this, he determined to intercept the convoy. Marching out silently at dead of night at the Clare side, with 500 picked horsemen, he rode to Killaloe, fifteen miles above Limerick, and crossed the Shannon at an unguarded ford a little above the town (Sunday night, August 10th, 1690).

653. Turning south-east, and having given his party a brief rest, he came on the convoy on the next night towards morning, beside the ruined castle of Ballyneety near the village of Oola. All were asleep except a few sentinels, and the attack was a complete surprise. When the party of horse dashed in among them there was little resistance, and in a few minutes Sarsfield had possession of the whole train. He caused the cannons to be filled with powder and their mouths buried in the earth; a fuse was laid to magazine and cannon; and the whole train was blown up in one terrific explosion. A part of William's army heard the ominous rumble in the distance, and too well divined what it meant.

Sarsfield, successfully eluding a party sent out too late to intercept him, made his way safely back to the city. This brilliant exploit greatly raised the spirits of the besieged.

654. Notwithstanding this disaster, king William, sending to Waterford for more heavy cannon, pressed the siege. The men worked at the trenches, which, in spite of the most determined opposition, were advanced within a few feet of the walls. The cannons made a great breach near St. John's Gate; and through this it was determined to make an assault.

655. In the afternoon of the 27th of August 1690, a storming party, leaping up from the trenches, entered the breach, supported in the rear by 10,000 men. They fired their muskets and threw their hand grenades among the defenders but were met by a terrible fire from all sides, front and flanks. Nearly all the front ranks were destroyed, and the rest showed signs of wavering; but thousands of resolute men pressed on from behind, and the Limerick men, now sore pressed, began to yield in their turn.

656. From every convenient standpoint the citizens viewed the terrible fight, but could see little through the thick cloud of smoke and dust. When they became aware that the assailants were prevailing, they rushed down in crowds from their secure resting-places, and seizing every available weapon, joined eagerly in the fray. Even the women-more active still than the women of Derryrushed to the very front, and regardless of danger, flung stones and bottles and missiles of every kind in the very faces of the assailants.

657. The Brandenburgh regiment, fighting steadily, had advanced to the Black Battery and were swarming round and over it; when suddenly the magazine was exploded, and battery and Brandenburghers were blown into the air in horrible confusion.

658. For four hours this dreadful conflict raged, and a cloud of smoke and dust, wafted by a gentle breeze, reached the whole way to the top of a high hill sixteen miles off. The assailants, unable to withstand the tremendous and unexpected resistance, at last yielded, and turning round, rushed back through the breach in headlong confusion.

King William had witnessed the conflict from Cromwell's fort; and having seen the repulse of his best troops, he returned to the camp deeply disappointed. Over 2,000 of his men were killed or wounded: the loss of the Irish was comparatively small.

659. William raised the siege, which had lasted three weeks, and returned to England, leaving general De Ginkel in command; and on the 31st of August the army marched away from the city.

The heroic defenders of Limerick had, almost without ammunition, repulsed a well-equipped veteran army directed by a great general who had never been foiled before.

660. In September 1690, Cork surrendered, after a fierce struggle, to the Williamite general John Churchill, afterwards the celebrated duke of Marlborough; Kinsale followed; and this ended the campaign of 1690.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE SIEGE OF ATHLONE AND THE BATTLE OF AUGHRIM.

(1691.)

661. Tirconnell, who had gone to France to solicit aid, returned in January 1691, with some money and stores; and in May a French fleet arrived in the Shannon with lieutenant-general St. Ruth to take command of the Irish

army.

appeared before AthThe town was divided

662. On the 19th of June Ginkel lone with an army of 18,000 men. in two by the Shannon. The Irish took their stand at the Connaught side, destroying two arches of the bridge.

663. St. Ruth was at that side with his army a short distance from the town. The English proceeded to throw planks across the broken arches; but a volunteer party of eleven Irish rushed forward to pull them down, straight in the fire of the English batteries. They were met by a tempest of grape, and when the smoke cleared away every man lay dead. Another party, eleven undaunted men, dashed in and tore down the planks; but again the grape did its work, and nine out of the eleven fell.

664. Foiled in this attempt, Ginkel adopted another plan. It was found that the river could be forded at a spot a little below the town and partly through dissension among the officers of the Irish army, and partly through the remissness of St. Ruth, a detachment of the English crossed the river on the 30th of June. They seized the bridge; and the army, crossing, took possession of the town.

665. We learn that about this time William offered terms to Tirconnell :-To the Irish Catholics the free exercise of their religion, half the churches, half the

But the

employments, and half their ancient estates. Irish mistrusted the good faith of the offer and rejected it. 666. After the taking of Athlone St. Ruth fell back on the village of Aughrim in Galway, five miles from Ballinasloe, determined to give battle. He occupied a skilfullychosen position along the ridge of Kilcommedan hill beside the village, with a morass in front. The numbers engaged might be about 20,000 each side. In Ginkel's army, besides English, Scotch, and Irish, there were Huguenots, Danes, and Dutch.

667. Skirmishing began about midday on the 12th of July 1691, and continued till about six, when a general engagement came on. The English crossed the marsh and were advancing up hill, but were charged by the Irish and driven back in confusion, so that St. Ruth exclaimed, The day is ours!" But soon after, while riding down the slope to give some orders, a cannon ball took off his head. This lost the day. The fight was, however, still stubbornly maintained, but late in the evening the Irish gave way. A great number who had taken refuge in a bog were massacred; and they lost altogether 4,000 or 5,000 men. Only about 500 prisoners were taken.

668. Galway submitted on the 21st of July, and Sligo in September, both on favourable terms, their garrisons being allowed to march to Limerick.

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE SECOND SIEGE AND TREATY OF LIMERICK.

(1691-1695.)

669. The duke of Tirconnell proceeded to put Limerick in a state of defence; but he died of apoplexy in the city on the 14th of August 1691: after which the chief command devolved on Sarsfield.

670. On the 30th of August Ginkel began the bombardment with sixty cannon and nineteen mortars: and soon the city was on fire in several places. After a time he was able to occupy the Clare side, but the besieged showed no signs of yielding. The Clare end of Thomond bridge was attacked, and defended; till the Irish overpowered by numbers had to retreat across the bridge. The townmajor, a Frenchman, raised the drawbridge too soon and shut out 600 of them, who were all massacred on the bridge.

671. There was now a short truce, and negotiations were entered into for capitulation. Ginkel was anxious to end the war, fearing the rainy season, and Sarsfield saw no hope in further unaided resistance. A treaty of peace was at length signed by Ginkel and the lords justices Sir Charles Porter and Thomas Coningsby on the one hand, and on the other by Sarsfield, now earl of Lucan. The stone on which it was signed is still to be seen on a pedestal beside Thomond bridge. The treaty was soon after confirmed by king William. This ended the War of the Revolution; and William and Mary were acknowledged sovereigns of Ireland.

672. A few days afterwards a French fleet sailed up the Shannon: 18 ships of the line and 20 transports, with 3,000 soldiers, 200 officers, and arms and ammunition for 10,000 men; but Sarsfield refused to receive them, and honourably stood by the treaty.

673. The Treaty of Limerick contained forty-two articles. The most important of the civil articles were:-The Irish Catholics were to have the same liberty of worship as they enjoyed in the reign of Charles II. Those in arms for king James to retain the estates they possessed in the time of Charles II., and to be permitted to freely exercise. their callings and professions. The oath to be taken by the Roman Catholics who submitted, to be the oath of allegiance merely, not the oath of supremacy.

674. The principal military articles were:-The garrison to be permitted to march out of the city with arms and