This inactivity on the part of their opponents, joined to the arrival of supplies from France, gave great confidence to the rebels, who now prepared to give consistency and colour to their proceedings, by the holding of a national convention. This accordingly met at Kilkenny, in Octo ber 1642. It consisted of the Catholic lords and clergy, besides deputies from the counties and towns in each pro vince. By them were chosen 24 persons, who were styled the Supreme Council of the Confederate Catholics of Ire land. To this council the conduct of the war, and the choice and command of all officers, civil and military, were committed.
The convention professed themselves faithful to the king, but they denied the authority of his Irish govern ment. The rights of the Catholic church were to be sup ported ; and the law of England, so far as it did not con travene those rights, was, in conjunction with the statutes of Ireland, to form the guide of their public conduct. Gene rals were immediately appointed for the conduct of the war; but among these were not included Moore, or the other 'original leaders of the insurrection.
Opposed to this union of the Catholics, the loyal party, as they were styled, would have been weak, even if they had not been divided ; but, in consequence of the contests between the king and his parliament, they were split into two parties. The lords justices, and those whom they in fluenced, adhered to the cause of the parliament ; whereas Ormond, and the greatest part of the army, were royalists. These hoped that the insurgents might be induced to co operate with them ; and they were, indeed, so disposed.; but the lords justices had hiterto prevented their petition from reaching the king. Ormond at last interfered; their petition was laid before the king, and a commission was appointed to confer with the principal insurgents, and transmit their proposals. Charles was urged to this step, from the hope, that if he could gain them over, he might draw a large force from Ireland in support of his cause ; while the parliament, on the other hand, were as anxious to prolong the disturbed state of that country. To effect this object any longer by intrigue, the lords justices now found would be impossible ; they therefore agreed to per mit Ormond (who, while the negociation with the insur gents was pending, deemed it proper still to act against them,) to attempt the reduction of Ross and Wexford, af ter having in vain endeavoured to place one of their own party at the head of his army. Ormond immediately laid siege to Ross, hut was tepulsed in an assault ; and the supplies of provisions which the justices had promised not arriving, he was compelled to raise it. Ile was now in a perilous situation, and, had the enemy kept possession of a defile in which they were posted, his ruin would have been certain and complete ; but they left it, and Ormond, attacking them with impetuosity, defeated them, and effect ed his escape. His victory would have been more com
plete, if he had not been abandoned by the English cavalry under Lord Lisle.
After much delay and many difficulties, the negociation with the insurgents was brought to a favourable issue. On the 15th of September a treaty was signed, by which the confederates stipulated for the payment of 30,0001. to the king, partly in money and partly in provisions. Imme diately on the conclusion of this treaty, upwards of 2000 of Ormond's soldiers were sent to England to assist the king ; but the confederates, though they had professed their at tachment to him, sent him no assistance.
At this petiod Ireland was in a very unsettled and divid ed state ; the confederates attended Tirol e to their own plans and interests than to those of the king, by whom Ormond had been appointed lord lieutenant. In the north, the par tizans of the parliament were most numerous ; and Mun roe, who commanded dime, received a commission under the seal of the parliament, by which he was constituted commander of all the forces in Ulster, both Scotch and English, and ordered to carry on the war against all those who refused to subscribe the solemn league and covenant. Immediately on the receipt of this commission, he surmis ed Belfast, and endeavoured, though without success, to take Lisburne also.
In the mean time, the Irish confederates resolved to take advantage of the misfortunes of the king. Accordingly, during a negociation at Oxford, they proposed terms, which, if complied with, would in fact have put an end to the English power in Ireland; but Charles, though now reduced to great distress, refused to accede to them. The negociation was protracted till the year 1645, when two treaties were entered into ; one secret, under the manage ment of the Earl of Glamorgan, and the other open, under the management of the Earl of Ormond. By the former, with which Ormond was not acquainted, the royal word was engaged by Glamorgan for the re-establishment of the Catholic religion and the papal authority ; while, by the latter, the civil and political demands of the confederates were settled. The general assembly, on their part, pass ed a resolution, that 10,000 men should be raised for the service of the king. But these conditions were nearly ren dered void, by the arrival and interference of the Pope's Nuncio, who protested against the treaty of Glamorgan, because it (lid not go far enough in favour of the Catholics, and because it was to be kept secret : and he prevailed on that nobleman to sign additional articles, to the effect that Catholic bishops should sit in parliament ; that only a Ca tholic should be appointed lord lieutenant; and that the su preme council should continue its authority till the whole treaty was complied with.