At the fame time, about eight hundred or a thousand men in the adjacent mountains, being weary of the French yoke, declared for king Charles III. and feized the town of Denea, not far from Altea bay. His catholic majesty appointed majorgeneral Ramos, who had affifted the prince of Heffe d'Armftadt in the fiege of Gibraltar, to be governor of that place, fending with him about four hundred men for its greater security. All this while the motions of the confederate fleet not only kept the French and Spaniards in alarms, but the allies themselves in fufpence; there being various conjectures about the true defign of this expedition. It appears by a letter from on board the Britannia in Altea bay, dated Auguft 14, N. S. "That the earl of Peterborough having got nine"teen battalions of infantry, about one thousand three hun"dred horfe, with a good train of artillery, and the king of "Spain on board the feet, his lordship defigned to have gone "directly for Italy, where, with the forces that were to join him, either from the duke of Savoy or prince Eugene, "he might have driven the French out of Italy, and fet his "royal highnefs at liberty to employ his forces another "way. But when letters arrived at Lisbon from Turin "and Genoa, advising of the good difpofition of the Cata"lans in favour of Charles III, that four thousand of them "had actually taken up arms, this broke his lordship's for"mer measures, and obliged him, contrary to his inclinations, "to frame designs upon Catalonia, according to new or"ders." But whatever ground there was for this, the fleet, having failed from Altea bay about the middle of August, N. S. arrived in the bay of Barcelona the 22d of the fame month (a). The (a) Bifhop Burnet fays, The first defign of this expedition was concerted with the duke of Savoy; and the forces they had on board were either to join him, or to make an attempt on Naples and Sicily, as fhould be found most advisable: There were agents employed in different parts of Spain, to give an account of the difpofition people were in, and of what feemed moft practicable. A body of men rofe in Catalonia about Vick; upon the knowledge king Charles had of this, and upon other advertisements, that were fent to our court, of the dif- 1705. 5 1705. The prince of Heffe d'Armftadt being fent before with two frigates, to inquire into the pofture of affairs in those parts, he put into Mataro, four leagues from Barcelona; and having advised the people of Vick, who had declared for king Charles, to come down to the fea-fide, he rejoined the fleet on the 23d of Auguft; and the infantry were landed, not only without any disturbance, but even with the affistance of the country people, who expreffed great joy for the arrival of the fleet, and the catholic king. The next day, the dragoons, and part of the horse, were fet on fhore, and joined the rest of the forces, which were incamped about a quarter of a mile from the town of Barcelona on the eastfide, in a place well fortified by nature. The circumference of the town being fo large, that the forces from the fleet were not fufficient to inveft it, the people of the country affifted them in fecuring all the avenues. After the artillery and heavy baggage were landed, king Charles refolved to go on fhore, to encourage the expedition by his prefence, and fhew himself to the people of the country, who came from divers parts in great multitudes, to fee him. Accordingly, he landed on the 28th, N. S. at four in the evening, and, when he went from on board, the whole fleet faluted him, that by this the inhabitants of Barcelona might be affured, that his catholic majefty was come with the fleet. As foon as the king got on fhore, an infinite number of people who came from Vick, and divers other towns and villages, with great acclamations, and repeated cries of Long live the king, ran to the water-fide, cast themselves at his feet, and kiffed his hand with all poffible demonstrations of joy, infomuch that it was difficult for him to get from among fo great and joyful a multitude. But at last, mounting on horfeback, he rid to the camp, where the forces were all drawn up in a line to receive him. Barcelona had a garrifon in it of five thousand men, who were commanded by officers intirely in the interests of king Philip. It feemed a very unreasonable thing to undertake the fiege of fuch a place with fo fmall a force: They could not depend on the raw and undifciplined multitudes, which came in to join them, who, if things fucceeded not in their hands, would foon abandon them, or perhaps study to merit a pardon by cutting their throats. A council of war was called to confult on what could be propofed and done, in which both English and Dutch were all of opinion, that the fiege could not be undertaken with 5 with fo fmall a force (a), those within being as ftrong as 1705. they were; nor did they fee any thing else worth the attempting. They therefore thought, that no time was to be loft, but that they were all to go again on board, and (a) Dr. Friend, in his account of the earl of Peterborough's conduct in Spain, p. 9. 3d edit. obferves, That his lordship, upon encamping before Barcelona, found the fcene of affairs quite otherwife, than what he was promifed he should meet with. Inftead of ten thousand men in arms, to cover his landing, and ftrengthen his camp, he faw only fo many higlers and futlers flocking into it. Inftead of a city in a weak condition, and ready to furrender upon the appearance of his troops, he found an orderly garrifon, and a force almoft equal to his army. In thefe difficulties, his lordship, as he was obliged by his inftructions, called frequent councils of war; wherein day after day, for above a fortnight together, it was often unanimoufly, and always by a majority, agreed, that, confidering the weakness of our forces, and the ftrength of the enemy; confidering that our batterries, as our engineers declared, would be almoft as long a raifing on the fide of the town we were mafters of, as the fleet could well ftay: In fhort, confidering the extreme want of every thing neceffary towards fuch an attempt, the fiege was utterly impracticable. His lordship did indeed twice give his vote for the undertaking; but from the councils of war it will appear, that it was only out of the extreme paffion he had to comply with the king of Spain's defires, and not out to of any confidence he had of fucceeding. At the fame time his lordship propofed and offered to his majesty either to fail with the whole fleet to Italy, in or der to fupport the duke of Savoy; or to march by land along the fea-coaft, where, with the countenance and affiftance of the fleet, many towns of confequence might be reduced, the whole country difpofed to declare for, and pay obedience to his catholic majesty, as fome part of the neighbouring parts had done; and, upon any reafonable encouragement from Catalonia, and the kingdoms of Valentia and Arragon, winterquarters might be fecured, and a body of troops raised out of them, which might enable his majefty to march to Madrid next spring. But the author of the Impartial inquiry into the management of the war inSpain, printed at London in 1712, in 8vo. obferves, p. 27. that this extreme paffion, which the earl of Peterborough had to comply with the king of Spain's defires, did not laft long, as appears from thofe very councils of war, which were published by Dr. Friend; for in the first council held on the 16th of Auguft 1705. O. S. the fiege of Barcelona was judged impracticable, nemine contradicente; on the 2zd a particular attack upon the curtain was proposed, and the earl the only perfon, who approved it; on the 25th a general attack was pro 1705. to confider what courfe was next to be taken before the season was spent, when the fleet would be obliged to return back again; and if they could not fix themselves any where before that time, they muft fail back with the fleet. The prince of Heffe d' Armstadt only was of opinion, that they ought to fet down before Barcelona, alledging, that he had fecret intelligence of the good affections of many in the town, who were well known to him, and on whom he relied; and he undertook to anfwer for their fuccefs. This could not fatisfy those, who knew nothing of his fecrets, and confequently propofed for eighteen days, which was agreed to only by the earl, and the brigadiers Stanhope and St. Amand; and on the 26th it was refolved by all the generals, at the king of Spain's request, to try their fortune eighteen days before the town. But on the 28th another council was held, wherein the earl was as forward as any for embarking the troops again; and feems to have furnished the generals with the reasons of that refolution; which is the more probable, because the reafons alledged in that council were, that they had not been affifted either by the fleet, or the country people as they expected; that the king was uncertain in his refolutions, fometimes for a march, fometimes for a fiege; and that the deputies of the Catalans had declared to his lordship, that they would not promife any number the prince of Heffe should procure a proportion of miquelets; upon which, the earl of Peterborough having figned this council in the affirmative as general, wrote a letter to the prince of Heffe, and sent brigadier Stanhope to make a demand of men in behalf of the land-council of war from the flags; but coming on board himfelf the fame day, in regard to the fafety of the fleet, his lordship gave his opinion in writing as admiral, directly contrary to his opinion and request as general; as appears from the earl's letter to the prince of Heffe of the 27th of Auguft,and his opinion at a council of war, of English and Dutch flag-officers held on board the Britannia, Aug. 27, 1705. Thus, fays the author of the Impartial Inquiry, p. 32. his lordship having voted only conditionally as general for undertak of men to work in the trenchesing the fiege of Barcelona,and having afterwards difagreed to the performance of that condition as damiral, we may ' reasonably conclude he did not vote for undertaking the fiege at all, and yet had a mind the experiment should 'be made at the hazard of the other admirals in his abfence. But quently could only judge of things by what appeared to 1705. them. The debate lafted fome hours: In conclufion the king himself spoke near half an hour; he refumed the whole debate; he answered all objections that were made against the fiege, and treated every one of thofe, who had made them, as he answered them, with particular civilities. He supported the truth of what the prince of Heffe had afferted, as being known to himself. He faid, in the state in which his affairs then flood, nothing could be propofed, that had not great difficulties in it: All was doubtful, and much must be put to hazard. But this feemed lefs dangerous than any other thing, that was propofed; many of his fubjects had come and declared for him to the hazard of their lives; it became him therefore to let them fee, that he would run the fame hazard with them. He defired, that they would ftay fo long with him, till fuch attempts fhould be made, that all the world might be convinced, that nothing could be done; and he hoped, that till that appeared, they would not leave him. He added, that, if their orders obliged them to leave him, 66 66 "in he writes thus: "His ca. ftay with them, happen what "will. This I must acquaint But however contradictory thefe two opinions may ap pear, and however oppofite they may have really been to his catholic majefty's intereft; this is not the only inftance his lordship has given under 'his own hand, of the little inclination he had to contribute to the reduction of Catalonia," as will plainly appear by feveral original papers.-Now, as to what regards the king ⚫ of Spain's refolution, I think that may eafily be accounted for from the different temper ⚫ of his two generals, the prince ' of Heffe continually advifing his majesty to prefs the frege; 'my lord Peterborough as af'fiduous to make him lay afide all thoughts of it; as may be feen very evidently from the following letter to fir Cloudefly Shovel from the ' prince of Heffe, dated at the camp, Sept. 8, 1705. whereVOL. XVI. you with, in hopes that you "will never permit fuch a "cruel abandoning, and to "take your measures accord"ingly. The king begs it of you as the last favour, and "intreats you in the most sub"miffive manner, to find out a way, that his majesty may "not be the facrifice of fools " and knaves." L (1) Dr. |