Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1859-05-31
Correspondence of the New y ork Tines.l
Monnt Cenis - Passage OF the French Army into
Sardinia.

Lyons. April 2Sth, 1889
All the vai ious grades # French officers. from
Il Marshal of France To the loweat subaltern, and
of every conceivable corps, may low be seen IN
the streets OF Lyons, preparing - follow ;he ar
mv already marched over the Mount Gents pass
Already fiity thousand men their way.
but II i not supposed that TREY can be read 10
meet the Austrian forces sooncr than Monday. :.
although it is believed here that war has actu-
| ally commenced.
! The road over Mount Gents is 'pacadamizcd
throughout its whole extent, and is wide and in
! perfect order, consisting of easy grades On ;he
| top of the mountain there was much snow, bit
most ot II removed from the road - work
of great labor, as the cuts In some places were
/ ten feet deep, and the snow compact that its
sides were pcndicular. The diligence was
several hours in passing through this region of
/ snow ard II Was showing nj the time, and ex-
tremelv colds On Monday and Tuesday Of this
week It ra1ned hard the west side of tae
| mountain, and II was feared that the passage OF
troops was impcded by fresh SHOWS The jour
nry over the Pass Is pleasant affair. to
one who occupied the protected seats of a conn
/ f,-table ,iiligence-such was my fortunate po-
sition-w what must it he to soldiers "n foo'. wet
| with severe rains, and encumbered with knapp
sacks and arnlsT
| The pass is 6,s2o feet high-nearly three hun
| dr. <xfect higher than the famous Simplon Pass.
! That of the great ST. Bernard. over which Ma
poleon conducted his army before any road had
been formed, is $500 feet. The easy grade of
the Mount Gents read. and the protection fur
/ ni.hed by granite posts on Its exterior within
seven or eight feet of each other-fir plant :
ed in the earth and about four feet high-indi-
cate that principal object in thus forming it..
was the easy and safe hauling Of cannon and
| baggage over the line 1 walked for miles over
! the road. in the ascent from the Sandman side.
and carefully observed its construction. The
engineering difficulties were immense, but they
have been overcome with such skill. tina, the
ascent uniform rs easy IN every part Oc-
casionally level place Is left 10 afford relief to
horses from the wearisomeness of a steady pull.
| | noticed that the marks of the drill used in
/ blasting were nearly obliierated. the effect of
[ long continued exposure to severe storms, and
| The character of the rock, which Is limestone
II NAV be, If the history of the road shall ever
be lost, that future antiquarians may contend
from the obiitcrations of all signs of blasting.
that at least no difficulties we're encountered in
It's construction even if they do not insist that
it was formed a natural bed. One Is struck
with wonder that such great work. over high
mountains should have been formed aid nm
ished on a line exceeding fifty miles, SD COM
pIeieiy that 1t exceeds in excellence any road
know of in the United States. whether public
! or nrtvate. and long or short. IL is kept III
! high order. and Is descended on a brisk trot
With entire safety.
| II seemed most appropriate, as this great road
was the work of the elder Napoleon. That The
representative of his name should distinguish
himself by using il for the march of great ar
my aimed at the same power which Napoleon
successfully encountered soon after Crossing the
Swiss Alps.
The Sandman effective force. actually on
foot, and independent of the volunteers flowing
In from all parts of Italy. amounts. as learned
bv the most particular inquiries to about 10000
men. Had the Austrian EmT eror been allowed
TO act on his own Judgment, and attack Sardinia
a month ago. he might have gained has FIRST
camnnign The cautious diplomats have de-
layed the war just long enough TO give hi. ad-
yersaries time to secure the outbreak of all TIA.
| ly. and the near cooperation of France. When
| i left Turin on the 25th. there were forty tho"-
sand Frence troops at Genoa. and the artillery
now on It's way over Mount Gems VIII md
| fifty thousand more at Susa. in possession oi The
/ Turin Railroad
| Garibaldi, with free corps of II .O0o Italian
yolun;eers most of them soldiers Of the war %
lS4S'49. is posted within two hours OF Turin
on the line Of he defence Of the Po.