of Sir John French's generalship and of the fighting quality
of the French troops, a general assurance that the tide bad turned, and a striking acknowledgment of the vast import- ance of the Russian victories, he proceeded to deal with the call to arms. As to the supply of officers and the provision of material he used the following words:—
" If any retired officer competent to train troops has not yet applied or has not received an answer to a previous application, I hope he will communicate with me at the War Office in writing. But our chief difficulty is one of material rather than personae/. It would not be in the public interest that I should refer in greater detail to this question, beyond saying that strenuous endeavours are being made to cope with the unprecedented situation, and that, thanks to the public spirit of all grades in the various industries affected to whom we have appealed to co-operate with us, and who are devoting all their energy to the task, our requirements will, I feel sure, be met with all possible speed. I am confident that by the spring we shall have ready to take the field armies which will be well trained and will prove themselves formidable opponents to the enemy. The Government fully recognize the fine spirit which animates those who have come forward to fight for their country, and will spare no effort to secure that everything is done that can be done to enable them worthily to contribute to the ultimate success of our arms."
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