The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-02-14 00:00:00

THE HISTORY OF SAVOY.

In order to understand the hearings of the Savoy
question in 1860 a retrospective glance at the history of
that territory will be found useful.
Up to the 16th century the pnaieuiofl of the House of
Savoy included the Lower Valais. the Pays du Vaud,
part of the present cantons of Freiburg and Geneva,
and the Pays de Gee. After many changes the Valais,
Vaud, Freiburg, and Geneva became permanently
Swiss (a different confederation, of course, from the
present; Valais was in union with the seven Catholic
cantons, and Geneva more especially with Berne and
Zurich) ; in 1601 the Pays de Gel became French by
the Treaty of Lyons, and in 1600 the Treaty of St.
Julien fized • boundary of four hours (stioultri) about
Geneva, within which Savoy was to introduce no troops
and to erect no fortresses. This state of things lasted
until the French Revolution, which found Savoy
bounded on the north by the Lake of Geneva. between
Hermance and St. Gingolph, east by the Valais, and
west by the Genevese territory and the Rhone.
la 1792 France annexed Savoy • in 1708, Geneva;
and in 1802, the Valais; and they formed integral parts
of the French dominions during the Republic and the
first Empire.
In 1814, by the Treaty of Paris, Geneva was united to
the Swiss Confederation with the sane boundaries as
before French annexation ; Upper Savoy (Cliablais,
Faucigny, &el was restored to Sardinia, while Lower
Savoy was retained by France.
In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, it was laid down
as • principle by the great Powers that the absolute
neutrality of the Swiss Republic was a European neces-
sity, and that in that view it was important to give her
a strong natural boundary. In fact, the question of
Savoy is a question of phyeical geography.
It was represented by the Geneve.. Commissioners
that the arrangements under the first Treaty of Paris did
not gain these ends • that the portion of Savoy (Clableis
and Faucigny) restored to Sardinia was isolated, and, in
the event of hostilities, incapable of defence by that
Power; and that, while thus of doubtful value to Sarii-
Dia, Switzerland was deprived of a territory of the
highest strategic importance, including the Route du
Simplon, of *Lich Geneva is the key. They therefore
propireed that, subject to the sovereignty of Sardinia,
Chablais and Fancigny should be included in the neutra-
lity of Switzerland, and ecompanied the details neces-
sary to carry out this plan by the suggestion that Sardi-
nia would engage never to cede nor excliauge these pos-
sessions.
This proposal to the Congress drew from the Sardinian
Envoy • reply favourable to the proposition for neutrality
but asking for Sardinia the cession of that portion of
Savoy that bad been left under French rule.
Such was the position of affairs when the landing of
Napoleon I. from Elba checked the existing negotiations
caused a renewal of the alliance of the great Powers, to
which Switzerland gave her adherence, with a force of
40.000 uien, and opened the short campaign terminated
by the second Peace of Paris. The Swiss and !Sardinian
questions were again taken up, and by a treaty signed
on November 20, 1815, by Austria, France, Great
Britain, Portugal. Prtusia, Ituaria, Sweden, and Spain,
it was tweed that the portion of Savoy which at the first
Peace of Paris had been retained by France should be
restored to Sardinia, and the Article of March Z.), 1815,
of the Congress of Vienna, by which, " in the event of
war," those portions of Sardinian Savoy called Chablais
and Fancigny, were declared to participate in the neu-
trality of Switzerland, was confirmed.
In order to carry out these views Switzerland and
Sardinia made the Treaty of Turin on the 16th of
March. 1816, by which the necessary details for placing
Chablais and Faucigny under Swiss military occupation
in the eventuality of war, for withdrawing the Sardinian
troop*, and for settling a well-defined boundary to the
neutral portion of the territory, were agreed on.
By the 23rd article of this trusty it is stipulated that,
for the sake of good feeling, it shell not be lawful for
Switzerland to cede or Alienate Valais, nor for a e house
of Savoy to cede or alienate Cliablais. Faucigny, or
Geneva (the province or department of Savoy so called)
to any third Power.
On the 14th of March, 1859, the Swiss Confederation
in view of the probable outbreak of hostilities between
France, Sardinia, and Austria. addressed a circular note
to the signers of the treaties of 1815. and also to the
adjacent States of Baden, Bavaria. Wurtemberg, and
Sanlinia, in which, as • neutral and independent State,
and in accordance with times treates, they defined the
position which, in the event of a declaration of war,
they intended to asisunie.
All the Powers, in responding to this circular, acknow-
its propriety and legality. No reclamation as was
music, and Sardinia declared her readiness to enter at
once on the negotiations necessary for the eventual occu-
pation by Switzerland of neutral Savoy. These nego-
tiations are yet pending.
The above may be taken as an accurate, although, of
course, a condensed, statement of the relative positions
which the various 'partial, the great Powers of Europe,
France, Sardinia, sad Switzerland—occupy at the
present time.
eleven