I have been through the unfortunate little town of York since the siege, and saw many elegant houses shot through and through in a thousand places, and ready to crumble to pieces; rich household furniture crushed under their ruins, or broken by the brutal English soldier; carcases of men and horses half covered with dirt: books piled in heaps, and scattered among the ruins of the buildings, served to give me an idea of the tastes and morals of the inhabitants; these were either treatises of religion or controversial divinity; the _history_ of the English nation, and their foreign settlements; collections of charters and acts of parliament; the works of the celebrated _Alexander Pope_; a translation of _Montaigne’s Essays_; _Gil Blas de Santillane_, and the excellent _Essay upon Women_, by _Mr. Thomas_. The plan of the fortifications for the defence of York and Glocester has been entirely changed; they are drawing them into a narrower compass than before, have destroyed the English works, and are busy at constructing new ones. The travelling artillery is partly at Williamsburg and partly at York; and the heavy cannon is at West Point (called _Delaware_ in the maps), a place situated between the two rivers that form that of York. On the twenty-fourth [of October] the troops began to go into winter quarters. The regiments of Bourbonnais and Royal Deux Ponts are at Williamsburg, where our head Quarters are fixed. The regiments of Soissonnais, and the grenadier companies, and Chasseurs of Saintonge are at York. The rest of the regiment of Saintonge is billetted about in the country betwixt York and Hampton; and this latter place, situated on James River, is occupied by the Legion of Lauzun. This great and happy event, in which the French have had so considerable a share, will soon give a new turn to American affairs. The Southern States, so long harassed and distrest, will now assume new spirit and activity. To what a pitch of grandeur will not these new states shortly arise. NOTE.--In his second letter the Abbé mentions M. de St. Simon. This was the philosopher, whose plans for reorganizing society are still of interest. _IV._ _THE MARQUIS OF CHASTELLUX, MAJOR-GENERAL IN THE FRENCH ARMY, AND MEMBER OF THE FRENCH ACADEMY._ _1782._ _M. de Chastellux--Tour to the Natural Bridge--New Kent Court House--Hanover Court House--Offley--Secretary Nelson--Willis’ Ordinary--Monticello--New London--Cumberland Court House--Petersburg--Richmond--Formicola’s--Governor Harrison--College of William and Mary._