The Sun.
London, England, 1833-03-26 00:00:00

THE POLISH EMIGRANTS-(THIS DAY.)

A highly respectable and numerous meeting, among whom
were many fashionably dressed ladies, was held this day at the
Free Masons'-hall. Besides several members of the British
Legislature there was a number of distinguished natives of Po-
land at the meeting, among them were the following :—Nie-
merviez, Senator, Castellan, poet, Director of the Chancery
of the Polish Diet; Turr, Chancellor of the Polish Diet;
Captain Korgtko ; Lieutenant Restzenheim ; Medzwecki,
Kozaneiki, Kuizyncski, officers ; Dr. Lack Szyrma, Professor
of Philosophy ; M. De la Garde, Chamberlain to the late King
Stanislaus ; Prince Lucien Buonaparte, Sir F. Burdett, M P. ;
Lord Ebrington, M.P. ; Mr. Cutler Fergusson, M.P. ; Mr.
Buckingham, M.P. ; Lord Dudley Stuart, M.P. ; Mr. Camp-
bell, the poet, Colonel Stanhope, &c.
Shortly after one o'clock, some impatience having been ex.
pressed by the company assembled,
Mr. BUCKINGHAM, M.P., rose and said, that some little
delay had taken place in consequence of the non.arrival of
their expected Chairman ; however, Sir F. Burdett had been
seen within the hour, when he repeated that it was his inten-
tion to fill the Chair. lie would in the meantime move that.
the Chair should be takein pro. tem. by Thomas Campbell, Esq
Applause)—so that the business of the meeting might be
proceeded with.
The motion having been seconded, Mr. CAMPBELL took
the Chair amidst much cheering, but at the moment was in-
formed that Sir F. Burdett was then in the next room, of
which he was very glad, as it relieved him from a heavy re-
sponsibility ; he thanked them for the kind manner in which
he had been received.
Sir F. BURDETT was then ushered into the chair, accom-
panied by several Members of Parliament and other gentle.
men. He said he took the chair of the present meeting at
the request of several highly respectable inhabitants of West.
minster. He felt, in common with every Englishman, that
the men whom they had met that day to relieve had been
dealt with most unjustly, and he hoped to see the day,
and that soon, when Poland would be restored to its
original state in the scale of nations.—(Hear, hear.) That,
however, was not a political meeting, but one convened
entirely for a benevolent purpose—for the relief of a most
brave and patriotic set of men, whose heads were now bowed
down by misfortune, but whose spirit was as noble
as ever. It was unfortunate that such an appeal
had to be made at the present time, when so much distress
existed in our own country; but he hoped that those who
had it in their power, would come forward liberally, in order
to forward the objects which the meeting had in view. As
Chairman, it was not his duty to make a speech, but to act
more as a moderator. He would therefore conclude, by in-
forming the meeting that he had received letters from Messrs.
Tynte and G. Evans, who stated that they were serving on an
election committee, otherwise they would have attended the
meeting with pleasure. He had the satisfaction, however, to
state that both letters contained a handsome subscription.—
(Applause.)
Mr. MERLE, in rising to move the first resolution, said he
only came forward with a view to lend what little aid was in
his power, to the cause of compassion. The meeting had been
told by their chairman that that was not a political meeting,
but one merely for the purpose of making an appeal to the
hearts of the generous and humane, on behalf of a great number
of illustrious men who were now wandering in exile, for the
base crime of patriotism—because they fought against
their sovereign, he having trampled upon them, spurned
them, and having been wont to enslave them. He would
put it to every one present, as being a case that might be their
own ; he would place the question on the broad ground of hu.
inanity only, and he called on them to remember that they
were all the children of one God, and it was possible that the
rich man of to.day might be the beggar of to.morrow. It was
impossible to look back at the history of Poland and say
that the Poles had not been prudent, or that they had
ever been cowardly in the struggle which had been made to free
them from a tyrant. They had been scattered over the whole
world, but in every place they were the same noble.minded men
they had,been at home. lie was proud to say that he had the
honour of an acquaintance with some of those illustrious men ;
friendship was only their due, for they had fought in a cause
that was dear to the heart of every Englishman—the cause of
liberty —(Hear, hear, and cheers.) He would then appeal to
the hearts of those who were ever first in the cause of
benevolence—(Cheers)—to that fairer and better portion of
the meeting. When he told them that the Prince Czartoryski
had in his own country no less an income than 70,0001.,
that he had lost the whole of that sum—when he told them that
he had lost Isis wife by the grief to which she was reduced, and
that his children had been shot, one by one, in the field of
battle,—when he told them these things, he was sure that even
from so humble an instrument of charity as himself, he should
not appeal in vain. That was not a political meeting, other.
wise he might regret that there was no national fund from which
relief might be given to such illustrious men. When they looked
at France, they saw 4,000 of the brave Poles, who were fed
and clothed by the French Government. The illustrious exiles
were to be seen in the palace, and at the table of the French
King ; on these accounts, he regretted that it was out of the
power of our Ministry to have followed such a good example,
for he knew they would have gladly done so.—(Hear.) He
trusted, however, that the want of that fund would be amply
made up by the British people, who were now entreated, in the
name of charity, to come forward liberally, and support the
cause of charity in their own country. He would not detain
the meeting any longer, knowing as he did, that many more
gentlemen had to address them, but Would simply move the
first resolution.
I. That the Polish patriots who have bled and suffered in
their unfortunate struggle for freedom have deserved the admi-
ration and sympathy of mankind, by their heroism and devotion
la the cause of their country ; and that in the present melan-
choly crisis of its affairs we cannot forget that Poland, so re-
nowned in History, has a peculiar claim on our gratitude and
active a sistance, as having long stood the bulwark of Christia-
nity and of European civilization.
The Rev. JOSEPH BEAUMONT rose to second the re-
solution, which he did on the ground of Christianity, and to
uphold the interests of those unfortunate—indeed unfortuate
he ought not to call them, but—those afflicted individuals, the
brave Poles.—(Cheers.) In Birmingham had been written
A Tear for the Poles," and this meeting was now called
upon to shed a tear for those brave men ; if that tear could be
analyzed, it would be found not perhaps to consist solely of
humanity, but dashed with the fire of liberty.—(Cheers.) He
would conclude by exclaiming—
" Yes, Britain, yes, my native land,
For dauntless heart and liberal hand—
Among the nations known,
I see thy mighty arm outspread,
See thee in nerve, and heart, and head,
Make this great cause thy own."
The resolution was then put and carried amidst loud cheers.
The CHAIRMAN announced that subscriptions had been
received from Mr. George Evans, M.P.,201. ; Mr. H. Tynte, 51. ;
and Mr. Clarke, 10/.—(Cheers.)
Mr. BROWN read an extract of a letter from a lady, resid-
ing in Merrion-square, Dublin, who expressed the thanks el
herself and her sisters at the acceptance of an offer to receive any
embroidered work from them for sale on behalf of the Pore h fund,
and stated that for that object they had forwarded a quantity
of articles..—(Cheers.) Those articles were now on a table in
the room, and would be for sale at the conclusion of the busi-
ness of the meeting ; Miss Thurston would receive the money.
He said it was grateful to find female hearts, and in Dublin
too, standing forward in such a cause, and he was sure it would
stimulate others to go and do likewise.—(Cheers.)
Colonel HODGES came forward, and was loudly cheered.
His reception appeared to embarrass him, and he was but in.
distinctly heard, In rising to propose the second resolution,
he could assure the meeting that he felt himself loth to ad.
dress them, as he was so unaccustomed to speak in public ; but
that the cause itself was of so important a nature,
that he was induced to do so. It was unnecessary for
him to dwell on its merits, because it had been so
eloquently pictured by the gentleman who proposed the first
resolution. He had the pleasure of knowing two of the Polish
exiles who, sooner than be dependent on the bounty of Great
Britain, went out to Portugal. When they arrived there,
he asked them what they had to expect by going there,
and they replied that they came to struggle for that
cause which they had fought for in their own country.
—(Lound cheering.) Unfortunately, those two gallant
men tell, and thus they were no longer a burden on any country.
He was happy to see so many ladies present, for he knew that
where they were charity was sure to flow.—(Cheers.) Ile
would now read the second resolution.
2. That it becomes Great Britain, as a free and enlightened
nation, to sustain its ancient high character as the asylum of the
victims of persecution who seals refuge on its shores' and that to
suffer them to perish in neglect would cast an indelible stain on
the British name.
No such stain was ever yet cast, and never would be cast on
Great Britain.—(Cheers.)
Mr. FEAIION seconded the resolution, which ha said hail
been moved by a gentleman who had deserved well of his
country for his support of the same principles in Portugal which
they had now met to uphold. He regretted that he had to ad-
dress them so
early, as there were so many distinguished
individuals around him who had not yet spoken, par-
ticularly Lord Ebrington, one of the Members for
Devonshire, who he was sure from the high character that
Noble Lord had always borne, would be able much better than
himself to advocate the cause of unhappy Poland.—(Cheeft)