Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-05-23 00:00:00

lours

" The Piedmontese cavalry, commanded by General
onnaz, fought with extraordinary energy.
" Two hundred prisoners were taken, including one

PROGRAS O 1 THE WAR.

(FROM THE "TIME?' COATLESPONDENT.)

AUSTRIAN HEAD-QUARTEAS, MORTARA, May 15.
—No movement of any importance has taken place
since my last, except that one corps d'arm4 (Count
Stadion's) has been moved from here about 12
miles further south. I noted carefully the march of
this corps, wishing to know exactly what space it
occupied on a road, and what time was necessary to
put it in motion, so as to be able to explain why an'
army cannot possibly march from Pavia to Turin
in four Or- five days. The advanced guard passed
my point of observation at 8.5 a.m., and from that
time till 12.55 the stream of infantry, cavalry,
artillery, and military train flowed past without
intermission. Five hours all but ten minutes ! ffo
you see my estimate of 10 or 12 miles of road
for such a corps must be within the truth ; off
the road, as I before told you, they cannot move.
Of course, for a sudden dash, infantry, cavalry, and
even a few guns, could be sent 30 or 35 miles
a day, and to rush on Novi with two or three
such light columns was the original intention of the
Austrians. This intention they abandoned, when
Lord Malmesbury asked them to delay their en-
trance into Piedmont, and no proof can be stronger of
the non-offensive character of that movement, when
ultimately made, than the fact of each corps taking
its entire 'baggage with it. The train of the Austrians
is larger than that of other armies, principally on
account of the number of ambulance waggons it takes
into the field. In care for the wounded they certainly
are further advanced than ourselves or the French.
When moving on the Sesia, for instance, a week ago,
they took with them everything necessary to
establish a hospital for 800 men at Vercelli.
The story told by the Sardinians of Garibaldi
entering that town, and making 300 prisoners is
totally Without foundation. Garibaldi may have
been present last Tuesday when Vercelli was recon-
noitred, but the reconnoitering party did not ap-
proach within a, mile of the town, and retired
when they pereeived that it was held by o.
large force. No prisoners were taken. The ex-
cuse of the King of Sardinia for seizing the
Austrian vessels in Genoa, viz., that the step was
taken to retaliate for the contributions levied by
the Austrians, accounts for the circulation of the
exaggerated accounts of these. Curiously enough,
the vessels were seized before the contributions were
levied. Voghera is the only town that has suffered
much in this manner from _the Austrians. Novara,
Vercelli, Mortara, and Garlasco were cleared out by
the Sardinians themselves, and so was every village
in those districts. Prince Nicholas of Nassau joined
the army, yesterday, as a volunteer. He has, of
course, been well received, particularly as his talents
and energy will make him very powerful in
influencing and directing the German movement now
commencing. You are aware that the Austrian army
contains members of nearly every noble family, not only
in Austria, but from other parts of Germany. There
are at present here as generals, a Prince of Hesse
and Prince Liechtenstein, and the Staff of every
General contains names well known in history.
These staff officers are very numerous, for each corps
d'armee is a complete army in itself. General
Benedek's, for instance, consists of 43,000 men (of
whom about 4,000 are cavalry) and 128 guns. The
other divisions have only 96 guns each, but the
whole artillery is under a " Director," General
Stwrtnik (I will tell you how to pronounce this when
I write next), so that its distribution varies. Of
course the business of each corps requires a complete
staff, and then there is the staff of the Commander-
in-Chief. General Staukovics is Adjutant-General,
1 and Colonel Baron Kuhn Quartermaster-General.
On the last-named officer, next to Count Gyulai,
depends the success of the campaign, it being his
duty to arrange the details of every movement, and,
of course, to advise upon it. He is looked upon as a
man of wonderful military talents by his brother.
officers. Time will show. I have just come into
possession of an important document, a circular
distributed in Milan and the neighbourhood to the
Hungarian troops in March. They are said to have
been traced to Turin, but I have no proof of this.
send you the original, but will, with the assistance
of a gallant hussar, translate for you one or two

passages :
Hungarians, Brothers, Soldiers !---These lines are sent
to you in the name of the Hungarian fatherland, and of
your
.former leaders, that you may know how to act at
the commencement f the next war. We inform you that
not only the Piedmontese, but also the French are about to
attack Austria, and drive her out of Italy. When Austria
is beaten there the united army Will hasten on to Hungary.
. . . When the war begins, where and when. you

can, come over to us.
So, in March, France and Sardinia had determined
on war, and were merely fooling England with
acceptance of mediations and congress. Several
hundreds of these circulars were distributed. Many
were brought to their officers by the men. At the
present moment others are constantly left in their
way, in Croatian, Hungarian, and Bohemian. Surely
the French army will not make war in this manner.
It is here expected in a few days to commence hos-
tilities in a more chivalrous manner. It must be
ready to move soon now, and it has plenty of work
cut out for it.
P.S. The reconnoitring party I mentioned in my
last as being pushed forward on the south of the
Po, has been gradually increased. The Austrians
yesterday occupied Voghera with a large force.
They are constructing a second bridge over the Po
—I must not mention at what point. The high
road and railway from Genoa and Turin to Piacenza
passed very close to the southern bank of
the Po, at Stradella. Here the Appenines approach
the river, so as to form quite a defile.. This
must be remembered by all who follow the move-
ments on a map. The mountains are not traversed
by any roads passable for artillery, and, if the
neutrality of Parma is respected, they form a
barrier to the advance of the invading army in that
direction. It has rained all yesterday and to-day.
the Austrians have no tents, but are very ingenious
in building huts with boughs of trees, gass, long
corn, &c.