In the mean time an expedition had been fitted out in England, and a land force, commanded by Lieut.-General the Earl of Peterborough, embarked for the purpose of furthering the designs of the house of Austria. The fleet arrived at Lisbon in June, and, King Charles resolving to accompany the expedition, the ROYAL and Cunningham's (now eighth) dragoons, and four regiments of foot, were embarked to strengthen the land force. The fleet put to sea, and, after several consultations among the general and naval officers, an attack on _Barcelona_ was resolved upon. The fleet arrived before that fortress on the 22nd of August (N.S.), and on the 24th the ROYAL DRAGOONS landed near a river called Bassoz, on the east side of the city, and encamped about a mile from the walls, in a place well fortified by nature, where the army was joined by many of the country people, who were formed into bands, and acted as a guerilla force: "they were" (as Bishop Burnet observes) "good at plundering, but could not submit to regular discipline, nor were they willing to expose themselves to dangerous services." The siege of _Barcelona_ was considered a romantic enterprise, and it excited a lively interest in every nation in Christendom. The garrison equalled in strength the besieging army within about two thousand men, and, according to the ordinary rules and chances of war, success appeared impossible. The siege was, however, commenced, and on the 14th of September an attack was made on the strong fortress of _Montjuich_, situate on an eminence overlooking the town, on which occasion a detachment of the ROYAL DRAGOONS was posted between this detached fortress and the city to prevent a sally of the Spanish cavalry. The garrison of Fort Montjuich held out three days, and then surrendered. During the remainder of the siege the ROYAL DRAGOONS were almost constantly on duty, the besieging army not having a sufficient number of men to form two reliefs of the ordinary guards in the trenches and on the batteries: the siege was, however, persisted in, and the governor capitulated on the 9th of October. The garrison was preparing to march out on the 14th, when numbers of the guerillas and armed peasantry, having entered by the breach in hopes of obtaining plunder, united with the inhabitants of the town, and attacked the houses of the French and other persons known to be in the interest of the Duke of Anjou; they also threatened to massacre the governor and garrison: but the Earl of Peterborough marched into the town at the head of a troop of the ROYAL DRAGOONS and a detachment of grenadiers, and restored order and tranquillity. On this occasion his lordship narrowly escaped falling a sacrifice to his humanity. A Spaniard having fired at the Duke of Popoli, the ball passed through the Earl of Peterborough's periwig. The valour and perseverance of the British and Dutch having achieved the conquest of Barcelona, at which (as Dr. Freind observes) "all