The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-26 00:00:00

THE FENIANS AND MR. STEPHENS.

General F. F. Millen, late President of the Fenian
Military Council in Ireland, and late_Acting C. E.
I. IL, has issued the following letter against James
Stephens, the so-called C.0.1.R. :
" NEW YORK, Dec. 3.
" TO THE SINCERE MEMBERS OF THE FENIAN
BROTHERHOOD AT HOME AND ABROAD.

" Countrymen and Brothers,—.As a Fenian of
nearly seven years' standing I feel it my painful
duty to lay beforeyou the reasons which have forced
me to the (for us) humiliating conclusion that James
Stephens, present head of our national organisation,
is not only no good man, but that he is a political
humbug, if not a cheat and a rascal besides.
" The first time that Ihad information of Stephens
having manifested the cloven foot was after the
Fenian Fair in Chicago, some three and a half years
ago. According to a letter then published by Mr.
F. T. Sherlock, a brother who withdrew from our
society, it appears that James Stephens took very
Ungentlemanly, unworthy, and unbecoming measures
to possess himself of the sum of £l,OOO, part of the
proceeds of the Chicago Fair, and which had been
set apart for certain purposes. For this money, as
for all other funds which have passed through his
hands, Stephens has never rendered any account.
This Sherlock letter, even at that early date, shows
up the character of Stephens in its true light, and
should be read by every Fenian lover of the truth.
" The first time that I saw Stephens was in May,
1865, in Dublin. lle was then in a most violent
and undignified rage against a poor soldier of the
sth Regiment of Dragoon Guards, who, being a
Fenian, bad deserted contrary to the orders of the
boss, in order to save himself from the cruel sentence
of an inevitable court-martial.
At that time I was in Ireland on Fenian business,
and was the ranking military officer of our organi-
sation there. Instead of being placed by Stephens
in a position where any military experience I might
possess could be made of some benefit to the
I. R. 8., I was kept in total ignorance for a long
time of everything that was passing. When I
complained to Stephens of my inactivity he gave
me an order to make him ' a drawing of a corps
d'armee of 50,000 men formed in line of battle,
with their ammunition and baggage—every man
in his place.' A military man will readily
see the absurdity and uselessness of such a nonsen-
sical order; but I would not have gone to the
trouble of mentioning it here were it not for the fact
that Stephens arrogates to himself all the knowledge,
political and military, in the organisation. At that
particular period I thought my time might have
been better employed in assisting Irish-American
officers, perhaps abler than myself, in perfecting the
organisation of the 1. R. 8., and in making pre-
parations for the fight which Stephens bad pro-
mised last year, but which, by his acts, he prevented
from taking place.
" Immediately after the seizure of the _lrish
People newspaper, and the first arrests in Dublin,
when Stephens retired- to his luxurious retreat in
the sweet solitude' of the banks of the Dodder, the
writer, in virtue of his rank, was appointed Presi-
dent of the Military Council whichthe C. 0. thought
proper to name. It was a military council nomi-
nally only, for it possessed none of the prerogatives,
powers, or privileges which should have belonged to
it—its principal, and, I might say, only dtity was
to, find lodgings for Irish-American officers arriving
from the United States. Yet, while Stephens com-
pletely deprived the Military Council of the power
of benefiting theIR.B. in any way, he industriously
circulated the fact of its existence, both in America
and in Ireland. The result of this policy was that
while he loosened men's purse-strings abroad and
lined his pockets by reason of their growing confi-
dence in the cause, the American officers in Ireland
seeing that the Military Council took no steps to-
wards preparing for action, and supposing it to
possess faculties for that purpose, very naturally
concluded that it was composed of numskulls and
incompetent men, who were incapable of laying
down any common -sense plan of action suited to
the case. Under this impression very many of the
Irish-American officers returned to the United
States, and though they may have had other and
more selfish motives to bring them back here and
abandon tin cause, still I can hardly blame them
now for taking the action they did, seeing that they
had good reason to lose confidence in Mr. Stephens
and his Military Council—especially in the latter,
while the fact was that its hands were tied.
" This Military Council, wishing to be useful and
to discharge its duty, and thinking it detected an
absence of any military plan in Ireland for carrying
out the business of a great revolution, suggested one
to Stephens for his adoption. It was unanimously
approved by the Council before submitting it to Mr.
Stephens. It was insultingly rejected by the great
C.0.1.R. as lacking in ' originality and logical com-
prehensiveness.' He saw it all himself, and knew
more about it than the men who had seen a hund-
red bloody fields, from the Rapidan to New Orleans.
We acquiesced in his opinion, for the sake of the
cause, and not in deference to his opinion.

" The writer always has been, and is now, of the
opinion that if we take the field before England be-
comes involved in some foreign or domestic chin-
_

culty we will literally be ' stamped out.' I told
Stephens last year, as I tell the world now, that no
successful rising can take place in Ireland while
England basks .in the sunshine of peace and tran-
quillity ; but I also told him that if he resolved to
fight I would act with him to the best of my judg-

meat and ability. That is my position to this hour.
Stephens declared for battle, and I ask why, in
God's name, did he not take the field last year, as
he had preached and swore he would ? I know of

no man in Ireland who would not cheerfully have
run the desperate risks with him if he had made an
attempt to keep his word. He did not do it. Has

he ever given an explanation of why he didn't fight
last year to the thousands of patriotic Irishmen who

have been contributing to his support so long, or to
the friends and relatives of the brave hearts that his

ruinous policy has cast into the felon's cell ? He

has done grievously wrong in pledging himself to
fight by any particular time ; he has d)ne worse by
not keeping his word, and is guilty of political mad-
ness, if nothing worse, in making a second open
promise of fight this, year' which he cannot keep,
even to save his life, which he prizes so dearly. No
revolutionary leader can or should compromise him-
self to fight at any particular time. Why did he do
it ? And, having failed once, why did he try it a
second time, to fail ignominiously also? There is no
faith or reliance in the man.

" But that is not all. There are grave reasons
for believing that the man is not sincere in his pro-
fessions of patriotism. Would any patriotic man
in his sound senses, much less a leader worthy of
respect, think of dedicating £B,OOO sterling to
establish a cannon factory for the Fenians under
the enemy's nose in the city of Dublin? That
was the fixed intention of Stephens, and the first,
arrests in Ireland and the want of funds were the
sole causes of compelling him to abandon this
bobby. That was arming the I. R. B. with a
vengeance. 1 tried to cotivince him that by
expending /8,000 in the purchase of small arms
(which might prove somewhat easier to conceal
than a cannon factory) we might then be in a
position to help ourselves to all the cannon in
Dublin, free of cost or carriage. But in vain. lie
was bent on having '7O cannon of different cali-
bres, with plenty of shot and shell and the fa^t°
ry
besides,' all for the sum of $B,OOO, to be collected
from our t onfiding countrymen in America. Can a
,
man with such ideas be in earnest? And if so,
should he be suffered to direct a great revolutionary
movement ? Such a man must be either knave or
fool, and in either case equally unsuited to the
position which he clings to.
, " What can be expected from a leader who ex_
clucks every Irishman of ability and g;0d.... social

standing in Ireland from the Brotherhood? I know

men at home of the first rank in society who would

have gladly joined the I. R. 8., but who were
deterred from doing so by the selfish, egotistical,

and incomprehensible conduct of Stevens.

The

influence of one of these men would be worth that

of 10,000 James Stephenses, yet they are left out
in the cold by the arbitrary conduct of the C. 0.
"I know one eminent barrister in Dublin who
offered to me his valuable services gratis, in defence

of the Fenian prisoners last year, and at a time
when the funds of the I. R. B. could ill afford to
pay the fees of counsel ; yet those services were
scornfully rejected by Mr. Stephens.
" I know of another highly-respectable busi-
ness man in Dublin, when speaking of whom
Stephens was in the habit of using the most op-
probrious language ; yet the great C. 0., when he
was desirous of running off to Paris, instead of
fighting as he said he would, had to borrow money
from that same man in order to pay his expenses to
France, notwithstanding that Stephens had received
from America the sum of $363,000. Comment is
useless. What became of these $363,000 ?
t, Apropos of France. If Stephens really wanted
to move in Ireland this year, why did he stay lion-
izing two long blessed months in Paris, airing his
doubtful greatness with that antiquated and eccen-
tric piece of political old trumpery the Marquis de
Boissy? Why did he not send to the men in the
gap' some of the considerable amount of money
which he received from honest John 'Mitchel in
Paris ? Ilow did he earn the denunciations of Mit-
chel ? Was it for building churches or endowing
monasteries with the Fenian funds?
" 'When O'Mahony's Commissioner last year
asked Stephens to give an account of moneys which
had reached him from this side of the water, he
quietly balanced the books by remarking that he
had spent it in organising purposes.' But,' said
the Commissioner, "have you any further state-
ments to make on the subject ?" Why, no,' replied
the bosEf, ' I spent it and a great deal more' (I think
he said four times as much), which was raised at
home and in England and Scotland.' I was pre-
sent when this occurred.
" But can we naturally expect great things of a
man who told the writer that, If Ireland were free
to-morrow he would not live in it ; he would go to
the South of France.' I think that is the likeliest
place he will turn up in soon, and not on the green
fields of his native land, with the standard of rebel-
lion in his hand. It is a pity he did not go there
seven years ago, so that some more earnest man
might fill his place to-day. -
"I remember one night at a meeting in Dublin,
where representations were made to Stephens to
the effect that it would be necessary to make some
pecuniary sacrifices in order to keep some poor
families from starving, whose attachment to our
cause had led them into that condition, the boss
was very much annoyed, but gave, or rather
flung his consent in the face of the party asking for
the relief, exclaiming with supreme contempt,
Give the dogs a bone.' The man is a tyrant who
cares for himself first, and for nobody else afterward.
" At the very time spoken of above Stephens was
spending his $lOO a day iu the indulgence of hisex-
pensive horticultural tastes, and was squandering
thousands of dollars in the purchase of flue wines,
Brussels carpeting, and princely furniture. We all
know these statements' to be true; besides that
nearly £2,000 in gold, silver, notes, and draughts
were found by the police in his hands at the time
of his arrest. All this, when Irish-American officers
and Irish patriots were starving from want of the
common necessaries of life, around him and all over
Ireland.
" Yes, he is a shrewd man when his own interests
are concerned, and knows well his own shortcomings.
Also, if the I. R. B. could get rid of him, they
would have kicked him out of the organisation long
ago, but he has hung on to it like an incubus ; he
has stuck to the power, not it to him. To enable
him to do so hehas uniformly attempted to ostracise
every intelligent, well-meaning Irishman who ma-
nifested a desire of identifying himself with the
Brotherhood, for lie knew that by admitting such
persons into the I. R. B. he would be whetting a
knife to cut his own throat, politically speaking.
Therefore, he endeavoured to keep such dangerous
men aloof, and left the I. R. B. no choice of leader-
ship but in himself. Delightfully he has managed
its affairs.
"Is the man honest, good, just, or wise who
wrote to O'Mahony that after a certain time he
would get himself arrested in Ireland? Ills wife
managed (unwittingly, however) to accompli,h this
for him before he expected, by her shopping excur-
sions from the banks of the Dodder into Dublin.
That drew the detectives after her, and they fished

up Mr. Stephens ; yet he attempted to lay the
- -

charge of betraying him to the door of some sup-
posed false friend or enemy to the caus,,... In proof
of the precautions of concealment which Stephens
took I may mention the fact that the writer, who
was president of his Military Council, knew neither
the locality of his residence nor the new name (Her-
bert) which be had taken, until informed of the
latter by a seamstress of Dublin, and of the former
I am in ignorance even to this day.
" When Stephens was arrested the writer was
elected unanimously by the Centres and Military
Council in Ireland as acting provisional

This of course was until Stephens could be released

from prison, so that the organisation might not be
without a head in the interim. I hereby ell' upon
the Irish Centres and Military Council to declare if

I ever suggested to any one or more of them the

idea of my being elected in place of Stephens. For
the offence of daring to imagine that the 1.R.8. had
any right to a leader during Stephens's absence I
was ordered to go immediately to America, and not
return until with the first expedition. I came to
America in time, unfortunately, to find O'Mahony,
Roberts, and Sweeney tilting at each other's throats
in a most disgraceful manner.
" Ere leaving Ireland I made a conscientious at-
tempt to have some one placed at the head of the or-
ganisation -while Stephens could be delivered from
gaol. For that cffence I was subsequently charged
with the crime of making an attempt to eubvert
the power in Ireland, place myself at the head of the
movement, and ruin things generally. Of course,
the paragraph in the note of Stephens making these
charges contains an insinuation that I had, in order
the better to carry out my plan, attempted to gain
possession of the funds of the organisation, and had
probably bete the cause of Stephens's apprehension
the water who are
to my
both sides
I canof appeal
eonreba
efoormpthaetriscatins
acquainted with the circumstances of the case—more
especially the Centres of Dublin and the members
•
of thelate Military Council—to judge and inform
our countrymen in all lands of the unjustifiable and
arbitrary conduct of Stephens in this matter, as in
all others where his caprice and wrongheadedness
led bim to act.

" I take this occasion to thank the gentlemen of
the deputation from the Irish centres, now in this
city, which waited upon me last week, for the kind-
ness of their feelings towards me, and for their pa-
triotic intentions of delivering me a document
signed by all the Irish centres in New York, certi-
fying to the blamelessness of my conduct during the

_ - short time I conducted affairs in Ireland, upon

condition that I would not go into the press against

Stephens. They patriotically wished that nothing

should be published against the C. 0. I. R.—not
for his sake, but by any means, but for that of the

cause. These compatriots are mistaken in their zeal;
forbearance has ceased to be a virtue, and I have in

,his note painted James Stephens not as I could have

wished, but simply as I found him.
" James Stephens forgets that I voted no less a
sum than £6OO sterling (at a time when Fenian
funds were low enough, God knows) as a reward to

any person or persons who might accomplish hig
escape from prison. Surely he forgets this when
he charges me with insubordination and worse ! But

his conduct in this affair is of a piece with the man's

character. I wonder when he intends giving the
tw•o men who assisted him out of prison, at their

own peril, another £5O of the £550 yet due to
them fcr their services ?

"And now, countrymen and brothers on both
sides of the water, a word with you before parting.
Stephens's attempt at a rising at home this year--if
he makes one at all—will be an ignominious failure,
not. for the want of good men and true, to., do and
dare all that brave men can for their country, but
for the want of proper military direction, of which
Stephens has willingly and knowingly dx& te
men in the gap.' Stephens will
probably turnived-Upihn
the south-of France,' and leave a few brave spirits
to their doom at the tender mercies of the British
law. But do not despair, my countrymen ; it is the
constant drop that wears the stone—stick to your
organisation, and keep it intact both in Ireland and

America. Centres, keep your circles together—cir-
cles, obey the centres whom yfou have chosen to di-
rect your efforts. Work on. silently, quietly ; in-
crease your numbers and perfect your organisa-
tion ; draw closer around you the strong bonds of
patriotic brothership, but pay no more contribu-
tions for Quixotic Canadian incursions or ' risings
in Ireland this year.' Watch for the time when
' England's difficulty would be Ireland's opportu-
nity.' It is coming, and let it be one year or 20 we
must wait for it—then strike, and may God nerve
your arms.

I, F. F. MILLEN.'

P.S.—When I shall hear of James Stephens
having effected a landing in Ireland, that he has taken
the field according to promise, I will most cheerfully
retract all I have said against him in this note ; nay,
further, I will dress myself in sackcloth and ashes,
and, with a halter about my neck, I will seek out the
great liberator and say to him, ' I am unworthy to
live--dispose you of my life as you will.' However,
until that happens what I have written above must
remain said."

CHRISTMAS TRAFFIC.

The several railways which terminate in the me-
tropolis may be considered as so many handmaidens
administering to the wants of a huge monster, hav-
ing as many as 3,000,000 mouths, and which is pe-
riodically affected with an extraordinary appetite ;
so that in the 12th month, and on the 25th day of
that month it still cries unto them, Food ! Food !
Food ! Here is a picture that might be well described
in a style of language similar to that of the Apoca-
lypse ; but as we have not the skill of the author of
the Chaldee manuscript, we must set ourselves the
task in a more prosaic manner, and endeavour in our
matter-of-fact manner to explain to ourreaders some
of the peculiarities of the Christmas traffic. This
traffic is, for the most part, what is known in rail-
way parlance as an "up traffic." At this particular
season of the year all England is pervaded by a
spirit of kindness and good nature. Our friends in
the country are on the alert to supply us with heaps
of those good things of which they themselves every
day partake, but which are to us so many luxuries;
and we in our turn feel anxious to reciprocate their
kindness, but when the festive season has passed
over we are sure to find we have but very imper-
fectly done so. They have a far more abundant
magazine to draw from than we possibly can have.
We feel that to send them game would be pretty
much like sending coals to Newcastle, and there-
fore our consignments are for the most part con-
fined to Pim's barrelled oysters and fresh fish,
which we cannot but consider a very stinted re-
turn for scores of geese and turkeys, and all manner
of dairy and farmyard produce. When we
regard the extent to which this interchange of active
benevolence taxes the resources of the different rail-
way companies, we are inclined to wonder what
must have been the comfort of a London Christmas
in the days anterior to the development of railway
enterprise. How could the old stage coaches have
ever kept peace with the good nature of the people,
even although, as we were a day or two since told by
an old gentleman whose memory went so far back,
the Norwich coach used to come up to town packed
full of turkeys to the exclusion of bond fide travellers?
Why, at the present day the railways, with resources
a hundred-fold greater than that possessed by all the
stage coaches in the kingdom, are scarcely able to do
so. They actually stagger under the weight which
is thus imposed upon them; and have not only to
temporarily increase their staff, but also to call ex-
traordinary rolling stock into requisition. But let
us see what they are now about and with what
energy they apply themselves to the task which is
imposed upon them, and for this purpose let us drop
in at each of the London stations. Beginning with
Paddington, we visit the arrival platform, and here
our ears are deafened with a variety of most dis-
cordant noises ; but whence do they proceed ? Cer-
tainty not from the officials of the line, for they,
although perplexed with the multiplicity of the work
whi n they have to perform, are going through it
with that'degree o' silence which always accompanies
a resolute determination to perform a Herculean
task. "They, therefore, are not the authors of the
noise, which, after a time, we can ascertain to be
made up of thousands of onametirmic sounds of
which cackle and gobble seem to strive for the as-
cendancy. This din proceeds from a large number
of crates literally stuffed with Turkeys, geese, ducks,
and all kinds of poultry. These unhappy birds have
come from Ireland via the Milford route, and in a
concert of discordancy are now bewailing their hap-
less condition. Imprisoned, starved, and famished,
deprived alike of food and drink for some
days, thq must, unless they are very queer
birds indeed, welcome the poulterer's knife as
a release from their misery. It is for the
poulterer's shop they are destined, and hence their
arrival in town warm with life, that they may be
despatched as the exigencies of the market require.
Among the peculiarities of the traffic here—each
station has some peculiarity—baskets of cheev, both
Cheddar and double Gloucester, are perhaps the most
prominent. Here, too, are hams and Wiltshire
bacon, Welsh mutton, Devonshire cream, and heaps
upon heaps of whatever is regarded as delicacy
either in the West of England or in South Wales.
The scene at Euston Station is still more excit-
ing. There are not here any live foul to create a
din such as that which deafens one's cars at Padding-
ton, but the consignments from . the country are
far more numerous. If you want to perform a feat
of agility to qualify you to rank with Blondin or
Leotard, pay a visit to the parcels department, and
endeavour to make your way through the host of
barrels, baskets, and hampers with which the place
is crowded. If you can do this without injury to
to your shins you will have accomplished no
mean achievement. It would be impertinent
to pry into the contents of these vessels, and
still more would it be a work of superero-
gation, for we know already what they contain.
Game is out of the question. Few persons think
of packing game, and therefore pheasants and hares
always Arrive in town independent of straw. Here
however, are geese, turkeys, and ducks, and as one

gazes at them he naturally finds himself indulging
in a vision of Epicurean enjoyment, and in imagi-

nation tasting those delicious flavours which are

supposed to abide in apple sauce, sausages, celery
sauce, and sage with onion. This is to doubly enjoy
Christmas. At the Great Northern and Midland
we have the same delicacies in profusion, and super-
added to theta Stilton cheese, rich, ripe, and full
flavoured. Here, too, are the pork pies of Lei-
cestershire and Nottinghamshire, carefully folded,
like silver teapots, in tissue paper, lest
anything in the least degree rough should
scrape the crust and spoil the outward ap-
pearance of those wonderful achievements of Mid-
land cuisine. They are of all sizes ; some of them
small enough to give one man a luncheon, and others
so large that a single pie might well do a whole gipsy
party—a week's provision for a moderate-sized
family. Our next station is Shoreditch, and it is
par excellence the Christmas station.' At Norfolk
and Suffolk, Essex, and hegl4li(lidlia district,
far-famed for their poultryi sqn-q their annual offer-
ings here, and so numerous
erousaddairtio:tia
goods that
tathsetio
com-
pany have to extemporise
with
for
a
nd
Theselighted
with
stations are
gas f
e oov rgeldo -wor
n gr
fires. Here there are a great number of hands em-

ployed, and so heavy is the work they have to per-
form that they have to work by night and by day,
relieving each other in relays. Not only are the
ordinary hands engaged at the station insufficient
for the performance of the additional work which
is at this season of the year thrown upon them, but
the horses, carts, and waggons also come short of
what the process of delivery requires. It is curious
to observe the down traffic at this station. The

fisheries of the east coast are the chief source of sup-

ply to Billingsgate-market, arid, therefore, one' is
rather surprised to find presents of fresh cod sent

down the line from London to Yarmouth and liar-

with ; but the fact is, that fish at those places is a

greater rarity than it'is in London, as the fisher-

men's boats are nightly emptied into the railway

vans for conveyance to the metropolis, scarcely a

single fish being retained for local consumption.
Neither the South-Eastern, the Brighton, nor the
Loudon, Chatham, and Dover can compare, in re-

INIMINIMMIII