The southern press., 1851-11-15

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you. feel gentlemen, tina: the generous SEN
timents you have expressed | can attribute 10
nothing else than to the noble sympathy which
so well BELTS the free Engishman for the noble
principle of liberty, [cheers, and to the belief
that the cause of Hungary was just cause, and
was a cause intimately connected with the prin-
cples of freedom. [Cheers.] Now, instead of
a vain effort to give you a good speech, perhaps
it would be better for me to take the liberty to
allow me in a plain common manner-sti beg
ging excuses for the faults Of my language,
which cannot fail to admit-to give you some
information [cheers, about the true nature of
the past struggle in Hungary, because | suppose
can be excused to have this egotism-to be
anxious to conserve those generous sentiments,
and believe there can nothing better be done
than by plain common statement of the facts,
without any flourish, or attributional pomp, as
they passed in Hungary [Cheers. To under
stand exactly the Hungarian cause, it is quite
necessary to be somewhat acquainted with the
true nature of the form of Hungarian institu-
TONS You all know that Hungary was for more
than 800 years in Europe, alwaysa constitution
al monarchy; and perhaps this is no small proof
of the elements Of life which in my notion, are
to be found when we consider the geographical
position of Hungary, and the moral position OF
the native Magyar race an Asatic people, thrust
into the midst of European nations, without any
kindred, without any affinity, without any re-
senblance and when we consider they were
surrounded on all sides by absolute and despotic
power; on one side by Turkeywhich encroached
for centuries, not only upon civilization but ON
religion, and where my poor nation was the bull
wark Of christianity in Europe; on the other
side, the Russian empire, which has, not for the
of Tohaaro1 M prn
digiously in the one and half century; on the
third side, the Austrian power, not tine Austria
of to- day, for that Austrian empire is very new
one, but the government of the house of Haps-
burg,whch never, ifthere be told truth by history,
gave one friend to political freedom though
one genius it had, one friend to religious freedom,
one friend to the rights Of conscience, but even
he quite in opposition to the social and political
freedom of the people-the Emperor Joseph Ill.
This, then, was our position. Turkey, Russia,
and Austria, or rather the house of Hapsburg-
by such was Hungary surrounded; and BESIDES
the people, which must ever be considered as the
most firm and mighty basis Of greatness and wei
fare of country-[che and as the most
strong, sure, and powerful safeguard of its lib
erties-the people in Hungary unhappily were
excluded from political rights; they shared not
in the constitutional benefits; and still this Ma
gyar race, in such difficulties of circumstances,
through eight centuries and more, has conserved
not only its life, but its constitutional liberty
| and national institutions. Cheers. There is
in such race, in such nation, elements of a
future and believe, with some pride have a
right to say, such nation deserves to have free
dom.
/ told YOU, q little ago, that the people had
not shared in the constitutional rights Of the
country. The constitution of Hungary was an
aristocratic one entirely; but it was an aristo-
cratical constitution which had somewhat diff
ferent meaning for that which you attach in Eng
land to the word aristocracy Aristoracy in
| Hungary was not synonymous with power and
with the weight of wealth, but was simply an
| aristocracy of birth, and was not reduced only
to elder brothers, but whoever had a father a
| nobleman, he and his children, and their child
| ren's children, remained through all centuries
noblemen always. A laugh. What was the
consequence! The consequence was that, as
human fate is subject TO many changes of cir
| cumstances, the d, scendanis OF the old noble
| men of Hungary did mol remain wealthy, great,
| and powerful, but became ditfused, and, by the
course of centuries, descending among them,
became almost one part of the people itself; so
that the great part OF the aristocraey of Hungary
remained as poor, aye, poorer, than the people
because the noble had ambition not to work; ns
if work was not the greatest honor to humanity
So, therefore, we had not only q landed propri
etary, but we lad these most poor classes of the
aristocracy, which were not only III the SAME
condition as the people, 0t which were still
now and then, in worse condition, not being
so industrious. But one prominent feature wa,
that the old aristocracy was not quite 90 opposed
| =; t. avtanoinp 70 nonul ri0hto md n
the popular interest, as we find it to be in the
middle ages on the continent and through Eu
rope-because we must confess that the aristoc
racy of England has known in time to meet tho
exigencies of the time, to share their privileges
with the people, and TO take its part in the bur
dens Of the people. and therefore the aristocrncy
of England remained, when those other a'istoc
racies were swept away like dust from the earth
| Cheers In Hungary the nobility was not II
the same position, but the noblemen mixed will
all classes of the people-they were not In strong
opposition 10 the people; but they were agricul
turalists, working not their own soil, but the
soil of their landlords but they became manu-
facturers; they engaged in every trade and every
profession; and therefore 1t was not in such op
position TO the people as the word aristocracy'
signifies here; and though il Is no wonder that
in Hungary and between the bounds Of this arts
tocrat constitution, where the people had nc
! right 10 speak for itself, it should not have had
its full share of privilege, still, GU. Of the ranks
Of this aristocracy, which have characterized
are always found in the past, and through al
their history, generous men, who manfnlly
struggled by all legal means to improve the con-
dition Of their country, and VINO stroye for the
rights Of humanity. Now In this struggling for
L e rights of humanity and the improvement Of
the condition Of the country, we had, according
to our constitution, in Hungary, two principal
means. The first was-to call it by name
which is popular and is understood here--the
Parliament Of Hungary; and the second was by
our county and municipal institutions. Those
municipal institutions were, still more than in
auy other part Of the world whatever, against
the encroachment on the rights Of the nation by
the government, because those county instltu
tons we're 30 framed that the government had nc
right to convey any order whatever, but only
through the medium of the county meetings.
The county meeting was composed Of all no.
blemen who were residents in that county, and
the noble population IN county might number