The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-26 00:00:00

ITALY.

The Piedmontese Gazette of the 21st March con-
ains the following official announcement of the com-
mencement of hostilities between CHARLES ALBERT
and RADETZXY
" NoVARRA, MARCH 20, AT NIGHT.—The King, at
Trecate, has crossed the Tesino at the head of the army,
after a brief reconnoisance of the ground by the sharp-
shooters. The passage was not disputed. The head-
quarters are still at Trecate. It is said that the Austrian
troops and baggage waggons precipitately fell back on
Milan by the road of Basto Arsizio. Our troops are
greatly excited. In their bivouac the soldiers are conti-
nually singing in chorus and shouting Vive le Roi.'
VOGHERA, MARCH 20, AT NIGHT.—The enemy have
attacked the bridge of Mazzanacosti. Our soldiers de-
fended the bridge firmly, and at night, for greater secu-
rity, the bridge was broken down, and the boats drawn
over to our side, where they lie under the protection of
two batteries of Lombard artillery. It is said that two
soldiers have been killed, and about 20 others wounded;
on the other side of the Po are seen Austrian troops of
all arms, who have not hitherto attempted to cross over.
This news is confirmed by a telegraphic dispatch re-
ceived this morning from Alexandria."
Private letters from the seat of war add the follow-
ing particulars :
" On the morning of the 20th the Piedmontese head-
quarters was at Novarra. General Chrzonowski had
there concentrated a force of 50,000 men. These troops,
massed in close columns on the extreme frontier, re-
ceived orders before noon to march by San Marino upon
Buffatora and Magenta. The Austrian outposts, on
perceiving this offensive movement, fell back on Ma-
genta, exchanging merely some shots with the Sardinian
tirailleurs. At the moment when the courier left
Turin the army of General Chrzonowski was only se-
parated from the Austrian army by the narrow space of
a league, which was occupied by the respective outposts.
Marshal Radetzky had, on the 19th, only concentrated
a force of aboat 25,000 men at Magenta; but all the
other divisions were coming up by forced marches on
the same point.
" The situation of the two armies was, according tdthe
latest accounts, this: four Piedmontese divisions had
passed the Tesino at Novarra i❑ the evening of the 20th.
On the following day an Austrian corps d'arntee crossed
the Tesino at Vigevano, where it met with some slight re-
sistance, but having received reinforcements pushed on to
Mortara. This corps el'arreee would therefore be between
the four divisions with the King, and which are supposed
to be marching by the Novarra road on Milan, and the
other divisions remaining upon the Tesino on the side of
Pavia. The probability is the Piedmontese troops would
have recrossed the Tesino, and that the battle may take
place in the plains of Verecil."
It is said that RADETZRY has received reinforce-
ments from the King of BAVARIA.
Letters from Turin, of the 21st of March, state
the law for the maintenance of public security had
been passed that day by the Chamber, by a majority
of 77 to 88. The Minister of Public Instruction
left Turin on the 20th, for the head quarters of the
KING, where he is to act as commissioner.
A letter from Trecarte of the 20th says :--
" The tri-colour floats over the land of Lombardy.
The, passage of the Buffatora has been effected. The
Duke of Genoa has his head-quarters at Magenta. The
passage of the Tesino was not disputed.
The Suisse of Berne of the 20th instant, says :
" We have already announced the measures taken in
the, Tesino for covering our frontier on the side of
Lombardy. It is also known that the Federal Council
has decided for the moment upon sending a Thurgo-
vian battalion into the Tesino. We have now
to make known the instructions given by the
Federal Commissary to the Commandant of
the Tesino battalion, Councillor of State, Rusca, which
the Federal Council has approved, and which have been
published officially:-1. The battalion No. 25, called into
the service of the Confederation, and placed under its
command, is destined to be the safeguard of the integrity
and the inviolability of the Swiss territory, and to watch
over the neutrality of Switzerland.-2. It will occupy
principally that part of the Swiss frontier adjoining
Lombardy, which is most exposed to danger, that is to
say, the district of Mendisio.—.3. It will repel with force
every attempt of an armed body to cross the frontier next
to Lombardy; neither will it permit on the side of Swit-
zerlaral persons not having the right to do so to cross the
frontier into Lombardy, armed or not.-4. It will con-
sequently exercise a surveillance principally over the
Italian refugees who may wish to make an invasion into
the territory of Lombardy, and carefully prevent refu-
gees from approaching the frontier.-5. It will also take
care that no arms be conveyed from Switzerland into
Lombardy.-6. Everything which in the course of this
war might be regarded as a hostite demonstration
against either of the belligereut powers must be carefully
avoided."

In the sitting of the Roman Constituent, on the
15th instant, a law was passed for sending sixty De-
puties to the Italian Constituent, such Deputies to be