The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-02 00:00:00

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THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 2, 1866.

THE WELLINGTON, ST. JAMES'S-STREET
1 (Entrance 160, Piccadilly).
Set Dinners as usual. The carte varied, choice, and mode-
rate. Turtle, thick and clear, always ready.
The Billiard Rooms now conducted by J. Roberts, the
champion.

AUGUST and SEPTEMBER SHOOTING
JACKETS, in various mixed colours, of their
Cheviot Wool Cloth, light, cool, and as strong as linen,
rosisting damp, and more adapted to this variable climate
than any other fabric, the cost of each being TWENTY-
FIVE SHILLINGS, with the new Cartridge Pockets.

they were all calling for their bills and paying them,
or packing up their scanty baggage. A crowd of the
citizens stood outside, silent and observant. I had
ordered my horse for an early hour in the morning,
intending to ride along the lines as far as I might be
permitted to go, when my colleague's Chief of the
Staff came in to announce that on Friday, before
the truce expired, Presburg would be evacuated. The
Government establishments hb,d been broken up.
The post-office had alreadygone. All the materiel and
supplies which could be removed were over the river,
or about to be put on board steamers and carriages.
Graf von Benedek would leave at 6 o'clock, and his
Staff would precede him to a place on the road to
Vienna, where a farewell breakfast would be held,
at which the Feldzeugmeister would take leave of
the companions of his trials, his dangers, and his mis-
fortunes. But still Presburg would no doubt be held
till 12 o'clock or later, because the truce did not ex-
pire till noon on Friday, and it would take the Prus-
sian cavalry one hour to discover that it had been
abandoned and to gallop into the place surrendered
so easily; and so my companion arranged a plan for
another excursion to Blumenau, and I adhered to
my original intention, contracting the dimensions of
my excursion to allow of my getting out of Presburg
before the Prussians got into it.
How little in war or in anything else can we guess
the doings of the morrow! All our plans were ar-
ranged before midnight —the neiterschiener was to be
packed and sent over the bridge at an early hour to
wait at the other side, and we resolved to see the
Prussians march in, if possible, and begin their
operations for crossing, if so minded, from con-
venient points, in the full expectation of an action
taking place before the day was over. Soon after 5
o'clock in the morning, however, after a short night
not much favoured by sleep, inasmuch as clanking
of spurs and swords in the passages, the shouts of
one friend to another, loud commands to orderlies,
rumbling of carts outside, neighing of horses, and ,
the like, never ceased to vex the darkness, we were
aroused by urgent instan4.3es to arise at once. Not
a moment was to be given to excursions or morning
rides. The bridge of boats was to be taken off at
9 o'clock and floated down the river with all the
steamers, and every one who wanted to avoid the
Prussians had to leave Presburg before that time,
as no boats would be allowed to remain on the left
bank. It was to be feared that there would be a
great rush for the bridge as soon as the truth leaked
out, for there are nearly 50,000 inhabitants in the
old city of Presburg, and the Hungarians are not so
very fond of the Prussians as to greet their arriva
if it can be helped. So breakfast was gobbled up, the
bill piad, and, as there could be no harm in such cor-
respondence with the enemy, I left my card in an
envelope for your Military Correspondent at the
Prussian Head-quarters, reproaching him for his
constant intrusion on my quarters, and recommend-
ing to his mercy and protection the matron of the
Grunen Baum, mounted, and rode off with my col-
league for the bridge, close at hand. Either the
news of the removal of the bridge was not known,or
our surmises were wrong, for not more than 300 or
400 people were gathered round the toll-house gate,
and but few vehicles, and those mostly belonging
to the army, were crossing over ; but the bands of
many regiments had been playing the infantry
through the streets, and our old friends the Uhlans,
and. the dragoons of Blumenau, had already filed
past the end of the street. Count Thun was at
the bridge on foot, with his Staff, superintending
the exodus—a pleasant, portly, soldierly-looking
man, of middle age and genial eye ; and many
steamers were drawn up by the bank above and
below for Government use. The crowd was per-
fectly passive and quiet.
The last of the troops were nearly over, and I
believe only a few patrols were left to cover the
front and prevent spies and deserters going over till
the last moment ; but up to this instant I have not
the faintest conception of the reasons which induced
the Austrians to remove the bridge three full hours
before the truce expired. At the other side of the
river there is a groove of fir trees, through which
the elevated chausse runs towards Vienna ;
and opposite the bridge tollhouse on the right
bank there is a " kav6has" and restaurant, which
formed a nucleus for hungry officers before they
started off with their regiments. The wood was
dense with troops, and under the trees, screened
from the enemy, were two batteries of artillery ;
but the chaussee was completely dominated by the
Konigsberg, and the Prussians would no doubt at
once treat all the neighbourhood to shell and shrap-
nel if they caught a glimpse of any Austrians within
range as soon as they got their guns up. So all
the troops were moving away towards Bruck and
Haimburg. My colleague agreed to stay for
the removal of the bridge, and I leave him to
tell you what happened after I left him, and
it was further arranged that I should ride on to
Petronel, where the neiterschiener and the servants
were also to halt and wait till he came up, after
seeing all he could of the occupation of Pres-
burg. From the chaussee, a little distance above
the city, there is a wide plain visible on the left, ex-
tending towards Bruck, and over this the whole of
the Second Army Corps and the corps of Benedek's
army were marching in parallel lines southwards
and westwards. The day was windy, and it was
hot, although it was only 8 a.m. The dust rose in
long, white, wall-like seams all over the plains, and
the chaussee itself glittered like a river of molten
metal in the light reflected from thousands of hel-
-1 mets, lances, and burnished steel, for the cavalry
and artillery mainly took the high rode. I rode
' part of the way with the Uhlans, but the dust was
' stifling and clogged every sense, and so I got to
windward of the columns, and walked my horse in
front of the column which nearly closed the line of
march. There were at least 60,000 men in motion
over the plains on the left, and clouds of dust rising
among the trees far away indicated the routes of the
columns through the hills. Passing through the
village of Wolfsthal the chaussee winds under the
bluffs to Haimburg, about six miles frOm Presburg,
but before entering the town I met the advanced
guard of an immense body of troops marching in an
opposite direction, and coming from Vienna. They
wore green leaves in their shakos and caps, and
marched splendidly, and there was a fresh, confident
air about the men which was an index of good
fighting capacity. As I was wondering who they
were—and remember that if you want to get on
and know anything in Austria you will use your
eyes and not your tongue—l saw the number of a
regiment on an ammunition waggon, which was
that of a regiment I knew to be in Hartung's corps'
d'armee, and I then understood that this was part
of the Army of Italy coming up to try their strength
that day with the Prussians. This regiment was
but the beginning of a great current of infantry
and artillery that streamed under the old gates of
Haimburg, still studded with the stone shot fired
at them by the Turks, and which never ceased
till I halted at Petronel, about 11.30 a.m., and it
was no easy work to get through the columns,
even on horseback, though it afforded a good op-
portunity of judging of the men. They had made a
forced march. They were marching with closed-up
ranks, and their splendid bands were-playing lively
and fast music, but in great-coats and knapsacks
the men stepped out at a killing pace, as if on
parade, and I question if they would not have
given a very good account of any enemy in their
way that afternoon. Petronel is 4i miles beyond
Haimburg, close to the river Danube, and as I
halted there the march of the corps ceased, and dis-
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Suppers until One a.m.
Elegant Saloon Dining Rooms for Ladies.

H. J. and D. 'NICOLL, COURT TAILORS.
3LLIIOAIN,NEDCRonpNEO-
so-TLIE-11_5 tool,
03
31, 201
\Ol ot, and 22, Cornhill.
ilssTterg eye 80ld-street.
-t
retort°.