3 
French officers present, as he (Major Crookenden) having been on the spot at the 
time is in possession of all the details of the deplorable occurrence. 
Halifax revels in public holidays ; besides the usual English ones we have 
New Year’s Day, Natal Day, Dominion Day, Labour Day, and Thanksgiving- 
Day, when all public offices are closed. The 1st July is “ Dominion Day,” or 
the anniversary of the formation of the Canadian Confederation 25 years ago, 
and since 1885 has been observed in precisely the same manner as the Queen’s 
Birthday ; the Royal Standard is flown, a Royal salute of 21 guns fired, and the 
troops in garrison parade and fire a feu-de-joie round the ramparts of the Citadel. 
On 9th July, the sensational news was received here by cablegram that the 
town of St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland, had been almost completely 
burnt by fire. Millions of dollars worth of property destroyed and thousands 
of people rendered homeless and destitute. The case was one for immediate 
assistance and the townspeople of Halifax acted with commendable promptness 
and generosity in despatching a relief steamship the same day loaded with pro¬ 
visions and clothing. The Military and Naval authorities have manifested the 
same amount of sympathy as the citizens. The General, Sir John Ross, has 
himself initiated a relief subscription to which every officer and soldier in the 
garrison will give a day’s pay, and directed a great number of tents in Ordnance 
Store charge to be issued to shelter the houseless Newfoundlanders. They were 
conveyed to St. John’s, together with a quantity of provisions, by the Blake , 
which steamed out of Halifax the evening of the day the news was received, and 
owing to her great speed was able to cover the distance of 540 miles in 27 hours. 
QUETTA. 
It may possibly interest the Regiment to know that at the Quetta assault-at- 
arms, held on the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th of June, by order of Major-General 
Sir G. White, k.c.b., k.c.i.e., Y.C., a detachment of 20 Western Division, R.A. 
(at present commanded by Captain W. D. Burrard, R.A.), completed the regula¬ 
tion shift for Garrison Artillery—viz., mounting a 82-pr. S.B. of 58 cwt. from 
6" x 9" on to travelling carriage, lowering into trunnion holes, and again 
dismounting on to the ground—in the astonishing time of 39fth seconds. The 
operation was conducted by Company-Sergeant-Major Newsome ; and the time is 
claimed to be “a record.” 
