August 14, 1915. 
LAND AND .WATER 
taiuly many heavy pieces were still in place 
there less than a"^ month ago. There is but 
one single line of railway by which these 
and all the stores can have been removed. 
iWe do not yet know whether it is the intention of 
our Ally to leave the place to stand a siege, or to 
withdraw everything from it, as has been done 
from Ivangorod. The immediate future will show 
us which of these two alternatives has been 
adopted. But if the latter is the Grand Duke'a 
choice, and if it proves in the event that he has 
been able to leave nothing in this strong place and 
has saved, as at Ivangorod, every gun and every 
shell, the feat will be one of the most remarkable 
in all the history of the war, and should leave us 
a complete confidence in Russian organisation and 
in the power of our Ally ultimately to exhaust the 
enemy's ofi'ensive. HILAIRE BELLOC, 
THE WAR BY WATER. 
By A. H. POLLEN. 
In jucordaDce with tbe reqairements of the Press Bureau, which does oot object to the pubUcatlsn as censored, and takes n* 
respoasibitity lor the correctness ol the statements. 
THE THREAT TO RIGA. 
THE advance of the Germans in Courland 
has already taken them to within strik- 
ing distance of Riga. The fa«t that 
the Baltic is closed to Russian ocean 
trade greatly lessens the value of Riga, as 
a sea port, to our Allies. It never has 
been, and is not, a naval base. But if the 
Germans can succeed in establishing a command 
over the Baltic, Riga would be of supreme im- 
portance to them. As the crow flies, it is about 
260 miles from Petrograd, and it would, there- 
fore, be a priceless base for the left wing of a 
German invading army. Is Germany aiming at 
Petrograd? Will she'count on sea transport to 
quicken the service of her invading force 1 Will 
Germany attempt to take Riga with this object in 
view? Will the Russians, foreseeing this use, 
allow Riga to fall into German hands? The 
degree of effort which the Germans devote to this, 
and the degree of sacrifice which the Russians 
may be willing to suffer to prevent it, will prob- 
ably be measured by the respective beliefs each 
has in the feasibility of Germany establishing 
sea communications with Konigsberg, Danzig, 
Thorn, and Memel. 
Just about a month ago we received the newB 
of a German attempt to land at Windau — about 
100 miles to the north-west of Riga, and about 
half-way between Libau and the northern point 
of the Courland promontory. That attempt re- 
sulted in the coast defence ships that were cover- 
ing the trawlers with troops on board being 
driven off by the shore artillery. A day or two 
after this, the Rurik, the three Bayans, and the 
Oleg, which had been cruising in the southern 
portion of the Baltic, returned to the waters 
between Courland and Gothland, and there 
engaged the Avgsherg, which, with some de- 
stroyers, was escorting the Albatross, a mine- 
layer. The action developed into a chase; the 
'Albatross was driven ashore, and the chase 
brought the Russians into contact with the cruiser 
Roan, which was silenced and set on fire. On the 
same day the Pommern was sunk by a torpedo 
fired from Commander Max Horton's submarine. 
Indeed, it could only be a matter of chance that 
the coast defence ships and the shallow-draught 
vessels used as transports did not fall in with 
the Rurik and her consorts. It seemed unlikely 
the Germans would try again to send troops over 
sea into the regions where the Russians were so 
active. But last week we received the news from 
Petrograd that a British submarine, tperhaps the 
same, had just sunk a large German transport 
full of troops. The report does not say where. 
The news, I confess, astonished me. To push 
loaded transports into danger before something 
like command of the Baltic was established, seems 
anything but prudent, especially if they are sent 
to an imdefended harbour. 
Windau, unfortunately, has long since fallen 
into German hands. But it has none of the 
facilities that Riga possesses. It could never be 
an important sea base; nor would it be worth 
risking much to use its very limited facilities. 
The question assumes very different proportions, 
however, if Riga becomes German. 
CAN GERMANY COMMAND THE 
BALTIC ? 
What is involved in Germany getting the 
command of the Baltic Sea ? It only can be done 
by defeating the Russian squadron or driving it 
into Reval or behind Kronstadt. The latter pro- 
cedure would probably not be as simple as it 
sounds. If, as one gathers from Admiral 
Grigorovitch's recent statement, the four new 
Dreadnoughts are in commission, it will need a 
very considerable squadron of German ships to 
hold them in their ports. If this war has shown 
anything, it has shown that the Russians are not 
afraid of engaging, even when the odds seem 
to be hopelessly against them. The same spirit 
of absolute self-sacrifice will characterise the 
the Navy just as markedly as the Army. But in 
the case of the Navy many considerations will 
come in that will not apply to troops. Of the 
latter, Russia has an unlimited reserve. Of 
Dreadnoughts she has only four. If the German 
advance can be very greatly accelerated by the 
use of sea transport — which seems to be the case 
— and if the next move in German strategy shows 
that a movement towards the north is contem- 
plated in great force, it may be worth while to 
sacrifice everything — even the entire Russian 
Fleet — to delay this advance. The strategic 
