Meanwhile the British Government had kept itself informed of the movement by the aid of informers and spies. In 1865 it suddenly sus pended the habeas corpus net and caused the chief leaders of the Brotherhood to he arrested. Stephens escaped from prison and fled to America, where he was joyfully received by the American branch and made head centre. But his repeated failures to send a military expedition to Ireland displeased the society, and he was deposed. All the military efforts of the Feniaus were un successful. A proposed expedition of 10,000 men into Canada resulted in 500 men crossing the border in 1866. They defeated the Canadian militia, but had to return to the United States on account of the failure of the organization to provide them with reinforcements and supplies. Their leaders were arrested by the American authorities. A daring attempt to seize the arms and ammunition stored in Chester Castle, and convey them by ship to Ireland, was thwarted in 1867. The general uprising in Ireland which was to follow the seizure' was suppressed at every point. The rescue of two leaders by a band of Manchester Fenians resulted in the death of a police officer, for which three of the rescuers were hanged. The demolition of the wall of Clerkenwell prison and various Fenian threats threw the' British authorities into a state of great alarm. Another attempt to raid Canada was suppressed by the United States Government in 1871. This was the last effort of the Fenians.
The cause of the repeated failures of the Fe nians is to be found in the fact that they had no real leaders. Stephens was a model organizer, but not a man of action. O'Mahoney was loyal to the order, hut not a man of ability. There were endless dissensions among the leaders in both countries, besides much corruption, espe cially in the American branch. The dual organi
zation in Ireland and America prevented har mony of action. But although they failed in their immediate object, their attempted uprising tended to convince English statesmen that it would be better to grant proposed reforms in Ireland than to be constantly engaged in suppressing revolts.
The name has been the subject of much discus sion. O'Mahoney. who was a student of Old Irish lore, gave the name Fenian to the society. This name he derived from Fianna Eirinn, an ancient military organization which existed in Ireland, taking its name from Finn, the cele brated hero of Irish legend. Officially the name Fenian applied to the American branch only, hut in the mind of the public it became con nected with the entire movement. At. first the Irish branch was popularly known as the Phoenix Society. owing to the aid Stephens received from the Pheenix Club, especially in counties Kerry and Cork. This club was suppressed by the Gov ernment in 1858. The real name of the Trish branch was, as before stated, the Irish Herolu tionory Brotherhood. Consult: Gibbons, J., Pro ceedings of the First :Voti(mol Fenian Convention Held at Chicago, 1863 (Philadelphia, 1863) ; The Government Proceedings Against Fen ioniser (London, 1865). The most detailed account of the movement is J. Rutherford, Serret History of the Fenian Conspiracy (2 vols., London, 1877). partisan English; A. M. Sullivan, New Ireland (Philadelphia, 1878) , ells. 17-25, is partisan Irish, as is J. Savage. Fenian K ortyrs and Heroes (Bos ton, 1861), the author of which was himself a Fenian. A good brief account of the movement, Irish in sympathy, is to be found in Justin Mc Carthy. /edam/ I4inee the Union (London, 1877), ells. 11-17.