LETTERS FROM THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH TO THE DUKE OF SHREWSBURY. A. D. 1705. THE first of the two following letters, from the duke of Marlborough to the duke of Shrewsbury, displays in strong colours the chagrin of that great commander, in being obliged, from a total failure of the promised cooperation on the part of prince Louis of Baden, to retreat from the Moselle to the Meuse. The second exhibits no less resentment and indignation at the conduct of the Dutch field-deputies, in compelling him to desist from an attack upon the French army under M. Villeroy, which he had concerted with M. D'Auverquerque with every prospect of success. DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH TO THE DUKE OF SHREWS MY LORD, BURY. Maestricht, June 30, 1705. BY the failure of our friends in all they pro mised me on the Moselle, I have been obliged to march QQ 2 back to the Meuse. I was fifteen days together in the camp of Elft, without being joined by any troops but what were in the English and Dutch pay, though I was to have been considerably reinforced by the Germans immediately upon my taking the field; and finding already a scarcity of forage by the unseasonable cold weather, which had destroyed all the grass and oats, with no manner of hopes of being supplied in any reasonable time with horses and carriages, promised for bringing up our great artillery for the siege of Saar Louis, where, if we had been once posted, we should have been plentifully supplied with subsistence out of Lorraine all these disappointments obliged me to yield to the pressing instances of the States and their generals to come hither to their relief. M. de Villeroy had already taken Huy, and was come before Liege, where he had begun to raise his batteries, and was threatening Limburg and Cologne by detachments at the same time; but upon our approach he drew off his cannon, and sent it back to Namur, retiring with his army to Tongres, where it was resolved to have marched directly to him to-morrow, but I have just now advice that he is marched this morning to Montenac towards their lines, so that the first thing we shall do will be to retake Huy. When I marched from Treves, I left there sixteen battalions of foot, and fifteen squadrons of horse for the security of that place, in hopes I might have been able to have returned to the Moselle in five or six weeks, but I have received advice that those troops have already abandoned the place, without being attacked. When I have the satisfaction of seeing your grace, I shall tell you a great deal more of the usage I have met with; in the mean time I heartily wish you a good journey, and am with the greatest truth and sincerity, My lord, &c. &c, DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH TO THE DUKE OF SHREWS MY LORD, BURY. Camp at Corbais, August 24, 1705. I WAS flattering myself with the hopes of the long-expected happiness of seeing your grace in these parts, when I received the honour of your letter of the 10th inst. with an account of your being laid up with a fit of the gout. I assure you I take great share in whatever you suffer; and am the more concerned at your present illness, because it deprives me of the sole satisfaction I had proposed to myself for the rest of the campaign; for which loss, however, I should think myself sufficiently recompensed, if for a transient fit you should at length get rid of your old distemper. Our army is in a manner laid up too by a disease, for which I see no cure, otherwise there is great reason to believe we might have made a considerable progress in the enemy's country, in order to which I had at the camp at Meldert, with great difficulty, got together a provision of about ten days bread, and having marched four days together, through several defiles and part of the Bois de Loignies, the army came the 18th inst. into a spacious plain with only the Ysche between us and the enemy. About noon we were formed in order of battle, and having visited the posts with M. D'Auverquerque, we resolved to attack, thinking there was no more to do but to order the troops to advance; when the deputies of the States, having consulted their other generals, would not give their consent, so that I was with great regret obliged to quit the enterprize, which promised all imaginable success, and to march back, with the melancholy prospect of being able to do nothing more this campaign, whereof so much still remains behind, than make the siege of Leeuwe, and demolish the lines. This disappointment, at a time when our expectations are so little answered elsewhere, makes me very uneasy, and since all my remaining consolation is in your good company, I hope as soon as you have your health, nothing will hinder you from hastening this way. I am, &c. &c. MARLBOROUGH. P. S. The last disappointment vexes me so much, that I am dead with the head-ach, which I hope will prevail with you to pardon my making use of Mr. Cardonnel's hand. SPEECH OF QUEEN ANNE TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. October 25, 1705. MY LORDS, AND GENTLEMEN, I HAVE been very desirous to meet you as early as I thought you might be called together without inconvenience to yourselves, and it is with much satisfaction I observe so full an appearance at the opening of the parliament, because it is a ground for me to con clude you are all convinced of the necessity of prosecuting the just war in which we are engaged, and therefore are truly sensible that it is of the greatest importance to us to be timely in our preparations. Nothing can be more evident than that if the French king continues master of the Spanish monarchy, the balance of power in Europe is utterly destroyed, and he will be able in a short time to ingross the trade and the wealth of the world. No good Englishman could at any time be content to sit still and acquiesce in such a prospect; and at this time we have great grounds to hope, that by the blessing of God upon our arms, and those of our allies, a good foundation is laid for restoring the monarchy of Spain to the house of Austria; the consequences of which will not only be safe and advan |