The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-24 00:00:00

HUNGARY.

MEETING

AT THE LONDON

TAVERN.-(Y ESTERDAY,)
A public meeting was held at the London Tavern,
Bishopsgate-street, yesterday, " for the purpose of ex-

pressing sympathy with the noble, maligned, and be-
trayed people—the Hungarians," whose cause has been

so often advocated in this journal.
Long before the chair was taken the large room
in which the meeting was held, and the gallery at the
foot of it, were occupied by a numerous and respectable
audience.

The chair was taken, at one o'clock, by Mr. Alderman
Salomoas, amidst loud cheers.

Amongst the gentlemen on the platform we noticed
Lord Nugent, M.P., Sir De Lacy Evans, M.P., Richard
Cobapn, Esq., M.P., Sir D. Norreys, M.P., R. M. Milnes,
Escl• :•P., R. Taylor, Esq., R• Williams, Esq,,

Murde Young, Esq., and W. Charles M. Kent, Esq., of
The Spun ; Bernal Osborne, Esq., M.P., Sir Joshua
Walmsley, M.P., F. Mowatt, Esq., M.P., W. Scholefield,
Esq., M.P., J. A. Smith, Esq., M.P., John
Williams, Esq., M.P., James Wyld, Esq., M.P., James
Clay, Esq., M.P., Lord Dudley Coutts Stuart, M.P.,
Colonel Salwey, M.P., Hon. A. H. Moreton, &c., &c.
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, said he
appeared before them to-day under a sense of the deepest
responsibility—a responsibility, however, very much les-
sened since the debate in Parliament of Saturday last.
—(Cheers.) That debate would carry to the country,
and disseminate in every part of the empire, facts which
probably would have been discredited, had they appeared
upon less authority than eminent Members of Parlia-
ment, and our Minister of Foreign Affairs. This meeting
to-day was not called for the purpose of upsetting thrones,
of disseminating violent doctines to excite people
against their rulers; but, on the contrary, to speak for
an independent nation that had been attempted to be
put down by the misrule and illegality of another
nation connected with her, and on the part of a foreign
invader.—(Loud cheers.) He world not have taken the
responsibility of appearing as chairman this day were
this question merely a matter between the subjects of
a Government and its legitimate rulers even under op

pression. He thought it became the freemen in a free
state to sympathise with freemen—(Cheers)—and by a
peaceful demonstration such as that to give a spur to
public opinion—(Cheers)—and he deeply regretted that
a journal which had ever been looked upon as the bude
light of public opinion in this country—(Groans)—had not
on the present occasion taken that lead in regard to this
question which he had fondly anticipated; but he saw
this day, in commenting on this meeting, symptoms of
coming round to this cause—(Cheers)—and he tound
in that very journal a condemnation of the opinions that
it had all along held.--(Laughter.) He found in the
Times a letter from a correspondent, writing from Vienna,
in this strain—

" The Austrian empire, as such, is even more rotten
at the core than you have been led to imagine, not-
withstanding that you gave an admirable delineation of
its present and prospective state before the occurrence
of the revolution. What is more, such has been the
faithlessness with which the Government have abro-
gated the promises so recently and solemnly made,
and so pedantic and off; nsive is the tyranny of the
bureauocracy in general, that, little as you may be
prepared for such an intimation, I must in-
form you that the Moderate and Constitutional
party throughout Austria would view the dissolution
of that empire, and its re-organization on new and
more improved principles, with undisguised pleasure.
The success of the Hungarians is viewed by the vast ma-
jerity of the nation as the only possible means of rescuing
them from the thraldom in which they are now held; and
so far from being considered, as a psuedo -Hung,arian
correspondent would have you believe, a republican move-
ment, it is viewed almost universally as the reverse. A
gentleman of the Moderate party who is on excellent
terms with the Court, and holds a very eminent position at
Vienna, frankly assured me that all he blamed the Hunga-
rians for was the false and vacillating position they assumed
in their own Parliament at the outset of the struggle."
He thought it right to state this to them in case there
might be any one in the meeting who hesitated or
doubted that he was right in asking the meeting to come
forward to-day and declare their opinion in favour of
Hungarian independence.—(Cheers.) What was the
value of opinion? He thought the tate of Europe was
the best answer to that. It was a duty,
therefore, seeing a nation like the Hungarians
struggling for their independence, and striving
to prevent their liberties being put down by Russian
and Austrian bayonets—(Cheers)—that they should
come there to-day as freemen, and Englishmen, and as
men of high feeling and morality and religion, and pro-
test against that wholesale slaughter that they saw
going on in Europe; the burnings, and firings, and
floggings,—aye, the flogging of females, too—(Groans
and loud cries of " Shame, shame,") and that
they should loudly enter their protest, and
put the pressure on our Government to interfere
in such a manner as to put a stop to such outrages on
religion, philanthropy, and humanity. (Cheers.)
There was another view of this question, and a very low
view, but yet one which in this great metropolis ought
not to be struck out. They had decreed in this country,
by the voice of the Imperial Parliament, the freedom of
commerce and of navigation ; our interest lay on the
freedom of states throughout the world. The freedom
of Europe was to us a matter of great concern.—
(Cheers.) They might have a partition of Hungary as
they had a partition of Poland. He would not detain
them longer, but simply read two letters that he had re-
ceived from noblemen, whose presence had been ex-
pected at the meeting to-day. (The Chairman here read
a letter from Lord Beaumont, apologising for his inabi-
lity toattend the meeting, but sympathising with its object.
He also read a letter of apology from Lord Sligo,
whose Parliamentary duties prevented his attendance,
and stated that he had received similar letters from a
numb.r of other Members of Parliament.) He did not
know that he need say anything further, because
there were many gentleman present more competent
than he was to give the hi,tory of the Hungarian
struggle, and to suggest the best course for the meet-
ing to pursue. He would, therefore, give way
to them, and first of all call upon Mr. G. W.
Alexander (
(dlieers.) at once