New-York daily tribune., 1861-09-08
AMERICAN AFFAIRS IN SHEFFIELD.

AMERICAN AFFAIRS IN SHEFFIELD.
SPEECHES BY MEssRs. ROEBUCK AND HADFIELD.
On the 2ls ult the Sheffield Corporation dined to-
gether and among the speakers was Mr. Roebuek,
who in the eourte Of hia speech, said;
Having thus travelled over Europe, allow me for
few moments TO cross the Atlantic and TO ask what
shall be the conduct Of Englshmen with regard 10 'at
important contest now going on ON the other fide.
must own that my anticirgtons and my wnrmest
wishes have been miserably disappointed. l beiyed
in the great men-the Washingons, the JeieTsons, the
MndisOns of the old time Of the Republic. thought
that there was about TO he shown 10 mankind new
era in the government Of men; that people instructed
well 10 do in this world-men OF mark, men OF
thoSxht-would have governed themselves az men
oueif to do. cay sgain have been mseIaeiy dls-
aFpuinted. II you say TO an American, :" We ooncede
TO you every virtue under heaven. We will be-
lieye you TO be the greatest people on the earth;
but still it ,eems to me that yon don't speak
it through your nose ll-aushierl {" Fire and
fnry (" will be the answer. Sir" will be
said with mighty indignation, al return you the Inn
putaton that we shuttle in our speech. All uhat you
have said of good Of the community will be forgotten,
because you said also that they snuiled Laughter.
That believe unfortunately 70 be the true statement
of the present case. The unspeakable audatSy, the
daring assumption, the oveIbearing Insolence Of the
American PEOPLE, has withdrawn from than the com
muuy Of sympathy on the part OF the people OF In
gland. Looking at the great contest now going for
ward is there man in this country that does not in
lis heart desire that the slaye might be free Hear,
hearl We all wish H.. That is with the North. Our
commercial interests with the South But still,
tha, Notwithstanding great has been our wish to be
entirely free Of all mpus,on, that We have held our
selves aloo and in the most thoroughgoing md CON-
plee neutrality we have acted upon this oecasion.
What hes been the consequence We have been
visited with abuse such 80 was never besped
upon @ nation before; and we have borne II
Nc gentlemen do bear the abuse-of black
\ qnin Ia IlauQhtRrl.
borne il with q magnanimity and carelessness thai
chow our superiority. We have but one courst
to pursue-thorough and complete neutrality both to-
ward the North and the South. Our hearts and our
sympathies / know it, are with the slave. We SYM
psabze with his misorunes. Our foreiathers did the
mischief. We acknowledge it; but 20 far as we arc
eonosned, we have done all we can 70 undo that mis-
chief Hear, hear Ny honorable friend says Hear,
hear" in q significant manner. Does he mean that
England is answerable for that evl-the present En-
glandi MOI Our forefatbers, acknowledge i, IN
conjunction with the Americans oil that day, did the
mischef but all that We have done since, our moral
influence money, our power has bean used to ame
liorate the condition Of the slsve. We have paid
twenty millions to release the slaves in the West In
dies that were under our dominion; have cent out
ships we have employed various means that have been
counterscted, 10 prevent the slave-trade. We have
done all that nation could do, since We have seen
our error 70 alleviate the msfortunes Of the slave;
and Il nv honorable friend knew as much as l know
Of the feeling Of the American people, be would
know that in the North, at this time, where they
talk Of abolition the slaves condition is more mser.
able than it is In the South; Hear, near. l re-
admitted as member Of the bar one Of our black fe-
low.subjects; and recollect the feeling that was
caused thereby among American people They were
houided black man = they said; l sat at the
Lord Mayors table with an American lady, to whom
spoke OF the fact, and abe told me Of tls as good
story. She said will tell you what occurred tue
other day In Paris. black man was seated opposite
to me, and an American friend wac seated near. ,
sold lo vi il
reply was " No." "Mr. So-and.so," said the French.
man. "What do you think of himi Why" said
the American, Z" in our country guess be would be
reckoned worth about thousand dolars. Laughter.
And that was all she said sort Of illustration Of
her feelings concerning black man. Now let the
American people know that we have no sympathy
with that sort of thing. We hail human being, be
he black, brown, or iairi whether be comes IRON
Chimborazo or from Massachusetts, where there are
no slaves, although there are black men, We gay that
the moment q slave TO England he is free man
that he has all the rights that appertain TO free
man, and cannot be trodden down. or shot, or beaten
by any one else. Cheers.l Let the American, bear
in mind that as far ss we can we shall maintain
perfectly complets neutrality. fear that have de-
iained you too long; but wanted an opportunity to
give this explanation, because II makes clear TO yon
why at the present moment, being at peace with all
the world, we have a war expenditure. After thus
travelling over the globe, return 70 my native conn
try and when look upon her say to myself " Here
is specimen Of what may be expected from the good
mixed Constitution power Of the people so complete,
that the Minister in his chair and the Monarch on her
throne, both look down upon il; they pay ii every at
teption; and the enlightened feelings Of the people OF
England enable them TO govern themselves. When
thus look back to my country, the words Of an
impassioned poet, who upon different OCCASION but
very much in the same train of ideas, said
my heSrt. untrsyesd, Gill returns to thee"
lCheers say to her that she is light and an ex-
annie 10 the nations of the EARTH L say, too that We
here who arc around this board represent the feelings
OF the people Of England. Great they are-glorous
they are-iree they arei aud they govern themselves.
Loud cbeers
Mr.. Hadfeld in the cOurse Of his speech made the
following Jemarks
Unhappily, the commercial horizon 10 at present
overloaded. The people of Lancashire are in great
anxiety as TO the welfare OF the aborng population Of
that great county. America has, indeed, aignalized
beJsell in very yesaiar pRDIeT. We cay NOT that il