IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT 3)
1.0
I.I
f IIIIM - IIIIM
' m
M
|||Z2 12.0
1.8
1.25 1.4 16 ' ■ 1 |
||
■• 6" |
► |
%.
%
^
A
w
-c-l
-T^
^7/ c*
-#
<$>:
^y /
/
O
7
//a
Photographic
Sciences Corporation
23 WEST MAIN STREET
WEBSTER, NY. 14580
(716) 872-4503
¥ mp.
Q'
CIHM/ICMH
Microfiche
Series.
CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches.
Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques
1980
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques
The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographicaliy unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or whfch may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below.
L'Institut a microfilmd le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6X6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m6thode normale de filmage sont indiqu6s ci-dessous,
D D D D D D G D
D
Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur
Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagde
Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurde et/ou pelliculde
Cover title missing/
Le titre de couverture manque
Coloured maps/
Cartes gdographiques en couleur
Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire)
Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur
Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents
Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/
La reliure serr^e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge int^rieure
Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmdes.
□
□
n n
Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur
Pages damaged/ Pages endommag^es
Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurdes et/ou pelliculdes
Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d^colordes, tachet^es ou piqu6es
Pages detached/ Pages d6tach6es
Showthrough/ Transparence
Quality of print varie// Quality in6gale de I'impression
Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplementaire
Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible
Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiell'jment obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6t6 film^es d nouveau de faqon d obtenir la meilleure image possible.
n
Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl6mentaires;
This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/
Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqud ci-dessous.
10X 14X 18X 22X
26X
30X
y |
12X
16X
20X
24X
28X
32X
The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of:
The Nova Scotia Legislative Library
1
L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grAce d la g6n6rosit6 de:
The Nova Scotia
Legislative Library
The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications.
Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettetd de l'exemplaire film6, et en conforniit6 avec les conditions du contrat de filmage.
Original copies in printed paper covers r' > filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression.
Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprim6e sont filmds en commen^ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration. ^^it par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les aui es exemplaires originaux sont filmds en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte.
The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol ^^ (meaning "CON- TINUED "), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies.
Un des symboles suivants apparaltra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole —^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN".
Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method:
Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent 6tre filmds d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est filmd d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode.
1 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
ACADIA;
o«,
A MONTH WITH THE BLUE NOSES.
BT
FREDERIC S. COZZENS,
ADTHOK 0» " SPAREOwaaiSS PAPBE8."
■^■
■t
This ts Arcadia — thts the land That weary souls have sighed fori This is Arcadia— this the land Heroic hearts have died for! Yet, strange to tell, tliis promised land Baa never been applied fori
FOirtTBS.
NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY KURD AND HOUGHTON.
Cambrflise: a&fbetsfHe ^tess
1877.
(V>
r
NS
KuTSKiD •according to Aet of Conp-eM, in the year lUlk kT
FUEDERIC 8. COZZENS,
h tht CUrk'i Office of the riittriot Oonrt of the UniUid St«te> for the Soulharo UMiM ft
New Yt-tk.
r
'S'
^
Stt^ 2 2 1352
PBEFAOE.
As I have a sort of religion in literature, believing that no author can justly intrude upon the public without feeli!ig that his writings may be of some benefit to mankind, I beg leave to apologize for this little book. I know, no critic can tell me better than I know myself, how much it falls short of what might have been done by an abler pen. Yet it is something — un index, I should say, to something better. The French in America may sometime lind a champion. For my own part, I would that the gentler principles which governed them, and the English under William Penn, and the Dutch under the enlightened rule of the States General, liad obtained here, instead of the narrower, the more penurious, and most proscriptivt policy of their neighbors.
I am indebted to Judge Ilalibnrton's " History of Nova Scotia" for the main body of historical fjicts in this volume. Let me acknowledge my obligations. His researches and impartiality are most creditable, and worthy of respect and attention. I have also drawn as liberally as time and space would permit
f.
IV
PREFACE.
\
from chronicles contemporary with the events of those early days, as well as from a curious collection of items relating to the subject, cut from the London newspapers a hundred years ago, and kindly fur- nished me by Geo. P. Putnam, Esq. These are always the surest guides. To Mrs. Kate Williams, of Providence, K. 1., 1 am indebted also. Her story of the " Neutral French," may have inspired the author of the most beautiful jiastoral in the lan- guage. The " Evangeline " of Longfellow, and the " Pauline" of this lady's legend, are pictures of the same individual, only drawn by different hands.
A word in regard to the two Acadian portraits. These are literal ambrotypes, to which Sarony has added a few touches of his artistic crayon. It may interest the reader to know that these are the first, the only likenesses of the real Evangelines of Aca- dia. The women of Chezzctcook appear at day- break in the city of Halifax, and as soon as the sun is up vanish like the dew. They have usually a basket of fresh eggs, a brace or two of worsted socks, a bottle of fir-balsam to sell. Tliese comprise their simple commerce. When the market-bell rings you find them not. To catch such fleeting phantoms, and to transfer them to the frontispiece of a book published here, is like painting the burnished wings of a humming-bird. A friend, however, undertook the task. He rose before the sun, he bought eggs, worsted socks, and fir-balsam of the Acadians. By constant attentions he became acquainted with a
PREFACE,
pair of Acadian women, niece and aunt. Tlien he proposed the matter to their. ;
" 1 want you to go with me to the daguerreotype gallery."
"Wliatfor?"
*' To have your portraits taken."
"What for?"
" To send to a friend in New York."
"What for?"
" To be put in a book."
"What for?"
" Never mind ' what for,' wnll you go?"
Aunt and niece — both together in a breath — "No."
So my friend, who was a wise man, wrote to the prief t of the settlement of Chezzeteook, to explain
the ■' what for," and the consequence was our
portraits! But these women had a terrible time at the head of the first flight of stairs. Not an inch would these shy creatures budge beyond. At last, the wife of the operator induced tliem to rise to the high flight that led to the Halifax skylight, and there they were painted by the sun, as we see them now.
Nothing morel Ring the bell, prompter, and draw the curtain.
i
CONTENTS.
— ♦-
CHAPTER I.
Vague Rumors of Nova Scotia — A Fortnight upon Salt Water—* Interesting Sketch of the Atlantic — Halifax ! — Determine to stay in the Province— Province Building and Pictures — Coast Scenery — Liberty in Language, and Aspirations of the People — Evange- line and Relics of Acadia — Market-Place — The Encampment at Point Pleasant — Kissing Bridge— Tho " Himalaya "—A Sabbath in a Garrison Town — Grand Celebration of the Peace, and Natal Day of Ilalifax — And a Hint of a Visit to Chezzetcook 18
CHAPTER IL
Fog clears up — The One Idea not comprehended by the American Mind — A June Morning in the Province — The Beginning of the Evangeliad — Intuitive Perception of Genius — The Forest Prime- val— Acadian Peasants — A Negro Settlement — Deer's Castle — The Road to Chezzetcook — Acadian Scenery — A Glance at ths Early History of Acadia — First Encroachments of the English — The Harbor and Village of Chezzetcook, etc., etc 84
CHAPTER III.
A. Romp at Three Fathom Harbor — The Moral Condition of the Acadians — The Wild Flowers of Nova Scotia — Mrs. Deer's Wit—
1
Vlll
CONTENTS.
Nc Fish — Plcton — The Balaklava Schooner — And a Voyage to Louisburg 58
CnAPTER IV.
The Voyage of the " Balaklava " — Something of a Fog — A Novel Sensation — Picton bursts out — "Nothing to do" — Breakfast under Way — A Phantom Boat — Mackerel — Gone, Hook and Line — The Colonists — Sectionalism and Prejudices — Cod-fishing and an Unexpected Banquet — Past the old French Town — A Pretty Respectable Breeze — We get past the Rocks — Louis- burg ... 11
CHAPTER V.
Loulsburgh — The Great French Fortress — Incidents of the Old French War — Relics of the Siege — Description of the Town — The two Expeditions — A Yankee ruse de gtierre — The Rev. Samuel Moody's Grace — Wolfe's Landing — The Fisherman's Hutch — The Lost Coaster — The Fisheries — Picton tries his hand at a Fish-pugh 102
CHAPTER VL
A most acceptable Invitation — An Evening in the Hutch — Old Songs — Picton in High Feather — Wolfe and Montcalm — Reminis- cences of the Siege — Anecdotes of Wolfe — A Touch of Rhetoric and its Consequences 121
CHAPTER Vn.
The other side of the Harbor — A Foraf;ing Party — Disappointment — Twilight at Loulsburgh — Long Days and Early Mornings — A Visit and View of an Interior — A Shark Story — Picton inquires about a Measure — Hospitality and the Two Brave Boys — Pro- posals for a Trip Overland to Sydney 1S9
OONTEN TS. 11
CHAPTER VIII.
▲ Bluo-Nosed Pair of the moat Cerulean Hue — Prospects of a Hard Bargain — Case of Necessity — Romautic Lake with an Unromantic Name — The Discussion concerning Oatmeal — Danger of the Gaaterophili — McGibbet majcea a Proposition — Farewell to tho "Balaklava" — A Midnight Journey-r-Sydney — Boat Excursion to the Miomacs — Picton takes off his Mackintosh 164
CHAPTER IX.
The Micmac Camp— Indian Church-warden and Broker — Interior
of a Wigwam — A Madonna — A Digression — Malcolm Discharged
—An Indian Bargain — The Inn Parlor, anv' a Comfortable
Night's Rest 176
CHAPTER X.
Over the Bay — A Gigantic Dumb Waiter — Erebus — Reflections- White and Black Squares of the Chess-Board — Leare-taking — An Interruption — The Aibstract Preencipels of Fecnance. . 186
CHAPTER XI.
The Bras d'Or Road — Farewell to Picton — Home, Sweet Home — The Rob Roys of Cape Breton — Note and Query — Chapel Island — St. Peter's — Enterprise — The Strait of Canseau — West River — The Last Out-post of the Scottish Chiefs 196
CHAPTER XII.
The Ride from West River — A Fellow Passenger — Parallels of His tory — One Hundred Romances — Baron de Castine — His Charact?! — Made Chief of the Abenaquis — Duke of York's Charter — Encroachments of the ^uritans — Church's Indian Wars— False
Reports — Reflections 212
1*
^1
n
i
if'i
m
-■:. '*
I!
X CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XIII.
Xniro — On the Road to Ilalifax — Drive to the Left — A. Member oi the Foreign Legion — Irish Wit at Government Expense — The first Battle of the Legion — Ten Pounds Reward — Sir John Gas- pard's Revenge — The Shubenacadie Lakes — Dartmouth Ferry, and the Hotel Waverley 224
CHAPTER XIV.
Halifax again— Hotel Waverley — " Gone the Old Familiar Faces" — The Story of Marie de la Tour 28t
CHAPTER XV.
Bedford Basin — Legend of the two French Admirals — An Invita- tion to the Queen — Visit to the Prince's Lodge — A Touch of Old England— The Ruins 251
CHAPTER XVI.
The Last Night — Farewell, Hotel Waverley — Friends Old and New — What followed tlie Marriage of La Tour le Borg. j — Invasion of Col. Church 268
CHAPTER XVn.
A few more Threads of History — Acadia again lost — The Oath cf Allegiance — Settlement of Halifax — Tiic brave Three Hundred — Massacre at Norridgewoack — Le Piire Ralle 269
CHAPTER XVIII.
On the road to Windsor — The great Nova Scotia Railway — A Fellow Passenger — Cape Sable Shipwrecks — Seals — Ponies — Windsor — Sam Slick — A lively Example 279
CHAPTER XIX. Windsor-upon-Avon — Ride to the Gasperau — The Basin of Minaa—
_ CONTENTS. Xi
Blomidon — This is the Acadian Land — Basil, the Blacksmith — A Yankee Settlement — Useless Reflections 293
CHAPTER XX.
The Valley of Acadia — A Morning Ride to the Dykes — An unex- pected Wild-duck Chase — High Tides — The Gasperau — Sunset — The Lamp of History — Conclusion 802
Appendix %\1
ACADIA.
CHAPTER I.
Vague Rumors of Nova Sc^'.ia— A Fortnight upon Salt Water- Interesting Sketch of the Atlantic — Halifax! — Determine to stay in the Province — Province Building and Pictures — Coast Scenery -Liberty in Language, and Aspirations of the People — Evange- line and Relics of Acadia--Market-Place — The Encampment at Point Pleasant — Kissing Bridge — The " Himalaya " — A Sabbath in a Garrison Town — Grand Celebration of the Peace, and Natal Day of Halifax — And a Hint of a Visit to Chczzetcook.
It is pleasant to visit Nova Scotia in the month of June. Pack up your flannels and your fishing tackle, leave behind you your prejudices and your summer clothing, take your trout-pole in one hand and a copy of Haliburton in the other, and step on board a Cunarder at Boston. In thirty-six hours you are in the loyal little province, and above you floats the red flag and the cross St. George. My word for it, you will not regret the trip.
IS
[; I
H
l!
14
ACADIA, OR A MONTH
That the idea of visiting Nova Scotia ever struck any living person as something peculiarly pleasant and cheerful, is not within the bounds of proba- bility. Very rud^i people are wont to speak of Halifax in connection with the name of a place never alluded to in polite society — except by clergymen. As for the rest of the Province, there are certain vague rumors of extensive and constant fogs, but nothing more. The land is a sort of terra incognita. Many take it to be a part of Canada, and others firmly believe it is some- where in Newfoundland.
In justice to Nova Scotia, it is proper to state that the Province is a province by itself ; that it hath its own governor and parliament, and its own proper and copper currency. How I chanced to go there was altogether a matter of destiny. It was a severe illness — a gastric disorder of the most obsti- nate kind, that cast me upon its balmy shores. One day, after a protracted relapse, as I was creep- ing feebly along Broadway, sunning myself, like a March fly on a window-pane, whom should I meet but St. Leger, my friend. " You look pale," said St. Legor. To which I replied by giving him a full, complete, and accurate history of my ailments, after the manner of valetudinarians. " Wh_^ do you not try change of air ?" he asked ; and then briskly
WITH THE BLUE NOSES,
15
added, " You could spare a couple of weeks or so, could you not, to go to the Springs?"' "I could," said I, feebly. " Then," said St. Leger, " take the two weeks' time, but do not go to the Springs. Spend your fortnight on the salt water — get out of sight of land — that is the thing for you." And so, shaking my hand warmly, St. Leger passed on, and left me to my reflections.
A fortnight upon saltwater? "Whither? Cape Cod at once loomed up, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard. " And why not the Bermudas ?" said a voice within me ; " the enchanted Islands of Pros- pero, and Ariel, and Miranda ; of Shakspearo, and Raleigh, and Irving ?" And echo answered : " Why not ?"
It is but a day-and-a-half's sail to Halifax ; thence, by a steamer, to those neighboring isles ; for the Curlew and the Merlin, British mail-boats, leave Halifax fortnightly for the Bermudas. A thousand miles of life-invigorating atnios})here — a week upon salt water, and you are amid the mag- nificent scenery of the Tempest ! And how often had the vague desire impressed me — how often, indeed, had I visited, in imagination, those beauti- ful scenes, those islands which have made Shaks- peare our near kinsman ; which are part and parcel of the romantic history of Sir Walter llalcigh I
16
A aDIA, or a month
For, even if he do describe them, in his strong old Saxon, as " the Bermudas, a hellish sea for Thun- der, and Lightning, and Storms," yet there is a charm even in this description, for doubtless these very words gave a title to the great drama of Wil- liam of Stratford, and suggested the idea of
" The still-vexed Bermoothes."
Ah, yes ! and who that has read Irving's " Tliree Kings of Bermuda " has not felt the influence of those Islas Encantadas — those islands of palms and coral, of orange groves and ambergris ! " A fortnight ?" said I, quoting St. Leger ; " I will take a month for it." And so, in less than a week from the date of his little prescription, I was bidding farewell to some dear friends, from the deck of the " Canada," at East Boston wharf, as Captain Lang, on the top of our wheel-house, shouted out, in a very briny voice : "Let go the starboard bow chain — go slow I"
It would be presumptuous in me to speak of the Atlantic, from the limited acquaintance I had with it. Tlie note-book of an invalid for two days at sea, with a heavy ground swell, and the wind in the most favorable quarter, can scarcely be attractive. As the breeze freshened, and the tars of old Eng- land ran aloft, to strip from the black sails the
WITH THE BLUE NOSES
17
wrappers of white canvas that had hid them when in port ; and as these leathern, bat-Hke pinions spread out on each side of the funnel, there was a moment's glimpse of the picturesque ; but it was a glimpse only, and no more. One does not enjoy the rise and dip of the bow of a steamer, at first, however graceful it may be in the abstract. To be Bure, there were some things else interesting. For instance, three brides aboard ! And one of them lovely enougl» lo awaken interest, on sea or land, in any body but a Halifax passenger. I hope those fa'.r ladies will have a pleasant toui*, one and all. pjid that the view they take of the great world, so early in life, will make them more contented with that minor world, henceforth to be within the limits of their dominion. Lullaby to the young wives! there will be rocking enough anon !
But we coasted along pleasantly enough the next "■ " within sight of the bold headlands of Maine ; the sky and sea clear of vapor, except the long reek from the steamer's pipe. And then came nightfall and the northern stars ; and, later at night, a new luminary on the edge of the horizon — Sam- bro' light ; and then a sudden quenching of stars, and horizon, lighthouse, ropes, spars, and smoke stack ; the sounds of hoarse voices of command in the obscurity ; a trampling >f men ; and then down
18
ACADIA, OR A MONTH
went the anchor in the ooze, and the Canada was fog-bound in the old harbor of Chebucto for tlie niglit, within a few miles of the city.
But with the early dawn, we awoke to hear the welcome sounds of the engines in motion, and when we reached the deck, the mist was drifted with sunlight, and rose and fell in luminous billows on water and shore, and then lifted, lingered, and vanished !
"And this is Halifax?" said I, as that quaint, mouldy old town poked its wooden gables through the fog of the second morning. " This is Ilalifjix ? Tills the capital o" Nova Scotia? Tliis the city that harbored those loyal heroes of the Revolution, who gallantly and gayly fought, and bled, and ran for their king ? Ah ! you brave old Tories, you staunch upholders of the crown ; cavaliers without ringlets or feathers, russet boots or steeple-crown hats, it seems as if you were still hovering over this venerable tabernacle of seven hundred gables, and wreathing each particular ridge-pole, pigeon-hole, and shingle with a halo of fog.
Tlie plank was laid, and the passengers left the steamer. Tliere were a few veh^'cles on the wharf for the accommodation of strangers ; square, black, funereal-like, wheeled sarcoj)hagi, eminently sug- gestive of burials and crape. Of course I did not
WITH THE BLUE NOSES
19
ride ill one, on account of unpleasant associations ; but, placing my trunk in charge of a cart-boy witli a long-tailed dray, and a diminutive pony, I walked tl rough the silent streets towards "The Wavcrley."
It was an inspiriting morning, that which I met upon the well-docked shores of Halifax, and al- though the side-walks of the city were neither bricked nor paved with flags, and the middle street was in its original and aboriginal clay, yet there was novelty in making its acquaintance. Everybody was asleep in that early fog ; and when everybody woke up, it was done so quietly that the change was scarcely apparent.
But the " Merlin," British mailer, is to sail at noon for the Shakspeare Island, and breakfast must be discussed, and then once more I am with you, my anti-bilious ocean. It chanced, however, I heard at breakfast, that the " Curlew," the mate of the " Merlin," had been lost a short time before at sea, and as there was but one, and not two steamers '^n the route, so that I would be detained longer with Prospero and Miranda than might be comfort- able in the approaching hot weather, it came to pass that I had reluctantly to forego the projected voyage, and anchor my trunk of tropical clothing in room Number Tw^enty, Hotel Waverley. It was a great disappointment, to be sure, after such bril-
20
ACADIA, OR A MONTH
liant anticipations — but what is life without philo- sophy ? "VVlien we cannot get what we wisli, let us take what we may. Let the " Merlin " sail ! I will visit, instead of those Islas Encantadas, " The Acadian land on the shore of the Basin of Minas." Let the " Merlin " sail ! I will see the ruined walls of Louisburgh, and the harbors that once sheltered the Venetian sailor, Cabot. " Let her sail !" said I, and when the morn passed I saw her slender thread of smoke far off on the glassy ocean, without a sigh of regret, and resolutely turned my face from the promised palms to welcome the sturdy pines of the province.
The city hill of Halifax rises proudly from its wharves and shipping in a multitude of mouse- colored wooden houses, until it is crowned by the citadel. As it is a garrison town, as well as a naval station, you meet in the streets red-coats and blue- jackets without number; yonder, with a brilliant staff, rides the Governor, Sir John Gaspard le Mar- chant, and here, in a carriage, is Admiral Fan- shawe, C.B., of the " Boscawen " Flag-ship. Every thing is suggestive of impending hostilities ; war, in burnished trappings, encounters you at the street corners, and the air vibrates from time to time with bugles, fifes, and drums. But oh ! what a slow place it isl Even two Crimean regiments with
WITH THE BLUR NOSES.
21
nieduls and decorations could not wake it up. Tlie little old liouses seejn to look with wondrous apathy as these pass by, as though they had given each other a quiet nudge with their quaint old gables, and whispered : "Keep still I"
I wandered up and down those old streets in search of soniotliing picturesque, but in vain; there was scarcely any thing remarkable to arrest or inter- est a stranger. Such, too, might have been the appearance of other places I wot of, if those staunch old loyalists h«ad had their way in the days gone by !
But the Province House, which is built of a sort of yellow sand-stone, with pillars in front, and trees around it, is a well-proportioned building, with an air of great solidity and respectability. Tliere are in it very fine full-lengths of King George 11. and Queen Caroline, and two full-lengths of King George III. and Queen Charlotte ; a full-length of Chief-Justice Haliburton, and another full-length, by Benjamin West, of another chief-justice, in a red robe and a formidable wig. Of these portraits, the two first-named are the most attractive ; tliere is something so gay and festive in the appearance of King George II. and Queen Caroline, so courtly and sprightly, so graceful and amiable, that one is tempted to exclaim: "Bless the painter! what a genius he had 1"
■ IP
r
r
I
22
ACADIA, OR A MONTH
And now, after taking a look at Dallioiisic Col lego witli the parade in front, and the square town- clock, built by his graceless Iliglincss the Duke of Kent, let us climb Citadel Ilill, and see the formid- able protector of town and harbor. Lively enough it is, tliis great stone fortress, with its soldiers, swarming in and out like bees, and the glimpses of country and harbor are surpassingly beautiful ; but just at the margin of this slope below us, is the street, and that dark fringe of tenements skirting the edge of this green glacis is, I fear me, fillea with vicious inmates. Yonder, where the blackened ruins of three houses are vi'3ible, a sailor was killed and thrown out of a window not long since, and his shipmates burned the houses down in consequence ; there is something strikingly suggestive in looking upon this picture and on that.
But if you cast your eyes over yonder mag- nificent bay, where vessels bearing flags of all nations are at anchor, and then let your vision sweep past and over the islands to the outlets beyond, where the quiet ocean lies, bordered with fog-banks that loom ominously at the boundary-line of the horizon, you will see a picture of marvellous beauty ; for the coast scenery here transcends our own sea-shores, both in color and outline. And oehind us again stretch large green plains, dotted
I
WITH THE BLUE NOSES,
28
with cottages, and bounded with undulating hills^ with now and then glimpses of bhio water ; and aa "'e walk down Citadel llill, we feel half-reconciled .. T> 'ifax, its queer little streets, its quaint, mouldy .1(1 gables, its soldiers and sailors, its fogs, cabs, penny and half-penny tokens, and all its little, odd, outlandish peculiarities. Peace be with it ! after all, it has a quiet charm for an invalid I
Tlie inhabitants of Halifax exhibit no trifling degree of freedom in language for a loyal people ; they call themselves " Ilalligonians." Tliis title, however, is sometimes pronounced " 'Alligonians," by tlie more rigid, as a mark of respect to the old country. But innovation has been at work even here, for the majority of Her Maje^sty's sub- jects aspirate the let<"er H. Alas for innovation I who knowB to what results thiR trifling error may lead ? "When Mirabeau went to the French court without buckles in his shoes, the barriers of etiquette were broken down, and tlie Swiss Guards fought in vain.
There is one virtue in humanity peculiarly grate- ful to an invalid ; to him most valuable, by him most appreciated, namely, ho»pitality. And that the 'Alligonians are a kind and good people, abun- dant in hospitality, let me attest. One can scarcely visit a city occupied by those whose grandsires
m
m
■I
. I
I,
■■
24
ACADIA, OR A MONTH
would have linng your rebel grandfathers (if they had caught tliem), without some misgivings. But I found the old Tory blood of three Halifax genera- tions, yet warm and vital, happy to accept again a rebellious kinsman, a real live Yankee, in spite of Sam Slick and the Ilevolution.
Let us take a stroll through these qyiiet streets. Tliis is the Province House with its Ionic porch, and within it are the halls of Parliament, and offices of government. You see there is a red-coat with his sentry-box at either corner. Behind the house again are two other sentries on duty, all glittering with polished brass, and belted, gloved, and bayo- neted, in splendid style. Of what use are these satellites, except to watch the building and keep it from running away ? On the street behind the Province House is Fuller's American Book-store, which we will step into, and now among these books, fresh from the teeming ju-esses of the States, we feel once more at home. Fuller preserves his equanimity in spite of the blandishments of royalty, and once a year, on the Fourth of July, hoists the " stars and stripes," and bravely takes dinner with the United States Consul, in the midst of lions and uni- corns. Many pleasant hours I passed with Fuller, both in town and country. Near by, on the next corner, is the print-store of our old friends the Wet-
WITH THE BLUE NOSES,
25
mores, and here one can see costly engn.vings of Laiidseer's fine pictures, and indeed whole port- folios of English art. But rf all the pictures there was one, the most touching, the most suggestive I The presiding genius of the place, the unsceptred Queen of this little realm was before me — Faed's Evangeline ! And this reminded me that I ■'..as in the Acadian land ! This reminded me of Long- fellow's beautiful pastoral, a poem that has spread I glory over Nova Scotia, a romantic interest, ;vhich our own land has not yet inspired I 1 knew that I was in Acadia ; the historic scroll unrolled and stretched its long perspective to earlier Jays ; it recalled De Monts, and the la Tours ; Vice Admiral Destournelle, who ran upon his own sword, hard by, at Bedford Basin ; and the brave Baron Oastine.
Tlie largest settlement of the Acadians is in the neighborliood of Halifax. In the early mornings, you sometimes see a few of these people in the streets, or at the market, selling a dozen or so of fresh eggs, or a pair or two of woollen socks, almost the only articles of their simple commerce. But you must needs be early to see them ; after eight o'clock, they will have all vanished. Chozzetcook, or, as it is pronounced by the 'Alligonians, " Ciiiz- sencook," is twenty-two miles from Halifax, and a8
if
I I
26
ACADIA, OR A MONTH
the Acadian peasant has neither horse nor mule, lio or she must be oft' betimes to reach home before mid-day nuncheon. A score of miles on foot is no trifle, in all weathers, but Gabriel and Evangeline perform it cheerfully ; and when the knitting-nee- dle and the ]30ultry shall have replenished then* slender stock, off" again they will start on their mid- night pilgrimage, that they may reach the great city of Halifax before day-break.
We must see Chezzetcook anon, gentle reader.
Let us visit the market-place. Here is Masa- niello, with his fish in great profubion. Codfish, three-pence or four-pence each ; lobsters, a penny ; and salmon of immense size at six-pence a pound icurrency), equal to a dime of our money. K you prefer trout, you must buy them of these Micmac squaws in traditional blankets, a shilling a bunch ; and you may also buy baskets of rainbow tints from tliese copper ladies for a mere trifle ; and as every race has a separate vocation here, only of the neerroes can you purchase berries. " Tliis is a busy town,'' one would say, drawing his conclusion from the market-place ; for the shifting crowd, in all cos- tumes and in all colors, Indians, negroes, soldiers, sailors, civilians, and Chizzincookers, make up a pageant of no little theatrical eftect and hustle. Again : if you are still strong in limb, and ready
WITH THE BLUE NOSES
27
for a longer walk, which I, leaning upon my staff, am not, we will visit the encampment at Point Pleasant. The Seventy-sixth Regiment has pitched its tents here among the evergreens. Yonder you see the soldiers, looking like masses of red fruit amidst the spicy verdure of the spruces. Row upon row of tents, and file upon file of men standing at ease, each one before his knapsack, his little leather liousehold, with its shoes, socks, shirts, brushes, razors, and other furniture open for inspection. And there is Sir John Gaspard le ZJarchant, with a brilliant stafi', engaged in the pleasant duty of pick- ing a personal quarrel with each medal-decorated hero, and marking down every hole in his socks, and every gap in his comb, for the honor of the service. And this Point Pleasant is a lovely place, too, with a broad look-out in front, for yonder lies the blue harbor and the ocean deeps. Ju^-t back of tlie tents is the cookery of the camp, huge mounds of loose stones, with grooves at the top, very like the architecture of a cranberry-pie; and if the simile be an homely one, it is the best that comes to mind to convey an idea of those regimental stoves, with their seams and channels of fire, over which pota- toes bubble, and roast and boiled send forth a savory odor. And here and there, wistfully regard- ing this active scene, amid the gi-een shrubbery,
^
" ,t
28
ACADIA, OR A MONTH
stands u sentinel before his sentry-box, built of spruce boughs, ^vrought into a mimic military tem- ple, and fanciful enough, too, for a garden of roses. And look you now ! K here be ngt Die Yernon, with "habit, hat, and feather," cantering g«iyly down the road between the tents, and behind her a stately groom in gold-lace band, top-boots, and buck-skins. A word in your ear — that pleasant half-English face is the face of the Governor's daughter.
Tlie road to Point Pleasant is a favorite prome- nade in the long Acadian twilights. Mid-way be- tween the city and the Point lies " Kissing Bridge," which the Halifax maidens sometimes pass over. Who gathers toll nobody knows, but I thought there was a mischievous glance in the blue eyes of tliose passing damsels that said plainly they could tell, "an' they would." I love to look upon tliose happy, healthy English faces ; those ruddy cheeks, flushed with exercise, and those well-developed forms, not less attractive because of the sober- eolored dresses and brown flat hats, in which, o' summer evenings, they glide towards the myste- rious precincts of "The Bridge." "Wliat a tale those old arches could tell ? ^ Quien sdbe f Who knows ?
But next to " Kissing Bridge," the prominent ob«
WITH THE BLUE NOSES
29
ject of interest, now, to Halifax ladies, is the great steamer that lies at the Admiralty, the Oriental screw-steamer Himalaya — the transport ship of two regiments of the heroes of Balaklava, and Alma, and Inkerman, and Sebastopol. A vast specimen of naval architecture ; an unusual sight in these waters ; a marine vehicle to carry twenty-five hun- dred men ! Think of this moving town ; this port- able village of royal belligerents covered with glory and medals, breasting the billows ! Is there not something glorious in such a spectacle ? And yet I was told by a brave officer, who wore the decorations of the four great battles on his breast^ that of his regiment, the Sixty-third, but thirty men were now living, and of the thirty, seventeen only were able to attend drill. That regiment numbered a thousand at Almc !
No gun broke the silence of the Sabbath morn- ing, as the giant ship moved from the Admiralty, on the day following our visit to Point Pleasant, and silently furrowed her path oceanward on her return to Gibraltar. A long line of thick bitumi- nous smoke, above the low house-tops, was the only hint of her departure, to the citizens.