§ LORD JOHN MANNERSsaid, he begged to be allowed to put a question to the noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs respecting the proposed conference with reference to the neutralized Provinces of Savoy. On the 25th of June last he believed the House was informed that the English Government had acceded to the proposals which had been made by the French Government for the appointment of a Conference to 6ettle how the arrangements connected with the annexation of the northern provinces of Savoy should be carried out. He begged, then, to ask the noble Lord as to the time when, the place where, and the mode in which, such Conference will be held?
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLsaid, that the noble Lord had stated quite correctly that Her Majesty's Government had accepted a proposal for a Conference. That proposal, together with two other modes of settlement, were submitted to the great Powers by the French Government; and Her Majesty's Government immediately accepted the proposal for a Conference. But the Governments of Austria and Prussia stated that for various reasons they thought there would be no advantage in assembling a Conference. There had been no meeting of the great Powers since, nor had any time been submitted as to when 632 the Conference should be held. Therefore so the matter must remain until those two great Powers withdrew their opposition, or until some other proposal should be made.