Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1853-05-25

The following letter from Gov. sKossuTH Iap
pears in the London papers. 1t will be read with
interest: g.:T .sreigsa.sea ysosT,z p. s,.f. ss1
+. ,.ejges5 Il 81 ALPHA ROAD, Regents Park,l -
lae9 Il: .zsa7 s4-Ts,. April 23, 1858. -
! MY. DEAR SIR-Recent occurrences have
thrown such an uncertain position upon the legal
position of political refugees residing in England
that honor, well as the instinct of self-pres
eryation, make it indispensable that the.exact ma.
ture of the right of asylum should be cleared up
we have been induced to believe the organic in
sttutions Of England afford to political exiles, in
equal degree, be they dethroned kings or conspic,
uous @ martyrs Of the cause Of liberty a,srae5
We are told in and and out Of Parliament, that we
live under the profession Of the common laws ot
England. Now sir, / apprehend it is, no easy
matter even for Englishman to know, exactly
what is is English law Long-forgotten statutes,
exhumated for some special occurrence from un-
der the rubbish Of bygone times, render the access
to the sanctuary of your common laws extremely
sinuous- Foreigners cannot be reproached for be-
ing ing unable to know the way of their duties and
their rights in their labyrinth, ,s.,.,,..,, a.,
r. You having been always amongst the foremost
to defend US spontaneously when we have been
wronged, you will excuse me, I hope, for .yentur-
ing to bring some facts to your notice. and for ask
ing you some questions resulting therefrom. .ss..
Sir, sincerely believe that the Englishman
mean to be hospitable to political exiles; but few
of you know what sort of hospitality England af-
fords to US. Hospitality, in my view, means the
admitting a guest to be, at least, on the same
terms as the members of the family; but forgive
my saying I feel that for one am not thus treat
ed. - -
Englishmen are punishable if they break the
law; but they are not logged by. spies, surround
ed by political espionage, and the names of all
who visit them kept in black book. They are
not always trembling for the safety of their bet
tiers, and the lives of their correspondents, or of
the innocent men whose names may be mention.
ed in their private memorandums.
avow my responsible ilities to the laws Of Eng
tIshmen, and have not dreamed to ask more than
English freedom while on your shores But un-
der the pretence of prevention (and especially
despotic plea,) it appears am beset by agencies
which all true-hearted Englshmen hate and which
if applied to any of you, would, l believe, rouse
your Indignation. -
Ofcourse, l correspond with my friends, many
of whom are suffering under lawless oppression,
but such correspondence is no breach of your
laws, nevertheless, live in daily terror lest, in
writing some morning, I find that my writing desk
has been torn open land my private memorandums
rifled by virtue of search warrant, obtained by,
know not what one-sided dep ostion, from Sc
cret, irresponsible tribunal, like that Of the nqui
sition, obtained by anonymous accusation, the
charge and the judge being unknown to me.
say live in daily terror lest, by such seizure of
my private papers, innocent friends be betrayed
to Austrian vengeance. Englismen would not
endure such state of law as applicable to them
selves; but tseems you have exceptiona laws for
foreigners, which turn your hospitality to exiles
possibly into cruel trap.
Do you say "not possibly DO you assure me
that this power, though committed to your minis
try, certainly will not be used !?
Excuse some anxiety in me, who have read
how the brothers Bandeira were betrayed; and
have recently seen, in the case of an Englishman,
1ow-y .thout any process of law, where accuser
and accused met face to face-any plea of search
ng for gunpowder may be used in order to rifle
ny desk and carry off my trunks and papers
what is to hinder some masked accuser from
whispering something, which by virtue of ''rea-
sons of State'' just6es burglary on my house,
md puts the lives ofmy correspondents into haz-
,rd, for no imaginable breach ofyour laws-men,
who have never come within the sphere of Eng
ish law at all 1 t... .-
These fears are not unfounded on fact. Lis
EN- yet little, sir. Mr.. Dunford, printer and
residing at Notting-Hill, gives me the
ollowing information:-
While Lord Derby was still prime minister,
men from the detective police, in plain clothes,
we're appointed to watch my house at Noting
Hill, and take the number of every cab which
,ame to the door. The late ministry having left
,f1fre they were WItndraWn. But short time af-
er the debates in the House of Lords about the
efugees, previous to which your Home Secretary
declared in the House of Commons, with loud ap-
,lause, that sit is no part of the duty of an Eng
ish government to provide for the safety for
sign government" According to Mr.. Crum-
nond's positive knowledge, the detective police
,ot only made their appearance about my house,
,ut he has full reason to believe that there was
llmost one policeman for every person who visit
ny house; and he asserts to know that they had
orders to mark every such person., and even to
ake cabriolet, if necessary, to follow the visi-
er wherever he went. T3 NJ s .ssa,,sssz.. 81.
Furthermore, Mr.. Dunford informed me that, |
lpon the occasion of my removing from my late
residence at Noting Hill, to that which lat pres
snt occupy in Alpha road, Regents Park, one of
he detective police in the disguise of labering
man, and upon; the plea that he was out OF WORK.
himself into the service of the person
.,1J in TO-