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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47019	A compleat history of Europe, or, A view of the affairs thereof, civil and military from the beginning of the Treaty of Nimeguen, 1676, to the conclusion of the peace with the Turks, 1699 including the articles of the former, and the several infringements of them, the Turkish Wars, the forming of the Grand Confederacy, the revolution in England, &c. : with a particular account of all the actions by sea and land on both sides, and the secret steps that have been made towards a peace, both before, as well as during the last negotiation : wherein are the several treaties at large, the whole intermix'd with divers original letters, declarations, papers and memoirs, never before published / written by a gentleman, who kept an exact journal of all transactions, for above these thirty years.	Jones, D. (David), fl. 1676-1720.	1699 (1699)	Wing J928A; ESTC R13275	681,693	722

where they kept Guard upon the Edge of the Ditch which was not 10 Foot distant they invited the Turks to dance with them that so the Musick might not be lost but they had quickly other Sport For the Turks sprung a Mine under the Pallisadoes which blew up many of themselves as well as the Christians tho' the Enemy attempted thereupon to enter into the Ditch by the Breach their Mine had made which occasioned a smart Encounter with considerable Loss on both sides And amongst others hurt this Day the Governour himself received a Wound in the Hand But it unfortunately happened the Day following that the Messenger which the Duke of Lorain sent with Letters to the City as he was going back the same Way with an Answer in Cypher was intercepted by the Enemy of which they gave the Besieged notice by tying the said Letters to an Arrow and shooting the same into the Town with the Addition of the following Words That it was in vain for them to endeavour to send Letters to their Army the miserable State of Vienna being sufficiently known to all the World which was but a just Judgment of God Almighty in punishing the Christians for the Breach of their Faith whereby they had provoked the Emperor of the Turks to that Expedition The Turks continued their Approaches for the following Days towards the Counterscarp and the Christians still defended themselves by all proper Methods and amongst others they sprung a Mine July 30. in the Enemies Trenches with very good Success and obliged them to spend a good part of the next Day in making good their Trenches and the Remainder in carrying on their Mines which they did so far towards the Ditch that they and the Germans could not only talk together but they fell foul upon one another with pieces of Sticks and Pallifadoes till at last the Christians taking up the Iron Hooks which they made use of in their Works and hooking in the Turks drew them within their Trenches or else fixing Sythes to long Poles struck at the Enemy through the Pallisadoes and killed all they could reach with them but that did not hinder the Besiegers to ply the Town with Bombs and not only so but to carry on their Trenches with great Diligence whilst the Germans endeavoured in vain with their Bombs and Granadoes to disturb them It was their Practice as soon as they had made their Trenches to cover them immediately with great Pieces of Wood over which they laid Boards and Bags of Sand where they secured themselves so well from the Shot of the Christians that the Ba●ha's and even the Grand Visier himself taking these Trenches for their safe Retreat ordered them to be made very large and spacious and to be divided with several Appartments which they paved with Tyles and furnished with Tapestry where nothing was wanting that was necessary for the Convenience of Living It was now Aug. 1. when the Enemy in the Night threw up the Earth from the Trenches at least 3 Yards higher than the Places where the Christians kept Guard endeavouring from thence to burn the Pallisadoes But the Men that defended them opposed the Enemy with great Courage and beat them back while others fetch'd Water from the Bottom of the Ditch and put out the Fire Tho' this was not effected without the Loss of a great many Men on both sides but of a greatter to the Turks the next Day by springing a Mine which the Christians had carried from the Lebel Bastion to their very Works and which blew up a great many of them To which was added soon after the Burning of the Boats the Turks had brought together at the Island of St. Leopold by a Party of Germans that sallied out of the Town whom the Governour generously rewarded for so fortunate an Undertaking But the Turks were so far from being discouraged herewith that on Aug. 3. at Night they attacked the Counterscarp having for that End thrown up Earth for many Days over the Pallisadoes whereby they got above the Germans and from thence fought Hand to Hand against them with Guns Scimeters and Javelins the Infidels basely shooting vast Numbers of poyson'd Arrows against the Christians However the Christians stood stoutly to it still and maintained their Posts And the Turks on the other side were also as obstinate for after the first Attack they sprung a Mine upon the outward Angle of the Counterscarp which broke the Earth thereabout near the Palisadoes from which tho' the Germans retreated a little at first yet some of them ventured presently after to fix them up anew while others drove away the Turks from the Posts they had gained They continued still firing both from their Guns and Mortars with wonderful Fury the succeeding Days by which and throwing Hand-Granadoes they were enabled notwithstanding all the Endeavours of the Christians to the Contrary to throw up so much Earth upon the Counterscarp that carrying it before them they filled the Ditch of the Ravelin in order to make their Assault the more easie But the Christians withstood them with all imaginable Courage and the Governour himself was almost every where present encouraging the Soldiers and calling them Brothers And Aug. 6. at 4 in the Morning he ordered a little Bed to be brought to the Place where the Emperor's Guards used to lodge that he might be nearer at hand on all Occasions But tho' the Duke of Lorrain was able to beat Teckely who was ravaging Moravia near the River Marow and to force him to retreat to his former Station upon the Waag he was not then in a Condition to relieve the Town and so the Siege was press'd on And Aug. 7. at Night there was a sharp Combate between the Besieged and the Enemy who keeping the high Ground were exposed on all sides to the Shot of the German Out-guards who were lodged upon a Level with them upon the Side of the Ditch Whereupon they threw up a great deal of Earth in order to secure themselves and then began to fill up the Ditch with the Earth to make it even with the Counterscarp and the Ravelin to facilitate their Attack And tho' the Germans endeavoured with all Privacy to wheel away the Earth the Turks discovered them and rushing out of their Trenches and Galleries towards the Lebel Bastion they drove away the Besieged with a considerable Slaughter and all the Day following continued their Works with great Diligence carrying on their Mine to the very Ditch of the Ravelin which the Germans observing and fearing they would attack the Ravelin they drew off their great Guns from thence and planted them upon the Walls of the Town but left some Men upon the Ravelin to annoy the Enemy with Small-shot That Night Count Daune and Count Souches by Direction from the Governour who was then sick made a vigorous Sally with 300 Men and succeeded so well that they set fire to the Enemies Galleries by which they made their Passage

had good Effect and would have had much better were our Miners more brave and expert but being People which we get together any way its impossible to make them re-enter a Mine when they once hear the Enemy at work in the Counterscarp The Enemy have likewise sprung 3 Mines near the Retrenchment pallisadoed which we still maintain to cover the Caponers we have in the Ditch and though the Pallisadoes were in some places beaten down by the last Mine yet our Men with their Swords in their Hands maintained the Post till such time as they were made good again and we do still keep it The Enemy have made again 2 Descents into the Ditch the one towards the Bastion of Lebel and the other towards that of the Court from whence our Men did in open Day under the favour of the Fire we made upon the Enemy 2 Hours together very bravely dislodge them while others commanded for that Purpose filled up their Works and burnt their Gabeons and Galleries so that they must now begin again But Sir its time to succour us we lose a great many Men and many Officers more by the Bloody Flux than by the Fire of the Enemy for there dies almost every Day 60 of this Distemper We have no more Granadoes which were our best Defence Our Cannon are partly spoiled by the Enemy and partly burst not having endured 50 Shot by reason of the Badness of their Metal And the Enemy finding they cannot with small Numbers lodge themselves in the Ditch they make great Lodgments on the Counterscarp to keep a great Number of Men there and to make an extraordinary Effort For the rest it is certain that the Enemy have lost and do still lose every Day a great many Janizaries and that they have many wounded and sick of the same Distemper which reigns amongst them They have several Camps far enough from each other and may be easily broken if they stay for Your Highness here which I do not believe they will do They are not at present 80000 fighting Men and one Camp may be beaten before it can be assisted by the other We expect Your Highness with the greatest Impatience But I do not so much desire to be delivered out of this Siege as to have the Honour to assure Your Highness of the Respect with which I am c. P. S. At this Instant my Miners inform me That they hear the Enemy working beneath them under the Bastion of the Court They must have passed the Ditch under Ground and there is no more Time to be lost Aug. the 28th the Turks sprung a Mine on the Right-side of the attack'd Ravelin and withal made an Assault but were beaten off Next Day they sprung another Mine with such Success that it utterly destroyed the Ravelin saving a little Retrenchment the Germans had on the middle of it which they still maintained for some Days very obstinately but being beset on every side the Governour ordered that Post to be abandoned so that the Enemy still made their Approaches when on the 1st of Sept. they were busie in advancing their Works towards the Bastion the Germans sallied upon them and drove the Turks to the Counterscarp entring into their Trenches as far as a Battery where they nailed up 2 of their great Guns but the Christians were at last repulsed into the Town with some Loss when perceiving the Enemy intended to carry a Mine under the Court Bastion and to that End had already made their Approaches in the Bottom of the Ditch to the Lebel Bastion they threw several Rockets that Night into the Air as a Signal to the Christian Army that they stood in great need of Relief For tho' the Messenger that had been sent to the Duke of Lorain twice before returned with comfortable News to the Besieged to the Town the next Day he was dispatched away that same Evening to the Duke again to press him to hasten his Succours for the Enemy had that very Day sprung their Mine under the Left-side of the Court-Bastion so successfully that the Garrison were very apprehensive lest the Turks should find a Passage so as to lodge themselves within the Bastion and that carrying the Mine farther the whole Structure would be endamaged On the 3d they fully possessed themselves of the Ravelin and on the 4th about 2 in the Afternoon they sprung another Mine under the Left ●ace of the Court-Bastion which made so terrible a Noise and Concussion that half the Town was shaken with it and at least .30 Foot of the Bastion thrown down which the Enemy seconding with an Assault and their usual Cry of Alla Alla put the whole City into the greatest Consternation imaginable but the Germans that had the Guard of that Post immediately stopping the Breach with great Beams and Sacks filled with Sand and Earth after a desperate Fight most gallantly repulsed the Enemy as they did also 1000 Turks more who appeared on the Top of the Ditch whom they forced with great Slaughter on both sides to their first Post under the Bastion Yet the Place was too open and the Enemy still too near and therefore the Besieged repeated their Signal from St. Stephen's Tower and the same Day sent a Letter to the Duke of Lorain to let him once more know their Extremity which the Enemy was not insensible of and therefore they plied them with their heavy Cannon on the 5th of Sept. and in the Evening they endeavoured to regain the Ground they had lost upon the Court-Bastion though without Success But having on the 6th sprung severall Mines under the Lebel-Bastion they made such a Breach that a great part of the Bastion which was at least 20 Foot thick was quite thrown down from top to bottom leaving a Gap of 36 Foot broad and the Besieged quite uncovered Whereupon the Enemy made a furious Assault but by reason of the Difficulty of the Passage could not then prevail However the Night following they fell upon digging new Passages through the Breach which made the Germans once more give a Signal to the Duke of Lorain by Rockets that their Circumstances were now such as required immediate Relief and at the same time spent that Night in making what Defences they could by ●●llisadoes new Batteries and the like which while they were busying themselves about they saw 5 Rockets upon the Top of the Calemburg as a certain Signal that their expected Succours were at hand and which they readily answered in the same Manner from the Town Of this the Grand Visier seemed to be aware by the general Muster he made of his Army the next Day but at the same time continued his Works with all manner of Diligence as they did also the succeeding Day when with some more ●lines they blew up another piece of the Bastion but yet not so much as to give them free Passage as they desired so that in the 2 Assaults they here made they were both times

by the next Morning The Town in the mean time was set on fire the Night before and a great part of it burnt down before the Fire could be quenched which yet did not apparently discourage the Turks who on the 9th made a great Sally and did considerable Damage to the Besiegers but they were at last repulsed And tho' on the 13th the Duke commanded a Lodgment to be made on the Breach yet the Enemy stood so bravely to it that it could not be effected and the Besiegers in that Attack lost near 1000 Soldiers besides Officers and 50 Voluntiers whereof were several Noblemen and among others divers English Men of Quality However they continued the Siege obstinately and made a considerable Progress therein by the 22th when the Turks sallied out upon the Bavarian Quarter and did considerable Execution nailing up a Battery of Cannon and 2 Mortars and then retired with little Loss But about an Hour after the Enemies principal Magazine blew up which stood near the Castle that looks towards Pest by which a great part of the Wall was demolished which upon the viewing of it seemed so great to many of the Generals that they were for storming the Place without delay This the Duke of Lorain did not think yet practicable but sent next Day a threatning Summons to the Governour to surrender who answered in short That he thought His Highness would justifie him that he had hitherto done like a brave Man and that he was resolved to continue so doing and that God punisheth the Vain-glorious Hereupon the Duke ordered a general Assault to be made on the 27th and after much Bravery and obstinate fighting on each side the Germans fixed their Lodgment upon the first Wall and prepared their further Approaches On the 30th they sent another Summons to surrender which was answered the Day following in a Letter to the General wherein the Besieged let him know That the Town was in the Hands of GOD and that they could not give it up but if they would receive another Place in lieu of it they would treat thereupon The Duke not satisfied herewith ordered 2 Mines to be sprung under the second Wall but they had not the desired Success However that Evening the Enemy sent two Messengers to the Elector of Bavaria who thereupon sent them 2 Hostages and the firing ceased on both sides The Basha proposing to surrender the Town if they would conclude a Peace upon it which he said he had Power to do But the Elector answering That he had no such Commission but that he would do what Service he could towards the furthering of one the Firing was renewed On the 3d of Aug. the Besiegers made a general Assault upon the second Wall but came off with considerable Loss and they were also allarmed about this time with the Noise of the Turkish Succours that were marching up which indeed proved a Reality and that before the Christians made any considerable Progress more in the Siege tho' they attempted another general Assault on the 12th For the very next Day towards Evening the Duke of Lorain received certain Intelligence that the Enemy to the Number of 90000 Men advanced towards his Camp with a resolute Design to force one of his Quarters and to put Succours into the Town Hereupon in Concert with the Elector of Bavaria he caused all the Horse and Foot to march out of the Lines except 20000 Men that were left to continue the Attacks and guard the several Posts and Avenues of the Camp and drew up the Army in order of Battel Next Day being the 14th of Aug. he being informed that the Grand Visier had detached from his Army a Body of 6000 Janizaries and 4000 Spahi's all chosen Men who descending from the Hills to the Plain which separated his Camp from the Germans had passed it without Opposition and gained the Hills which commanded the Imperialists Lines on the Right and perceiving the Grand Visier's Design was to force a Passage into the Town that way while himself drew up his Army in the Plain to attack the Christians Left Wing or in case they failed therein to retrench themselves upon the Hills and from thence to incommode the German Camp with their Cannon He kept the main Body of his Troops to oppose those of the Grand Visier and about 7 Regiments of Horse with some few Hungarians to make head against the Detachment upon the Hills who entertained the Christians with several Vollies of their Cannon and the Janizaries made so furious a Fire upon them that the Hungarians and Croats who had the Van-guard fell into disorder Upon this the Regiment of Taffe advancing came timely to their Assistance and with the Help of the other Horse forced the Enemy-headlong down the Hill with so great Fury and Slaughter that near 3000 of the Janizaries were slain upon the Spot and the rest chose rather to retire towards the Bridge of Esseck than re-join their main Army The Germans brought back with them 8 Pieces of Cannon about 30 Colours and Standards with near 300 Prisoners and perhaps a more vigorous Action was never performed by Horse alone with those Disadvantages of Ground and Number Having thus regained their first Post and shortned their Pursuit of the Enemy for that they did not know but that the main Body were engaged the Hills separating them from the Sight of what passed on the Left They found the Grand Visier had drawn up his whole Army in the Plain to which the Duke of Lorain opposed his but that they both stood at a respectful Distance from one another However now after this victorious little Body of Horse had rejoined the Right Wing of the Christians the Turks began to make several Motions which shewed more their Uneasiness and Irresolution than any Design they had to attack the Christians and having by degrees withdrawn all their Infantry to the Foot of their own Hills the Right Wing of the Imperialists received Orders to advance towards some Bodies of Horse that approached to them But proportionably as the Germans advanced the others withdrew till finding themselves at the Foot of the Hill and seeing that the Christians Right Wing had by much out-marched the rest of the Army they charged a small Body of Hungarians on the Left who yielding before them had like to have laid open the German Flank and wrought some Disorder Yet by the Firmness of the German Troops and Conduct of their Officers who immediately fronted some Squadrons that way and covered their Flank the Turks retired the Christians at the same time it being already late having Orders to withdraw and return into their Lines which they did accordingly The Grand Visier also moved towards Alba Regalis and he ordered the Basha who brought him the News of the said Defeat to be strangled for saying That they charged the Christians like Lions but that they received them again like Devils But to return again to the Siege

in so bad a State But the former as has been related utterly failing and a visible Prospect of our weathering the Point as to our Mony there was now no Room for nor Occasion of Delay But of these Proceedings in relation to a general Peace we shall have Occasion to speak hereafter as we shall of the particular one that was at hand when we have first dispatched our English Affairs Tho' our Armies could do little for the aforesaid Reasons by Land this Campaign our Fleet was not altogether idle by Sea I confess the Bombarding of Calais which happen'd before the Spring of the Year was spent and as soon as we could get our Bomb-vessels ready had not that Success that might have been desired However the Damage was not so inconsiderable as the French Gazeteer would have made it some Letters at that time from France owning that there were 75 Houses burnt and spoiled besides the Church and Convent and some part of the Cazern However the Fleet had much better Success in their Attempt upon the Isle of 〈◊〉 where it arrived on the 14th of July under the Command of the Lord Berkeley when the Men of War came to an Anchor while the Galliots advanced within three quarters of a Mile of St. Martin's in the said Island and at Nine a Clock at Night they began to bombard it which set the Town on fire in five several places three of which the French made a shift to quench but the other two continued to burn with great Violence From Three next Morning till the same Hour in the Afternoon they forbore Bombing at which time the Tide serving they began their Work again which continued till Four next Morning whereby the Town was set on fire in several places and the greatest part of it consumed or destroyed as was also a Ship in the Road besides a Feluca laden with Salt and Brandy which they took at their coming away The French were in a manner surprized in this Attempt so that what with that and the dexterous Working of our Bombardeers there was greater Executice done upon this Town than any other we had attempted since the Burning of Diepe Tho' they could not succeed so well upon Olonne which was next attempted through a Mistake of the Situation of the Place yet there was considerable Damage done there also But while these things were doing by the Bomb-Galliots and light Frigats my Lord Berkeky landed in the Isle of Groa near Port Louis and in two others near Bell Isle where the Soldiers destroyed about 20 Villages burnt 1300 Houses and brought away a Booty of 1600 Head of Cattle Besides this the Fleet took 20 Barks and a Vessel from New-found-land and re-took one of our West-India Ships together with a small Frigat which the Privateers of St. Malo's had taken And so ended our Summer's Expedition which tho' perhaps somewhat exaggerated on our part yet certainly the Damage must be very great and all the Flourishes in the World could not make it appear to be otherwise Having spent some Time in this manner to give an Account of the Proceedings of our Fleet against those Ports of France which look towards Spain we shall see first what has been done there before we enter upon other Occurrences of the Year The Armies were pretty early in the Field on that side where the Spaniards were still content to be on the Defensive and perhaps would have been fully satisfied to have lain unmolested in their Camp near Ostalrick But the French were not willing it should be so and therefore the Duke de Vendosme having passed the Ter and understanding that the Spanish Cavalry who had been encamped within their Lines were advanced to observe him he resolved to attack them first which was done on the first Day of June The Spaniards finding none but Horse appear against them in the Beginning they stoutly stood their Ground and forced some of the French Squadrons to recoil But when they saw their Numbers increase and a good Party of the Infantry come up to support them the Spaniards thought it their best way to retire within their Lines which they did in very good Order making a Retreating Fight till they got under the Reach of their own Cannon where the French greedy of Pursuit were but illy entertained by the Artillery and forced to retire with considerable Loss But tho' the Spaniards own to have lost near 300 Men in all yet they will have the Loss of the French to have been greater which the other would by no means agree to tho' they did not seem very well satisfied with the Action it self I know of nothing else of moment that happen'd this way during the rest of the Campaign and therefore we will cross the Country and observe that on the side of the Rhine there was nothing memorable that came to pass The French in the Beginning of the Spring bragged of their passing that River and forcing the Prince of Baden to intrench himself in his Camp to whom they offered Battle which he durst not accept But now towards the latter end of the Year the Prince in his Turn passes the Rhine near Mentz and being joined by the Hessian Troops he advanced to Newstadt where the French lay so strongly encamped that there was no forcing their Intrenchments However he had the Honour for several Days to Cannonade them not only in Newstadt but in the very Trenches themselves It was also so contrived that General Thungen should have crossed the Rhine not far from Philipsburgh in order to have attacked the French in the Rear But they being aware of it sent the Marquiss d' Vxelles to oppose that Design So that the Germans failing herein as also in making an Incursion into Lorrain with Palsi's Hussars after they had got some Booty and divers Hostages for Contribution they repassed that River on the 8th of October and then marched into their Winter-Quarters But the main Business of this Summer seemed to be managed on the side of Italy not so much in the Prosecution of the War as in making up a separate Peace between Savoy and France the Duke it seems being resolved as he came last into the War to be the first that would get out of it without any Regard had to his Stipulations with the Confederates whereof we have already given an Account I do take it for granted that the French Army on that side under the Command of the Mareschal de Catinat was more formidable than usual and that they were much superiour in Number to the Confederates at the beginning of the Campaign But that there was some Understanding between the Duke of Savoy and the Court of France before this seems to be very by Catinat's Proceedings who notwithstanding his Strength and advancing near Turin unopposed gave the Duke Time enough to fortifie his Camp and re-inforce his Army before the said City and to draw a Line from the Doero to

and it was said the late Marquess of Hallifax should say That they had now more Reason than ever to do it since the King had been so plain with them and discovered what he would be at But it did not pass so hastily with the Commons for they debated it Paragraph by Paragraph and because the Militia had not been so serviceable as the King would have them they Voted they would take it into Consideration how to make them more useful for the future and on the 16th of Nov. Addrest the King wherein they represented to him that they had taken his Speech and particularly that part of it relating to the unqualified Officers into their Consideration That for what was past they were preparing a Bill to pass both Houses for the Royal Assent to indemnifie them from the Penalty they had incurred by Law but because the Continuance of them in their Imployments might be thought to be a dispensing Power with that Law without Act of Parliament They therefore humbly besought him that he would be pleased to give such Directions therein that no Apprehensions or Jealousies might remain in the Hearts of his good and faithful Subjects But what do you think was the Consequence of this Address 'T was no other than first a Prorogation and then the Dissolution of the Parliament and the King left at Liberty to pursue his Designs in the best Methods he could for the Introducing of Popery and Arbitrary Power and where at present we leave him It s a long Step from England to Hungary I confess but there being no considerable Affairs in Motion now nearer Home we are necessitated to look so far and here to remind you first of the ill Success of the Imperial Army before Buda last Year which after such Repulses and so many Weeks Siege they were forced to quit at last And now we are to see whether they have not made a better Progress this Campaign to which End I am to acquaint you That the Duke of Lorain arrived in the Imperial Camp between Neuheusel and Barkan June 13 where after divers Consultations it was resolved at last formally to Besiege Neuheusel which in some measure had been block'd up ever since the Winter before In pursuance thereof the Army July 4 began a slow March towards the Place which had a good Garrison in it and is a large Fort situated upon a firm Foundation though the Plain about it is full of a Morass and Fenny Grounds which made the Town almost unaccessible as its Strength was almost invincible having 6 Bastions lined with a very good Stone-Work without which there was a vast Ditch of about 10 Foot deep and 20 broad The River Neutra runs on the East not above a Pistol shot from it as the Danube is on the South about 2 Furlongs distance and the River Schit on the West The whole Imperial Army with the Auxiliary Troops of Bavaria and Lunemburg being posted with some Difficulty about the Place the Trenches were opened July 11 at Night by 3000 Foot on whom the Besieged fired all along without doing any great Execution and by the 13th they were carried on within 50 Paces of the Ditch when they had also finished a Redoubt But next Day the Enemy made a Sally with a Party of Horse upon the Bavarian Guard yet were quickly beaten back into the Town with some Loss and that ●ight the Besiegers finished another Redoubt on the Left and the Line of Communication between the Trenches in the middle whereof they began to raise a Battery of 10 Pieces of Cannon and at the same time began a false Attack on the South opposite to the true one which gave the Besieged a Diversion that way On the 15th they played upon one another briskly with their Cannon and at Night the Besiegers got to the Ditch in several places both on the Right and Left but with considerable Loss and on the 16th the Imperialists began a new Battery against the Pallisadoes before the Gate which set fire to them and forced the Turks to abandon that Place They continued also their Works next Day and prepared Things to fill the Ditch to which End the Duke of Lorain ordered the Lunemburghers on the Left to cut a Canal to let the Water out of it into the Neutra when at the same time receiving Advice that the Turkish Army was marched towards Gran he sent Colonel Heusler out towards Vicegrade with a Body of Horse to get Intelligence and 500 Dragoons under the Count of Stirum to pass one of the Bridges near Comorra and to post himself near Gran and 5 Days after upon further Advice commanded the Dragoons of Bavaria and Brunswick together with the Imperial Dragoons making in all about 5000 Thousand under the Command of the Count de Lodron to march towards Comorra to cover the Bridges which his Highness had caused to be laid there over the Danube while he in the mean time bestirred himself with wonderful Activity to push on the Siege being every Day present in the Trenches and upon the Batteries to give all necessary Orders as being very desirous to be Master of this Place But notwithstanding all his Industry and the continued Advances that were made in the Siege the Turks defended themselves so well that the Month of July spun out and the Additional Presence and Assistance of Prince Waldeck and the Elector of Bavaria who by this time were got to the Camp were little enough to keep up the drooping Spirits of the Besiegers who began to be very much dejected with the frequent Losses they had sustained by the Cannon of the Place and the frequent Sallies of the Besieged and the Duke had not his End effected before he was obliged with the greatest Part of the Army to march and fight the Enemy For on the 1st of Aug. having received certain Advice that the 500 Foot he had detached under Major Rounkell had happily got into Gran but that the same day the Serasquier Basha with an Army of between 50 and 60000 Men had begun to besiege that Place he immediately thereupon called a Council of War where many were of Opinion that the Governour of Gran being so well provided that he could easily defend the Town for two Months it were their best way vigorously to pursue the Siege of Newheusel and not to meddle withthe Turkish Army till they had something weakned themselves before Gran But the Majority concluded it most advisable to march with the greatest part of the Army to fight the Turks and to leave a sufficient Body to carry on at the same time the Siege of Newheusel Whereupon an Officer was sent to Vienna to acquaint the Emperor with the said Resolution who returned again on the 3d to the Camp with the Emperor's Approbation of what they had resolved on The Duke in the mean time having ordered several Retrenchments to be made for the greater security of those that

in perswading the Citizens to be quiet all would not do but capitulate he must and in pursuance of the Agreement the Garrison march'd out on the 10th of Apr. and left the French in an intire Possession of that important Fortress and the Confederates to look about and consider where this would terminate But at present we shall leave them and tell you that King William hereupon re-passing the Seas gave all the necessary Orders imaginable for having all things ready for the intire Reduction of Ireland which was left to the Management of Lieutenant General Ginkle while His Majesty himself was to return again into Flanders to head the Confederate Armies and try the Issue of the Campaign whether it would be carried on and ended on that side as it began but of this more by and by we being resolved at present to prosecute the Irish Wars even to the final Event of them After both Armies in that Country had gone into their Winter-Quarters as we have already related in the preceding Year they remained on either side pretty quiet for 〈◊〉 time but tho' several Designs were brewing by each Party against the other there hapned nothing of any great moment between them and the most considerable Mischief done to the English was by the wicked Rapperies of the Country and the Native Irish not in Arms both which the other were first or last sufficiently quit with yet there was not such forwardness in either to take the Field but that the Month of June came first when the initiating Work of the English proved to be the Siege of Baltymore which was surrendred on the 9th of the said Month and from whence after some days stay there the Army march'd towards Athlone and on the 19th very early in the Morning the Van-guard marched from Ballyburn and beat the Enemy from several out-Ditches within the Walls of the English Town of Athlone on this side the Shannon and lodged themselves in the said Ditches On the next day a Battery was raised and a Council of War held wherein it was resolved to storm the English Town that the Irish pretended to defend which was done accordingly for tho' the Irish made considerable Resistance yet the English went on and kept firing till they got to the Breach that was made which a French Lieutenant first mounted throwing in his Granado and firing his Piece and ordering his Men to do the same and with great Bravery incouraged his Party tho' he lost his Life in the Action and so the Town was taken and abundance of the Enemy both killed and drowned in endeavouring to Escape Then Batteries were planted against the Irish Town which by the 22d in the Morning were finished and the Cannon and Mortars began to play very briskly on the N. E. side of the Castle where it was weakest and continued to do so next day when the Tin-boats came up and that a Prisoner who was taken gave an account that 64 Men were in a Mill upon the Bridge which being fired by the English Granadoes and those within not being able to quench it nor get thence they were all burnt to death except the Prisoner and one more who leaped into the Water the 24th was spent in raising more Batteries one below and another above the Bridge while a 3d was erected without the Town-wall by the River-side opposite to a Bastion the Irish had made on the other side of the River And at the same time they were contriving Methods to pass the River but all this while the Irish were not idle in raising Batteries and making other necessary Preparations for their Defence which did but heighten the Courage of the English who by the 26th fired from 7 Batteries upon the Enemies Works and did great Execution and the Design they once had of passing the Shannon at a Ford towards Lanesborough being frustrate the General resolved to try what he could in forcing a way through Athlone and therefore laboured hard to gain the Bridge but found this to be very difficult Work However on the 27th in the Evening the English burnt the Breast-work the Irish had made on the other side of the broken Arch with throwing in their Granadoes which being made of Wood presently set them on fire and the next Morning which was the 28th the English had laid their Beams over and partly planked them which a Party of the Enemy attempting to ruine were every Man slain But all this did not discourage another Party of 10 Men to set about the same Work which they bravely effected by throwing down the Planks and Beams maugre all the firing and Skill of the English but they all also perished except 2 which made the General resolve to carry on the Work by a close Gallery on the Bridge and designed to pass the Shannon next day but they met with such Opposition and especially by having their Gallery burnt by the Irish that the further Prosecution of the Attack was deferred for that day which was the 29th But on the 30th a Council of War being held it was stifly debated whether it were more adviseable to make another Attempt or to draw off And though there appeared very great Reasons for the latter yet the Duke of Wirtemburg the Major-Generals Mackay Talmash Ruvigny and Teautau urged That no brave Action could be attempted without Hazzard That the Attempt was probable and profered themselves to be the first that should attempt to force the Enemies Works in their own Persons particularly Talmash which they happily performed accordingly For the Detatchment drawn out the day before was ordered still to be in a readiness And the General gave command they should be all brought down by 6 the usual time of relieving the Guards that the Enemy might not suspect the Design which indeed they did not by the Information given the General by 2 Officers that Morning that deserted from the Enemy So that all things being now ready the Conjuncture favourable and the Signal given Captain Sandys and two Lieutenants lead the first Party of 60 Granadiers all in Armour and 20 a-brest seconded by another good Body with an amazing Resolution and took the Ford that was a little to the left of the Bridge against a Bastion of the Enemies the Stream thereof being very rapid and deep At which time also the English great and small Shot began to play from their Batteries and Works upon those of the Irish on the other side who fired as thick as possibly they could upon our Men passing the River that yet gallantly forced their-way through the Fire and Smoak and having gained the other Bank the rest laid Planks over the broken part of the Bridge while others were laying the Bridge of Boats whereby the English passed over so fast that in less than half an Hour they were Masters of the Town and of all the Trenches besides one beyond the Town For the Irish being amazed at the suddenness of the

fire to the Suburbs which retarded the Approaches that General Cohorne had begun On the 21st a Battery was finished on that side next St. Nicholas Gate and the Trenches advanced 100 Paces towards the Rivulet that runs into the Bottom which the French had swelled with Water and which was secured with a kind of an Half-Moon Next Day they began to play upon a Bastion and the Works before St. Nicholas Gate from a Battery of 18 Pieces of Cannon And on the 23d the Brandenburghers played upon the Water-stop in order to let the Water out of the Moat yet with little Effect because it was lined with large Free-stone But about this time the great Rains which fell incommoded the Besiegers very much However on the 25th they continued pealing from their Batteries below the Village of Bouge and on the other side of the Meuse at the Brandenburgh Attack and levelled the Works which they had attacked the 18th with their Cannon and took in an Out-Bastian where there was a kind of a Counterscarp that same Night constraining the French that defended it to surrender at Discretion So that the Siege went on briskly and the Besiegers by the 27th in the Morning being lodged at the Foot of the Redoubt of Ballart made themselves Masters of it and about 50 French that defended it were made Prisoners But this was not all for after much Resistance they carried and lodged themselves on the foremost cover'd Way of St. Nicholas Gate that Evening But in regard the Meuse was low and for that by reason of the great Number of their Batteries they had made great Breaches in St. Nicholas Bastion the Demi-bastion of St. Roch and at the end of the Counterscarp of the Town they adventured to creep along the River and to storm all those Posts from whence they were three times repulsed but at last they did prevail For after a Combat of 4 Hours they not only lodged themselves upon the aforesaid cover'd Way but upon the Point of the Counterscarp on that side next the River Yet it unhappily fell out that some Sacks of Wooll wherewith the Besiegers secured themselves took fire which made them for a time lie open to the Firing of the Enemy tho' they soon made another Lodgment While this was doing here the Elector of Bavaria was not idle between the Sambre and the Meuse where towards the Abby of Salsines he not only forced the Entrenchments next the Sambre but made himself Master of a Fort at the Head of those Entrenchments where his Cuirassiers 〈◊〉 the Liegois and Spanish Cavalry signalized themselves very much and vigorously repulsed 4 Squadrons that came out of the Castle and had much ado to prevent their being surrounded But this was not all for after the French had disputed the Water-stop almost all Night the Besiegers at length possessed themselves of it Then they laid a Bridge over the Sambre in the midst of all the Enemy's Firing tho' all this was not effected without considerable Loss on both sides But there was now no looking back so that the 28th was employed in entrenching themselves in the Posts of the Ballance and Abby of Salsines And the same day 60 Granadiers and as many Musquetteers were commanded out of every Regiment to make an Attack on that side near the Iron-Gate which the French at first sustained with great Courage but they were at last forced to retire And the same Evening the Line of Communication near the Suburbs of Jambe was attacked so that the French were no longer in a Condition to make Sallies on that side Next day was taken up in attacking two Lines the French had drawn before the Castle between the Sambre and the Meuse both which the Besiegers carried one after another with great Bravery whose Work on the 30th early in the Morning was to attack the great Entrenchment of the Old Wall between the Sambre and the Meuse that still held out which after the Besieged had made a long Resistance by the Favour of a Line of Communication of one Redoubt and two Trenches and being assailed both in Front and Flank and that too with an extraordinary Bravery the French were driven as far as the Counterscarp of Cohorne-Fort But the Besiegers pursuing them to the Devil's House where the French had several Cannon laden with Cartouches and about 900 Men laid flat upon their Bellies and they being now come within the Reach of those Guns the Enemy let fly at them in a most dismal manner but the Assailants withstood the Brunt with incredible Resolution and after they had forced the French to quit the Counterscarp of the Fort they made themselves Masters of it yet not being able to keep their Ground they retired in pretty good Order But the French in the mean time found themselves necessitated to quit a Lined Redoubt some advanced Batteries and their Entrenchment from the Sambre to the Meuse There was also the very same Day a Mine sprung at St. Nicholas Gate which overturned a good part of the Water-stop into the Moat of the City and the Cannon played all the next Day to widen the Breach Now it was become the month of Aug. on the first day whereof the Besiegers battered the Works and the Breach that had been made at St. Nicholas Gate from whence they threw a great many Bombs which did considerable Execution and next day towards Evening stormed the Half-moon Covert-way and Demi-bastion that lay on the right Hand of the Gate where the Breach had been made and after being repulsed no less than 3 times they at last lodged themselves on the Counterscarp and carried on their Works as far as Fort William and the Devil's House and next day all things being in a Readiness for a General Assault Count Guiscard the Governour came himself upon the Demi-bastion where he ordered a White Flag to be put up in order to Capitulate Thereupon all the Batteries were immediately ordered to be silent and Colonel Mackarty who waited upon Major General Ramsey in the Trenches was sent to the Breach to know what the Count desired who asked to speak with the Major General himself and there-upon coming to him after mutual Civilities the Count told him That tho' the Necessity and Condition of their Affairs was not such as to oblige them to Capitulate yet for the Preservation of the Town they were willing to give it up upon honourable Terms Upon this Ramsey acquainted the Duke of Holstein Ploen with it whose Quarters was just by and promised the Count an Answer in an Hours time in which the King having Notice he sent back Ramsey with Power to exchange Hostages and an Express was sent to the Elector of Bavaria to give him Notice of it and to Commission a Person to treat about the Surrendry So that after some Contestation the Capitulation was signed the next Day being the 4th of Aug. upon honourable Terms And here for the present we shall leave Namur and give the