The Express.
London, England, 1849-10-31 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 31, 1849.

Men utter eonfuies—ench hopeleis bankropey—that
no other farm of government can be found willing to
undertake the labour mod ri kof reetaratioa. (" Hear, hear,"
and laughter.) Bays at school, you know, when they have
got an apple or a oaks that they want to Impel to them-
selves, ref it over with dirt, ir order to disgust their school-
fellows--(great laughter)—end even so it is, I suspect, with
the old governments I speak of. (Hear, hear.) It is ro
wonder that, seeing the ponisteneo of their rulers in such
wicked absurdities, the people of Europe should have a ten-
deney in their despair to resort to the process of digging up
the very buis of social existence. (Hear, hear.) It is we,
the maligned Utopian, who have toned the remedy for these
disorder.. (Hear, hear.) lam not going into the question
of the internal affairs of other countries. If any particular
nation hasb homy to be taxed for the maintenance of an
imp of 300 or 400 thousand soldiers for its own sup-
pundon, I am sot going to interfere with the fancy.
(Langhter.) Bet I would point oat that these standing
Illmise are not raised and maintained out of the immediate
' pockets of the panle : they are paid fur by loans. (Hear,
hear.) And if we want really to prevent governments from
keeping up these large armaments, our mode must be to ledge
each a public opinion in Eoglond wished prevent individuals
from lendirg their money to governments. (Hear, hear.)
We have already attack a heavy blow at the eysteen
Austria his indeed got a loan, bat the money ILLS not given
by Holland or by England, a fact which must satisfactorily
prove that the right spirit has come upon us. (Hoer, hear.)
We steno locger to be blindly entrapped into such grievous
wrong; and Ste estimation in which the loan is held gene-
rally, is sufficiently demonstrated by the fact that before the
heeds were issued, they were at a discount of from half to
one per cent. (Cheers.) There is now another great
northern power in the market. (Groans and hisses.)
Russia, I see from yesterday's paper, is putting
out for a loan. (Groans.) The great czar has sent
forth his ukase, in which he invites people to give him credit
for throe or four millions steelier', in the shape of treasury
bonds; and I am delighted to perceive, from the very ukase it-
self, that the loan is needed " to cover the expense of the war
lately carried on in Hungary." (Hear, hear.) After this
what becomes of the boast about the wealth of this power ?
(Hear, hear.) Did we not hear the ogler day that rich
Russia, liberal Russia, had taken up two millions of the
Austrian loan, had given the rope 500,0001., and the Grand
Duke of Tuscany 251,0001. ? I don't believe a word of it.
(Hear, hear.) I would not give 2.51. for the Russian 1081.,
that the bulls and the bears are working up yonder in the
City. (Hear, bear.) And, moreover, I know men
of ant accomplished knowledge in Rennie affairs
who would not make n higher hid than this
of mine. (Hear, hoar., From the bottom of my
heart I thank Heaven that it has ordained, in its Divine
Providence, that where there are huge standing armies of
700,000 or 800.080 men, there is also a bankrupt exchequer,
an oppressed, miserelle, and degraded population. (Hoer,
bear.) Were such not the manifest consequences under
.d's will ; were it not clear that even in this world such
wicked cum* meet with their punishment, I should be
much less sanguine than I am in the expectation of the
remedy we seek. (Hear, hear.) It is by the emphatic enun-,
dation of the great principle we advocate at great meetings
like the present, that the cause we have espoused must be
advanced. (Heir, hear.) The leading resolution to which
you most come here, as unanimously as it was adopted at
Paris, is the resolution that the public opinion denounces and
repudiates any violent interference in the internal affairs
of foreign countries. (Hear, hear.) We boast that with
u every man's house, who he. not violated the laws of his
country, is his castle, which he who fortes is a burglar.
What should we say, then, to the state burglary committed,
when one independent, self governing nation is invaded by
the enforced interposition in its internal affairs of a neigh-
bouring and stronger nation, tinder the pretext, most pro.
leetev hvounitical. of the le r eountre's advantage. (Hear
hear.) Upon every principle of justice and right, no foreign
power can interfere by force in the interval affairs of another
and independent state—f.hear, hear)—and until this is the
understood and acted upon by the governments of
the world, there can practically be no bar to anarchy as
among mottoes. (Hear, hear.) I lay this equally as to
icterlerence of Russia with Hungary, of England with Spahr,
of France with It amt. (Cheers.) There has been, incited,
a doctrine admitted in this apiary with relation to Hungary
which has affected me more p Agnently than any political
circumstance of recent date. It has been put forth from
this country—not only by the press, but by the mouth of the
Foreign Secretary—that Austria had a right to cell on a
neighbouring power to aid her in putting down what mks
deemed rebellion. Now, this is a question, not of nation,,
tut of the responaihillte of the governors to the governed,
(Hear, hear.) The boy Emperor of Austria, expelled from
his most important territory, has the right, it is said, to call
in the Cossacks to cut the throe's of his own subjee's; if this
be admitted, there is an end of the responsibility of gone-
hors to the governed ; there is an end of ail fear snit of all
hope as between the parties. (Hear hear.) Asti the only.
possible result must be universal anarchy. (Hear, hear.)
We have here been maintaining—and necessarily maintain-
ing—the principle, that the people are the sovereign source of
power. Suppose the at some future period—the supposition,
under existing circumstances is out of the question—the
Begin,' people were to c me to conflict with their sow
reign, and that the sovereign was to be defeated, is it pro- I
tended to be said that in such a case the sovereign would be
justified in milling in Turaey, for example, to her aid, as
Austria bad called in Russia? (Hear, hear.) A large pro
portion of the daily press of this reentry had been hounding
on the Cossacks—(" Th. Times")—in their brutal invasion—
in their crust treatment of a more civilised, a freer, a more
interesting people than themselves. I reflect with humilla
then, as au Englishman, upon the part which these journals
have taken upon this subject during the past few months—
(hear, hear)—but I implore the men now present who
represent foreign countries on this great occasion to believe
me when I assure them that these journals do not
at all represent the public opinion or heart of
the country upon this question. (Cheers.) Let the
Congress, which was spreading its roots and its branches far
and wide, throughout the world, keep to these four car-
dinal points, in faith and heart—arbitreeion inland of war;
a simultaneous reduction of armaments ; the repudiation of
the claim easy nation to interfere, by force, in the affairs Of
any othernation ; the repudiation of loans to foreign countries.
Let these cardinal points be adhered to, and, with the Divine
-nesting, which could not fall to be vouchsafed to so good a
work, perseverance would ensure a certain victory to the
friends of peace. (Cheers.)
Mr. STURGE, in seconding the resolution, merely ex-
pressed his hope that their friends from abroad world attend
the frond meeting on the game subject, to be held this ever
leg sn Birminghain, which,though it was the arsenal of smell
arms for the whole world, would, he could promise, give
them a hearty reception. (Cheers.)
The resolution was unanimously adopted.
M. F. Buono, M. 110itACII Bay, next addressed the
meeting in English, and M. Gummi and M. POTONISIIIia
French, after which
President KAHAN proposed the next resolution:
That, considering the of the work yet to be
done in carrying out the acts of the Conuese to their full
accomplishment, this meeting pledges itself to employ its
utmost efforts in sustaining the plans of action already
formed, in originating any others that new circumstances
may demand, and particularly in supplying the funds which
an enterprise so extensive and important will canines to
require ; end it relies on the aenerosity of the British public
for that enhoged co-operation which such an undertaking
merits at the hands of all who desire the period when
"nations shall learn war no more.
The resolution having been seconded by J. Sum, Esq.
P. and adopted, the meeting separated, ate, • cordial
acknowledgment of thanks loth' chairmen.
the I

COMMEMORATION OF THE BIRTH-DAT OF ALFRED
TRI GARAY AT BIIMINOKAX—The memhere and Mends
of the Birmingham Association for the Dissmninatima of
Polities] Knowledge, commemorated the thousandth anni-
versary of the birth-day of King Alfred the- Great by •
win,* on Monday evening. This association originated some
months since with • number of young men—clerks, artisans,
and others—who assemble weekly for the purpose of mutual
instruction. Oa the wades et this celebration they were
ts, by • amber of Millesimal ether visitors, end the hall
handsomely decorated, an evening, pleasantly diver-
,
si by music and the delivery of suitable addressee, was
agreeably passed. Amongst the sentiments spoken to were
the following ;—" Alfred's memory ;" " The progress of civil
and religious liberty throughout the world ;" The
people—may they form that wise, free, end noble nation,
for the creation of which Alfred lived and laboured ;" " Be-
Ruing that it le good for a people to hold in veneration the
memory of its truly great men, we hope that gatherir gs
Ilk* the preesst will become more frequent.'. Vatican
speeches were delivered, eulogistic of the memory and
virtues of Alfred; amongst the sen were Mr. Toulmin
Smith, of Beejeasies-isn, Mr. Langford, and Mr. Gill.
The two former spoke of the advantages of local
eelf-government-• privilege which it seemed always
to have been the especial care of Alfred to
restore and provide for the Koglish people ; Mr.
in the somas of a lengthened address, made some
amide/ and useful remarks. As a proof that true genius
and treetnem of soul were always honoured, he cited this
mto commemorate the birthday of Alfred—Abe greatest
Hoglisamaa—eloca whose death "men of ten centuries had
elapsed " but whose sublime deeds dal inspired a feeling of
gratitude In every heart. They had met there (he said) to
proclaim the "eternity of the benefits" resulting from
Alfred's deeds—to commemorate a mighty soul of the tar,
yet present to us ; and he expressed a hops that the heroism,
the courage, and the glory which shed itself around Alfred's
name, would be an incentive to his duceodaots in this day
to follow so illurriou 112 example. This little festival paned
off in a very rational manner, and a dance concluded the
proceedings of the evening.