286 



FENIAN BROTHERHOOD. 



exercising them in the public service. After 

 editing for some time the Risorgimcrite, he was 

 appointed Minister of Public Instruction, hav- 

 ing a seat at the same time in the Piedmon- 

 tese Parliament. He played an important part 

 in the stirring events of 1859. On the expul- 

 sion of the Duke of Modena, he was chosen Dic- 

 tator of the Duchy, and aided greatly in bring- 

 ing about the annexation of Modena and Parma 

 to Piedmont. In 1860 we find him in Naples 

 as Commissioner from the King of Italy, assist- 

 ing in the arrangement by which Naples was to 

 become part of the new Italian kingdom. He 

 held office as Minister of Commerce and of Pub- 

 lic Works in the last cabinet of Cavour, and 

 earnestly defended the policy of alliance between 

 France and Italy. In consequence of the failure 

 of his health, owing to close application to his 

 public duties, he declined entering the Ministry 

 of Ratazzi in 1862, but in December of the same 

 year, he was named by royal decree President 

 of the Cabinet. This post ill health compelled 

 him to resign in March of the following year, 

 his son Minghetti taking his place, the Parlia- 

 ment at the same time voting him a grant of 

 20,000 franca and a pension of 25,000 francs. 

 His principal works are " The Roman States," 

 a " History of Italy," and " Letters to Lord John 

 Russell and to Mr. Gladstone." 



FENIAN BROTHERHOOD. The year 1866 

 was marked by overt acts of hostility against 

 the British Government in America, on the part 

 of the American Fenians, who, up to that pe- 

 riod, had devoted their energies to the raising 

 of money to advance the cause of independence 

 in Ireland. In the early part of the year the 

 dissensions which had been fomenting for some 

 time in the bosom of the brotherhood, resulted 

 in a rupture into two sections, known as the 

 "O'Mahony" and the "Roberts," from the 

 names of their respective chiefs. Charges of 

 incompetency and dishonesty were freely ex- 

 changed between the belligerents ; but the 

 effect of this war of words, contrary to the 

 general expectation, was to stimulate each 

 party to do something to reinstate themselves 

 more fully in the confidence of those who sym- 

 pathized in the Fenian movement. This could 

 be done quickest and best by an attack on some 

 exposed point of the British dominions on this 

 continent; for it was conceded by both parties 

 that it would be impracticable to operate di- 

 rectly for the liberation of Ireland after the 

 failure of the insurrection of the previous year. 

 Both parties were successful in obtaining money 

 from their adherents, by means of proclamations, 

 public meetings, and organized private efforts. 



The O'Mahony faction were the first in the 

 field. In the month of April an iron steamer 

 was purchased in New York, and manned with 

 a skilful crew, for the purpose of carrying arms 

 to Eastport, Maine, from which point a descent 

 was to be made upon the island of Campobello, 

 belonging to New Brunswick, and only a few 

 miles distant from Eastport. Major B. Doran 

 Killian had charge of the expedition. The men 



composing the invading force, numbering about 

 five hundred, quietly gathered at Eastport, 

 coming by rail and steamboat from various 

 points, and then anxiously awaited the arrival 

 of the war steamer with the arms. The sailing 

 of that vessel was, however, countermanded by 

 O'Mahony, who also sent an agent to Boston to 

 order the return home of fifty of the New York 

 men, who were there awaiting transportation to 

 the front. After a delay of some days, which 

 were spent in holding public meetings and 

 parading the streets of Eastport, a schooner ar- 

 rived from Portland with seven hundred and fifty 

 stands of arms, the offering of Fenian sympa- 

 thizers in that city. The British consul at East- 

 port complained, and the arms were seized by 

 order of the United States Government. A 

 large British war steamer anchored off Campo- 

 bello, but that did not prevent the crossing and 

 landing of small bodies of Fenians, and others 

 who desired to do so from the mainland. 

 Troops were moved to the front from St. John, 

 to prevent an invasion of the province, and a 

 detachment of United States regulars were also 

 sent up from Portland to Calais, at which point 

 a considerable number of the Fenians had as- 

 sembled. General Meade arrived on the 19th, 

 and telegraphed to Portland for more troops, 

 who were forwarded. A few days later, the 

 Fenians, totally discouraged' at the lack of sup- 

 port from their friends in New York, abandoned 

 the enterprise and made their way home as best 

 they could. Thus ended the expedition the 

 only result of which was to embitter still more 

 the relations between the rival wings of the or- 

 ganization. 



On the 10th of May, Head Centre Stephens, 

 who had escaped from a British prison toward 

 the close of 1865, arrived in New York, and 

 met with a warm reception from both the 

 O'Mahony and the Roberts factions, which were 

 each desirous of securing his approval and co- 

 operation. Some days after his arrival, O'Ma- 

 hony tendered his resignation, which was ac- 

 cepted, and Major Killian was removed. Mr. 

 Stephens apparently exerted himself to the ut- 

 most to restore good feeling between the fac- 

 tions, but without success. The Roberts party 

 came to an issue with him on the question of 

 the expediency of invading Canada. To this he 

 was opposed, urging that every effort should 

 be concentrated upon the raising of large sums 

 of money for the "men in- the gap " in Ireland. 

 He asserted that these men, numbering hun- 

 dreds of thousands, needed only money to win 

 their independence. The factions, as before, 

 spared no opportunity to assail each other's mo- 

 tives. 



The Roberts party, under the military direc- 

 tion of General Sweeney, began to move in the 

 latter part of May. On the 19th of that month 

 one thousand two hundred stands of arms were 

 seized at Rouse's Point by the United States 

 custom-house oiBcers. The Fenian centre at 

 Ogdensburg claimed them, but they were de- 

 tained by the United States authorities. On 



