THE TRIPOLI WAR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1563, 5 October 1912, Page 5

THE TRIPOLI WAR.

4 PROMISING'OUTLOOK FOE PEACE. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright ' Constantinople, October 3. Renter's Agency states that the TurkishItalian peace pourparlers are progressing promisingly. Reports from Paris and Vienna indicate that a settlement has actually been reached. OFFICIAL DENIALS. (Eec. October 4, 11.25 p.m.) Rome, October 4. Reports that peace has been'concluded with Turkey have been officially denied, PURCHASE OF A CRUISER. Paris, October 3. Tho newspaper "Eclair" states that Italy has purchased from Turkey the cruiser Abdul Hamid for ,£200,000. The vessel was seized at the commencement of the war. The Abdul Hainid is a cruiser of 3(-00 tons, built at the Elswick works in 1903. ITALY'S FORMIDABLE FOES. THE ARABS AND THEIR NATIVE !■ LAND. Mr. H. C. Seppings Wright, who since the outbreak of the Turco-Italian conflict nearly a year ago has been attached to tho Turkish forces in Tripoli as W correspondent for the Central News, recently returned to London. He was the lost correspondent to leave, and .there nre now no pressmen with the Turkish troops. Mr. 'Wright, whoso bronzed and healthy appearance said much for the good conditions prevailing in'the Turkish camp, was sceptical as to the immediate practicability of peace negotiations. He said :— The position in the tTripolitaino shows really very little change as the result of ten months' warfare. Tho Italians, with the aid of their/ warships, are able to control a strip of the coast between BuHamesh and Misrata, and their positions at Bu.-Hume.sh, Tripoli, and Horns enable them to dominate in each of these three instances a limited zone of the adjacent country, But there has been*no penetration. Nesciat Bey now has under his command a mngnificent trained army of Arabs. I don't believe tho world has ever seen the like of his Arab army, and the point I want to emphasise is that the Italians, who, though the attacking force, have been operating almost entirely on the defensive, have unwittingly acted tho role of instructors to theso men, giving them a practical academy training in the possibilities of modern warfare. Now, these Arabs would never recognise peace on terms likely to be acceptable to Italy; If they gave up their country to the invader their children would curse them, and Mohamet .would have no place for them in Paradise'. The policy of tho Italian military commanders, moreover, is inexplicable to them, and they are inclined to regard the operations so far carried out as "powder play." They believe the real fighting has yet to come, and they havo not had enough to givo in yet. • They are well fed and are paid so much per day, and have ample stores of provisions and ammunition. Cartridges are being manufactured at three' different localities within tho borders of Tripoli.