68 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1 lOi. 



gain ground, thought it their duty 

 at all events to encounter them 

 before it had spread farther. 

 They collected a considerable 

 body, with which in the bejrinning 

 of September they marched against 

 the French; but either they took 

 such improvident measures, or 

 th*ir soldiers were so ill disposed 

 to second tlieir officers, that a divi- 

 sion of the Spanish force, consisting 

 of 6000 men, were engaged and 

 defeated hy a detachment of hardly 

 1000 French. A transaction 

 took place on this occasion, to 

 which may be justly ascribed the 

 defeat of the Spaniards. A corps 

 of the King of Spain's Walloon 

 gijards deserted to the enemy, 

 either during the figlit or pre- 

 viously to it : it excited such a sus- 

 picion that more treachery was in- 

 tended, that universal confusion 

 ensued, and a retreat became im- 

 mediately necessary'. 



It was a whole month before the 

 Spaniards recovered from the pa- 

 liic into which they had been 

 thrown by this most unfortunate 

 event. Their spirits still appeared 

 too much depressed for their 

 commander to venture on offen- 

 sive operations,and they kept within 

 a line of strongly fortified posts, 

 extending nearly forty leagues. 

 The French however determined 

 to attack them, and did it with 

 such vigour and effect, that not- 

 withstanding th'^ strength of the 

 works occupied by the Spaniards, 

 who had bestowed an entire year 

 on their construction, they were 

 forced in no less than twelve 

 different places, where they were 

 at once assaulted. Two accidents 

 ♦nly prevented the Atire destruc- 



tion of the Spanish army ; a lar'gC 

 division of the French, which waSr 

 to have cut off their retreat, did 

 not arrive in time ; and a tliick fog 

 arose, which enabled the Spaniard* ; 

 to make a retreat, after losing how- : 

 ever 5000 men, killed and taken. 



Disasters so unusual and so re- ' 

 pcated, filled the court of Spain 

 with consternation. V/hat chiefly 

 aggravated them, was a persuasion 

 that they were in soirie measure 

 due to disaffection. The violent 

 and sbsurd superstition that had so 

 long characterised the Spaniards, 

 appeared to be considerably ef- 

 faced, and a disinclination to the ^ 

 present war evidently to operate 

 among a la<ge portion of the con- 

 monalty. Symptoms of so dangerous 

 a tendency deeply alarmed the Spa- 

 nish, ministry, some of whom began 

 to be of opinion that in the pre- 

 sent temper of the nation it would 

 be advisable to have recourse to 

 a pacification, in order to labour 

 effectually for a subjugation of the 

 princioles that had been imported 

 from France j and that threatened 

 a still more general diffusion, were 

 the French to make farther ad- 

 var.ces into the kingdom. Tiieir 

 prodigious successes !iad so dis- 

 heartened the soldier}', that no 

 expectation remained with admi- 

 nistration to recover them from 

 their despondency ; and, what was 

 still worse, the loyalty of numbevs 

 oftheifTwas, from what had hap- 

 pened, not unjustly suspected. 



In a situation so truly critical, 

 it was proposed by some of the- 

 most zealous adherents to govern- 

 ment, tl>at recourse should be bad 

 to that measure which had proved 

 so useful and efficacious in the 



case 



