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SIR CECIL ARTHUR SPRING-RICE

British Ambassador to Washington, Present When J. P. Morgan was Assaulted by Erich Muenter, Alias Holt

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German East Africa and the fighting which has taken place.

coast of the German colony, was taken by the British and is being administered by them.

The history of the war in this region is brought up to date by a British Press Bureau statement issued on June 30:

Further details are now to hand of the operations which have been taking place west of Lake Victoria Nyanza. It will be

his force up to 400 rifles, and he made a most determined resistance, the Arabs especially fighting most bravely. They were, however, heavily outnumbered, and eventually the whole force broke and fled, utterly demoralized. * * Our troops distinguished themselves greatly, both in the arduous march from the Kagera and in the subsequent fighting. A telegram was sent on June 28 from Lord Kitchener to Major Gen.

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Gulf expedition is given in The Sphere, May 15:

The Shatt-el-Arab, (the united Euphrates and Tigris,) for the greater part of its course, Persia and forms the boundary between Turkey. Some twenty miles below Basra (or Bussorah) it is joined by the Kasun, near whose course, about a hundred miles from its mouth, are the Anglo-Persian Company's oil fields.

The effective protection of these is necessarily an object of vital importance.

gunboats on the river, at last closed upon the Turkish intrenchments and carried them, capturing two guns and one hundred prisoners, besides inflicting a very heavy loss in killed and wounded.

The retreat of the enemy was assisted by a mirage which disconcerted our gunners. Subr Bey retreated on Basra, but he had no hope of being able to hold the big spreading place with his small force, and evacuated it. He retreated to Kurna, where the Tigris There he intrenched joins the Euphrates.

himself. It was His main body was in Kurna, a large village encircled by palm groves, in the marshy angle formed by the two rivers,

also of considerable importance to create a diversion which should cause the Osmanli Generals to feel uneasiness as to a possible Whether more advance up the Euphrates. than the occupation of Basra and the protection of the oil fields was or is intended cannot, of course, be at present definitely stated.

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It

The expeditionary force, under Lieut. Gen. Sir Arthur Barrett, consisted-apparentlyof three Indo-British infantry brigades, a brigade of Indian cavalry, and artillery and all services in proportion-in auxiliary probability some 15,000 to 18,000 men. included at least three British battalionsthe Second Dorsets, the Second Norfolks, and the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry. The advanced brigade reached the Shattel-Arab on Nov. 7, and after a brief fight occupied Fao, a few miles up the river. the 9th a night attack was made upon it by a force from Basra, which was easily beaten off. Shortly afterwards the main body of the expeditionary force began to arrive, and by the 16th it had entirely disembarked at Saniyeh, a place above Fao.

On

The weather was wretched. Rain converted the alluvial flats into a wilderness of mud. The men were drenched and caked with the often riverine clay, the very rifles were choked.

Meanwhile the advance guard carried out a reconnoissance up the river and located the enemy in position at Sahilo, about nine miles distant. They numbered about 5,000 men, with twelve guns, under General Subr The Bey, the Vali (Governor) of Basra. reconnoissance carried an advanced position with a loss of sixty killed and wounded, and withdrew unmolested to report.

On the 17th General Barrett paraded for After a the attack the bulk of his force. trying march through a veritable quagmire, the troops sometimes up to their waists in slush, the division at about 9 A. M. came within range of the Turkish position, and the leading brigade, the Belguam, (Major Gen. Fry,) deployed for attack.

The ground was absolutely open, and the On our Turks had a perfect field of fire. side the men had the greatest difficulty in getting forward through the clayey mud-beds and the worn-out horses could not bring up Nevertheless, the Belthe field artillery. gaum brigade steadily advanced, and the attack being presently supported by other troops and assisted by the first of the two

The scene of the Persian Gulf Campaign.

with a strong detachment in the straggling village of Mazera, on the left bank of the Tigris.

On Dec. 7 General Fry advanced upon the The defenders of Mazera Kurna position. made a hard fight of it, assisted by the strength of their position among a maze of pottery works backed up by the ubiquitous palms, but in the afternoon the village was carried.

Kurna was now isolated, but its capture presented great difficulties. All through the 8th General Fry bombarded it from Mazera, while his infantry were slowly ferried over higher up. This was prepared by some daring sappers, who swam the broad river and fixed a wire rope by which the boats were worked backward and forward, and an advance was made against Kurna from the

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