The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-02-17


The news which we received by the cable
yesterday from valentia Of rising in the
southwest Of Ireland was, we understand, not
wholly unexpected by many who had an ink
ling Of the plans which Stephens had matured
before his arrival in this country and his de-
parture 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 unfail-
ing elements of Generalization which charac-
terized the various factions in America, had
vitality enough 10 show an armed front in Ire
land. The news, although not very clear in
detail, Is sufficient to prove that the British
government acknowledges the existence of a
dangerous revolt, headed, we believe, by an
officer who served in the Twenty-eighth Massa-
chusetts regiment Of the Army of the Potomac,
and is hurting Its military force against it.
The point selected by the leaders for the COM
mencement Of the movement is perhaps one of
the strongest positions which revolutionary
army could expect to hold with any success
against regular troops. 1t is country of
mountain Businesses, gorges, painless cliffs and
large tracts of swamp or bog, in which artillery
and cavalry cannot operate with effect. We
can almost find 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 aud physical advan-
tages to be found, but there are rich |
estates Of tho gentry, capable Of furnishing large
supplies Of cattle and farm products most
acceptable to body Of insurgents; and It is
not at all unlikely that the reports Of .riot and
pillage" 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, it 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 o view to check
the instruction, is the junction at Mal1ow, in |
the county Of Cork, where the Killarney and |
Tralee branch Of the Great Southern and West |
ern Railway from Dublin to Cork commences
lie western direction towards the coast. Il |
is nearly City miles from the immediate scene
of operations, and within from three to three
and halls hours travel from Killarney, and |
was probsbly selected as central point from
which to cut of connection by railroad be-
tween the disturbed district in the county Of
Kerry and the interior counties. The state
ment that this post commands the ahill dis
trict' is not altogether ineligible, unless the
locality indicated is the vicinity Of Millstreet,
on the borders Of the counties Of Cork and
Kerry, which is q wild and billy country, but
several miles east Of Killarney, the reported
scene Of the outbreak, and connected with II
by railroad. One of our dispatches received
late last night would indicate that there are two
armed bodies in the ield-one in the vicinity
OF Mallow, near the headquarters Of the British
forces, at place called Toomy's Wood, from
which il appears that the English commander
found 1t difficult 70 dislodge them, and another
in the mountains of Kerry, as before stated.
And yet another despatch Of contradictory
tenor states that "all is quiet" in Ireland,
and that the insurrecsionary bands have been
dispersed; although we are told, at still later
hour, that the county Kerry was declared in q
state Of siege that james Stephens was on the
spot-being identical with Colonel O'Connor-.
and that an American contingent is operating
in the revolutionary ranks.
them from the. cable kilograms, with the
addition that the government denies the report
OF the arrival Of two vessels loaded with
renians in valentia Bay. This denial is
no doubt correct; for 4 Is not to be
supposed that, IL the Fenians had q
force to land on the Irish coast they would
select vslentia, 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 ysrdu in Havre, Bremen,
Brest and other continental ports, including,
perchspce, stephens himself, who intended to
make bis entrance into Ireland from port