The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-14

iayoring the arms and the ambition of Austria; I
all the devotees Of liberalism and progress, on
the other hand however they may condemn the !
character and the domestic policy OF Count Bis
mark, wish we'll, at heart to the northern mon
archy, which represents, in the culture and the
tendencies OF its people, the hope OF liberalism /
and of progress in Germany. In the second place,
the geography of Germany, and especially OF |
Eastern Germany, is no better known in ENGLAND |
or France even by the educated classes, than it |
names must suffer many sea-change into
something woundrous strange ere they can
reach the Western World by way of the French
and English telegraph lines. Either of these
influences alone would suffice to generate an
infinite deal Of confusion in the accounts which,
passing through the camps of Austria and of
Prussia, are to go forth to the world as bulletins
of the campaign now begun beneath the
shadows of the Giant Mountains Both OF them
acting together, and REINFORCED by the per-
petual temptations to conceal reverse and to
magnify victory to which ali commanders are
exposed in all wars. and to which the leaders of
the Prussian and the Austrian forces are pecu-
larly exposed in the war now waging, must
bring about, We may be certain, chronic ana
dusky chaos in our current story of the conflict.
At the present moment, tor example, nothing
is clear but that on the 26th, 9th, and 2Sth of
June, the armies of Prussia and OF Austria came
into collision, upon at least three dlIerent t
fields, along line stretching from the frontier
OF Galicla to the meridian of Prague; and that
at the very latest advices the Pru5slan armies
were in undisputed possession, not only OF
both sides OF the chain OF the Rlesen-geblrge,
from a point southeast of Nachod as far west
as Zlttau, in SaXony but also OF consldera-
bic triangular section of Bohemia itself, IN
cluding the northern and eastern sections oil
two of the most important railways wnlcn
lead from Bohemia into Saxony and Silesia.
If, therefore, the conflicts of June were
brought about by q Prussian advance from Sile
sia into Bohemia it Is plain that the Prussians,
who at the last advices held Munchengratz,
Turnau, and Jaromirz. three towns lying all OF
them M more than thirty miles from the Silesian
frontier in Bohemia, and commanding the inte-
rior railroad lines TO that frontier, had made
very serious progress towards the heart of the
province which they were invading. IT, on the
other hand, the Austrians provoked these con.
tests, as the latest Viennese kilograms would
seem to imply that they did, with view to
pierce the Prussian lines and to prevent a
| junction between the armies of the Crown
| Prince OF Prussia IN Siesla and the Prince
| Frederic Charles in Saxony, then 1t ls equally
plain that the Austrlans had failed in their main
| design.
The latest and most iubilant Austrian telegram
| which we have announces that the Prussians
| had evacuated Leipa, Dauba, and Melnik, and
falling back towards Turnau, had fixed their
| headquarters at Niemes. Now, Leipa, Dauba,
| and MelnIk lie almost upon the same meridian,
| Melnik being distant only about fifteen miles
| from Prague, the capital of Bohemia; and the
| question at once occurs, how came the Prussians
| to have made such startling progress as this in
period OF but two or three days at the longest
Niemes itself is town which. lying about
twenty. miles beyond the Saxon frontier
in Bohemia, communicates directly with
SANS are in great force. Driven back
from Munchengratz to Furstenbruck, the
| Austrians, in the latter of these places, are
protected by hills, the secondary spurs OF the
| Lansitzer-gebirge, while the town OF Joseph
stadt, about fifty miles to the eastward o
| Furstenbruck, to which the Austriaus are re
| ported to have retired before the Prussians IL
Jaromirz is also protected by chain of hills
proceeding laterally from the Riesengebirge
In its general aspects, therefore, we repeat, the
news by the Persia indicates that the Austriani
in Northeastern Bohemia have either found
| themselves unable to hold the open country
against the Prussians, or that they have retirec
"for strategic reasons" abandoning to the in
vader the greater part OF two important lines
| of railway, and permitting him TO push hi
| advance, for time at least, almost within
cannon-sound OF the gates of Prague itself
Further to the eastward still we have news o
an engagement fought on the 9th OF June
between a small force of from five to sil
thousand Prussians and about an equal force o
Austrians at or near the Galician town o
Oswiencm. This town is the eastern terminu
of the railway known as the Kaiser-Ferdlnand
Nord-Bahn; and by this line it was that Marsha
Benedek, if he meditated a march upon Breslau
would have most seriously threatened that grea
and prosperous Silesian city. The Prussians, il
destroying the railway at Oswiencim, as we'll a
by their occupation of Northeastern Bohemia
and by their previously reported destruction 0
the railway bridges in Western SaXony on tn
LiepsicNuremberg road, would seem to be ben
not so much on invading Bohemia as on maxim
it difficult or impossible for Austria and he
Southern allies to invade Saxony or Silesis
The London Arnly and NdUy Gazette calls upo
Benedek to show now whether che is or is not
General;n and if the view which We have give
of the position OF affars at the latest adyces b
correct, it is obvious, we think, that the sun
mons comes not a day too soon.