The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-20 00:00:00

N°. 22,985.

PRICE.... 4d.
STAMPED sd.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, Monday Morning.
Although the events of the past two days have
taken the whole population of -Dublin completely by
surprise, the course adopted by the Government is
approved of by all but the members of the Fenian
brotherhood and their secret sympathisers. It is
generally believed here that a measure so decisive
and rigorous as the suspension of the Habeas Cor-
pus Act would not have been recommended unless
the authorities had been in possession of informa-
tion of a very startling character; and those who
read the telegraphic summary of the speeches of the
leaders of the Opposition in the Upper and Lower
Houses are convinced that Sir George Grey must
have communicated to Lord Derby and Mr. Disraeli
some facts which thoroughly justified his proposi-
tion. But no persons were so much astonished at
the proceedings of Saturday as the Americans who
have infested Dublin for some weeks past. Sleeping
quietly on the news of the intended suspension of
the act, and full of confidence that they mould have
ample time to prepare for flight, they were not
ready for the bold and unprecedented step of anti-
cipating the action of Parliament. The strangers
were, in most instances, men of respectable ap-
pearance. They lived in respectable lodgings in
retired parts of the suburbs, and they spent
Their' money freely- in —hotels and taverns
throughout the city. Almost every one captured
boasted some rank in the Federal army. One was a
veritable colonel, two or three claimed to have com-
manded brigades, and there was a whole score of
captains. Unfortunately men of this class find it
comparatively easy to obtain an admiring and
sympathetic audience in Dublin, and it is impossible
to overestimate the mischief which their swaggering
impudence aced fabricated 'exploits might effect
amongst clerks, drapers' assistants, grocers' ap-
prentices, and the whole tribe of vain and unedu-
cated youths which is so largely represented in a
city where employment is obtained with difficulty
and wages are low ; and therefore it is not surprising
that all who-desire the preservation of order should
rejoice that the mouths of the Fenian emissaries
are shut for awhile. The Dublin papers cordially
approve of the course which the Government has
adopted, and the speeches of Mr. Bright and Mr.
Mill find no response even from those who hold
their political creed.

There are at present in custody between 120 and
150 persons. Of these about 70 are confined in
Kilmainham prison, and the remainder in the
Mountjoy Convict Prison,and if the arrests continue
it will puzzle the authorities to find gaol accommo-
dation. Some of the scenes which took place on Sa-
turday were really amusing. In many cases the
prisoners protested that 'they were mere vic-
tims of suspicion, and abjur6d Fenianism
with considerable energy. Many more stood
on their national dignity, and gravely
cautioned their captors that the American citizen
was not to be trifled with, and the President would
exact a terrible revenge. Neither persuasion, ex-
postulation, nor threats saved the suspected.

The news spread with extraordinary rapidity,
and those unfortunate strangers whose names were
not on the list, or whose lodgings were unknown
to the police, remained in cover until after nightfall,
when an unusual number of cabs were seen driving
along the North Wall. The muffled passengers
stopped nowhere, passed all their usual haunts,
asked no questions, carried no luggage, and made
all speed on board the Liverpool steamers. Fortu-
nately for them the police interposed no hindrance,
and as the departing excursionists had suddenly
forgotten their own rank and dignity, they did not
receive any ovation from the crowd that looked on.
Another detachment of Federal officers fled by the
mail train to Cork, and these in all probability
have already sailed by the Cunard steamer. But,
beyond doubt, many are still secreted in Dublin,
and if ever there is to be an outbreak the suspen-
sion of the act must precipitate the action of the
Fenian leaders. But the telegraph has already ap-
prised you that no disturbance has taken place, that
the police did not meet with the slightest resistance,
and that after the first excitement subsided the city
became perfectly quiet. Some absurd rumours of
mutinies of the regiments in provincial garrison
towns were circulated yesterday, but at once con-
tradicted. A strong force has been despatched
southwards, and detachments of troops will
be stationed in several remoter towns of Mun-
ster and Connaught. To-day, I understand,
the Government will anticipate the passing of the
bill of which Sir George Grey gave notice on Sa-
turday night, by taking possession of the telegraph
offices throughout the country.. The same measure
was taken in 1848, a few days after the suspension
of the Habeas Corpus Act.

The police have not yet given up all hope of cap-
turing Stephens, and it is likely that, under exist-
ing circumstances, he will find it very difficult to
conceal his whereabouts. That he is still in Dublin
no person appears to doubt, and some persons go
so far as to state that he was in a house in Wil-
liams-lane, in which a few pikes were seized on
Saturday, at the very moment of the seizure.
Numerous arrests of suspected Fenians are reported
by the provincial papers. One person lately taken
in custody was an American captain, named D unne,
who had commenced to farm a small piece of
ground near Mallow. The arms of the Limerick
Artillery Militia were on Saturday removed from
the Castle Barracks to the New Barracks by a
guard of soldiers of the 73d Regiment.

While it is pleasant to have to report that no dis-
turbance occurred in this city during the past two
days it is necessary to state that an outrage of a
very serious character was attempted yesterday
morning. At five o'clock as Hackett, the guard,
who arrived in charge of the mails at King's-
bridge Terminus, and Mr. Ardagh, clerk in the
Post-office, was driving from thence to the
General Post-office, some miscreant at the corner
of Mary's-lane fired at them. The car was proceed-
ing at a rapid rate, and possibly it is owing to this
circumstance that the shot did not wound either
Mr. Ardagh, the guard, or the driver. As it was,
the bullet passed very near Hackett's head. The
person who fired immediately decamped, and up to
the present no person has been arrested. No cause
can be assigned for the nefarious outrage.
On Saturday evening a melancholy occurrence, at
first absurdly ascribed to Fenianism, took place in
a public-house, kept by a person named Byres, on
the Glasne-vin-road not far from the scene of Clarke's
murder. At eight o'clock a Mr. Sutcliffe, who
holds a respectable situation in one of the private
banks, drove up to the door and came to the
counter. He produced a sword and a revolver,
and presented the latter at the head of Byres, who,
seeing that he was drunk, tried to persuade him to
put the pistol in his pocket. While they were
speaking one of the barrels of the revolver was dis-
charged, and the unfortunate publican received the
bullet in his neck. He was brought to the Mater
Misericordia Hospital, where lierendliadinnso
itna tat elm)rpe
carious condition. Sutcliffe, who
to escape, was at once secured.

On the morning of Friday, the IGth inst., the up
night mail train having passed as far as two miles on
the Mullingar side of the Moate came in contact with
two heaps of stones placed maliciously upon the rails,
which gave the engine a great shock and doubled
up the "life-guards," the strength of which alone
saved the engine and train from being thrown off
the line, the consequence of which would have been
most disastrous, as the train was running rapidly
down an incline. The stones were unusually large,
one of them weighing six stone six pounds. They
were also very hard whin stones, and were driven
many yards ahead with great violence, deeply cut-
ting into several sleepers. This short section of the
line between Mulliugar and Athlone has been the,
scene of as many such attempts at wholesale mur-
der a 4 the whole of the rat of the Midland line, this