The Express.
London, England, 1853-05-09 00:00:00

MRS. B. B. SIONVE AT STAFFORD ROUSE.

Ou Saturday last a number of ladies and gentle-
men aseembled at Stafford House, to welcome Mrs. H. B.
Stowe to this country, and to give expression personally to
the aspect and admiration which are felt for that lady.
Among those present were observed—the Duke and
Duchess of Sutherland, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll,
the Earl and Countess of Shaftesbury, Lord John ltassell
Lord Palmerston, the Earl of Carlisle, Right Hoe. W..
Gladstone, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Archbishop of
Dublin, Mrs. and Miss Whstely, Lord Ebringten, Lord
Blantyre, Mr. Russell Gurney, Lord Claude Hamilton,
Lord Gleselg, the Deaa of St. Paul'', the Rev. Dr. and
Mrs. Cumming, the Bishop of Oxford, the lion. Arum lugs -
Mrs. Kinnard, Dowager Countess of Carlisle, Mr. Tom
Taylor, the Rev. Edmund Holland, Mr. and the Misses J.
W. Alexander, the Earl of liarrowby, Mr. and Mrs. T.
Roman Fisher, Mr. and Mrs. Alsop, the Misses Allen,
Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Hanbury, Mr. H. Harwood,
and Mrs. Spicer, Mr. Elmsley, Mita Pringle, Mrs. Elmsley,
Miss Seeley, and Miss Webster, Mrs. and Miss Gurney, Mr.
and Mrs. Jos. Tritton, the Chevalier Bunsen, Mrs. Mary
Howitt, Lady Dover, Ree. P. Latrobe, Mr. Ernest %wen,
Mrs. sad Miss Benson. Rev. Mr. Beecher, Mr. H. E. Gur-
ney, Mrs. Price, Sir Robert H. Inglis, Right lion. H. La.
bouebere, Mr. Higgins, Colonel Maclean, Right lion. T. B.
Macaulay, Mr. George, Lady Louisa and Miss Vineb, Mr.
Moncktou Milne', the Hon. W. Ashley, Sir David 'hada;
lion. C. Howard, Captain J. Trotter, Dr. and Mrs;
Sutherland, Mrs. Grainger, the Misses Rudall, the Rev.
It. Burgess, the Rev. T. Blaney and Mrs. honey, Sir E.
N. Balton, Mr. T. Powell Buxton, the Rev. Dr. Stesne
Mr. J. Couder, Mr. and Mrs. J. Cook Evans, Itei.
J. Sherman, Mr. Fowler, Mr. G. Oliphant, Mr. John
MacGregor, &c.,
The company on their arrival were ushered through the
magnificent suite of rooms oa the principal door t) the pie.
cure gallery at the east end, where the Duchess of Suther-
land mad a distinguished party received her guests. Mrs.
Beecher Stowe, accompanied by her husband, Professor
Stowe, her brother, and the Rev. Mr. Blaney, with whom
she is at present staying, was cordially welcomed by her
Grace. Mrs. Stowe is rather below the middle size. has
was neatly but plainly attired ; and wearing no head-
dress, her appearance formed a remarkable contrast with
the numerous groups of ladies arrayed in all the brilliancy
and variety of demi-toilette.
The Duke of Sutherland having introduced Mrs. Stows
to the assembly, the following short address was read end
presented to her by the Earl of Shaftesbury :
" Madam,—l sin deputed by the Duchess of Sutherland,
and the ladies of the two committees appointed to conduct
' The Address from the Women of England to the Women
of America, on the subject of Slavery,' to express the high
gratification they feel in your presence amongst them this
day. The address, which has received considerably more
than half a million of the signatures of the women of Great
Britain and Ireland, they have already transmitted to the
United States, consigning it to the care of those whom you
have nomiaated as fit and zealous persona to undertake the
charge in your absence. The earnest desire of these cow
mitteet, and, indeed, we may say of the whole kingdom, is to
cultivate the most friendly and affectionate relations be-
tween the two countries, and we cannot but believe that we
are fostering such a feeling when we avow our deep admi-
ration of an American lady who, blessed by the lie ssessioa
of vast genius and intellectual power, eujoys the still
higher blessing that sbe devotes them to the glory of
God and the temporal and eternal interests of the human
e."

The Rev. Mr. BEECHER (Mrs. Stowe's brother), after a
few prefatory remarks of acknowledgmtut and thanks,
read the following letter which had bten written to his
sister :
My dear Mrs. H. B. Stowe . . . . I
am fully sensible of the small results of my efforts in the cause
of emancipation, I will nut deny that your appreciation
gives me great pleasure, and, I trust, not ignoble pride.
Alas ! without such kind and cheering words, which I hove
received from many sources, how coull I have stood so long
up against such odds ? However much Providence had gifted
me with iron purpose, the loss of caste in the social circle in
which wo have been used to move is hard ; the obscurity
from which the most fervent ambition cannot rescue us is
hard ; the peril of good name, of life, and limb, is hard;
but harder than all es the reflection that we are for ever
unappreciated by those for whom we sacrifice our all. For
if wo fail our memory perishes, the most melancholy idea
of Siberian exile is the extinction of the name, when the
burial stone not even marks the ashes of the past. The
history of mankind therefore presents kw instances el sacri-
fice for the interior castes. The Graeehi fell in defence of
the rights of the poor, and the winners in the contest
branded their names with infamy from which the late jus-
tice of history' can hardly rescue them. It remained only
to the Divine Messenger of our faith thus to softer and to

conquer.
Our plans of procedure in this ceuee are simple. We
follow in the lead of our hearts rather than our intelligence,
for I am not insensible of the almost indestructible power
of the slaveholders. I venture to say that never before was
an aristocracy based upon such firm bens. Slavery em-
braces almost ell the talent, the learning, and the bodily
energy of the people. If the elaveholders had only the two
first and the mass of the people the last we could be to them
leaders and they to us power ; but, alas! whenever in the
course of events men of action spring up, the first want of
accumulated wealth is menial service, which here can only
be slave labour. Thus the ownership of slaves places
them at once on the side of the men in power.
" Can we persuade men to lay down power ? Can the
luxurious be induced to cease from luxury ? Can the lame
walk or the blind see ?
On the other hand, can we infuse spirit and maritime
into hereditary dependence ? Can we make men firm when
their bread wastes away ? Alas ! are not the dependent
whites the slaves of the slaves ?
" Still we ' never give up the ship,' because to give it up
is to give up our idea of God ; we can't give it up because
it would be to despair of all eventual elevation of the human
race ; we caul give it up because our soul lives upon ideas
of justice, of mercy, of truth. We perish with hunger, we
must eat, and eat of them only. * * * • •
We trust in Providence, but we trust with our shoulder to
the wheel. By agitation we prepare the minds of the
ruling powers for change. That at last, think they, cannot
be so insufferable which so many men of all climee so ear-
nestly crave. Thus you of the north aid us—thu. England
aids us—thus France aids us—thus.ell outcry of all mankind
aids us. This, then, is, perhaps in my time, the mission of
the free-soil party in tho slave states—to take care to keep
untrammelled the freedom of speech and the press, and be
the trumpet-tongued messengers of truth and the conscience
of mankind.
" This is the way of Providence, the undying aspirations
for the right in the hearts of all true wen and women.
This is the Divine. All humble and obscure as I am, lam
yet too proud to flatter any one ; but honour to you that
you have not buried your talent, nor repine against Him u
a hard master. " Uncle Tom's Cabin " is the fruit of the
embryo inspiration which God has planted in every human
soul. Be of good cheer, you have not lived in vain through
long centuries. Yes, I feel when slavery shall be no more,
you hove erected • shrine around which the humble, the
tainting, the famishing will gather, and be comforted and
strengthened, and be at peace with men sad trustful of
God.
" Mrs. Clay gladly accepts the office of committeeman on
the reception of the address of the ladies of England, pro-
' vided it be not too late. It has been the solace of long
' years of painful effort, that she appreciates ley principle*
and my purposes. Though all the world is lest, home is
secure.
" The vote cast for me advocating unconditional mud-
, nation on the soil wall near four thousand. The colonisation
party did not sustain me. When they shall give up that
"compromise" with slaveholders—if ever—our strength
t will be greatly increased. ' Uncle Tom' is much reed in
i Kentucky end all the south: here it is making doily con-
, verb to our cause. We are organised, have a feeble paper
advocating our views, which we hope this summer to
strengthen with an abler editor. We are few but deter
r mined, and may God defend the right. * •
" Your obedient servant,
" C. M. CLAY."
After partaking of refreshments, the ladies who were
present congregated in one of the splendid saloons apart,
and Ma. Stowe, seated between the Duchesses of Suther-
land and Argyll, entered freely into conversation with her
numerous visitors.
In the course of her observation!, she stated that the
ladies of England were not at all aware of the real state of
feeling of the ladies of America on the subject of slavery:
it must not be judged of by the answer sent to the addreas
nor by the statements in the American newspapers. The
ladies of England seem not to be at all aware of the deep
feeling of sympathy with which "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was
received in America long before it was known in England.
The press in America bail invariably spoken li:ghly of
" Uncle Tom's Cabin." The first word that ever appeared
in print against " Uncle Tom's Cabin " was the article is
the Times, which was reprinted and re-echoed in the Ame-
rican papers, and widely circulated in the form of a tract•
The bitterness and anger manifested against the ladies'
address showed how much its force had enraged the advo-
cates of slavery. Ladies in England were happily ignorant
of slavery ; yet that address had shown sympathy, sad
sympathy was very sweet. There was no bitter feeling between
the ladies of the two countries but the ladies of Amends
cannot, because of their husbands' personal and political
feelings, stand forth and say what they feel on the subject.
Some hail said that " Uncle Tom's Cabin " was now for-
gotten ; but it should be mentioned hat 60,000 copies of
the " Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin " were sold in three days.
The practical question was what can be done to forward
this great work ? She looked first to God, but man also
could do something. Sympathy must continue to be es-
pressed. British subjects in Canada must be educated.
The use of foe grown cbtton must be encouraged, and
there were other ways in which this great work may be
aided by the people of England, remembering, that after
all, the issue is in the bends of Him that ordereth all
things.
The company began to disperse soon after 5 o'clock, ever,
one appearing to be thoroughly gratified with the interesting
proceeding of the day.
Mrs. Stowe and her friends were among the last to lease,
and were accompanied to the entrance hall by the Duchess
of Sutherland, who there took leave of her quests.

ROYAL COLLEGE OP SURGEONS.—The following
gentlemen vitro admitted members of the college at the
meeting of the Court of Examiners, on the Gth icst.:--
Messrs. Henry Soussaint, Ceylon; George Alder Watson,
Scarborough ; Jesse Conway Davies, Hulywell, Flint!birei
Charley; Hemming, Kimbolton, Hunts; Philip VI nrrcn
Mathias, Cardigan; James Ray, Lowestoft, Suffolk;
Sutherland, Hon. East India Company's Service : Oa
fet!3x
Williams, Rolston, Devonport; Arthur Anthony Harps.
Wardington, Oxfordshire ; Edward Snell Wallis, Dublin:
and Lloyd Herbert, St. Mary's Bourne, Hampshire.