younger brother, their Majesties created him Duke of Leinster, 3d March 1692. It appears from the Irish Patent Rolls, that the King’s Letter was dated at Breda, 18th March 1691, giving him the titles of Baron of Mullingar in the County of Westmeath, Earl of Bangor, and Duke of Leinster. On the official receipt of the King’s Letter, he was Duke of Leinster by courtesy. The Patent, which followed nearly a year afterwards, bore that William and Mary granted to Mainhardt Comte de Schomberg, on account of his very many and distinguished services to them, for many years past, rendered in this kingdom and in parts beyond the sea, the state, grade, dignity, title, and honour of Baron of Taragh in the county of Meath, Earl of Bangor in the county of Down, and Duke of Leinster in the kingdom of Ireland.[1]
The king, not venturing to place his sole reliance on native officers in the midst of Jacobite schemes and schemers, resolved that the chief command of the regiments on duty at home should be given to Ruvigny Viscount Galway in Ireland, and in England to Schomberg Duke of Leinster. The Duke was appointed on the 23d April 1692 “lieutenant-general of their Majesties’ Forces of England, Wales, and Berwick-on-Tweed.” His portrait (engraved by Smith, after Kneller) styles him “Maynard, Duke of Leinster, Count of Schonberg and Mertola, Grandee of Portugal, General of their Majesties’ Forces of Great Britain,” &c. There may have been a new commission, adding “Scotland” to his command, issued soon after the first. His brother Duke Charles’ will seems to indicate this. On the 2d May he was ordered to “mark out a camp near Southampton.”
We have already glanced at Duke Charles’ irruption into the south of France. Simultaneously, a descent upon the northern provinces of that kingdom was to be made under the command of the Duke of Leinster. A large force embarked at St. Helen’s, and on the 28th July all the generals went on board the “Breda” man-of-war. The regiments of La Melonière, Cambon, and Belcastel were, after the pacification of Ireland, transferred to foreign service in the Duke of Leinster’s expedition. By the help of Captain Robert Parker’s Military Memoirs (London, 1747), and D’Auvergne’s Campaigne in the Spanish Netherlands, a.d. 1692 (London, 1693), we can follow its track more accurately than other authors have done. “In the month of May 1692 (says Parker), Lord Galway embarked at Waterford with twenty-three regiments of foot, of which ours was one. We landed at Bristol, from whence we marched to Southampton, and there embarked, in order to make a descent into France under the command of the Duke of Leinster, second son to the old Duke Schomberg. We had the grand fleet of England and Holland to attend us; but as the famous sea fight of La Hogue, in which the naval force of France was in a great measure destroyed, had been fought but three weeks before, the French Court expected a descent, and had drawn a great number of the regular troops and militia to the sea coast; and we found it so strongly guarded at all parts, that in a council of war which was held on that occasion, neither Admirals nor Generals were for landing the troops. So when we had sailed along the shore as far as Ushant, we returned and came to an anchor in the Downs. The King was then with the army in Flanders; here then we waited until the return of an Express, which the Queen had sent to know His Majesty’s pleasure with respect to the troops on board. . . . . Upon the return of the Express we sailed to Ostend, where the troops landed, and marched from thence to Furness and Dixmuyde, the enemy having quitted them on our approach. We continued there until we had fortified them and put them in a state of defence, leaving garrisons in them.” D’Auvergne informs us that on the 1st of September (n.s.), the Duke of Leinster arrived at Ostend, bringing fifteen regiments, including La Melonière’s, Belcastel’s, and Cambon’s; and in a few days he was joined by a detachment under the command of Lieutenant-General Talmash, consisting of six regiments sent by King William from headquarters. The re-fortification of Furnes and Dixmuyde (the French having, before retreating, demolished the former fortifications), was conducted by Colonel Cambon. An adventure happened in a ditch at the bastion by Ypres Port in Dixmuyde:—
- ↑ Dumont de Bostaquet phonographically styles the Dukedom “L’Instre” and “L’Inster.” — (See the printed copy of his MS. Memoirs, pp. 316, 317.)
