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 1 
 
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I 
 
 ,t 
 
 
! 
 
 I 
 
 A FEW REMARKS 
 
 •n the Danger of giring greater facilitiea to Distillation, as testified 
 
 past experience. 
 
 by 
 
 i' 
 
 AND 
 
 An Appeal to the Piililic^ 
 
 'OR CO-OPlRATiON m THE 
 
 1 
 
 IN AN ADDRESS TO MH. WItSON, DISTILUR, N, S. 
 Strong Drinks in the Province of Nofa Seotia. 
 
 BT 
 
 ■vi 
 
 f 
 
 RICHARD a HAtLS, 
 
 : ^ W.a^c. L^cTUBER, A..x,.D. M. W. P. Sozr. or T.MP.n^K^K, 
 
 ^ 
 
 >t 
 o- 
 
 n, 
 
 HALIFAX, N, §. 
 
 4 
 
 ., ^^^^ BY W. CCTNNABELL, No, 3. CONNORS' 
 
 wjMftr, 
 
 1848. 
 
 ^A 
 
 ^-1 
 
 -F 
 
 - : -! ^-gj^aww*" 
 
 •.'g>< & w»«' "' ^-'y" 
 
 ^gmii^ 
 

 r 
 
 i 
 
 To Mr. Wilson, 
 
 ^'j/-,— Having just peruged your letter as published in the Acadian 
 Recorder of December 11th, 1847, I am induced to offer a few observa- 
 tions upon it, and to put a few questions to you concerning the traffic in 
 which you are engaged, and for the benefit of which you claim the pro- 
 t<?ction of the Legislative Assembly of this Province. If I understand 
 thi' tenor of your epistle aright, you would wis ■ that the present trifling 
 duty oub he article which you manufacture should betaken off, in order 
 that you might be able to comnete with the Distillers of other Coun- 
 tries. Now. Sir, you have lived longer in the world than I have, and 
 doubtless you have not passed through it with your eyes shut; — I ga- 
 ther too from your letter that you have read a good deal, I would there- 
 fore asl: in all sincerity, from what you have seen and from what you have 
 reiiJ of the ititluence of inebriating drinks upon the communities where 
 they have become general, are you prepared to state that the business 
 iu which you are engaged is -re which deserves the sanction of any, 
 much less a Christian Legi iture, as having a tendency to increase 
 the comforts, and promote the moral, physical and religious improve 
 rnent of society.? This, Sir, is a plain, straightforward question, and 
 demands an honest, straightforward and unequivocal reply. You cannot 
 'w ignorant that there is a vast amount of moral and physical evil exist- , 
 ing in the world, and that the attention of the British "^Legislature hr ' 
 been more tlian once called to the subject. Thousands of pounds hav. 1 
 '.ioen expended in collecting evidence upon it, and persons the mo? 
 .'inmeritly qualified (o judge of the matter, both by their positions in a *'' 
 I'irty and the opportunities they have had for extensive observatio "' 
 have been subpoencd as evidences ; — nor can you be ignorant of the u- 
 nanimous decision to which these persons have come, that to the use of 
 ..Mch articles as you manufacture is to be attributed nine tenths of ah 
 ilie crime, poverty and disease which afflicts our land. This evidence 
 ai)me=i from Judges, Sheriffs, Ministers, Physicians, Poor Law Commia- 
 
 tv^ 
 
 
 ^ ( 
 
n the Acadian 
 a few obberva- 
 ig the traffic in 
 claim the pro- 
 ' I understand 
 present trifling 
 m oft, in order 
 »f other Coun- 
 ^ I have, and 
 3 shut ; — I ga- 
 I would there- 
 what you have 
 lunities where 
 t the business 
 ction of any, 
 ly to increasf' 
 ious improve 
 question, and 
 . You cannot 
 ical evil exist- 
 egislature hr 
 if pounds hav. 
 sons the mos 
 positions ins 
 e observatio 
 rant of the u- 
 it to the use of 
 ' tenths of ah 
 This evidence 
 Law Commis- 
 
 ,t 
 o- 
 n. 
 
 nioners, Gaolers, Keepers of Lunatic Asylums, &c,, &c., and to it you, 
 sir, and every man or woman who reads this may add your joint testi- 
 monies, and, if those testimonies are honestly given, they will cor- 
 roborate the statement given by the abo-e eminent individuals. Now, 
 Sir, this being admitted, — and the fact cannot be denied, it eee.ns ex- 
 ceedingly strange that you should be so very desirous of having all this 
 laid at your door, and envious of the Distillers of other Countries be- 
 cause they come in for their share of the honor of demoralizing and 
 impoverishing the people of Nova Scotia. But, it is evident that the 
 £,. a. d. has more weight with you than the happiness or prosperity of 
 the people. You wish a greater license to be given to you in order that 
 you might increase your busiues. If the duty were taken off you would 
 -be able to supply Rum at a cheaper rate ; being supplied at a cheaper 
 rate (as experience has proved, which I si -U by and by show) more 
 of the Soul-destroying, God-defying poison would be drunk, and the 
 greater would be your worldly prosperity. Self interest is therefore 
 your ruling principle as is plainly exhibited in the letter before me, al- 
 though you seem anxious to have it believed that you are actuated by a 
 desire to benefit the community. You seem unwilling to admit, that a 
 decrease in price would tend to increase the sale, but as •' Experience 
 is the best schoolmaster," I shall take the liberty of differing from you. 
 yet not without showing you my reasons for so doing. In the United 
 Kingdom in J82G nearly one half of the duty on Spirits was taken ofi'. 
 and the consequence was that the consumption was nearly doubled. — 
 This continued for 5 or G years and the cfiects were seen in the increas- 
 ed taxation in the shape oi " poor rates." In lS2o the poor rate* 
 amounted to £5,78G,9S9, which increased every year unlfl in 1S3I it 
 reached £0,798,888 sterling, showing an increa.'^e of one million, ele- 
 ven thousand eight hundred and ninety nine pounds U Its effects 
 in producing crime were exactly similar, for in the six years previous 
 to the reduction of duty the number of criminal offences were 93,432, 
 in the latter six, when the duty was reduced, they numbered 128,010, 
 being an increace of 24,578 ! ! The number of convicts were for the 
 former period 20,015, which in the latter hud iucreased to 01,432, an 
 increase of Ten thousaitd, eight hundred and seventeen ! ! The ex- 
 penses of the police courts had likewise increased from £292,112 to 
 £478,365 sterling, or nearly double the amount. These statistics sub- 
 stantiate the evidence laid before the select Committee of the House of 
 Commons, that " crime and pauperism has increased in the same pro- 
 portion to the increased consumption of distilled spirits, and prove to a 
 demonstration that the greater the facility for procuring strong drinks. 
 the greater the demoralization of the people. The following report of 
 the Police offices in Dublin, for four years, in tv/o of which (1812-13) 
 distillation was prohibited will present this in a more forcible light. 
 1811 Stills at worK, ... - 10,737 prisoners, 
 
 1812 ) 9 90S ' " 
 
 1813 4 Distillation from corn prohibited, Jncr 1 1 u 
 
 1814 Stills in full work, - - 10,243 ! ! ! " 
 
 If giving greater facilities to the people for procuring inebriating 
 compounds will not cause a greater consumption of the article, and w '■ 
 net tend to increase the taxationof, and crime in the country, allow i 
 to ask, how is it that after the Beer Bill in England came into operation 
 when the duty on it was taken off, that the consumption of that article 
 
 i 
 
 ] ^••k£% 
 
 s 
 
 .0m^-'*-f^^ 
 
4 
 
 wui nearly doubled ? And again allow me to enquire, how was it that 
 crime increased at so fearful a rate ? it appears from Lord Melbourne't 
 statement, that from the year 1821 to 1827 the increase of crime was at 
 the rate of twelve per cent ; whereas from the year 1827 to 1833 it had 
 increased at the rate of 31 per cent: audit was during the latter pe- 
 riod that the opening of the Beer trade and the reduction in the 
 duty on Spirits took place, (Parliamentary Evid: p. 162.) The same 
 effect has been produced in most of oar Colonial Posseirions where fa- 
 cilities have been afforded for procuring strong liquors. Stephens in 
 his South Australia (which country you have quoted,) ha 3 these words, 
 " pray tell whoever thinks of coming out here that they must make up 
 their ininds to be sober, for liquor being so cheap here it is the destrut- 
 Hon of so many it is quite dreadful." And SirWm.Moleswo: th.speak- 
 ing of Sydney, "in Australia, says: «' To dwell here is much the :,ame 
 as inhabiting the lowest jour/iew* of St. Giles's, where drunkenness 
 nnd sh?meles3 profligacy are not more apparent than in the Capital of 
 Australia." " The consumption of spirituous liquors in that Colony," 
 remarks Dr. Lang, " is fearful in the extreme, and forms the great-st 
 barrier to its improvement and success." " More immorality prevails 
 in Sydney than in any other town of the same size in the British do- 
 minions," and it is here that Stephens tells us spirits are so cheap. 
 
 Colonel Bouchette, in his B. N. America, speaking of P. E. Island, 
 says : " The facility for obtaining ardent Spirits, and the free use made 
 of them, operates here as in all our other colonies, as a serious 
 drawback on their morality and prosperity." I might go on to enu- 
 merate many other colonies "where the same effects have been produced 
 by the establishment of distilleries in the country, but shall content my- 
 self with those already named, merely reminding you and my reader 
 that in Australia distillation was originally permitted in order to en- 
 courage agriculture, the awful consequences of which have been 
 above noticed. Since, then, I have proved, from undeviable evidence, 
 that lowering the rate of duty tends to increase the consumption of the 
 article, and that whare that increased consumption takes place, crime 
 and poverty as naturally follow as effects follow causes, I shall proceed 
 to show its effects as exhibited by our Bills of Mortality, and thus fur- 
 ther prove it to be equally destructive to the lives as it is to the virtue 
 and happiness of the population. Turning to the London Bills of Mor- 
 tality, we find that the number of deaths and burials in the Metropolis 
 correspond with the Consumption of Spirituous Liquors : that every in- 
 crease of consumption is attended with a corresponding increase of 
 jidult and infant mortality, and on the other hand a diminution of the 
 consumption of alcoholic drinki is followed in a proportionate degree 
 bv a diminution of the number of deaths. The Bills of Mortality in 
 1T29 rose to 29,722 in consequence of the unioise enactment to ex- 
 tend the traffic in strong drink. To remedy this the government in- 
 terposed a check bv increasing the duty : the consumption was conse- 
 quently diminished and in the year following the mortality was only 
 % 761, being a decrease of 2961 ; whilst in 1732 it had diminished to 
 23',35S, showing a decrease of 6364. In this year the increased duty 
 was repealed and the mortality immediately increased fo 29,233 . . 
 Similar results took place in 1742-3 and 1751-2. A striking illustration 
 however in the rise and fall of mortr.lity as dependant upon he con- 
 sumption of strong drinks occurred in the years 1757-8. In 17d7 tnc 
 
 •wys ' iho-i 
 
 .A •. 
 
 \ 
 
 \ 
 
 I 
 
M^*n«a4Nh»v» 
 
 
 I 
 
 T 
 
 mortality was 2J,313, in 175b, when distillation was suspended, it 
 fell to 17,520, being a decrease in one year of 3793. The mortality in 
 ISOO was 23,00S, in ISOI when io co:is'equence of scarcity distillation 
 was suspended, it sunk to 19,370, being a decrease of 3092 and that too 
 in a time of great destitution ! In the citv of Glasgow, in 1S21, there 
 were 3086 deaths : in 1822 there were 3690, being an increase of onlv 
 four. In ii,23 the hw duties on Spirits began to operate, and that 
 year the deaths amounted to 4027 and in I S24 it rose to 1070, beint 
 ySO more than in 1822. Dr. Sew all 
 
 The following Table will set this in a still clearer light : 
 
 vear 
 
 1803 
 1801 
 
 \'* 
 
 I SOS 
 180^ 
 
 British 
 Spirits 
 
 5,353,309 
 3,678,079 
 
 Rum. 
 
 2,573,002 
 
 1,508,999 
 
 Malt 
 Liquor. 
 
 7,243,344 
 7,045,193 
 
 Total Xo. 
 of gallons. 
 
 5,384,391 2,174,751 17,281,003 
 C^.-,340 2,lOO,§35i7,195,92O 
 
 ■8JJ| 1(/2.19] 
 Is'}j4,0o3;70'; 
 
 1«26 
 
 3,044,080 6,838,705 
 
 15,170,255 
 12,232,871 
 
 14,840,748 
 9,986,885 
 
 10,045,57(1 
 
 Mort. of 
 
 Eng. & 
 
 Wales. 
 
 203,728 
 181,177 
 
 Increa 
 se of 
 Dths. 
 
 200,7)3 
 191,471 
 
 3,3:);i,18Si ;,050,744 14,442,038 
 
 :-...0-.-,;J32 1,980,8"7 
 7,J07,?0'|3,.)82,033 
 
 7,986,414 13,622,453 
 
 S,'l:'.012|l0,80;,279 
 
 Decrea 
 se of 
 Dths. 
 
 22,-55 1 
 
 9,24. 
 
 l'='6,477 
 
 200,403 19,926 I 
 
 255,01s 
 208,101 
 
 l.S,l43i 
 
 .'.^ow, Su\ T Lpi^xiiil to yAur honesty, whether evidence such as this 
 n<.»v proriuced is not ronilm^tory of the facts, that the greater the fa- 
 cility for procuring these deleterious liquids, the greater the consumr)- 
 tion, aud tne greater che consumption the greater th« amount of ^-^x,- 
 tion, and the number of deaths in the country ; and if this be tru.,' so 
 far trom your business demanding protecHon from the Logislatiwe of 
 this Province, it is one which calls loudly for being put down aUn^^. 
 tfier, and no greater benefit could be conferred on the communitv 
 than byproMbiting the importation andmaKufacturt of an articU 
 so destructive > human happiness afid life. Your argument that 
 by a decrease ol duty a great public benefit would be derived inasmuch 
 as It would give a greater amount of employment, would, if true, bt 
 but as a fly upon the chariot wheel " when coi;)i ared to the miserifs 
 which, as has been proved, inevitably flow from sotting ope a such a 
 flood gate of iniquity. But, Sir, ^he assertion is any thing but trutfi 
 It may It 18 true, cause yo« to employ a greater number of individuU* 
 but will that article which these men assist in manufacluiiiiir, be th." 
 means of raising the majority of our population info better rirnnn- 
 stances, and cause the useful tradesmen to employ a greati^r i.uni!)er of 
 workmen ? No, Sir, History falsifies the assertion that atlording faril,. 
 ties to d^tiUation promotes the well being of a community inanyr.- 
 spec . You may say that it will cause hundreds of pounds to floxv an- 
 ""fjl^ K,? ^l- ^'•°r,'"f^^^ Treasury, more than is at 'present deposited 
 there: but. Sir, will that paltry consideration compensate for the hn- 
 mense evils which will result from such mistaken policy .' History s 
 profuse in examples of the dire effects of such a political measure .'and 
 the history of Distillation itself is a " Mtcord of carnage, a chroniX 
 
 Ml 
 
 I 
 
of blood. Is it the business nf the LeqislattiiT Himplv [o soe how fust 
 fl:py can fill tlm provincial chest, without retranl to the wel/urf; of the 
 citnmiinity over which they preside ? or is it not their dntv to look up- 
 on the people as individual members of one large family," over whom 
 they iiave the headship, and endeavour bv every possible means to en- 
 liance their temporal and spiritual Interests? This, Sir, is the plain 
 |..ith ot duty marked out by the pen of Deitv,— but, actinj? upon your 
 advice, tiioy would be fjiviii- a slill ;,'roater license to hitemperance, 
 and soon swell tlie number ot" victims at the annrnd anta dafe of the 
 Distiller and his allies from 60,000 to 1-20.0{)C. Take up whatever pa- 
 per we will, our hearts sicken at the recital of the horrid carnage which 
 IS continually perpetrated by the use of the article which vou manufac- 
 ture. Ardent Spirits. "The bottle has slain more lluiii the sword " 
 say.-; a late eminent writer. Aye, Sir, il has slain more than the 
 sn;ord,plai^ue, pvstilence and fnmifw united. JJv its use, tens o»" 
 ♦ housands have been plun;red heudlonn: into pliysical diseases, moral 
 <lehasemenl, domestic discord and misery,— temporal and eternal de- 
 strnctiuii. Through its u.s(! health has been sapj)ed and destroyed,— 
 ffmnexions the most dear have been ruptured, personal character blast- 
 ed, and the homes of thousands crowded with want and sorrow; yea, 
 sorrow the most ])oiy;iiant and paljjable. The history of Distillation! 
 like Iv/ceUiel's roll, ij '• torittvn loithia and without," '■'Lnuicntation 
 and mourning and woi-.:' Need we confirmaticn of this fact, we 
 have but to make a rijrht use of our eyes, and whether we turn them to 
 the riu'ht Innd or the lelt, in every street, at every corner, in every al- 
 b'^y, ^y^\ so universal is the evil 77? vii'.ry house we shall find " Con- 
 lirmalion strong' as prools of Holy Writ." Yes, I repeat it, in every 
 hoi'.sr, for I do not believe there is a family in the [)rovince of Nova 
 Sci,':i.-, into whoso .•ircle, tlirnii<Tb some member connected with them, 
 in a near or remote degree, intemperance has not entered, and, enter- 
 in^S .injured them in mi;id or circumstances. If, Sir, you wish further 
 to l.e .informed ui-on the .>uibject. 'xo ask the prisoner in" his i^loomy cell, 
 '' Who forgeil the chains that bind you fast?" r.nd he will tell voii 
 " The love of drink." What is it fills our workhouses with paupc'rs ? 
 Go ask the inmates and nine tenths w'U say " Strons; drink." What 
 thron;,'s the liospitals ill the old country with the halt'", the blind and 
 otherwise diseaaod .' the horrid sound still vibrates on rur ears " Stron"- 
 driik." Do you want lY-rther procjf. do read the Newgate calender 
 :or thv- last century ! We are not then \v\'t in the dark as to the cause 
 
 of all this domorali/.alion. 
 
 No! 'I'liero 
 
 tli'iusind thunders which 
 
 voice louder than ten 
 .1 
 
 IS a light clear 
 
 ■• ■•- ; ^.. breaks upon oui- cars— there ..^ a uj^m un-u 
 
 as th(; noon-day Sun which shines upon vnr minds, and reveals the 
 >;(i',u'>;(,' -'■-"" ' - '• 1 . -"■ •• ■ 
 
 ■v.hl with thu'ivlers it is prr 
 
 ok'thk Uiirns;^ D.;Mivio\.-i : 1 nc 
 
 result froiM iiio ei:',^our;(;<e7ne:)i: which 
 
 'iaimcd. 
 '''h( 
 
 of all these i\otKl> of darkness. With a Sunbeam it is written, 
 
 " LvTb;MPrii.\.NCF. is thf. (X'jisk 
 vc, Sir, ar(.' the evils whicli now 
 
 - ,-, -- li__ the L('!.;islatuves, both British 
 
 ,:^nvi i.'rp* iu.-"; il, li .v<? giveii to di.-;tiilaf'ion ; and f defy yoti. Sh", to clear 
 your.^rlf :V^<;ri t!?'^ ch,ii'.ic: of having ai.'cd in brijiTJng' about s'lch a fear- 
 f'.i! aiuoii '.i n'i li.i-'c-ry, li'^ifii temporal 'and eternal. 1 siy temporal and 
 cleruui, i\i-: toe !i;!tle field, after the day of slaughteiv drenched with 
 human _^-ure, 0'iv;ere(i vvitli hl-dps of tl:e slai.-i, andrv^sounding with (he 
 crie.s i.if the woinded avAll dyini;, afford but a faint emblem of tlie woes 
 
 v/hicb o!r'ii( 
 
 ■Ao-.riuea a!;.j 'iyini;, anoru nni a lain'o cmoiem 01 Itie woes 
 ; ■Iriijk ha;j-o,N;a*!Miod, when traced 'to another woi^ld.- — 
 
 '\ 
 
 •""^^ 
 
 M t 
 
 ^ 
 
wm 
 
 Satan never liail « more active asrcnrv at work than I;e pos!«cfsc9 in 
 the article which you manulHcturc, and of which so many are enL'a2e(i 
 in the salo in the city of Halifax. Unwelcome as the truth may appear, 
 and harsh as the expression may seem, 'tis true, 'tin pitv, and' pity 'tis, 
 'tis true, thatyoM arc aiding him in peopling fiis dark domuin!i,n7id 
 i^iving your help towards robbing the Church of Christ «/'.'i<).000 of 
 Its members annually ! You may not toish that this should be the 
 c&se,— nor woidd I wrong you for one moment hy supposing; that you 
 do wish It. Yet, Sir, such has ever been, such is now, and such will 
 ever continue to he the effect, so Ion;,' as the article is manufactured.— 
 'I he appetite has been formed and vou are willing to pamper that appe- 
 tite, by continuing in the tratlic, and, moreover, are desirous of extend- 
 ing your business. Now, Sir, there is no plea hy whicli you can justi- 
 fy yourself. Vou cannot take shelter under an Act of Parliament ; for 
 although your business moy be, and is, permitted bv Leuislative enact- 
 ments, yet a higher authority than any human power denounces a woe 
 upon him who puts his bottle to his neiglibour— the IJible is against it, 
 and as no human law, contrary to the divine, can be of any avail to 
 screen a man from condemnation before the bar of that court where we 
 shall all .sooner or later appear, your endeavour to got rid of this bur- 
 tlien at the house of Mr. Legality will be a.s fruitless as John Buiiyan's 
 Tilgrim. Nor can you find refuge in the plea that you do it for "yonr 
 living, having a family to provide for; for the samo authority has de- 
 rlared, ■' Woe unto him tiiat coveteth ati evil covofousne.ss to his 
 house, that he may build his nest on iiigh, that ho may be delivered 
 from the power of evil. Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by 
 eulting off many people, and has sinned against thy soul. For the 
 stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timlier shall 
 answer it. " IVoe unto him that buildeth a town with olood and es- 
 inblisheth a city by iniquity:' Nor can you plead ignorant of the 
 ellects of the article which you manufacture. Would to God you could , 
 then would there be some hope that when its evils were known, the 
 trafhc in these " evil si>irits" would be ahpndonetl l)y you. But you 
 cannot plead this : for even if you were determined to cJose vour eye.>: 
 upon them, the light is so strong that it would pierce through your 
 very eyelids. 
 
 You are lel't therefore without excuse, and although your business 
 may be a prolitableone as it regards money, yet, seeing that it is gain- 
 ed at the expense of the demoralization of "the people, it has the ban of 
 the J)eify upon it. You may have made money bv your business, but 
 let me tell you Sir,— and I do it without anv feeling of hostility to your 
 person,-— thnt God never gave you a single dollar ! There is r u 
 dollar which (inkles in your chest, gained by the mamifacture a.d 
 sale of Rum, but is ''blistered tvith the tear of sorrow ^' aud crust- 
 ed with the piercing cries of the sobbing wife and starving chil- 
 dren:" I ask you. Sir, " Whene'er you take vour walks abroad,!' and 
 m the course cf your business enter into those'places where vour arti- 
 cles are sold, and hear the oaths, curses, blasphemies and le'wd songs 
 ■ot those under the influcHce of your poison; or whene'er you see the 
 ragged children and heart-broken wife of the poor victim of intempe- 
 rance, are you prepared to kneel at the footstool of vour Maker, ami 
 ask his blessing upibn youv busines.si I Dare you thu.s address the Dei- 
 IV 01 Heaven .' ami if you cannot, is not this a convihcing jiroof-that 
 
 
 % 
 
 
"•■«» — ■» » '« 
 
 r mu ijruuuciiou oi an article to ensiafe botn tue sojla and bo- 
 
 the ronsumers ; ia that any reason why we should do the same ? 
 
 authorized to do evil that i^ood rnuy come ? No, Sir, and if 
 
 as you ouglit, instead of bemi' ambiiious of sharini' in the ill- 
 
 your busmew is r^'pugnant t(^ His pyes of purity ; and being repugnant, 
 has any christian Legislatur*; a right to give its countenance much les-i 
 its entire support to you, or have you any right to require it at their 
 hands ? B-cause the article you manufacture is a " subject of com^ 
 tnerce," is that ony reason wliy tlie Legislature of tips I'rovir?e should 
 <^xtend its protection over its manufacture here, and ."imply because it 
 M an article of comnierce, close its eyes to the effects which the traffic 
 produces. Suppose a few years aeo w had applied the same reason- 
 ing to the Slave Trade, whid would have been thought of us ? And 
 because other nations of the earth choose to prostitute the Truits of the 
 earth to the production of an article to enslare both the sgjIs and bo- 
 dies of the 
 Are we 
 
 you felt as you ougiH, instead 01 being amoaious oi snaring 
 gotten treasure of those nations, you would blush at, and deplore the 
 depravity of, those persons who could condescend to engage in so ne- 
 farious and soul-destroyin, a tratlic. Supposj the Provincial chest to 
 be enriched by foUowiisg your suggestion ; Itt mo ask you where would 
 be the wisf urn nt' filling up, by a thousand streams, the reservoirs of 
 national wealth, to be poured out again by as many channels of profu- 
 f-ion and crime; and when tlie Almii,'hty has so expressly declared his 
 aldiorrence of such means in tiic language before quoted—" Woe unto 
 Mm that kmldeih a toicn with blood, and establisheth a city by ini- 
 <iU'Uy." Are not Spirits cheap e'lough heie at the present "moment, 
 and does not Intemperance stalk ;ibr(iau at noon dtiy ? Do not your 
 papers continually give us i-ep:)rt3 ol deaths from this prolific 
 source ? And has tiot complaint been latelv made of the number of 
 persons in otir Gaol ? Whence arises all this ? To what can it be at- 
 tributed ? To the inefljciency of the Police ? -az ono of our papers sup- 
 posed. No, Sir, but to the cheapness and the facility of procuring 
 your liquors at any of the One Hundred and Eif^hty' Licensed Grog 
 Shops of Halifax ! ! ! You say. Sir, that it is " the true wisdom of 
 political economy to encourage Domestic Manufactures, by giving 
 themevery facility that docs not clash with other interests. To 
 this I most heartily subscribe, but unfortunately for yo'.\ Sir, was the 
 Legislature of Nova Scotia to act upon this principle, it could not af- 
 ford that facility to yoi/r profeujion which you desire, because by ^o 
 doing it woujld clash with evert other interest in the community. 
 There is not a useful tradesman in the community but would be bene- 
 fitted by an entire prohibition of the importation and manufacture, and 
 entire abstinence from the article which you produce. The bac^ks 
 <.f thousands would be better clothed ! the feet of thousands would be 
 better protected from the weather ! the tables of thousands would be 
 more amply provided with food ! the homes of thousands would have 
 a more comfortable appearance ! and thus the Shoemaker, Tailor, But- 
 cher, Baker, Grocer, and a number of othtrs of different trades or pro- 
 fessions would be benefitted, whilst the increase in the importation of 
 things necessary for human sustenance or comfort, would more than 
 make up the amount which you pretend would be derived by acting 
 upon your suggestion, without taking into consideration the increased 
 amount of domestic happiness and the general well being of the peo- 
 ple, nor the habits of industry which Temperanca generates, by wnich 
 Manufactures of various kinds would be produced. 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 i^rfs^. 
 
 -.- -.-^ 
 
.--,• 
 
 B11 
 
 \ 
 I 
 
 In your ap'p3al to th3 Lcgi«lature, you seem to let • our profesaion on 
 a par with other Manufactures as being equally deserving of support as 
 the callir.g of the ut^/«/ Mechanic, htcau^i ihe articlt ii uted. Bnt, 
 Sir, I think I know enough of Ncrva Scotia to warrant me in saying 
 that there is not a Mechanic ..» the Province, who would not feel him- 
 self disgracd by the comparison. Theirs, generally, is an honorable 
 nnd lawful employment— lawful in the hightjst sense of the term — 
 warranted by Divine as well as by human law, and con<".acc!j to the 
 weltare of the whole social organization. Yours, Sir, on the con- 
 trary, produce poverty, idleness and crime. Flven granting, what 
 rannot be isfablinhed, that it mat/ promote the happiness of a par- 
 'icuicr portion of ihc cammunity, yet it must be at the expense of 
 fmne ether port i>n. You may export your poison to England and 
 other places, and the immediate effect may be to introduce money in- 
 to Halifax, — but the only important enquirv is, what will tht effect tt 
 on tht whole body politic ? Will the money which you receive here 
 be a compensation for all the evil which '1 be Uone there 1 Now, 
 Sir, Are may very easily determine this my. . Th. article which you 
 manufacture, will spread just as much depositation wherever it is ex- 
 ported, as it would if consumed in your own immediate neighbourhood. 
 Let us then concentrate all this poison which you ?re so desirous of be- 
 ing able to export, and suppose it to be .i.sumed jvhere we might ses 
 it, what would be the resnlt ? What ha^ i-^en the result as shewn in 
 the former part of my letter ? An increase of taxation, crime, pcverty> 
 disease and crime ! ! Is there any man who will pretend then that the 
 paltry sum which would be received, would be a compensation for this 
 vast amount of human suffering ? Can money be a compensation for 
 Intemperance, idleness and crime ? Can money compensate for the 
 loss of health, the happiness ami the souls of men .' You sell disease, 
 and death, and poverty, and nakediseas, and tear^ to other families, ♦o 
 clothe and feed your own: and as the result of this current of moral 
 poison and pollution which you cause to flow into thousands ot other 
 families, you would, perhaps, point us to your country seat at Dart- 
 tnouth, or to th« gay apparel of your sons or daughters, and proclaim 
 that the evil is not seen by you! Families, towns and neighbourhoods, 
 counties and provinces, may groan and bleed somewhere, and tliousanda 
 may fall as " untimely fruit," but your g?in is to be a compensation 
 for all ! Suppose a mariner had found out some method of enriching 
 himself, and in a pecuniary sense benefitting our Provincial Treasury, 
 by trading between Halifax and Sierra Leone, bat could only do this 
 by importing the plague in every return voyage, wruld you deem it 
 »»a honorable employment? And why not.' He acts precisely on th* 
 sanue principle as you do — a desire to make money, and that on 
 ly. The truth is, that in the case of 'he mariner thc-e would be, and 
 in your case theie is, a violation of the great fundamental law on which 
 men must agree to live together in society- -a violation of that great, 
 noble and benevolent law of our organization, by which an honest 
 employment INTERFERES WITH NO OTHER, but may tend to diffuse 
 blessings in the whole circle of human engagements. 
 
 Another of your arguments is that " by encouraging distillation, a 
 ready marKet Would be found for the farmers' barley." With regard to 
 this, allow me to say that the fa:-mer would never be at a lows to find a 
 market for hia grain', if such articles as you manufacture were dfiv( 
 
i 
 
 »1 
 
 2 
 
 out of the country altogether. It is because so much money is spent 
 ° in tha^ which i9 NOT bread," that there is so little, if any left where- 
 with'to purchase bread stuffs. If vbstinencb were general, there 
 V^ould be more *' an twice the demand fov the use of tha now scantily 
 fed population, who would then have healthy appetites to consume, and 
 imnVoied means to purchase nutriment for themselves and cluldren. m 
 erain, as well as in all the other varied production^ of the earth. It 19 
 Because so manv millions of bushels oiyood, wholesome and nutri- 
 tious grain is annually consumed in the production of your moral and 
 nhvsical poison, that for the last two years so many thousands ot our 
 fellow creatures out of the depths of misery have been crying from 
 want " save us or we perish." The destitution which has lately been 
 To prevalent in Ireland, the Highlands of Scotland and other places, 
 has not arisen so much from the poverty of the crops, as from the de- 
 etruction of between forty and fifty millions of bushels ol 
 wholesome grain by Di.tiDers and Brewers. It is true that the earth 
 has not brought forth so plentifully as in former yeai^ ; still, f w hat 
 •he di<l produce had been legitimately applied, there would hava 
 been " bread enough and to spare," and money enough to purchase it 
 wUh. if even at an advance of price. (Of the effects of thus encourag- 
 Tng agriculture, viz. by encouraging distillation, I have already spoken 
 in thi former part of my letter, where, in sp;\k»"S ^^ «"•• S'^i^.^^fj^^^ 
 Ln Colony and the deplorable condition of the people [where Spirita 
 are so cheap,] I have shewn it to have arisen from this source.) In 
 T,roof of this I would again refer to History. Rutty, in his Mtionai 
 &y of the County of Dublin, (1772) states, that " the great scarci- 
 ty of corn in Ireland and England, in 1757, was not ovving entirely o 
 ft failure of the crop, but more to a consumption of the graif i" "i« 
 distiUerie. " (vol. ii. p. 411). It has been generally said, that Swedea 
 does not pi'oduce sufficient food for its population : but Cox, in hii 
 •• travels in Sweden," remarks, " I was greatly surprized to find that 
 Sweden would produce sufficient grain for the internal consumption 
 ofthe inhabitants, if such large quantities were not employed in tbo 
 distillation of Malt Spirits." It is not then from a scarcity of grain 
 fhatthe people have so grievously suffered, but from the wanton, un- 
 {hrstian.^yet! Lawful (!) waste of it by the Distille^-s Whilst the peo- 
 pie havS been thus suffering, the Distillers and Brewers at home 
 have been consuming the producing of nearly " one million and a hah 
 acres" ofthe fruitful soil of England. Oh ! Sir, let me entreat you to 
 ponder upon these things Nor you alone but all who are engaged 
 with you either in the Manufacture or the Sale. You cannot clear 
 yourselves from the charge of behig accessary to the existence of nine 
 tenths of all the evil which surrounds you. Were 1 in youT position I 
 ehould think any man fully justifyed in applying to me the language of 
 Gerritt Smith, " the man who deals in ardent Spirit is a pirate upon 
 the rights of community"~or the still stronger language ot Dr. Beecaer 
 «« 1 challenge any man who understands the nature ot ardent spirit, and 
 vet for the sake of gain continues to be engaged in the traffic, to show 
 that he is not involved in the guill of murder;" or the words of Judge 
 Daggat : " To make or Sell ardent Spirits for common use, is as wicked 
 as to make or sell poisons, for the same purpose. It being .. .mitted 
 that the use of Alcohol is destructive to health, reputation and proper- 
 ty (and the proof is overwhelming) it follows conclusively, that thos« 
 
 ( 
 
 \ 
 
 s 
 
I 
 
 s spent 
 ; where- 
 1, there 
 scantily 
 ime, and 
 dren, in 
 h. It 19 
 d nutri- 
 )ral and 
 s of our 
 ng from 
 Ay been 
 places, 
 the de- 
 
 HELS of 
 
 le earth 
 if what 
 lid have 
 •chase it 
 ncourag' 
 y' spoken 
 a Austra- 
 :e Spirits 
 roe.) In 
 National 
 it scarci- 
 itiiely to 
 n in the 
 t Sweden 
 X, in hij 
 find that 
 isumptiou 
 d in the 
 I of grain 
 nton, un- 
 t the peo- 
 at home 
 and a halt 
 at you to 
 e engaged 
 unot clear 
 e of nine 
 position I 
 inguage of 
 irate upon 
 r. Beecher 
 spirit, and 
 , to show 
 s of Judge 
 as wicked 
 y c: Imitted 
 id proper- 
 that thostt 
 
 ,«Mfe 
 
 tl 
 
 who make it, sin with a high hand against God and their fellowmen— 
 the blood of murdered souls will be required at their hands." I say, 
 Sir, were I a maker or a vender of these poisons, in a period of so much 
 light and informati in upon the subject as the present, I should think- 
 any man fully justified in charging me thus. As a man. as a patriot, as 
 a Christian you are called upon to abandon the traffic, for no proposi- 
 sition seems to be susceptible of more satisfactory demonstration than 
 this,— that in the present stdte of information on the subject, no man 
 oan think to act on Christian principles or do a patriots duty to his 
 country, and at the same time make or sell the Instrument of Intoxica- 
 tion. 
 
 Do not think, Sir, that because I have expressed myself thus strong- 
 ly upon the subject, that I have entertained feelings of hostility towards 
 your person or the persons of those concerned in the traffic. No, Sir, 
 I call Heaven and Earth to witness that towards you severally as men 
 I have no feeling at variance with Christian principle. It is because I 
 have seen the evils— because I have felt the evils which arise from the 
 use of your article, that I speak in this emphatic manner. Tliis is no 
 time for mincing matters. Your letter teaches me what you i7itend to 
 do, in order to extend your business ; and conscience points out to me 
 the path I ought to pursue in order to counteract your designs. Hap- 
 py am J k) say that I shall not go to a warfare at my own charge. The 
 God of truth is on my side, and the people are beginning to feel as thuy 
 ought to do in this matter. Already in the Counties of Shelburne, 
 Yarmouth and Digby have they prohibited the sale of strong drink ; in 
 the latter county I had the happiness of preaching the funeral Sermon 
 of Beelzebub Licence, and have no doubt that in Annapolis— from the 
 success I have lately met with there— before the end of the present 
 year I shall ha/e the same pleasant task imposed upon me in that 
 County. The prospect is cheering, for " the fields are white unto the 
 harvest," and even Rumsellers are getting tirec' of their business, two 
 of whom earnestly requested ma to stay and lect ire, as I passed through 
 their settlements on the stage, eaying they were " quite tired of Rum- 
 sellmg." Soon I shall have to return to this field of labour, and again 
 use my endeavours to stem the torrent of your fiery stream which has 
 spread volcanic desolation over the land. I shall return to my work 
 with the God of Truth and Justice on my side : you will continue, per- 
 haps, at yours, but with no such helper. Truth is on my side and she 
 IS mighty : she must, she will, she shall prevail. Her march may be 
 slow, but it IS stately, it is progressive ; -^nd vi.ierever she has set her 
 loot, neither daemons nor men can force her retire. 
 
 I ^m, Sir, 
 
 Yours Respectfully, 
 
 RICHARD G. HALLS, 
 
 Temperance Lecturer. 
 
 ■ , ,.. „, "D.M.W, P. Sons of Temperance.'^ 
 
 Hahfa.v, Feb. ^.-.d, 1848 
 
 *r 
 
 m 
 
 H^ 
 
i 
 
 m 
 
 ' > 
 
 
 n 
 
 / \ 
 
 Nova SCOTIAWS GENER ALLY, — 
 
 • To you I would now appeal and aak whether rou will allow you- 
 country to be thus inundated with vice and immorality, without an ef- 
 fort to stay Its progress? In you lies the power, and in you alone. For 
 ne er was tyrant yet, so firmly seated on his thi-one of power, but 
 -that a people's voice, a people's mightcottW hurl the monster down. -^ 
 Your Friends, your Country, your God call upon you for active ex- 
 •rtioB. Remember the words of the Hero of the Kile, "England ex, 
 pects every man to do his duty.'^ Will you by w«tW encourage thJ 
 manufacture of mtoxicating drinks, when you knov/ and feel thei» ef- 
 fects upon society, and thur. be found " fighting against God ?" Far- 
 mers ! win .you plough ind sow the earth with grain in order to feed 
 the worm of the distiller who feeds the " worm that never dies '" 
 Remember " the Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof ;» will 
 you then take of His and give it unto Satan f Will you consent to oart 
 with your grain for such a purpose as the production of vice, misery 
 ana want, and be repaid perhaps^ by having your sons and -davfghtere 
 become its victims ? He who saaetiona an evil act, participate in the 
 crime. r r 
 
 ■MmrsTERs of the Gobpel! Laying aside your shibboleths of party, 
 •tuiite with us m the exercise of a cnn^mon benevolence, for the extir- 
 pation ot a common foe! Professors of Religion! Cast out from vour 
 camp the •' accursed thing," « Touch not, taste not, handle not, lest 
 you be partakers of their .«in I-Missionaries of the Cross • Roll aWay 
 the " stumbling block" from the heathen !-Editor8 I work your mightj 
 engines f* the defence and diffusion of Temperance principles, and 
 let not your pages be blotted with the,FouL advertisement of Alco- 
 hol ! Statesmen ! Christian Patriots I Arise and remove "the 
 Curse of Britain." All, All to the Heaven-appointed work of sub- 
 duing this foe to our race ! Turn the battle ^^o the Gate I Success shall 
 fan your banners ; victory shall crown your conflicts ; and the bltdsinjr 
 of the perishing shall be your reward. "On! on to the rescue" of 
 your perishing brethern. Let your motto e/er be " Onward and up- 
 ward I and by Goo's help. If sincerely sought, you shall soon brand 
 
 tne caesarean motto beneath your plumes: " Veni, Vidi Vici '" 
 
 LcMne ! I saw! I conquered! R. G H. 
 
 m^^msm^. 
 
— .^ 
 
 ill allow yoirr 
 irithout an ef- 
 tu alone. For 
 ' power, but 
 ister down.-*- 
 for active ex- 
 England ex^ 
 incoura^e th6 
 Peel theiv ef- 
 God?" Far- 
 orJer to feed 
 nerer dies ?*' 
 lereof;" will 
 insent to part 
 vice, misery 
 id "daughters 
 cipato in the 
 
 (ths of party, 
 for the extir- 
 ut from your 
 ile not, lest 
 B ' Roll away 
 your mighty 
 nciples, and 
 p»T OF Alco- 
 jmove •' the 
 :)rk of sub- 
 (uccess shall 
 the bltdsing 
 
 rescue" pf 
 ard and up- 
 i soon brand 
 i, Vici!"— 
 
 R. G. a 
 
 91