The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-11 00:00:00

THE IRISH BRIGADE.

On this subject:the Morning News has the fol-
lowing announcement :
" We are glad to be able to announce that a com-
mittee is being formed for the purpose of relieving
the men of the brigade on their return from Italy.
" The Very Rev. the Vicars-General, Monsignor
Yore and Monsignor Meagher, have kindly con-
sented to be members of the committee.

" In a day or two we shall publish the names of
the clergymen and laymen who will form the com-
mittee. In the meantime, for the convenience of
those who wish to contribute, we shall be very
happy to receive their contributions for the above
object, and take care that they shall be forwarded
to the persons duly authorised to receive them.
" We have learned with satisfaction that after
the Office and Pontifical High Mass on Friday, for
the fallen brave, the Archbishop and clergy will
hold a meeting for the purpose of expressing sym-
pathy with the Pope and with the friends of our
fallen heroes, and their readiness, to assist in reliev-
ing the men of the Irish brigade on their return
home."
THE HARVEST IN THE SOUTH.

The Cork Reporter states all reports received
from the most important agricultural districts of
the South of Ireland concur in informing us that
we will certainly have a more plentiful harvest and
better crops than had been generally anticipated.
The supply of oats and the quality will be much
below an average, and wheat and barley will not be
below an average yield.

MEETING OF IBONMASTE.RS.

WOLVERHAMPTON, OCT. 10.

The usual quarterly assemblies of the ironmas-
ters of South Staffordshire and East Worcestershire
commenced in this town to-day. The meeting held
at the Swan Hotel was less numerously attended
than usual, and the tone was 'languid through-
out. There was, indeed, no attempt made to con-
ceal the fact that the trade is flat ; it is only
some of the leading firms who have an exten-
sive connexion, and who make favourite brands
of finished iron, that have an average quantity
of orders on hand. The majority of those en-
gaged in this trade in this quarter are very dif-
ferently situate in that respect, and, certainly,
their position was not much improved by the
proceedings at to-day's meeting; for the transac-
tions were almost nominal, It would be incor-
rect to say that lower prices would be accepted
so far as the general body of the trade are con-
cerned, but there appears to 13, no doubt what-
ever that under-selling has prevailed of late, ex-
cept for marked iron, and, unl 1 s more animation
is evinced at the great meetin hich takes place
at Birmingham on Thursday, it is scarcely to be
expected that the trade scale will be even as
closely adhered to as it has beet.
With regard to pig-iron the market is even
more dull than it is for the manufactured article;
there were very few sales of pig reported as
made at the meeting today; and the quotations
were fully 2s. 6d. lower than they were three
months ago. 't.
The principal topic of conversation on the part
of the assembly to-day was the new French tariff
upon iron imported from this country ; at present
few orders have been received in this district
from France since the tariff was published; but
it is thought that in time the demand for British
manufactured iron at some of the French ports,
Dunkirk, Bordeaux, Boulogne, &c., will be con-
siderable ; it is certain, however, that the iron-
producing districts in close proximity to shipboard
will have an advantage over South Staffordshire;
so with regard to pig-iron a similar observation
applies to the pig-masters in the Cleveland dis-
trict. The general effect will, however, it is
thought, be to give increased life to the trade.
There were no other features a to-day's meeting
to call for remark, It was not expected that much
business would be done, so that in that respect
there was no feeling of disappointment. It may
be added that the coal trade is brisk, especially in
the neighbourhood of Dudley ; and that this being
manufacturers' and factors' quarter-day, accounts
were reported to have been promptly paid.
Throughout the district there is little labour out
of employment.

day after.
The Dictator, who had displayed the whole day
of the battle an almost superhuman activity and
energy, had retired for a few hours rest in the
modest little chamber of the palish priest of St.
Angelo, when about 10 p.m. a telegraphic despatch
arrived from Caserta informing him that a Neapo-
litan force had made its appearance on the moun-
tains to the north of Caserta, and that a body of
them had even occupied Monte Briano and above
the cascade of the park, which is not a mile from
the palace. With that rapidity which characterises
the resolutions of Garibaldi in moments of emer-
gency, orders were given to the Carabinieri Genoesi,
to a couple of hundred men of the brigade Spanzaro,
which were alone at hand, all the others being en-
gaged in guarding the long advanced line which
had been taken, and to the Calabrese volunteers to-
be ready next morning at 2 a.m. At the same time
General Sirtori, the chief of the Staff, who was at
Santa Maria, was ordered to collect likewise what
force he could without endangering his position,
and go by the main road to Caserta. He took a
portion of the brigade Amanti (Division Cosenz),
and the Swiss company of the brigade Eber, both
just returned from the fight, and started for his
destination. General Bixio at Maddaloni was

cautioned to be ready at dawn, and while guarding
for the safety of his position to send a column over
the slopes of Monte Caro, in the direction of Caserta
Vecchia. Lastly, the order was despatched to the
Piedmontese Bersaglieri, and to the two companies
of infantry which were at Naples, to come down in
the morning to Caserta by rail.

Caserta lies at the north-easterly corner of the
Campanian plain, and is surrounded from north-
west to south-west by groups of mountains,
scarcely a mile distant from the palace and
town. The slopes of all these mountains are well
wooded, and have been turned into game pre-
serves, while their tops are steep and bare. In
one of the depressions of these mountain tops lies
Caserta Vecchia, built by the Lombards, and still
retaining its old walls built a thousand years ago.
It was here and on the neighbouring heights that
the Neapolitan column had taken position on the
evening of the Ist. This column, the same with
which Bixio had had to do in the morning, seeing
that it could not penetrate at Maddaloni, had made
a flank march, in order to attack Caserta. Accord-
ing to the accounts of the prisoners which we have
now, it seems that they were encouraged in this
foolish proceeding by a report which reached them

from Capua that our whole force at St. Angelo and
at Santa Maria was defeated, and that at Caserta
only two headstrong Hungarian generals held out
with a few troops.
The park of Caserta, laid out to the north of the
palace, forms a large square of well nigh three-
quarters of a mile, surrounded on all sides by a high
wall of enclosure. At the south-easterly angle of
it, leaning on to the palace and park, and only
separated from them by the road, extends the town
of Caserta : at the north-easterly angle the village
of Aldifreda ; at the north-west, the village of
Ercoli ; and half a mile to the north of it, on the
road to St. Leuci, another park and preserve, con-
taining the Palace of Belvedere, and the village of
Briano.

The Neapolitans who were in possession of the
heights sent down a couple of battalions next morn-
ing. Although their appearance on the evening
before had caused alarm, they succeeded in coming
down without being perceived, and actually got
possession of the first houses and of the barracks
situate on the north-easterly flank of Caserta. The
sentinel at the barracks was the first to give the
alarm. Gen. Sirtori collected whatever force he had
in hand, among them two companies of Piedmontese
Bersaglieri and two companies of the Line, which had
came down by rail from Naples a short time before.
The resistance was not very energetic,:owing, pro-
bably, to the circumstance that a part of
the Neapolitan soldiery was already more busy
plundering than fighting. They were soon pressed
back, and a number of them taken prisoners ; of
the rest, a part got into the direction of Madda-
loni, where Bixio came down upon them, and made
likewise a number of prisoners. While this was
going on Saulis had drawn nearer with his brigade,
and Garibaldi had come up to the heights. The Pied-
montese as well as some other troops were sent up
to assist, and then the race began, with the Pied-
montese Bersaglieri in front. The Neapolitans tried
to make a stand in front of Caserta Vecchia, but
were soon mßds to yield, leaving 400 or 500 pri-
soners in our hands. This done, the whole assumed
altogether the character of a chase. Two entire bat-
talions, cut off towards the left and pressed back,
fell into the hands of Colonel Viackler, of the Bri-
gade Saulis, and were made prisoners almost to a
man. It was quite ludicrous to see the numbers
of prisoners, many of whom still had their arms,
escorted by a few men as prisoners to the Palace
of Caserta, in the courtyard of which, before even-
ing, 2,500 men, and two colonels and several other
superior officers, had found accommodation. The
rest were dispersed in all directions, so that of the
column of 5,000 very few will probably return to
the right bank of the Volturno.
This success of the second day considerably en-
hanced the advantage gained on the first. It makes
several thousand enemies harmless, and makes,
likewise, a good show, which is by no means despi-
cable with a not very warlike population like that
of Naples. But, after all, the success of the second
day was but the ripe fruit which fell from the tree
by a little shaking. It was on the Ist of October
that the question was decided.

The Neapolitans, threatened as they saw them-
selves to be, taken between two fires, and confident
in their numbers, made a desperate effort to break
through our line at all points, and were beaten back
on all, with the loss of at least 1,500 killed and
wounded and nine guns.* They were followed up
under the very gates of Capua , and our outposts kept
their places at the very edge of the glacis of that
fortress. Officers and soldiers had been kept in
utter darkness of the events which were taking
place around them ; they were made to believe that
the intervention of the Austrians had already de-
stroyed Garibaldi, and that all that remained was

at
uo
eii finish
a receptiont he work
as of
h a d Andnow
,and
the toh eafindvy
losses, are not calculated to raise their courage. On
the day of battle they fought stubbornly, for they
thought that the Austrians were at Naples, and
would co-operate in our rear.
As for their dispositions, their plan, with the 1
exception of the flank movement towards Madda-
loni, was what is commonly called " taking the bull
ttetemhaert oe u emergency
concentric posi-
tioncy
by the horns." They attacked the two nearest and
strongest points, Santa Maria and St. Angelo, in
greatest force, and made the flank movement to.
wards Maddaloni weak enough to be overpowered
just in time to allow the reserves from Caserta to
go up to the points most threatened and decide the
day. Had the column against Maddaloni held out
long enough during the day to
necessarily
s thea ril
y
equally
ua y
s
at Caserta in check, or even to oblige us to send off
the whole or a part of them in that direction, it
ro
might have put us into an aewerka ewsearrycles
position.fm Caserta
o nottas
wEI
t h simple—toe Our enemy,
general
hold h
andd istsepne hr
odsti
ot iffoe ds a
hnpoints, throw back
on both sides.
i
considerable
facenaas
itd te or
atbh le:
respect
advantages, which were
increasedlioitnmautaehskiees
by
the
s a gaveat
railway from Santa

*2,800 prisoners and several hundreds dispersed.

:~;.~"~