Walpole wrote to George Montagu on 4 June 1746 that the brothels of Covent Garden were popular with soldiers: "The talk of peace is blown over; nine or ten battalions were ordered for Flanders the day before yesterday; but they are again countermanded; and the operations of this campaign again likely to be confined within the precincts of Covent Garden, where the army surgeons give constant attendance." Here, the clock on the East Front of St. Paul's Church tells 4:45 a.m. as a party of drunken revelers and their prostitutes have stumbled into the market women's produce that has been set out for sale.