The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-26 00:00:00

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

PLYMOUTH, JUNE 25.
The royal mail steamer Cambrian with the above
mail arrived here this afternoon.

Trade generally had not been brisk in the eastern
districts. The averages were pretty well main-
tallied in the west.

A temporary decline had taken place in exports,
and imports were very considerable. The exports
of wine had fallen from £35,000 to £15,000.

Horse sickness and lung disease were prevalent
among the stock.

The Cape Parliament was opened on the 26th
April. The Governor in his speech on the occasion
expressed confidence in the maintenance of peace
and progress on the frontier and in the general
prosperity of the country. The estimates of the
revenue submitted to Parliament were far below
the expenditure. A bill for separating the pro-
vinces had been introduced, but it was considered
likely to be thrown out.
The Home War-office had asked for £30,000
towards the expenditure on account of the military
force in the colony. It was not likely to be granted
this session.

The Narcissus arrived at the Cape on the 23d
April.
The Forte, with Admiral Keppel on board, left
on the 3d May for Alseension, whom Fa) had ar-
rived and gone on to Rio Janiero. The Emerald
arrived afterwards, and followed the Forte. The
Archer was at Ascension on the 4th inst.

No intelligence had been received from the Zam-
besi river.

The capture of an English vessel by the Portu-
guese authorities, reported by the last mail, had
been satisfactorily explained. The vessel was
liberated.

The steamer Norman arrived out on the 14th
May.

SAVOY AND SWITZERLAND.

The following note has been addressed by the
English Minister at Berne to the Federal Coun-
cil :

BERNE, JUNE 13.

Monsieur le President,—ln the officially pub-
lished report of the Political Department, to be
submitted to the Federal Councillors, who will
arrive in Berne on the Ist July next, I have read,
not without some surprise, the following passage in
reference to the question of Savoy :
"In conclusion, we believe that, is giving an un-
prejudiced representation of affairs, we cannot omit
to mention the fact that, on the part of France, it
has been repeatedly maintained that it was the ob-
stinate opposition of England to any annexation
which had principally compelled France to retract
the promises given by her in February, 1860, with
reference to the cession of Northern Savoy to
Switzerland."

I have carefully re-perused the voluminous cor-
respondence published on this question, but do not
find such a motive anywhere mentioned as having
determined France to secede from her promise. On
the contrary, I find it repeatedly stated that the
sole motive for this proceeding on the part of France
originated in the disinclination of the people of
Savoy for any dismemberment of the country.
This was plainly brought forward in M. Thou-
venel's despatch of March 13, 1860, to M. Tillos,
French Charge d'Affaires at Berne, wherein the
Minister communicates the details of an interview,
remarkable for the sincerity and unreservedness
prevailing in it, which he had with M. Kern at
Paris.

At the interviews between MM, Thouvenel and
Kern on the sth and 15th March, and in that be-
tween the Emperor of the French and General
Dufour, which are mentioned in the said corre-
spondence, the same statement was again adduced
as the only obstacle to the promised cession of
Chablais and Faucigny to Switzerland.
Not a word is there said of the opposition of
England.
It is indeed impossible to understand how the
conduct of her Majesty's Government could have
had the least influence on the French Government
as far as it concerns the fulfilment of its promises
towards Switzerland.

In 'this matter her Majesty's Government has
constantly maintained the same attitude, and I can
hardly make this appear more clearly than by
drawing attention to the contents of a despatch
addressed, on the 20th March, 1860, by Lord John
Russell to the English Ambassadors at Vienna,
Berlin, and St. Petersburg, printed in the blue
book (which is, I believe, in the possession of the
Federal Council) vol. 6, page 19.
The first paragraph of this despatch runs thus :
—" The question of Savoy must be considered from
two different points of view, one of which is that it
involves an augmentation of the territory of France;
the other, that it endangers that security *which
Switzerland derives from the dispositions of the
treaties of 1815 in regard to certain districts of
Savoy."
His lordship afterwards says

" And therefore a Prince of the House of Savoy
should be appointed regent of the neutral territory.
Should not this be possible, it should be insisted
upon that the said territory, so far as specified in
the treaties of 1815, should be incorporated with
the Swiss Confederation."

It evidently results, therefore, that her Majesty's
Government, far from having opposed such an
arrangement, has, on the contrary, warmly sup-
ported it.

As, also, the vote of the people of Savoy only
took place on the 22d April, and as M. Thouvenel
had notified that the cession of the above-mentioned
provinces to Switzerland should not take place
dEfinitively until after the conclusion of the treaty
with the Court of Turin, and after the popular
vote had been taken, there evidently remained
sufficient time for France to perform the promise
which she made to Switzerland in the preceding
February.

The importance of what has been just men-
tioned cannot escape the observation of the Federal
Council ; and as, in my opinion, it is desirable that
neither the Federal Assembly nor the people of
Switzerland should be misled by that portion of the
official report quoted above, I considered myself
under the necessity of addressing the present note
to your Excellency.
The proof that her Majesty's Government has
not been influenced by mere jealousy of France, or
by a wish to disturb the friendly relations between
the said districts and Switzerland—the proof of this
(if proof be really necessary) is to be found in the
friendly sympathy with Switzerland which I was
ordered to express on the occasion of the late re-
clamations of France on account of the pretended
ill-treatment which French subjects had been sub-
jected to.
Her Majesty's Government has, before every-
thing, been inspired by the desire to maintain the
equilibrium which is so necessary for the peace and
welfare of Europe, and to guarantee in good faith
the neutrality and independence of a free country,
to which England has been bound for centuries by
the ties of friendship and kind feeling.—l have the
honour, &c., &c.,
(Signed) E. A. F. HARRIS.

It is stated that the liabilities of Messrs. John
Duncan and Co., flax spinners of Dundee, who stopped
payment on Wednesday last, are large, and that the liqui-
dation is not expected to be favourable. The firm was in-
timately connected with Smith, Sinclair, and Co., who
stopped some time ago, and the embarrassments from that
event have been aggravated by the state of business in
America. About £BO,OOO has been sunk in the purchase
and building of mills.
DUBLIN, Tuesday morning.—A vast quantity of
rain has fallen here since Friday last. The weather is at
the same time intensely warm, and if the rain does not con-
tinue too long we shall have an abundant harvest.