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On May 13th the Foreign Office issued for publication certain interesting and somewhat amusing cortespondence between the American Ambassy and our Foreign Once. i ne nrst letter reads thus .

1. THE UNITED STATES EMBASSY TO SIR E. GREY. Embassy of the United States of America, London, May 4th, 1915. The American Ambassador presents mis compliments to his Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and has the honour to acquaint Sir Edward Grey with the following telegram which ne has to-day received from the secretary of State in Washington :

Cablegram dated May 2nd from Morgenthau, Constantinople, states :

"'Minister of War to-day told me that the Fleet and aeroplanes of the Alnes are bombarding and killing non-combatants at Gallipoli and other unfortified places on that Peninsula. He has therefore decided to send to those places French and British subjects from Constantinople, exposing them to the same danger; but he will delay taking this step until May 6th, so as to give time for the receipt of an assurance that orders to discontinue such pombardment will be given.'

To this the Foreign Office replied on May 7th. Why it should take three days to urait a reply is not explained, After some preliminary palaver, one finds that the gist of the reply reads thus:

In reply, I have the honour to request that Mr. Morgenthau may be so good as to inform the Ottoman Government that if British or French noncombatants are transported to those places which, owing to the presence of the Ottoman Army, fall within the zone of present military operations, his Majesty's Government will hold Enver Pasha, his Highness Said Halim Pasha, the members of the present Ottoman Ministry, as well as the military authorities commanding the Turkish troops, personally responsible for the life of any British subject or French citizen so transported, and for any hurt, damage, or wounds which such nationals may receive.

The American Ambassador replied with characteristic American promptitude on May Sth, stating that the contents of the Foreign Office Note had been communicated on the previous afternoon by cable both to the American Ambassador at Constantinople and to the Department of State in Washington; also that he had just received from the American Ambassador at Constantinople a telegram dated May 4th, in which he stated that the Turks had, at his urgent request, consented only to send men between twenty and forty years of age, to limit the number to fifty, and only to send the youngest. Further, these men were to be allowed to remain on board a steamer until the American Embassy heard from London and Paris.

On May 6th a further message from Constantinople said that twenty-six British and twenty-four French subjects had been shipped on a transport bound for Gallipoli. Among them were only two British-born subjects, William Wickram and Harry Hoar, and two

armies.

One of the great lessons of the war for non-combatants is never stop to be caught; clear out and leave deserted towns cleaned of everything edible and potable. The Russians, who are always a century in front where pure activity of brain is concerned, knew that much a century and more ago, when they left Moscow a mere wilderness of empty houses before Napoleon's advance. And in this war they have let it be clearly understood that official Russia will take no responsibility for non-combatants in German or Austrian territory which may be occupied by Russian troops. Which is pure common sense, though in fact, where big cities have been occupied, the Russian troops, wild as many of them are, have behaved rather well. Still, there is a wide difference between the unavoidable massacre of non-combatants who are caught by advancing troops in the blood-drunkenness of battle, and the deliberate use of combatants or noncombatant prisoners as shields.

Logic in War.

If such a thing as an honourably conducted war were possible it would be quite reasonable for either side to intimate to the enemy that such and such places, being of historic but not of military importance, were not to be bombarded either by artillery or aircraft, and such an intimation would be respected. In dealing with a less honourable enemy one might give notice that these places were occupied by his own men who had been taken prisoners. But in dealing with an absolutely ruthless and strictly logical enemy like Germany such details simply do not count.

Nothing would ever convince a German officer that

the towers of Reims Cathedral were not used as observation posts, and if the cathedral and its vicinity had been filled with German prisoners it would not have made the slightest difference to the bombard. ment. Unfortunately, their views are confirmed by a photograph published in an American paper, showing Belgian soldiers with a machine-gun in readiness for aircraft, and a telescope, on the look-out on one of the towers of Antwerp Cathedral.

According to the German system of making war, a soldier is only of value so long as he is available as part of the fighting machine. If he is dead, or taken prisoner, or very badly wounded, he is of no further use, and it does not matter what becomes of him. The dead are burned, as the quickest and most sanitary way of getting rid of them. The badly wounded are, one gathers, assisted" in dying. And if those who are taken prisoners happen to be in the way of their own guns it cannot be helped. Further, no German officer of high rank would even hesitate about turning his guns onto a mixed mob of his own men and enemy troops if the latter were obviously forcing his men back.

It is all very terrible, and it sounds very brutal; but it is cheaper in the end if it wins. It is rather like the theory of poisoning wells. Supposing an attacking army has to advance across a desert, and by poisoning wells, which kill perhaps a hundred men, one can prevent that army from ever crossing the desert at all, the total loss is the original hundred; whereas if the army had been allowed to use the wells and had been opposed by troops, thousands of men might have been killed in covering the same distance. But if, in spite of the poison, that army gets acrossas our forces in South-West Africa have done-the poisoners of wells have to pay all the more heavily for it in the end, for the winners are certain to retaliate in degree if not in kind.

A Weak Hand.

The worst of it is that at present the Allies cannot retaliate on Germany, for the very simple reason that Germany holds so many more prisoners from the Allies' armies than the Allies hold of the Germans' and Austrians', so that while the German Government does not really care in the least what we do with their subjects who are prisoners, they can retaliate very effectually on us, and at the same time can raise still more violent feeling against the Allies among the bulk of the affectionate and sentimental German people, who do care very much what happens to their husbands, sons, and brothers. The trifling incident

A Step in the Right Direction.

So far as one can gather no official intimation has been issued of the promotion of the Director of the Air Department to the rank of Commodore (2nd Class), the change in rank appearing quite casually in the Navy List. The promotion will be cordially welcomed by the Royal Naval Air Service, in that it gives their chief rank corresponding to that of a Brigadier-General, and so places the R.N.A.S. more nearly on a level with the R.F.C. Commodore Murray F. Sueter, C.B., R.N., has been concerned with the aeronautical branch of the Navy for nearly six years, and has in that time created a highly effective force whose activities already extend practically all over the world, embracing as they do the seaplane carrying ships, the Anti-Aircraft Corps, and the Armoured Car Division at the Dardanelles, not to mention the Naval Airship sections and the Kite-Balloon sections, all of which have added enormously to the personnel apart from the original aeroplane and seaplane forces.

In so huge and heterogeneous a force, dealing with so many allied yet different mechanical problems in so short a time it would be unreasonable to expect perfection of organisation, yet despite all difficulties-the best workman may be hampered by bad tools and outside interference-the forces under the Air

of the retaliation for the mistakenly announced imprisonment of German submarine officers is a case in point.

Playing the Enemy's Game.

During the past week various papers were highly elated at the spectacle of numerous un-naturalised alien enemies being rounded up and sent to Southend, where, one gathers, they have been placed on board ships moored in the Thames estuary. This action, following as it does immediately on the Zeppelin attack on the alleged "fortress" of Southend, can only appeal to the Germans as a feeble attempt at retaliation for the aforesaid attack. Nothing has been heard, so far, of German comment on this action, but one may judge that something will be heard, for the senseless attacks by English mobs on shops bearing names which look as if they might be German have already produced threats of reprisals against British prisoners.

German threats of reprisals can be carried out. British threats of reprisals against Enver Pasha, the Grand Vizier, the Emperor Franz Joseph, the Kaiser Wilhelm, the German Crown Prince, and so forth, are merely empty talk.

There are only two ways of retaliating on Germany. We can intern all rich Germans-whether naturalised or not-and we can confiscate all German property in the British Empire, whether in real estate, bricks and mortar, machinery, or stocks and shares, on the clear understanding that it will not be returned after the war. That would hit Germany hard, for there is far more German money invested in the British Empire than there is British money in Germany.

The other alternative is retaliation on the field of battle. Our troops are doing their best, which best is far better than this country has the slightest right to, considering the way the Army has been neglected in the past. The Royal Flying Corps, which was even worse mishandled than the rest of the Army, thanks to military conservatism as well as civilian scheming, has done, if possible, greater things in proportion than have the other arms. When the time comes to retaliate in strength on Germany as a nation the R.F.C. will have still greater opportunities of which more may be said at a later date-but in the meantime the preliminary stages of retaliation depend on the British workman who has to provide the material with which to retaliate. More and more ammunition, more and more weapons, more and more aircraft are needed, and the British workman can retaliate better by helping to make them than he can by wrecking the shops of Dutch pork-butchers and Swiss bakers.-C. G. Ĝ.

Department, which actually outnumber those under the Department of Military Aeronautics, have already done much valuable work.

Certain portions of those forces may never have an opportunity of showing their Service value because they cannot come into action except in the case of a German invasion of this country, though presumably in the event of the collapse of the German West front and the smashing of the German Fleet the whole force will be sent abroad to assist in the final disintegration of Germany.

Nevertheless the work of creating all these branches out of nothing had to be done, and it has been done surprisingly well. Therefore this promotion, which one assumes is only a step towards putting the R.F.C. and R.N.A.S. on an equality as regards the official precedence of their chiefs, is welcomed by the officers in charge of the various departments inside the Air Department as a recognition of their own efforts.-C. G. G. For the R.F.C.

Lady Henderson, President of the Royal Flying Corps Aid Committee, will be very grateful for one or two gramophones and some records for the flying men at the front. They should be sent to the Committee's new address "Surrey House, Marble Arch, W."

GREAT BRITAIN.

From the "London Gazette," May 11th, 1915.

ADMIRALTY, MAY 7TH. ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE.-Proby. flight sub-lieuts. confirmed in rank of flight sub-lieut. : A. C. Teesdale. November 10th. C. N. Leeston-Smith. November 19th. O. N. Walmesley. November 23rd. J. S. Mills. November 27th. F. December 21st. E. de C. Hallifax. January 4th. J. B. P. Ferrand. February 6th. J. F. Hay. February 10th. R. B. Munday. February 16th. R. C. Hardstaff. February

Besson.

27th Proby. flight sub-lieut. for temp. service confirmed in rank of flight sub-lieut. for temp. service: A. C. Saw. January 28th.

From the "London Gazette," May 13th, 1915.

WAR OFFICE, MAY 13TH. REGULAR FORCES. ESTABLISHMENTS.-ROYAL FLYING CORPS.-MILITARY WING.-Flying Officers--April 30th: Lieut. G. Allen, Conn. Rangers, and seconded; Lieut. C. C. Darley, R.A., and seconded; Sec. Lieut. L. W. Yule, S.R.; Sec. Lieut. V. A. H. Robeson, S.R.; Sec. Lieut. M. R. H. A. Allen, S.R. Asst. Equipmt. Officer.-Sec. Lieut. D. J. MacDonald, N. Scot. R.G.A., T.F. May 1st.

*

From the "London Gazette," May 14th, 1915.

ADMIRALTY, MAY 10TH. ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE.-Flight lieuts. to be flight coms.-H. A. Littleton, C. D. Breese, E. R. C. Nanson, E. H. Sparling, R. G. Lock, A. D. Cunningham, J. W. O. Dalgleish, R. H. Kershaw, D. G. Young, R. E. C. Peirse, D.S.O., Right Hon. Lord E. A. Grosvenor, G. R. Bromet, L. Tomkinson, J. R. W. Smyth-Pigott. May 7th.

Flight lieut. for temp. service to be flight com. for temp. service.-H. Delacombe. May 7th.

Flight sub-lieuts. to be flight lieuts.-F. W. Strong, P. C. V. Perry, R. E. Nicoll, J. O. Groves, D. K. Johnston, K. S. Savery, M. S. Marsden, T. H. England, D. Iron, F. G. T. Dawson, V. Nicholl, A. F. Bettington, M. E. A. Wright, B. L. Huskisson, J. J. Petre, E. I. M. Bird. May 7th.

Flight sub-lieuts. for temp. service to be flight lieuts. for temp. service.-H. D. Cutler, E. R. Moon, R. P. Cannon, R. E. Penny, E. H. Dunning. May 7th.

May 12th.

ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE.-W. F. MacNeece to be flight lieut. April 19th.

WAR OFFICE, MAY 14TH. REGULAR FORCES.-ESTABLISHMENTS.-ROYAL FLYING CORPS. MILITARY WING.-Flying Officers--April 28th: Capt. D. W. Powell, Northants, and seconded; Sec. Lieut. H. R. Nicholl, S.R.; Sec. Lieut. A. R. H. Browne, S.R.; Sec. Lieut. H. MacD. O'Malley, S.R.

SPECIAL RESERVE OF OFFICERS.-SUPPLEMENTARY TO REGULAR CORPS.-ROYAL FLYING CORPS.-MILITARY WING.Sec. lieuts. to be lieuts. April 24th: W. B. Rhodes-Moorhouse (since died of wounds), H. Blackburn, W. C. Adamson, H. C. Tower, M. B. Blake, Hon. W. F. F. Sempill, Master of Sempill; R. M. Pike, E. F. Norris, M. McB. Bell-Irving, G. C. N.

Nicholson, F. W. Polehampton (since killed in action), E. G. S Walker, M. G. Christie, E. E. Hodgson.

Sec. lieuts. (on prob.) confirmed in rank: A. R. H. Browne, H. R. Nicholl, H. MacD. O'Malley, C. H. Pixton. NAVAL.

The following appointments were notified at the Admiralty on May 11th ::

ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE.--Flight Lieuts. (Actg. Flight Coms.-C. D. Breese and A. D. Cunningham. Flight Lieuts.-H. A. Littleton, J. W. O. Dalgleish, J. R. W. SmythPigott, R. E. C. Peirse, D.S.O., Lord Edward Arthur Grosvenor, E. R. C. Nanson, L. Tomkinson, E. H. Sparling, R. G. Lock, R. H. Kershaw, D. G. Young, G. R. Bromet, and H. Delacombe (temporary), promoted to the rank of flight com-. manders, with seniority May 7th.

Flight Lieuts.-C. Fuller, T. D. Mackie (temporary), and C. M. Murphy, granted acting rank of flight commanders, to date May 7th.

Flight Sub-Licuts.-B. S. Benning, E. J. Cooper, W. L. Welsh, G. F. Breese, W. K. F. G. Warneford, S. E. Ritchie, G. H. Scott, and D. M. Barnes (temporary), granted the acting rank of flight lieutenants, to date May 7th.

Flight Sub-Lieuts.-E. I. M. Bird, F. W. Strong, R. E. Nicoll, E. H. Dunning, B. L. Huskisson. A. F. Bettington, F. G. T. Dawson, M. S. Marsden, P. C. V. Perry, D. K. Johnston, E. R. Moon, K. S. Savory, T. H. England, D. Iron, V. Nicholl, M. E. A. Wright, J. J. Petre, and Temp. Flight. Sub-Lieuts.-R. E. Penny, H. D. Cutler, R. P. Cannon, and J. O. Groves, promoted to the rank of flight lieutenants, to date May 7th.

The following appointments were notified at the Admiralty on May 12th

ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE. -Mr. C. E. Amphlett granted a temp. commission as lieut., R.N.V.R., with seniority May 1st; and Messrs. R. A. Davey (with seniority May 11th), and C. S. Fox, C. E. Walker, and F. M. Milligan as sublieuts., R.N.V.R., with seniority May 11th and May 1st respectively, and all appointed to the "President," additional, for R.N.A.S.

Prob. Sub-Lieut. R. T. A. Ormsby confirmed as sub-lieut., with seniority April 1st, 1913, and appointed acting lieut., to date April 17th.

Temp. Sub-Lieut. A. H. Davies, appointed temp. acting lieut., to date May 4th.

The following appointments were notified at the Admiralty on May 13th

ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE.-The following have been promoted to the rank of temp. lieut.-coms., R.N.V.R.: B. Kerr and A. Congreve, to date April 27th.

The following have been promoted to the rank of temp. lieuts., R.N.V.R.: A. Hansford, J. F. Hedley, and E. N. G. Morris, to date April 27th..

The following have been entered as prob. flight sub-lieuts. and appointed to the "President," additional, for R.N.A.S., to date as stated: C. C. R. Edwards, May 17th; N. G. H. Sturt, May 12th; as well as N. Blackburn and C. C. Wyllie, for tempservice, to date May 17th.

Capt., Royal Flving Corps, W. F. MacNeece transferred to R.N.A.S., as flight lieut., and appointed to the "President," additional, for R.N.A.S., to date April 19th.

Flight Sgt.. R.F.C., H. MacGrane transferred to R.N.A.S.. as warrant officer second grade, and appointed to the "Presi dent," for R.N.A.S., to date May 19th.

ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER RESERVE.-Warrant Officers, R.N.A.S., C. Tyrer and A. Dudley granted temp. commns. as sub-lieuts., and appointed to the "President," additional, to date May 11th.

The following appointments were notified at the Admiralty on May 14th :

ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE.-Temp. Sec. Lieuts.-T. A. Moncton and R. V. Southwell granted temp. commissions