e security of the duke of Savoy. The emperor, in
consideration of the duke's signal service to the house of Austria,
presented him with a grant of the lordship of Mindel-heim in Suabia,
which was now erected into a principality of the Roman empire. In his
return with the earl of Sunderland he visited the courts of Berlin and
Hanover, where he was received with that extraordinary respect which was
due to his character; and arrived at the Hague on the fourteenth day of
December. There he settled the operations of the next campaign with
the states-general, who consented to join England in maintaining an
additional body of ten thousand men reinforcement to the army of
prince Eugene in Italy. While the allies were engaged in the siege of
Santvliet, the elector of Bavaria sent a detachment, under the command
of don Marcello de Grimaldi, to invest Diest, the garrison of which were
made prisoners of war.

STATE OF THE WAR ON THE UPPER RHINE, IN HUNGARY, &c.

On the Upper Rhine, mareschal Villars besieged and took Homburgh, and
passed the Rhine at Strasburgh on the sixth day of August. Prince Louis
of Baden arriving in the camp of the Imperialists at Stolhoffen, not
only obliged him to retire, but having passed the river, forced the
French lines at Hagenau; then he reduced Drusenheim and Hagenau, but
attempted no enterprise equal to the number of his army, although the
emperor had expostulated with him severely on his conduct, and he had
now a fair opportunity of emulating the glory of Marlborough, upon
whom he looked with the eyes of an envious rival. In Italy a battle was
fought at Casano, between prince Eugene and the duke de Vendome, with
dubious success. The duke de Feuillade reduced Chivas, and invested
Nice, which, after an obstinate defence, surrendered in December. All
the considerable places belonging to the duke of Savoy were now taken,
except Coni and Turin; and his little army was reduced to twelve
thousand men, whom he could hardly support. His duchess, his clergy, and
his subjects in general, pressed him to submit to the necessity of his
affairs; but he adhered to the alliance with surprising fortitude. He
withstood the importunities of his duchess, excluded all the bishops and
clergy from his councils; and when he had occasion for a confessor, he
chose a priest occasionally either from the Dominicans or Franciscans.
The campaign in Portugal began with a very promising aspect. The allies
invaded Spain by th