MR. SERJEANT DEASYsaid, he wished to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the arrangement by which the King of Naples placed the Cagliari and her crew at the disposal of Her Majesty was made with the concurrence of the Sardinian Government, or whether it has been approved by that Government; and also, whether he has any objection to lay the papers relating to the subject before the House?
MR. SEYMOUR FITZGERALDSir, I believe that the arrangement by which the Cagliari and her crew were placed at the disposal of Her Majesty's Government was not made with the concurrence of the Sardinian Government in any respect whatever. Neither Her Majesty's Government nor the Sardinian Government had any knowledge of the intention of the King of Naples to make such arrangement—at all events, Her Majesty's Government knew nothing of it. Her Majesty's Government presented a note, requiring a categorical answer, to the King of Naples, for indemnity to our engineers and the restoration of the ship and her crew. We at the same time intimated that a demand of a similar kind would be contemporaneously made by the Sardinian Government. It happened, however, that that demand was not made by the Sardinian Government till several days after our demand was presented; and in fact the Cagliari and her crew were set at liberty after our demand, and without ally such categorical demand having been made by the Sardinian Government. Count Cavour, after the arrangement was made, sent a despatch to the Sardinian Representative at Naples, to the effect that he bad been informed that the King of Naples had ordered the release of the Cagliari and her crew, and that in consequence the Sardinian Representative should not present the Note which it had been arranged should otherwise be presented. I may also state that the Sardinian Representative at this Court has since expressed his satisfaction with the arrangement. With reference to the latter part of the hon. and learned Gentleman's question, I have to state that Her Majesty's Government have no objection to lay the Papers relating to this sub- 2113 ject before the House. Some of them are somewhat bulky, and part of them are in Italian and require translation; but, upon an early day, Her Majesty's Government will lay the papers on the table.