COURRIER D'ITALIE.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 195, 2 September 1859, Page 3

COURRIER D'ITALIE.

_Special Correspondence of the Semaphore, translated for the Sydney Morning Herald ] Milan, 15ih June, 1859. Sir, —I shall some day send you my impressions of Milan, and details ofthe long journey which has thrown me behindhand in my correspondence. I should be.afraid to repeat too soon such -matters as are now before the minds of your readers, were I to say much at present of the battle field of Magenta, whioh I have visited and studied attentively during tbe last tvveny-foir hours. History will have much to rectify in the recitals of those who ImVe acted as chionichr."*., a1* the desire of giving rapid •news too often urges sbtne writers to substitute for the truth, which they do not know, the fantasies of their own imagination. To the battle of Mnge^ita which even official reporis have only notified to the publio in a very brief and com:pr«hensive manner, lias been aoUa-ly described ■at full length. Pelhaps it could not be wholly •described at the present moment—at all events, in a strategetic point of view; observations must be made, critical examinations be prepared and details be furnished which the enemy does .■not think it necessary should be known at the present moment. Magenta was a great—an immense victory ; that is what is most essential that all should know. We may also add, without being wanting in discretion, that if France had occupied the ground that Gyulai did, no army could have 'dislodged her forces. The position was indeed formidable, s^ngthened on all sides by imposing intrenchments, and protected by an artillery ten times as strong as that of the enemy. But, sir, the ground itself must be seen in order fully to-;comprehend the unheard of efforts of intrepidity and self ab-negation which were required ou the part of an army at first Very much weaker, before it coqld win the plateau And there maintain itself. The infantry of the Guard, fii*#fc engaged, found itself, momentarily, in the same position as the Guard at Waterloo, and its Colonel answeei the foe much in the same words as Cambionere. At this moment the Emperor quitting his post of observation, came forward. The first who saw him shouted Vive l'Empereur! He silenced these cries with a wave of his hand—bullets whistled past his head,. and fell like a shower around his horse. General Fleury threw himself before him and covered him with his body. He was compelled to move further off, and almost immediately the'cannonade of M'Mahon washeaid. And not before it was time, Gyulai was just about to

send off a courier to Vienna to carry the tidings of a victory. • j Marignan has been also a brilliant suocess, ! but dearly bought. Unfortunately every contest verifies the fear expressed by the Emperor, " That which Id read most is your sudden, impetuous dash. If things go on in this way it will be useless giving out cartrilges to the soldiers. They disdain to use* powdei- and will know nothing but the bayonet. Nothing can hold them back ; they throw themselves, bayonets in hand, upon the mouth of cannon, and disregarding the most cruel loss, make a sport of, in this manner, seizing upon positions which might just as surely be taken by artillery and with much leas expense of life. I' visited Vercelli: the Austrian guns there bear traces of those fearful onslaughts against grape shot with naked breasts; and on more than one can be seeo the gory marks of the hands that grasped them. At Marignan were done in some hours all the exploits that Francis the First perforirved in three days. This French fury, as was said in the days of Franm has already demoralized the Austrian. His soldiers fight energetically and to the last,—but like men that knew beforehand that they must be conquered. An officer, taken prisoner, with whom I conversed for more than an hour on the citadel of Milan, spoke to me as follows :— "We know, sir, ibjakwith the. French we can^ not hope to retain the country; we must kill them all to the* very last man." The Guard, it must be declared, has in these two battles acquired for itself a most choice reputation—ofthe kind that becomes such a corps. But apart from that, the truth must not be concealed—there are no diusions in the French army which are at all inferior in point of valor. It is too much the fashion of all the world to speak of nothing but the Zouaves—naw they aU fight as the Zouaves; you will understand that I mean as bravely. The Zouaves have certain taking ways which distinguish them in a very picturesque manner, but the Line—the brave Fremh Line—more compact and better I disciplined, fights no less sturdily, and has ho less a share in our victories. It is said hero that Austria oounts muoh more from this time forward upon Prussia than upon her own arms. We hear that she has abandoned Placentia and Pavia, and has retired into the famous four-sided space. We are told by some, too, that Gyulai is disgraced, whilst others affirm that he marches with a division considerably in advanoe of Prinoe Jerome. It is said also that the Emperor Francis Joseph, since the battle of Marignan, has demanded an armistice of eight days,—that the Emperor Napoleon is on the point of returning to France to receive the Emperor Alexander at Fontainbleau, —that in consequence of all this the Duke of Magenta, the youngest of our marshals, will be made General-in-Chief of the army in Italy. As to the Lombards, they continue, by all sorts of rejoicings, to celebrate the victories which are giving them their freedom. Garibaldi has opened enlistment offices, and notices, placarded over all the walls, call upon the volunteers to serve. It is said these volunteers are numerous. ; I know nothing about that j but I know there are here in the streets, in the publio place, promenades, and in front of the cafes, crowds of splendid looking young men, fashioned after the model of Hercules, and that these drink and smoke, and certainly do not appear to be in any particular hurry. I hope, of course, that . they Will be forthcoming at the seiges of Manta and Cremona.. >.», (Signed) Ulysse Pyck. P.S.—lt is the first and not the third of the Zouaves which led the way at Marignan. This regiment has suffered serious losses. (pertes graves). The Commandant Rousseau, having received three mortal wounds, expired in the hospitals of Milan. It was pointed out to him that his white burnous marked hira oat too much to the fire and sword of the enemy, but he made ft a point of honor to wear it Yq'ota the Austrians. One can hardly believe of how many painful, cruel losses this heroic French fan faronade is the cause. The regiments of grenadiers with whom we were engaged at Marignan were, the major part of them, Poles. They attempted to resist the charge of the Zouaves with the bayonet. " What," said the Zouaves, "it seems that we also are going to stick ourselves on the forks, are we ? No, no, my little little lambs, that game won't doj"— and the first rank having been with a rush broken through, the rest of them were easily driven back in disorder. 1 U.P.