The Republican journal., 1883-07-26


made the acquaintance of Mr.. Alex. Haley,
member of the Provincial Parliament, and
who holds the same position in Windsor as
does our Mayor, although his office is called by
some other title He succeeded in getting con-
siderable information into me, for he is a very
agreeable and well informed gentleman. l
learned that except the Cow Genl., who is APP
pointed by the Crown, all the other officers are
elected by the people of the Provinces, and the
laws are all ''home made" and everything is
conducted exactly the same as if they were an
independent nation. They arrange their own
tariff, their export and import duties, and an
English vessel coming here is treated in every
way as Il foreign bottom and is as amenable to
the laws as though she came from the States.
Mr.. Haley is one OF the opposition" aud be
lieves in Il tariff sufficient to FUN the govern
ment and no more. He is what is called Lib
eral, while the adminstrationists are Liberal
Conservatives. My opinion, which is AS free rs
the street show of the circus, is that the Prov
inces are better they are; that they are better
off not TO be annexed, and that we don't want
them. 1t would take them hundred years to
learn to think AS we do, and to get used to our
way of Government. They are splendid next
door neighbors, but we don't want them to
marry into our family. | say this Oh the same
principle that think Catholics and ProtestantS
had better not intermarry. Both are trying to
get to Heaven. but each one wants the right of
way on the track, and there is always the dan
ger of a collision, when one or the other Will
get telescoped.
| Our friends left us at Windsor and the train
proceeded on to Halifax. At Windsor junction
we were told the story of the old sea captain
who said he had sailed all over the world but
was never really out of sight of h,D4 till he
struck this place. | think Il small boy with q
pair of white pants on, could play here all day
and not get any dirt on them. There is not Il
particle of soil to be seen it is all rocks, rocks
rocks, with here and there biz stone.
We arrived at Halifax in the evening, and as
| | stepped from the car saw the genial face of
| our townsman, now Consul Gen. FRYE, beam
| ing on me. He Immediately took possession of
me, and drove me to his hotel, the Waverly,
where | was his guest while in Halifax. And
here let me say, that if had been a rich old
| bachelor uncle of his and he the prospective
| heir, that he could not have treated me with
more kindness or done more for me. l hope
| some day when | am Minister to England that
| shall catch Wakefield on Il foreign shore when
! | may recpro cate his attention to me, and in
part repay him. When | got into my room
| wondered that he did not mistake me for a
stevedore who had been discharging Il coal YES
sci. My eyes, ears, nose. and all the wrinkles
in my face Were full of cinders, and my collar
| looked as if it was in mourning. and my shirt
bosom had put on Grape, but good bath and Il
| change of linen fixed me all right, and came
| out like a daisy the next morning.
| Halifax is too big and has too much to see
for a one days visit. 1t is, presume, the most
British city in America. This is chiefly because
of the military, which has its headquarters here,
| and consequently there are more lords and
dukes and princes and all that kind of import
ed cattle here than elsewhere. Without doubt.
this is the finest, as fine harbor as the world
can show, and there are Notifications till YOU
can't rest 1t made me tired to hear the people
| tell about them. The city itself lays very much
like Casine. 1t is peninsula. almost an island.
1t is all hills, and right in the centre is a hill
rising out of Il lot of hills, called the Citadel.
At this point it is 263 feet above the water. |
know, for measured it with an umbrella. On
the summit Is Il fertilization, and from its walls
is splendid view of the city and harbor. | am
not going to give a description Of the city, for
some lunatic would look in the Cyclopeda and
say | copied it. Our party was admitted into
the Ciau,I. where we saw the genuine British
soldiers, the red coats. This same red coat
looks just like Il red shirt that its wearer forgot
to tuck down into his Wristbands but left out
side his pants and belted it with white belt.
This is the infantry uniform, the artillery being
dark blue. Squads of troops We're drilling in
the open space inside the walls. The only diff
ference | could see between these soldiers and
ours was in the color. Here was the red, drill
ing, while at home we have the blue-drilling
| | only saw one thing at Halifax that wanted
to bring home, aud that was the Holsters. In
stead of the little things we have, about as big
as ants, they We're good ablc-bOdied. rcd-headed
Holsters, with some meat in them; but | learn
that the merry Yankee is down there. with his
canning establishment and some day the Hall
g0nans will wake up and enquire, NV here are
our lobsters:" and he will listen but won't get
any reply, and will have to make his meal out
of something else.
BY courtesy of the Halifax press, our party
We're given sail down the bay. During the
sail we visited III. Nj. steamer the Northampton
and had chance to sample the English navy.
The Northampton carried quite Il number OF
guns, and about 600 ''Sons of guns" The Off
GERS in charge were very polite, and was al
most sorry that had not got Sec'y Chambers
permission to have brought our navy down in
my grip-sack, so could have compared it with
this sample of theirs. There was every kind OF
a contrrance for naval warfare that was even
heard Of. There was Il little steel horse mack
crel between decks that took my eye. and on
enquiry | learned that it was Il torpedo II was
Il curious looking fish, but when it gets under q
vessels bottom and eXplodes, it makes those on
board who are not Immediately Killed, grab fol
a life preseryer. went on shore after inspect
ing the ships, to take a view of the city. while
the rest of the party took Il trip to Dartmouth
to visit the lunatic asylum When am off on
trip for pleasure | don't waste great deal OF
time in grave yards, churches or unatic aSy-
lums. In the generality OF places | can put ii
my time to better advantage. Among the pecu-
liarities of Halifax that struck me We're seNera
| that will name. The ladies have big feet and
hands. | guess that is English England has
got such notion of putting her foot on every
thing she wants, and reaching out her hand for
what she can't put her foot on, that these mem.
bers in her people have grown large. They
clapboard lots of the walls of the nice houses
with shingles and do it so neatly that they look
like clapboartls too. The women dress for the
day, with no regard for the season. If it i,
warm they take off, and if It's cold they put
on, whether It's July or December. | saw Oh
the street the day Twas there. a lady dress
ed in Il thin muslin all trimmed with lace
with lace hat on her head, and wrapped
up in Il long seal skin cloak. Close behnC
her were two other ladies' one wearing Il fun
sack and the other Il fur cape. The gentle
men don't swear much, It's not the thing, bu
It's perfectly correct to drink. There are more
churches to the square acre than | ever saw
and people attend church as general thing,
was told. What we call on our bill of fare, ''oa
meal" they call ''porrdge." Baked beans they
do not have, and brown bread is IN unknown
quantity. You ask for the latter and you gel
Graham bread.
| Inc carriages are very heavy, ana all Tho
tony ones have Il footmn who sits behind.
noticed some Portland open buggies with lit
tie scat slung on behind, like a trunk rack on i
hack, and Il servant perched up on it. There
are several sugar retneries through the PROV
inces, but | did not see any fine granuatcd
sugar. 1t was all very coarse and looked as il
it had been screened through Il ladder.
There are some two thousand soldiers here,
and the streets are full of them. There is fine
theatre building here, the Academy. 1t Is q
credit to Halifax. Our party were rendered
complimentary tickets by Manager Clark, and
most of them attended the performance OF
Hazel Kirkc, which was well rendered by one
of the Madison Square companies.
After day spent in sightseeing, our party
left the following morning on the Intercolona
Railway of Canada We had Il special car at
our command, which we occupied As fine as
the country was through which we had passed
in getting here, to me this route was far pleas
anter A part of it ran through the Cobequid
range of hills and the views from the cars were
to those who are cracked on the scenery ques-
ton, perfectly enhancing. TO me the chief
thing of interest when | am riding on the cars
is to get good comfortable chance, and to
sample every lunch room on the route. There
will be lots of scenery when am gone, but Il