Meanwhile, the war which commenced on the frontiers of the Netherlands, in 1702, had taken a wider range, and Italy, Germany, Portugal, and Spain, had become the theatre of conflict; and in May, the regiment embarked on board the fleet under Sir Cloudesly Shovel, with other forces commanded by General the Earl of Peterborough, either to aid the Duke of Savoy in driving the French out of Italy, to make an attempt on Naples and Sicily, or to effect a landing on the coast of Spain, as should appear most for the interest of Her Majesty’s service. The fleet arrived at Lisbon in June, and additional forces were put on board; Archduke Charles, who was acknowledged as King of Spain, also embarked, and an attempt on the coast of Catalonia was resolved upon. From Lisbon the armament sailed, on the 28th of July, for Gibraltar, where a reinforcement joined from the garrison, and Colonel Hans Hamilton, of the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment, was nominated quartermaster-general of the expedition. Leaving Gibraltar, the fleet proceeded to the Bay of Altea, in Valencia, and a number of Catalonians and Valencians throwing off their allegiance to the House of Bourbon, and acknowledging Archduke Charles as king of Spain, the British general was induced to undertake the siege of _Barcelona_, the capital of Catalonia, which was defended by upwards of five thousand men, under the viceroy of Catalonia, Don Francis Velasco. In 1697, this fortress resisted thirty thousand French troops eight weeks, and cost Louis XIV. twelve thousand men; but the Earl of Peterborough was unable to bring more than seven thousand men into the lines, which gave an interesting character to the enterprise. Landing near the river Bassoz, on the 23rd and 24th of August, the troops advanced towards the town, and after some difficulties were overcome, the siege was commenced. The native energy of British soldiers was conspicuously displayed on this occasion, and the grenadiers of the THIRTY-FOURTH had the honor to take part in storming the detached fortress of _Montjuich_, situate on a hill on the west side of the town. The troops engaged on this service made a detour through the mountains during the night of the 13th of September, and stormed the outworks early on the following morning, making a lodgment, gaining the bulwark of a new fortification, and establishing themselves in the works. In a few days afterwards the garrison surrendered.