The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-06-19 00:00:00

THE DORSET COUNTY EXPRESS

American colonies. If they mean war upon
Great Britain in that quarter because it is the only
one where they csa resell her, they attempt a
mighty enterprise with very little means.
Arohimecles is amerted to have said that he could
move the world if he could find a fulcrum out-
side of it upon which to rest his lever; but
Fenianisce is attempting as near an approach to
such an achievement as we can easily conceive,
with absolutely no point d'appui for a lever
ridiculously inadequate for the proposed work.
With the Government of the United States de-
termined to prevent its territory from becoming
the basis of operations against a friendly nigh-
hour, with the people of Canada resolute upon
1 maintaining the independence of their Soil, and
with the whole military toorter a Great Britain
ready to be alerted in favour of the colony if
necessary, the Felliaoll imagine that they are
making war—that they are engaging in hostilities
which may have some practical result—by
smuggling a few hundred armed men a-zoss the
Niagara, and occupying defencelees Canadian
villages. Was ever such a mad enterprise con-
ceived I Garibaldi's intended march upon Rome,
which ended in the disaster of Asprecoonte, was
sound common sense by the aide of this "in-
vasion of Canada." If the Italian Government
had connived at Garibaldi's etpedition, as pro-
bably he thought they Might do, he would have
led against the French in Rome an army more
humored' than their own, and would have had
the support of a people who would have received
him with open arms. Moreover, his task would
have been comparatively simple, consisting merely
in the capture of one city from a lees numerous
force. Yet Europe wondered at the infatuation
which led the great volunteer general to attempt
such an undertaking. Look at the different and far
less favourable condition of the Fenians. They
have their own Government to obstruct their '
action as the Italian Volunteers had, and, in-
stead of a single friendly city to capture, they
assail a territory containing many thoulands of
square miles, and peopled by men who have
shown themselves intensely hostile to Fenian
schemes. But mad at may be the incursion into
Canada with a ridiculously inadequate force, and
no basis of operations behind, the wickedness of
the enterprise exceeds its matinees. The Fenian
leaders declare. forsooth, that they are not
making war upon the Canadians—that they wish
, merely to gain military occupation of Canada in
, order to make it their basis of operations in a ,
struggle against Great Britain for the independ-
ence of Ireland. They hope thus to acquire a
belligerent standing among the nations, and to
make their preparations for the " liberation " of
Ireland more complete. Putting aside the huge
impossibility of, say, a few thousand ill-provided
fillibusters obtaining military possession of a
country containing the hardiest and most inde-
pendent races in the world, backed up as they ,
are by an army of British regular troops at least
as large as the invaders could ever hope to
form—putting this aside, we would ask, how
the Fontana, even in possession of Canada, could
hope to make it an instrument for attacking
Ireland I While the British navy rules the Asa,
what force could ever be smuggled across the
Atlantic sufficient to cope with the garrison of
Ireland! As if the professed ultimate object of
the Fenian brotherhood were not difficult
enough, they must needs complicate it 41th
another equally impracticable enterprise. But
even if their intentions were as easy as they are
impossible of fulfilment, what right have the
Fenian, to make use of Canada as their point
d'appui against Great Britain I Do they think
their pretended rights of nationality will obtain
respect by their assailing the rights of other
people I The Canadians cannot appreciate the
preposterous request that they should lend their
territory to armed bands for such a purpose,
and they are determined to oppose all intrusion
within their borderr. But it is useless to argue
upon I question like this; and, recognising the
utter folly as well as the wickedness of the last
phase of Fenianism, we can only believe that Its
leaders are making pirates and murderers of
some hundreds of their deluded followers, merely
to excite such temporary enthusiasm in the rest
I at may lead to the replenishment of a bankrupt
treasury, and the pecuniary benefit of designing
siouudrels.