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PNGLAND 7 THE NTNETEENTH CENTURY. 
mere baggage-guard of the English force, "l’he captives were 
surrendered, and "T’heodore blew out his own brains when he 
saw his army dispersed and his stronghold stormed (April, 1868). 
Far more important than this trifling war were the domestic 
troubles of the United Kingdom in 1866-68, Ireland, which 
had remained in the quiet of exhaustion since 
The Fenian +po famine of 1845 and Smith O’Brien’s fiasco in 
outbreaks, 
1848, was now in one of her periodical fits of 
effervescence, It was mainly due to encouragement from 
America : when the Federal armies were disbanded in 1865, 
thousands of Irishmen, who had gone through the civil war, 
were thrown upon the world with a good military training and 
an ingrained hatred for England. Many of them engaged in a 
scheme for raising rebellion in Ireland, while others undertook 
to invade Canada in order to distract the attention of the 
British Government, "They had hopes of being able to drag 
the United States into the turmoil, for the ravages of the 
Alabama and her consorts were bitterly remembered across 
the Atlantic. Emissaries, who crossed to Ireland, enrolled 
many thousands of enthusiastic young men in the “ Fenian 
Brotherhood ”— an association which took its strange title from 
the ancient name of the tribal militia of the Celtic kingdoms 
of the Dark Ages, Attempts, which fortunately failed, were 
made to tamper with the Irish regiments garrisoned across 
St. George’s Channel. But the inevitable mismanagement, 
shirking, and treachery, which have distinguished all Irish 
risings, showed as clearly in 1867 as in 1848 or 1798. The‘ 
widespread plans of the Fenians ended everywhere in 
ludicrous failure, Some thousands of them crossed into 
Canada, only to be easily dispersed by the loyal militia. The 
United States Government, though it did not take adequate 
pains to prevent their raids, refused to be drawn into collusion 
with them. "The insurrection in Ireland only burst out at one 
or two isolated points, instead of spreading over the whole 
country. It resulted in no more than some ill-planned attacks