The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-15 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, March 14.

The Earl of Dunraven was created a Knight of
St: Patrick yesterday at a Chapter held for the
purpose in St. Patrick's-hall, Dublin Castle; the
Lord-Lieutenant presiding as Grand Master of the
Order.

Lord Dunraven is the second Catholic Knight of
St, Patrick, the Earl of Fingal being the first. It
is a proof of the growing liberality of the times in
which we live that no objection has been made by
the Protestant press to making the Order of St.
Patrick a mixed fellowship, although the new knight
is a convert to the Church of Rome; nor did he
object to repeat the words of the oath after the
Archbishop of Dublin. Lord Dunraven, however,
does not object to the mixed system, for he is a
member of the National Board of Education.
Fenianism will soon be at an end. The delusion
seems to have already spent its force, and its sources
are being rapidly dried up. Considering the exten-
sive preparations of arms and ammunition, and the
extent to which the conspiracy was ramified, it
cannot be said to have died hard. The Fenians
made and spoke pikes, but did not use them. Save
an assassination or two, the movement has been re-
markably bloodless, and the Government seems
likely to extinguish the treason completely without
the loss of a single life, without shedding a drop of
blood. When the fever of political fanaticism sub-
sides, the dupes will probably look back with
astonishment at their infatuation ; and as there is
a general feeling among the Fenians that this was
the last opportunity for Ireland—that she must be
liberated now or never, the probability is that Go-
vernment will never again be troubled with a move-
ment of the kind. There is some vague apprehen-
sion among the people here that there will be a
Fenian rising on Patrick's Day, and if not then,
never. If next Saturday passes over in peace then
we may dismiss all fear, especially as the American
Fenians threaten to commence the war against
England on the Pacific Ocean.
A correspondent of the Belfast News-Letter states
that—" The recent arrests in Cookstown have
brought consternation into the Fenian camp. Some
people believe that the police have arrested the head
Centre of the Cookstown district, which embraces
the towns of Coagh, Moneymore, Magherafelt,
Cookstown, and their vicinities. In the circle it is
believed there are 800 Fenians, and it is expected
that very shortly a few of this number will be
placed out of harm's way.' It is affirmed that
rifles have been distributed, and it is well known
that night drillings have been very common."
The subject of Fenianism was alluded to by
Baron Deasy yesterday when opening the Kilkenny
abbIZOS. 2Yicic etas 11 1.3..2
there, and all the rest are for trifling offences. He
said the conspiracy had inflicted great evils on the
country by causing the withdrawal of capital and
producing a sense of insecurity, which prevented
employment and materially affected trade and com-
merce. He trusted, however, that the people would
soon see the folly and criminality of the conspiracy
in which those who are sheltered on the other side
of the Atlantic urge on their dupes here to peril not
only their liberties but their lives. In Roscommon,
Mr. Justice Christian addressed the grand jury. He
would not congratulate them on the state of the
county. Nothing could look better on paper, for
the calendar was light, but those statistics lose their
value under the disturbing influence of political
offences. It might be said hereafter, " Whatvalue
is this ? We are told at the Spring Assizes, 1866,
immediately after the Legislature had thought it
necessary to adopt the most rigorous repressive
measures, and even to suspend the Constitution."
He should not therefore offer them any congratula-
tions on the social state of their county. He thought it
would be prudent in him or others to suspend their
judgment until better times arrived. The Chief
Baron remarkedupon the absence of Fenian offences
in the county of Kerry. He was not surprised
that the farming class in that county kept aloof
from the conspiracy. He had known them long
and well ; they were a shrewd and quick-witted
race, and they probably felt that if these designs
had, for no matter how short a time, assumed even
the appearance of success, they themselves would be
the very first to suffer. No revolutionary attempt
of a military character, whether coming from abroad
or arising within the county, could be made with-
out the farming population being made the first
victims. The first exigencies of such a movement
would necessarily be to obtain supplies of food.
The farmer's cattle, the farmer's sheep, the farmer's
pigs, the farmer's butter, and the farmer's corn
would be seized at once to feed the revolutionary
forces, and how paid for? The farmer well knew
he would not be paid in gold or in real money, but
in Fenian bonds, and these he as well knew would
be scarcely worth the value of the paper on which
they were engraved. He was therefore not sur-
prised that no sympathy had been evoked by the
conspirators among the farmers of the country, and
he hoped it would long continue so. He was not
called on to express an opinion as to the wisdom or
propriety of the course taken, at any time, by the
Government of the country, but since the Act had
been passed by the three branches of the Legisla-
ture, conferring ample summary powers on the Ex-
ecutive, he might now express his belief that it was
a wise and beneficent measure—not a measure of
repression or of punishment, but a measure of mercy,
as a means of deterring those who might otherwise
involve themselves in a course of proceeding, of
which ruin, and ruin only, could be the only result.

. .
It is creditable to the Conservative journals of
Dublin that they express much gratification at the
withdrawal of the petition against the return of the
Chief Secretary. The Daily Express of this morn-
ing remarks that :—" Owing to the number of elec-
tion petitions presented to the House of Commons,
it was found that that against the return of Messrs.
Fortescue and Kennedy could not be disposed of
until some time in the month of June, so that for
probably three months Mr. Fortescue would have
been ineligible for election, not only for the county
of Louth, but for any other county or borough.
The amount of inconvenience which the Govern-
ment would have been put to by his exclusion for
so long a time from the House cannot be exagge-
rated ; and, in consequence, those interested in the
petition, with an abnegation of self for which they
deserve the highest praise, have consented to its
withdrawal, the effect of which will be that a writ
for a new election can issue forthwith. It was un-
fortunate that the petition could not have been
withdrawn as against Mr. Fortescue, so that it
might be tried as against his colleague."
A number of Roman Caiholic graduates of the
Queen's University have got up a memorial to Lord
Russell, protesting against the statements laid be-
fore him by the Queen's University deputation, and
contending thA a man should not be refused his