The Express.
London, England, 1851-11-12 00:00:00

GREAT MEETING AT THE FItEE-TRADE

HALL.
The greatest gathering. at the Free-Trade Ball during
the excitement of the anti.eorn law agitation were quite
equalled in numbers by the essemblage of last evening,
whik, from the fact of the admissions being all by ticket,
it may he assumed that the persons present comprised a
great majority of the wealth and respectability of tie town
and neighbourhood. It would he impossible to exag-
gerate the intensity and extent of the public interest,
of which • tolerably suffietent proof is afforded iu
the extraordinary fact that the application for tickets ex-
ceed.' 1011,000. Letters praired in, not only from the sur-
rounding district., but from the ntiad distant parts of Eng-
land and Scotland. Thu committee, which consisted of
upwards of 1,109) of the first names in the locality, were
literally besieged with letters, not only in their collective
but individual capacities, and it was remarked that the
applications came from persona of all shades in
pehties. as if the great event of the day had by
its extraordinary later( st and importance com-
pletely annihilated all party distinctions. The general
enthusiasms was fully participated in by the fair sex, who
might be seen struggling for places in thu very middlu of
the throng.
Precisely at seven o'clock M. Kossuth entered the hall,
accompanied by George Wilson, Esq.,'lhoinas Muhl, Esq.,
Megan. Janus Kershaw. and Alexander Henry,
11.1'., and lastly Mr. Bright. His appearance was the
signal for a scene of the most extraordinary enthusiasm and
excitement we ever witnessed. To use au expressive thea-
trical phrase the whole hall " rage at him," and cheer upon
cheer was sustained for several minutes._

Mr. O. WILSON tools the chair, and said they had met
to present 11411.1M11. to Louis Kossuth, late a prisoner in
-tees, now a reeideut in En„ lead, and .hulto become the
honoured and respected guest of America. Cheers.) Not-
withstanding their numerous meeting to.nig t, he doubted
not that there were those in the town who viewed it with
jealousy, and with no feelings of admiration. (Cheers and
Frames.) lie was curs there were few, (or he could appeal
to all percent, and ask whether they ever rethelected an
occasion when men of all treed. and all shades of opinion
had united as they had now done to do honour to their
illustrious guest. (Cheers.) If it was implied, because the
head of the curporution had, perhaps prudently, perhaps
diecrettly, determined not to invite the intentions stranger
to an entertainment in the town, that Id. Kossuth was not

the welcome guest of Manchester, he would appeal to all
present whether unwire. thinking so were not deceived.
(Cheers, and groans for the mayor.) No man could better
afford to smile at such impotent attempts to depreciate him
than the it illustrious guest. (Hear, and cheers.) The hen.
gentleman having explained what was to be the order of
the business of the evening, introduced
Mr. lIIHUHT, M.P., who rose amid loud choen, and in
a lengthy and elaborate speech proposed the adoption of the
address. Ile felt the utmost confidence he should have the
illl4lllllootl/ and ceithusiastic support of the meeting.
((cheers.) Whines. r any meson without the walls of this
meeting might say, he had no doubt the guiding sentiment
which had collected that meeting together was the true
and sincere love of liberty of every nation, of every
name, of every colour. (Cheers.) They were there to
acknowledge the justice of those principles which, in this
c .untry luckily, for ages they had not had to contend for.
(Cheers.) Ile linked upon their illustrous guest as
the greaten champion of liberty of this or any age. (Cheers.)
Ile hail excited in this and other countries an admiration
greater than that tilt fur any crowned head of ton-
t...neat Europe. (Cheers.) By his speeches since he
keg tome to this country ho had excited universal &d-
-aintier. (Cheers.) But even this great man, he re-
gretted to ay, had been assailed day by day by the breath
ut slander. (Bru ow ns fur the r.) Ile had escaped the
mi.on—he had escaped the executioner—yet morning after
awning columns id slander had been published to order—
(clown)—paid fur, he suppord, at about 51. ss. a column.
(Cheers and laughter.) The last attack of that journal
accused M. Kossuth of being a republican and an advo-
cate of universal suffrage. (Cheers nod laughter). Now,
imperfect as the government of this country was, they still
expired liberty ; and across the Atlantic, under another
form of government, they also enjoyed liberty. (Cheers).
They were not there to acknowledge M. Kossuth as a mon-
archist or republican, but as the friend of liberty—(cheers)
—and the attacks of malevolence would have no effect upon
him. (Cheers.) But other persons were also slandered for
taking part in theme demonstrations; the friends of peace, of
non-intervention were accused of inconsistency. (Cheers.)
We yet hope to see the cause of 'thorny free, but he
would be the last to take part in any movement fur fanning
the spark of war into a flume. (Cheers.) But was there
no force in opinion. Let them recollect whet hail been done
th-ough that hall, for what it had been built, and that the
result had been the making a lauded aristocracy greater than
in any other country, succumb, and o giant felony broken
down. (Cheers) If war was inevitable, and the good pro-
b:cmatical, the evil was always certain. The principle
of liberty was advancing fast, and Mr. Cobden had done
more good by calling the meeting in London &gluiest foreign
beans than ever was done by armies or navies. (Cheers.)
The hon. gentleman concluded by expressing his sympathy
with Hungary, and wishing that she might yet recover from
bet ashes, and become one of the greatest and moat glorious
nations on the face of the earth. (Cheers.)
The Secretary, Mr. S. P. Komesoo, next read the ad-
dress, which wee as follows:
It is with no common feelings of congratulation that the
people of Manchester hail your presence amongst them on
ton occasion. We tender you a hearty welcome, in earnest
thankfulness that you have survived the perils of a long am-
prisunineut, and are now beyond the reach of that despo-
tam which, in the inveteracy of ita hatred to your person,
wily testifies how deeply it has been made to feel the terror
of your name. That name is now historically identified
with the most memorable struggle which modern times have
witnessed, to vindicate the cuustitutional rights and free-
dom of u great and brave people. With the cause of Hun-
gary we have sympathised through every phase of her for-
tunes. We watched with intense interest the commencement,
and saw with profound grief the sad termination of her
heroic conflict with her oppressors. To you, sir, as the
champion of your country s independence—u the states-
man who, through long years of self-devotion, sustained, ,
with unrivalled energy sail eloquence, a patriotic and con-'
atitutionel resistance to the encroachments of despotism, we
tender the expression of oar wannest admiration. The
present state of the continent of Europe, where the brute
force combination of military armaments threatens to over-
whelm every vestige of liteaty, renders it the imperative
duty of the people of every free state to manifest their ab-
horrence of the tyranny that would usurp all rights and
ignore all duties, in blind defiance of the sacred obligations
that reason and justice proclaim as the first conditions of
civilised governments. In your person we recognise a
living protest against those priuciples of despotism which
have eser been moat abhorrent to the national sense and
traditional aspirations of the people of this country. We
would, through you, make known to Europe and the world
our inextinguishable hatred of eppreesion ; and uniting our
voices with the great verdict which history will hereafter
pronounce on the momentous events in which you have
played so distinguished a part, we would invoke for Hun-
gry. as we now pray heave& to word to yourself, a fu-
ture worthy of the lofty aims which have been the guiding
Oleo( your great sanser."
JAMk:e KNESHAW, Esq., simpl
chy oceonded the ad-
dress, and it was carried with great eering. There was
not a single voice against it.
The CliAllielAN then called upon M. Kossuth, who
rose to receive the address. His rising was the signal for
en extraordinary burst of cheering, and fors roe momenta
the necomelings had to wait the end of this burst of eaten"-