The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-06 00:00:00

M. KOSSUTH AT *MEI/WELD.

Yesterday (Monday) a public demonstration was mak /0
'at Sheffield in favour of the nationality of Poland. Tb
proceeding originated with the Polish and Hungaria as
' exiles and their friends, and it was publicly announced.
that M. Kossuth would arrive by railway from London_
at 12 o'clock, proceed from the station to Paradise-square,
'there address an open-air meeting, and that another
- meeting would be held in the Music-hall in the evening,.
at which the Hungarian patriot would also speak. M..
Kossuth, however, arrived at a quarter-past 9 by a,
train from Peterborough, to which place he had tra-
velled the previous evening, in- order to insure the cer-
tainty of his appearapce in Sheffield at the time.,
announced. M. Kossuth and his friends proceeded from.
the station in carriages to the residence of Mr. Alder-
man Solly, at Low-fields, and after breakfasting there
returned to the station at 12 o'clock. Before that hour
a concourse of people, to the number of many thou-
- sands, had assembled around the entrance to the sta-
tion. On M. Kossuth appearing, he was received with
most enthusiastic plaudits.
After Alderman SOitT had introduced M. Kossuth,
Mr. R. LEADER, jun., moved the following resolu-
tion :
" That this meeting desires to convey to his Excellency-
.M. Louis Kossuth its hearty aed sincere welcome to they
-town of Sheffield ; and to express their high admiratice
of his patriotic conduct, as Governor of Hungary, during
the late struggle for freedom, and to assure him of its deep
sympathy with him in his exile."
Mr. Councillor BROADBENT seconded the resolution.
Mr. A. KRYzallowsKi (a Polish
treefugcelis refugee) had great
Polish exiles in.
pleasure in expressing on
.behalf of h
Sheffield their warmest feelings of sympathy with the-
noble Chief of Hungary,
whom they had had the:
,
tnhs etpeotnlhiesemh
enemiesie s o f
exiles, their-ho er
all human kind. On behalf ofcountry and of his country,
greatest pleasure in fightinangdaaengrdaia,nsat
'the
supported the warm welcome which had been given to-
Kossuth.
The resolution -was carried unanimously, and with
heart acclamation.
acclamation.
31.
who was received with protracte d
cheering, said—Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, whatever
may have befallen a man in the vicissitudes of life, he
who, can boast of the sympathies of a free, noble-minded
people, may well boast of having yet saved much in 'ale
shipwreck. (Cheers.) Your welcome and the assur-
ance of your sympathies would be dear to my he art at
any time. It is doubly, dear on the present occasion,
because the general situation of Europe is 'such that.
popular sympathies may soon become a great, power on.
- earth ; and secondly, because you afford me an occasion
to experience that that mighty outburst of popular sym-
pathy in which Sheffield so cordially has joined, on my
first arrival in 'England, two and a half years ago, has
not been a passing emotion, nor has the deep political
meaning of those demonstrations been a mere flattering
dream, Since, that time I have grown old by sorrow
and with cares ; but the burning aspiration of my heart,
bent day and night on one and the same object, has but
drawn intensity from its own flame, and this shattered
bodily frame must and will obey when the moment
to action- shall call. And that moment draws
• near, gentlemen. It is high time for the people
to watch.- High time, gentlemen., What two and
a- half years age might have been. but an object for
sympathy, has. become, a concern of immediate langlish
interest. What yesterday might have been a mere
generosity is but self-preservation to-day. (Cheers.)
Gentlemen, wherever I go, and-whomever I happen to
hear speaking about the war, I meet but with the opi-
.nion that Russia has grown dangerous to the freedom
of Europe, and that she must be checked in her en-
croachments upon' the independence of nations. So far,
• all is well ;in England, there appears to be a universal
:agreement upon the subject. (Cheers.) But when we
look to the diplomatic despatches, and to certain -nasty
protocols, manufactured by scores—this great object of
the little statesmen of our sickly age ; or, when we lis-
ten to the interpellations, declarations, and orationa in
a certain place, we are astonished to see what pains there
are taken to couch the plain truth under TAnmeaning
generalities ; we are astonished to see with what anxi-
ous solicitude some politicians are shunning to define
what they meant by the " freedom of E.urope," which
they pretend to be so tenderly careful at; and in what
manner they mean to check that power of Russia which
' they profess to be dangerous to Europe. I would warn
the people of England, that if they let this shuffling go
on thus for a while, without impressing a true English
'stamp upon England's policy, it will discover with hor-
ror that its gallant bretbren and sons have shed their
. blood, and it has been made to pay its millions, for an
aim just contrary to what it has meant to fight and to
pay for. You will have meant to fight for the independ-
ence and liberties of Europe, and yet; shall discover that
you have fought for securing oppression over maey
,a
nation on the continent. Yes, gentlemen, you may
, . -expect, - in reward of your blood and sacrifices, a
miserable paper treaty, good. for the cheesemongers
• —(laughter)—and at the uteaost despotiSra a little tited,
until it gets restored by an afternoon nap - (laughter)—
: . but in its stead Austrian despotism made a great deal
- stronger and more secure. (" Crash both.") Novi, I
-ask you, do you hate Ruesian despotism 1 (Loud cries
- 'of " yes.") . You do. Again, I ask you, do you like
Austrian despotism I (Loud cries of " no, no." ;Do
, • !you like that despotism which quartered Poland, assas-
lainateZ. Hungary, and murdered Italy I Do you like
that despo_tism I (Prolonged cries of "no.") No, you
• don't. Well, if you don't like it, let the mighty word
of ,the people of England be lawfully told up to the
• heavens, and down to Westminster Hall, because danger
is knocking -at your doors. England is about to be
. . married to Austrian despotism—England is about to
; • pledge that your blood shall be shed, and your money
shall be spent to raake Austrian despotism sure. Gentle-
° men, if you will, oonsider the 'origin, the progress, and
the rational issue of the present war, you will come to
s .the following -conclusions :—lt is the partition of Poland
by which Russia has grown dangerous to the world. It
• is partition of Poland which brought Russia down
to the Danubian principalities, and hence to my own
Hungary, and it is the oppression of Hungary by
,Russian interference which was the stepping-stone to
.the present ambitious daring of the Czar. Every child
in Europe is aware of these facts. (Cheers.) Had
England not (neglected her duty in those former
instances, had England not allowed the spoliation of
Poland, had it protested against Russian interference in
Hungary, instead of having encouraged it—yes, en-
couraged by declaring solemnly, officially, that" England
has no opinion to express on the matter"— you would
have been spared the dangers and sacrifices of the pre-
..sent war, without the spending of one English shilling,
'without the shedding of one drop of English blood.
((Cheers.) And is Turkey necessary to Europe's security,
and is Turkey to be maintained, and is Russia to be
checked ? Then either there is no sincerity in the profes-
sion, or no Political. meaning in the design without Po-
land reconstructed an independent nation, and Hungary
independent and free. (Cheers,) Let whoever reflects
upon the nature of the evil and its remedy—the name
(of Poland and the name of Hungary must be present to
his mind. Gentlemen, there are strange anomalies to be
met with here in your England. Who is the humble in-
dividual who has the honour of speaking now to you ?
Humble and unpretending as I am—still, by what I have
done, and by what I have been, and by what I am, I
certainly am a living protest against Russian encroach-
anent and Austrian despotism. (Cheers.) And who is
:'Francis Joseph of Austria ? He is the man who holds
in his bloody hands one of the quartered limbs of Poland.
:He is the man who betrayed every province of his ern-
Tire by holding up before their eyes the solemn promise
'of a constitution, and then abolishing every letter of it.
"He is the man who attacked the laws and existence of
Hungary by conspiracy and by arms—who spread fire
and death and desolation over the land, and called in the
forces of a foreign despot to subjugate it. He is the man
who raised scaffolds by hundreds, and immolated upon
them patriots by thousands. He is the man who mur-
dered Hungary and laaly. (Cheers.) Now the world has
seen the millions of the people of England cheering my
larable self, and cursing Francis Joseph of Austria
Sometimes—as with the honest drs.yrnen of Barclay and
Terkins—(cheers and laughter)—there has been even
:something more than a curse—the world has seen mayors
and aldermen, and corporations and delegations, and
societies and whole communities, and the people of
England, expressing, in some one hundred and twenty
addresses, their approbation of my course of resistance
to ets.ustrian aggression, and their sympathy for my
ootaistry's wrongs, bidding me to be of good cheer, and to
trust that the day° of retribution will come (Loud cheers).
It la the eople whose shillings and pence make up the
or,the Treasury of England, by which England
y carried u
soh eld up,
0
and England's battles fought, and England's
gi c
sthose arms and
and it is the people:
which furnishes
battles stand brave hearts, who fight England's
butia an
England honourd bYsea,
and who bleed and die for
If that be the aby
then England's interest. (Loud cheers.)
have
of England _ lam of opinion that if the peo-
e .Ertland, if it be the people which
• ' s hive to
.padshould be 'resnae-";? the
people's voice should be
' tvlanirti 4tl,- 14 the 'decision of whetda
ale constftitticiairtaafetSbylr'not 'eae. 'case, then 'You Fare
:lii disguise: (mai, ,eir.reaft:isusatution 'despotism
ther© is, in the declaration of vas; it
I tie" not Mistaken,
'claiming in conformity with the pritt,hing abotit aro-
fore, I say, it is high time for England There-
for the world to know, what is the ;sPeople high time
this war. Gentlemen, you should insist 'u about
issue for your sacrifices. You should insist that ne37,riore
shall be left to despotism and despots to drive iee to
-
new wars, by encroaching upon the freedom, the rights,
and the independence of nations. You should insist to
.attain by your present sacrifices a true and lasting peace.
Now, neither of these aims can be attained without
Poland; Hungary, and Italy, be restored to their national
rights, and especially Russias overwhelming power can-
not be reduced without Poland being reconstructed an
independent nation with its national territory ; nor can
the integrity and independence of Turkey be secured
these
without a free and independent Hungary. All_
aims Would be subverted by England taking despotic
Austria for her ally. (Cheers.) Then you would fight
uld fi
for
,Austrian despotism, and not for freedom. That
dom.
mama Therefore, that would not suit you. (Cheers..?
if you agree with me, that the honour, the interests, and
'the
_sympathies of the people of England are all for the
oppressed, and not for the oppressors, pronounce your
will— protest against marrying England to despotic
Austria, (Cheers.) Sign petitions, and do all that you
jawfully can do, for freedom, and against serving oppres-
sion on the Continent. Then happen what may, at least
She world will know that it is not the people of England
which Austrian despotism shall have gained for an ally
by, its Vienna protocols, And it will be remembered
that amen .are passing but the people rests. This evening
I, shall hav-e a more explanatory speech on the subject.
I hope the press will not refuse to give publicity to it.
,(,heers,) That will be but fair play. Read it if you
pleases And with tfiese I will but say in conclusion—
that r was very glad to meet you ; that I thank you
cerely, for the honour and kindness you have done me ;