Year: 1859

fciently the ally of Austria 20 guarantee
her from any attack in the rear from Rus
sia, but not sufficiently to disturb France
by any demonstration on the Rhine It
may be said that, for some time to come
at least, the influence of Germany will
have the effect of leaving both sides free
to use all their strength against each other.
That they will use it there is no doubt
The seat of war adjoins the territory of
each, railways and steamers transport their
troops easily, and most of the long march
es which cnfeebled and diminished ar
mics in the days of Napoleon will be a.
voided. Enormous masses Of armed men
can be taken to the country they are tofight
in as comfortably as if they were merely
making change Of quarters. With this
facility Of transport, and this power of using
the whole of their great standing armies we
must expect to see two hosts gathered to-
gether on the plains of Italy such as no
two single States ever yet opposed to each
other. The numbers we do not pretend
even to guess at. The French are push
ing troops over the Alps, and loading their
ships of war with soldiers for Genoa
The supply of food will be the only limit
to the number which can thus be brought
into the field. The French probably have
their information about the Austrian ar
my, as the Court of Vienna has its own
French proceedings.


But Englshmen are allowed to know
little about the matter. There is, howev-
er, no doubt that the Power which sent
quarter Of million men to Sebastopoi
within eighteen months will be able to
send that number into Northern Italy,
Considering that the whole of Italy, with
27,OOO,O 200 people, may shortly be in sur
rection, and that Sardinia has some SO,-
900 troops of her own already, it may be
reckoned without exaggeration that more
than 100000 men may in the next two
months be put in line to drive the Aus
trians from their carefully chosen and now
famous positions in Lombardy. On the
othor hand, Austria can, and will, no
doubt, bring an equal force into the field.
She does not want men, for the empire
contains 33 100000 souls, without count


ing the Italian Provinces. If the Finance
Ministe: can find the money to keep 30O,-
900 men on foot in Italy, General Gyula


will find work for them all They will
..n4thens to and
of Frenchmen, but they will be fine steady
troops, superior in physique to their enc
mics they will have all that science has
achieved i'll the way OF perfect weapons of
destruction, and they will be commanded
by officers who know that the eyes OF Eu-
rope are upon them, and that they must
fight now for the very existence OF their
empire.


TERRIFIC FIGHr WITH A RArrLEsNAKE.-
We have hitherto supposed the day long
since passed for chronicling big snake
fight in the vicinity Of the Central City,
but snch it appears is not the case, from
a scene which recently transpired within
a short drive from the Court House
Some Of the older residents will re1nem-
Der a building formerly stood on Pros
pect Hill, about six miles distant from Pc
oria, and which was destroyed some seven
or eight years since. During the past
season another house was erected near the
same location, and all that has remained
as relics Of the old hotel was a partially


filled excavation for a cellar and two we'll
preserved brick csterns, which had been


kept covered up. Last week the proprie-
tor of tie place, while busy with his wife
in preparing their summer flower garden,
found himself in the want of few brick
for the edge of the walks. Remembering


the cisterns, he uncovered one of them,
and finding it dry at the bottom, and only
about six teet in depth, he jumped in, and
commenced throwing out some of the
best brick he could pick from the walls.
It seems there was piece of plank with
one end partially imbedded in the earth
that somewhat incommoded him, so seiz-
ing, with some exertion he pulled it ont
and threw it to the top. What was his
horror and surprise at the moment to find


that heha6 unearthed an enormous rattle
snake, and himself without a weapon in


his hand. AS the cistern was round, and
only about five feet in diameter, he could
not Jump out, and the snake bristling with
anger and rattling defiance, was ready for
battle. His screams brought his wife to
the scene, but she was so overcome with
fright that she became powerless to rem


der any assistance. The snake, in the
meantime, had commenced the fight, maxi


ing repeated springs at him, but fortunate
ly he managed on each occasion to hit
him upon the head with his boot, without


receiving a bite, and the snake all the
time becoming more defiant and enraged.
During the whole scene which lasted some
several minutes, the man did not lose his
presence of mind, but watching thesnake
made several frantic efforts to jump bodi-
ly from this seemingly pit of destruction.
At the last trial he fortunately grasped a
brick, which gave way with him, and re-
manned in his hand as he again stood front
ing his kissing enemy. After a few more
kicks and Watching his opportunity. he
threw it, making probably one oI TIC oss-
shots on record, for it struck the snake on