AFFAIRS OF ITALY—EXPLANATIONS. (Hansard, 17 March 1857)

§ MR. DISRAELI
said: Sir, I take this opportunity of making an inquiry of the noble Lord at the head of the Government, which I was prevented from making at the commencement of business, in consequence of his absence from the House. It is in reference to certain papers which were laid upon the table in the early part of this Session. The House will understand that the papers I refer to are those connected with the communications between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of the Two Sicilies. The papers were of a meagre character; and an hon. Gentleman having inquired whether they contained all the correspondence that had taken place between Her Majesty's Government 2406 and the Government of the Two Sicilies; the noble Lord said "No; that the remaining correspondence referred to a proposition which, having terminated without any result, it was therefore not necessary to lay it upon the table." Now, I find from some foreign journals and from one of our English papers, that foreigners and the public out of doors are more favoured than the British House of Commons in respect to this correspondence, inasmuch as such correspondence has appeared lately in a portion of those journals. It is in respect to one of the allegations contained in the correspondence thus given I wish to say a few words. It is therein stated that Her Majesty's Government had made an offer to a foreign Power to undertake, in case of any attempt being made to establish republican institutions in the south of Italy, to prevent, even if necessary, by force of arms, the occurrence of such an event. I wish to know from the noble Lord whether there is any authority for that statement; and whether it is true that a communication of that character, or in that spirit, was made to any foreign Government by the Government of which the noble Lord is the chief? I hope that the noble Lord will give me a frank and not a technical reply.

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
The reply which I made to the communication of the hon. Member to whom the right hon. Gentleman referred, is not precisely as the right hon. Gentleman has represented it to be. What I stated in answer to the question put to me on the occasion alluded to was this—that the papers laid upon the table contained everything that bore upon the course of policy which Her Majesty's Government had adopted; but that there had been some instructions given to our agents at Naples, directing them as to the nature of their mission, and as to the course they were to pursue under certain contingencies, which, however, had not happened. As those contingencies did not happen, those instructions fell to the ground, and therefore it was not necessary to produce the correspondence containing them. I did not refer to communications made to Her Majesty's Government, but to instructions from Her Majesty's Government to their own agents at Naples. I stated also that other instructions had been given on matters wholly unimportant, and having no reference whatever to anything that had taken place. I understand the right hon. Gentleman wishes to know 2407 whether the British Government made any suggestion to a foreign Government that if any attempt were made to establish republican institutions in Italy, the British Government were prepared to oppose by force of arms such a movement. Am I correct in this understanding of the right hon. Gentleman's question?

§ MR. DISRAELI
I wish to have my question perfectly and distinctly understood. I wish to know whether, in the course of communications which took place in reference to the affairs of Sicily, Her Majesty's Government had made an offer to a foreign Power, that if any attempt were made to establish republican institutions in Southern Italy, they were prepared to interfere, if necessary, even by force of arms, to prevent the establishment of such institutions?

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
No such offer was made by Her Majesty's Government.

§ MR. HENLEY
Sir, I cannot help thinking that a little confusion has arisen from the answer given by the noble Lord to the question put to him by my right hon. Friend. I understood the noble Lord to say that the portion of the papers not laid upon the table on the occasion referred to consisted of communications made to the English agents in Naples, in reference to certain contingencies which did not arise. When pressed by my right hon. Friend for a categorical answer to his question, whether in the course of communications in reference to the affairs of Sicily, Her Majesty's Government had made any offer to a foreign Power, that in the event of an attempt being made to establish republican institutions in the south of Italy the British Government were prepared to interfere to prevent such a movement, even by force of arms, the noble Viscount answered that no such offer had been made. Now I confess that from the explanation of the noble Lord an impression was left on my mind that some of those communications that were made to the British agent at Naples, contemplating such a contingency as did not happen, did actually contain such an offer from our Government. I do not know whether the noble Lord wished that his statement should convey such an impression.

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
I am obliged to the right hon. Gentleman for affording me the opportunity of removing such an impression as it appears my language conveyed to his mind. The communications 2408 made to the British agents in Naples to a certain extent were as to the conduct they should pursue in the event of such and such overtures being made by the Neapolitan Government. But none were made to them; none of our instructions had any relation whatever to the contingency of republican institutions being attempted to be established. They merely said, "If the Neapolitan Government ask for so and so, you are to act so and so." But no such applications having been made by the Neapolitan Government the contingencies to which the instructions applied did not arise. As I have said, those instructions had nothing whatever to do with the establishment of republican institutions. I am quite sure that the right hon. Gentleman feels convinced that the British Government would never think of interposing by force of arms to prevent any form of Government being established in Southern Italy which the inhabitants themselves might think fit to decide upon. In such a case, no doubt, we might have our own opinions upon the subject; but those opinions we certainly should not think ourselves entitled to enforce by an appeal to arms.

§ MR. DISRAELI
Am I, then, distinctly to understand from the noble Lord that no communications took place between Her Majesty's Government, of which he is the chief, and any foreign Power, in which the contingency of an attempt to establish republican institutions in Italy was contemplated, and in which was expressed the course Her Majesty's Government in that contingency were prepared to take?

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
That is quite a different question from the one first put by the right hon. Gentleman. The right hon. Gentleman asked me whether any offer was made by Her Majesty's Government to any foreign Power, in the event of an attempt being made to establish republican institutions in Italy, to co-operate—

§ MR. DISRAELI
No, I did not say "to co-operate." I merely asked whether Her Majesty's Government had made any offer to a foreign Power.

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
Well, any offer to a foreign Power to do something, and that too, if necessary, by force of arms in reference to the establishment of republican institutions in Italy. As I have said, no offer of the kind was made.