210 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



consolidated the Eoyalist interest in Ireland. In the Calendar of State 

 Papers for Ireland, the volume for " 1647-60," there is noted at p. 40 that 

 the Marquis of Ormonde issued a Proclamation announcing the conclusion of 

 a peace with the General Assembly, and that all the King's subjects were 

 to take notice thereof. This Proclamation bears date the 17th of January, 

 164f, and it is stated there that it was printed at Kilkenny by William 

 Smith. The original is in the Public Ptecord Office, London. 



The Proclamation which I found in a bundle in the Strong Eoom recently, 

 and which I now exhibit, is another Proclamation, by Ormonde, later in date 

 hyfive days, and the purport of it was an intimation that for twenty-one days 

 neither he nor the Commissioners would enter into any particular business. 

 (Plate VI.) 



The efforts of Ormonde, which reached, so far, a successful issue, produced 

 results of very short duration. Within eight days after this Proclamation 

 was issued Charles I was beheaded at Whitehall, and the Royalist cause was 

 doomed. 



Who William Smith, the printer of this Proclamation, was, or where he 

 came from, does not appear. His name does not occur as printing in Dublin 

 at that period ; and it is likely that he was brought over by the Marquis 

 of Ormonde to Ireland from England or abroad. The Proclamation was in a 

 somewhat tattered condition, and I have had it partially repaired. You will 

 observe that it is of small size, and that it could easily have been printed on 

 one of the hand- presses common at that time. It illustrates the size of the 

 presses of the period, and how easily they could be moved from place to place. 

 One is apt to forget this when looking to-day at the huge printing 

 presses in any of our big printing or newspaper offices, and when one sees 

 there machines of the latest form, often weighing some tons, while the 

 presses which were used by our early printers were often small, and would 

 easily fit in a cart. Anyone who has seen pictures of very early printing 

 presses, as, say, that of Caxton, will recognize that. 



Thin as the paper is, it is really tougher and made of stronger fibre than 

 much of our modern paper. The ink is still very black and fresh ; and though 

 the whole is, perhaps, somewhat rude in execution, yet it is very interesting 

 and well deserving of preservation. The quaint spelling of the time will be 

 noticed also on examination. 



William Smith's name first appears as a printer in this Proclamation, 

 and the kindred one in the Public Eecord Office, London. But he did not 

 end his career as a printer here. His predecessor in Kilkenny was Thomas 

 Bourke, the printer of the Confederate Catholics ; but he disappears when 

 their Confederation was broken up or lost its power. And we do not trace 



