The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-26 00:00:00

ITALY.

LOMBARDY AND VENICE.
The Austrian General NUGENT has crossed the
Isonzo at the head of 30,000 troops, without any
attempt on the part of ZUCCHI, the Italian General,
to prevent him. It is probable, however, that
Zuccni may attempt to prevent NUGENT from form-
ing a junction with RADHTEET under the walls of
Verona.
The Provisional Government of Milan has issued
an address to the bankers, merchants, and manufac-
turers of Austria, Moravia, and Bohemia, which it
styles an explanation on their mutual interests.
" The people of Italy," says this circular, " desire a
congress at Rome, a uniform system of commerce and
coinage. No one can prevent us from doing this. Who
wishes to wage war with us? The council of war ot
Austria? It needs money to carry it on, and where will
it find any? Your credit is tottering, arid you could
scarcely raise a loan at fifty per cent. Your finance:,
were in a bad state even at the time when the Lombardo-
Venetian territory paid annually twenty millions of
florins into your coffers. That is stopped. Hungary
has no money. The Polish provinces and the moun-
tainous districts have none. The Italian market is shut
to Austrian and Bohemian wares as soon as war com-
mences. Peace alone can keep it open. Happy
will that nation be which will be the first to cuter
into a commercial treaty with fruitful Italy ! It Austria
does not speedily come to terms of peace, it will be the
only' nation which will be for ever and most justly ex-
cluded from all commerce with us. Woe to Bohemia
and Austria if they send a single band ot volunteers
against us. Only toward those who are compelled to
take up arms against us will we prove magnanimous.
As long as the war lasts innumerable ships from every
coast ot Italy will blockade the Adriatic. Not a single
ship will be allowed to enter Trieste or Fiume, unless
bearing the olive branch. The question of the Indian
mail is in our hands. Urged on by the squabbles of the
Vienna Bourse, and of the Hof•Kammer, we have let
the whole capital of the Lombardo-Venetian and Tuscan
Railways hang a dead weight on the neck of your com-
merce. This capital is now entirely in our power. We
could repay ourselves with this for the ten millions our
bank has been cheated out of by the Hof-Kammer. The
bankers, merchants, manufacturers, and capitalists of
Austria, Moravia, and Bohemia, are, therefore, entirely
at our mercy, by mighty interests, both present and
future. If they choose to cast their capital into the
chasm of war, so much the worse for them. Their capital
will be lost, the war will not for this reason turn out ono
whit the better for Austria, and all traffic between them
and us will be troncato per sernpre, cut off for evermore."

The Provisional Government has also published
the following decree, altering the import duties on
various articles. The decree is introduced as fol-
lows :

" A reform of the Custom-house tariff now existing,
has seriously occupied the attention of the Central Pro-
visional Government. The tariff, based on obsolete
principles, now rejected by all civilized people, favouring
foreign interest, to which ,our articles of consumption
were too long subject, is but little adapted to the wants
and intelligence of an era so gloriously commenced. As,
however, a complete revision of our Custom-house sys-
tem cannot take place without careful revision and con-
sideration, not within the attributes of a merely provi-
aional power, we limit ourselves at present to partial
tad urgent measures, abolishing every absolute prohi-
bition for the introduction of merchandise,
. moderating,
at the same time, the present duties which are most
burdensome to the general interest. To that extent only
the object of the Provisional Government is now directed,
reserving to itself the power of making such ulterior mo-
difications as experience may show is necessary.
DILCREE.

" 1. Such goods as are named in the present tariff, not
being in the regular course of commerce, shall hence.
forth be freely admitted on importation duty only, the
following articles being excepted--prepared medicines,
tobacco, salt, gunpowder, and nitre, which shall he ad-
mitted according to existing regulations.
"2. The import duty on goods now fixed at 60 per
cent. is reduced to 20 per cent., without distinction,
whether such goods have hitherto been importable or,not
in the regular course of trade.
"3. The import duty on raw cotton is reduced from
91. 95c. to 21.-from is. to is. 4d.; and that of 61. 25c.
(4s. 2d.) fur the manufactures of cotton is reduced from
31. (25.), and on Levant and Chinese nankeensis reduced
from 3!. 57e. to 31.-from 2s. 4d. to 2s.
"4. The import duty on coloured is reduced per lb.
from 11.. 7c to 53c.-from 80. to 40.
import duty on refined sugars is reduced per
cwt. from 961. 43e. to 501.-from 4s. 4d. to 11. 10s.; and
that on moist sugar, without distinction, and of every
material of sugar in a fluid state not comprehended
under the article syrup, is reduced from 801. 35c. to 25c.
--from 2/. 4s. 7d. to 11. 6s. Bd.
fol7o7w.sT.he import duty on iron is reduced per cwt. as
"Pig Cast iron, from 381. 95c. to 161.-from 17s. 110. to
"Old broken and old cast iron, from 121. 85c. to 11. Sc
-from 70. to Sid.
.4 Raw steel, from °
to 12s. .21. 15c. to 181,-from 11. 13. 30.
" Steel in bars, from 381. 53c. to 201.-from 11. ss. 30.
to 13s. 4d.
"Cast
from 12s. temp3o. ereto Bs. d stee4d.l in bars, from 181. 75c. to 121.--
"Blades, cylinders, and screws, from 511.45 c. to 151.
-from 1/. 41. 3d. to 10s.
" Tia, from 831.56 c. to 151.-from U 16s 3fd to 10s,
at the
d Iron bars, hoops, nails, and anchors remain
present import duty-namely, 321. 15c.-1/.
" Plate iron rails are reduced from 321. to 20t,-fromls, 34
1/. ls. 3d. to 13s. 4d.
"Anchors, common snuffers, iron for rails, chains
without distinction, common iron work used for carts
and carriages, continue at the present import duty of
.64L 30c.-2/. 2s. 10d.
" Scythes, files, rasps, and ordinary straw cutters,
from 641. 30c. to 151.-from 21. 2s. 10d. to 10s.
" I, The export duty of silk is reduced per cwt. from
2411. to 1001.-from 71 7s. 4d. to 31. 6s. Bd.
" Raw spun silk, from 1201. 55c. to 501.-from
41. Os. 4-id. to 11. 13s. 4d.
" Clean, or dyed silk, for sewing, embroidering, &c.,
and raw twisted silk, for sewing, embroidering, &c., from
221. 36c. to 181.-from 143. 3d. to I ls.
"The introduction of raw silk shall be permitted, to
be spun and re-exported, free both from import and ex-
port duty. •