The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-12-14
NUMBER l3.
COMPLIMENTARY DINNER TO JOHN
MlTCHElt IN SAN FRANCiSCO-HlS
SPEECH

tesar-sz -. .iS.s-.s--=xn=.
COMPLIMENTARY DINNER TO JOHN
MlTCHEl, IN SAN FRANCiSCO-HIS
SPEECH
A complimentary dinner was given by The
citizens of San Francisco, to John Mitchell, the
distinguished Irish refugee, who recently arriv-
ed at that port after daring escape from Brit
ish tyranny in Australia.
Gov. uigler presided, assisted by lhc Lieut.
Governor, the Mayor Of the city, and other
distinguished ntlrmen The guest of the
evening sat at The Gnvc:n9r's right hand, and
General Lane at the left
/ Mr.. Mtehel's speech in reply to toast, is
brilliant effort. We copy several OF the most
sinking passages:
II cxult in this hearty welcome thank von
| for il from my very sui. take grim delight
| IN II; Tor well know The warm words of cheer
you give me lo-nigh', will reach the moor
hearths of some OF my br ken and despondins
countrymen, and kindle in their hearts apain
some spark ot the fire of manhood; the loud
echo Of Ircemen -scdrn will ring in the ears
OF our tyrants IN Their high places, and bid them
beware OF the next earthquake of the ma IONS
Who will dare talk To me of despair? Who is
ablect cnou.h to despair of The cause of right
aud ruth, and frredom2 In Ireland, indeed,
truth has long been called lie by act Of Parlia.
ment, and that ancient passion for liberty has
been well nigh, as the enemy hopes, crushed
and tramp'ed out OF her; but after all Irshmen
are not negroes; they still belong TO that family
OF the human whence sprung the heroes
aud the demi gods. High hearts and strong
are bred there still, and the cup Of slavery is
stil bitter draught as Of a!d; and the sting Of
universal contempt is niaddening; and time and
shame wait on all men; and steel still cuts, and
fire still burns, and Heaven is above US all The
| graves, indeed of two millions of our famished,
murdered nation will not give up their dead,
though the graves are shallow, and the dead
are coilinless The seven years Of lreIand's s
sore agony in the talons of British civilization
have been endured they cannot be erased from
the calender. They cannot be forgotten, they
shall not ne forgiven. Nations have no future
state, and, therefore, national punshments and
compensations come in This world; and as sure
ly as "soTrnw trackeih crime that foul British
empire will yet be brought to a STRICT account
ing ireland will yet have her victory and her
revenge. High words these, some men will
say. The unhappy being forgcts, they wllsay,
that he has been five years brodding in solitary
cells, or buried in the forests of the Antipodes:
he forgets human progress, and electric lele.
graphs and how far the species has been s,r.
ding ahead while he has been gnawing his own
heart in goal he forges that the Irish he
once knew are mostly dead fled, and the
remnant contented, or cowed, bought and
bought cheap enough; and so, they will say, he
beg ins to rave again about the cruel Saxon, and
the rights of Irish nationhood, that empty
sound, the very echoes of which have died out
in the waIngs offamine, or been waited over
the Atlantic, or drowned in the peans OF peace
md snv /, ut hall 81, ocl
tai Palace.
DO not our hearts leap up at the very thought
of the next European conyqlsion: DO they not
burn within us when we think OF all that .'Peace
and Order,' astyrants called the changed qui.
escence of slaves, how twill be shivered to at
oms on some early day-a day to be called a
white day forever-with crash that will shake
the pillars OF the globe, and haw ,hrones apd
principaliiies will totter and rush doYn to cha
os before the stormy wrath and execraion Of
God and men. Bear with me. | have plu lged
at ONCE into the very heart and C. ntre of my
absorbing subject. 1t has been the passion of
my life; il has been the dream Of my prison
hours by day and nght-no wonder that I rush
SO eagerly to meet your offered sympathy, my
brothers, republicans. No wonder that | glad
ly hasten to realize to myself, the full meaning
of that sympathy, and TO let all the world
friends and enemies, know the same Yes, | an
Irish rebel and republican, am proud of she title
Il who write rebel after my name, and wear
it as frontIrt between my eyes, am welcomed
and greeted by the citizens of this most Ameri-
can of American cities, for my rebellion and
repubcanism, and for nothing else. Is it s.:
And of what else could venture 1, discourse
to you? | am but awakening after a long hyber-
nation, and have much 10 and ! arm before
! speak. Like Epaminendas Of od, or like
that twenty years sleeper ofyour CatskliI NJ onp.
tains, open my eyes to behod-what an un--
changed world Why, here, on the spot
now stand-here where five years ago a soil.
tary ship sometimes visited lonely bay of the
ocean, at the back Of the globe, fora cargo of
skins-here has arisen this stately city, like an
exhalatlon from the sea This youngest and
farest daug heT Of your great republic was yet
unborn when Fl, ascep. / awake III the
Tyre of the Pacific! No phantasmagoric city
OF air is this. The gen have not piled il up
with clouds. Neither is it, like the city of the
Czars or the city of the Consanines, the en-
forced Workmanship of vassais slaves exc
cutting the iron will of despot. Here stands
the fair achievement of free and sovereign citi-
zens, doing their own boasted and for their own
behoof- city staunch and potent, opulent and
free. Esto Perpetaa Long may cmmeree
and freedom sit enthroued within her walls,
and the wealth of thousand isles be waited
to her feet and poured into her gates of gold
But this is phenomenon | have to study
On the threshold OF your country | cannot
lecture-l can only onder and admire. Rev
erently and deliberately it becomes a stranger
and aspiran, to the privileges Of your citizen.
ship to ihvcs igate those wise and manfuI insti-
tutions that have bred and nursed the energy o.
such race.
AS for me, / have not come here to whine
about my own suferings. In the worst an.
blackest ut dungeons my enemies never e4tort
ed from Inc one word OF submission. They in
directly let us know that if we showed contritiol
we might be liberated. They asked TOR contri
Z, ton, they got in reply loud dsdain aud defiance
: What have said tonight is no more thai
l. what have said in the criminals dock befor
II the false judge-no more th,n what hav,
IS printed again and again in the public newspa
pers of Van Diemans Island. Thank HEAVIER
my head has been always hgi-my heart ha
'e been always free, and | wore my frttcrs light
n as wreathes of roses. When my enemies soug!
= to kill me by long and rigorous confinement. i
an unwhplcsome den, what think YOU, sus' ain
ed me and kept lie in me rage and scorI
u and hrm reliance on Gods justice, and the in
/. mortal thirst of vengeance.
a | thank my enemies now that they refused L
release mt-l am glad they waited Tor contritio
l. Il am proud that was liberated Mt by the
IN Queens pardon, but by The disloyal aid of som
in of her Ma,estyis subjects In Australia, and b
=, the daring and energy of my brave confederai
aud brother rebel, who sits at this table Ell
~ ough, then, of The past, fling it behind m
10 from this nlgh' and look f,rwarI-forward
m have commenced in your State my u ivicate
order to become American citizen. BeioI
r" Heaven declare tina, will be true aad thoI
al ough American, as my natufaliz-d conntryme
i generally are But Lelieye Anr.riea VIII n.
i bold it disloyalty to her if we Irish American
look anxIousiy out for an opportunity, and
& we one day dash at the opportunity 10 wipe o
at the dIshouor of the old mohar-lani, aud 10 dr.
is her tears and s'aunch her wounds, and MAX
ii her a narllcinltL . In lie nnhe rcuuhicau ire.