The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-26 00:00:00

{ SA VOY, SW ITZERLAND, AND FRANCE

~..~~. ,~

The following important documents were sent
us for publication last night :
" To THE HIGH POWERS Or EUROPE.
" The undersigned have the honour of stating, in
the name of a large number of their fellow-country-
men, that, called upon as being -under the jurisdic-
tion of the Sardinian monarchy to witness the links
definitively broken which united them to their
King, and to make manifest, in consequence, the
wishes they have formed for the political reconsti-
tution of their country, they conceive it to be their
duty to make known to the Powers of Europe,
whose assent has hitherto been necessary to any
territorial remodelling in Europe, that the popula-
tions inhabiting Northern Savoy have already, in
anticipation of a separation—much to be re-
gretted—from the Sardinian monarchy, loudly tes-
tified their desire, in this event, to be united to
the Swiss Confederation, with whom they have
been for a long time intimately brought together by
ancient relations of neighbourhood, communion of
interest, habits, wants, and manners.
"This desire, which since then has been sanc-
tioned by the assurances given by the Governments
of France and Sardinia that the wishes of the po-
pulations as well as the interests of Switzerland,
who possesses rights upon our territory, should be
taken into serious consideration, authorises them to
claim from *on to whose examination the head of
the French Government has declared that this mat-
ter should be submitted their favourable attention
and their earnest support.

" consequently, they have the honour to bring to
the knowledge of the high Powers the terms of the
Declaration herewith annexed, which emanates
from the provinces of Chablais, Faucigny, and
Genevois, together with, the signatures thereto,
amounting to more than 11,000, collected up to the
present day in the communes of these three pro-
vinces.

" Signed by the Presidents of the Committees, &c,
" March 16, 1860."

" DECLARATION OF THE INHABITANTS OF NORTHERN

SAVOY.

" The undersigned, inhabitants of the commune
of -, province of -, anxious at the reports
which are spread abroad, and according to which
Savoy is to cease to form part of the State of the
King of Sardinia, desire herein to record the ex-
pression of their devotion to the King, and the
wish they have formed to see no change in their
union with the Sardinian monarchy.
" But, on the • other hand, and in the event of
political reasons, respecting which they do not
wish to constitute themselves judges, rendering a
separation inevitable, they are convinced that their
Sovereign will not dispose of his faithful subjects
without having permitted them to make known their
wishes, under circumstances so important to them
for the future. Accordingly, and notwithstanding
the' sympathies excited by a great and glorious
empire, they expressly testify their desire to be
united to the Swiss Confederation, towards which
they have long been attracted, no less 'by a com-
munion of interest and feeling than by those rela-
tions of friendship of which they have received so
many proofs."

"ADDRESS TO HIS MAJESTY NAPOLEON 111., EM-
PEROR OF THE FRENCH.
" Sire, We venture humbly to entreat your
Majesty to deign to cast youi eyes upon the follow-
ing statement, in which we have endeavoured to
describe the wishes and the hopes of Northern
Savoy :
" When it became certain that, under the title of
Kingdom of Italy' a, great State was about to be
formed beyond the Alps, the thought occurred to
every one that France, bearing in mind her own
defences, would one day claim the French slopes of
these very mountains.
"In anticipation of this same contingency,
Switzerland, in the' name of treaties, laid claim to
the provinces of Chablais, Faucigny, and part of
Genevois. She said that this northern district of
Savoy had been made neutral in her interest, no
less than in that of the balance of power in Europe.
Some public writers have called in, question this
right of the Helvetic Confederation by maintaining
that this neutrality had been established in favour
of Sardinia alone.
" Leaving aside treaties, we first asked ourselves
whether Northern Savoy formed part of the line of
defence necessary for the security of France, for we
had sufficient sympathy for that great nation to
make the sacrifice of our own interests the moment
that sacrifice became necessary for the accomplish-
ment of that civilising mission which Providence
had assigned to her. But it seemed to us that,
under the present division of the people and of
Europe, the Alps of Savoy to the south have a
completely distinct destination from that of
Northern Savoy. In the former are to be found
the passages of the Mont Cenis and of the Little
St. Bernard. Descending these defiles an army
coming from Italy might enter directly upon
the soil of France. It is in the interest of
France to occupy the slopes of this portion
of our mountains. The Alps of Northern
Savoy lead all into Switzerland; they are
necessary to that Power in order to defend the pas-
sages of the Great St, Bernard and of the Simplon,
which have been intrusted to her neutrality. Again,
Northern Savoy is a poor country, purely agricul-
tural. It is in Switzerland that the Savoyard of
the North sells his produce, and that he buys all
that he may want. He has no relations with the
provinces of the South; he goes neither to Cham-
bery nor to Annecy, except when summoned thither
by administrative or judicial business. French soil
he sees still more rarely, because he cannot get
there unless by crossing the territory of a foreign
people, or by going a long way round.
" Being in no way necessary to France, ought
we to sacrifice our daily interests and our natural
relations to a feeling of sympathy which we all
entertain for the French nation ? Undoubtedly not
—and being persuaded that our wishes were in
no way incompatible with our respectful admiration
for France, we made a frank and loyal appeal to
our fellow citizens. Already they have answered
that appeal by more than 11,000 signatures. The
popular impulse was too unanimous to be stopped
by certain personal ambitions, or by certain influ-
ences hostile to the idea of being united Switzer-
land (idee Suisse). The voice even of some few
members of the clergy, all-powerful under other
circumstances, found no response from the popula-
tions ordinarily submissive and docile.
" This imposing manifestation of public opinion
has taken place with a calmness and collectedness
which proves how well the people understand the im-
portance of the great act they were performing.
The other day Southern Savoy, under the dominion
of local interests, succeeded in obtaining from
some members of the Provincial Councils a declara-
tion which, under the pretence of opposition to the
dismemberment of Savoy, is nothing else than
sacrificing the minority to the egotistical calcula-
tions of two towns, which believe it to be necessary
for their interests to drag after them Northern
Savoy. Chambery wishes to preserve the seat of a
Court of Appeal ; Annecy wishes to be the chief
town of a department; and the realisation of these
two projects requires, as it would seem, that Savoy
should not be dismembered.
" We have full confide‘nce in the magnanimity of
the august Emperor who raises so high the flag of
France. We know how much authority he has
always attached to the expression of popular will,
by considering the vote of the most obscure citizen
as equal to that of the man in the highest ranks.
We know with what sense of jastice he presides
at all the acts of his Government, with what
anxiety he himself studies every question sub-
mitted to him. Thus, strong in the sup-
port now given to us by the! concurrence of so
large a number of the inhabitants of Northern
Savoy, we hope that the efforts of men without
any mandate, chosen under the prepossession of
distinct interests, by a limited suffrage, will not
form an obstacle to our voices being heard.
" Sire ! We cannot go to you ; but you for a
long time lived in the neighbourhood of our coun-
try. Our interests ought to be known to you.
Perhaps you have been deceived as to our wishes. If
you want a new proof of them, allow us to vote,