The Express.
London, England, 1860-06-23 00:00:00

ANNEXATION OF SAVOY.

Sir R. PEEL laid that Deltas the noble lord answered
the question he wished to put another, and before doing
so he begged to thank the noble lord the meinber for Lon-
don for being present to answer hie question. He hoped
it was an earnest that for the future the noble lord would
be more ready to defend his policy on foreign
,affairs. He
had said on the previous evening, and he now repeated the
observation, that it appeared to him as if the noble lord
wee shirking the responsibilities of the duties he had under-
taken. That was his (Sir R. Peel's) impression, and he be-
lieved it was a very general impression throughout the
country. At all events, they to seldom got any informa-
tion from the noble lord, that the feeling was rather
one of commiseration for what the noble lord could not con-

coal, than of anger at the small amount of information
he gave. He believed that the noble lord's policy
was both weak and vacillating—le fact was anything
but a determined and • straightforward policy.
The noble lord was sometimes very Indignant spinet other
ministers when they did not pursue what he thought a
straightfoneard policy. He recollected the noble lord once
fulminating indignantly against the noble lord the prime
minister for having punned a mean and humiliating line of
conduct. (laughter.) Ifs did not know whether the noble
lord remembered the expressions then mule use of, but he
(Sir It. Peel) would bring them to his recollection. (Hear,
hear.) Iu 18b8 the noble lord the member for Tiverton
brought in a bill called the Conspinicv Bill, Whom.
and laughter.) He (one Lonettrable 'baronet) among
ninety-nine hem gentlemen of that house strenuously
resisted that Lill hont the very first, and so did the noble
lord himself, because he was desirous of replacing the noble
lord at the heed of the government. On the Bth or 9th of
' February, 1358—things hail been made up since—(laughter)
—but at that time the noble lord was very violent against
1. the government of the prime minister, and said it was yield-
ing to a demand from France, that it was not a strong go-
vernment, and that the noble lord was introducing a bill
which he (Lord J. Russell) would feel shame and
degradation in supporting " Let those support
the bill who would, mid the noble lord, " but
in that shame and degradation I will not
share." Loud cheers followed this declaration, and the
noble lord had got the credit in the country of being a very
spirited and very exasperated patriot. (Laughter.) In his
(Sir R. Peers) mind the present policy of the noble lord was
something very shameful and humiliating to this country.
'He thought the despatch—if what he Mid reed in the public
newsmen were correct—which the noble lord had received
from M. Thouvenel was an insult to the councils of this
country and degrading to her prestige and character.
Y. Thouvenel said that he apposite' to the good
faith of the policy of France, and that though the
Court of France appealed to Europe to sanction
the act of annexation which had just received
'its final consummation, that although France would eon-1
stilt the power. of Europe, the Court of the Tuileries would
not consent to any lessoning of the Savoyard territory in
favour of Switzerland. He must say, after the repeated
declarations of the Emperor of the French, that this was a
most dangerous position of affairs. Did the house recollect
that on three separate occasions—first, on the 10th of
February, then on the Ist of March, and again on the
6th of March, there were distinct assurances on the
part of France that the powers of Europe would be con-
sulted before the annexation took place. Now the
expressions used were very singular, and if there
was any faith in public men at the present day
Were ought to be some faith placed in what Lent
Cowley reported to the present minister of foreign
affairs. On the 10th of February Lord Cowley wrote to
Lord J. Russell, "I sew the Emperor yesterday, and I had
some conversation on the subject of the annexation of Savoy
to France. Ho disclaimed all intention of snoozing Savoy
without consulting the great powers. (Hear, hear.) I
asked his Majesty whether I might repeat this assurance to
your lordship, and the permiaaion was most graciously and
meet cordially given." The word " cordial" had ix charming
piquancy about it, for the eseurance was given with the
consciousness that it would not be acted upon. (Laughter.)
On the let of March there was another despatch, No. 17 in
the books, and in that M. de Thouvenel again assured Lord
Cowley that the Emperor intended to abide by that stets.
meet. On the Bth rat Mandl the noble lord wrote to Lord
Cowley, saying, " I wish you to ascertain from H. de
Thonvenel lst manner the promise of the Emperor
that the peat powers of Europe should be consulted is to
be earned into effect." Now let the house observe that
from the 6th of March to the 21st of June no answer what-
ever had been publicly given to the statement made by the
noble lord. and we did out know what reply the court of
France had made to Lord Cowley. That was a very lax
way of conducting the affairs of this country, particularly
on a question affecting in such an important degree the
neutrality of a state which Englaml, as well as the six other
great powers of Europe, had guaranteed to maintain. He
would not now enter into a full discussion of the question,
because he believed that upon some future occasion an op-
portunity would be afforded him of doing so. But he could
not allow this .lay to muss without entering iu the mune—
he would notmy of Switzerland, but of every man who had
any feeling of what the principles of honour should
be In the conduct of public affairs—of entering
hie protest against the conduct of the Emperor of the
French in this mutter, bemuse they must remember that
the neutrality of Switzerland was absolutely at an cud from
this moment. The cantons de Vend and the Genteel:
were °names, to use an expressive French word, so that
they could no longer deliberate in safety. It had been
distinctly laid down that no troops should outer into those
neutralised forovinces, whereas at the present moment there
were not only forces at I.luunbery, which were going to the
four districts of Savoy, namely, the Pont de lleeuvoisin,
AlbviUe, Meatier*, and St. Jaen de Novelly ; on the
other hand there were troops going to Annecy,
which was in the neutralised provinces, and there
would be detachments sent to Thonon in the
Chilblain, to Booneville in the Faacigny, sod to
the principal military stations in the Genevoix. Now
these were troops upon the very limits of the Lake of
Geneva, directly opposed to the distinct uuderstanding of
treaties and the distinct and reiterated protests en the part
of the republic of Switzerland. He would ask
the attention of the house to one very
portent fact in this question of the treaty of
Turin—that when that treaty was made, twee and iniquitous
as it was on the part of the king of Sardinia to mike such a
sacriffeeof the bercesu of his family, yet at that nenneat be
distinctly stated that the treaty of the 24th of March was
; made by the cession of Savoy to France but that there was
a reservation to Switzerland for bet co-operation in the steps
to be taken on the subject of the neutralised provinces.