Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
I. GEOGRAPHY
Nova Scotia is one of the maritime provinces of Canada. It forms part of what was formerly Acadie or Acadia and now consists of what is known as the peninsula of Nova Scotia proper and the Island of Cape Breton. The island is separated from the mainland by the Gut or Strait of Canso, an important international waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This strait is about fifteen miles long and varies in width from half a mile to two miles. Sable Island, a dangerous sand ridge, on which in 1518 a Frenchman, named de Lery, made a fruitless attempt to form a settlement, was before the confederation of the provinces a part of the Province of Nova Scotia, but by the Union Act (British North America Act of 1867) this island came under the exclusive legislative authority of the Dominion Parliament. It is about twenty-five miles long and of varying width. In some places it is about a mile and a half wide. From the numerous shipwrecks that have occurred there, Sable Island has become known as “the graveyard of the Atlantic”.
The Province of Nova Scotia lies between 43º 25′ and 47º north latitude, and 59º 40′ and 66º 35′ west longitude. On the north it is bounded by the Bay of Fundy, Chignecto Bay, New Brunswick, Northumberland Straits, and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and on all other sides by the Atlantic Ocean. The peninsula is connected with the Province of New Brunswick by the Isthmus of Chignecto which is about twelve and a half miles wide. The total area of Nova Scotia is estimated at about 21,428 square miles. The surface is undulating. There are three mountain ranges, namely: the Cobequid Mountains, commencing at Cape Chignecto in Cumberland and running about one hundred miles through the Counties of Colchester, Pictou and Antigonish; the North Mountains extending from Cape Blomidon to Digby Neck, about one hundred and ten miles; and the South Mountains, a low range parallel with the North Mountains and with some interruptions running through the middle of the peninsula and through the Island of Cape Breton, the range being about three hundred and fifty miles long. The greatest height of these mountains is 1700 feet above sea-level. The rivers are small, and no part of the country is far from the sea. The lakes are numerous but not large. The Bras d’Or Lakes in Cape Breton divide the island into two parts and cover about 500 square miles. The coastline of Nova Scotia is about 1500 miles and there are numerous ports of refuge. The harbours of Halifax, Louisburg, and Sydney are among the best in North America. The average temperature ranges from 65º F. in summer to 25º F. in winter. The high tides on the Bay of Fundy constitute an unusual physical feature of the counties lying along the bay.
The resources of Nova Scotia are diversified. Farming, mining, fishing, lumbering, and manufacturing yield an ample return to the industry of the inhabitants. In the counties lying along the Bay of Fundy and penetrated by the inlets are valuable dike-lands begun by the early French settlers, and continued after the expulsion of the Acadians by the colonists from New England, who in 1760 and 1761 took possession of the lands of the expelled Acadians. The agricultural products of the country are hay, wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, and turnips, all of which obtain a local market. In the Annapolis Valley about 750,000 barrels of apples are annually produced and shipped to the English markets. There are large coal measures in the Counties of Cumberland, Pictou, Inverness, and Cape Breton. The coal is bituminous, and supplies the local demand and a large portion of the markets of the St. Lawrence River. Iron, copper, and gypsum are also mined. The coast fisheries are looked upon as very valuable. They consist of salmon, cod, shad, halibut, mackerel, herring, shellfish, and are exported to American and European markets. The forests produce maple, birch, hemlock, spruce, pine, and beech. The manufacturing interests are also extensive, the larger plants being the iron and steel works at Sydney and Sydney Mines.
II. ETHNOGRAPHY
When the European colonists first came to Nova Scotia they found the country inhabited by a tribe of Indians known as the Micmacs. These savages were converted to Christianity by the early French missionaries. Their descendants, numbering 1542 at the time of the last official census (1901), belong to the Catholic Church. They live principally on reservations set aside for them by the Government. The duty of caring for the Indians has been assigned by the British North American Act to the Parliament of Canada. The descendants of the French settlers form an important body. They numbered at the time of the last census 45,161. They also are Catholics and are noted for their industry and frugality. The Germans form another important element. They are descended from the body of German settlers who arrived in Nova Scotia shortly after the founding of Halifax and in 1753 removed to the County of Lunenburg. Principally Lutherans and Anglicans, they are thrifty and industrious. The English settlers came in after the defeat of the French, and after the Revolutionary War from twenty to thirty thousand loyalists left the United States and settled in Nova Scotia. Later on came accessions from Ireland and Scotland. At the last census these last-mentioned races were estimated as follows: English, 159,753; Scottish, 143,382; Irish; 54,710. There were also 5984 negroes in the province. They are descended from slaves who were brought to Nova Scotia before the abolition of slavery in British dominions. The total population of the Province of Nova Scotia in 1901 was 459,572, of whom 129,578 were returned as Catholics.
III. HISTORY
John Cabot made his first voyage from Bristol in search of a westerly route to India in 1497. He made a landfall on the eastern coast of North America, but whether on Labrador, Newfoundland, or Nova Scotia is uncertain. No actual settlement immediately followed the voyages of the Cabots. In 1604 King Henry IV of France gave a commission to de Monts appointing him viceroy of the territory lying between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the mouth of the Hudson River. De Monts arrived at the mouth of the La Have River on the coast of Nova Scotia and he then sailed up the Bay of Fundy and into the sheet of water which is now known as the Annapolis Basin. Here, near what is now the town of Annapolis, a site was chosen for a settlement and to the place de Monts gave the name of Port-Royal. Leaving some of his companions there he sailed along the northern shore of the Bay of Fundy, entered the St. John River and later made his winter quarters at the mouth of the St. Croix River. The companions whom he left at Port-Royal returned to France. The following year de Monts and the survivors of his party at St. Croix returned to Port-Royal. This was the beginning of European settlement in Canada, and the colony thus established is the oldest European settlement in North America with the exception of St. Augustine in Florida. The colony was temporarily abandoned in 1607, but in 1610 the French returned and remained in undisturbed possession until 1613, when a freebooter from Virginia named Argall made a descent upon the colony and totally destroyed it.
In 1621 King James I gave a grant of Acadia to Sir William Alexander and changed the name to Nova Scotia; but the efforts of Sir William Alexander to build up an English settlement were of little avail. After the capture of Quebec by David Kirke, peace was made between France and Great Britain by the Treaty of St-Germain-en-Laye (1632), and Quebec and Nova Scotia were given back to France. But in 1654 Cromwell sent out a fleet to capture the Dutch colony at Manhattan, and a portion of his fleet sailed into Annapolis Basin, and Port-Royal surrendered to them. After the accession of Charles II, by the Treaty of Breda, Nova Scotia was again restored to France. In 1690 Sir William Phips took command of a naval force from Massachusetts, and he easily took Port-Royal, but he left no garrison there and the French soon reoccupied it. After several years of war terms of peace were again arranged between Great Britain and France by the Treaty of Ryswick (1679) and Nova Scotia was once again placed under the rule of France, The final capture of Port-Royal took place in 1710 when the French surrendered to Colonel Nicholson, who named the settlement Annapolis in honour of Queen Anne. The long warfare between the two countries for the possession of Nova Scotia proper was brought to a close by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), which provided that the peninsula should belong to England and the Island of Cape Breton to France. Annapolis became the capital of the colony and the only other English settlement was at Canso. Very few settlers arrived in the country for nearly forty years. The French to regain their position strongly fortified Louisburg on the south-east coast of Cape Breton. War again broke out and in 1745 a force was sent from Massachusetts under Colonel William Pepperell. After a siege of seven weeks the Governor of Louisburg was obliged to surrender. To recapture Louisburg the French in the year following sent out a powerful fleet under d’Anville. This expedition was unfortunate. The fleet encountered bad weather and after the remnants of it arrived at Chebucto (Halifax) Harbour, the commander and many of the men died; those who survived returned to France. Great Britain held Louisburg for three years after the first capture; and then terms of peace were arranged by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) and Louisburg was given to France. To strengthen the position of the English in Nova Scotia it was determined to establish a permanent settlement on the shores of Chebucto Harbour. Accordingly in June, 1749, Colonel Cornwallis arrived with a number of settlers and founded the town of Halifax. The seat of government, was transferred from Annapolis to the new town, and Cornwallis selected a council to assist him in the administration of the colony. Six years later occurred the cruel expulsion of the Acadians from their fertile lands along the Bay of Fundy. Several thousands of these people were banished from Nova Scotia and scattered in the English colonies from Massachusetts to Louisiana. In many cases families were separated and the event remains a dark blot on the reputation of the English governor of that day.
From 1749 to 1758 the governor of the colony administered its affairs with the assistance of a council, but there were no representatives directly chosen by the people. In the latter year the first representative Assembly was convened in Halifax. By the laws of that time Roman Catholics were disqualified from holding seats in the legislature.
In 1756 began the famous Seven Years’ War; two years later the final capture of Louisburg, under General Amherst, took place. The siege lasted for seven weeks and at last the French governor was obliged to surrender unconditionally. By the Treaty of Paris (1763) France ceded Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, and Canada to Great Britain, and the long duel in North America between the two great European powers came at last to an end. Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island became a part of Nova Scotia; but in 1770 Prince Edward Island severed its political connexion, as in 1784 did Cape Breton and New Brunswick. Cape Breton was reannexed to Nova Scotia in 1819. During the Revolutionary War Nova Scotia remained loyal to Britain. Many people in the United States who did not approve of the war migrated to the British provinces. These were known as United Empire Loyalists. In the province to which they removed they received free grants of land and they formed a valuable accession to the scant population.
At the first session of the Legislature of Nova Scotia a law was passed requiring all Catholic priests to leave the country; and any person who harboured a priest was liable to payment of a large fine. These laws were subsequently repealed. In 1827 a Catholic was permitted, for the first time, to take his seat as a member of the Assembly. While Nova Scotia had representative government as early as 1758, the executive was not in any way responsible to the people; affairs were so administered for about seventy years. Then arose a strong agitation under the brilliant leadership of Joseph Howe. After several years of discussion and negotiation, in 1848, responsible government was secured and thereafter the tenure of office of the government was made to depend upon the support of the representatives of the people in the Assembly. The next twenty years were years of continued progress. Steam communication was established with England; railways were built; and a revival of trade took place. In 1867 the Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario were confederated as the Dominion of Canada, under the provision of the British North America Act. The legislative functions of the Dominion and of the provinces were separated,and subjects of local concern were assigned to the several provinces. Among the latter may be mentioned education and municipal institutions, solemnization of marriage, and property and civil rights. Among the powers assigned to the Dominion are the postal service, census and statistics, military and naval service and defence, navigation, banking, copyrights, marriage and divorce, and the regulations in regard to the Indians.
IV. CHURCH AND STATE
The relations between Church and State do not give rise to much complaint. There is no state religion, and all religious denominations are placed on an equality by the law. The school system is undenominational. The Catholics have no separate schools, but in centres of population where they are numerous and in country districts where they predominate, they are permitted by usage to have teachers of their own belief. There is perfect freedom of worship in every respect.
V. DIVISION INTO DIOCESES, POPULATION, ETC.
The Province of Nova Scotia is divided into two dioceses: the Archdiocese of Halifax, which embraces the eleven westernmost counties of the province; and the Diocese of Antigonish, which embraces the four counties on Cape Breton Island, and the Counties of Guysborough, Pictou, and Antigonish on the peninsula. According to the last official census there were 54,301 Catholics in the Archdiocese of Halifax, and 75,277 in the Diocese of Antigonish. By chapter 31 of the Acts of the Legislature of Nova Scotia for the year 1849, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Halifax and his successors were incorporated under the name of “the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of the City and County of Halifax” with perpetual succession, and power to hold, receive and enjoy real and personal estate. In 1888, by chapter 102 of the Acts of that year, s. 4, it was provided as follows: — “The Corporation may acquire by deed of conveyance or by devise or in any other manner for the time being recognized by law lands within Nova Scotia and may have, hold, possess and enjoy the same for the general uses and purposes eleemosynary, ecclesiastical or educational of the Archdiocese or of any portion thereof or for any such uses or purposes and may sell, alien, exchange, assign, release mortgage, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of such lands or any part thereof for such uses and purposes or any of them in the manner hereinafter provided”. This statute also provides that all Church property, real and personal, shall be vested in the corporation and used as the property of the Roman Catholic Church within the archdiocese for eleemosynary, ecclesiastical, and educational purposes. The corporation executes a deed by its corporate seal and the signature of the archbishop, his coadjutor or vicar-general, and one other Roman Catholic clergyman of the archdiocese. The Diocese of Antigonish was formerly known as the Diocese of Arichat; by chapter 86 of the Acts of the Legislature of Nova Scotia for 1887 the name was changed from Arichat to Antigonish. The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Antigonish was created by Chapter 74 of the Acts of the Legislature of Nova Scotia (1854), and the legislative provisions with respect to this corporation are substantially the same as those relating to the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Halifax.
VI. TAXATION AND EXEMPTION OF CHURCHES, ETC.
The Assessment Act [R. S. N. S., 1900, c. 73, sec. 4, SS. (b)] exempts from taxation every church and place of worship and the land used in connexion therewith, and every church and burial ground. The same statute also exempts the real estate of every college, academy, or institution of learning and every schoolhouse. The statute mentioned applies to all property in Nova Scotia outside of the city of Halifax. Property within the city of Halifax is dealt with by the Halifax City Charter, S. 335, which exempts every building used as a college, incorporated academy, schoolhouse, or other seminary of learning, and every building used for public worship and the site, appurtenances and furniture of each. This charter also exempts every poorhouse, almshouse, orphans’ home, house of industry, house of refuge, and infants’ home, while used for the purposes indicated by their respective designations, and all their real and personal property.
VII. EXEMPTION OF THE CLERGY FROM PUBLIC SERVICES
There are no obnoxious public duties required to be performed by clergymen. The Juries’ Act (R. S. N. S., 1900, c. 162, s. 5) exempts from serving on juries “clergymen and ministers of the Gospel”. The Militia Act (R.S., c. 41, s. 11) provides that the clergy and ministers of all religious denominations, professors in colleges and universities, and teachers in religious orders shall be exempt from liability to serve in the militia.
VIII. PRISONS AND REFORMATORIES
These are maintained by the State and are non-denominational. The clergy are permitted to minister to the spiritual wants of the people of their own faith. At Halifax there are two reformatories conducted under Catholic auspices, namely, St. Patrick’s Home for Boys, and the Good Shepherd Reformatory for women. Under the provisions of the Act relating to prisons and reformatories (R. S. C., c. 148), whenever a boy, who is a Catholic and under eighteen years, is convicted in Nova Scotia for an offence for which he is liable to imprisonment, the presiding justice may sentence such boy to be detained in St. Patrick’s Home for a term not exceeding five years and not less than one year. The statute provides also that boys so detained shall be educated and taught a trade. This home is assisted from the public funds and is open at all time to public inspection, It is under the direction of the Christian Brothers. The statute provides also that juvenile offenders and vagrants may be sent to this reformatory. Similar provision is made in the case of a girl, being a Catholic and above the age of sixteen years, convicted of an offence punishable by imprisonment in the city prison or common jail for a term of two months or longer. She may be sentenced to the Good Shepherd Reformatory at Halifax, for an extended or substituted imprisonment subject to conditions: (a) if she is under the age of twenty-one, such extended imprisonment may be until she attains the age of twenty-one, or for any shorter or longer term not less than two and not more than four years; (b) if she is of the age of twenty-one or upwards, such extended imprisonment may be for any term not less than one year and not more than two years.
Catholic girls under the age of sixteen may be sentenced in the same way to the Good Shepherd Industrial Refuge at Halifax where the sisters are in charge and are obliged to instruct them in reading and writing and in arithmetic to the end of simple proportion, and also to teach them a trade or occupation suitable to their capabilities. The Good Shepherd Reformatory receives assistance from the public funds and is subject to inspection by a government official.
IX. WILLS AND CHARITABLE BEQUESTS
Every person of the age of twenty-one years and upwards may dispose of his property by will. Such will must be signed by the testator in the presence of two witnesses who shall subscribe thereto as witnesses in his presence and in the presence of each other. By statute (R. S. N. S., 1900, c. 135) a devise or bequest of real or personal property to any religious or charitable corporation or any incorporated institution of learning is valid and effectual for the purpose of vesting the property in such body, notwithstanding that it was not by its act of incorporation empowered to take or hold real or personal property or notwithstanding any limit in such act as to the amount of real or personal property the incorporated body was empowered to take or hold — provided the statute shall not extend to render valid or effectual any devise or bequest that is to be void for another reason.
X. CEMETERIES
By statute (R. S. N. S., 1900, c. 132) it is provided that any number of persons, not less than ten, may form themselves into a company for the purpose of establishing a public cemetery. Catholic cemeteries, however, are owned by the Episcopal Corporation of the diocese. Cemeteries are exempt from taxation and the lots or plots owned by individual proprietors cannot be seized or taken on execution.
XI. MARRIAGE LAWS
By the provisions of the British North America Act, the subject of marriage and divorce is assigned to the Dominion Parliament, and that of the solemnization of marriage to the legislature of the province. The former body, under this distribution deals with the capacity to contract marriage, and in pursuance of such power it has enacted (R. S. C., c. 105) that “a marriage is not invalid merely because the woman is a sister of a deceased wife of the man, or a daughter of a sister of a deceased wife of the man”. The provincial statute (R. S. N. S., 1900, c. 111) deals with the mode of solemnizing a marriage within the province. It provides that every marriage shall be solemnized by a minister of a church or religious denomination, being a man and resident in Canada, who is recognized as duly ordained according to the rites and ceremonies of the church or denomination to which he belongs. Persons belonging to the society known as the Salvation Army may be married by any duly appointed male commissioner or staff officer of the society. No person shall officiate at the solemnization of any marriage unless publication has been made of the banns of the marriage or a licence has been obtained for the solemnization of the marriage. The banns shall be published in any church at the place in which one of the parties resides by the officiating clergyman in an audible voice during the time of Divine service, and if there is more than one public service in the church on each Sunday, such publication shall be made at three several services held on two or more Sundays; otherwise the publication may be at two several services on two Sundays. Every marriage shall be solemnized in the presence of at least two witnesses. After the solemnization of the marriage the clergyman solemnizing the same shall make out a certificate containing the date of the marriage, the place thereof, the date of the publication of the banns, the church in which and the clergyman by whom the banns were published, the names of the witnesses and his own name, and the religious denomination to which he belongs. The marriage register giving the above particulars, and also the names, ages, residences, etc., of the parties and their parents shall also be filled up. Returns in the prescribed form shall be made by the clergyman to the nearest issuer of marriage licences within ten days after the solemnization. Forms for that purpose are furnished by the issuer of marriage licences. Large penalties are provided for solemnizing marriage without banns of marriage or licence, for refusing to publish the banns, for solemnizing under an illegal licence, and for failing to return the marriage register.
XII. DIVORCE
In Nova Scotia there is a court for divorce and matrimonial causes, and it has jurisdiction over all matters relating to prohibited marriages and divorce, and may declare any marriage null and void for impotence, adultery, cruelty, or kindred within the degrees prohibited in an Act made in the thirty-second year of King Henry the Eighth, entitled “An Act concerning pre-contracts, and touching degrees of Consanguinity”; and whenever a sentence of divorce shall be given, the court may pronounce such determination as it shall think fit on the rights of the parties or either of them to courtesy or dower. In the provinces of the dominion in which no divorce courts exist, applications for divorce are made to Parliament and the evidence is taken and considered by the members of the Senate of Canada. In Nova Scotia there is an appeal from the decision of the judge of the Divorce Court to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia sitting in banco. When the final decree is for the dissolution of the marriage, the statute enables either of the parties to marry again as if the prior marriage had been dissolved by death; but no clergyman shall be liable to any penalty for refusing to solemnize the marriage of either of the parties who have been divorced. In cases of divorce the wife and husband are not competent to testify, but in proceedings by the wife, on account of adultery coupled with cruelty, the husband and wife are competent and compellable to give evidence of or relating to such cruelty.
XIII. RELIGIOUS ORDERS, SCHOOLS, ETC.
Several of the public schools of the province are taught by members of the religious orders. In such cases the teachers must be licensed in the same way as other public teachers, and they are paid out of the public funds. Besides the public schools there are many excellent private schools taught by members of religious orders. These do not receive any assistance from the public treasury. The public schools are maintained by a grant from the government and by local taxation upon the property holders of the section or municipality. They are otherwise free and all children of school age are entitled to be admitted to them.
———————————–
BROWN, History of the Island of Cape Breton (London, 1869); the works of PARKMAN (Boston, 1882-4); CALKIN, History of Canada (Halifax, 1907): ROBERTS, History of Canada (Boston, 1897); CALKIN, School Geography of the World (Halifax, 1878); Revised Statutes of Canada (Ottawa, 1906); Statutes of Nova Scotia (various dates); Statutes of Canada (various dates); Revised Statutes of Nova Scotia (Halifax, 1900). For further bibliography see HALIFAX, ARCHDIOCESE OF.
JOSEPH A. CHISHOLM. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XICopyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Nova Scotia
a province of the Dominion of Canada, situated between lat. 43; 26′ and 47 5′ N., and long. 590 40′ and 660 25′ W. It consists of the peninsula of Nova Scotia and the island of Cape Breton, separated from it by the Strait of Canso, one mile wide. The peninsula, inclusive of the adjoining islets, is situated between lat. 43 26′ and 460 N., and long. 61 and 66 25′ W. It is bounded on the north by Northumberland Strait, separating it from Prince Edward Island, and by the Gulf of St. Lawrence, on the north-east by the Strait of Canso, on the south-east and south-west by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the north-west by the Bay of Fundy and New Brunswick, with which it is connected by an isthmus 14 miles wide, separating Northumberland Strait from the Bay of Fundy. It is 260 miles long from north-east to south-west, and 65 miles in average breadth. Its area, according to the Canadian census of 1871, is 16,956 square miles, and that of Cape Breton is 4775 square miles; of the entire province 21,731 square miles. The capital, commercial metropolis, and largest city is Halifax, with 29,582 inhabitants in 1871. The population of the province in 1784 was about 20,000. Later it has been as follows: 1806, 67,515; 18i7, 91,913; 1827, 142,578; 1-838, 208,237; 1851, 276,117; 1861, 330,857; 1871, 387,800, of whom 75,483 resided on Cape Breton; in 1881 it was 440,572. Of the total population in 1871, 351,360 were born in the province, 3413 in New Brunswick, 3210 in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, 577 in other parts of British America, 2239 in the United States, and 25,882 in the British Isles, of whom 14,316 were natives of Scotland, 7558 of Ireland, and 4008 of England and Wales; 130,741 were of Scotch, 113,520 of English, 62.851 of Irish, 32,833 of French, 31,942 of German, 6212 of African, 2868 of Dutch, 1775 of Swiss, and 112 of Welsh origin, and 1666 were Indians (Micmacs and Malicetes). The entire province has a coastline, pot counting indentations of land, of 1170 miles. The shores of the peninsula are indented with a great number of excellent bays and harbors, and between Halifax and the Strait of Canso alone there are twentysix commodious havens, twelve of which will accommodate ships of the line. Stretching along the Atlantic sea-board, and extending inland from it for about twenty miles,. is a range of highlands, and about 60 miles from the Atlantic coast are the Cobiquid Mountains, 1100 feet in height, which traverse the peninsula from the Bay of Fundy to the Strait of Canso. The soil in the valleys is rich and fertile, producing all the fruits of temperate climates; and, especially in the north, the uplands are also fertile. The climate is remarkably healthy, its rigor being modified by the insular character of the province and by the influence of the Gulf. Stream. The mean temperature for the year is 42.09 at Pictou, and 43.6 at Windsor. The extreme limits of the thermometer may be stated at 15 Fahr. in winter, and 95 in the shade in summer. The province abounds in mineral riches, including gold, coal, and iron. Of the entire area of the colony, 10,000,000 acres are considered good land, and of these 1,028,032 are under cultivation. The principal agricultural products are hay, wheat, barley, buckwheat, oats, rye, Indian .corn, potatoes, and turnips. The waters around the colony abound in fish, as mackerel, shad, herring, salmon, etc., and the fisheries are pursued with,ardor and with increasing success.
Religious Status. The Church of England is recognised by the ancient laws of the province as the Established Church. This legal recognition was effected in 1758; but though various civil enactments, as to the limits of parishes, appointment of church-wardens and vestrymen, were obtained thereby, nothing beyond the mere name of an establishment has for many years existed. The permanent endowment of Windsor College, under the exclusive control of this Church, has been discontinued by the state; so that, in effect, the only privilege which remains of a distinctive nature is that the bishop retains, ex-officio a seat in the legislative council of the province. The number of adherents to this Church in 1881 was 60,255. The list of clergy contains one bishop, one archdeacon, besides ordained missionaries and travelling missionaries. These are located in forty different towns and settlements. Four of the clergy are connected with Windsor College, three with Halifax Grammar School, and one is an agent for the Colonial Church and School Society. Until recently large annual remittances for the support of the clergy and college professors had been received from the British Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and even, it is understood, from grants of the Imperial Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland. The foreign aid is now greatly curtailed, and will, it is expected, in the course of a few years altogether cease. The effect of this change of policy has been far from disastrous. A large portion of the wealth of the province is found within the pale of this Church, and nothing is wanting to secure permanent and growing prosperity but the prudent management of its internal resources. Already this has been tested in the endowment secured by subscription for Windsor College (10,000), and in the efforts made to sustain in thorough efficiency the Diocesan Society and the Foreign District of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
Under the general title of Presbyterians are grouped the adherents of three distinct churches, who, though holding the same standards, are yet quite independent in Church government. Their ground of separation depends entirely upon their respective origin. They have all descended from the Presbyterian churches of Scotland, and hold the distinctive principles of what are there denominated Kirk, Free Church, and United Presbyterian. The oldest, largest, and most influential of these bodies in Nova Scotia is that which arose from the-two secession churches, Burgher and Anti- Burgher. A union was happily effected between the adherents of these and of all the Presbyterians in Nova Scotia in the year 1817. Only one Presbyterian minister remained aloof, and he was personally favorable, while his congregation, being originally independent, was unfavorable to the union. The first Presbyterian missionaries arrived in Nova Scotia in 1766, but no permanent location was made before 1771. The first presbytery was formed in 1786, under the designation of Presbytery of Truro. Nine years afterwards another was formed in Pictou, and so designated. At the period of the union above referred to there were three presbyteries, comprising in all nineteen ordained ministers and twenty-five congregations. The great impediment all along experienced by this Church has been the difficulty of obtaining an adequate supply of ministers from the parent churches in Scotland. In 1816 a society was formed to procure the establishment of an academy for the training of native youth for the ministry and other learned professions. The basis proposed was sufficiently liberal to unite all dissenting bodies, and the means of support was to be endowed by the state. This effort was for a time apparently successful, but never so much so as to acquire the character of permanency. Ultimately it became a bone of contention, introduced bitter animosity and religious hate into the surrounding community, and became a watchword for political party, so as to form an effectual hinderance to ecclesiastical union on the part of the different Presbyterian bodies. Eventually all connection with this institution was abandoned by the Presbyterian Church of Nova Scotia, and then it became a matter of dire necessity .with that Church to provide and maintain an educational institute out of her own resources. Several years, however, elapsed before this step was taken. In 1848 measures were initiated with a view to the erection of a theological seminary, as preparatory to the divinity hall. The Free Church Presbyterians sustain a college at Halifax, also an academy and a theological hall. Altogether the Presbyterians are the most powerful body in the province (see statistical table below).
The Baptists have been nearly as long in the country as the Presbyterians. They have met with much success in the province, and rank third in numbers among the different religious bodies. They support a college and several elementary schools, and send missionaries to foreign parts. The Wesleyan Methodist body was started by missionaries from the mother country as early as 1769. No permanent organization was effected until 1786. A theological school is supported by them, and many academies and one college. The Congregational Church started as early as any of the foregoing, but its success has been very limited thus far.
The following table, from the census of 1881, gives the number of adherents of the principal denominations:
Denominations.Adherents.
Baptist83,761
Episcopal60,255
Methodist50,811
Presbyterian112,488
Roman Catholic117,487
Miscellaneous.15,770
Of the Baptists 19,032 are Free-will Baptists, and the Methodists 38,683 are Wesleyans. Among the miscellaneous are included 4958 Lutherans, 2538 Congregationalists, 1555 Christian Conference, 869 Adventists, 647 Universalists, and 128 Bible Believers. Besides the denominational efforts of each of these evangelical bodies, they severally unite in general schemes of benevolence and Christian philanthropy. The Nova Scotia Bible Society, and other auxiliaries of the British and Foreign Bible Society, enlist the sympathies of all but the Baptists, and are very generally supported. The Halifax Naval and Military Bible Society is in like manner dependent upon the Christian public generally. The Micmac Missionary Society, while its principal agent and missionary is Baptist, meets with the countenance and support of all classes. The Nova Scotia Sabbath Alliance consists of the leading ministers and members of all the leading Protestant denominations in Halifax.
Educational Status. Nova Scotia has a system of free public schools, organized in 1864. The schools are Under the general supervision of the provincial superintendent of education, with inspectors for the several counties, and are immediately managed by boards of commissioners for the counties, and of trustees for the different sections or districts. The number of schools in operation during the summer term ending Oct. 31, 1874, was 1673; number of teachers, 1744 (602 males and 1142 females); number of pupils registered, 79.910; average daily attendance, 46,233; number of different children some portion of the year ending on the above date, 93,512 (48,604 males and 44,908 females); number of school sections, 1932, of which 210 had no school any portion of the year; value of school property, $830,926 41; number of pupils for whom accommodation is provided, 88,258. Included in the above figures are ten county academies, with 45 teachers and 2614 pupils enrolled during the year. Aid was granted from the provincial treasury to four especial academies, having 14 teachers and 370 pupils, and also to Mount Allison male and female academies in New Brunswick. There are five colleges, as follows, with their statistics for 1874:
These receive small grants from the provincial treasury, as does also Mount Allison College in New Brunswick. In Dalhousie University a medical department was organized in 1868, which in 1874 had 11 professors and 29 students. In Halifax is situated the theological department of the Presbyterian Church of the lower provinces of British North America. The Halifax School of Medicine was incorporated in 1873. The provincial normal and model schools are at Truro. The number of teachers in the normal school in 1874 was 4; of pupils, 118. In the model school there were 9 teachers and about 550 pupils. The census of 1871 enumerates five young ladies’ boarding-schools, with 146. pupils. The total expenditure for educational purposes in 1874 was $619,361 87, viz.: public schools, $552,221 40; normal and model schools, $4733; special academies, $26,970; colleges, $35,337 47. Of these sums, $175,013 65 was derived from the provincial treasury, viz.: for public schools, $157,480 65; for normal and model schools, $4733; for special academies, $6800; for colleges, $6000. Of the expenditure for public schools, $107,301 39 was derived from county tax, and $287,349 30 from taxation in the different school sections. The number of newspapers and periodicals published in the province in 1874 was 38, viz.: 4 daily, 5 tri-weekly, 24 weekly, 1 biweekly, and 4 monthly.
NameLocationDate FoundedDenom.# of Instructors# of StudentsVol. in Library
King’s CollegeWinds.1788Episc.5176400
St. Mary’sHalifax1840Rom. Cath.4461400
Dalhouse CollegeHalifax1820Presb.7781373
Acadia CollegeWolfville1837Baptist7393417
St. Francis XavierAntigonish1855Rom. Cath.3412096
History, etc. Nova Scotia is supposed to have been visited and discovered by the Cabots in 1497. Its first colonists were a number of Frenchmen, who established themselves here in 1604, but were afterwards expelled by settlers from Virginia, who claimed the country by right of discovery. Under the French settlers it bore the name of Acadia (Acadie); but its name was changed for the present one in 1621, when a grant of the peninsula was obtained from James I by Sir William Alexander, whose intention was to colonize the whole country. Having found, however, that the localities they had fixed upon as suitable for settlement were already occupied, the colonists returned to the mother country. In 1654 the French, who had regained a footing in the colony, were subdued by a force sent out by Cromwell. By the. treaty of Breda the country was ceded to the French in 1667, but it was restored to the English in 1713. After the middle of the 18th century strenuous efforts were made to advance the interests of the colony. Settlers were sent out at the expense of the British government. The French, who had joined the Indians in hostilities against the English, were either expelled or completely mastered; and Cape Breton, which at an earlier period had been disunited from Nova Scotia, was reunited to it in 1819. Nova Scotia was incorporated with the Dominion of Canada July 1, 1867, and is represented in its Senate by 12 senators, each of whom must be a citizen thirty years of age, and possessed of an income of $4000 in the province. Nineteen representatives sit in the Canadian Parliament for Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia has also its own provincial Parliament and lieutenant- governor. See Haliburton, Historical and Statistical Account of Nova Scotia (Halifax. 1829); Martin, History of Nova Scotia, etc. (London, 1837); Akins, Selections fromn the Public Documents of the Province of Nova Scotia (Halifax. 1869); Amer. Cyclop. s.v.; Blackwood’s lMag. 1854, 1:12; 1866, 2:158; Anderson, Hist. Cl. Church (see Index in vol. iii).