bad.

_Sunday 4th February._--This afternoon Mr. Lee, a General of the New
English (New England) troops came to town; as also the "Mercury," a
man of war, with General Clinton. The men of war _here_ took a
merchant ship coming in, &c.; all which made many commotions in the
town.

_Monday 5th._--Soldiers came to town both from Connecticut and the
Jerseys, and the whole aspect of things grew frightful, and increased
so from day to day. The inhabitants began now to move away in a
surprising manner. The weather was very cold, and the rivers full of
ice, which proved a great obstruction to the People's moving. However,
in the middle of the week it thawed fast, which seemed also to answer
the prevention of designs against the men of war, the execution of
which might have proved very fatal to the city. One could not pass the
streets without feeling a great deal; and at last we were obliged to
encourage it that our sisters and young People might retreat. At the
end of the week about 40 of our People were Moved.

_Sunday 11th._--This was a gloomy day. The carts went all the day with
the goods of the people that are moving; moreover, in the forenoon the
Soldiers began to take away all the guns from the Battery and the
Fort, and continued till late. This caused an hourly expectation,
especially in the afternoon, that the men of war would fire; however
they did not. It did not at all look like a Sunday. In some churches
they had no service; in others hardly any People. In the forenoon we
had a discourse from behind the table, from the yesterday's
watch-word; "I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment, lest
any hurt it," &c. In the afternoon was preaching on Lamentations III.
39-41: "Wherefore doth a living man complain, &c. Let us search and
try our ways," &c. Both times we had more hearers than we expected.

_Monday 12th._--His Majesty's ship, the "Mercury," with Genl. Clinton,
and the "Transport" with the soldiers left the harbour yesterday, to
proceed on their voyage southward. The moving out of the town
continues.

_Saturday 17th._--The whole week those of our people who are yet in
town were visited. This morning the "Phoenix" went out of the
harbor, down to the watering place and the hook. In the afternoon the
"Asia," the ship with the Governor and the two Prices, moved also out
of the east river, and when she was opposite the White Hall she was
fast upon a rock. All was in agitation in town; and it seemed ther