4 HALIFAX. 



I was amused with the local partiality of 

 some of the principal inhabitants, which led 

 them to endeavour to persuade me, that, poor 

 as it seemed to me, the country was really a 

 fine one, and some of them even went the 

 length of assuring me, the land would carry 

 100 bushels or 12^ quarters of oats per acre ! 



The bay is beautiful, capable of containing 

 the whole British navy, and the fort very 

 strong ; and it will be recollected that it was 

 to Halifax the British troops, and with them 

 several thousand of the Royalist inhabitants, 

 retired when obliged to evacuate Boston on 

 its bombardment by General Washington in 

 1776. 



We took our departure from Halifax about 

 1 P. M. of the 4th, having there left two-thirds 

 of our passengers, who were bound for Quebec, 

 St John's, and Montreal. 



I may here observe, that we had 90 pas- 

 sengers in the Britannia, from Liverpool. The 

 passage-money is L. 41, and no steerage pas- 

 sengers are allowed. This, of course, makes 

 the company select, and accordingly I never 



