HL Deb 23 March 1860 vol 157 cc1115-8
THE MARQUESS OF CLANRICARDE

said, he was so sensible of the very serious condition of affairs on the Continent that he was not about to endeavour to extract any hasty expression of their views from Her Majesty's Government, or elicit, by any premature discussion, the opinion of their Lordships' House. The question he had to put was one that related simply to facts; and, though it might suit the convenience of despotic Governments to impart only such information as they chose on the progress of events, with such comments as it pleased them to permit, it would be absurd for their Lordships to shut their eyes to the true character of those events, or accept as a correct account of them statements which they knew to be inconsistent with the truth. Both the Government and Parliament must soon pronounce their opinion upon what was taking place, and he would not touch upon questions of so delicate a nature at that moment. It was obvious that if we were to maintain a sincere and cordial amity with any country, there must exist between the Government of that country and our own the most loyal, frank, and thorough confidence. Some weeks ago there appeared a statement in a foreign newspaper to the effect that there were negotiations going on between the Governments of France and Sardinia for the cession of the districts of Savoy and Nice to France. When the announcement was first authentically made, the French Government were at great pains to impress upon the Government and people of this country that such annexation would be made only with the free consent of the King of Sardinia, and also with the free consent and goodwill of the populations concerned, and after communication with the great Powers of Europe. On two of those points he had nothing to say; he only wished to touch upon the facts connected with the consent of the people whose soil was to be annexed. He left wholly out of view the question of Savoy, because it would be impossible to deal with it without going into questions of much delicacy upon which he for one would not raise a premature, hasty, and, it might be, mischievous discussion. He should confine himself solely to the question of Nice. He need not dilate before their Lordships on the soundness of the principle that any such transference of allegiance as was talked of should be essentially founded on the goodwill and consent of the populations concerned. There was no mote formidable doctrine connected with despotism and what was called the "right divine of Kings" than the idea that their subjects belonged to them as a right, and that any portion of them could be handed over from one to another as they pleased. It would be absurd to dwell upon the falseness of that principle before any body of Englishmen, and it was the more unnecessary in the present case as the French and Sardinian Governments had rested their conduct on the efficacy and validity of the popular will in such matters. The transference of the town and county of Nice from Sardinia to France had been announced, and already appeared to be considered an accomplished fact between the two Governments. But so far was it from the truth that the measure commanded the consent and free will of the population, that it was known to all the world that the municipal body of the town of Nice had only the last week, after a long deliberation, sent a deputation to the King of Sardinia to express their desire to remain under his rule, and to implore him, if separation must take place, to plead for them that the town and county should be constituted a neutral territory, which, as would be evident to those of their Lordships who were acquainted with the country it was well adapted to become. Into the propriety of the annexation he would not enter:—it might be a matter for negotiation between the Governments. All they had to consider was the necessity of having on the part of the French Government on this subject, as on others, frankness, fair dealing, and an adherence if not to promises at all events to announced statements. He observed that the Emperor of the French, in his address to the deputation from Savoy, introduced the question of Nice, without the slightest pretext, because no deputation from that district was present. He said:— In fact, it is neither by conquest nor by insurrection that Savoy and Nice will be united to France, but by the free consent of her legitimate sovereign, supported by popular consent. He begged leave to say that this was not a correct representation of the state of things, and he said this on the authority not only of the inhabitants of Nice, but also of Englishmen resident there. Her Majesty's Government had first been told that there would be a general voting of the population, and afterwards that the votes of the municipalities would be taken. There bad been, neither. The French Government had no occasion to announce anything to Her Majesty's Government, so far as regarded the popular will in those countries; we had no right to ask for any promise or pledge that the wish of the people should be consulted; but if certain intentions on so grave a matter were voluntarily announced they ought not to be abandoned. If confidence and goodwill were to be established between the different Powers there must be sincere and frank relations between them. He was informed that the first wish of the inhabitants of the town and county of Nice was that they should remain under the sceptre of Sardinia, and the second was that the territory of Nice should be neutralized. There were obvious reasons connected with the prosperity of the town why they should be anxious not to be annexed to France. He wished to ask whether Her Majesty's Ministers had received any communication from the Sardinian or from the French Government of the recent vote of the municipality of Nice relative to the cession of that town and its county by Sardinia, and to its absorption into the French Empire.

LORD WODEHOUSE

said, his answer to his noble Friend's question was that Her Majesty's Government had not received any communication either from the French or Sardinian Government relative to the vote come to by the municipality of Nice. The noble Marquis had commenced by saying that he would not touch on the very grave and delicate question of the cession of Savoy to France. Their Lordships would, therefore, agree with him that he had better confine himself to a simple answer to the question of the noble Marquess, and not enter upon a subject which was under the most serious consideration of Her Majesty's Government.