The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-21 00:00:00

THE S U FFERERS7it—TEXIVIIMRG
A' public 'meeting of the merchants, bankers, and
traders of the City of Londoe' was yesterday- eld at the
.Egyptian Hall. in the Malts-ion-hue:se, fur the purpose of
.
considering the propriety of adopting measures to relieve
the neforteitate 'sufferers by the late dreadful conflagra-
-tion at Hamburgh.
meeting was advertised to take place at one
o'clock precisely, but the hall was well filled before that.
hour. Among the company present we observed Sir
Moses Mentetiore, • Mr. D. Saleinions, Mr. Colquhouu,
the Consul for the Hanse ToWns, Mr. Baring, and seve-
ral other gentlemen of the higheSt respectability.
The Right Hon. the Lord Martnt took the Chair
soon after one o'clock.
His LORDSHIP stated that lie had been waited on by a
1 deputation from the merchants and bankers of the City
of London, requesting hint :to assist the efforts
they were making for the - relief of the un-
fortunate sufferers from the late dreadful conflagration
at Hamburgh. He had not hesitated to comply with
their request by granting theta the use of the hall; and
by occupying the chair. They fright easily have pro-
' cured. a gentleman better qualified to discharge the
duties of Chairman, but they could find no one who sym-
pathised more with the sufferings of the unfortunate
Haniburghers, or who took
.a deeper interest in the
Christian and charitable course: for the furtherance or
which they were assembled 'together. He would not
detain them longer, but would give way to those who-
would give a detailed account of the dreadful calamity,
and hedoubted not but that his fellow-citizens would
respond to the call made on their humanity for the re-
lief of the distressed.—(Cheers.)
Mr. COLQUHOUN, the Consul for the Hanse Towns,
would take the liberty of reading an official dispatch
. which he had received froniethe Syndic Secretary of
State for Hamburgh, narrating the circumstance's
attending the dreadful calamity, which could only
be compared to the fire of London, or the earth-
quake at Lisbon. (The HOnourable Gentleman then
read the . dispatch of the Secretary of State, giving a
detailed account of the circumstances attending the late
awful calamity. The letter expressed the gratitude of
the Senate and authorities to the British Civil Engineers
for their exertions in stopeing the conflagration.)
Among the subscribers to thediamburgh Fund were—
Her Majesty, 2001. ; Prince Albert, 100/. ; the Queen
Dowager, 1501. Large sums had also been subscribed
by public bodies, and 20,0001. had been remitted to
Hamburgh, fur the relief of the sufferers. The British
Government had also kindly • come forward, and from
the public stores had sent out a supply of blankets and
beddine; for the unfortunate Hamburghers. It ought
also to be stated that the British Steam Naviga-
tion Company had generously conveyed this re-
lief to Ilamburgh free of - expense. There was
one subject to which he wished particularly
to refer, namely, the maltreatment of the British sub
jects who had rendered assistance during the efforts
made to extinguish the conflagration. The reports on
this 'score were greatly exaggerated, none of the British
residents were either wounded or killed. The Hon.
Gentleman then read a letter frOm the Syndic Secre-
tary of State to the British Charge d'Affaires, thanking
Messrs. Findley, Giles, and Thompson for their exer-
tions in endeavouring to mitigate the horrors of the cala-
mity which had befallen the Hamburghers. In the let-
ter the Syndic stated that he was authorised to an-
ticipate a public testimonial to those gentlemen.
Mr. C. went on to say that the population of Hamburgh
numbered 150,000 persons, of whom one-fifth were now
homeless. The number of houses amounted to 10,000, of
which 2,000 were destroyed. The English residents
numbered about 8,000, and of those many had suffered
severely from the conflagration. The value of the property
destroyed amounted to 7,000,0001.; the houses constituted
3,000,0001. of that amount. The Hon. Member con-
cluded by stating that among the many motives that
should incite the people of England to render every aid
to the people of .Hamburgh, was the fact of their having
a 'common origin—sprung as they both were from the
ancient Saxons.
T..BARING, Esq., said, the statement they had just
heard read by the gentleman who so ably represented
the HanseTowils in this country, had told the tale of
distress so clearly and persuasiVely, that he should have
been willing to leave the case in his hands, and not risk
the weakening of its effect by any observations of his own,
did lie not feel a melancholy satisfaction in expressing his
concurrence in the opinion, that there had never been a
case possessing more claims on the charity of the British
public, than the late awful calamity, with which it had
pleased Divine Providence to visit the city of Hamburgh.
The very fact that one-fifth of the city had been de-
stroyed—that two thousand houses had been burned to
ashes—that property to the amount of six millioas had
been annihilated—and that 30,000 persona, out of a popu-
lation 0f.150,000, were deprived of their employment, of
their homes, of their means of 'existence, of the items •
saries of life, and even of shelter, spoke volumes to
those who had the means of affording aid to this suffer-
ing- community.—(Hear, hear, hear.) Let them
recollect that Hamburgh, as Hamburgh alone, de-
pended legally and constitutionally on its own
population. It had no powerful Government or empire
to fall back on ; there were no great sources of prosperity
of this kind to come in aid of 'those who had suffered
from the calamity.—(Hear.) They had therefore a legi-
timate right to look for aid from the foreign countries of
Europe. The citizens were active in relieving their own
population, but the calamity fell 'on them suddenly ; it
sent no shadow of its coming betbre it, and consequently,
though the poor suffered the most from being deprived of
everything, yet it also cramped the resources of the rich,
and paralysed their commerce, thus rendering them de-
pendent on foreign aid fur support. This was a case in
which their aid would have an instantaneous influence.
Hamburgh was at their very doore. and the subscription
of this day would be supporting the inhabitants by Tues-
day next.—(Hear' hear.) The Committee appointed by
the Senate, and the Committee here, took every
care that the funds were properly administered. Let
them not say that they could not extend their
aid to theSe sufferers, becauSe their own population
were destitute also. God forbid that one penny should
be withheld from their own poor, but let them not with-
hold their charity under the plausible pretext that they
wished to give it to others. Those the most ready to
relieve their own poor, were those whose hearts were most
ready to expand at the tale of suffering wherever found.
Ile thought the subscription, so increased, would have a
claim upon their fellow-countrymen' of all descriptions
throughout the kingdom. They would find that the
cause of charity would be properly appreciated by our
Hamburgh connexions—for connected they had been by
commerce—and it was the proudest duty of commerce
to increase the feeling of goOdwill and friendship
throughout the world. Commerce had a prouder object
and a nobler aim than merely increasing national wealth
—it bad a prouder task, that of festering and maturing
these sentiments of sympathy, of benevolence, and fel-
lowship which were as extended in their application as
they were generous in their origin. • He (Mr. Baring)
for one could not doubt. but this, cell.would be responded
to, when he found that it was headed by Royal munifi-
eence—when the Government of the country had con-
tributed to this object—and when he saw that meeting
presided over by the head of the first commercial city in
the world—that First Magistrate who was always fore-
most in the objects of charity, and he did not doubt that
their example would be followed by the whole country.
Ile (Mr. Baring) begged to prepcise the following rest,-
lution:—
" That this meeting has heard with unfeigned sorrow the
afflicting intelligence of the late disastrous conflagration at
Hamburgh, a city connected from the earliest period in com-
mercial relations with Great Britain, by which so large a por-
tion of the town has been reduced to ashes, heavy losses sus-
tained, and some thousands of human beings reduced to a state.
of destitution."
Mr. M. ATrwoon rose to second the resolution. He
agreed with the Hon. Gentleman who had just sat doWn
in Saying that after the statement of the facts which had
• been made by Mr. Colquhoun, he • did not think it was
necessary to make any further appeal to the benevolence
of the citizens of London for the :purpose of reliev-
ing the inhabitants of Hamburgh . from the effects of
that calamity which had visited them. But it was
necessary that from that meeting and from the coun-
try there should be conveyed to '.Hainburgh an expres-
sion of sympathy, in the strongest manner showing
them that they appreciated the - 'friendly relations
which have for so long a period existed between
their country and our own, and 'as we benefited by the
connexion, to some extent, in their prosperity, so in the
hour of their distress, they would find in us friends ready
to assist them, and to combine with them in relieving
those sufferings with which they might be visited—for a
„visitation more awful than the late conflagration, arriv-
ing suddenly as it did, could scarcely be imagined,
and anything more appalling or more disastrous
could nut be conveyed to the imagination. Con-
ceive that great city delivered for three days and'
three nights to the fury of the conflagration. Conceive
.what must have been its effects in the very heart of the-
city, consuming its best .parts, and imagine the painful
and afflicting spectacle which Hamburgh must now pre-
sent to those who once beheld it in its pride and in its
grandeur.—(Hear, hear.) He could congratulate the.
meeting that the resolution he held conveyed the expres-
sion of their sympathy with the, sufferers of Hamhurgh.
They had proved that their sympathy was not confined
to barren expressions, but had given solid proofs of their
earnestness, by taking the first -opportunity of affording
their. assistance. The prompt benevolence which they
afftirded excited the most unanimous and enthusiastic feel-
ings which such conduct was calculated to produce. This
assistance would also have the effect of rousing the people
of Hamburgh themselves, to restore the town, when they
saw the prompt, noble, and liberal conduct which was
manifested in their behalf in every part of the world.—
(Hear, hear.) Their object now was to raise subscrip-
tions, and to reduce to a regular and formal system that
' benevolence which had been so promptly afforded to the
people of Hamburgh. lie trusted the reasons of their
countrymen resident in Hamburgh, which they put for-
Ward in their address would actuate them in their be-
nevolence. They called on you to relieve the distress
of a city so long united by the closest and strongest
ties of mutual interest with Great Britain, and which
had been deservedly famed for its Charity and hospitality.
That was the address of their fellow-countrymen, and that
was the character which Ilamburgh always enjoyed; and
`never - was there an occasion inure appropriate for exhi-
biting their friendship to , the people of Hamburgh,
and showing how highly they valued the importance
Which they attached to the connection which subsisted
between them.—(hear, Lear.) lie had great pleasure
in seconding the resolution, and would conclude by ex-
pressing his confidence that the result of the exertions
of this country would be worthy the character which
Great Britain always maintained for her readiness to
relieve the distresses of others.—(Cheers.)
The resolution was then put, and carried unanimously.
Mr. SMITH would- not, after the touching details of
the calamity to which they had listened, enter at large
into the question. He yielded, however, to no man in
.sympathy for the sufferers, and he cordially concurred
in every word that had fallen from the Gentleman who
had preceded him. In no city had :the British expo-
' tiencgd • greater hospitality - than in. Agmburgh.
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