the Italian headquarters, who,
after the 24th June had gone to pass the leisure of their camp life at
Cremona, have suddenly made their appearance at Torre Malamberti, a villa
belonging to the Marquis Araldi, where Lamarmora's staff is quartered. A
still more important event is the presence of Baron Ricasoli, whom I met
yesterday evening on coming here. The President of the Council was coming
from Florence, and, after stopping a few hours at the villa of Cicognolo,
where Victor Emmanuel and the royal household are staying, he drove to
Torre Malamberti to confer with General Lamarmora and Count Pettiti. The
presence of the baron at headquarters is too important an incident to be
overlooked by people whose business is that of watching the course of
events in this country. And it should be borne in mind that on his way to
headquarters Baron Ricasoli stopped a few hours at Bologna, where he had
a long interview with Cialdini. Nor is this all; for the most important
fact I have to report to-day is, that whilst I am writing (five o'clock
a.m.) three corps of the Italian army are crossing the Oglio at different
points--all three acting together and ready for any occurrence. This
reconnaissance en force may, as you see, be turned into a regular battle
should the Austrians have crossed the Mincio with the main body of their
army during the course of last night. You see that the air around me
smells enough of powder to justify the expectation of events which are
likely to exercise a great influence over the cause of right and
justice--the cause of Italy.

MARCARIA, July 3, Evening.

Murray's guide will save me the trouble of telling you what this little
and dirty hole of Marcaria is like. The river Oglio runs due south, not
far from the village, and cuts the road which from Bozzolo leads to
Mantua. It is about seven miles from Castellucchio, a town which, since
the peace of Villafranca, marked the Italian frontier in Lower Lombardy.
Towards this last-named place marched this morning the eleventh division
of the Italians under the command of General Angioletti, only a month ago
Minister of the Marine in Lamarmora's Cabinet. Angioletti's division of
the second corps was, in the case of an attack, to be supported by the
fourth and eighth, which had crossed the Oglio at Gazzuolo four hours
before the eleventh had started from the place from which I am now
writing. Two other divisions also moved in an oblique line from the upper
cour