The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-25 00:00:00

she will scrupulously abstain from interfering
with those of other Powers." I hear to-day
that the question of occupation is in a fair way to
be settled, the Papal Government having ex-
pressed to the Paris and Vienna Cabinets its wish
that the French and Austrian troops should be
withdrawn within a given period.
For some time past councils of war, at which the
Emperor presided, have been held here, and yester-
day matters of the highest importance were defini-
tively settled. If the Emperor Napoleon should
think fit to join Sardinia in an attack on Austria—
which Heaven forefend ! he will find hGr prepared
for defence, and her troops full of confidence. It is
now related, that, if the& should be a war in Italy,
the Archduke Albrecht, the son and heir of the
Archduke Charles, will be Commander-in-Chief of
the forces, with Baron Hess as his Adlatus. For the
moment Austria will hold her peace, but any
decidedly hostile movement on the part of France
would hardly fail to lead to an Imperial manifesto.
In a previous letter I alluded to the almost
impregnable " triangular" stronghold formed by
Peschiera, Verona, and Mantua ; a military
friend has called my attention to the fact that the
stronghold in question is quadrangular, inas-
much as Legnago, on the Adige, is strongly for-
tified. For the information of readers who have
not a map at hand, it may be stated that the north-
west corner of the quadrangle is formed by Pes-
chiera, the south-west by Mantua, the north-east by
Verona, and the south-east by Legnago. Peschiera
is at the southern extremity of the Guarda Lake,
Mantua on the Mincio, and Verona and Legnago
on the Adige. As no force which Louis Napoleon
and Victor Emmanuel can bring into the field will
be able to dislodge the Austrians from their position
between the Mincio and Adige, it is probable that
they will fall back on it at once if France should
declare war against them. Troops posted within
such a small quadrangle would have an immense
advantage over their adversaries, who, being
spread over a far greater extent of country, would
be in danger of being cut up in detail.
The Austrians only take advantage of their right
to keep a garrison in Commachio when it is abso-
lutely necessary to do so, the place being so un-
healthy that the troops must be relieved every
five or six weeks. From Bologna we learn
that the Government palace is being pre-
pared for the reception "of a very high personage
with a large suite." Naturally the Pope is the
personage meant, but it is not very likely that he
will quit the capital while there is a French gar-
rison in it. The speech made by the Emperor
Napoleon on the 7th of February gave such offence
to the Papal Government that it was not published
in the official Giornale di Roma.

A letter from Vienna of the 20th, in the Augs-
burg Gazette, says :—" The Austrian Government
has obtained from the Holy See a promise that
Cardinal Brunelli shall proceed to Paiis to request
the French Government to state in clear and pre-
cise terms the reforms which it wishes to see intro-
duced into the States of the Church. As regards
the occupation ofthose States, the Austrian Govern-
ment, as already stated, is ready to withdraw its
troops from Bologna and Ancona as soon as the
French troops shall evacuate Rome and Civita
Vecchia. But it will not in any case abandon its
right to occupy Ferrara, Commachio, and Placentia
—in conformity with treaties. Such is the spirit of
a communication which the Imperial Government
has sent to different courts, and it is the basis of
an arrangement which it is desired to bring about
between France and Austria."