remaining unhappy inhabitants.

I have great reason to imagine their flight was precipitated by
the appearance of a work which I had ordered to be thrown up last
Saturday night on an eminence at Dorchester, which lay nearest to
Boston Neck, called Nook's Hill.

The town, although it has suffered greatly, is not in so bad a
state as I expected to find it; and I have a particular pleasure
in being able to inform you, Sir, that your house has received no
damage worth mentioning. Your furniture is in tolerable order,
and the family pictures are all left entire and untouched.
Captain Cazeneau takes charge of the whole until he shall receive
further orders from you.

As soon as the ministerial troops had quitted the town, I ordered
a thousand men (who had had the small-pox), under command of
General Putnam, to take possession of the heights, which I shall
endeavour to fortify in such a manner as to prevent their return,
should they attempt it. But as they are still in the harbour, I
thought it not prudent to march off with the main body of the
army until I should be fully satisfied they had quitted the
coast. I have, therefore, only detached five regiments, besides
the rifle battalion, to New York, and shall keep the remainder
here till all suspicion of their return ceases.

The situation in which I found their works evidently discovered
that their retreat was made with the greatest precipitation. They
have left their barracks, and other works of wood at Bunker Hill,
&c., all standing, and have destroyed but a small part of their
lines. They have also left a number of fine pieces of cannon
which they first spiked up, also a very large iron mortar, and,
as I am informed, they have thrown another over the end of your
wharf. I have employed proper persons to drill the cannon, and
doubt not I shall save the most of them. I am not yet able to
procure an exact list of all the stores they have left. As soon
as it can be done, I shall take care to transmit it to you. From
an estimate of what the quartermaster-general has already
discovered, the amount will be twenty-five or thirty thousand
pounds.

Part of the powder mentioned in yours of the sixth instant has
already arrived. The remainder I have ordered to be stopped on
the road, as w