The Express.
London, England, 1859-06-27 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, JUNE 27.

Tim wend great battle against the Austrian
power in Italy has been fought, and a second time
the Austrians have been utterly defeated. At
Magenta the victory was in acme respect due to
the incompetency of GYCLAI—at Solferino the
Austrian army fought nobly under the eye of
Fa Jo.trn himself, but was unable to resist
the overwhelming prowess of the Allies. We have
before observed that this battle would test the
courage and endurance of the rank and file in either
host, and the event proves that our prediction was
not erroneous. It is abundantly clear that

the Austrians were thoroughly prepared, for
they themselves began the attack ; and it is
equally clear that an army which continued the
struggle from 4 o'clock in the morning until 8 o'clock
in the evening hss not only been well handled, but
bas fought with determined courage. So confident
was Austria in her military position, that only
a few hours before the battle began her etniasaries ,
solicited the neutral powers to abstain from
interfering with the progress of the campaign.
And no doubt the enormous preparation which
they had made, and the unquestioned ability of
their military officers, to a certain degree justified
this confidence. Hut the physical superiority of
the Allies, and that spirit of enthusiasm which a '
just cause alone can inspire, outweighed every ad-
vantage. The grand details—even the plan of the
battle—au still unknown. Bat thus much is clear : I
the Austrians themselves recreated the river Minnie, '
chose their own ground, and advanced to the I
attack. They must therefore have been confident
of success, and they certainly fought with per-
severing courage. Their line of battle occupied I
fifteen miles. They must therefore have
had an enormous army. But their losses, they
themselves my, " were extraordinarily heavy"—at
the clove of the day they retired behind the Mingle
and the French EMPFROIt slept in the very rase
which the Austrian Enemy:in had occupied the
same morning. Assuredly it is difficult to imagine
a greater defeat or a more important victory. Tbe
vitality of Austria is proverbial ; but, after Maggots
and Solferino, the return of the Austrian EMPZIIOII
to Milan, or his continued presence on the south aide I
of the Isooso--the true boundary between Italy I
and Germany—ought to be considered hopeless.
If the Allies consent to treat for peace,
it must be on this basis—that the Au-
trisos at once retire beyond that natural limit. I
Had the super-subtle METTERNICH lived a few
weeks longer, he might perhaps have began to sus
poet that Italy is something more than " • geogra-
" phscel expression."
Imperfect as the accounts of the battle of Solferino
still are, it would be idle to attempt say detailed de- I,
scription of the engagement. But its general fee-
toes and the principles which determined the ;
Austrians to deliver it are not bard to con-
jecture. The serious danger to which the
Allied Army most have been exposed in attempting
to elves the Mincio between Noakes and Mantua—
n distance of 2t miles, in the fete of a hostile army
exceeding 250,000 men—has been already pointed
eat in these cislumns. It was probable, therefore,
that the Freoeh Eurntoe would wait until the
sees) about to be landed near Venice and the forces
of
Primo X.t►uLtov bad come up so as to thrown
the rear and left link of the Austrian army. Is
the meantime, it was the obvious duty of the
Attics to wait patiently until their flank attire&
was organised sod on the point of bring executed. If
the Austrians stood fast ou the left bank of
the Nlincio until this attack was developed,
they would ►e exposed to a double assault : if they
did not stand fist, hut retreated to Verona, they
would demoralise their anoy a ad sacrifice the whole of
Venetia—perhaps even canoe the surrender of their
whole army, which might be blocked up in Verona
by the blocking up of the northern road to Trent
and the eastern Toed to Vicenza. In short, if the
Austrians were to fight at all, it were better that they
should fight before the Allies had received the rein-
heeement of 40,000 men heath, side of Venice, and es
many more from Thum y. Bat as the French Ersrnot
declined to -seams the initiative until this fresh
army was ready to eceoperve with him, the only
course for the Autrians was to begin the 'attack.
Faexrt• Jo.Lell might entertain reasonable hopes
that by c.illecting together every soldier within
reach he might defeat the French sod Sardinians in '
his Iron? , I ut he might well doubt whether he could
sustain the onset of that army when aided
by iioessi ad•litioeal troops operating on hie
resr. With CI possible despatch, therefore,
he collected reinforcements. This being done, he
crossed the Nlineio oo Thursday, the 23rd, et
four places, and advanced to a position between
that river and the thine. His line extended in an
oblique and south-westerly direction. His right
wing was at Pozsaleogo, about three miles south-
_

. •
wait of Perchiers and the Lago di Omds, and occu-
pied Ballerina and Ca•riano, still further to the
south-west. ilia centre craned the great road between
Monteehiare and Golfo, whilst the :eft wing, under
WtliPentY, occupied Castel Goffredo, nod approached
the ri Chine. .1 ris obligee line, running from
the sarth-eut to the south-west, occupied the ground
between the Mincio and the Chine which has for years
awed as the Clump de Mars for the Austrian armies.
Ms Austrian officers, therefore, knew every inch of
the field on which they fought. Opposite the Aus-
trian right wing were the Sardinians, the rest of the
line was occupier' by the French. All Thuniday wee
sprat in preparations, and arranging the order of
battle. Hut on Friday, abort lOsielock in the moraine,
the action began. In the anemone, according to the
Austrian acc"unt (tor the French telegrams give no
detail,) a concentrated attack by the Allies was made
en the village of Solferino. The Sardinians