§ MR. B. COCHRANESir, I wish to put a question to the noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, of which I have given him notice; and with the permission of the House I will shortly explain what is the nature of the question. When the demand for the indemnity to British subjects at Leghorn was first made, at the suggestion of Sir George Hamilton, our Minister at Florence, the Government of the Grand Duke of Tuscany sent a proposition to the noble Lord to refer the arbitration of that question to one of the great Powers. Some three weeks after that communication was made by Sir George Hamilton, the Tuscan Government received a note through him from the noble Lord, making a proposition for the good offices of Sardinia to settle the question of the indemnities, but making no allusion whatever to the despatch from the Tuscan Government sent some time preceding. Upon the Tuscan Government asking for an explanation of this omission, Sir George Hamilton is reported to have said that the despatch so forwarded had never been received at the Foreign Office, and that it had probably miscarried upon the road. I wish, therefore, to ask the noble Lord whether that despatch has been received at the Foreign Office, and, if so, whether the noble Lord has any objection to lay it upon the table of the House?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONSir, when that despatch was received at the Foreign Office, the state of the case was this. The Sardinian Government, through their Minister here, offered verbally the good offices or the arbitration of the Government of Sardinia for the settlement of the differences with Tuscany. He was requested to make that proposal in writing, which he did; and in reply to it he was informed that Her Majesty's Government could not consent to refer the question to the arbitration of any Power, but that they would willingly accept the good offices of the Government of Sardinia with a view to obtaining what might be proper satisfaction from the Government of Tuscany. A despatch was at the same time sent to Sir George 224 Hamilton to inform him of that answer, and there was also sent to him a copy of the overture. About the same time, Sir George Hamilton had written a despatch, stating, on the part of the Tuscan Government, that they would agree to refer the question to the arbitration of some other Power. [Mr. B. COCHRANE: Of some great Power?] To the arbitration of some other Power, which they would name, if the principle of arbitration were admitted. There was some delay in the reception of that despatch, but the delay was wholly unimportant. In the meanwhile the information was conveyed to the Government of Tuscany that we were willing to accept the good offices of the Government of Sardinia. In reply to that the Tuscan Government stated that they declined the good offices of the Government of Sardinia, and they proposed the arbitration of Russia. The answer to that was, that Her Majesty's Government declined the arbitration of any Power, but that they still adhered to their willingness to accept the good offices of Sardinia. There the matter rested. I should object to produce any one despatch connected with a long correspondence. The despatch to which the hon. Gentleman refers is of no value except as containing the offer which I now state on the part of the Tuscan Government to refer the question to the arbitration of some Power, that Power to be named by the Tuscan Government, if the principle were admitted. At a subsequent period, as I have said, we replied by a communication that we would accept the good offices of Sardinia; but the Tuscan Government proposed again, not only the principle of arbitration, but suggested Russia as the Power to whom the arbitration should be referred.
§ MR. B. COCHRANEWhat I want to know, when the noble Lord refers to that despatch, is, whether the suggestion came from the noble Lord that Sardinia should propose her good offices? I want to know if the proposition was not made by the noble Lord in the first instance that Sardinia should offer her good offices? [Viscount PALMERSTON: No, no!] Then I am wrong on that point? [Viscount PALMER-STON: Quite wrong.] I wish to know whether, when the noble Lord wrote that despatch to Sir George Hamilton, he had received the despatch suggesting, on the part of the Tuscan Government, the arbitration of some great Power.
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONThe two despatches crossed each other. When the offer was made, spontaneously, by the Sardinian Government, and not at our suggestion at all, that she should arbitrate, or interpose her good offices, we had not received the despatch on the part of the Tuscan Government offering arbitration by a Power, nameless at the moment, but to he named afterwards. But if we had received it, we should have given the same answer, namely, that we could not accept the arbitration of any Power, but that we would willingly accept good offices. [Mr. HUME: What is the difference between good offices, and arbitration?] I will explain the difference between arbitration and good offices. When you accept an arbitration, you agree to submit to the award; but when you accept good offices, you accept them as individuals between whom there is a difference accept the good offices of a friend—to endeavour to bring the two parties into friendly agreement upon the subject of the misunderstanding.
§ Subject dropped.