Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-03-21
RICHMOND WHIG.
From the NHc York Times.
THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON.
A LEcruRE BY JOHN Mitchell.


LECTURE BY JOHN Mitchell.
The announcement that John Mitchell would deliver a
lecture on the Emperor Napoleon at Cooper Institute,
last evening drew together large number OF the
lecturers friends and admirers The appearance of Mr..
Mitchell upon the platform a signal for round OF
enthusiastic applause and cheersthe cheering, ac
companed by the waving of hats and handkerchiefs,
continuing for several MINUTES As soon as quiet was
restored Mr. Mitchell went forward to the desk and de-
liyered his lecture, in substance as follows:
He said he had undertaken to speak tonight some
thing about the remarkable poentate perhaps
in the world At the time he did pretend TO
possess any exclusive of information He felt it
hardly necessary either TO deny of those QuixOc
and foolish enterprises which the English newspapers had
been good enough to attribute to him, Mr.. NJ mem-
Der OF Parliament had lately charged him with having
what he called some hidden designs in lately going to
France Certainly his designs, whatever they might
have been, hidden from Mr. Spooner. Applause
So much by way OF preface. As TO the Emperor Louis
Napoleon, he felt that it was an important subject on
which to commence. The Duke of Wellington was
no conjuror or witch He was a plain, straight
forward veteran. lie did not pretend to read
very deeply into human character, and knew
nothing about the oracles of the stars. And
vet the moment he heard the Of the last great
oluton in Paris he proclaimed Bouaparte
coming back The thought struck him like roundshOt
Instnctiyey that old warrior knew that that revolution
must end with BOuaparte and he also thought what
mission France would raise up for another Bonapare
|
triumph Of all Europe the French Emperor had
been a miraculous piece of lUck-a piece OF luck not
likely TO again in ten thousand years And So too
/ the Old Army Officers, old Engineers old Admrals had
declared that nothing could resist French army landing
| in England aud marching to London. Applause. But
the stock holders and stock dealers essayed aay the
alarm for alarms did pay in their business Even in
the midst OF peace when the countries in close
alliance we had heard those solemn warnings prepare
| for French invasion. Thus it will be seen that the
/ French Emperor regarded not only having to
aveuge his Unces blood, but being the predestined
conquerer of England aud being precOmmissioned TO
oyerurn her social and political systems. Mr. Co5den
that great hsh-pnes Of drygoods, (appause imagined
that he had read the riddle Of the SphynG and plucked
out the heart Of its mystery lie believed he had dis
covered the KEY to Louis NapoeOu's thoughts, and
thought that in the progress that had been made by the
human species since the Ii Empire the honor aud
dignity and glory Of nation had length been revealed
TO mankind and that consisted in the universal diffusion
OF British manufactured articles and more especially OF
calico from Manchester applause. Now il had been
served TO that geateman to convert the French En-
peror to the theory of the Manchester school, which
a great fear Of arms. Although he was undeniably
great on all questions regarding the matters of supply
! and demand, and impreguabe buttons, yet he Mr..
NJ denied that he intimate with all the great qucs-
tons which concerned the interest OF the people, the
government of nations and the conduct OF Kings. Never
theleSs he was always ready to give deliberate Opin-
| ion upon any subject aud upon all occasions. Once,
|
London in favor Of the Hungarian cause that the Russian
Gar dare not lend aid bis Austrian brother who was
then So civ pressed because he the Car had means
aud could be crushed out by the mOneyeuders Of Lom
bard and Threadneede streets who against him. dark
masses OF Russian troops were pouring through the
Carnahians and within fortnight poor Hungary was
crushed. Mr.. Golden thought to teach the French En-
| peror 50 he went over il said TO Paris, with
thirteen tons ofluggage consisting of Sheffield cutlery,
Manchester cotton not forgetting buttons and hooks and
/ III. raIf fl,.v .l.l..
tai and skill of England to furnish those articles to suit
the times The Emperor took the tempting textures Of
/ Mr. CObden held them up 70 the light, and looked
/ through them. We might imagine that he held Mr..
Golden up ihe gLt and looked through him but no.
he listened br. DObden OpT and aentivCly, and al
ter three or four days Mr.. Golden returned his
home satisfied that he had lett the Emperor wiser and
a better man. Applause. Most assuredly the present
Emperor OF the French had no desire TO DO any evil 10
the people Of Eugand-mOst assuredy he had no desire
| to quarrel with them. lie wished unque>tionably,
that the intercourse between the two nations
/ should be peaceful and profitable to them bO,h.
| In short be meant to do 10y the English people as
the FIRST Napoleon meant 70 do. He meant 10 90 by
them better than their masters and owners did And
vet the Welingions and Burgoynes not altogether
/ in the wrong Doubtless Napoleon on the throne of
France did bode IN the present arstocracy aud
l of England. Applause. To reconcile the two theo-
ries which both partly right it necessary TO
look a little the man. Louis Napoleon. 1t has been
q
be contended the contrary, that great and
spcuOus figure had been more clear and Ineligible
TO his contemporaries than the present Emperor OF the
French In order to understand him however, il was
necessary to look little Of the later history Of Il
first great Napoleon. The Emperor Napoeon-tbe third
| of that name-believed that he bora to carry
out into action aud bear out into it, full development
the great idea OF another manthat is of the first Ma
poeon; and the ideas of the Hrst Napoleon revealed
not only in his actions but especially his writ
in II I,t 4 81
policy of the present Emperor it necessary TO study
the projects Of the 6rsi Emperor his uncle His first
idea was that France had right to be the most magn-
cent the most prosperous and the most benefcent
ton 10 the world next that the creates; obstacle to that
! WIS the OGgarchica power OF England England had,
doubtless for hundred years had the upper hand, both
on land aud Wherever the French had extended and
deyeoped their power in either wav they had been surely
met by English fleets at sea, by English subsidized
mics on land The French aristocacy fell in the first
ouon but the English arsocracy enabled to save
the popular uprising of by that great credit system which
was indeed her salvation while lasted but prove
her perdon when tiel The principles Of the revolution
we're contained in the Code-NapoeOn, and embodied in
every statute document and law made under it, and carry
ing with the sanction Of Napoleon by the grace OF God
and the isH Of the people, Emperor Of the French =
Applause In those few words lay the whole meaning
OF the French revolution and OF all the wars that have
taken place in Europe ever since Aud those principles
overtbrowihg the OF the teuda arstOcracy we're
the urincipcs which England had invariably oppo.ed
ENGLAND and France would soon be at war cheers l.
toh of them felt It. Cries of Good and renewed
cheering Yet assuredly neither England nor the En-
peror wanted war. Tue pretended panic in England
about French invasion meant to provoke an anti
Galican spirit If war should come, it would in
the davs Of the First NapoeOn England would decaret
Eogard could suffer France V obtain the Suprema
90 bv land and sea- But few days before the first Empe
ror died he dictated TO the Count MOnhoon these words
"v son will come again. after certain civil disorders -;
there but one party be feared, that of the Duke OF
Orleans which has been terminating for long time -
Well that party had failed in the person of Louis Phil
lime aud if Napoleon dill not in the person OF his
son vet Louis NapoleOn-more than his sOnhad arri'
ed Mr. Mitchell proceeded argue that the gospel Of
tionay in Europe exclusively French and Napoeonis
| tic He praised Louis Napoleon for his wisdom aud
moderation and showed how England, which by the
treaty of Vienna had undertaken to recOgnnze sOve
reign as legitimate who belonged to the family OF Bona
pare had been Inundated by the recent demonstration
| at CherbOurg The three leading statesmen by whom
that treaty was framed-Castlereagh, Mctternich and
Taevrand-he characterized the three great cOnspra-
tors against the liberties OF mankind. Napoleons idea,
he said was simply the great idea of national life, ma
tional growth and independence. He Mr. Mitchell had
scarcely mentioned Ireland The that il had
scarcely appeared in the National Councils of France,
of Europe Ireland did not, at this day. count as much
as it dill when the dying Napoleon expressed his regret
that he had not Invaded it, and melted its people to
volt Applause. Matters we're different now. The
peasantrv were now as true ever-that to say,
thev hated the British Empire With passionate hatred
as ever cheers but they had hardly tongue-they
Id 1.vn.t .t.