The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-07 00:00:00

he has known the hotel it never possessed other
spoons than those dirty yellowish white ones with
which he supplies the guests at present..— --
I can't understand how people will not see that
the best causeioses bysuch inventions, for the truth
always comes out in the end, and then it is the
cause which suffers by it.
Of burning .or devastation I can see nothing in
the line 'Of country through which I have been.
The only,lsnowp case of the Austrians having burnt
a place is at Voghera, when they re-entered it this
last time, after•the French had left it. Whatever
phrases one may choose to use about the necessities
of war, it is an fact of barbarism to punish a collet- I
Live body ror the Offence of an individual, but it has
remained, an isolated case. In these parts you would
scarcely perceive that the country has. been under
foreign occupation ; all outward traces of it consist
in now and then a bridge broken down, the road
cut, or the corn fields trodden down' 'at the edge
near the road, the remains of a bivouac, with the
huts made of branches, or on earthwork thrown up,
For instance, just on the other side of the ste,ne
bridge of Vercelli they have used the chausee and.
the surrounding high causeways to make a redop,k,
with two embrasures for guns on the main ;
a little further behind they improvised a
redoubt
at a large farmhouse, the courtyard weld of which
had been provided with loopholes,
likewise some earthworks in the They threw up
the large village of Borgo front and rear of
the road to Novara goes. celli, through which
All the people with rihom I spoke here agree in
representing the .A:ast'zians as very low spirited,
which is b.y no nrear:a improbable after a retreat,
even if it is from strategicalmotives. In Novara
they were.enc.ar.a p
at that of ed at the Porta Milano, and not
At dawn. t', ''no. Their retreat was very sudden.'
and b st.
the appr 'ay showed no signs of any movement,
y x
they were off. Whether they heard of
approach of the allies, who entered the town a
few,hrJurs after they had left it, or whether they
rece'ved orders from their superiors to go, I cannot
tell

While at Novara they showed great distrust of
the population, and there were likewise reasons to
suppose that they did not much trust their own
people. They encamped them outside the town,
and would not let the soldiers hold mudh, if 'any, in-
tercourse with the inhabitants. There must have
been '.7teserters from the bodyencamped lately before
Novara, for after the detachment had left for some
tir.ne a patrol of 12 Lancers came in, which had been
sent out for deserters, and had heprd nothing
of the sudden departure of the main body.
Of course, the real truth about the behaviour of
the Austrians in Piedmont will only be brought to
light who> .. it is possible to see the country where
they have been in force; and I must say one has
misgivings if one hears of the strange appetite with
which the•small detachments in these parts were
afflicted, for, if the main body of the army has fed
at the same rate, there is neither cattle, nor grain,
nor anything else remaining in the Lomellina.
The people here will be rather astonished at the
difference in this respect with the allies, who pay
for everything they take, and at far more than the
current prices. Wherever the troops have passed
-they. have left a great deal of money, and I am
afraid patriotism does not prevent the people from
exacting rather twice the valle of a thing than its
fair price. It is, as in every war, the harvest of the
contractors.

The mail is expected to leave everynaoment, if it
leaves at all ; so more another day.
A letter from Palestro, dated June 1, says,—
You will have read the bulletins of•the two suc-
cessful engagements with which the Sardinians
began their movement in advance yesterdafand the
day before, and it will be, perhaps, interesting to
you to hear something of the details of these two
brilliant affairs with which the Sardinians have
opened their offensive operations. Although in
grandeur these two combats come scarcely up to
the idea of a battle, yet in brilliancy they quite
equal the fight at Montebello, and certainly sur-
pass it in their results.

You will remember that in proportion as the Aus-
trians began their retrograde movement Mini the
Dora, in sight of which their outposts and, patrols
had been at one time, the Sardinian army occupied
the positions which they had quitted. At the
Sesia, a considerable river which runs at almost
right angles into the Po by Frassinetto, the Aus•
trians took up a position, and fortified themselves
on all the most accessible points, as if determined to
make a resistance on that line. This line, although
by no means one of those impregnable positions in
which a small number of men can arrest the pro-
gress of armies, offers, nevertheless, ,like all the
rivers which run' into the Po, considerable advan-
tages to the defenders. Like all the rivers in
Upper Italy, it runs in a broad bed, intersected by
little islands and shoals, while itss—bOrders are
thickly planted with trees, which afford consider-
able shelter.

At Vercelli the high road to Novara and another
to Mortara cross the Sesia, as well as the railway
both to the lakes and to Lombardy. The bridge at
Vercelli thus opens the high road of communication
to both countries, and is, therefore, of no small im-
portance'to both parties in a country so intersected
by dikes and ditches, necessary for irrigation, as
the plains of Upper Italy are.
The Austrians, when they retired from Vercelli,
destroyed the only bridge which servedboth for the
high road and the railway, one side being reserved
for the former and the other for the latter. The
great variations in the height of the river, in con-
sequence of the late rains, for some time foiled their
efforts, as their mines were twice under water, but,
the river having again subsided with the same
rapidity as it had risen, they effected their purpose
at last, and blew up the two middle arches, thus
breaking. off the most important line of communi-
cation with Novara and the lomellina.

About ten days ago, as you know, the Division
Cialdini was ordered to effect a passage, and esta-
blish itself on the other side. The movement was
successful, and the division established itself in
Borgo Vercelli, the first village of any importance
on the other side, about two miles from the Sesia,
on the high road to Novara. Ever since then the
division stopped there without being in the least
disturbed by the Austrians, who were posted in the
neighbouring villages.
The day before yesterday, the anniversary of the
victory of the Sardinians at Goiti in 1847, was
chosen to dislodge them from their positions on the
road to Mortara From the high road to Novara
two main roads branch off to the right at the dis-
tance of about a mile from each other, the first a
little beyond the village of Moline, and the second
from the village of Borgo Vercelli. Both of these
run almost parallel to each other in a southeasterly
direction until they unite at Robbio, about 10 miles
from their starting point. About two miles from
this latter, and at about the same height, are the
two villages of Palestro and Vinzaglio, which were
occupied and barricaded by the Austrian avant
garde, consisting of 1,500 men in each village and
half a battery.
As at the passage of the Sesia, the King himself
superintended the movement by which the Aus-
trians were driven from their position. The Divi-
sion Cialdini was divided, and one column advanced
towards Palestro while the other simultaneously
moved towards Vinzaglio.
ln order to understand the difficulties which the
Sardinians had to contend with, I must give you a
description of the locality. The whole country,
from the Sesia to the east, is one mass of corn and
rice fields, divided from each other by raised cause-
ways and ditches of three or four feet, which serve
for the purposes of irrigation. On the borders of
these divisions
,epbsuepat wlraeer es n
studdedatnhae fipe
vad
in.steialr
trees,
large
eerlegoses, ely planted
whil e
quantitiesth e
otif•
fieldsemesulberry trees. The corn, the growth of which,
is very luxuriant after the greatrain has an average
height of at least five feet, thus s
affording splendid
cover for riflemen. The rice fields, on the contrary,d
toa arelstrustibouutte, andthe are kept
equallyept continually
and to egulate the
tinuallyunder water ;
irrigation little
raised banks of one or two feet
high are thrown up, according to the level of the
ground, in serpentine lines. ' Through this country
run the two main roads, which are artificially
raised causeways, sometimes twenty or more feet
above the level of the surrounding fields, and the
roads which lead across the fields, and from one
detached. farmhouSe to another, being almost on
the same level as the fields, are even now dif-
ficult to pass. From this little sketch, without which
it would be impossible to understand the engage-
ment, you may gather what were the difficulties
of the attacking and the advantages of the defend-
ing party. First of all, it was quite impossible to
deploy a line of any length and thus take advan-
tage of a numerical superiority. There was like-
wise no possibility of bringing up and employing
artillery. except on the causewa,ys, which are just
of sufficient width to admit of two guns and no
more. But, as if to put Sardinian territory to the
test, the position of the two villages is in itself of
considerable strength. At musket shot distance
from them runs the canalized stream of the Boggia
Busea, a rapid stream of at least 15 feet in width
and five in depth. The only bridges over it are on
the main roads. As you approach the villages the
ground begins to rise gently for about 300 yards
fframnsu2dodetno rapidlyfeet.
from the the
precipitouslybridg e ,
to a and
heighth
• On this elevation are built the villages, while the
t then
n all
of o
road itself, for which so steep an incline would have
• been impracticable, is cut through like a broad rail-
L way cutting, with precipitously sloping sides to the
right and to the left. At the entrance to both
villages thc; Austrians had thrown up a barricade.
The villages, like all Italian 'villages, more or less,
; are built entirely of stone and brick, and they have
their almost straight main street, through which

the road runs, and their old-fashioned church with
the never-failing campanile tower, very convenient
-in times of war to discover the approach of- an
enemy on the straight, road.
.The houses themselves
are built round a courtyard, B,nd scantily provided
with small windows,-and so many small redoubts,
in which a determined adversarycan' sell the victory
dearly to the attacking party.
When the right column, approached Palestro a
section of artillery of th'4l6th battery was advanced
and began 'to shell 4,-he place, while h battalion of
Beksaglieri I belir:rve the 10th, anda battalion of
the 15th -of I; e, were sent to the right by one
of the byway', and across the fields, to try and
penetrate towards the left of the. village. Almost
at ' the sa7„ne .time • this column was coming to
the first houses the artillery had shaken the
defende,rs of the front line. As soon..as this
Was r;oserved, another battalion of the 15th of the
Dine advanced au pas de charge, and this double
movement was sufficient to clear the place of the
Austrians, who retired behind the churchyard be-
yond the village,' -which occupies a considerable
space of ground, and is surrounded by a high wall.
They placed at•the same time several. guns- on the
main road beyond the village, and on -the same line
with the churchyard; in order to use them against
the Sardinians,• should they attempt to .aebouch
from the village. The church is about the middle
of the town, on the high road, which makes a bend
just at that place, so that as soon as the Austrians
the guns which the enemy had placed
were driven out' of the village the troops were quite
on the high road beyond it. In order to silence
protected from
these guns a section of position guns .was -brought
up just at the corner of the church ; but the Aus-
trians seem to have had their range, for in a ilia.
ment the position guns were dismounted. Nothing
daunted by this, another section of the 16th battery
was brought up .immediately, which soon silenced
the enemy's fire.• As soon as this was done the Aus.
trians retroated,' and the Piedmontese were • in pos-
session of the village and a considerable number of
prisoners.

•
The village of Vinzaglio, although even more
'formidable by its position, and more balculated for
defence; offered' less resistance, and was likewise
taken at the p(4t of the bayonet, very little pow-
der being wasted for the purpose. The Austrians
evacuated Vinzaglio some time before they were
driven out of Palestro, for the Piedmontese had.
scarcely succeeded in dislodging the Anstriins from
the churchyard; when on the byroad which leads
from Vinzaglio to Palestro two Austrian guns,
with their escort, came towards the latter village.
Probably they thought that Palestro was still held
by their companions, 'whom they wished to rejoin.
As soon as the:two guns were perceived on the
road a detachment was sent from Palestro to take
them, which was effected without any difficulty,
as the drivers •cat the traces and left .the guns
to their fate. They were sent the same evening to
Vercelli.

The Division Cialdini took up its position in the
village for that evening, The same evening arrived
the 3d Regiment of Zouaves, the.same which was
in the Crimea during the Russian We:I:. This regi-
ment has been • attached by the Emperor to the
King of Sardinia.

Thus ended the anniversary of the battle of
Goito. The next morning, about nine o'clock, the
Austrians were seen advancing in force, seemingly
to retake the position of Palestro, which they had
lost the day before. Although the campanile tower
of the village is tolerably high, owing to the nature
of the country; which I described above, their
approach could hot be seen until thy were quite
close, still less could their plan be discovered. The
country, beyond the village is . mostly level
land, as before it the -rice fields predominate ; the
ground is less studded with trees in the neighbour..
hood, consequently more favourable for the forma-
tion of a line of battle. . .

. .
The cannonade of the Austrians against the vil-
lage had lasted for some time before their *al plan
became apparent, for all at once a large body of
infantry, with two batteries, showed themselves to
the Piedmontese. right on the banks
.of the little
canalized stream.which I mentioned before. It was
plain that the intention of the Austrians was no-

thing more nor less than to cut off from the Sesia
the advanced troops of the Piedmontese. 'As soon
as this was perceived, while the main body of the
Piedmontese attacked the Austrians from the
village, the regiment of Zouaves, which occupied
the extreme right, a battalion of the 9th, and
another of the' 18th Piedmontese •of the Line,
received orders tos advance. Animated by a 'brotherly
emulation, this gallant body of men rushed up to
the position which the Austrians had takento their
right, and, in spite of a formidable fire of grap•
shot which received them, they threw themselves
with magnificent dash on the Austrian guns.
They had about 400 yards to cross,under the mur-
derous fire of, the enemy, which thinned their
ranks indeed, but did not abate their ardour,
for after the first discharge they they took to the
bayonet, and their advance was so rapid that the
Tyrolese Chasseurs, who were thrown out in skir-
mishing line before the guns, had no time to retire
but had to rush back pel-mell among the Pied-
montese and. the Zouaves. Eight guns and a large
number of prisOriers were the result of this brilliant
attack ; five of the guns were taken by the Zouaves,
and three by the Piedmontese. But the rush was
made so simultaneously that it is impossible to say
which took either guns. Besides these eight guns,
about 800 or 900 prisoners ',and wounded fell into
the hands of the allies. The dead are in proportion.
The first care was, of course, for the wounded, and
it is but justice•to say that the Austrians whose
fate it was to he wounded and to fall into the hands
of the allies cannot complain of their treatment.
This will produce so much the more effect on these
poor people, as. it seems the
.idea has been spread
among them that the allies were capable of doing
anything to their prisoners.
'You may see. how serious the fight• was front the
numbers of wounded which have come in since yes-
terday, and are still all along the road from this
to Vercelli. This is the dark side- of war. The
poor fellows bear up very bravely against their fate,
but it is impossible to see those pale faces, torn
limbs, and bloodstained linen, or to. hear the in-
voluntary sigh,. without conjuring up the joyous
round faces,of your Peace Party.
The Piedmontese have improvised a number of
ambulance carts,—the two-wheeled carts of the
country, drawn;by oxen, which have been provided
with benches...
The Austrian•prisoners excite here, as you may
imagine, no small curiosity. I don't know. whether
the youngest part of their troops were placed on
purpose'at the advanced posts, but certainly the
greater part of those taken are mere boys. No
wonder that they did not stand agaitist the seasoned
Piedmontese and the hardened Zouaves. Another
curious fact connected with them is, that a good
number of those taken belong to a regiment
recruited on the shores of the Adriatic—the Re-
giment Wimpffen. They nearly all speak Italian,
although most 'of them are of Sclavonic extraction,
The Austrians wished, very likely, to produce the
impression that they could fully reckon on their
Italian regiments.
There are prisoners of every regiment of two
Austrian divisions, which might lead one to the
conclusion that the affair of yesterday was with
these two divisions. As the Austrians very rarely
separate
is strong ehethe battalionssong evi
belodnengeinegin to
favourt same
oamerrtehs
gl-
ensupposition.
To-day is devoted to the burial of the dead and
a search for the wounded. Both dead and wounded
are very difficult to find in the high corn and the
numerous little ditches which abound all about
there.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Clanricarde
have arrived in town from Portumna Castle, county Gal-
way. The noble Marquis and Marchionees made a short
visit to the Earl and Countess of Cork, at Marston House,

Somerset.
His Excellency the Earl of Eglinton has arrived
at Grillon's Clarendon. Hotel from Dublin Castle.
His Excellency Lord Howard de Walden, British
Ambassador at the Court of Brussels, arrived at Claridge's
Hotel on Saturday last, from Brussels. •
It is said that M. Kossuth leaves England to-day,
and that he has had an interview with M. de Persigny, the
French Ambassador. Some 300 Hungarians have returned
terrific
ebothurnunedoenr
from America, and will follow him to Italy.
seaillnedOstfrot
LI VERPOOL, Monday.—The ship Shooting Star,
from Melbourne for this port, passed Queenstown on the
the 28th of February, and has on board 16,788 ounces of
place this (Sunday) afternoon: upwards
rardthes
afternoon of them4.t—hionsnte.
oSfhteh
osgtfoolCrsdnoHlos:PwwfFrir
steEhi Ng
whichthliotoik . this town has been visited for
space of nearly two hours the flashes of lightning
the most stouthelaearte9 d
fearful description, and the extraordinaryil storm descended, and many of
ctekrraorhoeafveyvehnaB
ofRA-tehtreunaboodfueart
the stones were as large as a
tehxrceiteedo'tchloe
common bawl nut. ' The rain
also fell in torrents, and the Bath
rendered in some places almost • and Bristol roads were
fields and houses near the banksirssable. Many of the
the Avon were entirely
flooded. There can be no doubt that considerable damage
has been done in some parts of the country.
Mr Thomas Most Cl kof
Sligo, is appointed Crown Solicitor for Dublin, and Solicitor
for the Treasury in Ireland, ' vice Mr. 'William Kemmbr
superannuated._

ACCIDENT TO LORD CLYDE.—A correspondent of
tesiiiesnDtthaea/htti,pGintahie zeotrcteeo:mwriting from Kusso who the Ist inst.,
mltansdeeemr. ins
-tChat th e hief w
.
troops, with artillery, were drawn rep to do honour to his
lordship, and, as usual, the hon.° nr was neither re-
quired nor expected. Just as the ch ief, who was in advance
.et withutteeau
anothera itaj aah%
of his staff, got abreast of the guns, thi 3 salute commenced
—the Chiefs horse started, and threw his rider, who ap-
peared at Kalka with sundry patches of ' piaster across his
forehead ; fortunate it was no worse. -Bombay Standard,
May 11, •