608 
History. of this im t town, William endeavoured to sur- 
—v—" prise the ch army under Luxemburg, at Stein- 
irk; but after the most daring efforts, he was com- 
led! to retreat. The next year, he was yet more un- 
ortunate; the army of the confederates being defeated 
with the loss of 8000 men at Landen: Huy and Charle- 
roi fell into the possession of the French, in conse- 
uence of their success at Landen. In the mean time, 
French fleet under Tourville, who received express 
and positive orders to t, that, if victorious, he might 
invade England, was defeated near Ne La Hogue, 
by the combined fleets of England and Holland. 
4In the campaigns of 1694 and 1695, fortune seemed 
rather to favour & allies: Huy was retaken.; the Duke 
of Savoy penetrated into Dauphiné ; and King Wil- 
liam, taking advantage of the death of Marshal Luxem- 
barg, invested Namur, which, though it was gallantly 
defended, was tens te capitulate in the a of the 
Pemine in French army under Villeroi. About this period, a dread- 
Prance. ful famine afflicted France ; it was caused partly by un- 
A. D. 1695. favourable seasons, and partly by the war not having 
left labourers sufficient to cultivate the rene ‘Corn 
was brought from abroail ; and if this had been the only 
measure adopted, probably the calamity might have 
been in some measure alleviated ; but by attempts to 
regulate the price, the evil was Snatedaed many of the 
peasants perished of hunger, and the whole kmgdom 
exhibited a dreadful scene of poverty and distress. 
In consequence of the misery of his people, and the 
exhausted state of his finances, Louis ved the ne- 
cessity either of making peace, or of ing some of 
the members from the’ confederacy. He preferred the 
latter. A negociation was opened with the Duke of 
Savoy, who was induced to desert the allies, and to 
unite himself to Louis, in consideration of the restitu- 
tien of his deminions; the honours of sovereignty ; four 
millions of money ; and the marriage of his daughter with 
the young Duke ¢ rp ae son of the Dauphin. 
e campaign of 1697 was not distinguished by an 
remarkable occurrence, except the taking of Bercllouk 
by the Duke of Vendome, notwithstanding it was gal- 
lantly defended by the Prince of Hesse Darmstadt, 
with a garrison of 10,000 men. This event induced 
the King of pein to listen to the proposals of France. 
A congress for a general peace was opened at the 
Castle of Ryswick, under the mediation of Charles XI. 
of Sweden. The Emperor at first was unwilling to 
listen to terms of accommodation, -but finding himself 
deserted by his allies, he acceded to the treaty. 
Peace of By this treaty, Louis restored to the Spaniards all 
Kyswick. the places he had taken from them; but the preten- 
A. D. 1698. sions of the House of Bourbon to the Spanish succes- 
sion were left in full force. He acknowledged William 
lawful king of England: with regard to Holland, he 
adhered to the ‘terms fixed at Munster and Nimeguen. 
To the empire he restored Kehl and Philipsburg ; and 
to the Em , Friburg and Brisac: he even con- 
sented to destroy the fortifications of Strasburg on 
the Rhine ; and restored Lorraine, Treves, and the Pa- 
eee. to their respective princes. 
is peace was very unpopular in France, particular] 
with the inhabitants of Parts, who repeanelel | and rd 
sulted the ministers who made it, on their return to 
the capital ; but these people looked only to the vic- 
tories which the French arms had gained, not to the 
effects of such an expensive war on the resources of the 
boars ( and yet they were obvious, and plainly 
out a peace as absolutely necessary. the five 
first campaigns had cost more than 200,000,000 ex- 
Effects of 
the war on 
France. 
FRANCE. 
traordinary ; the finances were in the disorder; | 
that the e might not be oppresel with taxes re 
course Was to loans, to cting new offices, 
and to oe which in the end became more 
extensiv permanently oppressive itional 
taxes, The value of roe: Ae pier in coin had been 
increased three livres in 1689 ; by which the commerce 
was injured, the ki impoverished, individuals 
onjeiy treated, and the revenue y diminished. 
In 1695, the capitation tax was 3 by it 
21,000,000 were raised, but they were at the expence 
of the other taxes, for the revenue of this year was not 
on the whole increased. beilt oe? r Bs | 
It has been noticed, that the succession tothe throne 
of Spain, which was claimed by the Bourbon family, 
was not settled by the terms of swic 
and scarcely was that peace concl 
evident that hostilities would soon recommence from 
consanguinity, ‘only the Imperial-or F 
a claim to the throne ; but there was:another competi- 
tor, who founded his claim on a will. The three com-' Competi 
Id, and for = 
petitors were, Louis XIV. the Emperor Leopo 
the Elector of Bavaria. Louis and the Emperor were oon 
both grandsons of Philip IH. ; in this respect therefore °?“™ 
their claim was : 
daughters of Philip IIL and Philip IV. . 
The Imperial family, however, asserted, in su of 
their claim, the solemn and . Seer a jations of 
Louis XIII. and XIV. and the blood of Maximilian, . 
the-common parent of both branches of the House of 
Austria. The Elector of Bavaria claimed, as the hus- 
| 
Ss 
e 
g 
“< 
: 
3. 
: 
g, 
ee? 
Phi- 
of 
in preference to his eldest s de- 
the will of Philip 1V. must be set 
aside, before the claim of the Elector could be rendered 
null, 1 2 vigre fore 
In the mean time, a most extraordinary circumstance 
occurred. William, King of England, who was always ~ 
so jealous of the power of Louis,—who had used his 
utmost efforts to restrain or crush it,—and who seemed’ 
actuated even by a personal dislike to that monarch— 
concluded a partition treaty with him, A. D. 1698, by Pattition 
which it was stipulated, that, on the death of the King S°o", , 
of Spain, his dominions should be divided the" 
claimants, in the following manner : Spain, and all her. 
American possessions, were to be given to the Elector 
of Bavaria ; the kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the ports 
on the Biespogprnag meng i Si 
to be given to auphin ; while the Emperor’s se« 
eond pnt the Archduke Charles, was to RA 
the dukedom of Milan. As soon as intelligence of this 
treaty reached the court of Madrid, the King of Spain 
made a will in favour of his grand nephew the young 
prince of Bavaria, who died almost immediately after- 
wards. Upon this, the disquiets and intrigues were 
Se A eee. 
renewed ; and a second of partition was signed 
February 8th, A. D. 1699. ‘This aty differed mate- 4. p, 16: 
‘est Indies were 
rially from the re and the ¢ : 
to be given to the Archduke Charles; the Milanese to - 
the Duke of Lorraine, who was to annex Lorraine to 
France ; and the Dauphin was, as before, to have the 
Two Sicilies, the ports on the Tuscan shore, and Finals 
. 5 
