ll'he meeting, celled by Sir William Molesworth, to declare the

senti- ments of the Leeds constituency on the subjeet of peace or war, was held on Saturday. ‘‘'lien it was first anntmuctel in the town that a l'eitee-demonstration was to be made, the project seemed to be cordially supported by the Whig-Liberal party. 'Dear le.credited organ, the

Leeds Merruell, 'toiled the proposition, ill it passage Which we quoted on the 24th October, and which a more recent turn of affairs makes it worth while to repeat— it iv meeeast , lieu, tee great toots reilieeettl by stir gastvrti peaee ill Europe Riot security 7t5aill,t aggraiillesement, would be saentivell by

a war w ith hattee. 11...,11., it is that we thitilt the polite or Eoglatol would

ito ivill to tollireNs their 1■41,1711111.•111 iii fa■trill. ui ponco. The present Hutment seems such puittitt nniiiinn. Neither teralt.,., nor um taken ans melt that in...win:alit!, commits them lit War Ultil each other. The French Chambers have not yet assembled. The lint note of the French Prime Minister is pacific. The Adlits have conquered the coast of Syria, but they have done nothing towards driving the Egyptians out of the interior; nor du we see that they nre likely to effect that obiect, without a step that would insure a eeneral war, namely, the march of a Ifitssian army. Are net affairs iu tied positiou whenan, by French meehttion bet, een me Allies and Mehemet Ali, a safe line a freotier ju Syria might be agree.d to The Allies have exhibited their strength, but they 11;IVO also semi that it is uot equal, without protracted and dangerously-extended uperetieas, to the full accomplishmeut uf their end. It would smelt; be no dishonour to England and the Allies to express again to France their wish for it picnic arrangement. If our Government i not wining to take such a step, the expression or public ,piniou might make it willing. There is no party in the couutry who do not feel that it weuhl be an unspeakable disgrace and calamity, nay, an itiranloits crone, it Europe should go to war about ' this or that line or deanarcat1on Ill Syria.' Vet that disgrace and ealantity are hanging over us: the natiuus may be drawa Its pride aud 'martin° nit o the cetn• mission of that crime. Our opinion is, that the boron I ga it t 'h w °Uhl do itself ii at

credit, anti would render a. service to mankind, by declaring to the Queen and her Ministers its abhorrence of war, its souse of the tannin elite Of a war with our nearest neighbour and our coadjutor in the cause of liberty :tail civilization concerning a hue of froetier iu Syria, end its desire to cultivate fiicielly relations with a power whose commerce is already so important to us, and is likely to becetne still more extensive and mutually advantageous; and by entreating her Ma.,esty's Govermuent so to act as to preserve to the ministry the inestimable blessings of peace. This is no party ques- tion, but one on which till sincere lovers of their euantry. all friends of peaee, and especially all Christians. may cordially dune. • Blessed me the peace-makers! Since this passage was written, however, a change has come over the Whig-Liberals : for some reason or other, it seems to have been sup- posed that to declare for peace was to declare against Ministers ; and the Leeds coterie of "Reform Bill Reformers" appear to have been struck with the fear, that a decided expression of opinion in favour of peace might help to "let in the Tories." They did their best, therefore, to stifle the meeting. They availed themselves of the local excitement just then occasioned by the Town-Cottncil elections ; the importance of municipal institutions was never before so apparellt to them; and at twelve o'clock on Saturday, the very hour when Sir William Molesworth had summoned his constituents to discuss the European question, the "Liberal" members of the Town-Council were summoned to discuss the far more "important business" of deciding who should be the Mayor for the ensuing year.

Their prospects of success in damping were seconded by the had weather which had prevailed for several days : it not only proiniset1 to deter numbers front the meeting, but by thinning the streets oil the previous days, neutralized the placards calling a meeting of hie con- stituents its his own name, which Sir William Molesworth had ordered to be posted throughout the town. In spite of all these drawbacks, however, the feeling of the town was not to be suppressed. The weather luckily cleared up as the hour fixed for. the meeting tee preached ; and by the time business had fairly commenced, the number who assembled in the Cloth-Hall Yard amounted to thousands: the San of Loudon, whose report is the one principally followed in this abridgment, agrees with the Leeds 'limes in estimating the number at seven to eight thousand : the Leeds Mercury, without specifying any number, describes the assemblage as " a very large meeting of the Inhabitants of Leeds." Nor did the showers, which fell pretty briskly at intervals, at all lessen the aggregate number throughout the proceed- ings. The " important business" in the Town-Council did not keep away all the members even of that body, for a Town-Couneillor pre- sided at the meeting; and a few of the 'Whiggish Liberals were observed hanging about the Cloth-llell Yard.

Sir William Molesworth began his address by requesting hie hearers to discard party-feeling- " I wish to speak to you, not as a politician; not as belonging to any parti- cular sect or party ; not as a Rulical, which you know inc to 1)2; not, I say, as being a Radical, 'Whig, or Tory, but as an Englislenan, and mure than an Englishman, it citizen of civilized Europe I implore you to listen to me with similar feelings; to cast aside all passion and prejudice, and as men of common sense and plain understandings, to reflect on the present critical state of our foreign relations."

• The danger which threatened the country was no less than an Eu- ropean war-

" The mere thought of such an event tills my mind with horror, when 1 re- flect on the massacre of thousands of my fellow-beings—the destruction of trade and industrv—the vast expenditure of tressure—the increas.2,1 burden of taxation—the migniented misery of the working-chu.ses—the vilo feeling; of national antipathy—the stop to all improvement which must ensue front steel a war. You will readily acknowledge, that, when a great and civilizetl nation like this is about to einhark in at contest which threatens to convulse the whole of European society, it ought to be able to :tsien some good amt valid reason for so doing. It ought to have some great and noble object in view, of winch history may approve, and which may mend ample compensation for the evil incurred. It ought to show, that not only t he interests of its own people, but those of the human race, are clearly concerned ; anti that it only tinsheat Its the sword ill ti ii sacred cause of justice and truth, and w heti no it her alterna- tive eau be adopted."

But for what was the country now dragged into the danger of war

I put the question to everyman in this great meeting—e hat are we eoing to at about Ilalf a year age, such an ex cut would have lieen consi I rcd impossible. What mighty and sudden chases then has taken place in Ii I' Let any one answer Me iv tutu cam Nut oue allen thousand, I believe, can give me an answer, or lets a conception of what aro the grounds of dispute. I it El state them to you aa as I eau, lit at eoan try, distant some three sand lodes linut this, inhabited by a half-civilized people. strangers to us a lauguage, race, and relL;ioe —and more than that. for centuries the fierc, st ?Rennes of uttr race and religion—with whom we have comparatively but li:t intercourse and trade—in that country a rebellion hie taken place. The leader of the rebellion, a rout of superior energy and understanding. and at tached European rivilizai ion, lots wrested front his sovereign certain provinces. so doing, he does tot wrong to us ; he injures none o: 1 our fellow-citizens : I' dOe: nOt dillii11611 our battle; on tlte contrary, he has the stronzest cultivate our friendship, to cherish our conint.erce, and to licthll it

ottr connru-

mentions with India. Why then slmuld we Mkt fct 11111. hint 1- NV ity lie mast tee •.• part against hint 'Those who would justify.S11111 ::11 IL I I I I.., t., 1: , 15 ill eni act III this contest between the Sul; 11,c l'•••,:•,1 ea. I• :Russia shotthl interfere, and seize Condantimple ; :not that; e . - • • . atoitil lie an EtIrapean at tu a sat , E ugland has formed tut alliance with hlt,:sia 3110.

Itt order it is s 1 „aaa al,. to

Object of that allianee is to tletermine tvlattt portion of the Ottoman empire "L.' a "; Unwire •••t••

shall belong to the Sul tau, and what portant to the Pashe of lee pt. Thus, in

fact, Ivo his assumed the sovereignty of that en:vire, said the ufght of manag- l'• ,•1,: ■.v:. of ing its internal affairs. .1a most monstrous aseimptiete a most tinneeesetry us este at it in the • ca: meddling with tnatters that do nut concerti us. (L on./ cheers.) flute we not intr..- c‘itenditure, ' enough to do at home without involving ourselves in the broils of other people I to itt Omelet. us. l•,,t u . r. ri,. 1,, -tail 11 (Continued ekters.) Are our tinanees in so flourishing a e littion—are oour oinking-04.96es so happy and so contented—are our agricultural populatitnt so

highly educated—are our laws so excellent and so well administered—are trade, and commerce, and maeufartures in so prosperoas at state—in short, have we attained that point of linen:passable excelleuee 1,011: physical and moral, that we have really nothing to do at home, and in order to a%oid idleness, must undertake the government of the Ottoman empire, sulidat• its reiels, and define . its boundaries?" k('heers continua!)

But France claimed an equal right with ourselves to determine the boundaries of the Ottoman empire—an equal right to interfere in con- cerns which are not her own—an equal right to be as absurd as our- selves. We could not deny that right : reason could not decide be- tween the two, because both were equally irrational. The consequence was, that we were on the brink of a war with Fleece. The only pretext that had ever been assigned to justify our imerterence in the affairs of' Turkey was, lest Russia should iuterfere alone. Assuming, however, that the possession of Constantinople by Russia would be as great a calamity as some persons supposed,—that the vast extent of its territories, with its wild hordes, differing in languaee, racy, and religion, were to be a source of strength instead ot weakness ; that, despising every law of human interest, Russia should prohibit our commerce, and exclude us from the ports of' the Black Sea ; and that having, by such strange means, acquired wealth and prosperity, it sletel•I seriously com-

mence the conquest of civilized Europe—gram:se and many other propositions eiptallys absurd, had the wisest been taken to defeat the views of Russia ?

On the contrary, is not our pulley the absurdest 11.m- human ingenuity

could have imagined ? we have furined an alliance w whose inter- ests are hostile to our own. We have lost the alliance et Fraece. the only

European Power who has an interest equally st ri: : 1 ,sire equally urgent with ourselves to prevent the occupation of C,thstai: •ide by Russia.

Who does not perceive that every wound indicted en ;.• „:•,, , ' Eugland, or on Englund by France, must be a suurce uf secret %a;ttition to

the Northern barbarian, an obstacle removed from 1,1, 1,et:, I ,: :t:Lnlinople!

As the fox in the Ctlile, when the lions had disa' : •.-ized the rev for which thee had been Contending, so 1111-.1, ::.,n the fox, ...Nes are Ob, in order liate conse- : :.Aagent satire

urges us on to mutual destruction, in the a.. ,•

t:shatosted, she muy ce.rry off the prey we w.

meet:Alec }idly It is said that ive interfere . to avert the retuote of a European Li ,,r. .• (menet: of Mar uc; has at I.ur,tpcan war. tun ile-re : on nwadling &plummy than this: •'

I he policy dictated both 1,y co:lesion seese at. 1 seethe: was, for Eughtml to :abstain from interfering in the ittleiss tea' i,a!ions, and

to insist that a similar policy be' athleted le tee (seer powers of Europe. A natioe might be a laid iielee of its ee i %tea ests. but it must be a far tt i

eceer suege of thus • ietersees time ..es: • •:':•.s nstion could

be; and at all eveuts ceuld not ue coerce: . .... el.:igntened condition. 11, best lir:let:ell precept for • a: for in- dividuals, was, " in unto yort

" Now, I ask vou. how woul vu like 11.thsi er l'...••- ..r Austria, to interfere in our internal atialf7s, sad by a coli.:1-,ss is,- :,-,semided • a ; in Isondon to deei,,le oa our domestic CO:t1:01:5:— a: Or institrwe, on the pica that it is t.mssilt!,i that tee 1,, • 1, en-

dangered tr• the eismemberment if tile lit it t .

dOW11 0.12::i1111:11 tilt! :111.1;.•al: ill IT.- , a • r) , It' once the right of interfering in t;2 • admitted, there is no th,• ,a, e: 1,- •-e no do- mestic qmstioli eieh neeet hue 1: fearful COI:=l ,,tich ,triakinff,

that no niontenzar■ ol' expedh.a. y s.: e,,.. •..t it tor an

instant, or tt.., I., Viol...L. el evert,- natont in Ile.. muleagclacid ef its I,. ... , .

. Even ten-11)01%0:y ,-v non-interference uid ■ boundaries and subol....:ina-.• t.7 hate no periatinent of the erniAre then1.3en.v.rs, 7 :11,2 wouLl arise again. eels inn:rise:et-es. et •

ei tele of .ieg the i:e could people

in other word7t, we in,let a.,

tit:: Ottoman empire. ene el. ever. lee • • or so foolish :ts otteeen. Nor. iet it b, ._.

yott to niales sese :tttelese : if s-OU ei.P.:11,e1 y0.1 I •

tirit 1Cy. di: SALUV Prineipik' • and wee its: tlic ii:eler great powVIS

ag.tin liz,,rs to view tint!

broadest I entrse y,•ii •in mit to c totaling to : liter

III t:repo: ram: tIlt 1. at a,0:11 .• ■ *:011 .57 M. T!.'

0*. I ,

,.■

LINT i■-•, :1

:

1,t. \,:■- I I

S11', , SI

her ft. s p

. .. e they ISsiiest ; or. sreleuty of as.: :red to do, we t..ertuit France were to France, ii :

in the es a. siuels l• ,a . of , , oseht .,•• 1.:11 • -•,•.1 V tour

praetieal untlerstandisie .ssing by the i 0.1 St , o.,1 . I dot.: to our commerce and manufactures. 1 ask you to reineinher what was the cost of the last European war! (Loud cries of " Hear, hear !") It frequently ex- ceeded forty millions a year. Now calculate, I beseech you, the great and excellent objects which might be obtained for such a sum of money. (Cheers, and a person excl(zimed, " The Government might build &utiles with it.") I have no wish, my friends, to build besides; ("Hear, hear .'") but for less than forty millions we might have the best system of national education in the world—a school in every village—a schoolmaster permanently endowed—every child in the country taught to read and write, and carefully instructed in les moral and religious dunes. Consider what an extraordinary and beneficent change this would make in our social and political state. How much better, Low much happier we should be, if', instead of throwing away forty. millions on swords, soldiers, guns, gunpowder, and the other instruments of war, we were to put a schoolmaster in every hamlet, and a schoolbook in the bands of every child. Again, for the same sum applied to the material improvement of the country, what magnificent and useful buildings might we not erect ? what noble docks what excellent harbours! what extensive lines of railroads, connecting together the remotest portions of our kingdom, everywhere spreading commerce and industry, and augmenting wealth and happinese! Or, suppose that the cost of a single year's war were directed to the relief of the surplus population— to the diminution of competition in tide densely-peopled country—were applied, for instrince, to emigration—to the sending out of a pertion of our euffering po- pulation to the colonies of the Southern Seas? With the sum I have men- tioned, two millions of our fellow-subjects might he conveyed to Australia. In a few years a mighty empire Nvould spring up, inhabited by a proeperous and industrious people,. from whom we might derive hy commerce an incalculehle tribute of tvealth, tar greater than we ever have received from the East or West

Each and every one of these great objects, and ionumerable others of equal importutice, might be accomplished with the expenditure of a single year's ; and all of them together for the cost of a war of a few years' duration." (Cheers.)

'Were so much wealth collected in a heap and burned in the flme of the nations, it would be better than to devote it to war. Once let a -war, commenced without reason, be in full career, and there would be no reason found for its termination : the national jealousies and passions would again be let loose ; Englishmen evould again lee swearing that one Briton could beat three Frenchmen, and France agaiu be counting the injuries she bad received, front Crecy and Poictiers to Waterloo. France and England, who united stand at the head of civilization, would be straining their energies in mutual destruction. This was not the war in which they should be engaged- " One of ourgreat st Ilesniru has foretold that at no remote period a war must arrive in Europe, which would be a war of opinion, in which liberty would have to contend against tyranny, and free institntions ioust enter the field of battle segainst de:pa/ism. No.e, if Filch a Ftrurle were to take place, an Whirl, side, I ask yon, ought England to be fretful ? With Russia and the despotic Powers of Europc—with the Tartar, the Hun, and the barbarian ; or Nvith France, free- dom, and civilization ? ( 'Vehement cheering.) if nut the question to you, and await your answer. ( Imnd and gnneral cries of With France, with France !") You reply, with France. This I expected. of you. Then is not every Huy that we do to France, or that France does to us, a gain to the cause of the despot—a source of rejoiciog and exultation to him and his minions ? Let England alai !Ounce tidok well on this, and forgive one another if in aught they have mutually offended. We are but men, and so are they, subject to all the WeaktletSeS and infirmities of human nature ; liable to be led away by passion and prejudice, and in a moment of anger and excitement to say awl do many things of which cool reflection would repent. Let there be no false pride between us to keep us apart. Nations unlike individuals, may make proffers of friendship without any suspicion of meanness. The noblest and wisest is the one who tubes the first step in the ',lath of conciliation—the wor- thiest of the name of a great and civilized people,"

And so Sir William concluded with asking his hearers to express their aversion or agreement to a war with France. The applause which followed, and lasted fir some minutes, showed how heartily the meeting went along with the speaker. • We have given so much space to the principal address of the eley, that we have room left only for one eetract front the speeches which followed. Dr. Smilee, tillurling to the excuse of those who bad opposed the meetiug—t hat it would embarrass the 31inistry—observed, that

the queetion in not so much the interests of the Ministry as the interests of the People ; and it became them to speak out, and claim a union with the People of France, in order to furtherpeace' commerce, and civilization. And its to the warning that they would " let in the 'Tories " whet were they doing mien ?— " What tire we now doing, Ina actually letting in the Torks? Have we not returned to the policy of 17ii2—to the old Holy Alliance policy of the de.pots of Europe, they armed theim,:lves to erudi the ri,ing.lids rtie,; of the peopld? Have we not gee bark at lea,t to the point from which ire Si ten year; a:4“, whwo, ommimous a movement, we drove the ;rtInt power, and carried Lite Ii4trto Idihl (Lor,,,e,,,cring.) We are letting iii t Tories, because we are p.:r.iiitting our Ministers to get us into a war ot which the Tories are certain ere long to assume the manag.nnent. it is only by tinn unscrupulous policy of the Tories, and their Stilwittat tactics in guiding thu reins ef a phyocal face I ;overietient, that any .1.:nvopcan war can he c.trried on. The Fahey now udapted by Ministers is most calculated to the Tories ilito power."

Tito futlowiii resolutlons Were ptsScd nnartinums,,y- " That this ii.leerite, iii lv ond cordially sympathize; with Sir William Molest.. 01:11 in tritlet,t,ion a scar, and ino,t earnestly decireR to ft,:t*Terate With him in tiny nuosro nr the iiiaiutCiui,uicu ii a 1;roi and honour d& " 'That it is the (located opinion (WOO; meetine, that the peoph,iii l.:1.rml aught to he ini.re chia.hy ;illicit with the ride iii Ii tile than ‘vitli any other Ear,p-an iittuu.iu ; that till.; mteth,g wouhl deeply de/Ore nil con-

demn rii. rtttirp• is tli.ty witic■I in any way would tend to sow iliventtion he-

tween Jr ii niH 1::n..:!,;n1, miii would beheld a war between the two nal Ivirror, mis hi t.g one ui the greatest eidamities ivhiihi coult hefil Eurnpe. That an humble niv itre,tented to her Majesty, deploring the rout, t in 'thick hr Maj•o:,"54 Imo.; ate ent,tged On the toast of Syria, awl Iii ,,Thing her alejeOV Iii 0 tr,:■• it ii of all louourahle means to bring that unhappy quarrel tutu treedy orut hut, "That it evil' Si' William Molesworth's efforts upon this question io t eee: -.dam or hie Cr,i,k1.•ticy in principle, do beret.), otter him their Se rnic,s a t:e ir rcpre,anhitive."

An addrios of Femme, (embody ing the sentiments ex- hort you to use every means in your power to prevent war; because I feel eon-. vinced that once engaged in war, there will be is stop to all internal improve- ment—that there will be no hope for augmented popular institutions for many and many a long year—that we shall be thrown back at least half a century by an European war. Gentlemen, it was with these convictions that I called you together ' • and I ion glad to find u that you approve of my conduct. Much has been said to dissuade me from addressing you on this occasion : but I was firm to my purpose, and determined on my course of conduct. (Loud cheers.) I was resolved to know the opinions of my constituents, and ready and willing, if I found that they did not coincide with those opinions I have expressed,- to come thrward smut resign my scat. (Loud and repeated cheering.) You are satisfied?"

The meeting answered by shouting "We are, we are

[The Leeds Mercury seems to be conscious that some apology is due from its party for not supporting Sir William Molesworth ; of whose conduct on the occasion it speaks in the following terms- " The were able speech addressed by Sir William Molesworth to a public meeting in 'Leeds on Saturday last will he read with interest. It contain); many exceedingly momentous truths—truths which we should wish to see far more deeply impressed on the minds of our own countryinen, of the French, and of all governments and nations. Sir Willium unfolded in a striking manner the matchless absurdity sod the dreadful consequences ofa war hetween England and France on the subject of Syria. Ile showed the false position in which England would he placed by hostility with Prance and alliance with Russia. Ile illustrated the enormous evils, political, social, and moral, of war; and justly declaved that war between such nations as the English and French would be wicked and insane. Sir William Molesworth's speech contained no attack upon Ministers, and not the slightest evidence of any party object. It was manifestly dictated by a sincere abhorrence of war,. and an earnest deeire to cultivate the love of peace in our own population and among the French."

The Leeds .3lercury finds only one important exception to be taken to Sir William's argument ; and that serves the purpose of the desired ex- cuse for the Whig party- " There is only one point of any importance in which we do not agree with Sir William. We elated three weeks since, in commenting on his letter, that we could not go his length of denouncing all interference 1mm the affairs of Syria,. It appears to us that the conduct of Mehemet All went to sever the Ottomao empire into two parts, making himself virtually.the independent sovereign of- Egypt, Syria, Arabia, mid Candle; placing him in such a position as continn- shy to Milian the whole of Asia Minor, and even Constantinople itself; and thus reducing Turkey within very narrow limits, impairing its strength, filling it with alarm and disuoion, anti taking away almost its entire navy. Now this seems to us to be a fatal infringement of the principle which Sir William Molesworth ldinself would uphold, of the integrity of the Turkish. empire. Sir William says pluOily that he would go to war to prevent Russia &mit marching on Constautinople. It is because Mehemet All has been paving the way for that march that we think he ought to be pushed back. If Mehemet All is to be allowe:1 to hold the passes of the Taurus, why may not Nicholas seize the passes of the Balkan ? It is true, Mehemet All is no

the vassal of Turkey but lie acts like an independent prince, and even like an enemy. His acts weaken Turkey as much as those of a foreign. conqueror."

One trivial exception is to be taken in the whole wide circle of an argument whose general force and utility are fully admitted ; and there- Arc the " Liberals" of Leeds were exonerated front declaring their concurrence in truths which they pronounce to be of the most urgent and momentous nature l]