The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-18

/ unexpected by many who had an inkling Of the
plans which Stephens had matured before his
arrival in this country and his departure some
time since for Europe; but the general public
were nevertheless taken some what by surprise
to learn that Fenianism which common report
had for some time consigned to absolute death
by reason of the paltry squabbles, personal
wrangles, and other unfailmg elements OF
Generalization which characterized the various
factions in America, had vitality enough to
show an armed front in Ireland.
The news, although not very clear in detail,
is sufficient to prove that the British Govern
ment acknowledges the existence OF dan
gerous revolt headed, we believe, by an officer
who served in the 28th Massachusetts Regiment
of the Army of the Potomac. and is h urling
its military force against it, The point selected
by the leaders for the commencement of the
movement is perhaps one of the strongest
positions which revolutionary army could
expect to hold with any success against regu-
lar troops. 1t is country of mountain fast
nesses gorges, painless cliffs, and large tracts
of swamp or bog, in which artillery and
cavalry cannot operate with effect. We
can almost find a parallel between this district
in Kerry and La Vendee, in France, where the
gallant Vendeans held out for years against the
armies of the French Directory. Not alone in
the region chosen for the outbreak in Ireland
are there geographical and physical advan-
tages to be found, but there are rich
estates OF the gentry, capable OF furnishing
large supplies of cattle and farm products most
acceptable to q body of insurgents; and 1t Is
not at all unlikely that the reports of 'riot and
plage" in the despatch have reference to the
necessities of supplying the commissariat of
the insurgent forces rather than to any attack
upon towns and villages-such as Killarney or
Kenmare for instance--in which, 1t is natural
to suppose, their friends and sympathizers
would be the sufferers. The point mentioned
at which the Government has posted its troops
under Colonel Horseford, with view to check
the insurrection is the junction at Maliow, in
the county of Cork, where the Killarney and
Tralee branch of the Great Southern and
I WpetprD Railway from Tnhiin IN
mences its western direction towards the coast.
1t is nearly fifty miles from the immediate
scene of operations, and within from three to
! three and a half hours travel from Killarney,
and was probably selected as a central point
! from which 10 cut off connection by railroad
| between the disturbed district in the county of
| Kerry and the interior counties. The statement
that this post commands the "hill DISTRICT is
not altogether intellgble unless the locality
indicated is the vicinity of Mllstreet, on the
borders of the counties of Cork and Kerry,
which is a wild and hily country, but several
miles east OF Killarney, the reported scene of
the outbreak, and connected with il by railroad.
One of our depatches received last night
would indicate that there are two armed bodies
in the feld-one In the vicinity of Mallow, near
the headquarters of the British forces, at
place called Toomys Wood, from which it
appears that the English commander found it
difficult to dislodge them, and another in the
mountains of Kerry as before stated. And yet
another despatch of a contradictory tenor states
that ''all is quiet" IN Ireland, and that the in
surrectionary bands have been dispersed;
although we are told, at a still later hour, that
the county Kerry was declared III a stage of
siege, that James Stephens was the spot
being identical with Colonel O'Counor-aud
and that an American contingent is operating
in the revolutionary ranks.
These are the main facts as we gather them
from the cable kilograms, with the addition that
the Government denies the report of the arrival
of the two vessels loaded with Fenans in Valen-
tia bay. This denial is no doubt correct; for it
is not to be supposed that, If the Fenians had
force to lana on the Irish coast, they would
| select Valenta, the British terminus of the
! Atlantic cable, for that purpose. The proba-
! bilities of the case are-If there be any truth
! in the rumor-that the officers who have left
! this country in several squads for some months,
and have been lying perdu in Havre, Bremen,
| Brest and other continental ports including.
| perchance, Stephens himself, who intended to
| make his entrance into Ireland from port
| which 1t is not desirable, for obvious reasons,
| to mention-cOmprsedt the Fenian force which
| landed in fishing smacks at some obscure spot
on the western coast of Ireland. These, we say,
are the probabilities of the case; but of course
we can only conjecture from the very crude and
| contradictory information in our possession.
We are further informed that the telegraph
! wires were cut in all directions within the ln-
| surrectionary districts; but whether by the
| Government or by the Fenians is not stated.
We know, however, that orders were issued
some time since to the constabulary all over the
island to seize the telegraph offices in any dis
| tTict where a rising occurred, and II they were
and thus cut eff communication between the
different counties. II is quite probable that
Stephens issued similar order TO his men, so
that it may be a case of diamond cut diamond,
as far as telegraph communication is concerned,
and therefore we may have to wait some time
for reliable news of the insurrection.
Judging from proclamation issued in Dublin
by body which desgnates itself as "the repub
lican party in Ireland" self-reliance ap-
pears to be the controlling spirit iu the present
movement. How tar it can be relied upon
remains to be seen. This document repudi
ates the action of the cooperative body in
America, upon which the belligerents in
Ireland appear to place no reliance, de-
nounces the publicity which has characterized
its proceedings, but, invites the, sympathies O
all expatriated Irishmen with the struggle for
independence. But 1t is evident from the
enthusiasm and excitement created by the news
of yesterday, that this curious pronunciamento
will not dampen the ardor of the rank and file
of the Fenians here. On the contrary, there
appears to be general disposition to contribute
material aid to the ''men in the gap,n and thai
as speedily as possible. All speculation as tc
| the result of the Irish outbreak, however can be-
only vague and Improbable.
1 A MI