The Express.
London, England, 1848-08-19 00:00:00

ITALY.

We have advices from Turin to the 13th, but they
have brought ne new fact of importance. The
.lournal tics Debate of to-day gives the following ex-
position of the events which more immediately led to
the present catastrophe in Northern Italy :
The reason why Chalks Albert, against every principle of
good generalship, persisted in keeping a line so extended
and vulnerable as that frcm Goita to Rivohi, and put in
movement the principle body of his army towards Mantua,
leaving only 15,000 on the line of the Adige, is now ex-
plained. An Austrian major of the garrison of Mantua,
who left that place with dispatches for Radetsky, allowed
himself purposely to be taken and conducted to the head-
quarters of the king, whom ho told that he would, for a
million of francs, deliver up that place, provided the king
on his part consented to present himself under the walla with
an Miming force. An agreement was made with the major,
who had liberty to return to Mantua, at the same
time that Charles Albert advanced to surround the
town. Radetsky, instructed of this stratagem, immediately
made a sortie from Verona, and, smirching on Soutma•Cam•
pagna, he succeeded in carrying some of his troops to the
Mincio, and thus cutting in two the Piedmontese army.
Arrived on the °Rho, the Piedmontese army renounced its
defence on the assurances of the English minister, M. Aber-
crombie, that Austria would at the least surrender the free
poteession of Lombardy to the Mincio, but the overtures of
a suspension of hostilities m-de to Marshal Radeteky having
shown the contrary, the Piedmontese army tell from con-
fidence into the most profound despair. It would appear
also that it was by the advice of M. Abercrombie that the
king decided to cover Milan, instead of marching on Pi sc rn zi,
and defending the line of the Po with the 60,000 menthol he
still had disposable. As to the provisional government of
Milan, it is now evident to everybody that its conduct has
been most deplorable. Conceited and incapable, they allowed
themselves to be led by Maezini, who, behind the curtain,
was the real chief. lie (wedded to the idea that the only
safety of Italy was to be found in the union of the Mt. S
under a republican government) consecrated all the efforts of
his talent and influence to excite the antipathies of the
Milanese against the Lomb irds, and to oppose themselves to
the real union of the two countries. Unhappily, the Genoese
party, from whence sprung the fatal idea of the Cnnstituarite
only seconding too well the Utopian ideas of M,azini, exer-
cised such a preponderance in the latter ministry, that it is
now said that IC Pareto, the minister of foreign affairs,
would not allow the king to be informed, till too late, of
the despatches of Austria assenting to the line of the
Adige. 'lns truth is, that M. Pareto answered
the pacific overtures of Austria by stating that
they would not treat with her until her troops
had evacuated not only Venice, but the Tyrol
and Trieste. It is to b regretted that Charles Albert al-
lowed himself to be so long deceived, and that he persisted
in surrounding himself on the field of battle with generals
notoriously incapable. The ministry, Cased Pereto, at last
resigned, but u yet we do not hear that the king has ap•
plied to any of the men who are equal to the critical circum-
stances of the moment. The military aristocracy, who, in
the poison of the generals who have conducted the war,
have shown themselves so little worthy cf the confidence
given them by the king, openly now show a disposition to
intrigue to bring back the country to the old faults and
follies of absolutism; but they are deceived, for
the last proclamation of tho king will prove that
he is determined to continue in the path of constitu-
tional liberty. The king quitted Vigevano on the morning of
the 12th, and took up his Made:yule:en! at Alexandria, In
order to continue the war if an honourable peace be not
accorded. With this view the Piedmontese troops are sta-
tioned along the Ticino, while imposing foroes are directed
to Battignana, to defend the Po. Although some predic-
tions of Gioberto as to the holy war were received with
hisses at Medan, and the deputies Brofferio, Dahnazzo, and
Besti were prevented at Vigevano by the officers of the ermy
from approaching the king, when the question is the de-
fence of the Piedmontese sod, the people will find again their
ancicat energy, and exhibit taeir habitual valour. The
population and the army ere in general animated with great
devotion for the king and the statute, sad all their utcligna•
lion is now directed against the old members of the chamber,
who have by their senseless opposition compromised all.
The correspondence of Turin of the 14th announces
that the Committee of Public Safety has been dis-
solved, and that the ministry, before its resignation,
protested against the armistice. There is no other
news of importance.