Petrograd, Dec. 98.
The official communique issued to-day states There was some German activity south of Lake Habit where the Germans attempted to rush our barbed wire entanglements, but the Russians leaped out of their trenches and tackled the assailants and drove them to tha'r own trenches Fierce fighting continues Galicia, Outpost engagements continue ab various points of the northern front.
The river Dvina, south of Vidzy, was the scene of an encounter between Russian and German skiing patrols which resulted in a hot chase of the Germans along the snow-covered surface of the river until they wore close to the German position. Several prisoners were captored, The great activity of the Germans in the construction of earthworks on the Dvinsk front is said to be due to the fact that Marshal von Hin-den burg for the present has abandoned his intention to assume a general offensive here, owing to the fact that he has not received sufficient reinforcements to ensure the success of operations of such magnitude, The cold weather is continuing and prisoners have arrived at Minsk with frozen limbs.
During the action in the Black when the Russians sank two sailing ships off the Bulib is believed that the torpedo-boat wilful manceuvring, succeeded in sinking one of the enemy's submarines.
Up to December 23, Rls. 945,000, 000 had been subscribed towards the 1,000 million rouble war loan.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.