Schonen, about the middle of November, having first published a manifefto, wherein he fet forth his reasons for declaring war against Sweden. Finding no refiftance at his landing at Helfingburg, he fixed there his head-quarters ; but, the cold feason not permitting him to undertake the fiege of Landfcroon, he difpofed his troops into winterquarters, and, on the 4th of December, N. S. returned to Copenhagen. Some time after, the Danes having taken the field, made fome progrefs in Schonen; but the regency of Stockholm having by this time fent a good body of troops into that province, the Swedes obliged the enemy to retire under the cannon of Helfingburg; where, on the 10th of March, N. S. 1709-10, they attacked them with fo much bravery and fiercenefs, that the Danes were almoft totally defeated; and, not being able to maintain themselves at Helfingburg, abandoned that city on the night, between the 15th and 16th of that month, went on board their fhips, and failed for Elfinore, leaving behind them their horses, and some provision and baggage, which they had not either time or conveniencies to carry off.

The Swedish army that was in Poland, having got into Pomerania, the French ftudied to engage them to fall into Saxony, to imbroil the affairs of Germany, and, by, that means oblige the neighbouring princes to recall the troops, that were in her Britannic majesty's fervice, and that of the other allies in Flanders. But the queen and the states-general interposed effectually in this matter; and the Swedes were fo fenfible how much they might need their protection, that they acquiefced in the propofitions that were made to them; by which means the peace of the northern parts of the empire was fecured. A peace was likewise made up between the grand fignior and the czar. The king of Sweden continued at Bender. The war of Hungary still went on. The court of Vienna published ample relations of the great fucceffes they had there; but these were said to be given out, to make the malecontents seem an inconfiderable and ruined party. There were fecret negotiations still on foot, but without effect.

1709.

commiffion.

Nothing of importance paffed at fea. The French fent Sea-affairs. out no fleet; and our convoys were fo well ordered, and so fuccessful, that the merchants made no complaints. To- The admiwards the end of the year, the earl of Pembroke, finding ralty put in the care of the fleet a load too heavy for him to bear, defired to lay it down. It was offered to the earl of Orford; but though he was willing to ferve at the head of a commiffion,

N 4

#709. miffion, he refused to accept of it fingly; so it was put in

commiffion, in which he was the firft, the other commiffioners being Sir John Leake, Sir George Byng, Mr. George Dodington, and Mr. Paul Methuen. The queen gave the earl of Pembroke a penfion of three thousand pounds a year, payable out of the revenue of the poft-office, in confideration of his eminent fervices (d).

(d) Matthew Aylmer, efq; was appointed admiral, and commander in chief of her majefty's navy; the lord Durfley, viceadmiral; and Charles Wager, efq; rear-admiral of the red;

Sir John Jennings, admiral, and Sir Edward Whitaker, vice-ad. miral of the white; Sir John Norris, admiral, and John Baker, efq; vice-admiral of the blue.

CHAP.

CHA P. III.

--

France makes new overtures of peace.
Palatines come to Eng-
land. A parliament in Ireland. Their proceedings.- And
of the convocation there.- Dr. Sacheverel's fermons.— He is
impeached. -And tried.-Oxford decree burnt. The queen
Spoke to with great freedom by bishop Burnet.-Fresh overtures
of peace from France.-The queen addreffed to fend the duke of
Marlborough to the Hague.- Conferences about the terms of
peace.-Campaign in Flanders.-On the Rhine.-In Piedmont.
Affairs of Spain. Battle of Almanara.—And of Taragoffa.-
The English furprized at Brighuega.-Battle of Villaviciofa.
-Campaign in Portugal.-Affairs in the North.- Campaign
in Hungary. Addresses of different ftyle.-The queen fends to
the duke of Marlborough, to give a regiment to Mr. Hill.-
Proceedings thereon. The queen defifts from her recommenda-
tion.-The duke of Shrewsbury made lord chamberlain.- Lord
Godolphin's letter to the queen upon it.- Earl of Sunderland
difmiffed; and lord Dartmouth made fecretary. The tories
elated, and whigs alarmed at it. The emperor and states in-
terpofe. The earl of Godolphin dismissed. The parliament dis-
folved, and other changes. The elections of parliament-men.
The third parliament of Great-Britain. The duke of Marl-
borough returns to England, and acquiefces in the new councils.
·Conduct in Spain; and the late miniftry cenfured. Reflec-
tions on it. Lord Peterborough thanked by the lords.
earl of Galway cenfured for giving the precedence to the Portu-
guefe. Inquiry about the Palatines. A bill for qualifying
members paffed. -Attempt upon Mr. Harley. Turns to his
advantage. He is made earl and lord treasurer. Inquiries
into the public accounts. Emperor dies; and a message from
the queen to the parliament thereon. Act for the South-Sea
trade. Reprefentation of the commons at the end of the
feffion.

--

The

AS foon as the campaign in the Netherlands was ended,

the French court thought fit to make new advances towards a negotiation of peace. In order to which, fignior France Foscarini, the Venetian ambaffador, who, about this time, makes new came to Holland, took a turn incognito to Amfterdam, tò found the burgomafters of that city. On the other hand, Hare. monfieur Petkum, refident of the duke of Holstein, at the Burnet.

Hague,

overtures of peace.

1709. Hague, who had been fecretly employed the laft winter in the negotiations there, kept up a correspondence by letters with monfieur de Torcy, to try if an expedient could be found out for the 37th article in the preliminaries; the difficulty in that article being the only point, for which the conferences, in appearance at leaft, were broke off. The point they offered to fatisfy the allies in, was, that the French king fhould not, directly nor indirectly, affift his grandfon king Philip; and, with regard to the expedient propofed to fecure this point, all went upon the fame foot with that which Petkum had proposed, as from himself, the day before Rouillé left the Hague. That three towns should be put into the hands of the allies, to be reftored to France, when the affairs of Spain, &c. fhould be decided. The meaning of which feemed to be no other, than that France was willing to lofe three more towns, in cafe king Philip hould keep Spain and the Weft-Indies. The places therefore ought to have borne fome equality to that, for which they were to be given in pawn; but the anfwers, which the French made to every propofition, fhewed they meant nothing but to amufe and distract the allies. The firft demand made by the allies was of the places in Spain, then in the hands of the French king; for the delivering up of thefe might have been a good step to the reduction of the whole. But this was flatly refused; and, that the king of France might put it out of his power to treat about it, he ordered his troops to be drawn out of all the ftrong places in Spain, and foon after out of the kingdom, pretending that he was thereby evacuating it, though the French forces were kept ftill in the neighbourhood. Thus a fhew was made of leaving Spain to defend itfelf; and upon that, king Philip prevailed on the Spaniards to make great efforts, beyond what was ever expected of them. This was done by the French king to deceive both the allies and his own fubjects, who were calling loudly for a peace; and it likewife eafed him of a great part of the charge that Spain had put him to. But while his troops were called out of that kingdom, as many deferted, by a vifible connivance, as made up feveral battalions; and all the Walloon regiments, as being fubjects of Spain, were fent thither; so that king Philip was not weakened by the recalling the French troops; and by this means the places in Spain could not be any more demanded. The next demand, as moft important towards the reduction of Spain, was, that Bayonne, and Perpignan might be put into the hands of the allies, with

Thionville

Thionville on the fide of the empire. By the two former, 1709. all communication betwixt France and Spain would be cut off, and the allies would be enabled to fend forces thither with less expence and trouble. But it was faid, these were the keys of France, which the king could not part with; and therefore it remained to treat of towns on the frontier of the Netherlands, and even there they excepted Doway, Arras, and Cambray; fo that all the offers appeared illusory, and the intercourse by letters was for fome time let fall (e). After fome time Torcy wrote to Petkum to defire,

(e) Dr. Hare, in his fourth letter to a tory-member, fets forth this affair more at large: This, fays he, was the nature * of the expedient in agitation; and nothing can fhew better the readiness of the allies to put an end to the war, and the • infincerity of France, than what paffed between them on this fubject. The towns to be given ⚫ up for this purpose must have • been either in Spain, or on the ⚫ borders of it, or on the fide of Alface, or in Flanders. Whatever could have been done of this kind, was but a poor expedient for an article of fo * much confequence; and, had the king of France been in earneft, one cannot think he • would have made any difficulty to give the allies what they were willing to accept. But, ' as he meant nothing less than what he was fo forward to promife, there was no fecurity of this fort the allies could afk, which he did not think too * much to grant.

'As for towns in Spain, which was the best fecurity, and most to the purpose, that expedient had been proposed during the 'conferences at the Hague, and was by the French minifters refufed; and, to prevent the

fince

• allies from perfifting in this de-
mand, the king foon after put
it out of his power to comply
‹ with it; otherwise his people,
as blind as they are, could not
⚫ have had any great opinion of
his fincerity in the defires he
• expreffed for peace, while he
⚫ rejected a condition that was so

natural for the allies to ask; ⚫ and not only poffible, but easy for him to grant; and which the fafety and interest of France, as diftinct from Spain, were no way concerned in. That the negotiations there'fore might not continue to rest upon this point, he took care 'immediately, that there should be no room left for the allies to infist on this demand; and to that end withdrew his troops, out of all the Spanish fortreffes, as he did afterwards out of the kingdom, upon pretence in⚫ deed of evacuating Spain, according to the preliminary articles. But that was only a pretence; for he kept them there all the fummer, to be at hand to affift the duke of Anjou, in cafe his army should be attacked, or an invafion should ⚫ be made into Arragon; though

otherwife the general, that ⚫ commanded them, had orders • not to venture a battle, but to be