The Express.
London, England, 1866-07-20 00:00:00

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TiE -WAR.

The negotiations for a truce, as appears from a
statement in to-day'■ Motsiteur,have not been aban-
doned ; and, if the Emperor of Austria accepts the
basis of the preliminaries of a peace proposed by
Prussia and presented by France, the great
battle impen4i;ng in the neighbourhood of Vienna
may not take place. The negotiators must, however,
be quick in coming to a decision, for the armies are
so near one another that encounters between the
advanced posts are of frequent occurrence. The
proclamation of the new cotiunander-in-chief of
the Austrian army, which we publish to-day, states
that a larger force has been collected than any
which took the field heretofore during the pre-
sent campaign, and it breathes a spirit of
calm confidence. We stated yesterday that
the Prussians would probably march towards
the Danube in the direction of Krems. This is
now confirmed. The New Free Press of the 17th
says :—" Travellers who have arrived by
the Western Railway assure us that Krems
has been occupied this morning and that
the bridge across the Danube has been
burned. At 10 o'clock at night there re-
mained standing only some of the burning
piles." Already then, it appears the Prussians have
struck the Danube, Krems being situated on that
stream, 38 miles north-west of Vienna. The three
wooden bridges over the river March, east of
Vienna, have likewise been burned, while the
railway bridge near Marchegg in mined and ready
to be blown up at a moment's notice. Thus, it
appears the Austrians are throwing every impedi-
ment in the way of the advancing enemy. There
have been skirmishes of sharpshooters and cavalry
on the Znaim road. On the 13th shots were ex-
changed between the advancing Prussians and the
retreating Austrians. The regiment of Hesse
Cassel hussars are reported to have defeated some
Prussians, who had advanced too f ar, and to have mule
some prisoners. On the Austrian side two officers
and some men were wounded. The dragoons of
the regiment Savoy were engaged with the Prus-
sians near Znaim. Having crossed the river
Thaya and taken up a position at Kahlendorf, the
Austrian commander directed the bridge across
the Thaya to be blown up. The great battle is
expected at Vienna to take place in a few days.
Numbers of the inhabitants were leaving for

Hungary.
The most important news from Italy is the
attack on Lissa by the Italian fleet, and the
expected encounter between it and the Austrian
flotilla.
In south-western Germany things remain in
statu

quo.

THE ARCHDUKE ALBRECHT'S ADDRESS

TO THE ARMY.

The Archduke Alkeel t has addressed the follow-
ing proclamation to the army :
Ilenns, July 13.

His Majesty the Emperor has deigned to confer on me
the command of the army of operations. I assume that
command to-day.
Soldiers of the North and South, faithful and brave
Saxons ! We are going to carry into action that unity
which subsists in our sentiments. An army more power-
ful than has heretofore been assembled, composed of tried,
brave, and steady combatants, conscious on the one side of
a victory already won, and on the other ardent to avenge
an undeserved disaster, are impatient to put an
end to the arrogance of the enemy. Let ue
accomplish this great work by the union of our force
Ana let us never forget that success belongs to men of
head and heart, to men of coolness and energy ; and that,
whomsoever fortune favours, he alone is toot who permits
himself to be intimidated and to despair. Let us
have unwavering faith in God, who protects the just
cause ; let us have confidence in our Emperor who
relies upon us to restore to his people their prosperity ; let
us have confidence in our own strength, which revives at
each new effort required from us, and let us march tee°.
lutely to the battle with the cry of " Long live the
Emperor." ARCHDUKE ALBRECHT.

THE MISSION OF PRINCE NAPOLEON.
" The mission of Prince Napoleon," says the
Patric, " was, we believe, suddenly decided upon
in consequence of the receipt of a despatch from
the headquarters of the King of Prussia. If our
information is correct, Prince Napoleon is charged,
in prevision of the acceptation by Austria of the
bases of peace, to arrange with King Victor
Emmanuel the questions concerning both the
armistice between the Italian and Austrian armies,
and the cession of Venetia. We have announced the
departure from Paris of the propositions made by
the Emperor Napoleon as mediator between Prussia
and Austria. They were sent the same day to
Vienna and to the King of Prussia's headquarters.
Calculating the distances, and taking account of the
difficulties of communication, they ought to arrive
at Vienna before reaching King William. The
answer of Prussia can hardly reach Paris before
Friday, but her adhesion in principle has already
arrived by telegraph. The reply of Vienna will be
later."

(REUTER'S TILZORANS.)
THE WAR IN GERMANY.

FRANKFORT, JULY 19. EVENING.

The Frankfort contingent has been disarmed and
disbanded, and the military clubs have been closed.
The city of Frankfort paid yesterday a contribu-
tion of six million florins towards the maintenance
of the troops.