late Duke of York to Messrs. Rundell and Bridge, who have only opened some coal mines at Pictou on the northern coast of the province.

We arrived at Annapolis, situated ten or twelve miles up the river of the same name, early in the afternoon. Though formerly a town of so much note, it has now dwindled down into a place of inconsiderable importance, not containing more than 1300 inhabitants. From the year 1712, when Nova Scotia was ceded finally to Great Britain by the treaty of Utrecht (which took place two years after the conquest of the country by General Nicholson with the forces of Queen Anne), until 1749, it was the capital of the province, but in that year the seat of government was transferred to Halifax. From the first exploration of the country in 1603 by De Monts, who built a fort there and named it Port Royal, until 1712, it changed masters eight times, having been restored to France by treaty every successive time it was taken by the English. The old fort is yet extant upon a point of land formed immediately below the town, by the junction of a small stream with the Annapolis river, and is occupied by a detachment of infantry from Halifax. An old blockhouse, and a square brick building within the ramparts, bear such outward signs of antiquity that one might almost imagine them to be coëval with the original French settlers. The principal part of the town runs in one street, parallel with the river above the fort; but to the eastward of it, on the land side, there is a continued succession of neat private residences for nearly a mile, all of which have gardens prettily laid out, and even quickset hedges. These last immediately attracted our attention, being the first I had seen in North America, though, at this time, I had

travelled 2500 miles in it. The orchards are extensive and numerous, much cider being made in this part of the province, and I could have fancied myself in an English village, had it not been for the negroes with whom the street swarmed, and whom I should never have expected to see in such numbers so far to the north.

On the morning of the 25th of September we left Annapolis, pursuing our journey to Bridgetown, fourteen or fifteen miles distant, where we crossed to the right bank of the river and followed its course over a poor and exceedingly light soil. The township of Ailsby, fifteen miles in length, produces only a crop of rye and Indian corn in three or four years, and then lies by for pasture for a length of time.

The day was stormy, with heavy rains, and the coach only a second-hand American one, with "Western Mail, New York, and Hoboken," upon the doors; neither was it water-proof, the canvass curtains hanging down in long shreds, and flapping to and fro with the wind. The horses too were poor specimens of the Nova Scotian steeds, three out of the four being lame; the coachman however was perhaps one shade more professional in his appearance than those in the States. I attempted to kill time by reading Bulwer's Eugene Aram, but was incessantly interrupted, when devouring one of the most interesting chapters, by a prosing little woman eighty years of age, with snow-white hair, rosy cheeks, bright black eyes, and a set of teeth which would not have disgraced a Brahmin. She was the very picture of good health, but most unfortunately my neighbour, and apparently took a great fancy to me, as the full benefit of her colloquial powers was bestowed upon me in some such interesting conversation as

"Aye, these barrens are very dreary, but you will soon come to the settlement:-now there's a pretty intervale― this is a poor territory."

Near the village of Ailsby we passed in sight of Clermont, the pretty country residence of the Bishop of Nova Scotia, and a few miles farther entered the Cariboo Swamps. It is the source of two rivers, the Annapolis and Corn wallis, which rise within a few paces of each other by the road-side, and flow to the ocean in opposite directions, one emptying itself into the Basin of Minas and the other into the Basin of Digby. It was formerly a favourite hunting ground of the Indians, but few of the animals from which its name is derived are now to be found in any part of the country.

Every one forms some ideas of a place before he visits it, and mine were fully realized throughout this day's journey. After leaving the swamp we entered dense forests of pine, unvaried by a solitary habitation for many miles, and the few small clearings were plentifully covered with Nova Scotian sheep, alias large black stones; but at Kentville, where we passed the night, the country assumed a more fertile appearance, and our road continued within sight of the large prairie and rich dikes of Cornwallis and Horton. A long range of hills, from 1000 to 1200 feet in height, commence just beyond the village of Gaspereaux, which derives its name from a poor description of herring which run up a small stream in shoals during the spring, and are caught in such vast quantities that the fishermen frequently allow the poor people to take them away gratis. They also form a considerable article of trade with the West Indian islands. The rivulet winds up rather a pretty and fertile valley, twelve miles in length, between the village and the mountains, and has its source from a lake at the head.

The view of Cape Blomidon, or Blow-me-down (as it is now significantly called, from the heavy gusts of wind which prevail off its bluff point), with the Basin of Minas and the opposite shore, is a fine and extensive one when taken from the high part of the Horton Mountains over which the road passes. For the first time in America, I saw a drag-chain used in their descent, but the road was excellent; and though closely packed with eight people inside, and only two seats, we travelled the ten miles in an hour and ten minutes.

Making a circuitous route of six miles in twenty, we crossed the Avon, about 180 yards wide, and arrived at Windsor to breakfast. If a bridge were constructed across the river at this town many miles of mountainous country would be avoided. We were informed that one was in meditation some years since, and that the abutments of it were actually commenced, but the work was abandoned for some unknown reason. A long wooden pile of building, with a flat roof, occupies an eminence one mile from the town, with twenty-five windows in each story, which, consequently, might be reasonably supposed to be a cotton mill; but, not being in the vicinity of any water, I came to the conclusion that it was a barrack: my loquacious neighbour however set me to rights by informing me that it was the college. It certainly exhibits a strange architectural taste, though quite a modern building, the institution having been founded only thirty years. At this time there were twenty-one students, who are eligible at the early age of fourteen, on account of young men entering upon business so early in life. They are required to wear the cap and gown, but little attention appears to be paid in this respect to the rules of the college. I saw some very unacademically-dressed young men in green shooting jackets,

standing at the hotel door, smoking cigars and surveying each passenger as he stepped out of the coach. The only mark of scholastic garb they wore was the square cap and tassel; and one of them crossed the street with his gown folded up and carried under one arm and a large stick under the other. The qualifications of the president are, that he must have taken a degree either of M. A. or Bachelor in Civil Law at Oxford, Cambridge, or Dublin. There are twelve divinity scholarships attached to the college by the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, each scholar enjoying 30l. per annum for seven years. The object being that people may be induced to educate their children for the ministry of the Church of England, there are also four scholarships of 201. tenable only for four years. At the foot of the hill upon which the college is erected is a large substantial stone building, used as a preparatory academy. It was built at an expense of 60007., and has also twelve divinity scholarships of 301. attached to it, which are held either for seven years or until matriculation, and, as well as those at the college, are nominated by the bishop and appointed by the society.

Windsor, equally with every Nova Scotian town which I visited, impressed me favourably with the province. The streets are clean, and the houses have a respectable and pleasing appearance, superior to the Canadian villages. The town is situated upon the margin of the Avon, where it is 1100 feet broad, and is the great port for the exportation of gypsum, of which nearly 100,000 tons are carried annually to the United States for the purposes of farming; but it is very little used in the province as a manure, either not suiting the soil, or being improperly applied. The whole face of the surrounding country is scarred with