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1708. 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 Vendome to serve under him; and he was to be accompanied by the duke of Berry. The pretender (who was returned from his unfuccessful 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. These 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 ft 11 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 the campaign are concerted. Brodrick.

On the 12th of April, there was a great conference between prince Eugene, the duke of Marlborough, the deputies of the States for private affairs, and penfionary Heinfius, in the chamber of Triers, the ufual place of conferences in Mil. Hift. the States apartment; which was pitched upon to avoid the

Burnet.

trouble of the ceremonial; for otherwife it must have been at the duke of Marlborough's, as ambaffador extraordinary; whereas prince Eugene had no character, his credentials importing only," that his imperial majefty had fent his firít

counfellor, prefident of the council of war, and general«lieutenant, prince Eugene, to concert the operations of "the campaign, in whom the States were defired to put an "intire confidence." As foon as they were entered the room, the duke of Marlborough tock prince Eugene by the hand, and led him to a feat above his own; after which the States deputies placed themíelves, without obferving any precedency among them. Prince Eugene opened the conference with a fpeech, wherein he gave a particular "ac"count of the emperor's forces in Naples, Lombardy, and "Piedmont, and of thofe defigned for Spain, and having "mentioned the troops which his imperial majesty 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; con

cluding, that he had inftructions from his imperial majefty to ufe his endeavours to engage the queen of Great"Britain and the States-General to approve the fcheme he

"had

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"had propofed, and to fecond, on their parts, his imperial majefty's efforts, both to reduce the exorbitant power of "France, and to restore 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 a 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 States were not impowered to make any anfwe either to prine Eugene's, or the duke of Marlborough's propofals, but only (according to the ufual 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 moft of the imperialists employed the year before on the Upper Rhine, with the Saxons 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 majesty's reftoring him to the poffeffion of the Upper Palatinate, with the prerogatives enjoyed by his ancestors, should 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-marshal 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 resolutions taken at the Hague, and engage him to return to command the army on the Upper Rhine.

1708.

rough and

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

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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 negociations at the Hague, fet out the 20th of April N. S. arrived the 22d at Duffeldorp, and, having ended his businefs, the next day, with the elector Palatine, and sent 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 first, which were removed by the dextrous and prudent management of prince Eugene and the duke of Marlborough; and his electoral highness, 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 should 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 separate body on the Moselle, which obliged the enemy to fend a confiderable number of forces that way under the command of the duke of Berwick.

Prince Eu

Vienna,

On the 29th of April, prince Eugene fet out for Leipfic, gene goes to to confer with king Auguftus, who was come thither on purpose, two days before, from Drefden. On the prince's arrival he finished his negociations in a few hours, and purfued his journey the next day to Vienna. The duke of Marlborough made no long stay after prince Eugene at Harough to the nover; for he fet out from thence the day after, and arrived Hague.

and the

duke of Marlbo

The campaign in Flanders,

the 3d of May at the Hague, where he communicated to the States General the result of the conferences held at Hanover; and, having concerted with their high mightineffes further measures for opening the campaign, he went to Ghent, where having reviewed the British forces, he pro

ceeded

ceeded to Bruffels (a). The duke having conferred with 1708. veldt-marshal d'Auverquerque, who, notwithstanding his infirm state of health, preferved a vigorous mind, and feemed refolved to die, like a hero, in the field, gave orders to the troops to march to Andernach near Bruffels, where the Dutch, Pruffians, and Hanoverians, began to form the army the 23d of May. The 26th they marged to Billingen, where the duke of Marlborough took up his quarters in the abbey of that name; and the veldt-marshal fixed his at Hall, a little town, which lay in the front of the first line. The British forces repaired to this camp likewise with all poffible expedition, as did alfo a confiderable body of troops in the fervice of the States General from their refpective garrisons in Flanders. And, laft of all, the field-deputies of their high mightineffes arrived there, who behaved themfelves this campaign with fo much prudence and refolution, that they contributed very much to the fuccefs of it.

Upon notice of these motions, the duke de Vendosme affembled his army, on the 25th of May, between Mons and St. Ghislain, and took up his head-quarters at St. Simpronien, from whence he marched the next day to Soignies, pofting his right at Naift, and his left at Canchie Notre Dame, within three leagues of the confederate camp. He was joined the fame day by the duke of Burgundy, who had the chief (at least titular) command of the army, together with the duke of Berry, his brother, and the pretender.

(a) Here the duke was honoured with a letter from the queen, dated May 6, by the manner of which, as the duchefs of Marlborough obferves in the account of her conduct, p. 255, her majefty feemed ftill to have retained a great degree of regard for Mr. Harley. After complaining to the duke of being fo tired that day with importunities from the whigs, that he had not fpirits left to open her afflicted heart fo freely and fully as the intended, fhe goes on to fay, that he was entirely of his opinion, thinking it neither for her honour nor intereft to make steps (meaning the first steps) towards a peace, as the duke had been

preffed to do abroad; and affures
him, that, whatever infinuations
her enemies might make to the
contrary, he would never give
her confent to a peace, but up-
on fafe an honourable terms.
She begs the duke to be fo juft
to her, as not to let the mifre-
prefentations made of her have
any weight with him; adding,
that it would be a greater trou-
ble to her than could be expref-
fed; and concludes with thefe
words; I cannot end without
begging you to be very care-
ful of yourself, there being
nobody, I am fure, that prays
more heartily than her, who
⚫ will live and die most fincerely
yours, &c.'

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On the 29th of May, the confederate army, which confifted of a hundred and eighty fquadrons of horfe, and a hundred and twelve battalions, made a motion from Bellinghen, advancing the right to Herfelingen, the left to Lembecy, and fixing the head-quarters at St. Renelle, in hopes of bringing the enemy to an engagement, which, by their bold march to Soignies, they feemed rather to seek than decline, being fuperior, at least, in number, to the allies; for their army confifted of a hundred and ninety-feven fquadrons, and a hundred and twenty-four battalions. The fame day the enemy received their heavy baggage from Mons, but fent it back thither on the 31ft, which still gave the confederates hopes they should come to an engagement; and thereupon, the duke of Marlborough ordered the troops to be in a readiness to march at an hour's warning. The fame evening the duke received intelligence, that the enemy's heavy baggage, having received a counter-order; was returned to the camp, and that they had foraged for two days; whence it was reafonably concluded, that they would not march the next day as the deferters had reported. The duke of Marlborough, having advised with the other generals, resolved to fend the horie to forage the next morning; and they went out, before break of day; but they had not been out an hour, before advice came, that the enemy had begun the night before, at ten, to fend their heavy baggage to Mons, and decamped without any noife at eleven, marching towards Nivelle. The foragers were immediately recalled, and to avoid all loss of time, the infantry marched first of all about noon from St. Renelle, and were followed by the cavalry. About four they formed four columns, intending to incamp the right towards Anderlech, and the left to Lake; but upon farther notice, that the enemy had not incamped at Nivelle, but had continued their march by Bois Signieur Ifaac to Braine la Leu, the duke judged, that they could not have any other defign, than to poft themselves on the bank of the Deule, to hinder the allies from paffing that river, and to feize Louvain; being the very fame project, which the duke de Vendofme had formed the last year, but mifcarried in it. To prevent the enemy, there was no other remedy, but to continue marching all night; fo that, on the 3d of June in the afternoon, the army of the allies arrived at the camp of Terbank, very much fatigued, as well by this long march as by the continual rains, which had fallen. for four and twenty hours together. The French, having feceived intelligence of this expeditious march of the con

federates,

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