COX. 35 So spirited and able a conduct in a person, who from his education and profession, could scarcely have been expected to possess any of the requisites for a military command, excited general admiration. The government of England returned him thanks; those absent individuals whose estates he had protected, expressed their gratitude; and the grand juries of the county and city of Cork, voted him addresses of thanks. In the beginning of 1692, an invasion from France being expected, he had a much more extensive commission assigned him, to command the whole of the counties Cork, Limerick, Kerry, and Clare. He was also entrusted with the secret and unplea sant commission to disarm the catholics of these counties on the 20th May, the day appointed for carrying that business into effect throughout the whole of the kingdom; a duty which he performed so as to prevent the govern ment from entertaining any fears from the catholics of his district, and with so much feeling towards them, as not to leave them unarmed and exposed to the depredations of the Rapparees. A victory, however, obtained over the French at sea, put an end to these fears; and soon after he was restored to a more suitable occupation by the Lord Chief Justice Reynel, who brought down a commis sion of assize for himself and Mr. Justice Cox, for the summer circuit; after which he returned to Dublin, where, on Nov. 5th, he was knighted by Lord Sidney, then lord-lieutenant. In 1693, he was admitted a member of the Philosophi cal Society of Dublin, on which occasion, he read a geographical description of the city and county of Derry, and of the county of Antrim, being part of an intended geographical description of the whole of Ireland; and in which he also purposed to include a natural history of Ireland. Soon after this, he went to England, where he was received by the ministry with the most distinguished favour, particularly by the Earl of Godolphin, then at the head of the treasury. Nor was this confined to empty
