The Express.
London, England, 1856-08-20 00:00:00

LOMBARDY.

The boasted lib3rality of the Austrian government
in prom;sing to return the amount of their taxes to
those cultivators who bays been great losers by the
blight of their grape this Nelson, turns out •
grievous illusion. A number of conditions
are imposed, with which it is quite impoz-
sible for any one to comply; and things
go on just as if there had been no such pro.
miss given. Several proprietors, wishing to try
what it was worth, have made application to the
government, which proceeded to institute an exami-
nation of their oases, and the expenses of that pro.
needing were charged against the applicants; the
result was that they obtained a negative reply, and
thus, in addition to the damage they had sustained,
they have to tar all the *oats of the investigatior

TUSCANY.

FLORENCE, Aim. 14.

The announcement of the subscription which has
been opened in Piedmont to make a national gift of
100 pieces of artillery for the armament of the for-
tress of Atessandria, has produced a great impresaion
here, and, without lose of time, means have been
taken to collect a sum of money in aid of the sub-
scription. We are resolved hen to let slip no oppor-
tunity of testifying oar attachment to the principle
of nationality maintained with such dignity and
firmness by the Sardinian government.

A petition to the Growl Duke, to put the Taeosa
' constitution in force, has been talked of here; but
now, apprehending certain complications which may
become •ery serious, it has been thought advisable to
abandon that mind for the preesnt.

PIEDMONT.

TURIN, ACQUIT lb.
The weather has been so intensely hot since I dee.
patched my letter of the tith, that I resolved, for a
change of air, to take a trip to Lago Maggiore,which
is only four hones' distance from Turin by railway to
Anne. Bat let me correct a mistake which I com-
mitted in my letter of the 2nd of August, where I
gave the name of the proprietor of the celebrated
manufastory of cloth near to Cassell*. As M. Leclerc
is will known es being the first manufacturer of
cloth in Piedmont. I regret the mistake I made in
giving all the credit to another name, M. Levier° Wog
known through all Italy. On this ooession I took ray
pines In di, railway to Arena, whisk pagers Vow&
and Novena. The Ant few miles sat of Turin
era beautiful. having on one aids the wow-sapped
Alpo and on the (Alm the bog gresareoge et the

'variegated thperge hill', spotted in smty direction
with gentlemen's country motets, small villagft, and
church steeples, thenot% plain between them being
covered with fields of maize, green meadows, aad
vineyards, while numerous trouung streams meander
through them. Though the country is fally as rich
as on the Cone° side, I do tot think it is so well cal-
tinted. The irrigation is slovenly executed, and
theme is little or no top dressing to the fields. On
approaching Vercelli, am far as the eye can reach,
nothing but rich rice fields are to be seen. The roots
of the rice plants seemed to have five inches depth of
water on them, but if rice be a paying crop its culti-
vators mast surely suffer from evaporation ceased by
such a broad surtsce of water. The rice is not yet ripe,
and has the apeeseenoe of growing barley short in
the straw. The heads, however, seemed well filled, and
they say the straw this season will be remarkably
gccd for bonnets. By the bye all the peasant gigs
wear there bonnets, which give them a neat, clean, and
coquettish appearance. Rio s fields continue till near
Novena. This town ham atlas appearance, bein g built on
small bit of elevated ground. I did not see the battle
field of Novatra, which is on the opposite side of the
tone. This battle is always the aubjcct of much discus.
sion, es it really um. :3'4 that at two o'clock the Bar.
dimities were victor:or% and the Austrians in full
retreat; but by some fatality they did not follow up
their advantage ; so the Austrians, about five o'clock,
being reinforced again advanced, and gained the
victory. The press of Piedmont and Austria
keep up an eternal skirmish about this
fight. Their last skirmish has been rather sharp.
The Austrian mays that Piedmont had better be quiet,
or she null here soother Navarra. Piedmont, in
return, says "We lost Noverra by treachery; but since
then we have thrashed the Jamie:is, who thrashed
the Huogarians, who thrashed you." lam sure the
two never will be quiet until they have a regular
'set-to' with powder and bayonet instead ofj pens
and irk.

Leaving Novarra, the land continues rich with
maize and vines, bet the ground becomes gradually
hilly, and every now and then you catch a magnifi-
cent peep of Lego Maggiore where it empties itself
by the Ticino Rtver. The railway skirts the lake till
you arrive at Aeons, beautifully situated on its shore,
having on the opposite side the Castle of Boromeo,
with the town of Angora at its base. About a
mile up the lake on the Simplon road is the colossal
bronze statue of Carlo Boromeo. It is a very ridicu-
lous affair. Ido not know how many men can stand
in his princely interior, but they say that two buglers
can push themselves into the inside of his nose, and
blow their bugles through his nostrils. The day was
beautiful—not a ripple on the glassy lake; and there
was a sort of Sunday quiet in the whole scenery that
was refreshing to the mind. The sail in the evening
was delightful. The very fish seemed to be enjoying
themselves; for although I saw no thee, the trout and
other fish were sporting about in all directions. As
the moon got up, the whole scenery wu changed,
making thus an appeal to the emotional powers, per-
haps more impressive and beneficial than can be pro.
dueled by the most eloquent sermon from the most
eloquent man. In the morning, from the bedroom
window, were seen the tops of the Lombardy moun-
tains gilded by the rising sun, leaving Angora
in the shade of the Boromeo Castle; but gradually
all wit lighted up, and the lake appeared as if cut in
two by a long broad bar of burnished gold. Bailing
up this incomp►rable lake, we came to Isola Bella—.
beautiful, certainly, but terribly artificial among all
this grand scenery, and not far off the mountains,
with Monrosa covered with eternal snow.

We here crossed the lake to the small town of
Palleans, and landed there to see the government
penitentiary. The building is large, roomy, well
aired, and, being at the higher part of the
town, is exposed to the healthy breezes of
the lake and mountain. There are about 200

prisoners, with au establishment of 17 men. The
prisoners are all obliged to work labourers' hour%
a certain part of their gains being given to them,
through which they may buy additional diet, al-
though from what I saw the food was excellent and
quite sufficient. In one room there were about thirty
men working as carpenters, and I thought it a risk to
leave so many dangerous too.a in such tellows' hands.
Another room was full of tailors and shoemakers,
and close to them another with weavers. The repairs
are executed by the prisoners; the garden is large
and full of excellent vegetables, and the gardeners
are also prisoners. The kitchen is ample and
clean, and I tasted the soup, bread, vegetables—all
good. Twice a week each man is allowed three
ounces of animal food. Two sisters of charity
superintend the cooking and the washing. The
court for exercise in good weather is very large,
and for wet weather there is sufficient walking
room in the corridors. The cells are quite large
enough, with excellent beds. The hospital is very
clean and well ventilated, each man's number and
disease being pinned to the curtain. I went into the
school and saw the writing of some who were igno-
rant on arrival. There is a library attached, and the
attending the school and the use of the library are
rewards. The punishments are confinement and a
diminution of food. It was impossible not toremark
the peculiarly and similarly shaped backs of the heads
of all these prisoner', and the criminal eyebrow, and
the want of power to look steadily on one point. Bat
they were similar in appearance to our own criminal
population, and from the inquiries I made, if this
clam reached the age of fitteen, refry= was
deemed impossible. The same people continue to Sri
the gaols of Piedmont, but, like ourselves,
from the negligent manner of keeping registers of
crime, the same criminal figures in parliamentary
statistics sometimes as ten criminals. I have stated
that the house is clean, the air good, and the situation
all that could be wished, having the fresh breezes of
mountain and lake, the clothing sod bedding good;
yet with all these advantages there is a mortality
among the prisoners of 25 per cent. per annum; and
I am told it is the same in other penitentiaries—even
greater in Alexandria. Many reasons are given for this
awful mortality. The change of diet has not lessened
it. I should almost suppose it was the continued
monotony of daily work and the silent system that
gradually breaks down the peculiar constitutions of
this wanderinte criminal class, having no variety, nor
almost any enjoyment. A most intelligent gentleman
sewed me that the silent system was the chief cause—
for nothing is so painful toan Italian as not to enjoy the
luxury of speaking—that many of those in this peed.
tentiary committed great acts of insubordination so as
to get themselves sent to the establishments of
hard labour, where speaking was allowed. I asked
him what effect silence had upon Italian women, and
his answer was, " Oh, that is sheer murder, for you
know if a woman once begins to speak she does not
know how and when to finish." I said that no doubt
climate was the came of this sad effect upon the
females, but this he did not allow.
In Palletize are many small silk and cotton facto-
ries ;but hearing that these was an extensive factory at
Inure, about four miles distance, we proceeded there.
Intra is small, but it has a very extensive commerce,
especially with Switzerland. It has a commodious
harbour. The bales of cotton are landed at Genoa,
put on the railway to Arena, then put on board
steamers which touch at Palletize and lutra four
times a day. There are many silk and cotton fee-
tories here, all driven by water power. Of course,
though the factories are numerous they are not to
be compared in extent with those in Lancashire. We
went to the largest, where there were about four
hundred men, women, and children. This factory
turns out about 3,0001b5. of manufactured cotton
daily. They do not work on Sundays, but the other
days their hours of work are thirteen, with one
allowed to dinner. I saw some children about seven
or eight years old. All appeared in good health.
The children earn about 20., the women from 7d. to
10d., and the men about a shilling per day, with the
exception of those in the sizing room, which has hot
air, and smells exactly as a Manchester room. These
men, on account of the pernicious quality of the em-
ployment, get two francs per day. There are three
qualities of cotton made here, but I thought they
were not sufficiently careful in the first process of
cleaning the cotton from impurities. The black
marks or spots of dirty cotton were even to be seen on
all the qualities of thread and cloth, bat they find
t this does not interfere with their sale in any part of
L Piedmont el Switzerland. From the water power
and the low rate of wages, I should say that the profits
cf the manufacturers must be very great; indeed all
i Piedmont is 90 admirably adapted for a sonar •
L twist 'wintry, that if they progress as they have
been doing these last seven years they will monopo-
line the markets of the continent, at least in as far as

cause goods are coseerned. The reashisery
to me to be dangerous; bat although none ise=
no accidents occur, while in England we day
hear of accidents with fenced machinery. I
inspect that in England we are too food of law-
making. We protected the pockets of the law-
givers-by patting taus upon the grain which was to
be eaten by the labouring climes; and sow our
landed proprietors and others think to make laws
to protect the poor ignorant creatures, and thus
take from them the great secret of safety—
self.reliance. flee soldiers in a skirmish, who are
left to protect themselves, how comparatively few
are hit ; but put them foe any time under &pursuit
cover, they then become careless, and numbers of
them are knocked down. If Mr. Horner would
leave the manufacturers and their workpeople to
depend on themselves, no harm would opine- of it.
Leaving Intro we oiled op the lake on the Pied-
mont side. We came to the small village of CAnnobso,
which proltiud G. Brans, a =cut iugeniooe me-
chanic, who, at Milan, in 1827, first used stuns as a
motive power. The lake still continues beautiful, but
more wild as one comes newer Swil zerland. I remained
for the night at Lours°, which appears a plea of
great commerce, especially in wood, large rafts of
which are sent Amon to Aroca every day. Is my
next I shall give my trip down the lake, and my opi-
nion of the forte of the Austrians and their maim&
war steamers on this peaceful and brevilial lake.
11th August: As to political news, seer—except
that every one is 'puking of the mavessare of Au.
trian artillery, cavalry, and ideality between Puma
and Plaisaue. There is a talk et seelethirg about to
take place is Tammy, aid sway ele is the street sake
the other, "Is there within yet ken Naples r A
petition met three awles Bolas la tie &skim,
sot long from Nagler bad bees &Mies. Tray
told him they bought their diesherger that tbe service
was disagreeable I that they hated the ling, mad
would lot Eget for him, but they were eitik of the
service, as all the Italians detested them.

TURKEY.

MARSZILLES, AreveT 19.

The hides has wired with aewastifrost Constan-
tinople to the 11th. Ise Ottoman ministry is said
to have bees &otiosely divided on the subject of the
reorganisation of the Primpslities.

11-ie mid that Adele,' itewszt wee to return to
Cosatastinople, bat that the English fleet will maim
in the Black Sea until the end of September, when it
will roomed to Malta.

The Amnia! of Constotainople annoant es that, os
the 23th of Icily, the Governor of F =own was
officially invited by the &lotions to tete poloseeics
olffiere.

The Wan despatches from Conotantinoplo an-
some. that the Russians make a demand epos the
French for 400,0001 r. for damages dose to the Ras.
sign Embassy at Coestaatinople, it having hiss oar
vertsd bates French hospital during the war.
lensed of annonseisg the opposable' arrival of
Y. Boutenisff to the Minister tor Foreign Affairs,
Prises Gortchakoff awe to make the notitkation
to the Grand Vizier. This prodooed a ecesiderahls
sensation.

A letter from Cceetentilople mays On the 3rd
a are !woks oat at Entireties, in the stables of
Moestafa Pasha. The triad was high at the tims,
sad the dames rapidly maistuned all the Wangs.
By the eaergetio assistance of s detsebessat of &a-
dial= troops who were still st Joni-Komi, the horses
and carriages were saved. The tire is said to have
Seen caused by kept adeoce."