The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-06 00:00:00

If he could only believe that that was all he would be very
well content. But he found that in' other_passages his
Majesty spoke of the proposal for annexing Savoy as though
it were a-matter resulting from some right possessed by the
Emperor of the French. The Emperor also appealed to one
of the most dangerous principles to which any potentate
could appeal—viz., the principle of natural boundaries.
(Hear, hear.) Now, one plain sentence might remove all
the obscurity which hung upon that question; let it be
said that the determination to consult the Great Powers
of Europe meant that which any plain man would
understand when he spoke of consulting another. Let
it only be understood that France would not proceed
to this annexation without the assent of the other
Great. Powers, and then they would all enter on
the discussion of that commercial treaty in a spirit
that would conduce to the peace and tranquillity of
Europe It, however, so happened that rumour rather
reported those questionable portions of the Imperial speech
whi eh spoke of the proposed annexation as a matter of neces-
sity. and left them less room than they would like for he-
lieving that the fair and courteous expressions contained in
-uthe, „c.o the-t...e indication ofo the Eloper, r's
meaning. As a ground for postponing the debate on which
they were now invited to enter he must beg the house to
remember that from July to the present time two negotia-
tions, or, to speak more accurately, one negotiation and One
discussion, had been going on simultaneously. Ire eluded,
first, to-the negotiation with respect to the commercial
treaty, which had ripened into the instrument with which
they were now acquainted. But, unfortunately, the discus
sion relating to the proposed annexation of Savoy seemed—
as far as he could judge from the hasty perusal of the core
respondence which the late delivery of the papers had per-
mitted him to bestow upon them—to have dragged on anti
reached an unfavourable phase precisely after that period
when our assent to the commercial treaty was obtained.
(Hear.) It was of- -the utmost importance that the house
should have had the opportunitynot only of glancing at these
papers, but of reading them, and carefully collecting their
meardng—(bear, hear) —before they were celled upon to ex-
press an opinion upon the commercial,treaty. When he spoke
of the opinion which they might express wit is regard to that
treaty he did not refer so much to the vote to which the
house might be invited to come as to that plainer and clearer
expression of opinion which might perhaps be collected in
the course of the debate. It being of the utmost import-
ance that in the approaching discussion of this treaty they
should have a clear view of the relations actually eubsistine;
between this country and France—(hear, hear)'—he hoped
that the house -would not depart front its ordinary course,
of proceeding, or, by the vote for which the noble lord
had asked, aeselerate • the consideration of this address.
Had the question come ou in its ordinary course, he should
have felt very touch disposed to submit to the con,Aderation
of the house someamendmentivhichmight have given the,,
an opportunity of deciding whether they ought nut to have
better means than they now possessed of forming an Opinion
upon this subject Mere they voted an address to the Crown.
(1.1-ear.) 9.s it was, it of course followed that he must oppoe3
the motion of the noble lord, as one which tended to accele-
rate the consideration of a question which, in his opinion,
was not ripe for discussion. (Hear, hear.)
and
houseßrld gteh‘tat ehre,
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should answer that appeal in the shortest possible manner.
It the house generally- was anxious to see. the terms of the
motion in which he should have the honour of proposing
that an address should be presented to her Majesty
approv-
ing the commercial treaty with France, he would postpone
moving that address until Thursday—(hear, hear)—and
would in the meantime place upon
the paper the exact turns
in which he should propose it. (Hear, hear.) As he was
sure that his hon. friend the member for Bridgewater would
not wish him to go into a long discussion of foreign affairs,
ho would only say that he understood a fortnight ago front
the Chancellor of the Exchequer that it was intended that
an address of this kind should be proposed at the earliest
posiible moment after the house had in committee approved
the various reductions of the Customs' duties. It was on
that account only that he had given notice of his intenCon
to make this proposal to the house, and if it was the general
wish thattho motion should be postponed to Thursday next,
he would accede to that desire. (Hear.)
Lord PALMERSTON.—In accordanCe with what lies
in fallen from v hon. friend (Mr. Byng), and whe.tis.
d e.r
1.;
dently the wish of the house, I beg leave to withdraw-
the motion which I have made. 1 will only say, in
which took
expla-
nation, that in the course of the discussions
' us stages of this matter I stated,
place upon the prow
iu
deference to what we believed to be the general wish of the
house, that at the earliest moment after the resolutionsh ad
been gone through and reported au address would befthe pro-
posed to the house in confirmation and approval o
treaty in gene al has been.
al ; therefore, if the course which
pursued appears
to hon. members to have been more
sud-
den and rapid than usual, it was adopted in deference to
what we supposed to be the wishes of the house. The right
hon. gentleman opposite (Mr. Diszali), the lion, member
for Sunderland, and another active member of this house
were in possession
of the words of the address yesterday, or
certainly this morning. I beg leave to withdraw the motion
for the postponement of the orders.
Mr. ROEBUCK asked the hon. member for Middlesex
whether he would, before Thursday, lay on the table the
words of the address.
Mr. BYNG replied that he would do so that evening.
Mr. DISRAELI—I have always understood that the
earliest moment convenient for taking into consideration
any matter of importance is the earliest moment consistent
with the house having the opportunity of consideration. j
ant very glad that the Government have changed Lheir
course, because I do net think that the members of this
house would have had an opportunity for consideration if
they had been called upon to vote an address to the Crown
with which they had not, speaking generally, had any
opportunity of becoming acquainted. Nor was the
Colll'6B
originally adopted by her Majesty's Ministers
consistent,
with the usual custom of this house, because on the last
occasion of similar importance which I can recall—viz.,
when the treaty of peace 'with Russia was concluded—.
notice of an address .to the Crown_ was given on Mon-
day fur that day week, and upon the Saturday f llow:ng the
language of the address was laid upon the table, so that net
only had we a week's notice of the intention of the Govern •
nient, but we had also 43 hours' notice of the language of
• the intended address. That is a precedent which I am sure
none of us will question, and of which I ane sure that you,
sir, will approve, because I believe that the gentleman who
moved that address was Mr. Evelyn Denison. As the noble
lord has referred to my being in possession of the langeage
of the proposed address, I cannot but say that it appears to
me that her Majesty's Ministers, with a desire to conclude
this business Which is hardly well considered, have followed
the,precedent of Mr. Pitt's time, without refleeting that the
circumstances of the two cases are, owing to the course
which they have followed, very different. .In the address
which lion. gentlemen will see upon the paper to-morrow,
having expressed our dutyand satisfaction ,weererequested
kto go on to say, " Weshall proceed tv take mcb, gels es