as he should continue to expofe his own Perfon A. C. for the good and Advantage of thefe Kingdoms, 1693. fo his hearty and fincere Endeavours fhould never be wanting in any other kind, to make this, a great and Hourishing Nation. And then, by his Majefty's Command, the Parliament was pro-rogued. rogued to the 2d of May next.

Parlia

ment pro

Befides the Bills already mention'd, the Com-Bills left mons had paffed one to enable their Majefties tounfinish'd. make Grants, Leafes, and Copies of Offices, Lands and Hereditaments, Parcel of their Dutchy of Cornwall, or annexed to the fame, and for Confirmation of Leafes and Grants already made, to which the Lords made fome Amendments that were difagreed to by the Lower-Houfe. As for the Bill for Prohibiting the Ufe of all Lotteries, which had alfo paft the Lower Houfe, the Patentees of the Royal-Oak Lottery found means to have it ftopt in the Upper. The Bill for the preventing the Prophanation of the Lord's Day, lay neglected after the firft Reading; as did alfo the Bill for removing Doubts, and preventing Controverfies concerning Royal Mines, after it had been Engroffed. Neither was any Progrefs made in the Bill for preventing the Exportation of Gold and Silver and the melting down of the Coin of this Realm.

Dec.

1692.

Having difpatch'd this Seffion of Parliament, let us beftow our Attention upon other Affairs. On Sir John the 30th of December 1692 the King conferr'd up-Trevor on Sir John Trevor, Speaker of the Houfe of Com-made Ma mons, and firft Commiflioner of the Great Seal, fer of the the Office of Mafter of the Rolls, in the place of Rolls, Henry Powle Efq; deceas'd; and about a Month af ༡༠. ter, his Majefty thought fit to lay afide Admiral Ruffel, and to put the Chief Command of the Admiral Fleet into the Hands of Henry Killegrew Efq; Sir Ruffel Ralph Delaval, and Sir Cloudfley Shovel, and afterwardslaid afide. Jan. 24. to appoint George Rook Efq; to be Vice-Admiral of the Red; the Lord John Berkley Vice-Admiral of Feb. 8. t the Blue Colonel Matthew Ayimer, Rear Admiral The King of the Red; and David Mitchell, Efq; Rear Admiral of the Blue. On the Sixteenth of the fame Month Portf the King went down to Portsmouth, both to view mouth. the Fortifications and the Dock yard, and to fee the beb. 16.

A aa 4

Men

goes to

A. C. Men of War at Spithead, and being aboard Vice1693. Admiral Rock, his Majefty conferr'd upon him the Honour of Knighthood.

The Lord

30.

Not long before the Lord Charles Mohun, being Mohun indicted for the Murder of William Mountford, a fatry'd, Jan. mous Comedian, (who was killed upon account of Mrs. Bracegirdle, an excellent Actress) was brought to his Tryal before the Peers in Parliament, in a Court prepar'd for that purpofe in Weftminfter-Hall; the Marquifs of Carmarthen, Lord President of their I Majefties Privy Council, being conftituted Lord High-Steward of England, Pro hac Vice. The Court was open'd and held with the ufual Ceremony, and the Trial lafted from Twelve till near Six a Clock in the Afternoon, when the Peers Adjourn'd to their own Houfes. Five Days after, their Lordfhips declar'd their Judgment Seriatim, and by a great Majority the Lord Mohun was acquitted of the faid Murder.

And ac

quitted,

Feb. 4. Si John

Trenchard made Se

State,

March 23

On the 23d of March, Sir John Trenchard was fworn one of their Majefties Principal Secretaries of State, in the place of the Earl of Nottingham; whofe Removal, as well as that of Admiral Rufset, was occafion'd by the warm Debates that had paft eretary of in Parliament about their Conduct after the Victory at Sea: King William exprefling himself in Relation to his Officers, as Julius Caefar had formerly done with Refpect to his Wife: That 'twas not enough for them to be faithful, but that they must alfo be free from Sufpicion. The fame Day his Majefty committed the Cuftody of the Great Sir John Seal of England to Sir John Sommers; whose Sommers Office of Attorney General was beftow'd upon made Lord Edward Ward, of the Inner-Temple, Efq; At the Keeper.

Other

fame time his Majefty order'd a new Commiffion

to pass under the Great Seal, conftituting Sir John Lowther, Henry Prieftman, Efq; the Lord Vifcount Places dif Falkland, Robert Auften, Efq; Sir Robert Rich, Henry pos'd of. Killegrew, Efq; and Sir Ralph Delaval, to be Commiflioners for executing the Office of Lord HighAdmiral of England. Having thus fettled DoMarch meftick Affairs, the King went to Harwich, in order to embark for Holland, but the Wind prov

25.

*

ing contrary his Majefty return'd to Kenfington, A. C. from whence he parted again on the 31st of March, 1693. and embarking near Gravesend, arriv'd fafely in the Maefe on the 2d of April; went to the Hague, and The King

from thence to Loo.

lands in

We are now going to relate the Occurrences of Holland. a Year which was fatal to all the Confederates, April 2. both by Sea and Land. The English and Dutch 1693. Fleet was numerous, and ready pretty early, as was alfo a great Fleet of Merchant Men, making in all near Four Hundred Sail of English, Dutch, Hamburghers, &c. bound for the Streights, under the Convoy of Twenty Three Men of War, commanded by Sir George Rook, with whom the Grand Fleet was to keep Com any, till they came to fuch a Latitude; or as fome gave it out in those times, till they had certain Intelligence where the French Fleet was: Which made their Orders difcretionary; and Sir George, who feem'd to have fome Forefight of the Danger, exprefs'd himfelf very loath to part with them. However, feeing he could not help it, he failed on, and leaving by the way the Veffels bound for Bilboa, Lisbon, St. Ubes, and other Ports, under Convoy of two Men of War, he purfued his Voyage towards the Streights. Being come *within Sixty Leagues of Cape St Vincent, he dif-t June 15: cover'd part of the French Fleet, which made him call a Council of War, wherein it was refolv'd that the Wind being fresh Wefterly, and giving a fair opportunity to haften their Paffage to Cadiz, the Merchants fhould make the best of their way. Upon the Discovery of the Enemies whole Fleet, confifting of Eighty Sail, commanded by Monfieur de Tourville, Sir George Rook brought to, and ftood off with an eafie Sail, to give what time he could to the heavy Sailers, to work away to the Windward, fending away the Sheerness to order the fmall Ships that were under the Shore to get in the Night into Firo, St. Lucar, and Cadiz. About The Smyr Six in the Evening of the fame Day, the French na Fleet Admiral and Vice Admiral of the Blue, came up deftroy'd with the Leeward and Sternmost of the Confederate the Fleet, which were three Dutch Men of War, who French,

fought

June 16.

A. C. fought firft Eleven, and then Seven French Men of 1693. War, but were at laft forc'd to yield. This made

the Dutch Merchant-Men that were there, tack for the Shore, and the Enemy after them, which gave an Opportunity to the Ships to Windward and ahead, to make Sail oft, and fav'd a great part of the Fleet. Whatever Art was us'd at that time to palliate the Lofs the Allies fuftain'd in this Engagement, Hiftory is now oblig'd to own that it was very confiderable; for befides four of the greatest Smyrna, and one Dutch Man of War which Monfieur Coetlogon burnt or funk at Gibralter, and Seven he took; Monfieur de Tourville and Count D'Eftrees took two Dutch Men of War, burnt a rich Pinnace, and an English Man of War, took Twenty Nine Merchant. Men, and destroy'd about Fifty more. Upon this Difafter, Sir George Rook, with the Men of War, and fome Merchant-Men, made the best of his way for Ireland.

Let us now ftep over into Flanders, where the French, this Year, were fo prodigious ftrong; that their Forces exceeded the Confederates almost by one half at the beginning of the Campaign; but King William's Diligence in poffefling himself of the Camp at Park, entirely broke the French King's Defigns upon Brabant; which made his moft Chriftian Majefty fend a ftrong Detachment, under the Command of the Dauphin, and the Marefchal de Boufflers into Germany, and return himfelf to Verfailles, without attempting any thing. The French under the Duke of Luxemburgh, were all this while encamped at Meldert, and tho' their Convoys were very much difturb'd by the Garrison of Charleroy, yet it feem'd a Trial of skill between both Armies, which fhould continue longeft in their Posts; but at length the French were forc'd to quit theirs fft; marching to Heilifheim in their way towards. the Macfe which gave the King an opportunity to fend a ftrong Detachment under the Command of the Prince of Wirtemberg, to force the Lines which the French had made to cover their conquered Countries, from the Scheld to the Lys, and fo to Ipres, Berg St. Winox, and to the very Sea by

Dunkirk,

Dunkirk. At the fame time Count Tilly, Gene- A. C. ral of the Troops of Liege, was marching with a Re- 1693. inforcement to join the King, of which Luxemburgh

Lines,

N. S.

being inform'd, he march'd immediately with a Count Til good Body of Troops to hinder that Conjun ly defeated tion; which he did effectually, furprizing the July 14. Count in the hollow Way thro' which he was N. S. marching, and forcing him to retreat to Mastricht, leaving near Two Hundred of his Men killed, and all his Baggage behind him. The Prince of Wir-The Duke temberg's forcing the Lines with good Succefs, of Wirand raifing great Contributions did not hinder the temberg. Duke of Luxemburgh from laying Siege to Huy, on the French 19th of July, which made the King advance nearer the Country of Liege; But when his Majefty came July 18. to Tongres, he was furpriz'd to hear that the Caftle of Huy had capitulated. Upon further Infor- Huy taken mation that Monfieur Luxemburgh was drawn by the nearer Liege, his Majefty fent Ten Battalions thi- French, ther, which, with great difficulty got at length in-July 23. to the Place, that now abfolutely rejected the Neutrality Luxemburgh offer'd. Thereupon the French General made a Feint of befieging Liege, tho' · his real Design was to attack the King, now encamp'd at Neerhelpen; fo much weaken'd by the feveral Detachments he had made to reinforce the Garrifons of Liege and Macftricht, that it was generally computed that the French were at leaft Thirty Five Thousand Men stronger. The King to know the certainty of the Enemies Defigns, before he went farther off from the Maefe, fent out daily fome Parties of Horfe; one of which return'd on the 28th of July (N. S.) and gave his Majefty an Account they could not go bevond Warem, because they met there with a great Party of French Horfe; which was indeed the Left Wing of their Army upon the March. As foon as the King had notice of the Enemies Approach, he got on Horfeback with the Elector of Bavaria, and chief Officers of the Army, and finding by the Enemies Countenance, that 'twas the Vanguard of their whole Army, that was coming to attack him in his own Camp, his Majefty immediately order

ed