King Charles having urged the reduction of Sardinia, with a view to open a passage for his troops in Naples to attack Sicily, as well as to secure a supply of provisions for his armies, a body of marines was withdrawn from _Tarragona_, a strong sea-port and garrison in Catalonia, to assist in this enterprise. On the 12th of August, 1708, the whole arrived before Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia; and on receiving an equivocal answer to the summons to surrender, the bombardment commenced on that evening, and continued, without intermission, until the next morning, when at the break of day Major-General Wills (thirtieth regiment) and the whole of the marines, with one Spanish regiment, were landed. The place, in consequence, almost immediately surrendered. The whole having been re-embarked, the fleet again set sail on the 18th of August, 1708, for _Minorca_, and arrived at Port Mahon on the 28th of that month. At this period _two_ of the Marine regiments were drafted, and the officers and men were incorporated into the other _four_, now employed on this service: this measure had become necessary in order to supply the casualties which had occurred, and to render these corps effective. For this purpose all the marines capable of duty, were drawn from the fleet about to return home, in order to assist in the reduction of an island, which, it was expected, would make a spirited and tedious defence. The first attack was against _Fort Fornede_, which was cannonaded by two of the ships, and surrendered after a contest of four hours; a detachment having been pushed to _Citadella_ the capital, it surrendered without resistance:--the batteries were opened on the works defending the town of _Port Mahon_ on the 17th of September, when, after a short but brisk fire, and the loss of only six men, a lodgment was effected under the walls of St. Philip’s Castle; and on the next day the place surrendered. Thus was this strong fortress, and the important _Island of Minorca_, gained by a force of only two thousand four hundred men; the garrison consisted of one thousand soldiers, with upwards of one hundred pieces of cannon mounted. Admiral Sir George Byng arrived at Lisbon on the 14th of October, from Portsmouth, having Her Majesty the Queen of Portugal on board; but although many other objects of service were in contemplation, nothing further was attempted during the remainder of the year 1708. On the 28th of October, 1708, the decease of His Royal Highness the Prince George of Denmark, Consort of Her Majesty Queen Anne, and Lord High Admiral of England, took place. [Sidenote: 1709]