The Express.
London, England, 1853-05-07 00:00:00

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LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 7.

YESTERDAY—as our report in another column tells
—a very remarkable meeting took place at the Lon-
don Tavern. The largest room in that well-known
arena of political and gastronomic demonstrations was
crowded to excess, the attraction being the_presenta-
tion of a " SIIAKSPEARE Testimonial" to M. KOSSUTH.
It must hare been quite evident to the most unwil-
ling witness of that meeting that there is in London
an immense sympathy for the Ex-Governor of Hun-
gary—a sympathy assuredly increased by the recent
awkward and unsuccessful attempts to identify him
with the:Rothertithe rockets. Englishmen have at
all times had a generous leaning towards the
weakest side—be the quarrel what it might,
—and in all cases where foreigners, beaten
down in their struggles for liberty, have fled to
England for safety, there has ever been a uatirinal
pride in exhibiting not only a manly determination
to make this land a perfectly free asylum for the re-
fugee, but manifestations of warm personal sympathy
have invariably been added. The struggle of the
Hungarians for the re-establishment of constitutional
freedom offerei no exception to the general rule.
That struggle was warmly applauded by the bulk of
the British nation ; and when the evil day came, and
the combined forces of Austria and Russia trod down
the patriotic Magyars under the heels of a barbarous
soldiery, a feeling of mingled sorrow and indignation
—sorrow for Hungary, and indignation against the
despots—spread over the length and breadth of this
country. 'The demand for the release of KOSSUTH,
and the welcome accorded him on his arrival at
Southampton, and subsequently in London, in Bir-
mingham, in Manchester, afforded new proofs that
English sympathy for the Hungarians did not die
out when their freedom was strangled by Russia.
It was felt that the misfortunes of the fugitives gave
them new claims upon a generous people whose hos-
pitality had been offered them. But the welcome once
over, the exiles were left in peaceful security—
the boisterous demonstrations of the platform sub-
siding into silent good will. This quietude was
unbroken whilst the refugees were unmolested,
but the moment it became known that Austria*
influences had extended to our shores and that
police spies were dogging the steps of those who had
sought shelter amongst us, the old flame began to
light up again. When the shameful and stupid
system of espionage was set on foot by the govern-
ment of Earl DERBY, 'we warned the authorities of
the evil they were abetting. Again, when after the
Earl of ABERDEEN'S House of Lords: speech, this
Rotherhithe " mare's nest" was discovered, we
once more told all whom it might concern that
political policemen were very double-edged tools,
and that police-discovered plots had generally
been far more dangerous to those who desired
their existence than to any one else. The warnings
were unheeded, and now they who sowed the seed
of folly are reaping its fruits. To abet Austria is
to offend Englishmen; and the distribution of a few
detectives in St. John's-wood has been followed by
the congregation of last night in the City of Leedom,
—by a torrent of denunciation in half the papers of the
kingdom, and by columns of democratic speeches
that will assuredly be read in all parts of the cone-
ivy. Lord DERBY'S Government would not let the
Mhgees live in peaceful obscurity, and Lord ABER-
DEEN was equally unwise. They seemed to think
Austria must be propitiated—policemen must be put
in motion—a rocket factory must be upset. The con-
sequences are now plain enough. Not a tittle of evi-
dence can be brought to identify Kossunt with HALE,
for the simple reason that the Hungarian leader had
nothing whatever to do with the Rotherhithe
missiles or their manufacture ; Lord PALMERSTON
gets well mauled—to the great injury of big temper
—in the House of Commons; the Cabinet, in the
midst of their Budget struggles, are hampered
by damaging questions on the newly inaugurated
Spy System; and the refugees are drawn from the
quietude and non-importance of their exile-homes to
be lifted upon a platform whence their sentiments will
be heard all over Europe. Is this likely to please
Austria and Russia ? Will the Emperor Fnancis
believe thhat the powder plot is a mare's nest P or
that the speeches at the London Tavern could not
have been stopped ? Do not the Government now
believe the truth of what was told them—that poli-
tical-policemen are dangerous double-edged tools?
The Spy System must be stopped at once. We
all pay police rates for the suppression of robbery,
mot for the encouragement of espionage. When the
authorities first used our useful Constables as useless
spies they took a step that none in the end must
repent more bitterly than themselves. Let that
repentancebe followed by instant improvement.
The SUARSPEARE Testimonial, that formed a peg on
which the demonstration of yesterday was hung, had
its own share of grace and interest. In the first
speech which Rossirrw made in this country be told
how he had learned our English language by read.
ing in an Austrian prison the plays of SHAICSPEARE.
DOUGLAS JERROLD at once proposed a people's sub-
scription of pennies to buy a line copy of the works of
our groat poet, to be presented to the Hungarian
exile who spoke SHAKSPEARE'S tongue so well. The
proposition was so amply responded to that penny-
pieces enough were accumulated to buy a gorgeous
copy of the poet's works, and to put them in a noble
carved frame. The report of yesterday's proceedings
will tell the rest: and few will read that report with-
out sympathising with Mr. JERROLD in the OM &
ments that closed • his speech on presenting lbw
volume of &IMMURE to Kosstrm :
Hoping, believing, knowing that the day will men
when you shall again sit at your own fireside in your own
liberated Hungary, we further hope that, sometimes turn-
ing the leaves of these word-wealthy volumes, you will think
of Englishmen as of a people who had for you and for your
cause the warmest admiration and the deepest sympathy;
and, animated by these feelings, resented with mars, almost
unutterable, the dastard attempts to slander and defame
you. The day will come—for it Is to doubt the solemn
purposes and divine end of human nature to doubt it—the
day will come when the darkness that now benighM the
name not of continental Europe will be rolled away,
Israel by the light of liberty like some suffocating fog.