The British troops continued to take part in the war in Flanders: and in 1648 a troop of Scots cuirassiers, and the regiment of Scots Guards, had an opportunity of distinguishing themselves at the battle of _Lens_,[45] in Artois, under that distinguished commander the Prince of Condé. This battle was fought on the 10th of August, 1648. The Spanish army, commanded by Archduke Leopold, suffered a complete overthrow, and lost thirty-eight pieces of cannon, and upwards of one hundred standards and colours. Soon after this victory an insurrection broke out in Paris; the court removed to Rouel, and afterwards to St. Germain, and part of the army was recalled from Flanders to besiege the capital, and to reduce the Parliament of Paris to obedience. [Sidenote: 1648] [Sidenote: 1649] In this year (1648) a treaty was concluded at _Munster_, which restored peace to a great part of Europe, but the war was continued between France and Spain, and the British troops were continued in the service of France. Meanwhile King Charles I. of England, having fallen into the power of Cromwell, was beheaded at Whitehall Palace on the 30th of January, 1649. While these events were taking place in other parts of Europe, Paris was besieged by the French army, of which DOUGLAS' REGIMENT continued to form a part; but an amicable arrangement between the Court and Parliament took place in the spring of 1649. This was, however, followed by insurrections in several of the provinces, and the Spanish commanders, availing themselves of the distracted state of France, recaptured several places in the Netherlands. While France was disturbed with internal commotions, three hundred veteran Scots, who had been left in garrison at _Ypres_ in West Flanders, were engaged in the defence of that place against the Spaniards, and, after a gallant resistance, were eventually forced to surrender: but obtained honourable conditions, and marched out on the 6th of May, 1649, with drums beating and colours flying. [Sidenote: 1650] The commotions in France occasioned a decrease in the revenues of Louis XIV., and DOUGLAS' veterans, with the other Scots regiments in the French service, could not procure their pay. Meanwhile, King Charles II., who had been an exile on the continent for some time, was entering into a treaty, called the COVENANT, with the Scots, through whose means his Majesty expected to recover the sovereignty of Great Britain; at the same time, application was made to the French court for permission for DOUGLAS' and the other regiments to return to Scotland with the King; but these gallant veterans were so beloved and esteemed in France for their good conduct on all occasions, that Louis XIV. declined to accede to this request, and promised to give them their pay with greater regularity in future. [Sidenote: 1651]