The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-09-30 00:00:00

SYMPATHY WITH GARIBALDI, AND
THE ROMAN QUESTION.

During the put week large and influential
meetings, to express sympathy with Garibaldi
and urge oar Government to obtain the with-
drawal of the French from Rome, have been
held at Roehdale, Bristol, Southampton and
Glasgow. At Bristol the Dean—Dr. Eliot—
made a very eloquent speech fully expressive of
the gum•U feeling for the wounded hero. In
the course of his remarks, he said: One had said
to him, " Garibaldi ! go to sympathise with
him !—why there are too many persons in Eng-
land elho admire Garibaldi too much."
(Laughter.) His answer was, "In the name of
wonder if we are not to admire Garibaldi whom
are we to admire ?" (Much cheering and
laughter.) He knew no person so far as his
career has yet gone—and he had in his memory
, that moment some of the greatest names which
illustrated the annals of our kind—on whom he
oould place his hand and say, "He surpassed
Garibaldi in all the virtues which we are taught
on the highest authority to seek in men." (Loud
cheering.) There was another reason why, he
was told, they should not appear there that day.
It was that by so doing they might offend the
Emperor of the,French. He asked, "What is
the Emperor Of the French to me ?"—(much
Cheering)—or to any other man, be he British or
otherwime • but what was he to an Italian 1 (Hear,
hear.) They had just heard something of the
personal experience of one or two friends who
had bona in Italy. He would give them his
experience. Let them hear the argument of one
—en impulsive Italian, a man who sacrificed his
cotintry—.4 Venetian, who was exiled from
Venice. This Alan, the friend and secretary of
Menial, said, • We Italians know that we owe
a debt of gratitude to the Emperor of the French"
—he distinguished the Emperor from France—
"but we want him to let us understand what his
policy is; let us know whether at one time or
another—however long from this time—he is
walla& t° giVO 41/7 and freedom FP

(Cheers.) That was his experience. The
Emperor of the French would never say there
was a time in which the occupation of Rome
should cease; he said, "a choose to be there,"
and that was all. (Laughter.) But, as hi had
said, he had been told that he offein a I the
Emperor by attending the meeting. He cud not
know why he should not offend the Emperor of
the French. (Considerable cheering.) How
unworthy to go to such a meeting as that !—how
unworthy to go and express sympathy with
Garibaldi when you mean to do nothing else !"
"No," he replied, "I know nothing so utterly
and detestable as to do that. I will not go to
that meeting unless there be that resolution,"
which hetound ready prepared, "that we, with
the people of England, assembled in our different
cities and towns, should claim from our Govern-
ment that they shall use their power and
influence to make the Emperor of the French
to evacuate Rome." (Cheers.) He was not
mealy-mouthed. He said, "Use no influence
which is immoral, but there may be influence
which shall not be immoral, and which shall not
be altogether moral. (Cheers and laughter.)
He did not know that he as an Englishman was
called upon to say to France that she should
not keep her troops in Syria, and yet say that
she might keep them in Italy, which was of ten
times more consequenee than Syria. (Cheers.)
France might take Sardinia—might make the
Mediterranean a French lake, and we English-
man were to say nothing! (Cheers and
laughter.) He was not convinced by any argu-
ment of that sort, and therefore he would leave
the word "moral" out of the resolution, and
say that the Government should use its power
and authority, and say to France, "You shall*
not remain in Rome I" (Tremendous cheering.)
He was told, however— But the poor Emperor
of the French—the poor creature—is in the
hands of his priesthood." (Laughter.) The
Emperor of the French, no doubt, had done
much for Europe, and there was a grandeur
about Napoleon 111. which extorted our admira-
tion. But he was afraid of the French clergy,
as if the French clergy should dictate to Europe
and-say what should or should not be done!
He never heard of such a thing. (Applause.)
They were told that the continuance of the
dynasty of Napoleon depended upon his pre-
sent policy. He did not helieve it. (Cheers
and laughter.) He had heard good, quiet,
calculating men in France, say that the
Emperor's policy was completely and thoroughly
destroying his dynasty, and that if he died in a
short time his son would never come to the
throne, for the French people would not bear
the continuance of the policy. (Cheers.) He
spmpathiried with Garibaldi. (Cheers.) He
blamed him exceedingly for having gone so far
as he did, considering that he had a free consti-
tution and a free press, but although Garibaldi
had failed his cause was certain of success.
(Cheers.) This speech of the Dean of Bristol has
a thoroughly English ring about it. No one can
criticise the conduct of Napoleon with reference
to Rome but must come to conclusions the very
reverse if favourable. In fact it is utterly im-
sible for any man to sympathise with Gari-
baldi, in any real and worthy sense, and at the
same time refrain from condemning—we had
almost said denouncing—Napoleon ILL It is
utterly impossible to admire Garibaldi, a man to
whom self has no plaoe, and to feel the slightest
respect for a potentate who has enshrined self aa.
his God. Garibaldi's recent attempt requires no
exCuse. Tried by the highest of all standards, '
it was as ,justifiable as it was noble, and the fact
that it failed does not make it less so, for mere
success does not constitute either virtue or
crime. The late crisis, which we all deplored, I
was caused by the presence of the soldiers of
Napoleon in Rome, and every Englishman who
feels that the occupation of one foot of English
soil by a foreign power would be a disgrace to
which no Englishman could submit, should do
what he can to get Italy purged of her foreign
enslavers.