The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-16 00:00:00

FEDERAL AGENTS IN IRELAND,

Mr. Sergeant Howley, in opening the quarter sessional
for Cashel recently, said—" I deeply regret to learn that%
throughout the country, and even in the neighbourhood of'
the present place, attempts have been made, and to a certain
extent successfully, to entrap the young, the impulsive, anti
the unwary, and to involve them in the meshes of illegal
associations. The origin of these associations is folly, or,
worse, it has been imported from a country which at this
moment presents the most lamentable instances of OA
horrors ever attendant on civil war. Devastation, blood"
shed, and massacre are its concomitant characteristics•
In the American strife we have held up to us a picture of
its sad and awful results, and it should be a warning to the
people against rushing upon a similar misfortune. Thera
are people abroad who are engaged in a dministering un
awful oaths to the people, and the project that they c,ota
template is the severance of this empire. No amalgamar.
tion of this kind can succeed, there is too much loyalty int
the land to permit of it or to warrant the prevalence of
fear that any dangerous consequences should result from
it. There are too many allied to property and a lover of
order to think that a reckless band of conspirators co=
destroy with impunity the lives of men or the security
of property. I am glad to say that the Roman Catholici
clergy are alive to the danger that is abroad and have
raised their voices against those evil associations?!
The remarks of Sergeant Howley are re-echoed ha 4
Clonmel paper. Agents are at work throughout the couYety'
of Tipperary, it declares, swearing in and enrolling men as;
members of a secret society, which it designates as am.
"American born" organisation. " Not many weeks ago,'
continues this journal, " a delegate from the parent associa-,
tion arrived in Clonmel from the States ; but through the,
activity of those in authority, and the refusal of several ins
habitants of the town whom he solicited to join the Feniansf
to have anything to do with him or his designs, he had for
depart for more congenial quarters." Several Catholic;
journals, evidently placing reliance in the common rumout
that Federal agents are enticing the peasantry away, are be"
ginning to write strongly on the subject. The Or k Examiner"
is one of these---" The Northern Irishman, the Irish-bors.
American," it observes, "does a lawful and legitimate as well
as a natural act in enlisting in the Northern army ; but the
Irishman who quits Ireland for the purpose of enlisting in the
same ranks plays the part of a mercenary, who hires himsel
at so many dollars to kill and destroy so many innocent and
unoffending people, or to conquer, subjugate, and devas-
tate a country whose citizens are fighting for their indepen-.
deuce, and defending their homes and altars. Put this
proposition in any light we may, what we state is the fact,
and many will call the act of the Irishman who volunteers
in such a cause by a harsher and a juster term than we
have any desire to employ. But there is a reason for this
s3mpathy—this unnatural sympathy—this discreditable
♦olunteering—as well as this desire to identify Ireland with
the Northern States. The Northern States having destroyed.
liberty in the South, are to give freedom to Ireland I For
the sake of restoring national independence to Ireland,
Federal America, which has been wasting its blood and
treasure in striving to crush those who are battling for their
independence, is to declare war against England I 'Was
there ever such a wanton and wilful delusion? How any
man with brains in his head could hit upon such an idea—
or could seriously entertain—we cannot imagine."

Course of the Exchange—Yesterday.

A.msterdam
Ditto
Rotterdam —
Antwerp —
Brussels —

11 15j
11 19
11 19
25 621
25 62i

11 161
it 191
11 19/
25 671
25 67±
13 71
25 30
25 75
25 77±
1191
12 45
12 45
33a

Hamburgh — 13 7
Paris
Ditto
Marseilles
Frankfort on Maine -- 119
Vienna
Trieste
Petersburgh
Berlin
Madrid * • • •
Cadiz
Leghorn
Milan
Genoa
Naples
Palermo ..
Messina

471
471
25 821
25 82i
25 S2i
25 821
25 821
25 821
521
52±

4Sf
:25 871
25 871
25 871
25 871
25 874
25 871
52a
521

Lisbon
Oporto...-

WHY THE EMPRESS ASSURED HER
It is quite true, as of late stated in the newspapers,
that her Imperial Majesty has recently assured her life in
five English offices for £BO,OOO, involving an annual charge
in premiums of about £'2,500; but the meritorious purpose
of the act has yet to be stated, It is well known that the
Empress was the foundress, and is, at this hour, the
sole supporter of the following noble charitable insti-
tutions :—" Maison Eugenie Napoleon," " Prets de l'En.
fence an Travail," (better known as " La Societe du Prino
Imperial,") and the " Caisse de Socours pour l'Armee de
Terre et do Mer." The Empress is very naturally appre-
hensive that these good works may materially suffer when-
ever death—that black camel, as the Arabs finely put it,
which kneels at every man's gate—may call her hence,p
and, therefore, she has thus sought, through the in-
strumentality of life assurance, to permanently endow
them. The Empress has named the Prince Imperial
as her almoner, and at her demise it would become
his sacred duty to administer the large fund thus created,
and to take these merciful bodies under his fostering care.
It it is said that the Empress has also effected assurances
for the same good end with several Belgian and German
offices. On account of the greater risk to which the life
of
the Empress is reckoned to be exposed as compared with
with ordinary mortals—witness, for instance, the late
horrible plot to assassinate the Emperor—increased rates of
premium have been charged by the contracting office !
The London Mirror.

THE LAKE OF THEASYMENE, on the border of
which Hannibal gained one of his greatest victories, is about
to be dried up by a company, who purpose to utilise the
land.

THE MEMBERS FOR MARYLEBONE.--LOrd Fermoy
and Mr. Harvey Lewis, the members for the.borough of
Marylebone, will address their constituents on the evenings
of Monday, the 25th inst., at St. Pancras Vestry-hall, and
Wednesday, 27th, at the Marylebone Literary Institute
Edward-street, Portman-square.—Marylebone Mercury.
THE PAMPERO.—The case of the Pampero, the
vessel recently seized in the Clyde by Government, on the
suspicion that she was intended for the service of the Con-
federate States, has new come into the Court of Session as
an Exchequer cause, and will shortly be debated before Lord
0 rmidale.—Scotsman.
THE ROYAL PREROGATIVE OF MERCY.—Lord
Henry Lennox has sent the following notice for in-
sertion in the votes of the House of Commons :—" Lord
Henry Lennox, on an early day after the meeting of Par-
liament, will call the attention of the house to the presen
mode of administering the laws which affect capital punish-
ment, and to the circumstances under which the Crown
has on various occasions been advised to exercise the Royal
prerogative of mercy.' _

ADDRESS FROM THE MANAGER OF A DUBLIN
THEATRE :—" Ladies and gentlemen, as there is no nobody
here, I will dismiss you all ; the performances of this night
will not be performed, but the performances of this night
will be repeated to-morrow evening,"
MR BRIGHT, M.P.—A sadden attack of illness
will prevent Mr. Bright from making a speech at Birming-
ham on Wednesday evening next. Arrangements had been
made for the holding of a great public meeting in the
Town-hall, at which both the members for Birmingham
should be present ; and also for a soiree on the Thursday,
to be held at the Royal Hotel, which both Mr. S3holefield
and Mr. Bright had promised to attend. Besides this,
there were some personal matters on which Mr. Bright was
expected to have something to say which would be listened
to with no small curiosity. Much disappointment was
therefore felt when it became known yesterday afternoon
that a telegram had been received "by the committee ap-
pointed to make the arrangements for the meeting, stating
that, in eonsequnnce of a sudden and: very severe bronchial
hattitmaenk,exlltlrw.
eßekri.ghitlweoumideentiontgbsehaabvlee
breoeneoimne
consequence
postponed, but it is proposed, should Mr. Bright have re-
covered sufficiently to attend, to hold them in the course of
the week after next.