The Express.
London, England, 1849-08-01 00:00:00

HUNGARY.
The following is the first communication we
h.
received from a gentleman who left tong since to fur-
nish us with correspondence from Hungary. It is
sow only that we receive his Ism letter, dated
• month back. But it is not the lees important,
coming from thequarter it does, and from the pen of
ono on whose corm:teem wean implimtly rely :
prune, lowa 30
The operations of the war is Hungary have within
the last week or two awned almost on every point a
new obarreter. Having driven the enemy to the trea-
tise the various corps of the Hungarian army had
taken up strictly defensive positions. General Ben
opposed to General Laden, who commands a force of
18,000 Russians on the frontierof the Bucovina, was
strongly posted along the river Bistzritz ; in an affair
of outposts the Russians at first gained a slight advan-
tage and took the town of Bisizritz, but they were
afterwards repulsed with considerable loss ; hither
meantime a division of Rani= troops, amounting to
15,000 men from Wallachia, suddenly attacked, sad
succeeded in forcing the pass into Transylvania near
Cronstadt. This pass was a strong one, defended by
800 men and five pieces of cannon ; with the latter
loaded with grape was opened a meet destructive fire
en the assailints, but though more than
four-firths of the foremost battalion was
the rent carried the guns, and the s=
and then, as a necessary consequence, took posseesioa
of Crowed.. General Bem, thus taken by surprise,
and placed between two fires, is said to be manmover-
big with his usual ability. It is confidently expected
ben that he will be able, not only to beat and diepnes
of the Russian troops in Transylvania, but sub's-
quen.ly to co-operate with Georgey and Dembinski,
for the protection of the capital. It cannot be denied
that Bada-Pesth is in great danger of falling once
more into the hands of the enemy. The Russians are
marching this way in great tome (70,000 men and
120 pieces of artillery) from Upper Hungary. They
have entered the country on three different pointe—
Cele corps, commanded 6y Bans, is advancing through
the oomitat of Ares, and threatens the right wing of
Georgey's army on the Vega; the-main body, under
Paskevech, will be directed, it is thought, upon Pesch,
and $ third corps is moving further east, towards
Debres zin and Graivardein. In these places are
the government manufactories of arms and ammu-
nition, and their capture would be an irreparable dis-
aster to the national cause.
To meet all these masses the Ilungariane, I am
sorry to say, have nothing (that is, between them and
Nigh) but the small corps of 13,000 men lately under
the command of Dembinski, but which now under
that of General Visolski has fallen back upon Miscolz.
They are no match for the Russian., whose splendid
artillery and mu cavalryses of heavy would make
short work of them in the plains. Dembinski him-
self has arrived at Pesth, where his talents at this
critical moment, if he settle his differences and act in
concert with his rival, General Georgey, may yet re-
trieve the fortunes of the campaign. Bit Dembinski
is now laeouring under a strong feeling of di-appoint-
ment and disgust. In the first ins'anee, he did not
obtain the supreme direction of military affair., which
he conceived his experience entitled hits to; he com-
plains of having been thwarted instead of being aided
in his plans by General George'', who, in fact, rather
presumptuously se's up for a mll Lary genius
genius which will not bear to be rebuked by that of
Dembinski. The latter therefore requested and ob-
tained a separate command, and with his detached
corps of 13,000 men advanced to the frontier
of Gallicia; this, however, he was net permitted to
cross. He had offered more than a month ago—
before the Russian army had been concentrated in
that province—to make an irruption into it, and pro-
duce a general rising among the population ; but his
advice was rejected, and both he and Bem received
peremptory orders to avoid every thing in the shape
of aggression ; and yet the Emperor Nicholas, as a
pretext for intervention, ha. declared that this is not
an Hungarian but a Polish movement ! This is a
statement which her Britannic Majesty's government,
knowing the general veracity of such circular., has
found it convenient to take upon trust; and yet
nothing eta be further from the truth. On my way
to Perth, through the southern provinces of Hungary,
in the curse of which I visited the head-quarters of
several corps, and since my arrival at the capital, I
have only seen two Polish officers—one of these being
General Dembh.eki himself; and I have been con-
vinced that, so far from exercising any political
influence, their control, even in military matters, is
perhaps unfortunately of a very equivocal description.
This chargeagainst the Hungarian government is about
as truo as another that has been promulgated and
caught at, I fear, by those who want an excuse for
their own subserviency to the views of Austria, with
similar avidity—namely, that this movement is a
socialist and purely democratic movement. The
Hungarians, on the contrary, are merely fighting for
their notional independence and to preserve their
territor y from dismemberment ; but this is a subject
which I propose to treat more at length hereafter, and
I shall return to the events of the campaign.
That which had been before the advance of the
;Russians the chief theatre of the war, and upon
,which the main body is now concentrated, extends
from Raab to Leopoldstadt. The reason for which
the war was for some time suffered to languish upon
this point was, the presence of General Georgey with
a considerable de:acbment from his army at the siege
of Buda. The capture of this place was, for
'strategical purpose., probably a matter of no
great importance—but the morel effect on the
courage and confidence of the nation ren-
dered it in the opinion of Kossuth indispensable.
This preliminary task having accordingly, and is
gallant style, been accomplished, Georgey was at
liberty to take the field once more against the hem
thins. They were, in the course of a few daps
driven from position to position, almost to their laid
entrenchments under the walls of Preeburg. On the
21st the Hungarians broke the centre of their line at
Bettye, throwing one section of their forces upon
Freeberg, and the other in the direction of Tierney.
But, while pressing vigorously upon the latter, it be-
came at once evident to General Georgey that they
had been strongly reinforced, and that their Roam
auxiliaries were at length actively co-operating with
them. Both from the longer range of their gins,
and the helmets worn by the infantry, it was appa-
rent to General Georgey that he had a new and
supernumerary enemy to deal with. An engage-
ment of a desultory native was maintained during
the greater part of three days, the result of which was,
as usual, in favour of the Hungarians. Some of the
posts, however, which they had carried having been
afterwards judged to be too far advanced, or, accord-
ing to the military phrase, emerir, they were subse-
quently abandoned, and General Georgey, in the nu
certainty he was under as to the strength of the com-
bined forces which might be brought against bias,
deemed it most prudent to occupy as strong a posi-
tion as possible ; and he had accordingly taken up the
line of the Vega, which, supported by the fartzan of
Comorn, might, before the arrival of the Runians,
have lowa considered inexpugnable. But the approach ,
of the latter on his right flank will render his prosiest
position untenable. Whether he will endeavour to
cover Pesth, make a dash at Vienna, or a bold at-
tempt to destroy the Austrian army before they can
be joined by their allies, a few days most now decide.
It is by no means improbable that Kossuth may de-
termineonce more to abandon the capital with a view
of making a stand upon the Theis,. Jellachich, it
appears, has been for the present foiled in that quar-
ter, and unable to advance or maintain himself
in the Batchka, "he has retreated upon &seg.
The whole of that part of the country had been before
completely devastated by him, and he could find no
subsistence for his troops whatever. He is said,
moreover, to have apprehended an insurrection in his
rear among the Croatians. His object in advancing
had been to penetrate into the Beni; where he hoped.
to rekindle the flames of civil war among the Servuum
and Wallachians. The government, to avert this
danger, had been engaged in strengthening the dif-
ferent corps intended to act against Jellachich ; it had
also appointed better generals to direct their opera-
tions. Perczel had been .uperrcded by General
Fetter and the brave General Germ' a countryman
of ours, left Pesth the daybefore esterday to take the
command of Vetche's corps before Temesvar. We
received the same day intelligence of the capitulation
of the sister fortress of Arad—so that Temvvar
will probably not hold out much longer, and
Guyon's corps be at lii,erty to act against
the Russians. Fetter will be in like man-
ner disengaged by the retreat of Jellachich,
and should Bem and Visotsky be enabled to co-
operate, a force of 50,000 men ma thus be masem-
-IW, and these, with the 60,000 nada Garry, may