A True and Perfect JOURNAL OF THE Affairs in Ireland SINCE His MAJESTIES Arrival In that KINGDOM By a Person of Quality LONDON Printed and are to be sold by Randal Taylor near Stationers-Hall 1690. THE Irish Journal Dublin July 17. 1690. WE received here the certain News of the King 's Landing about Friday the 13th of June Before this a Camp had been laid out by the Irish about Atherdee and King James had ordered his Army to rendezvouz there from several Parts of the Kingdom On Monday the 16th King James marched out of this Town to joyn them with about 6000 French Foot most old Soldiers excellently well arm'd and clad one Regiment of these were Dutch and Protestants and were observed carefully for fear of Deserting The whole Irish Army encamped made about 36000 all well clad and in good heart both Horse and Foot besides 15000 more which remain'd in Garisons The same day King James left this Town there marched in 6000 of the Country Militia and Colonels Luttrel and Mac Gillicuddy as his Assistant were left Governors We expected the Irish would have been much cast down upon King James's leaving this Town and the certain News of King William's arrival but we found the contrary they triumphed and rejoyced as if they had got King William in a Pound and the Day were their own They were assur'd either that the French Fleet would cut off King William from England or that an Insurrection would be made there for we were told that 100000 Men were ready to rise under the notion of Declaring for a Commonwealth The Protestants here knew not what to think of these things for they were kept as Prisoners of War and suffered to know no more nor enjoy any more than what the others pleased But this the Protestants feared most because the Irish spoke least of it that some desperate Persons had undertaken to destroy King William as soon as he came into this Country For we could not impute the great assurance of the Irish to any other ground than this Some were so open as to tell their Protestant Friends very lately That they would be glad to go to Mass within this Twelve Month with several other Expressions of like nature The Protestants have had always an exceeding slender opinion of the Irish Army however numerous or well appointed And the Irish themselves tho better perswaded of them could not we thought raise their great assurance from their confidence in them only Some other thing we believed they knew which we knew not However we perswaded our selves had Schomberg manag'd this Campagne there would have been no other issue of it than of the last But when we heard the King was come and that with a powerful Army we doubted not of the issue if no other unexpected thing did prevent it tho it since appears by some Letters of the Duke Tyrconnels to the Queen in France found at Dundalk that the Irish had no full Account of the strength of the English Army Our great concern in this place was how we should be preserved from being plundered and burnt in case of the Defeat of the Irish Army this we thought could be done only by the English pursuing the Victory close for by a particular Providence the Irish had neglected all this time to fortifie this place or else by sending a Party by Sea to Land here at the time of the Engagement neither of which as it afterward happen'd was done But God alone preserv'd us by an extraordinary Deliverance On Thursday the 19th after King James was gone to encamp about Twelve at Noon the Governor ordered all Persons walking the Streets without Swords or Bayonets which was the Badge of Protestants to be taken up and secured in several Parades At Night he pickt out whom he thought fit and sent them to several Prisons where they were considerably incommoded After this follow'd a Proclamation That not above Five Protestants should meet in any place above the Family on pain of Death by which we were from that time shut out from our Churches which by an extraordinary Providence we had enjoyed all these times except Christ-Church Most of them were frequented twice every day at Prayers The Church-men who remain'd with us tho they had lost all their Subsistance by the Irish Parliament except what People voluntarily contributed acquitted themselves with a great deal of Zeal and Diligence being particularly influenc'd by the Bishop of Meath and Dr. King Dean of S. Patricks who have been the Bulwark of the Protestants in these sad times On Tuesday the 24th Dr. King was clapt up in the Castle and many other of the principal Protestants in the Colledg which was now a Garison and other publick Places The Galway Protestants being about 200 these were they of Sir Thomas Southwell's Party lately brought up hither in order to be exchanged were removed from White Friars to the Round Church and all the Newgate Prisoners were put to them where they were near stifled The Prisoners of War were brought from Kilmainham to S. John's Church Our publick Contributions which hitherto had been very liberal every Lord's Day to their Relief were now intercepted and the Poor began to suffer much few Protestants daring to walk the Streets On Saturday the 21st we heard the Irish Army retreated and the English were come towards Droghedah we knew King James's design was to avoid a Battel as much as he could and to have walked the English Army along the Boyn River and so cross the Country to Limerick but this day we were told from the Camp that the Enemy seem'd to press towards Dublin and King James was resolved to defend it and that therefore they thought he could not be able to keep off a Battle above Ten Days On Sunday the Irish came on this side the Boyne and King James as it should seem distrusting the issue Sir Pat. Trant First Commissioner of the Revenue and another Gentleman were ordered to go from hence on Monday Morning to Waterford to prepare Ships On Monday the last of June the English Army having had very little Rest or Victuals drew to the Boyne Lieutenant General Dowglas's Horse were ordered to post themselves at a Ford near Droghedah upon a rising Ground over against a Battery of the Irish of Six Guns guarded by a Party of their Horse Here the English stood the shot of the Enemy every Man on foot by his Horse several hours while there pass'd 200 Shot the King in the mean time having rid between them and the Ford where he received his Hurt on his Shoulder by a Canon Shot which disabled him the next day from holding his Sword At last when the King had said Now I see my Men will stand some Guns were sent to them upon the first discharge of which among the Irish Horse they retreated from their Battery and stood farther off The next day early being Tuesday the 1st of July ever-memorable to this Country General
Douglas was sent with 12000 Foot and 5000 Horse to a Ford further up the River by Slane where had been a Battery of the Irish but they were drawn off and only 800 Dragoons guarded the Ford. The English were to go down a steep Hill to the Ford and an uneven way yet the Irish Dragoons only once fired and retreated to the Body of their Army which lay towards Duleek mean time the King with the rest of the English Army came to the Ford where Douglas was posted the Day before near Drogheda which at this time had a Garison of 800 Irish Duke Schomberg headed the Dutch Foot-Guards and the King the Eniskillen Horse telling them They should be his Guards that day Some of the Irish Horse oppos'd the Dutch Foot who fought up to the middle in water and were almost born down before some Horse which they long call'd for could come up to their relief In passing this Ford Mr. Walker of Derry was killed Being past the Ford they met still a vigorous Opposition and here Duke Schomberg advancing too far among the thickest of the Enemy was killed and now lies in S. Patricks Church in order to be carried to Westminster The King with the Horse himself engaging in the thickest met the like opposition The Danish Horse once gave way but the King went himself and brought them up again Of the Irish King James's Horse and Foot-Guards principally maintain'd this Opposition and suffer'd much King James himself not engaging but standing on a rising Ground When the English had fully gain'd the Ford the Irish retreated to the rest of their Army by Duleek and the English drew up on tother side the Ford. It must be noted that on Dublin side of the River between the two Fords viz. Douglas's Ford and the King's Ford there was a Hill three Miles long reaching from the River towards Dublin at the end of which next Dublin stands Duleek where the Body of the Irish was posted so that the Hill was between the two Lines of the English Army while the King was passing his Ford Douglas march'd towards the Irish Army a Line of the Irish marching all the way even with them at last he receiv'd Orders to engage them at a place where he could come in only with his Horse which alone put the whole Irish Army to flight so that before the King's Line could get up to them they had little to do but pursue However the Irish made a very orderly retreat manag'd chiefly by the Irish Horse and the French Foot the English pursuing them till they came to a Pass where their weariness and the Night made them willing to leave them and retreat to their Camp at Duleek where the King and they lay that Night without Tents Now as to us in this place we were waken'd very early this Tuesday Morning by an Alarm and the News that there wou'd be a Battel The Gates were kept strictly guarded and the Protestants kept their Houses The Issue we expected with the greatest apprehensions Several reports were spread abroad every hour one while that the French Fleet was in our Bay another that a French Express was come from Waterford with the News of taking the Isle of Wight by the French and of their being gon to Dover then that the English Right Wing was quite routed then that the Prince of Orange was taken Prisoner but at Five that Afternoon some that had made their escape on tired Horses told us the Irish were much worsted and others at Six that they were totally defeated from hence till one that Night all the Entries of the Town were filled with dusty wounded and tired Soldiers and Carriages perpetually coming in We see several of King James's Horse Guards coming in stragling without Pistols or Swords and could not tell what was become of himself Near 10 that Night he came in with about 200 Horse all in disorder We concluded now that it was a total rout and that the Enemy were just ready to come into Town but were greatly surprized when an hour or two after we heard the whole Body of the Irish Horse coming in in very good order with Kettle Drums Haut-boys and Trumpets and early the next Morning the French and a great Party of Irish Foot These being a little rested Marched out again to meet the Enemy which were supposed to draw nigh At Five this Morning being Wednesday the 2d of July King James having sent for the Irish Lord Mayor and some Principal Persons to the Castle told them that he found all things against him that in England he had an Army which would have fought but they proved false and deserted him that here he had an Army which was Loyal enough but would not stand by him He was now necessitated to provide for his safety and that they should make the best terms for themselves that they could He told his menial Servants that he should have now no further occasion to keep such a Court as he had done and that therefore they were at liberty to dispose of themselves He desir'd them all to be kind to the Protestants and not to injure them or this City for tho he quitted it he did not quit his Interest in it and so with two or three in Company he went to Bray and along by the Sea to Waterford having appointed his Carriages to meet him another way We hear he did not sleep till he got on Ship-board and having been once driven in again is since clear gon off All this day being Wednesday we see nothing in this Town but Officers and Carriages and the Principal Persons of the Town their Wives and Families going away others coming in dusty and weary and getting away as fast as they could the Gates were still kept by the Militia and the Castle by 250 of the Governors Foot Soldiers who still threatned that before they left the Town they would burn and plunder us This of a long time had been their talk tho King James said it was a Report rais'd by the Protestants to make him odious Yet some Irish Persons of note advised their Protestant Friends a few days before this to leave this Town because they wou'd not be safe here We knew not what to think of our selves but hop'd the English were so near as to prevent this mischief but about four in the Afternoon instead of them we perceiv'd the Irish Horse which were drawn out in the Morning and which we hoped had been quite gon entring into Town followed by the French and Irish Foot in a full Body presently a buz ran through the Town that it was going to be burnt and the Roman Catholicks who had fled for retreat into Protestants Houses began now to look briskly on those that had harbour'd them for all this time we knew nothing of what King James had said in the Morning But it pleas'd God to deliver us soon from these fears for all these Forces marched
through the Town without doing any injury and were drawn up by Lord Tyrconnel on the other Side of it in order to March further the Militia followed them only the Governor remain'd At last he resolved to March also and to drive 2 or 300 of the Principal Prisoners before him but while they were preparing for this a false Alarm was spread that a Party of English being Landed at the Harbour were just at the Towns end it was too dusky to disprove this by view and they had not leisure to send a Messenger but in hast shifted for themselves The Protestants now began to look out not knowing well in what condition they were but venturing to the Castle they found Captain Farlow who had been a Prisoner there keeping Garrison alone Upon this Captain Fitz-Gerald and several others who had been Prisoners went and stayed there all Night Still we were very unsecure and had no Arms. Early next Morning being Thursday the Protestants run about to Roman Catholicks Houses demanding their Arms who being quite dispirited deliver'd them without dispute but the Galway Prisoners and some other Rabble committed Outrages in taking Arms. By Six in the Morning the Bishop of Meath Dr. King and other Principal Protestants form'd a Committee in the Castle and sent out Proclamations by beat of Drum for regulating these disorders and forming a Protestant Militia and sent away an Express to the King of this Towns being at Liberty This Express found him Marching up to Dublin in two Lines expecting to meet the Irish at Swords and at the same time the News came of the Surrender of Drogheda which he had left a Party to besiege and in which they had pinnion'd all the Protestants and Prisoners and placed them under that part of the Wall which was to be battered but this was not known till after the Surrender Till afternoon this Thursday we did not hear a word of the English Army mean time we had Reports that the Irish and French were coming back and very near us which gave a damp to our briskness but this blowing over and the certain account of the English Army being come we now perceived our selves at Liberty The Protestants ran about saluting and embracing one another and blessing God for this wonderful deliverance as if they had been alive from the dead the Streets were fill'd with Crowds and Shouts and the poor Roman Catholicks now lay in the same terrors as we had done some few days before At Eight that Night one Troop of Dragoons came as a Guard to an Officer that came to take charge of the Stores It was impossible the King himself coming after this cou'd be welcom'd with equal joy as this one Troop the Protestants hung about the Horses and were ready to pull the Men off them as they march'd up to the Castle Next Morning being Friday the Duke of Ormond came in with a Party of Horse and the King being Encamped by Finglas came on Sunday to St. Patricks Church and heard a Sermon Preach'd by Dr. King concerning the Power of God of which that which seemed to us greatest upon Earth mighty Armies was a faint Shadow The King went back to his Camp to Dinner not suffering any Soldiers to come into this Town except a few for Guard This last Week the Town has been fill'd with Officers from the Army and Inhabitants returning from England I am told by one that viewed the Dead that there was not above 1000 kill'd on both Sides tho perhaps you may hear of greater Numbers which is a wonderful thing that so small a loss should disperse the whole Irish Army who seem'd to be blown away only by a Wind from God the main Body of them is suppos'd to be about Limerick but the opposition they will give will depend very much on the success of the Fleets Yesterday being the 10th the King set out from Cromlin to Kilkenny General Dowglas towards Athlone and a small Party along the Sea towards Wexford The Irish have ravag'd the Country all the way in their Retreat and God knows what Miserie 's the poor Protestants that are yet under their Power do endure Some part of the Army it 's said will be sent to be put aboard the English Fleet and another part to Flanders Great inquisition is made after Roman Catholicks Goods to reprize the loss the English have sustained But the Protestants who have suffer'd all this time among them seem to be much better temper'd and more kindly inclin'd to their Enemies then those that come from your Side I should have noted that King James had Coin'd in this Country about two Millions in Brass mony the Half Crowns of which are now cryed down to pence yet this did not grate so heavily upon the People as his late taking away all the Protestants Staple Goods Wool Hides and Tallow to send to France in exchange for Wine and Linnen for his Army As for tann'd Leather he took that away too but it was for the use of his Army here there being but very little in the Kingdom The Revenue he rais'd otherwise was chiefly by Subsidy granted by Parliament and a Contribution impos'd by Council and the Rents of Absentees Estates The Customs were remitted and the other Branches of the Revenue much neglected the Collectors being fully taken up in making of Stores and Provisions for the Army On Friday the 11th The King March'd from Crumlin towards Kilkenny with a part of his Army another part went towards Athlone and a third by way of Bray towards Wexford the Kings Horse by this time 17th are at Kilkenny which its suppos'd will make but small resistance most believe he will then take in Waterford before he goes further We hear from Limerick that the Enemy are together in those parts about 25000 strong and Lord Tyrconnel with them Brigadier Trelawny is Governor of this Town Captain Fitz-Gerald Constable of the Castle Bishop of Meath Lord Longford and seven others are Commissioners for securing of Rebels Goods and Estates and leasing them for one Year Longford is quite burnt and Lord Longford's House by the Irish Garrison when they quitted it But Lord Granard having Arms defended his own House People begin to come over from England apace but the Embargo and fear of the French will it 's suppos'd now somewhat stop them Our Protestants that have suffer'd here all the time are generally much better temper'd towards their Enemies than those that come over and especially the Army is very furious I doubt the poor Protestants which are in the Enemies Quarters will suffer severely What the French may be yet able to do or what issue God may put to the miseries of this Country he only knows Provision was very scarce here while the Army lay about us but now begins to be more plentiful but that Stock is almost all destroyed great quantities having been now at last driv'n away by the Irish FINIS