that, whatever other hands joined in the accomplishing, the only hand, that shortened the great work, was Talmache's, and it was by his conduct and gallantry, in that eminent service, that 1691 saw that finished, which, otherwise, had been the subject of a longer, if not a more hazardous dispute.

AUGUST, 1691, the general having resolved on the forming of the siege of Limerick, and, in order thereunto, having given orders for Capt. Coal, with his squadron, to sail down the Shannon, and for the immediate marching of twenty-six whole cannon, mortars, &c. from Athlone, to meet him there: on the 3d of August, the whole army passed the Shannon at Banahar-Bridge, and came the same night to Birr, which place is distant from Limerick thirty miles. The general having received an account, by deserters, that Brigadier Carral was posted with a party of Irish, at a place called Nenagh, which is a pass fourteen miles from Limerick, gave orders to Brigadier Levison, with a detached party, to go and attack the said place, who marched from the camp early this morning, with five hundred horse and dragoons.

4th. Brigadier Levison, with his party, got yesterday in the evening to Nenagh; at whose approach, the governor Carral set the town on fire, and then quitted it in great haste; but the fire was soon put out by eleven of our men, who happened to be prisoners there, and were left behind.

5th. This day, we marched from Birr, and marched to a place called Burraskeen, where we incamped the same night.

6th. This evening, we reached Nenagh. Here we received an account, that Brigadier Levison, with his horse and dragoons, pursued Carral, and his party, so closely, and so far, that, within four miles of Limerick, he took all their baggage, amongst which were two rich coats of long Anthony Carral's, one valued at eighty pounds, the other at forty guineas, and about forty pistoles in gold; as also four hundred and fifty head of large black cattle, and some sheep, which the enemy's sudden flight would not suffer them to carry off.

7th. This morning, a party marched from the camp towards Kitlaloo, in search of the rebels, who killed two, and took about nine prisoners, which were all of the enemy they could meet with, and in the evening returned to the camp with a great prey of cattle.

8th. Some pioneers, under the convoy of a good party of horse and dragoons, marched this morning towards the Silver Mines, to mend the roads for our carriages. A brigadier, and two of the late King James's horse-guards, who deserted the enemy, came into the camp with their horses and accoutrements, and advised us, that the enemy were intrenching themselves near Carrick-Inlish.

9th. Lieutenant-Colonel Oxborough, with a lieutenant, the servants and accoutrements, came over to us, from the enemy, as also did another officer and eleven musqueteers, with their arms. A man and a woman were this day hanged in the camp, the man for

robbing, and the woman for murdering one of our soldiers near Galway. Mr. Richards, secretary, and adjutant-general to Baldarick O'Donnel, who had been with the general in the camp four or five days, went hence this day for Dublin, to confer with the lords justices.

10th. Several considerable deserters came into our camp, this day, from the enemy's quarters; they gave us an account, that both French and Irish were mightily surprised to find our ships in the Shannon, having been possessed, that the French were masters at sea, and that we durst not adventure so far.

11th. This morning we decamped from Nenagh, and the same night we came to a place called Shalley, about two miles from the Silver Mines, a very wild part of the country.

12th. This day we marched again, and came to a small village called Tulla; here we incamped, and lay till the 13th, on which day we decamped, and came that day to Carrick-Inlish, which is situate about four miles from Limerick.

14th. This day the general went out of the camp, at the head of fifteen hundred detached horse and dragoons, advancing with them within sight of Limerick, and, having beaten in the enemy's outguards, took a view of their works from the hill, where our artillery incamped the last year. In the evening the general returned again to the camp.

15th. This day several deserters came over to us, and confirmed an account we had before received, that Sarsfield, with the enemy's horse, was retired to the other side of the Shannon, being incamped in the county of Clare, about four miles above Limerick ; and that their foot were drawn in within their intrenchments. They informed us likewise, that the Earl of Tyrconnel was very ill, and had received the extreme unction.

Major

16th. This afternoon Sir John Hanmore, with five regiments of foot, from Cork and the neighbouring garrisons, joined us General La Forest marched out of the camp this day, with a strong detachment of horse and foot, towards Athlone, to meet that part of our artillery that were coming from thence, under the convoy of Col. Lloyd's regiment; these guns consist of nine twenty-fourpounders, nine eighteen-pounders, and four large mortars, being an addition to the train of artillery we brought with us from Galway.

17th. This morning three deserters came into our camp, who brought us the following accounts: that the Earl of Tyrconnel died on the 14th, the ill condition of the Irish affairs having broke his heart; that he was buried at Limerick on the 16th, and that a commission was produced from the late king, which Mr. Plowden (formerly one of the commissioners of the revenue in Ireland) brought lately from France, appointing Sir Alexander Fitton, Sir Richard Neagle, and the said Plowden, justices of Ireland.

18th. We had an account this day, that Col. Henry Lutterel had been lately seized at Limerick, by order of the French Lieutenant General D'Ussoon, for having made some proposals for a surrender

of the place, and that he was sentenced, by a court martial, to be shot; upon which the general sent them word by a trumpet, that, if they put any man to death for having a mind to come over to us, he would revenge it on the Irish.

19th. This day several notorious rapperees were brought prisoners into our camp. It rained very hard this day, as it likewise did for several days past, which very much retarded the march of the artillery, in their way to Athlone.

20th. This afternoon two troopers of the late Earl of Tyrconnel's regiment, and a dragoon, deserted the enemy, and came over to us.

21st. Major O'Connor, who was governor of Banahar, and surrendered it on condition of marching out with his men, hath since been in Limerick, and, upon view of the condition of that place, and consideration of the wants of the Irish, and their impending ruin, came over to us this day; also nine more of the Irish army, well mounted and equipped, came over to us. This day there came into our camp twenty-nine tin boats, which were brought from Athlone to Killaloo by water. Col, Lumly, who had been abroad as far as Charleville, with a good party of horse and dragoons, returned again this evening, with a prey of two hundred and fifty black cattle, three hundred sheep, and some horses.

22d. Our men were employed all this day in cutting of fascines, and making other necessary preparations for the siege of Limerick, whither the excessive rains, lately fallen, still obstructed our march, as also the coming up of our cannon and mortars, which, we were advised, were last night near Birr.

23d. One Sheldon, a lieutenant in the Irish royal regiment, and one Dowdal, an Irish counsellor, made their escape from the enemy this day, and came over to us.

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24th. To prevent the abuses committed by sutlers, who had about this time excessively raised the rate of bread and drink, the general this day published an order, and thereby settled the price of all manner of provisions in the camp, and forbidding all persons to exceed the rates so settled, on pain of forfeiting their goods, and suffering a month's imprisonment. Two rapperees were this day hanged, being convicted by a court-martial, for burning of houses. Two of Sir John Lanier's troopers, and a north-country sutler, were likewise condemned: the two first for robbing Capt. Watts, an officer in the same regiment, and the other for buying the captain's watch, which was stolen, and sold to him by the troopers.

25th. The general having sent out Major Slundt with two hundred and fifty fresh draught-horses to hasten the coming up of our guns, &c. and ordered our ships in the Shannon, to come nearer Limerick; and being himself, as well as the whole army, very impatient in lying here, gave orders last night for our march; pursuant to which, about five this morning we decamped, and all moved towards Limerick, except two regiments of foot, and an hundred horses, which remained in our camp as a rear guard, for the security of our tin boats, and the rest of our artillery, &c. as also to wait for Major General La Forest's coming up with our

heavy cannon, mortars, &c. who last night incamped within four miles of us. By three this afternoon we came before two of the enemy's out forts; the one an old church, the other Cromwell's, or rather Ireton's fort; the latter well fortified with a very good ditch, and lines of communication with the town, and both well manned: in the former were five-hundred musqueteers, but neither of them gave us much trouble, the garisons in both running away upon our first advance. On the left of our army, was a very good fort built last winter, guarded by six hundred men, which was bravely attacked by eighty of our English grenadiers, who, receiving a volley of their shot with small damage, mounted the works, and carried the place, and drove the enemy into the covered way they had from the fort to the town; our men, having received another volley, pursued them to their next out-works to the town, and in this action killed near an hundred, and took sixteen prisoners. Col. Donep of the Danish horse, who commanded our advanced party of horse, was slain by a chance cannon-shot: the general, expecting the enemy would make a sally, commanded the troopers should lie all night at their horse's heads.

26th. This afternoon our cannon and mortars, with eight hundred carts of ball and bombs, and eight hundred barrels of powder, arrived here from Athlone. This night we broke ground, and began to work on our lines of communication, making our approaches with very small loss.

27th. Early this morning, the Prince Darmstadt, with his own, Col. Tiffin's, and Col. St. John's regiment of foot, and about seven hundred horse, marched hence to reduce Castle-Connel, where the enemy had a very good garison: another party marched hence, with four guns to take in two or three castles, which the enemy had garisoned down the river. This night, the enemy fired so hard, from two guns they had drawn below the town, on our left, that it obliged our men to move a little farther off, till they could be better secured. This morning, orders were given for fitting a thousand hand-granadoes, and six hundred bombs, to be ready against eight at night. This day, our fleet, which were ordered from Galway, being about eighteen sail, being under the command of Capt. Coal, came up the Shannon towards the town, firing so briskly as they passed by the enemy's camp at Crattalogue, that they made many of them run to the adjacent hills; our ships came to an anchor, about three miles below the town.

28th. This morning the general went on board the fleet, but staid not long there; the weather, about this time, began to be pretty good. Carrick-Gunnel castle, whose garison was onehundred and thirty men, and two captains, commanded by one Archbold, surrendered upon mercy, and the prisoners were immediately put into the provost's custody; and this night was surrendered likewise the castle of Ballycullare, and another strong castle, on the Shannon; in all the several castles, we took about nine hundred prisoners. Our men were very busy all this day, on our line of communication. This morning, our light frigates came

and anchored within sight of the town, Capt. Coal lying with the rest about six miles off. The Irish, upon the first appearance of them, expressed a mighty joy, believing them to be French, and were as much troubled, when they found their mistake.

29th. This morning, our ships began to unload ammunition, &c. This evening, our line of communication was finished, the guns and mortars were drawn down, and mounted thereon; and this night, about eleven, our mortars began to play, and threw above a hundred bombs and carcasses into the town; which, besides their other execution, fired the town in three several places. Upwards of fourhundred prisoners, taken in the three several places before-mention. ed, were, this day, sent hence to Clonmell, under a good guard of horse and dragoons. About ten this night, to encourage the foot, and to prevent their being too much fatigued, six hundred troopers on foot were commanded down to the trenches, to raise another battery, much nearer to the town than the first.

31st. Early this morning, the troopers had finished their battery: about two this morning, a body of four hundred horse and dragoons, commanded by Brigadier Levison, went hence towards the county of Kerry; about eleven of the clock, we played from our new battery. This night, two hundred of the protestant inhabitants of Limerick, or thereabouts, most of them women and children, were brought off from an island in the Shannon, where the Irish detained them prisoners; the manner of relieving them was thus: Major Joseph Stroud, who commands, in chief, the militia of the county of Cork, garisoned at Annaghbeg, as he was on the thirtieth at night relieving his guards, a captain-lieutenant, coronet, and a trooper, all of the Irish army, deserted, and came over to him; one of them proposed a piece of service, which Major Stroud readily accepted, which was, to bring off some protestants from an island in the Shannon, called St. Thomas's island; whereupon the major, immediately taking with him sixteen dragoons with them, in four cots, entered the island, and brought off two hundred protestants, that were in great misery, being almost starved for want of food, having only two small cabbins to shelter them from the weather, and but a little hay to lie on; they also brought off a prey of forty-six horses. Yesterday, and this day, we played from our cannon and mortars, very briskly, with very good execution, as we were told by a captain, two lieutenants, and eleven dragoons, who deserted the enemy and came over to us this evening.

September 1. This morning, Colonel Wolsey went from our camp, with five hundred horse and dragoons towards Killaloo, it being reported, that Sarsfield was moving that way. We still continued to batter and bombard the town very furiously; one hundred and twenty of the rebels, who were taken twenty miles off, were, last night, brought prisoners into the camp.

2d. This morning an express arrived in the camp, being sent by Brigadier Levison to the general, dated yesterday, nea New-Market; which advises, that, having intelligence on Monday evening, where the Lord Merrion's and the Lord Brittas's regiments of horse.