Soon afterwards, Fleetwood arrived in Ireland, as com mander-in-chief of the forces ; but in this capacity he had little or nothing to do, the whole country having been sub dued, or intimidated into submission. Executions and for feitures now commenced, and both were carried to an ex cessive degree.
In 1654, Cromwell, having become Protector, sent his son Henry into Ireland to examine into the state of af fairs, and at the same time ordered that thirty members of the new parliament, which he called, should be chosen from this country. The conduct of his son was judicious and humane ; abuses were reformed in the administration of justice, and in the general policy of the country, so tha* the Irish generally seemed desirous of supporting Crom well, and were in fact, during the remainder of his life, more quiet and contented with his rule than the people of Britain.
On the death of Cromwell, when the restoration of Charles II. seemed probable, the royalists in Ireland be gan to resume their intrigues, in which they were so suc cessful, that in a short time they made themselves masters of the castle of Dublin, Athlone, Limerick, Drogheda, and in fact nearly the whole kingdom, and Charles was pro claimed in all the great towns.
While the royalists were thus advancing their own in terest, and that of the king, the old Irish Catholics, as usual, were indulging in proceedings and schemes the most vio lent and outrageous ; these were represented to his majes ty as in fact rebellious ; and the consequence was, that Charles, on his arrival in London, issued a proclamation commanding a prosecution of all Irish rebels. The settle ment of the lands was the next object of the king ; and a declaration for this purpose was issued in May 1659. The great end in view, was the compensation of all the innocent and meritorious Irish ; but, in doing this, it was necessary to preserve to the soldiers such lands as had been allotted to them. The persons ordered to be first restored were in nocent Protestants or Catholics, to whom no lands had been assigned in Connaught; next the innocent who had taken rierreps fill' such lands then those who had been disnos sessed by the two first classes were to receive their repri sals, as it. was called ; and, lastly, those Irish were to be re stored who claimed the benefit of the peace of 1648, or who had served abroad under the king. Such lands as might
remain after these grants, were to be given as a recom pense to those who had supplied, previously to 1649, arms, provisions, Etc. Three new lords justices were ap pointed. Charles's next step related to the church ; the four archbishops, and 12 bishoprics, were filled with some of the most eminent clergy, which was a prelude to the re gular and full re-establishment of Episcopacy.
It was in vain, however, that the king expected, by these measures, to satisfy all parties, or to restore unanimity and satisfaction to a country which had been so long the prey of discord and discontent. The settlement of the lands was displeasing to almost all classes ; and the interests of the old Irish Catholics, the other Catholics, the Protestant royalists, and the Puritans, were so much at variance, that the dis contents arising from the settlement were much extended and deepened.
In vain a parliament was summoned, to sanction by their vote the proceedings of the king ; in the Commons, the majority was returned by those who were adverse to the Catholics, as they possessed the greatest parts of the land, and the whole interest in the corporations. The Catholics had no members, and little influence in it ; and it was even proposed that a law should be passed to exclude them. But the Commons, not being able to carry this law, they endea voured to raise alarms of conspiracies ; but here also they were disappointed. There was also a difference of opin ion between the two houses regarding the settlement ; the Commons wished to pass it into a law without any altera tions, whereas the Lords wished to make such altera tions as justice seemed to demand. As the king would of course decide those differences of opinion, the various par ties sent agents to London. It was now that the Catholics felt the consequences of their former violent and disloyal conduct ; proofs of all their proceedings were laid before the king, who, from these, was convinced that they had tendered the sovereignty of Ireland to the Pope ; and, if he declined it, to any other Catholic prince. Orders were im mediately issued, that no fluffier petition should be receiv ed from the Catholics of Ireland.