dyed in Boſton by this laſt Viſitation is about three hundred and twenty, which is not perhaps half ſo many as fell by the former. The Time of its being moſt General, was in the Months June, July, and Auguſt, then 'twas that ſometimes in ſome one Congregation on a Lords-day there would be Bills Deſiring prayers for above an hundered Sick. It ſeized upon all ſorts of people that came in the way of it, it infected even Children in the bellies of Mothers that had themſelves undergone this Diſeaſe many years ago; for ſome ſuch where now born full of the Diſtemper. 'Tis not eaſy to relate the Trouble and Sorrow that poor Boſton has felt by this Epidemical Contagion. But we hope it will be pretty high Extinguished, by the time twelve month when it firſt began to Spread. It now unhappily ſpreads in ſeveral other places, among which our Garriſons in the Eaſt are to be reckoned ſome of the greateſt Sufferers.
Altho' Boſton did a few weeks ago, meet with a Diſaſter by Fire, which conſumed about twenty Houſes near the Mill-Creek, yet about midnight, between the ſixteenth and ſeventeenth Inſtant, another Fire broke forth near the South-Meeting-Houſe, which conſumed about five or ſix houſes, and had almoſt carried the Meeting-houſe it ſelf, one of the fairest Edifices in the Country, if God had not remarkably aſſiſted the Endeavours of the People to put out the Fire. There were two Calamities of this Fire, one was that a young man belonging to the Houſe where the Fire began, unhappily periſhed in the Flames; it ſeems that tho' he might ſooner awake then ſome others who did eſcape, yet he ſome way loſt thoſe Wits that ſhould have taught him to help himſelf. Another was that the beſt furniſhed PRINTING-PRESS, of thoſe few that we know of in America, was loſt; a loſs not preſently to be repaired.
There lately arrived from Piſcataqua, one Papoon from Pebobſcot, in a ſmall Shallop, wherein he had uſed to attend upon the pleaſure of Caſteen, but took his opportunity to run away, and reports: That a Veſſel of ſmall Bulk bound from Briſtol to Virginia, having been ſo long at Sea, till they were preſt with want, put in at the Penobſcot inſtead of Piſcataqua, where the Indians and French ſeized her, and Butchered the Maſter, and ſeveral of the men : but that himſelf who belonged unto the Ships Crew, being a Jerſey-man, what more farourably uſed, & found at length an advantage to make his Eſcape.
The chief diſcourse this month has been about the affairs of the Weſtern Expedition against Canada. The Albanians, New-Yorkers and the five Nations of Indians, in the Weſt, had long been preſſing of the Maſſachusers, to make an Expedition by Sea, into Canada, and ſtill made us believe, that they ſtayed for us, and that while we aſſaulted Quebeck, they would paſs the Lake, and by Land make a Deſcent upon Mount Real. Accordingly the Colony with ſome aſſiſtance from our kind Neighbours of Plimouth; fitted out an Army of near five and twenty hundred men, and a Navy of two and thirty Sail ; which went from hence the beginning of the laſt Auguſt, under the Command of the Honourable Sir William Phips.
In the mean time the Engliſh Colonies & Provinces in the Weſt raiſed Forces, the Numbers whereof have been reported five or ſix hundred. The Honourable General Winthrop was Head of theſe, and advanced within a few miles of the Lake; He there had ſome good Number of Maqua's to joyn his Forces, but contrary to his Expectation, it was found that the Canoo's to have been ready for the Tranſportation of the Army over the Lake, were not prepared, and the other Nations of Indians, that ſhould have come to this Campaign, ſent their Excuſes, pretending that the Small-pox was among them, and ſome other Trifles. The General Meeting with ſuch vexing diſappointments, called a Councel of War, wherein 'twas agreed, That it was impoſſible for them to Proſecute their Intended Expedition. However he diſpatched away the Maqua's to the French Territories, who returned with ſome Succeſs, having ſlain ſeveral of the French, and brought home ſeveral Priſoners, whom they uſed in a manner to barbarous for any Engliſh to approve. The General coming back to Albany, there happened a miſunderſtanding, between him and the Lieutenant Governour of New-york which occaſioned much diſcourſe, but produced not thoſe effects which were feared of it. Where lay the bottom of theſe miſcarriages is variouſly conjectured, if any people further Weſt then Albany have been Tampering with the Indians, to deſert the buſineſs of Canada, we hope time will diſcover it. And if Almighty God will have Canada ſubdu'd without the aſſiſtance of thoſe miſerable Salvages, in whom we have too much conſided, we ſhall be glad, that there will be no Sacrifice offered up to the Devil, upon this occaſion; God alone will have all the Glory.
'Tis poſſible, we have not ſo exactly related the Circumſtances of this buſineſs, but this Account, is as near exactneſs, as any that could be had, in the midſt of many various reports about it.
Another late matter of diſcourſe, has been an unaccountable deſtruction befalling a body of Indians, that were our Enemies. This body of French Indians had a Fort ſomewhere far up the River, and a party of Maqua's returning from the Eaſt Country, where they have a great rate purſued and terrified those Indians which have been invading of our North-Eaſt Plantations, and Killed their General Hope Hood among the reſt; reſolved
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