The Press.
London, England, 1854-06-10 00:00:00

sacrinces;

sent dangers and
than that:—

." But England did worse

" When the Czar accomplished the daring crime of
armed intervention in Hungary, and by it not only ad-
vanced a gigantic step in his ambitious career of supre-
macy over Europe, but especially prepared his present
blow by usurping the Turkish territory, do you remem-
ber in what manner the English Government did meet
the tremendous blow? Why, it declared, solemnly, offi-
cially, 'that her Majesty's Government had not consi-
dered the occasion to be one which had called for any
formal expression of the opinion of Great Britain on the
matter.' Why, the imperious necessity of the present
war shows that nut from any compassion for Hungary,
but in the interest of England, it would have been the
duty of your Government to prevent that encroachment
upon Europe by all means ; instead of this, it had 'no
opinion to express on the subject.' This was a manifest
encouragement—it was a charter of impunity granted to
the Czar for encroaching upon the liberties of Europe.
And you are now wondering that the Czar finds some-
what strange and unexpected the tender solicitude of
England fur what they now call the independence of na-
tions !"

Reverting again to his central topic, Austria, he
asked,
" Shall it be recorded in history that it is an hereditary
policy with England to share in the guilt of Austrian
despotism ? With the warnings of history before your eyes,
will England still persist in the false policy of courting
Austria, which brought already such mischief upon you,
and whose alliance, be you victors or vanquished, can but
be fatal to you ? Consider how that mischievous fault em-
barrasses England's course already at this very moment.
If there ever was a truth striking beyond any doubt—in-
contestable—it is the truth that, except Finland, it is only
in Poland and by Poland that Russia is vulnerable. Bom-
barding Odessa, Sebastopol, Cronstadt, taking Russian
prizes, buruing the Russian fleet ( if you can come at them ),
nay, burning St. Petersburg itself—all this may be very
noisy, good food fo• the newspapers, but it is merely a
palliative—nothing of a permanent effect. The Russians
might, perhaps, themselves burn St. Petersburg, as they
have buret Moscow ; you will no: be the better by it. if
your purpose is to tight Russian despotism—if your aim is
toicheck Russian ascendancy and to reduce Russian prepon-
derance, it is in Poland, it is by Poland that you must act--
(cheers)—or else you will never attain your aim. To you
the resurrection of Poland is not an act of compassion,
lurking somewhere behind the screen of diplomatic trans-
actions at the end of the war; to you the resurrection of
Poland is an urgent, pressing, strategical, tactical neces-
sity of this very moment ; to you the resurrection of
Poland is not only a national aim in the present war, it is
also an indispensable means fur attaining any rational aim
at all. Then, how is it that these gentlemen here (pointing
to some Polish refugees present) have still to stand plead-
ing the cause of Poland. instead of being landed from on
board English war-steamers in Samogitia, and calling from
native soil, ' lirave Poland, to resurrection and liberty?'
Why is this? It is from sheer complacency for Austria
and Prussia. Your Government knows very well that it
would be absurd to think that the pulsation of a national
resurrection could be restricted to a toe, or to any other
limb, and that it would not spread through all the body.
They know very well in Downing-street theta mere recon-
struction of what is now Russian Poland would be mere
moonshine ; and, therefore, as Austria and Prussia held
part of the plunder which had to be disgorged, out of regard
to them, but chiefly to pet Austria, they still neglect to do
that without which you cannot succeed inyour war. That's
a fact. (Hear, hear.) Be forewarned, people of England !
be forewarned. Look to history—there, in the mirror of
the past, thine own future is dagguereotyped. Remember
the campaign of Napoleon to Moscow in 1812. You have
been taught by superficial professors in your schools that
it is the generals Frost and Famine which defeated Napo-
leon. No ;. lie was defeated by having taken Austria and
Prussia for allies. Without Poland reconstructed in an in-
dependent nation no expedition against Russia can suc-
ceed. How, then, did it happen that he advanced against
Russia without having at the very onset reconstructed the
Polish nation ? Why, that neglect was a fatal but necessary
corollary of his unnatural alliance with Austria and Prussia.
Thus that alliance deprived him of the possibility of
realising that measure without which there was and there
is madness to believe that Russia is to be vanquished. The
neglect of reconstructing Poland brought famine upon and
made frost a ruin to Napoleon. Mark this striking lesson
of history well. Yon are in the same predicament—the
situation is the same—the conditions indispensable to suc-
cess are the same—the dander of unnatural alliances the
same—the only difference in the situation is, that Russia
has grown stronger in the meanwhile, partly by your own
fault, and that you have not an army of 000,000 men in the
field."

Addressing his Sheffield auditors as champions of
liberty, M. Kossuth appealed to their sense of con-
sistency and of propriety :

" If you mean to fight for freedom, you cannot side with
Austria. Ile who sides with despotic Austria sides with
despotism. If you mean to fight for the rights and inde-
pendence of nations you cannot side with Austria. Austria
is the impersonified violation of the rights and indepen-
dence of nations. If you desire to vanquish despotism, op-
pose party to it, and not Austria—Austria is despotism.
(Prolonged cheers.) If you desire to secure the inde-
pendence of Turkey do not hinder the independence of
Hungary ; and, as a means to the effect, mind not to pre-
vent Turkey from taking the Hungarian nation for its ally
as your Government was and is preventing it. If you
mean to reduce the preponderant power of Russia you
must help Poland to reconstruct itself into an independent
nation, or else Russia's preponderance will not be checked.
But I do not say Deconstruct Poland;' I say, ' Help