the blue, in the engagement. The earl was ac- A. C. 1699. quitted: but, the king difmiffed him from the fer. vice; and the Dutch exclaimed against the partiality of his judges. t William in William is faid to have taken all the papers of his Progress of father-in-law and Tyrconnel, and to have learned Ireland. from them, not only the defign projected by the French to burn the English tranfports, but likewife the undertaking of one Jones, who engaged to affaffinate king William. No fuch attempt, however, was made, and, in all probability, the whole report was a fiction, calculated to throw an odium on James's character. On the ninth day of July, William detached general Douglas with a confiderable body of horse and foot towards Athlone, while he himself, having left Trelawny to command at Dublin, advanced with the reft of his army to Inchequin, in his way to Kilkenny. Colonel Grace, the governor of Athlone for king James, being fummoned to furrender, fired a piftol at the trumpeter, faying, "Thefe are my terms." Then Douglas refolved to undertake the fiege of the place, which was naturally very ftrong, and defended by a refolute garrifon. An inconfiderable breach was made, when Douglas receiving intelligence that Sarsfield was on his march to the relief of the befieged, abandoned the enterprize, after having loft above four hundred men in the attempt. The king continued his march to the westward, and, by dint of fevere examples, established fuch order and difcipline in his army, that the peafants were fecure from the leaft violence. At Carlow he detached the duke of Ormond to take poffeffion of Kilkenny, where that nobleman regaled him in his own castle, which the enemy had left undamaged. While the army encamped at Carrick, major-general Kirke was fent to Waterford, CC 3 the A. C. 1690. the garrifon of which, confifting of two regiments, capitulated, upon condition of marching out with their arms and baggage, and being conducted to Mallow. The fort of Duncannon was furrendered on the fame terms. Here the lord Dover and the lord George Howard were admitted to the benefit of the king's mercy and protection. He invests On the first day of Auguft, William being at but is oblig- Chapel Izard, published a fecond declaration of ed to raise mercy, confirming the former, and even extending and returns it to perfons of fuperior rank and ftation, whether to England. natives or foreigners, provided they would, by the fiege, the twenty-fifth day of the month, lay down their arms, and fubmit to certain conditions. This of fer of indemnity produced very little effect; for the Irish were generally governed by their priefts; and the news of the victory which the French fleet had obtained over the English and Dutch, were circulated with fuch exaggerations as elevated their fpirits, and effaced all thoughts of fubmiffion. The king had returned to Dublin, with a view to embark for England; but receiving notice that the defigns of his domeftic enemies were difcovered and fruftrated, that the fleet was repaired, and the French navy retired to Breft, he poftponed his voyage, and refolved to reduce Limerick, in which monfieur Boiffeleau commanded as governor, and the duke of Berwick and colonel Sarsfield acted as inferior officers. On the ninth day of Auguft, the king having called in his detachments, and advanced into the neighbourhood of the place, fummoned the commander to deliver the town; and Boiffeleau anfwered, that he imagined the beft way to gain the good opinion of the prince of Orange, would be a vigorous defence of the town, which his majefty had committed to his charge. Before the place was fully invefted, colonel Sarsfield, with a body body of horfe and dragoons, paffed the Shannon in A. C. 1690. the night, intercepted the king's train of artillery on its way to the camp, routed the troops that guarded it, difabled the cannon, destroyed the carriages, waggons, and ammunition, and returned in fafety to Limerick. Notwithstanding this dif after, the trenches were opened on the feventeenth day of the month, and a battery was raised with fome cannon brought from Waterford. The fiege was carried on with vigour, and the place defended with great refolution. At length the king or dered his troops to make a lodgment in the covered way or counterscarp, which was accordingly affaulted with great fury but the affailants met with fuch a warm reception from the besieged, that they were repulfed with the lofs of twelve hundred men, either killed on the fpot or mortally wounded. This disappointment concurring with the badness of the weather, which became rainy and unwholfome, induced the king to renounce his undertaking. The heavy baggage and cannon being fent away, the army decamped and marched towards Clonmel. William having conftituted the lord Sidney and Thomas Coningsby lords juftices of Ireland, and left the command of the army with count Solmes, embarked at Duncannon, with prince George of Denmark, on the fifth of September, and next day arrived in King's-road, near Briftol, from whence he repaired to Windfor. Kinfale re Marlbo About the latter end of this month, the earl of Cork and Marlborough arrived in Ireland with five thousand duced by the English troops, to attack Cork and Kinfale, in earl of conjunction with a detachment from the great rough. army, according to a fcheme he had proposed to king William. Having landed his foldiers, without much oppofition, in the neighbourhood of Cork, he was joined by five thousand men, under the prince of Wirtemberg, between whom and the earl a difCC 4 pute A. C. 1690. pute arofe about the command: but this was compromised by the interpofition of La Mellionere. The place being invested, and the batteries raised, the befiegers proceeded with fuch rapidity that a breach was foon effected. Colonel Mackillicut the governor demanded a parley, and hoftages were exchanged: but he rejected the conditions that were offered, and hoftilities recommenced with redoubled vigour. The duke of Grafton, who ferved on this occafion as a volunteer, was mortally wounded in one of the attacks, and died regretted as a youth of promifing talents: Preparations being made for a general affault, the besieged thought proper to capitulate, and furrendered themselves prifoners of war. Befides the governor and colonel Ricaut, the victor found the earls of Clancarty and Tyrone among the individuals of the garrison. Marlborough having taken poffeffion of Cork, detached brigadier Villiers with a body of horfe and dragoons to fummon the town and forts of Kinfale; and next day advanced with the reft of the forces. The old fort was immediately taken by affault but Sir Edward Scot, who commanded the other, fuftained a regular fiege, until the breach was prac ticable, and then obtained an honourable capitula tion, Thefe maritime places being reduced, all communication between France and the enemy, on this fide of the ifland, was cut off, and the Irish were confined to Ulfter, where they could not fubfift without great difficulty. The earl of Marlborough having finished this expedition in thirty days, returned with his prifoners to England, where the fame of this exploit added greatly to his reputation. Lauzun and the French forces quit Ireland. During these transactions, count de Lauzun com mander of the French auxiliaries in Ireland, lay inactive in the neighbourhood of Galway, and tranfmitted fuch a lamentable account of his fitua fion to the court of France, that transports were 4.C. 1690. fent over to bring home the French forces. In thefe he embarked with his troops, and the command of the Irish forces devolved to the duke of Berwick, though it was afterwards transferred to Mr. St. Ruth. Lauzun was difgraced at Verfailles, for having deferted the caufe before it was defperate; and Tyrconnel, who accompanied him in his voyage, folicited the French court for a further fupply of officers, arms, cloaths, and ammunition, for the Irish army, which he faid would continue firm to the intereft of king James, if thus fupported. Mean while, they formed themselves into feparate bodies of freebooters, and plundered the country, under the appellation of Rapparies; while the troops of king William either enjoyed their ease in quarters, or imitated the rapine of the enemy; so that, between both, the poor people were miferably harraffed. joins the The affairs of the continent had not yet under- The duke gone any change of importance, except in the con- of Savoy duct of the duke of Savoy, who renounced his neu+ confederacy. trality, engaged in an alliance with the emperor. and the king of Spain; and, in a word, acceded to the grand confederacy. He had no fooner declared himself, than Catinat the French general entered his territories at the head of eighteen thoufand men, defeated him in a pitched battle near Saluces, which immediately furrendered to the conqueror. Then he reduced Savillana, Villa Franca, with feveral other places, purfued the duke to Carignan, furprised Suza, and diftributed his forces in winter-quarters, partly in Provence, and partly in the dutchy of Savoy, which St. Ruth had lately reduced under the dominion of France. The duke finding himself disappointed in the fuccours he expected from the emperor and king of Spain, 8 de |