The Express.
London, England, 1860-04-04 00:00:00

SWITZERLAND.

M. Kern, Swiss Minister has sent in the fol-
lowing note to the French Minister of Foreign
Affairs, announcing the intention of his government
to call for the intervention of Europe in the Savoy
question :

Paris, March 2S.
Monsieur le Ministre,—The government of the Swiss
Confederation, after having made itself acquainted with
the stipulations of the treaty by which his Majesty the
King of Sardinia consents, under the reserve of the sanction
of the Chambers, to the union of Savoy and of the anon-
dissement of Nice to France, which was iwed at
Turin on the 24th, regrets to see itself obliged to
take new measure with the government of the Emperor,
in order to protect the interest, of Swiss neutrality.
The object of this treaty evidently is to unite all the
province, of Savoy to France, and consequently those
which are comprised in the neutrality: of the Helvetic Con-
federation. But the present state of things, as established
by the treaties of IFIS, (1112110 t., and ought not to be changed
without the pDrevious consent of the powers of Europe
and of Switserlasd, which is particularly intended therein.
The Emperor's government cannot fail to see that where
rights and uiteresta of the nature of those referred
to are at stake, the cession by one power to
another of a neutralised territory must be considered
as an essential change affecting the bans itself of the
relations in question ; and that the annexation of a terri-
tory, guaranteed for the preservation of the neutrality
of another country, bears a very different character to that
of the territory of states which are not placed under such
ex conditions Any execution of the treaty indi-
te far as concerns the neutralised provinces, would
be considered by my government as contrary to stipulations
which possess an international character. The Federal
Council sees itself, therefore, under the necessity of pro-
testing any measure for the execution of this treaty
se • the neutralised provinces. It very particularly
protests—whilst demanding the maintenance of the thaw
quo--against any vote on the annexation, and against any
taking possession, whether military or civil, of those pro-
vinces, until an understanding with the guaranteeing
powers and with Switzerland shall have been come to.
The Federal Council will apply for a meeting of represen-
tatives of the powers which guaranteed to Switzerland the
neutrality of the three provinces, and reserves to itself, as
representing the country which is most interested, and in
conformity with the principles of international European
law already recognised, to uphold therein the rights and
interestsof Switzerland. The Federal Council hopes that
the French government will recognise the justice of the ob-
jections which have just been made, especially as in Art. 2
of the treaty of the 24th March, France engages herself "to
come to an understanding on this subject both with the
powers represented in the Congress of Vienna and with the
HelveticConfederation." It is, therefore, only a natural
and necessary consequence of that stipulation to renounce
any measure which might have for object the execution of
the treaty, as far as concerns the neutralised provinces, be-
fore that understanding shall have been brought about. It
is with this hope and with full confidence in the sentiments
of just the Emperor's government that the under-
signed ha,
he honour, ix., KERN.