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BRITAIN. 



fence. William directed the river to be forded in 

 three places, and the attack begun from f ny 

 quarters. Schomberg, with the right wing of 10,00 

 men, passed some fords up the river, and a bog 01 

 the other side, and attacked the forces of James, wh< 

 rather watched than opposed him, and who fled to 

 secure the pass of Dunleck, which guarded the I 

 reai . The centre next crossed, and were maintain- 

 in? a doubtful contest with their French and Irish 

 opponents, when William, who passed the river far- 

 thest down with his cavalry, followed the army ot 

 James as it retired in a body around their king. W hue 

 the armies were yet lighting, James rode oft from 

 the field of battle. The rout of the Irish soon after 

 became complete ; and they fled without obeying 

 their sovereign's last injunction to defend the pass ot 

 Dunleck, leaving 2000 killed and wounded on the 

 field The day before the battle, William had re- 

 vived a slight wound by a shot which grazed his 

 shoulder, from a cannon which the enemy privately 

 brought and planted opposite to the spot where he 

 was reconnoitring the ground ; but the accident di- 

 minished neither the health nor spirits of the king, 

 who, in the heat of the battle, was, as usual, at the 

 head of Us cavalry, with his sword drawn, and I 

 arm thrown loose from its bandage. The remains 

 of the Irish army retired precipitately to the bhan- 

 non ; and the late king, determining to go to France, 

 took his leave of them, leaving orders behind him 

 to continue their resistance. 



The news of William's victory diffused exultation 

 over the minds of the English, and came in good 

 time to console them for the issue of a naval engage- 

 ment which had mortified their national vanity. Tor- 

 rington, with 34 English and 22 Dutch ships, enga- 

 ged the French Admiral Tourville off Beachy Head. 

 The Dutch, who had been most prompt in the en- 

 gagement, were the greatest sufferers ; but such was 

 the state of the combined fleets after the battle, that 

 they, next day, declined renewing it, and were obli- 

 ged to retire into the Thames. 



The king returned to England after the battle of 

 the Boyne. General Ginckle, who commanded in his 

 absence, pursued the Irish, now commanded by St 

 Ruth, to the Shannon ; crossed the river by a bold 

 enterpiise, and engaged their whole army at Aughrim, 

 where the Irish were defeated with great slaughter, 

 and driven to make their last stand at Limerick, after 

 losing 5000 men. 



The siege of Limerick commenced in August, and 

 for six weeks the enemy made a gallant defence, and 

 were not likely to make a speedy submission. With 

 the plans, which William had formed for the great- 

 er objects of warfare and ambition, the prospect of 

 a winter siege, and the renewal of a spring cam- 

 paign, m Ireland, were by no means desirable. He 

 gave orders, therefore, to Ginckle, to make the Irish 

 the most favourable offers. By the treaty of Limer- 

 ick, therefore, which was soon concluded, the Irish 

 were granted their pardons, their estates, and a gene- 

 ral amnesty of debts, incurred during hostilities. 

 Attainders ana outlawries were done away. The 

 Catholics were to receive the same toleration as un- 



der Charles II. Such as were inclined to go to 

 France, were to be landed there, with their effects, at 

 the expense of the English government. -n & M ^ r 



thousand men, with arms in their hands, availec 

 themselves of this last article, and consented to be- 

 come, for ever, the subjects of a foreign power. 



The defeat of Dundee subdued only the open ene- 

 mies of the king in Scotland. An opposition to his land 

 measures was formed under the designation of the 

 Club, or Country Party, and, among some ot t 

 a plot was laid for the restoration of James, by a coa- 

 lition of the Jacobites and Presbytemns. 1 he prin- 

 cipal plotters were Montgomery, Ross, the tarl 

 of Annandale, and Ferguson, men who had zealously 

 promoted the revolution, but who sought revenge 

 for being disappointed of the rewards which they 

 expected But the plot was dissipated by the king s 

 commissioner, Lord Melville, obtaining extensive 

 powers to conciliate the Presbyterians by timely con- 

 cessions, The king's supremacy over the church 

 was given up, Presbytery was confirmed on its broad- 

 est basis, and preparations were made to indemmfy 

 the patriotic Whigs, who had been suffering under 

 the late tyrannical reigns. The conspirators, in dis- 

 may, hastened to save themselves, by revealing the 

 plot to government ; and Montgomery, the principal 

 plotter, died in exile, of grief and vexation. Nevil 

 Pain, an English agent in the business, suffered the 

 torture he was the last victim of that inhuman prac- 

 tice in Scotland. Otherwise, the suppression of the 

 conspiracy was creditable to the humanity of govern- 

 ment, and not a single life was taken. But the dou- 

 ble satisfaction arising from a plot being suppressed 

 and popular grievances redressed, was quickly fol- 

 lowed, in Scotland, by a lamentable and atrocious 

 event, which forms the only indelible blot amidst the 

 glories of William's reign. 



Towards the end of 169L the Highland Jacobite Mama 

 chieftains were intimidated by a severe proclama- 0| 

 tion, and hastened to disarm the resentment of go- 

 vernment by submission. The last to submit was 

 M'Donald of Glencoe, who, after travelling in vain 

 to the governor of Fort William, hastened to Inver- 

 ary, but was delayed by the snows, and unavoidable 

 interruptions on the road, till the time of grace was 

 expired. The sheriff of Inverary, however, moved 

 by his intreaties and tears, administered the oath of 

 allegiance, and certified the cause of his delay. But 

 his oath was industriously suppressed by the advice 

 of Stair, the president of the Scotch court of Session, 

 and the certificate was erased from the list presented 

 to the privy council. The Earl of Braedalbane, 

 whose lands the Highland chief had plundered, and 

 whose treachery to government, in negociating with 

 the Highland clans, Glencoe had also exposed, insti- 

 gated the secretary Dalrymple, son to Lord Stair, a 

 statesman who had imbibed the bloody spirit of Lau- 

 derdale's administration, to co-operate with his sa- 

 vage resentment. They persuaded William that 

 Glencoe was the main obstacle to the pacification of 

 the Highlands, and concealing the circumstances 

 in favour of the unfortunate chief, obtained orders 

 for proceeding to military execution against his clan. 



1692. 



In the frantic plot of Montgomery, Boss, ft* it probable that many of the country party were not implicate 



