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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. From London yesterday a late dispatch said: "The jaws of the crown primes army closed in more tightly abont Verdun in heavy lighting last night. Using the same tactie-s employed by Field Marshal Mackcnse-n. in sepieezing the Russians out of Warsaw, the crown prince drove forward with his extreme right and left wings in simultaneous smashes. The Trench war office this afternoon admitted that the right jaw of the great German ■nut-cracker has pressed forward to within seven miles of the French front northwest of the citadel, occupying Hill No. 285 by a storming attack. The left jaw of the German machine, in a simultaneous action, moved closer to Verdun from the southeast, occupying the town of Fresnes. only twelve miles away, the flu man war c thee announced. The Germans attacked with a whole division northwest of Telun on the west bank of the- Mouse. Following the capture of the village- of Forges, eight miles from Verdun, they advanced in a massed assault up n Strang Fiench positions on Hill 2 !5, near Ueuneville. The French responded with a terrific artillery tire, but the Paris war otliee admitted this afternoon that the hill was surrendered to the Ce-r-mana, who suffered heavy losses. The French official statement did not contirm the Berlin claim of the capture of FltHims, mentioning only violent artillery duols in the Wocvro region, including the Fresne-s sector and also around Bras, directly north of Verdun and in the region of itsrdinmont Berlin reported that the Germans have made further gains in the Argoiine. northeast of La Chalade, but the French war office rlsimrd the repulse of the latest German attacks near Haute Obevancbe, in that region. The German war office reported the bombardment of railway depots at Bar Ie Due by Zeppelins and announced the recapture of positions east • I Maison eh- Champagne, admitted by the French last night. About 150 French prisoners wore taken." The Australian battle Cruiser Australia and the Australian cruiser- Syrney. with probably the .lap-am -e cruisers Cbitoee and Tokiwa arc- hunting the Pacific for a German commerce raider, aeccording to reports from the oflfcers of the British steami r Niagara, made public- at Honolulu yesterday. Ire-vious rumors to this effect were current among the Niagaras passengers when it arrived there-March 2. Officials al Honolulu said this ships officers had been notified of the existence r»t me raider, which was sighted in the straits of Magellan. The Bertingske Tidende of Copenhagen publishes a dispatch from Malmoe, Sweden, which says that a German torpedo boat captured the Swedish brig Ynez . .IT I.anelskrana. Sweden, and placed a print crew aboard. Tin- Swedish torpedo l« at Begulus came- up hurrieelly and drew attention to the fact that the capture of the- Ynez was made half a mile within Swedish waters. The German commander thereupon made- apologies and removed his crew, permitting the Ynez to proceed. The Hutch steamer Bandoeng was atiackeel by a submarine wit hunt warning, while in the Medi-teranean sea on its journey home from India, according to t!ie- Nieuwe Botterdamscbe Conrant. The Bandoeng escaped with a slight damage to its liteb ats. and arrived at It •tterdam on Sunday. French aviators bombarded three of the chief forts at Melz cm Monday and also bopped bombs on German ammunition trains carrying supplies to the- kaisers troops at Ve-rdun. Aeccording t • re-porta from the- frontier, the air raid resulted in extensive damage. A. .1. Balfour, first lord id the admiralty, said in the house of commons yesterday afternoon that the tonnage of Hie British navy had bee-n Increased by 1,000,000 sine-e the outbreak of the- war, while-the- strength of the air division of the navy had grown tenfold.
