The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-06 00:00:00

denied, and is not likely to deny them the right to
live upon her soil, if they prefer to do so, and cease
to abandon it, by their voluntary em.g,ration to
America or elsewhere, but when they talk of "own-
ing" the soil, without paying any rent for it—a soil
moreover that could not accoramodlte a tenth part
of them in the capacity of landlords—they would
find opponents more than sufficient in their own
countrymen to settle that pretension, without bring-
ing into play the operations of any Government
whatever. But the American million have made up
their minds that Ireland is shockingly illtreated ;
and they encourage the Fenians in their senseless
appeals for " justice" and " independence" to
make " political capital" out of their discontent, .and
menace Great Britain, not only with the unfounded
fear of an invasion of Ireland, but with a far more
likely aggression against Upper and Lower Canada.
The sympathies and affiliations of the Republican
party now dominant in American politics with the
Irish Fenians are of old standing. On the 7th July,
1848, a meeting in favour of the independence of
Ireland was held in Boston, at which letters from
the Mayor of Boston and Mr. Wendell Phillips were
read in strong approval of the Irish rebellion. A
similar meeting was held on the 27th of the same
month in this city, of which Mr. Horace Greeley
was president ; and on the 4th of August the same
gentleman was announced as subscribing 500 dol-
lars to the object in view. A now more important
personage, none other than the Hon. W. H.
Seward, then ex-Governor of New York, and
candidate for the Senate, but now Secretary of
State, and ruling spirit of the Lincoln Administra-
tion, subscribed $lOO, exclusive of a similar sum
previously subscribed at Albany. On the 15th of
August $5,700 were contributed at a public meeting,
at which one Mr. Hiram Wallbridge, now a noted
member of the Loyal League, and a conspicuous
opponent of the Southern rebellion, was present and
took a prominent part. So recently as March 14,
1863, 15 years after the ignominious collapse of Mr.
Smith O'Brien's rebellion in the widow's cabbage-
garden, it was stated in the official address of the
Fenians " that the Fenian Brotherhood was insti-
tuted some years previously as a secret society ;
that it had ceased to be secret ; that its object was
the invasion of Ireland by an armed force of at least
100,000 men ; and that the Brotherhood had the
secret countenance among others of W. H. Seward,
the Secretary of State." On March 6, 1864, a re-
port of the meeting of the Executive Committee of
the Fenians at Chicago appeared in the Sunday
Mercury, which circulates largely among the Irish
in this city, which stated that " the committee had
received letters of encouragement from hundreds of
prominent men in the country, including the Post-
master-General, Mr. Montgomery Blair, Secretary
Seward, Governor Yates (of Illinois), Mr. Speaker
Mulligan, and hundreds of officers in the army and
navy of the United States." On Dec. 6 last a great
meeting of the Fenians was held at Chicago, at
Which it was resolved nem. con.—" That it was the
duty of the American Government to declare imme-
diate war against England," and pledging the
Chicago Circle of the Brotherhood to raise imme-
diately 5,000 men, upon the sole condition of being
ordered forward at the earliest possible moment and
by the shortest route to meet the common enemy of
Ireland and America." The Chicago Tribune of the
28th, in commenting upon the meeting and the
resolutions very properly remarked that if the
Chicago Fenians were so ready to fight for America
they might try their pluck in a preliminary tussel
with Mr. Jefferson Davis. This, however, is by no
means the idea of the Brotherhood. They will fight,
or say they will fight, the " Sassenach" out of pure
love of the cause, but they will not fight Mr. Jeffer-
son Davis, unless they are paid a bounty of 800 or
1,000 dollars.
It is possible that the numbers of the Brotherhood
have been greatly exaggerated, and that the whole
organisation may be mainly due to the persistent
efforts of professional agitators, who pay themselves
handsome salaries out of the fund ostensibly collected
for the invasion of Ireland ; but the animus of the

association and its power of mischief on the Cana

dian frontier in the event of a war is not to be denied,

even if, after all their bluster and boast, theyshould
raise only twenty thousand instead of a hundred

thousand braves to avenge their fancied wrongs.
It is also quite true that gentlemen like Mr. Wendell

Phillips, Mr. Greeley, Mr. Hiram IVallbridge, anc
_ _

other ardent haters of the rebellion in the South

may plead the right of free opinion, and argue in
favour of rebellion anywhere else, and more espe-
cially in Ireland, but the same freedom can scarcely
be allowed to Mr. Secretary Seward, the chief of

Mr. Lincoln's Administration, or to officers of high
rank in the military or naval service of the United

States. It is not, however, quite certain that Mr.
Seward is a " Fenian," though very certain and

notorious that the " Fenians" in this city and else-

where continually claim him as one of the Brother-

hood, that they parade at their meetings letters of
approval which they allege have been written by
him, and that his name appears as a subscriber to
their funds. If he desire to wash his hands of the

connexion, he will, perhaps, be thankful that this
public notice of the liberties taken with his name by
men who would bring a heavy calamity upon his

country as well as upon their own has given him the

opportunity to follow the example of the Roman
Catholic clergy, and not only to withdraw from but

to denounce the Brotherhood with the whole weight
of his authority.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

MALTA, March 31.—Her Majesty's ship Revenge,
73 (bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral H. R. Yel-
verton, C. 8.), Capt. the Hon. F. A. C. Foley, left
port on Saturday last for. England to be paid off,
taking with her a large number of military and
naval invalids, and women and children. When off
St. Paul's Bay, the little steam tender Kelpie, of the
Peninsular and Oriental Company, having on board
two of the directors, Mr. Hadow, deputy chairman,
and Mr. Bailie, steamed close alongside, and gave
the ship three hearty cheers, which were cordially
returned by the admiral himself from his quarter
gallery and by various officers from the different
decks. The Victoria, 102 (flagship of Vice-Admiral
Smart), Capt. J. G. Goodenough, returned into
port on Friday from a cruise, and was followed on
Saturday by the iron ships Royal Oak, 35, Captain '
F. Campbell, and Resistance, 16, Captain W. C..
Chamberlain. The ironclad Enterprise, 4, Com-
mander Rowley, returned the same day from con-
veying Col. and Mrs. Herman to Tripoli. It is said
that Col. Herman has resigned the post of Consul-
General at Tripoli, which ho has held for a great
many years. Sir William Smith, K.C.8., paid a
visit to Tripoli in this vessel. Her Majesty's steamer
Magicienne, 16, Capt. W. Armytage, was suddenly
ordered on Saturday to get up her steam and pro -
ceed to sea in search of a derelict vessel, reported in
the Malta Channel. On Sunday, about 4 p.m., she
fell in with the object of her search, the dismasted
hull of a vessel of some 550 or 600 tons burden,
which was soon taken in tow.and brought into this
harbour, with no little trouble and anxiety to all on
board. On arrival here she was beached in Calcara
Creek. She appears to have been abandoned some
time, and has lost her upper deck as well as her masts.
She is a north country ship, supposed to be Norwe-
gian. It is with much regret that I have to announce
that Mr. A. Boyton, Assist.-Paymaster, R.N., re-
cently lin charge of her Majesty's ship Psyche, has
absconded. He has taken with him about £420 from
the Government cash chest. It appears that Mr.
Boyton asked from the commander, Lieut. R. Sterne,
leave to pass Saturday and Sunday with some friends
in the country, and to return to his ship on Monday
morning. Hence his absence excited no suspicion
till Tuesday, the 21st inst. It has been discovered

that he was taken on board the Messina packet on
Saturday, the 18th. Messrs. Bone and Autey, pay-
masters of her Majesty's ship Hibernia and Magi-
cienne, have been ordered to hold a survey on the
Psyche's stores and to examine her accounts. They
report the extent of the defalcation to amount to
about £590, and I have heard that, in addition to
this, the mess-funds have suffered to the extent of
about £lOO. Had Mr. Boyton remained a little
longer he would have received a very considerable
sum, his share of salvage, effected by her Majesty's
ship Psyche off Alexandria during the course of last
year. The impression is that he has made for China,
where he served for some time. Mr. Walter W. Wil-