ftinguished. Numbers behaved in a manner, at this interesting period, which reflects honor upon their memory; in particular, a tribute of praife is due to the gallant Ennifkilleners. These spirited defenders of their country and the Proteftant cause, put themfelves under the command of Gustavus Hamilton, and openly proclaimed their allegiance to William and Mary. Early in the prefent difpute, CrumCastle, fituated in the neighbourhood of Enniskillen, had been attacked by a party of Irish commanded by Lord Galmoy. The Enniskilleners came up to it's relief, and defeated the affailants. Two armies of the enemy were now in the field. One of them, at the head of which was General Sarffield, was attacked and defeated by the Proteftants with confiderable flaughter. The other, commanded by the Duke of Berwick, directed it's courfe to Enniskillen, which, after fome inconfiderable fuccefs, the approach of General Hamilton obliged to retire. Once more Crum-Caftle was invefted. Macarthy, an Irish officer, fat down before it with seven thoufand men. A motion of the Ennifkilleners to relieve the place, brought on a general engagement with the enemy near Newtownbutler, in which the former obtained a compleat victory. The courage and perfevering exertions of the Proteftants, on this occafion, were confpicuous; but to the common foldiers of the Irish they fcarcely gave any quarter. What a pity, that by this violation of the laws of humanity, they should have stained the glory of fo honourable an atchievement! The victory at Newtownbutler made a deeper impreffion on the enemy, as it happened just about the time of their being obliged to raise the siege of Derry. On his return to Dublin from the North, James had convened a meeting of the parliament. The pains pains taken to secure a majority of the commons, favourable to the views of government, have been already mentioned. With respect to the lords, many of the Proteftant peers had left the kingdom; the outlawries of several Popish Lords had been reverfed; Roman Catholics had lately been created peers. In confequence, there were but nine Proteftant lords, temporal and spiritual, in the upper houfe. Six ex.cepted, all the lower house confifted of Roman Catholics. The proceedings of this parliament, were expreffive of the most zealous attachment to the interest of James. They addressed him in warm terms of loyalty and affection, they addreffed Lewis of France for the affistance he had given him. They paffed an act to recognize his title to the throne, and ftigmatizing the Prince of Orange as an ufurper. To cut off the means by which the power of his enemies was fupported, they repealed, without exception, the acts of fettlement and explanation. In the preamble of the bill, which they enacted for this purpofe, the Irish were justified with respect to the infurrection of fixteen hundred and forty one, and a clause inserted, by which the estates of all in the three kingdoms were forfeited, who had taken up arms against James, or aided those who did rebel, or held any correfpondence with them, from the first of August fixteen hundred and eighty eight. Their next measure was not only highly impolitic, but fet at open defiance, every principle of equity, of juftice and moderation. They attainted, as guilty of high treason, all perfons, attached to the Prince of Orange, now absent, who fhould not return to the kingdom against a certain day, without making any allowance for age, sickness, infirmity, or any other circumftance, which might prevent those who were inclined, from complying with the injunction. By this act James was put in poffef fion N fion of the eftates of the absentees, none of whom he had it in his power to pardon after the following November. There were affected by it a great number of the nobility of both fexes, fifty one knights, eighty three clergymen, and near three thousand perfons of inferior quality. It is perfectly aftonishing, but fo iniquitous were the principles of those who conducted this business, that the law which subjected so many perfons to fo grievous a penalty, in respect to their lives and property, was not published until the time expired, within which they were permitted to surrender. A ftatute was likewise enacted by by which it was declared, that acts of the British legiflature could not bind Ireland, and by which writs of error and appeals to England were taken away. THE parliament granted James a monthly fubfidy of twenty thousand pounds. But this prodigious fum was not adequate to his neceffities; therefore, by an exertion of his prerogative, he impofed another tax equal to it. The tyrannical principles he poffeffed, which in both kingdoms had excited the indignation of the friends of liberty, and deprived him of his throne, are ftrongly marked in the reply which he made, to those who expoftulated with him on fuch an illegal ftretch of power, "If I cannot do this," fays he, “I can do nothing." He now had recourfe to a moft deteftable expedient to recruit his finances, which notwithstanding all the pains taken to supply them, were still deficient. A mint was established, in which, by his order, a base fort of copper was coined into different pieces, which he stamped with a value three hundred times greater than their intrinsic worth. All employed by him in civil and military departments, were obliged to receive them in payment, by proclamation. This vile coin, the Proteftants were forced to to take, for the commodities which they fold to them. To guard against the lofs they were likely to fuftain by it, they purchased with it various articles of commerce, of which James forcibly deprived them, without giving them in return any equivalent. This tranfaction, not only with refpect to those who were hoftile to his caufe, but his friends, was attended with diftreffing circumstances of ty ranny. PROTESTANTS had fuffered much under the government of Tyrconnel. Their hardships were now multiplied. Contrary to his pofitive engagement when he first arrived in the kingdom, James, because the fellows would not receive into their number a Roman Catholic, whom he had before endeavoured to impose upon them, forcibly ejected them from the university. He treated the scholars in the fame manner. The office of provost and library keeper were filled with Papifts. In the college was placed a garrifon. The chapel was converted into a magazine, and feveral of the rooms into prisons. Furniture, the library, plate, every thing belonging to it were feized for the use of government. Numbers of the reformed clergy were deprived of their churches, and of the means of fubfiftence. At laft a proclamation was iffued, by which more than five perfons, on pain of death, were forbidden to affemble together, in any church in the city of Dublin. DURING these transactions, Lord Dundee had ufed every poffible effort to fupport the interest of James, in the highlands of Scotland. In June, the King had fent over to his affiftance, a reinforcement of five hundred men, but to no purpose. The battle of Killikranky, notwithstanding the compleat victory he obtained, over the troops of General Mac kay, kay, was fatal to the life of Dundee, with him all the hopes of James perished in that quarter. Adieu. T LETTER LI. HE affairs of England having been reftored, in fome measure, to a ftate of tranquillity, King William was enabled to turn his attention more particularly, to the fituation of this country, To reduce it to obedience, it was indifpenfibly neceffary, that he should transport hither a confiderable body of forces. But being afraid to truft the fidelity of the troops, who had ferved under James, he raised for this fervice twenty three new regiments, to whom he refolved to join two battalions of Dutchmen, four of French refugees, fome Scotch regiments, and fix thousand mercenary Danes. The conduct of this expédition was committed to Marfhal Schomberg, an officer of diftinguished reputation. Count Solmes was made fecond in command. IN reward of Schomberg's past services, and to animate him to the duties of the important enterprize, in which he was engaged, the King conferred upon him the garter and a dukedom, and the parliament presented him with ten thousand pounds. Chefter was the place appointed for the armament to embark. When Schomberg arrived here, he met with several delays. The troops could not be collected, a fufficient number of transports were not ready, nor had proper care been taken with refpect to the foldiers' cloaths, and other neceffaries. At laft he embarked, and on the thirteenth of Auguft, landed near Bangor in the countyof Down, with about fix thousand men. The places contiguQus were immediately abandoned by the enemy, VOL. II. except N |