Norwich bulletin., 1917-11-16
CLEANED FROM FOREIGN EXCHANGES

Never in the whole of the history of the world had the British navy been more potent and exercised a mere beneficent influence in the affairs of men. Fer the British army and allies there had been transported across the seas since the beginning of the war
 13,ooo. coo men.
 25,000,0Go tons of explosives and
 supplies.
 100000 horses.
 500,000 mules.
 Of the 13.000,o00 men carried the losses had been only $500, of whom e,700 were lost by the action of the enemy, and the remainder through the ordinary perils of the sea.-Lloyd George.
 The weser Zeitung's war corres- pendent on the Aisne. after deserib ing the fury of the Trench pre1imi- nary bombardment, sayS:-
 While half the very numerous French batteries continued drumming the German positions the other half bombarded these positions and the ground behind them with gas shells to an extent never hitherto experienced. The Ailette Valley lay for three days and it was hardly possible to remove gas-n1asks during that long time in order to have a drink of water or eat a bit of food. All the roads at the front lay under poisonous gases, and simultaneously the enemy shel1ed the ground to a distance far behind the front most lavishly With shrapnel
 We may effect laudable war econ or1y in the matter of clothes. but the real clothing problem will .coAle after the war, when some millions of khaki clad heroes will become "civies' once rnore,- and require new suits. But old clothes will doubt play their part seeing merchant who realized this during the South African war. He made a corner in old trousers which he bought by the thousand at sixpeuce packed into bales, and then waited patiently until peace was declared, when he shipped them over to Cape Colony and sold them at a sovereign a pair, thus making a fortune by fore seeing mans most pressing want in the colony after the war.
 If John Forster had had his way, Charles Dicpens would have come down to us smooth-1ipped and beard the authors portrait. and then sud- which Forsted hated Tt is a whirri: it will pass. Wait until he returns to the normal said he to the artist. They waited four years. and in that time Dickens added a beard to his chin. Thereupon F'rith was bid7a-. make haste with his work lest t',r great man should leave still less his face to be painted.
 In France, we have suddenly dis covered America, and America has discovered us. How different we both are from our preconceived notions of highly educated, professional, and modest gentleman the American regu- lar officer was, nor did we quite real4- ize what a splendid body of active fighting men he was going to bring more enthusiastic about the Ameri- cans, and, if may say so, more proud of them, than we show on the surface. How can we not regard as men of our own flesh and blood the relays of American soldiers of all grades who come to us. who speak our own lam guage and bear our own names, who understand us in a flash of time, and whose point of view on almost every conceivable subject under heaven is our own?
 The American troops. are fine, virile, upstanding body of men. near est perhaps to tho Australians in type, of their own. The discipline is excel lent so far as Can be judgcd>from ex- te.nais. and I shall be almost sorry for the B6ches when these 1.-the, active Americans run tn against them.
 Tho American ExpeditioHary Force Is completely scIf-supPorting, and draws nothing from France except air. water. fresh vegpta eles. and eass. ThA sofdiers eat the best white bread t1sat I have tasted for many months, and aIl the -four comes from America, as does tho frozen meat and every thing else in the way Of supplies, in-s biscuit, and ,eve. milk. The sAmeri- cans Go not therefore impose any very severe strain upon the food supplies of the nation whose guests they are and, moreover they nre bringing oves locomotives, carriages, trucks, and railway plant to increase the possibiI it:es of railway traffic on the F'renc' lines.-Arnay correspondent. Londen