“I have the honour to transmit to you a copy of a letter which I have written to Lieut.-General Drummond, in consequence of the late disgraceful conduct of the American troops in the wanton destruction of private property on the north shores of Lake Erie, in order that if the war with the United States continues, you may, should you judge it advisable, assist in inflicting that measure of retaliation which shall deter the enemy from a repetition of similar outrages. “I have, &c., “(Signed) GEORGE PREVOST, “Commander of the Forces. “To Vice-Admiral the Honourable “Sir A. COCHRANE, K.B., &c., &c.” “Head Quarters, Montreal, “1st June, 1814. “Sir,-- “It is with sincere regret and disappointment that I perused the detail of illiberal and wanton devastation and unjustifiable outrage reported in your letter of the 27th ult., and Major-General Riall’s of the 19th, to have been committed in the vicinity of the village of Dover, and on its unoffending inhabitants, by the conflagration of their dwelling-houses and their mills. “I cherished the hope that the severe, although just, retaliation inflicted for the destruction of the village of Newark would have deterred the enemy from similar acts of barbarity; under that impression, I issued a proclamation of the 4th January last, which has since been most scrupulously adhered to by the troops under my command, and it is with painful reluctance I now feel myself compelled to return to a system so abhorrent to those principles of humanity which have always animated and characterized Britons. “But such horrors cannot be suffered to remain without notice or unrevenged; you must, therefore, transmit by a flag of truce to the officer commanding the American force nearest to you a statement of those atrocities, with information that you have my instructions to inflict a severe retribution for them; you may assure him that the same will be repeated for every act of such outrage committed on the defenceless and peaceable settlers of our frontier, and that the British fleet on the coast of America will be called upon to assist in the measure of just retaliation. “I have, &c., “(Signed) GEORGE PREVOST, “Commander of the Forces. “To Lieut.-Gen. DRUMMOND, &c., &c., “Com. Upper Canada.” “Tonnant, Halifax, “5th Oct., 1814. “Sir,--