The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-08-22

two ai mics we're unequally matched. Inc Gillette
ari.tacrs,ic system OF Austria had no chaace
OF boldiDg its own against the vigorous democra-
tic system of France.
But, besides all this, there were other elements
which made the prepouderance in favor Of France
still greater. The most recent improvements In
artillery bad been introduced. The French riAed
cannon moved down the Austrian troops aud
dismantled the Austrian guns at distances far
too great for the Austrians to respond. The
railroads were for the FIRST time at Montebello
used to bring up the French troops and deposit
them on the very field Of battle 1t was
said that the troops even fred out Of the win
dows of the cars before the trains halted.
The mode of entering and leaving railroad
cars in marching order had been taught them
as one of the elements of their drill. The Aus
TRANS took lesson from this aud subsequently
the corps of Count Clam Gallas were conveyed
by railroad, after they had reached the foot of
the Tyrol, through Lombardy to Magenta and
were there deposited in time to take part in the
bartle The electric telegraph, too, was pow
erfdl auxiliary In the hands Of Napoleon.
Wherever be established his headquarters for an
hour, from there he had lines of telegraph laid
to the various divisions of his army and put in
operation. At Solferino his line of battle was
Fifteen miles long, and 1t is easy to see what an
immense advantage his telegraph must have
given him in communicating his ORDERS and in
receiving reports from his generals. The
value Of this was inestiDable. If the Aus.
triaDs bad had such system they might have
retrieved the day; but as it was, their powerful
reserve of cavalry and artillery, not being within
FIVE miles Of where it was supposed to have been,
could not be communicated with In time aud
brought into action. Napoleon did not even dis
dsin to avail himself of the much.rid'cnled
science of ballooniDg; and he i, said to have de-
rived much advantage from the hints of the enc
mys position thus obtained. His uncle, the
Great Napoleon, had, in his day, used both tele
graph and balloon, but the one was the clumsy
thing like its present state of Improvement. The
Prussian army is the only other army to which
telegraphic department is regularly attached.
Francis Joseph had too much judgment
and perception not to be convinced that with
such odds against him he could not hope to
compete with France, and therefore he seized
the first opportunity to make peace. He saw
that bis whole military system had to be reor-
eanized; that the old automatic drill aud
manGuvres had to be modified; that his soldiers
had to be better fed, better armed, and better
trained to habits of self reliance; that the plan
of offering the army from the families of the
nobility had to be abandoned; that merit, aud
not descent had to be made the test of fitness for
command; that the democratic spirit had to be
infused into the army, and that 1t was unsafe to
despise too much the progress of scientific inven-
TONS In that idea he made peace, and in that
idea be went to work and had several of his
laundering generals court martialed aud dis
praced. To him the expert snce Of the three
months campaign has been Of more worth than
centuries of ordinary occurrences.
1t is not as to his army alone that he recog-
Misses the need ofreform. His whole empire is
to be made to feel the benefit of the change. All
the provincial councils of the empire are to be
convoked for the purpose OF responding to inter-
rogatories in regard to the improvements which
they deem necessary in their local government,
and are to be at liberty to state their views
frankly and fully.
In the same way the present Emperor of Rus
Ella, proGting by his experience in the Crimean
war, where his troops, notwithstanding their high
reputation, were invariably beaten by the Allies
in the field, seized the first opportunity Of max.
ing peace, and Get to work in reforming not only
the army, but the whole government, decreeing
the emancipation Of the serfs and developing
the internal resources Of his empire by means Of
railroads, telegraphs and other public works.
Prussia and Germany, and even England, have
also learned much by both the Crimean and the
Italian campaigns; and it is not to be supposed
that they will fail to profit by what they have
learned Each Of the European governments is
now looking, or will have to look, to the means
of lberalizing its institutions as the only safe
guard for its existence.
1t is in this general comprehensive view Of the
results of the Italian war that we see its highest
and most important bearings 1t has taught ru.
lers that they cannot rely with safety on the
mere brute force Of their army be it never SO nu-
merous or well disciplined. 1t has taught them
that they must keep pace with the progress Of
-pbysica, and moral science, or submit to be ami
hilated. 1t has taught them, too, that public opin
ion cannot be safely set at defiance, and that
the execration Of enlightened humanity does
not 60 altogether for nought. Finally, it
has taught them that class privileges cannot be
safely maintained, and that the only sure founda-
ton for the prosperity ola nation is in the demo.
cratic principle, which prevails only in the Uni
ted States and France, of making all men equal,
not only before the law, but in the competition
for Office in every branch Of the public service.
These are the lessons which governments have
learned, and by which the people are to profit;
and in this point Of view, if in no other, the ex-
perience Of the war was not too costly.