October 2, 1915. 
LAND AND .WATER. 
calculated has also been seen — notably north of 
Pinsk and south of the marshes in what is called 
the Volhynian triangle of Lutsk, Rovno, and 
Dubno. The persistent Russian advance here, 
which reached, touched, but apparently just retired 
from, the extreme point of Lutsk, has not been 
explained by any line of the communiques upon 
Dwinsk 
Viina- 
Widzy 
yUeiha. 
ovoGvodek 
Tlnsk 
Lutsk < 
: Tlovno 
,•• • 
Dubno 
Tarnopol 
either side. The doctrine that it is due to the 
presence of Austrian troops rather than Germans 
is rubbish. On the contrarj-, the worst defeats 
sustained by the enemy here have been those iii 
which German troops alone \\cre^ engaged. Tiic 
only place where heavy guns were last (wliich is 
another way of saying the only place in wliich the 
enemy was taken by surprise and his positions 
rushed at one stroke for miles) was that in which 
two German divisions (including one of the ill- 
fated Prussian Guard) allowed themselves to be 
overwhelmed, half of their number to be captured 
as unwounded prisoners, and half wiped out. 
I suggest (but it is only a suggest ionj that 
the strong and successful Russian work in the 
south is due to the fact that this group of the 
Russian armies has obtained its new munition- 
ment earlier and in more rapidly increasing 
quantities than the rest, or perhaps an earlier and 
more rapidly increasing equipment, so that its 
new recruitment can be brought up in greater 
numbers, for we must never forget that the Rus- 
sian forces are organised in three groups, each 
with its own basis of supply and its own railway 
artery — northern, central, and southern. 
There is, in connection with this Eastern 
front, a good deal of talk about the bringing of 
men back westward to meet the new offensive in 
France. With regard to that, there are two things 
to be said. First, that the number of men who 
could be spared for such a purpose is strictly, 
limited. The Polish adventure, largely political 
in character, condemns the enemy, until he shall 
get a decision, to keep those vast numbers, with 
their vast wastage, marking time in the mud of 
Lithuania, or advancing at their mile and a half 
a day. No continuous system of defence can at 
present be devised, and even if it could, it would 
demand by far the greater part of tlie men now 
occupied upon that doubtful offensive. 
In this connection my readers may care to 
note an article in the American Press full of adu- 
lation for the enemy, which has appeared from 
the pen of a correspondent whose work is not un- 
known in the panic Press in this country. Thi.s 
article speaks of whisking " two million men " 
back and forth throughout the whole length of the 
Germanies, a feat only possible to the superhuman 
qualities of those who, to this country at least, 
are for the moment enemies. The whole thing is 
characteristic of the men who pretend to describe 
Germany for us (with suitable adjectives but vast 
admiration) in a section of the British Press, 
while in the neutral Press of America they praise 
the enemy openly and undisguisedly. I need 
hardly point out to the readers of this journal 
that, outside the detestable fiction of the sensa- 
tional Press, nothing of the kind could conceiv- 
ably occur. If ever, at the expense of some ten 
days or couple of weeks, the enemy has moved ;i 
corps or two through such a distance at one time, 
it is the maximum of his carefully detailed, bufc 
rather slow, way of going to work. The largest 
railway operation of this war was the admirably 
executed transfer of the entire British force's 
from the Aisne to Flanders in the space of, I. 
believe, just under seven days.' For some rea.son, 
unfortunately too easy to understand, the section 
of the Press to which I refer never reminds us of 
that : thev prefer to ascribe imaginarv miracles to 
the Germans. ^ ^ jj_ BELLOC. 
It is with deep regret that we auuounce the death of 
Lieutenant Eric Moultoii, of the 6tli Wilts Regiment, the 
son of Mr. Jolm Moulton. diairinan of Mes.'irs. George 
Spencer MouUon and Co., Ltd. Mr. Moulton, who was killed 
in action in Flanders last week, was an expert in ruhber as 
applied to motor tyres and a keen motorist. lie was a 
grandson of Mr. Ale.xauder Moulton, who started the 
nian\ifacture of rulilier at Kingston Mills, Bradford-ou-Avon, 
nearly seventy year.s ago. 
