Italy on her part has adopted the only possible course. She has fortified all conquered ground and hereby she has been able to reduce her army' in Libia. The Italians killed and wounded, thanks to this policy of caution,' have so far only numbered "3,500, less than the French and Spanish losses in Morocco, which is nob in " state of war but merely of political unrest, The Italians have accomplished a great deal in the way civilizing thoee places in Libia which fly the Italian Tricolor. Railways and aqueducts have sprung up with wonderful alacrity; sanitary conditions now prevail where untold neglect existed. Labour is properly organized and fully utilized; the Castom house receipts have considerably increased. Two hundred thousand Arabs have willingly accepted the new regime and Arab recruits have been formed into bodies of auxiliary troops. The Turkish forces and their Arab allies were left alone ae long as their presence was not ® menace to the Italian poste; in such cases as in Mergheb, Burkamesh and Sidide Said, wh the Turks were able to imperil Italian camps, the Italians took the offensive with deadly effect upon their enemy who was annihilated or dislodged and forced inland leaving many Arab allies who have joined the Italians.
These tactics are adopted to try to isolate the Turks and drive them to surrender. Italy has now practically closed all doors to contraband, the has occupied the boundary district adjoining Tunis and has also fortified the Egyptian frontier. Lastly she has cut off any possibility of further drafts of Turkish officers reaching the African coast; thie has been accomplished by the oceuation in the Aegean Sea of fifteen islands which were stepping stones from Turkey to Tripoli and which had for many months supplied contraband of men and material by means of daring small-freight clippers. The only noteworthy island captured was the is-Iand of Rhodes, where some 2,000 Turkish troops and officials were defeated after a brave resistance. The Turkich Government tried in vain to disguise the facts, but it was soon known that Italy was indeed at the! doors of the Dardanelles, having demolished the famous Kumkaleshi forte, causing much havoc amongst 97 the garrison. The Turkish nation now realizing that the war is proving " very heavy drain on Turkish finance. The Customs returns show a heavy decrease. Prices of foodstuffs are increasing. Taxation is causing many turbulent tribes, the Malissori Albanians and the Christian Macedonians to rise up in arms, and the Government is now at ite wite' end.
Although ome neutral Power might wish to interfere, with hopes of ultimate gain at the heads of Turkey, still international jealoasi: are keeping the rest of Our "p2 ins state of forced benevolent neutrality.
Young Turk Ambitions.
This war has been " terrible blow to the ambitious but inefficient Young Turk Party. Had Abdul Hamid been still in power things would have never reached this pass for he was a past mas iter at the elegant game of climbing down with honour. That Turkey at the present moment is on the eve of disruption, unless peace with Italy is quickly concluded, is evinced by the fact that the heterogeneous tribes forming the Ottoman empire are clamouring for reform and better government and there is every indication that the Porte will accept the inevitable and grant them all necessary reforms. Peace is expect.
shortly especially as Italy does fiot desire to press Ker advantage beyond the absolute annexation of Libia and possibly autonomous freedom to the Aegean Islands.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.