The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-27 00:00:00

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MIL BOEBUCK, QUE AID
ST lON. THE ANSILICAN

Teeterday, at noon, an open-air meeting was held
in Sheeisid to hear en address from Mr. Roebuck, M.P.,
sad pus resolutions upon the question of intervention in
Amensean affairs. Many thousands of persona were present.

The Strut presided.
Mr, ftworcx, in the coons of a long and
apaxll, raid—The question which we have come here to
discuss, so far as lam concerned, is an entirely English
question. What I have to corder is what is
for the interest of Engird. What is for her in-
terest !believe to be for the interest of the world. We
bold such *position OA eyed', step' taken by England sa
a country reverberates throughout the whole world, sad
influences the happiness of every man. (Hear, hear,
and a loud voice ' No," followed by cries of " Turn him
out," and confusion.) Many years ago Eogland planted
great colonies in America. They raised themselves up to a
great height. They became three millions of people ; and
they then determined to separate from England. They
&petered thus they had a right to separate when they
thought lit to do so. They supported that judgment of
theirs be arms. They fought England; they beat England
—they declared themselves independent. The consular°,
of it is that they established this great principle among
mankind—that when a people are determined to throw off a
yoke, whatever that yoke may ho, they have the right to
do no. (Cheers, end " ho, no.") England resisted
these people. Then came France to aid them.
Preece entered into an alliance with our revolted colonies.
Thereupon we declared war against France. We carried ..n
that war. We were again beaten. We yielded the inde-
pendeoce of Americo, and we made a peace with France.
Then again we established another great principle, that
when • people are fighting for their liberty, it is in the ,1
power of any Oiler state—any neutral power—to ally them-
selves with the eocalled lighting body. They have a right
to do so, and if they have the power to maintain themselves,
they are justified in doing so. Now, after above 80 ran
of alliance, the United States of America have separated in
two. A large body of these States, calling themselves the
Confederate States, declared that they would no longer be
allied to these United States, but would make themselves
independent. (Hear, hear.) They are exactly in the
position of the Amman colonies with regard to Engird in
the year 1777. (No, no.) They separated. They
hed • future before them such as so people ever
had before. They had • wonderfully fertile country, in-
tersected with great rivers. They began a free people.
They continued a free people. They had English law, the
English language, English literature : and they were placed
in a position such as was never occupied before. Their
career for eighty years was one of unparalleled prosperity.
Bat between them there has grown up • feeling of antago-
nism. The South were determined to separate. They did
separate ; and men in Easter mourned that separation,
and no one more than myself, because I believed that if
they ad separate a great check would be given to the ad-
vaacement of mankind. The North was septratagfrom the
South, and the North began to se And here
the lesson I want to read to you. I mt. y I mounted ait'e=
seperatiou. But the North themselves, from the very
commencement, were so cruel, so determined on empire—
(hear, hear, sad no, no)—that they forgot charity, they for.
got Christianity ; they made themselves a spectacle to the
world of cruelty, corruption, and horror. (Cheers.) The
South stood up, like the real deseendants, as they are, of
liaglialunen. (Her, hear.) They said. "We will vindi-
cate to ourselves the right to govern ourselves ; we will
fight to the death for our indepeademce." And they have
fought to the death. (Cheers. A voice " Slavezy.")
They have conquered the North. (Hear, bear and
cheers, and erns of " No, no.") Asd now I sak
myself if the thee has come when surrounding
brio= shall do what we ought to do now—aersow-
ledge the South as an independent nation. (Cheers.)
and cries of "Never," and "Slavery.") lam about to come
to the question of slavery. The Northern States of America
bate slavery ; bat there is one thing they bate still more,
and that is the slave. They have decreed in their public
documents their determination sot merely to conquer the
South but to root out the slave. President Lincoln baa
very peculiar notions about slavery. He turd • proclama-
tion declaring all the slaves free in those seceded States,
and he maintained slavery wherever his power extended.
I say, can Eagland, by allowing this horrible war to go on,
sea she, as she has done—being thoroughly. neutral between
the two—can she, if she can prevent it, in her own con.
riser allow these horrible atrocities to continue! Oh, I
am met with the cry—l have heard it here—" Slavery."
But what is slavery in the South as compared with the
black man's condition in the North? No man looks upon
slavery with greater horror than I do, and if I could befit
the slaves—if I could do anything for their condition by at
once making them a freeapeople—l should he prepared, en
far as my humble power goes, to confer liberty upon them.
(Hear, hear.) Bat we did that amongst a smaller body of
Neck people in the West Indies. We paid for them, and,
r Briar has always behaved in such eases, we dealt libe-
rally. not only by the slave,
,but by the slaveholder. (Hear,
her) Can you do that in America ? You tarot. The
Wilkes of slaves in America wadi swallow up all the
story in the North and in the South to buy their
freedom. But the connexion between the alreholder
sad the slave is one not so painful as many ims.
gine. They are kindly treated. I know they are not
treated as I should like to be treated, because I am •
free man. I have been brought up in freedom, 1 have
fought for my own livelihood—they have not. They like
their condition then, to this extent, that when they be-
come old they are not called upon to maintain themselves,
and the slaveliolder treats them—uefortunately I most use
the phrase—as I should treat my horse. (Oh, oh, and
Hear, hear.) I never overwork him if lam a wise man. I
lament that any human being should ha in that condition,
but they are in that condition, and, as statesmen, what are
we to do! I fear that for many years to come slavery
must exist. You cannot get rid of it on a sadden.
Time, patience, and the education of the black man, all
mast go bead in hand, and it will be the malt of time, of
education, of patience, which will drag them out of the'con-
&ikon in which they now an. (Hear, beer.) Now, 1 bate
slavery aa much as any Dom Were any man to attempt
to make me a slave I would fight him. (Loud cheers.) Well,
them have things come to the condition that England is
called upon to act! She has been throughout entirely
sorrel, and what has bees the result! language has been
used to her, not merely by the people but by the govern-
ment of America, Mohr( broad description ; and at last
they have Cons to say, when describing themselves, " We
are reduced to that coadition that even England can bully
in." I want to know how they have been brought into that
audition ? *tramway's. (Hear.) I am very much inclined
to believe that, the poor working man Lanouhire
het suffered dreaday from the cotton famine, the masters in
Manchester have not suffered to the same extent (Hear,
hear.) lean very easily understand that when a man is
happy, when be is making money easily, and enjoying all
the mita of the earth in consequence of this war-1 say
I an understand his objection to anything being done to
put an end to it. But while I feel for the worlung men of
laamishire, I feel for the sultana's of the people of
America, and I want to put an end to this war. I my
to Ragland, " II you now stop in and declare boldly what
you think to be requisite, namely, that the Southern
stases should be at once acknowledged as an independent
Patton." (Cheering, mid cries of " No, no," and a voice
with peat emphasis, " Never." A working man
who was standing near the steps became rather
too demonstrative end was ignominiously expelled
by the police.) Mr. Roebuck continued—l am
told that if we acknowledge the South we shall go to war
with the North. I say Ido not believe it. Teen is no
body of men who so much desire England's interference in
that war as the Northern States themselves. (Hear, hear.)
I may state one remarkable thing. We looked upon a war
with America with horror, because it would bring about
cotton kudos. Well, we have no war with America,
but we hays a cotton famine. The most curious thing
is this. If we had war with America we should si
ere put an end to the cotton famine. Now, that is a
very peculiar circumstance. The South would thee be
an independent people • we should break the blockade
at once—(hear, 116114 —.and we should have coital ia
Manchester. IA stentorian voice : "We can't.") But we
should. (Cheers. Mr. S. Jackson : "We should have •
civil war in England" and Interruption.) By our Premed
proceedingsp out only have we alienated the North, bat
we shall alienate the South. France will step in as she did
is 177 d. She will conciliate the Southern States of
America, and we shall lose friends on both rides. ("How
do yon know this! We shall do right and they will do
wrong.") Whet is the reason why we should not do it!
Pint, they my, Ragland ought not to help slavery. I
say so too; but we should not help slavery by
arsowledging the South. (Hear, hear, and No, no.)
We should sot be benefiting slavery by soknowledging the
South ; bet we should really benefit the slave. By doing
anything to assist the North we may do away with slavery,
but at the Name time we should do away with the slave
Sympathy is not a part of neutrality. I have no sympathy
with the North. I think my sympathies ought to go, as
they do go, with the South. Try are • indent people,
fighting for their independence, and they have obtained it.
The chance of ernes on the part of the North is as a
million to OM They never hope to conquer the South ;
but I will tell you what they hops far. There are a body
Of men he New York who thrive wonderfully
upon the war. They have contracts, they have " ree
rake," they have every means of putting their hands into
the /Auk puree; they are gorged with wealth; and as
loot as this goes on they will wish the war to continue.
But if you go into the agricultural districts of North A
ar
rig, you would fled things very different there. (Hear,
rose) There you would see sorrow for the war. Thm
you would find husbands dragged to the war; you would
find brothers gone there, killed, eroded, maimed, made
miserable for life. They know what the horror of the war
; they have none of the advantages of the contractor in
Mew York; they therefore wish to put an end to the war.
And there is another class of men in North America which
DO hates England that anything that should continue to
pp s her rain they would delight in ; ad this arises from
gland'S bad conduct. I am speaking of the banished
Irish rn America. (Haar, hear.) The ill-conduct of Eog-
land has driven thousands,, nay millions, from Ireland..
=rat from leaked with their hearts burning against
and they have given that folios to their dor
mendsets ; and the greater part or the arse that has been
rowed upon England km cane from banished Irish-
men. I don't wander at • great part of the abaft that
has her showered upon England, but still all that
notwithstanding, notwithstanding that the banished
Irish, notwithstanding that the cornet= of New