The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-09 00:00:00

FRANCE AND STVI7ZE.RLAND.

The following, being the text of the correspon-
dence between the French Government and the
Frederal Council on the violation of Swiss territory
in the Valley of the Dappes, has been received :
" NOTE ADDRESSED BY THE FEDERAL COUNCIL TO THE
SWISS MINISTER AT PARIS, UNDER DATE OCT. 31, 1861.

" Sir,—We have just been informed by the Coun-
cil of State of the Canton de Vaud that on Sunday,
the 27th October, a strong detachment of French
gendarmes, and some soldiers from the garrison of
Fort de Rousses, armed and under the command of
an officer of gendarmes, have entered the locality of
Cressonnieres Suisse, in Vaud.
" According to the accompanying reports from
the Prefect of Nyon, the first cause of so flagrant a
violation of territory must be sought in the follow-
ing circumstances :
" An individual named Fournier, condemned by
the police tribunal of Nyon, for having maltreated
a woman, escaped the punishment by taking to
flight.

"It appears that the French gendarmes believed
that Fournier was in the Valley of the Dappes, and
that the police of Vaud intended to arrest him there.
At least, the officer of the French gendarmes, hav-
ing seen a corporal of the Vaud gendarmes, who
had hastened from St. Cengues on hearing the ru-
mour of the occupation of Cressonieres Suisses by
an armed French force, asked him if he came to
arrest Fournier.
" This same officer afterwards declared that he
should oppose this arrest, as well as that of another
individual—viz., the poacher Lamiquique ; seeing
that such acts would infringe upon the rights of so-
vereignty possessed by France over the territory in
question.
"This is not the proper place to enter into long
investigations upon the question of right which, as
is well known, has been thoroughly discussed, and
will, no doubt, be so again at a fature period.
" The question of right is besides completely re-
solved as far as concerns Switzerland, and the point
of view taken by her in the matter cannot admit of
any doubt whatever.
" What we have to consider is the flagrant fact of
a violation of Swiss territory, against which we must
charge you to make energetic representations to his
Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
" You will, therefore, insist on the French armed
force immediately evacuating the village of Cres-
sonnieres Suisses, and retiring within their own
frontier, if this has not already taken place.
" You will, moreover, seek to obtain that fitting
satisfaction be afforded to Switzerland for this
violation of territory, and that measures be
taken with a view to prevent the further
commission of acts of the nature of those which
form the subjecrof the present note—acts which
can only very greatly and in a lamentable manner
compromise the friendly relations which should
exist between neighbouring States.
" It is to be hoped that the Imperial Minister
will have less difficulty in acceding:to this demand,
because it should equally import to him to avoid
all:that might disturb the good understanding be-
tween the population of the two countries.
" Requesting you to leave a copy of this note
with the Minister, we take this opportunity, &c.,
&c.—ln the name of the Federal Council,

(Signed) " A. M. KwusgL,
President of the Confederation ;
(Signed) " SCIIIESS,
Chancellor of the Confederation.

" Berne, Oct. 31, 1861."
NOTE FROM THE FRENCH MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN
AFFAIRS TO THE SWISS MINISTER AT PARIS,
DATED Nov. 8. 1861.

Monsieur le Ministre,—l hasten to announce
to you, from information furnished to his Excel-
lency the Minister for War, it results that if mea-
sures have been taken on our frontier to prevent
the authorities of the Canton of Vaud proceeding
by force, contrary to the statu quo, to the execu-
tion on the disputed territory of the Valley of the
Dappes of a judgment given by the police tribunal
at Nyon, it is not correct that either the French
gendarmes or soldiers took up a position, even
momentarily, at any point whatever in this canton.

" The statement of General Faucheux is as cate-
gorical as possible, and from it I cannot elicit the
facts which have caused the reclamation of the
Federal Council.—Receive,
(Signed)

" THOUYENEL,

" Paris, Bth Nov., 1861."
NOTE FROM THE FEDERAL COUNCTI, TO THE SWISS
MINISTER AT PARIS, DATED Nov. 23, 1861.

" Sir,—Our despatch of the 31st October has
acquainted you with the violation of territory
which took place on the 27th of the same month,
in the Valley of the Dappes, where some French
soldiers and gendarmes entered the Canton of
Vaud, at Cressonnieres Suisses, with the inten-
tion of opposing an arrest which they supposed had
been made by the Vaud police. We charged you
to demand the satisfaction usual in such cases, and
founded on the law of nations, insisting also that
proper measures should be taken to prevent the
renewal of such lamentable incidents.

"The French Minister has, as you are aware, on
the ground of a report from the commander of the
7th military division, thought proper to assert that
there was no violation of territory, that neither the
locality of Cressonnieres Suisses, nor any point of
the valley, was even momentarily occupied by
French soldiers and gendarmes, the French gen-
darmes having been posted near the frontier in
proximity to the Valley of the Dtppes, solely in
order to oppose, should it be necessary, the arrest
before mentioned.

" Such is the statement which has been, at least
in part, modified by the French Government in the
communications since that time. As this assertion
was in flagrant contradiction with the report of
the Swiss Commissioners who, on the 2d November,
repaired to the places in question, where they sub-
mitted the case to a scrupulous inquiry, it becomes
us to be well assured on the subject of such diver-
gent pretensions; and so much the more, because
there was every reason to admit that the com-
mander of the French division had not been duly
informed by his subordinates of the facts of the
case as they really happened. Neither have we
hesitated to again delegate our commissioners, and
they on their second mission presented us with tha
report which we have the honour to bring to your
knowledge.
" On comparing the two reports of the Commis-
sioners of the 2d and 13th November, the incidents
of the 27th October may be resumed as follow :
The tribunal of police of the district of Nyon was
called upon on the 24th September, 1861, to pro-
nounce judgment against a certain Jean Fournier,
residing at the Jaquette Suisse, in the Valley of
the Dappes. Fournier was sentenced to 20 days'
imprisonment for having maltreated the widow
Regard and her son. This sentence came into
effect on the 11th October, 1861.

" It appeared that the French gendarmerie, who
had received their instructions, believed that the
execution of the sentence was to take place imme-
diately, and that the arrest of Fournier would con-
sequently be effected forthwith.
"In order to prevent it, a detachment of French
gendarmerie, accompanied by a picket of soldiers
from the garrison of Fort de Rousses, proceeded on
Sunday, the 27th October, to the locality of the
Cressonnieres Suisses, in the Canton Vaud.
kwn:oow An
was w
in
corporal of the Vaud gendarmes, who had
hastened to the spot on this invasion becoming
as questioned
nbfyththee officerwhole
detachment o f
a s
to whether be had come to arrest Fournier. On
receiving a reply in the negative, the officer declared
he would oppose such an arrest even by force, and,
moreover, that he could not allow similar measures
to be taken by the Swiss authorities in the Valley
of the Dappes. After having acquired the conviction
that the wept of Fournier wm not intended, tho