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with which they had been too often treated by Protestants.

Farewell.

WITH

LETTER LIX.

ITH refpect to the propriety of the terms granted to the Irish, on the taking of Limerick, there were various opinions. The Proteftants complained, that whilft they deeply fuffered by their attachment to the cause of King William, the enemies of his government had not only escaped with impunity, but been permitted to leave the kingdom with their property. Objections were made by others, which proceeded, not from selfish confiderations, but from those which respected the public. Say they, "The connexion of fo many exiles with their friends and relations in Ireland, will keep up a constant communication betwixt it, and a country hoftile to it's intereft. In the place of their banishment, they will cherish a sense of the injuries of which they complain, and be difpofed to embrace any opportunity of returning to this kingdom, to gratify their refentment, and to recover their lost privileges."

Bur men of more just fentiments observed, that the diftractions of Ireland had prevented the lands from being cultivated; that the cattle had been deftroyed, and, on account of the risques at fea, provifions had not been imported from foreign countries. That therefore, had the Irish troops been prohibited to remove from the kingdom, they would either have perished for want, or ruined the country by their depredations. Befides, that had not fuch. terms as they would accept been granted to them, Limerick would have been relieved, and this coun

try

try longer harraffed by the calamities of war. The juftnefs of the latter part of this reafoning was obvious, and that the former was equally well founded, William gave, fhortly after, a convincing proof. From not being able to furnish them with provifions, he was obliged to permit feveral thousands of his Irish troops, to enter into the fervice of the Emperor, and to transport the greatest part of those which remained to England,

BUT it was not a mere regard to his prefent fituation, nor to the immediate difadvantages which might arife from his acting a different part, which induced William to ratify the articles of Limerick. In this tranfaction, his motives and his views were liberal. The English act of toleration which passed the first year of his reign, and which afterwards was extended to this country, by receiving the fanction of our parliament, was a convincing proof of his being a friend to the privileges of confcience. He was equally a friend to the civil rights of mankind. From experience he knew, that the Roman Catholics of Holland were good fubjects. If they were not sa formerly in this country, he was fenfible that it proceeded from their being weighed heavily down, by the hand of oppreffion. He refolved to give them favourable impreffions of him, and to gain their confidence by kind ufage, by making favourable allowances for. the prejudices which had attached them to James, and by treating them with juftice and humanity.

SOON after William was placed upon the throne, a plot, as has been mentioned, was formed in favour of James by the enemies of the revolution, This though detected, was fucceeded by another, in which both the enemies and the friends of the re volution were concerned. As you have alfo feen, it was likewife discovered, and feveral of the perVOL. II. P fons

fons concerned imprisoned, but that the French fleet, in an engagement with the English, brought on by an effort in favour of the plot, had been victorious. This fuccefs, the difaffection of the principal whigs, whofe hoftile defigns against government still continued, (and were heightened by the intrigues of the French court; the certainty that the tories would, from principle, rejoice in an opportunity of overturning government; the bitter difcontents of the Highlanders of Scotland, aggravated by the unfortunate maffacre of Glenco, with a consciousness of the weakness, of having permitted Ireland to be entirely conquered by his enemy, and competitor for glory, determined Lewis to make one great effort to restore James to the throne. With this view, he prepared the strongest naval force he could poffibly equip, for the invasion of England. England roused by a sense of this alarming danger, made every poffible exertion to guard against it. On the nineteenth of May fixteen hundred and ninety two, two mighty armaments of thefe contending powers covered the fea. The English fleet, which had been joined by the

The number of

Dutch, was commanded by Lord Ruffel, and confifted of ninety nine fhips of the line. The ftrength of Tourville the French admiral, was inferior. his fhips amounted to but fifty. Notwithstanding this inequality, ftimulated by reflexions caft upon him, as having neglected his duty, in not destroying the British fhips which he had driven into their harbours, after the fight at Beachy Head, and depending upon the difaffection of a number of the English officers, Lord Ruffel in particular, he advanced to engage. Several of the British officers were fecretly in the intereft of James, but they did not act fo inglorious a part as to defert their duty, and

betray

betray their country in the present emergence. The battle continued with various fuccefs. At laft, the French fled, preffed by the English fleet. Night ended the purfuit. It was renewed with the return of the following day, the whole of which was spent in driving the French fhips, now reduced to thirty four, along their own fhore. Multitudes of the inhabitants with deep anxiety and difappointment, were witnesses of the difgraceful fight.

THE third day, fix of the enemy's fhips took refuge near Cherburg, and eighteen more near La Hogue, almost the whole of which, the three following days, were entirely deftroyed. With the defeat of La Hogue, all the hopes of James to be reestablished on the British throne, were cut off for ever. This unfortunate prince, chagrined with difappointment, and fick of the pursuit of worldly greatness, retired to the convent of La Trappe. A ftriking example of the mortifying effects of bigotry and lawless ambition.

TH

LETTER LX.

Adieu.

1692.

HE free toleration granted to Proteftant diffenters, the encouragement given to Roman Catholics, and the active attention of the Lords Juftices to their duty, operated most powerfully in behalf of this country. A spirit of industry revived, the land was cultivated, useful arts were introduced, and a fine country, lately robbed of it's beauty and profperity, began: gradually to affume it's former agreeable appearance.

LORD Sydney was now created Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, where he arrived the twenty fifth of Auguft. He immediately iffued writs, and convened

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the parliament. The meeting of this affembly, which had been interrupted for twenty fix years, was a moft pleafing fight to the friends of liberty and the conftitution.

WHEN the fupplies came to be confidered, government afked a large fum, on account of the ' debts which had been contracted during the courfe of the war. The commons pleaded, that the people, impoverished by the late calamities, were unable to pay it, but at the fame time, acknowledged the obligations they were under to his Majefty, for the large expence of blood and treasure he had been at, in defence of the kingdom. They granted a fum not exceeding seventy thousand pounds.

AN affair now arofe, which quite interrupted the good agreement which had hitherto fubfifted, betwixt government and the house of commons. The latter confidered it to be their indifputable right to determine, in the first inftance, with refpect to the fum, and the manner of raifing every fupply granted to the crown. In violation of this privilege, two money bills, which had not originated with them, were tranfmitted from England, and laid before the houfe. They were much offended at this encroachment upon their privileges, which they determined to fupport. They would have rejected both, but this would have preffed too hard upon the exigencies of government, which were fo preffing as not to admit of delay; one of the bills therefore, the leaft exceptionable, was paffed, with a faving in favour of their rights, following refolutions :

expreffed in the Refolved, that it was, and is the undoubted right of the house of commons of Ireland, in parliament affembled, to prepare and refolve the ways and means of raifing money. That it was and is the fole and undoubted right of the

commons,

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