NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE event of the week in Italy is the death of the King of Naples, the import of which is rendered more obscure than we expected it to be, before it happened. There were some apprehensions, that an ultra-Austrian party in the State would attempt to set aside the heir apparent, the Duke of Calabria, son to a Sardinian Princess, in favour of the Count of Trani, eldest son of the late King's Austrian wife ; the Duke it is said being favourable to ; eetsgitutiona1 Government, while the Count is imbued with the most thorough-going Austrian ideas. It does not appear that any attempt has been made publicly to obstruct the regular course of inheritance, and King Francis II. has celebrated his accession to the throne by a proclamation and by some few arrests amongst the intriguers. Whether or not his ideas will alter, as those of .heirte.appareht ito often 'do on feeling the crown round their brows, or whether he is only deferring till somq favourable opportunity a declaration in favour of Italian independence, it seems toler- - ably certain that he had not committed himself to any overt set, in the earlier days of his reign. And although he is descended by the mother's side from the House of Savoy which has so often been generous and patriotic, it must be remembered that the Kings of that dynasty about the period when his mother was educated were nearly as Austrian as any of the other Princes of Italy,—more so than those of Tuscany in that day. And the new King has been already hailed with a warm approval from the 171tramontane party which is at least ominous.
The war has become more active, but no decisive movement has taken place, and probably will not until the Allies are stronger in cavalry, an arm in which the Austrians have a great superiority.
At the end of last week the Austrians made a reconnaissance in force which brought on a combat, terminating in a victory to the allied arms. As they grew, in strength of numbers, the Allies, covered by the Po and Alessandria, moved the 1st Corps under Marshal Baraguay d'Hilliers to Voghera on the Staffore, and sent some Sardinian cavalry under Sonnaz as far down the Piacenza road as Casteggio. Learning this from his patrols, General Gyulai withdrew his advanced post from Vercelli to the east of the Scala, shifted his head-quarters from Mortara to Garlasco, and sent the corps of Count Stadion over the Po to Stradella. On the 20th, Stadion made a rapid advance with part of his corps up the route to Voghera, following the railway line and the old road. The Sardinian horse, warning General Forey at Voghera, retired skirmishing from Casteggio, and the Austrian; marching rapidly, gained Montebello before the French could come up, and debouched on the other side, their advanced guard reaching Ginestrello, and their skirmishers falling in with the French at the rivulet of •Fossogazza. Forey had brought up only two regiments, which, if their num- bers were complete, must have amounted to 2500 each ; but on this point great obscurity prevails. The Allies fell at once upon the Austrian; and, being reinforced, drove them back, after some sharp fighting to Montebello. Here a sanguinary and ob- stinate contest ensued which lasted some hours. In the mean time another division of the 1st Corps bad got under arms and had arrived within view of Montebello. The sight of these fresh men added impetuosity to the charges of the French infantry and Sardinian horse, and probably helped to induce the Austrian General to withdraw his men. The last struggle was for pos- session of a churchyard held by a rear guard of Tyrolese rifles, whose deadly aim repeatedly compelled the French to pause. At length the churchyard was carried, the Austrians withdrew unpursued, and the French occupied the hills on the further side of Montebello. They had lost Beuret, a General of Brigade, but they had gained a victory and captured 200 prisoners. The Austrians fell back to Casteggio, thence to Casatisma, and from that place retired over the Po. Count Stadion and General Fo- rey were both wounded.
This first combat is creditable to both sides. The French fought with their wonted spirit, the Sardinian horsemen showed true mettle and the Austrians stood their ground manfully in combat, and retreated in compact formation. But beyond the moral prestige of the first battle won, the Allies have gained no- thing, and the combat of Montebello, unlike the action in 1800, which gave Lannes a Dukedom, has not been, and is not of a nature to be followed by a second Marengo. The Austrians effected their object, though at some cost. They wished to be certified of the existence of a strong French corps on the Staftbre ; they obtained a certificate but it was sealed by defeat.
The position of the armies is altered only on the Allied left They now stand at Vercelli, but they have not been able to keep ground on. the East of the Sesia, where Cialdini has played the part of Stadion. He crossed the river and was compelled to re- turn. But Garibaldi, with his free corps, promises to be very troublesome. He has crossed the Ticino, and beating the Aus- trian detachments sent against him, has established himself on their right Bank, in the rough country towards the Swiss fron- tier. We shall hear more of him.
The Adriatic is in possession of the French, and Venice is under a blockade. The presence of Prince Napoleon with the leading colums of the 5th Coips, in Tuscany, bodes no good to the Duke of Modena, into whose country he may probably march, operating by way of diversion on the South bank of the Po in rear of the present Austrian line. Thus the war takes a greater sweep. But the military question is still unsettled—how will the Em- peror Napoleon compel the Austrians to quit Piedmont and the Milanese ?
The political complications independent of Naples cannot yet be distinctly traced, but they are evidently increasing. Reports have already reached us, that the advance of Prince Napoleon into Tuscany has occasioned new diplomatic questions, but we are inclined to suppose that the Emperor Napolexin can perfectly sa- tisfy all inquiries on that head. It is necessary that he aboula have a sufficient force on that ground, and it is very improbable that any actual ally of the Emperor can take exception to a mea- sure so completely justified on military as well as political grounds. The conduct of the Austrians at Piacenza, where they act as absolute masters and promulgate Draconian decrees,—their
conduct in the Legations, and especially at Ancona,—releases Napoleon from the obligation of recognizing the neutrality of the
Parmesan and Pontifical territories. It is scarcely to be expected that he should defer to a neutrality actually violated by the Austrians, and maintained only by feeble Governments in obedi- ence to Austrian dictation.
