History of Halifax City

CHAPTER VII

1816. Soon after the peace the prosperity of Halifax began to wane. The price of provisions and all the necessaries of life, the value of real estate and the high rents of houses in the town all became more or less affected by the scarcity of money arising from the withdrawal of the troops and navy and the sudden alterations in trade. The reaction was not fully realized until about two years after peace was proclaimed, when the rapid fall off in the value of real estate and the sudden check given to commercial pursuits was found to have reduced many speculators to poverty.

Sir John Cope Sherbrooke having been appointed Governor General of Canada, the principal inhabitants of the town gave him a farewell dinner on 25th June. It was presided over by Chief Justice Blowers and the vice chair was occupied by Michael Wallace, the treasurer of the province. An address, largely signed by the inhabitants, was presented to the Governor on his departure. Sir John had rendered himself very popular in Halifax by his affable manners and his prompt and decisive way of treating all matters brought to his notice by the citizens. He embarked at the King's wharf on Thursday, 27th June, under a salute from the batteries and the cheers of the inhabitants.

The rough condition of the streets of the town at this period rendered immediate and extensive improvements necessary. Those in the least frequented parts of the town had been so much neglected that in many places they were impassable from the accumulation of rubbish and the broken condition of the wooden platforms or bridges at the gutters and crossings. In many places the streets were overgrown at each side with grass except in the centre. Brunswick Street, though one of the principal highways of the town, was overgrown at each side with grass. Many of the old Dutch houses then still remaining in this street stood on banks a few feet above the sidewalk and where there were no buildings rough stone walls or fences marked the line of the street. Water Street, from the continual traffic and wear during the period of the war, had been worn into holes and was in wet weather almost impassable from the accumulation of mud, particularly between the Ordnance Yard and the foot of Prince Street. The market square at this time, as also that portion of Water Street between Collins' Wharf and the King's Wharf, was much lower than at present. It was found necessary to pave this portion of Water Street, which was accordingly accomplished during the years 1816 and 1817. The pavement, which was with round stones, extended from the Ordnance to Black and Forsyth's Wharf, (later Mitchell's) at the foot of Prince Street. The Provincial Legislature contributed the sum of £1,200 towards the work, and the expense of flagging the sidewalks was charged to the owners of property fronting on the street. About the year 1835 this pavement had so sunk down as to be no protection from the accumulation of mud. The lower part of the market square bordering on Water Street and the way leading to the market slip or public landing were raised about five feet. Between 1820 and 1824 new Street Commissioners were appointed. The Macadamizing system begun to be introduced and extensive improvements in the way of levelling the streets and filling up hollow places were proceeded with.

The Acadian School, conducted by Walter Bromley, had now been under way for about three years. It was inspected on 31st July. There were 400 children in attendance. On this occasion Mr. Bromley stated that since the opening of the school in 1813, eight hundred and ninety-three children had received instruction there, and about one hundred apprentices and colored children in the Sunday schools. The latter were under the special superintendence of Mr. Bromley himself, who devoted all his leisure to the instruction of the black children and others who could not attend school throughout the week. The small sum of £200 was voted annually by the Legislature in aid of this school. Subsequently a grant of money was made by the Assembly to the National School, which was about this time set on foot on the Madras system, under the auspices of the Bishop and members of the Church of England in Halifax, who had lately erected the large three-story building in Argyle Street, opposite the parade, for the purpose. In 1818 this school had 117 children in attendance. The daily attendance at these two schools exceeded 500, which was a large number considering the extent of the population at this period.

The appointment of Dr. Robert Stanser, Rector of St. Paul's, to the Bishopric of Nova Scotia, vacant by the death of Bishop Charles Inglis, took place in 1817. Interest had been made with Lord Bathurst, the Colonial Secretary, and the Archbishop of Canterbury to have Dr. John Inglis, son of the late Bishop, appointed to the See. The appointment was said to have been arranged in favor of Dr. Inglis, but a recommendation from both branches of the Legislature then in session in favor of Dr. Stanser, their Chaplain, prevailed, and Dr. Inglis was appointed Rector of St. Paul's, vacant by the elevation of Stanser to the Bishopric. Dr. John Inglis proved a highly popular Rector; his bland manners and kind disposition rendered him a favorite with all classes and denominations, and when he afterwards, in 1825, obtained the Bishopric he carried with him to England addresses in his favor not only from his own parishioners, but largely signed by his friends among other denominations.

The remains of the old Bishop were brought to town from Aylesford, where he died, and buried under St. Paul's Church on the 29th February. The funeral was attended by the Governor, Sir J. C. Sherbroke, Sir John Wentworth, the retired Governor, His Majesty's Council and a large assemblage of the citizens. A monument to his memory is on the west side of the chancel of the church.

On the morning of the 18th April great excitement prevailed throughout the town in consequence of a murder which had been committed in one of the streets during the previous night. Capt. Westmacott of the Royal Engineers who, as officer of the night, was going his rounds on horseback to visit the guards, met two men in Sackville Street whom he challenged in consequence of their suspicious appearance. They immediately attacked him and by a sudden effort threw him from his horse, having first wounded him fatally with a bayonet. He lingered until the 4th day of May, when he died. The murderers were soon after discovered and proved to be two soldiers, deserters from one of the regiments in garrison. They had been stealing fish through the night from a store on one of the wharves. They were identified by the Captain and, being tried and convicted of the murder, were executed on the Common.

The Nova Scotia Fensible Regiment, after the close of the war, remained in Canada for some time. Early in June of this year they embarked at Quebec for Halifax. The transport in approaching Halifax ran upon a reef of rocks known as Jeddore ledges, which lies off the harbour of that name eastward from Halifax. The weather was calm and the troops were landed in safety, with the exception of four private soldiers, two women and several children, but with the loss of considerable part of the baggage. It was found on landing the men that the tide was rising, and that in all probability the greater part of the ledge would be covered at high water. It was proposed that the women and children should be first landed and placed on the higher part of the rock. But on the soldiers perceiving that Colonel Darling, who commanded the Regiment, and several of the officers were intending to avail themselves of the higher parts of the ledge, immediately declared that all officers should be compelled to remain with their respective companies and share the fate of their men. One officer, a captain, is said to have shown symptoms of impatience or something worse on the occasion, and abandoned his wife and family and his men, seeking shelter for himself on the rocks amidst the reproaches and jeers of his comrades. The Regiment was, however, successfully landed on the ledges, chiefly through the heroic exertions of the Adjutant-Lieutenant Stewart, who volunteered to carry a cable from the bowsprit of the ship to the rock, when having there made it fast the sailors were enabled to construct means for landing men in safety. Part of the Regiment was brought to Halifax in coasting vessels about the first July, and others found their way by land, having been brought on shore from the rocks by the fishermen of the neighbourhood. Col. Darling and some others being displeased at all the credit of the exploit being attached to Lt. Stewart, who was probably not a favorite of the Colonel, brought him to a Court-Martial for some trifling offence supposed to have been a breach of orders, and it is said he was compelled to leave the Regiment.

Two very extensive fires occurred at Halifax this year. One on the 8th October, remembered as the "Haliburton" fire in consequence of the brick building at the corner of Hollis and Sackville Streets owned by Mr. George Haliburton, having been the first house consumed. The fire destroyed nearly the whole block from Haliburton's corner to where Mrs. Howard's new stone building stands, on the east or lower side of Hollis street. All the buildings on Sackville Street down to the corner known as Reynolds' corner, and the whole of the buildings on the upper or Western side of Bedford Row were consumed. The fire commenced at ten o'clock in the evening and continued to rage until six o'clock next morning. It was considered the most disastrous fire that had ever occurred in Halifax. The old buildings were all of wood except Haliburton's corner house. The block was soon rebuilt with a better description of buildings. Mr. W. K. Reynolds erected a fine stone store at the corner of Sackville Street and Bedford Row, which still remains; this was far the finest store in Halifax at the time. A range of brick buildings along Bedford Row were at the same time erected by the late Nicholas Vass. Haliburton's corner was also rebuilt of brick, and the buildings on Hollis street, the property of Mr. LeNoir and others, were built about the same time by the late Judge William Hill and his brother T. T. Hill, then both at the Halifax Bar. Several old wooden houses were pulled down during the fire by order of the firewards to prevent the spread of the fire. The town was assessed to pay the damage. The other fire was on Water Street at Creighton and Grassie's wharf. It occurred in the night of 17th December, during very cold weather. All the stores at and near the head of the wharf were consumed, and the fire extended to buildings on the opposite side of the street. Mr. Grassie rebuilt with brick and stone, and afterwards lined the shutters of his new store with sheet iron.

The Earl of Dalhousie, a Scotch nobleman, who had distinguished himself in the Spanish campaign as a general of Division under Lord Wellington, had been appointed to succeed Sir J. Cope Sherbrooke in the Government. He arrived in Halifax on 24th October, 1816, in the Frigate Forthe. Lord and Lady Dalhousie, immediately after their arrival, landed in state and proceeded to the Council Chamber under a salute from the Citadel attended by the heads of Departments, civil and military, when the Earl was sworn into office in presence of His Majesty's Council. The troops lined the way from the King's wharf to Cochran's building where the Council Chamber was then situated.

There had been no theatrical performances worthy of mention in the town since the Duke of Kent's old theatre in Argyle Street had been appropriated to the school under Mr. Bromley. In the autumn of this year a company of players, Messrs. Price, Chamock, Placide, etc., fitted up an old store on Fairbank's wharf as a theatre. Placide, Price and Mrs. Young were considered good performers and attracted large audiences. At the close of their career the manager got into jail for debt, when Placide, the best comic actor of the company, distinguished himself by escaping from prison and passing the sentry at the jail gate in the night, who supposed it was a Newfoundland dog, Mr. Placide being famous for imitating the bark and whine of the canine species.

1817. The winter of 1816-17 was much more severe than that of the preceding year. The south-east passage was closed with ice all winter, and the ice remained until late in April. Great distress prevailed in the town as usual among the laboring classes during this winter, which was also the case throughout the whole Province. The sum of £600 was contributed this winter by the inhabitants of Halifax for the support of destitute emigrants who had been brought up from Newfoundland.

An attempt was made by the Legislature in their session of 1817 to relieve the pressing necessities of the county by an Act authorizing the Governor and Council to procure copper coin to the value of £2,000 to be issued from the provincial treasury. The Act was disallowed by the Colonial Secretary in England. No good reason appears to have been assigned for its rejection. The circulating medium at this time in the town and throughout the country was Spanish doubloons, old Spanish dollars, pistareens and other small Spanish coins, with a mixed collection of copper coinage, English and Spanish, with all kinds of half-penny tokens issued by private individuals in the town. No British coinage ever reached Halifax except the old English Guinea. The troops were paid in old Spanish money, which was brought from South America and the West Indies by the merchants in exchange for their cargoes of fish with occasional importations of Spanish silver by the British Government for the troops, etc. An issue of paper money was at this time made under an Act of the province.

It was in the year 1817 that the project was first broached for the establishment and erection of a college on the Grand Parade.

The sum of £9,750 was then remaining in the hands of the Governor from the revenues collected at Castine while the State of Maine was in the hands of the British troops. This sum Lord Dalhousie obtained the permission of the Colonial Secretary to appropriate towards the erection of a college in Halifax on the model of the Scotch Universities. The professors were to receive moderate salaries. The students were not to reside in the college building, but only to attend courses of lectures which were to be open to all students and all else who might feel disposed to purchase tickets for the courses.

This winter the theatre on Fairbanks' wharf was again in operation and as attractive as ever. Miss Powell was at this time giving lessons in dancing. She gave her spring ball at Mason Hall on 21st May. This lady, who was patronized by the fashionable part of the community, was the daughter of Mr. Powell who conducted the theatre in Argyle Street when under the patronage of the Duke of Kent. She lived many years in Halifax and died at an advanced age, having been dependent on the charity of her friends for several years before her death.

The naval force on the station had now been reduced to a few ships under the command of Rear Admiral Sir David Milne, father of Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, who some time since commanded on the North American Station. Sir David's flagship was the Leopard, Frigate.

It may here be noticed that the British and Foreign Bible Society had lately organized a branch in Halifax. The second annual meeting of the branch society took place on the 5th May. It was attended by the Earl of Dalhousie, who occupied the chair, and a number of officials. The chief speakers on the occasion were Judge James Stewart, the Rev. Dr. Archibald Gray, of St. Matthew's, and Judge Wilkins. Martin Gay Black was treasurer and Walter Bromley, secretary. Mr. Black continued to act as treasurer of this society to the year of his death. The Speaker of the House of Assembly and a number of the members of the House were also present on this occasion.

The great destitution of the laboring part of the population during the winter, as usual, rendered it necessary on behalf of the Commissioners of the Poor for the town to call on the inhabitants for contributions in addition to the annual poor rate assessed. The poor house at Halifax was then, as has been the case frequently since, the receptacle for transient paupers from the country, and the sum of £300 was voted this year by the House of Assembly towards the expenses of the establishment.

The charitable societies of St. Patrick and St. Andrew dined together on the respective anniversaries of their patron saints. Richard J. Uniacke, the Attorney General, occupied the chair at the St. Patrick's dinner, and Dr. Samuel Head the Vice. The Governor, Mr. Philip Woodhouse, the Commissioner of the Dockyard, the Bishop of Nova Scotia, the Commanding Officers of the Garrison and other distinguished guests were present at both dinners.

A fire occurred in the southern part of Granville Street this winter, which destroyed the chocolate manufactory of Mr. John Ferguson and his dwelling house. The fire companies of Halifax at this time were, perhaps, the most useful institutions in the community. These companies consisted of several hundred gentlemen each, who formed themselves into a company for the purpose of rendering assistance at fires. Each member provided himself with a leather cap, two or three buckets, canvas bags, etc., on which were painted the name of the owner and device of the company. The members were elected by ballot. They held quarterly meetings and occasionally dined together, and gave annual balls at Mason Hall. The Heart and Hand and the Hand in Hand Companies were the oldest, but the Sunfire Company was the most exclusive. The Phœnix Company was also very efficient, being composed chiefly of young tradesmen of the town. The Engine Company was a very ancient institution, and tolerably efficient, considering the kind of machinery they had to work with. The Axe Company, as now, was composed of carpenters and others suitable for such work at fires. It was customary for the soldiers in garrison to turn out at fires and form lines with the inhabitants for the conveyance of water by buckets, handed through the lines from the harbor or the wells and tanks of the town. One feature which is now never seen at fires was the guard which was furnished by the military to take charge of the property removed to the streets from the burning houses. Scarcely a pile of furniture or goods could be observed without a sentry over it with fixed bayonet pacing up and down. The supply of water was principally drawn from the wells and pumps which were kept in order by the Magistrates of the town. These pumps have been before noticed. The inhabitants of the suburbs, however, depended for good water on their private wells. Almost every house in Brunswick and Lockman Streets had a good well in the garden or near the house. The north suburb lots were of very large dimensions; fruit gardens were numerous; the plum, the Dutch cherry and red and black currants were raised in abundance. The caterpillar and other vermin which now infest the fruit gardens had then not been imported.