544 SPAIN". 



readily acknowledging him for their sovereign, through the oppress 

 sion of the imperialists. 



After a long and turbulent reign, which was disturbed by the 

 ambition of his wife, Elizabeth of Parma, Philip died in 1746, and 

 was succeeded by his son Ferdinand VI, a mild and peaceable prince, 

 who reformed many abuses, and endeavoured to promote the com- 

 merce and prosperity of his kingdom. In 1759 he died, without 

 issue, through melancholy for the loss of his wile. Ferdinand was 

 succeeded by his bro.her, Charles III, then king of Naples and the 

 Two Sicilies, son to Philip V, by his wife the princess of Parma. 



He was so warmly attached to the family compact of the house of 

 Bourbon, that two years after his accession, he even hazarded his 

 American dominions to support it. War being declared between 

 him and England, the latter took from him the famous port and cicy 

 of Havanna in the island of Cuba, and thereby rendered herself 

 entirely mistress of the navigation of the Spanish plate fleets. Not- 

 withstanding the success of the English, their ministry thought pro- 

 per, hastily, to conclude a peace in consequence of which Havanna 

 was restored to Spain. In 1775, an expedition was concerted against 

 Algiers by the Spanish ministry, which had a most unsuccessful ter- 

 mination. The troops, which amounted to upwards of 24,000, and 

 who were commanded by lieutenant-general conte de O'Reily, "landed 

 about a league and a half to the eastward of the city of Algiers ; but 

 were disgracefully beaten back, and obliged to take shelter on board 

 their ships, having 27 officers killed, and 191 wounded ; and 501 rank 

 and file killed, and 2088 wounded. In the years 1783 and 1784, they 

 also renewed their attacks against Algiers by sea, but after spending 

 much ammunition, and losing many lives, were forced to retire with- 

 out doing much injury, 



When the war with Great Britain and her American colonies had 

 subsisted for some time, and France had taken part with the latter, 

 the court of Spain was also prevailed upon to commence hostilities 

 against Great Britain. The Spaniards closely besieged Gibraltar, 

 both by sea and land ; it having been always a great mortification to 

 them, that this fortress should be possessed by the English. The 

 grand attack was on the 13th of September, 1782, under the com- 

 mand of the duke de Crillon, by ten battering ships, from 600 to 

 1400 tons burden, carrying in all 212 brass guns, entirely new, and 

 discharging shot of 26 pounds weight. Tne showers of shot and 

 shells which were directed from them, from their land-batteries, and 

 on the other hand from the various works of the garrison, exhibited 

 a scene of which perhaps neither the pen nor the pencil can furnish 

 a competent idea. It is sufficient to say, that four hundred pieces of 

 the heaviest artillery were playing at the same moment : an instance 

 which has scarcely occurred in any siege since the invention of those 

 wonderful engines of destruction. 



The irresistible impression of the numerous red-hot balls from the 

 garrison was soon conspicuous ; for in the afternoon, smoke was per- 

 ceived to issue from the admiral's ship and another, and by one in 

 the morning several were in flames, and numbers of rockets were 

 thrown up from each of their ships as signals of distress ; and thus 

 ended all the hopes of the Spaniards of reducing the fortress oi 

 Gibraltar. Some trifling operations continued on the side of the 

 Spaniards till the restoration of peace in 1783. 



In other enterprises, however, the Spaniards proved more success- 



