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EUROPEAN WAR DEVELOPMENTS. "With a German army of thirty corps 1,200,00 men massing in central Poland for a gigantic movement on Warsaw, the situation for the Russians defending the ancient city Incomes hourly more serious. Warsaw is now threatened from the north. German foices from Mlawa are pushing forward along the railroad leading through Novo Georgeievst to the Polish capital. Their lines extend over to Irzasnysz, twenty miles east, where tney are now engaged with the Russians. Irzasnysz is tifty miles from Warsaw. This is indicated not only in the movements of German troops, which have been evident during the last few days, but ths Russian ollieial statement uicntious fighting in the Irzasnysz region. The lighting in this section i still in progress, the Russian statement declares. The statement follows: "Lagagements which have developed in the region of Irzasnysz and Ciechaiiow east of the Hast Prussian border and Mlawa have not terminated. In .the lighting, which took place in the region of Piotrkow, we were only partly she cessful. The battle, which began December S. southeast of Cracow. In the region of WIellczka, o!i the river Deriuty, lias developed in our favor. After lia ing courageously forced the passage of the ilounaets river in Hie vicinity of Nowy Sandee, our reinforcements pursued the offensive and iulilcted a serious defeat on the Gorman troops, which had formed in the valley of Lososzyua. The German right wing, which was pursued, was turned. Tile twenty-fourth German, corps, transported here frOm Belgium, opened this combat with au automobile battery in its advance, which was! partly disable! and partly put to llight without striking a blow. Following this we successfully put out of action several pieces of heavy artillery, silenced rive field batteries and captured several cannon. The German prisoners allirm that their units sustained enormous losses, some of the companies lei:ig reduced to fortv men. We are pursuing the offensive. On the morning of Dec. 7 the Turkish cruiser Breslau was discovered in the vicinity of Sebastopol. Our cruisers and hydroplanes started in pursuit, but before an attack could be made the Breslau disappeared out to sea." The center of the German line in Russian-Poland, having occupied Lodz, is continuing to pus.i on to the eastward after the retiring Russians, a-!-eording to ollieial announcement made in Berlin. The Russians continue to assert that their retirement from Lodz was a strategical necessity rather than a defeat, but it will take future developments to Show whether this claim is correct. Twice driven back from Warsaw, the Germans again are in a lKtsition to advance on the capital of Russian Poland, and even the British press, which minimizes the importance of the taking of Lodz, points out that it Is on the trunk line railroad between Kalisz and Warsaw, which line is now held by the invaders probably to a point considerably to the ea.,t of the occupied city. There was artillery fighting from the sea to the Ljs, according to the French ollieial announcement given out in Paris, and all the positions won by ths French during the last few days have been strengthened. Tlie text of the communication follows: "During the day of December 8 there was artillery firing from the sea coast to the Lys. In the region of Arras and farther to the south there was nothing u report. All the positions won by us during the last two days have been organized and consolidated. In the region of the Aisne artillery exchanges and fighting by our infantry resulted in appreciable, gains for us. Several German- trenches were occupied and we made progress alom. the entire front with the exception of one point; here the enemy bb-w up one of our trenches with a mine. On the heights of the Mouse our artillery showed itself the master of the artillery of tlie enemy. In this region as well as in the Argonne we have made progress along the entire front mid have occupied some of I lie German trenches. The same tiling happened in the region of Le Pretre. In the Vosges we repulsed stveral attacks to the northwest of Sinones." According to a Ietrograd dlsnatch, the Russian minister or finance in a report appended to the 1915 budget estimates the cost of the war to Russia up to November 1.1 as ,509.000. This is approxi-1 mately ,000,000 a day. The expenses have been met by various issues of short-time bonds, treasury notes and loans totaling .025, 000. 000. Further issues, both interior and foreign, will be made as tlie circumstances require. Dispatches from London declare that to continue the war the Russian government, partially because of the cessation of income! from the manufacture and sale of vodka, will have recourse to further credit operations, an Increase In the existing taxes and the creation of fresh im ports. The minister of finance in his report gave assurance that loans, both internal and external, would present no difficulties. It was announced ollieially in London that the German cruisers Scharuhoist, Gncesenau and Leipzig had been suuk off the Falkland Islands. Tli following announcement was issued by the ollieial information bureau: "At 7:30 a. in., on Dec. S, tla Schnrnhorst, Gneisenau, Nurulierg, Leipzig anil Dresden were sighted near tlie Falkland islands by a British squadron under Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Sturdee. An action followed, in the course of which the .Scharnliorsf, Hying the flag of Admiral Count von Spec, the Gneisena-u and the Leipzig were suuk. The Dresden and Nurnberg made olT during the action and are being pursued. Two colliers also were captured. The vice-admiral reports that the British casualties are very few in number. Some survivors have been rescued from the Gneisenau and the Leipzig." A correspondent of the Daily Express, telegraphing from the Belgian frontier, says: "Tlie German divisional headquarters was removed from Roulers when shells began to fall in tlie town after this British had recaptured iasschendaele, eleven miles northeast of Ypres. This indicates a distinct and iniiortaut advance by the allies." A dispatch from Rotterdam says that a lKmbardment of the Belgi-in coast between Ostend and Nleuport began at .! oclock Tuesday afternoon in conjunction with land operations. The following ollieial statement was issued at Paris: "The stubborn attacks of the Gernnns against the front Ilow-Lowicz-Strykow-Lodz and :i line running from north to south six kilometers to the west of Ilotrkow have been repulsed. Never theless, by reason of the arrow-shaped position of the line, the Russians have felt it necessary to evacuate Lodz. In Gnlicia the Austrians, who seem to have been reinforced by the Germans, have again taken the offensive in the region of Neu Sandez." The German general staffs ollieial statement says: "In northern Poland our troops are in close touch with the Russians, who have come to a standstill in a strongly fortified position. East of the Wnrta the lighting for Lowlcz continues. In southeiii Poland Aiistro-IIuiigarian troops fighting side by side, with oiir troops have successfully renewed the ! attack." Japan may or nlay not return the captured German base of Klaochow to China. This was aiv nounced by Baron Takaaki Kit to-, foreign minister;-in an answer to an interpellation in the Diet. He said Japan had made no protnlse regarding Kiauchau to any nation. An Italian syndicate has been formed with a capital of 0,000,000 to purchase wheat, which will be sold, again, especially in the small towns and villages, in order" to prevent speculators raising the prices. The syndicate is supported by the govern nient. A dispatch from Vienna to the Austrian embassy at Washington today says: "Tlie battle in Poland progresses favorably. In West Galicia, the Austro-Hungarian-German troops attacked from the south the advancing Russians and captured 23,000 prisoners." Brig. Gen. Christian Frederick Beyers, one of the leaders of tiio rebellion in the Union of South Africa, has been shot, it is ollieially announced, and is believed to be dead. Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria is described in a semi-otlicial communication sent to the Vienna newspapers as enjoying particularly good health. It is officially .announced that the parliamentary Nobel committee has resolved, not to sit. .this year for the distribution of the peace prize. It is officially announced at Constantinople that two small Russian warships were sunk in the Black Sea on .Monday by Turkish cruisers. The French government is again installed m Paris. President Poincarc arrived from Bordeaux, with Premier Vlviaui. Five bombs have been dropped by German aviators on Dover, England, sixty miles from London. ;j
