Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-07-22

ing Poet, whose editor is familiar with Italy |
from personal observation, gives just the inlOr-
ma'itn demiable at this crihis Of the great war.
Wnal renders the quadrangle Of such absorbing
concern just now is that the next conflict be-
tween the beligerants in Italy will probably take
place within It's lines The Post says:
Peschiera, begnano, Verona and MaEtua--
these are names of the four fortresses whose
positions define the quadrangle
They protect space Oblong IN shape, bounded
on the west by the Mincio, and on tie cast by
Adiqe Peschera lies on the Mincio, az the
point were that river flows into the Lago di
Garda, and is partly built upon an island. The
town ITSELF on the leit bank Of the Mincio, is
but on insignificant place, and it is the tortih
cations alone that render Peschiera an import
ant point; these Notifications were built by
Napoleon l., aud further strengthened by the
Austrians.
In ls4s Peschiera was 'besiegcd by the Pieds
muntese, under Charles Albert, aud stood a
siege Of seven weeks before the Austrians ca
pitulated At the latest dates Peschiera had
been invested by the allies They will find the
fortress more formidable than Charles Albert
found it eleven years ago. for during the last
decade the Austrans have made great improve
ments, erected several detached forts on the
west side, and extensive barracks Peschiera
is a station Of the railroad ofnorthern Lombardy,
and the starting place for the steamers that, in
times of peace, ply on the Lago di Garia,
About fifteen miles east of Peschera is Ve
roma, a town renowned in the ann.ls Of arohi-
lecture, painting, ancient and modern history,
but perhaps rendered, in name, at least, more
familiar to most people from the loves OF Ro-
meo aud Juliet and Che feuds of the Montecchi
and Capuletu Its superb situation, which has
excited the enthusiasm oftravellers aud writers,
from the early Italian poets down to Ruskin
aud modern letter writing tourists, its fine
scenery, it's remains Of classic aud medieval
architecture, its historic aud poetic associations
are, at tue present moment, subordinate to its
military Importance as one OF the chief posts
that guard the famous quadrangle. The city
itself, exclusive of the garrison, contains sixty
thousand inhabitants, and is divided into une-
quail parts by the river Adige, which is crUssed
by several bridges. The Notifications are the
work of various ages, the earliest having been
built by the Emperor Galienus, some of which
remained till as late as 1905, The Emperors
Theodoric and Charlemagne also added TO the
walls and the Scaligers increased them largely,
building the forked battlemeuts, while the
Yenetans, in the sixteenth century, added the
numerous bastions and made other improve
ments.
These Notifications were however, but the
grand prelude to those of a more recent date.
which were erected in 1885, and are considered
among the most remarkable engineering works
in Europe. Since the allotment ol LOmbardy
to Austria by the treaty Of 1915, that power
has spared no labor or expense to render Verona
one OF her first stronghOlds. In addition TO the
Strengthening, repairing and increasing Of the
walls, a very extensive assortment of detached
forts have been erected, while the elevations
in the vicinity Of the town have also been iorti-
fed In the town new barracks and huge
arsenal with other military improvements, eu
ab e VerU "a to acc immediate a garrison of
twenty thous nd men, and the place can only be
taken by on attacking army vastly superior IN
number At the latest dates the branch of the
French army under Prince Napoleon was daily
expected 10 commence the siege of Verona,
while that ofPeschiera was chiefly carried on
by the Sandman troops.
Legnano, situated on the Adige, about TWEEN
ty miles southeast of Verona, and twenty five
east of Mantua, is about as strong a point as
Peschera, but its stritegical position renders
it OF more importance. 1t is also by way OF
Legnano that the Austrians receive their REIN
fJrcemeniH and supplies
But while Verona, Peschiera and Legnano
all have their special military Importance, it is
on Mantua that the great hopes of the Aus
trians rest. This remarkable place possesses al
most every natural and artificial requisite for a
military stronghold. Surrounded by lakes and
marshes. crossed by bridges that can be easily
destroyed, its treacheIous vicinity offers greater
difficulties to an invading army that even the
heights of Alma. During the middle ages it
81, ,tained numerous sieges and under the do
minon of Austria has become point OF military
strength scarcely to be surpassed in all Europe,
Here the army OF Napoleon |. carried on the
famous siege in 1896, lying before the walls of
| Mantua from the middle of June to near the
end of September. They might have invested
the place for years had it not been that the
famine obliged the Austrian commander, Wurm-
ser, to capitulate. 1t is said that at the present
moment the fortresses of Mantua contain pro-
visions in sufficient quantity to enable the gar
rson to maintain their post for three years
The Notifications that surround the town are
irregular and formidable and do not present
that elegant, tasteful appeaTancethat character
ICES the serrated battlements of fVerona. Their
strength is, however undoubted -Four forts
the citadel, the forts of st. George, Pisola and
Pradela further defend the city, being situated
directly on the chief routes leading to the place.
At the south is an entrenched camp. Marshal
SerrurieT, who besieped the place under Napo-
leon l., remarked that ''the difficulty is not to
take Mantua, butte approach it, " and the gen
eral impression among military authorities
would go far to intimate that the almost i'm
pregnaOle state OF Mantua 10 owing Ialher To
natural surroundings-the semi-natural, semi
artificial lakes and marshes about it-rather
than to the fortifcation themselves, formidable
as the latter may appear.
To these four great fortresses, that stand like
sentines guarding the quadrangle, and the last
hope of Austrian dominatson in Italy, the eyes
of the world are now turned. 1t wa from this
quadrangle that Austria checked the march OF
Napoleon l., and drove back Charles Albert
Now, by remarkable coincidence, the Iegit-
innate successors to the thrones and tradi' ions
of those laonarchs are unitedly advancing to
the same fatal spot, and upon the success of
failure of their invasion thereon appear to de-
pend the crisis of the war and the fate of Aus
tria and Italy
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