South Wales Weekly Post

AIRCRAFT DIOPS I BOMBS I WHICH DO LITTLE DAMAGE. A Press Association message- states:— An aircraft dropped two missiles in the Brainuree district uVhd-Essex) at 8.60 on ¡ Bun any night, Ttiey dropped m a field, and aid no damage. At 8.40 a bomb from the aircraft dropped in a garden of a house at Colchester. So furniture and the windows of some houses were smashed. .No personal injuries are reported. (Note.—Braintree is in Mid Essex, rather lees than forty miles from London. Col cheater, winch apparently the craft passed on its return journey, lies between Brain- < tree and the coast in a direct ca.terly Ime). BABY'S ESCAPE. I I BOMB IN COLCHESTER I GARDEN. A Colchester correspondent tel.graplis:- v Colchester had an aircraft visitation about twenty minutes to nine on Sunday evening, when a violent explosion was heard, and it was found that a large bomb had buried itself in the gard n of a ho.iae m Butt-rvad near the artilierv barracks. i he occupant of the house and his wife "were in the front sitting-room, i-nd escaped uninjured, as also did a baby asleep up- stairs. The windows of six adjoining houses were smashed by the concussion, and splinters of the b -mb smashed nearly all the furniture in the house where the missile fell. Aircraft were seen near Br.ghtlingsea and at the uizt end of Couchester, and Damage at Coggleshall. I is reported. The iucident caused very l'ttle excitement or alarm in Colchester, ard a few minutes after t occurred gangs of boys were march- ing through the streets singing, "The Ger- mans are coming they are, they are," to the air of "The Campaells are coming."

i MET GInIAN SUB- MARINES. NORWEGIAN SKIPPERS" EXPtRIENCfcS. HOW BOATS ESCAPED I DESTRUCTION. Two skippers of Norwegian boats who have arrived at Swansea have had exciting experiences with German submarines, the one just before the Cardiff steamer Cambank was sunk off Anglesey. First in point of time is Capt. Brnstad. 01 the Norwegian vessel Gyda, which was crossing from Dieppfe to Swansea to load coal. Suddenly ;i German submarine ap- peared in front of him. He stepped, and at the same time the submarine catching sight of another vessel went full speed after her. ''Had I have known for certain at the moment that she was a German," said the akipper relating ex«eviett<$e £ "I should iave known Ivh.,tJ to do. I would have rammed into her." The skipper of the Norwegian steamer Kaanvater, which arrived at Swansea to- dav. was coming round Kght from Heyslam (JI) Saturday when suddenly there appeared a few miles away a German submarine which E-.d come up to the surface. "She was quite 20:) feet long," Captain Ki'duhl declared, "and my chief mate took { ho* at first to be a rock with a house on it. J n fact, he said he would go down below and have a look at the chsrt. All doubts wrre quicklv dispelled, for at the rate of 16 knots an hour the submarine approached. She could see we were light, and fsNshe ap- proached she took the measure of us, and eweerjing round our stern ecooted away in the opposite direction. She did not hail us or speak to us we watched her disappear under the surface about a mile away, and then we saw she was making for another steamer lvhich had come into sight. This, I think, was the ill-fated Cambank. "I have seen submarines of all sorts," con- i tinued the skipper, "but I never saw one so large as this. When we saw her first she had just come up." ———-

1ST WELFH IN ACTION I BROUGHT OVER FROM INDIA. Sunday night's casualty lists show that the I 1st Battalion Welsh Regiment (the old 41st 1.100t) has been engaged in the recent fight. ing in Flanders. The battalion, which waa stationed in In-1 dia at the outbreak of the war, was brought over specially to supplement the Expedition- ary Force, and it was only five or six weeks ALgo, after a short stay at Winchester, that it was sent over to France. The battalion, which fought in the last South African war, I has. unfortunately, already lost three officers killed and one wounded, their names tofflo iaily reported turner ctato February,- -8) I being.- KILLED. Lieutenant H. G. Lvaus-Jones. Captain G. A. Lloyd. Lieutenant R. T. B. Pope. WOUNDED. Lieutenant H. W. W. Davis.

A WELSH GUARD. link WITH NAPOLEON. tlr. Augustus Murray Pentland, Swansea, I who, after serving 45 years retired from the L. and N. W. Kanway at the age of 69, was t.i¡e 80D of Captain J. M. Pec?aad, of the 'loyal ?avy, who after the battle of Water- j in 18?.5 was in command of one of ii.M. alil ? which escorted the Emperor .N apoleon too 6t- ?ea?. This (act Mr. A. Pentland J6 very proud oi-that his father should have ht611 80 closely associated with suc& an ev^ and ?' celebration of the hundredth anniver Shlf {^her ii historical voyage, his son Xu only be too glad of the °PP°R" turn ?3' ?f another Emperor to the .ion e. y isle. (w cioJly^ sii?t!!it'lant being in this way tIO cloly  ^fch that great histor,- cal event wa's one 01 the f8 ?v?liy Gua,ld PMlU?d was ? .W°/^ the^<val^uard ?h!ch conveyed th tfai'J W?hich COnvOYed thc ate ?'"S Edward and Alexandra Swansea Victoria) to QKhueaeyn ader wfoaUr tUK"?   EinVw m J u]?-v'< 1S04> and "e -vas wou? of th. h ? an d  -THE  ,our ot b?ing  THE ISl? ?'ELSB? UL.ARD ? ,1:- R.n. the' Kin, ° ^nv,yin« | t ?&0 King Ixid ?ut? Vales. Queen in Soutii Mr. Pentland ent.0l-,„i i.i_ L?neUv RaiIwav and nj?6 ^rV;10e0th^ 1 the oalty of shl ™s,o-n j later f  later gl»rd, Sf&JS v..nd & i t  :11,  low$ haMh? t. ?nploympt? ??;, trown. ?B.? ??d ??t.h? .? ? ?,,??

.KEEPING THE GER-; ftEEPING THE GER- I II MAYS WORRIED. i MB mm\m. I -10 I EXPLOITS OF THE i I I FliiiNGH. 1.j1' i. I I f ARTILLERY'S FINE I WORK. I PARIS, Saturday, Another long account by tne trench eye- witness of operations ll1 France and Bel- ;s published to-day, and covers tne period zioiii reoruary 7tn in the morning to F ebruary I/th in tn. evening. I Except for two days (.«a-ys tne xa-riter) last part cf the period iinder review was 11-arlied by uetsstable weatiier. rain falling almost uninterruptedly. Taere were vio- ie:lt suov;stOl'llIS, and thick fogs prevailed aearly everywhere in the theatre of opera- tions. In spite of these unfavourable con- ditions the period was a great one for us. To begin with, our artillery obtained vezy bnlliant results which were chronicled in the daily communiques. It is clear the ellemv cannot fire as much as we can. The superiority of all ammunition supplied is be- cummg increasingly apparent. Moreover, our infantry has given proof in Artois, in Champagne, in ths Argonne and in A> ca of a very highly developed aggressive spirit which has fooen crowned with success. < We thus obtained appreciable results 1 which tho German communiques, after hav- ing liatiy denied them, were obliged to ad- mit, to be at least partially true. Prisoners and material which have fallen into our nands are the best proof of our successes. In the northern sector the artillery of the Allied Armies was particularly active in the course of the last few days. Belgian bat- teries took very effective i:hrt, in the strug- gles of which this region hes been the daily scr-ne, and their activity was often 'exercised in concert with the French artillery, and this fajt thru as light upon the perfect touch maintained bstween the different sectors occupied by the allied troops. On several occasions it was possible to ascertain the result of the firir- FcLnlarv 8th we noticed the men defending a farm which had been destroyed by the Belgian shells beating a retreat. On the same day a hollow rick which had been placed in a flat bottomed boat and was u&"d to conceal a machine gun was set on fire. On j February 15th some entrenchments which the Germans were engaged in build- ing were totally wrecked. The enemy's ar- tillery on February 8th, 9th and 10th bom- barded Ramscapelle, Perpice, and (>ptkerke On the 15th the Germans were effectively replied to the Belgian artillery and were often reduced to silence. The strength of the Belgian Army has been increased by the arrival of fresh re- cruits who have been drafted into units well stiffened by troops who have been under fire for more than six months. In the sector of the British Army, be- sides a few successful infantry actions of Wui- "etails httve been given in the com- munique of Sir John French, the very re- n'arkable activity of our Allies artillery should be noticed. The British guns co- operated several times with ours in the re- gion where the troops of the two armies are lying *o each other. Frequent firing demonstrations were car- tied out and patticularly between the Lys and the Oise. These demonstrations were intended to enable us to regulate our fire accurately and to destroy the advanced Ger- man trenches. Our objective was particu- larly destructive of the enemy's works south of the Bethuzi-e-La Bassee road, in the re- gion of Neuville, St. Vast and La Targette, and finally in that of Blaireville and Ran- sart. On February 11th, at four in the af- ternoon, our artillery began a bombardment which continued until 5.20 p.m. Between 4.15 and 5.15 our heavy artillery joined the field artillery. At 5.20 infantry tiring hi gan. We noticed that our shells were rerching the enemy's trenches and hie ob starvation posts south of the Bathune-La Bassee road with great accuracy. The enemy replied with artillery fire of con- siderable precision and with a short but in- tense fusillade. On the morning of the 12th cur iJ ""Tlled its firing, to which th enemy replied less strongly than on the, day before. further south infantry and artillery fire earned out the; same conditions, was di N-eted on three occasions on the enemy 6 trenches situated north of the wood of Berthonval. The fire of the 75 millimetre guns, well directed on the copings of th trenches, created 1- breaches. 1'1-e enemy's infantry replied to ours, but with- out great vigour. We continued firing nearly all night, but the Germans reply weakened and their fmiUade dropped almost j cimpletely. Similar firing was carried out at the same hours on February 11th anr 12th in the region of Baumetz. The result of our fire was very satisfactory. A fog, however, prevented vs from fully observing the effects obtained. Our artillery was sim- Jarly active between Arras and the Oise. Ti cliches, bridges, and crossings were fiercely bombarded, and prisoners whorr we captured declared that our fire had been very effective. The movements of the emmy behind his lines were thus rendered difficult and sometimes even imposs'hlo. A minor operation very successfully con ducted was carried out on the nights of February 6th and 7th the border of the village of Clarency. The object was to de- stroy a German trench cleverly arranged and concealed which our men had christened "the mouse-trap." A coup de main was carried out by sixty volunteers from a re- serve ragimeiit and a. sound of sappers com- manded by a sub-lieutenant of engineers at four o'clock in the morning. The explo- sion of a mine sap almost entirely wrecked the German trench. Our men immediat<'b Ished 'bout ten of them jumned into the trerch and with bavonct and hand grenades beat back the Germans and made ? f^v Other men oc- cupied the communication trench running to the second line barring out the Germans while others with pick and shovel completed the destruction of the trench itself. Only three men "'ere killed and tpp remainder returned safely to our 1m,>. The Germaji losses were very heavy aggregating about haH 1 "impany. On February 8th coup de ma>ri made us makers on the RotW^-T^ B'E5sep load of a mill wh'ch we np rI nreyiopslv oc- curred. In the ''ff'ur w- killed 13 rWir?ns 'including an officer. The remainder fied The enemy had eon<*ont'"i+<;d t,roon" f" fl,, counter-attack but the fire of our artillery dispersed them. FinbPv. on February 17th, we scored an other success north of Arrae, near Rodin- tOut. At six in the morning five mines which had been prepared hv sapping under a Gorman trench were fired. Zouaves, Chasseurs, and African Light Infantry im- mediately charged, and passing the Germ, I advanced trench attacked and cptured th" pi-ernv!s principal line.. The Germsns en- deavoured to recapture the lost trenches during the afternoon, but their counter-at- tack was obliged to deploy in open coun- try where its effects were useless and thp cost extremely dear. to judge by the number ot dofcid which covered the grornd. Nearly ali ,he oncers who led the attacking column ere killed. >f should be the defeat of the German counter-attack on s tiie mov" m-* "» i,>bruary 18th our troops I cOlllpleted the destruction of the' enemy's trenches without being molested and re- gain-ed their lines,, biinaing away alJu:;j } prisoners, of whom one was an officev Tu- 'à,, d a ^oinh-thiviwe'- and 3CO The Artillery Duel on f ie Aisne and <" {h..m. as fur as to the east of under an almost eon- iCootinued at foot of next column.)

-40- AUSTRIAN WARSHIPS i FOLLY. I SPECIAL CABINET MEET- ING CALLED. I (Press Association War Special.) I PARIS, Monday. The Rome correspondent of the' "Journal" .states:—A special meeting of the Cabinet will be held to inquire into a serious flag incident reported by the captain of the schooner Git-su Crucifixsio of Molfetta, who has just re-I turned from Antivari. The captain states that on February 19th, while his ship and another schooner, the Saturno, also of Molfetta, were at Antivari, three Austrian torpedo boats entered the harbour and cleared for action. The two captains, seeing their ships were in danger, hoisted the Italian colour? and warped the schooners behind the large crane of the port. The torpedo boats, however, opened fire, although by doing so they were shelling the Italian flag, while aeroplanes dropped bombs on the two schooners, and the crane, behind which the two vessels were lying, was demolished. The Journal states that the news I' has created a deep impression in Italy. GENEVA. February 20. Austria, according to a despatch received here from Innsbruck, will follow G-erma.ny's lead in the matter of piratical warfare. Though possessing but few submarines, she will attack nt-utral shipping in the Adriatic, and is, in fact, only awaiting de- cisive ardors from Berflin. This attitude indicates tihat Austria can- siders war with Italy inevitable.—("Daily Express. ")

NO GROUND FOR I ANXIETY." I POSITION AS A WHOLE I REASSURING. PARIS, Monday. The special correspondent of the "Figaro" a.t Petrograd, telegraphs: I "I am in a position to state that the situation as a whole is most r. assuming. "The Russian retreat was effected in per- feet order, and the movement does not afford grounds for any anxiety. "No importance must be attached to the German communiques which are as mis- leading as regards the Eastern front as they are about the Western theatre of operations."

DOGGED BY THE I KArtLShKUE. SWANSEA SEAMEN'S I EXPERIENCE. Mr. Harry Blythe, of Swansea, who has I been for some time on the British barque. Harold, trading fr,,m the Pescadores Islands to Charleston, has had an exciting experi- ence. When off the Paoific side of Cape Horn in the beginning of October they were stopped by a Brit.sh cruiser, who tQld them to put out all lights, and gave them ¡ directions for getting round Cape Horn a-a there were a number of German cruisers on the look-out for ships homeward bound. They experienced very. heavy weather, everything on deck being frozen. After rounding Cape Horn the Karlsruhe was sighted, and the Harold put on all canvas and headed north "The German boat hung round for about two days' but apparently we did not trouble them very much (he said) as h, was looking for bigger game. There was nothing to pre- vent the Karlsruhe from sinking us had she desired. After the experience of having the Kairlsruhe hanging around so close whenever we saw any sign of smoke on the horizon we changed our course considerably, as we did not want to try our luck against any of the German cruisers. This caused the voyage to be considerably longer than it should have been, and this was aggravated as we were very short of provisions. "Fourteen days before we reached Bar- badoes we only had Coffee, beans, and rice to exist upon. The crew numbered 23, and were very glad to reach Barbadoes." They then sailed for Charleston, where Mr. Blythe left the boat and joined another vessel from New York to Bayonne, which brought over grain.

FIRE DURING SERVICE. I Slight Outbreak at Kilvey I Church. A fire broke out at All Saints' Parish Church, Kilvey, on Sunday morning during service which was at once stopped. The origin of the outbreak was the over- heating if a tiue under the vestry, and this led to a corner of the chancel roof becom- ing ignited. A chorister was the first to notice it during the hymn before the sermon, and he went and informed the wardens. The curate (Rev. D. A. Rees) instructed the organist (Mr. W. Thomas) to at bnce con- clude the service, and the congregation filed out. The fire was promptly extinguished, but not before a hole had been burnt through the roof. The damage is estimated at R40. The evening service was proceeded with I as usual.

SH ELL I N G THE DARDANELLES. ———— ALLIED FLEET .ATTACKS ■ I Successful Bombard- j ment. I Vice-Admiral Sackville H. Carden. began an attack upon the forts at the entrance to the Dardanelles. The forts at Cape Helles and Kum Kale were bombaided with deliberately long range fire. Considerable effect was pro- duced on two of the forts. Two others were frequently hit, but being open earthworks it was difficult to estimate the damage. The forts, being outranged, were not able.to reply to the fire. At 2.45 p.m. a portion ai the battleship foroe was ordei-od to close, and engaged the forts at closer range with the secondary armaments. The forts on both sides of the entrance th:)n opened lire, aJid were engaged at moderate ranges by the Vengeance. Corn waliis. Triumph, Rutfron, Gaulois. Bouvet, supported by the Inflexible and Agamemnou at long I allge. The forts on the European side were ap parently .silenced. One tort on the Asiatic | side was still firing when the operations were suspended owing to failing light. No shJps oi the Allied Fleet were hit. The action has been renewed this morn- ing after aerial reconnaiseence. His Majesty's aeroplane ship Ark Royal is in at- tendance with a number of seaplanes and aeroplanes of the naval wing. TURKISH DELIGHT." I AMSTERpAii, Satuixiay. An official oommunique received from Constantinople states that easily yesterday morning British aaid French warships bom- barded the outer forts of the Dardanelles, firing some 400 shots without achieving any saccess. One soldier wa.s slightly wounded by stone splinters. Another communique states that eight furmoured ships bombarded the outer forts for seven hours without silencing them. The enemy fired 600 shots from great-calibre and 15-oentimetre guns. Three hostile armoured ships were damaged, one flagship heavily. On the Turkish side one man was killed and another sliehtly wounded.-(Reuter), To Start a Balkan War. I The Paris "Ganlois" sav s: "The advan- tages of the operation, wli ch would render us masters of the Dardanelles and the Bos- phorus, .110 too evident not to have been conceived. The scheme to break down the Germanic structure in this far part of the European Continent is to let loose the Balkan movement, which would not fa.i1 to hasten the end of the war. We hope that the ex- cellent work which is at present being ac- complished by the valiant seamen of our Allies may be the prologue to the decisive assault which we have to make upon the last Ottoman rampart in Europe." (Note.—A summary of the British official message appeared in the latest editions of the I "Post" on Saturday night).

WHAT THE FRENCH ARE DOING. I WINTER WORK AND ITsl VALUE. ENEMY'S UNSHAKEN I GRAbe. I A British eye- >, M now been sta- tioned with the French Army, and in tne mst of nus ctespaienes ne awoiu, at tengtn upon oertam points that,, have been the vl"l; ui mucn public discussion, lit says; A question whicb. is in the minds of most people, wuetner tney put it into words or not, is: "What advantages naa tne, r tenc. ddiuy gained durin g tlie last few months? Since the repulse of the Germans by the sillied i'oroes 11l 14]andeis, no battle ot greaiJ importance has been fought. If the gain in the smaller engagements that have taken place is ony to be measured by the amom. d1 giouncl won, the results are indeed small. A few hundred yards north of Arras, a vil- "tween Arras, and the corne) of the line nearest to Paris, a belt a 1 ing from a mile and a half to 200 yards in breadth, to the East of Rheims, and a few aiiies of what was German territory in Al- sace. These acres are all that have been re- gained, and the enemy's hold on Belgium and the north-eastern corner of France re- mains as strpng as ever. Yet the success of tho French army, though not apparent, is very real, and its work deserves tli- Grati- tude and admiration of the Allied Powers in the highest degree. To appreciate this, one must take a hroad view of the situation One must remember that the battle now be- ing fought in Europe is one only that the fignting in Poland. '^alicia, in Serbia, in France, is all part of the same batf to bet'+ Gomian rir.wers We shall need more reserves I than we have available a1 present and that, unti] these reserves can make their wei?h' felt, the duty of the ?'n? armies is to pre- V(mt the enemy from bringing about a deci- sion favourable to himself. It ir in her full conception of this dut- and in the vigour which she has put into its execution, that France and her army have' deserved our admiration. By her operations during the last two months she has kept the en?mv fnUjt occupied P]'C?ented him from weRken ing his army on this ide in order to deal a decisive blow eJsewhere, and maintained h.'s rate of casuaMips by forcing him to fight. sometime" for days together, under circum stances which were not to his advantage. That is her first achievement. Her second i: thut during these month* her armv -;nn,H'oved. h,t1, personnel and material. It is generally 11 00; periods of trench work hay, a delet-eriotis effect on infantry that thr- lose thair activity, their elan, and require a little time for getting this back if tbey axe to be used for offensive operations. This I i." not j., 11 French armv. Troops Quality improved. I Attacks are executed with great vigour; reserve divisions have nearly, if not quite, the same value -is active division* which was not. the case earlier in the war; and Territorial troops, toinnosed of men between I ?5 Jlnrl voovk of T<re, are taking a TIn more considerable share in the active work than thev have do,» 't^erto. As regards "materiel." perhanfc the, gmv test stride that has been made is in the nre)x-, I. --ray be COn- "'Iprit-ly a««i?t-fed n"tVnT.* t'-nc • the operations, even if successful, could onlv '-iv* ('1"rc'. out :1+. the eost. of losses entirely out of proportion to the results ob. tained

i-QUIRK V. THOMAS. I QUESTION OF THE COSTS. I On Monday, 1Il the King's Bench Division, before Itr. Justice Lush, the case of Quu-k v. Thomas was again mentioned. Counsel now argued that plaintiff had suc- ceeded on certain issues, and was entitled to •co'-ts, whilst defendant was entitled to the general costs of action. Mr. Lailey, K.C., for defendant, said no I' .tudgment had been drawn up. His lordship had no power to make the order asked for at all. Plaintiff could not now come !hk>;•• the court and seek further relief. His ?ord?ip was anxious to s? e the biF: of cost? inxi()Us'tt) Sll?e ill tlii, lit?;;Lttion, aii(I lie su4gc,?l costs. ) Mr. Loiley said he was agreeable to the 1 taxing master expressing his view on the matter of costs, and then the matter sbpnld j again come before hi* lordship to deal 'with leave to appeal for any d'eeisim) riven. FTis lordship asSeitted, a.nd i.i;vinf-ift"s 5 counsel concurred. The matter was then adjourned tin taxation by the taxing master. j

1 I SAVEO THEIR ?H?tK | ARTILLERY." OFFICIAL GERMAN I ADMISSION. RUSSIA'S RAPID i STRATEGIC RETREAT. In regard to the reoent heavy fighting on the borders of East Prussia, the foliow,ng are the latest respective Herman and Russian official det:i.i?: THE GERMAN YERSI<# Berlin wireless official news states- "Furtuer reports cyiicemuig tne victory on the Ma-surian Lakes make it apparent that the iiussian defeat was severe. It is doubtful five Russian corps. "While they may have saved a great deal of their artillery by a quick retreat, it seems certain that at least 150.000 troops can 110 longer be reckoned on, which is'a matter of iniportanco even, with such great armies as Russia pos)>esso*. The Germans say that the Russian Divi- siens 73 and 56 (32,000 meu, on a peace foot- ] ing) were "almost completely annihilated," and Division No. 27 "suffered severe losses. THE RUSSIAN STORY. The Russian olxicuu account is as iollows PETROGRAD, Sunday. A dispatch from the Headquarters Staff says: The Germans, having convinced them- selves after a series of exceptionally tena- cious and obstinate attacks which cost them innumerable victims, of the impos- sibility of piere.n? our positions on tt.e left 'I bank of the V'stuia. proceeded at. the end of January to carry out ? new plan. Having concluded the formation in the interior of their conntn of several new II corps, and deciding to continue the trans- portation of troops from their western front I • in order to bring them into operation against us. the Germans, making llS, ac- cording tn their invariable practice, of Their higmy-organised network of j railways, set great forces in motion in Eastern Prus- sia. with the intention of defeating our 10th Army, which occupied strong posi- tions along the Angerap and Mazuriin Lakes. To ensure the success of this stroke, the Germans also transported part of their contingents from the Bzura and R-awka fronts to the right bank of the Vistula. I The German concentration in Eastern Prussia. was perceived (?) on February 4. but the extent of this concentration' could only be established Poiiie days later. Not being able, owing to lack of rail- ways, to assemble with the necessary rapidity on the Eastern Prussia front the i forces indispensable to meet this develop ment adequately, we decided to withdraw j the above-mentioned army from Eastern Prussia to the frontier and further towards the Niernen and the Bobr. I Germans Already in Difficulties. I writing upon the Hast Prussian fight- I ing, tlie Petrograd correspondent of thej h Daily Mail" says:— The Germans have succeeded to this extent—that they have compelled the Russians to evacuate the dreaded Augus- tovo forests, where at least 10.000 of their comrades who fell in September lie buried a few feet below the soil. But the crushing blow which they hoped to de¡ivr ha.s fallen short, and the" v ar? now engaged in dogged fighting of a re- ciprocal ?le"rActer. Not only are they not attacking but they are actually being attacked by! Russian reinforcements which are arriv- ing continually in large numbers. Tho advance has lost its sudden vigorous character. Since February 15 thev havo Made little progress. The country through which they are fighting is certainly against them, al- though they have officially stated that they outnumber the Russians. Their number is estimated now at 300,000. The country is broken, difficult, and full of bogs. In the thawing conditions which prevail just now troops cannot ieave the; roads, which themselves are very bad. I

WHO Yon VAS"? I IN THE WRONG TRENCH. A CALL ON THE GERMANS. The difficulty of finding the right trench I on a pitch darlt night is not uncommon, but it is surely seldom that an experience similar to that detailed by an officer in a Cornish regiment can happen. He says in a letter home that, having been ordered to relieve a certain regiment, he set off with guides and got to the wrong trench, and found nobody who could direct him and his men to the right one so with one of his privates be went back and found the com- manding officer of the regiment he should have rejieved. The latt-er said he had two men with him who would show him the pro- per destination. The letter continues "So off the four of us started t-o collect my men from the wrong one. It was now darker than ever and raining in torrents. We went very slowly, keeping together ail the time. In the darkness we misted the trench we were aiming for-it much li«ve been by inches—and walked on until we came to one. All four of us were standing on the parapet and looking down into the trenail. I said quite low but distinctly, Who are and was greeted by WHO YOU VAST- I also what —— said afterwards sounded like alabaster "We could have shaken hands with them, but did not wait to pay them that courtesy. but bolted for ail we were worth. They opened a point blank fire at us, but of course we were soon out of sight, and, we had a merciful escape. In our headlong flight we luckily tumbled hogd (lvor heels into the trench where had left rtiv men—they hav- ing heard and seen, nothing of what was going on 40 yards ahead of thoem, Well. to cut a long story short, we put ourselves under our two guides from the other regiment, and at 3.30 a.m. arrived at the right trench.. "It is a terrible thing this wandering about over totally unknown ground, and of COltn-a always by night time, and I think it is re- ?ponnibie for a gi'??.t number of the missing one sees in the t?ts. There is obviou?y no I other way of doing it. c-L l ier m,a y 4) f ?icp-i?, it.

SWANSEA FLYING I MAN PROMOTED TO BE SQUADRON COMMANDER. The foliovwug notice appear.; in the London Gazette." — Royal Flying Corps, Military Wing.— Rauadrm..Comniand( ;d to be temporary B. R. W. floor, iioyal Artilleiv, from Flight Comman- der. t squadron-Commander Beor is a son of Mr. B. W. Boo1\ Caswell Hall, solicitor, Swansea. His second son is aleo in the Army.

SHILLING A SACK DEARER. Flour A^ain Up at Sivansija. lire wheat muvicet lor the IHst week has shown further advances in prices. Spot wheat in New York. Ü;7 cent, higher than last Monday, and March delivery wheat in Buenos Ayre* 45 cents, higher; parcel s to fjiverpooi have advanced per qr., and cargoes from the River Plate, to North America have also advanced 2s. Freights from the Argentina have remained 1 changed, but. front North America to Liver })c1 there is an a;Ivanoe of 3s. 2d. per inn. Flom: is ts. p.T sack dearer :.t Swansea price to-day is 54s. for'.excfms, <-om- pared Vitli week. S,-(i)nd-, at-(, ?,. holo' the price«^>f extras.

I DECORATED BY OZAR. —-— .——— isW-ANSEASERGEAh FS I I [ ST. GEORGE'S CROSS. t Sergt.-Major \V. Cransto)., of the. Royal Scots Greys, writing to his father, who lives at Land ore, on Monday last, from a place in Belgium, states that The Czar of Russia has presented him with the St. George's Cross. Sefgu-Major Cranston. It is the hiiehetst order a soldier can get in Russia, and is equivalent in point of honour to our own Victoria Cross. The Czar is the Honorary Colonel of the Scots Greys, and the decoration has been probably awarded on account cf or gt.. Major Cranston having been mentioned in delipatches. i

TO PREVENT i STOPPAGES. j IMPORTANT GOVERN- MENT STEP. It is officially stated that the (rovern- ment have received the foilowing report from the committee appointed to inquire and report on the que&tion of production in engineering and shipbuilding establishments engaged on Government^ wcrk :— We have considered the question of dis- putes between employers and their work- people which impair, or are likely to im- pair, the productive powet of establish ments e. gaged on Government work, and we are strongly of opinion that during the present crisits employers and workmen should Under no circumstances allow their differences to result in stoppage of work whatever may be the rights of the parties at normal time.3, and whatever may be the methods considered mcessary for the m?nt,'nance and enforcement of tho&e rights. We think there cau be no justifica- tion whatever for a resort to strikes or lock-outs under present conditions when the regtdltin CEssa Lion of woi k would pre- vent the production of ships, guns, equip- ment, and stores or other commodities re- quired by the Government for purposes of the war. We, therefore, submit for consideration of his Majesty's Government the desirability 0' the immediate publication of the follow- ing recommendation to Government con- tractors and sub-contractors, and to Trade Unions, and to request their adhesion to thi" recommendation and avoidance of stoppages on work for Government pur- poses. With a view to Preventing loss of production caused by disputes between employers and workpeople, no stoppage of work by strike or lock out should take place on work for Government purposes. In the event of differences arising which fail to be settled by the parties direetly concerned, or by theii1 representatives, or under any exist- I ing agreements, the matter shall be referred to an impartial tribunal nominated by his Majesty's Government for immediate investi- gation and Report to the Government with I a view to a settlement. j His Majesty's Government- have inti- mated their concurrence in the Committee's recommendation, and with a view to pro- viding that necessary tribunal indicated therein they have extended the present re- ference to the Committee by empower; I!g them to accent and deal with any cases arising under the above recommendation, The members of the Committee are: — Rir George Askwith (Board of Trade), Sir Francis Hop wood (Admiralty), and Sir George G bb (War Office). Communications on the subject should be addressed to Mr. H. J. Wilson, secretary to the Committee, at 5. Old Palace-yard, London S. W. 1 11 ■ 1

OLD CARMARTHEN FOOTBALLER. A. A large number ot mends will regret to hear of the death of Mr. William Williams. The Royal Exchange, Carmar- then, at the age of 59, after a few hours' illness. He was an old athlete, and played for the Carmarthen Rugby foot- ball team during the years 1879 to 188S. and wa afterwards for many years a Rugby Union referee. He also played for the Carmarthen cricket team. He was a staunch Conservative and Church- man. The funeral, which was private, took place 011 Thursday, R.ev. Parry Griffiths, the vicar of St. Peter's, offi- ciating. Deceased leaves a widow and two daughters. His brother is Mr. D. Williams. Od Curiosity Shop. Carniar-I then.

===-. WEALTHY CARMARTHENSHIRE MAGISTRATE'S WILL. Sir William Robert Clayton, sixth baronet of Harieyford, Marlow, Bucks, of Altycadno, 0f considerable proper- ties in Norfolk, and South Wales, lord of the manor of Marlow, rnd D. L. L 1-). tor Bucks (High Sheriff in 1876). and J.P. for Carmar- thenshire. who died on the 7th of October last, aged 72 years, left unsettled property of the gross value of £ 143,937 12s, lOd.

GOOD WORK AT MORRISTON. I Tho Morriston Free Churches' Red Cross Sewing Guild, which mefets at the Tabernacle Schoolroom, has been busy since its inception. The guild consists of about 70 ladies, who devote two after- noons weekly for making garments for the sick and wounded soldiers and sailors. The finished articles are forwarded through the Swansea General Hospital. The following have already been despatched: 711 in October and Novem- ber, 44.1 in February; total. 1,152 gar- ments. Mr. T. D. Jones Frondeg," and Mrs. Wm. Davies, Delfan," act as secretary and treasurer respectively. Mrs. D. J. Davies, Morfydd House (wife of the High Sheriff), who is taking an active interest in the guild, remarked to our representative that the funds of the guild are in urgent need of replenishing.

;=- i\&œ.ffi..æ-.æ..æ. æ-.æ-.æ-.æ-.m-.æ-. POOF POSITIVE I J of the absolute efficiency of Beecham's Pills. ? b1 retncell for dfsorjjjrs of the digestive system is tup- (58 plied b/the sir^ip a fact thai they have continued for J" so rnany. years to hold thapromier posiiisn in their & cJitss of proprietary preparation?. Other melliclnes p> havc come and gone. Bcecham's Pills are still to the t t tg front. Th5vre??a:?to-d?y—aftef&otn?seventyye<?<? j' ft. 0? pr?s:!?n;!y. umvDraal service- more popular ttan 8? ? ever. On ?cc?u?i of their uniqu-. and undoubted ? ? cMr?t:?epropaft!<;e, n? f?mity m$«<cine In the world s? ? !ab3?te??d?p!:QCS<0!'dea!ingwtththenmvtcrou<a:<- £ ments to which the dl £ e<iive system is liable than ? I BEECHAM'S PILLS. | ? §B ? Prepared only by THO»fl \S BEECHAM St. Helen% Lancs. tI Sold every where in boxes se I SC-1 pills Ak 2 9 (168) pills. æ t. ".æ."ælC..æ"æ.æ.æ-.i.E- trN.III..æ"a.. "N1.W-

(Continued from Freopdinp Column.) tinuous and generaily very active fire from our field artillefv and heavy artillery. ( the enemy has made no reply. Befr.ro S oiis the enemy has displayed no activity. On the front which extend ? between Sou- iin and Beausejour, our infantry on the 16th and 17th obtained results which con- solidate and confirm those which had alreadv been grdned in tho preceding weeks. It "ill be remembered that in December we had succeeded in bringing our line more than two kilometres north of the one we had occupied previously by means of a dozen attacks. We had in particular gained pos- sesion of Hill 200, an important fortified position which the Germans had organised in the environs of Perthes. AU their sub- I sequent counter-attacks against it have been broken. On February 16th we began in this same district a new action which had beer brilliantly prepared by our artillery, j morale of our fected by the continuous and violent fire of our field batteries and heavy bs>ttf'Vy>s jvhich, during the first part of the day. provoked from the enemy only one feel)" rejoinder. Our infantry drew from this the conclusion that the German? in this district had less ammunition to spend than we had. Our action to the north of Beau&ejour. -o the north of Mesnil, nnd to the north-east and north-west of Perthes, made us masters of three kilometres of German ♦^ch?s, that is to say of the first line occupying the 1 crests. Some 400 prisoners fell into our hands, among them them l>o:ng numerous officers. On the 17th uur troops, full of en- thusiaRm and ardour, and encouraged br their succesf of the day before, gained pos- ff 4 '1 session at different points of tire second German line, notablv on the front; of S metres to the left ot t"e line of n tt-i-.fr Th diiv's proceedings enabled us to capture some hundreds of additional officers and men. who belong to five different Army Corps, namely, two Regular Army Corns and tine. Corps of Reserves. We also captured from th' enemy several bomb-throwers, some of l:->rge and some of calibre.v Olir io jfantvy attack in close connection fire vigorously •conducted in, ot the inclemency of the "eat! physical all i.on! i>ditir>iis of our troo)* N excellent in respects.