The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-20 00:00:00

ITALY.

A Turin letter, of the 16th, contains the follow
ing

Since the day on which the Chamber had to judge the
conduct of M. Tofani, no sitting more to be regretted than
that of yesterday has been held. This was the second time
that the Assembly had been transformed into a chamber of
accusation. The seats were all full in spite of a heat of
80 deg. Fahrenheit, At 2 o'clock after the vote, by a small
majority, of the bill granting a pension to the Thousand
of Marsala, M. Pisoli, the reporter of the committee of
inquiry into the participation of certain deputies in
the affairs of the Southern railways, ascended the
tribune, amidst a profound silence, to read his report. After
tracing the history of the concession of the said railways,
the speaker said that the task of the committeee of inquiry
had been the more difficult that the accusations brought
forward applied not only to MM, Bastoglki and Susani,
but to other deputies. When the Parliament granted the
concession to M. Bastoggi in preference to Baron de
Rothschild, a rumour was current that the above-named
deputy kad purchased the votes of several of his col-
leagues. The statement was traced to an advocate of
Turin, who, on being called on to giye an explanation,
declared that ono of his clients, a former deputy,
bad admitted that 30 votes: had been sold for a sum of
3,000,000 f. ; that the mission of effecting the transaction
had been offered to this deputy, but ho had refused to accept
it. The committee had resolved to get to the bottom of this
accusation, but the advocate, on being required to furnish
proofs, could give none. The vague rumours, which were
the most dangerous, having thus completely disappeared,
there only remained for the committee to verify precise and
determined facts. A deplorable impression had been
produced on public opinion by the publication of the
names of the persons forming the board of directors,
as it included almost all the members of the com-
mittee appointed to examine the bill and the concession.
The committee of enquiry, however, added that it was happy
not to have discovered any proofs of collusion or engage-
ments between its members and the concessionary. The
report then referfed to the participation of the deputy, M.
Susani, in the affair of the railway. That gentleman was
the secretary of the committee charged by the Chamber to
examine the concessions made to Baron de Rothschild. An
arrangement was nevertheless made between M. Susani and
M. Bastoggi, to obtain for the latter a preference over M, de
Rothschild ; for that service M, Susani received a bonus of
1,200,000 f, which he discounted at Milan for 675,000 fr.
The report does not conceal the fact that the explanations fur-
nished by MM. Bastoggi and Snsani do not appear satis-
factory, and terminates with the following conclusions :-
Ist. That the vague rumours and suspicions of corruption
put in circulation against the deputies on the subject of
the southern railways are completely disproved ; 2d.
That the suspicions which hung over the deputies who
formed part of the committee charged with examining the
project of concession to the Rothschild bank, and who
afterwards entered the board of directors of the
southern railways, are also dissipated; 3d. That
the interest and dignity of the Chamber nevertheless require
that the office of deputy should be incompatible with the
functions of directors, or the position of parties interested in
undertakings subventioned by the State, or which may be
placed in opposition to those of the States ; 4th, That M.
Susani, at the moment in which he was a member, and even
secretary to the committee charged to make a report on the
Rothschild concession was the adviser of M. Bastoggi ; that
he participated in M. Bastoggi's undertaking, and that pro-
priety required that he should first have given in his resig•
nation as a member of the Parliament Committee, which
he did not :do ; sth, That the sum of 1,200,0001., brought
in question in the Weill-Achott trial, was the bonus des •
tined for M. Susani in return for his co-operation; 6th.
That M. Bastoggi ought not to have accepted the aid
.of
th
M. Susani, knowing him to be a member of the Pas-
Megctary Committee; 7tb, That AN, )3astoggi, in 4 Acting