THE Fortress of Charleroy , being Situated between the French Kings Two late Conquests , Mons and Namure , has Intercepted their Communication , and rendred those Places , in a Great measure Useless to the French , in their main Designes in the Campaigne ; the Confederates keeping a great Garrison in the Place , of at least Eight Thousand Effective Men ; by which means not a Convoy durst stir to or from the said Garrisons , but they were Intercepted by the Governour of Charleroy : Upon which Account , after the Takeing of Namure 't was generally expected that the French King would take the First Opportunity of Besieging this Place , but for divers Reasons he has either been diverted from it , or delayed the puting this Design in Execution , till the shuting up of the Campaign . Now this place , upon the Account of the Siege , being the general Discourse of the Town , I thought it would not be amiss to describe a Place which most Discourse of , yet few Know .

Charleroy is a Frontier Town in the Province of Namure , it was Built by the Spaniards in the Year 1666. ( in Honour of Charles the 2d . the present King of Spain ) it was Surrendred to the French in the Year 1669. the Fort then not being strong enough to resist a Siege . It was afterwards extraordinary well Fortified by the French , by the Model and Direction of Monfieur Vaubon ( the present Famous Engineir ) by which means it became a considerable Hold ; it was restored to the King of Spain by the Treaty of Nimeguen , since which the Spaniards have made many Additional Fortifications , and is now the strongest Town on that side the Countrey : 'T is Scituated upon a rising Ground in the Exterior and Western Angle made by the meeting of the Rivers Pieton and Sambre , so that it has on the South the River Sambre , and on the West the River Poyeton , and on the East a deep Marsh , by which means it is Attackable on one side only , and that too is extraordinary well Fortified and Guarded with Forts ; The Chief Fortifications of this Place are thus Named : The Mons-Gate , the Brussele-Gate , the Tourney-Gate , the Grand Horn-Worke , the Half-Moo● of Valonne , the Half-Moon of Coffree , the Half-Moon of Rec●llets , the Half-Moon of Brabanzone , the Half-Moon of Tournay , the Flemish Half-moon , the Half-moon of Mons , the Luxemburg half-moon , the Hainault Bastion , the Burgundy Bastion , the Luxemburg Bastion , &c. This Place stands Fourteen miles West of Namure , and Twenty one East of Mons. The Town it self is no way Considerable but by its Fortifications .