IRELAND. 
troops and fupplies would fpeedily be Tent to Ireland. 
No fooner had they refolved on defence, than they re¬ 
ceived the difcouraging information of the landing of 
James with a holtile force at Kinfale, on the 2zd of March, 
1689. Proceeding to Dublin, he iflued feveral proclama¬ 
tions, in one of which he commanded all his fubjefts of 
every perfuafion to unite againft William, and enjoined 
all proteftants who had quitted Ireland to return and re¬ 
ceive his protection ; and, in another, directed a parlia¬ 
ment to meet in Dublin in May. He then proceeded 
■with zo,ooo men to reduce the proteftants in the north, 
and commenced his operations with the liege of London¬ 
derry. 
One of the molt aftive and courageous partifans among 
the northern proteftants was ,George Walker, reCtor of 
Donougk.more, who commanded a regiment which he had 
bimfelf railed. On the news of James’s march from Dub¬ 
lin, he haftened-to Derry, and entreated Lundie to pieet 
and engage the enemy before their whole force lliould be 
collected. The governor accordingly took poll with his 
troops at the river called the Finn-water, as if with a view 
to obllruCt their palfage; but in the moment of danger he 
abandoned his pofition, and took refuge in Derry. Two 
Englilh regiments having arrived in the harbour, he di¬ 
rected their commanders not to land the troops, but to 
come into the town themfelves with fome of their officers 
to attend a council of war. In confequence of Lundie’s 
reprefentations, that the town was not only deftitute of 
military itores, but had not even ten days’ provilions left 
in it, the council agreed that the poll was not tenable, 
that the principal officers fhould privately withdraw, and 
leave the inhabitants to make the beft terms they could 
with the enemy. The town-council, to whom thefe refo- 
lutions were communicated, refolved to propofe terms of 
capitulation to James ; but the people, enraged at the 
preparations making for the departure of their officers 
and the Engliffi troops with the fupplies deftined for their 
relief, rofe in a tumult, and fired upon thofe who were 
thus bafely abandoning them. A fmall reinforcement 
under captain Murray, arriving at this critical moment, 
entered the town in Ipite of the governor’s prohibition. 
The gallant Murray had no fooner palled the gate, than 
he exhorted the townfinen around him by all that was 
dear to them to fecure the gates and to run to arms. 
With fuel) alacrity were his directions obeyed, that, while 
he proceeded to expoftulate with Lundie, the inhabitants 
had manned the walls ; and, pointing their cannon, fired 
on James and his advanced party, who were coming to 
take poffefiion of the place, and Were confequently obliged 
to retire. Electing George Walker and major Baker for 
their governors, the troops, amounting to 7360, were 
formed into eight regiments ; and various arrangements 
were made for defence. The town was indeed extremely 
ill-provided fora fiege; the fortifications were mean; it 
had but a fcanty provifion of ftores, not one well-mount¬ 
ed cannon, not one engineer or perfon of military {kill; 
while the befieging army, compofed of 20,000 men, was 
well furnifhed, and commanded by experienced officers. 
James, having failed to procure a furrender by perfua¬ 
fion, now inverted the town, and met with a molt obfti- 
nate refiftance. The befieged made frequent and deftruc- 
tive fallies, and fent word to the enemy, when battering 
their walls, that they might fave themfelves this trouble 
and expence, as the gates were always open, and afforded 
a more commodious entrance than any breach which could 
be made. Having continued his affaults for fome time 
without fuccefs, James left his forces to continue the fiege, 
and returned to Dublin. Famine foon began to reduce 
the defenders of Derry to great ftraights, but the expec¬ 
tation of relief from England enabled them to bear their 
diftreffes. Thefe had increafed to an almoft intolerable 
pitch, when the hefieged deferied thirty fhips, bringing 
fupplies and reinforcements, under the command of the 
notorious Kirk, who proved, on this occafion, that cow¬ 
ardice is but too often the companion of cruelty. Over- 
Vol. XI. No. 756. 
32J 
rating the danger of the attempt to relieve the town, he 
abandoned the enterprife, and again failed away ; leaving 
the inhabitants to talle all the bitternefs of disappointed 
hope. After fome time, he informed them by letter, that, 
being unable to force his way to them, he had failed round 
Lough Swilly, to try whether he could make a diverfion 
in their favour, and fend fupplies to the proteftants polled 
at Enniskillen ; alluring them, that reinforcements from 
England might be hourly expedled, and that the enemy 
would not be able, to continue the fiege much longer; 
concluding with the charge to hulband well their provi- 
fions—a piece of advice more alarming than all the me¬ 
naces of the enemy. 
As the fummer advanced, the brave garrifon of Lon¬ 
donderry was afflicted with the ravages of difeafe in ad¬ 
dition to the miferies of famine. Though deprived of 
many of their beft officers, and among the reft major Ba¬ 
ker, and though numbers were fcarcely able to Support 
their arms, they refufed to liften to the terms offered by the 
enemy, and decreed death to any who fhould mention a 
capitulation. Marfhal Rofen, a German officer, to whom 
James had committed the conduct of the fiege, enraged at 
their obftinacy, declared that, if the town lliould not be 
furrendered by a certain day, all the proteftants for ten 
miles round fhould he configned to plunder, and driven 
under the walls there to perifh of hunger. No overtures 
of fubmiffion being made, this threat was executed with 
all the circumftances of horror. The proteftants through T 
out the adjacent country, moft of whom had protections 
from king James, were, without exception in favour of 
fex, age, or infirmity, to the number of five, or, as 
fome writers affert, feven, thoufand, collected and driven 
by the foldiers with drawn fwords under the walls. But 
this infernal procedure ferved only to confirm the garri¬ 
fon in the refolution of perifhing, rather than fubmit to 
an enemy deftitute of every humane and generous feeling. 
Many of the wretches thus doomed to a lingering and. 
hideous death, had the magnanimity to exhort the garri¬ 
fon to perfevere, without regard to their affliction, in an 
obftinate defence againft an atrocious foe, intent only on 
the extermination of them all. A gibbet was now ereft- 
ed on the walls in view of the befiegers, who were affured 
that all the prifoners taken by the garrifon fhould be im¬ 
mediately hanged, unlefs their friends were permitted 
to depart; but the execution of this menace was pre¬ 
vented by the releafe of the people, in confequence of 
orders from James, to whom intelligence of this infamous 
tranfa&ion had been fpeedily conveyed. Deftitute for 
three days of fuftenance and fhelter, many hundreds had 
expired under the walls of the town; of the furvivors 
permitted to return to their plundered or demolifhed ha¬ 
bitations, the greateft part perifhed, as the ravages of the 
enemy had left them no means of fubliftence. 
Reduced to the utmoft extremity, and fupporting the 
remains of life by the flefh of dogs, horfes, and vermin, 
and even by tallow and hides, the garrifon had no more 
than two days’ provifion of this miferable fuftenance left; 
when Kirk, fearing left he might be called to account if 
the town fhould furrender, refolved to hazard an attempt 
for its relief. On the 30th of July the befieged deferied 
three fliips in Lough Foyle, fleering direCtly towards them. 
Thefe were the Dartmouth frigate and two ftore-fhips 
with provifions. A ftrong boom had been thrown by the 
enemy acrofs the channel which conduced to the har¬ 
bour, and which was defended by a battery on either fide. 
While the enemy poured a tremendous fire on the fhips, 
which was brifkly anfwered by their crews, the foremeft 
of the victuallers at the firft Ihock broke the boom., but 
unfortunately ran aground. The befieged, who crowded 
the walls, were itruck dumb with consternation; while 
the enemy, fhouting in triumph, prepared to board the 
velfel; which, however, being again let afloat by the re¬ 
coil of her guns, proceeded with the other fhips to the 
relief of the famifhed garrifon. Next day, the enemy 
having loft eight thoufand men in the fiege, retired in 
4 N * defpair 
