I saw the other day in the streets a large body of Europeans of various nations, marching along with a red flag.  In Paris, or Rome, or Vienna, such a procession would have been impossible, or if it could have got into the streets, it would have been assailed by the soldiery, and its members either shot down or flung into prison.  Yet in New York they went peacefully on their way, made their demonstration in all freedom, and no trouble or harm came of it.  Very many of those men were political exiles.  And why?  Not because they were bad men, for here in New York nothing could be more quiet and appropriate than their behaviour.  But they prove, that from whatever country there are political exiles, there the institutions are bad.  I know we are in the habit of hearing about Red Republicans and Socialists as men who are dangerous on account of their opinions, and who have deserved to be banished from France, from Germany, from Italy.  I will not now say anything about those opinions, but this I do say, that a country where all opinions and every opinion cannot be held and freely discussed, has a bad system of government and bad institutions.  It is not the men nor their opinions that stand condemned, but the government and institutions.  Therefore it is that we must sympathize with such exiles, without regard to their opinions, and pray earnestly and labour earnestly for the elevation of all countries to freedom.

* * * * *

IX.—­ON MILITARY INSTITUTIONS.

[Speech to the New York Militia, December 16th.]

The First Division, consisting of four brigades, was presented to Kossuth in the Castle Garden.  Major-General Sandford then proceeded to address Kossuth as follows:—­

Governor Kossuth:—­It is with no ordinary feeling of gratification that I have this opportunity of addressing you, in the name and on behalf of the citizen soldiers of the city of New York.  With an unbounded admiration of your devotion to the great cause of constitutional liberty, and of that indomitable firmness with which you have persevered under all circumstances in sustaining it, they were most happy to testify, upon your arrival in our city, their sense of your services in that cause which they are organized to sustain, and now they are again assembled to greet you with a heart-felt welcome, and to listen to the voice of one whom they have learned to respect, to love, and to venerate.  The body of men now presented to you, about five thousand in number, represents the First Division of New York State Militia.  The division enrols about fifty thousand men in this city and upon Staten Island, and the law of our State only imposes upon the general body the duty of appearing armed and equipped once in each year, at an annual parade appointed for that purpose.  But out of this large number the law provides for the organization of those who are willing and desirous to acquire that degree of military science, to fit them, upon any sudden