was conquered with an army
scarce double the number of the garrison of Barcelona. King Charles
wrote a letter with his own hand to the queen of England, containing
a circumstantial detail of his affairs, the warmest expressions of
acknowledgment, and the highest encomiums on her subjects, particularly
the earl of Peterborough. In a council of war it was determined that
the king and the earl should continue in Catalonia with the land
forces; that sir Cloudesley Shovel should return to England; that
five-and-twenty English and fifteen Dutch ships of war should winter at
Lisbon under the command of sir John Leake and the Dutch rear-admiral
Wassenaer; and that four English and two Dutch frigates should remain at
Barcelona. Don Francisco de Velasco was transported to Malaga with about
a thousand men of his garrison; the rest voluntarily engaged in the
service of king Charles, and six other regiments were raised by
the states of Catalonia. The count de Cifuentas, at the head of the
Miquelets and Catalans attached to the house of Austria, secured
Tar-ragonia, Tortosa, Lerida, San-Mattheo, Gironne, and other places.
Don Raphael Nevat, revolting from Philip with his whole regiment of
horse, joined general Ramos at Denia, and made themselves masters of
several places of importance in the kingdom of Valencia. Flushed with
such unexpected success, they penetrated to the capital of the same
name, which they surprised, together with the marquis de Villa-Gracia,
the viceroy, and the archbishop. These advantages however were not
properly improved. The court of Charles was divided into factions,
and so much time lost in disputes, that the enemy sent a body of six
thousand men into the kingdom of Valencia, under the command of the
conde de las Torres, who forthwith invested San-Mattheo, guarded by
colonel Jones at the head of five hundred Miquelets. This being a
place of great consequence on account of its situation, the earl of
Peterborough marched thither with one thousand infantry, and two hundred
dragoons; and by means of feigned intelligence artfully conveyed to the
conde, induced that general to abandon the siege with precipitation,
in the apprehension of being suddenly attacked by a considerable army.
Peterborough afterwards took possession of Nules, and purchasing horses
at Castillon de la Plana, began to form a body of cavalry which did good
service in the sequel. Having assembled a little army, consisting of ten
squadrons of hor