, 1866-07-06
Commencement OF tho Campaign IN
Itn1y-Pfobhble Offensive and 1ll1l-
taf9 Operations.

From the Lon5on Times, June e6l
Faithful to his engagements, the King Of
Italy formally commit ed himself to an open
declaration OF hostll1ties agninst Austria on
the 18th. He had been for some time al the
headquarters oi his army at Placenza, but
was said to have moved 10 some spot nearer
the border. and more ia avorable for Immediate
action. The Ring household suite have lett
Florence and Joined His Majesty at the camp.
The campaign In North Italy may be regarded
as fairly commenced. By what deeds Of arms
outset Il would Be- idies to o. speeaiate a. Aas 1ne
tria Is unlikely to begin operations south Of
the ALPS tn something decls1re has been
achieved in Stlesla or Sa1Ony, 1t Is natural to
presume that IT viii be for Victor Emanuel to
lake the offensive Indeed, independent Of
the great danger Of renturing within the
very magnitude of the events now Ia pro
gress on the Elbe aud the Oder would seem
10 suggest TO the italian monarch a cautious
and expectant attitude. 1t would seem but
natural on bis part to shape his course in con-
]ormity viii The intelligence that may reach
treme righteousness OF bis undertaking might
we'll Justify any amount OF delay and eircum-
spectlon. Bnt it is not In the present temper
Of the Italians, nor in the character Of Their
King, TO listen 10 prudential counsels. The
hour rhch they have been longing for so
GuANy 3eAlh uA8 III taEt ElfuCA. Aueu l0t 10
before them, and something they must needs
attempt, whether their task Is within con-.
pass Of human means, or whether 1t Is simply
Impossible.
The campaign about to open in North Italy
may be expected 10 differ on many essential
points from the war 'saged on The same
ground by the first Bounparte tn 1906, and
rom those undertaken by Charles Albert in
1SiS and Napoleon III, Ia 1850. In all former
encounters Austria was only vulnerable on
her western frontier Of the Ticino. On being
forced from that line. she fell back on those
Of the AIDA, the oglio and tue Chfese, till
the contest was brought to the Aiaeio.
Aaria,is' Austfia had only dcsoied and de-
pendent allies, aud on their territories, since
1915, she had her enrrisons at Piacenza, Fer.
rara and Comacchio, the outworks Of the
great river. It Is true that on first onset
thc plain of Milan YVES easily overrun, ard
the inva.ler, by pushing iorwnrd across the
70 on Parma, Motena aud Bologna, might
come up to thc Qnadrilatcral from the south
no less than from the west. But IN the present
terminate, on the west ut the Minclo, Oh the
south at the Po, where the Italians not only
have IN their hands Piaceuza and NIL the
fn.mcr s1roDgh0lds OF Anstrin, bnt turn
against her all the resources NO less of the
Emilia Than OF all the southern regions Of
the Peninsula.
Al the time Of tho hastily patched-un
peace OF VillairaDca, the King Of Sardinia, al-
though he came otf tho winner OF one Of the
richest provinces in the world, found hln self
at the head Of State much weaker In mil
itary point Of view than tue one be had be-
fore; DOT only had his borders shrunk back
iu Savoy aud Nice, but even on the side o
Austrla he had % longer such line oi DE-
fence as the Ticino formerly constituted. The
frontier Of tile Alincio was Traced entirely IN
the Interests Of Austria, and no engineering
contriyhpce could ever oppose ausht else but
stout mems breasts aEainst an Imperial force
Issuing from Pesehiera aud Mantua, and
securing the open pln}n up to Milan. The
annexation Of 1850, by adding the Duehies OF
Parma and Alodena, ~ well as the Legutions,
TO the Mouarchy Of Victor Emanuel, ,gayc the
italians nearly-6ut not qaite-the whole OF
10 keep their foe in check on thewest by threat
ening him from the south. By strange over
] sight, however, which men Imputed less to
ignorance than to malice on the part Of
the French aegotlators. the Po vas not made
throughout It's course from piacenza to the
hostile Stntes; for the Austridns still retain
On the right tide those three districts Of
| Gonzaga. Revere, aud Sclmide, the old Cis-
] padane dependencies of the Duchy Of A1aDtuu,
which place In their hands for several miles
both banks OF the River while the Italians
| NaA NAl3 NIOcn ~ uOu4u5 Q!4Ak5es VfCA sAS
broni stream under the cnemy's cannon.
The campaign Of 1896 In North Italy Ia
therefore not likely to be limited to the Min.
clio. Indeed, II IL more probably on the Po
that the tug Of was ~ to come. Should the
Austriana fake tho Initiative, they would
have little to gain by rsvagins Lombatdy,
and even humblin!g Milan !; for the Italians
also, as thclr enemies know, have on the west
little qnadrilatezal Of their own at Piacen.
70, Cremona, Pizzsghetione aud Pavia, to tue
rear Of which arc the old Pfedmontese for
tIesacs Of Casa1c and A}essapd1ia, from anT
| Of which points an Austrian army advancing
beyond Milan would be taken in tlank. It Is
natural, therefore, TO suppose that the Aus
trims would rather carry the war across the
Pc, to the South, where the contest would
soon be brought 10 the walls Of Bologna, q
city which, tor Tic last six years, the gold O
Ita'y and the genius Of Menahrca have beer
turning into 4 vast citadel or cutrenchet
camp Of first rate importance, and .whict
must needs become the basis OF the principa
operations OF the Halian army.