CHAPTER VII

THE SITUATION IN FRANCE AND IRELAND ON THE EVE

OF THE PENAL LAWS

We must again refer to the international position, more especially as it concerned French relations with Ireland, in order to understand adequately the policy which came to be adopted in Ireland. For it is essential to note that these relations were by no means ended. Louis certainly had been foiled; the slopes of Aughrim had witnessed a serious set-back to his Irish policy. He had counted on a more effective resistance being offered to William, and, having miscalculated, he had to pay the penalty of his error. Still, though his failure to appreciate the requirements of the situation, particularly in its naval aspects, had seriously impaired the efficiency of his western policy, it was not by any means abandoned.1

It is easy for those who prophesy after the event to make light of the dangers which were to be apprehended from Louis by the English and Irish Governments. True enough, the struggle had been fought, the French had gone, and the treaty of Limerick, with its hopes, its problems, and its disappointments, lay between the battlefield and the Council Board, but those in authority remembered Sarsfield's boast at Limerick, that in a short time he would return to Ireland at the head of the exiles, and they turned their minds to the problems of defence. The chief topics in Lord Nottingham's letters are the expected invasion from France, and his anxiety about the

1 Nairne Papers, D.N., vol. i. fol. No. 108: "Memoire touchant des moyens pour avoir des recrues d'Irlande, 1693."

state of the fortifications in Ireland. The remarks contained in "Bishop M.'s (i.e. Moreton's) memorandum "1 on Connaught, Munster, and Leinster shed much light on this topic. Connaught, he thinks, contains more Roman Catholics in it than any of the other provinces, and they are richer, and generally well disposed to English interests. Among them he mentions Mr. Denis Dayly, Lord Dillon of Costello, and Lord Boffin. Munster deserves careful watching because of its contiguity to France, and because many of the fishermen maintain communications with that country. Leinster was no source of weakness, for there were enough English in it to quell commotions. Lord Talbot drew up a well-considered report on the forts and fortresses in Ireland. Dublin he deemed poorly fortified for the castle is "all in rubbish by the late fire." If in Munster the three ports of Waterford, Cork, and Kinsale were secured, the south of Ireland would be effectively protected against the attacks of the enemy. As regards Waterford he suggests the erection of fortifications at Passage, and at Cork he thinks that booms and blockhouses ought to be erected across the harbour. Incidentally he remarks that Cork is the second city in the kingdom as regards population and trade. The importance of Kinsale is due to the fact that merchant ships can easily victual there. Limerick forms the centre of all the western trade. As it would prove too expensive to fortify both Irish Town and English Town, a citadel, commanding both places, ought to be constructed. his opinion the importance of Athlone has been exaggerated, and he recommends that horse and dragoons should be quartered there. Though Galway is the chief port of Connaught it is a place of decaying trade by reason of the bad roads. The country there is wild and barbarous, and the creeks are filled with pirates and smugglers. He considers Galway should be strengthened by enlarging the upper citadel and building one small redoubt on the green hill and another upon Mutton Island. Charlemont is not a place of great importance. Culmore must be fortified

1 C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, 55-56; S.P., Ireland, 353, No. 104.

In

as it is the only stronghold in the far north. Belfast is "rich numerous, but not well affected"; this is serious, for it ranks as the third place of trade in the kingdom. The cost of fortifying Limerick and Galway, Carrickfergus and Belfast, was £70,000, £20,000, £12,000, and £20,000 respectively, but these sums did not seem so vast to Lord Talbot as they did to his brother peer, Lord Sidney.1

The distressful state of the country, observed by Lord Talbot, is noticeable in many directions. Derry and Limerick had suffered cruelly during the sieges, and the inhabitants had become too impoverished to rebuild or repair their property. A petition of the Provost, Fellows, and Scholars of Trinity College, Dublin, proves how much hardship that ancient foundation had endured. For three years they had not been able to pay sixty per cent of the Crown and quit-rents reserved on their lands. Their estates lying in Kerry and Ulster would be slow in recovering from the waste of the war. The Queen was so moved by the tale of universal want and misery she heard that she allowed cattle to be imported into Ireland from England duty free for one year. She remitted what was due the last Lady Day in the matter of quitrents and the hearth-tax, and a royal warrant confirmed this timely concession.5 Food became so much increased in price that William augmented the pay of each trooper by fourpence a day, and that of the foot-soldier by twopence a day, because "all manner of provisions and necessaries are much dearer there (i.e. in Dublin), and it would be impossible for the men to subsist upon the present pay."

There were only twelve ships on the Irish station commanded by Sir Cloudesley Shovel whose flag was

1 C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, 71-74; S.P., Dom., King William's Chest, 11, No. 11. 2 C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, 159, 161, Mar. 1; H.O. Letter Book (Secretary's), 2, 387; S.P., Ireland, King's Letter Book, 1, 296; C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, 400-401, Aug. 9, 1692; 403-404, Aug. 12, 1692; S.P., Dom., Petition Entry Book, 1, 363-365.

3 C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, Feb. 2, 1692, 121-122; S.P., Dom., Petition Entry Book, 1, 233.

C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, Mar. 19, 1692, 186; H.O. Letter Book (Secretary's), 2, 398.

5 C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, Apr. 30, 1692, 261; H.O. Letter Book (Secretary's), 2, C.S.P., 1691-92, June 24, 1692, 337; S.P., Signet Office, 12, 480.

4438

C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, Mar. 3, 1692, 166; H.O. Letter Book, 3, 109.

hoisted in the Monk.1 William received secret information that the French were planning a descent upon Cork and Kinsale, and he advised the sending of vessels to Brest to gain intelligence of the preparations the French were making. Warrants were immediately issued for spending six thousand pounds upon the absolutely necessary fortifications of Cork and Kinsale. Sidney was so anxious that he purposed visiting in person the fortified towns along the sea-coast. Fresh troops were ordered to Ireland, and all officers on furlough in England were commanded to return forthwith.* William, fearing that the old Jacobite troops might be disaffected, gave permission for a regiment not more than fourteen hundred strong to be raised for the Emperor's service. Leopold I. was quite willing to receive the proposed Irish brigade into his pay, and William agreed that five hundred additional men might enlist. For some obscure reason the troops never sailed. When the danger of the French invasion was felt afresh, William was anxious to allow them to enter the Venetian service. "The late officers could not be provided for in England and may be tempted on any occasion to act against their Majesties here (i.e. in England) or in Ireland."

Details of the movements of the French navy kept alive strong apprehensions of an invasion of Ireland in 1693. Captain Fletcher reported to Sidney on the 12th of June that he had espied five French cruisers in Dublin Bay eleven French privateers were looking out for the ships coming from the Chester Fair." Five sail were

therefore ordered to cruise about the Irish Channel.7 Four hostile vessels of superior strength appeared off Carrickfergus. The West Indian merchants feared that

1 C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, 54; S.P., Dom., King William's Chest, 10, No. 134. 2 C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, Nov. 26, 1692, 512; S.P., Ireland, King's Letter Book, 1, 441.

3 C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, Dec. 14, 1692, 524; S.P., Dom., Signet Office, 12, 546. 4 C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, Nov. 26, 1692, 512; S.P., Ireland, King's Letter Book, 1, 441; C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, Dec. 23, 1692, 532; H.O. Letter Book (Secretary's), 2, 598. 5 C.S.P., Dom., 1691-92, Jan. 9, 1692, 91, 136; S.P., Ireland, King's Letter Book, 1, 281, 295.

6 C.S.P., Dom., 1693, June 12, 177-178; June 24, 192-193.

7 C.S.P., Dom., 1693, June 16, 183; S.P., Ireland, King's Letter Book, 1, 467.

1

the cruisers of the enemy might endanger the safety of the considerable number of ships sailing from Jamaica. Two frigates were ordered to stand out to sea immediately and cruise off Cape Clear, and, having awaited their arrival there, to convoy them safe into Kinsale. Apart from commercial reasons, the Lords Justices were anxious to secure these privateers, for they carried between Ireland and France men disaffected to the Government, who corresponded with the King's enemies. On the 19th of October 1693 the Lords Justices issued a miniature Berlin decree, forbidding the carriage of corn or other provisions to or from France.3 All ships laden with grain must be provided with a convoy. As the country was just beginning to revive after its heavy losses, Capel saw that a general prohibition of trade would be "a second ruin" to both tenant and landlord.* The Irish had pretended that these exports were for a friendly country like Spain till the device of false entries and certificates had been exposed. When the French privateers surprised English ships-and they frequently did so they not only ruined the exporters, but they also supplied the enemy, then in want and necessity.

On the 4th of November 1693 the Lords Justices, among other things, asked Lord Nottingham to appoint such a number of ships as should be necessary to guard the coast of Ireland, and begged that the fortifications and garrisons, especially Kinsale, should be with all convenient expedition placed in a position of effective defence." The four men-of-war allowed for the protection of the whole kingdom were certainly too few.s Nine at least were required if the trade in corn between Ireland and France was to be effectually prevented. There was no free trade in the seventeenth century. It is obvious that if sufficient

1 C.S.P., Dom., 1693, Oct. 3, 351-352; H.O. Admiralty Entry Book, 1, 76.

2 C.S.P., Dom., 1693, Oct. 14, 364.

3 C.S.P., Dom., 1693, 370; S.P., Dom., Proclamation, 6, 98.

+ C.S.P., Dom., 1693, Oct. 21, 371-372.

5 C.S.P., Dom., 1693, 251, 391, 383, 418; S.P., Ireland, King's Letter Book, 1, 472.

6 C.S.P., Dom., 1694-95, Oct. 25, 1694, 330.

7 C.S.P., Dom., 1693, 390-391; S.P., Ireland, 355, No. 117.

8 C.S.P., Dom., 1693, Nov. 28, 413-415.