The interests of the United Provinces and those of the reformed religion being intimately connected, their cause was popular in England; and when the king disbanded a great part of his army on the settlement of the peace in 1674, many officers and men voluntarily entered the Dutch service, particularly from the old HOLLAND REGIMENT, which was reduced on that occasion from eighteen to ten companies. Among the most zealous in this service were Captains Sir Henry Bellasis, Thomas Monk, John Morgan, Philip Savage, Roger M'Eligott, Alexander Cannon, and four others, who arrived at the Briel during the summer of 1674 with a number of men, who were formed into ten companies. The Prince of Orange had in the meantime taken the field with the army, and Sir Walter Vane proceeding to the camp to complete some arrangements with his Highness, served as a volunteer at the battle of Seneffe on the 1st of August, 1674 (O. S.), and was killed. Sir William Ballandyne was next appointed to command the British division, and the ten companies marched from the Briel to Bois-le-duc; from whence they were suddenly called to join the army and take part in the siege of _Grave_. They were commanded, while on this service, by Captain Hugh Mackay (afterwards lieutenant-general and commandant of the Scots brigade), who had transferred his services a few weeks previously from the French to the Dutch army; and was appointed major-commandant of the ten companies _pro tempore_. On the second day after their arrival before Grave, the ten companies were on duty in the trenches; and such was the fervour and eagerness of some of the officers and soldiers to signalize themselves, that Captain Savage and a few men stormed the counterscarp in the night without orders: they evinced great bravery, and gained some advantage, but were eventually repulsed, and Captain Savage was put in arrest, and reprimanded for his over-heated valour. After the surrender of Grave on the 28th of October, the ten companies returned to Bois-le-duc, where four British regiments were formed during the winter;--two English, commanded by Colonels Lillingston and Disney;--one Scots, commanded by Colonel Graham;--and one Irish, of which the Viscount of Clare was colonel. Two old Scots regiments in the Dutch service were purged of foreigners and added to the above four: the six regiments formed as fine a body of troops as any in Europe, and they soon had opportunities of proving that they possessed the same heroic spirit and contempt of danger as their predecessors in the war of independence, and as the valiant English and Scots who so highly distinguished themselves under the great Gustavus Adolphus. Such was the origin of the SIXTH REGIMENT OF FOOT. Its commanding officer was Colonel LUKE LILLINGSTON, whose appointment was dated in August, 1674. [Sidenote: 1675]