128 NOVA SCOTIA. 



Professor How, an eminent mineralogist, ascertained, 

 by experiment, that at the same temperature, viz. 212, 

 the evaporative power of 1 Ib. of coal from the Albion 

 mines of Nova Scotia is 8 '49 Ibs. ; from the Acadian mines 

 9 * 26 ; and from the Montreal and Pictou mines 1 Ib. of coal 

 evaporates 9*41 Ibs. water. 



The coal fields in Nova Scotia were, until recent years, 

 monopolized by an English company, who obtained their 

 monopoly from the late Duke of York who obtained it 

 I do not know how ; England has always been most 

 generous in giving away the land and the wealth of her 

 colonies. In 1857 this monopoly was broken, the company 

 retaining, for their own advantage, the mines they had 

 actually in work, but opening the rest of the coal fields to 

 the province. 



For a short time after this, coal mining received a 

 stimulus. But a check soon followed. To punish the 

 Canadians for their unwavering loyalty to England at 

 the time when the "Trent affair" seemed likely to em- 

 broil the two nations in war, the Eeciprocity Treaty was 

 abrogated by the United States, and one of the conse- 

 quences of this was the imposition of a prohibitory tariff 

 upon Nova Scotia coal. At one blow its best market was 

 closed, and the Nova Scotia coal mines languished. But 

 the Northern States damaged themselves even more than 

 they damaged Nova Scotia. Dear coal is one of the 

 causes why the manufactories of New England are doing 

 so badly. They find they can get no coal elsewhere to 

 replace Nova Scotian coal at the same cost. There is now 

 a growing trade between Canada West and Nova Scotia. 

 Steamers carrying flour to Nova Scotia return laden with 



