Land & Water 
May 9, 19 18 
LAND & WATER 
5 CHANCERY LANE, LONDON, W.C.2 
Telephone i HOLBORN 2828 
THURSDAY, MAY 9, 1918. 
Contents 
PAGE 
Tlie Ration Carrier. By Eric Kenningtoli i 
The Outlook 2 
Victory of April 29tli. By H. Belloc 3 
Tlic Turkish Conspiracy. By Henry Morgenthau 7 
Zeebriigge. (Cartoon.) By Raemaekers 10 and 11 
Mconnniy in the Grand Fleet. By Lewis R. Freeman 12 
Climax of Two Oreat Wars. By J. Holland Rose i^] 
The Tree in the Pool. (A Sketch) 15 
American Literature. By J. C. Squire 16 
The Royal Academy. By Charles Marriott 17 
Corporal Grim. \'.C. \W F. Willev Turner 18 
The North Countrie. (Illustrated') By H. R. S. . 19 
Household Notes 22 
Notes on Kit xi 
T 
The Outlook 
THE long lull which has occurred in tlie German 
Offensive since the signal victory of Monday, 
the 2qth ultimo, is the outstancUng event of the 
week. To what e.xtent tliis victory contributed 
to the lull it is impossible to say, nor is it possible 
to forecast the immediate future, for the initiative still rests 
with the enemy. But the Allied position is favourable, and 
the heavy losses which have been inflicted on the enemy 
are to our good. The battle may break out again with 
increased fury at any moment, but to the north of the line 
the German command has found it daily more difficult to 
assemble for the attfvck owing to the increased strength of 
the Allied gun-power. Heavy weather has militated against 
the air force, but whenever the atmosphere has cleared for 
a few hours, full advantage has been t;ik(>ii. and our^^nperinritv 
in the air has been maintained. 
« * * 
The position in Austro-Hungary is obviousl}' critical, for 
only under most severe pressure would consent have been 
given to the Northern Tyrol being joined to Bavaria, and 
the German districts of Northern Bohemia to Saxony "for 
purposes of food supply." This virtual dismemberment of 
Austria, even for temporary reasons, would never have been 
allowed, could it ha\'e been avoided, for the hand does not 
go back upon the dial, and a precedent has been estabhshed 
which Germany will not hesitate to make use of at the first 
favourable opportunity. According to the Hague corre- 
spondent of The Times, the German peoples in these districts 
directly appealed to Germany, and a resolution addressed 
to the Austrian Emperor was passed by them in which it 
was stated : "Should we find no help in our State, we have 
no alternative save recourse to oud German brothers in the 
German Empire, and we know that Germapj- never for- 
sakes her sons." This comes dangerously near to revolution, 
and if revolution against the Hapsburgs starts among their 
German subjects, where is it to end ? Moreover, the food 
crisis will only reach its worst at the end of this month. 
■II * * 
Ukraine, which was to have proved a land of Goshen, is 
now^ found to be as naked as the wilderness. The Rada, 
which concluded peace, has been dissolved by force of German 
arms, because it was found not to have been representative. 
It was sufficiently representative for signing a peace treatv. 
but directly it stood between its own people and starvation, 
and strove to prevent wholesale pillage, it was destroyed. 
A military governor has now been appointed at Kieff ; 
obviously, his duty is to collect, at any cost, the last sack of 
grain from the peasants. The Ukraine is to be treated as 
though it were another Belgium, and even so, it is doubtful 
whether it will save the food situation. 
« * * 
The Prime Minister is certainly a busy man, possibly a 
tired man, therefore one must not read his conversational 
remarks too strictly according to the letter. But we do 
consider he would be well-advised to speak either less or 
more. The following, for instance, requires explanation, 
though it would have been better left unsaid. It refers to 
Mr. Lloyd George's recent visit to the VVestem front ; last 
Saturday he told an interlocutor that he had seen there "a 
very large number of regimental officers and soldiers" : 
I met no pacifists and no pessimists among them. They 
could not in the least imderstand the wrangles in certain 
quarters in England, which seemed to proceed on the 
assumption that they had been defeated and that the only 
question of importance was as to who was to blame. 
Naturally, they could not understand wrangles about whether 
or not they had been defeated. No more can we at home, 
for, to the best of our belief, such wrangles have not occurred. 
There have been questionings whether the War Cabinet 
sufficiently supported the generals at the front and gave 
them all the men they asked for ; and as there has been 
considerable misgivings on these points, it has been suggested 
that the armies may have been placed in a position in which 
defeat were possible. But this is a totally different matter. 
Was the Ij'rime Minister referring to these questionings ? 
* =f! * 
It is one thing to be careless in con\ersation, tut another 
matter for the Prime Minister or his colleagues in the War 
Cabinet to make statements in the House which are not in 
accordance with fact. Major-General Maurice's letter to the 
Press on Tuesday makes this indictment. It is a very 
temperate letter, and its sincerity is indisputable. This is a 
question for Parliament to settle, in the first place, and the 
people afterwards. No Government can be tolerated which 
permits itself to colour its deliberate statements on the war 
in order to suit its own purposes. 
* * * 
The unconquerable spirit of the British Army has never 
been displayed to nobler advantage than during the last 
six weeks. In the vast hurly-burly of a modern battle, 
extending over days, it is all but impossible to put the finger 
down and say: "Here was another Thermopylae, here a 
second Agincourt," but we know- that these historic fights 
have been constantly repeated by the AUied armies in the 
field during these grey days of spring. How can there be 
pessimism in the face of such achievements ? And there 
has been Zeebriigge, where the only trouble was to select 
volunteers for that most hazardous and daring exploit. 
Flight times the number would have gladly stormed the 
Mole, had it been possible to convey them there. Knowing 
as all do nowadays, the true significance of complete military 
victory over the enemy, who can be a pacifist, when such 
splendid evidence has been forthcoming that victory is 
within our grasp if we endure ? 
* * * 
At time of writing. Sir Hugh Trenchard's reappointment in 
the Royal Air Force has not been announced. Every day 
he remains unemployed is to the disadvantage of the country. 
Sir William Weir has, no doubt, found his time much occupied 
in pouring oil on the needlessly troubled waters, but General 
Trenchard should be back at work with the least possible 
delay. His services cannot be indefinitely suspended without 
giving rise to all kinds of undesirable nimours. 
* * * 
Will Lord French l>e an acceptable Viceroy of Ireland ? 
In his long adventurous life, he has never entered on a greater 
adventure. Being an Irishman by birth is to his advantage ; 
being a soldier by training may or may not prove a benefit. 
At any rate, circumstances have compelled him frequently 
to form quick decisions in arduous affairs. And in Mr. 
Shortt he has a Chief Secretary of whom all men speak well. 
It is difficult to formulate any opinion on the future of Ireland 
until the Home Rule Bill is drafted, beyond this : That, 
bad as the outlook is to-day, it must needs be worse if vagilla- 
tion and hesitancy prevail. Courage, resolution, and 
sincerity are the essential qualities ; but, unfortunately, they 
are the very qualities which have been at a considerable 
discount in the poHtical life of this comitrv for years past. 
We can hope that for once they mav not be absent, for 
I the Irish question has to be settled" now or hereafter. 
* * * 
The narrative of Mr. Henry Morgenthau, American 
Amba,ssador at Constantinople, 1913-6, begins in L.tXD and 
W.\TER this week with graphic character sketches of the 
leading players in the Turkish conspiracy. Mr. Morgenthau 
gives it as his opinion that the war would probably have 
ended a few months after the battle of the Marne if turkey 
had not joined the enemy. The change in the balance of 
power brought about by this event was so immense and far- 
reachmg that one lias to watch the drama unfold in order to 
realise the full truth. Mr. Morgenthau has an accomplished 
pen,, and brings events vividly before the reader's mind. 
