A toast was then proposed: 

“Turkey:  Her noble hospitality extended to a fallen patriot, even at the risk of war, proves her to be worthy of the respect and friendship of liberal nations.”

Kossuth replied as follows:—­

Sir, I feel very thankful for having the opportunity to express in this place my everlasting gratitude to the Sultan of Turkey and to his noble people.  I am not a man to flatter any one.  Before God, nations, and principles I bow—­before none else.  But I bow with warm and proud gratitude, before the memory of the generous conduct I met in Turkey.  And I entreat your kind permission to state some facts, which perhaps may contribute something to a better knowledge of that country, because I am confident that, when it is once better known, more attention will be bestowed on its future.

Firstly, as to myself.  When I was in that country, and Russia and Austria, in the full pride of their victory, were imposing their will upon the Sultan, and claiming the surrender of me and my associates, it is true that a grand divan was held at Constantinople, and not very favourable opinions were pronounced by a certain party opposed to the existing government in Turkey, whereby the Sublime Porte itself was led to believe that there was no help for us poor exiles, but to abandon our faith and become Mohammedans, in order that Turkey might be able to protect us.  I thereupon made a declaration, which I believe I was bound in honesty to make.  But I owe it to the honour of the Sultan to say openly, that even before I had declared that I would rather die than accept this condition—­before that declaration was conveyed to Constantinople, and before any one there could have got knowledge that I had appealed to the public opinion of England in relation thereto—­before all this was known at Constantinople, when the decision of that great divan was announced to the Sultan to be unfavourable to the exiles, he out of the generosity of his own heart, without knowing what we were willing to accept or not to accept, declared:  “They are upon the soil; they have trusted to my honour, to my justice—­to my religion—­and they shall not be deceived.  Rather will I accept war than deliver them up.”  That is entirely his merit.  But notwithstanding these high obligations which I feel towards Turkey, I never will try to engage public sympathy and attention towards a country—­towards a power—­upon the basis of one fact.  But there are many considerations in reference to Turkey which merit the full attention of the United States of America.