Looking back abt. 137 years: Did the �Fear of Terrorism� contribute to passage of the BNA Act by the British Parliament and the creation of a nation called �The Dominion of Canada� in 1867? Webster�s def: Fenian...#1. One of a legendary bad of warriors defending Ireland in the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. #2. a member of a secret 19th century Irish and Irish-American organization dedicated to the overthrow of British rule in Ireland. Quotes from recent publications: 1865....�the Catholic population in the Port de Grave area had dropped to about fifty people. They were now fully convinced that their diminishing numbers and worsening situation was the result of unfair treatment from the larger Protestant population. They were prepared to go down fighting.............Intelligence reached Port de Grave that a vessel was being armed by the Irish �Up the Bay� to invade the settlement and revenge the treatment of their bretheren.� ..........�I trust the government will not go so far as to discharge the Port de Grave constable, and thereby make him a Fenian martyr for all time to come�.........� Suspicion flared again after the night of January 14, 1877, when John Ringwood, the Protestant constable at Port de Grave, who had replaced three decades of Catholic constables, leff to accompany Constable Forbes part way to Bay Roberts in a blinding snowstorm. John Ringwood had replaced Matthew Reily, the Irish Constable some people attempted to have removed from Port de Grave after the 1865 insurrection.� page 123-125 ......of the 1997 book titled �Heritage of a Newfoundland Outport� ISBN 0-921692-81-1 1865....�When in 1865 the British took decisive action against the Fenians in Ireland, the American Fenians went on the offensive and plotted to invade British North America from bases in the United States. They hoped, by carefully staged incidents, to spark a general Anglo-American war, and therby win Irish independence. This year reports travelled northwards that in San Francisco 40,000 Fenians were preparing to invade the British territories beyond the 49th parallel.........Fortunately the account of Fenian activity proved grossly exaggerated, and the gallant militiamen of British Columbia and Vancouver Island did not have to lay down their lives for the colonies...page 330-331 of the 1977 book titled �British Columbia 1847-1871 Chronicle� by Akrigg 1868... page 362...�March. There were renewed fears of a Fenian attack. Elsewhere, from American bases, the Fenians had launched a number of raids that had taken Canadian lives. Now reports were rife that a Fenian force was about to sail from San Francisco to attack British Columbia� 1868... page 368...� November.There was renewed fear of the Fenians this month. In October Rear-Admiral Hastings had received a coded message from London which, deciphered, read: �The Foreign Department have information, which may be correct, of Fenian Attack may be attempted on Vancouver Island.� One of the fears was that the Fenians, raiding Victoria, might abduct Governor Seymour and hold him as a hostage for release of their leaders held in prison in Ireland. Accordingly, this month for the first time a guard of Royal Marines was assigned to Government House.� .....Akrigg 1866...� . Among the wildest were the Fenians, a band of Irish-Americans fired by the novel idea of pressuring England into freeing Ireland by harassing British America. Already there had been Fenian incursions into Eastern Canada. In June 1866, a rabble of 1,000 men, most of them Civil War veterans, defeated a force of Canadain volunteers to capture Fort Erie, Ontario. Only when the United States government intervened did the invaders withdraw. It seemed entirely likely that a similar incident might occur farther west.� page 140 of the 1997 book titled �The Canadians� L of C # 76-26845 1865-1868....�Riel�s formal education ended abruptly in March 1865 when he walked out of the seminary shortly before the close of the term............insulted and dis-illusioned, he left Montreal in June 1866. It took him more than two years to reach Red River, an interlude filled with vague and not very productive occupations in Chicago and St. Paul. He reached home at the end of July 1868.� page 142 of �The Canadians� ===== Researching Surnames/ancestors, in NL before 1835.....Batten *Beauchamp, *Beecham, *Bishop, *Buchan, *Bucham, Butler, Churchill, *Dawe (Daw, Dar, Dare, Dorr) Earle, Epps, Fitzpatrick, Foot, *French, *Lamb, Moran, Morgan, *Russell, *Rosewell, *Rosedale, Rosdell, Routh, *Rowswell, *Rowsell, Rowell, *Rousell, Roussell, Snow, *Sparks, *Sparkes, Tucker and their in-laws. (*Timeline Documents on file for these surnames, NL Primary Producers and NDBay History..all family history contributions are welcome) __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com