LORD WODEHOUSElaid before the House "Despatches relating to the Affairs of the Duchy of Modena, from Her Majesty's Ministers accredited to the Courts of Central Italy, during the years 1855, 1856, 1857, and 1858, (pursuant to the Address of the 22nd July last.)
THE MARQUESS OF NORMANBY,who had given notice of a Motion for an Address to Her Majesty for Copies or Extracts of any Letters from Her Majesty's Consul Mr. Walton, as to the State of the Duchy of Massa-Carrara during the years 1855, 1856, 1857 and 1858, said he wished to explain to their Lordships the reason why it was not his intention to persevere with his Motion. When he asked for the production of his own Reports upon the events which passed in Modena during the four years to which the charges made against the ruler of that Duchy particularly referred, he did so because upon every occasion on which ho had made a periodical visitation in Modena he had received from the Government authorities every information and every facility for ascertaining the true state of the Duchy. Therefore, if some of those accusations which had been made against the Duke of Modena were well founded he should himself have been culpable for not having noticed the facts in his Reports to Her Majesty's Government. His noble Friend had just presented those Reports; and he wished to state that, when he asked for further Reports from the Consul in the Duchy of Massa-Carrara, he did so because that particular Duchy had been the scene of crimes of unusual violence, owing to the action of secret societies and other political causes. He had, therefore, been anxious to have the Reports of that intelligent and impartial gentleman who had long represented Her Majesty's Government as Consul in 1838 that quarter. His noble Friend had, however, intimated that although there was no objection on public grounds to the production of these papers, yet that in the present state of that country their publication might, perhaps, lead to serious inconvenience, owing to the peculiar situation of the writer. Under all the circumstances it occurred to himself, also, that it would be more prudent not to press for the production of these papers, at least at present. After the first accusation which had been made against the Duke of Modena relating to the proceedings before the Commission of 1857, an appeal had been made to him (the Marquess of Normanby) by a gentleman connected with the whole of these proceedings, namely, the Judge Advocate, who had acted with singular humanity in the discharge of a painful duty, and that appeal made it desirable that the imputations which had been made in this matter should be removed by the testimony of the British agent, who was in that country at the time. He understood, however, that the friends and advisers of the Duke of Modena who had hitherto furnished him with the materials for defending that ruler had determined that the whole of the proofs should be made known to the British Government by the publication of the official documents. He was quite sure that the facts of the case would in that manner meet the public eye in a much more accessible form than through that strange and somewhat confused compilation which he had seen in the hands of some noble Lords opposite, and which he knew to have been the foundation of the charges that had been made in "another place." He was quite certain that the production of these official documents would show that Count Cavour had been a conspirator for the last twelve years, and would also disclose the means by which his conspiracy had been carried on. He would now merely conclude by withdrawing his Motion.
LORD WODEHOUSEsaid, that Mr. Walton was not in the position of a paid Consul, but was a very intelligent and respectable merchant residing at Carrara; and it had been thought by his noble Friend the Foreign Secretary that it would not be expedient to publish his confidential reports. He had communicated that fact to the noble Marquess, who he was glad to find, had come to the conclusion to withdraw his Motion.
§ Motion withdrawn.