privileges, but the whole country was placed under an
Austrian administration. ^*

From the time of his arrival on the Rhine, Marlborough,
though occupied with the military operations immediately
under his direction, anxiously looked to the more distant
scenes of the war, which, though extending to the remotest
parts of Europe, yet rested on his decision and superin-
tendence.

He had been long and seriously occupied in mediating a
reconciliation between the court of Vienna and the Hunga-
rian insurgents, an arrangement which was rendered ex-
tremely difficult by the jarring pretensions of the contending
parties. The insurgents endeavoured to extort, not only a
full confirmation of the religious liberties, but also of all the
civil rights which their ancestors had ever enjoyed; while
the emperor was equally averse to concessions which he
deemed no less contrary to the interests of the Catholic
church, than to the prerogatives of his crown. New difficul-
ties also arose from the existing circumstances. The victory
of Blenheim having removed the imminent danger which
threatened the house of Austria, the emperor felt less
anxiety for reconciliation with his contumacious subjects;
while the Hungarians, considering the influence of Marl-
borough as rendered paramount by his late success, endea-
voured to avail themselves of the anxiety which he had
uniformly testified for an accommodation.

Indeed he had already employed his mediation, through
the agency of Mr. Stepney, British envoy at Vienna, but
without effect. Finding, however, that no progress could be
made by an indirect correspondence, he summoned Mr.
Stepney to the camp at Weissemburg, that he might obtain
a more accurate knowledge of the question, and accelerate an
arrangement by his personal instances with the king of the
Romans, Prince Eugene, and the ministers who had attended
the heir apparent to the army. Repeated conferences were
held in vain; the affair was prolonged by continual appeals
to the court of Vienna; and the dispute was aggravated by
new persecutions at the instigation of the Jesuits, against
which the insurgents indignantly appealed to the feelings of
Marlborough. After a long discussion, no specific arrange-

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