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longing to white people, as well as the shipping, 

 except two vessels, which they took with them; and 

 one of these was the long-expected Harpy, our last 

 resource, which unfortunately happened to arrive 

 some days before the enemy departed. 



After they had done us all the mischief they 

 wished, after having burnt Bance Island and the 

 vessels in that port, and after having taken about ten 

 prizes in the Sierra Leone river, they sailed away 

 the 13th of October last to the leeward, and left us 

 in the most wretched situation, without provision 

 to live on, without any rag to put on our backs, 

 and without comfortable habitations. But we were 

 happy that they did not murder us every one, and 

 that they left the huts of the settlers untouched. 

 (There were only two persons killed, and three or 

 four wounded, which happened the first day during 

 the attack.) We suffered very much the first week ; 

 but after our friends in the neighbourhood had sent 

 us some supply, and our settlers, — who have farms 

 in the country, or rather in the woods, where the 

 French did not dare to penetrate, — had brought us 

 theirs, we have been pretty well off for provision, 

 and there is at present not the least danger of starv- 

 ing. But we are in want of so many other neces- 

 saries and conveniences of life, that we are in real 

 distress, till any vessel arrives from Europe and 

 brings us some relief. I, for my part, am particularly 

 unhappy, as being deprived of my activity, and not 

 knowing what to do; for I have lost all my tools 

 and implements for writing and making collections : 

 I should otherwise soon make up some of my losses, 



