LOUIS XIV. NAVY. Excerpt from a letter from King LOUIS XIV t - Lot 83

LOUIS XIV. NAVY. Excerpt from a letter from King LOUIS XIV to the Duke of NOAILLES, dated June 24, 1694, regarding the naval war with the Spanish. Contemporary copy, 1 folio page, with some imperfections; “You will see from the enclosed excerpt from the letter I am writing to Marshal de TOURVILLE the orders I am giving him regarding the news I have received that RUSSEL (RUSSELL, a British naval officer) has set sail to enter the Mediterranean with 45 ships. You will learn from the said letter that you must no longer count on my naval fleet for the remainder of this campaign, which is why I now wish you had gone to Girona rather than Barcelona, and that my letters had not caused you to change your plans—though I do not believe this to be the case, given all the reasons you have given me for starting with Girona. If you are besieging that city, you need only do your best to take it; afterward, focus solely on operating with my army in enemy territory and securely holding the territories you have conquered; if you are in Barcelona, you must press the attack to take control of it before the enemy fleet can arrive there; in that case, Marshal de TOURVILLE will remain there and await the enemy. That is all I can say about the current state of affairs, and I am just as uncertain as you are about the course of action you have taken.”