

NORTH AMERICA. 



and gray birch, red oak, beech, white and yellow 

 pine, white, red, and black spruce, maples, &c. 

 The rivers abound with the finest fish, among 

 which are salmon and trout ; and the shores yield 

 large supplies of white and shell fish. 



Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, is pleasantly 

 situated on the slope of a rising ground, facing a 

 fine spacious bay or natural harbour in front, on 

 the eastern side of the peninsula. The harbour is 

 easy of access for ships of every class, capacious 

 enough to afford anchorage for all the navies of 

 Europe, and finely sheltered from the violence of 

 winds. Population in 1871, 29,852 ; in 1881, 

 36,100. Other important towns in the province 

 are Pictou, on the north coast, the headquarters 

 of the coal export ; Liverpool, on the Atlantic sea- 

 board, and Yarmouth, at the south end of the 

 peninsula, both engaged in the lumber-trade, 

 ship-building, and fisheries, and each having a 

 population of over 3000 ; Windsor, in the interior, 

 built in the midst of great beds of gypsum or 

 plaster of Paris, which is extensively quarried ; 

 and Sydney and Arichat, in the island of Cape 

 Breton. 



The most important branches of industry in 

 Nova Scotia are the timber-trade, mining, cod- 

 fishery, ship-building, and agriculture. 



New Brunswick. 



The province of New Brunswick, lying on the 

 mainland of North America, contiguous to the 

 United States and Lower Canada, consists of an 

 extensive tract, comprising 27,000 square miles, 

 the greater part of which is still covered with 

 dense forests. The land, however, is generally 

 fertile, and excellently adapted for the settlement 

 of emigrants. One-third of the surface of New 

 Brunswick is covered by a bed of coal ; gold and 

 silver occur ; and copper, iron ore, gypsum, and 

 plumbago abound ; yet the total value of the min- 

 eral produce exported only amounts to $200,000 

 a year. The climate is salubrious ; the natural 

 products are numerous and valuable ; wild ani- 

 mals are plentiful; the rivers and lakes abound 

 in fish ; the coasts, in cod, haddocks, salmon, and 

 other fish. As yet, New Brunswick, though capable 

 of supporting a population of 3,000,000, has only 

 (1881) 321,233 inhabitants. The principal settle- 

 ments are along the river St John and its lakes. 

 At the mouth of this fine river (500 miles in 

 length) stands St John, the commercial capital of 

 the province, and, in 1871, the fifth largest city 



than villages at present (with the exception 

 of Chatham, which has a population of 3000), 

 and almost wholly dependent on the lumber- 

 trade and the fisheries, they are destined to in- 

 crease rapidly when the agricultural and mineral 

 resources of the country begin to be developed. 

 Progress can be discerned. In 1871, two lines of 

 railway were in operation, and 450 miles of tele- 

 graph. Along the coasts and the banks of the 

 nvers, there are excellent public roads. 



Manitoba. 



The province of Manitoba, formed out of the 

 Red River Settlement, was admitted into the 

 Dominion of Canada in 1870, and commenced 

 legislation in 1871. Its area was enormously 

 increased in 1882 (from 13,400 square miles to 

 about 123,200), and it now extends from 49 

 to 53 N. lat, and from 91 to 102 W. long. 

 The population, which in 1870 was about 

 12,000, had in 1880 increased to 37,207, three 

 times that number; and the capital (Winni- 

 peg, formerly Fort Garry) had itself about 

 12,000 inhabitants. In 1869-70, the Red River 

 region was the scene of a rebellion, headed by 

 Louis Riel. Before its suppression in 1870, a pro- 

 visional government had been established. Riel 

 led another rising of the half-breeds and Indians 

 of the North-west in 1885 ; after their defeat 

 by General Middleton, their leader was hanged. 

 This last rebellion cost more than ^1,000,000. 

 The soil is naturally good, and the pasture offers 

 splendid facilities for rearing sheep, cattle, and 

 horses. It is declared to be the best wheat-bear- 

 ing soil in the world, and its fertility is something 

 remarkable. Root crops grow admirably. The 

 development of the province of late years is un- 

 precedented. The imports doubled in the three 

 years 18791881. The Canadian Pacific Rail- 

 way, which was completed in the spring of 1886, 

 passes through Manitoba, and has favoured its 

 swift progress. The branch railways also aid in 

 developing the country ; a line from Winnipeg to 

 Hudson Bay was begun in 1886. 



Prince Edward Island. 



This rich and productive island is situated in 

 the south of the Gulf of St Lawrence, and is 

 separated from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia 

 by the strait of Northumberland. It measures 

 130 miles in length, and is 34 at its greatest 



in the Dominion. It occupies a commanding j breadth. The general appearance of this island 



position, and, when approached from the Bay of 

 Fundy, presents an imposing appearance. The 

 position of its harbour, and its entire freedom 

 from obstruction by ice, give it great advan- 

 tages over all other ports in the Dominion. 

 Ship-building and the lumber-trade are still the 

 principal sources of its prosperity. Since 1872, 

 it has been connected by railway with all 

 parts of the Dominion and the United States. 

 Population, 26,150. Ninety miles above St John, 

 on the same river, lies Fredericton, a small but 

 beautiful city, the seat of the provincial legis- 

 lature and university. Other places that must 

 one day become important are : Dalhousie and 

 Bathurst, on the Bay of Chaleur ; Chatham, at 

 the mouth of the Miramichi ; Shediac, opposite 

 to Prince Edward Island. Though little more 



from the sea is level, but on landing, the scenery 

 is varied with gentle undulations. The coasts 

 are guarded by a bold line of red sandstone cliffs, 

 varying in height from 20 to 100 feet It abounds 

 with streams and lakes, and in many places it is 

 indented with bays, several of which, as Cardigan 

 Bay on the east, the entrance to Georgetown, and 

 Hillsborough Bay on the south, to Charlottetown, 

 are deep and spacious, affording safe anchorage 

 for large vessels. Almost the whole area consists 

 of good land, and all the fertile land, except a 

 very small portion, is already under cultivation. 

 The soil is exceedingly fertile, and large crops of 

 wheat, oats, barley, beans, peas, maize, and potatoes 

 are produced. The climate is in some respects 

 similar to that of the neighbouring countries, but 

 the atmosphere is noted for being free of fogs. 



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