The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-18 00:00:00

AUSTRIA.

The Gazette of St. Petersburg contains the fol-
lowing remarks on the present position of Austria
in Italy :—" In the course of the last ten years
Europe has seen effected a revolution more vast
than any which preceded it ; she has had a war
which has completely changed the whole policy of
the great powers with other States. It was hoped
that after that war each State would occupy itself
with its internal development. If peace be not
given to the world, we must accustom ourselves to
the idea that the great historical event commenced
in 1848 has not yet arrived at maturity, and that it
will call for new battles. It may be that this vast
country of Russia will be fortunate enough to keep
clear of these conflicts. In the meantime the journals
occupy themselves in comparing the forces which
may encounter each other on the fields of Italy.
Without repeating these figures, some remarks on
an article on the military position of Austria, in
the Grangote (Frontier Messenger), seem to merit
attention. The writer blames the policy of
Austria during the last three centuries ; he re-
proaches her with not having made Hungary the
centre of her power, and with not having constantly
endeavoured to limit the power of the Turks ; but
with having instead exhausted herself in her
conflicts for the possession of the Netherlands and
Italy, and for the shadow of Imperial power. It
may be that the .writer in the Granzbote is right;
but even if he be, it is certain that Austria will en-
deavour to preserve her piyer in Italy, and it will
not be until after a contest inswhich she is com-
pletely worsted that she will abandon what she
considers her right. But that Lombardy is not
easy to conquer is certain, for she is defended both
by nature and art. Nature at the north gives the
protecting rampart of the Alps, whence flow a great
number of rivers, which cut the country from north
to south, and form so many lines of defence ; whilst
art has constructed a system of fortresses and rail-
ways which traverse Lombardy in all her length
from the west to the east, and from Milan to
Venice, and which consequently enable troops,
ammunition, and stores to be conveyed with great
celerity to any part of the country, and even to the
frontier of Piedmont. Let us now suppose that Sar•
dinia, either alone or allied with France, begins war,
counting on an insurrection in Lombardy-.•in that
case, Austria would either have to hold the line of
the Ticino, and to place her troops before Milan,
or to retire to the space comprised between
the Mincio and the Adige, and to await the enemy
in the square formed by the fortresses of Peschiera,
Verona, Mantua, and Leguano, the first three of
which are united by railways. In that narrow
' space the Tyrolean Alps advance towards the south.
The lake of Garda and the Mincio form the first
line of defence, the Adige the second; and these
two lines are strengthened by the fortresses just
named. Verona, situated on the two banks of the
Adige, forms the centre of the defensive system.
It only became so in 1848, when on the right
bank of that river the construction of the for-
tified camp, composed of an entire range of
detached forts, was commenced—a construction
only recently finished. On the left bank are the
Castello (a fortress) and the fortress which contains
the storehouses of the army of Italy, and which
is large enough to accommodate an entire army.
As to the fortifications of Mantua, they are well
known in history. However, the Austrians will
no doubt do all in their power to maintain them-
selves first of all at Milan, the loss of which would
be to them a great check, both moral and material.
It is believed that the Austrians have no reason to
entertain much fear of the attack of Sardinia alone
and of the insurrection of Lombardy ; but an attack
[ from France would be a different affair."