strength of a nation which was not the industrial pioneer of the whole modern world for nothing, however keenly others, during the last half-century, have pressed upon—­or in some regions passed—­her.  Everywhere I found new workshops already filled with workers, a large proportion of them women, already turning out a mass of shell which would have seemed incredible to soldiers and civilians alike during the first months of the war; while the tale of howitzers, trench-mortars, machine-guns, and the rest, was running up week by week, in the vast extensions already added to the other works.  But everywhere, too, I saw huge, empty workshops, waiting for their machines, or just setting them up; and everywhere the air was full of rumours of the new industrial forces—­above all, of the armies of women—­that were to be brought to bear.  New towns were being built for them; their workplaces and their tools were being got ready for them, as in that vast filling factory—­or rather town—­on the Clyde which I described in my third Letter.  But in many quarters they were not yet there; only one heard, as it were, the tramp of their advancing feet.

But to-day!  Those great empty workshops that I saw in February, in the making, or the furnishing, are now full of workers and machines; and thousands like them all over the country.  Last night (Aug. 15), the new Minister of Munitions, Mr. Montagu, who, a few weeks ago, succeeded Mr. Lloyd George, now Minister for War, rendered an account of his department up to date, which amazed even the House of Commons, and will surely stir the minds of men throughout the British Empire with a just and reasonable pride.  The “effete” and “degenerate” nation has roused herself indeed!

Here is the bare resume of the Minister’s statement:—­

     Ammunition.—­The British output of ammunition at the
     beginning of the war was intended for an army of 200,000
     men.

     Naturally, the output rose steadily throughout the first
     year of war.

     But—­the same output which in 1914-15 took 12 months to
     produce could now be produced—­

     As to 18-pounder ammunition, in 3 weeks
       " Field howitzer " in 2 weeks
       " Medium gun and howitzer ammunition, in 11 days
       " Heavy shell, in 4 days

     We are sending over to France every week as much as the
     whole pre-war stock of land service ammunition in the
     country.

As to guns, I would ask my readers to turn back to the second and third chapters in this little book, which show something of the human side and the daily detail of this great business, and then to look at this summary:—­

Every month, now, we are turning out nearly twice as many big guns as were in existence for land service—­i.e., not naval guns—­when the Ministry of Munitions came into being (June, 1915).

     Between June, 1915, and June, 1916, the monthly output of
     heavy guns has increased 6-fold—­and the present output
     will soon be doubled.