The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-13 00:00:00

THE RIGHTS OF REFUGEES.

A public meeting, very numerously attended, was
held yesterday evening in St. Ma: tin's Hall, in reference
to the above subject and the apprehended Alien Bill ;
Mr. E. Miall, M.P., in the chair. The advertisement
convening the meeting included another topic, namely;
" the present war policy," but as will be seen from the
chairman's speech before the commencement of the pro-
-1 ceedings, it was determined not to introduce that sub-
ject, and it was evident from the tone of the meeting
that had any peace views been put forward, they would
have been met with strong opposition.
The CHAIRMAN said—G entlemen, a very few words on
my part will suffice to put before you the occasion and
the objects of the present meeting. You are well aware
that in a neighbouring island, under the dominion of the
crown of Great Britain, a certain publication was lately
issued, containing an address to the Queen, respecting
which I feel bound personally to say that neither with
the matter nor with the style of that address do I at all
sympathise. (Cheers.) The inhabitants of Jersey seemed
to have felt it due to their own character to convene a
public meeting and disclaim all participation in the sen-
timents contaiaed in that address. So far I could heartily
go with them. But, not content with disclaiming their
participation in the sentiments which the document
contained, they called for the suppression of the parer
in which it appeared, and for the expulsion of the pro-
prietors of that paper from the island. You are like-
wise aware that a protest, drawn up by Victor Hugo,
and signed by thirty-six of his compatriots, was pub-
lished in some of the London journals against this
arbitrary mode of dealing with the liberty of speech
supposed to belong to political refugees in this country.
It is not necessary for me—nor is it necessary for
this meeting—to discuss the propriety of that docu-
ment, or of any of the statements which it may contain ;
but this meeting has been convened for the purpose of
defending from all eacroachment the right of sanctuary
wbich Great Britain has maintained from ancient times.
(Cheers.) The subscribers to the document I have men-
tioned have been forcibly deported from the island of
Jersey. Twenty-two of them, I believe, have taken up
their abode in Guernsey, and the rest have come to
England. This expUlsion, if we are rightly informed,
has taken place through a demand made upon the Lieu-
tenant-Governor of Jersey by our own Government at
home, and—unless report and rumour sadly belie the
occasion—at the instigation of a neighbouring potentate.
(Mingled cheers and hisses.) If this were simply an iso-
lated act, the consequences of which would end with the
occasion, it would still he worthy of calling forth the
indignant protest of the people of England. (Bear.) But
we are led to believe—especially by correspondents of
the daily journals who reside in foreign capitals—that
this act foreshadows an intended policy —(t ear) —that
there is to ho a pressure laid upon our own Government
by f 'reign courts, and a pressure brought to bear by that
Government upon the houses of parliament for the re•
enactment of an alien bill for this country. (A. Voice—
"We wont have it.") What may be the intended pre-
, visions of that measure—if, indeed, it be-contemplated
by the Government—it is of course impossible for us to
do more than conjecture ; but of this we may be certain,
that the object of it will be to restrict the liberty which
is now enjoyed by political refugees in this country, and
to give them less freedom than is possessed by every
British subject. Now, the simple object of this meeting
is to protest at once, and indignantly, against both the
past and the future—(cheers)—against the expulsion of
the refugees from Jersey without charge, without proof,
withouCtrial—(hear, hear) —and also against the enact-
msnt of, or any attempt to enact, an alien bill for politi-
cal exiles. We not only object to that which has been
done, but we shall, I trust, enter to-night our emphatic
protest against that which is inteeded to be done. (Hear.)
We claim on behalf of political exiles in this country the
right of asylum, and we claim it on the simple ground
that they are political exiles ; their misfortunes suffice to
secure ( ur sympathy, and (sight to suffice to obtain our
protection. (Hear, hear.) We ask nothing about the
politics which they profess ; we want not to know what
may be the political party in their own country to which
they were attached. We would make no distinction what-
ever between prince and plebeian— (cheers) we would
give the right of sanctuary to all who touch these shores.
(Hear.) Hitherto we have been impartial enough in the
distribution of our fevours. We have sheltered, under
the name of Louis Napoleon, the man who now occupies
the imperial throne of France—(cheers and hisses)—and
we have odened our arms to a fugitive monarch under the
name of John Smith. (llear, and laughter.) We have
had here, under the protection of our laws, and enjoying
British liberty—doing according to their own pleasure,
so long as they only kept themselves within the limits
prescribed by the law of the land—we have had Or:eanists
and fusionists, royalists and republicans, and our national
hospitality has given a welcome to them al'. We have
cherished him whom the Times bite recently called, quite
in opposition to its ordinary tone in reference to that
individual, " the illustrious Magyar, Kossuth"— (cheers)
—and wo have also given the shelter which he sought to
Mazzini. (Cheers.) We have not thought it necessary to
inquire whether these men's political views were in ac-
cordance with our own ; it has sufficed for u 3 that they
were, from political causes, exiles from their own country;
their misfortunes were a sufficient passport to our protec-
tion. This is what we claim for the Jersey refugees.
(Cheers.) This is what we claim for exiles in all coining
times ; and we will not abate ono jot of our national
hospitality at the bidding of any. (Much cheering.) And
we claim this right of sanctuary without any diminution.
(Hear, bear.) We would that those who come to our
shores shall be welcome to the full enjoyment of British
liberty, and not merely that they shall come heie to be
secured in a gaol. We must have no registration of
foreigners who have fled from their country from politi-
cal causes. We must have no surveillance of the police.
(Cheers.) We will not put the freedom of these people
in the hands of any Minister of the Crown ; we wish
them to be partakers of our own privileges ; we assert
for them that whatever a British subject may do in con-
formity with British law, that also shall they be able
to do who appeal to us for our national hospitality ;
and, gentlemen, we claim and extend this hospitality to
exiles at any and every cost. (Hear, hear.) We have
so long maintained and cherished the right of sanctuary
in this country—it has been so uniform and so constant
a practice, whether of our sovereigns or of the people, to
people
of
Engitahnedwrathwi::
give a secure asylum to those who have fled for refuge
to this country on account of political offences, that it
has become, as it were, part and parcel of our own con-
stitution. We have hold of this right as the proudest
boast of Britons in the face of the nations of Eurospnie;
we have stood by it even when it has been assailed,_
by
times by the whispers of calumny, and sometimessb will
creatures of foreign courts—and I hope this meetingwhatmay,
they as one man and protest that, ?
hall conti-
nue been s
constitu-
tion to be touched, but that which
anyni s treers,pe didct
hiMnaire ear to
they will not allow this feature of outretaohnmacit ancient
nue to be. (Cheers.) I feel confident
be, as it professes to be, represented
or
ar
whatever
ye
curtail,i. ,virni
Parliament,thi
which
him
a y tbt he ehisp nation
pare
Gentlemen, I b
hlieamdaenret
to
oilml sackoernonteh,etainaobtrioidngoef
tthe e
h rightear t
eo
ff
rtnis
baintamed her
Here that this is one of thosan,
and c eere)—
En- Englishman,
the alacrity with which the
culiar position. I believe
the scale
accordancenf
na
nations
oi with thethan
3athe higeharadmirati n with which they
undertook the war with sprangßusasinad
despotic which Turkey
courts
ou• .
s to o d
every
ym is thisi.o ceottlht rgya„
yAnwahoamre shewe
twrihnoiaghdaootgbhcertuaeolpd'aeystl hddaiteelhlgoderwefithrrraferpenoxinesilietion('in int n'
cast themselves on her protection.
forth, braving determined,
was surrounded,. .
that sheprin-
ciples of her religion, never would betray those
ur
ally Turkey ? (Cries of No, RD.\
I It may be said, and it
is said
virtually, that this is one of the sacrifices that we
must make in order that the war with Russia may be
carried on with vigour, Gentlemen, I deny that any such
sacrifice is uecessary—(hear)—and I contend that if it
were necessary, the object for which the sacrifice would
be made could not . comport with the liberties and the
civilisation of Europe. (Hear, and marks of disapproba-
tion.) We may be told that the request has been made
by foreign courts to an English Minister that the right
of asylum may be abridged in this country, because
when enjoyed to the full extent it is a practical inconve-
nience to certain governments. Well, but I remember
Lord J. Russell's saying of Lord Palmerston that be was
the Minister, not of Austria, not of Russia, not. of
France, but of Great Britain(Hear.) From Whomso-
ever
it
the proposal might have come, Ido think that
Would have becoixte the Pause Minute; of this country