The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-12 00:00:00

TER ,RIEGE OF GAET.I.

A letter from Mola di Gaeta, dated Jan. 4, says :
An order of the day of General Cialdini has sud-
denly stopped all direct communication between
this -village and Naples. Though this measure
may seem a rather despotic ono to Englishmen, yet
it was rendered necessary by the fact that agents
of Francis 11. came now and then together informa-
tion es to what the Piedmontese were doing, and
when they had got it they contrived to get to Gaeta
by means of some French or Spanish steamer.
This fact having been ascertained by the Piedmon-
tese Commander-in-Chief, he wisely thought fit to
throw up a sort of Chinese wall between the centre
of his military operations and the other parts of
the kingdom. So strictly is this order carried out,
that three days ago Mr: Arthur Russell, on his
arrival here from Rome, was arrested, together
with his travelling companions, Mr. Cartwright,
and the Prussian Consul-General at Rome. Mr.
Russell, however, being the bearer of a letter of
introduction to General Cialdini, matters were soon
set right as far as he was concerned. Sir James
Iludeon, who had given the letter, having, how-
ever, omitted to mention the names of the'other two
gentlemen, they were not allowed to inspect our
works, and went to Naples greatly disappointed.

You will infer from the strict orders thus issued
by Cialdini that we are drawing nearer to the
completion of the siege operations. And such is
indeed the case: I cannot, of course, mention the
names of the places where our numerous batteries
are ; but I may tell you without indiscretion that
they are very near to the walls of the doomed
city. The Sardinian frigate 'Charles Albert, and
the steamer Count Cavour, have just brought
here the siege materiel which was wanting, so that
both Cavalli's guns and howitzers of the largest
size 'are now to be mounted on the different
batteries, which are nearly finished. It is
generally reported to-day that the French fleet
has at last received orders to leave us alone. I
give this news as I heard it, without however
vouching for its correctness. Louis Napoleon
has so often deceived our expectations that it is
a very difficult task indeed to know what his
intentions really are. That in spite of the
shower of shells the Piedmontese have already
thrown into Gaeta, Francis 11. still intends to hold
out, may be inferred from numerous facts which
have come to my knowledge. Some letters were
seized by the Sardinian police in which a high
personage of the court of Francis 11. told his
correspondents to be ready for a general rising. This
worthy gentleman openly said that all depended
upon resisting till next February, when Austria
will declare war against Piedmont, and restore the
dispossessed Italian princes to their dominions.
Another fact which leads me to believe that
resistance a l'outrance has been decided upon
at Gaeta is, that Senor Bermudez de Castro, the
Spanish Minister at the court of Francis 11., has
sent orders to Naples to pay the rent of the apart-
ments he occupies in the Palazzo Craven for six
months to come. The young Queen, who,
by-the-bye, during the last bombardment has
shown great courage, has not as yet left Gaeta, but
on the contrary has sent orders to her milliner at
Naples to send her a new set of riding dresses, a
costume of which she is very fond. This morjing
I had an opportunity of talking with a Neapolitan
officer, and he told me that the young wife of
Francis 11. is always to be seen in the place of
greatest danger. During the bombardment of
the 24th and 25th of December, two officers of her
household were killed in the very room in which
she was sitting, by the explosion of a shell. Al-
though the danger was imminent, the Bavarian
Amazon did not stir from her chair, and gave
orders for the removal of the dead bodies in the
coolest possible manner. The Spanish Minister
had also a narrow escape, for as he was lying in bed
he received the rather unpleasant visit of a round
shot, which smashed the washing-stand opposite.

We read in the Journal des Debats of yesterday
—The report of the recall of the squadron of M.
Barbier de Tinan has been confirmed. The Pied-
montese have redoubled their vigilance and acti-
vity. Reinforcements have been sent to the
Abruzzi, where Civitolla still continues, and
where it seems certain that Count Trapani,
a prince of the royal family of Naples, has
just entered. The arrest of Crispi at Palermo
ence of theconsequ
is spoken of in popular
movements which induced the Turin cabinet to
constitute a new administrtttion in that city. It is
given out that the Sardinian Government are about
to form ten new regiments. In replying to the
congratulatory address presented to him by the
magistrates of the Milanese Junta, the King spoke
with somewhat more decision that when he replied
on New Year's-day to the corporation of Turin.
Having now become a great nation," he said,
"we maybe resolute in will without endangering
OUT destiny."

A letter in the Presse cites, but with all reserve,
the following despatch from Leghorn, in the
A llgemezne Zeitung :
" Jan. s.—Two Russian ships of the line and
one frigate hate arrived in this port, and several
others are expected. Their destination is Gaeta."