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Show Russian Forces' Last Remaining I Hold in Dobrudia Badly Shaken I LOSS OF MATCHIN WEAKENS GRIP OF CZAR'S 1R00PS ON TRANS-DANUBE TERRITORY Important Rumanian Grain and Oil Storage Depot Under Serious Threat of Germano-Bul-garian Forces Across the River J Some Valuable Stores Removed. Pctrograd, Jan. 4 Via London, 2.30 p. m. British Admiralty per Wireless Press The capture by Russian forces on the Rumanian front of 6C0 prisoners, prison-ers, three cannon and 16 machine guns, together with some mine throwers throw-ers and bomb mortars ,is announced in today's war office statement This success resulted from an attack on hostile positions on heights to the south of Botochu mountain in the wooded Carpathians. Russia's last remaining hold in the Rumanian province of Dobrudja has been so badly shaken by the loss of .Mm chin to Field Marshal von Mack onsen's forces thai it sferas doubtful if she can much longer retain her grip on any of this trans-Danube territory. Dispatches from entente sources In- " dicate an expectation that Bhe probably prob-ably will be forced shortly to aban-done aban-done It. West of the Danube at this point, Braila, the important Rumanian grain and oil storage depot, is still held by the Russians, but it is considered doubtful whether it can hold out long under as serious a threat as is supplied sup-plied by the Genuano-Bulgarlan opera-lions opera-lions across the river. The lino of the Sereth, 10 which the Russians have retired further northwestward, runs just north of Braila. The expectation is indicated in the dispatches, however, how-ever, that the prolonged defense of the city has given time for the removal remov-al of the valuable stores of provisions and material which It contained. On the Moldavian west frontier, where heavy pressure by the armies of the central powers has been exert-ed, exert-ed, the defense of the Russians and Romanians seems somewhat firmer. The latest Petrograd official statement state-ment does not concede any further withdrawals along this front in the I tacf of the Austro German attacks, although al-though further progress at one or tvo points was claimed by Berlin. No operations of Importance have been reported from any of the other fronts. Switzerland to Aact. Geneva, Switzerland, Jan. 4. Via Paris. 5 55 a. m. The Austrian government gov-ernment has asked Switzerland to rep. resent Austro-Hungarian interests in the unoccupied portion of Rumania. The political department has accordingly accord-ingly instructed the Swiss charge d'affaires at Ja6sy to ake charge of these interests of AuBtro-llungarian6. Sale of Bonds. London, Jan. 4. 1:24 p. m. Follow, lng the suspension of the issue of exchequer bonds in preparation for the new war loan the government authorities announce that there will be no further sale of treasury bills by the Bank of England. Plenary Session of Reichstag. London. Jan. 4, 5:00 a. m. A plenary plen-ary session of the Reichstag will pos' plbly be convoked in the middle of January, according to a Reuter despatch des-patch from Amsterdam quoting the L Berlin Vorwaerts. The Vorwaerts. HI says that, "It Is obvious that the chan-cellor chan-cellor as well as the parties would tf like to express an opinion on the entente's en-tente's refusal of Germany's peace offer." The budget committee of the relchstag is generally expected to meet in the middle of the month in any event, the despatch says. -r |