The papers of Tuesday and Wednesday contained two exceptionally interesting
despatches from an eyewitness at Sir John French's headquarters. These descriptive narratives have improved remarkably in value since the beginning of the war—a fact which does not seem to be in the least appre- ciated by some newspapers. The despatch of Wednesday described the operations from November 4th to 9th. During that period the Germans nowhere made an attack comparable with their attack on Ypres at the end of October. Their object seemed to be to wear out the British troops by incessant bombardment. Every attack or demonstration by German infantry resulted in great losses. And the British troops never had any doubt about their own ability to repulse all these efforts. "The consciousness that they had repelled one great effort [that at the end of October] was a moral factor of no small value." The eyewitness has been enormously impressed by the French field-guns—les saixante- quinze. Their effect, he says, against a suitable target " is literally terrific and must be seen to be realized."
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