IRELAND. 



247 



Tlutorv. Catholic prince. Orders were immediately issued that 

 '*" ^-^ no farther petition should be received from the Catho- 

 lics of Ireland. 



Ormond, on the contrary, was rewarded by being ap- 

 pointed lord-lieutenant, by a present of '30,000 from 

 the Irish parliament, and by his son being called to the 

 House of Peers. Another source of dincontent now 

 arose : the execution of the act of settlement, though it 

 WM intrusted to English commissioners, unconnected 

 with Irish interests, was said to be performed in a par- 

 tial and unjurt manner ; and the discontents thus ori- 

 ginating were carried so far as to produce several con- 

 spiracies, one of which had for in object the seizure of 

 Dublin cattle : they were all however frustrated, 

 at length In 1 (*;., a bill of explanation of the act of settlement 



!* . WM brought into parliament ; but it was not without a 

 **' great deal of difficulty and management, that, even 

 with this bill, Ormond could obtain the passing the act 

 of settlement; and that only on the assurance that 

 whatever wa* objectionable in it should be removed by 

 the discretionary power which was vested in the go- 

 vernor and council. 



Narrow and short sighted views on political econo- 

 my, acting in unison with the opinion that Ireland, as 

 a conquered country, ought in every respect to be sa- 

 crificed to England, gave rise to an act prohibit!:]/ the 

 importation of Irish cattle into England. As some 

 counterbalance to thi unjust and impolitic measure, 

 Ormond gave every encouragement to Irnh manufac- 

 turer, especially to the revival of that of linen, which 

 had been established by YVentworth. 



bifun The conduct of Onnond, through the whole period 



jaa*^ of hit command, and after he became lord-lieutenant, 

 % had been marked by wisdom, moderation, and justice ; 

 but though thus distinguished, and though hi* attach- 

 ment to the royal cause was undoubted, he could not 

 cap from the intrigue* and machinations of that 

 junto in England, known by the name of the cabal. Me 

 wax obnoxious to them on those very accounts which 

 made him the favourite of every real friend of his 

 country ; their scheme* against him were deeply laid, 

 and at last they succeeded in bringing him into dis- 

 grace with the king. The charge* against him were 

 examined before the privy < Sut they were so 



evidently unfounded, that Charles restored him to the 

 government of Ireland, in which he continued, in spite 

 of the intrigues which were still carried on agarost 

 **5 "* him, the difficulty of keeping the Catholics quirt, and 

 xTo. J5W. otnCT Tcam*tarces, which would have puzzled, and 

 probably been the ruin of a man posstmd of leas firm. 

 MSB, circumspection, and honesty, than Ormond, till 

 James 1 1. ascended the throne. 



Two lor.N-ju.tice* were appointed to succeed Or- 

 mond ; and it soon became evident that their situation 

 wo'dd be surrounded by difficulty and danger. The 

 Catholics, exalting in the known character and prin- 

 ciple* of James, were extremely violent in their lan- 

 guage and measurer while the Protestant* found them- 

 selves exposed tn their rancour, in consequence of an 

 order from the king that the militia, who were all of 

 this persuasion, should be disarmed, under the pretence 

 that they might favour the rebellion of Monmouth. 

 The apprehensions of the Protestant* were but too well 

 founded ; they were haunted every where, and upon 

 every occasion, by informers ; the n>o*t absurd and im 

 politic accusations were brought again .t them, and their 

 were thus rendered miserable from continued ap- 

 prehenv 



The .design* of James to subvert the Protestant reli. 



gion adiled to their alarms, while they whetted the bi- Hiatorr. 

 gotry and persecuting spirit of the Catholics. Their s "v""*' 

 designs could no longer be doubted. Three Protestant Jlt1 "" '[ 



, B i i ,~. i i- , conduct :n 



judges were removed, and three Irish Catholics raised i re ind. 

 to the bench, who, as well as some Catholic lawyers, 

 were admitted into the privy council. The revenues 

 of all the sees that became vacant, were set apart for 

 the maintenance of Catholic bishops ; and all the priests 

 of that religion were directed to appear publicly in the 

 dress of their order. In further proof of James' views 

 and principles, Tyrconnel was appointed lord lieute- 

 nant, a man who professed the most devoted attach- 

 ment to the Catholic religion, but whose conduct was 

 profligate in the extreme, as well as tyrannical and bru- 

 tal. Tyrconnel lost no time in taking such measures 

 H^ he thought would ruin the Protestants, and re-esta- 

 blish the Catholic religion in all its pristine glory and 

 power. And his measures were not concealed, irreso- 

 lute, or half executed ; on the contrary, they were bold, 

 open, and to the point, evidently conceived and execu- 

 ted with a thorough knowledge that they were such as 

 the King not merely approved, but was determined to 

 carry through. The charters were taken from several 

 corporation?, and new one* given, in which the mem- 

 bers were to coi>>t <-f wi>-t'iirds Catholics. Attempts 

 were made to deprive Dublin of its charter, and to in- 

 troduce Catholics as professors into the university ; but 

 these failed. 



In the midst of these measures, and of the alarm and 

 misery which they created in Ireland, news arrived of 

 the deposition of James, and the arrival of William in 

 England. The joy which this created in the Protes- 

 tant* was suddenly and completely damped, by infor- 

 mation that a general massacre of the Protestants was 

 planned, and about to he executed. The utmost con- 

 sternation immediately prevailed. The flight of the Pro- 

 testant* was shnofct general : their only hope of safety 

 seemed to be by leaving Ireland ; and the coasts oppo- 

 site to England were almost literally lined with the fu- 

 gitive*. In the north of Ireland alone, being more nu- 

 merous, they resolved on defence, and for this purpose 

 took refuge in Londonderry. 



The citizen* ..f this place participated in the general 

 alarm ; and when they heard that the Farl of Antrim's 

 regiment, composed entirely of Catholic*, was march- 

 ing towards Londonderry, they naturally supposed 

 that the crisi* of their fate was at hand. Under this 

 impremion they were filled with dismay, and utterly at 



Ion how to act, when the enthusiasm of a few youths 

 determined them to oppose the entry of these troop* ; 

 nor did they admit them, till they were convince 1 that 

 their intentions were not what they apprehended, and 

 on conditions which they themselves proposed. 



As soon a* the alarm of the assassination had subsi- Proitam 

 ded. and it was ascertained that it was destitute of associations. 

 foundation, the Protestant* began to form associations, 

 especially in ("Nter; but the*c were dissolved in a 

 short time, being objected to, and in fact opposed lx>th 

 by the Protestant and Catholic members of the council. 



Almost at the same time that information was recei- A. D. 1C89. 

 ved that William meant immediately to send troops and 

 supplies into Ireland, intelligence came that James had 

 landed in Munstcr with an army. On the 24th of 

 March 1689, he entered Dublin. His promises of pro- 

 tection to the Protestants were rendered very suspici- 

 ous, by the solemn procession with which the Catholic 

 clergy welcomed him into Dublin, and, in a very short 

 time, were unequivocally proved to be innncere. A* 

 the ProteaUnt strength lay chiefly in the north of Ire* 



