THE FENIAN MOVEMENT 205 



leaders in the venture from St. Albans (Sweeney, Spear, and McMahon) 

 were also arrested but released on bonds after a day's detention. Roberts 

 was taken into custody in New York. His examination was begun on 

 June 11 and on the 12th he was released on parole. 



On July 23, 1866, the House passed a resolution requesting the 

 President "to cause the prosecutions instituted in the United States 

 courts against the Fenians to be discontinued." 1 Instructions to that 

 effect were soon issued by the attorney-general and not one of the Fenians 

 was ever brought to trial. 2 On October 16, the United States authorities 

 returned to the Fenians the arms and ammunition that had been seized 

 during May and June. 3 The "understanding" was that these arms 

 were to be sold to Santa Anna. But it must be remembered that it 

 was just at this time that plans were being matured for the uprising in 

 England and Ireland, which took place in the early part of 1867. More- 

 over, the United States government, at its own expense, 4 employed counsel 

 to defend the Fenians captured in Canada and held for capital offenses. 

 For such as were convicted and sentenced to death, mitigation of sentence 

 was secured through diplomatic channels. 3 



On July 23, 1866, the House of Representatives passed 6 a resolution 

 requesting the Committee on Foreign Affairs to inquire into the 

 expediency of reporting a bill applying the same regulations toward 

 Fenian belligerents that the government of Great Britain had ap- 

 plied to the Confederacy. 7 On March 27, 1867, just when all Ireland 

 was in social and industrial chaos because of the Fenian uprising 

 the House passed three resolutions, all of which, because of their belliger- 

 ent tone, gave added vigor and hope to the Fenian conspiracy. 8 The 

 first declared the Canadian Confederacy, 9 then under consideration in 



1 Journal of House of Representatives, ist sess., 39th Cong., p. 1084. 

 " Geneva Arbitration, Vol. II, p. 257. 



3 More arms were returned in 1868 just when the Fenians were planning a second invasion of Canada 

 (Geneva Arbitration, Vol. II, p. 257). 



* Richardson, Messages of the President, Vol. VI, pp. 457, 458. 



s Diplomatic Correspondence, 1868, Vol. I, pp. 260, 262. 



6 House Journal, ist sess., 30th Cong., p. 1001. 



' Congressional Globe, ist sess., 40th Cong., p. 392. The committee, however, made no report. 



8 All were introduced by Chairman Banks, of the Committee on Foreign Relations. 



House Journal, ist sess., 40th Cong., p. 125. 



