The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-23 00:00:00

will see that he makes the strongest possiide assertion of
the absolute validity of the title of Austria to the posses-
sion of those provinces which had been secured to her by
treaty—and who mnst be considered as an undmiable wit-
ness on this side of the question.' (Mr. Griffith read Lord
Palmerston's speech, with which the British public cannot
be too familiar, insconfirmation of the same.) That speech
of February lid, with Lord. John Russell's endorsement of
its every word, "Wes important, said Mr. Griffith, to keep
in mind, because an umbra leaning towards Audria had
been most, unjustly and untruly imputed to Lord Mal-
mesbury in this negotiation and controversy. (Hear,
hear.) •

Mr. Griffith then went into an elaborate defence
of the late Foreign Minister's conduct, and qUoted
from his despatches of Jan. Ist, 10th (to Lord Cow-
ley), Jan. 12th (to Sir J. Hudson), Jan. 12th (to
Lord A. Loftus), Jan. 13th (to Sir J. Hudson), Jan.
20th, Feb. ith, 23d, and March 19th, and others,
down to April 23d; adding—
Now I ask of any impartial person whether it was pos-
sible for any 'Minister to have more strongly protested
against Austria than Lord Mahnesbury in this correspond-
ence ?--and whether anything but that inveterate spirit of
party that can see only with one set of spectacleil and sys-
tematicallYdenies the possibility of any merit beyond the
limits of its own clique, would ever have thought of imput-
ing to the late patriotic and thoroughly English Foreign
Minister an undue leaning to Austria on this subject. (No,
no, and cheers.)
Mr. Griffith next referred to his own question to
the Secretary of State on the 22d July, in reference
to the deposed. Dukes of Central Italy; to which
early. and timely act—compelling an avowal and
public pledge—he felt warranted in attributing, in
some degree, the fortunate engagement for the
liberty of the new nationalities, to abstain, what-
ever the event, from a forcible restitution to those
oppressive rulers of their crowns. • .
Mr. Griffith then traced the narrative of his re-
cent; journey beyond the Alps, which included many
recent events with which our readers are familiar,
and of which the hon. gentleman was an eye-wit-
ness. Interesting personal reminiscences, and tra-
velling incidents not a few, both laughable and•
serious, formed this part of his address—decidedly
the most relished by the juvenile and female part
of the audience. The hon. gentleman next dwelt
upon the question of the future of Italy, and was
particularly severe on the preposterous scheme of a
federation under the Pope—which he treated as
morally, religiously, and physically, a simple im-
possibility in this 19th century, and fit only for the
nursery, or the brain of a hooded monk of, at least,
three centuries back.

Priestly rule in Bologna and Ravenna was detested, and
had had its day. He was one who advocated the complete
independence of the States of Central Italy; which con-
stitutionally governed would then take their place among
the best regulated and most enlightened powers of Europe.
(Loud cheers.) As for the part of this country, con-
tinued Mr. G.—the part we are called on to take—the
question is now very easily answered—our course is quite
clear. We have never pretended that we would or could
effectually aid Italian liberty by force of arms, and we have
doubted whether calling in the aid of a powerful neighbour
was certain to contribute to the freedom of Italy. It
would be our business, therefore, to maintain the neutra-
lity we have proclaimed—but the voice of a free people
would not on that account be silenced—we should pro-
test against and deprecate by every means of pub-
licity at our disposal—by the press, by public opinion,
and by discussion in Parliament—against any atro-
city such as that of quietly putting-down the rising
liberties of Central Italy ; and it' such a crime, to which the
partition of Poland was scarcely equal, was to be perpe-
trated, we should wash our hands of it in the face of Europe,
certain that iniquities such as this are sure to find their
adequate retribution in the appointed order of Providence,
against the Potentate or the Dynasty who can be so ill-
advised as to attempt them. (Applause.)
Of course, under such circumstances, any idea of Eng-
land's taking part in any Congress for a purpose like this,
would be wholly inadmissible ; no English Minister could
stand for a moment before the indigration of the people and
the Parliament who should give the countenance of
England to such a suppression of the liberties of Italy •,
or who should subject England to the indignity of
merely entering a congress to register the foregone con-
clusion of another power. MAI' go further than this,
and I tell you and I tell the public that the people
and the statesmen of Central Italy deprecate any con-
gress at all, as far as relates to her, concerns. They aro
now in practical possession of their liberties, and all
they ask is to be let alone. (Hear, hear.) A congress
would only make a fresh arbitrary disposal of the people,
after the fashion of that of Vienna, which has been so un-
satisfactory in its results, and which has been so often vio-
lated. It would be called on to give fresh guarantees to
Venice in the hands of Austria, and of the territory of the
Pope ; and as 'the Italians are net disposed to consider
either of these permanent and irrevocable, they deprecate
any fresh arbitrary and paper guarantees which the feeling
of the country would never ratify. And on every view of
the subject, both as regards the interest of Italy and oil'
own dignity, there can be no doubt at all that the strong
opinion expressed and maintained in the House of Commons
is the right one; not to take part in any congress on such
a subject as this, which would only involve us in dissen-
sion, alienation, and perhaps hostility, with other Powers,
and would in all probability tend to obscure and diminish
tba moral influence which, separately exerted, by means
of the ordinary channels of information open to all the
world, will always possess the effect duo to the impartiality
and disinterestedness with which alone we regard this
question—a question affecting the happiness of millions of
our fellow-creatures • of those millions who, acting in the
spirit of Byron's " hereditary bondsmen," and who hav-
ing effected a complete union of interests of hands and, of
hearts, throughout those banded provinces of Central Italy,
much like that which cements the Kingdoms of England,
Scotland, and Ireland, of this favoured land—appeal with
confidence to the spirit of our own motto of " Quis sepa
rabit"—and closing their ranks with the firm vigour of pa-
triotic determination, adopt and bear aloft the stern resolve
of another of our mottos—" Nemo me impune lacessit."
(Prolonged cheers.)

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE
WEEK.

(Front the Report of the Registrar-General.)

A low temperature of the air, which commenced
on the 9th inst., and continued during 11 days, has
caused the deaths in London to rise from 1,031, the
number returned in the previous week to 1,233,
the number shown in the return of last week. In
the ten years 1849.58 the average number of deaths
in the weeks corresponding with last week was
1,114 ; but as the deaths contained in the present
return occurred in a population which has in-
creased, they should be compared with the average
raised in proportion to the increase, namely, with
1,225. It will be seen from this statement, that
the actual mortality agrees very closely with the
result obtained from calculation.
The cold and fogs of last'week attacked the re-
spiratory organs, and the deaths from diseases
which affect them, not including iththisis, have
risen from 179 to 233. In the last four weeks the
deaths from bronchitis have been 58, 90, 102,
and 138. Pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs,
the deaths referred to which head are chiefly those
of children, has apparently not been fatally aggra-
vated by the weather, for the numbers assigned to
it in the last three weeks were 73, 60, and 64.
Phthisis or consumption rose from 132 in the pre-
vious week to 157 last week. That persons of ad-
vanced age have lately suffered much appears from
the fact that eight nonagenarians are returned, four
of whom when they died were aged respectively 94,
95, 96, and 97 years. Two children, twins, in one
family, and two children also twins in another died,
having been born prematurely ; and three children
of a carpenter's labourer, being triplets, died of in-
anition in Winchester-court, Pentouville.

Seven ptTsons committed suicide, among whom
was a girl, aged 17 years, who killed herself with
prussic acid. Three widows died from " febris" in
the workhouse, Mile-end New Town. Five children
died of measles in the sub-district of St. John, "%Yost-
minster. Scarlatina was fatal in 66 cases, diphthe-
ria in 9 ; of the former 4 occurred in All Souls,
Marylebone, 4 in Kentish-town, 5 in Islington
West, sin St. Giles South. S:nall pox was fatal
in 29 cases, 6 of which occurred in the Small-pox.
Hospital. All the victims of this disease were chil-
dren under 10 years of age, except 6, who had at-
tained the age of 20 or upwards.
Dr. Thomson, the Medical Officer of Health for
Marylebone, makes the following observations on
small-pox in St. John's-wood :—Nine cases of small-
pox have come under treatment at the Portland-
town
Free Dispensary, St. John's-wood, within as
many days. I am indebted for the facts to the
attention of William Orange, Esq.; resident medi-
cal officer. The first, a semi-confluent case, was a
child without any visible cicatrix, in St. John's-
wood-terrace, the family having come from High-
gate a few days previously, where the disease
prevailed. Her aunt, at No. 8, Victoria.
terrace, likewise without any visible cicatrix,
caught the disease ; the eruption was very full.'
In two children with good scars, at 27, New-
street, the ernption appeared very mildly. Another
case occurred at 8, Upper William-street, with
scarcely any scar ; the mother stated the girl to
have been vaccinated, but added, she had no faith
at all in vaccination.' Three children at 6, Henry-

place, who had been protected by vaccination, had
the disease very mildly. The last case was that of
a gitl at 28, Victoria-terrace, with two good scars,
and who had been playing with some of the in-
fected children ; the eruption is moderately full.'
Hitherto there has been no fatality in these cases."
Of bricklayers 5 died in the week, of bricklayers'
wives 5, of bricklayers' children 5 ; of carpenters 9
died, of carpenters' wives 6, of carpenters' children
22 ; of masons 2 died, of masons' wives 2, of masons'
children 3; of painters 4 died, of painters' wives 3,
of painters' children 13 ; of plasterers 2 died, of
plasterers' wives 2, of plasterers' children 2.
Last week the births of 958 boys and 902 girls,
in all 1,860 children, were registered in London.