315 
IREL 
marquis; and the a (Tu ranees which he received from the 
Scotch in Ulfter of their readinefs to fupport him. O’Nial, 
aftuated by the lame hatred of the royalifts as the parti- 
fans of the parliament, had fucceeded in his overtures of 
accommodation with their general, Michael Jones, and 
attempted to feize the fupreme council at Kilkenny ; but 
was anticipated by Inchiquin, who arrived there before 
hjm for its protection. The affembly proclaimed O’Nial 
a traitor, and, exafperated by the infolence and outrageous 
conduft of the papal nuncio, admonilhed him to leave 
the kingdom. 
Such was the (late of affairs, when Ormond landed at 
Cork, where he was received by Inchiquin with the ho¬ 
nours due to the viceregal office. He immediately pro¬ 
ceeded to treat with the general affembly of Kilkenny for 
the purpofe of uniting the proteftant and catholic loyalilts 
in a common caufe. The confederates, finding, by the 
return of deputies whom they had fent to Rome, that no 
fupplies were to be expected from abroad, and forcibly 
impreffed with the news of the remonftrance prefented by 
the army to the parliament, demanding the king’s death, 
concluded a peace nearly on the fame conditions in civil 
affairs as were fettled by the treaty of 1646. In eccle- 
fiaftical points more favourable terms were granted to the 
catholics, who were affured of a repeal of all penal ftatutes, 
and of the full and free exercife of their religion. One 
of the articles moreover ftipulated, that twelve commif- 
fioners of truft fhould be nominated by the general affem¬ 
bly, to take care that the treaty fhould be duly executed 
till its ratification by a full and peaceable parliament, and 
without the approbation of a majority of whom Ormond 
could levy neither money nor men, nor place garrifons 
for defence. This article proved a moft vexatious obltacle 
to his fubfequent operations. Whatever hopes might have 
been conceived from this convention, were baffled as far 
as they regarded the perfonal l'ervice of the king, who had 
fallen beneath the axe of the executioner before intelli¬ 
gence of it was received in London. 
Prince Rupert, nephew to Charles I. had arrived at 
Kinfale with a fquadron that had revolted from the par¬ 
liament before Ormond was informed of his fovereign’s 
death, on which tidings he immediately caufed the prince 
of Wales to be proclaimed king by the name of Charles II. 
Endeavouring to combine a force for the fervice of the 
new fovereign, he made overtures to the commanders of 
the feveral armies ftationed in different parts of the coun¬ 
try, but without fuccefs, except in his application to the 
Britiffi forces of Ulfter, who, abhorring both the king’s 
murderers and the confederate Iriffi, after fome hefitation 
declared for the royalifts. The fupplies of men and mo¬ 
ney promifed by the catholics were furniffled very flowdy; 
and, to add to Ormond’s difappointments, prince Rupert 
not only declined to afford him affiftance, but even by 
fecret practices embarraffed and obftruCted his plans. 
Having in vain folicited the young king to repair to Ire¬ 
land, the marquis, at the beginning of 1649, muftered 
what troops he could for the purpofe of befieging the ca¬ 
pital. With thefe he encamped at Finglafs, two miles 
from Dublin; Finding that Jones, the governor, had de¬ 
tached the greater part of his cavalry to Drogheda, where 
they might intercept the provifions of the befiegers, the 
lord-lieutenant difpatched Inchiquin with the royal ca¬ 
valry in purfuit of them. That nobleman overtook and 
routed the enemy ; took Drogheda; defeated a body of 
troops conveying ammunition to O’Nial ; inverted Dun¬ 
dalk, where Monk, who had been appointed to the com¬ 
mand of the parliamentary forces in Ulfter, was obliged by 
his own garrifon to capitulate; and, after the reduction of 
fome fmaller ports, returned in triumph to Finglais. 
With 11,000 men, of whom 4000 were cavalry, Ormond 
now refolved to invert Dublin on all lides; but his hopes 
of reducing the city were greatly damped by the arrival 
of a fleet with reinforcements and fupplies from England, 
and the intelligence that Cromwell might fpeedily be ex¬ 
pected in the fouth of Ireland with a formidable army. 
A N D. 
On this information he difpatched Inchiquin with three 
regiments of cavalry to ftrengthen the fouthern garrifons, 
while he, with diminiffied numbers, continued the block¬ 
ade of Dublin. A plan for the feizure of the neighbour¬ 
ing caftle of Baggatrath, by which the enemy’s horfes 
would be excluded from their only paftures, having been 
approved by the council of war, a detachment was fent 
upon this enterprife. Through the treachery of their 
guides, thefe troops were conducted by a circuitous route 
to the place of their deftination ; and, in the mean time, the 
enemy made a fudden and vigorous attack on Ormond’s 
encampment at Rathmines. His right wing being irre¬ 
trievably broken, a fudden panic feized the reft of his 
army ; the left fled without firing ; while the troops ported 
on the north fide of the river, under lord Dillon of Cofi- 
tello, inftead of fupporting their comrades, fled with pre¬ 
cipitation to Trim and Drogheda. The marquis, having 
loft 600 (lain, and 1800 taken prifoners, retired with the 
remains of his army to Kilkenny. Not difcouraged by 
this dilafter, and elevated by the hope of gaining the ac- 
ceffion of the force under O’Nial, (who, difgufted with 
and alarmed by the conduCt of the parliament of Eng¬ 
land in regard to himfelf, made overtures of alliance,) 
Ormond meditated a fecond attempt on Dublin, when all 
his plans were overthrown by the arrival of Cromwell in 
that port on the 15th of Auguft, 1649, with 8000 in¬ 
fantry, 4000 cavalry, a formidable train of artillery, and 
other neceffaries. 
The firft operation undertaken by this general was the 
fiege of Drogheda, whither he marched with 10,000 men. 
This place, defended by a garrifon of 2300 chofen troops, 
commanded by officers of diftinguiffled bravery, had been 
ftrengthened and furniffled in the beft manner Ormond 
was able, for a long and vigorous defence. Cromwell, 
fenfible of the advantage of linking a prompt and fignal 
blow, difdained the forms of a regular fiege. After a 
furious cannonade of the walls for two days, a breach was 
made. He inftantly iffued orders for a general affault. 
Twice were his troops repulfed with (laughter by the def- 
perate valour of the garrifon ; but, determined on con- 
queft, he led them a third time to the attack, and gained 
pofleffion of the place. To ftrike terror into his enemies, 
he direfted the deliberate carnage of the garrifon, both 
officers and privates, and of all Romiffl eccleliartics found 
in the town. For five days this work of (laughter was 
continued; a few perfons efcaped in difguife, and about 
thirty were fpared to encounter the lingering horrors of 
flavery in Barbadoes. It is reported, that the garrifon 
having laid down their arms on the promife of quarter, 
Cromwell iffued his fanguinary orders in retaliation of 
the cruelties of the catholics, though he well knew that 
moft of his victims were Engliffl proteftants. 
The real objeft of this atrocious barbarity was accom- 
pliffied. The garrifons of Trim and Dundalk abandoned 
thofe places with precipitation, While Venables and Coote 
overran Ulfter, Cromwell himfelf marched forward with 
9000 men to Wexford, garrifoned by 2000 catholics, as 
the citizens obftinately rejected the affiftance of heretics. 
On the firft fire of the enemy’s artillery, Stafford, gover¬ 
nor of the caftle, furrendered his port, and its guns were 
turned againft the town, where Cromwell caufed all per¬ 
fons found in arms to be (laughtered with the fame hor¬ 
rible formality as at Drogheda. 
Ormond, having in the mean time concluded an accom¬ 
modation with Owen O’Niai, acquired a confiderable ad¬ 
dition of ftrength by the junction of his forces, though 
the general himfelf, afflifted by fome diforder which foon 
afterwards put an end to his life, was no longer able to 
appear at their head. Enabled once more to take the field 
againft Cromwell, who had inverted Waterford, the mar¬ 
quis haftened thither, and, throwing reinforcements into 
the city, obliged the enemy to raife the fiege; but, when 
he propofed to fall on the rear of the retreating army, 
greatly debilitated by hard (hips and difeafe, the citizens, 
chiefly catholics, refufed to furnifli boats for the tranf- 
portation 
