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1 1 , - " r r n r e ;. s 1. :. EUROPEAN WAR DEVELOPMENTS. Heavy losses to a retreating German infantry . corps which was driven into swamps in the vicinity of Lodz by Russian cavalry is reported in an offi-cial f statement from, the Russian war otlice, announcing ppntjnijed. success against the Austro-! German: forces, f .The German, attempt to turn the ic Russian Jjjhk t Wleluu pass was expected and chocked, Vuys the Loudon Times Petrograd correspondent. "The ditficulties of the Russian operations In Poland were enormously aggravated by the havoc the Germans wrought during their retreat from Warsaw. A Russy SIovo correspondent who visited the scene says it is difilcult to find a soli-1 tary foot of undamaged railroad roadbed for hundreds of versts. The scene, he declares, suggests the visitation of a tremendous typhoon or earthquake. The devastation of the country runs from Warsaw to near Kutno, where the destruction becomes less complete. The commencement of the bombardment of the Cracow forts bears out the official Russian reports that the Russians are ap proachlug the fortress from three directions namely. Miechow, WoJnlcz and New Saiidoe." Unofficial messages from the war zone indicate the Germans have at last opened their crucial attack in an effort to break the allied lines and advance through northern France. This attack has been expected for several days, the terrific cannonade having been seen as a lireliniinary. The Allies have been attacked in force from Yprcs to La Basseo." says a dlsnutc.li from a correspondent in northern France. "A terrific battle has coiiimenccd,v his message continues. "The Geramns have heavy ; reinforcements and fresh grins for this renewal of the effort to cut thrqitglitlle allies line. The English artillery, however; thus far has thwarted ml the German attempts." Thp naval base which the Germans were establishing: at Zeebrugge has been 1 destroyed by the shells oE British warships. Zee-brugge is burning and the Solvay works near the Iiruges ship canal are a heap of ruins.. Six submarines which had been brought, there in sections . have been reduced to twisted Ir,6n, and large quantities of stores have been destroyed. The following announcement from the general 1 staff of the Russian army in the Caucasus was made, public: "In the region of the Thoruk river Russian Armenia the battle increased in. intensity. In the direction of Krzeruui we threw back the ; Turks on the whole of the front and forced them hurriedly to retreat. Our troops are still pushing them energetically. Fiftui "Karakillssee to Alash-gerd vallev some engagements took place with results favorable to us. In the Persian province of Azerbaijan the Turks were defeated in the region of Khaiiasur pass and also in the passes leading : ficni IHluiiin In the direction of Kotur. In these ; .engagements the Russian troops captured some Turkish artillery." England is preparing rapidly to repel any pos siblo invasion by Germany; Along the east and south coasts of England these preparation, begun , some time ago. are being pushed forward as i speedily as possible. Emergency committees of f prominent citizens have been formed in several of f the large towns. The princi-ial measures planned 1 look to the safe withdrawal of women and children 1 from the areas which may be threatened aud also j the removal of live stock and provisions which 1 would be useful to an invading army, the destruction - of grain and other commodities which can not bt removed, ami the blocking of roads and destruction " of bridges. Rifle clubs are being organized. A dispatch from Amsterdam says that British 1 warships opened a bombardment of the lermans at t Heyst, north of Zeebrugge. yesterday, and that the I town was set on lire by the shells. The towns of c Zeebrugge and Lombaertzyde have been practically " destroyed bv lire ami shells, according to latest reports "and the Germans driven back ten miles from 1 the coast. The German artillery at Westende damaged . a British destroyer during fighting between 1 the laud batteries and the British tleet bombarding ; ill coast. German requests for an armistice in the region , of Verdun have been refused by the allies, according , to an official announcement at Paris. The announce-" ! nient states that the- French artillery has successfully . bombarded Ariiauville in the region of Pont-a-Moiisson. . This indicates that the French have taken 1 the offensive in that district and are striking at t Metz. the great German stronghold just across the i frontier. Pout-a-Moussbn is in the Moselle valley, , fifteen miles south of Metz. In the official communication issued by the Ger-s - man general staff, the Germans claim to have made f progress at Arras, France: to have repulsed all the Russian attacks in east Prussia, and to have checked 1 tlif Russian counter attacks In Russian Poland. The j, statement savs: "Iu east Prussia our troops roil . pulsed all the Russian attacks. In the counter r offensive of the Russians from the direction of f Lowicz, Strykow and Brzczluy they failed. In the e ; 1 . 1 ; : ; , i f f 1 1 j 1 - " 1 t I c " 1 . 1 ; , , ! . . 1 t i , - f 1 j, . r f e district of Czenstochowu nil the Russian attempts also broke down before our front." Petrograd announces that the Russian defense ngalnst the German left is holding fast, according to trustworthy information reaching there. Furthermore, the Russians are assuming, the offensive ou the German rights The German advance from Wielun, south of the "Vtarthe. has been checked after severe fighting, it is claimed. The Germans are said to be receiving heavy re-enforcements between the Vistula aud the Warthe. The following official statement was issued by the Russian war office: "The battle of Lodz still continues. At one point Russian cavalry attacked the rear of the retreating Infantry, inflicted heavy losses and captured heavy guns. On the Czeu-stochowa-Cracow front the battle is developing successfully. On Sunday more than 0,000 prisoners were taken. The enemys attempts at a counter attack were repulsed." An official dispatch from Vienna says: "The battle in Russian Poland, in spite of the bitter cold, is being energetically continued. Our troops have captured several bases of operation and are progressing especially toward Woldrom and on both sides of Pilica. Numerous prisoners have been taken. At other places the situation is unchanged. The prisoners in the interior of the monarchy number 110,000 men. Among these are 1,000 officers." Great Britain and France have appealed to the United States to exercise Its good offices to compel Colombia to observe more strictly the requirements of neutrality. Otherwise the allies, it was announced in the British house of commons yesterday. may be compelled In self-defense to take whatever measure they deem necessary for the protection of their interests. The German official press bureau made denial of the statement of the secretary of the British ad- iniralty that a German submarine had been sunk off the coast of Scotland by a British patrolling vessel. "British reports concerning the destrue-1 tion of German submarines." the press bureau says, "are unfounded. No submarines arc missing." Tlie British official information bureau issued a statement saying that certain detachments of the Indian troops in Flanders had gallantly retaken some trenches which the British lost. The Indians captured three German officers and more than 100 men, together with tine mortar and three machlna guns. New rates of pay for British army officers, show- ing increases of from 10 to 25 per cent are an- nouueed. The new daily rate for a captain is raised from to .50 and -for a lieutenant from S2 to .50. These Increases also are augumeuted by various special allowances. Special dispatches from Milan report that the Indian troops along the Suez canal have been de-1 feated. The Turkish government has announced that the Suez canal will be kept open for traffic. according to a semi-official dispatch from Rome. German newspapers have received a telegram from Milan saying that Grand Duke Dmitri of Russia, son of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovitci. uncle of Emperor Nicholas, was severely wonnded in an engagement on the river Warthe. A dispatch front Lisbon says the Portuguese con- gress has decided that Portugal shall co-operate with the allies when it considers the step neces- sary. The minister of war will issue a decree for partial mobilization. Count von Bernstorff, the German ambassador. yesterday lodged with the state department at Washington the protest by his government against the alleged violation by the allied powers of the declarations of London. A decree has been issued by which the exporta- tion of gold from Turkey is forbidden. All for- eigners are ordered to deliver up the keys to their strong boxes in the bank. Twenty-four thousand of the 50,000 Canadians who are to be enlisted under the new scheme for increased mobilization, have already been enrolled. Bopr rebels, intrenched at Klipdrift. have re- pulsed attacks by the British forces, according to a dispatch from Pretoria. A dispatch from Amsterdam says the Germans have arrested 300 British subjects who remained iu Brussels.
