calamity.  His French counsellors only agreed to disagree with him.  There was the ordinary amount of jealousy amongst the Irish officers—­the inevitable result of the want of a competent leader in whom all could confide.  The King was urged by one party (the French) to retire to Connaught, and entrench himself there until he should receive succours from France; he was urged by another party (the Irish) to attack Schomberg without delay.  Louvais, the French Minister of War, divided his hatred with tolerable impartiality between James and William:  therefore, though quite prepared to oppose the latter, he was by no means so willing to assist the former; and when he did send men to Ireland, under the command of the Count de Lauzan, he took care that their clothing and arms should be of the worst description.  He received in exchange a reinforcement of the best-equipped and best-trained soldiers of the Irish army.  Avaux and De Rosen were both sent back to France by James; and thus, with but few officers, badly-equipped troops, and his own miserable and vacillating counsel, he commenced the war which ended so gloriously or so disastrously, according to the different opinions of the actors in the fatal drama.  In July, 1690, some of James’ party were defeated by the Williamites at Cavan, and several of his best officers were killed or made prisoners.  Another engagement took place at Charlemont; the Governor, Teigue O’Regan, only yielded to starvation.  He surrendered on honorable terms; and Schomberg, with equal humanity and courtesy, desired that each of his starving men should receive a loaf of bread at Armagh.

William had intended for some time to conduct the Irish campaign in person.  He embarked near Chester on the 11th of June, and landed at Carrickfergus on the 14th, attended by Prince George of Denmark, the Duke of Wurtemburg, the Prince of Hesse Darmstadt, the Duke of Ormonde, and the Earls of Oxford, Portland, Scarborough, and Manchester, with other persons of distinction.  Schomberg met him half-way between Carrickfergus and Belfast.  William, who had ridden so far, now entered the General’s carriage, and drove to Belfast, where he was received with acclamations, and loud shouts of “God bless the Protestant King!” There were bonfires and discharges of cannon at the various camps of the Williamites.  The officers of several regiments paid their respects to him in state.  On the 22nd the whole army encamped at Loughbrickland, near Newry.  In the afternoon William came up and reviewed the troops, pitching his tent on a neighbouring eminence.[541] The army comprised a strange medley of nationalities.  More than half were foreigners; and on these William placed his principal reliance, for at any moment a reaction might take place in favour of the lawful King.  The Williamite army was well supplied, well trained, admirably commanded, accustomed to war, and amounted to between forty and fifty thousand.  The Jacobite force only consisted of twenty thousand,[542] and of