3 OCTOBER 1914, Page 10

The German cruiser I Emden' has captured and sunk four

more British steamers in the Indian Ocean. The crews were transferred to a fifth captured ship and sent to Colombo. The total value of the four ships, apart from their cargo, was about £180,000. The Emden' also captured a collier, and presum- ably relieved her of her coal. The depredations of this one cruiser are a pretty lesson in what damage can be done where the command of the seas is not complete. But of coarse it was much more important that transports should be guarded than that a trade route should be continuously free from danger. The loss in the whole sum of our commerce is, after all, a fleabite. And the ' Emden's' day will come. The end of her rollicking career is certain.