6 
On 1st February Major Waldron started on long leave for a cruise round tlie 
West Indian Islands. 
Lieut.-Colonel Anstruther joined on promotion on 21st February, and has 
assumed command of the R.A. Halifax District. 
Lieutenant Arthy went home on 24th February on six months 5 sick leave, 
necessitated by an injury to his knee. 
On 2nd March, Colonel Isaacson started in the s.s. Duart Castle to make an 
inspection of the It. A. at St. Lucia, Barbados, and Jamaica, an annual duty 
which has just been sanctioned and added to the office of the C.R.A. in British 
North America. The Colonel was not accompanied by his Staff Officer. 
The winter of 1893-4 has been one of the most severe which has been ex¬ 
perienced at Halifax for some years, and the officers have had the greatest difficulty 
in keeping their quarters above freezing point. Sometimes the thermometer goes 
down to 20°, and everything liquid in the room is frozen solid. The coldest day 
was 24th February, when the maximum temperature registered was zero and the 
minimum 12° below. A tobogganing party was given by the officers R.A. and 
R.E. on the Citadel Hill one night in January. Unfortunately it turned out a 
very cold one—5° below zero with a high wind. Nevertheless, the entertainment 
was largely attended, and the cold was counteracted by a huge bonfire and plenty 
of hot drinks—the latter disclosed a curious phenomenon, viz., hot punch in the 
bottom of a glass with a ring of ice at the top, caused by the steam freezing to 
the sides of the tumbler. 
The old Curling Club in Tower Road has been revived, and all this winter the 
“ roaring game 55 has been quite a rage with the officers of the R.A, and R.E., 
who have joined the Club in larger numbers than in any previous year. So great 
is the love of the game that curling is now played on the Mess billiard table every 
evening with pool balls, in preference to billiards or pool. 
At the annual meeting of the Nova Scotia Game Society, on 1st March, Colonel 
Isaacson was elected Yice-President of the Society, and Major Hodgson and 
Captain Boileau, Members of the Council. A new Game Act was passed by the 
local Parliament last session, containing several innovations, the most important 
of which are a three years’ close season for co.v moose, and the fixing of one 
date, the 15th September, for the beginning of all kinds of shooting for both 
large and small game. 
The Adjutant R.A. British North America wishes to return thanks for the fine 
photograph of Lieut.-General H. Le Cocq, late C.R.A., British North America, 
sent by an unknown donor ; the picture is now framed and added to the collection 
of portraits of ex-C.R.A. in the Colonel’s office. 
OBITUARY. 
Geneeal Sie Geoege Balfoue, k.c.b., Colonel Commandant Royal (late 
Madras) Artillery, died at 6, Cleveland Gardens, Hyde Park, on the 12th inst., 
aged 84. Sir George Balfour joined the Madras Artillery, 16th December, 1825 ; 
became Lieutenant, 12th June, 1827 ; Captain, 26th March, 1844 ; Brevet Major, 
26th March, 1844; Major, 31st December, 1857; Brevet Lieut.-Colonel, 20th 
June, 1854; Lieut.-Colonel, 27th August, 1858 ; Brevet Colonel, 9th April, 
1856 ; Colonel, 18th February, 1861; Major-General, 5th June, 1865 ; Lieut. - 
General, 1st July, 1874 ; and General, 1st October, 1883. He served with the 
Malacca Field Force in 1832-33, in the campaign against Kurnool in 1839, in¬ 
cluding the taking of Zorapore. Served with the expeditionary force in China 
throughout the war of 1840-42 (medal). He was Consul at Shanghai from 1843 
to the end of 1866, was a Member of the Madras Military Board from 1849 to 
