27 FEBRUARY 1915, Page 3

It was only to be expected that the new criminal

policy of the Germans at sea would yield its results, for it is the most difficult thing in the world to guard against assassination. But the number of ships sunk by torpedoes and mines is not higher than might have been foreseen, and certainly not high enough to produce anything like terror or even hesitation in our mercantile marine. Since February 18th, when the "blockade" began, eight British ships have been sunk. The Onkby,' the Ilarpalion,' the 'Rio Parana,' the Brunk- some Chine,' and the • Western Coast were torpedoed in the English Channel and the crews were saved; the ' Cam. bank ' was torpedoed off Anglesey and four of the crew were killed; the Downehire ' was torpedoed off the Isle of Man and the crew were saved; and the 'Deptford' was mined off Scarborough, one life being lost. As for other ships, the French vessel • Dinorab' was torpedoed off Havre, but did not sink; the Norwegian ' Belridge' was torpedoed off Folkestone, but also did not sink. Two other Norwegian vessels, the ' Bjoerke' and the 'Regin,' were sunk by mines an the North Sea. The United States has lost two ships—the 'Evelyn • and the ' Carib,' both carrying cotton, which were sunk by mines off the German comet We regret to add that the armed merchant cruiser ' Clan Macnaughton' is missing, and is presumed by the Admiralty to have been lost in the heavy weather about February 3rd. She carried a clew of two hundred and eighty.