SIR,
Dublin, Septemb. 16th. 1691. and Camp before Lymerick the 11th.
THE First of our Batteries (which we told you in our last, we had begun to raise on the Right of the Town.) was not finish'd on the 6th at N••ght, as we expected; but was on the 9th in the Evening; on which said Day we began to Play on the Town from it: It consists of 22 large Cannon, from 10, to 24 Pounders, and 8 Mortars: We continued to Play from this Bat∣tery all that Night with very great Success.
On the 7th likewise there arrived in the Shan∣non Six Sail of Ships from Bristol, under the Con∣voy of the Smirna: Merchant, Laden with Provi∣sions, &c. for the Use of our Army; which they had no sooner unladen, but pursuant to the Ge∣neral's O••der, they took on Board the Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Foot, and Land∣ed them near Iralee, in order to joyn Brigadler Leveson; who, since the last, has defeated ano∣ther Party of the Rebels, taking many Prisoners, with one Thousand Head of Cattel, and great Numbers of good Horses and Garrons, and was resolved before his Return, to reduce the several Forts, and other strong Places the Irish are still possessed of in the way to Lymerick and Cork. By a Dragoon of Colonel Nugent's, who lately desert∣ed the Enemy's Camp, we are advised, That their Horse and Dragoons were at Annaghbegs about Two Miles above Lymerick, where there is a very good Ford; i•• being the same Place that His Majesty passed the Shannon the last Year, That they lay there encamped; but that they were very ill clad, as was the Deserter, and in great want of Bread and Salt. The General went ye∣sterday to view their Camp, to make which look great, the Enemy had set up all their Sheets and Blankets.
The 9th. All last Night and this Day we con∣tinued to play from our New Battery on the Right; as likewise from another raised this Day about Noon, which consists of eight 24 Pounders and 10 Mortars, near Ireton's Fort (now called Maccay's Fort) to dismount the Guns that galledus from the Black Fort near St. John's Gate, and to annoy the Enemy that lay in the Counterscarp; and, as by several considerable Deserters come into our Camp this Evening, We have an Account, that our Bombs had set on fire great Numbers of the Houses in divers parts of the City; That the Besieged blew up most of the Houses we had fired, to prevent its spreading; That our great Cannon had levell'd two round Towers; That we had dismounted their two whole Cannon which were on the left of the Town, and like∣wise four other of their Guns near the lower Gate, this Day we began to work on another Battery of 24 large Cannon and 8 Mortars. Our first Batteries on the Right has clear'd and le∣vell'd all the Palisadoes, and made a Breach in the main Wall, by which we can plainly disco∣ver some Forts or Re-doubts that the Besieged have made within the Wall, our Guns make the Stones in the Wall fly about like showers of Hail.
The 10th, All last Night and this Day we have continued firing incestantly from our seve∣ral Batteries, pouring at least 1500 Shot, with good success, on the Walls, &c. and our Bombs and Carcasses have set Fire to the Town again in several places, which we could perfectly dis∣cern by the Flames. We widened the Breach we had made, the Day before, in the Wall of the Town; and the Deserters tell us, that all the Inhabitants that were remaining in the Town being terrified with our often Firing the place, were retired over the Bridge that led into the County of Clare, and were gone to Sat••sfield's Camp at Annaghbeg. All the empty Ca••ks in the Camp were taken up in order, as was sup∣posed, with the Pontons to make a Bridge or Bridges over the Shannon to pass it.
11th, the General has given Orders for all Gunners on Board the Ships in the Shannon, both English and Dutch, to come on Shoar to be employed in the Camp: so that we shortly ex∣pect thund'ring Work, for by break of day, this Morning, our Cannon, by their continual playing, had so widened the Breach, that it is above 30 Yards wide; We continue to play on the Enemies Forts or Re-doubts that Flank the Breach, in order to Facilitate our Entry.
The Militia of the City and County of Dublin, with 800 of the Northern Militia, and 1000 others Commanded by the Lord O Donnel com∣monly called Baldarick O Donnel, marched to Abbyboyle, where they arrived on the 8th. The Lord Granard, who commands the Militia in chief, having Summoned Ballymate, he ordered the Lord O Donnel with 1000 of his Men, and 4 Troops of Dragoons, with some Field-places, to Attack it, where the rest also will joyn in their March to Sligo; in their way the Lord O Donnel surrounded Laughlin, Commanded by Theobald Dillon; and another place Command∣ed by Collonel Charles Kelly, both strong Castles, Garrisoned by the Irish; but immediatly, upon O Donnel's appearing before the said places, they Surrendred; This Lord O Donnel, since his com∣ing in, not only continues very Faithful, but has been very Serviceable in many other late Actions.
There has been lately taken, and their Heads brought into this City, divers Notorious Rep∣perees, who were Captains or Leaders of great Bodies of them; which we hope will be a great means of totally breaking them, especially those about the Bog of Allen.