The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-20 00:00:00

the emancipation of the present thraldom of the conti-
nental commercial interests, broke up.
M. Blanqui made an eloquent speech on the abuses
of the custom-houses, which was followed by one
from Mr. Ewart, whom I left speaking, the bad ar-
rangements of the Belgian post-office obliging me to
leave the hall to post my letter. lam happy to say
that a reform of these postal regulations is shortly to
come under discussion.

A grand banquet takes place this evening in honour
of the members of the Congress. I forgot to mention
that among the letters received was one from Mr.
Cobden, regretting his absence.—Ckronicle.

The following is a translation of Colonel Thomp-
son's speech, delivered at Brussels on the first day of
the Free-trade Congress, September 16, 1847 :
" Since English speakers appear to be the fashion to-
day, I,
.too, must say a few words, but allowance
must be made for the disadvantages under which I
stand. After thanking you for the honour done me
in placing me among your vice-presidents, permit m e
to remark that I think your Preside be
rit began by
stating the object of the present meeting to the
discussion of the general principles of the freedom of
trade, and that possibly there has been some little
digression from that mark. I therefore implore this
assembly to consider whether there is not one prin-
ciple which may be called the key that opens all
locks, the passe-partout, on this subject. I must
state frankly, that I have had no great luck with my
principle in England ; for I have laid it before our
political economists there, and every one of them de-
clares he can have nothing to do with it. Driven
thus to the wall in England, I come to see whether
fortune will do more for me in Belgium.—(Cheers.)
The point, then, to which I beg to call attention is,
whether in all cases, without a possible exception,
where any article is bought at more than the natural
price, by which I mean being bought at a price that
is raised in consequence of some protection, there are
not two losses for one gain ; and if so, then, as long
as one and one make two, I hold that this must make
a difference of one. Take, for instance, an omnibus.
As you see, gentlemen, I put myself into the posi-
tion of what is called the Devil's Advocate—(Laugh-
ter)—l am going to make out a case for the protec-
tion of hackney-coaches. I shall say, then, ' So you
fancy you have done a fine thing by setting up an
omnibus that is to carry people for a franc, where
the old hackney-coaches took them for a franc and a
half. You call that for the good of the country.
You have saved half a franc to the traveller, but
have not you, at the same time, taken away half a
franc from the hackney-coachman ? What, then, is
the good of it after all ?' This is what a hackney-
coach-protection-man ought to say for himself. But
I ask you, is it not plain he has dropped an item out
of his account ? This half-franc that the traveller
saves, what becomes of it ? I never heard of its
being thrown into the river. What did the traveller
do with it ? He bought anything he liked ;
fcr what I know, he bought tarts and cheese-
cakes. So that this half franc was laid out on some
kind of trade, as:effectually as if it had been laid out on
hackney-coachmen. It appears, then, that as concerns
whatlmay be called trade, the thing is as broad as it
is long. But for the traveller it is not the same thing
at all ; for, in one case he gets his tarts and cheese-
cakes for his demi-franc, and in the other he gets
nothing. I think, gentlemen, that if you will carry
forward the application of this principle to the more
complicated questions connected with free trade, you
will find it bring you to the same conclusion. It will
be needless, therefore, for me to trouble you now with
what you will readily make out without it. I beg
to close entirely with the assertion of a preceding
speaker, that Englishmen eat a great deal when they
can get it. Admire the wonderful ways of nature.
What were these great eaters made for but to be first
and foremost in the battle for free trade? What
better motive can be given than to say to the
Englishman, Move forward, or you get no
dinner.' Most especially when the man has got
an appetite for three. Gentlemen, if other na-
tions had seen, as has been seen in England,
the probability of getting no dinner at all, they would
have thought as we do on the necessity of getting rid
of prohibitions on trade. One word that has been
beard I must make an observation on. Somebody spoke
of Bonaparte. The next time, might I beg that he
would say the Emperor ?—(Long continued cheer-
ing.) Is it the fact that he was Emperor or not ? Do
,not deprive the old soldiers who have looked his
Armies in the face of the honour of saying they have
fought against the Emperor. Above all things, I beg
you to believe that the English Free-traders are not
men of the old order of things, but are eager to ac-
knowledge greatness under all forms, and to prove
themselves the friends of progress everywhere. Be-
lieving, gentlemen, that this feeling is common to us
all, I cannot but hope that your proceedings here
will end in good to all the countries whose repre-
..sentatives we see."