§ Sir H. VERNEYwished to ask the noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, whether the decree of the Cantonal Government of Vaud of the 24th of November, 1847, would affect British subjects in that canton; and whether the letter of remonstrance and advice addressed by Sir S. Canning to the Government of Switzerland, endeavouring to dissuade it from arbitrary and tyrannical proceedings towards those who differed from it in religious matters, had been attended with success?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONIn reply to the first question of my hon. Friend, I have to state, that I am not aware that any British subjects have been affected by that decree; and it would be a matter for consideration to determine whether, supposing British subjects had been affected by the decree, that fact would give the British Government any right to interfere in regard to an internal law passed by the Government of that canton. It is true that representations have been made by Her Majesty's Charged' Affaires in Switzerland, unofficially, because his Government did not consider that they were entitled to make any authoritative representation. I am not, however, in a condition to state that those representations have been attended with the effect that could be wished.