HC Deb 08 March 1860 vol 157 cc104-5
SIR JOHN WALSH

said, he rose to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he will lay upon the Table of the House any Correspondence with the Government of France relative to the Affairs of Italy and the annexation of Savoy, which has taken place subsequently to the date of the last Papers communicated?

LORD JOHN RUSSELL

said, he must beg to state that there was a further Correspondence on the subject alluded to by the hon. Baronet which he would be prepared to lay upon the Table on the following day, and which would be delivered to hon. Members on Saturday next. There was other Correspondence connected with the subject, which would be delivered at an early day. He might, perhaps, be permitted to take the opportunity of making an appeal to his hon. Friend the Member for Bridgwater. When his hon. Friend brought forward his Motion for Papers respecting Savoy and Nice, on a former evening, he (Lord J. Russell) stated that although it was not convenient to bring the subject on then on account of the Commercial Treaty, still he told him that he had no objection to the production of the Papers. The hon. Gentleman had since given notice of a Motion for Monday next. Now, on consideration, the Government thought it would be attended with injury and inconvenience to the public service if his hon. Friend brought forward that Motion at that time. Under these circumstances, he hoped his hon. Friend would not persevere in his Motion, but would withdraw it.

MR. KINGLAKE

said, that after the appeal which had been made to him by the noble Lord on his responsibility as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, he would not, of course, feel justified in pressing his Motion on the attention of the House on the day which he had originally proposed. He was at the same time anxious to assure hon. Members that he continued to be as firmly convinced as he had ever been of the deep importance of bringing the subject plainly and distinctly under the notice of the House, and that no consideration would prevent him from taking that course when he found that there was an opportunity of adopting it without the probability of injury being thereby done to the public service. He should, under present circumstances, postpone his Motion until Monday week, and he might, perhaps, in conclusion, be allowed to say that he did not seek in bringing it forward to imply anything like censure on the policy in the matter which Her Majesty's Government had pursued. On the contrary, he thought, and he believed the greater number of Gentlemen on the opposite side of the House were of the same opinion, that the noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs had conducted the negotiations relating to it in a very satisfactory manner.