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Un dea symboles sulvants apparaftra sur la darnMre imege de cheque microfiche, seion ie cas: la aymboia — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", ie symbols ▼ signifie "FIN ". Les cartas, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmia A das taux da reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reprodult en un seul cllchA, 11 est filmA A partir da I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A drolte. et de haut an bas, en prenant la nombre d'Imagas nAcessaire. Las diagrammes sulvants illustrent le mAthode. rrata palura, 1 A □ 32X 1 2 3 4 8 6 \ .SaJil;. M, [I))K (S EJ! 38 [K E Kl © C^ 2 (rage !}?.) l.'.iiidnii Ihirsi AHli.K'l jw ? .«wjir"i»u»io emUmmnmm IV PREFACE. predecessors. Political sketches I have abstained from al- together ; provincial and local affairs are too insignificant to interest the general reader, and the policy of the Colonial Office is foreign to my subject. The absurd importance attached in this country to trifles, the grandiloquent lan- guage of rural politicians, the flimsy veil of patriotism under which selfishness strives to hide the deformity of its visage, and the attempt to adopt the machinery of a large empire to the government of a small colony, present many objects for ridicule or satire ; but they could not be ap- proached without the suspicion of personality, and the di- rect imputation of prejudice. As I consider, however, that the work would be incomplete without giving some idea of the form of government under which the inhabitants of the lower colonies live, I have prepared a very brief outline of it, without any comment. Those persons who take no in- terest in such matters can pass it over, and leave it for others who may prefer information to amusement. I have also avoided, as far as practicable, topics common to other countries, and endeavoured to select scenes and characters peculiar to the colony, and not to be found in books. Some similarity there must necessarily be between all branches of the Anglo-Saxon family, speaking the same language, and living under modifications of the same form of government; but still there are luhades of difference which, though not strongly marked, are plainly discern- ible to a practised eye. Facies non omnibus una, nee tamen diveraa. This distinctive character is produced by the necessities and condition of a new country, by the nature of the climate, the want of an Established Church, hereditary rank, entailment of estates, and the subdivision of labour, on the one hand, and the absence of nationality, independ- ence, and Republican institutions, on the other. PREFACE it for Oolonists di£fer again in like manner from each other, according to the situation of their reepeotive country ; some being merely agricultural, others commercial, and many partaking of the character of both. A picture of any one North American Province, therefore, mil not, in all re- spects, be a true representation of another. The Nova Scotian, who is more particularly the subject of this work, is often found superintending the cultivation of a fann and building a vessel at the same time ; and is not only able to catch and cure a cargo of fish, but to find his way with it to the West Indies or the Mediterranean ; he is a man of aU work, but expert in none — ^knows a little of many things, but nothing well. He is irregular in his pursuits, " all things by turns, and nothing long," and vain of his ability or information ; but is a hardy, frank, good-natured, hospitable, manly fellow, and withal quite as good-looking as his air gives you to understand he thinks himself to be. Such is the gentleman known throughout America as Mr. Blue Nose, a sobriquet acquired from a superior potato of that name, of the good qualities of which he is never tired of talking, being anxious, like most men of small property, to exhibit to the best advantage the little he had. Although this term is applicable to all natives, it is more particularly so to that portion of the population de- scended from emigrants from the New England States, either previously to, or immediately after, the American Eevolution. The accent of the Blue Nose is provincial, in- clining more to Yankee than to English, his utterance ra- pid, and his conversation UberaUy garnished with American phraseology, and much enlivened with dry humour. From the diversity of trades of which he knows something, and the variety of occupations in which he has been at one time or another engaged, he uses indiscriminately the technical terms of aU, in a manner that would often puzzle a stranger to pronounce whether he was a landsman or sailor, a farmer. \ VI PREFACE. meohanio, lumberer, or fisherman. These characteristios are more or less oommon to the people of New Bnmswiok, Prince Edward Island, and Gape Breton, and the scene of these sketches might perhaps to a very great extent be laid, with equal propriety, in those places as in Nova Scotia. But to Upper and Lower Canada they are not so applicable. The town of lUmoo, so often mentioned in this work, is a fictitious place. I have selected it in preference to a real one, to prevent the possible application of my remarks to any of the inhabitants, in accordance with the earnest desire I have already expressed to avoid giving offence to any one. Having made these explanations, I now submit the work to the public. CONTENTS. CBAPTU VMS I. THE OLD JTTDOB . . . . 1 n. HOW MANT HNS HAS A COD P OB, POBIT TEARS AGO . . 8 m. ASKING A OOYEBNOK TO DINE 26 IV. THE TOMBSTONES 56 V. A BALL AT OOVEBNMENT HOUSB . . 67 VI. THE OLD ADMIBAL AND THE OLD OBNEBAL 90 VII. THE 7IBST SETTLEBS 109 Vin. MEBBIMAKTNOS 113 IX. THE SCHOOLMASTEB ; OB, THE HBCKE THALEB . . . . 127 X. THE LONE HOUSE 140 XI. THE KEEPING-BOOM OP AN INN; OB, JUDGE BELEB's GHOST. NO. I '.. .. 155 Xn. THE KEEPING-BOOM OP AN INN; OB, SEEING THE DBVIL. NO. n 178 Xm. THE KEEPING-BOOM OP AN INN ; OB, A LONG NIGHT AND A LONGSTOBY. NO. lU. 198 XIV. THE KEEPING-BOOM OP AN INN ; OB, THE CUSHION-DANCE. NO. IV 212 XV. THE KEEPING-BOOM OP AN INN ; OB, A CHASE POB A WIPE. NO. V. 229 XVI. A PIPPIN ; OB, SHEEPSKINS AND GABTEBS 253 XVn. HOBSE-SHOE COVE ; OB, HUPEI8EN BUCHT. NO. L . . 273 XVm. HOBSE-SHOE COVE.; OB, BUPEISEN BUCHT. NO. U. . . 284 XIX. THE SEASONS ; OB, COMEBS AND GOEBS 302 XX. THE WITCH OP JnKT DELL 320 XXI. COLONIAL GOVEBNMENT 339 THE OLD JUDGE} OB, LIFE IN A COLONY. CHAPTEE I. THE OLD JUDGE. A FEW days ago two strangers were shown into mj stud^ : one of them, stepping aside, pointed to his companion, and said, "This, sir, is the Beverend Qabriel Gab of Olympus." The other performed the same kind office for his friend, saving, '* And this, sir, is the Beverend Elijah Warner, of the Millerite persuasion, from Palmyra, United States of America." The former, whose name was by no means inappropriate, explained with great volubility the object of their visit, which he said was twofold: first, to pay their respects to me; secondly, to make some inquiries about the great bore in the river in my neighbourhood. Had there been a mirror in the room I should have been tempted to have pointed to it, as they would have there seen two much greater bores in their own persons ; for, if there is any one jubject more than another, of which I am heartily tired, it is the extraordinary tide of this remarkable river. It attracts many idlers to the village, who pester every one they meet with questions and theories, and seldom talk of anything else. If, however, the visit of these gentlemen wearied me, in consequence of the threadbare subject of our discourse, it amused me not a little by the whimsical manner of its intro- duction ; it not only had novelty to recommendit, but its brevity enabled them to enter in tneditu res at once. I shall therefore imitate their example, by introducing myself and explaining my business. . I 2 4 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, I am, gentle reader, a traveller, and my object also is two- fold : first, to pay my respects to you, and, secondly, to impart, rather than solicit, information. When I left England, my original destination was New York and the far West, after which I purposed making a rapid tour over our North American Colonies. In pursuance of this plan, I took passage on board of one of the British mail-steamers for America. It is well known that these ships touch at Halifax on their way to and from New York and Jboston ; this apparently cir- cuitous route being actually thirty-six miles shorter than the direct course.^ In twelve days alter leaving England I found myself in Halifax. Of my voyage out I shall say nothing. He must be a bold man indeed who would attempt to describe the incidents of a common passage across the Atlantic, with any hope whatever of finding a reader. It was, like all similar trips, though as com- fortable as such an affair can be, anything but agreeable, and, though short, tedious to a landsman. Off the Fort of Halifax we encountered a thick fog, and were obliged to slacken our speed and use the lead constantly, when we suddenly emerged from it into bright, clear, dazzling sunshine. Before us lay the harbour, as calm, as white, and as glittering as if covered with plass ; a comparison that suggested itself by the beautiful reflections it presented of the various objects on shore ; while behind us was the dense black mass of fog, reaching from the water to the heavens, like a wall or cloud of darkness. It neemed as if Day and Night were reposing together side by side. The first object that met our view was the picturesque little church that crowns the cliff overlooking the village and haven of Falkland, and, like a stella maris, guides the poor fisherman from afar to his home, and recalls his wandering thoughts to that other and happier one that awaits him when the storms and tempests of this life shall have passed away for ever. The entrance to this noble harbour, the best, perhaps, in America, is exceedingly beautiful ; such portions of the landscape as are denuded of trees exhibit a very high state of cultivation ; while the natural sterility of the cold, wet, and rocky soil of the back- ground is clothed and concealed by verdant evergreens of spruce fir, pine, and hemlock. On either hand you pass formidable fortifications, and the national fiag and the British sentinel bear testimony to the power and extensive poBsessions of dear old England. ' Seo the aecond series of Tbo Clookmaker, chapter xxii., in which this route was flnit auggcstod, and the aotunl distance given. i^IFE IN A COLONY. On the right is the rapidly increasing town of Dartmouth ; on the left, Halifax, situated in extenso on the slope of a long high hill, the cone-like summit of which is converted into a citadel. The effect from the water is very imposing, giving the idea of a much larger and better built place than it is — an illusion productive of much subsequent disappointment. Still further on, and forming the northern termination of the city, is the Government Dockyard, of which I shall speak elsewhere. Here the harbour contracts to a very narrow space, and then suddenly enlarges again into another and more sheltered body of water, eight or ten miles in length, Mid two or three in width, called Bedford Basin. On a nearer approach to the Quay, old dingy warehouses, trumpery wooden buildings, of unequal size and dispropor- tionate forms, and imsubstalitial wharfs, in bad order and repair, present an unpromising water-side view, while the accent of the labourers and truckmen, who are nearly all Irishmen, form a singular combination of colonial architecture and European population. The city itself, which has been greatly improved of late years, does not, on a further acquaintance, altogether remove the disagreeable impression. Although it boasts of many very handsome public as well as private edifices, and is well laid out and embellished with large naval and military establishments ; it has not the neat or uniform appearance of an American town, and it is some time before the eye becomes accustomed to the card-board appearance of the houses, or the singular mixture of large and small ones in the same street. The general aspect of the city is as different from that of any other provincial town, as it is from a place of the same size either in old or new England. The inhabitants, who are com- posed of English, Irish, Scotch, and their descendants, are es- timated at twenty-two or twenty-five thousand. It is a gay and hospitable place, and, until recently, when agitation and political strife made their baneful appearance, was a united and happy community. It is not my intention to describe localities — my object is to delineate Life in a Colonv. There is such a general uniformity in the appearance of all the country towns and villages of these lower provinces, and such a similarity in the character of the scenery, that details would be but tedious repetitions, and, besides, such topographical sketches are to be found in every book of travels on this continent. I have said thus much of Halifax, because it is not only the capital of Nova Scotia, but, from its proximity to Europe, has lately become a most im- portant station for English and American Atlantic steamers, as \ 4 THE OLD JUDGE; OB, it always has been for the Britisli navy. A few words will suffice for Nova Scotia. The surface is undulating, seldom or never exceeding in altitude five hundred feet above the level of the sea. It is greatly intersected with rivers and their tribut- ary brooks, on the margins of which are continuous lines of settlements, and the coast is everywhere indented with har- boiurs more or less capacious, in most of which are either towns or villages. In the back-ground the forest is everywhere visible, and penetrated in all directions with roads. Although extensive clearings are made yearly in the interior, principally by the children of old settlers, in which backwood life is to be seen in all its sinSplicity, yet the country has passed the period of youth, and may now be called an old colony. Of the habits, manners, and modes of thought of the people, few travellers have had such an opportunity of becoming acquainted as I have. At the suggestion of Mr Barclay, a member of the provincial bar, with whom I accidentally became acquainted on my arrival at Halifax, I abandoned for a time my intention of proceeding to New York, and from thence to the South and West, and remained in this country for a period sufficiently long to acquire that knowledge of Anglo-American character without which rapid travelling on this continent is neither convenient nor instructive. Bv him I was conducted to lUinoo, an interior town, about fifty miles from Halifax, and there introduced to Mr Justice Sandford, a retired Judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature. By the considerate kind- ness of these two gentlemen, I was enabled to see all that was desirable to be seen, and to understand many little points in the character of the people which, without their valuable ex- planations, would have either escaped my notice, or have been imintelligible. lUinoo is situated at the head of the navigation of the In- ganish river, and is a neat, thriving town, consisting of about a hundred and fifty wooden houses, painted white, after the prevailing American taste, most of them being decorated with green Venetian blinds, and all enclosed by board fences of difierent patterns. The glare of the glossy white is somewhat relieved by the foliage of the gardens that everywhere surround the houses and supply the inhabitants with fruit and vegetables. Such is lUinoo, the description of which will answer for an}'* other rural village, the difierence in general being one of situ- ation, rather than appearance, '^d of size, more than beauty. Three miles further up the ri> cr, and above the influence of the tide, is Elmsdale, the residence of Judge Sandford. The house stands on a rising piece of ground in the centre of an LIFE IN A COLON!. 5 «xten8iye island, fonned by two branches of the river, one of which is a small brook of about twenty yards in width, and the <)ther the main stream. The island consists principally of alluvial soil, but is interspersed here and there with gently swelling knolls of loam, covered with oaks, maples, and yellow birches, while the meadow land is decorated with large single elms of immense size and great beauty. The margin is secured against the e£fects of the current by the roots of the shumach, the wild flowering pear, and dwarf rowan tree, and the still stronger network of the roots of the giant elms that enclose the place on all sides. On the south-west and east this valley is sheltered from the wind by a mountainous ridge, through a winding and almost concealed gorge of which the river preci- pitately issues, previously to its forming the biforcation that converts Elmsdale into an island. The house, which was built by the present proprietor's father, an American Loyalist, is a large commodious cottage of one story in height, covering a great leal of ground, and con- «tructed after the manner of the German settlers on the Hudson, having long projecting eves, and an extensive, elongated range of buildings, protruding from the back part, devoted to the use of domestics and farm purposes, and wnich is effectually concealed from view by an almost impenetrable hedge-row of spruces. Two noble, primeval elms, at either side of the hall-door, rejoice in their native soil, and with their long, um- brageous, pendent branches, equally deny admission to the rain and sun. The interior of the house corresponds, to a great extent, with its outward appearance. The furniture is in general old, solid, and heavy, like that used in our former colonies before the rebellion, which contrasts oddly with an occasional article of lighter form and later and more fashion- able manufacture. They are types of the old and the present generation; for, alas, it is to be feared that what has been gained in appearance has been lost in substance, in things of far more value and importance. It is a place of great beauty at all seasons of the year ; but, in spring, when vegetation first clothes the mountains, and in autumn, when the frost tinges it with innumerable hues before it disrobes it, it is preeminently €0. The forest, to which you are attracted in summer by its grateful shade, is rendered still more agreeable and cool b^ the numerous rapids and cascades of the river ; and even winter, dreary as it is everywhere in the country, is here stripped of half its rigour by the barrier the hills present to the stormy winds. To this hospitable and charming mansion I waa so fortunate ■fm |MWMM»nMh«kM#waM ■Mm iMMlilBiVia i $ THE OLD JUDGE; OR, as to be invited h^ the Judge, at the suggestion, no doubt, of his nephew, my friend, Mr Barclay. " He will be delighted to see you," he said, as we drove thither from .the village. " He is one of those persons with whom you will feel at home and at ease at once. Such is the force of professional habit, that there is something of judicial gravity in his manner when abroad, or among those ne does not know, but there is not the least of it about him when at home or among his friends. Although far advanced in years, he is still as active in body and mind, as quick of perception, and as fond of humour, as when he was at the bar. He abounds in anecdote ; is remark- ably well informed for a lawyer, for their libraries necessarily contain more heavy learning than Ught reading; and he has great conversational powers. In religion he is a Churchman, and in politics a Conservative, as is almost every gentleman in these colonies. On the first subject he never speaks as a topic of discussion, and on the latter very rarely, and then only to those who, he knows, entertain similar opmions with himself. He will press you to make his house your nome, as far as is com- patible with your other arrangements, and I hope you will not liul to do so, for he is fond of having his friends about him, and in this retired place considers it a great piece of good fortune to have an opportunity of conversing with a person whose ideas are not all bounded by this little province. On the other hand, you will find a kind, frank, but plain hospitality, that is com- fortable without being oppressive ; and as your object is iuform- fttion about coloniallue, I know of no man in this country so well qualified or so willing to im])art it as he is. There is capital snooting and fishing on his grounds; and, when you feel inclined for a ride or a drive, either he or his niece (for he is an old bachelor) will be happy to accompany you, while I am always on hand and at your service. Don't be afraid of my fair cousin," he continued ; " though not too oldtobeagreeable (for my uncle is an instance of the difficulty of deciding when that period of life commences), she is of a certain age when she may be considered no longer dangerous.'* Leaving the highway, we crossed the brook that separates the island from the main-land over a rustic arch, so constructed between clumps of large French willows growing on the banks as to have tne effect of a natural bridge. The road wound round the base of a knoll, through a forest of elms, from which, with an easy sweep, it suddenly terminated in front of the house. From thence we proceeded to the garden, where we understood the Judge was superinteuding some improvements. This en- closure coven about two acres of land, and embraces th» LIFE IN A COLOST, doubt, of lelighted to age. " He b home and habit, that inner when » is not the his friends, kive in body humour, as ; is remark- 1 necessarily and he has Churchman, entleman in ES as a topic lien only to ith himself, iar as is com- you will not mt him, and ood fortune whose ideas ) other hand, ;hat is com- et is inform- ntry so well B is capital n you feel for he is an while I fraid of my le agreeable siding when when she separates bonstructed the banks foad wound from which, ' the house, iderstood This en- Ibraces the fruitery, shrubbery, kitchen and flower-garden ; thus combining useful with ornamental cultivation, and keeping both within the limits of moderate means. In summer, he spends most of his time here, when the weather permits. - As soon as he perceived us, he advanced, and cordially welcomed me to Elmsdale, which, he said, he hoped I would make my head-quarters and consider my home, as often and as long as I could, while in this part of the country. Though ,thin, his frame was strong, and we'll put together, and therefore, though short in stature, he could not be called a small man. In figure he was erect, and in motion active^ while his quick bright eye, notwithstanding the snowy white- ness of his hair, aud a face in which the traces of care and thought were deeply marked, suggested the idea of a much younger person than he really was — an illusion not a little aided by the sprightliness of his conversation, and the singular smoothness and expansion of the upper part of his forehead. In a few moments we were joined by Miss Sandford, who entered the garden by a glass door from the library, that opened upon the verandah where we were standing, and ad- monished her uncle that; as everybody was not quite as inter- ested in gardening as he was, it might not be amiss to recollect that it was the hour of luncheon. From the age as well as the affection of these relatives, brother would have seemed to be a more appropriate term for her to have used than uncle ; but there was, in reality, a much greater disparity between them in years, activity, and strength, than there appeared to be at first sight. She was admirably well qualified to preside over his establishment, and be his companion ; for she was a remark- ably well-informed and agreeable woman, and, what could scarcely be expected, and is rarely found in a new country like this, was highly accomplished, which latter advantage she owed to a long residence and careful education in England. Such was the place where I resided, and such the people among whom I was domesticated so often and so long. Having, like Boswcll, kept a copious journal of the conversations I had with the Judge, I shall in all instances let him speak for himself, as his power of description far exceeds mine. When he was not present, I shall endeavour to delineate the scenes I witnessed myself, without embellishment on the one hand, and, as far as practicable, without prolixity on the other. ■•nHlMW Mf 8 THE OLD JUDGE; OB, CHAPTBE II. HOW MANT FINS HAS A OOD? OB, tOBTT TSABB AGO. PoB several days past, notluiig else has been talked of at niinoo but the appFoaching term of the Supreme Court. At all times this is a great event for a quiet village, where there is but little to diveraify the monotony of life ; but the arrival of the Judge and the circuit lawyers is now looked forward to with great interest, as there is to be a man tried for murder, who in all probability wiU be convicted and executed. I have much curiosity to see the mode of administering justice in this country, because the state of the courts is a very good criterion by which to estimate the state of the province. The Bench and the Bar usually furnish fair samples of the talent and edu- cation of the gentry — the grand jury of the class immediately below them, and the petit-jury of the yeomanry and tradesmen. In a court-house they are all to be seen in Juxtaposition, and a stranger is enabled to compare them one with the other, with the condition of the people and similar institutions in different countries. The Judge informs me that the first courts established in this province were County Courts, the Judges of which were not professional men, but selected from the magistrates of the district, who rendered their services gratuitously. The efficiency of these courts, therefore, depended whoUy upon the character and attainments of the Justices of the Peace in the neighbourhood. In some instances, they were conducted with much decorum, andnot without ability ; in others, they present- ed scenes of great confusion and disorder ; but, in all cases, thej were the centre of attraction to the whole county. The vicmity of the court-house was a sort of fair, where people assembled to transact business or to amuse themselves. Hone-swapping or racing, wrestling and boxing, smoking and drinkmg, sales at auction, and games of various kinds, occupied the noisy and not very sober crowd. The temperance of modem times, the substitution of professional men as judges, and an entire change of habits among the people, have no less altered the character of the scenes within than without the walls of these halls of justice. In no respect is the improve- ment of this country to apparent as in its judicial establish- LIFE IN A COIiONT. 6 ments. As an illustration of the condition of some of these Gounlr Courts in the olden time, the Judge related to me the followmg extraordinary stoir that occurred to himself : — Shortly after my return firom Europe, about forty years ago, I attended the Western Circuit of the Supreme Court, which then terminated at Annapolis, and remained behind a few days, for the purpose of examining that most interesting place, which is the scene of the first effective settlement in North America. While engaged in these investigations, a person called upon me, and told me he had ridden express from Plymouth, to obtain my assistance in a cause which was to be tried in a day or two in the county court at that place. The judges were at that period, as I have previously observed, not professional men, but magistrates, and equally unable to administer law, or to pre- serve order ; and the verdicts generally depended more upon the declamatory powers of the lawyers than the merits of the causes. The distance was great — ^the journey had to be per- formed on horseback — ^the roads were bad, the accommodation worse. I had a great repugnance to attend these courts under any circumstances ; ana, besides, had pressing engagements at home. I therefore declined accepting his retainer, which was the largest that at that time had ever been tendered to me, and begged to be excused. If the fee, he said, was too small to render it worth my while to go, he would cheerfully double it, for money was no object. The cause was one of great im- portance to his friend, Mr John Barkins, and of deep interest to the whole community ; and, as the few lawyers that resided within a hundred miles of the place were engaged on the other side, if I did not go, his unfortunate friend would fall a victim to the intrigues and injustice of his opponents. In short, he was so urgent, that at last I was prevailed upon to consent, and we set off together to prosecute our journey on horseback. The agent, Mr William Kobins (who had the most accurate and capacious memory of any man I ever met), proved a most entertaining and agreeable companion, ^e had read a great deal, and retained it all; and having resided many years near Plymouth, knew everybody, every place, and everv tradition. Withal, he was somewhat of a humourist. Find- ing him a person of this description, my curiosity was ex- cited to know who and what he was ; and I put the question to him. " I am of the same profession you are, sir," he said. I immediately reined up. \ \ 10 THE OLD JUDGE; OB, " If that be the case," I replied, " my good friend, you must try the cause yourself. I cannot consent to go on. The only thing that induced me to set out with you was your assertion that every lawyer, within a hundred miles of Plymouth, was retained on the other side." " Excuse me, sir," he said, " I did not say I was a lawyer." " No," I observed, " you did not ; but you stated you were of the same profession as myself, which is the same thing." " Not exactly, sir," he said. " I am a wrecker. I am Lloyds' agent, and live on the misfortunes of others ; so do you. When a vessel is wrecked, it is my business to get her off, or to save the property. When a man is entangled among the shoals or qmcksands of the law, your duty is similar. We are both wreckers, and, therefore, members of the same profession. The only difference is, you are a lawyer, and I am not." This absurd reply removing all difficulty, we proceeded on our journey ; and tne first night after passing through Digby reacned Shingle Town, or SpaitsviUe, the origin of which, as he related it to me, was the most whimsical story I ever heard. It is rather long for an episode, and I will tell it to you some other time. The next morning we reached Clare, a township wholly owned and occupied by French Acadians, the descendU> ants of those persons who first settled at Fort Boyal (as I have C'l related), and other parts of the province into which they penetrated, previous to the occupation of the English. I will not trouble you with the melancholy history of these Eeople at present ; I only allude to them now on account of a ttle incident in our journey. As we approached the chapel, we saw a large number of persons in front of the priest's house, having either terminated or being about to commence a pro- cession. As soon as Bobins saw them, he said, — " Now I will make every man of that congregation take off his hat to me." "How?" " You shall see." He soon gulled up opposite to a large wooden cross that stood by the way-side, and, taking off his hat, bowed his head most reverently and respectfully down to the horse's neck, and then, slowly covering again, passed on. When we reached the crowd, every hat was lifted in deference to 'the devout stranger, who had thus courteously or piously saluted the emblem of their faith. As soon as we had escaped the wondering ga^e of the people, he observed, — LIFE m A COLONT. 11 " There, lawyer, there is a useful lesson in life for you. He who respects the religious feelings of others, will not rail to win indulgence for his own." In the afternoon we arrived at Plymouth. As we entered the village, I observed that the court-house as usual was sur- rounded by a noisy multitude, some detached groups of which appeared to be discussing the trials of the morning, or antici- pating that which was to engross the attention of the public on the succeeding day. On the opposite side of the road was a large tavern, the hospitable door of which stood invitingly open, and permitted the escape of most agreeable and seducing odours of rum and tobacco. The crowd occupied and filled the space between the two buildings, and presented a moving and agitated surface; and yet a strong current was perceptible to a practised eye in this turbid mass, setting steadily out of the court-house, and passing slowly but constantly through the centre of this estuary into the tavern, and returning again in an eddy on either side. Where every one was talking at the same time, no indi- vidual could be heard or understood at a distance, but the united vociferations of the assembled hundreds blended together, and formed the deep-toned but dissonant voice of that hydra- headed monster, the crowd. On a nearer approach, the sounds that composed this unceasing roar became more distinguishable. The drunken man might be heard rebuking the profane, and the profane overwhelming the hypocrite with opprobrium for his cant. Neighbours, rendered amiable by liquor, embraced as brothers, and loudly proclaimed their unchangeable friend- ship ; while the memory of past injuries, awakened into fury by the liquid poison, placed others in hostile attitude, who hurled defiance and abuse at each other, to the full extent of their lungs or their vocabulary. The slow, measured, nasal talk of the degenerate settler from Puritanical New England was rendered unintelligible by the ceaseless and rapid utterance of the French fisherman ; while poor Pat, bludgeon in hand, uproariously solicited his neighbours to fight or to drink, and ^nerously gave them their option. Even the dogs caught the mfection of the place, and far above their masters' voices might occasionally be heard the loud, sharp cry of triumph, or the more shrill howl of distress uttered by these animals, who, with as little cause as their senseless owners, had engaged in a stupid conflict. A closer inspection revealed the groupings with more pain- ful distinctness. Here might be seen the merry, active \ 12 THE OLD JUDGE ; OB, Negro, flapping his mimic wings and crowing like a cock in token of defiance to aU his sable brethren, or dancing to the sound of his own musical voice, and terminating every evolution with a scream of delight. There, your attention was arrested by a ferocious-looking savage, who, induced by the promise of liquor, armed with a »calpin^-knife in one hand and a tomahawk in the other, exhibited his terrific war-dance, and uttered his de- moniac yells, to the horror of him who personated the victim, and suffered all the pangs of martyrdom in trembling appre- hension that that whi fortunes, and that was, that time would lessen his labours ; for he who attempts to teach another that which he does not know himself, cannot fail to acquire some information in his endeavours to advance his pupil.* Colonel Percy, of the " thixty-thixth," just mentioned, was one of the most delightful men I ever met ; cheerM, humorous, 1 A bishop for any of the North American provinces should in all cases he selected from the colonial clergy, most of whom are natives, and all of whom are well educated ; while the great majority, I am happy to say, are not only scholars and gentlemen, but pious, laborious, and most exemplary men. These persons, from their thorough knowledge of the state of the country ; the habits, feelings, prejudices, and means of the people ; the peculiar relation subsisting between the rector and his parishioners, and the Church and Dis- senters in this part of the world ; the extent to which episcopal authority ought to or can be pushed with safety ; and many other things of no less im- portance, are infinitely better qualified than any English clergyman can possibly be (for this information can only be acquired from long expenence, and, after a certain period of life, is very difficidt to be attained at all). In other respects, to say the least, they are quite equal to the episcopal specimens we have been honoured with. I am quite awarie that, in nigh quarters, where a better feeling should exist, and where it is most important they should bo better informed, it is heresy to say colonial clergymen are not only qualified, but they are the most suitable persons to fill the higher offices of their profes- sion in their own country ; but nuiffna eat veriku. Ai LIFE IN A COLONY. H filled with anecdote, well-informed, and well-bred, he was, in reality, what Miss Sampson called him, a " hotht in himthelf." The guests having now all arrived with the exception of Captain Jones of the Navy, Channing was in great perplexity about ordering dinne^'. He would like to wait for the gallant captain, but the Governor was remarkable for his punctuality. What was to be done P He argued it over in his mind, for he never did anything without a sufficient reason. Jones was notoriously the most absent man in the service. He was as likely to forget his invitation as to remember it, and was sure to make some blunder about the hour ; and time, tide, and Governors wait for no man. The dinner was ordered ; and, when the folding-door, were opened, Channing, with a palpitating heart, offered his arm to Lady Sampson, and conducted her to her place, while his Excellency honoured his better half in a similar manner. It was a moment of pride and pleasure to them both. They had attained a long-cherished object of ambition. They had " asked a Governor to dine," and had thereby taken another and higher step in life. They were now people of "a certain Eosition." Channing asked the bishop to say grace, but he ad repeated that formulary so often for " the squire " in Kent, when rector, that, now he was a 'lord of a manor himself, he was unwilling to perform the duty any longer, and bowed (or rather nodded, for there is more palpable meaning in a nod than a bow) to his chaplain, who was but too happy to gratify his excellent friend and patron. The soup was capital, conversation became general, and everything seemed to be going on remarkably well ; but the hostess was dying with apprehension, for a critical part of the entertainment had arrived, the thoughts of which had filled her with terror during the whole day. At the period I am speaking of, no person could venture to give a krge dinner-party at Halifax (such was the unskilfulness of servants) without the assistance of a professional cook, a black woman, whose attendance it was necessary to secure be- fore issuing cards of invitation. Channing had not forgotten to take this wise precaution; but the artUte had prepared some side-dishes, of which, though she knew the component parts, she did not know the name. By the aid ofaHouseioife's Manuel, Mrs Channing judged them to be " C6telettes a I'ltal- ienne," " Chartreuse d'un Salpi9on de Volaille," " Boudins i la Bichelieu," "Quenelles de Volaille," "Croquets," &c. Ac; but she was uncertain. They were too difiicult to remember ; and, if remembered, unpronounceable. She was afraid of hav- 4$ THE OLD judge; OS, ing her knowledge tested and her ignorance exposed by Trotz, who was noted for his malicious impertinence. Fortune, how- ever, favoured her, and she owed her escape to the tact of a servant, who found himself in a situation of similar difficulty. The first of these mysterious dishes that he presented to the troublesome aide, called forth the dreaded inquiry, "What is the name of it?" Equally ignorant with the rest of the household, he affected not to hear the question, withdrew the dish, passed on to the next person, and never offered him ano> ther imtil he found one he knew by name as well as by sight. The crisis was now passed, the lady's fever instantly subsided, and she breathed freer. At the mention of moose- meat. Lord Edward, to the astonishment of everybody, com- menced a conversation himself, a thing almost unknown before. He asked the young lady who had amused him so much by saying she had killed a cat in shaving, what the plural of moose was. " Mice," she replied, with great readiness. "]Vr?eibus! '* he repeated. "How very good!" and re» lapsed again into his usual taciturnity. The two favourite wines at Halifax at that period were champagne at, and Madeira after, dinner. Trotz therefore, of course, voted them both vulgar, called them kitchen wines, and, when pressed by the host to take a glass with him, and asked which he would take,— " Anything but champagne, sir," he said. Ghanuing was shocked ; he had imported it himself, he had spared no expense, was a good judge of its quality and flavour, and he could not understand how it could be rejected with such evident disgust. He prudently asked no questions, but smiled, bowed, and talked to some one else. Miss Sampson observed to the bishop that Trotz was like a " thithle, he thcrathed tho tbockingly ! " Which was honoured with the usual remark from another person, " How very good ! " Captain Jones now made his appearance, and a very odd one it certainly was. He was one of the most eccentric men in the navy. In roughness of manner and disregard of dress, he was of the old Benbow school ; in practical skill and science he was at the head of the modem one. He was so dreadfully absent that he unintentionally said and did the most awkward things ima^nable; and the only redeeming point in his absurd behaviour was, that it was entirely free from affectation. He was dressed in an old shabby frock-coat with a pair of tarnished epaulettes, his hands bore testimony LIFE IN A COLONY. 4» to their familiarity with the rigging, and he had not submitted himself to a barber for two days, at least. He took his seat near me, and then for the first time appeared to be conscious that he was late for dinner ; but he applied himself without loss of time to remedy the defect. The arrival of such a man in such an attire naturally occasioned a pause, by attracting everybody's attention to him. " Pray," said Trotz (who sat nearly opposite to us) to hia neighbour, but loud enough to be distinctly heard, " who is that old quiz ? Is he a colonist ? " " Captain Jones, of H.M. ship Thunderer, sir ; very much at your service ! " said the sailor, with a very unmistakable air and tone. Trotz quailed. li; was evident that, though a good shot, he preferred a target to an antagonist, and wanted bottom. True courage is too noble a quality to be associated with swaggering and insolent airs. " How very good ! " said Lord Edward. "Very," said the charming Colonel; "very good, indeed f He may be an oddity, but he is a fine manly old fellow ; and your friend had better be cautious how he wakes up that sleep- ing lion." The Captain ate b^artily, though rather inconveniently slow, which protracted the removals, and kept us all waiting. It was a matter of business, and he performed it in silence. Once, however, he looked up, complained there was a draught in the room, and, drawing a soiled black silk cap with a long Eendent tassel from his pocket, put it on his head, and resumed is employment. Although Mrs Channing was unacquainted with the names of many of her dishes, there was one she rather prided herself upon — a pudding, which, when the Governor declined, she pressed upon his attention, saying, that she had made it herself. This was too good an opportunity for Trotz to pass unnoticed ; he, therefore, begged Miss Sampson to par- take of it, as the hostess had made it with her own hands : lay- ing an emphasis on the latter words, which produced, as he in- tended, an involuntary smile. Channing saw and winced uuSer the ridicule, although he was unable to discover whether it was excited by the pudding or his wife. To m'ake matters worse. Captain Jones, whose appetite was now satisfied, and who hud only heard the word pudding, to which he had just been helped, added to their mortification by one of his blundering remarks. He said that ic was capital, and that he had never tasted but one like it before, and that was in Mexico. " I went there," he said, " with the Admiral, to settle some 44 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, little difference we had with the government of that country, and the President asked us to dine with him. What makes me recollect the pudding is his wife made it herself. He had two beautiful daughters ; one about eighteen, and the other twenty years of age, who were covered with jewels of a size, brilliancy, and value far beyond anything I ever saw in Europe. I asked him where madam his wife was. ' To tell the truth,' he replied, * she is in the kitchen superintending the cookery for the din- > >• ner. The Governor, with his usual tact and good-nature, turned the conversation to another topic. He adverted to his recent government in the West Indies, and was speaking of some very unreasonable request of the people, the refusal of which had made him very unpopular at the time. Jones, with his customary inattention, thought he was speaking of some one else, and said : — " Tour friend was a devilish lucky fellow, then, that they did not serve him as I once saw the Chinese punish one of their gods. They had been praying to him for rain for thirty days, and at the end of that period, seeing no appearance of a shower, they sent three of their mandarins to him and gave him a sound drubbing. Indeed it is a wonder that they did not Lynch him, as they did the Governor of Antigua in 1710. Colonel Park having rendered himself extremely obnoxious, the whole white population rebelled, and, besieging his house, put him to death, and killed and wounded thirty-six people whom he had assembled for his defence." * " How very good ! " said Lord Edward. Jones, to whom this remark had been several times applied, was somewhat in doubt as to its equivocal meaning. He had already repressed the insolence of one aide-de-camp, and was quite prepared to avenge that of the other. " Gad, sir," he replied, " you would not have thought it fio verv good if you had been there, I can tell you, for they hung nis staff also ! " Then turning to me, he said, in an under-tone, — " Who is that gentleman opposite, who did me the honour ' The Governor, Ensign Lyndon, and thirteen or fourteen soldiers, were killed on thi<« occasion; and Captnin Newel. Lieutenant Worthington, and twenty-six soldiers, wounded ; besides a number of the Governor's friends, who were dreadfully beaten and bruised. On the part of the a«8ailants, Cap- tain I'igfjot and thirty-two persons were killed or wounded. In the thirty-sixth volume of the *' Universal History " (part Modern), pajje 276, a full account is given of this atrocious affair ; it is also to bo found in liryant Edwards'i *' History of the West Indies." Not the least extraordinary part is, that uo €06 was punished for it. LIFE IN A COLONY. 45 some one to coll me an old quiz, for I intend to have the pleasure of making his acquaintance to-morrow P " " T-r-o-t-z," I said, spelling his name, so that the familiar sound might not strike his ear. " Trotz ! Trotz ! " he slowly repeated ; " does he enjoy the title of honourable ? " On my answering in the affirmative, he remarked, — '' I know him ! he is a son of that old scoundrel, Lord Shoreditch, who sold his party and his reputation for a peerage, and the contempt of all mankind ! The reptile is beneath my notice ! " Here there was a pause. To use the expressive language of the country, there was a thaw ; the sleighing had gone, and we had stuck in the mud, when an old servant of Channing's entered the dining-room, and, holding the door in his hand, either confounded at the sight of such an unusual party, or wa'ti^ ^ to catch the eye of his misttess, hesitated awhile, and theii p.: ' JT- a loud voice : — " e- ; ° has no tails, ma'am ! " and veir deliberately retired. There was something so comical in tnis unconnected and apparently useless piece of information that laughter was irre- sistible. As soon as any one could be heard, Mrs Chanuing, with more coolness and self-possession than I had given her credit for, explained that as all sleighs were covered with furs, and of late decorated with the tails of foxes and other animals, she had thought in her simplicity that bears' tails would ad- mirably contrast with the grey wolf-skins with which her sleigh was clothed, and for that purpose had sent the groom for a furrier to procure some, which caused this communication that " bears has no tail." Having extricated herself so well from this awkward affair, she rose and retired, accompanied by Lady Sampson and the rest of the fair sex. As soon as wc had resumed our seats, the Governor started as a topic of con- versation the great improvement that had taken place of late years in the soldier's dress. He spoke of the mconvenient practice of using soap and flour on the hair ; of their absurd and useless queues; of their troublesome breeches and long gaiters, the care of which occupied the time and destroyed the comfort of the men, all which he illustrated by amusing anec- dotes of the olden time. "I quite agree with you, sir," said Captain Jones; "but there is great room for improvement yet, especially in the dress of the medical men ot the army. "What a monstrous absurdity it is to put these people in the uniform of soldiers, who have no fighting whatever to do, and whose arms and 46 THE OLD judge; OB, accoutrements are emblems of a service they never perform ! If it is necessary for the sake of appearance that they should be habited like other officers, I would make their dress subser- vient to the objects of their profession. For instance, I would have the gold band that goes down the seam of their trousers to be gilt strips of diachylon plaster ; their spurs should con- tain lancets ; their scabbard a case of instruments instead of a sword, the handle of which should be- a pliable syringe. I would give them a sabertash, and fill it virith splints and bandages ; their sword-belt should be so constructed as to be made useful as a tourniquet, and their sash as a sling for a wounded arm. They might also have a cartouche-box, filled with opiates, pills, and styptics ; while the cushion of the epaulette might be composed of blisters and strengthening plasters. They would then be ready for immediate service, and would be provided on the spot for every emergency. I cannot conceive anything more perfect than this arrangement. With his library in his head, and his dispensary in his clothes, what more efficient man would there be in the service than a military surgeon ? " This very droll suggestion put every one in good humour, and was followed by some capital stories from the Colonel ; until the Governor having passed the wine (for he was the first that curtailed the period spent over the bottle), Channing proposed that we should join the ladies in the drawing-room. The dinner had been a good one, though rather too abundant ; and the cook had introduced some dishes of her own that were new to the Government House party, and occasioned remarks that annoyed poor Channing excessively. Among these was one containing a number of small baked pears, the long and slender stalks of which were bent backward and extended the whole length of the fruit. Lord Edward had asked per- mission to help Miss Sampson to one of these baked mice, as he called them, to which they certainly bore a very striking resemblance. " Mithibus ! Oh I you ! thocking ! quithe ! " was her reply. Notwithstanding this and other mortifications that he had «ndured, Channing was, on the whole, elated and pleased. He knew that a man who steps out of his proper sphere in life must inevitably provoke ridicme, and althougn good breeding may suppress it in his presence, it cannot fail to find vent at his ■expense afterwards. He remained behind in the dining-room a few minutes. His property had been acquired by care and economy, and could only be preserved by the same mean?^. He was now enabled to be liberal, but liberality does not neces* LIFE IN A COLONY. Barily include extravagance ; lie therefore locked up the y>iae and the dessert, and then followed his guests into toe drawing- room. Here the attention of the company was engrossed hy a beautiful and precocious little boy, the child of his eldest daughter, who was then living at Bermuda with her husband. The moment he saw his grandfather (which word he had abbreviated into Danny), he ran up to him, and claimed the reward of his good behaviour. It was evident he had been drilled and bribed into silence upon the subject of the defect in the face of Sir Hercules, for he said — " Danny, give me the orange you promised me, for I did not say the Governor had a great big nose." Even the terror of his relatives and the pditeness of the company were overcome by the absurdity of this remark. Every one laughed, and among the rest none more heartily and good-naturedly than his Excellency himself. " Come here, my little man," he said ; " it is a very big nose, a very bi^ nose, indeed : but it has had too many jokes cracked upon it not to be able to bear another from such a pretty little boy as you." As the Governor advanced the little fellow receded, until his progress was stopped by the corner of the room. His terror now became insupportable, and he called to his grandfather for assistance. " Kick him, Danny ! " shouted the child. " Throw a stone at him, Danny ! Make the dog bite him, Danny ! " He then threw himself on the floor, and kicked and scream- ed most furiously, until he was carried out of the room by the nurse. " How very good ! " said Lord Edward. " Capital, by Jove ! " said Trotz. But Miss Sampson, knowing the unfortunate cause of it all, thought " it wath thocking." Lady Sampson, who prided herself upon her singing (as every one does upon what they cannot do), was now induced to take a seat at the piano and favour the company with a song, which she executed, if not to the delight of all present (for her voice was very false), at least to her own entire satisfaction. I have often observed, that most people, however pleased they may be with themselves and their own personal appearance, prefer to sing of beings and characters wholly dift'erent. A pale, con- sumptive, diminutive-looking little man, delights in the loud and rough song of a sailor pirate, that speaks of thunder, and forked lightning, and mountain waves. A grenadier-sort of person 49 THE OLD judge: OE, idolizes little Cupid, and wishes to be thought to resemble him. If asked for a song, he begins — I'm the Cupid of flowers — A merry light thing ; I'm lord of these bowers, And nile like a king. There is not a leaf Ever thrilled with the smart Of Love's pleasant grief, But was shot through the heart, By me— by me — little mischievous sprite, Kindling a love-match is all my delight. Stout and well-developed women warble of elfs, sylphs, and beings of aerial lightness. The Governor's lady, under the influence of this inscrutable law, sang — Thine ear I will enchant, • Or, liko A fairy, trip upon the green— and one or two others of a like nature, and was loudly applaud- ed ; for a little gubernatorial circle at Halifax has its courtiers and parasites as well as that of the Tuileries or Buckingham Palace. After this magnificent display oftaste and talent, Miss Sampson followed the great enchantress. She would have liked to have sung Italian, as most young ladies do who neither un- derstand the language nor know the pronunciation, for they very properly imagine they can give a greater effect to it on that ac- count, and, besides, there is something beautifully mystical in the strains of an unknown tongue ; but Lord Edward was a judge of music, and always applauded her singing ; she therefore ap- pealed to him to select a song for her. " Oh, that charming little songibus," he said, " you sing so sweetly, so divinely. It begins, ' Sing me those gentle strains again.' " Sweetly and divinely are strong but most agreeable words when applied to one's voice. She was pleased, and consoled for having given up the horrid Italian, and began, " Thing me tbothe gentle thtrains again." With the exception of the air of ab- surdity given to it by lisping, she sung it tolerably well, for ladies generally do well when they are pleased. " How very good ! " said his Lordship. " Thank you, thank you — it is exquisite; but there is a beautiful little songibus called ' Sing me those strains again.' Would you favour us with that ? " Miss Sampson looked at him to see what he meant, but, alas, the unalterable face told no tales ! Cold and bright like moon- LIFE IN A COLONY. 49 light, it wore its usual calm and uninteresting expression. Still it was very odd, she had just sung it ; but then he always expressed himself oddly. Was he quizzing her, or was he really so pleased as to desire to hear it repeated ? Sweet-tempered young ladies, like Miss Sampson, generally adopt that interpretation where they can that is most agreeable to their wishes ; and she sung it over again in her best manr^r, and with very good effect. " How very gooii" " ' ^id, approvingly ; ' o<; ah, pray don't leave us yet ! j.» is qt . refreshing to hear auch sounds. There is a little songibus I think I heard you once sing ; it is a beautiful thing." " What is it ? " said the delighted fair one, looking up at her gallant and charming friend, and at the same time executing a chromatic run on the piano. " "What is it ?" " Perhaps I can recollect it. It begins, * Sing me those gen- tle strains again.' " Her eyes became suddenly dim, there was a total eclipse of those beautiful orbs, and for a moment she was in utter darkness, she was so near fainting. There could be no mistake now, he had not heard a word of it ; and was so completely absorbed in contemplating himself in a large mirror, that he had even for- gotten the phrases of unmeaning compliment he had so mechani- cally used. Exerting herself to conceal her vexation, she rose and returned to her seat. This painful disclosure of total in- difference had dissolved in an instant some little airy fabrics her imagination had been rearing during the past year ; and what rendered it the more provoking was, that the slight was offered in public, and by one of her own " thett.'* The Bishop, meanwhile, had taken but little part in the con- versation. The topics were new to him, and he was thrown out. Now he made an effort to draw it towards the subjects that iilled his heart, namely, himself and his projects. He described the agreeable voyage he had made with Captain Jones from England, extolled his kindness in offering to land him at the Isle of Sable, and expressed his wonder that clergymen should in general be BO unpopular with sailors. " I will tell your Lordship," said the Captain. " I am in- clined to think, although you are better informed on these sub- jects than I am, that Jonah must have been a very troublesome passenger before such good-natured fellows as seamen would have handled him so roughly as to throw him overboard. But, talking of the Isle of Sable, reminds me of what I ought to have mentioned to your Lordship before, that we sail for that charm- ing little island — that Paradise of the Gulf Stream, that scene of primitive innocence, to-night, at eleven o'clock. If you will be 4 ■ifi- 50 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, on the King's "Wharf at half-past ten, sharp, with your traps, I will have some of my * little lambs ' there to attend you. I will answer for their being there at that moment, for they know I am the most punctual man in the world." The Bishop was disconcerted. It was a short notice — too short, indeed, to be at all agreeable ; but eccentricity knows no limits, and recognises no laws : so, making the best of it, he de- parted with his triend, who took his leave contrary to all colonial etiquette, which restrains any one from retiring until the Go- vernor sets the example. " What a very odd man Captain Jones is ! " said his Excellency. " Very," replied the Colonel ; " but, at the same time, he is one of the most valuable oflScers in the service, although I con- fess his indulgence to his men is sometimes very perplexing to his friends. He is an exact and rigid disciplinarian, but shows them every kindness compatible with a strict observance of duty. He calls them * his lambs,' and they are allowed to come on shore in very large parties, and have got up a very pretty quarrel with my fellows. Sometimes the soldiers charge them, and drive them into their boats, but oftenei' they have the best of it themselves ; yet, in all cases, he complains that those dare-devils (his lambs) have a hard time of it, and are ill used. Eccentri- city is often the accompaniment of great talent, and that is the reason so many blockheads affect it. His, however, is genuine, although he is not to be compared, in that respect, with a gen- tleman of my acquaintance in one of the adjoining provinces. I took shelter from a thunder-shower one day in a country inn, to which others had fled for the same purpose, and among the rest, one of the most eminent men of the bar of the colony. Every one was tired and bored to death by the con- tinuance of the rain, but he was at no loss for amusement. He made a small bow of whalebone, and, procuring a large needle (which the landlady called a darning-needle), for an arrow, he put on a pair of spectacles, and commenced shooting mosquitoes, as they flew by or about him, to the great danger and infinite an- noyance of every one in the house. I never saw a more eager sportsman, or one more delighted when he made a good shot. His shouts of laughter came from his very heart." Here the conversation was enlivened by a very absurd inci- dent. Among the guests was a rough old Commissary-General, who was exceedingly deaf. A merchant, a vulgar acquaintance of Channing, taking pity on his infirmity, sat down beside him for the purpose of talking to him. The old gentleman, taking up his trumpet, asked his friend why his wife was not of the party. LIFE IN A COLONY. 51 " One of * our brats ' is ill," replied the merchant. " Then I know how to pity you," said the Commissary. *' They are a great nuisance ; I am plagued to death with them, I have 80 many." " It has the croup," answered the other, raising his voice. " A coop ! " replied the deaf man ; " that is not a bad idea, if you could only manage to coax them into it, but I never could. They have nearly eat me out of house and home." "How shocking ! " said the other, in great amazement. " Shocking, sir ! " he continued, becoming animated with his subject ; " there never was anything like it in the world. But I'll tell you how to get rid of them quietly. Don't use arsenic, be- cause you might poison yourself, but steep some bread in prussic acid, and give them as much of that as they can eat, and you will soon find a difference in your baker's and butcher's biU, I can tell you." " What in the world," asked the merchant, with imfeigned astonishment, " are you talking of? " " Rats, to be sure," was the answer. •• And I was telling you," rejoined the other, slowly, distinct- ly, and loudly, " that one of my children had the croup." The effect was electrical ; ever;, body was convulsed, except the unruffled aide-de-camp, who contented himself with merely observing — " How very good ! " Here the Governor's sleighs were announced, which was a signal for the breaking up of the party. The play was now concluded, and the actors withdrew to their homes ; but there was an after-piece enacting elsewhere, the humour of which was broader than was agreeable, either to the host or his guests. Channing escorted his company to the hall, where were de- posited their cloaks and wrappings, but led the Governor and his 8|aff into his study, where they had disrobed. The door, though shut, was not closed sufficiently for the action of the lock, and, pushing it open, he found to his amazement another " thett," enjoying themselves infinitely more than that which had been assembled in the drawing-room. The black cook had belted on the Governor's sword, and decorated her woolly head with hia military hat and plumes, which she wore jauntily and saucily on one side, while three black supernumerarj jrvant-meu, who had been hired for the day, having mounted those of the two aides and the military secretary, were dancing a reel, with their arms akimbo, to the great amusement of a boy, who hummed a tune, in an under-tone, for them, and beat time with his fingers on the crown of his master's hat. &o wholly engrossed were 52 THE OLD judge; OR, they with their agreeable pastime, that they did not immediately notice our entrance. I shall never forget the appearance of the cook when she first discovered us. She stood instantly still in her dancing attitude, her feet widely extended, and her fists resting on her hips, as if suddenly petrified. Her eyes enlarged rapidly in size, while all the colour fled from them, and they as- sumed the appearance of two enormous pieces of chalk. Her mouth, which was partly open, exhibited a long transverse streak of ivory ; and the strong contrast of black and white in her face would have been extremely ludicrous, had it not also been very fearful. Her nostrils, like those of an afirighted horse, expanded themselves to their utmost extent ; and re- spiration and animation seemed wholly suspended, when she suddenly sprar.g up from the floor, perpendicularly, nearly two feet, and screamed out — " Gor-ormighty ! de Gubbenor ! " Instantly the hats flew, with the rapidity of shuttle-cocks, on to the table, and the usurpers of the trappings of royalty sought safety in immediate flight. But the poor cook, in her hasty and discomfited retreat, forgot the sword, and, stumbling over it, pitched forward, and struck with great violence against the stomach of Trotz, whom she overthi-ew in her fall, and rendered speechless from the weight of her body, and ne^irly insensible from the concussion of hia head against the marble column that supported the mantel-piece. A shout of laughter from every one present followed this summerset, in which the voice of the good- natured Governor was most conspicuous, for there is but little use in having aides-de-camp living at your expense, if you can- not occasionally enjoy a joke at tlieirs. Even Lord Edward smiled at the ignoble overthrow of his coadjutor, and said — " How very good ! " Trotz was seriously injured, and, for awhile, unable to re- cover his breath, and, of course, even to attempt to rise, or to remove the superincumbent weight of the unsavoury cook; while the unfortunate and afirighted woman, catching the con- tagion of the general laugh, was seized with hysterics, and grinned horribly over the prostrate Tartar, whom she had so un- willingly made a captive. Tlie first intelligible ejaculation of Trotz was, that he was poisoned ; and he called, with many oaths and imprecations, for instant aid to preserve his life. This only excited fresh merri- ment, and awakened anew the almost convulsive shrieks of the sable artiste, who, meanwhile, refreshed her nearly inanimate victim with the balmy airof a breath redolentofginandraw onions, with which she supported her strength and spirits on days of great mediately mceofthe ;ly still in [ her fists s enlarged id they as- alk. Her transverse i white in it not also affrighted ;; and re- when she aearly two le-cocks, on alty sought V hasty and ng over it, against the nd rendered f insensible joluran that m every one ofthegood- but little if you can- ard Edward said — able to re- rise, or to oury cook; ng the eon- jterics, and e had so un- LIFE IN A COLONY. 68 exertion like the present. Poor creature 1 though deeply versed in the mysteries of her art, she was not well read. Her know- ledge was derived from experience, and not from books ; and she knew not that Swift had cautioned cooks — " But lest your kissing should bo spoil'd, The onion must be throughly bou'd." A blow on the ear from the unmanly fist of the prostrate aide-de-camp operated like a draught of water on spasmodic hiccup ; it cured her hysterics immediately, and restored her to her senses. Eaising herself on her knees, which in her haste she planted on his stomach, and again nearly endangered his life, she arose and fled from the room. Trotz now managed to get upon his feet, and, putting one hand to the back of his head, made the agreeable discovery of a large contusion, and the other to his hip, was not less annoyed to find a rent of sufiicient flize to admit of a far freer action of his limbs. The presence of the Governor repressed the repetition of language that had already shocked the religious ears of Channing, but he rendered his indignation quite intelligible by signs and low rautterings. After enveloping himself in his cloak, he drew out a cambric handkerchief, and placed it over his head, and then, taking up his hat, looked at it and shuddered (as a man labouring under hydrophobia does at the sight of water), and arranged it so that it should not contaminate his hair. As soon as the Governor •descended the steps and was out of hearing, Trotz, before he left the hall, said aloud, — " Dummkopf, this is too bad ! If the Governor chooses to perform a part in the vulgar farce of High Life Below Staira, to make himself popular, you may attend him if you like, but I won't." " How very good ! " were the last words of the party heard within the walls of the mansion that night. Channing, though he could not help laughing at the absurd scene in the study, was hurt and mortified at the occurrence. He felt that it might be told to his disadvantage, and subject him to ridicule ; but he consoled himself with the reflection that it was one for which he was not answerable, and might have happened anywhere else. It was also a comfort to him to think that Trotz was the only man injured by it, and that it might be considered not an inapt retribution for his insolence. On the whole, he was gratified, not at the occurrences of the day, but that the day was over, and an important object gain- •ed, and a disagreeable duty performed. He knew that he who passes securely over the shoals and the alarming eddies of a ■fi 51 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, rapid and dangerous river, haa more reason to rejoice at his safety, than gneve over any little damage his bark may have sustained. He therefore returned to the drawing-room with a cheerful face. Both himself and his wife breathed freer, like people relieved from the weight of an oppressive burden. Patting his wife affectionately on her shoulder, he said — "Well, Betsy, notwithstanding some blunders and mis- takes, I think it went off very well, on the whole, as lawyer Beynard said, when he returned from the funeral of his wife." Then, passing his arm round her waist, he observed to me (whom he had requested to remain) — " Doesn't she look well to-night, Barclay ? I never saw her look better since the day we first. " " Don't talk foolishly, Channing ! " said his partner, dis- engaging herself from his embrace, but looking well pleased with the compliment (for ladies of a certain age never hear with indifference that time has dealt leniently with their charms). "Don't talk foolishly ! I am afraid you have taken too much wine to-night ! " He then turned to me, and rubbing his hands, said — " Well, Barclay, that is a very nice, sensible, affable old man, the Governor. Is he not ? What do you think of Lord Edward Dummkopf?" "I think," I replied, "that there is an uncommon afiBnity between himself and his name. He belongs to one of the oldest families in England. He is of Saxon origin, and in the German language his name signifies Blockhead. There is no harm in him ; indeed, there is no harm in an empty room ; but the air is apt to be so uncomfortably cold, as to induce you to withdraw from it as soon as possible." " But Trotz ? " he inquired. " He," I remarked, " is probably descended from some low retainer on the Dummkopf estate, for his name is also Saxon, and signifies Insolence. In the olden time, most names had a pertinent meaning, and both these people seem to have in- herited the qualities to which they are indebted for their an- cestral cognomen." " I quite agree with you," he said, " in your estimate of them ; and Sir Hercules, I fear, will add another name to the long list of governors whose personal staff have rendered them- selves and the Government House distasteful to the public. But come with me to the study, and let us have a glass of whiskey-punch and a cigar, for it is not often we have the plea- sure of seeing you at Halifax." joice at his c may have 1 a cheerful like people Fatting bis 3 and mis- 3, as lawyer f his wife." Tved to me (ver saw hep )artner, dis- vell pleased never hear with their have taken said — affable old ink of Lord non affinity one of the and in the There is no room ; but uce you to n some low also Saxon, ames had a to have in- br their an- estimate of ame to the iered them- the public, a glass of ive the plea- LIFE IN A COLONY. 55 When we were quietly ensconced in this snuggerj-, he passed his hand slowly and strongly over his face, aS if to re- press a feeling of pain, and said — " My good friend, Barclay, pray do not let the folly of this day lower me in your estimation. This is no idle vanity of either myself or my wife. I am contented with the sphere in life in which Providence has placed me ; and am far happier in it than I ever can be in one for which I am not qualified, either by my talents or previous habits. But I have acquired a large property, and have an only son, to wh m, with the blessing of God, I intend to give as good an education as tLis country can afford. I am anxious, therefore, to acquire a c-;r- tain position for his sake, for which I am willing to pay the penalty, the first painful instalment of which you have seen produced to-day. I am not such a blockhead as not to know that I am unacquainted with the modes and usages of society, and that I am, what some people have been so anxious >.o in- form me, a vulgar man. But, thank God," he said, risin,^ frc m his chair, and standing with an erect and proud bearing, " I have also the good sense to know and to feel, that on this occasion, with the exception of the Governor himself, we have entertained a far more vulgar party from Government House than ourselves." " Spoken like yourself, my friend," I said ; " and now for the punch and the cigars." Alas ! poor Channing is since dead, and his son, who in- herited his fortune, inherited also his sound good sense and ex- cellent qualities. His father fulfilled his intentions as to his education, and sent him to King's College Windsor, where, under the paternal instructions of its exv- Vlvat principal,* he was made a scholar and a gentleman. He is now one of the greatest ornaments of the bar in the colony ; and, if he think proper to do so, can " ask a governor to clhie" without occasion- ing a remark. ^ The gentleman here alluded to is the Rev. Dr Porter, who, during an exile of thirty years in this country, educated nearly all the clergy of this and the adjoining colony of New Brunswick, many of the judges, and most of the con- spicuous la^vyers in both provinces, besides many others, who are filling various oflSces of importance, here and elsewhere, with credit to themselves and advan- tage to the public. He is still living near Exeter in his native land, to which he retired some few years ago for the benefit of his health, carrying with him the respect and esteem of a people upon whom he has conferred the most incal- culable benefit. Should these Imes meet his eye, he will recognise the hand of an old pupil, who hopes that this unauthorizea use of his name will find a pal- liation in the affection and gratitude that inserted it. 6G f TIIE OLD JUDGE; OR, CHAPTBE IV. THB TOMBSTONES. Afteb divine service yesterday, we sauntered about the churchyard, examining the tablets erected by the afiection or vanity of the living, to perpetuate the virtues or record the rank of the dead. In this stroll, we were joined by Mr Baiv day. He is one of a numerous class of persons in these colo- nies, who, though warmly attached to British connection, feel that they are practically excluded from imperial employment and the honours of the empire ; and that no service rendered the Government in a province opens the door to promotion out of it, or insures due consideration within it, in any depart- ment not entirely local in its object and management. A brother of his, an oflScer of distinguished merit, who, by acci- dent, had been enabled to enter the naval service in his youth, had recently died a lieutenant of more than forty years' stand- ing.' His skill, his unblemished character, and his valuable services had been repeatedly acknowledged, but as often for- gotten; and his case, which had been much commented upon of late in the English papers, as one of extreme hardship, had created great sympathy at a time when, alas ! sympathy waa unavailing. He will not, however, have served his country in vain, if the dreadful sacrifice he has offered of a life of unrequited toil shall remove this distinctive badge of humiliation, and ameliorate the condition of his brave and loyal countrymen, the colonists of North America. Disappointment and grief at tho unmerited neglect of his broken-hearted brother had soured a temper naturally cynical, and given a bitterness to Mr Barclay's language, which the Judge, however, asf^ured me was indicative rather of his habits than his feelings. He is one of those anomalous characters we sometimes I The London TYium, of November 8th, 1846, contains a biographical no- tice of the late Lieatenent William Pringlo Green, R. N., a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia. After enumerating his eminent nerviccs, and valuable nautical in- ventions, it goes on to say : — *' From 1842 until the time of his death, a few days since, ho was aot only unemployed, but unrewarded and neglected, though •till devoting his time to tho maturing inventions for the improvement of that ■ervico in which he was so ill-treated. He died at tho age of sixty-one, more from the want of the common necessaries of life, than (rota a decay of nature ; and has left a widow and seven daughters to subsist (if they can) upon the piti- ftil pension of a lieutenant's widow— a lieutenant o/forty-ont years ! t !" LIFE IN A COLONY. 57 meet, wliose sarcastic tone and manner of conversation disguise a kind and good heart. " Here," said my eccentric friend, Lawyer Barclay, as he is imiversally called, *' here, as elsewhere, the receipt which the grave gives for a human being is written in a prescribed form. The name, the age, and the £te of his death, are minutely and accurately entered. If he has filled an office of importance, or belonged to a learned proiiession, or served in the Assembly, and, above all, if he has been a member of the Upper House of the Legislature, and borne the title of Honourable, it is recorded at large ; while, on the other hand, if he has derived his support from an honest trade, the dishonest tombstone refuses to men- tion it, lest it might wound the aristocratic feelings of his aspir- ing posterit^r. " It is said that truth is to be foimd in the wine-butt and the depths of a well. If revealing the secrets of others be truth, wine may be the element it loves. The well can only give it when exhausted, and then the fact it has to communicate is found to be scarcely worth the trouble of the search, namely, that the well is empty. Wherever it is to be sought for, one thing is certain, it is not to be found on a tombstone. The broken- hearted husband whoerects a monument to record his inconsola- ble grief for the loss of his wife, ere one short year has passed, or the sound of the sculptor's mallet has ceased, refutes the pomp- ous falsehood by a second marriage ; and eyes as bright and voice as sweet as those that are closed by death seduce him in- to a disavowal of his own words, ' Here fieth the best of wives,' and compel him to acknowledge 'Here the husband lies.' The dis- consolate widow whose afiections ure buried in the grave of her dear husband, near whom she desires soon to repose in death, feels her heart reanimated with the genial warmth of returning spring. It rises from the earth with the primrose, shakes off its wintry torpor, and reappears with renewed life and vigour after its short seclusion. The admired of all admirers no longer refuses to be comforted. The churlish miser receives the homage of insincerity from his heir even after death, when his cold and mouldering ear can no longer listen to its flattering accents. A chaste and beautiful allegorical figure of affection is seen weep- ing over his urn, which rests on a pedestal that resembles a money-chest ; you are lost in doubt whether the tears so copi- ously shed are caused by unexpected legacies to others, or by the protracted delay of possession. This is a double fraud. It represents the dead as worthy of love, and the living as capable of loving. It is not gratitude, but a decent observance of a hypocritical custom. 58 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, *ii^l:l " But why are men so shocked at the mention of that on a tombstone which the deceased published throughout his life to all the world ? In this churchyard, numerous as the graves are, no man is designated as tailor, barber, butcher, baker, or shoe- maker ; yet, doubtless, there are scores of each who placed these ominous and forbidden words on their signs in the largest letters, and the most attractive and conspicuous form. There is, indeed, one exception, if such it can be called. This marble was erect- ed to a man who is described as ' a servant,' but it was raised at the expense of * a friend,' that styled himself his master, who, in enumerating his excellent qualities, has not forgotten to pro- claim his own liberality, nor been ashamed to inform us that he has expended more money in extolling his services than in re- warding them. It has been said that the grave knows no dis- tinctions. The rule is now reversed, it seems. All are not reduced by it to a level, for the level is on a summit, and all are elevated to it. Be it so ; but then strike out all your degrees, your D.D.'s, your M.D.'s, the words Judge, Councillor, Bar- rister, Esquire, and let the rank of the dead be uniform. Of all places in the world, a graveyard, at least, should be consecrated to truth. As it is, it seems devoted to flattery, vanity, ambition, ostentation, and falsehood. All sects retain their peculiaritien here, and endeavour to perpetuate them. A little more taste, and little more expense in the monument (but with a contemptuous disregard of veracity in its record), indicate that a churchman is deposited there (for the Church in the colony embraces the greater part of the upper class of society). A neat, plain, sub- stantial one, with the modest assurance that the soul of the de- ceased was immediately conveyed to heaven, proclaims the saint to have been a Dissenter. " The common Christain emblem of the Cross is more in use among Komauists than others, but you may identify them by their pious horror of Protestants. It would be dangerous to be found in such bad company, for the Pope has declared they can- not be saved ; and who can question such high authority ? They therefore, very wisely, lie apart from the dust that is polluted by heresy. If you are still in doubt, read one of the inscriptions, and a scrap of Latin sets t)ie matter at rest. It is an appropri- ate tongue, for it is " a dead language." In this curtilage, then, which is the common burial-place of all, sectarianism and fash- ion have found their way ana offered their distinctive badges to their followers. The highway of life has been extended into the churchyard, and is thronged in its usual manner. Here are the handsome eouipages and expensive trappings of the rich, the sobriety of tne middle classes, and the destitution of the name- LIFE IN A COLONY. 6» less and unknownjpoor. The scale of colonial precedence sur- vives mortality. The mitred bishop still regards, with a conde- scending and patronising air, the poor curate ; and the grocer looks down from his marble monument upon his quondam labourer with his turf covering, and maintains his relative posi- tion in the society of the dead. The iron railing boasts of its quality and durability, and regards with pity or contempt the temporary and trumpery wooden enclosure. The classic urn appeals only to the hearts of scholars, and the bust to the man of taste ; while all look up to him who represented his King, and whose titles are almost as long as his eulogium — the old Governor — the fountain of honour, and the distributor of pa- tronage and of rank. " Amid all this vanity— here and there is to be found some consistency — the antiquated virgin preserves her acidity of tem- per to the last. She is one of those of whom vulgar people so idly and flippantly predict ' that they dry, but never die.' Ac- customed to hear such agreeable compliments, she anticipates the sneer or the smile of youth upon finding the word ' Miss * associated with seventy-four years of age ; and as in life she maintained the privilege of the last word, so in death she claims a right to tne first ; and youth and beauty are admonished that ere long they must undergo the penalty of the law of their nature, and be humbled in the dust like herself. She thus avenges the slights and injuries of an unfeeling world, and, con- sistent to the last, evinces her fondness for disagreeable truths. ** The houses of this silent city are of various sizes. There are fashionable squares, there are streets of less pretension, and there are suburbs that are but little frequented, for they are the abodes of the lower orders. If you must dwell among the lat- ter, it would be best to preserve a strict incognito. A mansion in St Giles's would prove your habits to have been dissolute, your associates depraved, and your means exhausted. It would disgrace your posterity for ever. A respectable address is a letter of credit, but the occupant of mean lodgings is cut by his acquaintance and disowned by his family. If you would be re- garded as a gentleman, you must associate with fashionable people, and reside among them. The churchyard, strange as it may seem, is a true but painful picture of life — ostentation without, corruption within ; peace and quiet on the surface, but the worm at the heart. Ah, poor human nature ! your Inst resting- place, the grave, would be eloc^uent, if you did not stifle its voice. Do not read these inscriptions, my friend," he continued, "there is no dependence to be placed on anything but the figurei i the tale they tell is not true. But come with me, and w A «0 THE OLD judge; OR, I I will show you a grave that bears that upon it that carries oonviction to the heart.** On a little mound, in a distant comer of the churchyard, was a grove of spruce-trees, enclosing a verdant spot of small dimen- sions. Here was a solitary grave, having at the foot a common field-stone to mark its termination ; and, at the head, another of the same kind, one side of which was dressed with a chisel, and bore the inscription " Mary Merton, 1840." The whole of this little plat of ground was enclosed by a rough rustic railing, having a small gate for the purpose of access. The grave wap not covered with sods, but decorated with patches of forget-me- not and other simple flowers, emblematical of the feeling and the object with which they were placed there, and was encircled by white rose-bushes. At the upper part of the enclosure, but outside of the railing, stood a weeping willow, the light pendent tracery of which fell like Ihe dishevelled hair of a mourner whose head was bending over the body it loved and lamented. The little spot was kept in perfect order, and tended with the most careful neatness. " There, sir ! " he said, " there, at least, is truth. That sim- ple and natural embellishment is the votive oflering of a poor widow to her only child. Those flowers are weeded by her hands, and watered with her tears. Where is the sting of death, or the victory of the grave, when, like that little innocent and helpU ss victim, the dead survive decay, and rise again to dwell in the hearts and afiections of the living? It is refreshing to see simplicity and truth amid so much that is false and unnatural. This i:: a strange world. Take man individually, and there is much that is good and amiable in him ; but take man collectively, and they are always rapa- cious or unjust. Parties are but combinations, under plausiole pretences, to deceive the people ; public departments are stern and cruel ; governments are ungrateful ; patronage is either blind and cannot distinguish, or selfish and capricious. A man who serves his country with ability and zeal is too apt to find at last, to his cost, that his country, like a corporate body, has neither a soul to think, a heart to feel, a head to remember, or a spirit of liberality to reward.'* " Come, come, my friend," said the Judge, well knowing the cause of this bitter ebullition, '* you have too much reason to oomplain, I fear, to do so calmly. Let us not enter into these speculations on this day and in this place. Let us rather yield to the influence of the objects around us. I, too, am fond of this spot for the lasting afiection it exhibits. Fathers may forget their offspring, and children lose the remembrance of LIFE IN A COLONY. 61 ;o has ber, or ng the son to these r yield )Dd of a mny nee of their parents ; husbands and wives may be replaced, and brothers and sisters be to each other as strangers and even as foes, but the love of a mother endureth for ever. A father supplies the wants of his child from his purse, a mother from her bosom. Even the grave itself cannot extinguish her devotion. She mourns over her deceased infant in solitude and in silence. It is always before her. Its voice is in her ear, and its smile is in her heart. Memory raises up the little idol to her admiring eyes by day, and the too vivid dream reanimates it by night. l^er maternal affections regard it as a living being, and she longs to fondle and embrace it, while the divinity within her sympathizes with it as celestial, and invests it with the attributes of a ministering angel. She holds strange and mysterious com- munings with it, for love such as hers has an ideal world of its own. Her wounded spirit flutters against the barriers of its human prison, and strives to escape and join that which has ' put on immortality ; ' and at last, when wearied with its ineffectual struggles, it yields in timid submission to the law of its nature — it indulges the hopes that ^hat which is imperishable may be permitted to revisit the object of its love, and illumine by its mystical presence the depths of its gloom. Her grief, there- fore, produces at last its own solace, and she cherishes it with an humble but firm reliance upon the mercy and goodness of God, that her child shall be fully restored to her in another and a better world, where they shall dwell together in unity for ever. "There is something, as you say, about this little grave that is very attractive ; for youth is innocent, and innocence is always an object of interest and of love. Age, on the con- trary, is venerable, but not loveable. I see nothing in the ter- mination of a ripe old age to occasion grief, unless there has been a misspent life. There is nothing to regret where all, or more, has been given than was promised — ' Lusisti satis, edisti satis atque bibisti, Tempus abire tibi est.' But youth, prematurely cut off, awakens many a painful reflec- tion. I recollect being greatly struck with a monument erect- ed to a young ofiicer at Shelbume, who perished under very peculiar circumstances. The storjr itself is short and simple, Dut, as it is connected with the rise and fall of that ill-fated and melancholy town, I will give you the history of both to- gether. Let us sit down on this tombstone, for it is a fitting seat from which to tell a tale of mortality. '* Last summer I made a tour of the province, and revisited tho Bcenes of my former judicial labours. The growth and im- r €2 THE OLD judge; OR, ! I: provement of the country far exceeded my expectations. In many places where the road ran, a few years ago, through an unbroKen forest, it was now bordered on either side by a con- tinuous line of farms ; and substantial houses and large herds of cattle evinced the condition of the new population. The towns and villages were greatly increased, and an improved system of husbandry had chunged the whole appearance of the country. The habits of the people also had undergone an alteration for the better no less striking aftd gratitying. Still it was by no means a journey of unmixed pleasure. A gener- ation had passed away, if not from life, from its business and duties. Many whom I had kuown 1 could not at first recog- nise : care, time, and disease had not been idle. The young had become men, the men had grown old, and the old had died or withdrawn from view. I was a stranger among strangers. The houses I had frequented during the circuits were either enlarged, remodelled, or rebuilt. A new race of people wel- comed me, and the well-known voice and the well-known face were nowhere to be hoard or seen. My local interest was the Bome, but my personal intert)st had gone, and gone for ever. " At home, these changes are so gradual that they are al- nioHt imperceptible. The vacant place soon collapses, or is occupied by another, and harmonises with all around. It be- comes incorporated with the rest, and cannot be distinguished from it. In this manner, an entire revolution is eflected, and yet that revolution is so slow and so gradual in its growth, and contains so much to which we are daily accustomed, that the eye cannot discern where the old ceases or' the new begins. But, when we return to past scenes, after an absence of many years, the whole change bursts on our astonished view at once. We knew it as it was, we see it as it is, and we feel and know it is not the same. We are painfully reminded, at the same time, that we have been ourselves no less under the influence of this universal law of mutability : we return to our own, and our own knoweth us no more. The face of Nature, though here and there partially transformed by the hand of man, was in the main unaltered. The mountains, with their wavy out- line distinctly marked against the clear blue sky, or their sum- raits enveloped in mists, were the same as when my youthful eye first rested on them. The rivers, the valleys, the murmur- ing brooks, the wide-spread alluvial meadows covered with grazing herds, the sheltered and placid lakes, and the rugged clill's and bold promontories that invaded the sea, or resisted its assaults, were all unchanged. The road also on the sea-shoro wore tho same familiar aspect, and the ceaseless roar of the LIFE IK A COLONY. 03 ocean salutod my ear with the Bame voice that first awakened my adventurous hope to pass to that fatherland that lies heyond the great deep. At night, as I walked out meditating on the past, the pale silver moon and its starry host proclaimed that they also were unchanged, and recalled many a long-forgotten scene iu years by-gone, before all thot has been was, or reflec- tion came to teach us that youth has its shadow, that increases as the day declines, and that that shadow is death. These visible objects of nature, therefore, become dearer and dearer to us as Wo advance in years. They ore our early, our con- stant, and sole surviving friends, the same to-day and to-mor- row as they were of old. They are typical of Him who know- eth no change. " As far as Shelburne, all was progressive or rapid improve- ment, but that unfortunate town was iu ruins. It arose in the wilderness like a work of magic, but had hardly been erected before it was in a state of decay. Twelve or fourteen thousand emigrant loyalists from New York sought shelter in this re- mote place at the close of the war of rebellion, in the year 1784, and built a large, commodious, and beautiful wooden town, at the head of the magnificent harbour of Itoseway. In their haste, or tiieir necessity, they overlooked the fact, that a town requires a country to support it, unless a trade which has grown wich its growth supplies its wants upon equal terms. Kemote from the other settlements of the province, surrounded by a trackless forest, that covers a poor and stony soil, situated too far from the entrance of the harbour to reap the advantages of the fishing-grounds, and filled with a population unaccus- tomed to the mode, and unequal to the fatigues, of settling in a wilderness, it was impossible that a town so constituted could long exist. 8ome returned penniless and destitute to their native land, others removed to various parts of Nova Scotia, ' and the graveyard, from year to year, received great numbers of those that were left behind, to mourn with broken hearts over their ruined fortunes, their hopeless and helpless condition, and their dreary exile. When I had last seen it, the houses were still standing, though untenanted. It had all the still- ness and quiet of a moonlight scene. It was difficult to imagine it was deserted. The idea of repose more readily sug- gested itself than decay. All was new and recent. Seclusion, and not death or removal, appeared to be the cause of the absence of inhabitants. But now the houses which had been originally built of wood had severally disappeared. Some had been taken to pieces, and removed to Halifax, or St. John's ; others had been converted into fuel, and the rest hod fallen a ':<■ 04 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, / prey to neglect and decomposition. The chimneys stood up erect, and marked the spot round which the social circle had assembled; and the blackened fireplaces, ranged one above another, bespoke the sice of the tenement and the means of its owner. In some places they hnd sunk with the edifice, leaving a heap of ruins ; while not a few were inclining to their fall, and awaitinff the first storm to repose again in the dust that now covered those who had constructed them. Hundreds of cellars, with their stone walls and granite partitions, were everywhere to be seen, like uncovered monuments of the dead. Time and decay had done their work. All that was perishable had perished, and those numerous vaults spoke of a generation that had passed away for ever, and, without the aid of an in> Bcription, told a tale of sorrow and of sadness that overpowered the lieart " A few new houses had recently been erected, and a very few of the old had been snatched from decay and repaired ; but, of the thousands of inhabitants that this town once contained, four or five survivors alone remained, and the entire population did not exceed two thousand souls. They were all attached to the place, and spoke confidently of its revival, fondly of its noble harbour, and proudly of its former prosperity. Every spot had its little history. Here the pilgrims first landed, and this spacious street was the first that was cut out through the woods. On that bridge the bands of the regiments assembled on a 8ummer*s evening to play the tunes ot their fatherland. In the house which once stood over this large cellar, Field* Marshal Beresford was quartered when a young officer in the garrison, and in that sedgy piece of ground was wounded in tiie face by an accidental discnai^ from the gun of a brother sportsman. On that eminence, on the opposite side of the hu*bour, stood extensive barracks, capable of accommodating three regiments; and on the point of land that terminates King's Street was a heavy battery, the guns of which, corroded by time, lie half-buried m the earth ; for, alas ! there is no- thing now to defend. At this comer stood the great hotel of Shelburne, where the weekly balls were held, and the beauty and fashion of the old colony of New York (for the Loyalists were principally gentry) assembled for the last time. Driven into exile by their rebel countrymen, and environed in the country of their adoption by poverty, and a dim and lowering future, they vainly sought to fly from regret, and lose the P'in- ful memory of the past in testivity and amusement. Tliat sricious church, whicn is now so far from the village, was once in tlie centre of this large town ; and the number ot the graves in )od up )le had above s of its leavinff )ir fair, Rt that Ireds of 8, were e dead, rishable leratioa f an in- jowered I a very >d; but, atained, [)ulation iched to y of its Every ied, and ugh the sembled herlaiid. Ficld- jn the nded in brother of the odating minates orroded to is no- lotel of beauty jioyalists Driven in the )wering le pain- That 1 once in raves in / / LIFE IN A COLONY. 05 the cemetery bear a frightful disproportion to the present population. " While strolling one afbemoon through the deserted and grass-^own street that passes in front of this building, my attention was attracted oy a very handsome and apparently new monument, which appeared to have been just erected,--' probably to one of the last of this ill-fated emigration. It was built 0^ the beautiful granite that abounds in the neighbour- hood, and its fresh-chiselled surface glistened in the sun, as its rays fell on the bright and polished particles of mica imbedded in its indestructible substance. It was a costly stnicture, not in keeping with the means of the present inhabitants, and evidently could not have been executed by any workman then resident at Shelburne. It occurred to me that, perhaps, the affection or the piety of a child had erected this tribute to the memory or misfortunes of a parent who had found rest at last in this secluded spot. My curiosity was excited, and, opening a little gate, I entered the yard to ascertain, from the inscrip- tion, the name and history of this venerable patriarch. I was, however, astonished to find that it was nearly as old as the town, and designed, not for one of the pilgrims, but for a young officer who had been drowned in the harbour. The in- scription was as follows : — Sacred to the Memory of Patrick Maxwell, Esq., Ensign in Hia Majesty's Gist or First Warwickshire Infantry, (tnd Son of Sir "Williain Maxwell, Of Spring Hill, Bart., N.B., who was unfortunately upset in a Sail-boat, loth July, 1790, and drowned, -Etat. 19, deeply regretted by his afflicted parents, and all who knew him. " Su> \ an untimely and melancholy death is unhappily one of daily occurrence, and his was only distinguishable from others of the same kind by a trait of generous manliness that deserves to be record.ed. I have just told you there was a large battery and guard-house at the terminavion or commence- ment of King's Street, and very extensive barracks on the opposite side of the harbour — an arrangement which had, pro- bably, been adopted for the greater seclusion and better ^ 66 THE OLD judge; OB, management of the troops. Between these two stations boats were constantly passing and repassing, either on business or pleasure. On the day mentioned on the tablet, a victualling, barge, containing a party of soldiers and two ofiGlcers, was struck about the centre of the harbour by a heavy squall, and upset, and every soul on board perished, with the exception of the sergeant. Toung Maxwell was one of the unfortunate sufifer> ers.^ The sergeant, who was an expert swimmer, generously took him on his back, and struck out boldly for the shore. Miscalculating his power, however, he swam too hastily, and had not proceeded far before his strength began to fail. Max- 'well, as soon as he perceive.d him falter, expressed his deter- mination to relieve him of the burden he had so kindly assumed. He exhorted him to be cool and collected, to proceed slowly, but, above all things, to persevere on account of his wife and children ; and then, bidding him adieu, relinquished his hold, and sunk to rise no more. *' My first feeling on reading the inscription was one that is common to us all when we hear of the untimely death of the young, but reflection soon took another turn. If now living, he would have been seventy-five years of age — a tottering, de- crepit old man like myself, full of years and infirmities. Had he been then spared, I asked myself, would he have survived till this day P Or would disease have put in its claim, or the battle-field held him as a victim ? Was ignominy avoided or honour lost by that event ? Would his career in life have been unmarked, or has a name perished that was destined to grace thc^ages of his country's nistory P All, alas ! is hidden in impenetrable mystery. But reason and religion alike teach us this great consolatory truth, that a wise and merciful Pro- vidence orders all things for the best. " As regards monuments, however, I agree with you, Barclay. I neither approve of the imagery, emblems, or lan- guage we use. Less flattery and more truth, less reference to worldly vanities and more resignation to the will of God, a total exclusion of heathen allegories and the introduction of such only as are of Christian origin, would be infinitely more appropriate and becoming. If we are to be addressed from the grave, it should be in language calculated to make uS wiser and better men ; for we do not seek these solitudes to gratify our tastes, but to purify our hearts, and to enable us, by a con- * On the reverse side of this monument was an inscription of a similar nature to Lieutenant Nicholas Ball, of the same regiment, who perished on. this occasion. Both bodies were deposited in one grave. / / LIFE IK A COLONT. 67 templation of the fate of others, to prepare for the ineritable approach of our own." CHAPTEE V. or lan- 3uce to God, a tion of y more om the ser and ify our a con- A BALL AT OOYEBKMENT HOUSE. Ok our return to Illinoo, our recent visit to HalifJEix and its incidents naturally became the subject of conversation, and, among other things. Government House and its inmates were adverted to. " The situation of a G expectedly from impetuosity. All these failures arise from want of previous preparation, either by having served in one or other of the houses of Parliament, or filled some of the higher offices in a colony. Suitable persons, I admit, are not easily found ; but confining the selection to general officers increases the difficulty, inasmuch as a military educatio i, and the life and habits of a soldier, have a tendency to unfit them for constitu- tional government. Indeed, some difficulty will be experienced in future in inducing gentlemen to accept an office, the emolu- ments of which are insufficient to defray the ordinary expendi- ture, and the duties both onerous and responsible — many of LIFE IN A COLONY. 71 tbem excessively disagreeable, and all accompanied by tbe most offensive abuse and misrepresentation of an unbridled and licen- tious press. " Much of this, if not all, may be regarded with pity or con- tempt by a well-regulated mind ; but, unfortunately, custom has sanctioned, until time has converted into a duty, the prac- tice of indiscriminate hospitality, whereby the privacy of his house, and the comfort of his family, are effectually destroyed. Men are to be seen at a governor's table who are to be met with nowhere else ; and people are brought together whose previous intercourse hasexteuded no further than purchases made through the intervention of a servant at the market-place. The conse- fuence is, that, instead of exhibiting the best. Government louse affords the worst specimen of society in the province. Independently of the annoyance to which all are subject by such an association, the Governor, his staff, and strangers, naturally infer that this anomaly is the general condition of colonial societv. The ignorance, awkwardness, and presump- tion thus displayed, are taken as characteristics of the whole ; and many anecdotes are in circulation to the disadvantage of Halifax and other provincial capitals, that are chargeable alone on the extraordinary mixture that this ill-regulated hospitality produces. " You have seen the Governor under more favourable cir- cumstances ; for you have merely dined with him and some of his friends, and, fortunately, at a time when the town was not filled with the * gentlemen from the rural districts,' and, of course, when he was enabled to escape from their intrusion. There are times when the * palace * may be said to be out of season, it is so distasteful ; and it is necessary that you should see it, and the balls given at that period, fully to understand what I mean. The most amusing part of this folly is, that peo- ple who are excluded for their misconduct (although not ad- mitted elsewhere) formally complain of it as a grievance, and actually maintain that the governor is not only bound to extend his invitations to those that are unfit, but even to those that are unworthy. One cannot but feel for the indignity and annoy- ance he must continually endure from this cause. It reminds me of an anecdote told me by Sir John Sherbrooke, when he commaoded here. " lie had given permission to his house steward and butler — two of the tallest and largest men in Halifax — to give an en- tertainment to their friends, and invite as Uiany as they thought proper, in their own apartment at his house. A day or two after the party, a diminutive but irascible barber, who was in 72 THE OLD judge; OR, the habit of attondiug upon him, complained, in the courso of Ills profossioual duty, that his feelings were greatly hurt by his excluBJon from the festivities of Government Houho, by the ptovvard tunl butler, as it liad a tendency to lower him in tho estimation of his acquaintances ; and, if it had not been for the respect he owed his Excellency, ho would most assuredly have horsewhipped them both. •' * Would you F ' said Sir John, who was excessively amused ot tho pugnacious little man. * AVould you P My Jove! then, ] give you my leave. Horsewhip them as long as you can stand over them.' "'This is tho manner,' he observed, * in which the pood ])cople here censure me. It appears that I occasionally omit to ask some person who thinks he is entitled to a caril as a nuitter of right. 1 really thought, at lirst, the fellow was goiug to com- plain to me of myself, for, in fact, he has just as good a right to come as 8onu> others who are admitted.' " So far, therefore, from a Oovennuent House exercising a salutary inlluence on the comnuiuity, its eflects arc in Jiict in- jurious. People who go from the coinitry and procure, tiu'ough their representatives, admission to the palace, when they return to their homes, contrast the facility with which this honour has been obtained with the utter impossibility of being introduced to the families of gentlenien in their own neighbourhood, attri- bute the dilVcrence to pride or injustice, and naturally attempt to vindicate their rights, by striving to reduce to their own level those who maintain this invidious reserve. It is natural for them to think, if the first olllcer in tlie colony — he who re- presents his soveiYign. is willing to admit that there are no dis- tinctions of stntious, or to waive the consideration, that it is neither right nor expedient that subordinate people shoidd maintain a diften*nt course. It is, therefore the j)rolitic parent of that ivspectable, as well as amiable and attractive, virtue known as ' Colonial Patriotism.' "It is some years since 1 was at a ball at Government House. My age and infirmities render them irksome to me, and, of course, unfit me for enjoying them. The last time I was there, was iluring the adminatration of Sir Hercules Samp- son. I need not describe him, or his lady and daughter, or his two aides. Lord Edward Hinnmkopf and the Honourable Mr .Trotz, for, if 1 ivi'ollect aright, Harday has done that already, much better than 1 could, in his gniphic sketch of Asking a Governor to Dine.' H was on the first day of January, there was a levee in the morning, a dinner party in the allernoon, and tt ball in the evening. A custom prevailed then, and still does, LIFE IN A COLONY. 73 rnnieut to me, time I s Samp* r. or his bk' Mr already, Linking a y, there >on. and ill does, I believe, at Halifax, ns well as elsewhere in the country, for the gentlemen to eall that day on all the ladies of their acquaintance, who are expected to be at home to receive vinitors, to whom cake and wine are oflered. Of course, there is at every house a con- stant succession of people, from mid-day till the hour of dinner ; and, at the time 1 am speaking of, these morning libations to the health of the lair sex increased not a little towards after- noon the difliculty, that always exists in winter, in walking over the slippery and dangerous streets of the town. Although generally considered a very troublesome ceremony, it is not without its beneficial elVects, inasniuch as it induces or compels a renewal of relations that have suffered from neglect or misun- derstanding during the preceding year, and aflbrds a good opportuniiv for reconciliation without the intervention of friends or the awkwardju^ss of explanations. Indeed, it is this con- sideration alon(! that has caused this rural practice to survive ^he usages of the olden time. " [Many absurd anecdotes are in circulation relating to the accidents and incidents of the ' New Year's Calls,' among the drollest of which is the sudden irruption into a house of tho greater part of those persons who had attended the Governor's Jevee, and their ecjually sudden departure, amid shrieks of af- fright and roars of laughter, as the cracking of the beams of the floor gave notice of the impending danger of a descent into the cellar, and tlie subsequent collective? nuisis of fiishionables in one confused and inextricable heap at the foot of ' very icy steps of the hall donr. Ah, me ! those were days of l.darity and good humour, bifore political strife had infused biUerness and per- sonality into everything. We vere hut too lappu before tvc bc' came too free. The dinner was an oUlcIv' one ; the guests were the various heads of departments in the piace; and it paascdoff much in the same manner as similar ones do elsewhere. " Of tho ball, it is difficult to convey to you a very distinct idea, such entertainitients being so much alike everywhere. Inhere may be nu»re fashion and more elegance in one assembly than another; but, if the company are well-bred people, tho difference is one of a])pearance, an(f not of character ; and even when the comjiany is nnxed and motleyed, as on the occasion 1 am speaking of, still, wluMithe greater part of them are gentry, the uiiference between it and one more exclusive, thougli per- ceptible to the eye well defined and clearly distinguishable, is one of colouring ; and if, in delineating it, the shades are mado too strong, it becomes a fancy sketch rather than a faithful pic- ture, and the actors appear in caricature, and not in natural and faithful portraiture. To give you the proprieties would bo t..|—w— umiiiiiBhiiii 74 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, insipid, as all proprieties arc, and to give you only the absurd- ities would be to make them too prominent, and lead you to suppose they were samples of the whole, and not exceptions. Tou must bear this in mind, therefore, or you will think the ac- count exaggerated, or the party more exceptionable than it really was. " When I first knew Government House, the society to be met with there was always, as I have before said, the best in the place. In time, each succeeding Governor enlarged the extent of his circle ; and, at last, as a corrective, two were formed for evening entertainments : one that was selected for small parties, and for frequent intercourse with the family ; and a second, designed for public nights only and rare occasions, and so arranged as to embrace all within, as well as most people beyond, the limits of the other. The effect of this arrangement was, to draw the two classes apart, to create invidious distinc- tions, and to produce mutual dislike. Subsequently, the two have been merged into one, which has consequently become so diluted as to be excessively unpalatable. The best part have lost their flavour, without imparting it to others ; and the in- ferior, being coarser and stronger, have imbued the rest with as much of their peculiarities as to neutralize their effect, while they have retained enough to be as disagreeable and repulsive as ever. " The evening to which I allude being a public one, the in- vitations were very numerous, and embraced the military, navy, and staff, the members of the legislature, which was then m session, and all the civilians whose names were to be found on the most extended list that had been formed at the time. Having dined at the palace that day, I happened to be present at the arrivals. The guests were shown into the drawing-room, and courteously, though ceremoniously, received by the Govern- or, his lady, and staff. Those who were wholly unknown, an'' the least acquainted with the usages of society (as is always the case with awkward people), arrived long before the rest, and were not a little surprised and awed at finding thp '^^Ives alone in the presence of the 'royal party.' The Laos ^rere unable or afraid to be at ease, or to appear at home, and sat on the edges of their chairs, stift', awkward, and confused. The utterance of the gentlemen, who were no less conscious of being out of their element, was thick, rapid, and unintelligible ; while they appeared to find bands and feet an intolerable nuisance. The former felt into every pocket of their owners for a secure retreat, but were so restless, they had hardly 8eu-«ted themselves before they made their escape into another LIFE IN A COLONY. 76 an' ilways rest, •^Ives .7ere sat on The us of 2fible; rable Iwners ardly other hiding-place, when they put a bold face on the mattejir, advanced and clasped each other in agony in front, and then undertook the laborious task of supporting the skirts of the coat behind. The latter, like twin-brothers, entered the room together, and stood on a footing of perfect equality; but it wm evident ambition was at work among them, for the right first claimed precedence, and then the left, and then rudely crossed before each other, and, at last, as if ashamed of this ineffectual struggle, when their master sat down, hid themselves under the chair, or embraced each other lovingly on the carpet. " Lord Edward could not, and Trotz would not, talk. Sir Hercules, with great good humour, tried every topic ; but he no sooner started one, than it fled in affright at the cold and repulsive monosyllable ' Yes,' or * No,' and escaped. " * How very icy the streets are 1 * he said ; ' they are really quite dangerous.' " * Very, sir.* " * Does your harbour freeze over ? ' " * No, sir oh, yes, often, sir !— that is, very rarely— ■when the bar rises, sir....' •• * Perhaps, madam, some of these prints would amuse you ! Here are some of the latest caricatures ; they are capital....' " ' No, thank you. Sir Hercuh^s — not any, sir.* " * Are you fond of driving in a sleigh ? * " * Some, sir.' " * Do you play ? ' ** * I never touch cards, sir.' " * No, but upon the piano ? ' " ' No, but my Anna Maria does ; and master says she has a most grand ear, sir.' " ' Perhaps you would like to hear some music ? If so, Lady Sampson will have great pleasure in playing for you.' " * For me ! Oh, dear, no — not for the world ! I couldn'fc think of it for mc, sir.' " ' "What a pity it is thero is no theatre at Halifax ! ' " * Yes, sir— very, sir — for them as sees no harm in 'em, sir — yes, sir.' " The Governor gave it up in despair, and offered me a pinch of snuff, with an air of resignation that would have done honour to a martvr. They were afraid of him, and knew not how to address him ; and, besides, who could talk amid general silence, and subject their chit-chat to the critical ordeal of strangers ? "Announcements now became more frequent, and relievtil 76 THE OLD judge; QR, the embarrasament of both parties. Major and Mrs Section ; Mrs and the Misses de Laine ; the Hon. Mr Flint (a privy i'ounciRor) ; Mr Steel (the Speaker), Mrs and Miss Steel, and Miss Tinder ; Colonel Lord Heather ; Viee-Admiral Sir James Capstan ; Lady Capstan ; Captain Sheet ; Lieutenant Stay ; ana so on. iHie room was soon filled, and it was amusing to witness tho eflect this reinforcement had on the spirits of the ndvanced party, who had hitlierto sustained, unaided and alone, the diflic'ilt conversation, and to watch the eagerness with which they recognised and claimed an acquaintance with whom they could be at ease and talk freely. An inciplcmt attack of tho gout compelling me to take a chair, I sat down near the table on whicn were the prints and caricatures, but soon became more interested in the scene before me than in those over-» drawn pictures of life, and was excessively amused at the scraps of conversation that reached me from detached groups in my neighbourhood. " * A li, Mrs Section ! ' said Trotz, as he gave her, very con- descendiugly, one finger, ' how do you do ? And how is my Iriond, the major ? ' " ' The major is poorly, thank you,' she replied ; ' he caught a bad cold in going those 'orrid grand rounds last night.' " * Ah,' said Trotz, * he should ha\'e had a fourpost bed- stead put upon runners, and driven in that manner to visit the posts ! The orderly could have accompanied him, turned out the guai'ds for him, and, when all was ready, opened the curtaius.' " ' How very good ! ' said Lord Edward. " *\Vhat a droll fellow Trotz is !* observed the lady to her neighbour : ' but those grand rounds really are a great nuisance, ami 1 get dreadfully righ^-^ued when Section is out. Last night 1 wanted to ha» Sergeant Buttf^r to sleep in the 'ouse ; but the major said, * 'T'.nrietta, don't hr foolish ! ' So I put my maid Hanu in the c;\ asing-room. Presently I 'eard a noise, and called to Hann, and we examined every place — and what do you think it was ? an howl tapping against the heaves of the 'ouse ! ' " ' I am afraid,' said the Admiral to his flag-captain, * that Sampson will find himself in a scrape this winter, i don't see how he is to got over the rupture of the last session ; where it w^as toujrued then, it has again given way, I understand, and nothing holds it now but the cheeks and back fish.' " ' Dear me. Sir James,' said JMrs Section, * 'ow very 'orrid 1 do pray, recommend to him 'OUoway's 'Ealing Hointment — LIFE IN A COLONY. '7r 'he last it's hexcellent ! But what did you say it was that 'ung by the Governor's cheeks ? ' " Their sense of the ludicrous overcame their sense of pro- priety, and they both laughed heartily; when the Admiral said — " ' Nothing, my dear madam — nothing in the world but his whiskers ! ' " Moving a little further off, their place was soon supplied by another set, among whom was the pretty Mrs Smythe. " * Ah, Mrs Section, how do you do to-night ? Tou really look charmingly ! Let me introduce dear Mrs Claverhouse to you ! How glad I am to see you. Miss Schweineimer ! When did you come to town ? Has your father taken his seat in the council yet P — Stop, my dear, there is nobody looking just now • your dress is unhooked at the top ; let me fasten it. "What a lovely complexion ! I would give the world for such a colour as you have. I suppose you ride a good deal a-horaeback in the country ? ' " * No, I never ride ; father hasn't a beast fit for the side- eaddle.' " * Call it a horse, dear ; we call nothing a beast in Halifax, dear, but Colonel Lord Heather, who won't allow his band to play at private parties. Do you know Lady Capstan ? I will introduce you.' " ' Oh, dear, no, not for the world, before so many folks ! I shouldn't know whether I was standing on my head or my heels, if you did.' *' * Don't talk of standing on your fc-jad, dear ; women never do it here, except at a circus,' " * It's allowable to have one's head turned a little some- times, though, ain't it ? ' retorted the young lady. ' TJut who is t'lat old fellow at the table ? ' " ' Don't call him a fellow, dear — fellows are only found at colleges and workhouses : call him 'gentleman,* and leave the word * old ' out ; nobody is old here but the devil, it is Judge Sandford, dear. Shall I introduce you ? I think he knows your father.' " ' Oh, no, pray don't ; he looks bo horrid cross and grumpy ! ' " ' Who is to be the new Legislative Councillor ? ' inquired a member of the Assembly of another. " ' Morgan, I believe.' " * Morgan ! why, he can't write his lame ! You don't mean to say they intend to put in Morgan f Why, he ain't fit NMNHM 78 THE OLD JUDGE; OB, to be a doorkeeper — and, besides, his character is none of the best, they say.' " * It will conciliate all the clergy of ....* " * Conciliate the devil ! "Well, you do astonish me ! Did you get your vote through for the Shinimicash Bridge P * "'Yes.' " * I wish you'd help me, then — log-roll mine through, for an over-expenditure I have of five hundred pounds.' " * I will, if you will support the academy in my county. I was put in on that interest.' " * Bone ! ' and the parties shook hands, and separated. " As they turned to depart, one of them strucK his elbow against a musical instrument, that gave out a loud and long- continued sound. «* What's that? 'he asked. " * They call it a harp, was the reply. " * The devil it is ! I wonder if it is like the harp of Solomon ! ' " * I never heard of Solomon's harp.* " * "Well, it's much of a muchness, then, for I never saw it ; so we are about even, I guess.' " ' I say. Bill, that's a devilish pretty craft with a rainbow on her catheads, ain't she ? — there, that one with pink streamers and long-legged gloves,' said one little middy to another. ' I'm blowed if I don't go and ask her to dance with me ! ' " * Why, Black, what are you at, man ! You haven't been introduced to her.' " * The uniform's introduction enough to her ; there's no harm in trying it, at any rate. So I'm off in chase of the strange sail, and will speak her, at all events.' "'HowwasdrycodatBerbice? inquired a little, cold, calcu- lating man, of another (who, from his enormous bulk, appeared to have fed upon something much better than his favourite ex- port — * how was cod, when the brig Polly left Berbice ? And lumber — was the market good? What a grand government contract Longhead got for the supply of the army and navy ! That fellow don't entertain the commissary people for nothing ; that's a fact ! There's no use to tender where he's concerned.' " How late the officers of the 10th are in coming to-night ! ' whispered a very pretty young lady to her companion. ' There is nothing but those horrid black coats here, and they look like ill-omeued birds. I can't bear them ; they take up so much room, and, I fancy, soil my gloves.' " ' I can't say I have any objection to them,' said the other ; LIFE IN A COLONY. 79 ' but I wish they were not bo fond of dancing. But just look at Ann Cooper, what a witch she has made of herself ; she actually looks like a fright ! I wonder what Captain Denham can see in her to admire! Come this way; there is that horrid Lawyer Galbanum seeking whom he can devour, for the next quadrille : I shall say I am engaged.* " ' So shall I, for I have no idea of figuring with him. Look at Major Mitchell, how he is paying court to Lady Sampson ! They say he is attentive to Miss Sampson. They are moving this way ; let us go over to Mrs Section, she always has so many people about her that one knows.' " * What a magnificent screen ! ' exclaimed Major Mitchell to the great enchantress, Lady Sampson. * How beautifully it is executed ! It is the most exquisite piece of embroidery I ever saw. I am at a loss which most to admire, — the brilliancy of the colouring and delicate shading, or the skilful way in which it is worked in ; for it has a richer and softer effect than anything of the kind I ever beheld. Where in the world did you get it ? ' " ' I hardly like to tell you, after such extravagant praise ; but it is the joint production of myself and daughter. One has to resort to some occupation to pass the time in this horrid coun- try; and,' looking round cautiously, and lowering her voice, * among such horrid carriboos of people, too.' *' ' Exactly,' said the major ; * I know how to pity you.' " ' When I was in the West Indies, I used to amuse myself by embroidering by way of killing time. The weather was so ex- tremely hot, it was impossible to use any exercise.' " ' Got this place made a free port, you see, Sir Hercules,' said fl man, who appeared to have had an interview on some occasion at the Colonial and Home Office. * I told the Secretary of State refusal was out of the question, we must have it ; and threatened to have a committee moved for on it in the House of Commons — regularly bullied him out of it. The Chancellor of the Exche- quer, who is a particular friend of mine, told me before I went it was the only way at Downing Street. Bully them, says he, and you'll get it. But Peel, he said, was a different man : self- created — a new man — important — feels himself — stands before the fire with his back to it, and his hands in his pockets. He knows who he is, and so must you appear to know. I took the hint, pitched into him about the confidence of the colonies in his great grasp of intellect, comprehensive mind, and so on. Don't say another word, my gooa fellow, it shall be done. I say it, you know, and that's enough. I had a conversation with John Eussell, too ; and, between you and me, they tell me ■Ml so THE OLD JUDGE; OR, his Lordship is a rising man. Plumbstone, said he, B alifax ift a very important place indeed. I really had no idea of it until you explained to me its capabilities ; and, tapping me on the shoulder he said, and it has some very important men in it, too I — a handsome compliment, wasn't it ? And then he quoted some Latin: but I've grown so rusty — hem ! — so long since I've had time — hem ! — I couldn't follow him.' " ' Stop a minute, Sarah ; let me pull out your flounce, and fix your sleeves and braids for you,' said an anxious mother to her daughter. * There, now, that will do ; but hold yourself up, dear. In a ball-room, people look shorter than they are, and must make the most of themselves ; and don't dance with those horrid little midshipmen, if you can find any other partners.' "♦Why, ma?' " ' Exactly,' said IMrs Smy the, who appeared to be endowed with ubiquity, * your mother is right. Do you know Captain Beech, or Lieutenant Birch, of the Jupiter ? I will introduce them to you ; they are both well connected, and have capital interest, Take my arm, but don't look at those country mem- bers, dear, and then you won't have to cut them, for Sir Her- cules don't like that. ApP^ar not to see them, that's the most civil vray of avoiding' them. EecoUect, too, that walls have ears — especiuily whert they are covered with flowers, as they will be to-night. Now, I'll tell you a secret, dear ; Major Macassar ia engaged in England, so don't waste your time in talking to him this evening. Keep close, to me, now, and I'll take you among the right set, and introduce you to good partners, for I see pre- parations making for moving out.' " Her© Sir Hercules gave his arpi to Lady Capstan, Lord Heather following with Lady Sampson, and led the way to the ball-room. It was a large and handsome apartment, tastefully decorated and well-lighted ; and the effect produced by the rich and various uniforms of the military and navy was gay, and even brilliant — more so, indeed, than is generally seen in a provincial town in England; for the garrison consisted of three regiments, and the greater part of the fleet upon the station was in port at the time. At vhe upper end of the room were the Governor, Lady Sampson, the Admiral and his lady, and the heads of the civil and military departm.ents of the place and their families. Those next in rank adorned the sides of the room ; and groupa of those who made no pretension to that equivocal word * posi- tion ' occupied and filled the lower end. " The indiscriminate hospitality that had thus assembled to- gether people of the same community, wholly unknown to each other except by name, had the e£fect of causing a restraint ia LIFE IN A COLONY. 81 , B alifax ift L of it until me on the 1 in it, too ! noted some ice I've had [ounce, and i mother to i^ourself up, ey are, and 3 with those jartners.' be endowed ow Captain 1 introduce lave capital mtry mem- 'or Sir Her- b's the most lis have ears they will be Macassar ia king to him you among ar I see pre- pstan, Lord way to the t, tastefully by the rich ly, and even a provincial 3 regiments, was in port e Governor, leads of the eir families. and groups word * posi- isembled to- own to each restraint in. the manner of the upper class, in a vain and weak desire not to be thought on a footing of equality with those beneath them ; and, on the other side, a feeling that this difference was pur- posely rendered palpable, and maintained, if not with incivility, at least, with a total want of courtesy. Where such was the condition of things, the whole naturally suffered from the con- duct of a few individuals ; and those wh exhibited or assumed airs of superiority, on the one part, or resented them coarsely, on the other, naturally involved th( i ^t-t!iinkiug people of both in the censure that belonged peci to themselves. " * Who is that beautiful girl ? ' ask>.vi a person near me, of a lady belonging to the place. " ' I don't know her.' " * And that extremely interesting young lady ? ' " * I am not aware ; I never met her before ; she is not of our set.' " And yet it was manifest she knew her name ; had seen her frequently, though not, perhaps, in the same room ; and was well acquainted with the condition and respectable character of her parents. If any allowance could be made for thisi absurd fastidiousness, some extenuation might be found for female vanity in the fact, that what the lower end of the room lost in station was more than compensated for in beauty. Trotz, who had observed this littleness, did not fail to use it, to the annoy- ance of those who had been weak enough to exhibit it. He affected great astonishment at their not knowing people so dis- tinguished for beauty, ease of manner, and agreeable conversa- tion. The lower they were in the scale of society, the more he extolled them for these qualities, and pronounced them de- cidedly the finest women in the country. " * In a short time, the quadrilles were formed, and all (that is, all the younger part of the company) were in motion ; and, whatever the under-currents and unseen eddies of feeling might have been, all appeared gay and happy. Indeed, some of the young ladies from the country danced with a vigour and energy that showed their whole hearts were engaged in displapng what they considered most valuable qualities, exertion and endurance. The effect of the sudden cessation of music in a ball-room is al- ways ludicrous, as the noise compels people to talk louder than usual ; and, when it terminates, the conversation is continued for awhile in the same key. " * My heart is as free as the eagle, sir,' were the first words I heard from a fair promenader. " • Father is shocked at a waltz. I must wait till he goes in to supper.' ^ ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 I ^ Bi 12.2 2f 114 ^ 2.0 ■40 U 11.6 — 6" Fhotograptiic ScMioes Carporation ^ o 13 Vmi MAIN STMIT WIMTM,N.V. 14SM (7U) •73-450) 4^ > 6^ *^% '^^ '4^. ^ o \ 82 THE OLD judge; OB, " * Ma says she's a sheep in lamh's clothing ; she recollects her forty years &eo, dancing with a boy» as she is to-night.' ** ' I say, Bill, look at the old ladies a-starboard there, how they haul in their daws, like lobsters, when the promenading commences ! ' " * Hush, there's Captain Sheet ! ' " I hope he's not in the wind ! Who is that ho has got in tow ? She looks like a heavy sailor.' "'Hush, he'll hear you!'. " ' It's a great shame, now, to wear spurs in a ball-room ! Major Macassar has torn my dress, and scraped my ancle dread- fully. I'm really quite lame. The gold wire, too, has made my neck smart as if it was stung with nettles.' " ' Well, if it's any satisfaction to retaliate, you have cer- tainly punished that highknd officer nicely, for the beetle-winp^ trimming on your dress has scratched his knees most unmerci- fully ! But, oh, Sarah ! look at Captain Denham ! if his epau- lette hasn't drawn off a false curl, and there he carries it sus- pended from his- shoulder as a trophy! Well, I never! He needn't think it will ever be claimed! I wonder who in the worldit belongs to ? How glad I am it isn't thecolour of my hair! ' " ' Oh, sir, if you haven't seen Carriboo Island, sir, near Pictoo, you haven't seen the prettiest part of Nova Scotia ! I never beheld anything so lovely as Carriboo Island. We have such pleasant chm-parties there, sir, especially when the tim- ber-vessels arrive.' " Lady Sampson had but one topic, which, though it had lasted since October, was likely to endure through the winter season. She had visited the Falls of Niagara in the autumn, and was filled with wonder and amazement. She was now describing them to a circle of admiring friends. '* ' It was a mighty cataract ! ' she said. " ' It might be removed by couching,' remarked a deaf staff- doctor, who thought she was talking oi her eyes, which greatly distended at the time with the marvellous story. " ' The Falls ! ' she said, raising her voice. '" Ah ! the effect of a fall — that will render the operation doubtful.' "Water-faU!» ** ' Ah, exactly ; the lachrymal gland is affected.' " ' Ni-ag-o-ra ! ' she said, raising her voice still higher, and pronouncing the word slowly. " ' I beg your pardon, madam,' he replied, putting his hand to his ear, and advancing his head much nearer ; ' I beg your pardon, but I didn't hear.' LIFE IN A COLONY. 88 tion land *' * Trotz ! do, pray, take that horrid man away, and explain to him,' said the lady, aud then continued. ' I saw the pool at the foot of the rock where the Indian warrior rose after going over the Fall, and was whirled round and round in the vdrtex for a great many days, in an upright position, as if he were still alive ! They say it was a fearful sight ; at last, the flesh dissolved, and the frame parted and sunk ! * " She then led the way to the drawing-room, to show a sketch of Niagara, that the military secretary had prepared for her. Trotz detained the doctor a minute behind, and I heard him say, — " ' Though the cataract was not, that story of the Indian really was, all in my eye.' " * So I should think,' was the reply. » " The ante-rooms through which we passed were filled with persons playing cards, or taking refreshments. At a smaU table sat my friend, the midshipman, with the little strange sail with pink streamers, to whom he had given chase in the early part of the evening, and, as he said, brought to. They were just commencing a sociable game of chess. " Suppose,' said the jolly tar to his fair friend — ' suppose that we strip as we go P It's great fun.' ** ' I don't understand you,' said the young lady, with an offended toss of her pretty bead. " What ! not know what strip as we go is ? ' " I don't know what you mean, sir ! * " Why, this is the rule. Anything you can take, you are hound to take, and strip the board as you go on. It shortenn the game amazingly.' " Lady Sampson now opened a large book, containing the promised sketch, and unfolded and extended out a narrow strip of paper of immense length, painted green, and resembling an enormous snake, and explained it all in deta^. " ' There is the Gulf of St Lawrence,* she said ; ' and there's Quebec ; and there's Montreal ; and there are the lakes ; and there— just there — no, not there — a little higher up-yjust between your thumb and finger — is Niagara, — vast, mighty and grand Niagc.a! Don't you see the grand Falls, Mr Section? There, that little white speck — ^that's it I It's so mighty, that neither the eye nor the mind can take it all in at once I Captain Howard drew it ! Ain't it beautifully done ? He draws so well ! He can draw any thing ! ' " ' I must introduce him to you,' whispered Mm Smythe to Miss Schweineimer. " Yes,' said Trotz to Lord Edward, ' he can draw any thiog» 84 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, —a long bow, a long cork— anything but a bill, and that he won't draw for any one ! ' " * How very good ! ' replied Lord Edward. " * Here is an epitome of it — an abridgment — ^the ideas, as it were itself, though not developed ; ' and she exhibited a very good and accurate sketch taken by her daughter, infinitely better done ; and more intelligible, than the other. ' What do you think, Mrs Smythe, of my transferring this to embroidery — ^working it for a screen, or a cushion? No, a cushion wouldn't do, either; it's inconvenient to have to rise every time you wish to show it. But for a screen, eh ? " " Another party, an exploring one, that was reconnoitering what was going on in the drawing-room, now arrived ; and the loud prolonged sound of Niagara was again heard in the distance, amidst the confused hum of many voices, as I returned to the ball-room. The dancing being about to be resumed, I took n seat near a Mrs Blair, an old lady who came for the purpose of chaperoning her daughter that evening. I had known her in her youth, but had not met her of late years, and was shocked to see the change that time had effected both in her appear- ance and disposition. The playful humour, for which she was remarkable when young, had degenerated into severe sarcasm ; the effects, probably, of ill health, or of decreased fortune. " * Who would have thought of seeing you here. Judge ? ' said she. " ' The truth is, my dear Mrs Blair,' I replied, * I have not been at a ball for many years, and probably never shall be again ; and, as I dined here to-day, and was in the house when the company arrived, I thought I would stay, and take one last long look at a scene which recalls so many recollections of bygono days ; and, besides, it always does me good to ep(^ happy faces about me.' " ' Happiness in a ball-room ! she ejaculated, u some bit- terness of feeling; ; ' I thought you were too much of a philoso- pher to believe m such a deception ! Look at that old wall-eyed colonel, now (excuse the coarseness of the e::pression, but I have no patience with people of his age forgetting their years) — look at that wall-eyed colonel, with an obliquity of viaioa, and the map of Europe traced in red stains on his face ! Happy fel- low, is he not P See, he is actually goin^ to dance ! It will puzzle those two sisters to know which he is addressing.' • She had scarcely uttered the words, when both the young ladies rose at once, each thinking he had asked for the honour of her hand. " How happy be must feel,' she continued, ' in having such LIFE IN A COLONY. 85 ebit- liloso- •eyed have and feU will )ung Inour Isuch an ocular proof of the want of unity or expression in his eyes ! Oh ! look at that old lady, with a flame-coloured satin dress, and an enormous bag hanging on her arm, with tulips embroid- ered on it, and a strange-looking cap, with a bell-rope attached to one side of it, fanning a prodigious bouquet of flowers in her belt, as if to keep them from fainting with the heat, and losing their colour ! Oh, observe that member woman, that lady from the rural districts, habited in a gaudy-coloured striped silk dress, trimmed all over with little pink bows, having yellow glass buttons in the centre; a cap without a back, stufled fiul of feathers like Cinderella's godmother; and enormously long gloves, full of wrinkles, like the skin of an elephant ! They are both happy, but it is the happiness of fools ! Happiness in a ball-room ! Ah, Judge, you and I are too old for such twaddle ! I wish you had been here when the yellow fever was raging ! In a garrison town, the young ladies have the scarlet-fever tSi the year round ; but last year the yellow-fever predominated ; for, you know, two diseases cannot exist in the constitution at one time. At a sale of wrecked goods, a fashionable milliner bought a lot of maize-coloured satins so cheap, as to be able to sell them for a mere trifle ; but disposed of them skilfully, by exhibiting only a few at a time. The conLc^quence was, a great number of young ladies made their appearance here in what each one con- sidered a rare fabric ; and, to their horror, found the room full of them ! I christened it then, and it has ever since been known as the bilious ball. Do you suppose those maize-coloiured satins covered happy hearts that night ? There is Ella M'Nair, now dancing >Vitn her awkward country cousin, whom she is afraid to refuse, yet unwilling to accept, as a partner, alarmed for the horror of Lord Heather, the sneers ot Trotz, and the triumph of the Shermans. Sweet girl ! how ioyous she looks, does she not ? Oh, look at that supercilious little fellow near the fireplace, whose elbow is resting on the mantelpiece ! The education his foolish father gave him spoiled him for the kit- chen, without fitting him for the parlour. Instead of being a cheerful, thrifty tradesman, he has been metamorphosed into a poor, shabby, discontented gentleman. He looks like a grass- nopper on hadf-pay. " ' Tou see the same thing everywhere. Observe that very pretty and remarkably well-dressed lady opposite. She is a widow of large fortune and good connexions. Her affections are all absorbed by that lout of a boy she is talking to, who is her only child. His bent knees and stooping shomders give you the idea of a ploughboy, while his fashionable dress would lead ycu to suppose he had clothed himself^ by fraud or mistake, from 86 THE OLD judge; OR, liis master's wardrobe. She is beseeching him to stand proper- ly, and behave like a gentleman ; and, above all, to dance ; to all "which he is becoming more and more rebellious ; and now he has jerked away his arm, and is diving into that crowd of men near the fire, to escape from her importunities and the observa- tion of others. Her wealth and station have given her but little happiness, and her maternal cares and devoted affection are the torment of her son. Did you use that word happiness, therefore, Judge, as a common-place phrase, or did it express what you really meant ? * " ' I meant what I said,' I replied. ' Happiness is rather a negative than positive term in this world, and consists more in the absence of some things than in the presence of others. I see no harm in assemblies where they are not the business, but the relaxation of life, as they certainly are in this country. People come together for the purpose of pleasing and being pleased, of seeing and being seen, to be amused themselves, and to contribute their share to the amusement of others. They come with a disposition and a hope to be happy. Music and dancing exhilarate the spirits, hilarity is contagious, and, generally speaking, people do enjoy themselves, and I derive great gratification in witnessing their happiness. That was what I meant, for I never supposed there could be an assem- blage of two or three hundred people, without there being some individuals unable or unwilling to partake of the gaiety about them. " Just then Miss Schweineimer, the young lady that called her horse a beast, and myself an ugly old fellow, passed, hang- ing on the arm of a subaltern officer, into whose face she was looking up with evident satisfaction, while listening to his flat- tering accents. " • Oh, charming ! ' she said. * If I haven't enjoyed myself to-night, it's a pity, that's all I How do you feel P I feel kind of all over. It s the handsomest party I ever saw in all my life ! How I like Halifax I I wish father li .ed here instead of the Blueberry Plains ! ' " ' There, madam,' I said, let us abide by the decision of that unsophisticated girl. I forgive her nasal twang and her ignorance, for the simplicity and truthfulness of her nature ; ' and I effected my escape from my cynical companion. " Conversation sucb as hers is depressing to the spirits, and lowers one's estimate of mankind. It puts you out of sorts ; for such is the mysterious effect of sympathy, that a discon- tented person soon infuses a portion of nis own feeling into the mind of his auditors. I did not, however, derive much LIFE IN A COLONY. 8f .» > md Kb; in- to ch benefit from change of place, for the gentleman who next accosted me was imbued with much of the same captious spirit. " ' I have been pitying you for some time, Judge,' he said. * How could you think of remaining so long with that bitter specimen of humanity, Mrs Blair ? She speiucs well of no one, and has been amusing herself by feeling the silks and satins of her neighbours this evening, so as to find fault with their texture, if thin, and the extravagance of their owners, if other- wise. She has been grumbling to every one that the room is so badly lighted, good dresses are lost m the dim and gloomy apartment. I shall propose to Sir Hercules to have shelves put up on the wall for those old chaperons, with chandeliers in front of them to show off their velvets to the best advantage ; when they will be out of all danger themselves from heels and spurs, and be deprived of the power of annoying others. Capital idea, isn't it ? A very vulgar ^arty this. Judge ? Wnen the guests that are invited do come, it's not fair to send to the highways and byways for others. In the olden time, we are told, it was only when a man's friends declined, that a press-warrant issued to man the tables with the first poor devils that could be found going to bed supperless.' " The party now began to move towards the supper-room, which generally presents more attractions to persons who stand less in need of refreshments than those who nave been fatigued or exhausted with dancing. The tables were tastefully and beautifully arranged ; but the effect was much injured by the profuse and substantial character of some of the viands, which the number and quality of the guests rendered necessary. Whatever doubt there might have been as to the possibility of a ball conferring happiness, there could be none as to the enjoyment derived from the supper. In approving or par- taking, nearly all seemed to join ; few claimed exemption from age, and no one objected to a vis-^vU; and, if some had danced with all their' hearts, an infinitely greater number ate and drank with as much relish as if eating and drinking were as unusual a thing as waltzing. " I looked, but in vain, for my cynical companion, Mrs Blair, to draw her attention to my friend, the midshipman, who had evidently made a prize of the strange sail, and was behav- ing with the utmost generosity and kindness to the vanquished. He insisted upon filling her plate with everything within reach ; and when it could hold no more, surrounded it with tenders, deeply laden with every variety of supply. Nor did he forget champagne, in which he drank to the fair one's health, iko theur better acquaintance, and to a short cruise and speedy 88 THE OLD judge: OB, return ; and then, protesting it was all a mistake to suppose he had already done so, apologised for his neglect, and repeated the draughts till his eyes sparkled as bright as the wine. He cut the large cake before him, and helped his partner to a liberal share, complaining all the time that the knife was des- perately dull ; that it was the severest cutting-out service he was ever employed in ; and vowed that the steward ought to have three dozen for his carelessness. He succeeded, however, at last in effecting the incision, and brought away several folds of a three-cornered piece of napkin, exactly fitting the slice, which had impeded the progress of his knife. As he deposited this trophy of his skill and strength on the plate, he said, in an nnder-tone, * It only wanted a ring to make it complete ; ' whereat the lady's face was suffused with blushes and smiles, and, holding up her glass, she said, ' A very little wine, if you please.' Complying with this request, and filling his own, they pledged each other again ; and something was looked, and something was thought, and something was felt, though not expressed on that occasion, that, notwithstanding Mrs Blair's theory to the contrary, looked to me uncommonly like hap- piness. " Miss Schweineimer was no less pleased, though she thought that the sandwiches were rather oitey ; and the little red things in the pickles, to which Trotz had helped her, the hottest, not to be a fire, she had ever tasted, for they burned her tongue so as to make tears trickle down her cheeks. " ' i)o look ! ' said a young lady near me to Mrs Smythe — * do look at that strange creature covered with pink bows, and yellow glass buttons in them ; she is actually eating her supper backwards! She be^n with fruits, and then proceeded to confectionery and jellies, and so on, and is now winding up with the breast and leg of a turkey ! Who is she, and where does she come from ? ' '* ' Her name is Whetstone ; I will introduce you to her, by and by.' " * No, thank you ; I'd rather not.' " * The place is unpronounceable. It is Srlssiboo-goomish- cogomah, an Indian word, signifying The Winch's Fountain.' " ' Ah, indeed ! she is a fit representative.* " The inventor of shelves for the chaperons now accosted me again. " ' I should have liked, Judge, to have had the pleasure of taking wine with you, but reuly Sampson's wine is not fit to drink ; he seems to have lowered his standard of taste to suit the majority of his guests. Did you ever see anything so LIFE IN A COLONY, her. flted disgusting as the quantities of things with which the tahles are loaded, or the gross appetites with which they were devoured P It is something quite shocking ! He is ruining the state of society here. These people realize our ideas of the harpies : — Diripuuntque dapes, contoctaqne omnia foedant In mundo. By the way, a little man, with a face like a squeezed lemon, has done me the honour to notice me once or twice to-night, with a half familiar and half ohsequious nod, whom I have heen at a loss to make out. The supper-table has betrayed him at last ; for its resemblance to his own counter (for he keeps a confec- tionery-shop in the country) put him at ease in a moment. He is the most useful person here.* " A message from Sir Hercules to his aide, Mr Trotz, brought him to his feet, muttering, as he rose, his discontent in very audible tones. The renewal of the music in the ball-room at the same time intimated that the last dance was about to be commenced. " * Tou ain't going, Mr TTrotz, are you ? ' said Miss Schwei- neimer, who had unconsciously been the object of many imperti- nent remarks during the last half-hour. * Fray try one of those custards before you go ; they are so good ! Do, just to please me. You know I ate those fiery pickles, because you asked me ; ' and she handed him a liquid one, contained in a small cir- cular glass. " To the astonishment of everybody, he complied with her request; but, being in a hurry to attend to the Governor's wishes, drank it off without the aid of a spoon, and replaced the glass on the table. In a moment he became dreadfully pale, and, putting his handkerchief to his face, exclaimed — "* Good heavens, the mustard-pot!' and left the room in convulsive agony from the effects of this powerful emetic, and disappeared amid the malicious laughter and uproarious delight of all those whom he had at one time or another annoyed by his insolence. " ' Well, I never ! ' said the young lady : ' it looks as like a custard-glass as two peas, don't it? and it's the identical colour, too ? I am sorry it's done ; but I'd rather it had hap- pened to him than any one else ; for I believe in my soul he gave tne the red-hot pickles a-purpose. I am up sides with him, at any rate.' " * So would I, my dear,' said Mrs Smythe ; 'but don't say so ; here, you must always appear to be sorry for an accident. Let me introduce you to Mr Able, assistant-surgeon of the Jupiter; for this is the last dance, and he'll tell you where the 90 THE OLD JUDGE; OB, red pickles ff^iw, I really love you for putting that trick upon that horrid Trotz.' - " ' I assure you it was a mistake. . . .* " ' That's right, dear; look innocent, and say it was a mistake.* ' " ' But I assure you. . . .' " * Oh, of course ! you really do it very well. Tou are a capital scholar ! * " The last dance lasted for a long time ; for the termination of everything agreeable is always deferred to the utmost mo- ment of time. At length the band played 'Ood save the King ! ' which was the signal for parting, and the company took leave and disappeared in a few minutes, with the exception of the awkward squad that first arrived. Owing to their having made a mistake in the hour, or forgotten to give orders as to the time their carriages were to come .for them, they were again doomed to annoy the gubernatorial party, and to bono less per- plexed and bored themselves. " Such were my last reminiscences of Government House ; and, from what I hear, it has not at all improved of late years. Don't let me be misunderstood, however. I do not give you this as a sketch of society at Halifax, but of a promiscuous ball at Qovemment House : nor are the people wnom I have de- scribed samples of the whole company ; but some of them are specimens of that part of it who ought never to have been there.' CHAPTER VI. THE OLD ADMIBA.L AND THE OLD OEKEBA.L. The quiet inn in which I have been domiciled ever since I arrived at Illinoo was yesterday the scene of the greatest dis- order and confusion. Shortly after breakfast, a party of mid- shipmen, mounted on horseback, dashed into the courtyard during a violent thunder-storm, with the speed and clatter of a charge of cavalry. The merry crew at once dispersed them- selves over every part of the house, which rang with their loud and long-continued peals of laughter. Their number was soon increased by the addition of three or four young women, who joined in their play with equal noise and delight, chasing their LIFE IN A COLONY. 91 lis- id- m- ud on ho ■eir tormentors, or flying in affright at their rudeness, or quietly enjoying with them a game of leapfrog in the passages. My landlady, Mrs Smith, was in despair. All her remon- fltrancet were met either with the response that she was a beauty without paint, an angel, a cherub, and a divine creature, or an invitation to join in their sport. An officer's wife, who was awaiting the arrival of her husband from Fredericton, was 80 alarmed and annoyed at the indecent behaviour of the juvenile party, that she summoned the hostess, and announced her in- tention of immediately leaving the house. " I am shocked and frightened beyond measure," she said, ** at your permitting those young gentlemen to make such a riot ; but, more than all, am I horrified at the behaviour of your housemaids, who are the most forward, romping, and shameless young women I ever beheld. I just now rang ray bell, which was answered by the one who calls herself Charlotte, the pretty S'rl vnth the curly head of golden hair. ' Fasten ray dress,' said ' Tes, ma'am,' she replied ; and before I knew what she was about, or could find words to express my surprise, my stays ' were nearly undone, and my clothes unfastened. ' Oh ! I beg your pardon, ma'am,' she said, on being reprimanded for the mistake ; ' I thought you said unrig. I'll reave it up in a min- ute.* When this was effected, she said, * I'm blowed if I can find the hooks ! are they on the larboard or starboard side ? ' — ' Don't use those dreadml words,' I replied : * you have learned them from those rude young midshipmen, who appear to have turned your head. Taike care of yourself ; for they are reckless creatures — here to-day, and gone to-morrow, and do not care what they say or do.' What do you think, Mrs Smith, was the reply of that bold, impudent creatu re ? I could scarcely believe my ears. ' Oh, ma'am,' she said, * they are such nice young you were to try. . . .' — * Leave my presence directly, *how dare you address me in that manner! Where is your mistress ?' — * Up aloft, ma'am.' 'Aloft again ! poor lost crea- ture, dead to all sense of shame, whatever; I pity you, from the bottom of my heart. Send your mistress to me.* Now, Mrs Smith, I have never been so vexed and insulted in my life, and I have sent for you to inform you I shall remove to another inn." My poor unoffending landlady excused herself as well as she was able for an occurrence which she could neither foresee nor control. She said she was happy to say, for the credit of her hpusehold, that she had no such maid as Charlotte, nor one fe- 92 THE OLD judge; OB, male in her establishment that would think of acting or talking as she had done. That that personmust have been theHonourable Mr Hawson, who, with two others, borrowed female attire, while their own was drying at the fire, as they had no clothes with them but what they had on when they arrived ; and that the romping girls who played leapfrog were, in fact, no other than midshipmen. She added, that nothing of the kind could occur again, as they had just set out on their return to Halifax ; and she hoped that nobody would be ridden over or killed, for they started at full gallop, waving their caps and cheering each other as they went. The Judge was a good deal amused at the story, and laughed heartily over it. " I am a good sailor,*' he said, " and fond of the sea, and so well acquainted with the manly bearing and noble qutdities of our seamen, that I make every allowance for the irrepressible delight and inexhaustible fun and frolic of these youngsters, when just landed from a cruise. Whatever croakers may say • about the condition of the navy, it is in as efficient a state a» ever it was, and, when occasion requires, will give as good an account of itself. The Lieutenants are, in my opinion, as a class, in reference to their numbers, the moat active, intelligent, and valuable body of men to be found in any branch of public service in any country in the world. In former years, I used to see a great deal of the navy, but, alas ! all my old friends are now either superannuated or dead. " During the war, when the whole fleet of one hiindred sail rendezvoused at Halifax, such scenes as you have described were of constant occurrence, and the town was daily amused or disturbed by pranks of the sailors. I remember one piece of absurdity that occasioned a good deal of laughter at the time. At the period I am speaking of, before the expensive underground reservoirs were cut out of the rock on which the town stands, the streets were sometimes rendered almost im> passable, from standing pools of water. A' sailor, seeing a lady contemplating in despair one of these lagoons, took her up most gallantly in his arms, and, wading through it, safely de- posited her on the other side. Alarmed at the suddenness of the transportation, she scolded her escort, in no measured terms, for the liberty he had taken, when he mounted her again on his shoulders, and, carrying her back, replaced her where he had found her, humbly begging pardon, and hoping he had rectified his error. " The story of the man who laid a drunken shipmate at the feet of Captain Co^'ra, saying, ' Here's a dead man for you ; ' LIFE IN ▲ COLONY. de- Bof ired had the a;' was one thnt that eccentric officer was always yery fond of relating, as illustrative of the humour of poor Jack. "Nova Scotia was then the principal naval station on this side of the Atlantic, but now shares that honour with Bermuda ; the Admiral residing in the summer at the former, and during the winter months at the latter place. The coble harbour of Halifax is one of the best, perhaps, in the world : its contiguity to Canada and the United States, its accessibility at all seasons of the year, and its proximity to England (being the most Eastern part of this continent), give it a decided ad- vantage over its rival ; while the frightful destruction of stores at BermudiE^ from the effects of the climate, its insalubrity, and the dangers with which it is beset, have never failed to ex- cite astonishment at the want of judgment shown in its selec- tion, and the utter disregard of expense with which it has been attended. The dockyard at Halifax is a beautiful establish- ment, in excellent order, and perfect of its kind, with the sin- gular exception of not having the accommodation of a dock from which it derives its name. This deficiency was severely felt during the late war, and even in those peaceable times is a source of great inconvenience, expense, and delay. The arri- val of the Admiral, in the spring, is always looked forward to with anxiety and pleasure, as it at once enlivens and benefits the town. Those common demonstrations of respect, salutes, E reclaim the event, which is soon followed by the equally armless and no less noisy revels of sailors, who give vent to their happiness in uproarious merriment. The Admiral is always popular vnth the townspeople, as he often renders them essential services, and seldom or never comes into collision with them. He is independent of them, and wholly disconnected with the civil government. * Lucky fellow ! * as Sir Hercules Sampson, the Governor, once said ; ' he has no turbulent House of Assembly to plague him.' " On an eminence immediately above the dockyard is the official residence, a heavy, square, stone building, surrounded by massive walls, and resembling in its solidity and security a {mblic asylum. The entrance is guarded by two sentinels, be- onging to that gallant and valuable corps, the marines, who combine the activity of the sailor with the steadiness and disci- pline of the soldier, forming a happy mixture of the best qualities of both, and bearing very little resemblance to either. • These amphibious troops,' my old friend, Sir James Capstan, used to say, * are very much in the way on board of a ship, except in an action, and then they are always in the right place.' 94 THE OLD Judge; or, " This was no mean praise for a man who thoroughly de- tested them, for an insult his dignity once suffered from them, which he never forgot or forgave. Upon one occasion, I at- tended divine service with him on board of his magnificent flag-ship, the Graball. The discipline, in those days, was dreadfully severe, and, I may add, unmerciful. The men were punished so often and so cruelly, that they became desperate, and mutiny and desertion were things of frequent occurrence. Scarcely a day passed without the loss of a man ; and even the extreme penalty of death, which was the inevitable consequence of such crimes, did not check their desire to escape from the service. The chaplain took the opportunity to preach against desertion, and selected, for his text, the eleventn verse of the sixth chapter of Nehemiah — ' And I said. Should such a man as I flee r ' He enlarged upon the duty of sailors to be obedi- ent to those who were set in authority over them, and to con- tinue true to their engagements, and enforced every exhortation by a repetition of his text. He then concluded, by an eloquent appeal to their feelings ; first eulogizing their coolness and in- trepidity in danger, and then calling upon them to stand by their king and country, and maintain the honour of both, and slowly and emphatically reiterated, ' And I said. Should such a man as I flee ? ' — ' No,' said a voice, which arose from among the marines, and was evidently the effect of ventriloquism — * no, d — n you ! you are too well paid for that ! * A loud, long- drawn breathing, was audible among the men, who, feeling that something atrocious had been done, which, in all probability, would be followed by some terrible retribution, while an ill- suppressed titter was heard among the junior officers, at the suddenness and quaintness of the retort. The chaplain paused, and looked at the Admiral, and the Admiral glared at the men, as if he could annihilate them all. Immediate incjuiry was made, and the strictest examination of every individual instituted, accompanied by a positive declaration that the whole ship's company should be whipped, unless the culprit was given up. The secret, however, was never divulged, nor the threat of indiscriminate punishment carried into effect. *' More attention to the comiort of the men, greater regu- larity, and less caprice in their management, and a scale of punishment more proportioned to offences, have rendered flog- fing almost unnecessary, and executions of very rare occurrence, 'oor fellows ! their lives are hard and perilous, but their hard- ships and pNerils are occasionally aggravated by the tyranny of their superiors. Admirals, though they vary in size, tempera- ment, and talent, oil, more or less, bear the same characteristic LIFE IN A COLONY. 05 ard- of era- istio stamp. The difference is one of class. For instance, there is your Admiral that is sent out to die. Bising alone and unaided in the service, it is late in life before he attains to the honours of his profession, and, when he does, his palsied hand can scarcely grasp his commission. Poor man ! his reign is short ; for his life expires before his period of service has terminated. " Then there is your Admiral that comes out to make money. He has noble connections, or parliamentary interest, and his services through life have consequently been duly appreciated and promptly rewarded. Though he entered the navy many years after the aged man who preceded him in the command, he IS in fact scarcely his junior in rank, so rapid has been his pro- motion. He has come to make money — but, alas ! money is no longer to be made. The steamers carry all the coin and bullion which were formerly transported by men-of-war, and the Admiral, like others, is reduced to his pay, his rations, and his grog. " Then comes an Admiral, because it cannot be helped. He is old, and has been long since forgotten, especially as ne never performed any services worth remembering : but his name is on the list, and he cannot be passed over. He is accordingly traced to his agents, and from thence to Cheltenham, and again to a cottage surrounded by every plant of every part of the world that will endure the damp and sunless climate of England. The gate of this museum of relics and curiosities is opened by a servant, dressed in a pair of loose duck trowsers, a check shirt, and white canvass shoes, who gives a twitch with both hands to his waist-band, a knowing nod with his head, and, looking at the postman with a mischievous air, as if he would delight in tripping up his heels and scattering his letters in the street, says, ' Well, master, what sheer now ? * Closing the door on the impatient visitor, he reads on the letter the words, * On His Majesty's Service ; ' and says, musingly, * Some musty old re- turn, I suppose ; for, as for service, we are hardly seaworthy now.' He then proceeds into a little room hung round with charts, spy-glasses, swords, and pistols, and shelves on which are exhibited South Sea war-clubs, idols, ostrich eggs, and curi- ous feathers, the mantelpiece being garnished with an extensive collection of the pipes of all nations : at one end of the apart- ment is a hammock, in which reposes the unconscious com- mander-in-chief of the North American and West Indian station. In a short time, the little occupant of the little cottago is transported to Portsmouth, where he hoists his Hag as Ad- miral on board of one of the noble seventy-four-guu ships in 96 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, that harbour, and sets sail for Halifax or Bermuda. He comes, because it couldn't be helped. " Fighting Admirals are, happily, not required ; and, when the day of need comes, they will no doubt oe found, as they always have been, among that numerous class of officers who enjoy the benefit of experience without the infirmities of age. Admirals again, even of the same classification, notwithstand- ing this strong family-likeness to each other, equally differ in peculiarities, which, however, affect their subordinates rather than civilians. They are generally uncomfortable inmates on board ship. There is your Admiral who never reads ; he is an intolerable bore to the flag-captnin, whom etiquette requires to attend him on deck and amuse him. He acts the part of dry nurse, and longs to be relieved from his charge. " Then, there is your married Admiral, whose ladies will violate all rules, by sitting on forbidden parts of the ship, and insisting on his ordering sail to be shortened unnecessarily to appease their fears, while their horses, carriages, cows, cats, dogs, birds, and furniture, encumber the ship to the annoyance of everybody. They are very imgallantly styled live lumber by Jack, and voted a nuisance, a term of reproach which is some- what compensated for by the evident admiration with which even the plainest of their sex are regarded in a place where wo- men are such a rarity that a petticoat is looked upon as the at- tribute of Divinity. " Then, there is the Admiral who does evenrthing, and he who does nothing. The first is adored by the whole fleet, for a sense of justice pervades all his acts : services are rewarded, grievances redressed, and everybody and everything kept in their place. Where the secretary rules all and does all, favour- itism IS discovered or suspected ; and like all favourites, he is exceedingly unpopular with everybody but his master. Such are the men who so rapidly succeed each other in the command on this station. " The old Admiral and the old General (for the Governor is almost always a military man) are the two highest officials in the colony; each have their staff and their guards, and each their little empire to rule. The one is a despotic and the other a constitutional monarch, and severally participate in the con- venience or disadvantage of their respective systems. The one promulgates his own laws, and issues his orders on his own re- sponsibility, which are implicitly obeyed. The other summons a parliament, and assembles around him his little Lords and Commons, aud receives rather than gives law. He is not the es, len bey vho ige. md- • in bher I on 9 an !8 to dry will , and lyto cats, ranee erby }ome- jvhicli le wo- e at- idhe for a lirded, )t in LIFE IN A COLONY, 97 jmor ilain [their ler a con- one In re- ImouB and the machinery itself, but only a part of it — a sort of pendulum, that by an equal vibration balances and regulates the motions of both sides. They reside at different ends of the town, and love to reign apart from each other ; a united service being incompatible with tne habits and discipline of both. There is a marked differ- ence in their bearing. " The Admiral is a plain, unaffected man, with a frank and cordial manner, somewhat positive in his language, and having a voice that carries authority in its very tones. He is always popular, for he converses so freely and affably with every one, especially with the chronoraeter-maker, whom he visits daily, and instructs in the mysteries of taking observations of the sun. He delights in hoisting a mast into adisabled merchantman, provided the skipper will stand out of the way during the operation, and hold his tongue about matters of wnich it is impossible he can know anything ; or in sending a hundred men to warp a vessel out of a place of danger ; or in exhibiting the agility and bold- ness of his sailor in extinguishing a fire that defies the eftbrts and appals the courage of landsmen. He is liberal in his ex- penditure, and subscribes munificently to every object of public charity. " The old General is erect and formal, and is compelled to be ceremonious in defence of his prerogative and station. He is also reserved and cautious, afraid to commit himself by promises or opinions, and, whenever practicable, shelters himseli behind generalities. There is an apparent object in his condescension ; he is desirous of standing well with the community, for much of liis success depends upon his personal influence. The public have a claim upon and an interest in him ; for, though appointed by the Crown, ho is their Governor, and they take the liberty of criticizing him. The one, therefore, naturally and unconsciously wins the good-will of people, and the other labours to conciliate it. Popularity follows one, and is wooed by the other. Their mode of life and style of entertainment, too, are equally dis- similar. " The Admiral has nothing to do with the legislature, a sort of impcrium in imperio, which he is not altogether able to un- derstand, and whose remonstrances look very like mutiny to him, and always suggest the idea of arrest and court-martial. The country members, therefore, are not seen at his table, nor do their wives and daughters grace his evening parties. He is free and unfettered in the choice of his society, and can select his associates from such portion of the community as he pleases. His household is principally composed of his attendants at sea, who know his habits and humours, and can accommodate themselves 7 98 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, to them. His favourites, unlike those of the other, who are al- ways courtiers or politicians, are a large Newfoundland dog, or a frolicksome goat, called the commodore, who knocks over the unwary intruder, to the infinite amusement of the numerous domestics. The only part of his establishment that is refrac- tory are his sheep, wnich, notwithstanding that the boatswain, boathook in hand, has been transformed into a shepherd, are constantly breaking bounds, leaping the stone walls, and scam- pering over the country. His kitchen-garden is the best in the place, and he prides himself not a little on his heads of cabbages and lettuces, which, he says, are the whitest and hardest that ever were seen ; and in his poultry-yard, where white ducks, })olar geese, guinea-hens, peacocks, and Portugal fowls, sailor- ike, are enjoying a run on shore, and vie with each other in making the most discordant sounds. His carriage bears the same striking dissimilarity to the Generars. The latter is a state afiair, cQsplaying gay trappings and liveried servants ; the for- mer an unpretending, convenient, little low-wheeled covered waggon drawn by one stout horse, and driven at a slow pace by his secretary, in which he daily perambulates the unfrequented streets as well as the thoroughfares of the town. His dinner parties, also, are less formal. People are expected to speak above a whisper, or they cannot be heard, and to be at home, or they cannot be agreeable, llie dinner itself has a smack of the sea ; the dishes have a higher seasoning and a stronger flavour of vegetables, while the forbidden onion lurks stealthily concealed under the gravy. It is more abundant and substantial, and the decanters have a quicker pace and travel, as if time were short, and a walk on deck was soon apprehended. The servants move faster, though more noisily, and retain a sidelong motion, bracing out their feet, and hold fast the dishes as if they momentarily expected a lurch, and were prepared to maintain their equili- brium. Their apparel, too, is in character — slightly varied, in some instances, and in others not at all, from the regulation dress ; while the butler (who is occasionally heard to order, in an under-tone, Boy George to bear a hand, and Bill Gibson to stow away the dishes), instead of looking like his landlubber brother at Government House, heavy, corpulent, and rosy, is a thin, sunburnt, weather-beaten man, who has visited all parts of the world, and undergone the vicie ""^ndes of every climate, and appears to have selected his wines lu the region in which they were made. The conversation, also, is unlike that at the palace, having no reference whatever to local matters. You near nothing of the Merrygomish Bridge, the election at Port Medway, or the alteration of the road at Aspatangon, to which LIFE IN A COLONY. 99 the Governor is compelled to listen, and, at each repetition, appear as much interested as ever. " The sea is the sailor's home, and his topics are drawn from every part of the globe. When at the Admiral's table, therefore, you forget you are in Halifax. The following scraps of conversation that reach your ear convince you that you are not among provincials, but men of the world. *' ' Tou drive a wild horse into the stream, whom the elec- tric eel immediately attacks; after -a few shocks, he exhausts his muscular powers, and you may seize him with impunity. They are occasionally found six feet in length.' ** * The Canopus was one of Napoleon's ships. She was built of Adriatic oak, and, old as she is, is one of the soundest and fastest vessels in the navv." ' I don't think any thing of her age, and, as for the timoer, it is not to be compared to English oak : last year I saw in the harbour of St John a merchantman, that was employed by Oeneral Wolf, as a trans- port, at the siege of Quebec' " * A double-bedded room does not mean, in the States, a room with two beds, but a bed with two persons in it. During the great embargo, I happened to be at Charlestown, South Carolina, when the landlord proposed to me to sleep with a dirty-looking foreign officer. If I cannot have a separate bed, I said, I prefer sitting before the fire all night to sleeping with that d d Bussian ! Is he a Eussian, sir P said a tall, thin, inquisitive Yankee, that stood listening to the conversa- tion — is he a Bussian ? I'll take him, then, if it convenes you, stranger. I should rather like it, for I never slept with a Eussian.' " ' Gape Breton was once a separate government, and that little village, Sidney, was the capital. When I commanded the Linnet, I put in there for a supply of coal. The Governor, who was the most extraordinary person I ever met, told me his Chief Justice had passed him in the street without touching his hat to him, and asked me if I did not think such insolence would justify him in removing him from his office. Upon my answering in the negative, he said, I'll tell you what I'll do. By Jove, I will declare martial law, try him at the drum-head, tie him up, and give him three dozen ! ' " ' The Chinese regard these matters very philosophically. When Elliot was cannonading the forts above Canton, an officer came off with a flag of truce to one of the ships, and told the Captain that he thought the effusion of human blood both useless and wicked. If you no fire iron plumbs, then I 100 THE OLD JUDGE; Ofi, no fire iron plutnl)s. You bang away powder for half an hour, and 80 will I ; then I will run away, and you c(mie and take the fort; " * It depends upon what part of the coast you are on. The Gambia is by no means unhealthy, unless, perhaps, at the rainy season. It is a Tnagnificent country; I penetrated three hundred miles into the interior, and the forest is like a vast umbrageous park. I recollect riding one moonlieht night through where I was struck by the sound of the tinkhng of m- numerable little silver bells, which appeared to be attacked to all the trees. It was the African nigntingale, with which the forest was filled. I shall never forget the effect ; it was the sweetest and most charming thing I ever heard.* " ' He told me very gravely he saw a man breaking a horse at Bio, upon which he had fastened a monstrous pair of magnifying glasses, and, on inquiring of the fe'llow what was the object of puttiug spectacles on a horse, he replied that it was done for th& purpose of giving him a good action, for, by enlarging every object on the road, it made him step high to avoid it. He told the story so often that he began to believe it himself at last.' " All this might as well have been said at Portsmouth or Plymouth as at Halifax, but is more agreeable at the latter place than elsewhere, because it is a relief to the monotonous conversation of a provincial town. *' The evening parties are much the same as those at Govern- ment House, which I have already described to you, but have more naval and fewer military officers, which, in a ball-room, is a decided improvement. Your subaltern, when he has taken his first lesson in ' soldiering ' in England, of which, by the by, he is rather ashamed, for it is by no means the most fashion- able amusement in that country, and lands in a colony, is rather a supercilious young gentleman, that finds nothing good enough for him. He talks to young ladies of Almacks, where he has never been ; of the Opera, to which his mamma took him in the vacation ; and La Blanche, Catalani, or Grisi, whom, if he has not seen, he has often heard of. He thinks it beneath his dignity to dance— the 10th never dance — why should he ? But the days of puppyism soon pass away, when their eyes are opened and they see as well and become as agreeable as other people. The dear little middy is a different sort of person alto- gether : he does not try to play the man — for he actuallv is one, a frank, jolly, ingenuous fellow. The cockpit is no place for affectation and nonsense, and if by any chance they find LIFE IN A COLONY. 101 their iray there, they are expelled forthwith by common con- MDt. There is no pity or sympathy, even for the real distress of an ' exquisite.' " I recollect an anecdote of Poor Theodore Hook's on this ■abject. I never knew, he said, but one instance of real sym- pathy. I was in an outward-bound man of war off the Cape of Goooi Hope : the weather was veir stormy, the sea ran moun- tains high, and the ship laboured ureadfully. One night I put on my dreadnought coat and norwester hat, and went on deck. It was so dark, and the rain falling in torrents, it was difficult at first to distinguish objects. The boatswain was pacing to and fro as usual on his watch, and I held on by the rigger, for the purpose of ascertaining his opinion of the probability of a change of weather, when I heard a voice like that of a child crying. The sailor and I both approached the spot toc;ether whence the sound issued, where we found a little midshipman weeping bitterly, as he clung to the weather bulwarks to pro- tect himself from the storm. ' Hullo ! who are you that are blubbering like a baby there ? * said the veteran, in a voice that resembled the roll of a drum. ' Lord Windlas, sir,* was the reply. *Who the devil sent you here?' *My father, sir.' ' More fool he for his paius ! — ^he ought to have kept you at school. Did you cry when you left home ? ' ' Yes, sir,' said the little fellow, releasing his hold, and putting both fists to his eyes, as if to stop the gushing tears. ' And your mother, did she cry P ' ' Ye-es, sir.' The old tar paused for a moment as if touched by this instance of maternal tenderness, and at last said, in a voice of great feeling, * Poor old devil ! * and, twitching up his waistbands, resumed his walk. Now that, said Hook, was the only instance of real sympathy I ever saw. * Poor old devil ! ' how much those words convey when they come from the heart ! " But to return to what I was talking of A man-of-war is a capital school to train a youngster in. Take a military man out of his profession, and to a certain extent he is a help- less being. A sailor, on the contrary, is self-relying, bold, hardy, well acquainted with everything that is useful for making his way in the world. This is the reason why a soldier •eldom Bucceeas, and a seaman rarely fails, when they retire from their respective services and settle in the colonies. The Admiral again is at home at a regatta ; he is once more afloat and in his own element. The first one that was ever held at Halifax was patronized by my friend Sir James Capstan. He and I had been boys together at school, and, even at that early period, I was always known as ' Old Sandford,' an appellation 102 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, probably derived either from the sedateness or awkwardness of my maimer. We had lost sight of each other for many years, wnen I was surprised and delighted at hearing that he had arrived at Haliiaz as Commander-in-Chief on this station. ' G-ood heavens ! here is Old Sandford,* he said, as he saw me advancing towards him. Alas ! what had begun in jest time had turned into reality. I had, indeed, become an aged man. ' My good friend,' he said, * your country has had more than its share of your time and attention. I must monopolize you now while you are in Halifax, for we have our mutual histories to relate, and much to say to each other. To-morrow we are to have a regatta. I suppose it would be infra dig^ for the old Judge and the old Admiral to dance a jig together before the youngsters, but 1*11 teU you what, old boy, I don't know what you can do— but I could dauce one yet, and, by Jove ! when we are alone this evening we will try. It will remind us of old times. What has become of the 'Smiths ? monstrous fine galls those — I have often thought of them since.* ' Dead ! * 'Dead! the devil they are! how shocking! and those two romping little Browns'? married, I suppose, and have romping little daughters.' I shook my head. * Gone, too,' I sai£ *You forget that forty years have passed since they were young, and that the greater purt of that generation has passed away.' * Well, thank God, you and I, old fellow, have not passed away ! I don't know what you intend to do, but I have no idea of going yet, if I can help it. I am worth a dozen dead men, and so are you.' While active employment had kept him 80 busy that he appeared not to have been aware of the lapse of years, time also had passed him without notice : his spirits were as buoyant and joyous as ever. " The following day was as, brilliant and propitious as could be desired, and at an early hour the harbour was covered with boats filled with light hearts and merry faces. The noble ship, the Graball, was tastefully decorated with flags of every variety and colour, and presented a gay and beautiful appearance. Every convenience that ingenuity could invent, or delicacy suggest, was provided for the comfort and accommodation of the ^ests ; every arrangement was perfect with the single ex- ception, as a young lady observed, with some degree of regret, that there was not a single pin on the toilet-table of the dress- ing-room. " Soon after the company arrived, and while the Admiral was surrounded by a numerous assemblage of ladies, a little flotilla of canoes was observed advancing from the opposite shore of Dartmouth, led by a rival officer, the Commander-in-Chief of LIFE IN A COLONY. 103 his own navy, Admiral Paul, the Indian. He was a tall, well- luade active man, in the prime of life. He was dressed in a frock-coat with red facings, secured round the waist by a sash of scarlet wampum ; his feet were ornamented with a pair of yellow moccasins, with a white and blue edging, curiously wrought with the quills of the porcupine. A military cap (a present from some officer of the garrison) completed his equip- ment. He approached the quaiter-deck with an ease ana ele- Sance of motion that art can never supply, and, addressing Sir ames, said, * Are you the Admiral ? ' * Yes ! ' ' So am I : I am Admiral Paul — all same, you see, as one brudder.' ** Paul, notwithstanding that his manner was so natural and unaffected, was a great rogue withal, and found it convenient to invest himself with two commissions. With the officers of the navy he was an Admiral, and with Sir Hercules Sampson he was a G-ovemor. He was, therefore, to use his own language, * all same as one brudder ' with both ; and, standing on such a footing of intimacy, was enabled to receive fraternal assistance without any diminution of his dignity. He also had the mis- fortune to take * very big drinks,' which, though they did not lower the respect of his tribe for him, had the effect of setting them a very bad example. Upon one occasion, when he was soliciting a loan from the Governor (for he never condescended to beg), he was unhappil]^ intoxicated ; his wants were liberaUy supplied upon concUtion that he should never appear at * the Palace ' again, unless he was perfectly sober, an agree- ment into which he very readily entered. About a fortnight afterwards he required another loan, but the Governor refused it. * Didn't you promise me never to let me see you tipsy again ? ' he said. * Sartin ! ' he replied. * Why didn't you keep your word, then ? ' • Sartin, 1 keep my word.' * Why, you are drunk now, man.' * Sartin,' he replied, very coolly, ' sartin, but it's the same old drunk, though — Paul not been sober since — all same old drunk, Mr Gubbemor.' The drollery of the reply has caused it to pass into a b^-word in this country. Uniform occupations, or rrequent repetitions of the same thing, are constantly denominated 'the same old drunk.' Having established his relationship to the Admiral, Paul thought the opportunity for obtaining a loan not to be omitted. ' ML same as one brudder, you see, Mr Admiral, so please lend me one dol- lar.' The novelty of the application pleased my friend amazingly, and he gave him several, adding, very needlessly, that theu' i/as no necessity for returning them. Paul received them with an easy bow, and deliberately counted them, one, two, three, four, five, six ; and then, taking a fur pouch from the back part of his IM THE OLD JUDGE; OR, belt, in which vfete his flint, steel, punk, and tobacco, be depo- sited them safely in it, and replaced it as before, merely ob- serving, ' Sartin, white Admiral makun money beiy easy.' As he turned to depart, his countenance suddenly became very fierce. * Mr Admiral,* he said, ' do you know that man ? ' point- ing to a young officer of the ship. * Yes,' he replied, ' I know him ; he is one of my midshipmen.' ' Sartin he one d — d ras- cal !* ' Tut, tut, tut ! ' said the Admiral. * Sartin, Mr Admiral, he kissum my squaw yesterday.' * Tut, tut, tut ! ' he replied again, waving his hand to him at the same time to go away, lest the further continuance of the conversation might prove incon- venient. * Ah, Mr Admiral,' he said with much animation, and he advanced a little, and bending forward held out his arm in an attitude of elegance that a sculptor might envy, * ah, Mr Admiral, if I kissum your squaw (pointing to Lady Capstan), you no say Tut, tut, tut, man ! ' and he retired, not quite satisfied that jus- tice had been done him. " Of the regatta, you will perhaps be surprised to hear that, in common with the young ladies, I saw but little. I have always regarded a boat-race as a veiy stupid, and a horse- race a very cruel thing. I never could take any interest in them, and to describe either would be to tell a thrice-told tale. The Admiral, however, entered into it with all his heart, and was delighted that the fishermen of Herring Gove and the eastern passage beat (as they always do) the barge of the man- of-war. He said it would take the conceit out of the lubbers, make them mind their eye for the future, for there was not a man in the ship could pull an oar properly. ** I was more amused myself at what was passing around me. A dance on board ship is always more pleasant than in a ball- room, not that the latter is less commoaious or convenient, but because the former is a novelty. The decorations are difierent, and even the natural obstacles of the place are either concealed with taste, or converted into objects of use or ornament. The efiect is produced by great trouble and ingenuity, and who are there who do not personally appropriate much of this as a compli- ment to themselves? The part of host is played not by one, but by twenty, for every officer is interested in the honour of the ship, and the reputation of her hospitality ; and what cannot many hands, heads, and hearts accomplish P The dance (for, after all, though the regatta was the professed object, this was the real attraction, which was on the main deck), from the hour, the place, and the occasion, partook more of the character of a private party than a public entertainment, and was accordingly more agreeable, in proportion as it was less formal. LIFE IN A COLONY. 105 id me. baU- but frent, iealed The ** * Ah, Sandford,* said the Admiral, who was delighted be- yond measure, ' I wish you had your robes on — we would try that jig now ; wouldn't we astonish the boys, eh P D — n them ! th^y look as solemn, and dance as heavily, as if' they were stampiug their feet to keep them warm at a funeral in winter ! Look at that dandy — it is half-past twelve o'clock with the navy, when you see such fellows as that on the quarter-deck. It was a bad day for the service when the king sent his son to sea. It made it fashionable, and fashion plays the devil with a ship. We should always keep up the distinctions between the services. Let the armv be fathionahle, and the navy manli/, and if they stick to that, they may keep their troops at home for parades and reviews, and we will do all the fighting for them : * and, lowering his voice, said, * I don't know what you intend to do, but the sun is over the fore-yard, and I am going to have a ^kss of grog. I suppose it would horritV Sampson to ank him, tor he is too fashionable for that, and, if he wasn't, his stock is buckled so tight, he couldn't bend his head back sufficiently to swallow it. He is not a bad fellow, though, after all, but he is one of the old school of pipeclay and pomatum soldiers, and is as stiff and starched as a shirt collar.* " In the midst of gaiety there is always sadness. The chords of pleasure are so interwoven with those of melancholy in the human mind, that it is difficult to touch the one without causing a vibration of the other. Like the strings of an JEolian harp, they all awaken to life under the influence of the same whisper- ing breeze, and blend their joyous notes and pensive wailings together. The Admiral seemed to be sensibly affected by this mysterious feeling. But it was a mere sudden emotion, as fleet- ing and as transitory as a cloud passing over the sun. " ' Sandford,* he said, ' the other day — ^for it appears no longer ago — I was a midshipman in this port — I am now com- mander-in-chief at the same place : that was my first, and this will be my last cruise in life, for, when I return home, I shall be put on the shelf, or perhaps converted into a sort of hulk, or receiving ship, an old port admiral : it is a short run we make of it in this life, after all, aint't it ? Hullo, sir ! ' he said, calling out aloud to a servant, * if you don't know better than that, by Jove, I'll have you taught in a way you won't forget ! I'll give ou three dozen, as sure as you are bom. D — n that fellow ! e has knocked all the sentimentality out of me. And yet, I don't know but what I ought to thank him for it, for a man that talks foolishly, may soon begin to act foolishly. But come, old boy, let us have that glass of grog. " * Talking of giving that fellow three dozen,' he continued, I 100 THE OLD JUDGE; OB, * puts me in mind of a prank of my uncle, Sir Peter's. Previous to the American rebellion, he commanded a fri^te on the Bos- ton station: having put into one of the Puritanical ports of New England, he happened to dine on shore, and, as usual with him when not on boara, got tipsy. The select men, who affected to be dreadfully shocked at sucn a bad example being set by peo- ple in high places, apprehended him, and put him in the stocks as a terror to all evil-doers. For once in his life (for he was a vio- lent-tempered man), he uttered no threats, and made no com- plaints, but quietly submitted himself to the inevitable insult. On the following day he called u{)on the committing magistrates, applauded their zeal and impartiality in administering the law, and invited them to come and dine on board with him, as a proof that they no longer harboured any resentment against him for the heinous offencelie had perpetrated. This they readily agreed to do, and were accordingly most kindly received and hospitably entertained, and enjoyed themselves exceedingly. As the time approached for their departure, a servant entered the cabin, and 'whispered to the custos that there was a gentleman above who desired to speak to him for a moment on urgent business. As soon as the Justice made his appearance on deck, the boat- swain seized him, stripped him, and tying him up, gave a dozen lashes. Each of the others were severally summoned, and punished in a similar manner, when they were set on shore — ^the anchor was hoisted, and the vessel put under weigh for England.* " But to return to the party ; the company was a mixed one, every officer having invited his own friends, and some of them having made rather strange acquaintances. — ^I heard one of the young ladies object to a tune which she said was as old as ' three grandmothers ago,* and another observe that Lord Heather had his ' high mighty boote on,' and was quite ' highcock spotty' to- day. The sentiment was old, though the phraseology was novel, and it must be admitted that if there were nothing but proprieties in this life, we might, perhaps, lose in insipidity as much as we gained in refinement. The maxim that extremes meet was fully verified, for the smallest midshipmen seemed to pride themselves on having the tallest partners. I heard one Uttle fellow, who threw back his head and looked up at his chere amiey as if he were addressing the man at the mast-head, say, *I hope you will keep a good look-out, or we shall run foul of the captain.' ' Starbord, Milne,' said one. — ' Larboard, Skipsey,' said another, while a third advised his friend, who ap- peared to be steering wildly, to ' port his helm.' «< The great object of attraction was an American heiress of LIFE IN A COLONY. 107 Iss of inunenee fortune, a young lady from New Orleani. She was the daughter of an undertaker in that city, which was the beat stand in the Union, as he boasted, for a man in his line of business. His coffins were made in Massachusetts by machi- nery, and served the double purpose of conveying ' New England notions' to the Mississippi, and the dead to the churchyards. But, alas, for human expectations ! the delicate girl of a sickly climate, who had been enriched by the toll-house of the grave, yampire-like, was plethoric and heavy. She looked like an hos- pital nurse that faithfully delivered the medicines to the patients, and appropriated the wine and porter of the convalescents to herself. Never was there such a disappointment; for, after all, it is easy to invest with divinity the being that presides over funeral obsequies, and there is sublimity as well as poetry in the grave, but reptiles alone fatten on corruption. ' Stay, Bill,* said a little humourist to his companion, * she may have a million of money, but I'm blowed if she is worth a d — n, after all!' " If, however, she had thriven by caring for the dead, there was one of the company who was nearly worn out by caring for the living. He was an active little old man, with a benevolent though remarkably ugly face, and, judging by his dress, belong- ed to some public depaitmeut. His head was uncommonly bald, and very nearly round, which, with the yellow tint of the skin, suggested the idea of a ball of soap that had fallen on the floor, and, rolling on the carpet, had gatnered a few hairs. He attend- ed at the ladder, and assisted the ladies in their ascent to the deck ; cautioned them against portholes and hatches, which, though closed, might open of themselves, and precipitate them either into the hold or tne harbour ; pointed out the cannon, and entreated them not to stumble over them, as they might frac- ture their limbs ; and, above all, advised them not to stand in draughts, or take ice-creams when they were heated. He had a long catalogue of accidents wherewith to illustrate every cau- tion, and several ingenious inventions to counteract the efiects of damps or chills. " Tne Admiral, whose attention was directed to him while he stood bowing to the ladies, and rubbing his hands, asked who that * little wash-my-hand sort of a person was, and, on being informed that his name was Davis, recognised him as a barrack- master whom he had known at Malta, and immediately addressed him, complimenting him upon having * worn so well. * Ah, my dear Sir James,' he said, ' my good looks have ruined me. It » the worst thing in the world to have a juvenile face. The me- dical board refused to superannuate me last year, saying I was ^- 108 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, an active man yet, and fit for service. Host men like to look young, or to be thought young, but, alas ! my good looks have been a great misfortune to me. They have broken my heart — yes, yes ! they will be the death of me yet. But don't let me detain you here, sir, in the draught of this awning ; it is very dangerous, very liable to give cold, or bring on rheumatism — they are the cause of half the illness in the country.* 'You, should have stood in one of them yourself, then, my old friend,* was the good-humoured reply, * before you applied to the board for your superannuation.' " The lunch, which was a capital one, was a merry affair, and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves uncommonly. But where was there ever a midshipman without a practical joke attesting his presence ? The Governor's hat had exchanged its plume for a sprig of spruce, and a commissary-general, whose sword-belt had been shortened so that it would no longer buckle round him, was heard to exclaim, ' Good heavens ! is it possible the lunch- eon could have made all this difference in my size ? ' " While roaming about the ship, I was a good deal surpris- ed at the apathy of a sailor, who was sitting with his back turned to the gay scene, quietly stitching a pair of shoes, with the most philosophical indifference to all that was passing around him. In reply to some remark I made on the subject of the party, he saio, * Ah, sir, I have seen enough of them in my day — our part of the entertainment will come to-morrow, when we have to clear up the ship, which will be in a devil of a mess when it's all over.' "The big-wigs, as the naval and military commanders-in- chief were odled by the youngsters, were now preparing to go on shore, and the former pressed me to accompany them. As they were about to descend the side of the ship, our old friend Paul made his appearance again. * Ah, Mr Gubbemor,' he said, • sartain me lose very much yesterday — my camp all burned up — Paul venr poor now.' • 1 am very sorry for you,' was the reply. • Yes, brudder, but how much are you sorry ? Are you sorry one pound ?' The ruse was successful, and the con- tribution, as a measure of grief, was paid to him. * And you, Mr Admiral, how much you sorry ? ' Another pound reward- ed this appeal also. ' Thank you, brudders — sartain white man's pocket, like brook, keep run all the time, and never get empty. Indian man's pocket all same as glass of rum, one drink, and it's all zone.' " We now left the ship ; and at the dockyard gate, where their respective carriages were in attendance,.theo/<^^(/mtVa/and the old Oeneral cordially shook hands with each other, and parted." LIFE IN A COLONY. 100 CHAPTEE Vn. era-in- to go As friend le said, aed up as the Are le con- you, eward- whit© er get one THE 7IBST SETTLEBS. NoTHiira astonishes the inhabitants of these colonies more than the poverty, ignorance, and degradation of the people who are landed upon their shores, from the passenger ships that annually arrive from Europe. The destitution of these unfor- tunate emigrants so far exceeds anything ever seen among the native population, that they cannot understand how it is pos- sible that human beings can voluntarily surrender themselves as willing victims to starvation, who have the bodily strength to work, and the opportunities of earning their bread, as it is well Imown they have in their own country. Although they are too often the dupes of demagogues themselves, they are too proud to receive alms, live in a country too poor to feed wilful idleness, and no roan has ever yet had the hardihood to incite them to rapine and murder. Though neither frugal nor diligent, they cannot conceive a people being satisfied with less than a decent maintenance, or being so debased as to beg, or so wicked as to take by violence what thev can earn by labour. They are a kind and affection- ate people, and hear with horror of the astrocious crimes with which, alas! so many of these strangers are familiar at home. A group of these unfortunate and misguided people, arriving at Elmsdale this morning, sought, or, I should rather say, de- manded, pecuniary aid, for their tone was more exacting than supplicating. As they were all able-bodied men, they received an oft'er of employment, which, they were informed, was the course usually adopted at that place, as best suited to the means of the proprietor, and the object they had in view, of earning a subsistence. This they refused, not only with inci- vility, but with a distinct avowal that, if they were in their own country, they would take a very summary mode of enforcing compliance with their wishes. " Oh," said the Judge, " what a change has come over this continent ! These men, who begin by begging or stealing, end by governing. Political power is possessed by the mass, and this stream of pauperisni increases and pollutes it ; and what- ever our neighbours may sav to the contrary, civilization is re- trograding, and not advancing. In this province, all our emi- grants of late years have been poor and illiterate. The first 110 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, settlers were scholars and gentlemen. You may recollect I re- lated to you, some time ago, the particulars of a singular trial I •was concerned in at Plymouth, in which one Barkins was my client, and the reluctance I had to go there, in consequence of an interesting examination I was making of the scene of the first effective settlement made in this continent at Annapolis. The people who discovered and colonized this country were so different from those who come to us in the present day, that it may amuse you to hear the result of my investigations. " During one of my visits to Paris, I had accidentally met with the Journal of Mark Lescarbot, a French lawyer, who had accompanied the exploring party that first visited this part of America. With this book in my hand (which was published as early as 1609) I traced their movements from place to place, in their attempt at colonization. On the 8th of November, 1603, Henry lA^. of France granted to the Sieur de Monts, a gentle- man of his bed-chamber, a patent, constituting him Lieute- nant-Oeneral of L'Acadi (now Nova Scotia), with power to conquer and Christianize the inhabitants. On the 7th of March, having equipped two vessels, he set sail from Havre de Grace, accompanied oy the celebrated Champlain and Monsieur Pou- trincourt, and arrived on the 7th of May at a harbour (Liver- pool) on the south-east shore of the province. From thence they continued coasting the country, until they arrived at the Bay of Funday. On the eastern side of this bay they discover- ed a narrow strait, into which they entered, and soon found themselves in a spacious basin, environed with hills, from which descended streams of fresh water. Between these high lands ran a large navigable river, to which they gave the name of L'Equille. It was bordered bv fertile meadows, and filled with delicate fish. Poutrincourt, charmed with the beauty of the place, gave it the name of Port Royal (now Annapolis). After exploring the neighbourhood, and refreshing themselves, they ascended the river Saint John, as far as Fredericton, and then, visiting the coast of Maine, spent the winter of 1604-5 at the island of Sa'nt Croix, the identity of which has lately been the subject of so much discussion between the governments of Great Britain and the United States. The weather proved very severe, and the people suffered so much from scurvy, that thirty- six of them died. The remaining forty, who were all invalids, lingered on till the spring, when they recovered, by means of the fresh vegetation. " After an ineffectual attempt to reacli n more southern cli- mate, they recrossed the bay to Port Hoynl, where they found a reinforcement from France of forty men, under the command LIFE IN A COLONY. Ill irn cli- found imand of Dupont. They then proceeded to erect buildings on the spot ^'here Annapolis now stands, with a view to a permanent occupation of the country. De Monts and Poutrincourt, having put their affairs in as good order as possible, embarked in the autumn for France, leaving Pontgrage Commandant, with Ghamplain and Champdore as Lieutenants, to perfect the settlement and explore the country. During the winter they were plentifully supplied by the savages with venison, and a great trade wa^ carried on for furs. Nothing is said of the scurvy ; but they had a short allowance of bread, not by reason of any scarcity of com, but because they had no means of grindmg it, except a hand-mill, which required hard and con- tinued labour. The savages were so averse to this exercise, that they preferred hunger to the task of grinding, though they were offered half of the flour in payment. De Monts and Pou- trincourt were at that time in France, preparing, under every discouragement, for another voyage. " On the 13th of May, 1606, they sailed from Eochelle, accompanied by Lescarbot, who has left us a record of their ?roeeeding8 ; and, on ':he 27th of July, arrived at Port Boyal. 'o their astonishment, they found but two persons remaining. The rest, conjecturing from the long absence of succour, that the settlement had been abandoned by De Monts, compelled the officer in charge to sail for Canseau, in order that they might obtain a passage to France in 'some of the Ashing vessels that frequented that port. Two men, however, having more courage and more faitn than the others (La Taille and Mequelet), volunteered to remain and guard the stores and the buildings. These faithful retainers were at their dinner, when a savnge rushed in and informed them that a sail was in sight, which they soon discovered to be the long-expected vessel of their chief. Poutrincourt now began his plantation; and having cleared a spot of ground, sowed European com and several kinds of garden vegetables. " But notwithstanding all the beauty and fertility of Port Eoyal, De Monts had still a desire to make discoveries further towards the south. He therefore prevailed upon Poutrincourt to undertake a voyage to Cape Malabarre (Cape Cod), and, on the 28th of August, the ship and the barque both put to sea. In the former, De Monts and Dupont returned to France, while Poutrincourt, Champlain, Champdore, and others, crossed the bay to Saint Croix, and then continued their survey of the coast. In the mean time, Lescarbot, who remained behind at Port Royal, was busily employed in the cultivation of the gar- den, harvesting the crop, completing the buildings, and visiting the encampments of the' natives in the interior. 112 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, I i On the 14!tb of November, Poutrincourt returned from bis exploring voyage, whicb bad proved disastrous, and was received vdth every demonstration of joy by the party at the fort. Les- carbot had erected a temporary stage, which he called the 'Thea- tre of Neptune,' from whicb he recited a poetical address to bis friend, congratulating him on his safe arrival, probably the first verses ever written m North America. Over the gate were placed the royal arms of France, encircled with evergreens, with the motto, — *DVO PBOTEGIT VNT8.* " Above the door of the house of De Monts were placed his arms, embellished in a similar manner, with the inscription, — • DABIT DEUS HIS QUOQUE FINEM.' " Poutrincourt's apartments were graced with the same sim- ple decoration, having the classical superscription,—' *IirVIA. VIIITUTI NVLLA EST VIA.' "The manner in which they spent the third winter (1606-7) was social and festive. Poutrincourt established the order of * Le Bon Temps,' of which the principal officers and gentlemen, fifteen in number, were members. Evenr one was maitre d'hCtel in his turn for one day, beginning with Ghamplain, who was first installed into the office. The president (whom the Indians call- ed Atoctegi)having superintended the preparations, marched to the table, baton in hand, with the collar of the order round his neck, and napkin on his shoulder, and was followed by the others successively, each carrying a plate. The same form was observ- ed at every meal ; and, at the conclusion of supper, as soon as grace was said, he delivered, with much gravity, his insignia of office to his successor, and pledged him in a cup of wine. The advantage of this institution was, that each one was emulous to be prepared for his day, by previously hunting or fishing or purchasing fish or game of the natives, who constantly resided among them, and were extremely pleased with their manners. The chiefs of the savages were alone allowed the honour of sit- ting at their table ; the others partook of the hospitality of the kitchen. The abundance and variety of the fare this winter was a subject of no little boasting to Lescarbot, on his return to !Europe, where he taunted the frequenters of laBue aux Ours de Paris (where was one of the first eating-houses of the day), that they knew nothing of the pleasures of the table who had not par- taken of the beavers* tails and the mouffles of the moose of Port Hoyal. The weather, meanwhile, was particularly mild and agreeable. LIFE IN A COLONY. 113 " On the 14Ah of January, on a Sunday, they proceeded by water two leagues, to a corn-field, where they dined cheerfully in the sunshine, and enjoyed the music of their fatherland. You will observe, therefore, my dear sir, that, from the earliest ac- count we have of this climate, it has always had the same charac- ter of variableness and uncertainty. The winter but one preced- ing this (when they were at St Croix) was extremely severe ; and, we are informed, that that which succeeded it was remarkable for the most intense cold the Indians ever recollected. Their time, however, was not devoted to amusement alone. They erected more buildings, for the accommodation of other adven- turers, whom they expected to join them the following year, in making pitch for the repairs of their vessels, and, above all, in putting up a water-mill to grind their com. In this latter at- tempt they completely succeeded, to their own infinite relief and the great amusement of the savages. Some of the iron work of this first North American mill is yet in existence, and another of the same kind (Easson's Mill) still occupies the ancient site. " You will, perhaps, smile at the idea of antiquities in a country which is universally called a new world ; but America has a great advantage over Europe in this respect, that it has a record of its birth, while the origin of the other is to be sought for in the region of fable. I am a native of this country, and this little settlement has always had great attractions for me, who am an old Tory, from its primogeniture being two years older than James Town, in Virginia, and three years senior to Quebec, which was settled twelve years before the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers in Massachusetts. CHAPTER VIII. MEBRIMAKINOS. The shooting season having commenced most favourably this autumn, Barclay and myself spent a few days at Foxville, where the snipe are very abundant, and on our return tried, with great success, the copse that skirts the meadow between Eimsdale and Ulinoo for woodcock. While crossinc^ a little wooded promontory that intersected the alluvial land, and in- terrupted our sport, I heard the shrill voice of a female at some lU THE OLD JUDGE; OR, little distance, in great apparent distress ; and, stopping a mo- ment to ascertain the direction from whence the sound came, I distinctly heard the following extraordinary dialogue. " Oh, John ! my head ! my head ! — let me die ! I'd rather die !— oh, John, do ! How can you act so ? Oh, let me die ! " ■ — ^to which the person appealed to so pathetically replied — " * Oh, no, Sally, don't be scared — ^it won't hurt you — ^live a little longer." " I teU you, I'd rather die— I will die ! " " There, then, if you must die, die ! " " Yes, but not so suddenly, John. Let me die easy ! " E-ushing forward with what speed I could, I suddenly caught a view of a young woman, seated in a swing, suspended between two trees, having a rope attached to the seat, by means of which her companion forced her backwards and for- wards, in her pendulous motion. The alarming language she had used, it appeared, was merely the technical term applied to the cessation of the impulse given by the ropes that regu- lated the movement. And dying, I found, to my surprise, meant not to cease to live, but to cease swinging. The faur one who had so unconsciously terrified me by her screams of affright, and, as I thought, by her threats of suicide, was a stout, strong, blooming country girl, of about eighteen years of age; and her attendant a good-natured, awkward, rustic ad- mirer, but little older than herself. She had died, as she de- sired, by the time I had reached the spot, the swing being nearly motionless, and was ready to be safely deposited on and not in the ground, as I had feared, an office which I performed for her, to the surprise and evident disappointment of her companion. " I was properly scared, you may depend," she said ; " that's a fact : a body that ain't used to carry their head so low, and their feet so high, is apt to get kind of dizzy, and haven't ought to be throwcd up so hard, all of a suddent, lest the seat might sort of turn bottom upwards." Seeing a number of tables with baskets upon them, in an open glade, at some distance before us, and a great concour.:.' of people assembling, I asked her what was the occasion of it. " It is a pickinick stir, sir," was the reply. " A pickinick stir ! " I inquired ; " what is that ? " although, from the preparations that were making, the meaning was per- fectly obvious, but I wanted to hear her definition yet, as I had no doubt she would express herself in some droll language. " Lawful heart ! " she said, " I thought everybody knew what a pickinick stir was. Why, it's a feed, to be sure, where eyerj critter finds his own fodder." LIFE IN A COLONY. 115 y a mo- came, 1 [ ratber edie!" ed— ou — live suddenly ispended seat, by and for- 'uage she n applied hat regu- surprise, le fan? one creams of ide, was a een years rustic ad- as she de- ing being ed on and performed it of her ./'that's low, and kn't ought [eat might [em, in an joncour^'-' sion of it. I although, was per- yet, as I [language. )dy knew where " Ah," I said, " then I fear I am an intruder, for I have no fodder ; and, what is worse, I am neither invited nor expected, I regret this the more," I added, " as I should like very much to see a pickinick stir." " Ah, you are funning now, ain't you ? "Would you, though, in rael, right down earnest ? " " Certainly," I said, " I should be delighted." " Well, that's very easy fixed, any how. John," she said, "go and bring your basket, and look into sister Hannah Bow- ler's waggon, and fetch the wooden pail, with the birch bark cover, and no handle to it ; and if we can't find enough for the stranger, it's a pity, that's all." John hesitated for a moment, standing before her with a very sorrowful expression of countenance, as if to catch an assurance from her eye that he was not to be deserted for another. " Why, what ails the critter ? " she said, " that you stand starin' and a gapin' there, as vacant as a spare room, looking as if you couldn't near, and had never seed a body afore ; " and then, altering her manner as if the truth suddenly flashed upon her, she added, in a milder and more conciliatory tone, " Go, John, that's a good soul, and don't be all day about it : " words that inspired new life and most rapid motion into the jealous swain. She then seated herself on the grass near the declivity of the sloping knoU, and, leaning back, supported her head with her hand, by resting on her elbow. " Sit down," she said ; " sitting is as cheap as standing, when you don't pay for it, and tvdce as easy." Obeying her command, I assumed the same attitude, and there we were, who, a few moments before had never seen each other, in this singularly easy position, conversing face to face as unceremoniously and as freely as if we had known each other for years. " Dear me," she said, as her eye fell on my disengaged hand, for the other was concealed by my hair, " what a small hand you have, and how white it is ! — what do you do to make it so white ? — washin* them in buttermilk, they say, is grand ; — what do you do ? " " Nothing," I replied ! "wearing gloves produces the efiect." " Ah ! " she said, " I see you belong to the quality, I sup- pose, or keep a store, or sell doctors' means — andhaven't to use your hands. Mine " (and she held up one of hers, and examined it minutely) " are horrid hard, ain't they? — all crinkum crankum like, and criss-crossed every which way — sort of crisped and chapped ; but it can't be helped, I do suppose, for they are in and out of hot and cold water for everlasting." " It is luckj it doesn't affect the lips," 1 remarked. "Well, so it is," she replied, and added, in the most artless lie THE OLD JUDGE; OR, I! manner possible, " I vow, I never thought of that before. So you never see a pickinick stir, sir." " No, not here." " What, are you an entire stranger in these parts ? " "Yes." " Lawful heart, you don't say so ! So be I. I live to the mill-ponds to Yarmouth, where 1 am to home ; but now I am on a visit to sister Hannah, who is married to the cross roads. Then, perhaps, you never see a Bee stir ? " "Nor a raising? " « No." "Noraquating?" i"No." " Nor a husking ? " ' « No." " Nor a berrying ? " «No." " Scissors and pins ! — why, you hain't seen nothing of our ways yet ! Well, I've been to 'em all, and I'll tell you what, I like a rolling frolic better than all on them. There is always fun at the end of the roll — if you'll — but here's John ; he's gener- ally allowed to be the greatest hand at a roll in these clearings — the critter's so strong ! No, it ain't John, neither. Crea- tion ! how vexed he would be if he knew he was taken for that scarecrow, Norton Hog, who looks, for all the world, like a suit of clothes hung on a bean-pole stuck out to air ; he is so horrid thin ! Well, there's no accounting for taste — what do you think now ? — he was married last week to Betsy Spooner, as likely a gall as you will see anywhere, I know — fact, I assure you, she is twenty and he forty— exactly twice her age ; and so, as sister Hannah says, when she is fifty, he will be a hun- dred. Isn't it a horrible, scandalous match ? " " Pray, who is John ? " I inquired, as I saw him approach. « Old Mr Thad Kafuse's son." " Is he to be the happy man ? " " Well, the critter is nappy enough, for all I know to the con^mry." " If I am in the country, may I come to the wedding, and offer a bridal present in return for your kindness to-day ? " " Wedding ! — oh, my ! — ^well, I never ! — ^now I- understand you. Marry John Rafuse ! Lord love ycu, no ! unless I can't do no better, I can tell you. He's well enough, and won't want, seeing his father is well to do ; but he ain't got no force — he wants a head-piece — he's sort of under-baked. I ain't in LIFE IK A COLONY. 117 no hiiny to splice neither, at any rate, though I won't just say I won't take John Safuse at no time, neither ; for, as Hannah says, a poor husband is better than none ; and it's handy to have a man about the house, for they can do little chores to home, and run of errands. Are you married ? " " No." "Whv don't you!" " Who would have me ? " " Ah ! you are fishing for compliments now, but Praise to the face Is open disgrace ; and I won't humour you, for men are so awful consaited ! I guess the will and not the way, is wanted. Why, John," she exclaimed, on looking up, and observing him without his basket and pail, " what on urth have you done with all those chicken- fixings, ham-trimmings, and doe-doings, besides the pies, notions, and sarces ; has anything happened to them ? " '' Squire Barclay told me to thank you, and say he had made provision for his friend and himself, and here he is." Having arranged matters so as to have the young lady. Miss Sally Horn, as our neighbour at the table, Barclay and I left the young couple together, and strolled through the crowd, and mingled with the various groups that were scattered on the green or dispersed iu the woods. " This," said Barclay, " is a pio-nic, given by the owner and builder of the large timber-ship, of one thousand tons, we saw launched at Illinoo yesterday, to the families and friends of those who have in various ways been engaged either in gather- ing or preparing the materials, or putting them together ; for construction of a vessel of such magnitude gives employment to a vast number of people, who cut, hew, or haul the timber. The ovimer is also desirous of ingratiating himself with the people, over whom he has some design of acquiring political mfluence, being a violent democrat. If you took an interest in Buch subjects, it would amuse, or rather I should say disgust you, to see how men and not measures, office and not principle, is at the bottom of our colonial politics. As it is, his harangue would appear to you like a foreign language, and really the idiom is not worth acquiring. Come and look at the vehicles ; such a strange collection is worth seeing." Hay-carts filled with temporary seats, waggons furnished with four posts and a tester-like awning resembling a bedstead, carts ornamented with buffalo robes, or having their rude timbers concealed by quilts, together with more ambitious gigs. 118 THE OLD JUDGE; OH, cabs, cars, and britzschkas of every variety, form, and colour, occupied the field near the main road, to the fences of which were fastened the horses, many of which, having huge pillions attached to the saddles, appeared to have carried several per- sons on their backs. "A large temporary table, you observe," continued Bar- day, " is spread at one end of the Oreen, and several of nearly equal size occupy the other ; a division rendered necessary by the scruples of the advocates of total abstinence from all vinous or fermented liquors, who, not contented with exercising the right of doing as they please themselves, are determined to force others to follow their example, and will not permit the use of wine in their presence. How often does it happen in this world that the most strenuous advocates for liberty in theonr are the most exclusive and tyrannical in practice ! " Here a man wearing a badge to distinguish nim as a man- ager proclaimed, in a loud voice, " All ye invited guests, fall into the procession, and come to the platform ! " This was a sort of circular scaffold erected in the centre of the glade, formed around and supported by the trunk of a large elm. Three or four speakers soon made their appearance and, as- cending the elevated stage, addressed the company much in the same style and upon nearly the same topics. T£ie ship whose launch they had come to celebrate was eulogized as one of the largest, fastest, best built, and beautifully modelled vessels ever seen in this or any other country. The builder was said to have done honour to the province m general, and his native town in particular, and was adduced as one of many instances to prove that Nova Scotians only wanted opportunities to be afforded them to excel all mankind, the humblest of them being fitted for the highest offices of state at home, or abroad ; but that, unhappily, during the long Tory rule in England, the aristocracy engrossed every situaraon of honour or emolument in every part of the empire. The company were assured that the Legislative Council of this province contained as many learned, and the House of Assemoly as many able, statesmen, as the Lords or Commons' Houses of Great Britain, and that their integrity and honour were equal, if not superior. The colonies, it was said, were filled with mineral w health, so near the surface as to be exhumed with very little outlay ; and all that was required was for England to open their native treasures at her own expense, and give all the returns to the people — an act of justice which, ere long, she would be com- pelled to perform, and which would long since have been spontaneously done, had it not been for certain influential per> LIFE IN A COLONY. 119 sons in this country, who wanted the proceeds to be given ex- clusively to them. It was confidently predicted that a rail- road would be immediately constructed by the mother country between Halifax and Illinoo, and another between the former place and Quebec ; as the local legislature had most liberally done its part by giving permission to any company to be form- ed for that purpose, to pass through the land of the crown, and take as much of it as was necessary, which they had a perfect right to do, the Queen being a mere trustee for the public, and, of course, having no interest whatever of her own. And much to the same purpose. Mothers were then implored to look upon their children with pride as having the honour to be Blue Noses ; and were assured that Latin and Greek, which had hitherto been upheld by Tories, to create a distinction between the rich and the poor, were exploded, or, as it was quaintly expressed, " reformed out " ; and that now, all speaking one language, (and it was well known that they pronounced English better than the British, for who could understand a Yorkshire or Cornish man, or the Yankees, who were too lazy to use their mouths and spoke through their noses P) — now that great object had been obtained, there was an open field and fair play for all, and their children had a high destiny before them, and honour and wealth were their portion. Here the herald again proclaimed, " The bankit is now ready, and all ye invited guests will please to fall to in your places." Few people are unconsciously flattered, however delicately the incense may be ofiered ; and this agreeable and prophetic language I have related, although artfully veiling anything like broad compliment, was, notwithstanding its skilful disguises, thoroughly understood by some of the male part of the audience, for I heard one old man pronounce it all moonshine, and an- other, addressing his little Doy, say, " Well, Zacky, you have a- most a grand inheritance — that' a fact. Don't you hope you may live to get it ? Tell you what — ^your lot and your luck is, your lot will be hard work, and your luck to zave what you make. I hate all fortin-tellers — ^when they put their hands on your ribs to ticklo you, they are sure to slip their fingers iato your pockets and pick it — they are all cheats. Look out always for number one, Zacky, my boy. Now, here's a hint for you — do you go and set by your mother, for the men always give the women the best, and the women always help the children before they eat themselves : so you may guess wno gets the tid bits, Zacky. I have done my part now, by helping you to advice. 1 120 THE OLD JUDGE; OE, Jist you go and ask your mother to help you to something to eat." Having found my fair friend, Miss Sally Horn, we proceeded to the table at the upper end of the Green, and took our seats, placing her between us, when a servant of Judge Sandford's spread before us the contents of a basket he had brought from Elmsdale, and we enjoyed a capital luncheon. Poor Mr John Bafuse, not at all approving of the young lady*s behaviour, and determined to make her feel sensible of the danger of losing an admirer by such levity of manner, refused to make one of the party, and, offering his arm to another of his fair acquaintances, led her off to the other «end of the field. Miss Horn observed that " pickinick stirs " were stupid things, for a lady had nothing to do but walk up and down and stare, which warn't wholesome for weak eyes ; and as for preaching, as she called the speeches, she could hear enough of that of a Sunday, but pronounced the repast the best part of the entertainment, and evinced the sin- cerity of what she professed by the justice she did to everything placed before her. " Well, I declare," she exclaimed, " if I haven't dined well, it's a pity, for I have been helped to everything twice, and five times to blueberry pudding." " Squire," said a man seated on the opposite side of the table, and addressing himself to Barclay, " Squire, may I trouble you for a piece of that 'are apple-pie to your left there ? " pointing to a large tart, the top of which had been accidentally crushed. " With great pleasure," he replied ; and applying a knife and fork to it, remarked, " I believe you are under a mistake, sir — this is, I rather think, a pigeon-pie, and this one must have been the father of the flock, for my knife makes no impression on him. I will give you the whole bird, and you must dissect it for yourself— here it is ; and he raised on his fork, amid roars of laughter, diu*ing which the table was nearly overturned, a child's shoe that had been accidentally thrust mto it, and lost in the deep and capacious dish. « Well, I declare," said Miss Sally, " if that ain't little Lizzy Fink's shoe ! She has been hopping about all day with onl;y one on, like a land gosling. If she hain't put her foot in it, it's a pity ! — don't it beat all natur that ? I wonder what business children have to pickinick stirs ; they are for everlastingly a- poking their noses, or fingers, or feet, into something or another they hadn't ought to." " Well," continued the old yeoman, with philosophical in- difference, " that pumkin-pie to your right will do as well, for, arter all, I guess pumkin is about the king of pies ; but, Squire, LIFE IN A COLONY. 121 how is the Judge's potatoes ? have they escaped the rot ? mine have got something worse." "What's that?" " They are actually destroyed by curiosity. Every critter that passes my field says, I wonder if neighbour Millet's pota- toes nave got the disease ; and he pulls and pulls ever so many hills to see, and then says, well that's strange too ; he is the luckiest man in these parts, he hain't lost one, and the next one that comes by just does the same thing, and so on till I have lost just hsdf my crop. I vow I will shoot the first fellow I catch thefre, and hang bim up to scare away the curious. Thank fortin, it hain't effected the Indian com ! " (maize). This exclamation was occasioned by the introduction of a number of dishes of this delicious vegetable. In a moment, every one took an ear, and, raising it to his mouth with a hand at each end of it, began to eat. The colour of the com, and the manner of holding, gave the whole company the appearance of a band playing on the flute. It was the most ludicrous sight I ever beheld. It was a sort of practice in dumb show. After Miss Sally had finished two ears of it, she drew breath, and rested a moment. " Why don't you eat?" she said ; " you had better begin soon, or it will all be gone ; " and then, looking at the long white cob from which she had so expediti- ously removed the grain with her teeth, and holding it admiringly by the end before she deposited it on the plate, she continued, " Them cobs are grand for smoking hams or herrings — nothin' in nature gives the same flavour ; and as for corking bottles, they are better than boughten ones. Will you hand me the dish?" " With great pleasure ; but had you not better take a little wine first ? " " Well, I don't core if I do," she replied ; and holding a tum- bler instead of a glass, observed, " I like -wdne better than cider for consart ; it has more body, and is a more cheerfuller drink, unless the cider be first frozen down, and then bottled tight with com cobs. Here's to you, sir, and wishing you luck. When you bottle cider, it must be always upended on its neck, for bottoms are thicker than heads, and ain't so apt to go off onex- pected ; and cider is a wicked thing to burst. Have you been to Yarmouth lately ?" she asked, abruptly. « Yes, last week." " Oh, Solomon," she said, " you don't say so ! How glad I am I fell in with you ! Did you see anytlung of old Mr Sam Horn's folks down to the millponds ? " As a matter of course, I neither knew nor had heard of old ! I i I 122 THE OLD judge: OB, Mr Sam Horn or his family, but, wishing to hear her out, Ire- plied evasively — " Not recently." " Well, when you return," she continued, " I wish you would tell them I feel kind of homesick and lonesome, at the cross-roads — ^will you ? I think I shall make tracks homeward Boon," " Why, your folks think you are a-going to be married," I said.*' " Oh," she replied, with a piteous face, " there is no such good news, I can tell you. A lady has no chance of seeing folks there, unless, maybe, such a chap as John Eafuse, uad the likes of him is no great catch for any likely gall that* s got a home of her own. It's kinder dull there, and there ain't no vessels, nor raisings, nor revivals, nor camp meetings, nor nothing. I'd ra- ther go back." " Well, that's what old Mr Sam Horn said ; he remarked that he knew you would sooner be among the bull-firogs in the mill-ponds at Yarmouth, than among the owls of the cross- roads." " Did he, though ? well, there's a great deal of fun about the old gentleman, too— ain't there ? But, as I am a living sinner, if here ain't a fiddle — ain't it grand P" and, extricating herself firom the table, she was on her feet iu a moment. Shrii;ly afterwards, the whole company rose, and a benevo- lent matron present proposed that what was left of the viands should be given to the negroes who were in attendance. " I guess," said Miss Sally, "you might as well then butter the table-cloth then, for, excepting the shoe-pie, which ain't fit for no Christian to eat, unless it's a darkey, 1 don't see there is anything else left." " It would be just as well," retorted the other, with an of- fended toss of her head, and not at all relishing the general laugh raised at her expense, " it would be just as well perhaps if some young folks knew what was due to their elders and betters, and didn't talk quite so fast and so pert." The black musician, to whose superior knowledge and au- thority in such matters all deferred, now summoned the young people to take their places on the green. " Will you dance ? " said my fair friend. I replied, " I am sorry I am obliged to bid you good bye, and leave you, for I have an engagement elsewhere, this bemg altogether an unexpected pleasure to me. But pray dance with your friend Mr Biuuse, who I see has returned : he seems hurt at your neglect." " Who cares ?" she said ; " if he don't like it, he may lump LIFE IN A COLONY. 123 it. Tell you what — if John Eafuse was down to the mill-ponds to Yarmouth among the ponders, they would call him Be/use, and that's the poorest sort of boards they have in all their lum- ber. "Well, I am sorry you are a-going, too. There is grand shooting to the cross-roads, I have heam Hannah's husband sav, only people are too lazy to shoot. If you will come there, I will get him to give you a rolling frolic, for he has got one on hand, and promised me a treat before I go home. I'll hold back for you. Oh, it's fim alive, you may depend ! — ^but pickinick stirs are as heavy as dough — more trouble to come and to go and to carry things than they are worth, and dancing on the ground is hard work, and, besides, it don't seem kinder natural in the day- time, and so many folks looking on, and making their remarks, who have nothing to do with it kinder, puts a wet blanket on it. Oh, a rolling frolic is just what you would like, for it's sociable and onforraal ; or, if you can't come, next time you go to Tar- mouth, just give us a call to old Mr Sam Horn's to the mill- ponds. It's a most beautiful place. It's generally allowed to take the shine off this province, I tell you. You won't forget to give us a call, will you ? The old gentleman will be very proud to see you, and I'll " The order of the musician was imperative ; and Mr Bafuse several times reminded the talkative lady that she was keeping the company waiting. *' Don't be in such a plaguy pecky hurry," she answered sharply. " If you can't wait, get another partner. Don't you see, I am bidding good bye to the stranger ? manners before measures." * Pray don't detain him," I said. " Mr Barclay and I will be at the cross-roads next week, if the weather is favourable, and spend a day or two there shooting." " And the rolling frolic ? " she inquired doubtfully. " Oh, certainly, I shall be delighted to accept your kind in- vitation. Good bye, till we meet again." "Then,Imay deuend?" " Certainly, I shall only be too happy." " Come, now, I like that," she saia, " you are the rael grit, every inch of you. Seeing you're a touch above common, I was afraid you would be too proud, maybe, to come among the like of us poor folks. Thank you, sir. Good bye! mind next week. And now, John, how sorry I am I kept you waiting so long ! What's become of Nabby Frisk I seed you with just now ? She looks as yalier as a kite's foot. What's that tune, Pompey, you are a-playing ? Is it ' Off she goes to Mirimishee P ' " " JNo, miss, it's ' Come tickle my nose with a barley straw.' " 124 THE OLD judge; OB, " Oh, my ! " she replied, pressing both her hands on her sides, and laughing most immoderately — ' Tickle my nose with a barley straw ! ' well, if that name don't bang the bush ! — ^it caps all." The young people were now all in motion; but such a dance! It was a serious business affair. Everybody main- tained a profound silence, and the only voice to be heard was that of the black fiddler, who gave out the figures in a loud tone, that was distinctly audible over the screaming notes of the violin, while the dancers seemed most anxious to execute such steps as they knew with the greatest exactness and agility. In describing this scene, I have preferred giving the greater parts of the dialogue with Miss Horn to recording the general conversation of the tables, because, as this sketch is mithfully drawn from nature, it will convey to the reader an accurate idea of the class to which she belonged. ^Taking Barclay's arm, I now strolled to the other end of the glade previous to returning to Elmsdale. This portion of the company had also lefb the tables, and were scattered in detached groups ; some packing up preparatory to leaving the place, and others listening attentively to a man who was de- nouncing those who had profaned the place with wine and dancing. He was a tall, thin, cadaverous-looking man, whose long black hair, falling wildly over his shoulders, gave his face a ghastly appearance, while his wild and wandering eye imparted to it a tearful expression. He appeared to be labouring both under great excitement and a considerable impediment of speech which effected his respiration, so as to contract and ex- Eand his cheeks and sides, and make the indraught and exit of is breath distressingly audible. Nothing could be more pain- ful than to witness his convulsive utterance, unless it was to hear his dreadful language. He consigned all those who were not members of Temperance Societies to everlasting perdition, without the slightest compunction, and invoked an early fulfil- ment of his imprecations upon them. Occasionally, he would terminate a period with a long unmeaning alliteration, calling dancing a profanation of an ordination that led to damnation, or point his harangue against wine-drinkers, by observing, that they think it fine to drink wine like swine ; but they'll repine, they'll repine. Turning in disgust from this profane and uncharitable dis- course, we crossed the lawn in toe direction of the post road. On our way, we met two young women looking about them in great trouble and perplexity. As soon as they nerceived us, one of them approached, and, addressing herself to me, said, LIFE IN A COLONY. 126 *' Pray, sir, did you see a beast down there ? " pointiiie to the Eart of the lawn we had just left. Although I should never ave thought of the word brute, or beast, as applicable to the wretched man I had been listening to, I was not at all surprised at the terrified girl using it, knowing that the population of rural districts derive most of their epithets from the objects about* them. " I have indeed seen a strange animal there," I said. * Was he a black beast, sir ? " ' Long black hair," I replied, " and a wild and wicked ex- pression of the eye." " Did you take notice of his feet, sir ? " she inquired anx- iously. I now perceived, by this reference to the cloven foot, that the poor girl either thought he was the devil inpropridpersondt or was possessed of one. " Don't be alarmed," I said. '* I didn't observe his feet." " Had he a long black tail, and a cushion strapped on be- hind for carrying a gall on ? " Here Barclay, who had been enjoying my mistake, came to the rescue. " You have lost your horse, I suppose." " Yes, sir, our beast has broke his bridle, and made tracks. I only hope he ain't raced off home." " Had he four white feet ? " 'Yes, sir." " Ah, then, he's quietly grazing below the crowd. Where is the bridle ? — Ah, here it is. Make yourself easy ; I will restore him to you in a moment." On his return, the two girls were adjusted into their seats ; one riding in front on a man's saddle, the other behind, but on the opposite side of the horse. " I agree with your friend, Miss Sally Horn," said Barclay ; ''picnics are stupid things, under any circumstances, but doubly so when attempted by country people, who do not un- derstand them, are destitute of the resources furnished by education for conversation and amusement, and to whom un- occupied time is always wearisome. Merrimaking in America, except in towns or new settlements, is a sad misnomer, when uppbed to such matters ; the religion of the country, which is puritanical, is uncongenial to it ; dissent is cold and gloomy, uud represses the cheerfulness of youth, and the buoyancy of healthful spirits. The people are not fond of music, and are strangers to theatrical amusements ; and, being dispersed over ft great surface of country, instead of dwelling in villages or 126 THE OLD judge; OR, hamlets, as in Europe, have little opportunity for convivial intercourse ; while the exigencies of a northern climate, and the hardships and privations of forest life, leave but little time for relaxation. They are a business and matter-of-fact people. * Baisings,' which mean the direction of the frames of wooden houses, are everywhere performed by mechanics, except in new settlements. 'Log roUing,' which is the process of heaping together the trunks of trees that have been felled preparatory to being burned, so as to clear the land for cultivation, and ' the Bee,* which is the gathering of people for the purpose of chopping down the forest, or for harvesting, or some other friendly act for a neighbourhood, are all, in lOie manner, pecu- liar to remote places. " When any of these occasions occur, they are followed by festivities of a totally different character from those in the old settlements. In proportion as the country becomes more densely peopled, these acts of mutual assistance, rendered necessary in the first instance by the individual weakness and mutual wants of all, become more and more rare, and finally cease altogether, and with them merrimakings cease also. Festive assemblies occur now only in towns, or the midst of the woods : so true in all things is the old maxim — * extremes meet.' In that portion of the country where these good old * Baisings,' ' Bees, ' Log-rollings,' and other cordial and friendly meetings have died out, nothing has arisen in their place to in- duce or require a celebration. The formal manners of the town sit awkwardly on the farmer ; its customs and fashions neither suit his means nor his condition. Unwilling to be thought rustic and vulgar, he has abandoned the warm-hearted junket- ing of old; and, unable to accommodate himself to city usages, which he sees so seldom as not thoroughly to under- stand, he has little or no recreation to give his family ; a cold hospitality that acquires ostentation, in proportion as it loses cordiality, gradually supervenes. The character and appear- ance of the man undergo a sad change ; the jolly, noisy yeo- man becomes a melancholy-looking man; his temper is gradually soured by the solitude and isolation in which he fives, and, resorting to politics and religion for excitement, he rushes to the wildest extremes in both, howling for nights to- gether in the protracted meetings of revivals, or raving with equal zeal and ignorance about theories of government. " The injurious effects upon the health, occasioned by the absence of all amusement, and the substitution of fanaticism or politics in its place, is not confined to the male part of the It LIFE rjSf A COLONY. 127 population. It falls still heavier on the females. The former nave their field labours to detain them aU day in the fresh air ; the latter are confined to the house and its close and unwhole- some atmosphere, and sufier in proportion. No merry laugh rings on the ear of the anxious mother, no song gladdens her heart, no cheerful dance of joyous youth reflects the image of the past, or gives a presage of a happy future. Sadness, sudTer- ing, or discontent, is legible on the face. Silence or fretfulness pervades the house. The home is not happy. " I am glad you have arranged to go to the cross-roads next week. You 'will at once see the effect of menimakings and cheerfulness, not only on the health and looks, but upon the bearing and character of the population. The Judge says * Exercise is health,' but he is mistaken ; cheerfidness is an essential ingredient, and where that does not spring &om a well-regulated mind, as it does among educated people, amuse- ment, in some shape or other, is absolutely indispensable." CHAPTER IX. THE SCHOOLMASTEB ; OB, THE HECKE THALEB. Ov our return to Elmsdale, the absurd scene of the morn- ing was adverted to, and the extraordinary manner in which the people were flattered and lauded by the orators of Illinoo. " That," said the Judge, " is the inevitable result of the almost universal suflrage that exists in this province. People accommodate themselves to their audience ; and, where the lower orders form the majority of electors, their vanity is appealed to, and not their judgment — their passions, and not their reason ; and the mass, instead of being elevated in the scale of intelli- gence by the exercise of political power, is lowered by the de- lusion and craft, of which it is made the willing victim. Nova Scotians have been so often assured that they are the ablest, the wisest, and best of men, though their rulers are both igno- rant and corrupt, and that they have a rich and fertile country, blessed with a climate more salubrious and agreeable than that of any other part of the world, they begin to think that law and not industry, government and not enterprise, is all that is wanting for the full enjoyment of these numerous advantages. If any man were to say to them that their winters are long 128 THE OLD judge; OB, I i I" : 1 and severe, their Bprings late, cold, and variable, while much of their soil is wet, stony, or unproductive, and that toil and pri- vation are the necessary incidents of such a condition ; or venture to assert that, although the province abounds v