An attempt to displace Protestants from various situations, civil and military, and to substitute Catholics, as well as to force popish recruits into the army, and other causes, at length brought on the _Revolution_; and at this important crisis we find the Queen Dowager's Regiment faithful to the best interests of its country. The Prince of Orange (afterwards William III.) made good his landing at Torbay early in November, 1688, and marched to Exeter. The advanced position of King James's army was at Warminster, and comprised two battalions of Dumbarton's Regiment (the Royals) and Kirke's (the Queen's), a troop of Life Guards, and the Queen Consort's Regiment of Horse, now the First Dragoon Guards. The whole was commanded by Brigadier-General Kirke, who, on some frivolous pretence, refused to march to Devizes, for which he was placed in arrest, and ordered to London. The King, deserted by many of his followers, and even by a portion of his own family, adopted the resolution of retreating towards London, and caused his forces to retire behind the Thames to Staines and its neighbourhood; and ultimately, his Majesty vacating his throne, without any government being nominated, left the troops at liberty to use their own discretion. Little opposition was made to the advance of the Prince of Orange, who was soon joined by Kirke, and the latter was received by his new monarch with particular distinction. [Sidenote: 1689] King James II., with a view of maintaining his authority in Ireland, and assisted by Louis XIV., embarked from France, and landed at Dublin in March, 1689. The Protestants in that country were determined to resist his dominion, particularly at Londonderry, where, under the gallant direction of the Rev. George Walker, rector of Donoghmore, they nobly defended that city for several months, notwithstanding the Governor, Colonel Lundy, Colonel Thomas Cunningham, 9th Foot, and Colonel Solomon Richards, 17th Foot, had resolved, in a council of war, that the place was not tenable, and that it would be imprudent to land those two regiments which had been sent to their assistance: these officers were in consequence cashiered, and the most active measures were taken for sending a further number of troops from England to the assistance of the Protestants, and to the relief of Londonderry.