January 13, 1916. 
LAND AND WATER 
the point of crossing where the track passes 
between the two mountain masses, marked A and 
B on Sketch II (the Maghara and the Yelleg) 
there is perhaps some difficulty from the drifting 
sand. But the latter hardly extends to the 
southern edge of A along which the old track, and 
presumably the light railway would run. The 
summit, at C on Sketch II, is little more than 
1,300 feet above the sea and is approached so 
gradually that the elevation is insignhcant to 
railway construction, especially of the light kind ; 
though |the descent upon the western side is some- 
what more abrupt. The real difficulty begins at 
about the point X on Sketch II, where the hard 
surface, which the light railway would hitherto 
have been able to use, is exchanged for the drift- 
ing sand. All that region is also very broken, 
even before the drifting sand and its dunes are 
reached. Its contours would demand many turns 
and lengthenings of a rapidly laid light railway 
line. But that is nothing comparable in diffi- 
culty to the dealing with drifting sand in the last 
two or three days' march east of the canal. 
The defences undertaken by the Allied, and 
particularly by the British forces, for preventing 
the emplacement of heavy guns within range of 
the Canal, are not a matter for public discussion. 
But the other side of the (luestion, the problem 
presented to the enemy upon the same ground is 
open to examination, and has an interest of its 
own. And it is probably the presence of this 
formation of loose and shifting sandhills for so 
considerable a distance east of the railway that 
will most heavily handicap the enemy when his 
advance is thus far prepared 
In this connection there must also be remem- 
bered what was said above, that he is calculating 
time very closely. The season for such an 
advance is limited within no very broad space of 
time — it is generally believed that the month of 
IVIarch will be his best opportunity. Though in 
the main a Turkish adventure, its fortunes will 
necessarily depend ultimately upon the state of 
affairs in Europe where alone the campaign as a 
whole can be decided, and the state of affairs in 
Europe depends in its turn upon the rate of Austro- 
German wastage: so rapid, and- already proceeded 
50 far, that every subsidiary campaign is subject to 
that factor. 
For the attack upon Egypt, however largely 
it develops, or with whatever energy it is pursued, 
must (and it is exceedingly important to remember 
this) remain subsidiary to the campaign as a whole. 
I have seen printed in more than one paper, 
what the Government should never have allowed 
to have been printed— the statement that a 
successful enemy invasion of Egypt would niean 
to this country the loss of the war. It would mean 
nothing of the sort. Even a disaster of this kind, 
powerfully as it would affect. public imagination in 
this country, and certainly as it would be used to 
our detriment by the sensational Press, could 
have no final effect upon the fortunes of Germany 
in Europe, and therefore oa^the whole campaign. 
That vast campaign was probably determined at 
the battle of the Marne. It will in any case 
certainly be determined upon the gi:eat eastern 
or western fronts in Russia, or in France, and, 
much the most probably upon the latter. 
H. Belloc. 
RAEMAEKERS' CARTOON. 
We know that, ivhen the " Lusitania " was 
sunk by a German submarine, and 1,134 P^ysons 
■perished, including women and children, schools in 
Germany were given a public holiday and the event 
was celebrated as a great victory. Since then public 
acclamation in Germany of these wholesale murders 
at sea has been modified for reasons of Stale, but 
only this week the civilised world learned, definitely 
through the correspondence that passed between the 
Foreign Office and the American Ambassador over 
the expatriation of Austrian xvomen and children 
from India, that this inhuman form of warfare is 
part of the settled and premeditated policy of the 
German and Austrian Governments. 
Well may Mr. Louis Raemaekers speak of the 
loss of the P. and 0. Mail Steamer, " Persia," as 
"The Neia Year's Feast of Kultur." Forty-nine 
women and twelve children perished, when the vessel 
sank within five minutes of being struck by the 
torpedo. The cartoon is a terrible one but it repro- 
duces not only vividly but with truth the full horror 
of the crime. Who knows but that it may even 
touch the conscience of the enemy. 
A GERMAN APPRECIATION. 
THE anonymous " postcard from Torquay, a. 
facsimile of which we published last week; 
which was signed " Jolui Bull " and expressed 
strong objection to L.-vnd and Water piib-; 
lishing " the coarse and vulgar Cartoons by Kae- 
mackcr," has caused no little amusement to our readers, 
many of whom have written pointing out other evidences 
of its Teuton origin. Moreover, the Fine Art Society 
of 148, New Bond Street, where the exhibition of Rae- 
maekers' cartoons is being held, has informed us that an 
almost identical postcard was. received by them ; the 
writer of it stated that owing to the exhibition ", your 
Business is being materially damaged in the eyes of 
many of your Customers at Torquay." Notice how 
the Teuton mind only recognises material interests. 
Another anonymous letter has reached Land and 
W.-VTER Office, objecting to l^aemaekers' work and on 
this ground : " While the conception and. ideals of these 
cartoons are excellent, the crudeness of the execution 
does most certainly not appeal to me." The letter 
from Bristol is signed " John Bull No. 2." There are 
evidently plenty of John Bulls in inverted commas— the 
equivalent of hyphenated Americans — at large in this 
country, and this little incident should open the eyes of 
the authorities to the'underground way in which they work 
to the detriment of the Allied cause and for the, advan- 
tage of Germany. 
These letters refer to the postcard of last week.: 
SiR^ — I think you are probably right in thinking tlic 
postcard was from a Teuton. In German substantives aje 
spelt with a capital. And you will notice that all the sub- 
stantives in the postcard are spelt with a big capital. 
United University Club, H. A. Hadden. 
Pall Mall East. 
The photograph of Mr. Louis Raemaekfei'sl which appeared in 
Land anu Watkr of Ueccniber ,',oth, is the oopyright-of Miss Compton 
Collier of 7b, Hcrvey Way. Church End.' Fiuchlev. 
Sir,— If you look closely at the Torquay postcard you 
will see that the letter S whenever it occurs is not written 
by an Englishman. With the possible exception of the s 
in 1^'riend's the rest are German. ' And why the apostrophe 
in Friends ? Edw.\kd Hill. 
The Engineers' Club, .Manchester. 
SiR_ — In the 5th line of the Torquay postcard the use 
of "shall " for " will " points to a Hunnish origin, this being 
a common error of the Hun communis. 
19, Ewer Street, S.E., Charles Silcock. 
Sir, — No doubt you have noticed that your anonymous 
postcard writer has i misspelt " Raemacker." This is a 
(lUrman name, whereas " Raemaekers " is unmistakably 
Dutch. J- G. RcssELL Harvey. 
Ardmore, Leigh WoodS; Chfton. 
