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EUROPEAN WAR DEVELOPMENTS. Russian Poland is still the center of interest in the war situation, so far as military operations are concerned. Reports from the rival headquarters indicate, that any decisive result on either side is Still in the halance, although on the face of the known facts the conviction is growing that the German fcuucral, Mackeusen, has done at Loilz what Bazaluc in the Franco-Prussian war failed to do at Mete he has saved his army after it was encircled by the enemy. But the German tactical plan for the taking of Warsaw has failed, according to the-prevailing opinion in England. Whether a counter invasion of Silesia has been rendered impossible for the present remains to be seen. Little activity along the Austrian front is reported. An exceptiou is the assertion from Vienna of an Austrian victory, with the capture of quantities of prisoners and munitions of war. along the southern line, but there is nothing to indicate that Russia has given way in her evident intention of invading the rich German provinces by way of Cracow. Later official reports from Vienna declared that calm prevailed on the Cracow front, but that the lighting continued in the Carpathians. Servian eyes are turned hopefully in the direction of these mouutains in the expectation soon of seeing a Russian force under the walls of Budapest. This would rellets the pressure being exerted against Servia by half a million Austrian troops, who have forced the Servians back into strong defensive positions within their own borders. An official communication is sued from Russian general headquarters says "On the left bank of the Vistula in the region of Lodz the action continued to develop on Nov. :.0. The attacks of the enemy were directed principally against the front between Bielawy and Sobota. luo artillery action has been energetic. To the north of Lowicz our olfensive was crowned with success. On the left wing reconnoissances disclosed that the concentration of German contingents from Kalisz in the direction of Sieradz has been considerable. It is officially reported from Vienna that the Rus sian defeat in the battle of Ilomonna in Hungary, thirty miles northwest of Unghvar, was greater than at first supposed. "The enemys position," says the cilicial statement, "was surrounded. Both our wings directed Hank attacks against them and compelled them to beat a hasty retreat with a loss ol 1,000 killed or wouuilcd and 1.500 men made prisoners. The total number of prisoners taken by the Austrians in the lighting in Poland is So.OOO. A dispatch from Solia, Bulgaria indicates that the situation iu Servia is critical. The Servian army it is declared, has been withdrawn from Belgrade and telegraphic communication between Belgrade and Nish, the present location of the ; capital, has been interrupted. The official announcement is made that the German emperor on Monday visited the troops iu their positions at Gumhinnen and Darkenian, East Prussia. Emperor William traveled by motor car to the front from Iusterburg, which is sixteen miles northwest of Gumbiunen. The invading Russians have penetrated East Prussia to a point ten miles southwest of Gunibinncu. The German official statement issued yesterday claims the capture of a strong French position in the Argonne forest by Kmperor William s own regiment. The communication reads: "In tho western theater of the war the enemy made insig-niiicant advances, which were checked. In the forest of Argonne, a strong point of support of the enemy was taken by the Wurttemberg infantry regiment Xo. 120, his majesty the kaiser s own regiment. On this occasion two officers and about aob of the enemys troops were made prisoners. The war office announced the receipt of dispatches from eastern headquarters saying that while the Russians were puttiug up a stubborn resistance tnc German campaign is being prosecuted with success. The German offensive toward Lowicz is pushing back the Russians iu that region, it is claimed, llie official statement said: "There is no news from Eastern Prussia. In northern Poland battles arc taking their normal course. In southern Poland the enemvs attacks were repulsed. The report circulated" in the foreign press that the 23,000 lsa"e taken by us at Kutno are included 111 the 40,000 Russian prisoners reported by us previously. s untrue. In the battles at Wioclawek, Kutno, Lodz and Lowicz. the eastern army has taken between the 11th of November ami the 1st of December, more than 80,003 uuwounded Russian prisoners. The French war office gave out an official announcement as follows: "In the region south of Yprcs and Saint Eloy an attack of the eneinv against an intrenchnient taken b- our troous during Monday wis repulsed by us. Our infantry intlieted damage on a group of three batteries ot heavy artlllerv of the enemy. At Vcrmelles the chateau and the park surrounding it, two houses in the village and some treDches were brilliantly occupied bv our forces. There has been a spirited artlllerv exchange in the vicinity of Fay to the southwest of Peronns. In the region between Vendrcssc-Craonne there has been a violent bombardment to which the French artillery replied with success, accomplishing the destruction of a battery. In the Argonne a German attack against Fontaine Madame was repulsed and we made some progress in the occupation of a trench in the forest o Courtes Chaussees, and a miuor fortilied position near St. Hubert. On the heights of the Meuse, ni the Wovre district, and in the Vosges thare is nothing I to report." Semi-official statements received at Paris from Nih contain the admission that the Austrians have won further victories in Servia. After a number 01 rear guard actions during the last few days the Servian troops were forced to fall back December 1 from the region around Oudjitze and Kocientch. The retreat, it is said, was made in good order. Heavy fighting has occurred near Souvabor. where the Austrians concentrated large forces and succeeded in capturing two important points, the lighting along the Kolubara river is said to have been attended with some success for the Servians. In an engagement near Lazarevatz November 2S, the Servians are reported to have taken positions of tho enemy, capturing twenty-seven officers and about 2,000 men. An official Vienna announcement says: "In the southern war theater a further step iu the operations lias reached a victorious conclusion. The enemy, who for several days has been offering strong resistance east of the Rivers Kolubara and Ijid in Servia. again attempted to take tho offensive, but was repulsed, suffering heavy losses iu his retreat. On the batteliold at Komatice alone our troops found SOa unburied bodies. Since the beginning of our last offensive we have made over 19.000 prisoners and have captured forty-seven machine guns, forty-six other guns and quantities of other war materia:." An imperial ukase issued at Petrograd authorizes the minister of finance to take control of the expenditures and receipts of societies, companies and enterprises founded or operated in Russia by sub- jeets of Germany. Austria-Hungary and Turkey. The ukase expressly forbids, without the special authorization of the minister of finance, the payment, delivery or transfer of any ready money, papers of value, silver, gold plate and precious stones that may be owned by subjects of the countries mentioned. In aii account of the lwmbardment of Rheims, which has been in progress intermittently for several weeks, the Paris Temps asserts that the archaeological museum, containing Roman. Gaelic and French eoPeetions, has been destroyed. Tapestries by Pepersack, the Flemish workman, also were ruined. The factories have been damaged to such an extent that the textile industry lias suffered greatly. The loss due to the destruction of cloth is estimated at 0,000,000. English officers invallided home from the front say there are at present about 1,500 British officers an 1 men suffering from frozen feet in the base hospitals in and about Bou!ogue-sur-Mer, France. Fully 1,000 of this number must have oue or both feet severed owing to the deadening of the nerves, which makes futile al attempts at treatment. Chilblains anil frost bites hsive been depleting the ranks worse than bullets and shrapnel. Telegraphing from Copenhagen, the London Daily Mail correspondent says: Realizing Great Britains preponderance in dreadnoughts, work at the German dockyards is being concentrated on the construction of submarines and aircraft and also on what are called floating batteries. The German theorv seems to be that the British fleet can h beaten only by launching against it a huge submarine and air attack. Henry White, former ambassador to France, who recently returned to tho United States from Germany, discussed the Luropean situation yesterday with President Wilson, "liurope is not ready for peace," said .Mr. White. "There is not the slightest chance at present of getting a hearing for suggestions of peace. That time will cnine later, and then it will be time -for-the United States to act." The Germans are reported concentrating for a fresh offensive in West Flanders at a point north of Ypros, which apparently is the only door that offers any hope of yielding to an advance toward Calais. The battle thus far has been almost exclusively an artillery conflict. Tin; town df Yprcs lies between the hostile lines and is itself unoccupied. Proposals for a neutral zone in tho waters of the western hemisphere and for conserving the rights of neutrals will be laid by the United States before the governing board of the Pan-American union, which consists of diplomatic representatives of the twenty-one American republics. The govern ing board will meet next Tuesday. A dispatch from Vienna via London savs that Austrian troops yesterday occupied Belgrade, the capital of Servia. A dispatch to the London Mail from Copenhagen says that most of the German warships have left Kiel and steamed into the North Sea, while several thousand mechanics have been withdrawn from the army to speed up construction on submarines, water planes and floating batteries for the channel. Rotterdam reports that the crown prince is about to take over the German command on the western war front. The re-enforcements which arrived in Begium last week are estimated at .10,000. Arrangements have been made for the immediate re- ception of 120,000 more. On personal representations from President Wilson, through Ambassador Gerard. Germany has released, Admiral Neeld, retired, of the British navy, and his wife, who were held military prisoners at a German health resort. France disputes Germanys claim of one hundred army corps in the field and places the figure at lifty-cight and a half. The British Red Cross has appropriated 50.000 for lighting the epidemic of typhoid fever in the Belgian army.
