The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-17 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TIMES.-St. Patrick's Day is connected *in all
minds with a tendency to breaches of the peace.
Irishmen have been accustomed to honour their pa-
tron Saint with a joyousness and exhilaration to
which the more sober Saxon can seldom attain; but
they have also too often closed the day's rejoicing
with blackened eyes and broken heads. Of late years
the combative instincts of the people may have been
weakened, but there is enough left of the old tradi-
tions belonging to St. Patrick's Day to make it an
occasion for more than usual caution on the part of
those who have to maintain public crder. At the
present time it is easy to understand that the Irish
Government should be anxious to prevent any
foolish disturbance. In so large and so ignorant a
body as the Fenians there may be many who con-
sider a national anniversary the fittest time for a
demonstration in favour of the Irish Republic, and,
under the influence of a holiday and the ordinary
mode of enjoying it, it might not be impossible that
something like a riot mighttakeplace. The Fenians
have, we believe, been talking of St. Patrick's Day
as likely to see some wonderful doings. Little im-
portance, certainly, can be attached to such bra-
vado, as it is only what might be looked for
from people who feel irritated and ashamed at
the ease
~with which the Government has dis-
posed of their leaders. But preparation can do
no harm, and it is satisfactory to know that if on
this St. Patrick's Day any citizens of the Irish Re-
public think fit to assume their belligerent rights, they
will not have the advantage of taking their enemy by
surprise. The apprehensions which are probably
groundless in Ireland have more reason on the other
side of the Atlantic. The Fenians of America are nu-
merous and rich, and they have all that courage
and resolution which is inspired by being at a dis-
tance of 3,000 milesfrom their principal antagonist.
They have been haranguing and boasting for the
last twelvemonth, and, to do the mass of them jus-
tice, they have been paying also. The leaders, on
the other hand, have only been spending, for the
Government of the Irish Republic is, in proportion
to its actual dominion and resources, probably
the most costly in the world. It is said that the
Fenians of the States are tired of waiting, and are
disposed to ask when the war is going to begin.
The " national creditor"—that is, the purchaser of
either Roberts' bonds or O'Mahony's bonds—must
look to the day of conquest and confiscation for the
settlement of his claims, and if the Fenian securi-
ties are to find a market, the leaders must at least
make a show of audacity. For a long time the
American public has been particularly hard on the
Fenians. They have been girded. at, caricatured
and taunted as Irishmen never were before in the
United States. As often as they talk of " waiting
for the fitting moment, or " taking, advantage of
England's first difficulty," there is a responsive
laugh from the public which is very hard to bear.
The suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act in Ire-
land has, of course, produced fresh excitement. At
the latest dates the American Fenians knew of the
sweeping arrests which the Government had made,
but they were not quite aware how calmly the
country had borne it. There seems to have
been a genuine belief among them that some
attempt at insurrection would be made on
Irish soil. It may no doubt be that when
they find Ireland not only tranquil but evidently
relieved and contented at the vigour of the Executive,
the American conspirators will abate their enthu-
siasm. But the first news of the imprisonment of
their agents, following upon the taunts of the
Americans and the seeming contempt of England, is
said to have disposed them to commit some act of
violence. They even proposed to wait on the Pre-
sident and endeavour to influence him in favour of
their cause. Among the latest reports is that some
of the more desperate among them meditated an
outrage on the Canadian frontier. O'Mahony is
said to have issued a circular telling the people to
be prepared and to look out for secret orders. Of
course the probability is that all this will come to
nothing. Between making speeches about invading
Canada and actually crossing the frontier in force
there is a wide difference. At the Cooper Institute
and elsewhere the Fenian leaders have by this time
conquered Ireland and annexed Canada, to the de-
light of enthusiastic audiences. Whether their folly
has gone so far as to order an outrage on the frontier
may be doubted. But the evil of such machinations
is that, while the leaders take care to keep them out
of danger, there are hot-headed dupes who will carry
out their suggestions, or desperadoes who will take
advantage of them for the sake of plunder. The 17th
of March has occurred to many as a day likely to be
attended with some disturbance, and we are glad to
believe that the Canadian Government has sufficient
force at its disposal to deal summarily with any
band that might meditate either treason or robbery.
This present St. Patrick's Day will also be remark-
able for another event, which might itself breed a
quarrel not less troublesome than a Fenian out-
break in Ireland or a Fenian invasion of Canada.
To-day the Reciprocity Treaty between the United
States and British America comes to an end. For
the sate of both countries, which it so much benefited
during the six years which intervened between its
adoption and the outbreak of the American war,
we regret that the United States' Government
have thought fit to abrogate it. But every nation
is the best judge of its own affairs, and if the Go-
vernment of Washington is of opinion that the
changed financial condition of the States requires
that their commercial relations should be revised,
we have no right to complain. It is fair, however,
to remind the Americans that the termination of the
Treaty is their work, not ours, andif any differences
arise we have done our best to prevent them. Now,
one of the rights which the Americans possess under
the Treaty is that of fishing in British waters. The
coast of British North America is one of the finest
fishing grounds in the world, and it will be in the
memory of most of our readers how long and bitter
were the dissensions between the adventurous New
Englanders, who were continually trespassing, and
the jealous Nova Scotians and Newfoundlanders,
who were as constantly driving them off. The Re-
ciprocity Treaty put an end to those disputes by
giving the American fishermen the right to come into
our waters in return for a much less valuable con-
cession on their part, and for 12 years they have
followed their calling in peace. But now their
rights come to an end. These people, who have
been accustomed for so many years to a certain
fishing ground, and who probably have come to
look upon it as their own, must now be content to
retire, or come into collision with the Canadian
authorities. We believe a vessel of war will -be
placed on the coast for the purpose of seeing that
the rights which revert to the British Crown are
not infringed, and also to prevent collisions between
the fishermen of the Provinces and of the United
States. The American fishermen will be duly
warned, and after a fixed time the exclusion of
their boats will be enforced. We trust they will
understand that the restriction is caused by the act
of their own Government, and that, if they suffer,
their grievances can only be removed at Washing-
ton. Whenever the States think fit to conclude
another treaty, American fishermen will recover
their former rights, It is a difficult matter to regu-