CHA P. VII.

THE short reign of the unfortunate James II. who

succeeded his brother Charles in the dominion of the British empire, was pregnant with events of the deepest importance to the Irish nation. That the joy of the Irish catholics at the accession of a prince to the throne who was universally known to be a catholic, should be excessive, and even intemperate, is by no means surprising. The turn of the state of politics in. this kingdom was rapid and complete.

The earl of Clarendon succeeded Ormond, but he was probably too firmly attached to the protestant interests to give as largely into James's measures as the court wished. His instructions clearly bespoke the king's intention of introducing catholics into corporations, and investing them with magistracies and judi

cial offices; and being called upon by his instructions to give his opinion on the legality of the measure, he expressed his readiness to comply with his majesty's commands, although contrary to the act of Elizabeth. The army was however soon filled with catholic officers, the bench with catholic judges, except three who retained their seats; the corporations with catholic members, and the counties with catholic sheriffs and magistrates. The earl of Tyrconnel was appointed commander in chief of the army, and made independent of the lord lieutenant. On the very rumour of these proceedings alarm and consternation seized the protestant part of the kingdom and most of the traders and others whose fortunes were transferable fled from a country in which they expected a speedy establishment of popery, and general transmutation of property. The catholics now feeling themselves secure at least in their religion, induced Tyrconnel to go to England in order to prevail upon the king to accede to their favourite measure of breaking through the act of settlement. The king however saw more inconvenience in throwing the whole national property into a new state of disorder and confusion than these. did, who had been suffering during twenty years from the deprivation of their birth-right. Tyrconnel was

himself a great enemy to the act of settlement, and he so worked upon the king as to dispose him to consent to the repeal of that act, and he soon returned to Ireland as lord deputy. Tyrconnel was personally obnoxious to the protestants, he was impetuous, resolute, and imperious: he possessed an unbounded influence over the king; and having in his youth been a witness to the bloody carnage at Drogheda, he had ever retained an abhorrence of fanaticism, with the spirit of which he considered all protestants more or less infected. Nothing more was wanting to alienate the affections of the protestants from James and his government; and ere this unfortunate monarch, by the advice of imprudent and insidious counsellors, had been brought to abdicate the crown of England, the whole protestant interest of Ireland had already asso ciated against him.

Long before king James left England, the protestants in the north of Ireland were generally in arms, training and disciplining themselves to oppose by force the measures of his government. This formidable armed force of the northern protestants had been gaining strength several months before the land of William prince of Orange in Torbay ; and they continued daily

in an improving state of organization and regular warfare against the existing government of the country; for it must be recollected that James II. continued to be king of Ireland, notwithstanding his abdication of the throne of England; since by the constitution of Ireland, neither the people of England nor the parliament of England could dissolve or transfer the allegiance of the people of Ireland; which long had been, then was, and continued till the Union to be an independent kingdom. This singular epoch, therefore, of the Irish history furnishes the most simple demonstration of the necessity of an incorporate union, and exposes the monstrous anomaly of several independent kingdoms under one sovereign.

Ireland now again exhibited a gloomy scene of op pression, dejection, insolence, and despair; of power exercised without decency, and injuries sustained without redress. That English interest, which princes and statesmen had laboured to establish in this country, was discouraged, depressed, and threatened with final extirpation.

The enterprise of the prince of Orange against England was yet a secret to James when Tyrconnel receiv

ed intelligence of his design from Amsterdam, and conveyed it to the king, who received it with derision. The Irish catholics, conceiving themselves subjects of king James, at first affected to despise the prince of Orange and his attempts; but they soon learned the rapidity of his successes in England, that king James was deserted by his subjects, and that the revolution every day gained new adherents. The distracted state of this unhappy kingdom can scarcely be described. The protestants in the north in the year sixteen hundred and eighty eight proclaimed William and Mary, which, by Tyrconnel and the catholics, was deemed an act of rebellion. An army was formed of about thirty thousand men, and officered chiefly with catholics. James, who was then at the court of Louis XIV., gave constant assurances that he would come to Ireland and head them in person. He accordingly sailed from Brest with a strong armament, having on board twelve hundred men of his own adherents, who were then in the pay of France, and one hundred French officers, and landed at Kinsale in March sixteen hundred and eighty-nine: from thence he proceeded to Dublin, where he was received as king with great pomp and solemnity. He issued five several proclamaVOL. I. P