The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-01 00:00:00

THE PUBLIC BREAKFAST IN HONOUR OF

MIL LLOYD GARRISON.

After our report left on Saturday,
Earl Rl:sant (who was much cheered) said—lt is
permitted to me, and I hold it a distinguished honour,
to join in this tribute of admiration to Mr. Garrison. It
is the characteristic of our race that, amidst evils on.
numbered and miseries unrelieved, though often deeply
felt, and institutions which condemn millions to what
seems a hopeless serritude,the Almighty has planted in
some breasts a feeling of indignation against wrong, a zeal
to redress the evils which press upon the most wretched of
their fellow-men, that raises up delivers for mankind,
who will not rest until the evils they struggle against %redone
away, with until the balance is redreaml, and the fortunes
of their race seem to brighten. Such • spirit is found in
lour guest of to-day. Mr. Garrison felt for the evils of his
fellow-men of an oppressed race; he devoted himself to the
object of removing them ; be was ready to encounter death
itself in the pursuitof that salutary and worthy object; and be
has been happy enough to live to ace the victory of freedom
over slavery, and to grapple with it in the form which has
I prevailed both in America and our own colonies, and which
my noble friend obo spoke before me bas well designated
as one of the worst evils that have afflicted mankind.
(Cheers.) Having said this with respect to Mr. Garrison,
you will permit me to join in another sentiment which has
been expressed by the Duke of Argyll, that this may
be an ocou'on wh'ch will tend to draw closer the ties of
I friendship and affection which ought to bind us to the
United States of America. (Loud cheers.) So far, unfor-
tunately, the condition of mankind has been such that men
seem to seek every occasion of difference with each other,
In order to found upon those differences relations of hostility
land mutual hatred. Difference of class, difference of race,
difference of religion, difference of situation, difference of
domestic institutions, all seem to be grounds on which
those who are natural enemies to love and affection
seek to implant sentiments of hatred and hostility,
leading often to bloody wars, and consequences the most
calamitous to mankind. If this be so, and I am afraid
it is little in our power to prevent those causes from
' having this operation, may we not consider that the friend-
! ship existing between us and the United States of America,
having our birth from the same ancestors, having both the
blessings of Christianity, having (though with different in-
stitutions) the same knee of freedom, thould tend to replace
by a thorough and entire affection the old leaven of hatred
, and which has sometimmtroubled their connection?
I Should not these considerations impress us with affection I
and regard for our brethren in America, and make us per-
petually friend*? (Loud cheers.) Well, I have may own
faults to acknowledge in this respect, because I certainly
thought, when the slave states of American endeavoured to
establish their independence, and at the same time to con-
tinue and perpetuate tin. institution of slavery, that the
Northern States ought at once to have proclaimed not only
their own abhorrence, but the abolition and destructiou
of slavery. Distance and want of knowledge of the circum-
stances of America made me fall into error in that respect.
(Hear, hear.) I was afterwards convinced by the dist-in-
! plighted man who represents the United States in this
country—l mean Mr. Adams—l was convinced by him in
frequent conversations we had on the subject that I had
not rendered due justice to President Lincoln, who was
the friend of freedom, and not only the friend but niti.
mately the martyr of freedom. (Cheats.) I now, there-
fore. acknowledge that the task which the government of
the United States had to perform was a totally different
task, and • much more difficult one, than we bad ourselves
to perform, when more than thirty year. ago we
abolished slavery in one West India Islands, not having
that slavery mixed with our own domestic institutions,
,not having it involved and twined into all our rela-
tions, whether political or social, but merely looking '
upon it as • question affecting mankind, as a
social and a religious obligation imposed upon us by our
adherence to Christianity, not as having what the United
States had, the utmost difficulty in disentangling all
the intricacies of the question, and prevailing upon men
whose interests, and even their very existence, seemed
bound up with it, to abandon their false gods. (Chun.)
Not having that difficulty before us, I did not do justice
to the efforts, made by the United States, but I am now
persuaded that President Lincoln did all that it was pos-
sible to do, and that we are bound to give our tribute of
admiration to the excellent policy which the President
and his government pursued, and which has resulted in
the great consummation we see before us—the entire
liberation of 4,000,000 of negro slaves from the bondage in
which they were held. (Great cheering.) I may well say,
as my noble friend has just said, that all those animosi-
ties which prevailed some 80 years ago, between the
people of this country and the people of the United
States of America, have entirely disappeared from our
breasts, and that on the 4th of July, which is approaching,
we all um can feel as much admiration for the memory of

General Washington, a man, I believe, of the purest glory
amongst all the great men who have existed in modern
iliaol, and as much rejoicing over the triumphs of freedom
and the spread of free institutions as the Americans them-
selves. (Loud cheers). There is this further ground fee
sympathy, and for rejoicing in common, that we and they
hate combined in treating the race of Africa as a free com-
munity, free to enter into the paths of industry, free to
distinguish themselves in intellectual progress as much as
any race of our own colour. Having this additional source
of sympathy and fellow-feeling let us hope that the friend-
ship of the United States and the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland may endure unbroken, and that Mr.
Garrison may carry with him, amongst other gratifications,
this reflection, that our meeting here to-day has tended: )
the better union of two races who ought never to be kepi
rated. (Great cheering.)
Mr. Mtn., M.P., drew from the success of the anti-
slavery cause in America two lessons, the one that those
who desired to improve mankind should aim at something
difficult and great, regardless of the reproach of Quixotism
or fanaticism ; the second, that if, aiming at something
noble and groat, we succeeded, that success produced
hundreds of other advantages which were never contem-
plated as connected with it. In this case the heart and mind
of America had not been stirred up from its foundations
en the slavery question without other good results besides
the emancipation of the negro race. The prejudices of
society, of which there were many in that coun-
try, were rapidly melting away, the chains of prescrip-
tion were being removed, and it was not only the negro
slaves in Amerman that bad been set free, bat the mind of
the American nation. The new difficulties had raised up
a new state of mental activity which had entirely sup-
planted the intellectual 11,114 moral stagnation that 'nevi-
Ve CHAIRMAN them put the address to the meeting,
which adopted it unanimously and with much cheering.
Mr. GA mow', who on rising was greeted with loud and
repeated plaudits, said, in the mine of his speech—Slavery
hoe now passed awayfrons America. Henceforth, through all
coming time, advocates el jute ioe, friends of reform, be net
discouraged if you have a righteous cause. No matter how
few may be disposed to rally round the standard you may
raise, if that student be one of justice, if your faith be a
faith which cannot be shaken, because it is linked to the
Eternal Throne—it is only a question of time, and you
will and meet sneseed. (Cheers.) When I kited your
country main in 1840 it was as one of the delegates of the
world's Anti-Slavery Convention, to which all the world
was invited to come. Lucretia Mott and some other ladies
came with me, but they could not enter the convention
because they were women; and as they could not get in I
would not. (Cheers.) I said I will not dishonour them
or the country which they represent by creeping into the
convention alone if they were excluded. (Cheers.) I
believe there has been considerable change in public
opinion on both sides of the Atlantic with respect to the
appropriate sphere of woman's duties. (Cheers.) I rejoice
that there is this growing interest in the cause of woman,
which is the cause of the whole world—(hear, hear)—for
in the state, in the government, in the church, everywhere,
the more we can gather up all the brains of the nation
the better will be the state, the government, and the
church in consequence. In other words, the one sex is
equal to the other ; and if to all are given their responsi-
bilities, all will do better than if any are deprived of their
responsibilities. Lain glad to recognise' here to-day one
who recently stood up in his place in the House of Com-
mons for woman's rights. (Cheers.) With rupect
to the war which has been brought to so successful •
close, there never was a more causeless war in the world.
The government of the United States had never done any-
thing to the slave-holding States by way of injustice, and
; the people of the North had never dreamt of doing any in-
! justice whatever. On the contrary, even after secession
took place, such was the infatuation of the North that it
was willing to go into fresh compromises to keep the Union
together. But the American government was wholly in
the right and the South wholly in the wrong, and the war
' was at last necessary and unavoidable. (Cheers.) The South
wanted slavery, the North did not want it ; it wanted union.
But the Union at that time was one which deserved to be
broken in pieces : it was a compact with death, • union with
hell, on account of its pro-slavery companions, its fugi ire
slave acts, and other things passed to conciliate the slave-
holders of the South. Thank God it has now all gone.
(Cheer) The law of the United States now rovides
that henceforth no human being shall be held in
the bondage of slavery. (Cheers.) Many on this aide
of the Atlantic have rendered good service in the great
work ; and I will mention, among others, the Duke of
Argyll Lord Houghton, Mr. Bright, Mr. Stuart Mill, Mr.
i Forster, Mr. Cobden, Mr. Stsusfeld, Mr. T. B. Potter, Mr.
' Goldwin Smith, Professor Newman, and Professor Huxley.
Then, as regards newspapers. here in London there is the
Daily News, the Morning Seer, the Spectator, the Non-
conformist, all on our side ; but, if my memory is not at
fault, I believe the Times is not to be placed in this
honourable category; and, if I do not mistake, the Times
was rather inclined to bring discredit on the Americus
government, but succeeded only in bringing discredit upon
itself. (Cheers.) But forgiving. if we cannot entirely forget,
the past, let us hope for better "Times" to come. ("(Hear,
hear," and a laugh.) I cannot tell you with what pleasure
I listened to the speech of Earl Hassell. I know there
was at the time of the war a good deal of feeling in my
country in regard to some things which fell from him
which seemed to be, if not hostile, at least equivocal, about
our position. I do not wonder myself that there was • good
deal of misconception and misapprehension with respect to
what was going on on our side. It was a very much mixed-
upq uestiou for a long time, and until Abraham Lincoln sent
forth his immortal proctae.ation of emancipation. (Cheep.)
Then it was that the heart of England showed itself
to be one and indivisible upon the question of freedom with
the North. Earl Russell could not have exalted himself
more by anything he could have done than by what lie has
said to-day. (Cheers.) He has reached a sublime altitude
by making the manly confession of his errors. sty tieing this
I be has risen to be God-like. (Cheers.) The man who carried
emancipation for the West Indies never could feel senti-
ments other than favourable to the freedom of the negro
in the United States of America. America and England
I cannot be divided. By every condition under Heaven let
us resolve to keep the peace. (Cheers.) If we have old
grudges, let the grudges be thrown to the winds. If
there are any wrongs let them be redressed without
striving to destroy one another on the battle-field. Let
there be peace—a true peace—a just peace— peace by for-
bummer', peace by long suffering, peace by generous con-
cessions—peace in the spirit of peace, for the sake of the
cause of mankind, and that we may lead the nations of
the world to freedom and happiness. (Cheers.) In re-
turning you again my hearty thanks for the kindly senti-
ments which you have towards my country and to my-
self, permit me to repeat some lines which were written
by that great advocate of emancipation, Mr. George
IThompson :

Then let tis haste those bonds to knit,
And in the work be handy,
That we mar 1,101.1 0.4 save the Queen,"
With Vankinyiluoille Dandy.

(Cheers.)
Mr. German Tirovesmr next addreseed the meeting,
speaking of his own efforts in the cause of abolition, and
tracing the struggle in this country and in Anierim until
that cause obtained its final success, and expressing
fervent hope that the friendship between the two nations,
and their united action in the work of human progress,
human freedom, and human happiness, might be ever-
lasting.
Yr. STANsFELD, M.P., next spoke of the high esteem
in which he had always regarded the life and character of
Mr. Garrison, and congratulated not only America but
humanity at large on the result of the struggle between
the Northern and Southern States et America.
. .

---
Mr. V. Haecouttr, M.P., proposed a vote of thanks to
the chairman. . . .

The Hon. E. L STANLEY &winded the motion, which,
having been carried by acclamation, was duly acknowledged
by Mr. Bright, who congratulated the meeting that besides
doing honour to their distinguished guest, they might hope
that they had done something that day to forward those
great principles to the furtherance of which Mr. Garrison's
whole life bad been directed. He took occasion likewise to
refer to the labours in the anti-slavery cause of Theodore
Parker and Mrs. Beecher Stowe.
The company then separated.

ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. —The prepara-
tions for the approaching Bury St. Edmunds meeting of
this society are now rapidly drawing to a close. Although
it will not be possible to hold a cattle show this year, the
amount usually absorbed by cattle prizes has been added
to the horse prices, and an unusually excellent show of
horses is expected to be the result. The show of imple-
ments will be of unparalleled extent. A great additional
attraction is offered by • national show of plants, flowers,
fruits, &c., which will be held simultaneously at Buq
St. Edmunds, under the auspices of the Royal Horticul-
tural Society. The great horticultural gathering will take
place on a site which was formerly a vineyard belonging
to the grand abbey of St. Edmund.
Tax Ilium ItAiLwAr QuasrioN.—The Duke of
Richmond, Sir Stafford Northcote, Mr. Walpole. Mr.
Cave, and Mr. Hunt have been named by the government
to confer with the committee of noblemen and gentlemen
from Ireland who have been in comniuuicitioe with LORI
Derby upon the subject of the purchu. of Irish railways
by the state.—Sundoe Onzeitt.
Txx DRINO HUNDRED RAILWAY.—This company
in about to raise • further sum not exceeding 30,000/. in
the whole by the creation of new preference AAR" under
the powers of the Tendriug Hundred Railway Act, IW.
To these new shares, which are to be offer vi in the first
instance to the original shareholders, it is proposed to
attach an interest not exceeding 7 per cent. per annum.
Quiensrowx, JUN ii :10.—The Cunard extra
steamship Malta, from New York, arrived here at 5.30 p.m.
to-day with 142 passengers. She landed thirteen passen-
gers and her despatches, and proceeded for Liverpool at
5.45 p.m. All well.