The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-06-20
The French in Possession of Milan.

The French i'm Possession of Milan.
Milan, near which the great battle reported
in this mornings paper was fought, is city of
Austrian Italy. 1t is the capitol of the Lom-
bardo- Venetian Kingdom, and lies in wide
fertile plain between the 0lono and Saveso
rivers. A description, by reliable author,
runs thus:
Milan is ono of the finest and most pleasing
cities Of Europe. 1t stands In sea of green
trees, as Venice, in q sea of green waters. 1t
is nearly of circular shape, enclosed on three
sides by a wall, surrounded by broad ramparts,
nearly eight miles in circumference, and en-
tered by ten gates. 1t has six thousand houses
and seventy nine churches Chief objects of
interest The cathedral, an imposing Gothic
structure of white marble, in square near the
center of the city. 1t was begun in 1886, and
is still unfinished; it is adorned by upwards of
five thousand statues, and for the delicacy of
its carved work, is unrivaled in the world;
length 4S5 feet, breadth 252 feet, height of
dome 355 feet. The church of st. Ambrogio,
in which the Emperors of Germany were
crownedj the refectory Of the old Dominican
convent, attached to the church Of Sta. Maria
della Gracia, in which is the famous mast sup
per" of da Vinci. The palace of the Viceroy,
tho city hall, ArchbisbOp's palace and the
mint Among the many benevolent inititu-
tions are an hospital with $500 beds, open to
the sick poor of all nations; lunatic, orphan
and founding asylum, deaf and dumb schools,
work honses, and general loan bank. The
finest gate is the Arco della Pace, a modern
sculptured marble arch, at the end of the Sim
plon road; near it is the PiazEi d. Armi, an
open space for the exercise of troops, and ex-
tensive barracks; an amphitheater, and many
private palaces. The favorite promena de is the
Corso there are nine theaters, including the
famous opera house, La Scala. The chief sci
entifc and educational establishments are the
royal academy of arts and sciences, formerly
palace of the Brea, with library of one hun
dred thousand volumes, valuable MSS, and
pictures; an astronomical and magnetioal OBJ
servatory, and botanic garden; the Ambrosian
library with sixty thousand volumes and IL, 900
MSS, Trivulzio library, twenty thousand vol
umes and two thousandss MSS, four gymnasia,
a normal school, school of medicine and sur
gerry, several learned societies, and military
geographical institute which publishes excel
lent maps. Milan is the largest book mart in
Italy, from its position on the great routes
across the Alps, and its connection by canals
with the principal rivers in Italy, it is favora-
bly, situated for trade. 1t is connected by
river with Venice. Treviglio, twenty miles,
E. N. e., and Monza, nine miles N. e. It's
manufactures comprise silks, velvet, ribbons,
lace, cotton, carpets, jswelry, glass paper,
and pOrcelainj 1t has royal tabacco manu-
factory. Milan is very ancient, it was found
cd in 400 B. c., and was inhabited and embsl-
lished by many of the Roman Emperors. Vir-
gil studied here, and it is the birth place of
many popes and eminent men. 1t was capitol
of republic in 1866; in tho end of the four
teenth century it was made capitol of the duchy
of Milan; it passed successfully under the do
minion Of Spain and Austria; was taken by the
French in 1895 and 1900. In 1906 they made
it capitol of the kingdom of Italy. 1t was re-
stored to Austria in 1915. Population of prov
ince in 1850, 604,512.