The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-17 00:00:00

FELICE ORSLVPS LECTURE.

A large audience assembled in the Clayton Hall,
Clayton square, last night, to hear the first of two lectures
by the distingni4hed Italian refugee, Felice Orsini. The
subject of the first leettire stdg " Austrian Misgovern-
ment in Italy." Signor Orsini castle oil the platform at
eight o'clock. accompanied by Mr. Francis limit, Mr. A.
C. Stewart, Mr. S. B J ickson, and some other gentlemen,
and. was received wish a btir, of euthtisiastic applause.
The chair was ta6ri by Mr. Francis f cult.
LlThe Chairman introduced t 1.6 subject and'the lecturer
in an address, in which he dwelt on the tie of sympathy
which must bind every people to Italy. He euloglied
the lectiirer as one whO had played his part, not only in
the council, but in the battle and in the siege, and had
been no flincher there, and who subsequently, as all were
aware, bad endured the protracted martyrdom of an
Austrian dungeon. _ . _

Blghor relice Orsini then came forward, and was
received ifh rertevi,ed applause. He proceeded to declare
that an epoch of agitat Lin was about to burst on the world,
the result of which, however, would be to giVe freedom to
long.suffering nations. When the new principle of liberty
should finally triumph over the-old epoch, be could not
suggest, nor could it be foreseen. The nation as the indi-
vidual which was not anxious for its independence, was a
nation Without life, cowardly, servi!e, and only meriting
contenlpt. Italy had lost her independence, but she had
never ceased to piniteit against Oppression, and almost'
every day had seen sorne of her sons sacriaced for her
liberty. Italy had union within herself, whatever
strangers might think, but what she rewired was that
the whole of Europe should not be hostile to her in her
struggle against Austria and the Pope—against material
and spiritual despotism. The lecturer then proceeded
to describe the manner in which Austria bebatne estab-

lished, by the perMissiiin df the allied powers, the
Matter of Italy, and the kind of rifle whieh. Austria
Maintained there. Io v Italy was plated with regard to
foreign goiernments he then considered. From the
governments of Russia and of Hermany; where despotism
was the existing rule, Italy could expect nothing. These
powers frankly declared that despotism was their rule, and
that whoever was not for them was against them. But
how was it as regarded governmeuts which professed to
he liberal ? How was it with France and Englund
The English people, considered as an individual or a
family, had the feelings of justice, generosity; and liberty,
and was excited, entbusiusic, and sympathetic with
every ed'ort made on the col-rim nt for liberty, and received
and prceected the anther of it, while it looked a ith horror
and hatred -upon every tool of despotism tie (the
lec'nrer) was himself a proof of the former feeling,
while. the treatment which Haynau, after his Hungarian
massacres, received in Barclay and Perkins' brewery, was
a proof of the latter. (dear, and loud cheers.) While
the Hungarian and Italian struggles were going ori, every
village in England .expressed its sympathy with the cause
of liberty. But what did this avail ? Public opinion
was one thing, and the opinion of a government was
another.' The consequence of that differenCe shotild be a
guide for the future. Public opinion was Ueavai iog.
The recent war in the Crimea would never have taken
place had the despotic encroachments of Austria been
repressed, and the independence of Poland, Hungary, and
Italy secured: In consequence, however, of the dif_
ference been the people and the government, England
gave no aid to such an end. France was in fact one c,f the
deadliest enemies of Italian freedom, being male sa by
the pursuance of maxims of policy, false both in
principles and application, The policy of France was,
that Austria must be kept down through Italy, and that
keeping up division in Italy, was the way to weaken
Austria. In this policy, Frame encouraged rebellion in
Italy,at first, to desert and betray it in the end. There
fore, the policy of France bad become an obj,?et of hatred
and contempt in Italy. He contrasted the promises and

invitations held out by England also to Italy during the
struggle with Napoleon, with the results of that struggle,
where every despot was allowed to 'resume his hold upon
Italy, and new despotisms established. The principle of
non-intervention was trampled under foot by France and
Austria when they entered Italy in 1831, and England
almly looked on. In 1848 the principles of no 1-

.nterien•ion was again violated, and England again

looked on. He contrasted the course then pursued by I
England with the declaration of Lord Palmerston and
other English statesmen in favour of the preservation
of the principles of non-intervention on the
part of foreign powers in Italian affairs. After
these facts, he asked, was he not justified in
declarini that protestant and free England alwats
gave her hand to the Pope and the despot, the
curse and ruin of Italy. (Cheers) Both France anti
England, he emphatically declared, had always either
secretly or openly marched on the. side of Austria. But
he desired that the past should be forgotten, and a veil
thrown over the injuries which the government of E9g-
land, without the knowledge of its people, had done to
Italian liberty. Italy would not continue to endure her
present despotism, but she could not contend against all
the nations of Europe. She invoked the aid of England.
She did not ask for English soldiers to fight for Italian
liberty. That liberty must be won by the blood of
Italians, and Italians were ready to shed it. She did not
ask the aid o' English money. But she invoked the aid
of England in preserving the principle of non•interven•
tion ; in declaring that neither Russian despotism nor
Germanic confederation should interfere to prolong and
maintain spiritual and imperial oppression in England.
(Cheers). This, then, he declared to be the aid
which Italy sought at the hands of England, and
he called upon the audience, in an eloquent peroration,
to lend their assistance in obtaining the result he sought.
Loud cheers followed the conclusion of the lecture.
A vote of thanks was passed to the lecturer, and to the
chairman.