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Chapter XIX _Speech at Manchester_



A few days after my arrival at Manchester, in November, 1847,

the Manchester Athenaeum gave its annual Banquet in the Free-Trade

Hall. With other guests, I was invited to be present, and to address

the company. In looking over recently a newspaper-report of my

remarks, I incline to reprint it, as fitly expressing the feeling

with which I entered England, and which agrees well enough with the

more deliberate results of better acquaintance recorded in the

foregoing pages. Sir Archibald Alison, the historian, presided, and

opened the meeting with a speech. He was followed by Mr. Cobden,

Lord Brackley, and others, among whom was Mr. Cruikshank, one of the

contributors to "Punch." Mr. Dickens's letter of apology for his

absence was read. Mr. Jerrold, who had been announced, did not

appear. On being introduced to the meeting I said, --



Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: It is pleasant to me to meet this

great and brilliant company, and doubly pleasant to see the faces of

so many distinguished persons on this platform. But I have known all

these persons already. When I was at home, they were as near to me

as they are to you. The arguments of the League and its leader are

known to all the friends of free trade. The gayeties and genius, the

political, the social, the parietal wit of "Punch" go duly every

fortnight to every boy and girl in Boston and New York. Sir, when I

came to sea, I found the "History of Europe" (* 1) on the ship's

cabin table, the property of the captain;--a sort of programme or

play-bill to tell the seafaring New Englander what he shall find on

his landing here. And as for Dombey, sir, there is no land where

paper exists to print on, where it is not found; no man who can read,

that does not read it, and, if he cannot, he finds some charitable

pair of eyes that can, and hears it.



(* 1) By Sir A. Alison.



But these things are not for me to say; these compliments,

though true, would better come from one who felt and understood these

merits more. I am not here to exchange civilities with you, but

rather to speak of that which I am sure interests these gentlemen

more than their own praises; of that which is good in holidays and

working-days, the same in one century and in another century. That

which lures a solitary American in the woods with the wish to see

England, is the moral peculiarity of the Saxon race, -- its

commanding sense of right and wrong, -- the love and devotion to

that, -- this is the imperial trait, which arms them with the sceptre

of the globe. It is this which lies at the foundation of that

aristocratic character, which certainly wanders into strange

vagaries, so that its origin is often lost sight of, but which, if it

should lose this, would find itself paralyzed; and in trade, and i
I see her in her old

age, not decrepit, but young, and still daring to believe in her

power of endurance and expansion. Seeing this, I say, All hail!

mother of nations, mother of heroes, with strength still equal to the

time; still wise to entertain and swift to execute the policy which

the mind and heart of mankind requires in the present hour, and thus

only hospitable to the foreigner, and truly a home to the thoughtful

and generous who are born in the soil. So be it! so let it be! If

it be not so, if the courage of England goes with the chances of a

commercial crisis, I will go back to the capes of Massachusetts, and

my own Indian stream, and say to my countrymen, the old race are all

gone, and the elasticity and hope of mankind must henceforth remain

on the Alleghany ranges, or nowhere.

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