The operations in Lorraine and Alsace are the mysterious side
of the war. In Lorraine the French have been steadily gaining ground, and, as the Times Military Corre- spondent points out on Friday, an army with a front of nearly forty miles is now interposed between the two great German fortresses at Metz and Strassburg. At the same time a great part of the Vosges is in the hands of France. In Alsace itself the French have pushed on boldly, and Miilhausen has again been occupied after a bayonet charge and the capture of six German guns;.: and on Friday comes the news of twenty-four more guns falling into French hands. When we call these operations mysterious we r^enn that it is not at all clear whether the French advance is a serious one from the military point of view, or inspired chiefly by moral considerations and the desire to relieve and inspirit the men of the old provinces. Further, it is not clear why the Germans, who, of course, have plenty of troops, have not shown greater strength here or made a firmer resistance.
