1705. BOOK V. Germany and Flanders; and he was obliged to content himself with the conquest of the petty fortress of Sout-Leuwe, situated in a morass contiguous to the river Gheet, and Santvliet, a place in Flanders of no great consequence. In the mean time the elector of Bavaria surprised and carried by a coup de main the town of Diest, making the garrison prisoners of war. Thus ended the campaign in the Netherlands, greatly to the dissatisfaction of the duke of Marlborough, who, as it is said, on being asked how it could be accounted for that Cæsar and Alexander should so far exceed all modern generals in the extent and rapidity of their conquests, replied, "they had no field deputies in their armies." So seriously did the court of London resent the treatment of which the duke of Marlborough made such just complaint, that the earl of Pembroke, president of the council, was named ambassadorextraordinary to require satisfaction of the States respecting this matter; but on the dismission of general Schlangenburg his commission was superseded. The operations on the Moselle, and the Rhine, after the retreat of the duke of Marlborough, were varied by alternate success. M. Villars on the one hand made himself master of CroonWeissenburg and Homburg; which the prince of Baden, on the other, his army being now in a state to act offensively, revenged by passing the BOOK V. Rhine and forcing the posts of Drusenheim and 1705. Haguenau in Alsace; which enabled the Germans to secure their qua ters, during the winter, on the French side of the Rhine; and the imperial general, after all the obloquy thrown upon him, terminated the campaign with an unexpected display of military skill and vigor. the Empe pold. In the month of May this year (1705) died Death of the emperor Leopold, who had experienced, ror Leoduring his long reign, very frequent and wonderful vicissitudes of fortune. He was succeeded by his son Joseph, king of the Romans, who inherited, with the imperial diadem, all his father's weakness, pride, bigotry, and hatred of heresy. The duke of Marlborough, with whom the new emperor declared himself desirous to confer, arrived at Vienna November 12 (1705), where he was received with the highest distinction, and invested with the dignity of a co-estate of the empirethe lordship of Mindelheim, in the circle of Suabia, being erected into a principality, and assigned to him in reward of his great services. He then visited the courts of Berlin and Hanover, as in the preceding year, and arrived in London on the 30th of December 1705. Prince Eugene, who commanded this year. in Italy, had to encounter extreme difficulties from the congenial talents and superior force of BOOK V. his antagonist the duc de Vendome. A well 1705. fought but indecisive engagement took place be tween these great generals at Cassano, where the prince had indeed the honor of keeping the field, but M. Vendome seemed to reap the fruit of the battle. The prince succeeded perfectly in his first attempt to force the passage of the bridge over the Adda, near that place; but the duc de Vendome marching with all expedition to succour his brother, the grand prior of France, who had the command of that important post, renewed the battle, and compelled the imperialists to repass the bridge. After this action the French erected fortifications upon the banks of the Adda, wherever it was fordable. Nice was reduced by the end of the year, and the duke of Savoy had now no considerable places remaining to him but Coni and Turin; and his resolution to adhere to the grand alliance, in defiance of fortune, seemed, to the astonishment of all who recollected his former versatility, not only unshaken, but dignified and heroic. The campaign in Portugal had an auspicious commencement: for, the siege and vigorous defence of Gibraltar causing a great diversion of the Spanish arms, afforded the Portuguese an opportunity of penetrating the Spanish frontier; and something of the spirit of enterprise appeared, notwithstanding the indisposition of don 1705. Pedro the king; during which the queen of Eng BOOK V. land, sister of that monarch, and dowager of Charles II. who had returned to Portugal soon after the Revolution, was entrusted with the regency of the kingdom*. The allied troops, under the condé das Galveas and the earl of Galway, taking the field in the month of April 1705, reduced the towns of Alcantara and Albuquerque on the side of Alentejo; and on that of Beira, the marquis das Minas besieged and captured the town of Salva-terra, and plundered and destroyed Sarca, which was abandoned by the enemy at his approach; after which both armies during the summer heats went into quarters of refreshment. In the beginning of October the combined armies, again taking the 'field under the same commanders, invested with their joint forces the city of Badajoz, the siege of which was for some time carried on with every appearance of success. But, on the 11th of October, a bomb, unfortunately falling on one of the batteries, blew up the magazine of powder, with several of the gunners. And as, according to the vulgar observation, misfortunes rarely come single, the earl of Galway, hastening to the spot to give the necessary directions, exposed himself to the fire of a fort, a random shot from which struck off his * Catharine, queen dowager of England, died December 31, 1705. BOOK V. right hand somewhat above the wrist. The earl 1705. being compelled to quit the camp, the conduct of the siege was entrusted to baron Fagel, the general of the Dutch troops. But in a short time maréchal de Tessé appearing unexpectedly at the head of a considerable body of forces, the confederates thought proper to raise the siege, not without some degree of precipitation and loss. Towards the end of June, the English fleet, with a large reinforcement of troops on board, under the command of sir Cloudesley Shovel and the earl of Peterborough, had arrived at Lisbon; and the prince of Hesse, who on the relief of Gibraltar had repaired also to that metropolis, giving Archduke to the archduke, styling himself king Charles III., Charles the most positive assurances of the favorable Catalonia. disposition of Catalonia and Valencia; and being proceeds to strongly seconded by the earl of Peterborough, a man of great but eccentric talents, who was actuated by the spirit of wild and romantic adventure, the archduke declared his resolution to try his fortune in that part of Spain. The whole armament, having on board nineteen battalions of infantry and 1300 horse, with a good train of artillery, arrived in the bay of Barcelona Aug. 22 (1705), where a landing was effected amid the acclamation of the Catalans. A determination was taken in a council of war, immediately to lay |