, strongly manned,
to defend himself from Eugene; across the River, Berwick has one Bridge,
and at the farther end one battery with which he plays upon the rear
of Philipsburg. He is much criticised by unoccupied people, "Eugene's
attack will ruin us on those terms!"--and much incommoded by
overflowings of the Rhine; Rhine swoln by melting of the mountain-snows,
as is usual there. Which inundations Berwick had well foreseen, though
the War-minister at Paris would not: "Haste!" answered the War-minister
always: "We shall be in right time. I tell you there have fallen no
snows this winter: how can inundation be?"--"Depends on the heat," said
Berwick; "there are snows enough always in stock up there!"

And so it proves, though the War-minister would not believe; and Berwick
has to take the inundations, and to take the circumstances;--and to try
if, by his own continual best exertions, he can but get Philipsburg into
the bargain. On the 12th of June, visiting his posts, as he daily does,
the first thing, Berwick stept out of the trenches, anxious for clear
view of something; stept upon "the crest of the sap," a place exposed to
both French and Austrian batteries, and which had been forbidden to the
soldiers,--and there, as he anxiously scanned matters through his glass,
a cannon-ball, unknown whether French or Austrian, shivered away the
head of Berwick; left others to deal with the criticisms, and the
inundations, and the operations big or little, at Philipsburg and
elsewhere! Siege went on, better or worse, under the next in command;
"Paris in great anxiety," say the Books.

It is a hot siege, a stiff defence; Prince Eugene looks on, but does
not attack in the way apprehended. Southward in Italy, we hear there
is marching, strategying in the Parma Country; Graf von Mercy likely to
come to an action before long. Northward, Dantzig by this time is all
wrapt in fire-whirlwinds; its sallyings and outer defences all driven
in; mere torrents of Russian bombs raining on it day and night; French
auxiliaries, snapt up at landing, are on board Russian ships; and poor
Stanislaus and "the Lady of Quality who shot the first gun" have a
bad outlook there. Towards the end of the month, the Berlin volunteer
Generals, our Crown-Prince and his Margraves among them, are getting
on the road for Philipsburg;--and that is properly the one point we are
concerned with. Which took effect in manner following.

Tuesday evening, 29th June, there i