of about 100 yards was nullified by a counterattack. Nothing of
importance occurred on the Isonzo front.

On the Asiago Plateau fighting was resumed on June 25, 1917. All night
Italian troops opposed the desperate efforts of the Austrians, who,
notwithstanding heavy losses, were attempting to retake the positions
recently lost in the Monte Ortigara sector. Attacks and counterattacks
were continuously made on the contested positions. Diversions at the
same time by the Austrians on other portions of the front were
completely stopped.

On June 28, 1917, the artillery struggle was fairly active on the
whole front. In answer to the fire directed by the Austrians against
Ala the Italians repeatedly shelled the railway station at Calliano.
On the Asiago Plateau the Austrians concentrated a violent fire on
Agnello Pass. Near Santa Lucia, in the Tolmino region, traffic was
interrupted repeatedly by Italian fire.

Throughout the last few days of June, 1917, and all of July, 1917,
only minor operations were undertaken by either side. Artillery
activity varied in extent and frequency from day to day, and so did
the operations of outposts and patrols. In a general way, however,
there was no readjustment of the positions which had been established
by the latest Italian drive.

On March 10, 1917, Austria-Hungary issued a proclamation, ostensibly
to the Albanians, but obviously addressed to the whole world, that
Albania was to enjoy local autonomy under an Austro-Hungarian
protectorate. In June, 1917, Italy responded with a similar
proclamation, granting Albania independence under Italian protection.
At the time the announcement was made a semiofficial interview was
granted to the representative of a London newspaper by Deputy Eugenio
Chiesa, who had recently returned from a tour of inspection of the
parts of Albania held by the Italian army:

"The Italian occupation in Albania and northern Epirus," he said,
"extends well into the Greek kingdom. Not only have the Italians
occupied Valona and its hinterland, but they have passed a long way to
the south of the boundary between Greece proper and northern Epirus at
Cape Stylos and have extended in a northern direction as far as the
river Kalamas, opposite the south end of Corfu, which was intended by
the thirteenth protocol of the Berlin Congress of 1878, and by the
Berlin Conference of 1880, to have been the northwestern frontier of
Greece, but which, since the last Balkan wars, ha