Sir: I have nothing in particular to communicate to Congress respecting the situation of our Affairs, It is much the same as when I had the Honor of addressing you last.

    On Friday night, about Eleven or twelve O'Clock a fire⁸ broke out in the City of New York, near the New or St. Pauls Church, as It is said, which continued to burn pretty rapidly till

[Note:Responsibility for the fire does not rest with any official, civil or military. It was probably started to cover looting by the criminal element. There were many exaggerated reports published in the London papers in October, in which the usual tales of bad blood between the New England and other troops are again recounted. The New Englanders wanted to burn the town but were prevented by the New Yorkers and Pennsylvanians, according to the London Chronicle .

   The Pennsylvania Journal of Oct, 20, 1776, states: "The fire originated at or near Whitehall, soon extended to the Exchange, took its course up the west side of Broad Street, as far as Verlattenberg Hill, consuming all the blocks from the Whitehall up. The flames extended across the Broadway from the house of Mr. David Johnson to Beaver Lane, or Fischer's Alley, on the west, and carried all before it, a few buildings excepted, to the house at the corner of Barclay Street, wherein the late Mr. Adam Vandenberg lived, sweeping the cross streets in the way.…The cause of the fire is not known. We imagine about a 6th part of the whole city is destroyed."

   Sparks notes that in describing this catastrophe the British commander wrote to Lord George Germain on the 23d that the town was set on fire in several places with matches and combustibles that had been prepared with great art and ingenuity. He added: "Many were detected in the act, and some killed upon the spot by the enraged troops in garrison; and had it not been for the exertions of Major-General Robertson, the officers under his command in town, and the brigade of guards detached from the camp, the whole must infallibly have been consumed, as the night was extremely windy. The destruction is computed to be about one quarter of the town." ]