The number of large merchant vessels sunk by torpedoes or
mines has again risen. The sinking& for the week ending last Saturday at midnight—in future the weekly record will end at this point instead of at 3 o'clock on Sunday afternoon as formerly— amounted to twenty-one. The number of large vessel"; (of over 1,600 tone) sunk was fourteen. One of these, however, strictly belonged to the previous week. The weekly average for November is 8-25 large ships and 6.75 small ships, as compared with 12* and 44 during October, and 10.6 and 7.56 during September. On the average, therefore, the November losses are not very bad. And yet last week's figures, taken alone, arc a very sharp warning indeed against the invitations which have too often been extended to us to consider that the submarine danger is over. They are specially disconcerting when read in connexion with the com- paratively low number of arrivals and sailings.
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