The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-01-04 00:00:00

FENIANISM IN ENGLAND.

Lord St. Leonards has sent a letter for publication,
which he ommences by desiring to call the attention
lif all Fenims in England to the consideration of how
far their actions conduce to the accomplishment of the
objects they have in view. His lordship thus pro-
ceeds :

There are hundreds of thousands of Irishmen in Encland,
and their children horn here rank as English. Sonic HOW
Irishmen • year emigrate to England, and thus the number
is kept up. They mostly resort to the large towns, where
great numbers are employed in the various manufactories
ant public building.: their well-doings depends upon their
submission to the equal laws which protect them in common
with their fellow subjects, and wet the confidence which
their employers can repose in them. Among these multi-
tudes 1111 l the Fenians in England, are scattered. The ob-
ject of the associatt in in which yin belong I assume ti he to
separate Ireland from England and to establish a Republic
in Ireland. • With this view they seek through-you to obtain
recruits from the body of your countrymen, and, as far as
may be, from }..nglislimen who hang loosely on society. They
are aware that seeress conld only be obtained by insurrec-
tion and sitc,e4lll air in Ireland. let them consider the
great power of this country to which they are opposed, and
the great holly of thidr countrymen in Ireland who would
take up arms against them.
Ind I desire you to consider your past ',lions here, and
how far they are likely to further the views of your asso-
ciation. You ate traitors and enemies to the land which-re-
ceives Toll; you are compelled by n regard for your safety
to assume other names, to live in obscure llama ; in short-,
U conspirators, to work in the dark, SA when you walk
abroad to wear a mask. You entrap the unwary, yam per-
Sill it the ignorant, some few to lie false to the oaths they
have taken to their Soviri-ign. many more to be untrne to
the confidence repo.-zed in them by their employers, or to add
Fenianistu to their other pursuits. This shoold not be the
conduct of men who skeet to assist in dissevering a great
empire, and to make their association the rulers eta large
and all-innw•rtant nortior. of it.
. , .

--fel us now coins der the other means whili you employ In
your enterprise. You desire to spread alarm through the
realm, and to scoring lish this object you spare not life
women, or children, teen In your own condition of life are
ruthlessly sacrificed to enable you to withdraw from the
regular tribunals of this free eiutitry men who have com-
mitted treason in support of your cause. Look, if you can,
calmly at your aetions--the munler of that brave and true
man Brett; the attack with arms on unarmed men bent only
utmo doing their dirty ; this required no courage, for, of
course. the slayers did not stay to fit ht, Let every Fenian In
England look at the scene of destruction In elerkenwell.
Two loindre I homes and buildings In nuns, overthrown,
dismantled, chattered; anti who were the occupiers?
The sons of labour, with their wives and children, some 600
families eith no longer a home or means of subsistence;
their t iota and working materials and little stook is trade
dedroyel. For the °copiers at the time of the outrage,
go to the graves of those tor whose deriths von eat he
responsible too Power a hich governs us all. For many of
the survivors, go to the hor.pita's : there porn will find
forty patients mrtinreil and disfigured, some of them for life,
and many of them wholly incapable, if life Is spared,
to maintain themselves. Ask youreelves what must
be the effect of cult fearful and dastardly proceedings. I
will pent out to you what the effect has really bean—l need
hardly may, utter abhorrent* of the crime. It boars heavily
upon pour fellow-countromen here, whom, of course, you
desire to conciliate. Thousands of Ingot men may, un-
happily, be looked upon with suspicion lu their various
occupations, and many of them may be thrown out of em-
ployment and have cause to deplore 3-our criminal act. The
effect upon Em.lislinien cannot be lost upon you. All Eng-
land is roused by this outrave Its sympathy is directed to
renew.. as furs, 'nay he, those who. still living, are suffering
front your cruel misdeeds. Every list of donations for their
relief is at once • declaration by all claws against you and

-

yoor leaders as a body, and an effectual step to soften the
sufferings and relieve to some extent the distress of those I
WI:: have have escaped with their lives. By this not you
have marked yourselves as a desperwe class of men whose
presence in this country can no longer he endured. You
may, perhaps, rejoices the alarm which 3ou have created;
but trust me that you have little exude for exultation. Eng.
land, *rotund, has risen as one men you. Self-defence
rinds po to show yourselves in the walks of other melt:
you must conceal yourselves among your own class, but
Soil cannot long remain concealed. True to each
other you Lever have been and never will be. Every
eye will be directed to detect yin; every I.lginghouse-
lkeeper will . watch your movements all desire to
eutrender you to the justice which awaits yin. The
Government has been stimulated to action by the voice of
the country in every portion of England all classes eagerly
come forward to act as special constables. Already upwarda
of 30,000 have been sworn in. Guards are placed around all
public buildings Soldiers are snt to every point which
seems to require more defence. Fancy not that England is
In • pestle—that would ill describe the proud patriotic feel-
lug of every man who loves his country, and Ireland as part
of it. " England expects every wan to do his duty," and
all are prepared to do it. Turn where you may, danger is
on your path. You have by your last blow endanger.' the
weltare of your fellow-countrymen, and made England rise
in its strength against you, and those whom yes serve.
Take the advice of a man who has hug shown his warm le-
-1 Mud for Ireland, quit England as quickly as you sail. I
wish I could with any hope implore you, nor putr own sakes,
to withdraw your hopeless and criminal enterprise but I
I must confine any self to the object with which I have
written—to show to you how inqmssible it was that your
sellenie could be assisted by your operations in this count, y,
and that whatever chance you had of doing mischief here
has been destroyed by your total explosion at ClerkenwelL

An intimation having reached the police authorities In
London thut certain persons at,,, are regarded as Fenian
sympathisers and as professional agitators intended to
hold a meeting on Clerkenwell.grecn last Sunday, orders
were given that such an assemblage should not be allowed,
and the police were on the spot in good force under Mr.
Superintendent Gernon and Inspector Bryant. A great
number of people from time to time gathered about the
"Green," nosily of the respectable working claim, mid,
judging from their expressions, there is no doubt that had
the projectors of the meeting appeared they would have nict
with a very different reception from the one they desired.
Up to dusk the projectors of the meeting had not appeared
but there was a “demonstration" of a very peculiar and
order-loving character, caused by wane 200 young men sworn
in as special constables marching. in military formation
through the Green. showing that they were ready to act in
support of Ire civil authority. By the manner in which the
young men marched it was apparent that they had so
Volunteers acomired the training of soldiers, and would
have been of great service, from their knowledge of military
discipline and unity of action, in quelling any disturbance
of the public peace.

It was rumoured in the district that Messrs. etibitt, the
large em tilos ers at labour as benders, had received threaten-
ing letters stating that their place wall he bond. On bait.
day there wean novel asaeinblage of special constables at
the back of Mears. Cubitt's premises, in order, for one
thing, to test the alacrity of the specials in answering the
calls which might he made, and the police having given
a few hours' notice to about 500 to assemble at three o'clock
at the place ltasted, at that hour there were fully 000 specials
present, and the number rapidly increased, thehour and the
rendezvous being communicated by those who had received
the sti 11111 l 018 to those who hail not. Another purpose of
the assemblage was to be ready to act in support of the
police force if the meeting Oh Clerkenwell-green had taken
place. Mr. Salter made a short address to those present,
thaliking them for their trout attendance en so chart a
notice, and assuring theta, that there was no need for
their services on Clerkenwell green, as the agitators who
proposed to assemble there had not put in an appearance.
Mr. W. lord also addressed the gathering, saying that this
was a movement of every class of loyal citizens desirous of
that, however different might be their cresids, there was lint
one feeling among all chimes in regard to the traitorous and
detestable mimes of the Pentane. The sentiments were re-
ceived with cheers, and cheers for the Queen brought the
proceedings to a clone.

On Sunday night an attempt was made to set fire to the
content. of the receiving-boa td the Eastern Distiict Post.
office, in the Commercial-road List, London. A woman
coining to post a letter found two men pouring a solution of
nitric acid into the but through a funnel. She at once
gave the alarm, awl on the his being searched, many
unignited limiters were found in It Though several of the
letters were saturated with the solution, none were per-
manently Injured.

At Bow-street police-court, in London, on Monday, the
five prisoners charged with wilful murder and as regards
two of them, also charged with treason-felony, in coopinction
with two others, Ilulaney 811.115 Keefe`, were again placed at
the liar before Sir Thom. Henry. They answered to their
names as follows :—WILLIAM DEsMONI, TIMOTHY DERMoND,
JEREMIAH ALLEN, NICH“LAS KNGLISH, and ANNE JUSTICE.—
The evidence was pretty nitwit the satne as that siren at the
inquest anti the previous examinations, and the case was
again adjourned.

Two prlsoners James Co,nerty and Gladwin Mehan
charged with icing concerned in a Fenian conspiracy at
Wolverton, were brought up at Aylesbury on Saturday for
further examination The evidence against them being in-
sufficient to Justify their further detention, they were dis-
charged.
On Saturday evening there was an alarm raised at Wey-
.uth of all attack on the. convict prison at Portland. An

trio gun way tired from the raison, awl a messenger came
in hit haat° to Weymouth for the ntilitau, who were in-
stantly sent oft It turned out that the alarm was a false
one. Various suspicious ctrcunr.tanwa have occurred in
connection with the prison lately, and a particular watch
was kept over it. On Saturday the preoners were marched
front their WOlk to their cells earlier than usual. A little
later the authorities of the prison heard [lrina at sea, and
as they had 'teen warned of the poipinility of an attack from
the sea, they took the precauth ins above mentioned.

Her Majesty has taken a step which will tend greatly to
calm public apprehension. It has been stated that extra
guards have been put by sea awl on land over Osborne, the
Queen's residence in the Isle of Wight Recently the inhabi-
tants of Cowes forwarded an address to her Majesty
expressing their regret that these precautions should he
necessary, all offering to do what they cull, either as
special constables or in any other way, to assure her
Majesty's safety. Colonel Grey has replied In a letter In
which, in the Queen's name, he tells the people of Cowes that
her Majesty des not feel, and has not felt, any alarm for
her own safety, hut she has allowed the extra guards to he
placed over Osborne at the request of her tiovernnient. To
the Government therefore she refers the offer of C-wes,
thanking the people for it very heat tily. That her Majesty
has no apprehensions whatever is sufficiently shown by the
manner in which she walks and drives about the island
without any guard.

n We may at once meet any alarm which the last new re-
ports of Fenian menaces or attacks might naturally excite,
by the explicit and unqualified statement, that they can
credo no surprise, and will Ibid the (meriinielit and the
local authorities prepared at every point throughout the
Uuted Kingdom. Whether at Woolwicl or at Queenstown
—whether anions the warden of Portland Prison or the
custodians of the powder mazaslne at. Plumstead—whether
in the shape of unknown lmats on the Thames or suspected
cruisers I.ff the coast of Cork, the danger has been antici-
pated, the responsible oili,ers are forewarned and on the
watch. Toe sole resource of the traitors ties In their secresy,
coupled with the e.unitlecs reports which are net afloat, by
fraud or fear, to d fleet attention at the first M.llllolli of as-
sault ; but the means to check any sort of inroad, in any
qnsirter. whether on the coast or in the interior, are ample:*
—.Deity Telegraph.