Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1860-08-02
MISCELLANEOUS READING.
THE SICILIAN QUESTION IN THE
BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

In the British House. of Commons, July
II, Sir X. Peel moved an address for copies
or extracts OF papers relating toqthe threaten-
ed annexation os Sicily to Piedmont. and
for any information received by her maies-
tvs government ss to the probable demands
of France consequent upon the event of that
annexation taking place; also for any pa
pers showing that her majesty's government
have within the last few weeks intimated to
the government of Turin that the continu-
ed aggressive policy Of that government
would not be viewed with indifference by
Great Britain. He took occasion to invite
the attention of the house to the subject, OBJ
serving that the question of Sicily directly
concerned this country, commercially as
we'll as in political point Of view, and that
Sardinia, in this question, was but tool in
the hands of the Emperor of the French,
lie called upon Lord j. Russell frankly to
express his views upon this question, and to
declare the policy he was following. Adyer-
ting to the efforts made TO attach Sicily to
Sardinia, he asked whether the man who
had sold the citizens of Nice and the noun
talneers of the Alps, who had bartered the
liberty and interests of brave and devoted
subjects who had served the house of Savoy,
ought to be selected to be king of Italy. lie
reminded Lord j. Russell of the policy he
had pursued in 1913, and asked whether he
adhered to the same policy now, or whether
he desired that Italy should be united to Sar-
DINA, a mere instrument, he repeated, of the
Emperor of the French. AS Lord John had
not approved the proceedings of Garibaldi.
he hoped he did not desire this union, and
hos tha ind nf Ssoslt
would be secured by the guarantee Of the
European powers. n
Lord j. Russell said he did not complain
of Sir r. Peel's desire to know the views of
the government with respect to the state of
Italy at the same time, he was much at 9
loss to discover from his observations what
was the policy he recommended. After; a
short review of the political changes in Italy
between 1915 and 1859, and of the secret ar
rangement which had transferred Savoy and
Nice from Sardinia to France, q transac-
ton, he observed, respecting which the opin-
ion of the British government had not been
concealed from other powers, or from the
Emperor of the French-Lord John observ-
ed that, after the treaty of Villafranca twas
natural that the people of Italy should at
tempt by union to remedy the evils of the
misgovernment under which they had so
long labored. The Emperor of the French
having declared that he would not himself
interfere. or permit others to use force, to
coerce the people of Italy, the government
of her majesty were of opinion that the time
had come to see whether Italy could choose
government for herself, and that foreign
force should not be interposed This had
been their policy, and as regarded Sicily, if
the King of Naples could succeed by conces- .
sions in conciliating the people Of the Two
Sicilies, her majesty's government could
hand, they would never lose sight of the
principle--the sacred principle, that with
very rare exceptions, in regard to internal
government, the people of every country
were the best judges. 1t was, therefore, for
the people of Sicily, of Naples. and ne would
add, of the Roman states, to say under what
form of government they chose to live; and
he assured the House, that her majesty's
government had no other policy than to
leave them to decide for themselves, and
that if their decision should be such as to
lead to their happiness and independence
in future, they would sincerely rejoice. lie
opposed the motion.
Mr.. kingake, in the course of an extern
sive review of continental politics, suggested
reasons for distrusting the Emperor of the
French, who, he asserted, had proposed to
the Emperor Francis Joseph to give him back
Lombardy as the price of treachery towards
his German confederates. Mr.. Kinglake at
tributed the policy pursued by the Emperor
Louis Napoleon to the internal state of
France, which was such, he said. as to rem
der it necessary to divert the attention of the
people from home to foreign affairs.
After some observations by Mr.. White
side Mr.. Monsell, Mr.. Griffith, and Mr..
Stully, the motion was negatiyed.