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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different roduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est filmd d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 8 /A HISTORY *:'^ OF NOVA SCOTIA, FOE SCHOOLS. By DUNCAN CAMl*EELL, HALIFAX, N. S. {Prescribed by the Council of Publir Instruction.) MONTREAL : LOVELL PRINTING AND PUBLISHING CO., 23 & 25 ST. NICHOLAS STREET. 1874. r vt C ) ' / () J .r-. . • ' » I • F^ntercd, according to act of Parliament of Canada, in the year one thousand eight liundred and seventy-four, by DUNCAN CAMPBELL, in the office of the Minister of Agriculture and Statistics at Ottawa. -. ■, . ■'.'I, PREFACE. The aim of the writer has been to produce a little book at once solid and attractive. While he has not completely realized his own ideal, he hopes he ha» succeeded in presenting what will, to a material extent, supply a want which has been sensibly felt in our publie schools. The history of Nova Scotia is invested with as deep general interest as that of any other country in Her Majesty's Dominions, and the author trusts his narrative may be the means, not only of imparting useful informar tion, but also of generating a taste for historical reading in our youth, and especially of inducing them to study the larger histories of the Provinces. At the suggestion of The Rev. Mr. Hunt, the Super- intendent of Education", a few biographies have been added, which will probably be regarded as not the least interesting portion of the book. It is hoped that the questions attached to each chapter will be found useful to teachers in examining the pupils on the various topics treated. Halifax, October, 1874. lii-H"? r > ii >. •'(,.) •» . ^\ , • . ,•,. :;.-vt ;:'v-''i!^''/r' I v»j .; I h^ '■-,.'..: af: J':;i.''i*^;^V''i VmJ. '-■' ^-^ rr ,. 7' >c Jiit.-a ;'■'•'!' - (•■» . CONTENTS .\i.i''< CHAPTER I. Paob Eablt Skttlement *. CHAPTER n. Early Settlement — Continued 15 CHAPTER m. Sir Wm. Alexander, and La Tour SI CHAPTER IV. Oliver Cromwell, and Sir Wm. Phips 28 CHAPTER V. LouiSBouRO. — The Acadians 88 CHAPTER VI. I . Settlement op Halifax 88 CHAPTER Vn. The Expulsion of the Acadians 46 CHAPTER Vin. First Assembly in Nova Scotia. — Louisbourg De- stroyed fii CONTENTS. Paob CHAPTER IX. Wa with America.— The Duke of ICent 65 CHAPTER X. Thb Maroons, and the Chesapeake and Shannon 60 CHAPTER XI. AoRicoLA. — Colleges , 66 "•^ V . CHAPTER XII. The Brandt Dispute. — Mr. Howe and the Magistracy. 74 CHAPTER XIII. s Steam Communication.— Responsible Government 79 CHAPTER XIV The Heroes of Sebastopol. — Coal Mines 83 CHAPTER XV. The Indian Mutiny. — Telegraph, etc. 88 CHAPTER XVI. . International Exhibition. — Education Bill. CHAPTER XVII. Union of the Provinces 93 9^ CHAPTER XVIII. Uhiov of the Provinces — Continued. . . , 103 CHAPTER XIX. Ofposition to Confederation. — Loss of City of Bos- TOW.— x)£ATH OJT Mr HowB 106 CONTENTS. t » Paob CHAPTER XX. Sketch of the t.iFE of S. G. W, Archibald 116 • . CHAPTER XXI. Skbtcu of the Life of Thomas C. IIaliburton, M. P.. 120 "*" CHAPTER XXII. • •• Sketch of the Life of Dr. Gesneu 128 voi . . CHAPTER XXIII. -* • > Sketch of the Life of eTunoE Blowers 126 CHAPTER XXIV. Sketch of the Life of Judge J. W. Johnston 128 CHAPTER XXV. The Steamship " England " 181 ;:f , : .. CHAPTER XXVL ' " '"'^^ General Description of Nova Scotia, etc 136 CHAPTER XXVII. A Trip to the Fruit Show at Somerset 141 CHAPTER XXVIII. Trip to the Fruit Show — Continued 146 ♦ RESOURCES OF NOVA SCOTIA. CHAPTER XXrX. Coal and Iron 149 CHAPTER XXX. The Gold Mines of Nova Scotia 165 ^ CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXI. ^^®" Thb Fisheries op Nova Scotia 168 CHAPTER XXXII. Population of Nova Scotia.— Manufactures. — Ship- BUILDING IgQ CHAPTER XXXIII. , .- Thb Dominion of Canada 157 ■■^ -'■-■■■ ■'■■ ' ... , ,,., '^'' :j: ' APPENDIX Sable Island ^ ^ 171 La Tribunb 17g — , .«». ... ... „..„ ■ 'I 'if .tJ«lJ i5i. ' :« • ' *V^J SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. CHAPTER I. >» \<.' CHARACTER OF INDIANS. EARLY SETTLEMENT. Ip wc look at a map of North America we shall find that the Province of Nova Scotia forms an arm of th* main land, stretching eastward towards Europe, and being nearly surrounded by the sea. The Continent of North America, of which Nova Scotia forms a part, is supposed to have been first discovered by Norsemen and subse- quently by Sebastian Cabot, the son of John Cabot — a Venetian merchant, resident in England. Sebastian sailed from Bristol in May, 1497, discovered Newfoundland on the twenty-fourth of June, and in sailing along the coast towards Florida is supposed to have sighted Nova Scotia, but there is no evidence that a landing was effected. The country at this time was inhabited by the Micmac Indians, many of whose descendants are now living in the Province. The Indians were then a warlike tribe. 10 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. They used to wander from place to place, killing the moose and the cariboo with the bow and arrow, and fighting with the neighboring tribes. They worshipped what they called the Great Spirit, but were ignorant of the true God, and of his son the Lord Jesus Christ. It is reraatkable that almost all the early observers of the Indians inhabiting the upper and lower Provinces should have declared them destitute of any form of worship. Champlain, a distinguished Frenchman who had ample opportunity of observing the habits and cus- toms of the Micmacs, affirmed that they never worshipped deities nor performed any devotions. Careful observa- tion has, however, proved beyond doubt that all the Indian tribes believe in the existence of a great good and a great evil spirit. It may, indeed, be regarded as incon- trovertible, that no tribe or nation has yet been discov- ered in any part of the world totally devoid of belief in an unseen intelligent power or powers, to whom homage in some form or other is considered due. It would be quiet as difficult to find a people devoid of an irrepressible prompting to worship, as to find one without language. The principle of religion is just as deeply rooted in man, as the social principle, and quite as difficult to eradicate. The readiness with which the Micmacs submitted to the teaching of the Roman Catholic missionaries who first taught them religious doctrine, and the punctuality and xervor with which they performed their devotions, '•' ' ' EARLY SETTLEMENT. 11 attested their natural longing for more perfect concep- tions of the Supreme Being. Like many other savage people, the Micmacs were firm believers in supernatural agencies. Considerable skill is displayed in the construction of their tales, which are pervaded by not a little quaint humor, and are redo- lent in all in which a wild, undisciplined imagination might be supposed to delight. The most renowned personage in Micmac traditional story is Glooscap, a hero whose attributes are a strange combination of the human and the divine — with omnipotent power which he exerted in providing human conveniencies on a large scale. His beaver pond was the basin of Minas — the dam being at Cape Split. Spencer's Island was his kettle which he turned upside down. When indignant at the English he sudc.enly departed from the Peninsula, trans- forminij at the same time his huire doffs into stone. At the motion of his magic wand the Moose a:id the Cariboo, the Bear and the Lucifee, hastened to his side. The elements also were under his control. When his enemies assembled, numerous as the leaves of the forest, he mys- teriously extinguished their fires, intensifying the cold to such a degree that in the morning the hostile host lay dead as the army of Sennacherib. But Glooscap was benevolent. Strangers were made welcome to his great Wigwam where he entertained them right royally, Tradi- tion asserts that he will return again, when his kettle will 12 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. assume its original form, his petrified dogs spring into life, and his unbounded hospitality be dispensed. In this creation of the Indian brain we have an indication of the gropings of the untutored mind after right conceptions of the character of the Creator. The first attempt on the part of Europeans to settle on the eastern portion of the Continent was by the Baron de Lery in the year 1518. But he arrived on the coast too late in the season, and after leaving a part of his live stock at Canso, and the remainder on Sable Island he returned to France. The animals left at Canso either perished or were destroyed by the ^ndians, while a few of those left on Sable Island survived and multiplied. Several other attempts were made to effect a settlement, the most remarkable of which was an English expedition, at the head of which was a Mr. Hore. It was fitted out in the year 1536, under the patronage of King Henry the Eighth, and consisted of one hundred persons — of whom thirty were men of birth and education — who embarked in two ships. Two mr nths after starting, the expedition arrived at the Island '-f Cape Breton. They afterwards sailed for Newfoundland, where they failed in opening communication with the natives. They were reduced to a state of absolute starvation, depending for sustenance on roots, and such fish as the parent birds brought to their nests. In the frenzy produced by hunger one or two men were murdered by th'^ir companions, when searching for ■^ .rTi:;r:si:^ EARLY SETTLEMENT. 13 food on the Island, and their flesh devoured. That evening, some of the company agreed to cast lots who should be killed, rather than that all should perish, when lo ! a sail was seen in the distance which proved to be that ox a French ship amply supplied with provisions. But to tlie disgrace of the English they took forcible possession of her, and sailed for England, leaving the Frenchmen, who rescued them from the very jaws of death, in possession of their dilapidated vessel. The reckless voyagers had returned to England about the end of October, and were in a few weeks, followed by the Frenchmen whom they had robbed, and who lost no time in making a formal complaint to the King as to the injuries inflicted on them by his subjects. The King, after an examination into the facts made full reparation to the complainants, and pardoned his subjects on account of the miseries they had already endured. For forty years after the expedition of Mr. Hore no effort was made in prosecuting further discoveries in America. In the year 1578 Sip Humphrey Gilbert got a patent from Queen Elizabeth for the discovery and settlement of new lands. Gilbert was a brave and generous man. His first voyage was unfortunate, for he lost one of the two ships with which he started, which obliged him to return to England. Determined to fit out another expedition, he sold his estate, and with the money thus obtained he fitted out five small vessels in the year Io83. 14 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. He made for Newfoundland where he arrived in August. In returning to England in a vessel called the Squirrel he and all on board were lost, the vessel having foundered. In our next chapter we shall continue the subject of the early settlement of Nova Scotia. ,- •, , Chapter I. — By whom was the Continent of North America first discovered ? In w'>.at year did the discovery take place 1 By whom was Nova Scotia then inhabited ? Wliat was the char- acter of the religion of the Indians 1 Name the great hero of their tales? Who made the first attempt at settlement? What did lie leave at Canso and Sable Island ? Mention some of those who made subsequent attempts at settlement. fill M., -y, , :' , «>.')! :»v •I, ■ -). 't;i.-;'. ',<. '■;■ I ii ■- i ■ n . ■< > «■•■ Hi •Ti'Vf.ll liAKLY SETTLEMENT CONTINUED. u 't' 'i.'IM""' ■ CHAPTER II. ',iv\. >,•' EARLY SETTLEMENT- -CONTINUED. r ;>Sii' About tlie year 1598 the Marquis cle la Roche, having trbtained a commission from the French King, equipped a A essel, taking ahout fifty convicts with him, and leaving them on Sable Island, till a suitable place could be found for tliem. On leaving the Island the Marquis was driven lyy a tempest eastward, and returned to France, leaving these unhappy men, who would have been starved but for the progeny of the cattle left by the Baron de Lery on the Island. Before the winter set in they secured drift wood from the wrecks of Spanish vessels lost on the coast, which, to some extent protected them from the cold in winter. Seven years afterwards, the King of France sent a vessel to take th^ men off the Island when only twelve of the number were found to be living, the rest having died of cold and hunger. Sable Island, on which these unhappy men were left, lies about one hundred and ten miles south east of Halifax, and has been in all ages the terror of mariners. It is shaped like a bow, is twenty-six miles long, and no where over a mile wide, having in its centre a shallow 16 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. lake about thirteen miles in length. Its surface consists entirely of sand, which has been fovmed into hills and ridges by force of wind and wave and w hich in summer is partially covered with verdure. There are no trees on the Island, the vegetation consisting mainly of long rank grass. The beach being exposed on all sides to the billows of the Atlantic, presents a scene of ahuost con- stant commotion. When a storm is approaching, the billows, even in the absence of wind, rise high and break with a peculiar moan on the beach. At night, when the elements are fast mustering for strife, the ocean seems in a blaze of phosphoretic light, and when the wind blows more violently, increasing every moment, the waves take a wider sweep, and, crested with foam, partially driven in spray before the blast, crash on the beach with terrific force. The scene is described with graphic power in the following fines : — > "But wlion thy aspect changes, — when tlie storm ,? Sweeps o'er the wide Atlantic's lieaving breast; When, luirr^'ing on in many a giant form, Tlie broken waters by tlie wind are prest. — Roaring like fiends of Hell, whicli know no rest, Anil guided by the lightning's fitful flash. Who dares look on thee then in terror drcst, " As on thy lengthening beach the billows dash, Sliaking the heavens themselves with one long deafening crash r'* ♦ ' 1 )o * Sable Island. A poem by the Honorable Joseph Howe. See Appendix A. EARLY SETTLEMENT CONTINUED. 17 rl'i Wliat renders the Island so disastrous to shipping are the subaqueous flats and protuberances of sand by which it ia environed, and which are produced %y the sanie causes to which the Island owes its origin. When the wind blows violently the water by which th'js dangerous ground is covered, being only a few fathoms deep, is agitated from the very bottom far from the beach, and lashed into roaring breakers, which no ship, however strong, can with- stand. Perha,ps the most remarkable instance on record where oil has been successfuly used in smoothing the surface of a tempestuous sea, and thus made the means of saving life, is that of the schooner Arno, commanded by Captain Higgins, and cast on Sable Island in the month of September, 1846. This vessel, manned by twelve men, was fishing on the Quero Bank when overtaken by a storm. During the night Higgins lost his head sails, and on the following morning saw land, towards which he was fast drifting without the means of changing his course. He accordingly dropped his anchor in twenty fathoms of water, laying out three hundred fathoms of cable, and thus brought the schooner's head to the wind. In this position he held on till noon, when, despairing of the storm abating before night, and convinced that he could not hold out much longer, he resolved to cut the cable and make for the shore during daylight, as offering the only chance for life. Fixing two large cans of oil De^r the shrouds, he caused two of his best men — having SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. aaileci up the cabin door and sent the rest of his hands i)elow — to lash themselves to them, and to deal out the oil with ladles, throwing it as h;gh as r>08sible. The vio- lence of the blast threw it far to leeward, and it acted as a charm on the troubled sea, spreading in the course of the schooner, and making tlie surface of the mighty waves so smooth that not a barrel ^ull of water fell on the deck the whole distance — the Captain all the while, lashed to the helm, and with steady hand directing the schooner's course. Around the surface where the oil floated, seas were breaking, any one of which, in the absence of the oil, would have smashed the schooner in fragments. She at length crossed the bar in safety, and struck the beach. The crew were assisted in landing by Mr. Darby, the superintendent on the Island, and his men, and soon after the vessel went to pieces. On the island are some hundreds of wild ponies. When the breed was inti'oduced it is impossible to say. They are divided into herds, each having a separate pasture, and each presided over by an old male, remarkable for the length of his mane, rolling in tangled masses over eye and ear. A number of the animals are brought yearly to market, and the securing them for that purpose affords excellent sport. im ji . . • u In the year 1604, one De Monts took command of a French expedition bound for North America. He was accompanied by a gertleman named Poutrincourt. They 5i EARLY SETTLEMENT — CONTINUED. IjJ arrived at Nova Scotia in the spring of that year, and entered the bay of St. Mary. Here many .>f the voyagers * ' landed, and among th*^m a priest named Aubry, who, having separated from his friends, and being unable to rejoin them, wandered in the woods for seventeen day., having subsisted during that period on wild fruit, when he was at last discovered by his friends, making feeble efforts to attract attention, and rescued from his perilous position. Proceeding up the Bay of Fundy the party observed a strait which they entered. It was the entrance to the basin of the Annapolis. The coast along which they had previously sailed is comparatively rugged, presenting, when viewed at a distance, few attractive features. But on entering the basin the scene is changed, many of the peculiar elements which lend a charm to the Acadian landscape being found in harmonious combination. The basin itself is a noble expanse of water, so large as to be scarcely comprehended in all its proportions by the keen glance of unaided vision. We can imagine the day, one of uncloud- ed splendor, the heat of summer being tempered by the cooling sea breeze. Fleecy clouds may have occasionally jfloated across the sun's disc, casting a temporary shadow on wood and water, alternate glimpses of shade and sun- shine producing by contrast a pleasing variety in the variegated colors of the " forest primeval." Or we can fancy the vessel, wafted in the evening through the strait by a gentle breeze, and when fairly within the basin 2V SCHOOL niSTORT OF NOVA SCOTIA. 1 I the wind to luive died away, leaving the sails hanging loosely, and the surface of the wa^er resplendent in the distance with the reflected rays of the declining sun. Towards the east, islands repose on the bosom of the deep, their forms l)clng vividly mirrored on its placid surface, and from which canoes may be seen darting towards the mainland, with their paddles fitfully splashing in the sunlight. In the distance are no ranges of lofty moun- tains with snow clad peaks shooting heavenward, but there are peaceful undulating hills, thickly clad from base fo summit with wood, constituting an admirable back ground to the whole scene. In silent admiration the voyagers gaze on the enchanting scene, and particularly Poutrin- court, on whom the impression is such that he resolves to make the place his home. Poutrincourt and his companions accordingly settled at Port Royal — now called Annapolis — but the King of Prance having deprived the colonists of the monopoly of the peltry trade, they resolved to break up the settlement and return to France. The whole party sailed for France in the autumn of 1 607, leaving not one European in the country. The poor Indians shed tears of unaffected sorrow in parting with their friends the French, who generously presented them with* ten hogsheads of meal, and all the standing crop then ready for the sickle. The almost uninterrupted friendship which had subsisted between the French and the Micmacs from the very EARLY SETTLKMENT — CONTINUED. 21 beginning of their intercourse, is easily accounted for by the tact the former displayed in their management, which was based on genuine acts of beneficence, and due attention to their instruction in the arts of civilized life, and iu the doctrines of the Roman Catholic faith. Poutrincourt returned to Port Royal in 1610, but left for France in the following year, leaving his son in charge of Port Royal. The English Governor of Virginia having resolved to destroy the French settlements in Acadia sent Captain Argal with several armed vessels to effect his purpose, when the sou of Poutrincourt fled to the forest and lived with the Indians. In the mean time Poutrin court visited Port Royal where he found a scene of desolation. He accordingly resolved to leave it forever, which he did, returning to France, and fell fighting bravely in the service of his country, in December, 1615. His son seems to have remained in Acadia till his death, which occurred in the year 1624. •■/[»/. t:;/.,!'.t ]/: [] • Chapter II. — What class of persons did the Marquis de la Roche leave at Sable Island ? When did tlie King of France send for tliem ? What is the distance between Halifax and Sable Island 1 What is its length and width ? What is the Island noted fori When did De Monts sail for America? Who accompanied him? Who lost his way? What basin did they enter? What was the ancient name of Annapolis ? Who first settled there ? vr .f'. 22 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCO^tA. vri An 'tloiU ;;l 'n-'ii l>lii'. , ■J \'t >.hi: fjiiMii iji no L Kill! rj/// > /.«;i CHAPTER III. Mltilli .. m/I SIR WILLIAM ALEXANDER AND LA TOUR, .^'.{'^;. The French having been expelled from Port Royal in 1613, no attempt at settlement was made under the auspices of the English government till 1621, when King James (he First of England made a large grant, which included Acadia, to Sir William Alexander, a native of Scotland. In the mean time Charles the First had ascended the British throne, and Sir William not only obtained a confirmation of the grant made to him by King James, but also the addition of an immense territory which led to the formation of a company, designated " The Merchant Adventurers of Canada." One of them was the celebrated Sir David Kirk, who was born at Dieppe, and whose father was a Scotsman, and his mother a Frenchwoman. Two or three vessels were prepared of \^hich Kirk took command. He sailed under a commis- sion from the King of England, to attack the French settlements in North America, and take French merchant vessels as prizes, of which he secured, in 1 627, not fewer than eighteen, taking them to England. In the following year Port Royal was taken by him, and also many French 9IH tVILLIAM ALEXANDER AND LA TOUR. 23 vessels. Among the prisoners taken in one of those captured was Claude de la Tour, a French Protestant, who had recently obtained an extensive grant of land on the river St. John, and whom Kirk conveyed with others to England. Charles, the son of Claude de la Tour, commanded a French fort at Cape Sable. His father while in England had married a lady of rank, and having been created a Baronet of Nova Scotia, entered into an arrangement to seduce his son Charles from his allegiance to the French King. Two men of war were accordingly fitted out, and, with De la Tour on board sailed for Cape Sable, where having arrived, he had an interview with his son, to whom he presented a glowing picture of the personal advantages he would derive from giving up the fort, and identifymg himself with English interests. His son replied with a spirit and determination highly honorable io his charac- ter, that to comply with his father's wishes would be to become a traitor to his King, intimating his determination to defend the fort to the utmost extremity, and even to sacrifice his life rather than his honor. Finding his son resolute De la Tour ordered an attack on the fort, which was continued for two days, and which resulted in the defeat of the attacking force. De la Tour now found himself in an awkward position. To return to France was death, and to England disgrace. He therefore requested his son to permit him to settle quietly with hia \.' 24 SCHOOL HISTORY OF. NOVA SCOTIA. wife ill the neighborhood, to which the young man con- sented, on the condition that his father was never to enter the fort. -. ... . It was now the year 1 G.'3^, and after prolonged nego- tiations peace was prochiimed between Great Britain and France by the treaty of Saint Germains, which was the iirst public treaty between the two crowns, which settled the possession of Nova Scotia. Notwithstanding that Sir David Kirk, in conjunction with Sir William Alexfjin- der and others, had forced the French from both sides of the river Saint Lawrence, and taken all the territories France then had in North America., yet the whole were restored to the crown of France. The wholesale dis- posal of North America by the English Government to the French, indicates the trifling value put upon the territory by the government of the time, and viewed in relation to its consequences, can scarcely be regarded as compatible with sanity on the part of the advisers of the English crown. Isaac Razilly was now appointed Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. Arriving at La Havre, he was so charmed with the scenery, that he resolved to settle there. He, however, died shortly afterwards, and was succeeded by Daubre de Charnise, who abandoned La Havre and re- moved to Penobscot. Razilly had brought with him from France letters patent, by which Nova Scotia, according to the limits there recognized, was divided between himself sin WILLIAM alicxa\i)i:k axd la tour. 25 and Claude, the son of Claude de la Tour and Denys. The division of the property led to disputes and blood- shed. Charnise and De la Tour were the chief antairon- ists. Intelligence of the contest between these rivals having reached France, the king interfered, assigning to each the specific limits to which his authority was to be 'X)nfined. This did not, however, allay the storm. Char nise succeeded, in 1641, in obtaining from France a Royal Warrant for the apprehension of his rival, which, however, he found it impossible to effect, as the forces on both sides were pretty equally balanced. Both parties applied to the Bostonians for assistance, but De la Tour was more successful than his rival, in commanding the sympathy of that Protestant community, chiefly on account of his wife, a singularly excellent, able and energetic woman, being of that persuasion, combined with the trade relations that subsisted between De la Tour and some of the leading merchants of the town. . - . ., . . , ..■-,,,; In the year 1648 De la Tour's fort in the river Saint John was blockaded by his enemy, where a vessel arrived- containing supplies for the 'garrison and one hundred and forty emigrants. Knowing that the vessel could not pass- the blockading squadron he resolved to leave, in the' mean time, the defence of his fort to his men, and, with his wife, to visit Boston in order, if possible, to obtain aid. Great was the commotion in the town on their arrival. The Puritan divines set themselves to the examination of 26 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA. SCOTIA. ! i scripture in order to find, if possible, a sanction for the solicited resistance, which resulted in a slight preponder- ance in favor of Bostonian popular inclination. Tlie re- sult was permission being granted to De la Tour to charter vessels, and engage men for his purpose. ., . , . , , .: On the fourteenth of July, 10-43, the expedition sailed, duly airiving at the river Saint John, when Charnise pru- dently took to flight. Despairing of confrf;X a ,HV; iH. ' H r':- mo't: i . .-..,<*« LOUISBOUIWJ. THE ACADIANS. m . . !•.. ■I CHAPTER V. ! f LOUISBOURG. THE ACADIANS. '•••'V) t-,>T''. A FLEET under Admiral Walker, which was to co operate with General Nicholson in attacking Quebec, having sustained great damage in the Gulf of St. Law- rence, the enterprise was abandoned. The severe contests in which France and Britain were almost continually engaged required occasional breathing times. Hence both nations were equally desirous of peace, and no diificulty was experienced in coming to terms. In the preparation of previous treaties, France had succeeded in making the cession to her of any portion of North American territory wrested from her a fundamental con- dition of agreement, but the English Government had now resolved to retain Nova Scotia. Hence in the cele- brated treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, it was provided that all Nova Scotia should be yielded to the English Crown for ever, together with Newfoundland, France retaining pos- session of Cape Breton. The French justly attaching great importance to that beautiful island, began to look for a harbor that might be rendered impregnable, when Louisbourg was regarded as the most eligible. . ^ ^ SCHOOL HISTORY OK NOVA SCOTIA. Ill ! An effort was now made bv the Governor of Cape Breton to induce the Acadians to remove to tliat island but the people could not appreciate the advantaifes to be irained in removincf from the fertile meadows of the v\n- napolis valley to a soil whif.h, however excellent, required much labor to render it lit for cultivation. Repeated efforts were made to get the Acadians to take the oath of allegiance to the British Crown, but they continued iirmly to refuse to do so, without the condition that they should not in any circumstances be compelled to take up arms against the King of France. . . ,-.. . >.. .. - f If the year 171') was memorable in British history, as that in which Prince Charles Edjvard Stuart attempted, by force of arms, to regain the throne of his ancestors, it was equally so in the history of British North America, as that in which the great fortress of Louisbourg was taken. The renowned French stronghold lav on the east coast of the island of Cape 15reton. An admirable draw- ing of it, as it stood at this period, may be seen in the Provincial Museum in Halifax. War had been declared by Great Britain against France in April, 1744. In the contemplated attack on Louisbourg, William Shirley, the Governor of Massachusetts, was the moving spirit. A powerful fleet arrived at Gabarus Bay, near Louisbourg, on the thirtieth of April, 1745. The siege had been pressed with vigor for a month, when it was determined to make a simultaneous attack by sea and land, which the British iliiii ii I '!' LOUISUOUUG. — THE ACADIAXS. ai*' were the better able to do as the S(iuaflr()ii was streni^th-' ened by the arrival of several war ships. Everything was in preparation for the purpose when the French Gov-" ernor sent a message, indicating his desire to capitulate. Terms being agreed to the forces took possession of the fortress on the seventeenth of June. The loss of tho" British durinfj the sie^je did not exceed one hundred and thirty men, while that of the French could not be accu- rately ascertained. .u mhi: ! •«! On entering the fortress, and examining its elaborate scientific defences, the army was amazed. Had the de- fence been continued with resolution, the loss of life in its capture would have been enormous. " " "'' ' "' ^'' -■"■' "' While intelliijence of the fall of ^^ouisbouro^ was re-' ceived in England with joy, it produced in France wide- ' spread consternation. It was at once resolved to retake the fortress. A formidable fleet was for that purpose despatched under the command of the Duke D' Aiiville. ' The ships encountered fearful weather, which scattered them in all directions. D'Anville arrived at Chebucto — Halifax — the port of rendezvous, with only his ship and a few transports. The calamity preyed on the mind of the French Admiral to such an extent that he died of a fit of apoplexy. Vice Admiral, D'Estournellc, then took command, and held a council of war, at which he proposed to return to France. All the officers were, however, in favor of first taking Annapolis. Finding himself opposed ' 30 SCHOOL HI3T0UY OF NOVA SCOTIA. I i in council, tlie Admiral fevered, and in a state of delirium fell on his sword and died. He is said to have been buried on George's Island. The French made, in the following year, another attempt to regain their lost possessions in America, but the fleet sent for that purpose was defeated n iiT Cape Finesterre by an English squadron sent to in- tercept it — the engagement resulting in the capturo by the English of nine ships of war and six East Indiamen. ». n. In May, 1745, M. Marin, a lieutenant from Canada, arrived in the vicinity of Port Royal with a force of three hundred French Canadians, and three hundred Indians, hoping to be joined by the Acadians, and thus be able to reduce the fort, but the people had been previously so impressed with the friendly disposition of the Governor, and so fortified against open defection by his arguments, that neither the soothing blandishments nor the bitter threats of Marin had the effect of inducing them to appear in arms against him. Besides, the Acadians knew the extent of Governor Mascarene's defensive operations, and that such an attack as Marin proposed would probably prove un- successful. The French officer, under these depressing circumstances, was meditating a retreat when he received a pressing order to sail for Louisbourg, which was now invested by the English. About five hundred of the force — the rest returning to Minas — accordingly embarked in small vessels, but when near Cape Sable, were chased by LOUISBODRO. — THE ACADIANS. 37 New England cruisers, and did not reach Louisbourg till a month after the place had been surrendered, r • •"* In the following year De Ramezay, a Canadian General, appeared before Annapolis with a force consisting of seven hundred Canadians, but Mascarene having been reinforced the Canadian General thought it prudent to retire to Chegnecto, and there wait expected assistance. Mean- while four hundred and seventy men, besides officers, arrived at Minas from New England to join Mascarene The soldiers, of whom Colonel Noble had command, were quartered at Grand Pre, and, not anticipating any attack, took no precautions for their own security. • • • • ■/> Intelligence of the arrival of the English having reached Ramezay, it was resolved, at a council of officers, to attack them at once. Preparations for that purpose were accordingly made. The attacking force consisted ol two hundred and fort^' Canadians, with twelve officers and sixty Indians, who left Chegnecto — Cumberland — on the twenty-third of January, 1747, and arrived at Pizequid — . Windsor — on the ninth of February. As it was intended to take the English by surprise, the woods were guarded, so that intelligence might not reach them. The French arrived at Grand Pre on the fourth of February, at two o'clock A.M., having guides to the various houses where the troops were quartered. They approached under cover of a snow storm, and were not seen by the English sen- tinels till it was too late to give the alarm. A desperate 88 SCHOOL Hlf TORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. ! ' i hii ftruggle ensued, in which the French, owing to the Eng- lish being in bed, had every advantage. Colonel Noble was killed, fighting in his shirt. Coulon, the commander of the French, was severely wounded, and carried to Gas- pereaux. After fighting from house to house till ten o'clock A.M., terms of capitulation were agreed to, by which tlie English wti'e to leave Annopolis within twenty- four hours, with the honors of war and six days provisions — the English prisoners remaining in the hands of the French, who left on the twenty-third of February, arriv- ing at Beaubassin on the eight of March, from which the whole French force was shortly after withdrawn, ji >;■ "i CnAPTER V. — What was tlic general policy of France in mak- ing peace witli England ? What occurred in 1713 1 Who wore the Acadians? What was tlie policy of Britain in regard to themJ What two events is 1745 celebrated fur in British History ? WIio Attempted in 1745 to regain l*ort Royal? What was the disposi- tion of the Acadians towards the English at this time ? Where did a remarkable contest take place between the French aifd English, and with what result? ' ' ' ^-ii;it^V'\ri I;; i.- /:•!»'; I'i. .iTT . rj^t'^' .'■ !io !'''Ii't- ,i_il;>V/ i fi.jJv/ "><\<)\\ f»{:«M''iV7 ':tlt <•! f'^y-iy^, '^'I'lf^i^ ,.v ,1. "■ — 'H> -1 ilV/ { mFJ '■>[' I -u t.ii. SETTLEMENT OF HALIFAX. »>- 39 'hI j ,i.*-;ii!' i;V/t>t ;^ii^ iJiiTli f>'''Hi:'viii:i jr^iili 'i;,ri;v/ jl • ./mill l' li:.:,!; .>rK-,.i,'»'> ''"i^^CHAPTER VI. '^^ "Uli'**!. 'ii.'r^J 'ilnd .'■>''•-. MJ '•;,; t^ir •■■'-"'! :• '"■ '■ ' !''-^7' •■ re ';i•>;•^^■ .',4;W, , .. SETTLEMENT OF HALIFAX. /" . . , ->1 It was now the year 1748, and peace' was about to be declared between France and Enjrland. The terms being ajSfreed iipou, a treaty was concluded in October. Though the island of Cape Breton was restored to France, it was determined to retain a firm hold of Nova Scotia. A set- tlement of a numerous colony of British subjects in the Province was recommended as the best means of firmly attaching it to the throne, as well as the most effectual protection against aggression. An advertisement was ac- cordingly published in the London Gazette setting forth the advantages offered to the proposed colony. The emi- grants to the number of 2576 arrived early in July off the harbor, which the ofFKiers pronounced to be the finest they had ever seen. The ground, which is now the Bite of a considerable city, was then covered with forest trees which grew to the water's edge. " The country," said the Honorable Edward Cornwallia, who had command of the expedition, " is one continued wood, no clear spot to be seen or heard of." A few French families had set- tled some miles off, who visited the fleet on its arrival. SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. i;'!; Knowing the severity of the climate in winter, no delay was permitted in landing the emigrants and setting them to work in effecting a clearance, and erecting habita- tions. It was at first intended that the town should be built near Point Pleasant, but on further consideration it was wisely resolved to adopt a site further up the harbor. As indications of winter appeared, the movements of the colonists towards completing their houses were quick- ened. Many of the structures were by no means substan- tial or well adaptt d for so severe a climate. To insuffi- cient protection from cold, must, to a great extent, be attributed the great mortality of the succeeding winter. -i: On the twenty-fifth of July a council was sworn in on board one of the transports. Their names were Paul Mascarene, John Gorham, Benjamin Green, John Salis- bury and Hugh Davidson. Such was the energy with which the colonLUs worked, that on the twenty-eighth of October they had three hundred houses roofed and made habitable. The military had surrounded the town with a barricade for protection against Indian attacks, which they finished about the same time. ■•• i-^ i ■■<>:. < . «. i . ; . .■■uy, a it. ' ■ On the arrival of the Governor, the Indians seemed extremely friendly. They visited his Excellency and received presents. Afterwards a formal treaty was prepared, which was signed with due formality, but was soon violated on their part. In October they attacked ' SETTLEMENT OF HALIFAX. 41 six men engaged in cutting wood near Dartmouth, killed four of them, captured one, and the sixth man escaped. At Canso they took twenty Englishmen prisoners, besides committing other hostilities. These breaches of good faith led to the adoption of the principle of extermination on the part of the Governor, a con- siderable sum of money being offered for any Indian scalps produced. The Governor had already tried fair means in order to conciliate them, and these having failed, he was determined to make them feel the full weight of his resentment. ■. ■ ■ . , • In the month of August, 1750, the ship Alderney arrived in Halifax with about three hundred and fifty emigrants, who were sent to the opposite side of the harbor, and founded the town of Dartmouth in the autumn of that year. In December following, the first ferry was established, and John Connor appointed ferry- man by order in Council. In the following year the Indians surprised the little village at night, scal})ed a number of settlers, and * carried off several prisoners. The inhabitants, fearing an attack, had cut down the spruce trees near the settlement, which, instead of a protection as was intended, served as a cover for the enemy. Captain Clapham and his company of Rangers were stationed on the Blackburn Hill, and, it is said, remained within his block-house firing from the loop- holes during the whole affair. The light of the torches SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. :i| !• ; i' i!' ^ and the firing of musketry alarmed the inhabitants of Halifax, some of whom put off to their assistance, but did not arrive in any force till after the Indians had retired. The night was calm, and the cries of the settlers and the whoops of the Indians were distinctly heard on the western side of the harbor. On the following morning several bodies were brought over — the Indians having carried off the scalps. r,-ynr, vu "<),/:./-,,/ vji i .i> .m.l. v. ; :,-u,'}>. Deputies from the Acadians having again come to the Governor to petition for liberty to retire from the Pro- vince with their property, expressing their determination not to sow seed, the produce of which others were des- tined to reap, the Governor reasoned with them as to tho impropriety of their conduct, urging them to perform their usual spring labor. His Excellency was more conciliatory than usual, and the key to his altered maimer is found in a letter dated the eleventh September, 1749, addressed to the Board of Trade, in which he says : — " I am sure they will not leave their habitations this season. My view is to make them as useful as possible to His Majesty while they stay. If afterwards they are still obstinate and re- fuse to take the oath, I shall receive in spring His Majesty's further instructions from your Loi'dshjps." Having complied with the Governor's instructions in re- gard to the cultivation of the land, the deputies returned, in order to receive a specific answer to their petition. The Governor in an address complimented the people on SETTLEMKNT OF II/VLIF/VX. ,j| , . 43 their industry and temperance, and on the absence amongst them of any vice or debauchery. He reminded them that tliey had every possible assurance of the free and public exercise of their religion, and that they possessed the only cultivated land in the Province, producing grain and nourishing cattle sufficient for the whole colony ; but he peremptorily refused to allow them to retire in a body, even without their property, as the French, who were es- tablisliing themselves in violation of treaty in various parts of the Province, would compel them to take up arms against British authority ; but he promised after the coun- try became more settled, to give passports to such as should ask for them. - -" , ;• » - , ^ ... Cornwallis returned to England in the summer of 17o2. His administration was most effective, proving him to have been a man of rare gifts for government. Wis- dom, decision, tact, and energy, distinguished his rule. He infused vigor into every department of the govern- ment, and left his mark on Nova Scotia. Governor Cornwallis was succeeded by Peregrine Thomas Hopson, in August, 1752. In a despatch sent by him to the Board of Trade, dated twenty-third of July, 1753, he gives an account of the Acadians and Indians, which is interesting as relating to a period so near that of the expulsion of the former from the Province. The number of Acadian families he puts down at nine hundred and seventy-three, who are mainly settled in Pizeauid, 44 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. I I i: River Canard, Minas and Annapolis — the other settle- ments, Cobeqiiid, Rimdiiirne, Tatamagoiiche and Cape Sable, containinj[^ only sixty-three families. He esti- mates the Micmacs at about three hundred families, and says that at no time had more than two hundred of them appeared in arms. He remarks, it may appear unaccount- able to their Lordships, that with such a force as he has at his disposal he should solicit further military aid, ac- counting for the apparent anomaly from the number of soldiers required to defend the various forts, and the pecu- liarities of Indian warfare. He adds that the French are strengthening themselves at Fort Beausejour, in Cumber- land, and expresses his conviction, that till the French flag is removed, the English colonists can have no settled peace. CiiAPTETi VI. — In wimt year was Halifax settled ? How many emipfrants first arrived ? Who commanfled tlie expedition ? Wlien and wliere was tlie first Count'il sworn in ? Mention their names. How did tlie Indians conduct themselves 1 When was Dartmouth founded ? W.tat was the policy of Cornwallis in regard to the Indians ? Who succeeded hm in the Governorsliip ? What was the number of Acadian families in the Province 1 What waa the number of Micmac families ? v.-'l •.;ui...l t (u^^y? THE EXPULSION OF THE ACADIANS. 4d I . 'f ( .') 1.. .- Il • r ' '• ■ ;' v!) • "■• Hi' ' 1 . rit \ . , 1 »t ';■■;■>» CHAPTER VII. 7 THE EXPULSION OP THE ACADIANS. We have now come to that interesting period of the history of Nova Scotia when the Acadians were expelled. Their number was estimated at about seven thousand, and they had about five thousand black cattle, besides a great number of sheep and hogs. They were an exceedingly moral people, and lived in peace and comfort in the most fertile portion of the Province, but their presence in the Province was deemed dangerous by the British government, as they were naturally in sympathy with France, the country of their fathers, with which Great Britain was almost constantly at war. The Acadians had always refused to take the oath of allegi- ance, and it was now determined to remove them. Measures were taken for that purpose without their knowledge. The poor Acadians were busy completing their harvest when the time of their departure had arrived. Colonel Winslow, on the second of September, 1755, issued a written order commanding the inhabitants of Grand Pre, Minas and other places adjoining to attend at the Church at Grand Pre, for the purpose of hearing 46 SCHOOL HISTOKY OF NOVA SCOTIA. i!> His Majesty's instructions respecting them. A large number consequently attended, having no idea of what was to follow, when Winslow, to their horror and aston- ishment, informed them that it was the King's orders that they should be immediately removed. The calamity was so sudden that the people could not for some time realize their true position. The number collected for removal at Grand Pre, was 1923 souls. A number escaped to the woods, from which they beheld the smoke of their burning habitations ; for the command to destroy all means of shelter and subsistence was rapidly c xecuted. In the district of Minas alone, there were 255 houses, 276 barns, 155 out-houses, 11 mills, and 1 Church destroyed. On the tenth of September, the people — men, women, and children — were driven on board the transports in a state of great grief and agitation. At Annapolis and Cumberland the people left their dwellings and fled to ' the woods. At the latter place 253 houses were set on * fire, and the harvest produce at the same time destroyed. Thus were the Acadians banislied, and sent to Virginia, South Carolina, and other placi^ s where the people were alien in language and religion. ' •<"" ' —i i ,r ,, .. j At the various colonies at which the unfortunate' Acadians arrived, they were not, by any means, made " welcome. As winter had now set in, it was impossible to find employment for such as were able to work, and their • maintenance, therefore, became a serious burden to the" THE EXPULSION OF THE ACADIANS. 47 C/olonial Governments, who wrote to Governor Lawrence of Nova Scotia, demanding money for their support,' which the Governor was in no haste to supply, his object being simply to get quit of the Acadians, without concern- ing himself as to how they fared in the lands to which they had been transported, provided their return to the Prov- ince was prevented. According to a despatch addressed to Governor Lawrence by the Lords of Trade, in July, 175G, it seems that several hundreds of the Acadians had been sent to P^ngland from Virginia and South Carolina. But the question occurs — assuming that the removal of the Acadians was for reasons of State absolutely neces- sary — was the British Government justified in transport- ing the entire population — men, women and children — to colonies, where their language was unknown, and their religion was regarded as heresy, without even provision having been made for their maintenance ? That question must surely be answered in the negative. It is granted that to have permitted them to remove to Cape Breton, and thus augment the power of the enemy, would have been worse than foolish ; but the difficulty could have been solved by sending them to France. That was the course which would most naturallv occur, and that of which Governor Lawrence first thought, as clearly appears by a passage addressed by him to the Lords of Trade on the eighteenth of July, 1755, where, in referring to an in- terview with the Acadians, he says : — " The next morning 48 SCHOOL IILSTOliY OF NOVA SCOTIA. they appeared and refused to take the oath without the old reserve to bear arms, upon which they were acquainted that, as they refused to become English subjects, we could no longer look upon them in that light ; that we should send them to France by the first opportunity ; and till then they were ordered to be kept prisoners at George's Island, whither they were immediately conducted." The Acadians were repeatedly informed that they would be sent away from the Province, and forfeit all their property unless they consented to become British subjects, but they were not told that the penalty of refusal was to be pr-cked on board ship, and transported to coun- , tries alien in language and religion — that numbers of families were to be cruelly separated from each other ; that venerable old men and women, and fair Acadian . maidens were to be reduced to a state of beggary in strange lands. The transportation of the people in the manner executed was a blunder, and it is far more manly to acknowledge it as such than vainly to attempt to palli- ate or excuse conduct at which, when coolly viewed in re- lation to its consequences, the moral instincts of mankind • shudder. It would be unjust to the memory of the Hon- orable Charles Lawrence to say that he himself was at , first cognizant of the consequences involved in his policy, . but an impartial historian, on a review of his public life, ; can scarcely fail to remark that when the panorama of; Acadian suffering was fully unfolded to his view he j THE EXPULSION OF THE ACAJXLINS. # beheld it with a countenance as unmoved as that of Napo- leon, when, on the day after a bloody battle, he deliberately rode over the field — as was his wont — beholding without any visible emotion the havoc of war. / \: A ."^ Chapter VII. — When were the Acadians transportoil 1 What was their number ? Who commanded the expelling force 1 How were the Acadians received in tlie various Colonies to which they were sent 1 A\:. MI -ti(<»*« '••;i':'iH. 't-'iiD vJ 'vtto'v;!!* -^uv/ "hii'iT 'io ?f''rvHr o/fl > ;.j.vfu»tip [i,(Tiji;;rtitv>ir uisA'' '•>[:iit oilJ ol I'xf'il iH niMli': i.'i;jf ':,'o'-.>^ r./'iA '*•) I'nv.tm') hiiw 'vy.n-yj'ir) Oii*> TnUnhf ■ ••'''i' ./jfn)--./w iM: *:/0iIii.7 ^7^;;I <>;mi Ol 'lOVVOif uilj., -l(^U'''!wf'', [ifff; ff;'! '■?; r'.i T) --/•>: IT o;;./v •dVU'jlflVi r)li oJ Jir'iiii 'fOfll*' './v) Oil) I'-.ift hnf/rMof) VHfl .irolltir.) li>ff.1 lol If/lOlfvO • .'■*fOv; n!ffO''^q G/iT ..{i:\nniTTyVxli) '>ii,roU od] lo 8iK>tJ ^ ••■' •■■;■•»• • • ■•.• >' 50 SCHOOL llISTOUt OF NOVA SCOTIA. ;! il I ' ."ry/ 1" y.jVf./l till j»(j.* 'm: -i ,. .7 » ' ., , „ ,,., CHAPTER VIII. . . H7 .. FIRST ASSEMBLY IN NOVA SCOTIA. — LOUISBOURO DESTROYED. * ' ' ' » About the begmning of the year 1755, the attention of the Lords of Trade was directed by Chief Justice Jona- than Belcher to the important constitutional question : whether the Governor and Council of Nova Scotia had the power to pass laws without an Assembly. The question having been submitted by the Home Govern- ment to Her Majesty's Attorney-General and Solicitor- General for their opinion, they decided that the Governor and Council alcNie were not authorized to make laws. As some statutes had been passed, it followed that they were not valid. The Government informed Lawrence of the opinion, cautioning him not to give it publicity till an Assembly had been called, and an act of indemnification obtained. Lawrence was opposed to the calling of an Assembly, and did all in his power to frustrate the inten- tions of the Home Government. The people were, however, determined to press the Crown for an Assembly, and accordingly transmitted a petition setting forth the evils arising from the absence of a representative body. FIRST ASSEMBLY IN NOVA SCOTIA. 51 of On the attention of the Governor being called by the Lords of Trade to the petition, he assured their Lordships that no person whatever, with whom ho had conversed, and on whose judgment and advice he could rely, had of hite consid- ered the measure of calling an Assembly otherwise than as chimerical. He hoped therefore that their Lordships would not be displeased that their instructions had not been carried out. Their Lordships replied that having fully considered the Governor's letter in regard to the calling of an Assembly, and having so often and so fully repeated to him their sense of the propriety of the measure, it now only remained for them to direct its being carried into immediate execution. Accordingly at a meeting of Council held on the twentieth of May, 1758, it was resolved that sixteen members should be elected, which was done, and the Assembly met on the seventh of October, 1758, and after electing Robert Sanderson, Speaker, passed a number of laws. It was resolved that for the first session the members should not receive any remuneration. n!.'-f.' rl'v/oi') ffiif! ■r'. ,' >■'<. '•'^:\ i f War against France had been declared in London on the 18th of May, 1756, — one of the principal reasons of the declaration being the encroachments of the French on the Province of Nova Scotia. It was resolved to attack Louisbourg. For that purpose Admiral Boscawen arrived with a powerful fleet at Halifax in May, 1758. Major-General Amherst had command of the land for^'^s 52 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SOOTIA. i!' aiid the whole armament, consisting of one hundred and forty sail, took their departure from the harbor of Halifax on the 28th of May. In the attack which followed Brigadier-General Wolfe greatly distinguished himself. Despairing of successful resistance the Governor of Louisbourg sent a letter to the English admiral, desiring a capitulation on favorable terms, to which the latter replied that the garrison must surrender themselves prisoners of war. The Chevalier Drucour, offended at the hard terms proposed, replied that rather than submit to them, he would sustain a general assault. The inhabi- tants having earnestly petitioned for compliance, the Governor reluctantly gave way, and on the 26th of July, the English were once more in possession of the great stronghold. The joyful intelligence was speedily convey- ed to England, where it was received with every mark of satisfaction. Addresses of congratulation to the King poured in from all quarters. Captain Amherst, brother to the commander, who had conveyed particulars of the siege to England, had with him eleven pair of colors taken at the fortress, which by command of the King, were carried in triumph from the Palace of Kensingston to St Paul's Oatnedral. ■.'» r.j)t/ivinvji»_'i iw; •>i.ii ^^mn,* ii«'i.|i ij, ■ ,'■ .1.^,1 <>l General Wolfe had displayed talents in the conduct of the siege of Louisbourg which attracted the attention of Europe, and he was therefore selected as the most com- petent General to head an attack on Quebec, in which he FIRST ASSEMBLY IN NOVA SCOTIA. 53 was successful. Early in the engagement he was wounded in the wrist, and while leading his men with the utmost ardor, and confident of victory, he was struck by a ball in the breast, and carried to the rear. "They flee," remarked some one. " Who ? " said the general. " The French," was the reply. " What ? already ; then I die content," responded the hero, and expired in the thirty sec- ond year of his age. The battle on the plains of Abraham decided the fate of Quebec, and led to the cession of Canada to Great Britain.- '-'i -""^i '-"i'- J/ ''Hau./.-. i:::iv>,;; In the year 1760 orders were issued by the British government for the demolition of the great fortresp of Louisbourg, which was skilfully and speedily effected by competent engineers, i-v/ui i. '•'; >kjo^ », ; ji:r.i ,>•,.: )< We must now turn for a little to the domestic affairs of the Province. In no department of duty did Lawrence display more ability and judgment than in the arrange- ments made for the settlement of the Province. It was the desire of the Home Government that the land should be occupied by disbanded soldiers. Against this policy the Governor earnestly remonstrated, declaring that soldiers were the least qualified, from their profession, of any men living, to establish a new colony. The Govern- ment appreciated the force of the objections offered, and the Governor was permitted to adopt measures to bring a more suitable class of settlers into the Province. A Pro- clamation havmg been issued inviting settlers, inq^uiries ^ . Ji>iMlt't:;'l ••> IK-' t! til nQ n'r/iul wir-t/utl 54 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. I were made of the Provincial Agent at Boston, as to the terms on which land was to be obtained. It was proposed that townships should consist of one hmidred thousand acres, or twelve square miles. One hundred acres were to be allowed to each settler, and fifty acres to any mem- ber of his family. The settler came under an obligation to cultivate the land in th'rty y^ars. Agents from per- sons in Connecticut and Rhode Island, who intended to remove to the Province, came to Halifax in the year 1759. Having examined the land, the gentlemen from Connecti- cut proposed to have a township at Minas, and others agreed to obtain settlers for townships at Chegnecto and Cobe- quid. The agents were insti-ucted to inform intending settlers, that as soon as a township consisted of fifty families, it should have the right to send two representa- tives to the General Assembly. Soon after this, immigra- tion into the Province set in on a considerable scale — six vessels having arrived from Boston with two hundred settlers, and four schooners from Rhode Island with a hundred. New London and Plymouth furnished two hundred and eighty, and Ireland, under the management of Alexander McNutt, three hundred. , . , Chapter VIII. — Who first enacted the provincial laws ? What opinion did tiie British Attorney-General and Solicitor-Genei*al give on the subject ? Who ordered an Assembly to be called 1 Who was opposed to it? When did the first Assembly meet? When did war with France break out ? Who particularly distin- guished himself in the attack on Louisbourg? Where was that stronghold situated? When was the great fortress demolished ? In what department of public duty did Governor Lawrence excel 1 WAR WITH AMERICA. — THE DUKE OF KENT, 55 J' I .■, ' I" '.,' -.j-'» A^-^l rn-U io ,.rr., rr --ft uT , -v. >v/ in;' CHAPTER- IX. tA IWff rl WAR WITH AMERICA. THE DUKE OF KENT. ■ny.rr\ The year 1765 will continue noted as that in which the stamp-tax was imposed on the American colonies. The sum expected from it was only about two hundred thou- sand pounds, but there was a principle involved which render- ed the impost extremely objectionable to the colonists, namely, that taxation without representation was constitu- tional — a principle which they repudiated. Intelligence of the passing of the act was received in America with intense indignation. In Boston and other places riots took place. In Nova Scotia no opposition to the tax seems to have been offered. The hostility to British con- nection continued to intensify among the colonists till in April, 1775, blood was shed, and war immediately ensued. The result of the war is well known — the independence of the revolted colonies was acknowledged by Great Britain. On the declaration of peace, Nova Scotia received a large accession to the population. Thousands of loyalists emigrated from the States to the Province. Governor Parr, in writing to Lord North in September, 1783, intimates that about 13,000 refugees had arrived at Halifax, Annapolis and other places. . .„,> .. .v4r^( *n\_ ! 56" SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. ■ vr ( "I i Intte month of May, 1794, the people of Nova Scotia Were gratified by the arrival of Prince Edward — after- wards Duke of Kent — at Halifax. The residence of the Prince, as is well known, was on the west side of Bedford Basin, about six miles from Halifax, and was designated " The Lodge." Sam Slick has given a most graphic account of the place as it appeared in his day. Since the descrip- tion of the clock-maker was written, the scene has under- gone a great change. Every wooden vestige of the house and its appurtenances has disappeared, and nothing now remains but the bare foundation. On a small natural mound, so sharp in outline as to appear artificial, over- hanging the margin of the basin, and about a hundred yards from the site of the house, stands what is called the round-house, a small elegant circular erection, with a dome which was used by the military bands as they discoursed music to the gay circle at the lodge, and which is almost quite as entire as it stood upwards of eighty years ago. The lodge property was sold some years ago to four or five gentlemen, who subsequently disposed of it in small buildinff lots. -i^'>'"^'t»"^''>-^' ^-^'-^f^ a,-»iiM>l<»n },'iti«,/Mi inAt in ^ In August, 1798, His Royal Highness in returning from a field-day of the garrison, fell with his horse in one of the streets of the town, and sustained considerable injury. He accordingly returned to England, and took his seat in the House of Lords as Duke of Kent. Li January, 1820, the Duk3, a few months after the birth of his daughter — WAR WITH AMERICA. THE DUKE OF KENT. 57 (. . the Princess Victoria — now our most gracious Queen — in taking a long walk with Captain Conroy, got his feet thoroughly wet, and failing to change his boots and stock- ings, was seized with inflammation of the lungs, and died on the 23d of the month. '-^'^ '• "' ^' '- ■•''^"•' '''"-' ' •'' "' We may conclude this chapter by referring to the loss of His Majesty's ship La Tribune, which took place in November, 1797, a little to the south of Herring Cove, near Halifax. ^^' " *^'i''i'- 1...,.i.i •.!.-, vo^ La Tribune was one of the finest frigates in His Majesty's service, carrying 44 guns. She was commanded by Captain S. Barker. In attempting to enter Halifax Harbor she got aground near the Thrum Cap shoals. Signals of distress were made and answered by the military posts, and the ships in the harbor. Boats from His Majesty's ships and the dock-yard proceeded to the relief of the ship. Some of these reached her, but others had to return on account of the weather. The ship was immediately lightened by throwing all her guns over- board, so that at nine o'clock she got off the shoals. The gale now intensified, the wind blowing from the southeast. Her anchors were dropped, but failed in bringing her to,' and she was fast driven towards the weste. . shore. It was now ten o'clock, and little hope was entertained of saving the ship or the lives of those on board of her. About half past ten the ship lurched suddenly and went down." Two hundred and forty men, and some women and chil- SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. dren were now struggling in the water. Although the wreck was so near to the shore that the cries of the unhappy sufferers could be distinctly heard, only eight •v, persons survived to see the light of day. The first effort made for their relief was by a boy thirteen years of age, who ventured off in a skiff by himself about eleven o'clock next day. After great labor the little hero suc- ceeded in backing his boat so near that two men were thus saved. His example shamed others with larger boats, who put off, and thus the eight persons were rescued. A Quarter-Master belonging to the ship, named Mc- Gregor, had his wife on board ; they were a respectable couple and greatly attached to each other. McGregor, from his affectionate solicitude for her safety, endeavored to persuade her while the ship lay on the shoals to go ashore in one of the boats which came off from the Island, as his mind would be more at ease. To his solicitations she replied that she never would abandon him, and that if it was his lot to perish she wished not to survive him. She shared the common fate. A considerable time after the ship had foundered, a man was discovered swimming towards the wreck. On his approaching it was found to be McGregor. He informed his comrades who were hanging to the wreck, that he had swam towards the shore — that he had ventured as far as he could with safety into the surf, and found that if he went further he should be dashed in pieces, and he cautioned them all to avoid WAR WITH AMERICA. — THE DUKE OP KENT> 59 making a similar attempt, but if possible to hold by the wreck. He himself gained the main shrouds, and re- mained there till the mast gave way, and there met the same fate as his unfortunate consort, whose death he was continually deploring while in the shrouds.* Prince Edward with that generosity which had dis- tinguished him during his residence in the Province, directed that provision should be made for the bereaved families. ii>' it t:;'{r!;; hi. ''^J :;v..H f ti: If) .in;i; ./?f«[;r({i . ..j r ... I......; * See Appendix B. tv i. ' - , r^ .{{hy^ UdAPTER IX. — What caused war with America 1 When was blood first shed ? What was the result of the war 1 When did Prince Edward arrive at Halifax. By what name M'as he after- wards known? Where was his residence? What sort of accident did he meet with ? Where was the frigate La Tribune wrecked 1 How old was the boy who distinguished himself in — I '- ' : " ••: '■ f >i ■''. '.')>'■ M--T'''; '»»{ t '•\ ,f' n'v'ji If r,: ^-il-n-f \, 1 *! ■ >ii i; •:-.■' .'■ '■».',', !' 'nf- '. -iti. V .-^ a--AC* (»: (■•'•tiT'T''* 'vtt/t .^^t^.;*'-'"**! mlj to 'fv^'r/H nTf,.t , ,l:-i,»! 'in';.-- i}/>.j,>;r /nriJ.jf* /'^►i ^,> ((;•,,!£ -vi ... ,. rj-of ^k«ii/'' If ■ ^ saving life ? - ■ ' "■•■•. .11 • ,,. -, ■nr.f ' 1^,;, ;• • < :.>i 7 •. - . r.'5 .-,■ -•;: ■, -'Ml .. :■ ' J -vf* fM:\ ■'1 • ; 't . " i , - . .. 1,1 "»».■. •■• ;; ->t •I !•• I 60 .3 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. ■ t. r' •>iU a-Miii ?y^,,>;Ij I.iu; ,y;w/ MY«-u ^jai'.m ^'ifJ lirJ oi'HJ; ;• ciimui rtiiw t,>4 ilj."i/> f>8, .. CHAPTER X. '^ ^'^^ '"'^ '■^*'^ •im.t;»i THE MAROONS, AND THE CHESAPEAKE AND SHANNON. In the year 1796, about five hundred Maroons arrived ^ in Halifax. They had been slaves in the island of Jamaica,, and, on the Spanish inhabitants removing to Cuba, they had fled to the woods and lived on plunder, being called Maroons, o hog hunters. The different bands united under a leader called Cudjoe, a man of great courage and sagacity. The island of Jamaica belong- ing now to Britain, determined efforts were made to conquer the Maroons. The glens or recesses to which the Maroons had retired were called cockpits. The pas- sages in CO these glens were extremely narrow. Ledges of rock, in which were numerous crevices, lined the depths which afforded protection to the Maroons, and completely screened them from the observation and fire of an attacking force. These glens or cockpits extended in a line, which enabled the negroes, when driven from one, to betake themselves to another, possibly more diffi- cult of access. Colonel Guthrie of the Militia and Cap- tain Sadler of the Regulars were deputed to open a com- munication with Cudjoe, which was effected. Cudjoe was found to be a man of low stature, uncommonly stout. THE CHE3APE4.KE AND SHANNON. 91 with strong African features, and a peculiar wildnest in his manner. He had a hump on his back, which was partly covered with the tattered remains of a blue coat, of which the skirts and the sleeves below the elbow were wanting. He wore a pair of loose drawers that did not reach his knees, and a small round hat without a rim. On his right side hung a cow's horn with powder, and a bag of cut slugs. He wore no shirt, and his clothes, as well as that part of his skin that was exposed, were covered with the red dirt of the cockpits. His men were as dirty as himself — all having guns and cutlasses. A treaty was entered into, and for fifty years the Maroons continued to live peaceably, but in the year 1795 they broke out into open rebellion. In order to reach them in their fastnesses, bloodhounds were used. The dogs were so broken in by their trainers that they did not kill the object of their pursuit till resisted. On coming up to him they barked furiously till he halted, and then crouchcvd near him, barking till their keepers came up and secured their prisoner. It is difficult to say how long the Maroons might have been able to continue in open rebellion were it not for these dojrs, which they dreaded to such a degree that they surrendered. ' : j;^». The Maroons, having remained in Halifax for some years, were removed by the British Government to Sierra Leone, where they proved useful as soldiers; but they subsequently returned to Jamaica. n^fdibi v, .^^•:ivl^■v^>^^i 62 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA. SCOTIA. i( In the year 1812 war wa8 declared by the United States against Great Britain. The news soon reached Halifax, and the Assembly adopted measures for general defence. Letters of marque and commissions to privateers were granted by the Governor. Numerous captures were made at sea by the British and American privateers, not a few of the prizes of the former having been brought to Halifax, where trade was temporarily increased by the war. In the contests that took place between individual ships, the Americans, as a rule, had the advantage, as their vessels generally carried heavier metal, and were more numerously manned. Captain Broke had been appointed to the frigate Shannon^ of 38 guns, which sailed from Halifax in March, 1813, on a cruise to Boston Bay. Understanding that the Chesapeake, an American frigate similar in size and power to the Shannon, was ready to put to sea, he sent a challenge to her commander, Captain Lawrence, which was accepted, and the Chesa- peaks was soon under sail to meet her antagonist. The stately frigate was accompanied by a number of pleasure boats, filled by Americans who were desirous of seeing the combat. The two ships continued their course to sea till forty minutes past five o'clock, when the Chesa- peake bore down on the Shannon, luifmg up within fifty yards of her, when the American crew gave three cheers. At fifty minutes past five the first shot was fired by the Shannon, and then the exchange of broadsides became as THE CHESAPEAKE AND SHANNON. 63 rapid as the men could fire. Owing to the men at the helm of the Chesapeake having been killed, she had for a moment become unmana<^eable, and her stem and quarter were exposed to her opponent's broadside. The stern ports were thus bent in, and the men driven from theii quarters. Presently the ships neared each other, tht quarter of the Cfhesapeake pressing on the Shannon^s side. Captain Broke, observing that the Americans were de- serting their quarter-deck jfuns, ordered the great guns to cease firing, and the main-deck boarders to advance. He himself then leaped on the quarter-deck, the boarders following. There was not an officer or a man for the moment to oppose him. His boarders then advanced to- wards the forecastle, driving twenty or thirty of the crew before them, who endeavored to get down the hatchway, but in their eagerness prevented each other. Several went overboard, and others reached the main deck through the bridle-ports, while the rest laid down their arms and surrendered. Captain Lawrence fell mortally wounded a few min- utes after the battle began. Of a crew of 381 men and boys, the Chesapeake lost 47 killed and 99 wounded. Of a crew of 306 men and 25 boys, the Shannon lost 24 killed and 59 wounded. The Chesapeake had not only the misfortune to lose her commander, but also her first, second, and third lieutenants. This cr^-^mity left the ship, at a most critical moment, without proper command. 64 8CH.00L yi^TOUY (^V ISfOVA i^COTIA. I The call of Captain Broke for boarders was responded to with the utmost celerity and precision, and four minutes after he had gained the quarter-deck of the Chesapeake he was master of her, the action having lasted for only fifteen miimtes. Af tei* the damage done to the rigging of lx)th frigates had been repaired, they sailed for Halifax, where they arrived on Sunday the sixth of June, passing along the wharves at half-past three o'clock in the after- noon. Citizens are now living who remember the occa- sion. The ships were received with much cheering from the inhabitants, and the crews of the men of war lying in the harbor. Captain Lawrence died on the passage, and was buried in the ground opposite Government House, with military honors. In August following, the remains of Captain Lawrence were removed to Boston, and there deposited with suitable ceremony. ,rj,,.f,,,.p, ^jr.u'^ ,.; ^r,.f J, Captain Broke was made a baronet, and lived to enjoy his well-earned reputation till the year 1841, when he died in a hotel in London, whither he had gone for medical advice. -,,. 7 viifM-rom il;j o-k'^hv/ .1 nn ) f, The year 1815 was memorable as that in which the great war. with France was concluded by the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, and the most unnatural contest be- tween Great Britain and the United States wus termin- ated by a treaty of peace executed at Ghent on the iwenty-fourth of December, 1815. The news of the dftfgat of Najpoleon jM:riveji in pajif^ in July— full Retails TUB CIIKSAl'EAKK AND SHANNON. 05 being received on the third of AiigiiHt. The event was celebrated by a public dinner in the Mason Hall. A subscription list in aid of the families of those who had fallen in battle was opened, which amounted to th(? sum of three thousand eij^lit huudred })0und8, besides what was contributed by the other counties. The Assembly testi- fied their appreciation of the labors of Sir John C. Sher- brooke, the Lieutenant-Governor, during the war, by voting one thousand pounds for a piece of plate, with which His Excellency was presented. In the year 1816, Sir John was appointed Governor-in-Chief of all the British American Provinces, and was entertained at a dinner by the magistrates and principal inhabitants in Mason Hall before he departed. He remained in his new position for two years, and then went to England, where he died on the fourteenth of February, 1830. , , . j-.. Chapter X. — Tn what year did the Maroons arrive in Halifax 1 Who were tliey, and whence did they cornel What was the name of their chief? IIow were they at last conquered'? What great naval combat took place in 1812 1 Which was the victor ? Who commanded the ships respectively ? How was the captain of the victorious ship rewarded ? For what is the year 1815 cele- brated? When did the news of the defeat of Napoleon reach Halifax 1 iM'M • ■•■ ■'>«>> ;u»f-'' ■'ff-f' , f:^^* 66 SCHOOL HISTORY IF NOVA SCOTIA. I I 1 ,i' ' { <■- ;/, ; 'I r ,1 . . i I » •■' ' ■ i', >'.' ■ " . ! ; i > t-,' ,.M|i- CHAPTER XL " I ..' ii ;--•■/.■) »'i . 1 I J •■ , ('.1^,1'. r .'■;.;,'. f> AGRICOLA. WINDSOR AND DALHOUSIE COLLEGES. The Earl of Dalhoiisie was Governor of Nova Scotia in 1818, and in that year Mr. John Young came promptly before the public under the signature of " Agrieola." He was born at I'alkirk, Stirlingshire, in September, 1773. Displaying as a lad great aptitude for learning, his father sent him to Glasgow College, where he distinguished him- self, not only as a classical scholar, but as an adept in most of the sciences, particularly in chemistry. He was destined for the church, his parents, with characteristic am- bition, desiring to see their only child " wagging his paw in a pulpit." His own inclination, however, led him to prefer the medical profession ; but his father having re- fused to sanction the change, he turned his attention to mercantile affairs in the city of Glasgow. During his residence there the working classes became greatly dis- turbed by the passage of some laws in parliament affecting their industries. Mr. Young, who had devoted particular attention to political science, and was then one of the magistrates of the city, wrote and published a pamphlet upon the rights of industry, the wide circulation of which had a marked tendency to tranquilize the public mind. WINDSOR AND DALHOUSIE COLLEGES. m At the age of twenty-five he married a daughter of George Rennie, Esq., a woman of remarkable talent, by whom he had nine children, all born in Scotland, two of whom only survived, the eldest and the youngest — Sir William, the Chief Justice of Nova Scotia, and the Hon. Charles Young, a Judge of Prince Edward Island. Mr. Young's widow died in Halifax in July, 1863, having at- tained the ripe age of eighty-four. ,.,, ,, A,,.; , . ;,.. In 1814 Mr. Young came out to Nova Scotia, and did a prosperous business as a merchant for four or five years. While travelling through various parts of the Province he observed the dismal state of the Provincial husbandry, the low condition of the farmers generally, and the absence of all system in agricultural operations. He then conceived the idea of arousing the attention of the community and Government to the possibility of effecting a change for the better, and of raising the farmer to a position alike hon- orable and useful. He then wrote and published in the Acadian Recorder newspaper a series of letters on various departments of rural economy. Most of these letters were afterwards collected, and inserted in a book containing the transactions of the Central Board of Agriculture, and of the various branches. These were written with classic taste, and distinguisher] by eloquence that had a tendency to attract universal attention, and to arouse popular en- thusiasm. Their publication accomplished more than their author had ever imagined in his fondest dreams, and were / . / en SCHOOL rilSTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. U i the means of effecting a complete and radical change in the agriculture of the country, the benefits of which Nova Scotia Btill feels, and will continue to feel for years to come. ' '■ ; ■ ■ •' -•; ^ . In order to carry out and prove his theories by practical farming, Mr. Young, in the year 1819, purchased an estate about two miles from the centre of Halifax, which he named Willow Park, and where he resided until he died in October, 1837. He imported stock of various kinds, and farming implements of the then latest improvements from the old country, and carried on farming on a con- siderable scale. The farm was visited daily by gentlemen from the country to learn its practical working, and the hospitality of Willow Park for many years was extensive. Mr. Young entered the Legislature in the year 1825, and occupied at once a commanding position. He con- tinued a member of Assembly until his death, and made many eloquent speeches, being a ready and logical debater. • ' In private life his manners were most genial and his conversational powers remarkable. With a mind well- stored by extensive reading and meditation he was ever ready to impart useful instruction to his associates, and by his family and his intimate friends he was much beloved.* * . In the year 1787, the legislature took up the matter of ♦This sketcli of " Agricola" has been kindly furnished by the Honorable Jiidtje Young, of Charlottetown. WINDSOR AND DALIIOUSIE COLLEGES. 69 a collegiate school, and passed a series of resolutions based on a report of a Committee of the House, by which it was determined to establish a seminary at Windsor. The academy was opened in 1788, and in the following year a proposition for the erection of a college was submitted to the Assembly, who voted money for the purchase of a site, which was supplemented by a vote of £3,000 by the British House of Commons. ■ ^' ? The Earl of Dalhousie also founded the college called after him, mainly from a fund obtained by the capture of Castine, in the State of Maine, during the American War, and by sums voted by the House of Assembly. ' ' Mr. Walter Bromley established a school in Halifax in 1813, on Lancaster's system, in which reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar and geography were efficiently taught. He was also the first to begin Sabbath schools in the province. Mr. Bromley was an able and energetic teacher. To the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign parts — connected with the Church of England — belongs the honor of making the first effort to educate the people. Shortly after the settlement of Halifax, schools were established in various sections of the Province, under the auspices of the Society. As early as 1768 the Governor and Council submitted a plan for a collegiate school to the Board of Trade and Plantations with a view of procuring aid, and, who, while declining to take the initiative in the 70 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. i:\ Ml i ' ' establishment of the proposed institution, promised liberal aid when it should be set on foot. In the following year a committee was formed in Halifax for the purpose of corresponding with the Society for Propagating the Gos- pel, consisting of the Governor, the Chief Justice, and the Secretary of the Province, who proposed that the allow- ance made to the Society's schoolmasters should be with- drawn, and devoted to the support of a public Seminary, believing that the funds could be so enlarged by liberal contributions from the principal inhabitants of the Pro- vince, as to become an ample support for a gentleman of learning and respectability to engage in the work. The town of Windsor was considered the most suitable place for the Seminary, where it was supposed the pupils would be exposed to fewer temptations than in Hal ifax. The Society, for various reasons, declined to alter their plans, and the project was therefore held in abeyance. . In the year 1787 the scheme for a Collegiate School was reviewed, when the Legislature took up the matter and passed a series of resolutions based on a report of a Committee of the House, by wh'ch it was determined to establish a Seminary at Windsoi, for instructing the rising generation in the principles of sound literature, and the Christian religion, and giving it a liberal education. Pro- vision was accordingly made to the amount of two hund- red pounds a year, for an exemplary clergyman of the WINDSOR AND DALHOUSIE COLLEGES. 71 Established Church, well skilled in chemical learning, divinity, moral philosophy, and the helles lettres, as Principal, and a sum of one hundred pounds a year was voted for a Professor of Matliomatics. This academy was accordingly opened on the first of November, 1788. In the following year a proposition for the erection of a College was sub- mitted to the Assembly, who voted four hundred pounds sterling a year in perpetuity, besides five hundred pounds for the purcliase of a site for the College. To these were added three thousand pounds voted by the British House of Commons at different times. Mr. Granville intimated His Majesty's intention of granting a Royal Charter to the College. John Inglis, son of Dr. Charles Inglis, the first Bishop appointed to Nova Scotia, when a young man went to England in the year 1800, and was entrusted with the advocacy of the interests of the College, and dis- charged the duty zealously and ably. A charter was ac- cordingly obtained in May, 1802, with an additional grant of one thousand pounds, which was continued annually till the year 1831. > ^ ■ , /. ,. •, - . ,.', In 1820, died, at his Episcopal residence in Halifax, an eminent ecclesiastic of the Roman Catholic Church, the Right Rev. Edmund Burke. The writings of Dr. Burke, which are now nearly out of print, were published in three large volumes, and bear ample evidence of his thorough knowledge of the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages. That he was a prelate of vast erudition, a powerful IF TT 72 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. reasoner, and able exponent of his own church, will be admitted by all who have examined his works. ^ The year 1 825 will be ever memorable in the history of the Lower Provinces as that in which a destnictive fire occurred at Miramichi. For the information of the more youthful readers, of this book it may be necessary to state that Miramichi includes a port, ]»ay and river on the north-east coast of Northumberland. Tlie river is second in importance in the Province, rises in Carleton County, and communicates by easy portage with the Saint John. About fifty miles from the ocean the two head streams unite in forming its main body, which is navigable for fifty miles. - r ■ The summer had been so very hot, and so little rairi had fallen, that serious apprehensions were entertained for the crops. At the beginning of October, when the weather is generally cool and bracing, a most unnatural heat was felt. Distant flashes were seen in the woods, and the heat became more oppressive and enervating. On the sixth the atmosphere was charged with hot vapor, and a pale mist was seen to settle over the forest. The mist gave place gradually to a dark cloud like that which portends a thunder storm. About four o'clock in the afternoon an immense pillar of smoke was seen to rise north-west of Newcastle. As it became dark the sky was illumined by the yet distant blaze. About nine o'clock a roar was heard from the woods, followed with loud WINDSOR AND DALIIQUSIE COLLEGES. 70. thunder. The lightning flashed, and the wind blew with the utmost fury, lashing the river into foam. These were but the harbingers of approaching destruction. There was a moment of awful silence ; then rose a hissing noise from the forest, accompanied with a living stream of fire, which, in a few moments, enveloped the settlements, reducing houses, stores and barns to ashes. Many lives were lost, and much property destroyed. ,. . . ., The news reached Halifax on the afternoon of Satur- day, the fifteenth of October, and on the following day — Sunday — a public meeting was held, and £1200 sub- scribed for the relief of the sufferers. The noble example of Halifax was followed in other parts of the Province, and Nova Scotia contributed altogether £4500 to miti- gate the sufferings of the unfortunate people of Mira- michi. . . . , .. ;. Chapter XI. — Wlio first gave an impetus to agricultural im- provement in Nova Scotia 1 Of what country was he a native? When and where did he did When was a collegiate school established in Windsor? Who founded Dalhousie College ? Who was the most prominent teacher in Halifax in 18181 What eminent prelate of the Homan Catholic Church died in 1820? When did the great fire at Miramichi take place ? II 111 74 - SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. ti . ' .7 '- I .: ./ Xi .i -.1. ., ' ' '■ ^''^ . ■ ,;, ' ■'■ ' •• ■•'.:. • a . .Mi. CHAPTER xn. ' ' ' : ' THE BRANDY DISPUTE. MR. HOWE AND THE . MAGISTPACY. , . Towards the close of the Session of 1830, the House and the Council came into violent collision. In the year 1826, the revenue laws had undergone careful revision. At that time a duty of one shilling and fourpence was imposed on brandy, but in consequence of a misconstruc- tion of the law, the duty collected from 1826 to 1830 was only one shilling. The Committee appointed to examine the accounts discovered that the intentions of the legisla- ture had been defeated by the construction put upon the act, and tlie House resolved to make the duty what was intended by the act of 1826. There was no intention on the part of the Assembly to alter the general scnle of duties in 1830, and when the bill imposing an additional duty on brandy was sent to the Council, they objected to the alteration, refused to pass the bill, and requested a conference. A Committee of the House accordingly met with a Committee of the Council, and during the confer- ence the gentlemen representing the House were told that the Council thought the duties imposed on a variety of articles too high» and proposed certain specified reductions. The Assembly were justly offended at this unprecedented ill MR. HOWE AND THE MAGISTRACY. 75 interference with their constitutional functions, and positively refused to make any alterations to please the Council. The Council did not in consequence pass the appropriation bill, and thus a revenue of £25,000 was lost to the Province. The Session was then closed, but when the House next met the Council wisely adopted the measure, and the dispute came to an end. . • ■ * • - . In the year 1830, the Rev. Dr. McGregor died at Pictou. He was a native of Perthshire, having been bom in the parish of Comrie, in the year 1759. He was a man of masculine intellect, and of respectable scholarly attain- ments, and an earnest preacLor. His grandson, the Rev. Mr. Patterson, of Greenhill, has written his life, to which we refer the reader for full and interesting information regarding the Doctor's labors. During the Session of 1834, Mr. Alexander Stewart made a vigorous attack on the constitution of His Majesty's Council, moving three resolutions which had for their object to open the doors of the Council to the public during its deliberations, to reform that body by an increase of its members by additions chosen from the country, and to divest it of executive powers. Though the discussion did not lead to an immediate practical result, yet it prepared the public mind for important changes in the constitution of the Council, which were Bubsequen tly effected. " ' ' ' ' ' ::>.'•< i •■ - . r ,,, . -, On the first of January, 1835, appeared in the Nova 76 SCHOOL HISTORY 'OF NOVA SCOTIA. ScotiaUf of which Mr. Jose})h IIowo '-as proprietor and editor, a letter signed " The People," in wliich the magis- trates and police of Halifax were accused of having, •I [ during the lapse of thirty years, taken from the pockets jj of the people, by means of various exactions and fines, the il \i sum of £30,000. On account of this charge, an action I j" was brought against Mr. Howe, when he undertook his \ . own defence. He delivered a long and able speech on the I occasion, and obtained a verdict of not guilty, which was I received with unbounded popular satisfaction. An education committee of which Mr. John Young was chairman, and consisting of a member from each county, presented an interesting report to the Assembly during the session of 183G, in which we have a glimpse of the condition of the Province at that period as to educa- tional advantages. In 1832 an Act was jjassed for the encouragement of common and grammar schools, con- ducted on the precarious principle of voluntary subscrip- tions by the inhabitants, within the different school districts — the Province not being yet deemed in a condition to assume the burden of maintaining a system . of elementary instruction by an equitable assessment on the population. To the honor of the inhabitants of Middle Musquodoboit they were the first in the Province to appreciate the advantages of a general assessment for the support of schools, for they sent a petition which was referred to the committee, urging the House to impose an II : MR. HOWE AND TIIK MAGISTRACY. 77 educational tax on means and property. Tlio number of schools in the province in 1835 was five hundred and thirty, and the aggregate number of scholars attending, fifteen thousand. The amount raised for educational purposes in Halifax county was in 18.35 one thousand pounds. Colchester gave fifteen hundred. Annapolis, east and west, two thousand pounds ; Yarmouth and Argyle twelve hundred pounds ; Lunenburg and Cum- berland one thousand pounds each. The sum collected by the people of Pictou county is not stated, but it furnished the largest number of scholars of any county except that of Annapolis, being upwards of two thousand ; Colchester sent eleven hundred ; Kings one thousand ; Annapolis two thousand ; Yarmouth and Argyle sixteen hundred, and Lunenburg twelve hundred. Tlie entire amount raised l)y the people in 1835, for educational purposes, by voluntary contributions was twelve thousand five hundred "iiounds ; and the sum paid from the Provincial treasury, for the same o])ject was six thousand eight hundred pounds. These figures present a record highly creditable to the Province, showing that the people were beginning to appreciate the advantages of early educational training, and anxious to prepare the way for the introduction of the comprehensive system which, at a later period was introduced, and which it is hoped will be maintained with ever increr.sing efficiency. Parents are becoming impressed with the inestimable value of our 7! ' w SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. public scIiooIh, which have already borne good fruit, and it is to be hoped that the time may speedily arrive when such of them as seem insensible to the educational advant- ages placed within their reach, shall regard it as a sacred duty not only to send their children to school but to assure their punctual attendance. " : . ; ,. CiiAPTKR XII. — What dispute took place in the House of Assembly in 1830 ? How was the Province affected by iti Who was the Rev. Dr. McGregor? Who attacked the Council? When did Joseph Howe first appear as a public speaker? Explain the circumstances. How many scliools were in the Province in 1885 ? How many scholars were attending school ? f I a fl> 1 J '. i • I' I S t J ' ' ■ ' ' \ • I T ■;'> i) STEAM COMMUNICATION, ETC. 7f ■>u> > : (. Mil ( i> \ .1 1 1 ( . » . ' 1 2 ' ' I ' ' ■ ' • <• ■" > i«'t I CHAPTER Xni. " .'.L •- • .- ■ > .1 • - U .'•■{•, -^ lit .i'r'i ■ .'i STEAM COMMUNICATION. — RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT The House of Assembly having been dissolved, in 1836 in virtue of its term having expired, the election took place in November of the same year. Mr. Howe and Mr. William Annand were returned for Halifax county. The following prominent gentlemen connected with the previous House were also returned : Messrs. Herbert Huntington, S. G. W. Archibald, W. Young, Alexander Stewart, John Young, James B. Uniacke, and Mr. Wilkins. ' ■ . : • : So early as 1830, the establishment of steam commu- nication between Britain and North America was pro- jected by Mr. Cunard, who, in the prosecution of the undertaking had a conference with Mr. George Burns and Mr. David Mclver of Glasgow, which led to the establishment of the Cuna'rd Line. A contract for the conveyance of ihe North American mails was entered into by the Admiralty and these gentlemtxi. The first steamer of the line was the Britannia, which sailed from Liverpool for Halifax and Boston on the fourth of July, The year 1840 was one of intense political agitation '11 80 SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. in Nova Scotia. The subject of responsible government was keenly discussed, and meetings were lield in almost all the principal towns in the Province, at which resolot- tions expressive of the determinations of the people to secure such government were passed. In Octo])ei, 1829, Lord John Russell, who was Colonial Secretary, addi'essed if' a despatch to Sir John Harvey, the Governor of New Brunswick, which was justly regarded by the leading reformers of Nova Scotia, as a practical concession of the principle of resj^onsible government, but Sir Colin Campbell the Governor, and the Executive Council, ignored the instructions of the Colonial Secretary ; but the House of Assembly was determined to effect the necessaiy reform in a thoroughly constitutional manner. Resolutions were accordingly submitted to the House by Mr. Howe, and an address to Her IVIajesty adopted praying for the removal of Sir Colin Campbell from the Governorship of the Province. The representatives of the town and county of Halifax — Joseph Howe, William Annand, Thomas Forrester, i Hugh Bell — invited their constituents to meet them in Mason Hall on the 30tli March, 1840, as a meeting had been called by their opponents to condemn the conduct of the Assembly in reference to the Govr^-nor and Executive Council, in terms which precluded their attend- ance, and which they thought intended to prevent fair and full discussion of a great public question. The Hall |:i ! STEAM COMMUNICA.TION, ETC. 81 was densely crowded. The principal speakers in defence of the Assembly, were Messrs. Howe, William Young, Forrester and Bell, the Government having been defended by J. W. Johnston, the Solicitor-General. There was great confusion and excitement, and both parties claimed the victory. Sir Colin Campbell was recalled, and the necessary reform effected. Previously a council of twelve persons chosen from the capital, with one exception, formed the second branc'u of the legislature, the Governor having no power to increase the number. The whole executive power of the government was vested in these men, who were never required to appeal to the people, holding as they did their office for life, as the advisers of the Gov- ernor, and the rulers of the Province. Under Lord Falkland, who had succeeded Sir Colin Campbell, of the ten men who composed the Executive Council six were members of the representative branch, and were conse- quently obliged, once in four years, to solicit the suffrages of the people — a wholesome constitutional check being thus vested in the constitue'ncies. The political opponents of Sir Colin and his adminis- tration cherished no vindictive feelings towards him. In their intercourse wiith him he had been always pleasant and courteous, but the old soldier belonged to an unbend- ing school, and was utterly unfitted by habit and training for the position which he occupied. lie deemed it a poin ' i in f ' ff i» Hi SCHOOL rrtSTORT OF 1^6VA SCOTIA. of honor to defend the Execntive Council, and well nigh sacrificed his honor in his infatuated resistance to th substance of which was embodied in a Trev-^-sury minute, and in conformity with which a contract was framed in 1849. Meanwhile the Civil List Act of 1849 had passed in the Provincial Legislature, by which the legal estate of the Crown was vested in that- body. Any lease, therefore, which gave a legal title must emanate from the Assembly of Nova Scotia. Mr., now Sir William, Young, the late Attorney-General, had expressed a very decided opinion to that effect, A^hich was subsequently corroborated by the Crown officers of England. Thus a dead lock was caused in the conduct of the mining business : I iij I! if. I 'M\ 'I; ''I i!' ¥. ; 86 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. of the country. The Government therefore resolved, if possible, to settle all existing disputes, and with that view proposed to the Assembly, in the session of 1857, a resolution to the effect that if the Provincial Government should find it necessary, for effecting a satisfactory compromise of this question to employ Commissioners, the House would authorize the selection by the Government of two members, prominently repre- senting the different views held in the House on the subject, who should have power to effect a settlement of the controversy, provided both commissioners should agree thereto, subject, however, to the ratification of the Legislature — and the House would provide for the expense. . , . In accordance with this resolution Mr. Johnston, the Attorney-General, and Mr. A. G. Archibald, a prominent mepibpr of the Opposition, were deputed to proceed to England in the month of June, 1857. Having reported their arrival to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, they were put in communication, by Her Majesty's Government, with the Directors of the General Mining Association, the result being the consummation of an agreement by which the rights of the Association were effectually secured, and thus increased enterprise was stimulated, and the remaining mineral wealth of the Province permanently placed under the guardianship of the representatives of the peop.8. .THE lIKltOES OF SliUAiSTOrOL. 87 The debate iu the Assembly on the aiTaiigeineiit entered into, and for the conipleLion oi which the forjnal banetion of the House was reijuired, was conducted with uuich ability. On the vote being taken on the tvventy- i»econd of February, 18.>8, tlie action of the delegates was ba'cked by thirty votes to nineteen. AVhile a perusal of the speeches delivered in opposition leads to the conviction that not a few sound arguments were uiged iu favor of delay, yet when a stu«ient of the coal cpiestion thinkK of, the many years that had elapsed since the contest between, the General Mining Association and the people had begun, that the delegates had coni])ated ably for the interests of the country, with the sanguine expectation of being supported by the Assembly, and that ]io princii}ie of an address to the Queen, v/hich had passed in ISoi) in the Assembly, and on which the agreement between the delegates and the Association was based, liad been sacriiiced, he will probably feel constrained to admit that the House, in ratifying an agreement which has proved of vast importance to the full development of the mineral resources of the Province,- acted most wisely, .r •.•* , , Chapter XIV, — Wlien did Sebastopol fall? How was the news received ? Name prominent Nova Scotiaus who fell honor- ably in batde ? Wlio was the hero of Kars ? How was he rewarded 1 Who was the great proprietor of the coal mines 1 Who were sent to London to recover them for the people 1 :•) 'Oi!i ■'.■), •'fi >of/ iti'ik-'f J.1^-' .;.')-.;-;. J t<'» ji ,wi i: --i) ;i. . -t; i . 1 .'i '•■•:'■ yvi ti Ai'.'t-'^l :'. M -• li i k I A', 8d SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. CHAPTER XV. THE INDIAN MUTINY. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICA- TION, ETC. The Indian mutiny occurred in the year 1859, during which the courage and endurance of the British forces were put to the severest test. In the defence of Luck- now there was a Nova Scotian who so distinguished himself as to have received tlie thanks of the British Parliament, his services having been noticed in the moat complimentary terms by leading statesmen of all parties. We refer to Major General Sir John Inglis, K. C. B., who was the son of the Right Rev. John Inglis, Lord Bishop of Nova Scotia. Young Inglis entered the army as ensign in a foot regiment in 1833, and served in Canada during the rebellion of 1837. He took part in the Pun- jaub campaign of 1848. At Lucknow, General Inglis defended himself with a feeble band for eighty-seven days against the attacks of 50,000 rebels, till at length he was relieved after a resistance which has been pro- nounced without precedent in modern warfare. The Assembly of his native Province presented him with a sword — a mark of distinction which was never more gallantly won. The ladies of Halifax were not unmind- TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION, ETC. 89 ful of Lady Inglis, for in April, 1858, they presented her through a deputation of Nova Scotians, headed by Sir Samuel Cunard, with a splendid copy of the bible. On the fifth of August, 1858, telegraphic communica- tion between Europe and the Continent of America was completed. The telegraph fleet sailed from Queenstown, in Ireland, on Saturday, the 17 th of July, and arrived at mid-ocean on Wednesday the 28tli. Next day two of the ships, whose complement of the cable had been paid out, returned to England — other two leaving for Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, where the cable was landed. The intelligence was received wiih great joy in Halifax and elsewhere, and duly celebrated. The first message sent was one from the Queen of England to the President of the United States ; the second was his reply. In this year a general election took place, after* which tlie party of which Mr., now Sir William, Young, was the leader, claimed a majority, and accord- ingly presented a memorial to the Governor, signed by that gentleman and twenty-eight other members elect of the House, praying for an early meeti»'g of the House. To that memorial a reply was receive intimating that His Excellency must be guided by his constitutional idvisers in determining Vi^hen the Asseirbly should meet. The Assembly met in January, 1860. 7 he vote taken on the election of Speaker indicated that th( Opposition had a majority of two in the new House, but he Government^ I ''" 90 SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. contended that five or nix. of the members were disquali- fied from sitting there, as they held offices of emolument under the government at the time of their election. The Executive Council in these circumstances advised the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the House, an advice which His Excellency did not deem it his duty to follow. The Government consequently resigned, and a new Government was formed consisting of William Young, President of the Council ; Joseph Howe, Provuicial Sec- retary ; Adam G. Archibald, Attorney-General ; Jona- than McCully, Solicitor-General; John H. Anderson, Receive; General ; William Annand, Financial Secretary ; Benjamin Weir and John Locke being also members of the Executive Council. ' '■■■ • ■■' ' •'' " In the month of June, 1860, the Lieutenant Governor was officially informed that tlie Prince of Wales proposed to land in Halifax on the 30th of July following. The intelligence having been published was hailed with demon- strations of the liveliest satisfaction by all classes, and preparations were made to accord to the eldest son of our beloved Queen, and the heir apparent to the British throne, a reception becoming his rank. A liberal sum had been placed at the disposal of the Governor by tlie Legia- lature to provide for the reception and entertainment of so august a visitor, and the inhabitants of Halifax resolved that no private expense should be spared to make the reception successful. The Prince left England on the TELteORAPnld OOMMUNiOAlWN, ETC. 91 lOth of July, arriving in St John's, Newfoundland, on the 23rd. lie left St. John's on the 26th, and proceeded to Sydney — the ships anchoring near the mmes on the niorniiiir of the 28th. .' i: '(ill 111 Iti'lotiiHl -'!Mfi!-ii '.iij!... True to the appointed time the ships were signalled in Halifax on Monday morning, the 30th July. On entering the harhor the Royal Squadron was saluted by all the forts in succession, and by all the ships of war. At twelve o'clock his Royal Highness left the Hero and proceeded to land at the Dock Yard, where he was received by Rear Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, the Earl of Mulgrave, Major General Trollope, the judges of the Supreme Court, the Lord Bishop of Nova Scotia, the members of the Exe- cutive Council, and the House of Assembly, the Mayor and Corporation of Halifax, and other dignitaries. To an address from the Mayor and members of the City Council, read by Mr. Sutherland, the Recorder, the Prince replied in suitable terms. There was a brilliant proces- sion — the whole city and the inhabitants of the surround- ing country turning out to greet His Royal Highness, and during his progress to Government House he was received with a degree of enthusiasm that could not be surpassed. The most pleasing featm'e of the day's proceedings, and the one with which the Prince was most delighted, was the scene presented in Barrington Street, where on a raised platform were present four thousand neatly dressed diildren, fluttering with delight as the procession passed. %''-^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) / O '<^'.% 1.0 I.I |^|28 |2.5 5 nmw^^m m ■ 40 2.0 1.8 L25 iU 1IIIII.6 V] (^ /] 7: > ?v y '%J*> ^"^4 92; SCHOOL BISTORT OF NOVA SCOTIA. When his Boyal Highness appeared thej arose simultane- ously, and sung an anthem. At its close three hearty cheers were given by the children, and myriads of little handkerchiefs fluttered in the air. Chapter XV. — ^When did the great Indian mutiny take place 1 Name a Nova Scotian who distinguished himself ? When was telegraphic communication established between Europe and America ? When did the Prince of Wales visit Nova Scotia ? y:i : . . '.'TUh ' U. ',' ;' ;i<4. '.■ilj l^ J.U jitiJtui B&i ' ^^lioo ii .f.^fvion-jjJI 0;! .i>... :.i iiJ.w ;iur;u,ij]jk; , ,J.IH IWTERWATIONAL EXHIBItlON. Ss ,bao:-n.-,.r.-,n ,-.-..- r-p^j^p^j,^ XVI. ' '' " '• ''•'■■■'"•■ •; INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.— EDUCATION BILL. The Imperial Commissioners of the International Exhibition, held in London in 1862, having sent to the Colonial Governments an invitation to have their respec- tive Provinces represented, it was resolved by the Government of Nova Scotia to respond to the invitation, and with that view they constituted a Board of Commis- sioners, consisting of gentlemen acquainted with the resources of the Province. The committee appointed worked with vigour and determination, and with remark- able success. That Nova Scotia commanded a high posi- tion at the Exhibition is proved by the fact that she was awarded either medals or " honorable mention *' in fourteen classes or sections, being only surpassed in this respect by Victoria and New South Wales — a most wonderful result considering the very limited extent of the Province as compared with the great majority of the other competing colonies, and proving that Nova Scotia stands unsurpassed in variety and extent of resources by any other country of equal extent in the world. Specimens of fruit had been sent of which the Gardener's Chronicle said — l.:| M SpaOOL HI8T0RT OF NQVA W?OTIA. " Certainly nothing like them had been previously seen at any public exhibition in this country." A general election took place in 1863, when the Government of which Mr. Howe was the leader, was defeated at the polls* /Their j^sigpi^a^ion was consequently tendered, and Hon. J. W. Johnston entrusted with the con- struction of a new administration, ef Which J. W. Johnston was Attorney-General ; Dn Tupper,, Provincial Secretary ; W. A. Henry, Solicitor-General ; James McNab, Receiver- General ; Isaac I^e Vesconte, Financial Secretary ; James McDonald being Commissioner of Railways. ,, .,cf „„;, .-,;vThe education bill was introducedr by the Provincial Secretary on the fifteenth of February. The inefficiency of the educational system that previously existed in the Province was proved by the census of 1861 — the facts brought to light producing a profound impression on the thinking portion of the conununity. Of a population of 300,000 over the age of five years, there were 81,000 who could not read, being more than one-fourth of the entire population of the Province. Of 83,000 children between the^ges of five and fifteen, there were 36,000 who could not read. The number of children attending school in 1863 was only 31,000, so that there were in. the Province in that year 52,000 children growing up without any educational training whatever. M. Le Vesconte having towards the close of 1864 retired from the office of Financial Secretary, was sue / I rr INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION. n<$5 ceeded by Mr. James McDonald, member for Pictou county — an appointment which proved an important accession to the administrative capacity and strength of the Government. ' • The first thing proposed in the Education Bill was the Establishment of a Council of Public Instruction. Diffi- culty was experienced in determining who should be the Council, but after anxious deliberation it "was thought that the Executive Council could perform th6 functions of the position more efficiently than any other body that could be selected. The services of a superintendent were also needed who should discharge the duty of examining and reporting on the educational state of every locality in the Province. It was also proposed to appoint a Board, with the view of surveying and arranging all the school dis- tricts, adaptmg the subdivision of them to the present condition of the country. Examinei's were also to be provided for each district, one of whom should be the Inspector — their duty being to ascertain the qualifications ' of applicants for license.to teach. The Educational Act of 1864 was unquestionably one of the most important measures, bearing on the moral and material interests of the Province that was ever introduced. It struck at the very root of most of the evils which tend to depress the intellectual energies and moral status of the people. It introduced the genial light of knowledge mto the dark recesses of ignorance, opened the minds of ,r «6 SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. thousands of little ones-^the fathers and mothers of coming generations — to a perception of the true and the beautiful, and placed Nova Scotia in the front rank of countries renowned for common school educational ad- vantages. On the 20th of April, 1869, Alex. Forrester, D. D., Superintendent of Education for Nova Scotia, from 1855 to 1864, and Principal of the Provincial Normal College, died at New York, whither he had gone for medical advice. He was a native of Scotland, and was born in the year 1805, receiving his education at the University of Edinburgh. He was licensed in 1831, and ordained in 1835. He was first settled as a pastor in Scotland, where he remained till the disruption of the Free Church from the Establishment in 1843. Soon after the disruption he was called to the charge of the Free Middle Church, Paisley, where he remained four years, until 1848, when he visited Nova Scotia as the deputy of the Free Church. Here he remained, and supplied St. John's Church, Halifax, for three months, during which time he organized classes which became the nucleus of the Free Church College. From the time of Dr. Forrester's arrival in the Province till his death, he labored most assiduously in elevating the educational status of the Province, and in diffusing the religion of Christ. "The Teacher's Text Book" remains as a durable monument to his masculine intellect, and devo- tion to the cause of popular education. INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION. 97 111 jre he as 7' ed he ee ch he th, al of a o On the introduction of the Educational Act, Mr. T. H. Rand became superintendent, holding that office till 1870. when he was succeeded by the present superintendent, the Rev. Mr. Hunt. These gentlemen have done much to render the working of the measure practically effi- cient, under the able direction of the Council of Public Instruction. Chapter XVI.— What figure did Nova Scotia make at the In- ternational Exhibition of 1862 1 When and by whom was the Education bill introduced 1 How many children could not read 1 Who are the Council of Public Instruction 1 Who was Dr. For- rester? 'i'f lu ar fvi' ■>■->•■ fifvn .'inirf'Uf^ ) 'in ffr^-; gL,Ui /' ..r 98 SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. »-»»rj' .ijii'U '^'"''^ "CHAPTER XVn. UNION OF THE PROVINCES. >/I 9fft f i It is, perhaps, impossible to determine the exact period when the subject of a union of the Provinces of British North America was first publicly mooted. Francis Nichol- son, who was appointed Governor of New England in 1 688, was an advocate for the Union of the British North American Provinces for purposes of defence. Chief Justice Sewell of Quebec, addressed a letter in 1814 to the Duke of Kent, in which he proposed a Federal Union of British North America. The subject, however, did not become a public question until the publication of Lord Durham's Report which was submitted to the House of Commons in 1839. When he arrived in Canada he was in favor of a Federal Union — that is, a union in which the separate Legislature of each province would be pre- served in the form in which it then existed, and retain all its attributes of internal legislation, in contradistinction to a legislative union, which would imply a complete incor- poration of the Provinces included in it under one Legis- lature, exercising universal and sole legislative authority over all of them, in exactly the same maimer as the •'' tJl^lON OF imiint>a all goiae&iqx^ lb Yiliip^hointo no'xi •'2rsvnid him ^m iitt UNION OP THE PROVINCES — CONTINUED. 108 J»'t»t •ij!'lt:I /. I li I'^j • r*! II .,{,* " ^4*'t •I. .ntYf ^«f yj^Wr. ti'Mtat tbii f).. iilffir .7/ CHAPTER XVIIL , UNION OP THE PROVINCES — CONTINUED. '*,r» I If ' 1 .•^rxin The convention met at Quebec on th^ 10th of October, 1864, in the Parliament House of Old Canada. On the second day, John A. Macdonald — now Sir John — sub- mitted a series of resolutions in which the basis of the constitution of the proposed confederation was enunciated. The representation of the Provinces in the House of Commons was to rest on population, as determuied by the official census every ten years — the number of members consisting at first of 194, distributed as follows: — Upper Canada 82, Lower Canada 65, Nova Scotia 19, New Brunswick 15, Newfoundland 8, and Prince Edward Island 5. fr ^11 lo mjuii ji The Convention closed its sittings at Quebec on the 28th of October. On the return of the delegates to Halifax, a public meeting was called by the Mayor, in accordance with a requisition from a number of citizens, in order to give the delegates an opportunity of present- ing an exposition of the proceedings of the Convention at Quebec, when speeches were made by Dr. Tupper, Jonathan McCuUy, and A. G. Archibald, which were fully reported in the newspapers. 104 SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOV\ «COTIA. A large and influential meeting was also held in opposition to the scheme propounded at Quebec, at which the question was discussed with much ability by Wm. J. Stairs, Alfred G. Jones, William Annand, W. Miller and P. Power. Some of the financial arguments of these gentlemen were unanswerable, and led in no small degree to subsequent improvements in the scheme. , . . '•■ The Governor-General, Lord Monck, lost no time in transmitting the resolutions adopted at Quebec, to the Imperial Government. On the resolutions being con- sidered by the Government, Mr. Cardwell, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, addressed a dispatch on the third of December, 1864, to the Governor-General, in which he stated that Her Majesty's Government had given to the resolutions of the Convention their most deliberate consideration, and accepted them as being the best framework of a measure to be p-issed by the Imperial Parliament to establish a union of the whole Provinces in one Government. • • ■• -^' ' — ' --•' - - ■ '^ -f^ The Canadian Legislature met in February, 1865, when the report of the Convention was discussed in both branches of the Legislature, and a resolution submitted to them respectively, to the effect that an address should be presented to Her Majesty, praying that she might be pleased to cause a measure to be submitted to the Imperial Parliament, for the purpose of uniting the Colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, UNION OP THE PROVINCES — CONTINUED. 105 and Prince Edward Island in one Government, with provisions based on the resolutions passed at Quebec. After a protracted discussion, the resolution was passed by a large majority. • ,;■•../>.;.. The scheme did not meet with the same degree of favor in New Brunswick, for an election having taken place before the question was discussed in the House, a large majority was returned opposed to union. The opposition of the people of New Brunswick was regarded as a serious obstacle to the scheme, and the prominent promoters of it in Nova Scotia deemed it pfjudent, in consequence, to delay the Legislative consideration of the question. But the Government of New Brunswick having committed itself to union in the speech with which the legislature was opened in 1866, and the Legislative Council of that Province having passed a resolution approving of confederation, the Government of Nova Scotia submitted a resolution to the House of Assembly to the effect that the Lieutenant-Governor should be authorized to appoint delegates to arrange with the Imperial Government a scheme of union. After a week's discussion the resolution was carried by thirty -one to nineteen votes — a similar one having been passed in the Legislative Council by thirty to five votes. ''' noh'^(^r:nf^ Chapter XVIII. — When and where did tlie Union Convention meet ? How was tlie proposal for union received by the Canadian Legislature? How bv the New Brunswick I II 106 .. SCHOOL HiSTOjay . OF NOVA scpiau^ Mw Jnommrrmr) mm iii hmkl dyiuwih'd oonli^l ban 'N, orrcioi> mriiig oiCHAPTER XIX. mnitth^ MT OPPOSITION TO confederati6n.--lo*ss op the CitT . ^ OP BOSTON. DEATH OP JOSEPH HOWE. ' fj In order to prevent the consummation of the union to which the Legislature had become thus committed, but to which the great body of the people was opposed, Mr. Howe, Mr. Annand, and Mr. Hugh McDonald were sent as delegates to London, where Mr. Howf wrote a pam- phlet entitled " Confederation considered in relation to the interests of the Empire." The pamplilet was extensively circulated, and the sentiments which it embodied were re- garded with considerable favor by a portion of the influ- ential press of Britain. Dr. Tupper, who in conjunction with J. W. Ritchie, Jonathan McCuUy, and A. G. Archi- bald, had also gone to London, lost no time in preparing an able reply, in which he proved from Mr. Howe's speeches that he had been a strong advocate for confeder- ation — thus successfully depriving Mr. Howe's present opposition to the proposed measure of moral weight. To the pamphlet of Dr. Tupper, Mr. Annand wrote a a very able answer in the form of an elaborate letter to the Earl of Carnarvon, and if he failed in successfully vin- OPPOSITION TO CONFEDERATION. 107 dicating the consistency of his friend he presented an array of facts and arguments in supporting the right of the people to be consulted at the polls before the Provin- cial constitution could be changed, which were difficult, if not impossible, satisfactorily to answer, n'^ a'viki> \!'i(I On the one hand it was contended that almost all the leading politicians of the Province had at one time or another expressed themselves favorable to a union of the Provinces, that Parliament was omnipotent, and that the imion between England and Scotland, and Great Britain and Ireland having been effected by Parliament without an appeal to the people, there could be no well grounded objection to the union of the British American Provinces being consummated in the same way. On the other hand, it was urged by Mr. Annand " that while nobody denied the power of the Imperial Parliament to sweep away the constitution of a colony, should the preservation of the national life or the great interests of the empire demand the sacrifice, yet in such a case flagrant abuse, corruption or insubordination, must be shown, or the existence of a high State necessity, in presence of which all ordinary safeguards of existing institutions should give way." He contended that no such abuse or State necessity existed to warrant what he termed " an act of confiscation and coercion of the most arbitrary* kind;" and he did not certainly exaggerate the intensity of popular feeling at the time against the proposed union when he expressed to 108 * SOflOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. Lord Carnarvon his conviction that in the election to take place in May next not three counties of the eighteen of which the Province consisted would return members favorable to Confederation, i'" ' ''" ''«"<^'J j**»...-..,-a.ou .... j Delegates from the Government of New BrunswicV,: had joined those from Nova Scotia in Halifax, and accom- panied them to London in July. The Canadian delegates having joined them in London, a conference of the three Provinces was organized on the 4th of December at the Westminster Palace Hotel, the Hon. John A. Macdonald being president. The conference continued its sittings till the 24th, when amended resolutions, but substantially the same as those agreed to at Quebec, were adopted, and sbnt to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. ^^ ^'>'«<^ i- A bill based on the resolutions was prepared, and sub- mitted to the Imperial Parliament by Her Majesty's Ministers, and was finally passed on the 29 th of March, 1867, becoming on the 1st of July, 1867, the Constitution of the Dominion of Canada. *■■ The delegates returned to their respective homes, an^ the Nova Scotia Assembly met in March, 1867, when, on a reply to the address of the Lieutenant-Governor being moved, a long and spirited discussion took place, in which the leading men of both parties took a part. > > • ■ In July, 1867, the Government of the Province was assumed by Hiram Blanchard, Attorney-General ; Philip Cartret Hill, Provincial Secretary ; Jamos McNab, OPPOSITION TO CONFEDERATION. 109 Treasurer ; Charles Allison, Commissioner of Mines and Public Works ; John McKinnon and Samuel Creolman. The Governmental business of the Province was efficiently discharged hj these gentlemen till the result of the election was known. VMttnt.tu>U ««« •^ii'f! The month of September, 1867, found the country in the bustle and fermentation of a general election. The scheme of union, consummated without an appeal to the people, was extremely unpopular ; and the leading poli- ticians opposed to it had, by holding meetings in every county, and through the newspapers which advocated their views, made the current of opposition so strong that little doubt existed as to the general result of the election ; but that the anti-confederates should carry, as they actually did, thirty-six of the thirty-eight seats in the Local House, and eighteen of the nineteen in the House of Commons, was not expected by the advocates of union. Dr. Tupper, representing Cumberland County, was the only unionist returned to the House of Com- mons, and Mr. Blanchard, for Inverness, and Mr. Pineo, for Cumberland, the only Ones returned to the Local Assembly. m \m. .rr>t r/<.««iJi? On the result of the election becoming known, Mr Blanchard, Mr. Hill, and their colleagues in the adminicK tration tendered their resignations, when a new and strong government was formed which consisted of the following gentlemen : — Mr. Annand, Provincial Treasurer ; W. B '■■:U 110 8CH00L HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. Vail, Provincial Secretary ; M. I. Wilkins, Attorney- General ; Robert Robertson, Commissioner of Mines ; J. C. Troop, R. A. McHeffy, E. P. Flynn, John Ferguson, and James Cochran. tunmuf^ u'^^ut. (n in^iju.^'.'ji* Tlie new House met on the 80th of January, 1868, when Mr. Marshall, the member for Guysboro', was ap- pointed Speaker. The Attorney-General, a few days after the House met, moved a series of resolutions con- demnatory of the manner in which Confederation was carried, and proposing an address praying Her Majesty to revoke her proclamation and to cause the British North American Act to be repealed, as far as it regarded the Province of Nova Scotia. These resolutions were seconded by Mr. Troop, who subsequently succeeded J Ir. Marshall in the Speakership, and who now holds that honorable position. The debate lasted for twelve days, and the resolutions were carried, Mr. Blanchard and Mr. Pineo dissenting. An address to Her Majesty based on the resolutions was adopted and forwarded to Viscount Monck for transmission to the Queen, and the following gentlemen were appointed as delegates by the Executive Council to visit England in order to explain and support the representations against Confederation : — Joseph Howe. William Annand, Jared C. Troop, and W. H. Smith, the latter gentleman being now Attorney-General. Dr. Tup- per proceeded to London in order to vindicate the pre- vious proceedings of the House of Assembly in regard to OPPOSITION TO CONFEDERATION. ^^ 111 Confederation, and, if possible, to frustrate the object of the deputation. ' ^ '■ '. ■ --if'"*'! The case of Nova Scotia was brought un(^er the notice of the House of Commons on the 16th of June, by John Bright, with his usual ability, when he moved for a commission to inquire into the causes of discontent in Nova Scotia. On a division there were 87 for the mo- tion, and 183 against it. * ■ a *. « .^9* 1^^ .-i.i. •»ji.\*9 f » tM-.r'^.ti\'%,r\J j.t) ' The delegates opposed to union on the basis on which it was consummated prepared an able protest, which was published. They complained that at no time while the Confederation Bill was under discussion were there fifty Peers in their seats, and on the only occasion when an appearance of controversy was vainly attempted to be provoked by one or two noble Lords who volunteered some sort of remonstrance, the number gradually thinned, till there were but ten present, when the bill finally passed. '^'^'S'v^'''''-^ '^-'^ .nv)^oU. v^' UiO i4ikUiu*;>l« :;i. i The delegates and Dr. Tupper returned in July, 1868, to Nova Scotia, and in August a Provincial Convention was held, at which the delegates reported their course of procedure in London in order to obtain a repeal of the Confederation Act, so far as Nova Scotia was concerned. Mr. Howe seems to have given up all hope, shortly' after his return from England, of further agitation result- ing in any practical benefit to the Province ; for he had evidently set his mind on a compromise, by negotiating 112 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. with the Dominion Government for more favorable pecuniary terms. This was being done without the knowledge or concurrence of the party of which he was the leader. In his intercourse with the Dominion Par- liament he was joined by Mr. A. W. McLelan, the repre- - sentative of Colchester County in the Dominion Par- liament, previously one of the most determined opponents of Confederation. Their deliberations — carried on with- out the sanction or concurrence of the party with which ' they had previously acted — resulted in a preliminary ar- rangement by which the Dominion Government promised to propose to Parliament certain monetary concessions to Nova Scotia, which were subsequently secured by Mr. Howe accepted office in the Dominion Govern- ment, and, in consequence, gave just offence to the party of which he was the acknowledged leader. The steamship Citi/ of B'^ston left Liverpool, on the . outward voyage to Halifax, Boston and New York, on the first of January, 1870. She carried a crew of eighty-six hands, all told, and was in charge of Captain Joseph J, Halcrow, who had been nine years a master in the com- pany's service. On the outward passage the steamer lost one blade of her propeller two days before reaching Hali- fax. She proceeded with the remaining two blades. At New York a spare propeller was fitted to the vessel, and she sailed from New York on the twenty-fifth of January. ! 1 OPPOSITION TO CONFEDERATION. 113 She had then on board a general cargo consisting of cotton, oil cake, flour, beef, bacon, lard, hops, tallow, wheat, and cop- per ore, and weighing altogether eight hundred and ninety tons. She had also on board, for her own comsumption, nine hundred and thirty-seven tons of coal, and arrived in Halifax on the twenty-seventh of January. She took there on board the mail, and a quantity of cargo, consisting chiefly of the extra baggage of passengers, and packages shipped by the naval storekeeper, amounting to fifty-seven tons measurement, or about twenty tons weight. The total cargo in the vessel when she left Halifax, which she did at noon on the twenty-eighth of January, amounted to about nine hundred and ten tons — the total weight that the ship had on board on leaving Halifax be- ing, including machinery, cargo and coal, two thousand and eighty-seven tons. The draft of water, on her arrival at Halifax, as reported in a letter to her owners from the Captain, was twenty-seven feet seven inches forward, and twenty-one feet eight inches aft ; so that after allowing one inch for depression for the Halifax cargo, the vessel was six inches higher out of water when she left Halifax, than when she sailed from New York. ' The Citi/ of Boston was never heard of after leaving Halifax, but repeated reports of her arrival had reached the city, exciting expectations which unfortunately were not realized. On Wednesday, the sixteenth of March, Mr. McDonald, of the telegraph office, received a telegram 8 114 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. from New York intimating tliat a message had been re- ceived in the city to the effect that the steamer had arrived at Quecnstown at one o'clock a. m. As several unreliable telegrams had been previously sent, that gentleman decided not to make the report public until it was confirmed. At eleven o'clock Mr. Thomas Kenny, whose brother was a passenger on the missing steamer, received a tele- gram from a friend in Manchester, congratulating him on the safe arrival of the vessel at Quecnstown. This was confirmed by another telegram from Plaster Cove, C. B., to Mr. Patrick Power, M. P., whose son and partner were on the steamer. Sir Edward Kenny also received a tele- gram from Sir John Rose, London, announcing the arrival of the oteamer. The news, respecting the truth of which there seemed no doubt, created intense pleasurable excite- ment throufljhout the citv, but was contradicted in the course of the day, and again the city was shrouded in gk)om, intensified by bitter disappointment. With the City of Boston were lost some of the best men in Halifax — some of them, young men of sterling character, ability and enterprise. The human freight of the steamer numbered altogether over two hundred souls. •*- • On the 1st of June, 1873, died Joseph Howe, in Gov- ernment House, which he occupied as the Lieutenant- Governor of his native Province. "When he received the appointment his health was shattered, and it appeared too evident to his friends that he could not long occupy the OPPOSITION TO CONFKDEKATION. 11& honorable post to which he had attained. Though his conduct towards the powerful party of which he was leader alienated many friends, yet his career, on the whole, was honorable in a high degree, and many of his services to his country will long be remembered with gratitude by his fellow-countrymen. Chapter XIX. — Wlio wci-e sent as delegates to London to opfose union ? Who wrote pamphlets on the subject ? What Provinces were represented at the Conference in London ? What was the popular sentiment in Nova Scotia in reference to union 1 What was Mr. Howe's course of action ? When and where did Mr. Howe die ? Wliat was his character 1 .^ ^1 (.(■■-.•i;-. •] •» r TilT*lA Ht .«•■'!!«> V /:':rj»*'jT i'tOfh^f^i.; !l'»ff// 'i'y'-i'i oi «■ ?'■ '.^'i f";l V ''■ '* {U'-'mI* .ii>«i I'P ot '• .l»;;ii< oil '\f T '* ' .f)Ti! »rrf "^o bAh'^T «Mi uf ■ ' : ■' •« 'Off 77 "'-^. r, iuaf * rf'Vrnn twti ^jmry/oc- 116 SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. .:m i ,1 ; ^ ^' " CHAPTER XX. BKElC/I OP TIIK LIFE OF S. G. W. ARCHIBALD. < Among the able men to whom Nova Scotia has ffi^^n birth, Samuel G. W. Archibald distinguished himself. He was born at Truro ou the t'ith of February, 1777, and was the fifth child of Samuel Archibald, son of Major David Archibald. Whilst yet a lad, S. G. W. Archibald lost his father on the island of Neves, whither he had gone as supercargo or owner of a freight ; and his mother was thus left a widow, in comparatively poor circum- stances, to rear a family of six children. Many years afterwards, in addressing his constituents at Truro, at a time when his official position required residence in Halifax, he did not deem it beneath his dignity to refer to this period of his life. " I look forward," he said, " to that time as the greatest pleasure of my life when I can come and live with you again, where my mother nursed me in her adversity." While still young his grandfather. Major David, took him to bring him up, and found him a troublesome youth to train. Little " Sammy *' was much given to play and jokes. His jokes not unfrequently evinced remarkable cleverness, but were sometimes of THE LIFE OF S. 0. W. AKCUIBALD. 117 •uch a practical nature as to bring him in contact with hiN grandfather's cane. On one occasion his love of mischief caused a more severe punishment. One morning he espied a litter of pigs by Archibald's mill, near where a Baptist chapel has since been built. To humor a sud- den thought, he set the mill in motion, caught one of the pigs and put it over the water wheel, and, in so doing, was taken over himself, by which operation he had two or three limbs broken. He often referred to the circum- stance in after life, and spoke of himself as " having gone through the mill." On one occasion an old Scotchmau replied, " Ye're nane the waur for that, Sammy — there's bran in ye yet." When he had grown towards manhood, he left his grandfather, and went with some others to Upper Stewiacke to commence a farm on his own ac- count. He soon found that making a farm out of green wood was for him no congenial pursuit, and threw down the hand-spike with the determination to follow some calling more in accordance with his taste. Shortly after we find him a student in Andover; then for a time at Harvard University, where he laid the founda- tion of a store of useful knowledge, which, with his natural genius, brought him rapidly into notice in another calling. X. f \/ X X sJJ.l'J a.»'A rilfc.«>«% ^ -#*• A'\* \ ^rj'-' I , MC t. .ftV/ O « « ^.i AX* .jl.On returning to Nova Scotia, Mr. Archibald studied law in the office of the late Mr. Robie, and on the 16th of April, 1805, was admitted an attorney and barrister of 118 8CH00I HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. the Supreme Court. In 1806 he was returned to the House of Assembly as one of the members for Halifax county, and continued to represent it till 1835, when the county was divided into Halifax, Colchester, and Pictou counties, from which time till his appointment as Master of the Eolls and Judge of the Court of Vice- Admiralty, on the 29th of April, 1844, he was returned as county member for Colchester. '"* "'••''^' J'^^^^-' I:'" '* In 1824, Mr. Archibald visited England, where he was well received. The Marquis of Lansdowne was so much taken with his masterly address and brilliant wit, that he offered him a seat in Parliament for the borouirh df Calne, and was desirous that he should accept it, if only for three months, to let the people of England see how polished an orator Nova Scotia could produce. Mr. Ar- chibald's reply was characteristic, and showed his good sense : " No, your Lordship ; I am head of one House of Commons, and never will become the tail of another." While in England he was appointed to the office of Chief Justice of Prince Edward Island, and received the honorary degree of LL.D from the University of Gh .SCfOW. o .1 ,1 X..X. lo ijoi.l i^i ! " In the year 1841, Mr. Archibald received the appoint- ment of Master of the Rolls for the Province of Nova Scotia. From this time till his death he resided in Hali- fax. He performed the duties of his last office, associated with the position of Judge of the Court of Vice- Admiralty THE LIFE OF 8. G. W. ARCHIBALD. 119 for more than four years with much ability, his decisions giving general satisfaction. He died in Halifax on the 28th of January, 1846, in his sixty-ninth year. Chapter XX. — When and wliere was S. G. W. Archibald born 1 Wliat was his first occupation ? What was his profession afterwards 1 Wliat were the public oflBces he held ? . When and where did he die ? .') fr Ai,'j»fT 'is^ rril.l aii : 3t7r'8 'Mf.l U>' vUnr_.; ■itlii:":)^ Jnjl'ti^i: Mii JlSiriX, hiH^^j^Ur-. > > . ^-'i t^ i,« .li »,:.„,.. h .fiiiiji. i- ' >o i^^i;>"i ;*>f[J[. nil ,:-^ •• nam -)ijj r .-il^ . ;f^ ,>1 ,>!^i4*i ' ijkO .,([ 120 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. mii i. 'i'.ll ill l>->ti» iril .i! lh\?i irr?M 't.; ru,; CHAPTER XXL v ;. ' - v fnou SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF THOMAS C. HAHBURTON, M.P. .. One of the most eminent literary men British North America ever produced was Thomas Chandler Ilaliburton. He was born at Windsor, N. S., in December, 1796. He was descended from an ancient Scottish family of the same name. In the reign of Queen Anne, a branch of the same family emigrated to Boston, whence the grand- fatlier of Mr. Haliburton removed to Windsor at the time of the revolution. The subject of this notice was the only child of the late Hon. AYilliam Otis Haliburton, a justice of the Court of Common Pleas, N. S. Mr. Hali- burton commenced his education at the grammar school of his native town, and completed it at the University of King's College, in Nova Scotia. The hero of Lucknow, Sir John Inglis, was one of his fellow-students. Mr. Haliburton was a distinguished student; he excelled in composition, and carried off a number of prizes. After leaving college he devoted himself to the study of the law, and in due time became a barrister. After a visit to England he practised at Annapolis Royal, the former capital of his native Province, and commanded a good THE LIFE OF THOMAS C. HALIBURTON, M.P. 121 iL! practice. He represented the county of Annapolis in the Legislative Assembly, of which he became a useful and prominent member. The late Mr. Ilowe spoke of him to the writer as a polished and effective speaker. On some passages of his more elaborate speeches he bestowed great pains, and in the delivery of them Mr. Howe, as a re- porter, was so captivated and entertained, that he had to put down his pen and listen to his sparkling oratory. It was in the year 1829 that Mr. Ilaliburton first ap- peared as an author, when his history of Nova Scotia was published by Mr. Howe. For this excellent work he received the thanks of the House of Assembly. Though the volumes do not contain any indications of the genius of the author, yet they are written with ease and elegance, and constitute a most valuable contribution to the history of the Province. In 1835 Mr. Haliburton began a series of papers which appeared in the Nova Scotian, of which Mr. Howe was editor and proprietor. " Sam Slick, the Clockmaker," immediately attracted attention. The character proved as original and amusing as Sam "Weller in more modern times. Sam amuses only ; Slick both amuses and in- structs. Rarely do we find in any character, not except- ing the best of Scott's, the same degree of originality and force, combined with humor, sagacity, and sound sense, as we find in the Clockmaker. Industry and perseverance are inculcated in comic story and racy narrative. In the 122 SCHOOL niSTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. department of instructive humor Haliburtoti, pferhaps, stands unrivalled in Epglish literature. "'""■ ■''^'- ----$ — ^ In 1859 Mr. Haliburton entered the Imperial Par- liament as the Conservative member for the borough of Launceston. At Isleworth, near London, where he re- sided till his death, which occurred on the 27th of August, 1865, he was popular, making himself useful by lectures in behalf of public institutions, and by the substantial aid rendered to charitable objects. His remains lie in the churchyard of Isleworth. Chapter XXI. — Where was Thomas C. Haliburton born? By wliat otlicr name is he known? Where was lie educated ? Mention some of his works. Name the work by which he is best known. Where and when did he die 1 "^ "}/» ' • "' ' ' ' .fioi^mnH f>d.t l^rt, . .'I /fM r . I - ' , ' ,• .'^ .'1 1 I- ,8-1 'u\:'j .TT»fHI THE LIFE OF DK. GESNER. 123 ocJ y> f'ii(K>fjAl'i otU ri- ft h' . > to < .•ir-,'-rf fi-Tn-i ^ i.:L:j'jJ.f.. -jui (I .'>/('r ^'^ "' CHAPTER XXII. . SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF DR. GESNER. In the year 1864, Abraham Gesner, M.D., well known in the British North American Provinces and the neighboring Republic for his scientific attainments, died in Halifax. '■'"" ''-^* '^''^"'^ Dr. Gesner was the son of Colonel Gesner, a native of Rockland county, N. J., and was born towards the close of last century in Cornwallis. At the close t)f the American war. Dr. Gesner's father, who had been an enthusiastic loyalist, and who had lost all his property in consequence of his attachment to . the British throne, had settled with a twin brother in Nova Scotia. In early life young Gesner visited South America, and the West Indies, and was twice shipwrecked in making voyages to parts of the world where he could gratify his propensity for natural history, and increase his store of general knowledge. He afterwards went to Britain and studied medicine under Sir Astley Cooper, and the celebrated Abernethy. In 1835 he was employed in a Geological Survey of the Province of New Bruns- wick, which was discontinued in 1842 somewhat abruptly, 124 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. in consequence of disputes between the Executive Gov- ernment and the Legislature. He had collected a museum of natural history, which is now the property of the Mechanics' Institute. The Doctor accompanied Sir Charles Lyell in his Geological tour through Nova Scotia. He will con- tinue to be celebrated as the first discoverer of Kerosene oil, and the modes of extracting oil from coal and other bituminous substances. He established in New York two exclusive manufactories of oil, and was the means of promoting traffic in that article in many parts of the world. '' ''■■ mmiiiii ' The Doctor's brain was ever active, and his pen constantly employed in giving the world the benefit of ts products. His scientific works are clear and solid, and many of them highly appreciated by men competent to form a correct opinion as to their character. Gesner, though he had not the advantages of e«rly scholastic training, yet by application conquered the difficulties incident to the deficiency, and attained to honor, useful- ness and emuience. ., ,^,jVi wiji.TT iJit, xw r-JiJ^t^ x^J r.i/i;i,(|^\/V Chapter XXII. — Wliere was Dr. Gesner born ? For what is he honorably aoted 1 What useful discovery did he make ? nam THE LIFE OP JUDGK BLOWERS. 125 .iHixis>\r A Chapter XXIII. — When and where was Judge Blowers bornl "What was his father's profession 1 When did he arrive in Hal- ifax ? When did he die ? t]S".i « n"»«i tHte *^nw i-.m^ i;j 111! ^^'fifi.KKV oii , j»70»iv/ . . Inif'' ;!'« ■■}•-■>, '« h:u- 128 SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. hiAiotnfyct.*imihi CHAPTER XXIV. ')»VtfrvO SKETCH OP THE LIFE OP MR. JUSTICE JAMES W. ., * M 1* *«»jilW^>^ ' Nl^jfJtJ .JOHNSTON. ,^^^ ^ .^r^ , f .. ,-,, James W. Johnston, Judge in equity of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, was born at Kingston, Jamaica, in the year 1792. His grandfather was a Scotchman, and had been Governor of the Province of Georgia, while the United States were still a colony of Great Britain. When the revolutionary war broke out his sons entered the British army to aid in the suppression of the rebel- lion. One of them raised a troop of horse, known as Johnston's horse, and was killed in a skirmish against the colonists. On the declaration of Independence, Governor Johnston with his family left the Southern States and returned to Scotland, having in common with all the loyalists lost his fortune. The father of the subject of this sketch, who had been a captain in the New York volunteers during the war, at its close studied medicine at the Edinburgh University, where he obtained his degree. He afterwards removed to Jamaica. His chil- dren were all sent to Scotland for their education, James being placed with a private tutor, the la4e Rev. Dr. Dun- can of Ruthwell, the originator of Savings Banks in Scotland. THE LIFE OF MR. JUSTICE JOHNSTON. 129 In ^'''Mr. Johnston visited Nova Scotia, with his mother whose health required change to a Northern climate. He then studied for the Bar, to which he was admitted in the year 1814. He opened his first office in Kentville, where he practiced with success, and afterwards returned to Halifax. Possessed of fine ttileuts he rose speedily in nis protession. -.., j -•.-/o^it'^-iv* '< >•«•'»] ,-Mf''ii?i:-''»v?^'./ It was not till Mr. Johnston had attained to the age of forty-five that he entered the arena of politics. At an early period a strong party was anxious to introduce him into the Legislature of the province, and offered tempting inducements, but in vain — Mr. Johnston saying At the time to a friend that mere party polities were his abhorrence, and that he never could mix in that form of public life unless the party he joined were dr^wn together by great principles deserving support ; and true to his determination he remained in the prosecution of his work as a Barrister and Advocate until the year 1838, when at the solicitation of the Lieutenant Governor, being already Solicitor General, he accepted also a seat in the Legisla- tive Council, with the object of watching the progress of that change in the constitution of the Colonies which was termed Responsible Government, and applying his legal skill to the introduction of such guards and modifications as might be deemed necessary in so radical a change of the political constitution of the Province. Resiffuinfif his seat in the Leirislative Council, Mr. * « 130 SCHOOL niSTOUT OP NOVA bCOTIA. Johnson was repeatedly elected as a representative of the County of Annapolis. As Attorney General he was leader of the Government, on its responsible basis, on three several occasions, covering a period of about nine y rs. He was one of the delegates appointed to confer with Lord Durham on contemplated changes ia Colonial Government, took a prominent part in the settlement of long standing disputes between the Imperial Government and the Province as to the coal question, and in 1864, after an honorable and laborious public life, accepted the office of Judge in Equity. On the death of Mr. Howe he was offered the Governorship of the Province, which on account of failing health he declined. For a short time before his death Mr. Johnston resided in England, and died at Cheltenham on the 2l8t of November, 187S, at the advanced ajye of eijjhtv-one:— ** Like a weary child he lay, 4 Waiting for the close of day, ■»>'[ 1: r-" ^TrfV With the faith he held so dear, , ' ; Brightening, as the end drew near." Chapter XXIV. — When and where was Judge Johnston borni When was he admitted to the Bar? How old was he when he became a politician ? What offices did he fill ? When did he die and what was his character ? *'*-*• -*r -*^^ ■*n^* ./I THE STEAMSHIP <^ ENGLAND. »» r 1' 131 •u|' rti ' i',)?Mi!if ff. ^':'.: ^ ,-'"/'I>.l> 111. CHAPTER XXV. THE STEAMSHIP " ENGLAND." ^ In the month of April, 1866, the steamship " England,'* belonging to the International Steamship Company's Line, arrived in Halifax with a great number of cholera cases on board. She had sailed from Liverpool, England, for New York, on the 25th of March, having on her departure from Queenstown twelve hundred and two passengers be- sides the crew. When four days out from England a death occurred from a disease which was pronounced to be Asiatic cholera. This was kept as quiet as possible, and occasioned but little alarm. Severe weather was experi- enced on the seventh day out, and the hatches remained battenned down for two nights, when another case of cholera occurred, which proved fatal in four hours. The disease now began to spread, and the crew as well as the passengers were affected. When the ship arrived in Hali- fax harbor, one hundred and sixty cases were reported and fifty-six deaths, thirty cases being under treatment, and fresh cases appearing. Dr. John II. Slayter, the healtli officer of the port, went on board on the tenth of April, 132 SCHOOL HIJTORT OF NOVA SCOTIA. and perceiving the de iperate condition of the ship, volun- teered to place himsei : in quarantine. A boat laden with dead bodies was afloat at the stern of the ship, for which graves were dug at Thrum Cap — the extreme southern point of McNab's Island. On the evening of the tenth, Doctors Gossip and Garvie, who had previously volunteered their services, should medi- cal assistance be required, on being requested proceeded to the ship, accompanied by Dr. Garvie's brother — Frank Forbes Garvie, medical student — and joined Dr. Slayter on board the England at ten o'clock. On that day a few of the sick passengers had been removed to the Pyramus^ receiving ship, which on application to the Admiral had been placed at the disposal of the authorities, and was then at the quarantine ground. When the medical men met in consultation, the circumstances were sufficiently appal- ling. Deaths were taking place hourly, and new cases appearing. Two doctors connected with the ship had done all in their power to alleviate suffering, and mitigate the disease, which was of the most malignant type, and be- ing exhausted vith their labors were released by their brave professional brethren from the city. Steps were taken by the instructions of the Government to land many of the passengers on the island, and to separate those attacked from the rest. Nobly and courageously did Doctors Slayter, Gossip, and Garvie and Frank Garvie devote tliom- selves to the arduous duty they had undertaken. On the J THE STEAMSHIP " ENGLAND." jg 133 morning of the eleventh they conveyed the dead bodies to Thrum Cap, and interred them themselves, as no assist- ance could be obtained. Dr. Slayter, in his report, spoke in terms of admiration of the cheerfulness and courage with which two Roman Catholic priests, who were passen- gers, attended to the dying and bereaved — the Rev. Mr. Mclsaac, of St. Mary's, being also conspicuous for his devotion to duty. The precautionary and remedial meas- ures adopted were successful, and the disease began to abate both in violence and the number of cases. Not one of the saloon passengers was attacked — striking evidence of the importance of thorough ventilation and cleanliness as protection against disease. Dr. Slayter, who was ashore and felt unwell, went off to the ship, and was there seized with unmistakable symp- toms of cholera. He experienced much pain at first, never rallied, was perfectly sensible, but soon his speech becam« unintelligible, and he expired in the presence of Dr. Gossip, and one of the medical officers of the '' England," on the morning of the seventeenth — a martyr to professional duty Dr. Tupper, in proposing to the Legislature to vote five hundred pounds to the widow of Dr. Slayter, paid to the deceased a well-merited tribute of respect, in which the House thoroughly sympathized. Dr. J. B. Garvie and his brother have since died, cut down before they had scarcely attained to the bloom of manhood, but their names will be long honorably remembered in connection with professional 134 SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. services so chivalrously tendered, and so zealously per- formed. '. . Chapter XXV. — ^In what year did the steamship England arrive in Halifax ? From what port and what country did she oome ? What occurred on board after having left port ? How many cases of death occurred during the voyage, i nd from what cause? What were the names of the several medical gentlemen who attended on the sick ? What was the name of the one that died through contagion on the occasion? '[ ,-^ujv oi roiju / i' • • ■ ^^'^/iilhutoh I'Mn; «ioi}i;l!)U';7 tlpsoiiyM U) f^uimvHnum i»j/) 1u 'fio 3/TiW Mf t/Ufi ^A-ii) i)iU: .'>•](» if:-.'; >jiW Offv/ .T>.t-(6l?. Ml WTon fJHifft'iR nif.t] ihmr: ir^-uf^jh-rj/o ■ JI .jnolodo 1<> i-fi'oi .qisRoO .i^I '^o o-^H')' 111 orfj n" i>f»Ti.|/.u fjff f'irjj .:)fi]igiIfoliiii{i; t)if.t no '*.f>iiiii!.'f;'r •* ^)tU lo b'itJi'V.'.i) it.'.nhr.m oxfj lo f;no litit; vtnh Ifi(f()i?';H^jlf >1<] *.tt 'lY.n'.tn jj — dhu'^int^'fok oiti "io iiniiriuct '»7ff oioT 6j vivUd'hi'J 'jiit oJ :.Mfiii:;J oi'I)iuc[ /r>)vp.I??{ .nC-T ^o wof»iv/.aiLt oi HrHiuoq boii»iiiiiJ »tfl ifofifw ni 4*»«oq«iit V» £Ktj;drrj f)£»Jii»fl]-nfm b l)(>aBi>09/> Siidhiin orv'iiir) JI J, /id .f>'j.\i(ft«q£irfft /(dawciioift «>i^0aH yiooTRSB f>r.f{ Y;»di o'roV><( ivrrf.ib }rr> .Iv.u'b fK>nv« ormi I'jn'io'fd ■..vj iliv/ aofl£«i£ "v.idi iud .LooiUmuu !o icKoId odi oj b©jm:Jir. «b '■■■■/ GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF NOVA SCOTIA, ETC. 135 .>mI ; • ■H'l }'■ A .',>H «.j' 1' ' :i !• 'i 1 ■'i4 ^l v^'- "Vi""^ '•*- '-^r t-* ' '-J ,/ljIij CHAPTER XXVI. iu J }0'> ■ i\ .1. ».. r GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF NOVA SCOTIA, ETC. Nova vScotia consists of a Peninsula and the Island of Cape Breton — the peninsular portion of it being 250 miles in length, and its extreme breadth being about 100 miles. It is connected with the main land of the Amori- can Continent by an Isthmus eighteen miles in width, Cape Breton being separated from Nova Scotia proper by the narrow strait of Canso. The island is about 1 00 miles in length, and eightv in breadth. A considerable portion of tlie superficies of the Province is occupied by lakes of various sizes, of which Lake Rosignol, in Queens County is said to be the largest. But a very small portion of the county is, strictly speaking, mountainous. Its surface is generally undulating, and its aspect pleasing. That portion of the province which faces the Atlantic to the south is bold and rugged, with deep indentations, but relieved in summer by spots of fresh verdure, and the variegated colors of the distant forest, while the land that fronts the Bay of Fundy is of comparatively even surface, forming a striking contrast to the southern coast line of the Peninsula. . • m ..,. ^ .; 136, ,.,-:. SCHOOL HISTOKY OF NOVA SCOTIA. a/.J'.> Few countries have been, in their general geographical features, better described, the greater portion of the work liaving been done without any pecuniary remuneration whatever. In every house in the Province there ought to be a copy of Dr. Dawson's work, which combines Hcientific accuracy, and extensive original research, with a pleasing narrative, encumbered with comparatively little technical phraseology. Gesner, Honeyman, Brown, Hind and Howe have also contributed not a few valuable papers on the geology of the country. "• ' .;'• - ' •• '•" ■: Till a comparatively recent period the most erroneous notions were entertained in Europe as to the soil and climate of Nova Scotia. In an anonymous description of it published in Edinburgh in 1787, the soil was repre- sented to be so spongy as not to bear the foot of man, unless congealed with fi'ost. Whether the writer had landed on some boggy part of the coast and drew a sweeping conclusion based on his limited experience as to tlie general character of the country, or trusted entirely to his fertile imagination in his description, it is impossible to determine. Even on the part of some Nova Scotians there is a tendency to speak of their country as not adapted for farming operations, and to point to the west as the proper region for agricultural settlement. Hear one whose writings are distinguished by sobriety of statement, and whose opinion ought to carry weight. Dr. Dawson says it is scarcely fair to compare our country with those parts GENERAL DESCRIPTION OP NOVA SCOTIA, ETC 137 of America which present vast tracts of forest, and which are yearly receiving swarms of emigrants, who are cut- ting down the wood and exporting a great surplus of grain from the first fertility of the virgin soil. Such countries are now yielding large supplies of produce, but their fertility is rapidly being exhausted, and we have no evidence that when the land becomes cleared, and the influx of new population ceases, they will be even as pro- ductive as the average districts of our province. Nor is it safe to speak in general terms, either of praise or con- demnation, of a country so vai'ious in the qualities of its soil as our province. We have some land as bad as any can be ; we have in other districts soils not surpassed by any in the world. We have also extensive tracts of soil which require, in order to productiveness, a larger amount of skilful husbandry than they have, yet received. Such is the testimony of Dr. Dawson. ^■*^ ■ '* '' '"'"' Scientific agriculture is carried on to as great perfeo^ tion in Scotland as in any country in the world, yet the soil of Scotland is not naturally more fertile than that of Nova Scotia, and there is* a greater cultivable area here in proportion to the extent of country ; and Nova Scotia enjoys the additional advantage of a large tract of marine alluvial soil, produced by the tide wave that sweeps up the Bay of Fundy, and which continues to retain its fertility undiminished for generations. ' ' ' *" tix>0{f't I'l ^aujNor can Nova Scotia complain of its climate. It can 1S8 ./r: SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA, t^^ ' be fairly placed in competition with that of Great Britain even for agricultural purposes, and so far as personal comfort is concerned, that of Nova Scotia will be pre- ferred by the majority of persons who have had experience of both climates. The mildness of the winter in Britain is considerably marred by remarkable humiditv, which naturally diminishes the number of days suitable for out door labor, whilst the advantages of early spring are counterbalanced by the rapidity of growth in Nova Scotia, and the splendor of the protracted autumns. The large quantity of flour which is landed weekly at the whai'ves in Halifax, to be afterwards sent to all parts of the Province, shows the extent to which we are dependent for the stajff of life on Canada and the United States. Whilst the greater rain-fall in Nova Scotia renders the successful culture of wheat more precarious than in many parts of the States and Ontario, yet a large portion, at least, of the wheat which is required for the Province, might be grown on our own soil. In travelling through the country in ai imn, when the golden color of the grain fields renders them peculiarly conspicuous, one who has travelled in other regions is struck with the very limited extent to which cereals are cultivated in the Province, even in districts whose native fertility is equal to that of the richest soil of any other land*»'f -^'MinH ^i> '^-'fl 'mIi Connected with the Dominion department of Marine and Fisheries there is a meteorological office, under the GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF NOVA SCOTIA, ETC. 139 management of Mr. Kingston, whose objects are the col- lection of meteorological statistics, and their arrangement in forms suitable for the discussion of various physical questions — the combination of the information collected from numerous places, in a series of years, and the deduc-' tion therefrom of the climatic character of each district and locality, and the laws of geographical distribution, and the prognostication of weather. The report of the superintendent, presented in January, 1873, is equally interesting and valuable. We have referred to Ontario as being better adapted for the culture of wheat on account of the comparative dryness of its climate. By reference to the table where the depth and number of days of rain — exclusive of snow — in the several Provinces, for each quarter and year from September, 1859, to August 1872, are shown, it is found that the fall of rain in the summer quarter of 1872 in Ontario was 7.49 inches, in Quebec 10.92, New Brunswick 12.99, and Nova Scotia 12.26,— the yearly rain-fall from 1871-1872 being in Ontario 18.34 inches, Quebec 21.96, New Bruns- wick 37.32, and Nova Scotia 39.31. Thus we find that the quantity of rain which falls annually in Nova Scotia is more than double that which falls in Ontario. The number of days in the same year in which rain fell in the respective Provinces was — Ontario 77.9 days, Quebec 79, New Brunswick 105, and Nova Scotia 118.1. But the superabundance of moisture in Nova Scotia might be, to 140 SCHOOL BISTORT OF NOVA SCOTIA, ^^y^f) a great extent, counteracted by a system of thorough drain- age. If the climate is deficient as compared to some of the other Provinces for the growth of wheat, it is most favorable for green crops, turnips, carrots, mangel wur- zel, which, in Nova Scotia, are cultivated to a very limited extent. ...,......,,.:...>, ..„., , . ...u^.^. ... Chapter XXVI. — Of what does Nova Scotia geographically consist"? What is its length and breadth? How broad is the Isthmus wliich connects it with the Continent 1 What notions did ■Ruropeans long entertain regarding the Province "* V - , . J. , ;:... -J /? . i- -.]; = ::/ inUl yiaiV''.'nVt\it: ao hi'Mi'ir ^o oinihrj ^}d*t to'I fvvlqi.bn 'iM.ltocf ^.'uind 5i>; ^^{t .oU'.mih f.l'i %") &>.9ivnh ovltmntjinoo onl 'lo»Jnuoo^i' io t*>*i^ ifivyfo^ (>d) ni— vrotTs ^o 'nUuh/e^ — urjsi lo »-ruh i^ (CiiBT j'^tl/rr itfj'iH rrfo'il fp^rr fxrn Til'TJ:np thr.) ^ot .«f/n io ITj-jI arf-t 3r,({.t fsKriol m Ji ,/tv/(hIr uti; ,^781 j^-niirrA ^iJ\ m'fr* ohi'.UiO 111 STHT io 'v^hs-.nii I'muuW'^ mli tsi I)«J5 ,0^^1?t ih'vf.'f-'.innfl ii')Y. .i'U.Ol y^uf'MJp n'l ,3'iibjni ijjstfi hah 9v/ yrjifT .IC.Olt jtiloaH x;yoK f>.!fi .Sr-'t.ia >L>iv/ ^llivo?? ijvo'51 0£ '{Jismtmsi .AUit d-ndu mai }o v4inifi«p ©ill ^rfi' jji ff';>1t ffijtn d'y'uWf ai viiiv .'9Btf:a^jri xir e^«Irk> Tml/iiWiJ ,CT "^ ,?^r».f» 0.T* ^^hr^ilQ■*^?v>'u fejonivo-i*! evhoaqg'i^ Mifj^if; *^t(>98 AVt»K^ &«« fSOi doiwfanjj'iH v/ovl '^J'telt .^if^jliifi fibooH iiTuM fif^rrrf^iwom lo «>£ii>lHifKl«fv.fMR A TRIP TO THE FRUIT SHOW AT SOMERSET. 141 r * j:,MUrj JTriiit OiJi f!oijj:tH !';io/fii! >iJl '.nfl )J: ^iiiyms liO .^'IJJfK>0 LIo {.>;Ii lii'j-it 'Nit >:> k''[ fi'A OK fr •■' ■ ') ,u ?i ,n;v cr;-// CHAPTER XXVII. ' '''^'''^'^'' .•,j)i'* -'-' •' •;• "'' • I A TRIP TO THE FRUIT SHOW AT SOMERSET. ..f M'< We offer uo apology to our youthful readers for deviating so far from the gravity of ordmary history as to give an account of a journey taken from Halifax to one of tlie fruit shows of the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers* Association, held at Somerset, King's County. '"^""•>. *•" ''Wednesday morning the seventeenth of October found us on our way to the Richmond Station. The morning was cloudy, threatening rain, which all travellers dread, except in circumstances where long-continued drought renders it particularly acceptable to the soil ; but the weather on the assumption of no change either in in- creased sunshine or gloom taking place, was, in the circumstances, quite up to our ideal. The passengers on leaving Halifax were to travel a district of country where the charms presented were to be reflected from hill, dale, wood and water. Hence the alternations of sunshine and cloud incident to the existing state of the atmosphere, were particularly favorable to the production of at once a striking and pleasing effect. Except under the con- ditions indicated, we do not believe that natural scenery 142 SCHOOL mSTORT OF NOVA 8C0TIA. in cases where extensive range of vision and sublimity of effect are obtained, can be viewed to advantage. On arriving at the Richmond Station the first thing that strikes one who has just come from the old country, but who has never seen an American railway car, is its peculiar construction as compared with its British brother. In the latter the passengers face each other exactly as they do in an ordinary coach, each compartment being distinct and separate from the rest. The privacy thus secured is not unfrequently dearly paid for by murderous attacks being made on unoffending passengers. In point of comfort, and in other respects, the American system of railway accommodation is decidedly superior to the British. ■"■' ,.:...'> r ....' '«.- .r... ... .. .,. In the train we have a goodly company, many of the passengers being like ourselves bound for the fruit show. We find ourselves in agreeable and intelligent society. On passing Bedford Basin the country presents a sterile appearance, the surface being generally uneven and rocky. A series of small lakes relieves the monotony of the scene, and m conjunction with tlie spruce fir, and dwarf birch and maple that abound in the district, constitute not a few splendid pictures. At this season of the year the partially decayed foliage assumes all the hues of the rainbow, and in many cases the colors are so charmingly blended as to present scenes inexpressibly beautiful. It is one of the characteristics of Nova Sfiotian scenery that A TRIP TO THE FUUIT SHOW AT SOMERSET. 143 le wood grows everywhere on the margin of the water — whether salt or fresh. As the morning is cahn the trees are vividly reflect t'd on the surface ; the brilliant colors brought out by clear sunshine, being toned in the reflection — the trembling undulations of the water, in which they delight to glass themselves, imparting a truly etherial aspect to the pleasing scene. * ■■ Passing the limits of Halifax County in the direction of Windsor, the scene changes. Instead of the profusion of spruce, fir, and dwarf birch which prevails lor twenty miles after leaving Halifax, a goodly quantity of hemlock, birch and maple clothes the country, and its aspect becomes in an agricultural point of view greatly improved. Smiling fields and neat cottages enliven .ne scene, and the general appearance of the country presents evidence of comparatively ancient settlement. />' ,,;sii.' " * Proceeding by coach we have now crossed the Avon, and behold a portion of that process by which the fertile dyke lands are produced. The sea has for a season receded to a great distance, and has left in its rear a plain of many hundred acres in which the deposits necessary to consti- tute arable land are being gradually made. The tide, as if inspired with intelligence, collects mud mixed with very fine sand, and bearing the treasure in its bosom, carefully deposits it in thin layers on the surface of the flats, and having thus like a bee left its treasure, returns to collect more material to add to the general stock. ,. 144 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. A It is highly creditable to the French that they had succeeded in reclaiming by their ingenuity and labor such large tracts of country, and that at a period when scientific attainments in the accomplishment of such work were by no means common. For many years previous to the middle of last century they raised splendid crops of wheat as the reward of their industry, whi(;h they were able to export in considerable quantity to the Boston market. How much of that valuable cereal is growing in that fertile region now? The sea is performing its part of the work with gigantic power and undeviating regularity, and would seem alike by the terrible roar or gentle ripple of its waves to call upon man to reap the benefit of its beneficent industry. And here we cannot refrain from shedding a tear of sympathy for the unfor- tunate Acadians, who, in the full enjoyment of the fruit of their industry, were compelled by the consequences of war to bid adieu to those fertile fields which it had been their delight to cultivate. HA ' , Chapter XXVII. — Under wliat conditions can scenery be best viewed? What is tlie neighborhood of Windsor noted for*? Who reclaimed the large tracts of country there ? Wliat office does the sea perform in the work ? I'i TBir TO TUE FKUIT SHOW — CONTINUED. HI) ». i t •;".', ,1'" ■?• •■• *! " ' ' * "' * •" ' ' I ., -A I'.'l CHAPTER XXVIII. ;:• TRIP TQ THE FRUIT SHOW — CONTINUED. We would fain dwell on the beauties of Wolfville and Kentville, but must hasten to the show. Having dined at the latter place, we drove in the evening to Somerset. It was a clear moonlight night. The stars shone with great brilliancy,, and the air was balmy for the season. Venus sparkled in the west with a concentration of ray which seemed as if she was resolved to give to a scene so congenial to her aspirations as the fruit show, her special countenance. Old Sol, in going down robed in richly- colored cloudlets, seemed to have given her a hint as to how she was to deck herself, for soon after he disappeared she became visible in her purest and most brilliant vestal garments. ■. ^ . ^^ . ^- After breakfast we took a stroll through Somerset It is quite a modern place. The village is pleasantly situated in a fertile plain, being within a short distance of the Blomidon hills, which we had resolved to visit 10 liC) ' SCHOOL IllSTOUY OP NOVA SCOTIA. ^ before the exhibition opened at one o'clock. On attaining the summit we beheld a scene of pleasing grandeur, pre- senting as it did a more cultivated aspect than any portion of Nova Scotia we had previously beheld from an elevated position. The wood which originally abounded in the district has been to a great extent cut down, and the patches which remain are intersected by fertile fields — the open ground being dotted by snug dwelling-houses. Vehicles i)roceeded from all directions to the show, charged with men and matrons, country lads and blooming lasses — presenting a very animated picture — their extra- ordinary number proving how interested the people were in the exhibition. ''" " - " ^' ' - > - Anxious to have a preliminary view we were soon at the door of the exhibition, to which we were at once admitted. The judges had met in the morning and had awarded the prizes — a task of considerable delicacy as well as difHcnlty. Along the interior walls of the build- *ng, which in form was an oblong square, ran a table on which were placed the apples, grapes, vegetables, &c., for exhibition. This table was subdivided into different compartments, each of which was devoted to the display of the property of an exhibitor. A ticket indicating the description of ai->ple, was placed above the respective lots, so that persons ignorant of the varieties, which exceeded sixty in number, became by careful attention familiar with the names of the different kinds. Tlie TRIP TO 1 THE FR UI'^ SH^W— i'ONTrNTJED. 147 * whole of the table space on each side of the hall waa'^ devoted to the exhibition of apples, ''' " Blooming, ambrosial fruit ,>iqqi: ]jo.fcjf.arit(jj| Of vegetable gold " whilst the space at each end of the building groaned with the other exhibited varieties of the vegetable worid. The biirht was one of which Nova Scotia had reason to be proud, and which ought to put all the croakers, who prate about the poverty of the soil, and the severity of the climate, to shame and silence. ' That must verily be a severe climate in which such grapes as are seen here exhibited have grown in the open air — a dreadful climate in which, in some cases, a double crop of strawberries can be had in one season — a fearful climate in which tender fruit, such as peaches, come to maturity. There is the sprout of a cherry tree which was grafted on a wild brother two years ago. In that period it has only attained the dwarfish height of eight feet ; and if the grumblers about the severity of the weather and unsuitableness of the climate for human growth, require a natural specimen in confirmation of their opinion, we shall be happy to introduce them to Miss Swan, who has only grown seven feet four inches in eighteen years ! As evidence of the productiveness of the soil in this region, we are assured by a gentleman in Kenfe- ville, that in the neighborhood a single acre, of ground 148 SCHOOL HISTO^T OF NOVA SCOTIA. ^ produced by careful manuring, four hundred bushels of potatoes in one season ; and it is well known the valley of Ajinapolis yields annually from forty to fifty thousand barrels of apples. .,1,^^.. ,^. , ,. j^ Chapter XXVIII.— What sort of fruit has Nova Scotia be-' oome noted for? Describe the climate of Nova Scotia. Give 'nstances of the productiveness of the soil. '■9'J J. .^'I'-y/i 'I'j §\ff lo ^rr- ./v, ..;(; f. ,t; .f^^ ■ : '. r. ':.. 1:.- :.'■ f ''.>' V !•' '■'.'.?' v'! . ''•»!'. i ,;' ■■.',' r^,l..;';. :#' ' ' r ' '" * . - vt ■\,i' ■-'! »,. ^ f/.'! ^^UT tt*! f •*'■>' VI. ■> ();, !'■'•■': :,)"••• .1 ,•■ ^.- f- St 7/ ^t'>'UvJf} '•■'?'> /|^ f .' ; (ii .411 ;y • Mpooa Avo?r qo rsfmmif .joortr»a OW fatU€ f rr'>i> ^iilhi 'ftij^o ,*»')m vd»'f^ ?)i[* ti'i wf >n^j 7. - - a J< 'ff_ THE RESOURCES OF NOVA SCOTIA. . t'i »■ I rt. < !•» r* t)pR '1'Jv»'?_ • T'ft'i'ir '• 1» Iff l4J(f lii' :ir'!:(|r -i.i/l i^-'tjj Tii'iJ ;-»•('? ii » li CHAPTER XXIX. COAL AND IRON. ^i; ■MltK Vf'.'i- Coal and Iron lie at the foundation of the Commer- cial and Industrial prosperity of Great Britain, and perhaps it is not too much to say that in proportion to the extent of Nova Scotia it is not inferior to the mother country in the extent and quality of these valuable minerals. The Province has become famous for the extent of its coal fields, and the excellence of the quality of its' coal. The entire quantity of the carboniferous area in the Maritime Provinces has been calculated at about 18,000 square miles, and it is supposed that at least the half of that area, or 9,000 square miles, are in Nova Scotia and Prince Edwai-d Island. The Albion mines beds are very extraordinary deposits — they form an ex- ception to all the phenomena of coal in all the British Provincial coal regions. Nothing like them has beeA discovered in the Provinces. The thickest beds of Cape Breton, are never over twelve feet, and usually under nine, but here we have one bed — the main seam — of which 150 SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. twenty-four feet are good coal. The Sydney coal field is the most extensive in the Province, extending from Mira Bay on the east to Cape Dauphin on the west, a distance of thirty one miles. ' ''^ -Jlv.' <:>iu,-.i;i'^^. i)iii[l Chapter XXIX. — What are the main elements of commer- cial prosperity? For what mineral has the Province of Nova Scotia become famous? What is the thickness of tlie main coal seam in connection witli tlie Albion mine ? What was the quantity of coal raised in 1873 ? How stands the Province for iron ore? .'w.w*"a •. x>il if'ui 'n'Out/foif fbiJ'W 'in'>rf Jh»:ri j'.t rrriVi't liU'-: jvl r.i jf.'iuijul iwifv? ,jil 7;!.-.;Mr .s-jiini o'uuij.-? h ♦ v .i imI uv/ t •;.> ;>/ « n'i'^R Ofl' vliol /. .nyn'iv't-'r it .iv>:j;'»l'> .-^ — sl:i7in^ {)t tii'iQit tmrn vj;-i^ir» i>if» <'-r'r;'f!:vUi>*«l i,j :Jif;.:\)v luril (to j'<*;uii lUwiX •••^Jj^vf wfl e>;-iU Oih 0:>):t 'ihUx .J^^•■^. ^o]; ;:i> ■>,of*t i ..i; /,„>.,.;; i'vy/ii J vlr ;o ' >i»iJi •>frith*l nitni bvrij-'.'itutiu «.'fi^v ,^.>jii;ia»:'| fly, ;.^i -i (L''i^;v^A -,j i4t>,!r .rvi;,JUi;:;u;i wy/» KiUi'i h.M.«: v^lHu*' oiiw THE GOLD MINES OP NOVA SCOTIA. 155 "Mo^' ©ifj no oi;nJfryrt.»i;flT' CHAPTER XXX. '['!'; •»• THE GOLD MINES OF NOVA SCOTIA. I UllJ ••J i . 1 . ■ < I >J' "■ ' '\* ha ni J, When gold was first discovered in Nova Scotia it is impossible to determine. The names given by the French to such places as Bras d'Or, Cap d'Or, seem to indicate their belief in the presence, at an early period, of thd precious metals. The discovery of golden quartz seema to have been first made by Lieutenant, now Captain, C. L'Estrange while moose hunting in the autumn of 1858. Mr. Campbell, of Dartmouth, had panned gold in 1859, and was the first to advocate the existence of gold in quantity in the Province. . ,, ,- , , ; •,. ,( ,■>,: .•■\.isff .-■' The enthusiasm which was first inspired by the dis- covery gradually abated, and a corresponding depression occurred when it was found that skill, capital and patience were required to render, the mines productive. A com- plete change has recently taken place in the working of the gold mines, and there has been a consequent fuiiing o£E '.n the number of men engaged, as well as in the quantity of gold produced — the change referred to being the almost total discontinuance of work by companies, and the introduction of the system of working the mines by 466 SCHOOL HISTORY OP NOVA SCOTIA. tribute. TJnder this system a percentage on the gold extracted is allowed to the mine proprietors, by the parties who have undertaken to work them. That gold mining might be prosecuted in the Province to greater advantage than has been yet experienced, is acknowledged by scientific men. Failures in gold mining in Nova Scotia have been attributed to the following amongst other causes — the rash expenditure of capital in the purchase of mining rights, respecting the actual value of which nothing is known with certainty — the hasty and inconsiderate erection of machinery for mining and treat- ing the ores before the quantity or their probable value has been ascertained — the attempts frequently made to enhance the value of the stock by declaring dividends, sometimes paid out of capital, but often by means of a process of selecting all the rich material to secure a few high yields, which are far in excess of any thing likely to be the future average, and the almost unusual want of any appliances for saving pyrites and fine gold. The quantity of gold produced in 1860, before the adoption of sworn returns, has been estimated at six thousand ounces. The total estimat'^d and declared quantity of gold produced in the Province till the close of 1872, was 237,000 ounces, which, valued at four pounds sterling per ounce, was worth £948,000. ^*' Silver ore has not been discovered in the Province in any considerable quantity. Mr. Campbell, of Dartmouth, TUK GOLD MINE3 OF NOVA SCOTIA. 157 • was the first to discover it in small quantity. He found it in the neighborhood of Grand Anse, where the Mac- kenzie river falls into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is disseminated through the drift of that stream in small grains and nuggets, and this appears to be the case all along the greater part of its course ; for in many trials made inland, silver has heen found as plentiful as near the Gulf coast. The sources from which the stream derives the silver embodied in its drift are veins of a beautiful variety of spar, closely resembling meerschaum, that abound in some parts of the district — some of the veins containing native silver, embedded in strings and nests of a softish grey substance of earthy texture, resembling the carbonate of that metal. , - ,. , -j- SA Chapteh XXX. — When was gold first discovered in Nova Scotia? Wlio first found golden quartz? How mucli was produced in 1860? "Who first discovered silver in the Province 1 •< I:',-' •I *! I'-iT! (■•iv.* r )•■•: : 'Vrh:. ill ':». <'■••!''■' : "v;a.: .rl ':». .•;>^^:^.: ' lo Atf^^m ■;v. niw 158 SCHOOL III3TOKY OF NOVA SCOTIA. ' Wiiioi Oil .7 u n-i J i>4 Jauf p Sil.il .' '8.1 .iS lo tloO odi nhii fSUil n:);*i oknujl ■ ■ - ' » • ' flftflia iii nu.j'tU imU ' • ■ jjo-ufi huU.^i] m.>Mlli "".""" "'" "'' CHAPTER XXXI. '"'^''S {)iUl4J0;. THE FISHERIES OF NOVA SCOTIA. .,,1^.: .,r^^^ ^' In point of importance and value the fisheries of Nova Scotia take precedence of all other mercantile interests. With a coast line of upwards of nine hundred miles, possessing harbors which in number and excellence are unrivalled, and with a population of hardy, skilful, and stalwart men, the business is prosecuted with energy and success. The value of the fisheries of the Province was, in 1870, $4,019,424; in 1871, $6,570,739 ; and in 1872, $6,016,835. Cod stands first in value, next mackerel, and then herrinsr and lobsters. The obstruction offered iu our rivers to the ascent of Balmon and other fish to the spawning ground has been a growing evil, which has much diminished the quantity of fish on our coast, but which is being now removed by means of a system of inspection which, it is to be hoped, will shortly become more thorough and rigid than it is at present. In New England the same causes operate to diminish the quantity of fish as exist in Nova Scotia. The United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries informs us that fifty years ajro the streams and rivers of TI7K FrsiTEUlES OF NOVA SCOTIA. 159 New Eiigluiid were almost blockiif^ed at certain seasons by salmon, shad and alewives, seeking to ascend to the Bpawnini^ ground, buti the erection of impassible dams }iad prevented their ascent, and the consequence has been a remarkable diminution in the quantity of fish. The Commissioner })oint3 to the fact that the quantity of deep sea fish is greatly dependent on the number of fish that ascends the rivers, and to the obstructions referred to he attributes in a great measure the failure of the New Eng- land fisheries. '" ^'"^^'"^^ ' Halifax County has the greatest number of fishermen. Lunenburg is next. Guysborough and Inverness are about equal ; Yarmouth and Shelburne being very close on each other ; Cape Breton and Victoria Counties being also very near as to numbers. In the year 1851 there were employed in the fisheries of Nova Scotia 10,304 men. Accordins: to the census of 1861 the number was 14,322. It is impossible, however* to say whether these numbers represent hona fide fisher- men, or include persons who were only occasionally engaged in the occupatioft. In any case the numbers show a large increase in the men employed now as com- pared with the periods specified. It ^\ >Lat[',»a«r#''kr«*r A..: \ .. CiiAPTEu XXXI. — Name the most valuable mercantile interea ,n the Province. Wliat was the value of the fisheries in 1872 Which kind of fish is the most valuable? Which next? Thfc next? And next? Which county has the largest number 01^ fisliermen? 16C SCHOOL UISTOEY OF NOVA SCOTIA. p I (r- MMM I : f'-'< r. Otf? i..t fMM )>:.'; O.I *M'f .1 V>H ',-r^ )■>'•' ^!. '•( • f" tf •.,it ■^ , *• < f ^ 1 • ; . f CHAPTER XXXII. V POPULATION OF NOVA SCOTIA. MANUFACTURES, ETC. ", Ot ti '"- ■Trfv. A The population of Nova Scotia at the taking of the Census in 1861 was 330,857 ; when taken in 1871 it was 387,800, showing an increase in ten years of 56,943. The sexes are well balanced in the Province, the num- ber of males being in 1871, 193,792; and of females, 194,008, showing a balance of only 216 in the entire Province in favor of the ladies. Considering the advantages which Nova Scotia offers for industrial enterprise, the manufactures of the Province are few, and on a limited scale. It has indeed been said that without a large Provincial population to consume what is produced, success cannot be expected. The his- tory of the progress of manufactures in other countries seems to prove the contrary. We can point to a country in Europe having a comparatively sro.all population, and which is surrounded by teeming populations of almost unrivalled skill and industry, but which succeeded, first on a small but subsequently on a more extensive scale, in competing with eminent success with the foremost of POPULATION OF NOVA SCOTIA, ETC. 161 its rivals. We refer to Belgium, which has only an area of 11,267 square miles, and a population of about five million souls, but the yearly commerce of this little king- dom is very large — the exports in 1871 to Great Britain alone being in value £13,573,274, whilst all she took in return from the manufacturing mistress of the world in the same year, amounted in value only to £6,217,000. One of the most important natural productions of Belgium, and chief basis of its industry, is coal, which is raised in ever increasing quantities. In coal Nova Scotia is probably equal to Belgium, and surpasses it in the quality and extent of its iron ores ; and if the manufac- turing greatness of Great Britain is to a great extent CiA> h-iUi'i'i^ mih -vul fi'i'^iii ..iiT .1. >;ho|1.. » ii-i-/ ir.t'ui{ eii x^Klf.1 { t|] HiV, (i,,:.! ;; ^.^^ ,^, ..^ ,_ -■>■/ :f If id ■>•]•- ur ol -Ino l.^f vjil/h/ lo ^nl li\i.^vr >; >w[> i; ,|,;,r^ .''>ilv/ c->^iv.l Urn ibofi y"{> >; rfjiV^ ..'jM.arM- , ...j ,j.,^5.^^ .'•nr^- IwiK JwWv"// ku! X>'^^'f.>l ,>!] i>[('0- •-.ff:?; riM'^ y;r'H\ ' THE DOMINION OF CANADA. ^ ■'1' 'I .--•• ,i""' j h* ••rj oil ..I !>■ \. . ...,, .'': •. -»-:,■": -7 /•' : ' t u; ! -, 4 tit /<').l'» i». ; ' •! I ..''j 'i,i ,j. 167 -.iih :-•. I . .i f. ■.n ij rlj': MV? ." CHAPTER XXXIII. An\\--r\f- iV. Ml Miir :ii -"jail THE DOxMINION OP CANADA. . ,! ,. .",' t The Dominion of Canada now embraces the Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, and Manitoba. "When union was first effected the first four Provinces were only in- cluded in it — the others having subsequently been added The act by which the union was originally consummated is designated the British North America Act, and was passed in the British Parliament in 1867— the Provinces being federally united under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with a constitution sim'lar in principle to that of the United Kingdom. The Execu- tive Government and authority are vested in the Queen— the chief executive officer bein«j: the Governor-General for the time being. There is a Council styled the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, whose members are chosen by the Governor-General, and who, from time to time, may be removed by the Governor-General. The command-in- chief of the land and military forces, including the militia, is vested in the Queen. Until the Quee ". otherwise di- rects, the seat of government shall be at Ottawa. There . 1G8 ..SCHOOL IIISTOKY OF NOVA SCOTIA. is one Piirliament for the Dominion, consisting of the Queen, tlie Senate, and the House of Commons. There is a session of tlie House once at least in every year, so that twelve months shall not intervene between the last sitting of the Parliament in one session, and its first sit- ting in the next session. A Senator must be thirty years oi age, and be worth four thousand dollars over and above his debts and liabili- ties. He must be a resident in the Province for which he is appointed. The number of Senators must not at any time exceed seventy-eight. They hold their place for life, but can at any time resign by addressing a letter to that effect to the Governor-General. A Senator becomes dis- (pialified if for two consecutive sessions of the Parliament he fails to give his attendance in the Senate, or if he be- comes bankrupt or insolvent. Questions arising in the Senate are decided by a majority of votes, the Speaker, who is appointed by the Governor-General, having in all cases a vote ; and when the voices are equal the de- cision is deemed in the negative. The British North America Act provides that the House of Commons shall consist of one hundred and eighty-one members, of whom eiglity-two shall be elected for Ontario, sixty -five for Quebec, nineteen for Nova Scotia, and fifteen for New Brunswick ; but provision has been made for the representation of the other Provinces, which may join the confederation. Each of the eighteen counties of which THE DOMINION OF CANADA. .:•« 169 Nova Scotia consists has been legally constituted au electoral district — ^the county of Halifax being entitled to return two members, and each of the other counties one member. Every House of Commons continues for five years from the day of the return of the writs for choosing the House — subject to be sooner dissolved by the Gov- ernor-General — and no longer. Questions arising in the House are decided by a majority of voices other than that of the Speaker, and when the voices are equal, but not otlierwise, the Speaker has a vote. The number of mem- bers of the House of Commons may be from time to time increased by the Parliament of Ca lada, provided the legally prescribed proportionate representation is not disturbed. ^J 'T'lrMrn i>.iJ^^,.■:>,(^u■•^ it,y':i ^\i UM ••: '\; '^i^ojiv/-— Yin Mti(i«.v-( Mill Jij'-in'.;! .-•vi.f )/J(t} 'JM' ! i i'.n fvt «ilMvv. ;);• < -'ill fcLIii) APPENDIX A. 7:ll"l.: I.'i..' _^ SABLE ISLAND,,,,.,! ,,;,,: „„.:i '..uJ. ■•') Dark Isle of Mourning — aptly art thou named, For thou hast been the cause of many a tear ; For deeds of treacherous strife too justly famed, The Atlantic's charnel — desolate and drear ; ' * A thing none love — though wand'ring thousands fear — If for a moment rests the Muse's wing Where through the waves thy sandy wastes appear, ., 'Tis that she may one strain of horror sing, Wild as the dashing waves that tempests o'er thee fling. f. .i> The winds have been thy minstrels — the rent shrouds Of hapless barks, twanging at dead of night, Thy fav'rite harp strings — the shriek of crowds " Clinging around them feebly in their fright, ' '' The song in which thou long hast had delight. Dark child of ocean, at thy feasts of blood ; ; ,^ ,,,j'[' M^'hen mangled forms, shown by Heaven's lurid light, Rose to thy lip upon the swelling-flood. While Death, with horrid front, beside thee gloating stood As lurks the hungry tiger for his prey,' " *' " '" ''^ ^ ^"''' Low crouch 'd to earth with well dissembled mien, Peace in his eye — the savage wish to slay Rankling around his heart — so thou art seen ' * Stretch'd harmlessly on ocean's breast of gree;n, 172 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. When winds are hush'd, and sleeps the placid wave Beneath the evening ray — whose glittering sheen - Gilds the soft swells thy arid folds that lave, Unconscious that they cling around a yawning grave. /• ■ The fascination of the Siren's song, , The shadow of the fatal Upas tree The serpent's eye that lures the bird along To certain doom — less deadly are than thee Even in thy hours of calm serenity, When on thy sands the Lazy seals repose, ^ .,f ,^ ^ u And steeds, unbridled, sporting carelessly, .^^r. Crop the rank grass that on thy bosom grows, While round the timid hare his glance of caution throws. ir ij ^i'l" i iiV/ But when thy aspect changes — when the storm Sweeps o'er the wide Atlantic's heaving breast When, hurrying on in many a giant form, The broken waters by the winds are prest — Roaring like fiends of hell which knoW no rest, And guided by the lightning's fitful flash ; ^jj.,, .^j-j^- Who dares look on thee then — in terror drest, ,.j[ m As on thy length 'ning beach the billows dash. Shaking the heavens themselves with one long deaf 'ning crash?* I j'?;il J<';ii i^.iioi jjoitl ihUi/r i\\ v'l ,« 'ji i The winds are but thy blood-hounds that do force The prey into thy toils ; th' insidious stream f 17; 'I • ♦ Those who have iiot personally witnessed the effects of a storm upon this place, can form no adequate idea of its horrors. The reverberated thunder of the sea, when it strikes this attenuated line of sand, on a front of thirty miles, is truly appalling, and the vibration of the Island under its mighty pressure, seems to indicate that it will separate and be borne away by the ocean. — Haiiburton. t There is suflcient reason to believe that the Gulf Stream at 42° 30 , running E. N. E. occasions the waters of the St. Lawrence, running S. S. W., to glide to the westward. The strength of this current has never ./.no :>e! SABLE ISLAND. I .K'Oil^e! 173 That stoadily pursues its noiseless course, "T'iI'I Warmed by the glow of many a tropic beam, « «-r1 To seas where northern blasts more rudely scream, ''^ Is thy perpetual Almoner, and brings'' •'-' ''J'-^ '*" ^ All that to man doth rich and lovely seem, '"" '"^'^ ' ^» Earth's glorious gifts, — its fair and holy things, ' And round thy dreary shores its spoils profusely flings. The stateliest stems the Northern forest yields, • The richest produce of each Southern shore, The gathered harvests of a thousand fields, Karn'd by man's sweat — or paid for by his gore. The splendid robes the cavern' d Monsters wore. The gold that sparkled in Potosi's mine, / The perfumed spice the Eastern islands bore, ■ • •' The gems whose rays like morning's sunbeams shine, All— all — insatiate Isle — these treasures all are thine. /iC .7 ;'i ^(1 « _ • 1 :' •:0 , 1 /r But what are these, compared ^vith the rich spoils ,j-,'/ Of human hearts, with fond aifections stored : ,7/ Of manly forms, o'ertaken by thy toils — V, .j.,n Of glorious spirits, 'mid thy sands outpoured. ; j Thousands who've braved War's desolating sword, \Mio' ve walked through earth's worst perils undismayed, Now swell the treasures of thy ample hoard ; ,^^ Dlm^P in thy vaults their whitening bones are laid, While many a burning tear*is to their mem'ries paid. • And oft — as though you sought to mock man's eye — ^ Thy shifting sands their treasured spoils disclose :* bean not iced, and tliree-fourths of the vessels lost have been Bupp08e ,h V ■ i\i il- The knell of death is on the blaHt :.,...,• , ff The seas are wildly driven, , /• And those who cling around the mast, r .. t Look up with prayers to Ilenven. 176 SCHOOL HISTORY OF NOVA SCOTIA. / While every swelling dark-blue wave dy'Wi oT /i'lj Strikes terror to the eye -Wi iLnl.'f 1 dO Of men who think they see their grave, Yet feel 'tis hard to die. ' " ' - ■" ^^^ i^J i^i.'K'J ■ ,- T- , ♦»,•'• • - ', "'' And who, in such an awful hour, • 'I '^'f"f!'^ '^ Will dare approach the wreck? ' ■"'■''^' 'V .^♦ai When He, who only has the power, ,7 ";"'" '!';, '' The waters will not check. .' :'"' ''' '^ r-;.>'f 'i\< ,U --.-. .,-f .(,,;.) ... .. ,^ .,,;r 'S- >l.- ' For oh ! the deep sea's sullen roar, ft .,f -^hjj.j t. 'v That sounds so fierce and loud, ' * And mountain waves, that lash the shore. I vac,-,, v>{ , Appal the shrinking crowd. )iiii\'ui •.ol iis.,.,-; . •■ But who his little bark has launch'd, «• '-' ' > ■-' "* And to his oars has sprung? h '"" iiiro.v I Hi ) His cheek by age seems yet unblanch'd, ^ 'i^'i His brow is fair and young. ^ j-''r:i'»? '"^ - ;:.■-;; ■...: ^.uth :^'-H Hie light, and almost childish, form "- ' y'"' 'i^""'^' Seems far too weak to brave The fearful howling of the storm, The terror of the wave. Bu-t yet a high and fearless soul '. Is glancing in his eye, Which tells that ^le will reach the goal, Or on the waters die. j; ^, His boat the billow proudly cleaves, '^ 'nT While bounding from the shore, T Ard tl.uHrt wlio on tb'} ')eacli he leaves, i>''v Ne'er nope to see him more. ^ LA TRIHLNE. But riiaik the sacred freight he bears From off the troubled main, Two human hearts-what bliss is theirs Kestored to life again. And oh ! what feelings swell the heart Of that undaunted Boy ; Could Roman triumphs e 'er impart So sweet a throb of joy? Acadia's child-thy humble name ^ The Muse will long revere, l^he wreath you nobly won from F Shall bloom for many a year. 177 ame Long as the thoughts which sw^eU'd thy breast The flame that lit thy eye, ' Shall in our Country's bosom rest. 1 hy name shall never die J The Knd.