HAving now so fair an opportunity of Writing to you, I think it not amiss to entertain you with a full and distinct Account of the most material occurren­ces here since the Twenty fifth of the last; and that I may do it the more clearly, I will set down what has pass'd in the order of Time, every thing happened.

Novemb. 25. Captain Richard Smith, who was one of the 300 Detatch'd from the Camp at Dundalk, and went with Collonel Theodore Russel towards the relief of Sligo, came to this place, and gave the following Account of the Action there: That on the 15th of the former Month, Collonel Russel got into Sligo late at Night, the rest being much fatigued with the in­conveniency of their March, could not reach the place, but were following after, with what haste they could. The same night, about midnight, the Gari­son was A'a m'd with the approach of the Enemy, being discovered by the out Centinels and Scouts to have possessed themselves of some of the out Passes; whereupon Coll. Russel, according to his Instructions, advised with Coll. Lloyd, who command­ed in the place, and it was concluded upon, That the whole Garison should March out next Morning about five a Clock, and fall upon the Enemy, which they did at a considerable Pass, and forced them to retire; but they being reinforced play'd briskly on our Men, tho' with very little loss, whil'st the rest of the Enemies Horse Marching round a Hill, came be­hind, and surrounded Coll. Lloyd at the Pass, so that he had no way of saving himself and his Men, but by breaking clear through the Enemies, which he performed with that resolution, as to get off with little or no Ioss; and to facilitate it the more, Coll. Russel entertained them warmly in another place: be­ing thus got off, they Fought in Retreating to the Town; but being overpowered by the great num­bers of the Enemies, they could not keep their ground long, which gave an opportunity to the Horse to get over the Bridge; and the Enemy fearing lest they should Rally again, thought sit to pull down an Arch of the Bridge to prevent it. In the mean time our Foot got into the Castle, and the Enemies Foot drew up in the Market-place, and Ten of their Officers standing in a knot together, to consult what to do next; one of our Men from the Castle, discharged a Field-piece loaden with Small-shot, and kill'd eight of the Ten dead on the place. The Enemy then drew up a Piece of Cannon so near the Castle, that when once Discharged; they could not for our Musqueteers Charge it again; but in the attempt lost six Gunners. The Castle being crasie, and not thought tenable, our Men quitted it and got into the Fort, which they held five days, which was so long as they had any Ammunition lest: and in the mean time, refused so much as to hearken to a Treaty, till at last they had Conditions, That all in the Fort should march out with Bag and Baggage, Drums beating, and Colours flying, &c. And that what they could not carry, should be sent them when sent for; which was accordingly per­form'd, and were safely convey'd beyond all danger. One remarkable Stratagem made use of by the Irish for the Storming the Fort, was, They built a Box of Timber as high as the Wall, with Stairs, through which they might ascend to the top of the Wall without Danger; and having planted it, they within tumbled out a parcel of Shavings, and sent one down in a Basket, who having therewith set sire to the En­gine, would not return up again, until he had stript one of the Irish that had been kill'd at the foot of it, which having done, and being in his Basket as [...]ending the Wall, the Enemy playing wholly at him, with one of their Bullets cut his Rope, and let the poor Adventurer fall, and while they were renewing the Rope, he stripped the second, and with that Booty mounted the Wall safe again. The Enemy were 5000 Horse, Foot, and Dra­goons; and our Men exceeding not the number of 250 in all, and lost about 26 Men; whereas of the Ene­my, there was killed near. 300: The Fight began about five in the Morning, and continued till five at Night. Coll. Sarsfield Commanding the Irish, observed very punctually all the Articles agreed upon, and treated the Officer; the day they were signed. No Men ever be­haved themselves better than our handful of Men did; tho in the whole Garison, when the Fight began, there was but one Barrel of Powder, and yet maintained the Fight twelve hours, with full twenty times their own [Page 2]number, and kill'd about equal their own number of the Enemy. A few French that were detatch'd in that Party behaved themselves to admiration, under the Command of that Brave Captain Monsieur de Saint Sauveur.

On Thursday last a Party of our Men being sent to view the ground about Charlemont, the Enemy fally'd out upon them; but, after a smart resistance, were for­ced to retire into a Trench they had provided for that purpose; which our Dragoons seeing, quitted their Horses, fell in amongst them under the shelter of their Cannon, killed several, and brought a considerable Booty of Cattel.

On Saturday last there was another Action, which happened as follows: Early that morning a strong Party of the Irish came down the Mountains, and ha­ving surprized the Out-Centinel beyond the Newry-Bridge, with great violence rushed suddenly into the Town, where we had not above 50 well Men, and of them not above 14 upon Guard. Upon their approach, the second Centinel fir'd, and retreated firing towards the Main-Guard kept in the Castle; who receiving the Alarm, issued out, and met the Enemy, and held them in play, until the rest of the Garison, the Towns-men, and some few Countrey-people by chance, got to their assistance; and then having discharg'd; never stood to charge again; but, notwithstanding the Irish were 25 to 1 of ours, they fell in with them with the Butt-end of their Musquets, and thereby forc'd them to quit the Town, with the loss of several Men: On our side were lost two Captains, one Lieutenant, and five or six private Soldiers. Two Prisoners, which were behind in the Town, say, The Irish were 1700 Horse, Foot, and Dragoons; That they could not be got forward, but that the Officers forc'd them on, and assur'd them, That if they got but into the Town, and set up a Huzza, all in the Garison, without firing a Shot, would sub­mit; and accordingly they did set up a most terrible Huzza; but, to their cost, found it fail'd their promi­sed expectation.

Some days age, there was a Petition presented to His Grace the Duke of Schonberg, by the principal Gentle­men of these Counties; which is as follows:

The General having taken this Petition into his con­sid [...]ation, and heard all that was said in pursuance of it, did, after great deliberation, come to the following Resolution:

On Friday last that brave Officer Coll. Langston was buried here. The day before, the General received Ex­aminations taken at Ardmagh, from a Wom in that late­ly escaped from the Irish, who deposeth, That her Hus­band was on the 19th past taken by the Irish, and kept Prisoner at Dundalk in the House of one Hanagan, a P [...]est, who (with others) is return'd thither since we left it; That she going thither to visit her Husband, heard it concluded by the said Hanagan, and several o­th [...]rs, That 15000 Men should be sent into the County of Down, and 20000 towards the Counties of Monaghan and Ardmagh, to heat up our Quarters: Whereupon the General has ordered the whole Body of the Army to be faithfully mustered, and a true Account thereof to be speedily return'd him of the number of the Well, Sick, and Dead, and of the present state of the whole Forces and Train of Artillery: and particular Orders are sent to all the Collonels, and other Officers in Chief, to make a true Return to the Muster-Masters (now gon [...] at road to muster the whole Army, Train, Waggo [...] and Carriages) of the just numbers of the Well, Sick, Serviceable and Unserviceable Men and Horses, upon pain of losing their Places, and farther prosecuted at a Council of War, as Betrayers of their Trust, and King's Interest.

On Tuesday the 3d instant, about Ten a Clock at night, Commissary Shales was by a strong Guard taken into Custody of a Messenger sent from England; and Orders are given, That a Commission-Officer always attend him, until he come to London, to answer for the King's Provisions, keeping back of Horses, Carriages, and other Necessaries, which by his Place he was obli­ged to. His Place is at present supply'd by Mr. Ro­binson; late Surveyer of all the King's Forts and Fortifi­cations in Ireland, and Mr. Vanhumary, a Dutch Mer­chant.

Lieutenant-General Douglas's return is expected dai­ly from the Frontier-Towns and Garisons, which he has been to view, and secure so as to prevent the sending of any Relief to Charlemont, or any other prejudice to our Quarters by the Enemies. Irruptions upon them, The General has sent Orders to all the Chief Officers in Frontier and other Garisons round Charlemont, to make publick Proclamation, That none presume to give the least Succour to that Place, either of Salt, Tobacco, Brandy, or other Provisions, upon pain of Death. Our Men do daily visit and fleece them, so that they cannot leave a Beast without their narrow Walls. Last week 15 or 16 Derry-men came down, and took from them a consid [...]ble number of Cattel that were grasing close und [...] their Walls, without the hurting of one Man, tho in reach of Musquet-shot. We have pull'd down part of Newry-Bridge, and built a Battery at the foot of it, to secure a Ford close by it; and made several other Fortifications for the Defence o [...] that burnt Town, where there is not one whole Hous [...] standing, nor above five or six rescu'd our of the flame [...] as it was burning when we first entred it going toward [...] Dundalk.