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HISTORY 03? ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XII.

1689 .

of the English nation and of all Protestant Churches, swelledthe hearts of the townspeople with honest pride. That pridegrew stronger when they received from William a letteracknowledging, in the most affectionate language, the debtwhich he owed to the brave and trusty citizens of his good city.The whole population crowded to the Diamond to hear theroyal epistle read. At the close all the guns on the rampartssent forth a voice of joy: all the ships in the river made answer:barrels of ale were broken up; and the health of their Majestieswas drunk with shouts and volleys of musketry.

Five generations have since passed away; and still the wallof Londonderry is to the Protestants of Ulster what the trophyof Marathon was to the Athenians. A lofty pillar, rising horna bastion which bore during many weeks the heaviest fire of theenemy, is seen far up and far down the Poyle. On the summitis the statue of Walker, such as when, in the last and mostterrible emergency, his eloquence roused the fainting courageof his brethren. In one hand he grasps a Bible. The other,pointing down the river, seems to direct the eyes of his famishedaudience to the English topmasts in the distant bay. Such amonument was well deserved: yet it was scarcely needed: forin truth the whole city is to this day a monument of the greatdeliverance. The wall is carefully preserved; nor would anyplea of health or convenience be held by the inhabitants suffi-cient to justify the demolition of that sacred enclosure which, inthe evil time, gave shelter to their race and their religion. * Thesummit of the ramparts forms a pleasant walk. The bastionshave been turned into little gardens. Here and there, amongthe shrubs and flowers, may be seen the old culverins whichscattered bricks, cased with lead, among the Dish ranks. Oneantique gun, the gift of the Fishmongers of London, was distin-

* In a collection entitled “Derriana,” which was published more thansixty years ago, is a curious letter on this subject.