New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-05-27
SKETCH OF THE SEAT OF WAR.

The following Topographic ii sketch OF tue colrtTy
now the sea. Of war possesses certain interest at the
pIesent moment:
The country il shut in on the south, west ard
north by the great chain ofhe Alps aud Their ramcs-
lions. They form q VAT seuiciIcs nom the 'oi DE
Cadibone 10 the royth west Of Genoa, where they JOIN
the chain If the ApenDnes, crossing the Whole oil inc
Italian psninsula Frum SsvOna they extend, under
the dene inaion Of the Maritime Alps, a. lar as VI nte
Vso; Of the Co,ians, far as llon; Gems; OF the
Alpes Grees 10 Mont Blanc and is.ily. III the frn'
nile Alps as far as Noun, 81. GVthard These noun
tnus are very s,esp the side OF Piedop', out ess
so toward France. The Apennines, sending "ut some
ran fcaons TO the roth of the Cult "f Genoa, form
With the counterfoI;s Of The Alps KIND ofpr9nop'oy
which advances almost in'o the center OF Piedmont
and .kiIis the whole length of the PO The tne and
fertile valley, traversed by that river i wide IN ne
upper pay1 between Turin and the Alps, but becomes
narrower car the line of DoraBaea, between lvrea
and Chivasso 10 aterwsrJ widen again IN The Yas aud
fertile plain II Piedmont. The principal afiueIts oi
the Pc in Lonbary are ON the lett bank the tIsonei
the DoraRiparis, which falls ih'o the 70 a. Turn
the Nurs, descending from Mount Niso; the Dora
Bal,es, having it che small fortified town OF Urea
the key of the road from Milan - Turin; the Sesia
coming lrum Monte Ross snl esding at a short as
lance from Casale and lastly, the heluo, forming Tue
limit against Austrian LOmbsriy. The principal ~
fluent ON the right bank is the Tsuaro, which c'osslns
the coupterfor,s at the JUNCTION Of The Maritime APPS
and The Apennnes, passes Alessahdria aud iais hlo
the Pc at short distance below that important place
Gle; the vegetable earth aud tho sand brought Gown
by the torrents which come down from the noun
tains constantly fill up its bed, and thus threat
en- the surrounding country with inundation. Ia
order to guard against that danger the people on the
bai ks have everywhere raised entertainments, when
are increased tue river rses so that in some places
the waters Of the Po high as the tops oil the
nee hbcrbg steeples. 1t is everywhere bordered oy
lateral canals and the water which filters hroagn the
entertainments renders the country near very marShy'
The in portance of this river for the begeren. armies
may be readily understood
| The means Of communication may be thus de-
scrbed:
"Finc roads have now replaced the narrow paths
by which the French soldiers, under their Immortal
chief had TO Cross The Alps half century ago. ihey
ME these Comm enciDg from the shore Of the Medlte-
ranean the road Of La Corpcbe which runs along the
Gulf of Genoa and branches of ~ the Col De ienda
10 Turin and by the passage of the Bochetta 70 as-
sandr,s; The road of Mount Gepevre fom Brlaucon TO
Susa aud Turin that of Mont Cents from Lyons by
Chamb-Iy TO Susa; aud that which leads from mont.
m6au by the Lesser Saint Bernard III the valley az
| Ao.ta The roads Which lead from Lombardy into
Piedmont are that which runs IRON the Interior 81
| Austria by Verona to Milan crosses tue iicho al
Ru,fnors passes by Novara and Nercel, and ends NJ
Turin II branches of B'escia and the northern
branch runs along the southern points of the lakes OF
Garda leo Como. and Lago MaggIore, where II
crosses the Tcino on its leaving the lake, aud leads by
| Lie Ia and Urea on the D,raBaltea We must also
mo, ti,n the great road which starting from Rimln' Oh
the AdTatic and running along the foot of the Apeu-
Mines and crossing the Queries OF Modena and Parma,
reaches Piacenza which the Austrans have taken 10
much pains TO for the possession OF secures 10
them free communication with the two banks Oh the
| Po.'
The railway communication is very easily de-
scribed:
The Piedmontese railways converge toward two
| ceaters-Turin and Alessandria. From the capital,
they extend to the west fa as Susa at the foot OF
Mott Cebis to sgain join the other side, near 81.
| Jean de Maurenns, the great French Mediterranean
line To the the railway reaches by Vercelli and
Nsvara, the great Lombardy line, which JOINS at the
bridge Of Buffalora the Tcino. This is the bridge
which the PieimODtese have just burnt. The hue
which leads from Turin to Genoa passes by Alessan-
dria and increases the strategic importance OF that
place.
OF the fortified towns the following some partc-
uars;
"Alessapdria is united to the great line of Lombardy
by entertainments on vercelli aud Novara. Another
embranchms Mt destined unite the right bank Of the
Po 10 the PiedmOntese lines only goes as lar as Sra
della OF sIl the fortified places, such as Ivrea Genoa
and Aessandra the last two only possess importance
the others caunot offer any serious resistance. Aus
tria preparing her domination in Italy, caused at
time Alcssandria to dismsnted; because it the
Only strategic position which could be- opposed to
Verona and Man'ua. Genoa by the defense of which
Maseena obtained celebrity, Will play an important
part in the war the basis vf operations Of the French
army; with Aessandra it closes aganst the Austrsns
the road to Nj e. From the Geographic accounts
which have been received up 10 this time, It appears
that the invasion Of the Austrians has been directed
on the wide plain Of the Po where they expect To have
marked superiority their adversaries from their
numerous and excellent cavalry. Their march in three
columns may have been made in order to deceive the
envy This i particularly the case as regards the right
nounced by telegraph for the stores Of corps arm6e
cannot be carried by such boats as are to be found on
the Logo Maggore.'