S 26 ^ IREL 
mutual jealoufy of the Irifh and fuch of the French as 
had been left in Limeric, that the following day was 
clofed with a parley, and an agreement for a truce of 
three days. This led to a capitulation, the articles of 
which were finally adjufted and figned on the jft of Oc¬ 
tober, the civil by the lords juftices, and the military by 
the general. The fubftance of the chief of thefe articles, 
by which Limeric, and all other parts in poffeflion of the 
Irifh, furrendered to the new government, were, “ That 
the Catholics fliould enjoy fuch religious privileges as 
were confiftent with law, or fuch as they had enjoyed in 
the reign of Charles II. that all the Irifh in James’s fer- 
vice fliould be pardoned ; that they fliould be reinftated 
in their properties, rights, and privileges, on taking the 
oath of allegiance to king William; and that thofe who 
fliould choofe to remove from Ireland, fhould be con¬ 
veyed, with all their effects, to any other country except 
Great Britain, in fhips provided by the Englifh govern¬ 
ment.” Such was the fubftance of the famous Treaty of 
Limeric, which has been lately fo often quoted, and which 
the Irifh Roman-catholics confider as the great charter of 
their civil and religious liberties. A few days after the 
completion of this furrender, a formidable fleet, with 
troops, warlike ftores, and provifions, for the relief of 
Limeric, arrived from France in the Shannon, but re¬ 
turned home on difcovering that the objeft of its delti- 
nation was loft. Fourteen thoufand Irifh, availing them- 
felves of the terms of the capitulation, bade farewel for 
ever to their native country. 
No fooner was tranquillity reftored, than the Englifh 
parliament began to legiflate for Ireland. Among the 
laws made on this occafion, was one for the abolition of 
the oath of fupremacy, and the fubftitution of other 
oaths, by which the catholics were virtually excluded 
from both houfes of the legiflature. Notwithftanding 
this, when lord Sydney, appointed lord-lieutenant in 
1692, convened the firft parliament (excepting that called 
by king James) which had been held for twenty-fix years, 
the commons foon quarrelled with the chief governor in 
defence of their claim of originating money-bills; and a 
diffolution was the confequence. In another parliament, 
afl'embled in 1695 by lord Henry Capel, the parliamentary 
proceedings under the authority of James were formally 
annulled ; the aft of fettlement was explained and con¬ 
firmed, as were alfo the articles of Limeric, with certain 
modifications; and a few penal ftatutes were added to 
thofe previoufly enafted againft catholics. In compliance 
with the royal requifition, an aft was alfo made in 1698 
for the impofition of fuch additional duties on the ex¬ 
portation of woollens as amounted nearly to a prohi¬ 
bition ; and, not content with this, the Englifh par¬ 
liament the following year prohibited the exportation of 
all woollen cloths to any country except South Britain, 
and even then under duties and reftriftions equivalent to 
an abfolute interdiftion. Though it was underftood 
that encouragement was to be given to linen and hempen 
manufaftures in Ireland, yet till fix years afterwards 
none was afforded; and in courfe of time the raifing and 
manufafturing of hemp and flax were fo favoured by go¬ 
vernment in Scotland and England, that thofe countries 
became rivals to her in that branch of induftry, and the 
trade of hemp thus entirely failed. The ilnpolitic re¬ 
ftriftions on Irifh commerce and manufaftures were foon 
felt throughout the country, which was recovering with 
fuch rapidity from the calamities of war, that in 1698 
the balance of trade in its favour was between four and 
five hundred thoufand pounds. Deprived at this period 
of the means of fubfiftenCe at home, thoufands of Irifh 
.manufafturers emigrated to France and other foreign 
countries, where they not only aflifted the inhabitants to 
improve the quality and increafe the quantity of their 
cloths, but alfo eftabliflied a correfpondence by means of 
which Irifn wool tp a prodigious amount was clandef- 
tinely conveyed to thofe countries. But the deftruftion 
of the woollen manufacture was not the only evilinflifted 
AND. 
on Ireland by the prohibitions of the Englifh legiflature-. 
Had the latter indeed been influenced to the full extent 
by applications for reftriftions on the commerce of that 
unfortunate country, it muft have been in great part de¬ 
populated. Two petitions were, for inftance ? prefented 
in 1698, by the people of Folkftone in Kent, and Aid- 
borough in Suffolk, ftating a grievance which they fuf- 
tained “ by the Irifh catching herrings at Waterford and 
Wexford, and fending them to the Streights, and thereby 
foreftalling and ruining petitioners’ markets.” On the- 
part of England it was fuppofed, that, as Ireland had been 
fubdued by force of arms, the inhabitants ought in every 
refpeft to be fubjeft to the victorious ftate; and that the 
interefl of the Englifh ought on all occafionjj to be con- 
fulted, without regarding the inconveniences that might 
enfue to the Irifh. A very different idea, however, was 
entertained by the Irifh themfelves, or at leaft by the pa¬ 
triotic partyamongthem. They rejefted all notions of de¬ 
pendence upon the Britifli miniftry and parliament; and, 
though they did not fcruple to allow the king’s right of 
conqueft, they molt pofitively denied that the Britifh 
parliament had any authority whatever over them; and 
therefore looked upon the reftriftions laid upon their 
trade as the moft grievous and intolerable oppreffion. 
However William might have inwardly condemned the 
impolicy of the proceedings of the Englifh parliament 
in regard to Ireland, he was obliged, even in circum- 
ftances of a more perfonal nature, to fubmit to its ca¬ 
prices. The following is a remarkable cafe of this kind : 
From the infufflciency of parliamentary fupplies, the 
king had rewarded the fervices of his dependants with 
feventy-fix grants of forfeited eftates in Ireland. The 
Englifh commons, offended at this exercife of the pre¬ 
rogative, unjuftly charged William with breach of pro- 
mife in not leaving the forfeitures to the difpofal of par¬ 
liament for the difcharge of public debts, and fent com- 
miffioners to inquire into their value, and the reafons of 
their alienation. On the report of the majority of thefe 
commiflioners, influenced by a decided partiality in 
favour of the commons, a bill for the refumption of the 
granted lands as public property paffed both houfes, and 
the king to his extreme mortification was neceflitated to 
give it his affent... Truftees were then vefted with un¬ 
limited authority for the determination of claims, and 
the difpofal of the lands to purchafers; and the com¬ 
mons, aware of the violence of the aft of refumption, 
voted that no petition againft it fhould be received. The 
refult was, that, though the value of the granted lands 
had been eftimated by the commiflioners at 1,500,0001. 
they produced in the hands of the truftees fcarcely one 
third of that fum. 
During the reign of William’s fucceffor, queen Anne, 
little of importance occurs in the hiftory of Ireland, be- 
fldes the complaints of national poverty, and a rigorous 
augmentation of penal ftatutes againft catholics. To 
break the influence of the latter by fubdivifion of their 
landed property, their eftates were ordered to defcend in 
the manner of gavel-kind, in equal fliares to all the chil¬ 
dren, notwithftanding any lettlements to the contrary, 
unlefs the perfons who fhould otherwife inherit would 
take the prefcribed oaths, and conform to the proteftant 
faith. This fyftem was carried to an unneceffary degree 
of harfhnefs, in the prohibition of catholics from veiling 
their money in lands, and from enjoying a leafehold in- 
tereft for more than thirty-one years. If the Ion of a 
catholic fhould become a proteftant, he acquired a power 
over the poffeflions of his father, who, in that cafe, was 
reduced to the condition of tenant for life under morti¬ 
fying reftriftions. But, perhaps, of all the feverities en¬ 
forced againft catholics, the interdifting of thefe people 
from education at home was moft injudicious, as it pro¬ 
moted foreign attachments, and cherifhed ignorance. 
One of tile caufes of feverity againft catholics was the 
violence of party, arifmg from the diltinftion of whigs 
and tories imported from England. As the catholics 
were 
