and that it is King John(36) of Bedford, and not King
George of Brunswick, that has lost this town.
Why, I own you are a great politician, and see things
in a moment-and no wonder, considering how long you
have been employed in negotiations; but for once all
your sagacity is mistaken. Indeed, considering
the total destruction of the maritime force of France,
and that the great mechanics and mathematicians of
this age have not invented a flying bridge to fling
over the sea and land from the coast of France to
the north of Ireland, it was not easy to conceive how
the French should conquer Carrickfergus—and
yet they have. But how I run on! not reflecting
that by this time the old Pretender must have hobbled
through Florence on his way to Ireland, to take possession
of this scrap of his recovered domains; but I may as
well tell you at once, for to be sure you and the loyal
body of English in Tuscany will slip over all this
exordium to come to the account of so extraordinary
a revolution. Well, here it is. Last week
Monsieur Thurot—oh! now you are au fait!—Monsieur
Thurot, as I was saying, landed last week in the isle
of Islay, the capital province belonging to a great
Scotch King,(37) who is so good as generally to pass
the winter with his friends here in London.
Monsieur Thurot had three ships, the crews of which
burnt two ships belonging to King George, and a house
belonging to his friend the King of Argyll—pray
don’t mistake; by his friend(38) I mein King
George’s, not Thurot’s friend. When
they had finished this campaign, they sailed to Carrickfergus,
a poorish town, situated in the heart of the Protestant
cantons. They immediately made a moderate demand
of about twenty articles of provisions, promising
to pay for them; for you know it is the way of modern
invasions(39) to make them cost as much as possible
to oneself, and as little to those one invades.
If this was not complied with, they threatened to
burn the town, and then march to Belfast, which is
much richer. We were sensible of this civil
proceedings and not to be behindhand, agreed to it;
but somehow or other this capitulation was broken;
on which a detachment (the whole invasion consists
of one thousand men) attack the place. We shut
the gates, but after the battle of Quebec it is impossible
that so great a people should attend to such trifles
as locks and bolts, accordingly there were none—and
as if there were no gates neither, the two armies
fired through them—if this is a blunder,
remember I am describing an Irish war. I forgot
to give you the numbers of the Irish army. It
consisted but Of seventy-two, under lieut.-colonel
Jennings, a wonderful brave man—too brave,
in short, to be very judicious. Unluckily our
ammunition was soon spent, for it is not above a year
that there have been any apprehensions for Ireland,
and as all that part of the country are most protestantly
loyal, it was not thought necessary to arm people
who would fight till they die for their religion.