, 1915-02-17

6I6 III OOdIQs Liz ULn6n VIII DtO-
badly reply that captains Of British mer-
chant ships will be advised to use neatral
flags if the emergency demands it to save
lives, but that no general use of neutral
flags is contemplated or advised.
A law effective forthwith makes it a mis-
demeanor to sell British ships to any buyer
not qualified TIC receive them or without he
approval of the Board of Trade, that is the
Projected United States Government Ship
ping Line will be unable to buy either Ger
man or British vessels, both being equally
obnoxious to international law under the
conditions of war.
It is officially stated that England would
not object to the sale of the 'Wilhelmina's'
cargo to the Belgian Relief Commission, the
avoidance OF a Plize Court decision being
desirable because of the danger Of estab-
fishing a precedent that foodstuffs destined
for the civilians of q belligerent country are
absolute contraband.
According to dispatches from Berlin the
Foreign Office officials, after studying the
American Note, state that the terms are
more friendly than was expected from the
incomplete newspaper dispatches. The For
eign Office did not expect that the United
States would accept the German position
without objections, and it recognizes, from
Tx AAACAACdA N4CW POlub5 tudL C6Ibdlu DOID(S
raised are justified, but Germany neyerthe-
less intends to adhere to her announced
policy. DR.. Won Bethman Hollweg has tele-
graphed the text of the Note to the Kaiser
ON the Eastern front and will journey there
for a conference on the German reply. Dis
appointment is expressed by the 'Kreuz
Zeltung" that neutrals have not asked guar
antees from England that she will desist
from her misuse Of neutral flags, and it fur
ther says: "Such guarantees are improba.
BILE now, since the most powerful neutral
has not even protested, and decidedly O
State which day and night works in the pro-
ductlon OF cannon, BON BIS, submarines, and
armoured motor ears for our enemies, and
prays to God in churches for peace, need
not expect lis warning to affect us morally"
An official despatch from Cairo saysf"Iwo
hundred Turks with German officers were
preparing to attack the British station at
Tor, at the entrance to the Gulf OF Suez,
whom q smaller detachment of British troops
was landed in their rear and advancing over
the hills made a surprise attack on Friday.
The enemy was annihilated, over 100 pIis-
oners being taken and over 60 dead found
on the field. 1t is believed that none got
away. Twenty camel6 were captured and
the enemy's campand stores were destroyed.
Our loss was one killed and one wounded.
A despatch from Constantinople states
that the Turkish Government will protest
against the sinking by the Russians Of the
steamer "Washington," sniling under the
American flag, while carrying Red Cross
supplies between Constantlnople and Trebi-
zOnd.
Advices from Washington state that Mr..
Morgenthau, the United States Ambassador
at Constantinople, sent two current and con
ficting reports, the one blaming the Turks
regarding the foregoing, and the other
blaming the Russians. The steamer 'Wash-
ington" belonged to the Archipelago Ameri-
can Steamship Company, which controls the
fleet, named after the American States, ply