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the adjacent villages, the duke of Marlborough fignified to the marfhals Boufers and Villars, that thofe perfons might have leave to retire upon their parole, to return when they were cured; and that he would fend lieutenant Cadogan with two hundred horfe to Bavay, to make an agreement about that matter, with any general they would send with the like number of men. The enemy accepted this propofal, and they ordered the chevalier de Luxemburg to meet general Cadogan at Bavay, in order to concert every thing for the relief of the wounded, and burying of the dead.

1709.

n

The French, being retired to Valenciennes, left the con- Mons befederate generals at liberty to befiege Mons (b) the capital fieged and of Hainault, and the place, for the prefervation of which

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⚫ generals themselves, nor pre-
tend to any correspondence
with thofe that were. And
⚫therefore to infinuate, that they
⚫ did not confider things fo ma-
turely as they fhould have
done, is extreme impudence.
Thofe unequal fortreffes in-
• deed, which the enemy had
thrown up, were, I have heard,
more and greater than they
were thought to be. Our ge-
nerals knew they were
trenching, but neither believ-
ed fo much work could have
been done in fo little time, nor
that the fears of the enemy
could make them think fo much
was neceffary. But this ferved
only to make the victory more
glorious. And, notwithstand-
ing all their fortreffes, had the
orders, which to prevent all mif-
takes, were giving in writing,
been rightly executed, the price
of it had been much cheaper
'than it was. But there is no need

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taken.

1709. the enemy had hazarded the late battle. In this city the elector of Bavaria had lately kept his fugitive court, and from thence the count Berghieck and the duke of Alva by order of king Philip their mafter, wrote a joint letter to the duke of Marlborough, to which the count added a note, importing, "that, if the queen of Great-Britain, by means "of his highness's good officers, should think it for the in"tereft of the Nation to have regard to it, he was provid❝ed with powers from the king his master, to explain him"felf more particularly, to fuch perfon, and in such a "place, as his highness would please to appoint." The duke of Marlborough did not think fit to have, at that time, any private conference with that minifter; but, as the latter happened to be in Mons, when the allies invested the town, he was, on the 21ft of September, allowed to have an interview with his grace, who granted him paffports for him felf, and feveral ladies and perfons of diftinction, who went out of the place. As foon as the train of artillery was brought from Bruffels, the fiege, under the command of the prince of Orange, was carried on with great vigour, tho' the feafon was both cold and rainy. The outworks were carried with little refiftance, and Mons capitulated about the end of October. With taking of Mons ended the campaign, both armies retiring into winter-quarters.

Campaign

on the Rhine

inconfiderable.

The confederate arms were not this year attended with the fame fuccefs every where as in Flanders. Little was expected on the Rhine. The Germans were fo weak, so ill furnished, and so ill paid, that it was not easy for the court of Vienna to prevail on the elector of Brunswick to undertake the command of the army there, yet he came at laft; and, upon his coming, the French, who had paffed the Rhine, thought it the fafeft for them to repass that river, and keep within their lines. The elector fent count Merci with a confiderable body of troops to pass the Rhine, and break into Franche Comte; but, a detached body of the French, under the command of count de Borgh, lying in their way,

ftrong, and rich city, of the Low-
Countries, the marquifate of the
earldom of Hainault in the coun-
ty of Mons, or proper Hainault.
It was taken in 1691, but fur-
rendered to the Spaniards by the
peace of Ryfwick 1697. It
ftands on the river Troville, near
Haifne, twenty-feven miles fouth-
west from Bruffels, thirty-three

north-eaft of Cambray, thirtyfeven weft of Namur, thirtynine fouth of Ghent, forty-eight almoft fouth of Antwerp, fortyeight almoft eaft of Arras, fixtyfive almost weft of Liege, one hundred and twenty north of Paris, and one hundred and twenty-eight almost fouth of Amfterdam.

there

there followed a very sharp engagement on the 26th of Au-
guft, N. S.
Two thousand men were reckoned to be killed
on each fide; but, though the lofs of men was thought
equal, yet the defign mifcarried, and the Germans were
obliged to repafs the Rhine, and retire to Friburg. The
Germans having paffed through the territories of Bafil, in
order to make their intended irruption into the territories
of France, the French ambaffador in Switzerland expoftu-
lated with the diet of the cantons affembled at Baden, about
the violation of their neutrality, and even threatened those of
Bafil with the effects of his master's refentments. But the
Helvetic body took fuch effectual measures for the security
of that canton and of their frontiers, that the French did not
think this a proper juncture to increase the number of their
enemies, and fo contented themselves with feizing upon the
corn and revenues belonging to those of Bafil and Alfatia.

1709.

and Dan

The campaign in Piedmont and Dauphiné fell alfo this Campaign year much short of expectation. The duke of Savoy refu- in Piedmont fing to go into the field, by reafon the imperial court phiné. ftarted fome difficulties about Vigevano and other dependencies of the Milanefe, which, by agreement, were made over to him. The court of Vienna infifted to have the controverfy adjusted by commiffaries: but this was opposed by the duke of Savoy, who pretended, there was no need of fuch a dilatory negotiation, to find out the literal sense of the treaty concluded with him by the emperor; and made preffing inftances with the queen of Great-Britain and the ftates-general, who stood guarantees of that treaty for the punctual performance of it. The maritime powers, confidering with what firmness the duke had adhered to the grand alliance, espoused his intereft with warmth. But the emperor infisting on a reference to commiffaries, the duke perfifted in his refolution not to go into the field, and left the command of the army to veldt marshal Thaun, who, on the 7th of Auguft, went from Turin to Suza, and made the necessary difpofitions to march over mount Cenis. On the other hand, the duke of Berwick, who commanded the French army in Dauphiné, had, by this time, caufed ftrong intrenchments to be caft up to cover Briançon, the place moft threatened by the confederates, and to defend fome other important pofts. So all that count Thaun was able to do, was only to oblige the French to abandon their lines at St. Maurice, drive them from thofe at Feffons, defeat a small body at Conflans, and make himself master of the inconfiderable town and castle of Anneci; after which, for want of provisions,

he

1709. he was forced to repafs the Alps, and march into Piedmont towards the end of September. The glory which the duke of Berwick gained in thus difappointing the defigns of the allies, was the greater, as part of his troops were at that very time employed in fuppreffing, in the Vivarez, an infurrection of the Camifars, and other malecontents, who on the 19th of Auguft, N. S. maintained a fharp encounter with the French king's troops. But, on the 23d of the fame month, they were entirely defeated within fome leagues of Vernoux, and about fifty of them taken prifoners, with their chief leader Abraham, who was broké alive upon the wheel; and twenty-three others hanged at feveral places, fix or seven fent to the gallies, and the rest committed to prison.

Affairs in Italy.

Affairs in
Portugal

and Spain.
Battle of

Caya.

The most important thing relating to Italy this year, was, that the pope delayed acknowledging king Charles, by feveral pretended difficulties; his design being to stay and see the iffue of the campaign; but when he was threatened towards the end of it, that, if it was not done, the imperial army fhould come and take up their winter-quarters in the ecclefiaftical ftate, he fubmitted, and acknowledged him. He fent alfo his nephew Albano, first to Vienna, and then to Poland; he furnished him with a magnificient retinue, and feemed to hope, that, by the fervices he fhould do to the papal interefts there, be should be preffed to make him a cardinal, notwithstanding the bull against Nepo

tifm.

The Spanish and Portuguese armies having taken the field towards the end of April, they foon came to an engagement; for, on the 7th of May, N. S. being both incamped on the Caya, and the Spaniards making a motion, with a defign Hift. of Eur. either to forage the adjacent country, or to infult the confederates; the Portuguese general, contrary to the earl of Galway's opinion, paffed the river with all their horse, most of the foot, and fome field-pieces, which they fired with good execution on the enemy. The marfhal de Bay, who commanded the Spaniards, charged the Portuguese horfe of the right wing, who immediately wheeled about, and fled, without firing a fhot, which gave the Spaniards an opportunity of feizing the Portuguese cannon. In order to recover these, and to favour the retreat of the body of foot, which had repulfed the enemy three times with great firmnefs and refolution, the earl of Galway brought up himself Pearce's brigade, confifting of two British battalions of Barrymore and Stanwix, and one of the Spaniards lately raised. But thefe troops not being sustained by the Portuguese horse

of

D

N

of the left, who fled like thofe of the right, they were in- 1709. tercepted, and obliged to furrender prifoners of war, and with them major-general Sankey, the earl of Barrymore, brigadier Pearce, and the Conde de San Juan, à Portuguese general. The reft of the British foot, under the command of the marquis de Montandre, performed wonders, and, with the Portuguese infantry, made an orderly retreat, with the loss of about an hundred and fifty men; fo that, except the prisoners, and other marks of honour, the Spaniards had no reason to boaft of their victory. The earl of Galway, who had a horse shot under him, very narrowly escaped being taken; but having found means to get away from the enemy with major Bladen his fecretary, and a few other officers, he rid about four or five miles, and at last reached the confederate army, which that night came to Aronches, and the next day incamped at Elvas. The marquis de Bay, having refreshed his troops, advanced towards the confederates; but the earl of Galway took fuch advantageous pofts along the Guadiana, that the Spaniards durft not attempt, either to pass that river, or befiege Olivenza, into which place the British general found means to introduce fupplies of provifions ; and, the heats coming on, both armies went into quarters of refreshment; nor did any thing worth notice happen on that fide on the autumn campaign. For the Spaniards apprehending, that our fleet might have a defign upon fome part of their fouthern coaft, were forced to draw their troops from the frontiers of Portugal to defend their own coaft, though they had no disturbance given them on that fide.

Alcant

The caftle of Alicant had now been blocked up ever fince the month of December 1708. The garrifon, confifting taken. only of Hotham's and Syburg's regiments (which were not above half compleat, when left there two years before) held out with great refolution all the winter, notwithstanding the severity of the weather, the fcarcity of provisions, and the disturbance they met with from the enemy's bombs. The Spaniards, finding all other means ineffectual to reduce that important fortrefs, refolved at laft to blow up the rock, on which the caftle ftands, by a great mine; the feveral chambers whereof being prepared, with incredible labour and industry, the chevalier d'Asfeldt caufed fifteen hundred barrels of powder to be lodged in them, fummoned colonel Syburg the governor to furrender; and, the better to determine him to it, gave him leave to fend out two of his officers to fee the condition of the mine. This was readily VOL. XVII. N accepted,

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