The Express.
London, England, 1849-01-11 00:00:00

741 ] LONDON, THURSDAY, JAN. 11, 1849. (THREEPENCE

en levers in weeny it shwa IS per ash also.
Now, in the Howe at Commumn whey • vote k
broseht forward for our army mid gory and oedemas—
eses tile amour, at war, or the vy, or
the sterstaryelaast. brings eshirwltirdlliabed, h nae
says
bow many Mot he wants, and wham the umber of men is
voted ill the ether ewers follow es a matter of emus". It
is perfectly nadenteed that when bre Toad the men
yen newt yea every
Is in g dime-
tine ; sad thiesiereagnralmfba. shirt there is mensamis were
aid mismenesmenent. I say if you want • material Mirka
L your armeneest. on must at ease boldly
Wit 1910 of the lumbar of men
en these seivisse. Wh should panel nauseate= ?
IlW7—adminellfbayswitytoy
tsilunall this lamer.,takeiffas asp= esTrienaskevedr
am erignientation has been feigned, there has always been
sa enema fork But whoa emplaned is this. Alter chums-
eke has pried away, we never have • diminutica. (Her,
bier.) In 1636—1 have red you the eat le 1836—1 t was the
lowest point' in 1836 there war• wry got up that we were
grog to be invaded by the Ruler at was that made me
Ara turn pamphleteer, to write against this mania about
the Romans landing on the coast of Norfolk some
hggy morning). That wee made an erre for
ineresee. And ever navy, I remember Tay well, is 1839, was
increased for those 'whether" strive at Monteath, by
Frost, Williams, said Jeass—the re I suppose I mast
call It. A proposal was made ty Lord I Russell far an
summer if 6,000 men to meet the ease of those artist
trial& ; bat, when tranquillity returned, I never heard a
word about adman them. If you follow, step by step,
gesammen, the barer, of armaments, there has always
been some special end ready excuse. At one time we most
needs go and settle affairs in Syria (we have as mach to do
with too affairs of the aunt, and we must bombard Acre
and first Ibrahim Pasha or some other Pacha. Well, then
we had to go to Tahiti ; then we had a tlutre with Amines
about the male boundary I and thee we had aequebble about
the Orison tern.tory end because Kr. Presider Polk talked
• great deal a balderdash, and tome of the United Bates
menages talked more nonsense than usual, why
our governmeat pressed another intense on us, and
this great sq athe. of evolutions still goes on with
it. evolutions, perfectly understood at that time
as • demon•tration against Auriga. But the Oregon ques-
tion and the mar boundary squabble, the Syrian and the
Tahiti squabbles, are mottled, and the chartists well employed
and comfortable ; and white is ti • use of keeping up all
these armaments ? (Cheers) But, gentlemen, I
have not forgotten the lest excuse. You remem-
ber this time last year. As nest as possible this
time last year I stood on this platform to vase my voice, in
conjunction with yours, almost alone, against that wicked
I attempt to impose upon us by increasing our national
defences, to react us against 1111111111011 from France
(Hear, hear.) Now, gentlemen, by way of parenthesis,
and for your encouragement, and for the encouragement
of the country, let me put remind you of the MIMI,
of opinion sines then. We then had to fight against
an increase of our armaments. And it was an uphill battle,
but we sresed‘d in railing • proposal before the country to
redoes the cost of our armament man than one half, and
that proposal is received with more favour within 12 months
—(cheers) —receives more favour with the public now than
our resistance to the iecrease Bor 12 months re. Why is
It ? Why because, spits of all attempts to mystify the public
mind on these subject., the events of the *eminent have
trumpet-tongued declared that the attempt to slander
and malign the English and French nations at that time was
a most wicked injustice perpetrated on a great people. We
were told this time last year " Why, it's true the French
are quiet now, because of Louis Philippe, the Napoleon of
Peace ; but let him dl., and you will see bow that French
people, now kept in by this wise monarch, will break loose."
(A laugh.) Well, Louis Philippe is politically dead; the
French people were thrown entirely upon their own resources.
The bridle on their neck, and the bit in their mouth ;
the people were all-powerful to do whatever they willed. mid
the government, donee un their knees, ready to follow the
people to the utmo.t bent of their passions. (Cheese ma
laughter.) Has there bra amidst that thirty-five Edgier
of people, your next neighbours, anything to support this
slenderer imputation al'eged lest year by these wicked
alarmists—these most wicked pantioningers, that I will
forgive; or, if 1 do, I will never forget to remind
them of their wickednesi—(laughter)—has there been oeu
act of the Freon% people, 1 say, to warrant the imputation
that they wished to come and attack you? (No, no.) I
will not confine myself to that; there was munching nearer t
home which somebody summed the French were much man
likely to &tacit than Eng and. Has there he.. the slightest I
manifestation on the part of the French people to make the I
Rhine the bounder) of their empire, by attack-
tog Belgium ? Have th• y moulted Holland, or
invaded Italy ? Have they shown the slightest I
desire to engage in warfare ? On the contrary, wh
public man has wished to :mailers the French people, has be t
not addressed them in terms of peen, and has he not pro-
mised, above all things. to follow a pacific policy ? Their I
present president—a Napoleon Bonaparte—l say nothing
of his fitness to be • president,—that is an affair of the
Fresno people, not of ours—(applanw).—bot whew chi.
indieidual was rgowoolog the French people for I
their suffrages, bow did he soar them? Why if I
our panicmongers understood the Preach character i
rightly, he must have promised the. • war of agerreasion •
upon B eland, or at least upon Belgium. What did he say I
in bis address ? " With war then can be no mi'ira ion of i
your sufferings; peace shall therefore be the most cherished
object of my desires. At the time of her first revolution •
France was warlike, because others repelled her to
be so; abs was attacked, and she rolled bock
the tide of conquest on her invaders. But now that
nobody attacks her she can devote all her resources
to peaceful relation., without abandoning • firm and honour-
able policy." Now, gentlemen, does that look as if you
have been wisely spending your money in fortifying your-
selves,
and keeping up your enormous standing arnoundats,
because certain parties are interested in clothing regiments; 1
and admirals. with nothing to do, tell you France is a hob.
goblin, who will come and devour you some mouth, ?
(Loud applause) But I con't eosins myself Sc
France though I have mid more upon that, because
I took upon myself, last year, @tending in this plus, to
declare my opinion rowdier the Judean of the great
COW of the French people. I said in this place that in Frazee
property is more diva. d than is any other country in the
world ; I said there are eight or tan millions of reel property
en the soil of that vast empire (the richest on its surface
of any in Europe), and the whole of that rich patri-
mony is owned in fee simple by the perms who
cultivate it, more than any country in the wean.
And allow me to my, gentlemen, by way of paren-
thesis, that when I hear certain wise men who write in ark-
Newts journals t Ikiac of the dangers to the country from
the miners suo.divisies of its property, I feel very much
dinosed to whisper in their ears, whether the lemons of
history have net aught us a totally dieerent danger.
and if they can point out an instance in the
history a the world where • nation has c•me
tousle b cause the multitude of the owned ething ;
that you cantht point to any tea have somnnt gage
through • social revolution, bears property had become
accumulated in a few hande—(eheers)—and then was a con-
sequent erne of luxury and corruption is the few, and de•
gradation and misery in the many. But, frentlemem,
the argument I need last year, I will repeat
here, conformably to the experience of the last year—
the polite in France, being nearly all proprietor., and,
having themselves to pay fee any war armed on,
will
not vote for war to increase taxation ; and I believe that
Louis Napoleon, and Caviare, and Guisot. whose book
was published nail yesterday, and every public man in
Francs, and K. Thins, will agree with me, that if
there is one passion more pralorninaut with the
Fresco people than another, it is the desire
for peace. Well, gentlemen, bur dess.t confine myself to
Fiore. I the Germany, and I take Italy. I ray, where
amidst the convulsions where monarchs have abdicated and
popes and potentates have run away in the disguise of lam
greys, and gone dews no their knees before the mob, I ask
you where, in all Europe, there has been amongst
the people one sic. or symptom of iggromeive
war on their neighbours ? ow, gentlemen, be-
ware of being 'mystified again. The enemy is rain
at week, and one of their favourite devices as this. They r oiee
• emension in your minds by past* to 'eternal revoke
tien roing on is other countries, and parade yes it was in
• state of war. This was the way they dealt with me. I
esid that the people were for peace, bat when the revolooso
broke out in France, these panie-mueers said, " Rea is
Cobden come beck tram the contrast '.ls us they are foe
pum, and they hove broken out in • state of war." They
have not been in a state of war, but ia a state of revelation,
in a state of obtaining precisely the some objects for which
this country went through • process of r 01,4114011 two centu-
ries ago. (Applause.) And though in France their gain
in the way of peskiest Warty as not been so great as in
other countries—for they Lad • fair &wont of practi-
cal freedom before their last revolution—when you
compare the state of Germany and Italy with
what k was when I was there ant two years
agn,—l *ay that Denary and Italy, with their convolekee,
slight arid ev thereat compared with the ten years' civil
war required in Baglead te tuatara the prerogative of our
fist Cesar —they have gained the same amount of
liberty, I se, which it required ten years' ay./
war in Englind to obtain. (Hear, her ) I left
them in these countries with every semipro,' and
every book under the strict astral of a mum and hie 'cis-
me. not a Ito albino( to he read but the envernment
rain mast road it over first and expeord what he pleased.
1 loud them with slued ourta of prier, not administered
by oral testier' is the ravine of the reused, but by
written i ocousentary ev dunce ; witheet repudiate
•ies forms of government, without trial by jury.
Now, though they may blunder and 'tumble in
OS path of reform, they are at least as the
highway for *bathing those privileges so seem as they are in
• condition to use them. And is spite of those who in this
country look with no favonahle eye upon the movements
the people in thaw countries have made, 1 sand here to es
pros the sync thy et the public in Ragland for those mop •
who have ben so nobly Lira' fro their countries' liberty.
Do not think that I am talking a foreign politics, that are
f reign to your learnt' here. is by studied misrepre-
sentation of what is going on upon the Continent that your
immense standing armies are maintaiaed god defended in
this country. Imy that the peters of constitutional rights
es the Coauthor mita be aura& to the
anneals sad parr acme et parta, bemoan I Wet

I ban proved to you that the man or the
people on the sentinest, as well es the mass of the people in
this onatry, are fanerable to moue sad averse to war.
There is so gearantess—gentleaese I Astyyon to show me
how say governameat or any pule set the continent ma
strengthen themselves, eves if Mu *bons to sorry oe a
war of mequest. Let Frau. invade Germany, it only
maims Germany smite Ilk. one sun ; the whole
Tutoeis is,. would rise to repel the Fneek.
What is now the prods/edema passim in Germany ? Na.
duality. (Rear, bear) The union of Germany to expel
Fronts would not be an aggressive byes, but for defensive
secerlty ? What is the contest between Lembenly and
Austria ? Austria may cell Leetberdj part of its Territory,
but you have another ram, sad the Leda ram will sot be
stemmed by the Teutonic rem. Though She Austrians may
keep cloys the Lombards by Redistski and 100,000 nun it
is not • aura of strength, but of weakness to Austria.
(Near, bear). And I defy you to show me anreoeutest or
partition of tenitory within the lam outlay in Europe that
is not rasher a moues of weakness than streorh. Take it at
the wont that can happen—that somebody on the
continent is going to make an nark on their
neighbours, is that any reason you should be armed
to take part in that struggle ? In ancient time.l
when the people counted as nothing, and princes told
out their subjects as the shepherd with his flock, if sim;
nearriege united the er MIS, all these people became w
subjects or slaves to their ssvereign. Tun there might be
danger from an acquisition of territory. Now that we all
Meow that men vent, everyone, for somethine on
the continent of Europe, sod now that we know
there are great lines of demarcation of rses—one
for Frau*, another for Spain, and another even in
the Massie empire of national Austria—split up into Scla.
voiding and Magyars—why I say inspires have limits, and
instead of • roar try being strengthened, it b possible its
ccoquests may be • source of weakness. Then, gentlemen, I
say, taka it as the very worst ; who,l ask, is to snook
thyme let that, polities, Unmet And beings me to the
other gaunt as to toe doctrine we mast adopt if we wish to
rodeos oar armaments—it is, gentlemen, that we will leave
other people to menace their own affair. (Cheers.) Tat
Spaniards, who hive some very wise maims, my
that a tool knows no more what is going on
in his own honer, than a wise man does in

that of his neighbour. (Laughter.) If we would
apply that to nations, and give foreigners credit for knowing
their ma affairs without interfering in the management of
them, it will save us a great deal of money. Depend upon
it they will get their affairs better and sooner settled
themselves than with one interference. (Cheers.) NOW,
what Sr. we doing ? There cannot be a petty
squabble in any corer of Europe, or rather of
the world, but what you mutt have a Art of line-of-battle
ships from England. We are takio put and interferino
b twain the King of Naples and has Sicilian sublime, and
are, we a consequence, detested by troth parties. In all Italy
we are spoten of with contempt; they do not value oar good
qualities; as men they are ready to pay you the highest
tribute in that respect, bat as • nation and
a government we hue interfered with their politics,
and they cordially hate and detest the nation for having
meddled with them. (Hear) The same with Spain. Hun-
dreds of millions have you spent on Spain, and what is the
present state of Spanish feeling ? I have travelled from
one end of Spain to another, and I never heard the
name of the Duke of Wellington mentioned.
(Cries of " Hear, hear.") He ((inert their battles r
we persuaded ourselves, through all the Peninsula; but I
never saw his portrait or his bust, though I saw Nap leon's
portrait end toe portraits of his marshals everywhere; be-
cause Napoleon and the French are more popular at present
than the English. It is the same everywhere—in Greece
and also in Portugal. Is not this a very undignified attd
tude for a greet nation to occupy ? The English people
are hated everywhere, bemire of their interference If you
would keep aloof from their squabbles and their politiew, and
pat tour own house in order instead of looking after others.
you would be the better respected, and be the better for it. I
say put year own house in order—(hear)—and put y ur mad
cabins in Ireland in order—(cheers)—and you will show •
great deal more common sense than by going and attempting
to put the h mes of other people in order, where you are
not responsible for their government. Now, gentlemen,
there is as argument which I am glad to see, as it shows
that our opponents are on their lust legs—they tell us if we
don't interfere, Franca will go and interfere. So it is now—
we have got • fleet at Naples because the French have got •
fleet there. I remember in thelast stage of the Anti-Corn Law
agitation, they said, " Oh, tree trade is • very good thing.
but we can't have it till other countries have begun free
trade." My answer was that if it was a good thing for us.
let as adopt it, and leave them to adopt it if they find it is a
good thing for them. (Hear.) Interference with the affairs of
the continent is a costly, and useless, and pernicious plan ;
and I say if foreign interference is bad for us. and the French
and Austrians choose to purer that plea, leave them to do
it, bet don't rain yourself (Cheer) Now this
is • common sense that doss not pervade bleb
quarters in this country. (Hear, and a laugh) Well,
cow, we have another argument to meet. They tell us we
must keep op our enormous armament* because we have
colonies, and people say, t• We must main-
tain our colonies." I say in answer to that,
do you intend to hold your colonies by arms—with swords,
with ships of war ? Decree I consider that not a perms
neat hold—l wart to hold them by their affections. (Loud
cheers.) If you tell me that your simile are kept
for the sake of your colonies, then I say your
colonies can afford to pay for their own police; for I
beg to tell the Beer people that the people in the colonies
are a great deal better off than most of the people in Eng.
land. They haves vast deal more of the comforts of life, and
they hese very few of the taxes that bother us so. Sir
Cobden then went on to say. They were spending ton
much as • nation, and whilst that treed local taxa
tion would go on increasing. He promised one thing—
he would
ti en he saw the eat of our armies reduced to
10 000,0001, until he saw the expenditure of the country
'educed to what it wee in UM at least. He did not
ay he would stop there. (Cheers.) That was the least
they intended todo, and it wee something worth the e'ruggl ;
but he repeated he would not stop there (cheers) ; and he sin-
cerely believed that with the assistance of the people, and
the growing tendency for pesos throughout the world, they
would not long continue to witness the horrid was of
10,000,0001 on a fighting establishment in time of peer ;
but they would live to see the day when one hall of that
am would be considered enough ; nog did he tusk that
time would he brag in arriving.
ALISIABDIK HINIIT, , M.P., roes to second the MP,-
lotion, and was received with great the. ring. He said :In
presenting myself to 8•12 OW tee resolution which has jest
been prop eed to this meeting, I beg to observe, what is al
ready well known to many in this room, that my business
has hitherto not been that of public speaking, and therefore
I snail not detain you long from hearing those well-known
voices, to whom you have been wont to listen with so much
satisfaction in this hall open great public occasions. I have
great pleasure in !molesting the resolution which has been
proi.osed. My experience in parliament has rven me some
inaght into the workinp of the parties who have hitherto
had the rule in that Dottie. I was placed, unfortunately,
upon a committee, called • commdtee for miscellaneous ex-
penditure, and sat upon that crud tee. with other gentle-
men, for the weary period of five months, and finally, we
produced a miserable abortion of a blue book. When first
upon that committee, I enquired who were to be my ant-
ler nes and was assured that if was an honour for me t e
have been requested to become one oi its members. The pro.
reeding, of that onsmittee ere before the public in the bluis-
h .ok .o which I have refereed ; end to show how liter eas
to he expected from is member., I will read the names of
t.,rien who were placed norm it he the government. They
were Mr. Ellis, Mr. Vernon fisni h, Earl Lincoln, Mr.
Henry, Mr. 41.01110 Cher., Mr Rise, Mr. Stefford, Dr.
Erring. Mr. Barker, and other., in all fifteen members ;
and at our second meeting I saw there was no use in going
nn orbit the committee, and proposed to the chairman that
I should ask permission of the house to withdraw, for when-
ever it came to tee voting of any large amount of expendi-
ture, Dr. Boring and merit were outnumbered, and it be-
came exceedingly disheartening tr. be upon the committee,
rough nothing better could be exp red when the two teem.
ben tor Dover where a large amount of expenditure wee to
lard eat for harbours of refuge, were sitting upon it.
(Cheers.) Mr. Henry concluded by saying that te,e pressure
grew ai bout must be applied, if they wished to effect the
ref arms proposed by Mr. Cobden in the next parliament.
(L ud rem.)
The Hon. T. M GIBSON, M.P., Che,renan and
Reorient n, I have been requested to More the neat resolu-
tion on this important question. I may well 'ay it is an
importentquotion ; for 1 feel convinced that I to not state
that which is contrary to truth, when L assert that this vast
assemblage, and the enthusiasm which actuates it, must
her an effect far beyond that which will tak- else* in the
locality in which it is held. (Hear, bear ) This meeting
will n.ive an ineueoce over the length as d breadth of the
c Agony ; for it is well known by former experience, that
tb••ug' oolitical movements have been ,riginated in this.' istrict
but with an earnest desire to set kirk the objects +hie.. are
set forth, and which have not yet, that I know of, been un-
dertaken for mere party or personal purposes. (t. Hear" and
'Polar s.) Although this meeting may be con-
Mimed therefore, as something more than a local
assemblage, nevertheless, as I stead in the presence of my
emus. users, I feel I may ha permitted, before I adders my-
salt tee the trent en bef ore US, to say av ry few words personal
to myself. (Hear, hear.) I have repreeented Manchester now
for seven years, theretore I think you bare some cl.im on
me M give the fullest account of my public conduct on all
occasion.. I Hear.) When I adder eel you last sear I wee en
official of the present government. I now stand te fore you
an independent member of parliament. (Oveat applause.) I
hope, in making this change I hive not torteited any of that
moll knee of whir Manchester has given me repeated
woe& lam not—it would be affected modest; to ear so—
I am not insessible to the personal distinction whelk influence
confers, bet I estimate at a hirer value the confidence of
the electors/el liluirester. ("Rear," and applause.) This is
the grossed—bet I ail: not say the rap ground, because the
opiaio s which I was sent to parliament to support
were also in aesordanes with the trust cosvistionsof my own
mind (bear, kerr)—Hies is the ground on which I
found, em circumstances' turned eat and utter went on, that
my oodsesion with the present government would prevent
me free repletion these political principles which you seat
me to Podia...LW obsess, sad weigh, as I have lust said,
wen Ise assosassa wide fey ewe views and anivisaisaa.