The Express.
London, England, 1860-04-10 00:00:00

nee:

ITALY.
SARDINIA.
. _
PION Ora RPCCIAL COIRICEIPONDECT.)

TURIN, APRIL 6.

To-day the slow and tiresome proceedings of the
Piedmontese Chamber of Deputies were suddenly
interrupted by an unexpected Incident. It was four
o'clock when Count Cavour took his seat on the
ministerial bench, under the gangway of the house,
which was languidly discussing the election of a
worthy professor, Signor Bb, one of the members
for Genoa. At that moment a distinct voice was
heard. It was that of General Garibaldi, who had
asked leave to speak. The voice of the general at
once hushed the house to the deepest silence. Gari-
baldi, having obtained leave to speak, said that he
wanted to put a question to the President of the'
Council upon a matter of the utmost importance.
It was easy to understand that the illustrious
member for Nice wished to bring on a debate upon
the grave question of the annexation of that town
to le,nce. Count Cavour, who was, perhaps,
taken aback, saw at once that to accept a discus-
sion upon this delicate matter would be to put in
jeopardy the solution of an affair on which depends
the future destiny of Italy. He, therefore, rose
with a gesture of disapproval, and in firm and
rather sharp language told the house that he
would not answer the question, because the
verification des pouroirs being not yet fully accom-
plished, members of parliament had no right to ad-
dress questions to the advisers of the crown. He
added that all the precedents of the house sanc-
tioned this constitutional principle, and that it
would be to infringe the most obvious rules of
legislative assemblies to allow one of its members
to follow such a course. At that moment
Signor Laurenti Robaldi, another member for Nice,
rose from hie seat, and, in a voice full of emo-
tion' told the house that his illustrious colleague
wanted to have some explanation upon a ques-
tion which was of the utmost importance.
" What would the house say," added Signor
Laurenti, "if the Austrians were on the point of
attacking na I The question which my illustrious
friend wanted to put to the President is of equal
moment." It would be difficult for me to give you
an idea of the effect produced by these words, and
of the tumult that followed them. Signor Mellen&
urged upon the house to allow General Garibaldi
to put the question. Linen advised the postpone-
ment of it till the next day. The confusion
was so great, and the speakers So loud and
numerous, that it was impossible to follow the
discussion. At last Deputy Boggio, one of the
secretaries, succeeded in making himself heard, and
proposed to the house the resumption of the
former discussion, since no member had the right
of putting questions to the ministry till the verifi-
cation des pouovirs bad been accomplished. The
house, by an overwhelming majority, decided in
favour of Boggio's proposal, and thus put an end
to the eager and somewhat dangerous discussion.
To bring on a debate upon such a delicate question,
on the eve of the voting—which, as I told you yester-
day, will take place on the 20th of this month—might
possibly have overthrown Count Cavour's policy
in this matter. In putting the question to the
ministers, General Garibaldi was no doubt actuated
by the moat generous sentiments ; but to interfere
now between the government and its powerful ally
would have put in jeopardy the future of this
country. Such a delicate question might be freely
discussed without danger at Westminster, but not
in the Palazzo Carignano. The consummatum
eat unhappily has been pronounced. There is
nothing to be done now except to bend the head and
accept with resignation the sacrifice which has been
imposed upon Sardinia.