It was wonderful that
any escaped. The country people could hardly be prevailed upon to render
assistance, they sympathised with the murderous purpose which had barely
failed. The Roman Catholic party raised a great outcry against the
Orangemen _for provoking_ such an outrage. The liberal party in
parliament and in the press could not afford to do without the Roman
Catholic vote, and took up the same key-note of denunciation of the
Orangemen. It is astonishing how little indignation the British public
showed at this attempt at wholesale assassination by fanatics. A verdict
of wilful murder was returned by a coroner's jury against six navvies
who worked upon the rail. No adequate means were adopted by the
government to trace out the offenders, or bring them to the condign
punishment so extraordinary an atrocity deserved.
COLONIAL.
The colonies were generally prosperous and peaceable; much alarm was
excited, especially in Australia, India, and the Straits of Malacca, by
the want of fortifications and ships of war for their protection. It
was deemed possible that a Russian fleet might sail through the straits,
from its Siberian rendezvous, and commit great ravages in India, and
that Australia was still more open to attack. Great efforts were made by
the colonists to place the colonies in a good defensive condition, and
even to aid the parent country in a war so popular in every part of the
empire.
In Canada several public disasters occurred during the year: chiefly
a terrific fire at Quebec, by which a large portion of the city was
destroyed.
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