Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 4.djvu/104

90, he was received by Louis as if he were a conqueror, and created a duke, with a grant of money to enable him to support his new rank.

Presentation of an Address to William III. at Oxford.

This was the great event of the campaign, and spread exultation throughout all the countries of the allies. It seemed to wipe out the successive defeats of Mons, Fleurus, Landen, and the former loss of Namur; it showed the allies at length victorious, and Louis discomfited and on the wane. William retired for a while to his favourite Loo, leaving the elector of Bavaria to command the army, which towards the end of September retired into winter quarters. In other quarters nothing very decisive had taken place. Marshal de Lorges had once more crossed the Rhine, and once more menaced the unfortunate Heidelberg; but the prince of Baden, joined by some of the Confederates, approached De Lorges' camp at Bruchsal, and he made a hasty retreat across the Rhine again. In the east the sultan died, and was succeeded by his nephew Mustapha, and the new sultan crossed the Danube, took Lippa and Titul by storm, attacked, defeated, and killed general Veterani at Logos, and then retreated to Orsowa. In Piedmont the duke of Savoy took Casale; and in Catalonia, by the presence of Russell on the coast, the French were compelled to evacuate Ostalric and Castle-Follit, and might have been driven entirely out, but, as usual, the viceroy and his Spaniards engaging to unite with Russell in reducing Palamos, fell back and left Russell to bombard the town alone. Russell complained that the Spaniards had made no preparations whatever for the campaign, and failed altogether in their engagements to supply the British with tents and provisions. On the 27th of August Russell sailed for the coast of Provence, but was compelled by stress of weather to return to Cadiz, where he left Sir David Mitchel with a division of the fleet, and returned to England with the rest.

Lord Berkeley had meantime been engaged, with the Dutch admiral Alleraonde, in harassing the French coast. On the 4th of July they attempted to bombard St. Malo, but received more injury than they did the town. On the 6th they assaulted Granville. A similar attack was made on Dunkirk by the Dutch engineer Meesters, but with little effect. Another English squadron, under captain Wilmot and colonel Lilingston, was sent to seize the towns of the French in Hispaniola, in conjunction with the Spaniards; but Wilmot, one of the commanders, behaved very ill, seeking plunder for his own benefit instead of conquest for his country. Lilingston strongly remonstrated, and there was nothing but dissension amongst the officers, and the remains of the expedition returned to England, having failed to do any real service. The marquis of Caermarthen also disgraced himself. He was stationed off the Scilly Isles to look out for French privateers, which swarmed in both channels; but, seeing a number of merchantmen together, he mistook them for the Brest fleet, and made away with all haste to Milford Haven. The sea being left open in consequence, the French committed great depredations on our traders, taking a considerable number of ships homeward bound from Barbados. The merchants complained bitterly of the mismanagement