d prevented the adoption of the
former alternative till the rebels were too strongly entrenched to allow
the attempt to be made with any prospect of success. A hurried retreat
was therefore resolved on, and not only the troops, but those of the
inhabitants who had sided with the British, were compelled to embark on
board the men-of-war and transports, vast quantities of military stores
and property of all sorts being either destroyed or left behind, to fall
into the hands of the enemy. This fleet had arrived ill provided with
provisions to feed so many mouths, and from there being, as I have said,
but a scanty supply of food in Halifax already, it was considered
necessary to put the army and navy on half allowance--an arrangement to
which, though very disagreeable, we were compelled to submit with the
best grace we could muster. From the time of our arrival till the 4th
of May we were busily occupied in fitting the ship for sea, and not an
hour was lost after that was accomplished, in getting under weigh, when
we stood to the southward. We were not sorry to have the chance of
seeing some active service. On the 8th we spoke HMS Merlin, with two
transports bound for Halifax, on the 12th the Milford and Lively, on a
cruise. On the same day we anchored in Nantucket Roads, Boston, where
we found lying the Renown, wearing the broad pennant of Commodore Banks,
which we saluted with thirteen guns. A constant cannonade was kept up
on the squadron by the rebels who now held Boston and the surrounding
heights, but without doing us much mischief. We returned the fire
occasionally with probably about the same result. After their late
successes the American patriots had become very bold, and no longer held
the British in any respect. Some parts of the coast of the harbour were
left unprotected by the enemy. One night I was sent on shore in command
of a watering-party, with strict orders to keep a watchful guard against
surprise. To do this I considered it necessary to take possession of a
house near the spot where we were filling the casks. As the house was
deserted I carried off a table and six chairs which I found in it, with
which to furnish the midshipman's berth--ours having been knocked to
pieces on the voyage to Halifax.

By the rules of war I had a right to take the property, I believe, but
it seems hard that the owners, who were probably not belligerents,
should be deprived of it. On the following day, the 15th,