HC Deb 25 August 1860 vol 160 cc1817-9
MR. BAILLIE COCHRANE

said, that an extract from the Moniteur had appeared in the leading journals of that morning, which bore in a most remarkable manner upon the discussion which took place in the House on the previous night on Foreign Affairs. The paragraph was to this effect:— The Moniteur contains a decree ordering the establishment of a port at the city of Thonon, on Lake Leman, and the improvement of the already existing port of Evian, on the same lake, as works of public utility.

The remarks on the previous evening of the noble Lord at the head of the Government with respect to the conduct both of the Emperor of the French and the King of Sardinia in regard to Savoy and Nice, were worthy his distinguished position, and would elicit the sympathy of the whole country. He had understood the noble Lord to say that up to the present time the Treaty of Turin was not acknowledged generally by the Powers of Europe, and that it was not competent for the King of Sardinia to cede, and the Emperor of the French to accept, the neutralized provinces, and he must say that the determined and eloquent manner in which the noble Lord expressed his opinion of that transaction was worthy the character and dignity of this country. He also understood the noble Lord the Secretary of State to state, on a former occasion, that Europe could not quietly look on and see those neutralized provinces taken possession of—

MR. SPEAKER

The hon. Member must confine his remarks to the question he intends to ask, and must not refer to a past debate.

MR. BAILLIE COCHRANE

said, he would merely ask the noble Lord whether his attention had been directed to the important notice in the Moniteur? If France had actually occupied the neutralized provinces, and, in fact, the whole of one side of the Lake of Geneva, it seemed to him a perfect absurdity after that to talk of a conference with regard to the annexation of Savoy and Nice to France. That annexation was not only un fait accompli; there must be permanent occupation when the French Government began to speak of improving harbours in the Lake of Geneva. He wished to know whether the noble Lord had received any official information of such a proceeding on the part of the French Government?

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON

I have only seen what the hon. Gentleman has seen—the statement in the newspapers to which he has referred. I did not state last night that the King of Sardinia was not competent to transfer, or the Emperor of the French to accept the transfer of, Savoy; but I said it was not competent for either or both to make the transfer, if by that transfer the neutralized portion of Savoy was to be free from the conditions imposed on Sardinia by treaty, to which treaty France herself was a party. The Treaty of Turin has not been acknowledged by other Governments, and therefore does not form part of the recognized law of Europe. I should mention, however, that the French Government has always contended that the completion of the cession, after the Treaty of Turin, depended on two events; one was the vote of the population of the country to be ceded, the other was the sanction of the Legislature of Sardinia. Both of these events have taken place. How the vote of the people of Savoy was obtained it is not for me to say. The sanction of the Chambers at Turin was naturally to be expected, because when the Government had made the cession by a treaty which had been ratified by the two parties, it was not to be supposed that the Chambers at Turin would refuse their sanction.