24 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



The first assembly obviously surprised Governor Lawrence, who 

 looked forward to its meeting with many misgivings. In one of his 

 letters to the iinporiul authorities he admitted that the legislature had 

 gone to work in a business-like manner to j)ass a number of necessary 

 measures with " less altercation than from the seeming disposition of the 

 people he had been apprehensive of." The population of the province 

 was so in>igniticant at that time that it was only jiracticable to give a 

 special representation of four members to Halifax and of two membei-s to 

 Lunenburg, while the remaining sixteen representatives had to be 

 elected by the province at large. The representation of the province was 

 increased and new electoral divisions were created according as the 

 population was augmented b}' settlers from New England and elsewhere. 

 By 1774 the assembly was composed of thirty-two members, representing 

 five counties, the town of Halifax and fifteen townships -the latter 

 division continuing until a very recent date in the history of the ])rovince 

 to form a feature of legislative representation. 



Soon after his arrival in Nova Scotia Governor Corn wallis established 

 courts of law to try and determine civil and criminal cases in accordance 

 with the laws of England, and by 1774 there were in the province courts 

 of general session similar to the courts of the same name in England ; 

 courts of common pleas, formed on the practice of New England and the 

 mother country ; and a supreme court, court of assize and general jail 

 delivery, composed of the chief justice and two assistant judges. The 

 governor-in-council constituted a court of error in certain cases, and 

 from its decision an appeal could be made to the king in council. 

 Justices of peace were also appointed in the counties and townships with 

 jurisdiction over the collection of small debts. 



Among the builders of Nova Scotia Governors Cornwallis and 

 Law^'ence must always occupy a prominent place. They possessed 

 personal qualities which eminently fitted them to establish the dominion 

 of Great Britain in the formative and most critical period of a long 

 neglected colony. Cornwallis appears to have been wise, prescient and 

 energetic in his administration of public affairs, and yet, while Nova 

 Scotia owes him so much, not a monument has been raised in his honour, 

 and we look in vain for his portrait on the walls of public buildings of 

 the province. Nor has full justice ever been done to the meritorious 

 performances of Governor Lawrence, on account of the dark cloud which 

 rests on his name ever since the expulsion of the hapless Acadians.' Yet 



' In " Acadia : Missing Liiilcs of a lost Chapter in American History," by Mr. E. 

 Ridiard, there is a most persistent attempt to l)lacken the character of Governor 

 Lawrence, hut its bitterness shows so obviously that no one is likely to have his 

 ju(ly;inenl warped in recalling the services of a stern soldier who, in considering the 

 security of the province, forgot the dictates of humanity. French historical writers 

 too often look only to one side of the sad story, and fail in presenting such an impartial 

 and judicial aspect of the event in question, as is given by Ur. Kingsford in his account 

 of the expulsion. (See vol. III., cc. (> and 7). 



