48 Old Belfast : Its Origin and Progress. 



its defence. The only time the rampart was destined to be used 

 was when the Cromwellian forces, under Colonel Venables, 

 captured the town from the Royalists in 1649, after a siege of 

 four days. After this peace was the order of the day under 

 both the Protectorate and the Merry Monarch ; and a sign of 

 our growing prosperity will be found in the erection of the 

 Long Bridge, which was commenced in 1682, to take the place 

 of the ford. It was erected at the joint expense of the Counties 

 of Down and Antrim, and was barely completed when the Duke 

 of Schomberg arrived in Belfast with an army to conduct the 

 Irish campaign for William of Orange in 1687. On the 14th 

 June 1690 King William himself landed at Carrickfergus, and 

 proceeded the same day to Belfast, stopping at the Castle, which 

 had been prepared for his reception ; on his departure for 

 Hillsborough his Majesty was overtaken by a very heavy shower 

 of rain opposite Orangegrove, now known as Cranmore, while 

 taking shelter under some large trees he was invited by Mr. 

 Eccles, the proprietor, to enter his house until the shower 

 would pass over, which he accordingly did. It is traditionally 

 stated that the first printing press was set up in Belfast in 

 connection with William's army. 



Certainly the next most important incident in our local 

 history was the establishment of the " Belfast News-Letter" in 

 1737, with which the modern history of Belfast may be said to 

 commence. This was followed by the issue of a rival journal 

 called "The Belfast Courant " in 1745, which, however, had 

 but a short existence. To turn from newspapers and printing 

 to literary men is but a step, and that step brings us to Dean 

 Swift, who in his early days was settled near Belfast and a 

 frequent visitor to it, while another clergyman eminent in a 

 different direction, was John Wesley, who often preached in 

 Belfast during the latter part of the eighteenth century. With 

 the exception of the scare which resulted from the capture of 

 Carrickfergus by the French, when Belfast was menaced and 

 ordered to send provisions to the invaders, nothing of any note 

 occurred until the commotion caused by the invasion of the 



