26 FEBRUARY 1916, Page 1

The news from Asiatic Turkey continues to be excellent. The

number of prisoners made and the booty captured at Erzerum proved quite as heavy as was at first supposed. The latest news shows that the Grand Duke is not resting upon his oars, but, in spite of tho terrible climatic conditions and the very difficult country, is pressing the remnants of the Turkish Army with great vigour. A Rome wireless message states that, although the Turkish losses of cffectives -in the battle of Erzerum are only estimated at forty thousand, it is believed that their entire losse.i have amounted, or will amount, to three hundred thousand men, owing to the fact that "all retreats are cut off." Probably these figures are a good deal too optimistic, but, on the other hand, we should not bo at all surprised to find that the moral of the beaten armies has sunk so low as to render them quite ineffective. Though they have evaded capture, they are not an army hi being.