A\i"ust 39, 191-1 LAND AND WATER 
o 
If or wlien tlie line of tlie Vistula is passed, we may regard ihe Russian ad\ancG as beginning 
seriously to threaten and incommode the German powers : not before. And we must remember that 
it is just Avlien the Yistida is crossed that Austrian pressure from tiie south may become serious 
for the Russians. 
The total length of this first field of the Russian invasion, from the nearest jjoint upon the '\"istula 
to the corresponding nearest point upon the eastern frontier of Prussia, is no less than 130 miles : that 
is the distance the invader must cover before lie begins to exercise any real in-essure, and even then 
he will not exercise it until he has masked or isolated the Vistula forti-esses. 
If or when the Vistula is passed, the invaders will find themselves not only in territory every 
mile of advance through -ivhich will more and more grievously incommode Prussia politically, but 
actually within 200 miles of Berlin itself. 
Fm-ther, when the line of the VistiJa is crossed, the front of the Russian advance to the north 
Avill be abreast of any further advance attempted from the western districts of Russian Poland : as, for 
instance, an advance directly upon the Polish town of Posen (to give it its Crtrman name) so long 
oppressed by Prussian domination. 
It will be seen from all this that Avith the best of luck the Russians will not begin to exercise just 
yet an effective pressui-e in this field, and il caiiiwt he too ofleii ropeated thai ihouyh the element of 
time is a factor, in every cariipait/ii, and is a factor of peculiar importance in titis campait/n, thai there 
are yet several weeks in which the Prussians arc free to operate in the iccst before they need be 
really anxious about the attack falUny upon them from the east. 
Ahnost as important as the probable movement of the Russian armies and the rate of their 
advance is the distribution of the population through which that advance wiU take place ; for it is 
certain now that the Polish population will favour the Russian advance at the expense of Prussia. It 
is exceedingly important to seize the racial realities underlying the artificial political frontiers in this 
district. They will explain a gi'eat deal of Avhat is to come. 
It will be seen upon the sketch map printed opposite that the conquest of East Prussia is the con- 
quest of a sort of ba.stion of Germanism out and beyond Poland, and that, as the Russian advance 
approaches the Vistula, it enters what is, for the pm-poses of its march, friendly territory. It vvill 
further be seen to what a gi-eat distance westward stretches this solid gi-oup of Polish population, upon 
whose moi-al support the invader can rely. It is true that the jounger men have aU been taken to serve 
unwillingly mider the Prassian flag, but it remains equally true that in all the ambient business of 
information and in every other form of succour, Avluitever of the populace remains in all that wide flat 
land wiU be a force adverse to the Gennauic powers, and, for the moment at least, sympathetic with the 
invader. Nor will that feeling anywhere be stronger than in the toAvn of Posen itself, should the 
invader reach it, for nowhere is the subterranean conflict between the Slav and the Geiinan more bitter, 
and nowhere has the former security of Prussia aftirmed itself with greater harshness. 
A DIARY OF THE WAR. 
SYNOPSIS. Biili-h criii'.ci-B. A fioico battle still continued before Litg*^ 
JcLY 23kd. ^''''y declared her uuutiality. 
.\i'^tro-Hungarian uUimatnm to Scrvia. August Ttif. 
Ji'LY 25th. ■^'"' t'ei'iiian rniifcr Cnrhm, v.ith her esroifc the Bnshni, left 
King Peter of Servia's appeal to Hussia. M<:-.'5«ina. Gcimans outside I.iige adced for a twency-foiir 
J 27Tn ■ hours* aniii.=tice to collect their killed and wounded. Aniiiistice 
Sir EdwMd Grey proposed a London Conference between Ficuch. refused by Belgians. 
German, Italian, and Great Britain's Ambassadors. ACGCSt bth . , , ,, , , , ,,..„ 
Ir • PflxiT rrench troops mvaded Alsac* and r< ached Mulhausen after a 
" , , . „ J 1 J o • tharp engagement, in whidi the Germans were routed willi t],e 
AuGtna-Hungary declared war on Senia. bayonet. Lord Kitchener i.sued a circular asking for 100,000 
July 29th. _ nien. 
A partial Sufisian mobilisation, confined to the Army Corps on August 9ih 
the borders of Austria-Hungary, was siKiied on receipt of n„» ,'( (i,„ ,._„;„„ , j „., t n Ar • i-i i ii i ' i 
the news of the bombardment of Belgra.le. E„iiUsh Stock r^nL^^.I^n.",,!?, '^|>" "'"; ^'"'^ ^'^■^^ was attacI:ou by 
Exchange closed. English Bank Rate, 3>er cent. " W H M s" ^fm;W,a». ^ ^ ^ submarine, LIS, was sui.k 
August 1st. August lOiit 
'•'tr.Xl I'^r'^^v ">°'^"'*f,'"" '"•''<^"<',- y^'^'""" niobiUsatinn France' declared war on Ausiria Hungary. Liege forts still 
? C^l^ h'^ i 1 T""^. • '''i-7}" °' "^^^^^ 1'^'^ •"»'«k<="- Germans ad vancoa on Xamur. The new Press 
followed up tins declaration by immediatelv invadinctlia «„,.„„ „,i„ur i i i »i r> . c .u • i <•• • i 
f<..-..j n, I,,. „» T ^~i, ju- „ ..„i c. . I , ••<.•, <.••.! JJureau established by the Govcriiiuent for the issue of ofhcial 
Grand Uuciiy of Luxemburg, the neutral State between r ranee ^ .,j news ouencd 
and Germany. King George made a final effort for peace, , ,. pe ■ . 
dispat<^hing a direct personal telegram to the Tsar, offering ^'"'^'^^.L ™' , i n t . , , .,,-,,,, „ , , 
mediation. Before it could reach St. Petersburg Germany Ihe ^o.t'-n and Bm?ou took refuge in the Dardancllts. England 
declared war. declared war againet Auetria. 
August 2vi> August 12th. 
Germany ■« ultimatum to Bekium. Corbrn and Bwlau purchased by Turkey. Bombardment of 
August 3rd. 
Liege forts resumed. 
August ISth. 
Sir Edward Grey stated British policy .and revealed Germany"* ''"'- 'T..^"""- , , j t, i .• . , t, ,. .^ 
amazing offer, in the event of our neglecting our obligations ■^'J? l?ar addressed a Proclamation to the Pohah populations cf 
to Ffance. Mobilisation of the Army. Lltimatum to Germany Uufisia. Germany, and Au&tna, promising to restore to Poland 
after Belgian appeal to England. German and French complete autonomy and gnarantees for religious liberty and 
Ambassadors kft Paris and Berlin. "'« "*« °^ '"e i"!'*!! language. 
Alcust 4in. August l&rn. 
Germany Tejected ultimatum. English Government took over Japanese ultimatum to Germany dcmandi;ig the withdrawal of 
control of railways. War declared between England and her vessels of war from the l ar East. 
Germany. August ITth. 
Vice- Admiral Sir John Jellicoe appointed to command of the The British Expeditionary Force .cafc'y landed in France. Ecatb 
Home Fleets, with the acting rank of admiral. of Lieut.-General Sir James Grierson. 
Ai tiUST oin. Ti'e Belgian Government trausfcned from Brussels to Antwerp. 
Jxird Kitchener appointed ."secretary of State for War. H.M.S. August ISth. 
Jinphiiin struc'k a mine and founderod. Many German General Sir TL Smith-Dorrien apfxiintcd to command of r.n Ai my 
fc;ii|>8 seized. (,'orps of tlio British E.^peditionary Force, in euocession to the 
Auciv-'r 6tic. late General Grierson. 
ji";i8e of Commons, in five minutes, passed n vote of credit for .'■'omo desultory fighting took plaoa in the North Sea. 
£100,000,000, and sanctioned an increase of the Army by Aucr-r 20rH. 
fiOO.OOO men. State control of food inices. Tlie German battle The Servians gained a decisive victory over the Austiians near 
truiscr C'oeOen and her escort driven into Messina by two ;:habatz. 
II* 
