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alley in the city. A few minutes after the first alarm was given a strong party of the citizens, under the command of the Mayor, John Power, of Drogheda, who was a Catholic, came in contact with the enemy. De Boisseleau, being recommended to do so by Sarsfield, ordered the women to withdraw, as they were endangering their own lives, and preventing the men from exerting themselves in the defence. They, however, resolutely refused to obey the Governor, and some of them rushed into the thickest of the fight, armed with swords, pikes, and other weapons which had belonged to the slain. More of these brave and patriotic women were to be seen, amidst the wild confusion of the desperate conflict, hurling pike-heads, stones, broken bottles, and other destructive missiles at the enemy, while, at the same time, they encouraged their husbands and brothers by telling them to remember how even the Protestant females were treated by the cruel army, under the command of Douglas, while on its march to and from Athlone. The Irish now closed with the enemy in the street, who in a short time were mostly all killed. They then fired two cannon, well charged with cartridge shot which had been placed, by order of De Boisseleau, behind the entrenchment, which was opposite the breach. This had the effect of considerably thinning a party of the enemy that was rapidly approaching. The Irish then rushed forward with a loud cheer to support their companions, who manned the walls on each side of the breach. The Williamites being driven from it, their commanders, who were eager to plunder the city, and enraged at seeing their men repeatedly repulsed and defeated, ordered thousands up to the breach; and even the Prince of Orange, who was remarkable for his coolness, and who was standing all this time on Cromwell's Fort, became very excited, and exclaimed sharply"Send up more reinforcements quickly," and a stream of stormers endeavoured to advance. De Boisseleau injudiciously ordered several of the Irish battalions from the breach, but the officers and soldiers did not obey him. They manned it bravely, and rushed on to drive the stormers back. In this they were valiantly seconded by the people of Limerick, the women surpassing the men in courage. The former boldly stood on the breach in front of their own soldiers, and abused and defied the enemy to dare enter the city. When the fighting was warmest a party of Irish cavalry, who were encamped on the Clare side of the city, hearing the uproar, mounted their horses, and dashed at full speed to Ball's Bridge. Here they reined in, and, having dismounted, turned their horses loose, which added greatly to the confusion, as the horses in their flight trampled down several of the people. The dragoons then drew their swords, and shouting, "Remember the Boyne,"

rushed down through Broad-street, determined to deal death and destruction to their enemies. The Prince of Orange continued to send reinforcements to the breach. The flank of the storming party was continually fired at with great effect by two cannon posted on the King's Island, and a party of 500 Irish rushed from a battery, ran round the wall, and charged the enemy's rere, and, after committing great havoc among them, returned in safety. For three and a half hours the Williamites persisted in the attack, during which time, amidst an incessant fire, and the roaring of cannon and musketry, the wild shouts of the combatants almost rent the air, which was darkened with dense smoke. The Irish officers, soldiers, townsmen, women, Rapparees, and even boys of fourteen years of age, never flinched from the wall, towers, or breach; while the priests, regardless of their own safety, zealously attended to the wounded and dying, and the flags of King James, rent by many a bullet, waved triumphantly over the walls and castle of unconquered Limerick ! (94).

William's eyes now sparkled with delight; for, though he saw his men beaten from the breach, the Brandendurg Regiment, on which he always relied in time of danger, was in possession of the Black Battery. But part of the Governor's plan was to undermine this battery, and just as the Brandenburgers were about rushing into the city, confident of success, he caused the train of powder which he had previously laid down to be ignited, and from the explosion which followed, in less than a second the ground heaved, the shattered old turrets rocked to their very foundations, and, amidst a report louder than thunder, the Brandenburg Regiment, 400 strong, with wild cries of despair, were blown high into the air, fell, and strewed the earth with the fragments of their blackened and mutilated bodies. Their survivors, who had not entered the fort, fled back to their trenches in horror, and dismay was depicted on the countenances of the soldiers, as they considered the awful and untimely fate their companions had met with, who but a few minutes before, with all the reckless daring for which they had become proverbial through scenes of blood and death, were so confident of success.

A dreadful silence for a time reigned through the camp and the city, but when the Irish recollected that they were victorious, and that it was their enemies who were slain, they gave the retreating Williamites a parting volley, and, turning their eyes on the Sunburst of Erin, which now proudly waved over the citadel, expressed their joy at their deliverance in a loud and hearty cheer, which, reverberating over the distant hills and through the sequestered valleys of the county of Clare, was taken up by the peasantry for many miles around.

A large party of the garrison pursued, sword in hand, the retreating Williamites, to their very camp, and in the fierce conflict which ensued a shot fired from the city walls, happening to strike the hospital in which the wounded Williamite soldiers were lodged, set it on fire, and another, in a few minutes after, passed through a temporary magazine, which, exploding, killed several of the soldiers who were near at the time. When the Irish saw the hospital on fire, they were actuated by feelings of humanity, and, forgetting every other consideration save that of rescuing the helpless invalids, they rushed through their enemies, and, forcing their way through the lurid streets of flame, succeeded in accomplishing their laudable object, and afterwards fought their way back to the walls of the city!!

Early next morning the Prince of Orange sent a drummer to Limerick, to request a truce for the purpose of burying his dead. This was refused by the Irish, and De Boisseleau told the messenger to inform the Prince that as loyal subjects of the King the garrison could grant him no favour while he remained within cannon-shot of the city; therefore if he wished to have his dead interred he should first retire from before the walls. The Prince of Orange, on hearing this, became passionate and reckless, and offered to lead his men in person in another attack on the city, but they refused, and he became so disgusted that he immediately retreated, with the intention of returning to England and never again setting foot on the Emerald Isle (95).

The English army, over 36,000 strong, was thus foiled, with a loss of about 5,000 men, not including those intercepted by Sarsfield, while the loss the Irish sustained in this attack alone did not exceed 400, and that of the English was 2,158 killed and wounded, including British, AngloIrish, Huguenots, Dutch, Danes, Hanoverians, Brandenburgers or Prussians, and 163 officers, fourteen of whom were field-officers. The entire loss of the Irish during this siege was only 1,062 soldiers and 97 officers, killed or wounded, an inconsiderable number compared to the loss of the Williamites. Accordingly, on Sunday, the 31st of August, the last of the Williamites retreated from before the walls of unconquered Limerick.

When the Prince of Orange entered Waterford he was received by David Lloyde, the Mayor, and by the Sheriffs, Benjamin Bolton and Benjamin Lamb. The Prince, having appointed Baron de Ginckell and Count de Solmes to the joint command of his army in Ireland, took shipping at Duncannon Fort, and sailed for England on the 5th of September, 1690. On the 15th of the same month Viscount Sydney, Sir Charles Porter, and Thomas Coningsby, who were adherents of the Prince of Orange, were sworn in Lords Justices of the kingdom of Ireland.

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CHAPTER XXV.

THE CITIZENS OF GALWAY CLOSE THEIR GATES AGAINST DE LAUZUN.

AFTER the defeat of the Irish army at the battle of the Boyne, the Duke de Lauzun, with much ability, conducted the retreat to Limerick; but on hearing that the Irish intended to maintain that city against the Prince of Orange, being in no way daunted by their late defeat, he resolutely refused to take part in its defence.

On the 10th of August, the day after the Prince of Orange besieged Limerick, the Duke of Tyrconnell, without consulting Sarsfield or the other Irish officers, ordered the regiments which guarded the fords to withdraw from thence and march to Galway. This treacherous act, together with his former vacillating conduct, caused the Irish to mistrust the Duke, and made them believe that he secretly favoured the Prince of Orange, as by this movement he left a passage open for William to send part of his army to the Connaught side, and thereby completely surround the city. Indeed, on the 11th, part of the Williamite cavalry, having crossed, made a display as if it was their intention to besiege the city on that side also. However, though they quickly returned, the Duke of Tyrconnell and the Duke de Lauzun were so alarmed that they retired in great haste, resolved to take refuge in Galway, where the latter intended to take shipping and return to his native country. He had under his command 3,000 French troops, the remainder having already sailed for France, under the Marquis de la Hoguette, Maréchal-de-Camp. But this vain man little knew the honourable and upright character of the inhabitants of the city of Galway, which he was now approaching.

Galway is a county of a town, situated on the north side of Galway Bay, 53° 14' north, 9° 3' west, 126 miles west of Dublin, and fifty-one miles north-north-west of Limerick, and in all probability is the 'Nuguatha' of Ptolemy, from the circumstance of its ancient appellation of Cuan Nuguactie-the Harbour of the Small Islands. The town is built on both sides of a river, which has its source in Lough Corrib, anciently called Longh Orsben, the largest lake in Connaught, covering 30,000 acres, and having a subterranean communication with Lough Mask at Cong. After passing the ferry at Knock, the lake becomes an extensive sheet of water until within three miles of Galway, where it assumes the character of a river, which it retains until, after passing through the town, it falls into the bay. In ancient times, or long previous to the first ar

rival of the Anglo-Normans in Ireland, in May, 1169, the district in which Galway stands was vested in the O'Hallorans, a sept of Milesian race. It was called Clan-fir-gall, the Town of the Foreign Merchants, from a number of enterprising strangers having settled there, where they carried on a considerable trade. It was also called Ballinshruane, or the Town of the Little Streams. In 835 the plundering Danes, under their fierce leader, Turgesius, ravaged the kingdom of Connaught, and burned the village, which then stood on the present site of Galway. In 1124 the village was rebuilt, and although composed of small huts, a strong castle was erected. It was again plundered in 1128, by the O'Fflaherties and other septs. In 1132 a party of Dalcassians sailed across the bay from Thomond, demolished the castle, burned the village, and slew many of the inhabitants. They also killed Conor O'Flahertie, Chieftain of Iar-Connaught, and in 1149 Torlough O'Brien, the warlike King of Munster, invaded Connaught, and destroyed the fort called Dunebun-nagaileve. In 1154 a fleet sailed from Galway to the North, to wage war against the O'Neills and O'Donnells, and lay waste Tyrone and Tyrconnell. Galway was consumed by fire in 1161. This year, also, a large army, composed of the people of Iar-Connaught, sailed to Thomond, and, having burned all the houses in the west of Corcomroe, slew many hundreds of the inhabitants, and carried off a great prey of cattle and many other valuable things. A fleet was equipped in Connaught— several of its crew being Galway men-and, when ready, departed on a plundering expedition. It sailed up the Shannon as far as Tipperary, and remained there from November until May. In 1170 Galway was accidentally burned; so that when the Anglo-Normans invaded the kingdom of Connaught, in 1177, they found only five families, mostly those of fishermen who resided there under the protection of the native Irish. In the year 1177 there was a great storm, by which several buildings were destroyed, and in 1178 the river of Galway dried up and remained so for three days, Ancient arms and coins were found in its bed. The Normans, also for the first time, invaded the kingdom of Thomond. In the following year, 1179, William Fitz Adelm de Burgh, being in England, succeeded in procuring from Henry II. a grant of Connaught, which, although of no advantage to him, not being acknowledged by the native inhabitants as their lord, caused, notwithstanding, internal warfare, confusion and misery, which lasted for many long years. In 1190 the river of Galway again dried up. A considerable quantity of old arms and other curiosities were found in its bed, the principal of which were a broad steel axe, and a spear-head, one cubit in length. In 1210 the King of Connaught proceeded to Westmeath, and

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