176 CAPTAIN THOMAS BROWN, CHIEF FIRE-MASTER. 
speed, to hire ships sufficient to carry the regiments commanded by 
Col. Cunningham, Sir John Hanmer, Bart., and Col. Richards from 
thence to Londonderry for its defence.”’? The above instructions to 
Kirke were necessitated by the despicable conduct of Col. Robert 
Lundy, Governor of Londonderry, who, after betraying his trust, had 
deserted his post and left the citizens to shift for themselves. And 
though Col. John Cunningham and Col. Solomon Richards, who had 
been sent to Londonderry with their respective regiments (the 9th and 
17th) in March, 1689, cannot be said to have been traitors, yet were 
they strangely lacking in soldierly duty and zeal for the Protestant 
cause when they turned their backs on the beleagured town and 
returned to Hngland with their regiments. “For their perfidiousnesse 
therein,” as Luttrell expresses it, they were removed from their com- 
mands and were succeeded by two good men and true—Col. William 
Stewart and Col. Sir George St. George. 
On the 2Ist May, 1689, Kirke set sail from Liverpool with threo 
regiments, provisions, ‘‘ and arms for above 10,000 more with ammuni- 
tion proportionable” (Luttrell). It is very certain that if Fire-master 
Brown did not sail with Kirke’s convoy to Londonderry, that both he 
and Captain Jacob Richards joined the relieving forces soon after in 
Lough Derry as will presently appear. 
After being driven back by contrary winds to Liverpool, Kirke’s ships 
arrived in Lough Derry early in June. The relieving forces found, on 
arrival, that the besieging army had erected batteries on each side of 
the river and had placed a boom, or barrier, across the mouth of the 
river to obstruct the entrance. The result is well known. After 
overcoming apparently insurmountable difficulties Kirke relieved Lon- 
donderry, by water, on 30th July, and on ist August the enemy raised 
the siege and retired. For some time past dogs, cats, and rats, with 
starch as a farinaceous diet, had been the daily food of the beleagured 
garrison, and they could not have held out more than two days longer 
(Luttrell). By virtue of his commision, dated —— May, 1689, Kirke 
took the command of the Londonderry and Enniskillen forees—reduced 
some regiments and re-formed others. On 6th August, 1689, he ap- 
pointed Captain Jacob Richards captain of a company of fusiliers to 
attend the train of artillery, which had been raised for Ireland, and 
Thomas Brown was given a commission as lieutenant to this newly 
raised company on the same day.! Shortly after these events Kirke 
joined forces with Schomberg’s army which had come to re-conquer 
treland. We hear nothing further of Lieutenant Thomas Brown until 
11th September, 1690, when he quitted the fusilier company and was 
appointed lieutenant of the company of miners commanded by Captain 
Jno. Pitt--an officer selected by Duke Schomberg for this command 
8 months previously. The following extract from a letter of the great 
Schomberg to the Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance, dated 10th 
March, 16§$, gives the writer’s opinion of the importance of this com- 
pany of miners and of the Artillery Train in particular :— 
“And forasmuch as the said Company of Miners doe immediately 
1 Report by Charles Fox to the Lords of the Treasury on Captain Thomas Brown’s petition, 
19th September, 1692. Treaswry Papers. 
