The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-23 00:00:00

INDEPENDENCE OF HUNGARY.
GREAT MEETING AT DERBY.
(From the Derby Reporter.)
On the evening of Monday last, in compliance
with a requisition most numerously and respectably
signed, a public meeting was convened in the Town-
hall, Derby, for the purpose of enabling the inhabi-
tants of Derby to unite with the citizens of London
and other towns, in the expression of their deep
sympathy with the noble determination of the Hun-
garian nation to maintain their constitutional inde-
pendence, and resist the tyrannical encroachments of
Russian despotism ; and to consider the propriety of
addressing a Memorial on the subject to Government.
The hall was crowded in every part, and hundreds
went away unable to gain admission. There could
not, we think, be less than eight or nine hundred
persons present ; and a more orderly, a more
unanimous, or more enthusiastic meeting we never
witnessed. Men of all parties and creeds were
present.
The MAYOR in opening the proceedings was re-
ceived with loud cheers. He said—Gentlemen, I
have convened the present meeting in compliance
with the numerously and respectably signed requisi-
tion, which I will now read to you. Having read
the document, he proceeded to say, I most cheerfully
complied with the wishes of so large a body of my
fellow-townsmen, and I trust you will not consider
me out of order if I make an allusion to the circum-
stances of another country besides that which has
elicited this noble expression of sympathy for the
wrongs of the unfortunate and the oppressed.—(Hear,
hear.) I know that some of the requisitionists very
deeply regret that Italy was not coupled with the
Hungarian cause.—(Much cheering.) I think that
unhappy country has a very strong claim upon our
sympathy and support—(Cheers)—and I trust that
while we confine our resolutions, as we are bound to
do by the terms of the requisition, to the main ques-
tion, yet that our sympathy will not be withheld
from the ill-fated Romans.—(Loud cheers.) The
Mayor then proceeded to state that letters had been
received from several gentlemen who could not attend
the meeting, the substance of which he would briefly
state. He thought it would occupy too much time to
read the whole of the letters, especially as one was
a very long one ; but this should be done if the
meeting wished it. The Right Hon. Edward Strutt
says that he is much obliged for the invitation to
attend the meeting, and that if he decline attending,
it is from no want of sympathy with the cause of the
Hungarians—(Cheers)—but that he has,unfortunately,
an engagement which will prevent his being in Derby
on that evening. He offers his best wishes for the
success of the movement. (Loud cheers)
Evans cannot attend ; but regrets very much that
Russia should interfere beyond her own frontier.
Mr: T. Gisborne had exprested a wish to be present,
but having received a requisition to allow himself to
be nominated as a candidate to represent the electors
of Kidderminster—(Cheers)—and having consented
to go there and view the ground before he gave a
decisive answer, he cannot attend the meeting, though
he is sorry to disappoint his friends in Derby.—
(Cheers.) Mr. Hey worth is much obliged for the
invitation, but he is apprehensive that these meetings
may influence the public mind " with the martial
spirit of vengeful war ;" he feels the deepest sympathy
with the struggles of the Hungarians, but he doubts
the wisdom of meetings like the present, which may
tend to compromise our attitude of peace and incur
the expenses of war; entertaining these views, he
doubts whether he could consistently attend the meet-
ing. Having read these, and requested the meeting I
to give every speaker a patient hearing, the Mayor
called upon—
Mr. Alderman Moss, who was received with loud
cheers. lie said : Mr. Mayor and gentlemen, when
the requisition just read was brought to me for signa-
ture, nothing loth to sign it, I stipulated that my
name should not appear quite so prominent at the
heading, and exacted a premise that it should not;
and now that I am here, I find that that eloquent
friend of mine, whose name stands first on the list,
and who therefore ought to have been present to
move the first resolution, has adopted the advice of
Hudibras, where he says,
" lie that fights and runs away,
Will live to fight another day."
—(Laughter.) I am therefore called upon to read the
first resolution, which is as follows :
" That this meeting recognizes the right of Britain,
and of every independent nation, to manage its own in-
ternal affairs: that it deeply sympathises with the Hun-
garians, who have suffered so many calamities while
heroically contending for this right; and protests against
the armed interference of Russia to deprive those gallant
people of national freedom, and to entail on them and
their posterity a forced subjection to arbitrary power."
This, Mr. Mayor and gentlemen, is the resolution I
have the honour to propose, and in doing so I cannot
well let it escape my observation that the constitution
of Hungary resembles very much that of our own
envied isle. The constitution of Hungary is corn
posed of King, Lords, and Commons. Like our own,
the monarchy is a limited one. The Government
wes practically, for a series of years, little better than
an oligarchy ; but the Hungarians, like us, suffered,
fought, and bled, in the struggle for the attainment of
national and popular rights, until they succeeded in
making the constitution more in accordance with the
principles of liberty. They are now again.fighting
for the maintenance of those rights and privileges for
which they had previously b'ed. Protestants having
been shamefully persecuted, and a civil war having
ensued, I think it was in the ye ir 1547 that being
then numerous under their influence, the States
placed Ferdinand on the throne, which has ever since
been occupied by his descendants, who have gene-
rally been Emperors of Austria or Germany,
though they held the throne of Hungary only
as Kings of Hungary. Passing over as I must many
wars which took place, I would mention that in
1604 an arrangement was made with a Hungarian
nobleman (Stephen Botschay), in which all (Catho-
lics, Lutherans, and Calvinists alike) were to have
free privileges of religious worship. Thus you see
the gradual progress of civil and religious liberty.
Still despotism every now and then prevailed ; and in
the reign of Leopold he, by a stroke of his pen, re-
pealed the electoral formalities of seven centuries—
an act such as if tl:e Monarch of England were to say
I will deprive the whole body of electors of their
franchise. Many !ought and died manfully. At
length the Hungarians were blessed by Maria The-
resa, wife of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, coming to
the throne—and here, Mr. Mayor and gentlemen, I
cannot help drawing a parallel between Maria The-
resa and our own beloved Queen.—(Cheers.) She
did not wait to be toll what were the rights of the
people, but came forward and voluntarily recognised
them.—(Loud cheers.) You wil agree with me
that st Princess like that was a treasure to her
country, and .I am certain there are few or none in
this assembly who do not believe that we have an
equal treasure—(Cheers)--for there never was a King
or Queen personally more sensitive of the liberties
of her subjects than her Majesty Queen Victoria.—
(Loud cheers.) Maria Theresa, having gained the
affections of the gallant Magyars, they, with other
powerful parties in the country, rallied round her, and
nobly supporting her, fought for the liberties she was
willing to establish. When Joseph the 2nd suc-
ceeded to the throne rni made an attempt to incorpo-
rate Hungary. with Austria the nation resisted and
triumphed, and in 1790 the Diet of Presburg ob-
tained from him this solemn declaration, which I will
read to you :
That lltinviry i; a free and independent nation in
h^r entire system oF leeislation and administration and
not subieet to any other state or any ott:er people, but
that she shall always :lay lit:r own separate existence
arm-I Coaatitation, uad sUail eansequt !ntly be governed by
Kings crowned according to her national laws and
ciistoms."
Thus you will see was obtained the solemn sanction
of the then reigning monarch, that the Hungarian
nation should csntinue to possess the in-lependence
she had previously enjoyed—for which she i 3 fight-
ing at the present hour. The Diet of 1847-8
proclaimed civil and religious equality without dis-
tinction of language or religion. All class privileges
were abolished, and the suffrage and other political
rights were given that had not previously existed,
which have no doubt led to the despotic attempts of
Austria, succeeded by equally despotic Russia, to
overrule the essential liberties of the people. How-
ever, to establish these great reforms laws were con-
stitutionally and unanimously, passed, and on the 11th
of April, 1848, the present ing came personally to
the Diet and confirmed the laws thus passed, which
confirmation duly signed an I countersigned was in
the following words:—
" Having graciously listened to, and graciously granted
the prayers of our beloved and faithful dignitaries of the
church and of the state magnates and nobles of Hun-
gary and her dependencies, we ordain that the before-
mentioned laws be register in these present!, word for
word: And, as we eons der‘,l iesde laws and t?e-ir entire
contents, both collectivs
suitable, w® give them our' separately, fitting and
collectively and
an-i approbation: In
exercise of our royal will 'w
accepted, adopted,
approved, and sanctioned them have
time our faithful stet th we av:iltrug at the soma
respect the said
laws, and will cause them to bs reepeCteti by •our faithful
subjects.

(Signed) " FERDINAND.
(Countersigned) « BATHYA.NI
The meeting will, I hope, excuse my trauhlitthemihp
with this short history ot' the circumstances under
which the independence and liiwrtiest of Hungary
have been granted, maint;:irietl, and confirmed.—
(Cheers.) They will see by this statement how dear
those liberties must be, and ho,;v
,d(xply the Hun-
garians must appreciate them. .Ner can we as a
nation look with apathy upon the heroic struggle
now waging betwixt the oppre:tsEci llang,arians and
the despotic powers.—(Cheers.) It is for the puri.ose
of sympathising with and encouraizing the gallant
Magyars that we are assembled this evening.—
(Cheers.) I shall be followed by other speakers, and
it would therefore be wrong were I to occupy ground
which they must rightfully claim. No doubt you
will hear from them of the atrocities of the men