The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-10-17 00:00:00

FORE;Giv AND COLONIAL.
DESTRUCTION OF THE AUSTRIAN EMPIRE.

MURDER OF THE MINISTER OF WAR

Great excitement prevailed in Vienna on the sth inst.,
in consequence of the publication of the emperor's pro-
clamation against the Hungarians. Public opinion had
already been put on the alert by the concentration of
large masses of troops in the vicinity of the capital, and
the ferment was still increased when it was said that the
dissolution of the Hungarian Parliament. the appointment
of Baron Jellalich to the Lord-Lieutenancy of Hungary,
and all the other measures contained in the late proclama-
tion were but the links of a chain which was to bind Aus-
tria down to what she was previous to the days of March.
It was loudly protested that the military—and especially
the German Grenadiers, were in favour of the popular
cause. Early on the morning. of the Cth the Grenadiers
were ordered to march and join the expedition against
the Hungarians. They did not refuse to quit their bar-
racks ; but they were forewarned of their march and its
object, and had communicated with the corps of National
Guards of the suburb of Gumpendorf, in which their bar-
racks were situate, and with the Academical Legion, from
both of which they received a

•omise that measures

.nd accord-

would be taken to prevent their departure
ingly such measures were taken.
The National Guards assembled at six o'clock on the
morning of the 6th at the terminus of the Northern Rail-
road, from which they removed the rails for the purpose
of preventing the departure of the Grenadiers. The
latter arrived soon after, and the commanding officer,
seeing that the removal of his troops by rail was impossi-
ble, gave orders for their proceeding on foot to Gansen-
dorf, a station on the line, from whence he hoped it
-would be possible to effect their conveyance by the rail-
road. But this plan, too, was resisted by the National
Guards, the numbers of which increased every minute.
A barricade effectually stopped the march of the regi-
ments near the Tabor bridge. Orders were given for the
storming of this barricade; and the War-office, being
aware of the mutinous disposition of the Grenadiers,
several battalions of cavalry were instructed to escort
them. But the Grenadiers crossed the bridge, scaled the
barricade, and fraternised with the National Guards. The
latter destroyed part of the bridge, thus preventing the
cavalry from interfering. Regiments of infantry were
then drawn up to reduce the insurgents and to enforce
obedience to the commands of the Government ; and the
artillery arrived at ten o'clock, when the rioters were
summoned to surrender ; this they refused to do, for they
bad meanwhile been reinforced by the Academical Legion.
The parties stood thus opposed to one another until a
body of workmen proceeded to seize a powder waggon
and four guns, which they effected without any opposition
from the artillerymen. But this act of the insurgents
gave, nevertheless, the signal for a bloody conflict.
The Nassau (Polish regiment) fired three volleys, which
were answered by cheers and quick discharges from the
National Guards, the Students, and the Grenadiers. The
Nassau infantry was soon forced to retire, and on being
charged with the bayonet their retrograde movement be-
came a downright flight. General Bredy, their com-
mander, was shot. After routing the government troops,
the insurgents marched from the suburbs into the town,
where they placed their guns in the middle of the Univer-
sity-square. At one o'clock a party of the insurgent Na-
tional Guards were attacked on the Stephans Platz by a
party of loyal National Guards, who stood by the go-
vernment ; but after a short fight the latter were forced to
retire into the Cathedral of St. Stephen, the doors of
which they then barricaded from within. But the insur-
gents battered down the doors, entered the church, and
dislodged their antagonists, whose leader was killed on the
very steps of the altar.
After this the tide of insurrection rose to a very uncon-
querable height. The rioters entered the War-office be-
tween the hours of five and six, seized the cannon and
arms deposited in that building, and captured the Minis-
ter of War, Count Latour. The wretched man was con-
ducted into the street, and then he was murdered with
blows from axes and sledge hammers. The people tore
the clothes and orders from the bleeding body, and hung
the naked corpse on a gibbet, where it remained sus-
pended for a whole day, during which the National Guards
riddled it with musket balls. Count Latour's papers were
seized and brought to the University.
At half-past six o'clock there was but one place of re-
fuge left for the troops and National Guards who sided
with the Government—that place was the arsenal, famous
for its glorious trophies from the Turkish wars. The
people surrounded the arsenal, and demanded from the
garrison they should give up the arms which it contained.
They refused : a combat commenced, in the course of
which the garrison swept the Rengasse with grape and
canister, and killed and disabled a great number of the
insurgents, whose fury increased after each unsuccessful
attempt to gain possession of the building. The com-
mittee of students sent several flags o f truce summoning
the garrison to surrender, but the bearers were shot dead
on the spot. The people then commenced bombarding
the arsenal, and the firing continued all the night through,
till six o'clock on the morning of the 7th, when the gar-
rison surrendered. Those among the popular party who
were rot provided with weapons were then armed. The
"lumber of killed and wounded is said to be very great.
In the midst of these scenes the Emperor and the other
members of the Imperial Family left Vienna at about
four o'clock p.m. on Saturday. The were escorted by
5,000 cavalry, and took the road towards Lintz.
All letters from Vienna state that General Latour met
his horrible fate with the noblest resignation and dignity,
smiling contemptuously upon the fiends who tore him
from his house and condemned him to the ignoble death
they merited themselves. Liberty, liberty !—these men
make your name accursed ! The events of Vienna will,
of course, influence the affairs of Lombardy and Hungary.
Both will, probably, be declared independent. Austria,
we fear, will fall into shreds, and verify the predictions of
those who foretold this catastrophe long since.
The latest accounts from Vienna state that the people
were terribly alarmed at the consequences of the late in-
surrectionary movement. The intelligence of the march
of Baron Jellachich on the capital has filled the democrats
with terror, as they justly tremble for their fate should the
victorious Ban pour the vials of his wrath upon their de-
voted city. The number of those killed in the late com-
bats was 97. It was rumoured in Vienna that Kossuth,
at the head of 60,000 men, had marched against the
Ban. The Oesterreichisehe Zeitung has a letter from
Trieste of the sth inst., which states that intelligence was
received on the previous day in that town, by a steamer
returning from Dalmatia, of a fearful insurrection which
took place in the district of Cattaro. The insurgents of
Zuppa, it was reported, together with 1,500 Montene-
grines, gave battle to the Austrian troops on the 28th and
29th ultimo, who, as they were only 600 in number, and
did not think themselves equal to combat against a supe-
rior force, amounting to 3,000, retreated in forced
marches. A collection of tithe is said to have given rise
to the insurrection.