eams,
thick iron plates from the "River Clyde," sandbags and earth, but this
shell entered at the edge of the iron which did not project far enough
over the wall. The place had just been excavated and completed and was
used to-day for the first time. General Hunter-Weston and his staff
were present at lunch, also Compton Mackenzie, author and war
correspondent.

The French have been very busy all day. The Turks are only a little
less active from their having fewer guns--fifty-two on Achi Baba said
to be, and they must have six very big guns on the Asiatic side, and
these have been throwing huge shells into our lines, across Morto Bay,
all morning. Occasionally there is a burst of rifle fire which would
show that the French are making an attempt to regain two trenches I
hear they lost yesterday or the day before. It is said that to-day's
attack is to be entirely French. We are giving no help at present, but
for an hour in the early morning we bombarded, likely with the view to
distract the Turks' attention from the French front.

10.15 p.m.--The French are said to have been very successful in their
attack at 4.30, when they captured two Turkish trenches. The story
about their losing two trenches is said, at H.Q., to be incorrect.
About 8 o'clock a counter-attack was made, the result of which is not
yet known.

_June 22nd._--The fight between the French and the Turks raged without
the slightest intermission for seventeen hours, in which time the
former must have fired at least 60,000 shells. I hear the French had
taken either two or three trenches in the early morning, and during
the day had repulsed several counter-attacks. Just before dark I
observed the continuous bursting of French shells on the S.E. corner
of Achi Baba, as if the Turks were forced back out of Kereves Dere,
which has so long been a natural protection to them.

I have been asked to-day for a report of the case of ---- No. --, who
is to be court-martialled for spreading alarmist reports of the fight
the other day. The double charge of leaving the firing line without
permission and spreading alarmist reports is a serious one.

The last time Agassiz and I were at the Y. Beach O.P. we had peeps at
the Turks' trenches from four different points, and at each a bullet
flew past us, showing that their snipers keep their eyes open. Major
W---- and I were fired at the other day when out in the open, and we
had to take to our heels to find cover.

To-da