The Sun.
London, England, 1851-11-04 00:00:00

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presided, and there were present Mr. Feargus O'Con-
nor, M.P., M. Louis Blanc, Mr. G. W. M. Reynolds,
Mr. Bronterre O'Brien, Mr. G. J. Holyoake, Mr.
Ruffey, Mr. Waller, Mr. Nichols, Mr. Pettie (the sec-
retary), and several other members of the committee.
M. Louis Blanc, on entering the room, was loudly
'cheered by the company, znd was warmly fraternised
with by kr. O'Connor, who got him to sit beside him
on the left of the chair, and repeatedly embraced him.
M. Blanc apparently soon got tired of this fraterni-
zation, and removed his seat to the right of the
chairman, where ha could enjoy the proceedings with
less interruption. Mr. O'Connor, indeed, attempted
in various ways to make himself conspicuous during
the evening, but invariably without success ; in fact
he was as decidedly discountenanced at Highbury-
barn as he was last week at the Guildhall of
'Southampton. On one occasion, when an elevated
platform was being put up for the use of the chair-
man and his friends, Mr. O'Connor placed his chair
upon the table, and sat down there ; but this free and
easy mode of ceremony was rather too much for the
company. lie was assailed with loud cries of " Down,
down," " Off, off," in the midst of which his friends
were glad to bring him down. No toast was put
into his hand, and he left the room without once being
called upon to address the meeting.
The cloth having been removed,
The CHAIRMAN said it was usual to begin the list
of toasts with one of a purely formal character, ex-
pressive of the general feeling that animated the
whole assembly. In that sense he would propose the
first toast, " The People."--(Loud applause.) Their
enthusiasm would not allow him to finish—nay, they
bad cut off the last letter of the word he uttered—
it was the peoples ; may they ever be allied in the
defence of liberty.—(Loud cheers.)
It ought to be mentioned here, that immediately
after dinner various members of the company intro-
duced pipes and cigars, and the room was speedily
tiled with the odour. This produced a general cry
from those who were not indulging in the luxury of
"no smoking," and the chairman was obliged to
interfere, and request that the smoking might be dis-
continued. His request was only partially complied
with, and some, rather than give up the practice, at
once left the room.

The CHAIRMAN said that, in accordance with the
determination. to make this demonstration one of va-
rious classes and shades of opinion, various persons
had been written to to attend this banquet. In an-
swer to those invitations, Lord Dudley Stuart wrote
to say that he oonld not be present, or rather that he
could not by his presence at any banquet where
Louis Kossuth was not present be useful.—(Laughter,
hisses, and cries of " The aristocrat.") But Lord
Dudley added, that he received with pleasure and
pride the noble demonstration which the working
classes had made in favour of the Hungarian patriot.
He had also received a reply from Mr. Ban-
croft Davis, whom he (the Chairman) had invited,
because, from his perfect knowledge of the United
States, he could have told them what he (the Chair-
man) would now tell them, in supporting the free
peoples of Europe, the Whig and the democratic par-
ties there would be as one.—(Cheers.) As to his
attendance, they could all understand why a gentle
man in an official position must decline such an invi-
tation.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. W. J. Fox wrote to say,
that, having to leave town to morrow . for an engage-
ment which he could not postpone,
wasimpossible
for him to attend a demonstration in the object of
which he cordially concurred. Mr. George Dawson
was also obliged to decline. If he had come, he could
have told them that the first 'declining of Kossuth to
receive their address had produced a serious damp
among the inhabitants of the democratic town of Bir-
mingham, but that his subsequent acceptance of this
magnificent demonstration had caused a feeling the
reverse of damp—hope, energy, and determination on
the part of the people of Birmingham to support that
great man and the cause of Hungary. Charles
Gilpin wrote to say that he could not be present, be-
cause
of a special engagement, in which he hoped to
be useful to Kossuth. With regard to the day's
procession, he need hardly make any report. He did
not know if they had all been present at the
Copenhagen-fields, and seen the immense gather-
ing of people or the spirit that animated them,
but he did know that the demonstration was so
great as to defy the calculations of persons who were
not accustomed to view large numbers of men. There
had been various estimates formed of the number
present; one gentleman, whose report they would
probably see to-morrow morning, estimated them at
B,ooo.—(eries of " Oh, oh," "The Times," and Mr.
O'Connor exclaimed "The bloody old Times.") If,
indeed, the support of Europe's freedom were re-
duced to the forlorn hope of 6,000 men, he could
only call upon them to give three cheers for the
6,ooo.—(The three cheers were given accordingly.)
But his own imagination went rather further—and
he did not speak without experience as to large num-
bers, nor was he unsupported in his calculation by
ahem ; he believed the numbers would be understated
if they were taken at 75,000.—(Cries of " More.")
He was glad to hear them say so—he believed indeed
that without excess he might say 100,000. Three
cheers, then, for the 100,000.—(Loud cheering.) The
assembly was so large that it could not catch the full
volume of Kossuth's voice, enfeebled as it was by
captivity ; but those who did hear it he was delighted
with the promptitude and the spontaniety with which
they responded to two points. The first was when
be said that England would no longer permit Russia
to oppress nationalities; and the second was, what he
well knew to be true, that the United States would
stand by Europe in any contest with the despots of
Europe.—(Loud cheers.) He need not make any
further report, but would call upon the secretary to
read the address to Kossuth.
Mr. PETTUS, the secretary, read the address accord-
ingly, which appears in another column.
Mr. GEaARD MASSEY then proposed the toast of
Kossetth and Hungary.—(Cheers.) They had that
day welcomed the leader of Hungary ; they had wel-
comed in him the great man of the century—the man
of thought and action combined. He came among
them defeated it is true, but with lofty aims and high
hopes which had enthroned him in the hearts of half
the world ; and where was the conqueror that had
a welcome like that ? He curie among them simply
as a patriot, and yet half the, world listened when he
spoke and gathered up his glowing words. Where
was the apostle or the teacher who had an audience
like that ?`—(Cheers.) They met to-day to welcome
the glorious leader of Hungary, and his heart thrilled
within him for joy when he thought how the despots
of Russia and Austria would gnash their teeth with
impotent rage at the demonstration of this day, while
it would send a thrill of hope through all the down-
trodden countries of the world.—(Cheers.) Speaking
of Hungary, how grandly did the drama of 1848 open
upon the world. At the first rising of the curtain,
the people. came upon the stage knocking down thrones
and k. togs, as it was written Dagon fell before the ark of
the God l—how they conquered and triumphed
at Mean, at Vienna, and at Berlin ! how Hungary
conquered, one after another, the mercenary hordes that
were sent against her 1 And what a change They
had seen the hearts which beat high for freedom now
mouldering in the dust—arms which once were raised
high for dating deeds were now mouldering in the
grave ; bat still they must never despair. Never
despair of Ftance while she had such sons as glorious
Louis Blanc—(Cheers)—and that grand old priest
Lamennais ; though she had now an unfeeling sensu-
alist as her President, who did not scruple to murder
working men at midnieht—hacked them to pieces in
secret with axes and swords, rather than mowed them
down with cannon and musketry, that the world
might not be startled by the enormity of the crime.
Prance would yet arise and shake these foul intriguers
fromon his
her, as the lion shook off the vermin that settled
0214110.—(Cheers.) They did not despair of
Italy while she had such sons as her glorious Joseph
Mazzini.—(Great cheering.) Yes, though his once
black hair had become prematurely grey with sorrow
and toil, rather than with age,e
Lombards still hewouldlydethre-t
re-
turn to his native lands. T
to the Piedmontese—the Piedmontese wouwlodushosutoutO
the Rom. ans—and a great republic would yet sit in
the capital of the Caesars.--(Cheers.)
They did not
despair of Hungary—they believed that Kossuth
would yet return to his beloved country, and England
would not confine her sympathies to cheers, as she
had done is-clay,she would at least stand up for
thatfair
play, and prevent Hungary from
them alsofrombeingoverwhelmed
by the hordes of .Russia.
England did not lag behind.Let
Let them makaehi?twmame
fet; that the happiness and freedom of England were
riot the least among the nations of the world.
Dr. HYACINTHS RONAY returned thanks. He
said—Brothers, the present is the first occasion on
which I am speaking your language—(Cheers)—the
language of a free, generous people—the language of
aeountry whose hospitable shores have received the
Hungarian exiles and protected them from the cruel,
P"`l/4ention of tyrants. What can I say to you about
Hungary—our bereft country—without exclaiming,
a* says 111"---" The bekuty of Israel are slain on
a
the high places--how -
,fallen 1"
(Hear, near.) You must allowe the mighty
a me to speals; short
time about Hungary—my r and ever memorable
country. About 1,200 de
ago a
yearspeople from
the
came
the cradle of the human race—from Asia—and con-
quered the mighty rivers, the fruitful valleys, and the
a welling hills of Pannonia. The menwdho conquered
land it were called Huns, and the new
has at all
was called
after them Hungary. Hungary
ftimesree been
ifreewill
free and independent. It chose of its own w
the family of lia,psbupg to rule over them, and all
the members of that house swore to preserve the pri-
vileges or the nation. Every king of the Austrian
rise gave his word, and every king broke his word.
—(Loud cheers.) Every king of the Austrian line
took a holy oath as the father of his beloved
ljtkiplett every king violated that oath us
a tyrant.
ihare is a Godi
in heaven, and God s just.—
(L4iiitkiieers.) Ours was a holy war. We fought for
f" ' ' I religion, as well for our Protestant as our
"..;` hers. We fought for our freedom—hap-