hundred and fifty thousand rations were ready to be served out to the fleet at Carthagena.  It turned out that there were not in all the stores of that port provisions sufficient to victual a single frigate for a single week.  Yet His Excellency thought himself entitled to complain because England had not sent an army as well as a fleet, and because the heretic Admiral did not choose to expose the fleet to utter destruction by attacking the French under the guns of Toulon.  Russell implored the Spanish authorities to look well to their dockyards, and to try to have, by the next spring, a small squadron which might at least be able to float; but he could not prevail on them to careen a single ship.  He could with difficulty obtain, on hard conditions, permission to send a few of his sick men to marine hospitals on shore.  Yet, in spite of all the trouble given him by the imbecility and ingratitude of a government which has generally caused more annoyance to its allies than to its enemies, he acquitted himself well.  It is but just to him to say that, from the time at which he became First Lord of the Admiralty, there was a decided improvement in the naval administration.  Though he lay with his fleet many months near an inhospitable shore, and at a great distance from England, there were no complaints about the quality or the quantity of provisions.  The crews had better food and drink than they had ever had before; comforts which Spain did not afford were supplied from home; and yet the charge was not greater than when, in Torrington’s time, the sailor was poisoned with mouldy biscuit and nauseous beer.

As almost the whole maritime force of France was in the Mediterranean, and as it seemed likely that an attempt would be made on Barcelona in the following year, Russell received orders to winter at Cadiz.  In October he sailed to that port; and there he employed himself in refitting his ships with an activity unintelligible to the Spanish functionaries, who calmly suffered the miserable remains of what had once been the greatest navy in the world to rot under their eyes.535

Along the eastern frontier of France the war during this year seemed to languish.  In Piedmont and on the Rhine the most important events of the campaign were petty skirmishes and predatory incursions.  Lewis remained at Versailles, and sent his son, the Dauphin, to represent him in the Netherlands; but the Dauphin was placed under the tutelage of Luxemburg, and proved a most submissive pupil.  During several months the hostile armies observed each other.  The allies made one bold push with the intention of carrying the war into the French territory; but Luxemburg, by a forced march, which excited the admiration of persons versed in the military art, frustrated the design.  William on the other hand succeeded in taking Huy, then a fortress of the third rank.  No battle was fought; no important town was besieged; but the confederates were satisfied with their campaign.