ordered no passes to be given to the citizens for leaving the town, and that coercive measures should be taken to restrain the outrageous conduct of the English soldiery-for even this intolerant body were shocked at the excesses which were committed. Next year, a proclamation was published requiring all persons who claimed protection under the Articles of Surrender made with Galway and Limerick to prove their claims. The country was thus kept in a fearful state of suspense, and during the investigation of the various claims in 1695, the Irish Parliament met in Dublin, on the 27th of August, when Robert Rochford was chosen Speaker. In defiance of the law of nations, and scorning the fact that the Treaty of Limerick was confirmed by King William III., under the Great Seal of England, they scandalously violated, with unblushing effrontery, that most solemn and binding treaty, which Lord Lucan and the other officers of the garrison of Limerick had it in their power to violate after the arrival of the French fleet in Dingle Bay.

The cruel acts put in force against the persecuted Catholics during this reign were-An Act to deprive Catholic parents of the means of educating their children at home or abroad, and of their being guardians to their own or any other person's children; an Act to banish the Catholic priests from the country, although they were secured the free exercise of their religion by the Treaty of Limerick, which was confirmed by King William's Letters Patent.

In the year 1697, 9th of William III., an Act was passed for the Confirmation of Articles made at the Surrender of Limerick. This Act of Parliament was not intituled, as it ought to have been, An Act for the Confirmation of the Articles made at the Surrender of Limerick, but this is accounted for in the preamble, which says:-"That the said Articles, or so much of them as may consist with the safety and welfare of your Majesties' subjects of this kingdom, may be confirmed," &c., &c.

Accordingly, the first article of the Treaty of Limerick was at once struck out; the second was also cast aside, with the covenant of the Treaty that the Catholics of Ireland were to be at liberty to exercise their professions and several trades, and the rights of certain Irish officers to go abroad or join foreign armies. The seventh, ninth, and other articles were also violated by the House of Commons. Some regard to public faith was, however, shown in the House of Lords, and a protest was entered on the Journals against the Bill, for the Irish Peers, as a body, did not concur in the base opinions of those who stated that no faith ought to be kept with Catholics (145).

In some time after the meeting of the Williamite Parliament, the

Chief of Clooneene was surprised to receive the following letter (146) from his kinsman, Sir William Forster, of Bamborough Castle, Lord of Blanchland:

"For ye worthie hands of ye honoured

"These.

"CAPTAIN FORSTER, of Clooneene,

"COUSIN FORSTER,

"I write this letter to inform you that a plot was privately set on foot to bring over King James again to this his Realme, but some persons, in hope of reward, gave information to ye Government of the Prince of Orange. One Fisher went ffirst to ye Earl of Portland, and informed him of divers secret acts of ye alledged conspyrators. Next day the traitor gave more information, and ye day after one Captain Thomas Prendergast, who calls himself a Catholick, and is ane Irish officer, also came to the Earl, and said to him that he had just come from Hampshire, at the desire of a particular ffriende, and that he knew he was called up to towne for no good purpose, but with a view to engage him in a murthering desygn to kill his Majestie, for so he calls the Prince of Orange. That he proposed at first to embark in ye said base undertaking, although he detested it in his own mind. He laid much stress on his valuable and timely information, and said he tooke ye first opportunitie of revealing all the secrets, which was of soe much consiquence to the Prince of Orange his life. Now Prendergast, having said so much, affected a great dislike to giving ye names of the conspyrators, saying he laid under great obligations to many of ym, and moreover he said that his honour and great gratitude to them would not permit him to accuse any of ym by name, and that he would on no consyderation appear as a witness against his friends. Another conspyrator, one La Rue, a native of France, now walks in, and William of Nassau called him in, and examined him privately, but ye said Prendergast was more favoured by the Prince in his inner closet. The Prince of Orange thanked Thomas Prendergast for his probity, but observed yt all ye information he gave must prove ineffectual, unless he would also discover to him ye conspyrators' names, for without knowing ye names of those who were concerned in the plot to assassinate him, he would not be able to secure his life from such villanous traitors. Ye wily Prendergast, after some delay, was prevailed on to give up their names, and a list of all was given by him to ye Govern

ment. He did not do this until the Prince of Orange solemnly promysed him that what he did should not be used in evidence against him in court, or in any other place, unless Prendergast himself liked it. Some of ye conspyrators were now taken prisoners, and a Proclamation to take some more was sent out. One Harris was shortly after taken, who gave crown evidence after his capture. The farce of arresting Prendergast was now gone through, and Captain Porter was taken in his companie, who at once turned informer. Prendergast now spoke of ye promise of the Prince of Orange yt he would not be required to give evidence without his own consent, but now said yt he was not to be silent any longer, as his ffriende Porter had made a full confession. In short, cousin, they were both gladly taken in evidence. Embrace Cuthbert, and all my kinsmen at Clooneene. I will give you advertisement of what goes on here. Sir John, Lady Mary, and Reginald enjoy good health; so do all yr kinsmen in Etherstone Castle, who, through me, desire to greet you well.

"Yr very loving cousin to command,

"WILLIAM FORSTER.

"Given from the Castle of my Manor of Bamborough," &c.

Soon after the receipt of this letter, the Lord of Blanchland again wrote to the Chief of Clooneene, informing him that Cuthbert's uncle, Sir John Fenwick of Wallington, one of the Knights of the Shire for Northumberland, was among those against whom information was given by Prendergast and his confederates, and that it was the general belief the Government would put him to death without hesitation, as he was a noted Jacobite. On hearing this melancholy news, Cuthbert took leave of all his Irish friends, and returned to Northumberland. In March, 1696, the Chief of Clooneene received a letter from him, stating that Sir John Fenwick, his uncle, had been tried by the English House of Commons, and not by an impartial jury of twelve of his countrymen, to which privilege he was entitled under the Bill of Rights, which was agreed to and signed by William III., and his consort, Mary II., after the Revolution of 1688, which drove James II. from his throne; that Captain Porter was the person who gave evidence against him, that although the Government had but one witness, they nevertheless unhesitatingly brought in a bill of attainder against Sir John; and that, although it was illegal to do so, they found him guilty of high treason, and sentenced him to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, and

subjected to the other diabolical practices used on such occasions, on the 28th of January, in that year, but in consequence of his high rank, and noble birth, he was granted the favour of being beheaded on Tower Hill. Cuthbert also added that his uncle died with great coolness and resignation; that he declared most solemnly he was not engaged in any way for King James; that he knew nothing whatever of the alleged Assassination, Plot; and that he died professing his attachment to the faith of his fathers, and his loyalty to King James, for whose speedy restoration he fervently prayed on the scaffold, for he hoped he would soon return to deliver his country from the taxation and tyranny of the present Government (147). Cuthbert then informed the Chief of Clooneene that Lord Norreys, Sir Godfrey Copley, Sir Charles Carteret, Sir Edward Seymour, Sir Robert Cotton, Sir Richard Temple and several other members of the House of Commons, used their utmost exertions to have his uncle acquitted.

Lord Clare and his brave Irish Brigade, with the Chief of Cineal Aodh, were next ordered to the kingdom of Spain, to reinforce the French troops then fighting in Catalonia, where they performed many distinguished actions in their various encounters with the Guerillas of that province; and afterwards, at the siege of Valenza, in Italy, the strong garrison of which made a stout defence, rushed out, and carried all before them in their impetuous charge, until checked by Lord Clare and the Irish troops under his command. The garrison consisted of 7,000 men, Spaniards, Huguenots, and Germans, but the French, being anxious to terminate the war as quickly as possible, prevailed on the Duke of Savoy to detach himself from the allies. They had not much trouble in prevailing on Victor Amadeus II., the Ducal Sovereign of Piedmont and Savoy, to do so, for, although that Prince was a Catholic like King Louis, he was annoyed at the conduct of the French. Louis XIV., by being in possession of the two strong fortresses of Pignerole and Casal, had command over his states; and whenever the garrisons of those fortresses required either change or re-victualling, Louvois, the imperious and headstrong Minister of War, who treated the Irish with such contempt during the struggle for the Crown, was accustomed to order the French troops to march through the territory of the Duke, as if he was merely a vassal of France. This, of course, greatly annoyed the Duke of Savoy, who was a man of undoubted courage and ability; and, as his territories had suffered considerably by the presence of the allies, one of the conditions in the treaty which he formed with the Commander-in-chief of the French was, that they should be compelled

to evacuate Piedmont, after which Victor Amadeus took command of the French army.

The Gortinsiguara property, which had been seized by the Commissioners of Forfeited Estates, was granted by King William, after the attainder of Captain Roger O'Shaughnessy, of Gortinsiguara and Fidane Castle, the late Chief of Cineal Aodh, who had taken up arms in the cause of King James, to Brigadier-General Gustavus Lord Hamilton, afterwards Viscount Boyne (148); but that nobleman having shortly afterwards received a grant from the Crown of other confiscated lands in Ireland, the tenants and followers of the sept of O'Shaughnessy were grieved and startled to hear that the estates which had from time immemorial been the patrimony of the Chiefs of Cineal Aodh were granted by King William's letters patent, bearing date the 19th of June, 1697, to Captain Thomas Prendergast, better known in the county of Galway as Prendergast the Traitor, as a reward for his having given information about the alleged Assassination Plot.

The month of May, 1698, was one of dreadful outrage and persecution; for the low bigots who had settled in Galway, emboldened by the peace made with France, known as the Peace of Riswick (149), saw they could now trample under foot the treaty made with that town on its surrender to Lieutenant-General Baron de Ginckell, Commander-inchief of the Williamite forces in Ireland. Up to this period the Protestants did not dare molest either the priests or nuns; but in this month all the convents in Galway were broken into by the military, the chapels almost all torn down, every religious emblem destroyed, and the friars and secular clergy forced to fly from the town for protection. The bigoted Mayor had the Dominican nuns mercilessly turned out of the Chief of Clooneene's town residence in Cross-street, which was converted into a barrack for Williamite soldiers. These outrages caused the aged Chief profound grief, and he began rapidly to decline in health.

Ere the summer was over, Captain Prendergast entered Gortinsiguara, and some English soldiers were sent there to aid him in taking possession, as it was anticipated by the Government that the clansmen and retainers of the absent Chief of the O'Shaughnesys would give him every resistance they could. This melancholy and unexpected event depressed the whole neighbourhood.

On the 22nd of September, 1698, the benevolent owner of the truly hospitable mansion of Clooneene departed this life, in the seventy-seventh year of his age, sincerely and deeply regretted by his numerous te