From the Year 1708, to the Year 1712.

CHA P. I.

Defigns of the next campaign.—Ghent and Bruges taken by the French.-The battle of Oudenard.-Lifle invefted.-Bold attempt of a French officer.-Battle of Wynendale.-Elector of Bavaria's defign upon Brussels.-Duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene pafs the Scheld.-Citadel of Lifle taken.-The French army feparates, and Ghent and Bruges are retaken.Campaign in Italy and in Spain.—Conquest of Minorca.-Differences between the emperor and the pope.-Campaign in Germany.-Affairs in Hungary and Poland.-Commodore Wager deftroys the galleons.-The Ruffian ambassador arrested.Death of prince George of Denmark.-The duke of Marlborough's intereft with the queen declines.

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29. ANNE.

1708.

ces of

HE advantages gained by the French, the last year, prompted them to entertain feveral projects, and The printo make still greater efforts to recover their former France fuperiority. And indeed their forces this year fent to feemed to be more numerous than ever, efpecially in the the armies Netherlands, where it was believed the elector of Bavaria in FlanVOL. XVII.

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17c8. and the duke de Vendofme would have again commanded. But an unexpected alteration was fuddenly made, and the French king declared the duke of Burgundy generaliffimo of his forces, appointing the duke de Vendofme to ferve under him; and he was to be accompanied by the duke of Berry. The pretender (who was returned from his unfuccefsful expedition to Scotland) went with them, without any other character than that of the chevalier de St. George. The elector of Bavaria was to command on the Rhine, with the duke of Berwick under him, the marfhal de Villeroy being recalled, and appointed to command in Dauphiné. Thefe proceedings of the French king furprized every one; but he conceived great hopes from thefe alterations of his generals. The credit with relation to money was ftill very low in France: For, after many methods taken for raising the credit of the mint bills, they were ftill at a difcount of forty per cent. No fleets came this year from the Weft-Indies, and therefore they could not be fupplied from thence.

Defigns of
On the 12th of April, there was a great conference be-
the cam- tween prince Eugene, the duke of Marlborough, the depu-
paign are ties of the States for private affairs, and penfionary Heinfius,
Concerted. in the chamber of Triers, the ufual place of conferences in'
Bodrick, the States apartment; which was pitched upon to avoid the
Ml. Hift. trouble of the ceremonial; for otherwife it must have been
Burnet.

at the duke of Marlborough's, as ambaflador extraordinary;.
whereas prince Eugene had no character, his credentials im-
porting only, "that his imperial majesty had fent his first
counfellor, prefident of the council of war, and general-
"lieutenant, prince Eugene, to concert the operations of
the campaign, in whom the fates were defired to put an
intire confidence." As foon as they were entered the
room, the duke of Marlborough took prince Eugene by the
hand, and led him to a feat above his own; after which the
States deputies placed themselves, without obferving any
precedency among them. Prince Eugene opened the con-
ference with a speech, wherein he gave a particular “ ac•

count of the emperor's forces in Naples, Lombardy, and “Piedmont, and of those defigned for Spain, and having "mentioned the troops which his imperial majefty intended to employ in Germany, he gave, in very modeft terms, his own opinion of the operations of the next campaign, both on the Upper-Rhine and the Low-Countries; concluding, that he had inftructions from his imperial majefty to ufe his endeavours to engage the queen of GreatBritain and the States-General to approve the fcheme he

"had propofed, and to fecond, on their parts, his imperial 1708. "majefty's efforts, both to reduce the exorbitant power of "France, and to reftore his brother king Charles III. to "the whole monarchy of Spain."

After prince Eugene had ended his fpeech, the duke of Marlborough acquainted the affembly with the inftructions he had received from the queen his miftrefs, in relation to the business before them; and at last mention was made of feparate army to be commanded by prince Eugene. This conference, which lafted above an hour, was but a kind of preliminary; for the deputies of the ftates were not impowered to make any anfwer either to prince Eugene's, or the duke of Marlborough's propofals, but only (according to the ufua! methods obferved by that republic) to receive them, and to report the fame to their high mightineffes; which they did on the 16th.

Several other conferences were held, though more privately, between the duke of Marlborough, prince Eugene, and the deputies of the States; the refult of which was (as it afterwards appeared) That most of the imperialifts employed the year before on the Upper Rhine, with the Sax⚫ons and Heffians in the pay of Great Britain and Holland, and the troops which the elector Palatine was to furnish in confideration of his imperial majefty's reftoring him to the poffeffion of the Upper Palatinate, with the prerogatives enjoyed by his ancestors, fhould march into the Netherlands, to act there, under prince Eugene, in concert with the British and Dutch forces, commanded in chief by 'the duke of Marlborough, and under him, by veldt-marfhal Auverquerque.' Whether prince Eugene, who took Hanover in his way to the Hague, then communicated this scheme to the elector of that name, and found him averse to it, or propofed other meafures to his electoral highness, is not known; but it was thought fit, that prince Eugene and the duke of Marlborough fhould now both wait on that prince, in order to obtain his concurrence to the refolutions taken at the Hague, and engage him to return to command the army on the Upper Rhine.

The duke of Marlborough intended to have gone back to The duke England, before the opening of the campaign; but prince of MariEugene was very earneft with him to meet him at Hanover; borough and the States having reprefented to the queen of Great- and prince Britain the neceffity of his prefence on that fide, and how Eugene uncertain the winds might make his timely return, the fea- £0 to Ha.

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1708. fon being fo far advanced, he refolved upon the journey to the court of Hanover. Prince Eugene, having finished his negotiations at the Hague, fet out the 20th of April N. S. arrived the 22d at Duffeldorp, and, having ended his bufinefs, the next day, with the elector Palatine, and fent an exprefs to Vienna, purfued his journey towards Hanover. The duke of Marlborough met him the 26th, two German. miles from that place, and, arriving there the fame evening together, they alighted at the British envoy's. The duke went first to court, and was followed thither foon after by prince Eugene, where the feveral audiences of ceremony, which they had of the electoral family, being over, they had together a long conference with the elector, who gave orders for their being accommodated at his own palace. Their conferences were continued the three following days, the count de Rechteren affifting on the part of the States General. They met with fome difficulties at firft, which were removed by the dextrous and prudent management of prince Eugene and the duke of Marlborough; and his electoral highnefs, though he was fenfible, that, by this scheme for making vigorous efforts in Flanders, the army, which he was to command himself on the Upper Rhine, must be extremely weakened, and he fhould be obliged to ftand on the defenfive; yet, at length, he confented to part with several regiments, and, being fatisfied with the laurels he had already gained, chearfully facrificed to the common cause the glory he might have reaped by acting offenfively. But tho' it was agreed, that prince Eugene fhould come into the Netherlands, yet it was induftriously given out, that he was to act with a feparate body on the Mofelle, which obliged the enemy to fend a confiderable number of forces that way under the command of the duke of Berwick.

Prince Eu- On the 29th of April, prince Eugene fet out for Leipfic, gene goes to confer with king Auguftus, who was come thither on to Vienna, purpofe, two days before, from Drefden. On the prince's arrival he finifhed his negotiations in a few hours, and purand the fued his journey the next day to Vienna. The duke of duke of Marlborough made no long ftay after prince Eugene at HaMarlbo- nover; for he fet out from thence the day after, and arrived rough to the 3d of May at the Hague, where he communicated to the Hague the States General the refult of the conferences held at HaThe cam- nover; and, having concerted with their high mightineffes paign in further meafures for opening the campaign, he went to Flanders. Ghent, where having reviewed the British forces, he pro

ceeded