d possessed of
extraordinary military talent, was in favour of a march upon
Madrid; but, fortunately for us, he was overruled, and commenced
the siege of Barcelona--a strong town garrisoned by five thousand
good troops, while he himself had but a thousand more under his
command. Nevertheless, by a sudden and daring attack he captured
the strong castle of Montjuich, which commanded the town, which
was in consequence obliged to surrender four days later, and the
whole of Catalonia was then captured. Saint Matteo, ninety miles
from Barcelona, which had declared for Charles and was besieged by
a large force, was relieved; and so brilliant were the exploits
accomplished by Peterborough, with most inadequate means, that the
Spaniards came to the conclusion that he was possessed by an evil
spirit.

"Large reinforcements were sent from France, and King Philip
advanced upon Barcelona, and invested it by land, while a French
fleet bombarded it by sea. Peterborough hurried, with a small
force from Valencia, to aid the besieged, the matter being all the
more important since Charles himself was in the city. Before his
arrival, however, an English fleet appeared, and our fleet
retired.

"Philip at once raised the siege, and retired to Madrid. His
position was indeed serious. Lord Galway was advancing from the
frontier, and Peterborough had gathered a force to cooperate with
him. Upon the approach of Galway, Philip and the Duke of Berwick
retreated to the frontier. There they received great reinforcements,
and advanced against Madrid, which was evacuated by Galway, who
marched away to form a junction with Lord Peterborough.

"Owing to the dilatory habits and hesitation of the Austrian
prince, the junction was not effected for some time, and then, in
spite of the entreaties of the two English generals, he could not
be persuaded to make a movement towards Madrid. Peterborough,
whose temper was extremely fiery, at last lost all patience,
abused Charles openly, and then, mounting his horse, rode down to
the coast, embarked upon an English ship of war, and sailed away
to assist the Duke of Savoy. After his departure, the ill feeling
between the English force, the Portuguese, and the leaders of the
Spanish adherents of Charles increased, and they spent their time
in quarrelling among themselves. They were without money,
magazines, and almost without provisions. Berwick was near them
with a superior force, and they took the only step o