"While this melancholy action was being fought another battle cruiser, the Strasbourg or the Dunkerque, one the other, managed to slip out of the harbour ina gallant effort to reach Toulon or a North African port and place herself under German control accordance with armistice terms of the Bordeaux Government—though this crew and captain may not have realized it She was pursued by aircraft of the fleet air arm and hit by at least tone torpedo. She. may. however, have been joined by some French vessels from Algiers during the night.
se vessels were well placed join her and the whole were able 10 Teach Toulon before we could over take them. The Dunkirque will be out of action for many months to Heavy Loss of Life need hardly say the French ships fought—albelt in this unnatural cause <with characteristic courage of the French "Navy and every allowance must be made for Admiral Gensoul and his officers, who felt themselves obliged to obey' orders they received from their Government at German dietatios fear loss of life among the French and in the harbour must have been heavy as we were compelled to use a very severe measure of force and several Immense explosions were heard. None of the British ships taking part the action were in any way affected in gunpower or mobility by. the heavy fire directed upon them—(Cheers), {have not yet received a report of our casualties but Somerville's fleet in all military respects intact and ready for further action "The ttalian Nay. for whose ion we also made arrangements, his, of course, considerably stronger numerically than the eet we used at Oran, kept prudently out the way. However, we trust their tuan will come during operations which we shall pursue to secure effectual command of the Mediterranean, A large proportion of the French Fleet has therefore passed into our hands or been put out of action or otherwise withheld from the Germans bby yesterday's events. The House [will not expect me to say anything Jabout other French ships which are Jat large except that it is our inflexible resolve to do, everything that is pos sible in order to prove at them from. falling into the German gvip.—
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.