Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-05-26 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES, THURSDAY, MAY 26, 1859

LATEST TELEGRAMS.

THE WAR IN ITALY.

FRANCE AND HER FOREIGN RELATIONS.
The Independence asserts that, communications, if
not protestations, have been addressed by Russia to
the Preach government, on the occupation of Tuscany
b3'
a French army. It also stated that, the Austrian
tabinet has succeeded in establishing a better
understanding with the Court of St. Petersburg. The
11°Pe of establishing a really intimate alliance between
Prance and Russia is not at present very strongly
entertained by the French cabinet. Russia does not

4PPear disposed to disregard a traditional policy to
the Fr

government in tiwar of neutra

since the English declaration of neutrality the
drench governm

the nays

,nt have ceased to engage men for

TußiN,AVednesday —The official bulletin announces
the death of the King of Naples, and that Francis
the Second has ascended the throne. The proclama-
tion published at Naples of the ascending of the throne
of Francis the Second is countersigned by Signor
°rah,.

BERN E, Wednesday.-2,000 Austrians are at Ca-

in fore

nents and artillery

nierlata, waiting for
Qftribaldi is expected
yesterday, his advanced post was at Malrete

Como, from Varese,

BERNE, May 25.—1 t is reported from Lugano,
that General Garibaldi, with his 5,000 men, has
barricaded himself in the town of Varese, but is

anon. The Austrians .posted in the
neighbourhood of Varese are, on their side, provided
,with artillery,.and a fight has commenced.

Without

BERNE, Wednesday

May 25th.—Revolutionary

movements have taken place in Lombardy, Bon-
temps, the Swiss general, is going to-day to Lugano
With the staff of his division, and all the troops under

his command are to follow him.

Moniteur of

Nu's, Wednesday, May 25th.—The
this morning publishes the following telegram

ALESSANDRIA, Tuesday, May 24.—The wounded

at the battle of Montebello have been brought to

this town. The Austrian prisoners have been sent
to
Genoa, whence they will be forwarded to Mar-
Before their departure, the Emperor
distributed money ammfg them for their relief."

Ni.-kItSEILLES, Tuesday,

May .24.—The

Prisoners have arrrived here

Austrian

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
.WITH NAPLES.
The Post announces that England is about to send,
431.1 a mission to Naples, Sir James Hudson.

Prance and Sardinia are about to send diplomatic
authorities to the new Neapolitan Court.

THE PRINCE OF WALES

MADRID, Tuesday, May 24.—The Prince of Wales
has received distinguished homage at Grenada. It
18 asserted that Queen Isabelle is enciente.

THE FRENCH FUNDS

PARIS, Wednesday,ll.ss
61.30, and are now 61.35.

12.40 p.m

—Rentes commenced

—The Bourse - opens flat ; Rentes,

3.56 p.m.—A further fall of 7- has taken place in
4entes, which are now quoted 61.10.

PROGRESS OF TIIE WAR.

(FROM THE " TIMES'

i" CORRESPONDENT.)

AUSTRIAN HEAD-QUARTERS; MORTARA, May 17.
• The Austrian force south of the Po has been again
diminished. Probably the great demonstration on
Friday and Saturday had a three-fold object—to
to
a smaller body to establish themselves there,
4,1" n reconnoitre, and to oblige a considerable body of
the invaders to watch the movement. These are
newin force close to Casale, and also as far east as
, eghera. They have a stone bridge at Casale, so
the swollen state of the Po wi l not prevent them
from
crossing, if they wish to do so. The French
and Austrian outposts have commenced their
acquaintance in a civilised manner. The former
yesterday came down towards the Po for water,
bear Cornale, where the Austrians first crossed,
making signs to these to explain their peaceful
°Nect. A white cloth was waved, and they
advanced. When they had filled their buckets
they
~._ threw up their caps in token of thanks, and
Went through a good deal more pantomime, which
seems to have been well exrcuted and sufficiently
in,xplanatory, for the Austrians are to-day talking of
see 11l with great respect, and congratulating them-
selves on havino• one noble enemy. Of the Pied-
lpirl,'lentese, I mustc'acknowledge they do not so speak.
The attempts of the latter to seduce Austrian
soldiers from their allegiance are certainly not
chivalrous, nor can any cause, good or bad, gain by its
advocates calumniating its opponents. Now, the
the
do circulate reports disadvantageous to
" Austrians without inquiry into their truth. For
Isztstance, they accuse them of extorting 300,000 f.
[,!'Bl oni Vercelli, and an immense quantity of leather.a
Siecle had this story, and I suppose the Eng-
-1,4 papers, yet I am assured, and I believe most
4111 Y, that not one farthing has been demanded from
any town. Indeed the system of obtaining supplies
~8 so carried on that such a thing could not happen.
'° individual is asked for anything. The munici-
'Nay (commune) of each town or village is made
answerable for all. To it are addressed all requisi-
tions for whatever they may be, and these are made
011 printed officially stamped paper, and must be
signed by a certain appointed person. The
things required are rations and forage and
Ineans of transport, the horses and carts
41 all cases being returned. The army
lives on the enemy to a great extent, it is
!I,le, and such has been the system pursued by
anything
every army ; but there is no extortion of
471,Ything beyond the means of living. At Voghera,
government store was found, and of course
refl. At Cassine di Stra, a few miles. west of
Lercelli, General Gablens took, from an armed party
'sti charge of them, 50 bullocks. These were given
‘e the municipality of Vercelli, to lighten the burden
ell that town. This proves that only what is neces-
rrY is demanded. No convoys of provisions have
een sent to thee ast of the Ticino ; on the contrary,
.
good deal still comes from there, because the
tjedtriontese took with them all they could. Of this
'ley say nothing. The Siecle has likewise printed,
ig commented violently on, a proclamation said to
have been issued by Count Gyulai to the town of
Piacenza. He has not issued any proclamation to
that town. The governor of the fortress has
a",:n.ned the people inside the citadel that they
under martial law, and has explained what
one
is pretty much the same here as elsewhere.
more canard I must expose. A gentleman
Ig said to have been seized at Vercelli and
threatened with death if his brother did not shut
or the water from the irrigated land! The extreme

absurdity of this will be appartnt when I tell you
that each rice field is surrounded by a ditth at
a lower. level, or else a succession of rite fields
at different levels adjoin each other. The water
is constantly flowing, the requisite depth (a few
inches) being maintained by a bank of earth about
two feet thick round the field, so that one man with
or even without a spade could drain a whole dis-
trict in a day. That the Austrians have spared
these rice fields hitherto may be owing to several
consideratiens. They may do so out of hu-
manity, they may want the ground to remain
_ ,ble, . or they may intend to stay in the
country till the rice grows. They expect the French
daily, however, to come and make good their boast,
and try to drive them out of Italy. The Emperor
Napoleon cannot remain inactive long. He has
undertaken a war of conquest, so he must advance,
whether east into the neutral territory of Parma, or
'north, you will probably know from Turin sooner
than I can inform you. I must not tell you the
position of the Austrians more exactly than to say
that the mass of the army is between this and the
Po, ready to defend itself if attacked, or to move
swiftly on the flank of the invader should he
endeavour to pass. The French are under one
decided disadvantage. They must act so as to keep
up the excitement of the Parisians, often attempting.
feats of more show than utilty, for mere theatrical
effect They must undergo the disappointment also
of finding themselves deceived as to the feeling of
the population, as they most assuredly have been.
The health of the Austrian troops continues
excellent, but few cases of fever having occurred
yet. I fear both armies will lose thousands upon
thousands though, should they be here in the Lomel-
lina in July and August. The poor natives suffer

impassa

terribly, and are iii consequence pale, miserable-
looking creatures. They are much to be pitied,
spending their lives in such a swamp, and working for
bare subsistence, all the rest of the produce of their
labour enriching some Milanese or Turin nobleman.
Then the taxes necessary to keep up a large army,
and give promotion to these noblemen's sons, are
most onerous. The very beds, tables, and chairs are
taxed, the consequence of which is, that the houses
are almost unfurnished. The beds, by the way, are
enormous, much larger than the old English four-
posters. This the Austrians find a great luxury,
and no wonder if one thinks of the Vienna shelves,
5 feet by 2 feet 9, with the counterpane just an
inch larger each way. That a people in such a state
of abject poverty as this one, can wi-1 for a war is
not possible. The upper thousand do, and the
townspeople of Turin, and Genoa of course, as she
reaps a rich harvest. There have been several skir-
mishes between patrols. The Hungarians utterly
despise the Piedmontese. Six men of an Hussar
regiment stationed here were patrolling a few days
ago ; having gone as far as they wished, they were
returning along a dam with inundated fields on both
sides, when they found drawn up to bar their 'retreat,
a party of 30 Piedmontese Lancers. They charged
right through them, and got away with the loss of one
horse and one man wounded. If this kind of thing
is tried with the French the result will not be so
agreeable. The Piedmontese have set a rumour

afloat that the Austrian soldiers are kept in igno-
rance as to who their enemy is, and made to believe
it is only Italians. How can any one believe such
nonsense ? A burgher of this town has been con-
victed of trying to induce a Hungarian to desert.
He aid this in a most stupidly compromising manner,
sketching the road to Cassale in a pocket-book. The
Hussar seized him and his pocket-book and map.
As the Piedmontese have been systematically tam-
pering with the Austrian soldiery, in defiance of the
usages of civilised warfare, and as this man told the
Hussar that five or six others were engaged in the
same dangerous occupation, it seems a necessity to
make an example,, particularly as the Austrians have
already pardoned one spy. Still such is the kind-
heartedness of Count Gyulai that I dare say the man
will escape. The man shot at Biella by the Sar-
dinians was a native of Pavia, who had gone to
Biella before the war began. He had no mission
from the Austrians, but undoubtedly did mean to
give them the information he was acquiring,
May 19. —The head-quarters are going to be
moved to Garlasco this afternoon, as that town will
now be more central, the army having gradually
adproached the- Po, as the French have appeared in
strength on the other bank. As the Turin papers
continue to assert that the Austrians levy heavy
contributions of money, and of other things, to sell
again, I have taken the greatest pains to discover if
there is the slightest foundation for the statement,
and I can positively assure you that there is not.
They have lived on the enemy's country to a great
extent, but beyond the merely necessary they
have demanded nothing. They have not even
destroyed any stores which may be useful to
the invader, and, as I before informed you, they
have left the rice fields inundated, wten a few hours'
work would have rendered the country barren, so
far as that crop is concerned. Just beyond Vercelli
Count Cavour has a large farm, well stocked with
cattle. The Austrians have spared this. Now, I
think this one circumstance is a conclusive prof
both of the moderation and the discipline of the
Auitrian army. Count Cavour is so detested by the
peasantry (or rather the serfs, for there is no peasan-
try) of this country, that many officers were urged
by them to sack or destroy this farm ; and I believe
that almost any other army but this would have done
so in a similar case. The people of Mortara are loud
in their praises of the Austrians, and some even in
prayers for their success. This is much owing to he
pardon of their townsman, who got into trouble for
trying to induce soldiers to desert; much may be
hypocrisy, too, but still some real change of feeling has
taken place, and they acknowledge that they were wil-
fully misled as to the character of the Austrians. A
person writes to the Siecle from Genoa, saying that
he saw at Alessandria sixty Austrian prisoners without
shoes, and scarcely clothed. As only four have as
yet been taken prisnners, this statement gives rise
to suspicions of a deliberate system of deception ;
suspicions confirmed by the inaccuracies contained in
the official bulletins published at Turin. I think,
however, that the mere proneness of all Southern
nations to exaggerate, explains all, or nearly all the
canards that have been circulated. That the 17th
and 18th Piedmontese Regiments from Casale,
thought themselves opposed to 3,000 or 4,000 Aus-
trians, trying to cross the Po at Frassinetto, on the
3rd instant, cannot be wondered at, because the 900
Austrians really there, did all they could to create
this belief. That an imaginative person in Genoa
should believe he had seen 60 half-naked German
prisoners at Alessandria, is equally natural. He had
probably been told the true story, viz., that one
German had been taken prisoner by 60 Italians.
This took place at Voghera. Three hussars had been
pushed forward beyond that town, and were return-
ing through it, not knowing that in the meantime
their friends had abandoned it, and fallen back,
when they were attacked by a number of towns-
people in the streets, and one of the three severely
wounded and taken prisoner The Siecle corres-
pondent forgets to mention that the other two
cut their way through the whole town. That
they were able to do so proves clearly, I think,
that the mass of the population, even at Voghera,
are not much in earnest in their warlike feelings.
General Zobel's corps abandons Vercelli to-day,
and destroys the bridge there over the Sesia.
The Piedmontese light troops advanced step by
step as he withdrew his outposts, but no serious
skirmish even took place, though the day before
yesterday one of the General's' aides-de-camp had
two horses shot under him in a few minutes.
The electric telegraph is to-day finished through
the head quarters of the different corps d'armb, and
by two routes to Vienna. Nearly all the bread for
the army is now brought from Lombardy. The out-
posts beyond Piacenza have been considerably rein-
forced, and the French driven out of Bobbio. I
should not wonder if the French tried to slip across
the Apennines, and enter Lombardy between Mantua
and Piacenza. This would display the lightness and
other qualities of the new French cannon. Mr. St.
John Mildmay arrived here to-day as Commissioner
from the British Government. I am exceedingly glad

of this, because now there will be a person thoroughly
unprejudiced who will confirm my statements about
the treatment of the poor people of this country by
the Austrians.

PROCLAMATION OF PRINCE NAPOLEON IN

TUSCANY.
The following proclamation has been issued by
Prince Napoleon to the Tuscan people : .
Leghorn-roads, on board the Heine Hortense,
May 23, 1859.
Inhabitants of Tuscany,—The Emperor sends me into
your country, on the demand of your representatives, to
make war upon your enemies, the oppressors of Italy. My
mission is exclusively military. I am not here to occupy
myself, and I shall not occupy myself, with your internal
organisation. Napoleon 111. has declared that he has but
one ambition, the triumph of the sacred cause of the enfran-
chisement of a people, and that he will never be influenced
by family interests. He has said that the only object of
France, who is content' with her present power, is to have
on her frontiers a people which shall owe her regeneration
to her. If God help us, and give us the victory, Italy will
freely constitute herself; and, being hereafter counted among
nations, she will render the balance of power in Europe
more secure, Remember that no sacrifices are too great
when independence is to be the price of your efforts, and
show the world, by your _ union, moderation, and energy,

that you are worthy to be free.
The Prince Commanding-in-Chief the fifth corps of the
army of Italy, NAPOLEON,

(Jerome.)

The plan of the campaign about to be underta'ken
by Prince Napoleon is said to be to march throng!
the Duchy of Modena; and thence either to Venice
or Milan, where he will meet the Emperor Napoleon.
It is alleged that the invasion of Modena cannot be
considered as a violation of neutrality, inasmuch as
the Duke of Modena has protested against the
entrance of the French into Italy.

^O.-.---

THE
BAT [LE OF MONTEBELLO.

OFFICIAL REPORT OF GENERAL FOREY.
The Paris Moniteur contains an official report of
General Forey, Ist division First Corps d'Armee,
transmitted by Marshal Baraguay d'Hilliers. The
report, which relates to the battle of Montebello, is
as follows :

VOGITERA, May 20, 1859, Midnight.-
chal,—l have the honour of giving you

battle fought this
Being informed, at half-p-ast twelve this afternoon, that a
strong Austrian column, with artillery, had occupied Cas-
teggio, and driven back from Montebello the outstanding
pickets of Piedmontese cavalry, I immediately hastened up
to the front, by the Montebello road, with two battalions
of the 74th, destined to relieve two battalions of the 84th
cantoned along this road in front of Voghera, on the Madura

Monsieur le Mare-

account of the

day by my division

eminence.
Meanwhile, the rest of my division took up arms, and a
battery of artillery (the 6th of the Bth Regiment) marched
at its head.
Arriving at the bridge thrown across the brook called
izzo, the extreme limit of our front posts, I caused a
section of artillery to be placed in battery, supported on the
right and left by two battalions of the 84th, lining the
brook with their sharpshooters. •
During this time the enemy had pushed on from Monte-
bello to Ginestrello, and having been informed that he was
coming against me in two columns, one by the high road,
the other along the tramway, I ordered the left battalion of
the 74th to cover the causeway at Cascina Nuova, and the
other battalion to advance along the right of the road,
behind the 84th.
This movement was hardly over when a brisk fire along
the whole line was opened between our sharpshooters and
those of the enemy, who was marching upon us, and sup-
porting his sharpshooters by the heads of the columns
issuing from Ginestrello. The artillery opened fire upon
them successfully; the enemy replying to it.
I then ordered my right to move up to the front. The
enemy retired before the ardour of our troops, but perceiv-
ing that I had only one battalion to the left of the road, he
sent a strong column against it. Thanks to the vigour
and firmness of this battallion, commanded by Colonel
Cambriels, and to sonic fortunate charges of the Picdmontese
cavalry, admirably led on by General de Sonnaz, the
Austrians were obliged to retire.
At this moment, General Blanchard, followed by the-98th
and a battalion of the 91st (the two others were at Oriolo,
where they have had an engagement) rejoined me, and
received orders to proceed to the relief of the battalion of
the 74th, charged with the defence of the tramway, and to
take up a strong position at Caseina Nuova.
Reassured on this side I again threw forward my right,
and took, not without serious re:istance, the position of
Ginestrello. Judging, then, that by following with the bulk
of the infantry the line of hill tops, and the road with my
artillery protected by the Piedmontese cavalry, I should the
more easily capture Montebello, I organised my columns of
attack under General Beuret's command, in this way :
The 17th battalion of chasseurs, supported by the 84th
and 74th, disposed in echelons, moved on towards the south
side of Montebello, where the enemy had intrenched himself.
A hand-to-hand combat then ensued in the streets of the
village, which had to be carried house after house. It was
during this fight that General Beuret was mortally wounded
by my side.
After an obstinate resistence, the Austrians were forced
to yield to the vigour of our troops, and although strongly
intrenched in the churchyard, this position they saw
snatched from them at the point of the bayonet, amid cries
of " Vive l'Empereur," a thousand times repeated.
It was then half-past six. I deemed it prudent not to
push the success of the day any further, and halted my
troops behind the rising ground on which the churchyard is
situated, covering the brow with four guns and numerous
sharpshooters, who drove back the last Austrian columns
into Casteggio.
Shortly after this I saw the Austrian columns evacuate
Castee•gio, leaving in it a rear •guard, and they retired along
the Casatisma road.
I cannot adequately praise, M. le Marechal, the energy of
our troops this day ; all the officers, petty officers, and
soldiers have rivalled each other in ardour. Nor will I for-
get the officers of my staff, who have ably assisted me.
I shall have the honour of addressing to you later the
names of those who have particularly distinguished them-
selves.
I do not yet know the exact amount of our loss ; it is
great, especially in superior officers. I estimate it approxi-
matively at 600 or 700 men, killed or wounded.
The loss of the enemy must have been considerable, to
judge by the number of the' dead that have been found,
especially in the village of Montebello.
We have made about 200 prisoners, amongst whom are a
colonel and several officers.
Several tumbrils have also fallen into our possession.
As for myself, Monsieur le Marechal. I am happy that
my division has been the first engaged with the enemy.
This glorious baptism, which recalls one of the great names
of the Empire, will mark, I hope, one of the series
signalised in the Emperor's order of the day.—l am, with
respect, Monsieur le Marechal, your most humble and
obedient servant, the General commanding the Ist Division
of the Ist Corps. FOREY.
P.S. According to information brought to me from every
side, the force of the enemy cannot be below fifteen to
eighteen thousand men ; and, if I were to believe the reports
of the prisoners, it would far exceed this amount.

•

POLITICAL ITEMS.

POLITICAL MOVEMENTS.—The usual full dress Parlia-
mentary dinner by the Prime Minister and the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, which take place the day before the
delivery of the Queen's speech, are announced for the 6th
June. Earl Granville and Lord Palmerston give political
dinners to members of the opposition on the same date.

The Times remarks that if, on the restoration of the
Liberal pasty, they could agree upon a simple and moderate
measure of reform, they might pass it, but this opportunity
once neglected, there is small chance indeed of its ever
recurring during the period of an European war. The
Daily News, touching on the same subject, says that Eng-
land demands such a measure as will at least last one
generation, and not a scheme adapted for the convenience
of dependant counties and rotten boroughs.

THE PAPER DUTY. —Measures are to be taken to bring
the question effectively before the new Parliament. We
understand that since the last meeting, large accessions to
the committee have taken place, principally consisting of
manufacturers and commercial consumers. Some of the
great linen houses of the North, who are larger consumers
of papers than many of our extensive printers, have given
in their adhesion, and will actively co-operate to remove the
last remnant of the taxation on articles of native produc-
tion. 14Yeman.

CONFERENCE OF LIBERALS.

- -
A conference of Liberals was convened, in the Chtiendon-
rooms, yesterday, for the purpose of considering the
propriety of memorialising the Queen in favour of the
extension of the sphere of selection of ministers and officers
of state charged with the affairs of the Government of the
country. Among those present, were—Messrs. Robertson
Gladstone, J. R. Jeffery, Laurence Heyworth, J. T.
Danson. J. i Corbally, Richard Sheil, John Smith, James
Steele, John Dignan, J. B. Aspinall, barrister; J.
Ronalds, Haylock, A. C. Stewart, Hughes, Bolt, Hobbs,
&c., &c. The attendance was rather thin at the commence-
ment of the proceedings, but grew more numerous as they
advanced, and towards the close the room was nearly filled.
Mr. J. R. Jeffery moved that Mr. Robertson Gladstone
take the chair.
Mr. Gladstone took the chair amid loud applause.
The Chairman said: Gentlemen, I regret that an hour
better suited to meet the convenience of others was not
selected for the purpose of holding a conference upon a
subject which, I think, you will all admit to be of incal-
culable importance, especially at the. present juncture.
This meeting, I hope, will be regarded as preliminary only
to a subsequeut one of a much more extended attract(
(Hear, hear.) The circumstance of the probabl •
tion or departure from office of Load Derby
coadjutors at a very early period,
forcibly to the necessity for our doing our duty,
so far as we have the power, to prevent the country
from being placed in the position which it has more than
once occupied, when her Majesty the Queen has been lef
in the midst of doubts and difficulties as to what part

e resig

,eems to

parties she should apply to for the purpose of appointir4
successors to those who were leaving their office. (Hear
hear.) Now it appears to me to be a matter, not only o
necessity, but in itself consistent with what is rim}
part as good citizens, and stillbetterpatriots,

provide for an emergency which is likely, I fear, to befal us
under such circumstances—that of being left to the tender
mercies of Lord Derby, Lord Palmerston, and Lord John
Russell, as the only fit and competent parties who can
undertake the responsible duties of advisers to her
Majesty the Queen. (Hear, hear.) Now, as I regard this
country, I take it and its people to be a nation of
manufacturers and traders, because, when the corn laws were
repealed, the agricultural interest, which ought never to
have had an isolated position for itself, then at least ceased
to possess any such claim; and when the corn laws were
repealed, 1 conceive that, with that circumstance, along
with that very important change, the aristocracy, as a

separate body, ceased to have any claim to national dis-
tinction. (Hear, hear.) In point of fact, with the advent
of free trade the aristocracy ought practically to have
retired from pnblic life. The sources of revenue, I contend,
in themselves displace them, to a certain extent, from the
exercise of high political privileges. The gross revenue of the
country for the year ending the 31st of March, 1858 was
£66,243,293. Of that sum £41,186,357 were levied in the

as on sq

ar, coffee, tea

shape of customs and excis
beer, spirits, and other articles, all of which are of nec
essentially requisite, not only for the comfort, but most o
them for the preservation of the lives of t'
the working people. (Hear, hear.)
these individuals, again, contribute to the rE
the income-tax. The expenditure, in that year, was
£68,277,501. Of that sum £28,627,103 went to pay the
interest and charges upon the national debt. Now, when
we come to deal with this subject, as I hope we shall do
)n, we shall, no doubt, look

vast numb

flue througi

upon a future °cc
back carefully to the past history of the country
think, we shall be able to trace