HALIFAX 



3791 



HALIFAX 



Halifax, Nova Scotia. Plan of the Canadian city, show- 

 ing the principal quays and dockyards 



art gallery. There are several parks, 

 one having been given by Sir F. 

 Crossley, who gave his house for a 

 museum. To the same benefactor 

 and his brother the town owes the 

 Crossley almshouses and the Cross- 

 ley orphanages. There are tech- 

 nical schools, Heath grammar 

 school, and the Waterhouse school. 

 A bridge connects the two parts of 

 the town which lie on either side of 

 the river valley. Halifax is a centre 

 for the manufacture of woollen 

 and worsted goods, carpets, and 

 blankets. There is some cotton 

 spinning, while machinery and 

 chemicals are made. Ironworks are 

 important. The corporation owns 

 the gas and water undertakings, 

 tramways, and electric light sup- 

 ply. One member is returned to 

 Parliament. 



The town was but a hamlet be- 

 fore the introduction of the cloth 

 trade about 1500. From then it 

 grew rapidly, but it was not made 

 a municipal borough until 1848. 

 From 1832 to 1918 it sent two 

 members to Parliament. Its gibbet 

 is historic. On this stealers of cloth 

 were executed, after trial before a 

 jury of 16. There is a model of the 

 gibbet in the museum. In 1921 the 

 town adopted Metz-en-Couture in 

 the dept. of Pas-de-Calais. Market 

 day, Sat. Pop. (1921) 99,129. 



Halifax. N City of Nova Scotia, 

 Canada, a seaport and the capital 

 of the prov. It stands on a hill 

 overlooking Chebucto Bay, named 

 after it Halifax harbour, and owes 

 its importance to its position. The 

 harbour is one of the finest in the 

 world ; safe and spacious, it is 6 m. 

 long and 1 m. broad. It has ample 

 docks, etc., including the royal 



dockyard estab- 

 lished here in 1758. 

 It has a large dry 

 dock and accom- 

 modation for the 

 largest steamers. 

 An extensive 

 scheme of im- 

 provements begun 

 before the Great 

 War, was retarded 

 by the war and 

 also by a terrible 

 explosion which 

 took place in 

 Dec., 1917, when 

 a munition ship 

 collided in the 

 harbour with 

 another vessel. 

 Immense damage 

 was done, es- 

 pecially at Rich- 

 mond and the N. 

 end of the city 

 generally, where 

 many streets were 

 laid in ruins. 

 Over 300 persons were killed, and 

 3,000 houses damaged, the loss 

 being estimated at 5,000,000. 



Halifax is 837 m. from Montreal, 

 and is the terminus of two trans- 

 continental lines of rly., C.P.R. and 

 C.N.R., as also 

 of those confined 

 to the prov. 

 Steamers go 

 regularly to 

 Europe, the 

 U.S.A., the West 

 Indies, and else- 



Halifaz, N.S., arms he * e ; It is 

 Canada s c n i e t 



winter port, the headquarters of 

 the Atlantic section of the Can- 

 adian navy, and since its founda- 

 tion has been a garrison town, 

 strongly fortified. In 1906 the 

 Dominion became responsible for 

 its defence. Its exports are fish, 



lumber, etc., and its industries in- 

 clude shipbuilding, founding, sugar 

 and oil refining, and the making of 

 furniture, soap, paint, tobacco, etc. 

 There are also factories for making 

 cotton and woollen goods, agri- 

 cultural implements, etc. 



Founded in 1749, and named 

 after the earl of Halifax (1716-71), 

 Halifax has still some wooden 

 houses. It was made the provincial 

 capital in 1750. In appearance it is 

 somewhat English, a reminder of the 

 time when it was the main gateway 

 into Canada and a military and 

 social centre relatively more import- 

 ant than it is to-day. Its chief build- 

 ings are those erected for official 

 uses, e.g. the house of the Nova 

 Scotia legislature and the residence 

 of the lieutenant-governor. The 

 Roman Catholics have a cathedral, 

 while S. Paul's is the oldest Anglican 

 church. The city has a citadel. 

 There are hospitals and other 

 charitable institutions, as well as 

 several schools and colleges, the 

 chief of which is Dalhousie Uni- 

 versity. Tt is governed by a 



Halifax, England. The parish church of S. John. 

 Top, right, the town hall, built by Sir Charles Barry. 1862 



Valentine 



mayor and cor- 

 poration, and has 

 supplies of electric 

 light, gas, and 

 water. The ameni- 

 ties include public 

 parks, notably 

 Point Pleasant, 

 and boating and 

 fishing on an arm 

 of the harbour. 

 Dartmouth, 

 across the har- 

 bour, is really a 

 i suburb of the city. 

 Pop. 46,619. 



