The struggle north of the Somme died down on Tuesday.
The Bavarian Crown Prince's armies had for the moment exhausted themselves against our stubborn defence, and our men estab- lished themselves more firmly on a line running northward from Bray, through Albert and Beaumont Hamel, to Wancourt and the Scrape west of Monchy. But to the south of the Somme the enemy's advance continued on a wide curving front. He brought up many fresh divisions, and attacked with the utmost vigour. ChauInes was abandoned. Roye was lost in the morning. Noyon, which is commanded by the hills round it, had been evacuated by the French before daybreak. On Tuesday night the enemy was on a line roughly identical with that which he held when the battle of the Somme began. But the French were now holding the left or southern bank of the Oise above Noyon, to maintain connexion with their new strongholds on the Chemin des Dames. To the west of Roye and Noyon, where the enemy's spearhead pointed down the Oise towards Paris, his advance was checked.
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