New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-01-06
Netp91nrk Dailp Gib,,nre
THE STATE OF EUROPE.

Frn Or Own Correspondent:
LONDON, Friday, Dee. II, 1859.
Political arrests, though common on the cont
Dent Of Europe, are happily Of such rare occur
renee in the deminions Of Queen Victoria that the
sudden report Of detected conspiracy and the
arrest Of q score Of young men in Ireland could
Dot fail TO * ,te great interest. Ii was stzted
several months ago that sn Illegal secret society
probably affiliated with RibbOnism, was forming
in Ireland uIder the name Of the Phqnix Club;
that its members were amDg, drilling at night,
and putting Themselves into communication Win
Irisbmen in America, and that the visit OF
an IRISH Militia regiment from the States to Ire
land was TO be The occasion on which l know
not what great blow would be struck for Irish
freedom. This information was generally disbe-
ieved in England, but soon after we saw that the
Irish priests were earnestly warning the people,
aid especially the young men, Dot to JOIN any secret
societies. and at last the Government set SUI
fcientiy high price upon any sucn information as
would lustfy the arrest and stll higher price for
such information as wOlld lead TO the conviction OF
the offending parties. An iDformer was soon found,
and though IT turned out that the Phoenix Club
Rad nothing to do with the agrarian outrages
Of Ribbonism, the Government still thought
it necessary to break up the illegal secret
society by the apprehension Of score OF
Young men at Belfast, Skibbereen, Bintry, Ken
mare. and other places. Every one OF these poor
fellows is young, belonging to the middle classes,
respectable in his character, and Roman Catholic.
Most of them are lawyers clerks or IN the employ
of merchants. There cannot be any doubt that,
whatever be their plans they were IN earnest.
The English public looks with leniency upon them,
and ii il hoped that their punishment-lf they can
be copvicted-w BE- light. 1t will not be TIL next
week that the charges against them Will become
known but so much is already certain, that they
Lad no hold on the great bulk OF the people, who
were discouraged from joining them by the priests
In England, The Jury has found that Mr. Guern-
sew who had stol, the notorious Ionian dispatches
was not guiLty Of THEFT. This strange verdict may
be explained IN some degree by the able defense OF
the UIi-oIcrs counsel, but sul more by the IN
crea btpahy of the nation against the secrecy
Of diplomacy. The Jury evidently thought II "a
piece of good fun to abstract secret paper
printed Only to the number oil twenty-elght copies
for the exclusive information OF the Ministers, and
to have it published in paper without claiming
any rewaId-at least, not from tie newspaper
The governing classes, however, are strangely
puzzled by the verdict, which openly encourages
dispatch stealing: and should not wonder at all If
Ministers should bring in bill declaring that
the unauthorized publication Of Official documents
ObisDed by fraud is q felony.
The Reform agitation is extending much to the
disgust of the aristOcrscy. 1t centers principally
in tie middle classes; still it is not disturbed by
the Chartilts, who rather support it, though well
aware that even Mr.. Bright's bill must fall short OF
the FIVE points of the Charter. The Times, as well
as the conservative papers tries to suppress the
ports Of the locsl meetings now held all over En-
gland but the penny papers show, for the hrst
time, their increasing political influence, and are
successful in correcting any false impression made
by the misrepresentation Of The Times about the
general apathy in regard to the Reform question
and the Fictitious charac Ter of the movement
The Russian Government, rot satisfied with the
political results of its semi-offical paper at Brus-
sells, is now trying TO establish Il Russian organ at
Paris. ore
1t is rather curious that while at Turin, Mi
Ian and in France everybody is expecting an Italian
war in tne Spring, the Austrian Government aud
Vienna society should utterly disregard the threat
eniDp SYMPTOMS, and that the exchange should not
be alarmed by them "Had Napoleon really an
"intention of making war such is the language
of the moneyed asses" he would certainly
mot allow the Paris papers to speak SO much
&" about il. ,"
Prince Napoleon. who has been popular with the
noyelists. editors and artists at Paris and listens
especially TO the advice of Emile Girardn, is III
fair WAY To RAISE nm opposition against his cousin,
in order to detach the Inalcontents from the Or
leans Princes, aud the Emperor Napoleon IS cum
ming enough to prefer Nap0leOnlc opposition 10
an OreaDist or Republican one.
The Prussian Chambers are TO meet on the i5tn
Of January, and the eyes OF all Germany are turned
toward Berlin.