East was a perfect Level
for many Miles, which would have necessitated our making our Approaches
in a regular Way; and consequently our Men must have been expos'd to the
full Fire of their whole Artillery. Besides, the Town is on that Side
much stronger than any other; there is an Out-work just under the Walls
of the Town, flank'd by the Courtin and the Faces of two Bastions, which
might have cost us half our Troops to possess, before we could have
rais'd a Battery against the Walls. Or supposing, after all, a competent
Breach had been made, what a wise Piece of Work must it have been to
have attempted a Storm against double the Number of regular Troops
within?

On the contrary, we were so favoured by the Situation, when we made the
Attack from the Side of _Monjouick_, that the Breach was made and the
Town taken without opening of Trenches, or without our being at all
incommoded by any Sallies of the Enemy; as in truth they made not one
during the whole Siege. Our great Battery, which consisted of upwards of
fifty heavy Cannon, supply'd from the Ships, and manag'd by the Seamen,
were plac'd upon a Spot of rising Ground, just large enough to contain
our Guns, with two deep hollow Ways on each Side the Field, at each End
whereof we had rais'd a little Redoubt, which serv'd to preserve our Men
from the Shot of the Town. Those little Redoubts, in which we had some
Field Pieces, flank'd the Battery, and render'd it intirely secure from
any Surprize of the Enemy. There were several other smaller Batteries
rais'd upon the Hills adjacent, in Places not to be approach'd, which,
in a manner, render'd all the Artillery of the Enemy useless, by reason
their Men could not play 'em, but with the utmost Danger; whereas ours
were secure, very few being kill'd, and those mostly by random Shot.

But to return to the General; forc'd, as he was, to take this
extraordinary Resolution, he concluded, the readiest Way to surprize his
Enemies was to elude his Friends. He therefore call'd a Council of War
a-shore, of the Land Officers; and aboard, of the Admirals and Sea
Officers: In both which it was resolv'd, that in case the Siege of
_Barcelona_ was judg'd impracticable, and that the Troops should be
re-imbark'd by a Day appointed, an Effort should be made upon the
Kingdom of _Naples_. Accordingly, the Day affix'd being come, the heavy
Artillery landed for the Siege was return'd aboard the Ships, and every
thing in appearance prepar'd for a