The Shasta courier., 1862-08-23
SH ASIA COURIER.
Limerick CAstle.

anu Is struck by Inc beauties WHICH sSlft tie
indented shore from TIE noble harilor IF
Cork to The mouth uf the flowing Shannon.
will naturally visit the fine and hoarishing
city Of Limerick, wi:ici, has poetic and
historic tame-s:nce the Irish hard writes
with a Gushing fuency, that = pn,atoes grow
in Limerick ~ while tho siege it sustained
agans; the forces Of William Ill, headed hy
GInkel,, brave Dutch officer, and its de-
fence by General Sarsfeld, the "hravest
am ing the brave" on behalf of an un-
grateful monarch, firm an episode in tie
annals of the time worthy The proportions of
an epic.
L.merick is famed also for its 9 fair wo
man and It's sturdy salmon" 1t is the ci
" of the violated treaty." as its history
tells Us. Il will De remembered. where u
high sense of chiyalrous honor beats in Il
manly breast. how lrstield kept to the very
letter Of the treaty Of surrender, even wlien
the thunder Of the cannon Of ships told that
relief WAS near. while the pen was Yet pois
Ell between his fingers.
Limerick sand, upoa low grounds. at an
insulated dvisinn of the Shannon, and IN
the N DIST OF great plain winch lies eighty
miles from the Atlantic. Ships Of IL thous
AMI tors can. however, approach and ind
harb,r within five miles nt the city and YES
sells OF fau. handrel tons can load goods be-
sides its quays. In general appearance, and
testtyins TO Its ant 4 l ty, 1t resembles iur
the m1st plrt IN old r,e.nish t0vl, and it is
divided by the Shannon into two parts
the " Eagiish town. and the " Irish town,
the latter being ON the bank and the former
on an island. rnis island is tormed by the
che river, WHICH short distance nnoye
the city, divides into twJ streams, the mar
roYoss haing the Abbey River. South Of
tais es the new town wnle !. largely pop,
uuaiel subur1, beyond the island, ald lying
tie opposite s.,ore,. belongs to the aJoin-
ias c3uAtg. of. Clare. Tie modern pnr,inns
of l. merck are handsome AMI spacious.
While the older part has lie neglected and
dinsy i,oA gehet..l,y associate. with axe
which d es npd keep pace with the require
nleitS oi to-day.
Tie caar.e.. of the city dates from t.e
dayS of R.cAirI. wA.ie its castle WIS
blsit by King John, anI, fox s;reasth as Il
fortress and ior magnitude as ii garrison,
halLs lie iirst rank ui all the towns Vt Ire
land, bo1n IN the upaniu., of the ia I'VE pri.-
ces aud Of those Vito SO often at enpled its
conquest 1t defended the eatrance 10 the
city Dy the ThomonI Gate Il snat which he.
came f considerable Importance daring its
last celebrated siege. La 1851, General Ire
ton sat beiure 1t on behalf vi the Parli:l-
me ut; dying, however, ot The plague ut the
e..I ut SIX montns--to which L teelingo OF deep
IN rtfcation 1T this first and only Successful
d scunii .ure Of CIomwells renowned Iron
81 les may be added IL preIispo; NJ cause.
There are SIX fine bridges 0yef the river
and among the public buildings are the
Court u,uSe, Jail. Custom Ii, use. Bar
rackS, ii Jsp.tal, and the Catnelral-tuund-
ed ia llSU, and rebuilt in 1870. To these
may be added churches, Catholic chapels,
and places ut Dissenting worship. The cl-
IL claims u date us far lack us tne fifth cen
tury. 1t was for Il time III the possession oi
the Danes. and was next held by the o Bci-
ems. Kings of Munster, till The Irst hostile
iau.i ~ oI the Eaglish III ll70. From t;,al
parioc, up to WHIT is ter red "the treaty ii
L.merick," it took Its full snare III the wars
revolutions, and rebeiliuiis created from time
TO time by Il daring nd restless people.
ilie gseat event connected witn L. nIercs
and its castle-and .ft,c's. the facts Of l.iS.o.
", being more / pofiant than tradition
aud ELY ..nos less .uli Of il c esi--occur
red in lO9J, wnen " iiilam Ill., after the DIS
a-trous attle ot the ,yne, advanced t,
Limerick, then defended by the remnant u
.s.e bruAen iils!i army. aud supmonesi 1t It
surrender. IN repiv =" this. II held uiit Hiti
determined perseverance against an al
muSt unprecedented ed assault aud under :ht
ssost desperate circumstances, for somt
twenty days, when the hafled bes.esers re
tir d.
In 1901, however. a more determined at
tacA MAS made. aud the cily was splcnd diy
de. ended by General Sarsfeld, until, after
wearyIng attack for period SIX weeks
be was forced 10 surrender.
As this event has been succinctly described
III the Lriliant pages Of late historian
whose style sqr perspcuity, force, ami har
mony is scarceiy rivalied, we shall quote tht
bret episode of the siese in the works o
Nacaulay.
Al e.. the terrible battle of AuShrim Wa:
ght and lost. Sarsied led the remnant q
his oops to l. merick. then loyal in tn,
cause of The Staurts, to death. and there post
ell himself lie was followed hy G.nke!l
Williams Dutch leader. with his. troop.
COM oscI Of English and Hollanders indls
erimna ely.
~, merick, the last asylum ef tbs
vanquis,led. the authority of Tyrconnel tthea
shiss commander in the city) was suprenae.
Thepe was now no general who conid pre-
.end ,thSt his commission made him Jude
pendent. - che Lord Lieutenant, nor was the
Lord ,estas=ant so unpopular as he had
,beel sor .,fl.sgtight earlier. Since the bat
ele there had. .heea refux of public feeling
M part of ,hat .Sssasler could be imputed t,
the Nicefey, s,.s opinion, indeed. had been
a5a r. n; tbs ehaue.s Of Il pitched field
and he sou With some plausibriity assert
that the neglect e bis eaansels had caused
the ruin of irc,aad
lie made ss.me yycss sations To defrI.t
l.imerck rrpaiie! the fsriiieations, ana
sen, out parties to hriag il, provisions. Th,
country far many miles ss,spd WAS swept
;Sase by these dc;achments. .apG eunselera-
bic quantity of cattle and fodder s-as collec
eiw,thin the walls There WAS ..iss large
.stecs of biscuit impaired from frssse- The
:afassry assembled at Limerick were abau,
fifteen Ihoasand men, The IRISH hnr~e aud
Dragons, three pr fanr thousand in pGnbcr,
Wee encamEel ON the Glaze >lIe ID tle Silsa-
non. The con.pl, ieaieu lstreess she es1ip
and the city WAS leaiYtained by m'4ns of .
bridge caIle! the Tnaaoui Brdge, which
was protected b. !art. These n,sans oi
aeieace were not clntampiibie; but tn. iail
of A,hiane aud the slal.giaslr of Aughriln bad
broken the spirit"f the army 4 snail pSs al
sla head of which were Sarsteld and a brave
Scotch officer, panel Wauehop cherished 4
hope that the triumphant progress Of Gin,
keil might he stopped by thuse walls from
which W iliam had, in the preceding wear
aaa, f.r.eI TO retreat But many a. thf