1708. they were, at that time, much straitened for want of provifions.

The conquest of

M. S.

The conqueft of the island of Minorca (x), which followed soon after, was intirely owing to major-general StanMinorca. hope, who was the first projector, and had the principal fhare in the execution of the defign. In the beginning of Auguft, he received a letter from the lord-treafurer, to acquaint him, that the admiralty had reprefented to the queen, that it was almoft impracticable, and very dangerous for our fleet to winter in the Mediterranean, except fome fafe harbour were procured for it. Upon this, general Stanhope immediately fixed his thoughts upon the island of Minorca, which was a very great enterprize, and required a greater number of troops, than could be fpared out of our army. He took a fhort journey to Barcelona, to confult the proper measures with the admiral; which done, he returns poft to the camp, and acquaints Staremberg with his defign, who much applauded it; but as to forces he could spare none, for we were then within four miles of the enemy, who were much fuperior to us, and we daily expected to be attacked. However, Staremberg confented that Stanhope fhould take Southwell's regiment, a battalion of Neapolitans, another of Portuguese, and a small detachment of Spaniards: all which marched immediately to Barcelona. General Stanhope follows them, on the 10th, and had the good fortune of meeting there with brigadier Wade, juft returned from London, which was a great advantage to him. The 21ft, he embarks with this handful of men and a few dragoons. What was wanting in troops, was in fome measure made up by a fine train of British artillery, with mules to draw it, commanded by colonel Boreguard, with that excellent engineer

(x) Minorca (fo called from
being less than Majorca, another
ifland about fix leagues from it)

lies in the Mediterranean. Its
greatest length is forty-five, and
greatest breadth twenty-four Eng-
lih miles. The chief places are,
1. Citadella on the fouth-weft
fide, about the middle of the
ifland, in the bottom of a bay,
thought to be the Jamma of Pto-
lemy. 2. Fort Formelli on the
north-eaft fide, over-againft Ci-
tadella. 3. Port-Mahon at the
bottom of a large bay, which

runs about three Spanish miles to the fouth-eaft. The harbour is

guarded by fort St. Philip, and is accounted the best and largest in the Mediterranean. Minorca lies in lat. 39. 45. It was taken by general Stanhope in 1708, and confirmed to the English by the treaty of Utrecht; in whofe hands it remained till the year 1756, when it was moft ftrangely fuffered to be re-taken by the French, after a forty-nine years poffeflion.

brigadier

brigadier Petit, who, in that capacity, might be faid to have 1708. taken and defended Barcelona, for which fervices king Charles had raifed him to the rank of a general officer. Stanhope was here informed of the ftrength of the garrifon of fort St. Philip, which would have damped the courage of any man that had not been so zealous in the undertaking. The fleet and transports failed from Barcelona the 23d, and the men landed the 26th to the fouth-weft of fort St. Philip, within two miles of it. As they failed by the fort, the garrison was not a little intimidated to see a fleet with two flags (Leake and Whitaker) and fo many tranfports, expecting no less than an army of ten or twelve thousand men; and, indeed, it had the appearance of it. With the four battalions were landed about feven hundred and fixty marines, commanded by colonel Lee, which made up the whole number, officers included, three thousand two hundred and eighty four (y). This little army marched to a rifing ground overagainst the fort, having made as great a fhow as poffible in their march; for it was all in fight of the enemy, whofe alarms were much increased by it; and still more, when they faw our troops drawn up in a long line where they could be seen; but the best perspective glass could not discover whether there was a fecond or third line. From hence they went that evening to a camp marked out by the engineer, within less than two miles of the fort. The garrifon confifted of a thousand Spaniards, and fix hundred French marines, under the command of colonel la Jonquiere, an old officer, who was fent there by way of punishment, for not behaving fo well as was expected from him against the Cevennois. The inhabitants of Minorca were very much for us, being weary of the yoke of their king, who had taken all their privileges from them, as he had done from his fubjects of the kingdom of Arragon, from whence they had been tranfplanted to this ifland.

Batteries were erected the next day; and, the morning after, they began to fire against two of the four towers, which are built at proper distances like little bastions, in a

1708. wall of ftones without cement, that covers the fort a quarter of a mile from it, and that from fea to fea. These towers were foon battered down by our cannon. They had four pieces of cannon in each, with room enough for cannoneers, and ammunition. General Stanhope, who wanted to induce the garrison to a fpeedy furrender, ordered a great many papers to be writ in Spanish and French, in which he promised very honourable terms to the befieged, if they did not put him to the trouble of raising batteries; but, if they refufed, he threatened that all the Spaniards fhould be sent to the mines, and the French be worfe ufed. These papers were tied round arrows, which were shot in great numbers into the fuburbs of the fort, and into the vacancy between the fort and the ftone-wall, where fmall parties were placed to obferve us. It was by a shot from one of these parties that Mr. Philip Stanhope, brother to the general, captain of the Milford galley, a young gentleman of great hopes, was killed, the ball fixing in his forehead, as he was held up by two of his failors to look over the wall, which was nine feet high.

The arrows had a good effect, efpecially upon the Spaniards, who dreaded the mines. After the towers were beat down, the cannon continued to fire upon the wall, and, in a fhort time, levelled it to the ground. Through the breach general Wade marched to a redoubt, at the head of all the grenadiers and fome marines, with so much intrepidity, even within reach of the enemy's fire, that it ftruck the garrison (as one of the officers afterwards told our author) with admiration and terror; infomuch that the foldiers could not be brought to fire at them, though commanded, and the cannon could not reach them, the ground being too low where they marched. Wade took the redoubt, left fome men in it, and returned to the camp unattacked.

The next day their panic increased; a battery of large cannon was fixed against fort St. Philip, and the first ball was ordered to be fo fired, as to fall in the ditch; which it did, and was immediately taken up and carried to the governor. A council of war was inftantly held, wherein it was refolved, by a fmall majority, to beat a parley. Hoftages were quickly exchanged, and Wade was fent to agree on a capitulation. When he came to the governor's houfe, he found the large ball on the table, which most of the officers had been wondering at. They were not many hours in agreeing upon the following terms: the garrison was to march out the next day with all marks of honour, and to be

shipped

hipped off immediately; the Spaniards to be tranfplanted to 1708. a harbour in Murcia, and the French to Marseilles or Toulon: the magazines to be given up, their arms to be left in the court of the fort, and the outward gate to be delivered into our hands that evening, as foon as the capitulation was figned; which was done in a fhort time, and a guard was ordered to the gate. Wade returned to the general in the camp; and both were extremely well pleafed with this fuccefs.

On the morrow Wade went with all the forces to fee the garrifon evacuate the fort; and he had not men enough to form the two lines through which the garrifon was to march to the fea-fide, except they were placed at an unusual diftance. The enemy then faw their mistake, as well as before, when they were coming up from the camp, but it was too late. All the boats of the fleet which were come into the harbour the night before, when the capitulation was figned, were ordered to attend to carry the garrison into the transports. When the French were got into three veffels, a field-officer was fent to let them know, that general Stanhope made them prisoners of war, by way of reprisals for the garrison of Denia, which, after a brave defence, were, contrary to the capitulation, made prifoners of war by count d'Asfeld.

Fort St. Philip being in our hands, the whole island gladly fubmitted, except Port-Fornelli. On the 17th of Auguft, Sir John Leake, with the Dutch, failing for England, Whitaker, rear-admiral of the red, was left with his fquadron before Port-Mahon, who, with a few men of war failing to Port-Fornelli, and meeting little refiftance, brought away the garrifon, confifting of about two hundred men, prifoners of war. Thus the conqueft of the whole island, with the lofs only of forty men killed or wounded, was finished in lefs than three weeks, to the great admiration of all Europe. The befiegers found in the forts about a hundred pieces of cannon, three thoufand barrels of powder, and all things neceffary for a good defence. The Spaniards were all carried to Murcia, except the inhabitants of the suburbs, who had liberty to return to their houses. As soon as they landed, the governor threw himself out of a window and died. The French marines were fent to France, except a captain, who refufed to fign the capitulation, and two lieutenants, who were left to take care of the prifoners that were detained on account of the affair of Denia. When they arrived at Toulon, la Jonquiere was confined for life;

and

1708. and all the captains received marks of their mafter's difpleafure. But the captain, who ftood out against the capitulation, was promised a reward. General Stanhope appointed brigadier Petit governor of fort St. Philip, and deputy governor of the whole ifland. By this conqueft our fleet had got a fafe port to lie in and refit, and to retire to on all occafions; for till then we had no place nearer than Lifbon (z).