The Portland daily press., 1873-09-09
Notes frhm HalifGX,-NO. Ill.

To the Editor Of the Press:
The troops at Halifax now are the first
battalion of the 60tt Royal Rifles, three BAT
teries of the 7th Royal Artillery, two com
panies of the Oh Engineers. and the S7th
Regiment Of Royal Irish Fusileers. This
regiment occupies Wellington barracks, on
the hill, above the dock yard. There are two
parallel brick buildings, pc haps 500 feet long,
three stories high, of ornamental architect
ure. They are enclosed by high stone wall,
like all government property here.
/. The citadel on "a hill in the rear of the
town 220 feet above tde-water, IS an immense
fertilization. 1t has deep moat all around
it, walled with stone, with casemates on each
side. The entrance is over a draw bridge
and through very strong gateway. In the
centre is a large castlelke building filled with
bomb-proof arches, like the cells in bee
hive. The whole hill has been graded, and
road winds up with an easy ascent; an
idea may be formed of the extent of the gIa-
els AID slopes by the price paid for the grass
not cut yet. From the ramparts there is
nasoificent view of the harbor and the 9TH
er Notifications. These are York redoubt,
al the entrance, and two Others on st. Georges
and McNab's Islands On the south side is
the Prince of Wales tower, form eriy an old
French martello tower; it has been rebuilt
The naval vessels are all seen at glance
from the citadel. Tie Governor Generals
steam yacht ''Druid'' which brought him
down the liver and bay of st. Lawrence to
Halifax-the three British ships of war and
the U. S. ship Powhattan, bright with new
paint. Nearly the whole stretch of the haf-
Dor sixteen miles long is in sight exceptB edford
basin, at the head ef the ha Dor, five miles
long and three wide where the navies of tue
world might ride safe in any weather. The
entrance, two hundred yards wide, called the
narrows, is deep enough for the Great Eastern
to pass in with as mnch depth Of water below
her keel as above 1.-THE tide rises and ais
about six feet There is no harbor like it in
North America. The lower haIbor is open to
south east gale which has several times
done much damage to the wharves and ship
ping.
On the ramparts of the citadel are the sig
nal staff. All vessels are signalzed at Sam
bro light house, miles out; and the sig
mails are repeated at Camperdown signal sta
ton, and again at the citadel. As was leav-
ng the gateway l stopped to make memo
randum with pencil and paper when senti-
mel approached me and said graveiy ''Sir no
one is allowed to take drawings here" Fe
seemed to think he had detected spy. but
when l showed him that was only writing
he apologized politely.
A buger was walking IRON point TO point
of the glacis calling the troops from The town
below for drill-his. calls were very nielodious
to all except to those for who n they were in
tended-this reminds me that saw inside,
sqIad of soldiers going Though the ''punish-
ment drilp' which continues four hours each
day for week, in addition to the regular
drill. The offence in most cases, my guide,
sergeant, informed me was, ''for not putting
water enough in their whiskey."
There are no clocks on the churches, but !
wooden clock tower, with four dials,rlses from |
the center of a low square building on the
slope of the citadel hill it was built by the
Duke OF Kent, uncle to Queen Victoria, when
he was in command here.
The public buildings of Halifax are sub
stantial and some Of them ell giant especially
the new Province House. The government
house, Bishops house, old St. Paups church,
and some others are surrounded by spacious
grounds and fine old trees-al enclosed with
massive walls-the sides were set apart for
the purpose in the original survey of the city. !
Nova Scotia sand stone is extensively used
IN the buildings and walls. Opposite the
Governm mt house is handsome cemetery
within and facing the entrance is trium-
rhant a: ch of drab freestone, perhaps 40 feet
high surmounted by very large lion stand !
ing, carved in the same kind Of stone and |
underneath the word ''Sebastipol."
Nearly all the monuments to the dead are
of frees tone, heavy and in good taste, but as
the stoue is soft many of them are br"hen'
Head monuments OF wooden plank are COM
mon, some bound with strap non, Tall ana