CHAPTER XVIII.

DERRY AND DONEGAL.

ONDONDERRY county is bounded on the north by Lough Foyle and the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by Antrim and Lough Neagh, on the south by Tyrone, and on the west by Donegal; its greatest length being 40 miles, and greatest breadth 34. Of its area 318,282 acres are arable, 180,709 uncultivated, 7,718 in plantations, 1,559 in towns, and 10,327 under water-total, 522,350. The population in 1851 was 191,868, and in 1861 it was 184,209. The county returns two Members to Parliament-constituency, 5,582. The lieutenant of the county is Robert Peel Dawson, Esq., M.P., Magolo Park, Castle Dawson. The number of magistrates is 105, including 21 deputy-lieutenants.

The city of Londonderry is situated on a hill 119 feet above high-water, on the western side of the river Foyle, supposed to have been an island in early times. The history of the city is so bound up with that of the county, that they should be treated together. And both are so unique in their history, that a brief sketch of it is necessary, in order to give the tourist the interest which he ought to feel in visiting the place. The foundation of Derry is ascribed to St. Columbkill, in the sixth century. But the Maiden City cannot boast much of its episcopal succession. Archdeacon Cotton was unable to trace it farther back than 1158, when some council of bishops or others 'decreed' that an Episcopal See should be erected at Derry, and one prelate appears to have borne that title; but it is probable that after his death the district of Derry reverted to the bishopric of Tyrconnell or Raphoe, to which it had formerly belonged, and we do not find a regular succession of bishops of Derry till the year 1279:

In 783 and 812 the abbey and town were destroyed by fire, and at a later period the Danes slaughtered the clergy and students. In 983 they carried away the shrine of St. Columbkill. Again and again those ruthless plunderers

visited the place. Their exploits were imitated by Murtagh O'Brien, who attacked Derry with a fleet of foreign vessels in 1100; but we are told by the annalists that he and his followers were defeated with great slaughter by the M'Loughlins. The burnings, however, were repeated from time to time. But still the ruined buildings were restored, and new ones erected. In 1164, Templemore, or the great church, was built, and the original abbey church was thenceforth distinguished as the Black Church, the site of which-outside the present city wall-is now occupied by the Roman Catholic church and cemetery. A Round Tower stood in the same place; and the old lane of ruinous houses leading down to the spot is called the Long Tower.

A Sistercian nunnery was founded on the south side of the city in 1218. The O'Neills plundered it, and slew a number of the clergy in 1261. In 1274 a Dominican abbey was founded. In 1565 Edward Randolph arrived in the Foyle with an English force to attack Shane O'Neill. He found Derry a ruinous, miserable place, surrounded by bog, with no accommodation for his troops, who encamped around the Black Abbey, where they sickened and died off very fast. This mortality was found to arise from their sleeping over the graves of the cemetery. He set about draining, building, and fortifying the place, at the same time making excursions into the surrounding country, encountering the Irish enemy, and bringing in supplies. But an explosion of gunpowder destroyed a large portion of the garrison, and compelled Randolph to abandon the place. Elizabeth, deeming this a visitation of God, not the fault of her brave commander, resolved to have the fortifications restored, and Sir Henry Docreva was sent to effect this purpose. He was a man of extraordinary ability and energy, a great organizer, with a talent for turning to account all the resources within his reach. It was in the year 1600 that he entered the Foyle, with a force of 4,000 foot and 200 horse. He landed at Culmore, four miles below Derry, where he immediately erected a fort, which still remains. Obtaining possession of the city, he pulled down the old abbey and cathedral, with all other ecclesiastical edifices, for the sake of the building materials, which he employed in the erection of a wall and

other fortifications; and thus he laid the foundation of the present city of Derry. English adventurers came over and settled in the place. He was appointed Governor, and he obtained a charter of incorporation, with ample privileges.

This was the state of things when the two Earls, Tyrone and Tyrconnell, fled from Ireland, and abandoned their great possessions. O'Neill was tried by Commissioners at Strabane, one of the charges against him being that he had taken on him the title of The O'Neill. He was found guilty, and Henry Oge O'Neill, his kinsman, being foreman of the jury, was complimented by Sir John Davies for his 'civility and loyalty.' O'Donel was tried and convicted at Lifford, in his own county of Donegal, the jury consisting of ten Englishmen and twenty-three Irishmen, Sir Cahir O'Dogherty being foreman. After this, Sir Cahir O'Dogherty, a minor, nephew to the above, being a youth of noble gifts, became the favourite and companion of Docreva, and was trained by him in martial exercises, the arts of 'civility,' and English literature. 'The country,' wrote Sir Henry, 'was overgrown with the ancient oak and copse. O'Dogherty was with me, alighted when I did, kept me company in the greatest heat of the fight, behaved himself bravely, and with a great deal of love and affection; so much so that I recommended him, at my next meeting with the Lord Deputy Mountjoy, for the honour of knighthood, which was accordingly conferred upon him.' The young knight went to London, was well received at court, obtained a large grant of O'Dogherty's country, married a daughter of Lord Gormanstown, and lived in splendour at his castles of Elagh, Burt, and Buncrana, keeping state in the manner of an English nobleman, hunting red deer in his forest, or hawking, or fishing in the teeming waters of Lough Foyle and the Atlantic, which poured their treasures round the promontory of Inishowen, of which he was the lord. Unfortunately for him, Docreva, home-sick, had given up the government of Derry, and retired to England. He was succeeded by Sir George Paulet, whose temper and manner irritated the proud, impetuous spirit of the Irish chief; and an insulting remark was resented by striking the Governor in the face with his clenched fist. Threatened with punishment for this outrage, ill advised,

and driven to desperation, he resolved on a course of action which quickly brought him to ruin. He invited Captain Hart, governor of Culmore Castle, with his wife and child, to visit him at Elagh Castle. While there, O'Dogherty's retainers rushed in with drawn swords, and threatened to kill Hart and his wife, if he did not deliver up the castle of Culmore. Making a prisoner of him, they carried off his terrified wife, through whom they obtained admission to the castle, and seized the arms and ammunition, overpowering the guard. O'Dogherty then led his forces to Derry, where his followers cut the Governor Paulet to pieces, plundered the houses of the wealthy inhabitants, captured the wife of Bishop Montgomery, and sent her to Burt Castle. They burned the town, including the bishop's palace, consigning his valuable library to the flames. O'Dogherty then proceeded to attack the English garrison at Lifford; but not succeeding, he marched off to M'Swyne's country. But, instead of going to Castledoe, as he intended, he turned to intercept a body of English troops at Kilmacrenan, where he was shot dead by a soldier, whereupon his followers fled panic-stricken. The head of the chief was cut off, carried to Dublin, and stuck on a pole at the east gate of the city. The O'Dogherty's country, like the country of the O'Neills and O'Donels, was now confiscated. Sir Toby Caulfield was commissioned to transport the able-bodied members of the O'Dogherty clan to Sweden, to fight the battles of the Reformation in the ranks of Gustavus Adolphus. This system of transportation was continued till 1629.

After the confiscation, the Lord Deputy, Sir Arthur Chichester, ancestor of the Marquis of Donegal, made a grand progress through Inishowen, with a retinue of law officers, sheriffs, provosts-marshal, engineers, and geographers, penetrating, for the first time, into the region which was to be the property of his family; the people of the glens and forests wondering at the strange sight. The Government had now actual possession of six counties in this province, forfeited to the Crown. The tenants of all the chiefs protested against losing their land, which they and their ancestors had occupied as 'freeholders,' in consequence of the acts of their chiefs, which they could not control; and the Governor had

promised, in proclamations, that their rights should be secured. But the policy of the Plantation required for its success that the native element should be cleared out, Sir John Davies arguing that the neglect of this had caused the failure of the Munster Plantations; and that if allowed to remain, the natives, like rank weeds propagating fast, would certainly overwhelm the produce of the right seed, which the English were about to commit to the soil.

On July 21st, 1609, a Commission was issued to make inquisition concerning. the forfeited lands in Ulster. It consisted of the Lord Deputy Chichester, the Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin, Sir John Davies, Sir William Parsons, and other public functionaries. This done, it was resolved to plant the six counties with English, as soon as possible; and London was looked to as the best quarter to get funds for the purpose. The corporation sent a deputation to examine the territory. They found it well watered, with plenty of fuel, and yielding abundance of necessaries, enough 'to furnish the city of London yearly with manifold provision, especially for their fleets-namely, with beef, pork, fish, rye, beer, peas, and beans.' It was not only fit for all sorts of husbandry, but it excelled for the breeding of mares and the increase of cattle; whence London might expect plenty of butter, cheese, hides, and tallow. Hemp and flax grew more naturally there than elsewhere. Then there was 'the goodliest and largest timber, that might compare with any in his Majesty's dominions; and, moreover, the country was very plentiful in honey and wax. The sea, and the rivers too, abounded in all manner of fish, so that strangers came with an infinite number of boats for fishing and killing.' Ulster then was by no means a desert at this time. The report of the London deputation represented it as more like the Land of Promise beyond Jordan, 'flowing with milk and honey.' The corporation therefore voted the sum of £20,000 for the Plantation of Derry. 4,000 acres lying at the Donegal side of the river were allotted for the city liberties. A charter was granted by James I., in the preamble of which he said'We, therefore, deeply and heartily commiserating the wretched state of the said province, have esteemed it to be a work worthy of a Christian prince, and of our royal office,