The armament which had returned to Portsmouth soon sailed again for the coast of France, but achieved only exploits worse than inglorious.  An attempt was made to blow up the pier at Dunkirk.  Some towns inhabited by quiet tradesmen and fishermen were bombarded.  In Dieppe scarcely a house was left standing; a third part of Havre was laid in ashes; and shells were thrown into Calais which destroyed thirty private dwellings.  The French and the Jacobites loudly exclaimed against the cowardice and barbarity of making war on an unwarlike population.  The English government vindicated itself by reminding the world of the sufferings of the thrice wasted Palatinate; and, as against Lewis and the flatterers of Lewis, the vindication was complete.  But whether it were consistent with humanity and with sound policy to visit the crimes which an absolute Prince and a ferocious soldiery had committed in the Palatinate on shopkeepers and labourers, on women and children, who did not know that the Palatinate existed, may perhaps be doubted.

Meanwhile Russell’s fleet was rendering good service to the common cause.  Adverse winds had impeded his progress through the Straits so long that he did not reach Carthagena till the middle of July.  By that time the progress of the French arms had spread terror even to the Escurial.  Noailles had, on the banks of the Tar, routed an army commanded by the Viceroy of Catalonia; and, on the day on which this victory was won, the Brest squadron had joined the Toulon squadron in the Bay of Rosas.  Palamos, attacked at once by land and sea, was taken by storm.  Gerona capitulated after a faint show of resistance.  Ostalric surrendered at the first summons.  Barcelona would in all probability have fallen, had not the French Admirals learned that the conquerors of La Hogue was approaching.  They instantly quitted the coast of Catalonia, and never thought themselves safe till they had taken shelter under the batteries of Toulon.

The Spanish government expressed warm gratitude for this seasonable assistance, and presented to the English Admiral a jewel which was popularly said to be worth near twenty thousand pounds sterling.  There was no difficulty in finding such a jewel among the hoards of gorgeous trinkets which had been left by Charles the Fifth and Philip the Second to a degenerate race.  But, in all that constitutes the true wealth of states, Spain was poor indeed.  Her treasury was empty; her arsenals were unfurnished; her ships were so rotten that they seemed likely to fly asunder at the discharge of their own guns.  Her ragged and starving soldiers often mingled with the crowd of beggars at the doors of convents, and battled there for a mess of pottage and a crust of bread.  Russell underwent those trials which no English commander whose hard fate it has been to cooperate with Spaniards has escaped.  The Viceroy of Catalonia promised much, did nothing, and expected every thing.  He declared that three