dici, e che quest'argomento ha potuto avere molta influenza sull'animo loro; ma tuttavia, se fossero stati soldati italiani, avrebbero preferito rimanere 11 anni sotto le armi che vedere la loro ferma finire dopo 7 anni a costo della propria nazionalità. Con questo, o signori, io penso di aver adempiuto alla parte più importante del mio assunto, di avervi dimostrato che, se il trattato ci impone dolorosissimi sacrifizi, se ci priva di due nobilissime provincie che furono e potevano ancora esserci larghe di aiuti in armi e denari, noi non abbiamo certo violato il principio di nazionalità, quel principio sul quale riposa, lo dico altamente, la nostra politica. Se io avessi creduto che colla cessione di Nizza quel sacrosanto principio fosse stato leso, io, lo dichiaro altamente, avrei diviso tutte le opinioni che intorno ad essa l'onorevole Rattazzi ha manifestate. ment may have had a strong influence upon them; but, if they had been Italian soldiers they would have preferred remaining eleven years with the colors to seeing their enlistment end after seven years, at the expense of their own nationality. With this, gentlemen, I think that I have fulfilled the most important part of my task, that of showing that if the treaty imposes very painful sacrifices, deprives us of two most noble provinces, which have aided and may still aid us considerably in arms and money, we have certainly not violated the principle of nationality, that principle on which, I say it emphatically, our policy is based. If I had thought that this transfer of Nice were a violation of such a sacrosanct principle I would openly declare I should have agreed to all the opinions expressed in regard thereto by the honorable Rattazzi. Statement of the Position of Great Britain Regarding the Vote 1 Foreign Office, May 15, 1860. MY LORD, After the communications which have passed with various Courts of Europe, on the subject of the neutralized districts of Savoy, Her Majesty's Government think the time is come to define and fix the position they mean to assume on this question. The Treaty of Vienna, and the Act of Guarantee of Switzerland of the 20th of November, 1815, provide that, in case of war between neighboring Powers, certain parts of Savoy, namely, the districts of Chablais, Faucigny, and part of the Genevois, shall be comprised within the neutrality of Switzer1 British Parliamentary Papers, 1860, Vol. 67, Affairs of Italy [2702], p. 248. land, and that no troops other than those of the Confederation shall occupy that territory so long as the war shall last. Her Majesty's Government consider that this provision was made no less in the interest of Switzerland and of Europe, than in that of Sardinia. The documents in their possession, the records of Geneva, and the correspondence of M. Pictet de Rochemont lately published, appear to them amply to bear out this position. It appears to them that if France and Sardinia were desirous of making a Treaty by which the sovereignty of Savoy should be transferred to France, it was the duty of Sardinia to confer with the Powers who signed the Treaty of Vienna before completing the cession of territory of which she was not merely the Sovereign, but of which she held the deposit for purposes of Swiss independence and European security. It appeared to Her Majesty's Government that if this was not done by Sardinia, it ought to have been done by France before French troops should occupy Savoy. But if neither of these were done, it seemed clear to Her Majesty's Government that the defect could only be cured by the offer, on the part of France, of such ample guarantees as should be an efficient substitute for the security which the provisions of Article XCII of the Treaty of Vienna gave to Switzerland, in consequence of Savoy forming part of the dominions of the King of Sardinia. Her Majesty's Government are of opinion that an undertaking by France to fulfil in time of war the obligations of Sardinia in respect to the neutralized parts of Savoy, forms no such efficient substitute. Her Majesty's Government are likewise of opinion that the arrangements hitherto suggested by the Government of France form no such efficient substitute. Her Majesty's Government do not see any other efficient substitute which could be found, but one, which giving a military frontier to Switzerland, should comprise the southern shore of the Lake of Geneva, and the Alpine passes to the Valais. To such a cession the French Government have declared they will not con sent. The argument upon which this refusal is founded is the vote of the people of Faucigny, Chablais, and the Genevois. But the mode in which this vote was taken deprives it, in the eyes of Her Majesty's Government, of all authority. Had the population been asked whether they would remain under the House of Savoy, or prefer to become subjects of the Emperor of the French, the answer might have been doubtful. But when the King of Sardinia had already absolved them from their allegiance, discarded them as his subjects. and ceded them by Treaty, the only question which remained was between France and anarchy. No alternative was offered, and no real choice could take place. Her Majesty's Government omit all argument as to the propriety of a vote by universal suffrage for the purpose of confirming a Treaty. It is the first instance of such a proceeding, and the circumstances have not been such as to encourage a repetition of it. The question remains, what is to be done? Her Majesty's Government are not of opinion that Switzerland, even if she had the means, would have the right to resist the occupation of the neutralized parts of Savoy by the French civil and military authorities. But Her Majesty's Government must decline to take any step which may confer any additional validity on the Treaty of Turin of the 24th of March. In their opinion, that Treaty weakens Switzerland, and diminishes one of the securities of Europe for the maintenance of Swiss neutrality. If a Conference of the European Powers is summoned, your Excellency will attend it on the part of Great Britain. But in the Conference your Excellency will hold no other language than that which is contained in this and my former despatches. If the Conference should not be envoked, Her Majesty's Government will instruct you further; and in that case you will inform me of the reasons for which the Government of France declines to summon a meeting of the Great Powers, which the Federal Council of Switzerland has so constantly demanded. You will, of course, fully understand that nothing is changed in that part of the Treaty of Vienna which binds the Powers who were Parties to it to maintain the neutrality of Switzerland. I am, &c., (Signed) J. Russell. Report Made to the Emperor by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Regarding the Treaty of Turin. SIRE, J'ai l'honneur de soumettre à V. M. le décret de promulgation du Traité signé à Turin le 24 mars dernier, et en vertu duquel S. M. le Roi VictorEmmanuel, en transférant à l'Em 1 De Clercq, Recueil, vol. 8, p. 32. June 11, 18601 SIRE, I have the honor to submit to Your Majesty the decree promulgating the treaty signed at Turin on the 24th of March last, in virtue of which His Majesty King Victor Emanuel, pereur tous ses droits et titres sur la Savoie et l'arrondissement de Nice, a consenti à la réunion de ces deux pays au territoire de la France. Le parlement sarde vient de sanctionner par un vote solennel la cession opérée d'abord par le Souverain, et ratifiée ensuite par le vœu des populations destinées a devenir françaises. Jamais la légitimité d'une transaction internationale ne fut plus solidement établie. L'accomplissement régulier et successif de cet ensemble de conditions, rapproché de l'exposé préalablement soumis aux cours signataires de l'acte général de Vienne pour leur faire apprécier les motifs qui ont déterminé M. le Roi de Sardaigne, fait ressortir la demande adressée par V. M. à S. le caractère entièremement exceptionnel de la nouvelle acquisition de la France. Ce n'est pas une pensée d'ambition qui a dirigé la politique impériale; c'est un sentiment de prévoyance. V. M. n'a pas poursuivi une conquête: elle a cherché une garantie. Ce n'est pas à la force qu'elle a eu recours pour se l'assurer, c'est de l'amitié et de la reconnaissance d'un souverain qu'elle l'a obtenue; et la valeur de cette garantie est doublée par l'élan spontané et unanime des populations qui en seront désormais les gardiennes. V. M. et la France, Sire, peuvent être fières d'un succès, qui ajoute à in transferring to the Emperor all his rights and titles to Savoy and the district of Nice, has consented to the union of these two countries to the territory of France. The Sardinian parliament has just sanctioned by a solemn vote the cession previously made by the sov ereign, and afterwards ratified by the vote of the populations destined to become French. become French. Never has the legitimacy of an international transaction been more solidly established. The regular and successive accomplishment of this combination of conditions, added to the statement previously submitted to the courts signatory to the general act of Vienna, for the purpose of making clear to them the motives which determined the demand addressed by Your Majesty to His Majesty the King of Sardinia, shows the entirely exceptional character of the new acquisition of France. It is no thought of ambition which has directed the imperial policy, it is a sense of foresight. Your Majesty has not pursued a conquest: you have sought a guarantee. You have not had recourse to force in order to assure yourself of it, but you have obtained it from the friendship and gratitude of a sovereign; and the value of this guarantee is doubled by the spontaneous and unanimous enthusiasm of the populations who will henceforth be its guardians. Your Majesty and France, Sire. may be proud of a success which adds leur prestige moral sans qu'il en résulte pour aucune puissance la lésion d'un intérêt légitime ou un sacrifice d'amour-propre. En effet, par l'article 2 du Traité de Turin, les conditions spéciales dont l'Europe, à la demande de la Sardaigne, a entouré la possession d'une partie de la Savoie sont maintenues, et notre loyauté nous impose le devoir de les respecter à l'égal de la neutralité de la Suisse, en attendant qu'une prochaine entente avec les cours signataires de l'acte général de Vienne et avec la Confédération helvétique elle-même ait arrêté le réglement définitif de cette question. Que V. M. veuille donc revêtir de sa signature le décret ci-joint, qui forme une belle page de l'histoire d'un règne déjà si fécond en prospérités. to their moral prestige without the injury of legitimate interest or the sacrifice of pride for any power, as a result. In fact, by article 2 of the Treaty of Turin, the special conditions by which Europe, at the request of Sardinia, surrounded the possession of a part of Savoy, are maintained, and our loyalty imposes on us the duty of respecting them equally with the neutrality of Switzerland, while expecting that an approaching agreement with the courts signatory to the general act of Vienna and with the Swiss Confederation itself may have settled the definite regulation of this question. May Your Majesty be pleased therefore to affix your signature to the accompanying decree, which forms a noble page of the history of a reign already so fruitful in prosperous events. I am with respect, etc., Paris, June 11, 1860. Senatus-Consulte Uniting Savoy and the District of Nice to France. June 12, 1860 1 ART. 1". La Savoie et l'arrondissement de Nice font partie intégrante de l'Empire français. La Constitution et les lois françaises y deviendront exécutoires à partir du 1" janvier 1861. ART. 2. La répartition des terri 1 Martens, N. R. G., vol. 16, pt. 2, p. 542. ARTICLE 1. Savoy and the District of Nice form an integral part of the French Empire. The Constitution and the laws of France shall become executory there on and after January 1, 1861. ART. 2. The division of the ter |