ity over the Dutch; secondly, to
injure the trade of England, and also of Holland; and, thirdly, to
overthrow Protestantism in all the countries under his influence.

The object of William and the British government, on the other hand,
was--first, to exclude Louis from the Netherlands and West Indies;
secondly, to prevent the union of France and Spain in the person of the
Duke of Anjou or his posterity; and, thirdly, to maintain the Protestant
religion wherever it was established, including the Vaudois provinces.
With these objects, William had exerted his utmost energies to form the
grand alliance of England, Austria, and the States-general against
France. To these were afterwards added some of the Italian states and
Portugal.

The War of Succession lasted, from first to last, fifteen years. It
ended by the accession of the Arch-Duke Don Carlos to the imperial
throne of Germany, and Philip the Fifth, Duke of Anjou, was then
acknowledged by all European sovereigns King of Spain, on the condition
of renouncing all claim to the throne of France for himself and his
descendants. The war had now continued for about two years. The chief
exploit which had hitherto been performed was the capture of the
galleons in the harbour of Vigo, which has already been described. The
Arch-Duke, having landed at Lisbon, marched into Spain with a
considerable body of troops, but was not able to make any progress for a
considerable time. Sir George Rooke, with the fleet, proceeded into the
Mediterranean and made an attack on the important, town of Barcelona.
The fleet at length anchored in the roads of Tetuan, when, on the 17th
of July, Sir George Rooke called a council of war, and placed before the
members a plan he had devised for attacking the fortress of Gibraltar.
Strong as it was, he believed that there was a prospect of capturing it,
having received information that the garrison at that time was but
small. It was a place, also, likely to prove of infinite importance
during the war then going on, and it was hoped that the attacking this
fortress would give a lustre to Queen Anne's armies, and possibly induce
the Spaniards to favour the cause of King Charles.

As no time was to be lost, the fleet sailed in consequence of this
resolution for Gibraltar, and, prepared for battle, took up a position
in the bay on the 21st of July. As the British gazed up on the lofty
rock surmounted by cannon, they might well have felt that it woul