Year: 1878

A letter dated Halifax, Nova Scotia,
July 22, to the Hagersto,on Mail, says:


Together with three friends, embark
ed at Locust Point on the 18th inst, in
the steamship Hi6ernian of the Baltimore
ann Liverpool Line, for Halifax.


The Hibernian is large and handsome
iron ship 357. feet long and measuring
5000 tons. She is manned by crew of
Sc men, including the officers. We were
four days at sea. When we awoke on
Sunday morning we were alongside the
wharf.


At Halifax we waited some little time be-
fore landing, for custom-house officer, but
he, after chalking few trunks which he
had not examined, disappeared, and so we
walked ashore without being inspected.


After getting breakfast at a Hotel, we
started out to see the town. The first
place which attracted us was the Citadel
situated on the summit of high hill,
around which the town is built. We were
shown around here by cred coat" and
found the view from the ramparts one Of
the finest | ever saw. Every portion of
the town, which has about forty thousand
inhabitants, is distinctly seen, while the
harbor, an inlet less than a mile wide, can
be traced three miles down to the ocean
and for some distance above the town.
In the harbor near the entrance are two
islands, upon which are Notifications
which completely protect the town, as far
as we can judge, from all uufriendly ap-
proach from the sea- The citadel is very
formidable looking, but is really of very
little account. Across the harbor at the
foot of range of hills is town about the
size of Hagerstown called Dartmouth.
The hills are covered with pine and cedar
trees, apparently never having been clear
ed and appear to be almost uninhabited.
We saw the soldiers march out of their
barracks to church, their uniforms all
scrupulously clean and as brilliant as pea
cocks tails. We then descended from the
hill and found our way to church; st.
Lukes Cathedral it was called. Several
persons of whom we inquired the way vol
unteered to warn us that it was dreadful
high church place, but we did not discov-
er anything essentially different from the
services as conducted in our country Epis-
copal churches. The sermon was good
and even a Virginia Episcopalian who,
like large number Of the Hi6erniaR's
passengers, was present, approved highly
of the services.


We found Halifax a very interesting
town. There are many fine buildings of
granite, but the great mass of the ordinary
houses is of wood and instead of being
weather-boarded as our frame houses are,
they are shingled all the way down to the
ground Even the hotel at which we are
staying, the largest in the place, has this
peculiar style of weather-bOarding.


The people here seem to be most strict
observers of Sunday. Everything is clos
ed up, even the postofiee and telegraph
and railroad Offices. We were of course,
very anxious, upon landing, to know what
had been going on in the world during
the four days we had been out Of it, but
there was not newspaper to be had any
where, until policeman hunted up book
store man, who gave us a Boston paper
three days old.


The weather here is very cool, there
being a very chilly breeze setting in from
the ocean. The first two days On the
water we're very warm, compelling us to
sleep on deck the first night, but when we
got into the fog the thermometer suddenly
went down twenty degrees, and remained
at very low point. There are several
circumstances which combine to make
Halifax point of great Importance in a
business as we'll as in n social point of
view Upon the latter point well-known
gentleman from Baltimore, who spends ev-
cry summer here, remarked to me, that
there is more style in Halifax than in his
own city. This may or may not be the
case, but it is certain that there is very
nice society here, and judging from the
handsome suburban residences which sur
round the town, there must be considera-
BILE wealth The several hundred army
and navy officers stationed at Halifax of
course form an important element of the
town. At this time there are several
thousand soldiers here, and you cannot go
out on the street without meeting with the
red coats. There are four large men-of-
war lying in the harbor now, three Eng
lish and one German. Nearly all the
strangers in the city have gone to visit the
Admiral's flagship, which is worth going
long distance to see 1t has a crew of
six hundred men and has all the improve
ments and inventions which have lately
been made in offensive and defensive ma
val warfare. 1t can be worked without
exposing single man to the fire of the
enemy. The guns are discharged by cleo
tricity and the commanders room is fur
nished with appliances which inform him
of the condition of nearly everything on
the ship, including an apparatus indicating
the pressure Of steam in the boiler. The
officers say that the nominal power of the
engines is thousand horses, but that the
real power is much greater. Halifax is
situated two or three miles from the ocean
on an arm whose branches nearly surround
it. We drove ten or fifteen miles around