The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-08-08 00:00:00

PIEDMONTESE

Letters of the 24th ult., from the bead quarters of the
Piedmontese army, state that on the previous day the
Austrian General Aspre, with 25,000 men, came out from
Verona, forced the position of Sona and Somma Cam-
pagna, and drove the Piedmontese from all the country
between the Upper Adige and the Lake of Garda, and the
plain of Verona and the Mincio. At the same time an
Austrian force of 8000 descended the Montebalde, and
after taking the heights of La Corona, ejected the Pied-
montese from the Plateau of Rivoli. The Sardinians,
whose force was not one-fourth that of the enemy, retired
opportunely—some to Peschiera, others across the Min-
cio, and a few to Villafranca. On the 24th General Aspre
attempted to force the Mincio at Monzanbano, and to
establish a bridge at Salionzo. Letters of the 25th ult.
have also been received from the head-quarters of the
Sardinian army. The Austrians hal been successful in all
their operations. The Mincio had been forced at Mon-
zambano and at Salionza ; and Ponti, on the right bank,
and Pozzolongo, six miles at this side of it, are occupied.
The King of Sardinia, with 25,000 men, was at Villafranca.
A perfect panic prevailed in the country on the right of
the Mincio, so much so that all the visitors at Dezerzano,
on the Lake of Garda, ten miles from Peschiera, on the
high road to Milan, fled in dismay on Monday night to
Brescia. The Austrians had committed no excesses, and
the cavalry that appeared at Pozzolongo on Tuesday morn-
ing, on alighting at the hotel, declaring they meant to pay
for everything they asked for.
The apparently contradictory accounts of the war raging
in Italy between the Austrian and Piedmontese armies
have been, so far as they went, substantially correct. The
Austrians had swept the country to the plateau of Rivoli.
There had been hard fighting on the 22d and 23d. On
the 24th, the Piedmontese gained an advantage, and took
2,500 prisoners. On the. 25th, the action was renewed ;
but a fresh Austrian corps having approached his rear,
King Charles Albert was obliged to retreat upon Goito ;
a movement which he effected in good order, carrying
with him his prisoners.
The Paris papers of Saturday announce the entrance of
the Austrians into Cremona on the 31st ult., and the retreat
of the Piedmontese on Codogno.
France has refused to offer any military interference in
the war in Italy. but has offered a mediation in conjunc-
tion with England.
Letters from Rome of the 24th ult. deny that a Provi-
sional Government had heen established in that city.
There has been an idea entertained of appointing a com-
mittee of war, which had given rise to the report.
THE THUNDERS OF THE VATICAN AND THE DEMO-
CRACY.—The Democrats of Rome seemed disposed to
bring the spiritual authority of Rome to bear upon their
political aims. The Epoca, the organ of the Mamiani
, Ministry, winds up an article against Austria with the
following appeal to Pius IX. ;—" Let his sacred hand
hurl the spiritual thunder at the head of the Austrian !
Let the anathema be pronounced ! Let the August tem-
ple of St. Peter be hung with mourning ! By torchlight
let the symbol of malediction be fulminated : Anathema!
War ! war ! war !"

The British Minister, Mr. Abercombie, arrived in Co-
dogno, on the Ist inst., and after a long interview with the
King, left for Cremona or Milan.
Our Paris letters state that intervention in Italy was no
longer doubtful, but that it would be a joint interference
of France and England to compel, in the first instance, a
suspension of hostilities, with a view to a peaceful arrange-
ment between Austria and Italy.

ORIGIN OF THE LATE OUTBREAK IN PARIS.—The
report of the committee appointed by the National As-
sembly of France to investigate the causes &c. of the
late insurrection establishes beyond all doubt the existence
of a vast and permanent conspiracy against the first prin-
ciples of social order. There is also afforded by it abun-
dant confirmation of the suspicions continually enter-
tained and expressed with reference to. the conduct of
Ledru Rollin, Louis Blanc, and Caussidiere. It is
proved by a great variety of testimonies that a party ex-
isted, in connexion with certain members of the Provi-
sional 'Government, whose object was to excite in the
country a violent agitation and an amount of social dis-
order leading to a fresh castastrophe. This party was in
a manner governed by the clubs of Paris, and especially
by a body called " the Clubs of Clubs," because it was
composed of delegates from these lawless assemblies
throughout the country, and by the vast association of
the "Droils de l' Homme.' These clubs were directed
by Sobrier, Longepied, and Vilain ; their head quarters
were strongly fortified houses in the heart of Paris, which
were supplied with ammunition and arms by the Minister
of War and the Prefect of Police; their emissaries
scoured the whole
.country, receiving each tea francs a-
day from the public
.Treasury, and preaching the most
atrocious and revolut!onary doctrines. Meanwhile Louis
Blanc, at the Luxembourg, openly professed, in language
far stronger than any which has before been publicly re-
ported., his .imperishable hatred to the whole existing
order of society, and in the insane extravagance of his
language, which deeply infected his unhappy hearers with
a sort of mystical enthusiasm, he assured tho;l•4e whom he
was leading to famine and to death that they told all men
should be kings. The (tillers ,nait9naux supolted the
army of this anti-social creed, and it seems provvd that
the whole of the money found on theansurgents of' June,'
and employed bythem, proceeded fr9m the mii4:o7o-
- funds of these workshops exclumely.

TiENNA.--We are on the eve of a new revolution. In
reply to an invitation made on the part of the ministry and
of the Archduke John, the Emperor said that he would
defer his visit to Vienna till the assembly had verformed
its duty in restoring power to legal authorities. A popular
eineute was therefore commenced on the 28th. Ministers
were prepared to resign ; but at last there was a compro-
mise. An address was prepared to the Emperor, which
has for the moment tranquillised the people, but the fer-
mentation continues.

SPAIN.—A flotilla of steamers, under the command of
Admiral Baldasano, is to be stationed on the Northern
Coast of Spain, to prevent the landing of any insurgent
force. The Captain-General of Navarre writes, under
date Lumbier, 20th, that the district under his command
was completely pacified. The insurgent chiefs had united
their forces, amounting, in all, to 900 men, to give battle
to the Queen's troops. They were, however, defeated in
six engagements, with the loss of 22 killed, 35 wounded,
and 14 prisoners ; 300 had fled into France, and 200
had claimed the benefit of the amnesty.
So scarce are labourers in South Australia that most of
the waggons in which copper ore is conveyed from the
mines to Adelaide, where it is shipped for England, are
driven by boys between ten and fifteen years of age.
Two English gentlemen, named Knight and Butler, re-
siding at Burgos, were unfortunately drowned on the 24th
ult. They were bathing in the Heyst. Mr. Knight was
in his 22d, and Mr. Butler in his 50th, year.
The friends of the Borneo mission will be glad to hear
that letters have been received from the missionaries,
dated May 31, announcing their safe arrival at Singapore
on the 23d of the same month, having left England on
January 7, 1847.

The accounts from Ireland excite naturally much at-
tention in Paris; but with the exception of one journal,
the Reforme, there is no sign of joy uttered that the
plague of Jacobinism has extended to a portion of Great
Britain. The Debaia, Constitutionnel, Siecle, and Uni-
vers treat these accounts with coldness.
The advices from the French Newfoundland fisheries
are not of a favourable character. The catch on the Grand
Bank at present has not exceeded 15,000 fish per vessel.
Last year, up to the early part of July, the average was
£35,000 per vessel. The subsequent fishery was not ex-
pected to be more productive, owing to a scarcity of bait.
THE CHURCH IN CHINA.—A letter from the Rev. V.
Stanton to the Bishop of London, dated Hong Kong,
April 24th, 1848, informs us that St. John's Church, at
that station, will now be completed in the month of Sep-
tember. There will be accommodation for about 900 per-
sons, which is much beyond the present requirement.
The church at Canton will be finished soon after, and that
at Shangai is already completed. Mr. Stanton has the
prospect of commencing a Chinese school, with two Eng-
lish assistants.

REVOLUTION IN PURGATORY.—The Journal desDe-bats
announces that the priests of the Chapel Royal at Dreux
have been turned off at a short notice, their offices being
chargeable upon the civil list of the ex-king. The em-
ployment of these priests being to say masses for the deli-
verance of the souls of the deceased members of the Orleans
family from Purgatory, it follows, according to Ro:nish
doctrine, that their sufferings from purgatorial fire will be
indefinitely prolonged, in consequence of the revolution of
February.

An accident has happened which will delay the comple-
tion of the great suspension bridge over the Danube at
Pesth. This unfortunate delay has been caused by the
breaking of one of the raising chains, The chain had
been tested before it was sent from England, with a
weight of sixty tons. It had frequently raised thirty-
seven tons, and broken while raising a weight of only
eighteen tons. For the damage, the company, it is said,
will bring an action against the English manufacturers of
the defective chain.

PIRACY AND MURDER.—On May 18 there was a special
session held at Singapore by Sir Christopher Rawlinson,
the Recorder, for the trial of 26 Chinese convicts, escaped
from the General Wood. After an investigation, which
lasted two days, they were all found guilty, and sentence
of death recorded against them, except four, on whom
sentence of death was passed. Of these four three were
hanged on the morning of the 26th of May, the fourth
being respited. The 23 convicts have been sentenced to
transportation to Bombay, chiefly for life. Several new
facts were elicited on the trial, but the confessions of the
culprits have served chiefly to explain the way in which
the catastrophe was brought about. It appears the ship's
carpenter, a Chinese, planned the undertaking, with the
assistance of two of the crew, also Chinese ; all three were
found guilty, and sentenced to transportation to Bombay.
Sixteen of the Chinese in one chain it was arranged should
be released by the man at the end of the chain forcing the
lock. One of the convicts, who acted as a cook, tapered
pieces of fire-wood to be used as means of attack. The
16 head men were to divide themselves into four parties,
each party to attack and murder the captain and his three
officers, whilst the Chinese crew and the carpenter were
to persuade the Lascars to take to the rigging. According
to the confessions, on the 16 being released, they first
killed the Sepoy in charge of the key, and with the latter
released the other Chinese secured on another chain. On
reaching the deck they murdered the captain and chief
mate, and threw the bodies overboard ; the second mate
was wounded and missed—he could not be found ; the
third mate fought the Chinese at every point, until. nearly
exhausted, he made for the misentop, whence he was drag-
ged down by Ung-Hee (a Chinese Lascar) and despatched
with a sword just before the dawn of day.