SYMPATHY OF THE HUNGARIANS.

Otago Witness, Issue 400, 30 July 1859, Page 3

SYMPATHY OF THE HUNGARIANS.

The Hungarian exiles — sufferers by the troubles of 1848— have promptly taken advantage of the state of affairs, for the purpose of endeavouring to improve the occasion. In the " Corriere Mercantile," of Genoa, there appears a proclamation, addressed by " the Hungarian exiles" to such of their countrymen as are still living under the dominions of Austria. The following is -a copy: —

" Magyars ! The Italians are your brothers Recollect 1849, when the Sardinian Go\ernment, notwithstanding its difficulties, extended a friendly hand to you, the only one offered to you in all Europe. Austria, 'by a thousand promises, will seek to induce you to fight for her ; but do not foget that Italy is fighting for her independence, and that the principle proclaimed by her is also ours. Recollect, Magyars, how Austria remembers her promises when the danger is past! The Italians and we are oppressed by the same yoke. Brethren in slavery, let us aid each other in reconquering and recovering liberty, and in battling for the cause of Italy jou will promote your own. 1 "

On the 11th of May, the day before the arrival of his Majesty the Emperor at Genoa, the Syndic of that city issued the following address : —

Fellow Citizens! — Genoa will to-morrow be the first to enjoy the distinguished honour of receiving His Majesty Napoleon lll.— the generous and powerful ally of our beloved Sovereign, the champion of justice and civilisation, the avenger of oppressed nations. Adopting our cause with unexampled magnanimity, the Emperor of the French, not content with having immediately sent a formidable army to our assistance, comes in person, accompanied by the prayers of all France, to assume its command. Soon will the heir to the uamc and glory of Napoleon the Great fight side by side with Victor Emmanuel 11., the worthy successor of the heroes of Savoy, the king of every Italian heart ; and the family bonds which already unite the two allied sovereigns will be cemented by common dangers and fortunes on bloody fields of battle. Fellow citizens, the Emperor of the French could not give us any greater proof of sympathy nor a surer pledge of victory. Let us, then, express in the fulness of our heart, our sentiments of profound admiration and gratitude to the august chief of the great nation that stretches out a friendly hand to Italy, in order to aid her efficaciously in at length attaining the long-wished-for independence. To-morrow evening, as a sign of joy, the city and port will be illuminated by the municipality. I rely upon your spontaneous and general co-operation. Let every house, from the highest point down to the sea-shore, be illuminated, and let the two tricolors — the symbols of the happy alliance and harbingers of a new Era — wave from every window ! The Syndic, Morro.

The French papers and correspondence teem with accounts of barbarities perpetrated by the Austrians in the country which they have invaded. It is certain that General Gyulai has levied the heaviest contributions of forage, cattle, &c, wherever his troops have penetrated. The following paragraphs on the brigandage practices which he has sanctioned may very possibly be rather highly coloured, but there is reason to apprehend that thej r contain a great amount of substantial truth :—: —

The depredations committed by Austria in Piedmont are now (says the Pays) explained. They are razzias executed, not for the immediate wants of the army, but in order to fill the storehouses in Lombardy. Every day long files of waggons laden with hay, vegetables, grain, and provisions of all kinds, are seen passing by Novara and Vigevano for the left bank of the Ticino. The Austrians literally strip the Piedniontese provinces, aid carry off their booty to a place of safet^F This manner of making war is that of the* ancient barbarians, or rather it is that of an army without money. The Austrians cannot ■ pay for what they take. If they were to plunder in Lombardy they would run the risk of an insurrection of the peasantry. They

therefore go into Piedmont, and make a clean sweep of everything they can find. They do this with a rigour and a cruelty which has created a melancholy and profound sensation in Europe.

The Turin correspondent of the Siecle states that a dealer in butter, who goes twice a week from Ivrea to Vercelli, was making the journey a few days ago with some companions, when the party saw a number of horsemen approaching at full gallop. With the tramp of the horses were mingled cries of distress,* bursts of laughter, and loud hurrahs. For a moment they did not know what to think of it, and getting afraid, were about to " turn back. But they had no time to do this, for the Uhlans were up with them in a few seconds, and as they passed killed one of them with a pistol-shot', for the mere sake, as it would seem, of a practical joke. These savages had seized about a score of young women, who were st vugg ling to get'loose from their drunken captors. Some of these poor creatures were tied to the saddles, others were gagged — their dress and hair in great disorder. They were conveyed in this plight to the railway station, a deserted building now ; and God knows what took place within.