WAR JOTTINGS.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15222, 9 March 1915, Page 8

WAR JOTTINGS.

Those who have been reading extracts from soldiers' letters that are now being so freely published must have been frequently struck by the aetonishing even temper with which our soldiers accept fair or foul conditions, good luck or bad (says an exchange). Their cheerful imperturbability is the wonder of their Allies, and the despair of their enemies, aed it certainly sets the British soldier in a class by himself as a fighting unit. And i the same characteristic so marked in him is equally observable in the sailor, though the stories illustrating the sailors' temperament are necessarily not so freely available for publication. We wish we had more of them; but. in the meantime, there is ono vouchsafed for by the "Nation" which simply must be quoted. That paper points out that one realises the wonderful spirit of the not , merely in the story «f tho loss of the Formidable, but in accounts of the slighter accidents of the fleets, and then tells that on a recent occasion the commander of a destroyor, rolling heavily in a gale, and with her engines disabled, tried to lessen tho strain by ladling out oil. The rfcaman engaged in this work was washed overboard, and washed back again by a returning wave. He picked himself up, saluted his officer, and said, "Very sorry, sir; lost the bucket."

Whether or no Archangel can bo kept open during the winter, as the Russian authorities liope, it is a great achievement to have kept a free channel through the Arctic ice well into January, as reported this week from Copenhagen (says the "Westminster Gazette"). For many years past Archangel has never remained open later than November 20th. and in some years the ice has prevailed as early as Octo. bor. Of the three Russians ports in the White Sea —Archangel, Mezana, and Onega—only one, Onega, ha.s ever before been kept open as late as tho end of December, but this port is one hundred miles south-west of Archangel. The success of the Russian authorities in maintaining sea communication via Archangel until January is no doubt due to the powerful iceibreakers -which were obtained in the autumn from Canada, and every effort will doubtless be made to keep the White Sea —at present Russia's only means of access to European waters—open until the returnine sun sends the ice back Polewards, -which usually happens early in May.

As far as the Commonwealth. Tβcrnitinc: provisions are concerned, the case of the undersized man has been officially sealed (says the "Axgus"). No bantams henceforth need apply, and the fact that in the United Kingdom a ™ n °f sft 3in is welcomed in the ranks of the Expeditionary Force does not weigh with the local military authorities. The Minister of Defence (Senator 1 earce) announced recently that the subject of the many applications from email men had oceunied the attention of the Mihtary Board, which, had found it inadvisable to reduce the standard height. Apparently difficulties spoiled the prospect of service for the man who lacked the last half-inch, and these were officially announced by the Sfmister. The Military Board pointed rot that.when on the march the small man couH not keeo step with h£JZ the difference SS°^ When Ol i *& march Wfl s not +?° dimml *y ™* that 2J£? trenches the emnll man would a - Shelf *° etand when SaSfH: presmnab, *> of