Notes
The best and most accessible sketch of Sarsfield is Dr. Todhunter's Life of him in the New Irish Library (Unwin, 1s.). My principal object in making this very imperfect study was first to realise exactly in what consisted Sarsfield's title to fame, and secondly, to utilise a source of information which had onjy been made available since Dr. Todhunter finished his work, The Calendar of State Papers for the Early Years of William and Mary. Mr. Wilson has also pointed out to me Lauzun's despatches, printed in the appendix to Ranke's History of England, which had previously been overlooked by writers on this subject.
1 D'Avaux (Négociations en Irlande, p. 30), Letter to Louis XIV., 26th May, 1689: "I believe there are nearly 50,000 of the finest men that can be seen, hardly one under 5 ft. 5 or 6 in., the pikemen and grenadiers almost all 5 ft. 6½ in. … He can certainly have 40,000 of the finest possible troops, but the greater part of them need to be armed and drilled." (Translated.)
2 D'Avaux, p. 33 Louis to D'Avaux, 12 Mar., 1689: "As it can only be to the advantage of the King of England to establish a good commerce between Ireland and my province of Brittany, and also with all the other merchants of my other provinces who may desire to trade in Ireland, you are to propose to him the reciprocal suppression of
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