Year: 1868

SHEET. .f
shorten the time? The cost and time and
inconvenience of travelling 10 and from WASH
ington are a standing disgrace, and Congress
ought to authorize direct railroad for mail
purposes and the welfare Of the public between
the capital and the metropolis of the country.
Tho New Doainisa Open at Both ENDS.


The new Dominion Of Canada is, in its poll
tical condition, exceedingly shaky even at
this early date, while its social structure ap-
pears to be weakening and diluting every day,
becoming, in fact, what the venerable author
of ''Sam Slick termed '1eaky" all round,
people running into it at great many points,
and, almost Immediately after arrival, running
out of it at places of egress multiplied vastly
fer convenience sake. Nova Scotia is in actual
secession from the Confederation, and q num-
ber of leading Nova Scotians are just now in
England caucusing with John Bright, Glad
stone, Disraeli, Cardinal Cullen, or
any other public parsonage who will
seem to have sufficient influence and
enough of charity to exert himself in an
attempt to free them from the financial and
legislative injustices which they assert have
been perpetrated on them by the cunning
strategy of the Canadian leaders in binding
them to the burdens of governmental union
calculated merely for the advantage Of the
Canadians ''Assisted" emigrants persons
aided to expatriation by the English govern
ment-arrive in the territory of the Dominion
in large numbers weekly, but about as soon as
they have had time to recuperate and "wash
up" after the voyage do they begin to think of
a run across the border into the United States;
so that we receive annually and in thousands
the best of an emigrant material selected with
much official care in Great Britain and shipped
at considerable cost to the colony.


The government of the Dominion has just
issued call to the remaining population de-
manding grand rally at arms in defence of the
Cross of St. George in Ottawa. No sooner,
however, is the executive notice circulated
than some hundreds-a regiment-of stalwart
Canadians discover that Pope Plus the Ninth
has got into some new scrape, and is in imme-
diate danger either of his life or disendowment !;
so they shoulder arms" and march straight
off" for Rome, leaving their country at one
end just as the funny Fenians threaten to dance
and picnic over Lake Erie and Buffalo creek
and enter it at another. The Zouaves of the
Dominion are, no doubt, brave fellows enough,
but we must say that we would rate their per-
sonal courage little higher still had they re-
mained at home to meet the Fenians instead of
volunteering to fight the fevers of the Pontine
marshes when filed with maccaroni and sour
wine. Queen Viotoria's shilling" goes as far
as its equivalent in ''Peters pence" any day !;
and even if the Fenians did kill a few of them
they would be immortalized in the London
G0sette-a contamination which all British
military writer's, ''Bull Run" Russell included,
estimate as equivalent to the Papal blessing
at any time.


The Fenian General O'Neil continues his
new and extraordinary system of tactics on the
safe side of the Niagara river. He seems de-
termined to conquer Canada according to the
ancient Irish maxim, that ''you may as well
kill a man as frighten the life out of him. "
Looking to this latter result, we presume, the
General has ordered grand picnic, with Irish
music and novel dances, near Buffalo, and the
exuberance of his men in these pursuits seems
to have already frightened the Canadians to a
very great degree. Indeed, it is likely that
the Pope will send special blessing to O'Neil
for the part he has taken in giving this last
Canadian regiment to the Minister at War in
Rome. If the Fenians intend to subdue the
Dominion by dancing, singing and military
parades on the United States banks of the
lakes, we suppose there is no law to prevent
them doing 80, and General O'Neil will GER
tainly obtain plenty of Irish to Eight it out
on that line" during the year, always provided
that he promises to grant extensive furloughs
just before the Presidential election in No
vember.


MIR. Seward and the Alabama Claims.