The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-04-18 00:00:00

LATEST FOREIGN AND COLONIAL.

FRANCE.

The Paris papers of Sunday contain several articles
which prove the existing and hourly increased alarm for
the impending elections.
A very 'threatening demonstration was in preparation
at the hour of post.
The trades were assembling in the Champ de Mars,
ostensibly to elect officers for the National Guard from
their own body, although it was notorious that the elec-
tion of officers had closed.

Some of their banners bore significantly menacing
mottos; one of them was " No more trading of one man
in the labour of another." _

Seizures of arms were made on Thursday in various
parts of Paris.
The Archbishop of Paris has authorised a collection in
all the churches of his diocese, on Friday, in favour of
the wives and children of the Poles who had left France
to re-conquer the independence of Poland.

ITALY.

An official bulletin, dated Milan, April 9th, announces
that on the previous day the Piedmontese troops attacked
the Austrians in the vicinity of the bridge of Goito, and
that after a sharp action, which lasted two hours, the
Piedmontese made themselves masters of the position,
and captured four pieces of artillery and 2,000 prisoners.
The publication of this bulletin produced the greatest jay
at Milan. As it was the first account received of serious
hostilities having been commenced by the King of Sar-
dinia, and as the position thus successfully carried opened
the passage of the Mincio and the road to V Ha Franca,
the chief town on the line of communication between
Verona and Mantua, a more detailed narrative was
anxiously expected ; the Palace Marino was besieged by
anxious inquiries, and in the course of the evening an
official despatch was published, in which the agent of the
Provisional Government at the head-quarters of Charles
Albert gives his account of the affair. The Provisional
Government has received about £BO,OOO in voluntary con-
tributions in the city of Milan alone, and it has called
for the payment of the ordinary taxes due on the 20th
of May, for the 20th of this month. We do not imagine
that the sum above:named has arisen from a forced loan
or from contributions exacted by fear, or that the least
force will be exerted to procure the pre-payment of the
imposts. Both are.given with the freest will, almost by
acclamation, and more than one head of a noble house
has sent in £3,000 or £4,000 as an individual subscription.
The Milanese are rich, and they gladly offer a portion of
their wealth for the common good. -
A letter from Berne of the Bth inst. states, that the de-
legate of the Provisional Government of Milan at Como
had demanded a passage for a column of 1,200 Austrian
prisoners through the canton of Ticino which the Go-
vernment of the latter had granted on condition that the
canton of the Grisons should likewise allow them to pass
through its teritory. The Directory had instructed the
Federal Council of War to prepare a report on the orga-
nization of the army, so that the Confederation be not
taken unawares, and he constantly ready to defend, effi-
ciently and energetically, the neutrality and iategrity of
Switzerland. It was reported at Berne that the Sardinian
Minister had been directed by his Government to demand
from the Vorort an army of 100,000 men, whom the king
would engage in his service, to assist him in driving the
Austrians out of Italy.
A letter from Milan, of the Bth inst., states that on the
9th five columns- of the Lombardo-Piedmontese army
were to cross the Mincio at Goilo and Volta. An expedi-
tion had left for Tyrol. Palmaro was occupied by the
Milanese General Lucchi. Should the Piedmontese suc-
ceed in passing the Mincio, their intention was to join
General Durando, who was advancing from Bologna with
)5000 *wise and 4000 volunteers, and there would then be
a force of 40,000 men operating on the
_left flank of the
Austrians. It was believed that an engagement would be
fought on the 9th.
It appears from the Bologna papers that Signor Carlo
Rusconi has addressed the Pope, inviting the Holy Father
to place himself at the head of a great Italian Confederacy,
and to assemble a grand General Diet in Rome.
The whole of -Istria is favourable to the neiv Venetian
Republic, and only awaits an opportunity of declaring its
sympathies.