lature, in reference to the violation of the Sabbath; and it is time, as it appears to me, that those who have such a measure at heart should be awake and setting about their great work in earnest. Whether the intended measure, of which Sir Andrew Agnew gave notice in the last session, is to be the same as his last Bill or not, has not yet been stated; but I trust, if it should not be the same, it will be founded on the same principle, and equally comprehensive in its provisions.

It is true, that upon this subject the opinions even of good men are much divided; and there are not a few individuals of undoubted piety, some of whom think that a legislative remedy should be applied for as to a part only of the acknowledged evils at first; whilst others suggest the propriety of making the different provisions of the whole measure the subject of several Bills, to be simultaneously brought forward.

The advocates of the former plan insist that there is no chance of carrying the whole measure at once;that the bringing of it forward at once is calculated to produce hostility;--that improvements in this, as well as other matters, must be gradual; that the sense of the majority of the population is against the measure as a whole;-that to that sense deference must be paid ;-and that Sir Andrew's former Bills were lost entirely from their being too sweeping and comprehensive.

To these it may be answered,

If

1. That it may be very true, that there is no chance of carrying the whole measure at once; but that is no reason why the whole measure should not be proposed at once. of the whole measure so proposed at once, only a part should be carried, the carrying of that part would be a subject of thankfulness and rejoicing, just as much as if that part only had been proposed.

2. That those members of the Legislature who would exhibit hostility to the Bill, to the extent of rejecting it altogether, would doubtless exhibit hostility to any portion of its provisions, if brought forward as a distinct Bill; because hostility to

the whole of a measure, acknowledged in some part to be good and necessary, must necessarily be an evil principle. For, it is to be observed that there is much difference between hostility to the whole of the Bill, and opposition to some, nay, even the majority, of its provisions. Those who would be hostile to the whole of the Bill, would be so to any detached part; but there are those who might oppose even the larger part of the provisions of the Bill who would not oppose the rest and these, it is conceived, would vote for the Bill so far as to get it into Committee, in which they might by their votes distinguish between the provisions they approved, and those they condemned. That this would be the case, appears from the experience of the last session; when many who were not prepared to support every clause of the Bill, nevertheless voted for its second reading. It is true, that many who voted against it alleged its comprehensiveness as the ground of their opposition; but when actually_limited measures were brought forward, they were either crushed at once by the very same persons, or first reduced to nothing, (and indeed made worse than nothing, by repealing the provisions of existing statutes for the protection of the Sabbath, and substituting nothing for them,) and then they were ignominiously rejected. And this answer may also be given to the allegation that Sir Andrew's Bills were lost from their comprehensiveness.

3. As to the allegation, that the sense of the majority of the population is against the measure brought forward by Sir Andrew's Bill as a whole,

In the first place, that is an assertion which cannot be proved.

In the second place, it is not merely a numerical majority of the whole population of the country to which the advocates of the measure ought to defer; but it is to a majority of that class of persons who are well-informed upon and have well considered the whole subject, in connexion with all its consequences and results.

In the third place, it is appre

hended that if the sense of the majority of such class were taken upon the several provisions of the Bill, although it may be within the limits of possibility that the majority might be against the Bill as a whole, yet there is no single provision in it which the majority of such class would be found to reject. For, in point of fact, there is not one single clause in the Bill which has not been the subject of Petitions numerously signed in its favour.

But even attaching some degree of weight to the above objections, which are, I believe, the whole that have been brought forward by those whose opinions are worth regarding, it is to be considered, whether there may not be set against those objections considerations which will operate so as greatly to turn the scale in favour of bringing on the whole measure at once; such as the following:1. It is one simple principle, on which every proper measure that can be brought forward for the remedy of the existing abuses with reference to the observance of the Lord's day must be based; and, therefore, judging from the way in which the provisions of the Bill have been already met in and out of the Houses of Parliament, it is clear, that if one part only out of the system of measures were brought forward at first, the objections would be, that the propounder of the measure, to be consistent with himself, should have extended it to other matters within its principle, and the mischief proposed to be remedied by it. For instance, were a Bill brought forward to restrain what is usually called trade, it would be urged, that it would be inconsistent, while that which was equally a trade, the supplying of post-horses, should be permitted, the carrying on a dealing in the necessaries of life should be restrained; just as it has been insisted in a determined spirit of hostility to the Bill, that it was unfair to restrain labour in the fields, and permit it in the house,-to prohibit the day-labourer from pursuing his calling, and to allow the menial servant to do so.

2. Such an argument, which imputes inconsistency and unfairness to the propounder of a prohibitory measure, is one which it would be exceedingly difficult, and perhaps impossible, satisfactorily to answer.

3. The whole of the grievances in reference to every part of the subject were fully entered into, in that comprehensive inquiry which took place in the Select Committee of the House of Commons, previously to the introduction of Sir Andrew's first Bill, which elicited so much and such important and valuable information; and it follows, as a consequence, that every mischief which was within the scope of the inquiry should be within the scope of the enactment to be grounded upon the result of such inquiry.

4. It is difficult to guard against the inference to be drawn from the prohibition of one evil, and leaving another unprohibited, that such latter evil is intended to be tolerated and sanctioned.

5. It is extremely probable that, if, under existing circumstances, the advocates of the proposed measure were to bring forward one of limited extent, it would be considered that they had no ulterior object; and that their limited measure, if conceded, should be taken in full of every thing to be expected from the Legislature.

6. The different provisions of the measure are so connected, that it is very difficult to separate them. For instance, how could the provisions against trade be separated from the provisions against travelling, when travelling necessarily supposes the exercise of a species of trade?

7. It is the most fair and honest mode of dealing, on the part of those who are of the opinion, that the exigency of the case calls for a comprehensive measure, to declare at once what is the utmost extent of the objects they have in view, and what is the exact amount of the measure with which they would be satisfied; and it is considered that such a course is most likely to attract the approbation and good opinion of right-thinking individuals,

E

is enabled to gather in his fruits in good season. Wheat, during warm weather, sometimes appears above ground in a week, and barley in four or five days. Oats, sown in the middle of June, will yield a good crop, twenty-fold, in September; and barley, sown as late as the first week in July, has yielded a good crop in the autumn. Indeed, so rapidly do the ingatherings of the various fruits of the earth succeed each other, that, from the middle or latter end of July, when hay-making commences, until the end of October, all is bustle and activity in the country. After God has thus "crowned the year with his goodness," it is usual in several parts of the province for the inhabitants to assemble together in their respective places of worship, and in some places the members of different religious communities meet in the same sanctuary, to render thanks to the Lord "for the great benefits that they have received at his hands ;" and in this truly pious way to "shout the harvest home."

We should form a very erroneous opinion of the natural resources of that country, if we were to judge of them only from external appearances. Its tracts of excellent upland, the large quantities of rich intervale or alluvial soil which it contains, and its fertile prairies, some of which are several miles in length, and of a proportionate breadth, form but a part of the wealth which has been bestowed upon it by the Great Author of nature; for, in addition to these valuable possessions, it contains mineral stores beneath its surface of inestimable worth. It is not, indeed, enriched with mines of gold or of silver, though pieces of silver ore have been found in one or two districts; but it does contain coal and iron of excellent quality; and though it would be premature at present, to state to what extent the two last are to be found, there is great reason to believe, from the trials which have been already made, that the quantity of coal, especially, is very considera. ble. A highly respectable gentleman informed me, several years ago, that he sent to his agent in this coun

try a large piece of iron ore, which yielded eighty per cent., equal in quality to the best Swedish iron. In addition to iron and coal, there have been found in parts of a ridge of high land which extends from the basin of Mines to the gut of Annapo lis, a distance of not less than a hundred miles, several pieces of copper ore, an excellent specimen of which I have in my possession. The mines in our American colonies are the property of the King; and I believe that it is usual, in the appropriation of lands by the Colonial Government, whether to companies or to individuals, to reserve all such property for the benefit of the Crown of Great Britain. His late Majesty, however, made a grant of the mines in NovaScotia to his brother, the late Duke of York; a measure which has created great dissatisfaction in the province, and one respecting the legality of which serious doubts are felt and expressed by many well-informed persons. Whatever opinion may be entertained of the character of the gift, those mines were bestowed on the then Heir Presumptive to the throne, and they are now held by his creditors, for whose benefit some of them have been rather extensively worked. Freestone of an excellent description is very plentiful in many places; and limestone and slate are found in great abundance. The banks of the rivers and streams that flow into the Bay of Fundy contain large quarries of gypsum, or plasterstone, a natural combination of the calcareous earth with vitriolic acid: it is exported in large quantities to the United States, and is extensively used in the southern section of that country for agricultural purposes.

Birds of various kinds, from the black and grey eagle, to the humming bird, with its straight or curved bill, visit the provinces in great numbers, during the warm and pleasant seasons of the year; but, judging from my own observation, and the testimony of others, very few of them remain during the winter months. In consequence of the extension of the old and the rapid increase of new settlements, combined with other causes, the number of wild animals

unto

is greatly diminished. Still, however, they are to be found in the depths of their native forests, and some of them, especially the bear and the fox, occasionally prowl around the habitations of settlers in remote districts in search of prey; but seldom, indeed, does even the bear attack man, except when impelled by hunger, or goaded by opposition. Then, standing on his hind legs, he will, if possible, embrace, and hold with great force and tenacity, any human being that may be in his way. A Highland emigrant was once seized in this manner by a bear. Happily for him this " ward event" did not deprive him of that presence of mind, which is so useful at all times, but especially during seasons of danger. In his extremity, he recollected that he had a dirk upon his person. He succeeded in getting a firm hold of it with his left hand; and by a welldirected and vigorous plunge into the left side of his antagonist, he brought him to the ground; but as the Highlandman fell undermost, it was with great difficulty that he extricated himself from the grasp of the expiring animal. Seldom, indeed, are such risks now encountered; but, as may easily be supposed, the early settlers were often exposed to personal danger, and to loss of property, from that quarter. Though travellers now proceed on their way unawed by the approach of beasts of prey, and the inhabitants generally are unmolested by them, the generation that preceded them in the cultivation of the wilderness were placed in very different circumstances; for, in addition to their having to subdue the earth by labour and toil during the day, that it might "bring forth grass for the cattle, and herbs for the service of man, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart," it was necessary for them to have the instruments of attack and defence always ready, and to be on the alert during the night, for the purpose of protecting their live stock from those crafty and powerful invaders.

The population of Nova-Scotia, including the island of Cape Breton,

which is separated from it only by a narrow strait, and is placed under the same government, cannot amount to less, at the present time, than from 140,000 to 150,000 souls. It is chiefly composed of emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland, American loyalists, and their descendants, together with a number of French and German families, most of the junior branches of which can speak the English language. In addition to the above, there are at least from three hundred and fifty to four hundred families of Indians of the Micmac tribe, scattered over that and the adjoining province of New-Brunswick, whose personal habits and social state are truly deplorable. The dwellings which they occupy at their different encampments are called wigwams; and as they are merely circular erections of small poles, placed in the ground at a little distance from each other, and drawn to a point at the top, and are merely covered with birch-bark, they afford, at best, but a frail defence against the inclemency of the weather, and are equally inconvenient and uncomfortable. wretched remnant of a once great and powerful people obtain a scanty subsistence by hunting and fishing, and by the sale of boxes and baskets of various colours and sizes, in the manufacture of which they display no small degree of taste and skill. Like their brethren in other portions of North America, they are distinguished by the peculiarity of their physiognomy,-the high cheek-bone, quick dark eye, the copper hue of the skin, and straight black hair; and, like them, they have greatly suffered from the occupancy of the land of their fathers by the white man. Vices and diseases have thus been introduced, which have greatly deteriorated their character, and diminished their numbers; the "firewaters" and the small-pox have proved more efficient agents of destruction than the plague, and to the dire influence of the artificial evil (rum) much of their present wretchedness may justly be ascribed; and nothing can subdue their strong desire for intoxicating liquors, but the

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