Norwich bulletin., 1918-10-02
FACTS AND COMMENT

ish;ng and complete than was at first announced. The Turkish army has ap- parently been entirely destroyed. All it's artillery and transport have fallen
 into tise hands of the British and well
 oyer fifty thousand men out of a to-
 tal of l8e,900 are definitely reported
 as prisoners. The number of these
 increases in each isew report. for the sncircling force of cavalry by which
 the victory was made possible, has
 reached the Sea of GaIiiee and there
 by completely e1osed the way to the
 north Palastine is a particularly diff
 fieuit country to fight in or to flee
 from. The land is rough and noun
 tanieus, there are few roads and the
 water supply is very inadequate, Eff
 ty miles back from the Mediterranean
 coast lie the Sea of Galilee, the River
 Jordan and the Dead Sea This val-
 ley is a regular crack in the earths
 surface from TOO to 1900 feet below the level of the Mediterranean, yet this is only half the story. Between the sea coast and the Jordan valley lies a rugged and broken range of hills, some of them nearly 4010 feet high, and these fall steeply to the deep crack of the river valley. Thus Jerusalem though but fourteen miles from the Dead Sea stands 2S00 feet above its surface. The Jordan valley effeetually divides Palestine into two distant areas.
 It was up the western side thst
 General Alienby swept with his An
 io-Indian force driving all before him. Beersheha. Gaza. Hebron and Jerusalem had fallen. one by one, but with the Holy City at last in Chris iian hands Allenhy stepped and en- r-Nk know whether this was by reason of the hot Palestine summer or because England could no longer support him while straining every EeTve to with stand the German onrush in France. But when at last Allenby did move, the rush with which he carried the Turks entrenchments shows that he had superior numbers adequately | prepared while the speed and accura : cy with which his cavalry swept through the breach. up the coast and around to the upper Jordan valley is quite in keeping with Allenby's repu- tation as a dashing leader of cavalry | There is absolutely no escape for the 1 Turks in the enclosed area. A few will make their way across the Jordan in- | to the desert to the east or remain in hiding in the hills Of Ephraim, but as an organized force the Turkish army l in Palestine has ceased to exist.
 UnquestioaabIy the greatest single | event in the war since the collapse of | Russia has been the absolute surrend 1 CT of Bulgaria The offensive from l Saloniki had not more than gotten un- 1 der way when it became apparent thai l there was not the anticipated power 1 of resistance in the armies of the l Central Powers on the Balkan front 1 While Germans and Austrians have 1 doubtless been holding the important points on the Berlin Constantinople
 railway, the real Balkan front oppos- l ing the allies line has been maintain 1 ed la argely hy the Bulgarians. The pres
 nnt war had never been popular 1T 1 Bulgaria. The country had beer through two Balkan wars too recent 1 ly' and had suffered too severely tt | really be enthusiastic about engaging 1 in the present struggle. CZar Ferdln l and had however seen only success il | Germany's early moves and when thu
 Coeben and Breslau entered the Oar | danelles, and Turkey, already Ger
 n1any's vassal. declared war on tn,
 entente, Bulsaria's territory beram all-inportant to Germany fUrnishinj
 as it did the connecting link betwee1
 conquered Serbia and Turkey. We d
 not know just what promises Will helm made to cause Ferdinand to es
 pouse the German cause Doubties l they included the restoration of a the territory taken by Rumania, as 1 result of the Balkan wars, and per hans the dominion over what ha been Serbia. To be sure this was nc , all that Ferdinand wanted, for Bulga
 rian eyes had long been fixed on tn
 port of Saloniki and the city of Ad , rianople It is well known that Wi helm lad q difficult task before hii : to satisfy the aspira tions of Turke, 9 Bulgaria and Greece. Whatever h intentions were, his promises wei Q sufficient to seduce Ferdinand ar . with the declaration Bulgaria mn e fight at the viotor's side the unhaI
 pF country was plunged into the gre:
 war. Three years of struggle and pr
 vation passed, the hopes of FerdiI E l and faded along with the rossibili1 a of German success, the Bulgaria e army, severed by the allies drive ! Il the valley Of the Vardar, was no loni . CT able to save the country from il n vasion, an. humble plea was sent v General q d'lsperey for an ar1nitice wi . 6 view to the conclusion Of peace. z The allies terms were drastic !. the last degree. Bulgaria agrees II evacuate all the Greek and Serbi; e territory that she now occupies, s demobilize her army, to surrender l. her means of transportation both le land and water. and to- concede to t ,e allies free passage through her te .- ritory for military operations toget
 CT with the control of the Danui
 The abject submission of the defeat
 state shows how desperate must ha
 been her condition. The terms co V, tain not one word about boundry lin ,a either present or future When t age-long hatred of Bulgaria towal u Serbia and Rumania together wi
 her greed for additional territory S considered, 1t is seen how complete d Rulgarias submission to the mlgh le champions of her military foes.
 The consternaticn in Germany o1 ty Bulgaria.s surrender can well be il oe agiEed. Bad enough in itself, it's DC 10 sibie results are yet more appalling ' German hopes The new danger of
 vasion may easily give Austria, IS ready wavering in her allegiance, IS necessary courage to come to ter of with the entente in defiance of C.
 many Turkey, severed from her ( r. erloard and defeat ted in Palestine, Id even more likely to give up the strl av gle at once. This would mean y opening Of the Dardanelles, the sl
 port of Rumania and the expulsion ne Germany from the Ukraine. The N D. East, so deadly to the allies ho 1g early in the war, may after all pr'
 the pathway to victory.
 ag There is the delightful inoonsistel ia f=---
 :: ,: A[lEAR [0NRl EXON