§ 1. Mr. KINGasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the Italian navy is co-operating under the command of the naval commander-in-chief of the Allies in the Mediterranean; and whether he can safely communicate to the House any statement concerning recent naval work accomplished by our gallant Italian Allies?
§ The FIRST LORD of the ADMIRALTY (Mr. Balfour)It would be inadvisable to state in detail the organisation of the allied naval commands in the Mediterranean; but the general command is in the hands of the French Commander-in-Chief—at present Admiral d'Artige du Fournet; the command of the Adriatic and its approaches is in the hands of the Italian Commander-in-Chief—His Royal Highness the Duke of the Abruzzi; and other local commands are assigned to British officers.
664 The best general indication of the work performed by the allied fleets in the Mediterranean is the successful transport of large military forces to Salonika, Valona, and Egypt; the successful evacuation of the allied expedition from the Dardanelles; and last, but not least, the transportation of the Serbian army from Albania—a result chiefly due to the ability and energy displayed by the Italian fleet. Beyond this, I have no statement to make at the present time.