attacks have failed.
In the Vosges there have been artillery duels only.
Russian advances against Taw roggen and Laugszargen have been repulsed. The Russian attempt to break through the German lines between the Skrwa and the Orzyc rivers have been repulsed.
South of the Vistula no change.
Berlin, March 16. The "Deutsche Ueberseedienst reports:
The " Petrogradski Courier" states, that all Russians endorse the declaration of the Premier M.
Goremykin and M. Sassanoff, that the Dardanelles must be Russian.
The " Birshowya Vyedomosti" expects, that the loyalty of the Allies of Russia will cause a clear ceptance of the Russian demand. The "'Ryetch" confirms the unanimous Russian feeling on this question. On the other hand according to despatches from Rome published by German papers General Garibaldi, after his return, said, that Sir Edward Grey and President Poincaré had announced, that the Black Sea, the Adriatic, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean all were to be neutralized.
The "Berliner Lokalanzeiger" declares, that it learns from well informed quarters, that the statement of the British Admiralty of March 13, giving the total leases of the English merchant marine as 87 ships since the beginning of the war, is far from the truth. As a fact 124 ships have been lost not counting the 57 fishing steamers, making a total of 171.
The correspondent of the " Berliner Lokalanzeiger" in Athens reports, that the Turks succeeded in playing the new heavy guns in Kumkari which replied fiercely to the French flotilla's fire. Two bad: ly damaged British cruisers have been brought to Malta, one of which had been struck fairly twenty times.
The military critics commenting on the official report of the second retreat of the Russian Tenth Army look upon it as equivalent to an important victory, not only—because of the losses caused to the Russians but because of the moral effect. They declare, that it evident that only the conditions of the weather prevented the Russians' retreat being cut off.
The London " Timee" of March 1 published a "complete diary of the war." The German press is ironically commenting on the list of the events of the war and pointe out that "The Times" subsequently suppressed among other points the conquest of Liege, the German victory in the Vosges, the conquest of Namur, the English defeat at St. Quentin, the Russian defeat at Tannenberg, the taking of Mau-bouge, the result of the Austro-German victories in November and December in Rugsian Poland with the result of the winter battle in It is reported from Rotterdam, that of the 397 mines found since the beginning of the war on the Dutch coast the great majority was English, 22 only were German.
The Athens paper ' Neonasty" reports, that the Turks in the Dar-dandles use quick motor batteries and spare their ammunition, while the Allies have already fired to the value of 150 millions of francs, It is reported from Athens, that when five British ships attacked the inner forts of the Dardanelles the British cruiser Amethyst was heavily damaged. Twenty-eight officers and men have been killed and the same number has been wounded.
The report, that the Austro-Hungariane evacuated Crernowite is officially declared to be untrue.
The French Minister of Finance, M. Ribot, in the Budget Committes has stated, that the French war cost in January and February was 2,950 millions of francs of which 1,450 millions have been covered by the National defence in "London end 1,500 millions by the Bank of On March 1 the Finance Treaty was signed min Paris in which England_and France have promised, for the rest of the war, to advance tie payment for all war materials length by Russia in England and Fiance, the interest of the Russian public debt, the interest of the Russian railway bonds guaranteed by the Russian Government and the Russian part of the advances conceded to Belgium, Servia and Montenegro. The total amount unti! the end of 1914 is estimated as 1,500 millions of france.
Orig fror
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.