The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume IV / Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts.

BEING The OBSERVATIONS He made in his late Travels from Prussia , through POLAND , GERMANY , ITALY , FRANCE , SPAIN , FLANDERS , HOLLAND , ENGLAND , &c.
Discovering not only the PRESENT STATE of the Chief Cities and Towns; BUT The CHARACTERS of the Principal Persons at the Several COURTS.
VOL. IV.
LONDON :
Printed for Daniel Browne, at the Black Swan , without Temple-Bar ; and John Brindley, at the King’s-Arms , in New Bond-street .
M. dcc. xxxviii.

OF THE Baron De Pollnitz. VOL. IV.
To Madame De ——.
The Conduct of the Court of Spain , tho’ it really made the Court of Vienna uneasy, did not hinder the Emperor from carrying on the War against the Turks with Vigour: And Heaven so prosper’d the Imperial Arms, that in 1718 Prince Eugene gain’d the most signal Victory near Belgrade that the Christians could have hop’d for. Soon after that Battle the victorious Troops reduc’d Belgrade , and at length the Turks were forc’d to sue for a Peace: While every Thing seem’d to have a Tendency that way, Spain put to Sea the most formidable Fleet she had ever equipp’d since that unfortunate one call’d, The Invincible Armado ;
and sent it to the Coast of Sicily , where it put a numerous Army on Shore, under Command of the Marquis de Lede . The Count de Maffei Viceroy of the Kingdom for the Duke of Savoy , who was King of Sicily , made all the Resistance possible, considering the Weakness of his Army; and tho’ not able to save the Island, yet he made such a Defence as hinder’d the Spanish Army from pushing its Conquests farther by giving Time to Admiral Bing , who commanded the English Fleet, to enter the Mediterranean , and execute the Orders he had to attack the Spanish Fleet. These Orders imported, that he was to act in a friendly manners in case that Spain desisted from its Enterprizes against the Neutrality of Italy ; but otherwise to make a vigorous Resistance. Admiral Bing communicated these Orders to Cardinal Alberoni , who answer’d him gravely, That he had nothing to do but to put them in Execution . The Admiral did so with a Vengeance; for on the 11th of August he gave Battle to the Spanish Fleet, and intirely defeated it. As soon as the Duke Regent was inform’d of the News, he sent away a Courier to the French Ambassador at Madrid , with Letters from the Earl of Stairs to the English Ambassador Earl Stanhope . The Design of his Royal Highness was to engage the latter to return to Madrid , from whence he set out on the 27th of August , that he might make fresh Instances there for a Peace with Cardinal Alberoni , who to be sure was a little stunn’d at this Reverse of Fortune. But the Earl, whether he did not meet the Courier, or whether he did not think it proper to return to Spain , arriv’d at Paris on the 9th of September .