The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-15 00:00:00

FEDERAL AGE NTS IN IRELAND,

Mr. Sergeant Howley, in opening the quarter sessions
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, and
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 the
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. There
are people abroad who are engaged in administering un-
lawful oaths to the people, and the project that they con-
template is the severance of this empire. No amalgama-
tion of this kind can succeed, there is too much loyalty in
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 love of
order to think that a reckless band of conspirators can
destroy with impunity the lives of men or the security
of property. I am glad to say that the Roman Catholic
clergy are alive to the danger that is abroad and have
raised their voices against those evil associations."
The remarks of Sergeant Rowley are re-echoed in a
Clonmel paper. Agents are at work throughout the county
of Tipperary, it declares, swearing in and enrolling men as
members of a secret society, which it designates as an
"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 in-
habitants of the town whom he solicited to join the Fenians,
to have anything to do with him or his designs, he had to
depart for more congenial quarters." Several Catholic
journals, evidently placing reliance in the common rumour
that Federal agents are enticing the peasantry away, are be-
ginning to write strongly on the subject. The Carp Examiner
is cne of these--" The Northern Irishman, the Irish-born
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 himself
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-
dence, 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
sympathy—this unnatural sympathy—this discreditable
volunteering—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 ,vith brains in his head could hit upon such an idea—.
or could seriously entertain—we cannot imagine."

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE

RACING FIXTL
FEN:

rREs FOIL 1864.
[WARY.

Birmingham
Harrow
Chelmsford l7

Lincoln Spring ........
II un,gerford , ......

Nottingham Spring .... 1
Derby Spring
Liverpool
Shrewsbury
Doncaster Spring

Warwick .. 1G
Durham
Northampton 29
Catterick 3O

Groston- park
EcOnburgh Spring 2
Abeigavenny
Thirsi

Epsom Spring
Newmarket Craven
Newmarket First Spring 25

Cheater
York Spring
Salisbury..
Bath

Manchester
Harpenden
Epsom 2l

Ascot .. 7
Hampton l5
Newton
Odiham
Bibury
Stockbridge

Chelmsford 2B
New Forest Hunt 2B
Ne wcastle-on-Tyne 28
Worcest‘r (Summer)
Ipswich

Newmarket July
Carlisle .. 5
Abingdon
Liverpool July
Stamford l4
Pontefract

Nottingham . l9
Winchester
Southampton .. 2O
Chesterfield
Goodwood .. 26

Bright on 2
Brighton Club
Lewea 6
Reading
Egham
Oxford .. 18
Yarmouth

SEE

Weymouth 1
Warwick September 6
Leicester 8
Doncaster
Brecon .. 19

York August 23
Plymouth
Derby .... 3O
Lichfield
Stocktcn
Devon and Exeter

Richmond
Monmouth 22
Manchester Autumn
NewmarketFirst October 27