of the Regiments and the numbers in each to be 39320 Foot 3471 Horse and 2480 Dragoons which in all make an Army of 50271. besides their Rapparees in all the Corners of the Countrey but these were all that they had to man the whole Garisons of Ireland so that they were not above 27000 at the Boyn besides the French But to return About the 8th or 9th of July it was known abroad That His Majesty had an Account of the Misfortune of the English and Dutch Fleets at which time he divided his Army and marched himself towards Kilkenny with the greatest part of it For though His Majesty was sensible that going with his whole Army towards Athlone and so into Connaght was the readiest way to reduce the Irish yet having some Reasons to apprehend that the French after the Battel of Flerus might send off Detachments from their Army and so disturb England or at least send part of their Fleet and burn his Transport-Ships he made hast to secure Waterford Haven for them since the Bay of Dublin is no Place of safety Sending at the same time Lieutenant-General Douglas with three Regiments of Horse two of Dragoons and ten of Foot towards Athlone Ffty miles to the Northwest from Dublin before which Place he came on the 17th with the aforesaid Party Twelve Field-pieces and two small Mortars The Irish burnt and deferted that part of Athlone on Leinster side the Bridge called the English Town But seeing our Party and our Train not suitable to such an Undertaking and having three Regiments of Foot nine Troops of Dragoons and two of Horse in and about the Town with a fresh supply of Forces not far off they positively refused to deliver up the Place which Lieutenant-General Douglas seeing no hopes of forcing them to on Friday the 25th early in the morning he raised his Siege and marched to join the King's Army again having not lost above Thirty men before the place but near Three hundred by Sickness and other Accidents Our rising from before that Town did so puff up the Irish that one Malady the Late King 's High Sheriff for the County of Longford got at least Three thousand of the Rabble or such like People together near Mullingar where they hectored and swaggered for some days but Collonel Woolsley with his own Horse and two Regiments of Foot being sent back to secure that part of the Countrey about Forty of his Horse being an Advance Guard fell in with a Party of the Irish towards the Evening which giving the Alarm to the rest they immediately began to disperse and every man to shift for himself and Night coming on our Party had only the opportunity of killing about Thirty of them High Sheriff Malady himself being wounded and never since able to raise such another posse Commitatus But to return to His Majesty's Camp which on the 9th he pitched at a place called Cromlin two miles to the West of Dublin where the King setled the method A Commission about Forfeited Goods of granting Protections according to his Declaration And then gave a Commission to Francis Earl of Longford Anthony Lord Bishop of Meath Robert Fitz-Gerald Esq Sir Henry Fane Doctor Gorge William Robinson Esq Joseph Coghlin Esq Edward Corker Esq and Henry Davis Esq or any five of them to enquire into seize and secure all Forfeitures to the Crown by the General Rebellion of the Irish Nation This Commission empowered them to appoint Deputies to summon and swear Witnesses to call the Justices of the Peace and Deputy-Lieutenants to their Assistance to let Leases for a year and in doubtful Cases to consult the Judges learned in the Law and this Power of theirs to continue until a more legal method could be put in practice when the Courts of Judicature were open The Bishop of Meath whether his Lordship was sensible of the Defect of the Commission at first or else did not like the Proceedings of some of the rest he soon forbore his attendance at their Meetings but several of the rest proceeded in their Business and took possession of Goods of all sorts as well in the Hands of Roman-Catholicks and on their Grounds as in the hands of Protestants where they had been left by their Catholick Neighbours upon which account those Gentlemen had the misfortune to be much censured afterwards as well by some in the Countrey where they made Seisures as by the Commissioners of Their Majesty's Revenue who complained of the small Returns made into the Exchequer This occasioned several of the above-named Gentlemen who had been imployed to make a representation of their Case afterwards to the Lords Justices which I have seen and it was to this effect That amongst a great many Discouragements in so troublesome an Imployment their Commission it self was so defective that it seemed a perfect Snare to them contrary to the intent or Interest of His Majesty in that it gave them power to seize upon all Forfeitures but not to dispose of any except of Lands by lease for a year by which means the Goods seized by the Commissioners and their Deputies were often either stole or forced away sometimes by the Army and at other times by the Rapparees after they had been at great charge about them And a great many other things they have to say for themselves by which it appears that those Aspersions cast upon some of them were groundless though others of them or where-ever the fault else laid some I say there were who did Their Majesties Affairs no great Advantage nor themselves much Credit by their management But this being a matter of publick Concern is none of my business to look into His Majesty then marched forwards and from a Wexford secured Place called Castledermot sent Brigadier Eppinger with a Party of One thousand Horse and Dragoons to secure Wexford which before his Arrival was deserted by the Irish Garison The King all along upon his march was acquainted with the Disorders and Confusion of the Irish Army and of their speedy marches to Limerick and other Strong Holds The 19th His Majesty dined at Kilkenny a Walled Town wherein stands a Castle belonging to the Duke of Ormond which had been preserved by Count Lauzun with all the Goods and Furniture And next day His Majesty Clonmel quitted by the â—ish understood that the Enemy had quitted Clonmell whither Count Sconberg marched with a Body of Horse Monday the 21st The Army marched to Carrick where the King received an Account of the state of Waterford and whither Major-General Kirk went Waterford and Duncannon Fort surrendred next morning with a Party to summon the Town wherein were two Regiments of the Irish who submitted upon condition to march out with their Arms As did also the strong Fort of Duncannon in a day or two after which gave His Majesty sufficient shelter for all his Shipping When Waterford was surrendered His Majesty in Person went to view it where
forced most of them to fly from thence to secure their Lives against an Insolent and ungovernable Irish Army who by order from the Government seized upon all the Horses and Arms they could find in the Hands of the Protestants throughout the Kingdom and made all possible Preparations to resist a powerful Army from England which was but reasonable to look for since it 's so inconsistent with the Laws Interest and Policy of this Kingdom to have Ireland in any other hands but their own On the 12th of March the Late King with about The Late King lands in Ireland 1800 men from France landed at Kinsale in the West of Ireland And on the 14th several of the Northern Protestants that had betaken themselves to Arms were routed at a place called Drummore by Lieut. Gen. Hambleton who was some time before sent into Ireland to treat with my Lord Tyrconnel to deliver up the Sword but joining with his Lordship and the Irish at his Landing he was preferred to that Post He had with him at Drummore about 2000 of the Irish standing Army and nigh as many Rapareers though he killed but few of the Protestants they making a Running Fight of it as others also did at Killileigh Claudyfoord and some other Places several flying into England or Scotland though the most resolute amongst them went towards London-Derry where in a short time they were actually besieged by the greatest part of the Irish Army And then the Irish make Preparations for the sitting of their Parliament which was on the 7th of May 1689. wherein all the mere Irish were admitted as An Irish Parliament called Members and most of the English Nobility Gentry Clergy and substantial Tradesmen of that Kingdom were attainted by name their Estates and Goods being declared forfeited if they returned not by a certain day which to the greatest part was next to an impossibility There were some Protestants however in this Parliament who endeavoured to do their Absent Brethren and the Protestant Interest all the faithful service imaginable particularly the Bishop of Meath who made several excellent Speeches in the House of Lords in opposition to their Proceedings but the Current was then too strong to be stopt and whoever endeavoured it their Attempts were fruitless But the greatest Thorn in their sides at that time in The Siege of London-derry Ireland was the City of London-derry which contemned both their Threats and fair Promises baffling the chieâ— of their Forces for at least Four Months together without any extraordinary Supplies from England till they were reduced to the last Extremity Yet on the 25th of March the Besieged had some Arms and Ammunition brought them by Captain James Hambleton And on the 13th of April Collonel Richards and Collonel Cunningham were sent with Two Regiments from England to their Assistance who coming to the Lough of Derry and being ordered to obey the then Governour Lundy's directions they were told by him That the Town could not hold out a Week and that their coming in would only be the loss of their men and the Besieged also and advised them to return which they did tho they lost their Regiments upon it A GROUND PLAT OF LONDON-DERRY tc Then went Major-General Kirk with his own Regiment Sir John Hanmer's and Brigadier Stuart's who anchor'd in the Lough Two Months during which Major-General Kirk sent to their relief time a great many French Commanders were sent to the Irish Camp and also the late King himself went down to encourage the Besiegers fresh Supplies of men going thither daily but all to no purpose which when he saw how unsuccessful the Attempts of his Irish Army against the Town were like to prove it 's confidently reported that he exprest himself to this effect That if he had had as many English-men in his Army as he had of others they would have brought him it stone by stone ere that But being weary of so tedious a Siege he returned to Dublin and at last the Dartmonth Frigat forced her way up to the Town and the Irish raised their Siege on the last of July The Management of this Affair was blamed by some of themselves who were either for pushing on the Siege with their whole Army or else for making a Blockade and so going into Scotland with the rest of the Army as my Lord Melfort advised and as my Lord Dunee earnestly writ for several times but some of the Irish Officers advised the late King to a Medium by making a slow and regular Siege which would teach his men to be the better Soldiers but thereby he lost his opportunity in not sending to reinforce Dundee whereby he might at least have changed the seat of the War Nor were the Inniskilliners behind their Neighbours of Derry in opppsing the Irish on all occasions for besides several Actions of moment performed by them at other times the very day before the Siege of Derry was raised the Inniskilliners hearing of about Six thousand of the Irish Army commanded by Major-General Mackarty commonly called my Lord Moncashel that were marching towards them in order to Besiege their Town also they very bravely met them nigh Twenty Miles from home and at a place called Newtown Butler near Croom-Castle they fought and routed the Irish killing and drowning in Loughs and Bogs nigh Three thousand The Battel at Newtown Butler Mackarty himself and some few more being taken Prisoners The whole Body of the Inniskilliners both Horse and Foot were not above Two thousand and scarce Twenty of those were killed with about Fifty more wounded This I have had confirmed by several very good men of that Party and it 's in a great measure owned by the Irish themselves After these Affronts the Irish Army retire into Leinster Duke Schonberg lands with an Army in Ireland and Munster in order to recruit and refresh themselves when they had soon an account to their sorrow That Duke Schonbergh General of all Their Majesties of Great Britain's Forces was landed with an Army at Bangor in the North of Ireland This was on Tuesday August the 13th and on the 17th the General with his Army marched to Belfast from whence on the 20th he sent Five Regiments of Foot with some Horse to Invest the Town of Carrickfergus and the next day followed himself with the remainder of the Army There were Two Regiments of Foot in the Town under Mackarty Moore the Governor and Owen Mackarty who held it out till the 27th at what time the following Articles were agreed to and signed Articles of Agreement between Frederick Duke of Schonbergh General of Their Majesties Forces and Col. Charles Mackarty Moore Governor of Carrickfergus August 27. 1689. Art I. THAT the Garison shall march out with flying Articles of Carrickfergus Colours Arms lighted Matches and their own Baggage to morrow by Ten a Clock II. That in regard the Garison are in such Disorders none be admitted into
Conduct that day After the Battel our Army lay upon their Arms all night at Duleek having left our Tents all standing beyond the Boyne And next morning his Majesty sent Brigadier La Mellionere with One thousand Horse and Dragoons a Party of Foot and Eight Pieces of Cannon to summons Drogheda wherein the Irish had a Garison of about 1300 men commanded by my Lord Iveagh who surrendred the Town upon Condition That his Garison should have leave to march out without their Arms and be conducted to Athlone Tho their Barbarity in tying the Protestants in Town back to back and placing them where they expected our Guns to play ought not to be forgot This is a Town of no great strength only a Mount whereon are planted Ten Guns on the South-side the River seems capable of Defence Thursday the 3 d. of July his Majesty had an Account That the Irish had left Dublin and were making what haste they could towards the Shannon upon which the Duke of Ormond marched to that City with One thousand Horse and found Captain Farlow Governor of the Castle who two days before had been a Prisoner his Grace took possession of all the Out-Guards of the Town with his Horse and the Dutch Blue Guards were sent to the Castle The 5th His Majesty with his Army marches to Dublin our Army marched to Finglass a little Village two miles to the North-west of Dublin where we lay encamped for several days The 6th being Sunday his Majesty went to St. Patrick's Church in Dublin and next day towards the evening the Bishop of Meath the Bishop of Limerick Dr. King and all the Clergy then about Dublin except the Lord Primate who sent his Excuse to his Majesty by reason of his great Age and Infirmness waited upon the King at his Camp where the Bishop of Meath made an excellent Congratulatory Speech for his Majesty's happy Victory and their Deliverance Whereunto his Majesty gave a Gracious Answer And the Bishop of Limâ—rick desired they might appoint a Day of Publick Thanksgiving and have leave to Compose a Form of Prayer suitable to the occasion which was granted The same day his Majesty signed a Declaration His Majesty's Declaration to the Irish wherein he promised Protection to all poor Labourers common Soldiers Countrey-Farmers Plow-men and Coltiers as also to all Citizens Tradesmen Townsmen and Artificers who either remained at home or having fled from their Dwellings should return by the first of August following c. leaving all others to the Event of War unless by great and manifest demonstrations they would convince his Majesty that they deserved his Mercy which he promised never to refusâ— to those who were truly penitent A great many of the Irish Officers complained The Irish Objections against the Declaration That this Declaration was too narrow in excluding them from any Advantage by it and that they were obliged afterwards to stick together as being their only safety but this Declaration was narrower than his Majesty's Royal Intentions on purpose to comply with the English Proprietors of that Countrey And as to the Irish Officers this was only a pretence for when it was enlarged afterwards by his Majesty and the Government the year succeeding made them all the reasonable Proffers that could be hoped or wished for yet most of them continued obstinate till they could not help it But tho his Majesty was very careful to have this and his other Declaration that succeeded it observed yet some Officers and Soldiers were apt to forget the King's Honour with that of our Countrey and Religion too when they stood in competion with their own Profit and Advantage That day and the next his Majesty took a view of his Army by distinct Regiments nor did the inconveniency of the bad Weather which fell out at Our Army mustered that time prevent him from observing each Regiment very nicely the whole number of Horse Foot and Dragoons that marched in the Ranks was 30330 besides 483 Reformed Officers as also all the Officers and Serjeants in the Army and Four Regiments in Garison so that the compleat Number of our whole Army was at least 36000 as is said before Nor will it be improper to gâ—ve here a List of our General Officers who commanded this Campaign under his Majesty and were employed in his Service but we must take it from the beginning since his Grace Duke Schonberg was killed ere this A LIST of the General Officers of Their Majesties Army 1690. FRederick Duke of Schonberg Captain-General A List of their Majesties Army 1690. The Duke of Wirtenbergh General of the Danes Count Solmes General of the Foot Count Schonberg General of the Horse Lieutenant-General Douglass Lord Overkirk Maistres Generals des Camp Earl of Portland Maistres Generals des Camp Henry Lord Viscount Sidney Major-Generals of Foot Count Nassau Major-Generals of Foot Major-General Kirk Major-Generals of Foot Major-General Tetteau Major-Generals of Foot Monsieur Screvenmore Major-Generals of Horse Maj. Gen. La Forrest Major-Generals of Horse Sir John Lanier Major-Generals of Horse Monsieur Du Cambon Quarter-master-General Brigadier Trelawney Brigadiers of Foot Sir Henry Bellasis Brigadiers of Foot Sir John Hanmer Brigadiers of Foot Brigadier Stuart Brigadiers of Foot Brigad La Mellionere Brigadiers of Foot Brigad Villars Brigadiers of Horse Brigad Eppinger Brigadiers of Horse Brigad Schack Brigadiers of Horse Sir Robert Southwell Secretary of State Thomas Coningesby Esq now Lord Coningesby and Charles Fox Esq Pay-masters-General Sir John Topham Advocate-General Henry Wythers Adjutant-General of Foot Francis Russel Adjutant-General of Horse George Clark Esq Secretary at War Monsieur Perara Commissary-General of the Provisions Abraham Yarner Esq Muster-master-General Dr. Lawrence Physician-General Charles Thompson Esq Chyrurgion-General A CATALOGUE of the General Officers A List of the Irish General Officers and others in King Jams's Army taken out of the Muster-Rolls June the 2 d 1690. DUKE of Tyrconnel Captain-General Duke of Berwick Lieutenant-Generals Richard Hambleton Lieutenant-Generals Count Lauzune General of the French Monsieur Leary alias Geraldine Lieutenant-General Dominick Sheldon Lieutenant-General of the Horse Patrick Sarsfield Major-Generals Anthony Hambleton Major-Generals Monsieur Boiseleau Major-Generals Thomas Maxwell Brigadeers John Hambleton Brigadeers William Dorrington Brigadeers Solomon Slater Muster-master-General Robert Fitz-Gerald Comptroler of the Musters Sir Richard Neagle Secretary at War Sir Henry Bond Receivers General Louis Doe Receivers General Sir Michael Creagh Pay-master General Foelix Oneil Advocate General Dr. Archbold Physician to the State Patrick Archbold Chyrurgeon General The Irish had at that time in their Army Two Troops of Horse-Guards with another of Horse-Granadiers Eight Regiments of Horse Seven Regiments of Dragoons a Regiment of Foot Guards of Twenty two Companies and Ninety men in a Company Forty four other Regiments of Foot Thirteen Companies in a Regiment and Sixty men in a Company which with the Five thousand French Foot made their Army according to their own Computation
Muskery O Connor Roe Sir Francis Talbot Sir William Dungan and several others submitted upon those Conditions That they should abide a Trial for the Murders committed in the beginning of the Rebellion and those that only assisted in the War were to forfeit two Thirds of their Estates and to be banished And what I would further observe is this That when the General Assembly of the Popish Clergy and others at Loughreagh desired the then Marquess of Ormend's leave to treat with the Enemy for the Nation in general at the Surrender of Galway Cromwel's Army positively refused it being resolved not to admit of any Treaty for the whole but those that would capitulate should do it only for themselves or the Towns and Places they respectively belonged to By which means tho' the Town of Galway was the last considerable one that was surrendered being on the 12th of May 1652. yet it was the 26th of September 1653. before it was declared That the Rebels were subdued and the Rebellion appeased and ended And though His Majesties Proclamation about the ending of this present War was nigh six Months after the Surrender of Lymerick yet this was deferred only with respect to the poverty of the Country in forgiving the Kingdom half a years Quit-Rents and had not the least relation to any appearance of a further Disturbance as appears by the Proclamation it self Now if Lymerick had been no stronger Town when we last besieged it than it was some time after the first Conquest of Ireland when Earl Reymond Son-in-Law to Strongbow and General of the Army with David Walsh and others swam into the King's Island who taking the City without any sort of Cannon and plundering it they left a Garrison of their own men there or indeed if it had been in no better condition than in the former Wars when there appeared nothing like Works without the Walls themselves or if the Irish People were no better skill'd in Arms now than they have been heretofore even in the late times being most of them rather a confused Rabble than any thing that deserved the Name of an Army then it had been a Reflection upon an Army so well disciplin'd and in so good order as ours was not to have humbled them without any Terms But besides the natural strength of its Situation Lymerick is now improved by Art to that degree that it is very much stronger than it was when we laid Siege to it the former year the Enemy with extraordinary diligence and industry having since that cast up very strong new Works round the Irish Town with great Improvements in the King's Island and elsewhere And the Irish had not only the Advantages of being train'd up to the use of Arms by my Lord Tyrconnel and serving in an Army for some years past but several of them have been abroad in foreign Service besides the being for the most part in Action during the three Campagnes in Ireland and Custom it self is no doubt of it one Point of Courage But those who ever read the Story of Noteburg will not wonder at this Capitulation this they say is a Town built in an Island at the Entrance of the Lake Lagoda made by the Muscovites and encompassed with a strong Wâ—ll against the Attempts of the Suedes it standing upon their Frontiers This the Suedes took under the Command of James De la Garde but not till the Extremities of the Siege and a contageous Disease had consumed the whole Garrison to two Men who yet made a very advantageous Capitulation vid. Ambassadors of Hollands Travels into Muscovy and Russia And as to the Irish it must needs be acknowledged that they never had formerly so fair a Pretext as now nor had they ever been so unanimous since in the late Wars they had at least three different Armies on Foot at the same time they had now also the Assistance and Encouragement of France which is without question at present one of the most powerful Interests in the World and if they had held out till the following Winter they must needs have much fatigued our Army by continual Alarms and Watchings besides other Difficulties that would have attended us in a Blockade in which there 's no subsisting without continual Supplies of Money Ammunition and Victuals and especially near such a place as Limerick then was the Countrey thereabouts being ruined and exhausted in continuing the Seat of War for two Campaigns so that abstracting from the deepness of the Soil and the sharpness of the Winter as it afterwards proved unless we had been full as carefully supplied with Necessaries as ever we had been formerly the whole Design had been still in hazard besides the loss of Time and Treasure And though we had passed the River yet we were still as far from entring the Town as ever What might have been done some time before I am no competent Judge of but since the Irish had it still in their Power to give us the Town or keep it to themselves I see no Reason why they ought not to make a Bargain for it and expect the performance of their Contract which Their Majesties have been graciously pleased to ratifie under the Great Seal of England It may rationally be here demanded why the Irish would treat with us for the Town since they had full as many Foot within as we had in our Army without and and notwithstanding all the Stories told us by Deserters about the scarcity of Provisions they had a quantity of the finest French Bisket I ever tasted sufficient for the whole Garrison for two Months some of which I saw and Commissary-General Aspole assured my self and some other Friends that they had the rest Upon which I asked him the reason of giving us the Town And his Reply was That if they had been driven by necessity to yield they must then have accepted what Terms we had pleased to give them but since they were not they had stood upon such as were for the Advantage of their whole Party But the Truth of it is the Irish were either weary of the War or jealous of one another or it may be both it being no ill Policy on our side to foment their differences and make their private Quarrels advance our Publick Service And as for what happen'd at this Juncture it 's certain that the French Lieutenant-Generals were jealous of the Irish betraying or at least forsaking them And 't is without question they used their Interest in persuading the Irish to hold out till Relief came for they knew considering all things it had been very improper for us to endeavour the forcing the Town by a Breach But I imagine Monsieur D'Vssone's Case now was much the same as that of Don John de Aquila at Kinsale in the Year 1601. who finding the Town was like to be lost and that instead of conquering a Kingdom his Men and himself were like to become a Prey to the Enemy He then
delivering up their Arms a very small return being made through the whole Kingdom they keeping as yet some thousands of all sorts of Arms still concealed which I hope will effectually be taken care of in time The weather was now so violent that the Adventure of London was cast away going to Dublin and several other Ships lost in and about that Bay And the Swallow one of Their Majesties Ships was forced a ground nigh Charles-Fort at Kingsale and there foundred tho' all the Men were saved except two February the 12th John Stone Esq being dead and Captain South imployed elsewhere in the Army a new Commission was granted putting in their Places Colonel Foulks and William Palmer Esquires Commissioners for stating the Accounts of the Army And nigh the same time the Commissary General was sent into England with all the Muster Rolls February 16. the weather breaking up part of my Lord Oxford's Horse driven back by stress of weather Lieutenant General Ginckel's and Major General Ruvigney's Horse with the Princess Anns Foot were all Shipp'd for England The same day Lieutenant General Scravemore went on Board as did Brigadier Leveson in a day or two after Colonel Coy's Horse also are Shipp'd off at Belfast and the Garison of Athlone that had been very uneasie to the Officers and Souldiers all Winter by reason they had no shelter except some small Hutts of their own making was now relieved February the 20th the Commissioners of the Ordnance Arms and Ammunition sent for England had an Order directed to them to send all the Stores of Amunition and other Stores of War that cou'd be spared out of the Magazines for England to be employed elsewhere in Their Majesties Service and accordingly March 1692. a vast quantity of Arms and other Utensils of War were Shipt off February 28 Captain Townsend of the Earl of Meath's Regiment took eight or ten French Men Prisoners who had come a Shoar from a Privateer nigh Castle-Haven and we had an Account from England that His Majesty had Created Lieutenant General Ginckel Baron of Aghrim and Earl of Athlone February 26 An Order was directed to Colonel Foulk to break my Lord George Hambleton's Regiment which was done accordingly in some days after 150 ' of the Men being sent for England and the rest entertained in the Earl of Drogheda's Brigadier Stuart's Sir Henry Ballasis and Colonel Foulk's Regiments March the first a Pass was given out for a Ship to The Hostages go from Cork to France go to France with the Hostages left at Cork and other sick Officers and Souldiers according to the Articles of Limerick And on the third another Order was granted to Colonel Foulk for the raising five Companies of 100 Men in each of the Irish all the subaltern Officers to be of those Reformed in Colonel Wilson's and O Donnel's Battalions and the whole to be commanded by my Lord Iveigh and employed in the Emperor's Service And March the fifth an Order was directed to Mr. Foliot Sherigly chief Deputy Commissary to Disband the Troop of Provoes which was done accordingly March the 17th Lieutenant-General Ruvigny Landed Lieutenant General Ruvigny lands in Ireland from England being made Commander in chief of the Army left in Ireland and Created by his Majesty Lord Viscount Galway and two days after his Lordship and the Lord Viscount Blessington were Sworn of Their Majesties Privy Council as the Bishop of Kildare had been some time before And March the 23 d. the following Proclamation was Published declaring the War of Ireland to be at an end 1692 WILLIAM REX WHEREAS by An Act made in Our Parliament A Proclamation declaring the Wars of Ireland ended at Westminster in the First Year of Our Reign Intituled An Act for the better Security and Relief of Their Majesties Protestant Subjects of Ireland it was among other things Enacted that all and every Person and Persons whatsoever of the Protestant Religion should be absolutely Discharged and Acquitted of and from the Payment of all Quit-Rents Crown-Rents Composition-Rents Hearth-Money Twentieth Parts Payments and other Chief Rents arising or Payable out of any Houses Lands Tenements Hereditaments Rectories Tyths or Church-Livings incurring or becoming due to us at any time after the Five and Twentieth Day of December in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Six Hundred Eighty Eight until the said Kingdom of Ireland shou'd be by us declared to be reduced and the War and Rebellion there ended We have now pursuant to the said Act of Parliament thought fit by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council to Issue this Our Royal Proclamation hereby Declaring that the said Kingdom of Ireland is reduced to Our Obedience and the War and Rebellion there ended And We do hereby Will and Require that all and Singular such Rents and Payments and all other Duties payable to the Crown which shall henceforth grow incur and become due be duely answered and payed to us in such manner and under such Penalties and Forfeitures as if the said Act had not been made Given at Our Court at Kensington the Third Day of March 1691 2. in the Fourth Year of Our Reign God save the King and Queen After which time little of moment happened save March 1692. that the Lords Justices by Directions from Their Majesties appointed a time for those that pretended to the Benefit of the Articles of Limerick or Galway to give in their Names and make good their claims by the 20th of February which time was by Proclamation enlarged to the first of April and afterwards to the 15th Wednesday the sixth of April was appointed the first Day to begin upon those Claims all those concerned being to enter their Names sometime before with the Clerk of the Council which Names were to be posted up at least ten Days before their Cause was to be heard their Claims being to be made out by at least three Credible Witnesses one of which was to be a Protestant Accordingly on the sixth of April the Council met upon this Affair and continued every Monday Wednesday and Friday so to do which was a much easier way and more to the Interest and Advantage of the Irish than any Court of Claims erected only for that purpose cou'd have been CHAP. XI A brief Account of the former and present Circumstances of Ireland The Division of it into Provinces and Counties Bishopricks and Parishes The Soil of Ireland Sir John Davis his Reasons why Ireland was so long in being entirely subjâ—cted to the Crown of England What Tanistry is This a reason why the Irish did not improve their Country Of Fosterings and Cosherings A Brief Estimate of the Expence of the former Wars of Ireland An Essay towards the reckoning the Charge of this last The former evils still remain The Interest of the King and People of England in general to advance the Power and Trade of the English in Ireland The Interest also of the Roman Catholicks
Officers desired might be made good after the coming of the French Fleet And first it was but reasonable seeing it was within the intent of the Articles Secondly It was Prudence not to deny it since the French Fleet being Eighteen Men of War Four Fireships and Twenty Ships of Burden were certainly too hard for Captain Coal and his Squadron then in the Shannon and might have put what Men and Provisions they pleased into the English Town our Army also being gone to Quarters we had only Five Regiments in the Irish Town with my Lord Drogheda's and my Lord Lisburn's Encamp'd without the Walls Provisions also were so scarce with us that our Men had only a Pint of Meal a Day allowed them and the Irish in the other Town were not only more in number but better provided so that if Justice could not have obliged the General to the Confirmation of that Clause yet discretion at that Juncture would In a Day or Two after the Articles were Signed we had News that the French Fleet was come to Dingle Bay with Ammunition and all sorts of Provisions for the Relief of the Town this made the Irish Great Officers hang their Heads to think they should so easily part with a place of that importance or rather how they could Answer it to the French King who had been at all that expence and hazard in order to their Relief but the opportunity was lost in doing it no sooner which some have look'd upon since as one of the falsest steps made in France of a long time our King being now at leisure to visit them instead of their supporting his Enemies in Ireland And tho' the French Fleet came too late to Relieve the Some Objections against the Articles of Limerick Answered Town yet I hope it may not be impertinent to endeavour the Answering some Objections that have been since made against the Capitulations of Limerick As if the Lords Justices and the General had condescended too far in granting the Irish any Terms at all at least such as they did which put them into a Condition of Revolting again whensoever an opportunity offered it self That therefore Providence seem'd now to have given the Irish up as the Barbarous Nations were formerly to the Jews and that if this occasion was neglected of putting it out of their power for ever hereafter to endanger the English Interest Or if it was not made a right use of by which they understood destroying of them Root and Branch then we might certainly expect that all the Expence and Blood it has cost England in their Reduction will in a small time signifie nothing since it 's observed that the Irish of themselves are a sloathful People naturally inclined to Spoil Rapine Stealth and Oppression bred in no Trades Manufactures or other ways of Civil Industry to live by in times of Peace wherein they never did nor can endure to continue long loving always a savage and unbridled kind of Life And therefore when one opportunity is neglected of destroying them it will be the Justice of God to make them afterwards the Instruments of our punishment as they have been hitherto And thus Argue a great many People of that Countrey who pretend good experience and that very lately for what they say But as to those Comparisons between us and the Jews the Irish and the Barbarous Nations formerly Inhabiting Judea there can be no just proportion made to draw any reasonable Conclusions from since the Irish are Christians as well as we tho' misled and abused in a great many points and have a natural right to their Countrey which several of them have never forfeited by any Rebellions how forward soever others may have been And for my own part I must own my self of the Opinion that any Policy that is founded in Blood and tends to the destruction of Mankind is not so warrantable by the Law of God as some people endeavour to make it excepting that one Instance of the Jews which is no precedent to any other People And what means soever may be used for the procuring of Unity or Settlement in a Countrey Men must at the same time be careful not to deface and dissolve the Bonds of Christian Charity nay of humane Society since acting the contrary is but to dash the second Table against the first and so to consider others as of this or that Persuasion and treat them ill upon that account is to forget that they are Men as my Lord Bacon has formerly observed And indeed to me it seems full as unreasonable to destroy other People purely because they cannot think as we do as it is for one man to ruine another because the outward Figure and Shape of his Body is not the same with his own Nor can I imagine that the destruction of those men if they really had been in our power could any way have contributed either to the profit or further advancement of the Interest of that Country since the Act of Settlement of the Crown of England upon their present Majesties very deliberately provides That no Papist or any one marrying a Papist shall for ever hereafter be capable to inherit the Imperial Crowns of these Kingdoms And the late swearing Act relating to Ireland entituled An Act for abrogating the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy in Ireland and appointing other new ones are both very considerable Advantages to the Protestant Interest in that Kingdom and no doubt it will be easier for the Government to observe and keep their part of those Articles than for the Irish themselves to do their duty which will be seen in time and there are other convenient Maxims to be observed which being things out of my way I do not pretend to consider them what I have to offer upon this Head being rather Matter of Fact than Argument and that by comparing the state of the Irish at Lymerick and other Places of the Kingdom at the making of these Articles with their Condition at their surrendring up all in the former Wars In the former Wars of Ireland the City of Lymerick was surrendered to Ireton on the 29th of October 1651 upon severe Articles the Governour the Titular Bishop of Lymerick and twelve more being excepted by name and some of these were afterwards executed but during the Siege the Irish lost 5000 men of whom the Plague destroyed many more than the Sword 1300 only marched out and about 4000 Irish remained within Cox Vol. 2. p. 69. Then Galway was surrendered on the 12th of May following to Sir Charles Coot and on the 27th of June Major General Ludlow frighted the Garrison of Ross in Kerry into a Surrender by a small Vessel that he was bringing over the Hills to put into the Lough that surrounds Ross-Castle Rosscommon and James-Town had surrendred to Col. Reynolds on the 27th of April before and Inchylough surrendred to Col. Zanchy on the first of August at what time the Lords of Westmeath and