WILLIAM III. having had no issue by his consort, Queen Mary II., the eldest and favourite daughter of King James, his Majesty was succeeded on the Throne of Great Britain and Ireland by his sister-in-law, the Princess Anne of Denmark, second daughter of James II., by his first wife, Lady Anne Hyde, daughter of the Right Honourable Edward Earl of Clarendon, Lord High Chancellor of England, whom he espoused when Duke of York. In 1683 this Princess was married, by the Bishop of London, to Prince George, brother of Christian V., King of Denmark. Having, like another Tullia, on the breaking out of the revolution of 1688 in England, cruelly deserted her unfortunate father, she, together with her husband, joined the ambitious Prince of Orange, who was offered the Crown by a portion of the English nation. Accordingly, the Crown of England, in default of issue to William III. and Mary II., was settled on the Princess Anne and her children.

However, while Princess of Denmark, she had the misfortune to lose all her children in their infancy, except the promising young Duke of Gloucester, who died at the early age of twelve, in the year 1699. This event, which was deeply regretted by a large portion of the English nation, as well as the previous death of her elder sister, Queen Mary, rendered an immediate alteration in the Act of Settlement necessary. Therefore, the Princess Sophia, Dowager Electress of Hanover, twelfth child and youngest daughter of the Princess Elizabeth of England, who was eldest daughter of King James I., and her descendants, being Protestants, were declared next heirs to the Throne of Great Britain and Ireland, in default of direct legitimate heirs to William III., the then reigning sovereign, and his sister-in-law, the Princess Anne of Denmark, who was heir presumptive to the throne. This succession to the Crown was settled by Act of Parliament in the year 1700.

Though Queen Anne had been educated in the Protestant religion, many of the Jacobites viewed her accession to the throne as favourable to their cause, as she was by birth step-sister to the exiled and outlawed young prince whom they now recognized as their king, and was said to dislike all Germans, particularly the Ducal family of Guelph, and secretly to favour the cause of her banished step-brother.

After her accession, Queen Anne, having sided with the Imperialists

of Germany in the war against France, the victorious swords of the Irish Brigade again flashed in the field of battle. The Imperial troops, which were commanded by Prince Eugene of Savoy, entered Italy, where they defeated a French army consisting of 5,000 men, commanded by Victor Amadeus II., Duke of Savoy. The brave Marshal de Catinat, who was dismissed from his high post owing to the intrigues of Madam de Maintenon's party at the Court of France, was succeeded by Marshal de Villeroy; and for the interests of France a worse change could not have taken place. The efforts of Prince Eugene of Savoy were at first crowned with success; but he was at length destined to meet with a complete overthrow, at the instance of the soldiers of the Irish Brigade stationed at Cremona.

This town, situated on the left bank of the River Po, near to where it joins the Adda, was always considered impregnable by the ablest generals, and was therefore chosen by the French for their head-quarters. Prince Eugene determined, if possible, to take this place by surprise, and for that purpose won over a clergyman who resided within the walls, near an old aqueduct. The clergyman, in order to further the Prince's interest, applied to the authorities to have this then useless aqueduct cleansed, assigning as his reason for making the request that the public health required it. Through the medium of this passage some of the Imperial soldiers entered the city, and immediately opened the gate, through which the entire army marched in without opposition. When the garrison were alarmed, a fearful scene ensued. Surprised at the dead of night, and in the depth of winter, they were obliged to combat for hours with the enemy although almost undressed. Marshal de Villeroy, being disturbed from his slumbers by the noise and uproar in the streets, at first took no notice of it, supposing the disturbance was caused by a riot among the garrison. This impression, however, was soon removed from his mind by an attendant of his, who informed him of the real cause, and, quickly springing from bed, with great presence of mind the Marshal burned all the documents of importance in his possession. Then hastily dressing himself, he rushed into the street, sword in hand, to render all the assistance in his power to the garrison. This he was soon prevented from doing, in consequence of coming in contact with a squadron of the Imperial troops, who were about putting him to death, when, fortunately for him, he was recognized by an Irish gentleman in the Austrian service, named Francis Mac Donnell, who accosted him thus-" Marshal de Villeroy, put down your sword; you are my prisoner." The Marshal tried to bribe this officer to release him, but only

received this noble reply-" Our principle is to fight, not to trade; our object is glory, not money. Keep your gold, and withdraw your insulting offer."

The whole city was now in possession of the enemy, except the Po gate, which was guarded by two regiments of the Irish Brigade, and Marshal de Villeroy being asked to command the Irish to surrender, replied-"I am now a prisoner, and therefore have no authority to give orders." Prince Eugene then sent Mac Donnell to reason the matter with his countrymen, and point out to them the absurdity of unnecessarily sacrificing their own lives in defending a place which they must eventually be beaten out of. He was also authorized to add, that by their joining the Austrian service they would be soon promoted.

The commencement of this proposal was listened to by the Irish with evident signs of impatience, but on hearing the latter part of it, their contempt was evoked, and they made the following reply :-"Tell the Prince that we have hitherto preserved the honour of our country, and that we hope this day to convince him that we are worthy of his esteem. While one of us exists, the German Eagle shall not be displayed upon these walls. This is our deliberate resolution, and we will not admit of further capitulation."

Prince Eugene, knowing the importance of having possession of this gate, which commanded the bridge of boats over the River Po, and was therefore the only obstacle to the entrance of the Prince de Vaudemont's 10,000 troops, ordered an immediate attack to be made, under the command of the Marquis de Pallavicino and the Count de Merci, who were to be supported by 5,000 German cuirassiers. After a severe contest, which continued for two hours, the enemy were compelled to retreat in great confusion. The Irish, who fought stripped to their shirts, drove the enemy from street to street, and from square to square, until victory at length crowned their efforts. Lord Clare's troops were engaged at Hochstadt, against Count von Stirum, who commanded the Imperialists. This contest was for a considerable time very doubtful. The brigades of Bourbon and Dauphine repeatedly charged the German infantry with great violence, but were unable to break their strong lines. While the battle was yet undecided, Lord Clare, with the military skill which always characterised his family, drew up the Irish to attack the Germans. Placing himself at the head of his men, his Lordship charged the enemy. The Germans were unable to withstand the force of the shock, and fled before the Irish in great disorder. The

Irish and French then pursued them, and with great effect, for they slew 3,000, made 4,500 prisoners, captured thirty-two large cannon, and all the enemy's baggage, which was very valuable.

The French afterwards admitted that the credit of this victory was entirely due to Lord Clare's prowess, and the valour of the Irish under his command.

The name of the Irish, as brave soldiers, now became proverbial on the Continent, and all the sovereigns of Europe vied with each other in trying to enlist their services.

On the accession of Queen Anne, Major Forster of Rathorpe, who succeeded his father as Chief of Clooneene, at his death in 1698, like all those who held their properties under the Treaty of Galway, was in a state of anxiety, as it was rumoured in the first year of her Majesty's reign that new and more cruel Acts of Parliament were about to be passed by the Protestants to persecute the Catholics of Ireland. Those who had not been plundered of their estates were viewed with a jealous eye, and the bigoted portion of the Protestants used all their ingenuity to devise laws to prevent the estates of the Catholics from descending, according to the regular course of law, to their heirs; but ere these unnatural Acts were passed he died, and was interred in the family Fault at Kilmacduach Abbey. He was succeeded as Chief of his Name by his eldest son John Forster of Crushnahawn, who, at his death in 1703, having no issue, bequeathed his estates to his next brother, Colonel Francis Forster of Rathorpe, who returned from France shortly after the battle of La Hogue. During his life, like his father and eldest brother, he did his utmost to assist his friends in every way in his power, many of whom were deprived of their properties by confiscation since the termination of the war of the Revolution.

The gentry of the county of Galway were not disarmed of their swords by the Government; for, strange to say, the Act passed in the seventh year of William III.'s reign, by a special clause reserved the right to them of carrying their swords and pistols; and in a subsequent Act of Parliament passed to prevent the reversal of attainders, all persons included in the Treaty of Galway were particularly exempted. The Irish Parliament controlled even King William himself, and daringly invaded the Royal prerogative. He was not allowed to pardon or restore any person. No doubt, the King wished to employ the Irish in his Continental wars, but the English people objected to his doing so. Still, he is not to be looked upon as a Prince who kept his word, as he allowed the Treaty of Limerick, and the Articles signed on the surrender of Galway, to be shamefully and openly violated. The different Acts

of Parliament passed in his reign clearly prove it, and put the matter beyond all doubt. He also suppressed the woollen manufacture of Ireland, thereby injuring the commerce of the country. How, therefore, can any impartial historian, in the face of these undeniable facts, assert that William III. did not persecute the Catholics of Ireland, and openly break the various treaties made with them?

The spirit of the Galway gentry, and their well-known skill in the use of the sword and pistol, often checked the cruelties of the intolerant Williamite settlers, and gained for Galway the name of the 'Fighting County.' The Mac Namaras, the O'Briens, the Stacpooles, the Mac Donnells, Fitzgeralds, and other families in Clare, also kept down the exercise of much bigotry in that county by their valour, the duelling system being then in vogue, and for a long time after. The sons of the Catholic gentry being obliged to go to France to receive their education, always returned expert swordsmen, and their fame as duellists spread all over Europe.

During the reign of Queen Anne, the most odious and intolerant laws were passed against the Catholics of Ireland, the Government having no regard whatever for the principles of public faith, which ought always bind society together. In Galway, no Catholic freemen were allowed, nor could Catholics sell their goods except on market days; and even then they were obliged to pay a tax for so doing. This persecution caused vast numbers of young men to join the foreign armies of Catholic monarchs, and the privateers that visited the coast were constantly freighted with recruits for the Irish Brigade. In Limerick and Cork, the unfortunate Irish youth were often known to hide themselves in barrels on board the ships, so as to avoid the suspicion of their cruel persecutors, and, thus concealed, fly from the land of their birth.

The Acts of Parliament passed in the reign of Queen Anne were made in a spirit peculiar to the times of Nero, Dioclesian, and Henry VIII. The title of the first was indeed truly ridiculous- An Act to prevent the further growth of Popery;' inasmuch as if any of their Acts of Parliament could suppress or stifle the conscientious opinions of the Irish people. The third clause provided, that if the son of an Irish Catholic became a Protestant, the father would be incapable of selling or mortgaging his estate, or of willing it to any person. The Catholic father was not permitted, by the fourth clause of this Act, to be guardian of his own children; and if a child, no matter how young, said it was a Protestant, it was to be at once taken from its father, and placed under the care of the next Protestant relative. No Catholic was permitted to