RECRUITMENT IN TRELAND FOR THE AMERICAN ARMY AND NAVY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 179, 9 June 1864, Page 4

RECRUITMENT IN TRELAND FOR THE AMERICAN ARMY AND NAVY.

rFiiim Hie " i:un>i>c;in Times." Marrli 2C.-J Two collections of correspondence headed "North America, 7 :\ml S," were published yo.-torday. one entitled "ConvspnwloMc; rcspectinij T(ecru it mcut in Ireland for !'.io Military Service oftho United Slates," and the other entitled •■Correspondence respecting tin" United Slides ship of war Kcar?a»e." Tilt l eorrespomleneo respecting the recruitment in Troland relates eliielly to the proceedings of n certain Trisluiiaii named V. if. i'inney or Thinney. who :-.mved in tlmt country in the month of .["miliary 'of the present year to raise law bodies of men Cor certain purees, about which there is considerable doubt, the iieeonnt of Mr. r"innev "r I'lsluin-v, and according to the letters fimiis'ioii l'o him by Messrs. ]'a<re, Richardson, <i»nl l'o.. addressed to Messrs. Sahel and 5."..|.., of Liverpool, the object for wliich it was proposed to raise men in Ireland wus the construct ing of certain railway.- and other public works in the United State.*; but -locoi-din:; to!)tbo tcsliinony of a certain i "U'-.n. Tike, willi whom "Mr. Dunney had come into contact in Troliind, that il wasnnly the protendedobjeot the real one being to raise recruits for the army of the United States. The correspondence leaves it very iineci.ain what was the real ohjvt -if" !>rr. i'liin'nev's operations, bul lli.-in.i--e=s I ..n'o, l T: il H BusseVs mind. I ir wi; liuiy jn'.-e tiv.m one of his speeches in the House 1 of Lo.-ds", was that Mr. Phinnoy's real object was to ' make money lor himself, and that when he had once i'ot his Irish recruits to Boston or Xew York his object would he to dispose of Iheni to the best bidder, whoever lhat mi-Jit happen to be. With regard, however. I.) 11,0 professed opjccl of Mr. Phinr.ey's it was stiilicrn'ly pl;iu:-il>le to obtain ercdii with some resnecht!ilo persons. Messrs. Vagc. l\ich»r..K.-r.i..\ < V. oniostcn.statc in their letter to Jlf?:r.-.,-a:n'l A: Si-arle. of Liverpool, that I lure were n numl'cr of railroad companies and other coi porations groatly in want of men (o perform labour, and that they had agreed with Mc.-rs. l'-tL". 1 , iJlehard.-on. and Co. to he lt-poii ; iljli' f'.rl'.ie piissaec-nionoyof a certain number, >f-ue"ii alle-bodicd men as would'bew iliinir to v.-,.rk for them. With n view to ibis obieel, thev state that thcheanroflhcir letter. Mr. Patrick 11. I'li'ini.ey, had been -cut by them to attend to the mutter, and to see (hat none lull ahV-1 .idled men were taken—men in uood health, am! who would mil be liic.lv lo fall sick on their hands. Seven humlrd -.lieu were wanted, and a.s Mi s»rs. V-t«:; liictiaroson, and Co. wished Mor*. S-.VI and Seai-le to their lu>t eli'orts to aid Air. Thinney in his ent. rpri>e. they sii™. Med that Sabel ami Searle i-h.mlil lorwav.l « eirenlnr to each of their aircnts in Ireland, to the cllect thiit in.od men were wailed to to work for not icr-silian twelve months, and 1 lu.t their piissige would he paid on condition ihiii they bound ihemselves so to work. Tbt-y enclosctl a.op%',,rtl,ci."r.-mciii ■■vV.-iuiinifii-»a-ed in Ireland ,'ro U, „., follow s :— "\W, l\.. -i.Hlers.-iietl. hereby a-ree with Palriek j Tl. !'!,innev lhat in consideration of Hie said Patrick 11. I'liimieV advancinj; the money necessary lor the ]iaviuent of our respecti\e pas.-a-jes to I'oston, in the L'niled Stales of .Amerita, wei"each of us, herein our names (or making our marks m presence of wilne.-s). herebv iigrce with the said ]'. 11. l'hinney that we will, on our arrival in Ho.ton ~l'oiv coi.unen.-e to b,b,,ui-fov the suitl l'Mlri.k Jl. l'liinney, or his ■•ilhi-roii the C'hai lestown Wiiterw'orks, in the city of Cliarlc-low n ; orthe Wch-,-tcr-ir.il Soiuliridtje Kaili-oads. in (lieemploy of Wall j and l.vnch ; or the "iioslon. Hertford, anil Kri.: liail- ! road, "in the employ of K. Crane, in the State of I on I be I'.tcilic llnilroail ; or for the I Hear Valley Coal Coinpany. in the employ of George 1 , . lor (he Franklin Coal Company, in the employ of 1 , '.. (.'. I'titcs, in the Stiitcol' I'ennsyhiiiiiii. -And we hereby a-ree lhat we will each of ns 'hereto M-nin.' as'aloresaiil continue to labour and work to our best ability for the said I'. 11. l'hinney, or his assigns, for the term of twelve months from the date of our arrival in said Ho.-ton, for ;\1 the rate of dollar.- per month in addition to our board and which is to be furnished to us bv ths said 1\ if. l'hiiiiiev. "Ami we each of us hereby agree lint we will repay to the suid V 11. P'linncv or to his assign, the amount I v.bieh shall havcb.cn paid by the said t'.JI. J'hinney or I liisa-si"iis for each of.mr ptUanes to Uoston as aiorei said, and also those of us who .-hall have had our in- ! laud i.assai;es pai.l for us bv the said I'. It. Thinncy. ; or anv oilier advances which may have been made to ; us bv'lbe siiiil 1 , . 11, I'hinnev, or that the same shall i 1,,, deducted from cr repaid l'n'.ni our wanes tirsl earn.xl j a,, aforesaid, and paid to the ..aid 1 , . 11. l'hiuney or his I assiiius by our eiuplo_\er>. "It is understood that the \vai;es uCoresaid of each of us will commence within one week after our arrival in lioslun, or as soon as we commence our work." Messrs. fcabel and Seurle, of Liverpool, on receiving lhi> loiter, appear to have ln:d some suspicions with regard to the transaction, anil they thoiflbre wrote to .Mr. I'cht, their «l l>ublin, a letter of which the followin'n is i>ll extract :— " We, as agents lor tho (ialway and Perry lines, are bound to £i-t as many passengers a.s we. can for the respective steamers ; "and as both lines carry hcrMajesly's mails we do not like to subject them to a sudden -.-h-iu-e or even to detention fora single hour. ThereI fore, we wish you to put this matter before the highest authority at the Castle in your city ; so that it, as we i arc sorry to see frequently is the ease, anyone t:vil(lispuseci .should tfive information that the men are intended for enlistment, a prompt and .satisfactory denial may ho -iven. l'lcase to ascertain from Government whether we can follow our legitimate, trade of shipping these passengers or not, or ale we hound to ship them bael; :- If there be tilt: slightest risk to ourselves or the respective companies, we will carry matters further m London, and stop in the meanwhile." II appears from the subsequent part of the correspondence that the law ollieers of the Cro\v%i, to whom iiil the papers respecting the proceedings of Mr. I'. U. i'jiiiiniiV were, relcrred, were of opinion that there was 110 evidence which would enable them to proceedagainst him for a breach of the Foreign Kiilistment Act, and ihiil consequently -1-3 vouni; men, hired by him, were ioiuaivled to Liverpool on the 21ird of February, to be sent: forward to I'.oston per arranyment made by Mes.-rs. t-abel and Searle, shipinng agents, W aler.Street, C-.verpool. Tho principal evidence forwarded to tin.' olli, -ers of the Crown wit li regard to the proceedings 0/ Mr. rhinncy wasthe deposition of William I'ike, "givei 1 »!■ the liead police-ollice, at JJiiblhi, from w'hiclL it appeared that Pike had summoned riiiiuiey for refusing i o pay him £3 7s ltd wages fur assisting him to biro men in the north of Ireland to proceed tu> Am erica. According to l'ifce's testimony, he procured ab out oO'J names altogether. Phiunoy, after his return from Uiilway, said he wanted tip-top men ; he did not, say how many of tho "Ci-sons witness

cot- would suit him, hut said he would see about it; witness ?aw money with him, iind cot Ss (id from him at dillcrent times. Afterwards Fhimicy showed him the lionntv that wns bcinc (,-iren for the Americ.in Army. :iml from tome comersarion with him lie believed lhat war- the purpose lbr '.ihieh ho wanted Hie men, riiitiney said he ertuepivecl tliev woidd all join thi 1 army when they saw the amount of wastes ami the bounty that were beir><; r;iveii. In 11 subsequent part of his'evidence. Tike said that Vhinnev showed him that the soldier's pay was e.|llal to tin a yvnr, that, tile Government, city bounty was S5 dollars, and that on (he whole the persons accepting the enpaegment would have £110 to his credit at the end of thn year. The magistrate before whom I'ike madrthis statement told him that he could do nothing for hin, inasmucii as iiceording to hi? own .'-howiii!; he v.as eii2!\iieil in an illerjal trnnaetion, and that the only recompense he coul.l ixet there was puui-lnnent, Willi reciird to the correspondence as to tliep!:!ist- : nieiit of Urilish seanipii on hoard the Unitiul States ship of war at Cork, there is no question as to Ihe fact of ](> men having none on hoard lhat vessel, bavins sailed wit?- it to Brest, and having afterwards been re-landed at Cork. The nnlv question in this ease is as to whether men were shipped with the knowledge of the captain and ollieers of the Keersaue. This the captain, .1. A. Winslow, positively denies, stating that the men came on board unknown to him and were concealed by some of the crew until the vessel had "Of to sea' and that they were landed at Cork as soon as po==ibic. There are other stalemenH <v!iic!. are not consistent with that of Captain 'Wim-low, but on pie whole it is left donbtl'nl whether the Amerieiin eflicers were in any way imi.licat. d in this transa-tion. The men themselves have been tried and have pleaded iruilty and have beui dl-cliarged on their own i< ce".i.i-ances. »