A fortnight after the abdication of the Tsar, Congress met in Washington, and President Wilson’s speech announcing war between Germany and America had rung through the world.  All that you, sir, the constant friend and champion of the Allies, and still more of their cause, and all that those who feel with you in the States have hoped for so long, is now to be fulfilled.  It may take some time for your country, across those thousand miles of sea, to realise the war, to feel it in every nerve, as we do.  But in these seven weeks—­how much you have done, as well as said!  You have welcomed the British mission in a way to warm our British hearts; you have shown the French mission how passionately America feels for France.  You have sent us American destroyers, which have already played their part in a substantial reduction of the submarine losses.  You have lent the Allies 150 millions sterling.  You have passed a Bill which will ultimately give you an army of two million men.  You are raising such troops as will immediately increase the number of Americans in France to 100,000—­equalling five German divisions.  You are sending us ten thousand doctors to England and France, and hundreds of them have already arrived.  You have doubled the personnel of your Navy, and increased your Regular Army by nearly 180,000 men.  You are constructing 3,500 aeroplanes, and training 6,000 airmen.  And you are now talking of 100,000 aeroplanes!  Not bad, for seven weeks!

* * * * *

For the Allies also those seven weeks have been full of achievement.  On Easter Monday, April 9th, the Battle of Arras began, with the brilliant capture by the Canadians of that very Vimy Ridge I had seen on March 2nd, from the plateau of Notre Dame de Lorette, lying in the middle distance under the spring sunshine.  That exposed hill-side—­those batteries through which I had walked—­those crowded roads, and travelling guns, those marching troops and piled ammunition dumps!—­how the recollection of them gave accent and fire to the picture of the battle as the telegrams from the front built it up day by day before one’s eyes!  Week by week, afterwards, with a mastery in artillery and in aviation that nothing could withstand, the British Army pushed on through April.  After the first great attack which gave us the Vimy Ridge and brought our line close to Lens in the north, and to the neighbourhood of Bullecourt in the south, the 23rd of April saw the second British advance, which gave us Gravrelle and Guemappe, and made further breaches in the Hindenburg line.  On April 16th the French made their magnificent attack in Champagne, with 10,000 prisoners on the first day (increased to 31,000 by May 24th)—­followed by the capture of the immensely important positions of Moronvillers and Craonne.  Altogether the Allies in little more than a month took 50,000 prisoners, and large numbers of guns.  General Allenby, for instance, captured 150 guns, General Home 64, while