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& lime had been in part procur'd: butt the news of the taking of Canso, and the orders for proclaiming Warr with France, made me urge the Engeneer to putt by the project of rebuilding, and to go in good earnest to the repairs necessary for our deffence. The French Inhabitants show'd themselves ready, not only to gett the timber necessary for that kind of work, butt to be employ'd in the Repairs, and we had gone on in some parts of it when on the 1st of July, the first party of Indians consisting of about three hundred came to interrupt us. They were no sooner known to be att the upper end of the River, but.t all the french Inhabitants left us and withdrew to their Habitations.
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I had then not a hundred men of the five Companys, Officers Included, fitt for duty. The Artificers brought from Old and New England tho' most, especially the first, have prov'd ready on occasion and behav'd with courage and resolution, yet could not be expected to be under command in the same manner as regular Troops, and some of those from New England declaring they carne to Work and not to fight, caus'd a backwardness and dispiritedness amongst their fellows.
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In this first onsett of the Indians, we had two men kill'd, who contrary to my orders had gone out in some of the gardens; and some officers with a number of men who with too little precaution went out early in the morning to pull down a house in the Governor's grounds according to the orders I had given the night before, had like to have been cutt off. They all gott in however without hurt. The Enemy encourag'd with this success carne under cover of some Stables and barns to the foot of the Glacis and kept a continual fire of small arms, 'till dislodg'd by our Cannon. They then went towards the lower town, the extremity whereof is above a quarter of a mile from the Fort, and sett fire to the houses, which soon gain'd near the Block house situated in the middle of the street, butt which by being surrounded with garden fences was not without danger of having a share in the conflagration. The Sergeant who was with a small guard in that Block house att sight of the fire about him sent me word of it and desir'd leave to withdraw. As from the Fort, we were sensible of his danger and I had no immediate means to relieve him, I sent him word he might withdraw; But upon the proposal of the Engineer to send Mr. How on board the Ordnance Tender with some of the Artificers to strengthen Her Crew and fall down opposite to the Town and scour the street, I sent a detachment under the command of a Captain
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