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lars's quick march, and took fuch right measures, that from the 12th to the 31st of Auguft, N. S. he compaffed his true defign, which was to make himfelf mafter of the important fortrefs of Exilles, fort la Peroufe, and the valley of St. Martin and Feneftrella. By which conquefts he fecured his own dominions against France, and gained free entrance into the enemy's country, the French having built a ftrong citadel at Feneftrella, after the blowing up of the fortifications of Pignerol, in order to cover that frontier. The greatest difficulty in taking these places was from the impracticableness of the ground, which drew the fieges out into fuch a length, that the fnow began to fall by the time Feneftrella was taken. By this means the Alps were cleared, and Dauphine was now open to him: and all things were ready for a greater progrefs in another campaign. Befides these advantages, the duke likewife made a diverfion in favour of king Charles III, obliging the enemy to fend a great detachment from Rouffillon to Villars's fupport and affiftance.

1708.

The queen of Great-Britain and the ftates-general had Campaign in Spain. follicited the imperial court and the German princes to act Burnet. with greater vigour than they had hitherto done, and parti- M. S. cularly preffed the emperor to give the utmost affiftance he Hift. of Eur. could to his brother in Spain, and heartily concurred with king Charles in defiring, that prince Eugene might be sent thither to command in chief. But this point could not be obtained (t); and, count Guido de Staremberg being appointed

(t) This affair will be best explained by the following extracts of letters published by Mr. Cole in his memoirs of affairs of ftate.

quence, but to no purpose. Prince Eugene is to be at hand to defend them, in cafe of need, against the Turks, and to fecure them from any future infults from the Swede, who had demanded

The earl of Manchefter to the the like liberty for the reformed to

earl of Sunderland.

Vienna, January 7, 1707-8. This evening count Gallas is at prince Eugene's, where the affairs of king Charles are to be under debate. I had orders from Britain, to urge their fending prince Eugene to Spain, and alfo a letter writ by the queen to the emperor, recommending the fame as a matter of the greateft confe

exercise their religion in Silefia,
as by count Wratislaw's conven-
tion at Alt Ranftadt the Luthe-
rans are to enjoy. Count Guido
of Staremberg is declared gene-
ral for Spain, without confulting
Britain or Holland, whether they
will put their troops under his
command. I have writ my
thoughts pretty freely upon these
practices, and monfieur Bruy-
ninx had done the fame. Prince

E 3

Eugene

1708. pointed in that prince's room, he arrived at Barcelona on the laft of April, the fupplies demanded by king Charles being arrived there before. Great hopes were conceived of this new general, who had before commanded the imperial troops in Hungary; but it was generally believed, that the affairs in Spain would have had much better fuccefs, if they had been managed by prince Eugene.

Burnet.

The duke of Orleans ftill continued to command in Spain; and, according to the vanity of that nation, it was given out, that they were to have mighty armies in many different places, and to put an end to the war there. Great rains had fallen all the winter in all parts of Spain; so that the campaign could not be opened fo foon as it was first intended. The troops of Portugal, which had lain at Barcelona ever fince the battle of Almanza, were brought about by a fquadron of English fhips, to the defence of their own country. Sir John Leake came likewife over to Lisbon from England with recruits and other fupplies, with which the queen of Great-Britain was to furnish the crown of Portugal. When all was landed, Leake failed into the Mediter

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ranean to bring troops from Italy, for the ftrengthening of 1708. king Charles, whofe affairs were in great diforder.

Soon after Staremberg's arrival in Spain, major-general Stanhope came to us (fays the author of the manufcript fo often mentioned) with a commiffion of commander in chief of all her majefties forces in Spain, as Belcaftle had orders to command the Dutch. All the troops marched out of their winter quarters to different camps, in the road to Cervera and Lerida. When Leake came with his fleet to Barcelona, king Charles fent immediately for count Staremberg from the camp at Montblanc, to confult with the generals Stanhope and Carpenter, and admiral Leake, whether he could undertake any thing for the fervice; and, nothing being fixed, the admiral failed for Italy, from whence he brought both the new queen of Spain and eight thoufand men with him. But, by reafon of the flownefs of the court of Vienna, these forces came too late to raise the fiege of Tortofa; before which place the enemy came the 30th of June. Upon the news of this, a council of war was held, to fee Tortofa bewhether we could undertake any thing to fave that town, fieged and which, on the fea-fide, was the key of Catalonia from Va- French, lencia. Count Efferen, a Palatine major-general, was fent to command in Tortofa, with a good garrifon. The trenches were opened on the 9th of June, and, in about a month's time, the governor, having no reafon to expect any relief, furrendered upon honourable terms, and marched his garrifon to our camp at Conftantino, in the Campo de Terragona. During the ficge, Leake diffipated a fleet of Tartans, fent from France to fupply the duke of Orlean's army, and took about fifty of them; which was a very feasonable relief to those in Barcelona, and which, it was hoped, though in vain, would have caufed the fiege to be raised.

From Conftantino the army marched for Cervera with a good train of artillery, where they were joined by all the forces from Italy, and by fome Dutch and Spanish battalions from Lampaurdan. Befides Tortofa, the enemy alfo took Denia, and the garrison were made prifoners of war. But thefe loffes were abundantly made up to the allies, by the reduction of the kingdom of Sardinia, and of the famous Port-Mahon, with the whole ifland of Minorca.

taken by the

Sir John Leake having taken on board the fleet a few Reduction troops commanded by the marquis of Alconzel, better known of Sardinia, by his former title of Conde de Cifuentes, arrived before

E 4

Cagli..ri

72. 1708. Cagliari (u), the capital of Sardinia, on the 12th of Auguft, N. S. and immediately fummoned the marquis of Jamaica, the viceroy, to submit to king Charles III. The marquis infifted at first upon extravagant terms: but on the throwing of a few bombs into the city, the inhabitants refolved to compel him to furrender, with his garrifon, at difcretion; whereupon both he and the magiftrates accepted fuch articles as the admiral was pleafed to grant (w). The greatest part of the Spanish garrifon readily lifted themselves in king Charles's

(u) In the memoirs of affairs of state, published by Chriftian Cole, efq; p. 545, is the following letter of Sir John Norris to the earl of Manchefter, relating to the defigned expedition.

My lord,

Ranelagh, with the
fleet bound to

Cagliari, July 26,

1608.
The 17th inftant we arrived
with the fleet and troops at Mat-
tero, where we landed the queen
of Spain, fhe being from thence
to make her entry into Barce-
lona. The next day our tranf-
ports got to Barcelona, where
we landed the horfe and foot in

good condition. We loft but
forty horfes in the paffage, and
nineteen that were in a Genoefe
veffel, which loft company with
the fleet, and was taken by a
Cruizer of the enemy, The troops
have joined the reft of the army,
which all people fay is in a good
condition, and that there is a
good agreement with the com-
manders of each nation. But
from our unfortunate lofs of Tor-
tofa, and the accidents of this,
campaign, the foot we brought
does but juft make up the num-
ber we have loft; and in that
the enemy is much fuperior;
but in horfe we have the ad-

vantage, both in number and

goodness, &c. We are under
this difficulty, that the land we
have there, with the island of
Majorca, will not afford grain
enough to feed the army and
country; for which reason we
are now going with the fleet, to
try
if we can reduce the island
of Sardinia to the obedience of

king Charles. The troops we

have to do it with are our feamen, twelve hundred marines, and fome unmounted Spanish dragoons; and, if half be true of what is reprefented to us, we fhall fucceed in that kingdom. We have the Conde Cifuentes with us, but he is not to meddle till the place has declared. We go directly for Cagliari, which is the feat of the viceking, and the capital of the country. I am, &c.

JOHN NORRIS.

(w) Sir John Norris wrote the following letter upon the taking of this city to the earl of Manchefter.

From on board the Ranelagh, before Cagliari, Aug. 18, 1708, O.Š.

My lord,

This being the first opportunity of my writing to Italy, fince

Our

Charles's fervice. Befides which, near two thousand horses were found there, ready to be transported to Spain, for remounting the enemy's cavalry; part of which were difpofed of to the difimounted dragoons, who were employed in this expedition. The marquis d'Alconzel, who was conftituted viceroy and captain-general of that kingdom, having held an affembly of the deputies of the several states, they gave affurances of their affection and fidelity to king Charles III. and, for a proof, offered to furnish thirty thousand facks of corn for that king's fervice. This fupply made the conqueft of Sardinia the more confiderable; for, in Catalonia,

our arrival before Cagliari, will plead my pardon, that I did not fooner tell your lordship, that we anchored before the town the 3d inftant in the afternoon, and fent a fummons to the vice-king, to render the town and kingdom of Sardinia to the obedience of king Charles, with a letter to the burghers, to affure them of their effects and antient privileges, in cafe they made their obedience. The officer fent had leave to wait four hours for an answer, if required; at which time, being night, he returned with an anfwer from the vice-king, that it was fo late that he could not that night get all the government together, but would do it the next morning, and fend their answers. We judged it beft to keep on the fright, and caufe no delay, and that inftant began bombarding, and hove that night an hundred and twenty fhells into the town, and landed our men at the point of day; and, as foon as it was light, the vice-king fent off a flag of truce, to defire to capitulate; after which the mob took poffeffion of the gates, and delivered them up to us. Thus we have got a city much ftronger than Barcelona, and that has eighty-feven brass cannon mount

ed, and the whole ifland, without the lofs of a man. In our capitulation we obliged them to furnish Catalonia immediately with fourteen hundred tons of corn, and to-morrow it will fail for Catalonia, it being embarked in our transports.

Last night we received letters from the king of Spain and Mr. Stanhope, and news, that the king had appointed fifteen hundred foldiers under Mr. Stanhope, to go to reduce the island of Majorca and the fortrefs of PortMahon. He defires our affiftance in the fame; on which we this morning agreed to go to that fervice, and to-morrow we fail for that island: and, though the French have a garrison there, yet, if the weather proves good, I believe we may fay we shall carry it. This will fuit us in vifiting the pope, as we intended, for helping the pretender, till another feafon. But, after this fervice, our winter-fhips will go to Naples, to convoy to Catalonia the troops the king expects from thence, and the rest of our fhips will be obliged to go home to refit for the next year, &c. I am, &c.

JOHN NORRIS.

they

1708.

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