The Express.
London, England, 1868-01-20 00:00:00

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.

(THIS DAY.)

TER YENTAS ARRESTS.

If the charges against the man Lennon are
capable of proof, the Fenian movement, the Daily News
observes, has not yet produced a more dangerous man, and
his apprehension is matter for sincere congratulation.
The arrest of the mountebank George Francis Train, who
arrived from America by the Queenstown steamer on Fri-
day, has been made, we presume, by way of precaution.
The man, whether on this or that aide of the Atlantic, is •
charlatan, a mere talking " Manhattan." To be arrested by
the British government as a person too dangerous to be
allowed to land, will probably serve his purpose with the
ignorant Irish who fitly compose his audience when at
home. Having noticed the arrest of Barrett, the Daily
News proceeds to remark that the exceptional impunity
which the authors of Fenian outrages have hitherto en-
joyed has been a minor cause of crime, and the police
could render no service so useful as that of breaking
down this confidence of the Fenian' in their comparative
safety.
The T, legraph says if Dr. Waters is indeed the editor of
the Irish nto it, be should have been arrested many weeks
ago ; he has had much longer rope given him than Lord
Clarendon gave to Mr. John Mitchel. What is to be
done with Mr. Train the Telegraph confesses itself unable
to see. The man is a grotesque, a droll, • Speech:percher,
• zany, with a spice of humour, and a larger spice of mis-
chief ; but we cannot admit him as a conspirator. If the
Lord Lieutenant possess the power, the beat thing he can
do is to send George Francis back to hie friends at home,
before the man gets himself or any of his Irish American
friends into further mischief.
The view of the Standard is that the arrest of Mr.
Train is only a measure of common prudence. Vain,
impudent, crack-brine I zany as the man is, he fairly re-
presents all the danger which is in Feni•oism.
One thing is certain, according to the Star, if any
man living would love to make • "question" and a
"complication," and an international difficulty and general
nuisance out of a policeman's mistake, Mr. Train is that
individuaL He must be quite delighted, positively cock-
urboop over his arrest Somebody has made a fool of him-
self in this business. Perhaps it may prove to be Mr.
Train; but that certainly is not the present impression of
the Star.

LAST-ENT DIsTRERS.

The Times praises the use which the Poor-law Board has
just made of an important provision of Mr. Hardy'a act of
last session. By that act the board are empowered to
nominate a certain number of guardians in addition to
those who are elected by the ratepayers. Accordingly the
board has just nominated as guardians of the Poplar union
five of the moat influential gentlemen in the district. One
of them is Mr. Green, the well-known shipbuilder,
who, if we mistake not, is also chairman of the
East-End Central Relief Committee. Now, if these
gentlemen would at the same time accept the responsi-
bility of the relief funds, they might furnish the means
of complete union between the two bodies to which they
would then belong. Each body might, at least, have •
complete knowledge of what is done by the other. By
this step the Poor-law Board have afforded the greatest
and most timely assistance towards sock • system as we
are recommending. The circular breed by the board the
other day was equally well conceived ; and, except In ex-
erting their authority to require • due discharge of their
duty from the guardians, we scarcely see what more they
can do. It remains that the responsible inhabitants or

BIM 31.
.1P67.

ratepayers of these districts should combine to support tie
board and the guardians, and to take the administration
of relief into their own hands Against the premed CO..
fusion of jadiecliarisate charity, our oostompeoury settee a
decided protest.