[6] The regiments of infantry which were raised in 1702, and since retained on the establishment of the army, commenced with the _Twenty-eighth_, and ended with the THIRTY-NINTH regiment. [7] The THIRTY-NINTH formed part of the garrison of Gibraltar when that fortress was besieged by the Spaniards in 1727, and it also shared in the memorable defence made by General Eliott, afterwards Lord Heathfield, from 1779 to 1782. [8] A tradition has been preserved in the THIRTY-NINTH, that the regiment was present at the battle of _Almanza_ on the 25th of April 1707, and that it was for some years known as “_Sankey’s Horse_,” in consequence of its being said to have been mounted on mules for the purpose of expediting its advance. The regiment, however, did not embark for Portugal until the 22nd of May 1707, and therefore was not present at the battle of Almanza. [9] Minorca, an island in the Mediterranean, on the eastern coast of Spain, is about thirty miles in length and twelve in breadth, and is chiefly valuable for the excellent harbour of Port Mahon. In September 1708 Minorca was taken by Admiral Leake and a land force under Lieut.-General Stanhope, after a siege of about three weeks. The island was ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Utrecht, and remained in its possession until 1756, when, in April of that year, it was besieged by the French, under Marshal the Duke de Richelieu. After a brave defence by the Governor, General Blakeney, the garrison surrendered, and, in consideration of its gallantry, was permitted to march out with all the honours of war. At the Peace of Fontainebleau, in 1763, Minorca was restored to the English in exchange for Belle-Isle. In February 1782, the garrison, under the Governor, Lieut.-General the Honourable James Murray, after suffering severely from sickness, surrendered to the Duke de Crillon, the Commander-in-Chief of the combined French and Spanish forces, and Minorca was retained by Spain at the peace of 1783. Minorca again surrendered to a British force under General the Honourable Charles Stuart, on the 15th of November 1798; and at the Peace of Amiens, in 1802, Minorca was restored to the Spaniards, under whose sway it remains at the present period. [10] The following return of killed and wounded during the siege of Gibraltar, from the 11th of February to the 12th of June 1727, is extracted from “_The Political State of Great Britain_,” vol. xxxiv. p. 413:--