THE FENIAN REBELLION.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 199, 23 April 1867, Page 3

THE FENIAN REBELLION.

(From the correspondent of tho Argus.) Scarcely had the Canadians had time to read Lord Carnarvon's despatch, commuting the sentenco of the marauders convicted on their territory, when wo were presented on this side of the Atlantic with proofs of the still mischievous power of tho Fenian conspmicy. In America, since tho elections, when the Fenian vote was worth buying, it had subsided into comparative quietude ; the total failure of its boasted expeditions, dissensions among its leaders, and the growing suspicion that they had planned only a gigantic swindle, had combined to alienate . many who were warm in their hostility against this country. Head - Centre Stephens had been deposed ; and the languishing organisation seemed near to death, when by a new movement it lias ! shown life enough to attract general at- ! tention. In London itself there has been i a small stir ; we have seen ministers summoned suddenly from the House in the midst of important debates ; and in the dead of night the Guards hurried off to meet emergencies. The story has a spice of comedy in it, but has too serious a side in the possibilities it suggests to excite our merriment. The scene opens in the quaint old cathedral city of Chester. Early on Monday, the 11th of February, a number of young, men, apparently of the operative class, made their appearance in its streets to the surprise of its in- | habitants. As the day wore on their ! numbers greatly increased, and each successive train brought more— many from Liverpool, some from Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, and other Yorkshire towns, till b}' nightfall it was estimated that 1500 strangers had assembled there. "What could be the object of this extraordinary gathering ? The greatest consternation prevailed ; shops were closed ; the magisteites met ; special constables were sworn ; the police were armed ; the volunteers were called out ; and troops were summoned from Manchester. Happily there was somn clue to the mystery. Information from Liverpool revealed the plot : — These men were Fenians acting by concert , and their object — so an oHiccr in the Fenian service deposed to the police — was to- seize Chester Castle, which contained more than 9000 stand of arms, and 900,000 rounds of ammunition, and was nearly unprotected. The authorities, j thus instructed, made their depositions with all possible alerity. The yeomanry rode into town at night ; and on the following morning coniidence was fully restored, when 500 of the Scots Fusiliers arrived by rail. The Fenians were betrayed, they had lost their chance ; and although some few arrests were made, the great booty slunk away more secretly than they had come. Under cover of darkness • they made their way into the country, and the next day large parties were met walking towards Birkenhead by road. Some cartridges were afterwards found in the streets, and other ammunition in the river. There can scarcely be a doubt that the object of this raid was to seize the arms in the castle, and make towards Holyhead, in the hope of getting across to Ireland, before pursuit was possible. Yet, whether by Fenian complicity or in sheer ignorance, a report was industricmsly spread that the whole movement was nothing more than a single hoax, intonded to attract attention from a prize fight. A more unreasonable tale could scarcely have been invented ; but certain newspapers, in tho hope of casting ridicule on the Government, gave most unworthy credence to it, and when new facts made the case still clearer, ignored them in a manner that, for the honor of the English press, it is to be hoped will not be often imitated. A f ew days showed that in all probability this Chester raid was only part of a more general plot. THE FENIANS IN NEAV YORK. It is stated that the Fenians have recently • organised in New York — in the hope, we may conclude, of reviving the smouldering faith of their dupes— a band of fifty, whose special mission it has been to proceed to England and Ireland and endeavor to resuscitate the brotherhood. Fifteen of these men are stationed in London, and here formed a directory. To prevent any such landing of American agents, vessels of war have therefore been commissioned to cruise in the western coast, and the communications with Holyhead are also watched. Lord Strathnaira, more widely known as Sir Hugh Rose, than whom no man knows better how to stamp out rebellion, has promptly betaken himself to his duties as commander-in-chief ; and it is evident that a revolt, however snilfully planned, would be suppressed with ease. THE GOVERNMENT WELL INFORMED. That the Irish Government is well-in-formed; was shown on the day following the attempt qii Ches^j. When the steamers fromyLjxe/ N?|«ind Holyhead arrived, they force of police waiting <Jfc^L =|ji|jfo em > 0-ncl

amongst tlieiv passengers some seventy were arrested as Fenians. These men were of the same laboring class ; and have, after wholesome detention, for the most part bern sent back to England, on giving a promi. c never to meddle with Feniaiiism again. THE RIOTS IS" TIIE WEST. Before the week was out a louder cry of alarm was raised in the ■west, in the district of Killarney, so . famed for its bea 1 ' """jlakes. On Tues day afternoon an,. Jymous letter was b. -ought by a littlt rl to the agent of Lord Castlorosse, '"Wi/ich she said had been given her by an old man whom she did not know. This letter gave warniug that at night a stranger, whose appearance it described, would come by the mail car to Killarney, from Cahirciveen, for the purpose of heading an insurrection of Fenians in the town. The magistrates, thus forearmed, despatched a party of constabulary to meet the car, and amongst the passengers the man indicated was identified without difficulty. He was arrested, and proved to be a " Captain" Moriarty, an Irish- American, well known to be connected with the Fenian conspiracy ; and in his possession were found documents further revealing his intention. Bjr this arrest the threatened movement in Killarney was frustrated. But meanwhile a party of Fenians were advancing from Cahirciveen, which lies upon the coast towards Killorglin, with the design of joining Moriarty, and after the capture of Killarney, marching on to Cork. These wore first met by a mounted orderly of the constabulary force, who had been sent with a message of warning to the police station at Cahirciveen, the telegraphic wires between that village and Killarney having bdfen severed. He was summoned to surrender, but, drawing his sword, dashed gallantly on and cut his way through. Shots were fired after him, and he was brought to the ground, and his horse and arms taken from him. The next exploit of the victorious party was to attack a small coastguard station which lay upon their route. A solitary coastguardsman was keeping watch, and of him they demanded that lie should surrender "to the Irish Republic." As he turned to seek refuge they fired on him, but he seems ultimately to have escaped unhurt. At length nearing the town of Killarney, these insurgents discovered that the town was protected from attack ; none of their brethren came out to meet them ; and, baffled of their prey, they crept away to the mountains. The rumor of an " Insurrection in Kerry" spread general alarm. The great hotel in Killarney was soon turned into a barrack, and strengthened for defence ; the gentry of the neighborhood and their families flocked to it for security; the bank deposited its money there, and the wealthier inhabitants their valuables. To Tralee and Cork and Dublin tlic intelligence was speedily flashed ; tne troops were speedily on the spot. From the Curragh Sir Alfred Horsford started at eight o'clock in the evening, and by eight o'clock the next morning he was 110 miles off, with an efficient body of 1000 men ready to march on any point. At first the number of insurgents was repoi*ted to be about 1500; quickly, as the facts were ascertained, it melted- down, till now we knew that there never wero more than 100 or 150 men. The whole history reads like a martial Version of the "mountain and the mouse ;" but, taken in conjunction with the proceedings at Chester and elsewhere, it would seem that an extensive movement was contemplated, which, but ! for timely frustration, although not within tie shadow of a chance of success, might nave caused some bloodshed and much irreparable mischief. The troops have well scoured the countiy, trampling patiently through the thick mountain heather for many a mile, but have met with no enemy. A few arrests have been made ; but the Fenian host has slunk ingloriously away. They must have had rather a hard time of it in making their escape, for the peasantry have shown no open sympathy, and do not appear to have offered them either shelter or food. That they have sympathisers, we know, for when the Roman Catholic Bishop of the district warmly denounced the plot, many of his hearers got up and went out of the church. THE HABEAS CORPUS ACT SUSPENSION" STILL EUFOKCED. .As a consequence of this movement, the Government has found it necessary to depart from the intention avowed in the Queen's Speech, and to propose to continue awhile longer the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act in Ireland. Lord Naas informs us that the total number of persons arrested up to the end of last November was 752, and that of these there were only 35 farmers and 30 farmers' sons, whilst the remainder, almost all, belonged to* the class of artizans, small tradesmen, and American adventurers. The middle and upper classes, both Protestant and Catholic, are hostile to Fenianism ; but it throws out its roots amongst the ignorant peasantry, avlio have, been too long familiar with secret societies, and produces- a sense of insecurity which paralyses trade and makes prosperity impossible. The mischief of this last escapade is that it will give a semblance of reality to the movement in the eyes of continental nations ; and when embellished with exaggerations, tend to revive the agitation in America, and bring more funds into the hands of its greedy leaders.