Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-30
A TOUR TO HALIFAX.
Not Such a Bad Place as a Popular
Expression Indicates.
THE QUEENS SOLDIERS In CHURCH.
Sights on Board One Of the English War
Vessels in the Harbor.
ANNOYING INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPATCH.J
BOSTON, Aug. 29.-Onr kind Quebee
friends not only accompanied us to the
steamer, but remained with us until the
whistle sounded ''all aboard, when all not
disposed to remain aboard took hasty de-
parture, waving kind farewell The Mira
michi can hardly be called floating palace,
having been blockade runner in our late
war, but she carried US so smoothly over
the waters of the Gulf during the nearly
four days of our sojourn on board, that wa
should choose her again for such q trip.
The pleasant society of new made friends
from Toronto, Albany and Cincinnati made
the time pass quickly, although the stopping
places were few.
Four hundred and fifty miles from Que
bee, short stop was ssmade at Gaspe, where
Jacques Carriers first landed in 1884, and
little further south is Perce, the curious,
arched rock, rising perpendicularlY from
the water to a height of several hundred
feet. Myriads of gulls were flying about its
surface or perehed on its top looking like
small pegs. Here would be good place
for adventurous youths to practice the ex-
ploits of birds nest hunters.
A BABY IN PERIL
Near several small places the steamer an
chored, while small sailboats came out to
exchange freight and passengers, and at one
time it was such tieklish business be-
tween the rough sea and lodging boat, that
we were greatly relieved when the man
with the baby in his arms pitched into q
seat without dropping the baby. The mania
for souvenir spoons having spread among
the passengers like measles, our stop at
Summuside, on Prince Edward Island, gave
an opportunity for some of the ladies to add
to their collection even there, while others
inspected the lobster canning, which is the
chief industry Of the place. At Charlotte
town spoons" again stood first on the pro-
gramme of entertainment for those who had
the disease, but to many the innumerable
Jelly fish sporting around the steamer were
much more interesting.
Saturday morning we were all son deck
early to take the train at Pictou. We were
informed that the train would stop at Truro
for breakfast, but it was not due there until
9:05 and it seemed as if we would never
start Gentlemen went foraging in all di-
rections but came back with the most hope
less accounts of the capabilities of Pictou
restaurants. We diverted our thoughts
from our inward anxieties by examining the
timetable of the Inter-Colonial Railway,
which was adorned by such euphonious
names as Pugwash, Tatamagouche, Meri-
gomish, Antigonish, Assametquaghan, etc.,
and such announcements as "train leaving
Halifax at 1880 o'clock arrives at st. John
at 22:30 o'clock and at Montreal at 16:40
o'clock next day" etc.
A DIsORDERLY BREAKFAST.
Truro was reached at last and over two
dozen hungry people poured into the restaur
i Iok.
effect on the appetite Of a voyage on sails
water The proprietress met US with looks
of dismay. She had prepared breakfast for
just two peoplet After trying to collect
her badly scattered wits, she promised to do
what she could if we would wait, and there
was no doubt on that point, provided the
train could We distributed ourselves at
three tables ready for action, looking at va
cancy, so far as anything eatable could bs
discovered; when, just as fellow victim
from another table brought bottle OF
Worcestershire sauce to offer US, another
pointed to motto Oh the wall, ''Eat, drink
and be merry" The third point of advice
was all we could follow.
The ride across Nova Scotia was very
pretty, especially as we approached Hall
fa1, but the city itself impressed US very
unfavorably with its dingy. weather-beaten
looking houses, and the iL-smelling streets.
Window washing seems to have gone out OF
style in Nova Scotia. But the kind atten-
tions of some of the residents so overbal-
anced all defects as to take away all the ter.
rors of the threat of our childhood, go to
Halifax" We visited the Public Garden,
of which the citizens are justly proud, and
heard the first concert of the Leicestershirs
Regiment Band while there.
SOLDIERS MARCHING TO CHURCH.
The next morning we attended services
at the Jamison Chapel and were in time to
see Her Majesty's soldiers marching in
their gay uniform to church. 1t was GER
tainly very fine sight and we were as
sured that there were nearly 800 of them.
When they were seated the large gallery
that surrounds the interior of the church
was one uninterrupted mass of scarlet,
while in the body of the church the color
was broken here and there by more peace.
fully disposed, although more sombrs look
ing, worshipers, like ourselves. The in.
fantry wore white helmets and the artillery
the little jaunty cap often perched upon
one ear, but all wore the scarlet coat, while
here and there a black band on one arm be.
custom all through Canada, and also how
much more mourning is wore than with as.
The youngest children were dressed in
black and in several instances babies in
arms wore black ribbons cloaks and caps.
We hold that here is another point in which
we are far in advance of our neighbors and
win not think they honor the dead by max.
ing themselves as dismal as possible to the
living.
The above DEPRESSION is probably due 70
the fact that the chapel service was Of sucn
an advanced state of ritualism that we gos
The altar, with it's candies
and gaily colored cloths, the intoning OF the
whole service, the sing-song tone Of the
ChRnlatn
very unp1easantly, but the singing OF the
hymns by that great body Of men, led by the
cornet, was simply grand. The sermon was
very short
ON BOARD THE BEDLEROPHoN.
Two great warships lay in the beautffd
Halifax harbor, one English and one French,
and as time did not permit visit to both,
we took the advice of friends tAe next
morning and rowed out to the 'Bellerophon.
Of Her Majesty's line. We were courteOusly
received and put in charge Of q young sailor
with good honest face, who showed US ''up
stairs and down stairs" and all sorts Of
places and things strange to us. 1t was all
wonderfully clean, but we thought it miser.
ably comfortless, especially to see those noe
On duty stretched on the bare floor asleep,
with never pillow. The sailors all wore
white duck, which added to their clean ap-
feet. We were told that there were nearly
800 on the ship.
We stopped to watch a squad being drilled
In the use of one Of the greaeguns, and the
1t was some time before the truth pene-
trated our dull brains that he was talking
about hole. There were cannons of differ
snt sizes on board, from the ten great ones
70 pretty little ones that child might want
20 play with, and all sorts of firearms, but
when we asked our guide how many cannons
IN all there were he said he did not know.
Driving in the park and suburbs over the
fne roads and dining with our good friends
completed our visit to Halifax, which, like