ture. Perpetual difputes arose between the inhabitants of the town and Willoughby, which often ended in hoftilities. The arrival, from Munfter, of Lord Forbes to his affiftance, instead of diminishing, increased thefe diffentions. Forbes was violent. Inftead of conciliating, he provoked, by his feverity, the refentment of the natives. His firft action, after landing, excited their deteftation. He took poffeffion of a Popish church, an ancient burial place, defaced it, dug up the graves, and burned the bones and coffins of the dead. The powers with which he was invested, by the English parliament, interfered with thofe of Lord Clanricarde, as governor of the county. Hence arofe a new cause of difference.

FROM Christmas, Sir James Dillon had lain with a confiderable body of infurgents, before Athlone, which continued to be diftreffed until the middle of June, when the fiege was raised, upon the approach of Ormond with five thousand men. To affift Lord Ranelagh, prefident of Connaught, in maintaining his ground against the infurgents, Ormond left with him a reinforcement of two thousand foot and two troops of horse, reduced Ballymore, Mullingar, with feveral other places, and then returned to Dublin.

IN July, Sir James Dillon made a fecond attack upon Athlone, but was repulfed, and afterwards defeated, in an engagement with the English.

Farewell.

LETTER

XVI.

TH

HE Irish parliament had met on the twenty firft of June. Having expelled fuch of their members as were actually in arms, the commons voted, that the oath of fupremacy fhould be tenVOL. II.

D

dered

dered to all their members, and framed a bill for that purpose, which, with other penal bills, was transmitted to England. To expedite their return, both houses joined in a declaration, addreffed to the King and parliament of England, praying, that proper fteps might be taken, for putting into exeeution, the penal statutes against Roman Catholics, in every part of Ireland, especially in the city of Dublin. Gentlenefs towards these unhappy people, feems to have been banished from the breafts of the legiflators of both countries, and the harsh feelings of severity substituted in their place. The parliament, having sat three days, adjourned for a few weeks.

By a proclamation of the nineteenth of August, the lords justices and council repealed, indifcriminately, all protections hitherto granted to the infurgents.

LET us now take a view of the affairs of the North. About the middle of April, two thoufand five hundred Scots, part of the ten thousand which had been engaged for the fervice, landed at Carrickfergus, under the command of Robert Munroe. Being joined by a detachment of foot and horse, they marched to Newry, which, with the caftle of Carlingford and Armagh, they took from the infurgents, Upon their approach, O'Nial retreated from Armagh to Charlemont, having, before his departure, committed fome fhameful acts of inhumanity. From feelings equally odious, Munroe, it is faid, put near eighty people to death at Newry. Having left a garrison in that town, the Scotch general returned to Carrickfergus, from whence he laid waste the neighbouring districts. They were fo rapacious, that the commiffioners for Irish affairs were obliged, at the defire of the lords juftices, to stop their depredations.

depredations. In the month of Auguft, the Earl of Leven arrived from Scotland, with the remainder of the ten thousand men. At the head of these and the other forces of Ulfter, which altogether made up a formidable army, he advanced into the country. Having done nothing of confequence, he gave the command of the troops to Munroe, and returned to Scotland. The exertions of Munroe were equally undiftinguished. He diftributed the foldiers into quarters, where they were reduced to great difficulties, by the want of pay and provifions. The King, with much reluctance, had permitted the Scots to come over to Ireland. Being of the fame principles with the parliament, as he forefaw, they watched his forces with a jealous eye, counteracted their designs and reftrained their operations, confi-` dering them juftly as hoftile to the conftitution. On the other hand, the King's friends confidered them, and all poffeffed of the fame principles, with as unfavourable fentiments, and were equally difpofed to reflect upon their conduct, and to thwart their intentions. The loyalifts, the parliamentarians and infurgents, had each of them different feelings, and different objects of purfuit. This interference multiplied the confufions, and lengthened the distractions of the nation.

SIR Phelim, after his retreat from Armagh, recruited his forces, which had been confiderably reduced, and took the field. An engagement enfued, betwixt him and a body of troops, commanded by Sir Robert and Sir William Stewart, who defeated him, with confiderable lofs. Difcouraged by this misfortune, and by the unpromising aspect of their affairs, his followers were on the point of deferting him, when his hopes were unexpectedly raised, by the arrival, from the continent, D.2

of

of his coufin Owen Roe O'Nial, with arms, ammunition, a hundred officers, and an affurance of more effectual aid.

OWEN had been much abroad, where, in a military command, he had acquired the knowledge and the habits of an accomplished foldier. He was cool, prudent, and remarkably expert in taking advantage of those critical circumftances, on which fuccefs in war fo much depends. These qualifications were accompanied by ftrict temperance and humanity, virtues, which appeared in him, to ftill greater advantage, when contrafted with the oppofite vices, which fo remarkably dishonoured the character of his kinfman, Sir Phelim. The feelings which prompted his countrymen to rife in oppofition to government, had taken deep poffeffion of his heart. From the beginning, he entered into their defign, with a determined purpose, to fupport it, by every exertion in his power. He ufed all his influence with Cardinal Richlieu, and wherever he had a profpect of obtaining affiftance of men, of money and other neceffaries. Being a principal of the fept of O'Nial, and thus diftinguished by his character, his confequence and his zeal for the Catholic caufe, upon his arrival in the North, numbers of the Irish flocked to him, by whofe unanimous voice, he was chofen general. He exerted himself, with vigor, in difciplining and recruiting his troops, which, fhortly after, were strengthned by a reinforcement from the continent, under the command of Colonel Prefton, brother to Lord Gormanftown. This was followed by an additional fupply of officers, arms and ammunition.

Adieu.

LET

T ciple

O give dignity to their caufe, and from a prinof union and of order, the Catholics refolved to frame a political fyftem, by which their operations should be, in future, regulated. With this view, a convention of reprefentatives, from the whole body, met at Kilkenny, in the month of October. They difavowed the title of parliament, but, like it, divided themselves into two houses, one confifting of lords temporal and spiritual, the other, of deputies from counties and cities. Several ordinances were agreed upon by this affembly: in particular, they refolved; that the Roman Catholics of Ireland, fhould enjoy all the privileges of Magna Charta; that the common law of England, and all ftatutes, not inconfiftent with the freedom of religion and the liberty of the fubject, fhould be in force; that allegiance was due to the King, that his prerogative fhould be fupported; that the laws fhould be executed, as well as the circumstances of war would permit; that a judicial council of twelve, with a power of electing officers, fhould be appointed in each county, that from them, fhould lie an appeal, to a provincial council of twenty four, chofen by the general convention, whose jurifdiction, with respect to matters, civil and military, was to be fubject to a fupreme council, twelve of whom, were always to refide in Kilkenny, or fome other place appointed. They refolved, that all who poffeffed lands, or hereditaments, three years before the commencement of the war, fhould be permitted quietly to enjoy them. Commanders in chief were likewife appointed. Owen Roe O'Nial for Ulfter; Colonel Prefton for Leinster, Colonel Barry for Munfter, and Colonel

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