The Express.
London, England, 1859-10-11 00:00:00

ILTAI.II.

UFZITRAL ITALY.

(►aoa %ea ►rtcw. col

MODENA, Oct. 7.

Yesterday rr orning a rumour was suddenly spread
at Bologna tb at the ex-Duke of Modena had made up
his mind tr, emu the }'o, in order to attack the
natienal a' my of this State. The news was given
with suet% assurance, that l could not help believing
that there was some truth in it. I hastened, there-
fare, to the frontier of the Duchy, but on my arriving
at Mrrandoia I found that the dreaded attack was
but en ingenious story invented by the good people
of itulogua. The littie army of Francis V. is indeed
le *Tweed on the right bank of the above-named
river, close to the frontier of this State, but, from
what I heard at Miraudole, there is nothing
which can. at least for the present, justify the
opinion that his Imperial Highness has decided to
reconquer has diminutise dominions. The army
which followed him was not strong enough to risk
'ascii in such a dangerous enterprise. It consisted
of ore Regiment of th. Line. composed of four batta-
lions. Each of these battalions was 6.30 men strong,
A regiment of 600 Dragoons composed all the cavalry
of the Duke, and four field batteries hie artillery. A
division of Pioneers 300 men strong completed the
army, which, one day or other, will be called to re-
conquer the lost dukedom. It is true that Francis
V. baa contrived to increase it ; and if what I heard
at Stirandola be true, he has already succeeded
in doubling the original number of four thou-
sand he took with him into Lombardy.
The recruiting is actively carried on at Cerra, Or
tiglia, and Sanguinetto, and a great part of the
volunteers who are dismissed from the Austrian ser-
vice take the way of one or other of the above-named
villages, them swelling the Dale's legion. General
Fannie, an old gellow of seventy, is to lead the expe-
dition, but I am informed this aged son of Mare
never saw tire. If the soldiers he expects to be
called to command are all of the same stamp, the
brave champions of Italian independence will soon
dispose of them. But even supposing that the
8,000 men of the Doke are disposed to fight, they
will take a hard job in hand, for the armaments of
this country are increasing every day. There is se
doubt that the Duke and the Pope have contrived a
simultaneous attack in order to compel the national
army of Central Italy to divide it. forces. But even
in such an

I have no doubt that Faati and
Garibaldi will be strong enough to beat the two
despots' armies at the same time. This morning as
I was coming back from Mirandola I saw two of the
sew ,Slodeasse regiments ou the parade ground, and
I can assure you that they looked aa good soldiers
as those of oar regiments of the line. The same may
be said of the Brigade of Reggio, which I saw
yesterday at the frontier of the State.

His Eminence Cardinal Vial. I'reli hoe been
taken soddenly ill. It seems that the worthy Prince
of the Homan Court could not swallow the bitter
pill of seeing the secatcheon of the house of Savoy
hanging from the arch of the Pahnzo Jr! Gurerted.
As MOD as the inauguration of King Vsetor Em-
manueVs arms was known at Hoene, Cardinel

Anton,lli; seat perverts to' Martinis della Mi-
nerva, the Sardinian Minister at the Papal Court.
A coosistory was hastily held by the Pope, and
there is reason to believe that before the week is
over we shall hear of another eolemn excommunica-
von, about which nobody will care, except some old
women and a few toothier bigots. I think Mon-
ier de Beier will be amongst the number, for I
have been told that, whilst at Bologna, the French
diplomatist wu highly satisfied in seeing that an
oil lamp wee burning before a Madonna, which
is hanging from the wall of Governor Cipriani'd
ante-room. May the Nladoncs, of which Monsieur
de IL int is so food, have mercy on hint when he
shell De called to justify the misstatements which, as
I hear, he has made to his Imperial master about the
st:.te of pubic opiniat in Central Italy. It is trite
that misstatements and falsehood are practices now
of almost daily occurrence in official France. Al
the calumnies which are spread with the object of
injuring the Italian liberals have, of course, the pious
intention of helping his Holiness, and on this ground
at ham they may be justified by the defenders of the
Roman catholic church. Of this number is the story
of Varese:chi° which found its way into the preen of
Europe. rho merit of this calumny belongs to the
clerical paper of Turin, l'.4rmonia. It was stated
by it, and repeated by the l'aris Unirccs, that some
of the Bolognese soldiery had forced the door of a
convent, and had attempted the honour of the holy
virgins of St. Benedetto. Great, of course, was th
indignation of the catholic world, for the particular
of the dreadful tut were so highly coloured that
even honest people were lead to believe it. Now
it has turned out that ell the story is a mere ineen-
Son, for the holy abbess of Vernicchio has addressed
a fetter to the official paper of Bologna, in which
she informs the public that her young sisters have
never been molested by soldiery, corporals, or officers
of any kind.