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(12.)

Died, on Wednesday, 3 Dec'r., 1789, at Annapolis Royal, in the 64th year of his age, after a lingering illness of 15 years, Joseph Winniett, esquire, the oldest justice of peace for the county of Annapolis, and first justice of the Common Pleas for that county, judge of probate, deputy register of deeds, &c. &c., leaving a numerous progeny.

(13.)

"The subscriber, hair dresser to ladies and gentlemen, begs leave to acquaint his friends and the public, that he now lives at the North-east corner of the Grand Parade, and informs them that he follows his profession with punctuality, (as usual), and flatters himself that notwithstanding he is a Novascotian, his perform. ance will be at least equal that of many German, London, Dublin or Cork Court frizeurs! And altho' he is possessed of the greatest share of customers, that his diligence and activity in business entitles him to more encouragement from the old standing inhabitants than he now receives. He begs leave to acquaint the public that it is not his intention to gain their custom and approbation otherwise than by his industry, although many have succeeded by flattery and misrepresen

tation.

Halifax, Dec'r. 1, 1789.

GEORGE CLARKE.

This brought out pieces from Mr. Kr, Osborne and Holmes, brother fri

seurs.

(14.)

A mail for Truro, Pictou, and the island of St. John, was advertised

CHAPTER VII.

1790. The 18th January was, as usual, kept as a holiday, in honor of queen Charlotte. Salutes, parades and vollies, and a levée at government house, were employed to celebrate the day. The provincial assembly met thursday, 25 Feb'y., (6th general assembly, 5th session.) Henry Newton, president of council. [Mr. Robert McElhinney, member for Londonderry, took his seat. 26th, James Delancey, member for Annapolis. March 1. Gideon White member for Barrington.] Lieutenant governor Parr, in his opening speech, stated the restoration of the king's health--complimented them on the attention they had bestowed on agriculture and commerce — urged on them to consider the means of "discharging the accumu-' ⚫lated and increasing debt for which the province is engaged, and the revisal, amendment and continuation of the temporary laws that were about to expire. The replies of both houses were in accordance. March 2. Major Barclay introduced a bill to limit the duration of the general assembly to seven years, in conformity with the English law. On motion of Mr. Day, it was resolved that, on a division, if any members requested it, the names of the members dividing should be inserted in the journals. A specimen of iron from the works lately established in Wilmot was presented by major Barclay. It was stated by major Milledge that the present works could manufacture about 30 tons per annum, and were expected soon to double that quantity. Bog ore was plentiful there, and they had a never failing stream of water, and had also wood in abundance.

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The house then resolved itself into a committee, to take into consideration the state of the poor-house. Mr. Pyke took the chair. The speaker (Mr. solicitor-general Uniacke) then rose, and made some apology to the house for taking the lead in a matter of this kind; but said his office of a commissioner had led him to make enquiries into every matter relative to the revenue of the province. It appeared by a paper which he held in his hand (which was a statement of the expence of the house, made out by the keeper) that the expenditure for the last year amounted to upwards of £1,600-that the whole revenue of the province for the year 1789 amounted to only about £6,649 some odd shillings-that the committee would see that the enormous expence attending this house swallowed up a fourth part of the revenue of the province. He then adverted to the number of rations stated in the paper he held in his hand to have been issued last year, by which he declared it appeared that it had cost the province upwards of twenty-eight pounds per head. He said a child could be boarded and educated at Windsor for £20 per annum, and the province must pay eight or nine pounds more to maintain a vagabond. He dwelt much on the enormity of the expence, and the inability of the province to support it; said it was a matter that had long engaged his serious attention, and said, that what he would propose to the house was, to separate the town and province poor, as is done by the overseers in other towns; and let two or three commissioners be appointed, who should have power to send away all transient poor, that may get footing among us, to the respective places where they may belong. That the persons who were at present of that description in the poor-house might be boarded out, or distributed in the different counties of the province, and the house shut up altogether. He also proposed an act to be passed, to compel masters of vessels, frequenting this port, to give bond to carry away again all persons of this description they brought among us, or to be liable to a penalty if they did not. By this plan the province would be freed of the expence, and he would venture to assert that the country would soon be cleared of vagabonds altogether; for so long as it was known that there

was an asylum open for them in this province, they would be flocking to us from all parts of the States, and from the neighboring provinces. He said he had information that persons had been hired to bring from the States five or six at a time; that they had flocked into us from New Brunswick — from Sydney, and that governor Fanning had even sent some here from the island of St. John's, with an order for them to be received into our poor-house. The solicitor general made many other similar remarks, and concluded with telling the committee that he thought some such mode as he had proposed ought to be adopted.

Major Barclay was fully of opinion that some steps should be taken to relieve the province from so enormous an expence as had been stated by the solicitor general to be incurred for the support of the transient poor. He said that he had the last session made a proposal to give a certain sum for this purpose, but it was not adopted. He now declared, that it was his opinion that nothing should in future be done for the support of transient poor. He said that this measure would no doubt throw an additional burthen on the town of Halifax. That it was not, however, his wish to oppress them; for it was fully his opinion that the town of Halifax possessed advantages so superior to every other part of the province as was sufficient to counterbalance the inconveniences, this measure, if adopted, would expose them to. Here was the capital of the province - here resided his excellency the governor and the honorable. his majesty's council. Here was stationed the admiral, with the squadron under his command. Here also were quartered the principal part of the inhabitants; and the money arising from all these sources is spent in the town of Halifax. He made some further remarks, und Mr. Hill followed, opposing any measure that would exclude suffering people from relief at the poor house. He said it had been hinted that if the overseers were more vigilant, these people might be prevented from getting footing in the province. This was a mistake, for, in the manner in which these persons are introduced into the community, if all the town were overseers they could not prevent it. Some place ought, therefore, to be provided for

them. It had been said, that they might be dispersed in the different counties of the province. This measure, he said would not answer. Many of the persons now in the poorhouse, in a few weeks, would be able to go and earn their living; but others, labouring under similar misfortunes, were continually applying for relief. Are they to be sent up the country? How is this to be done? It is impracticable. Mr. Hill also stated, that accidents, such as having their limbs broken, frequently happened to poor people who were employed in different harbours along our coast, where no provision was made for their recovery. It would be hard to deprive such unfortunate people of an asylum, or to throw the expence on the town of Halifax, which was already overburdened with poor taxes.

Mr. Wilkins, Mr. Marchinton, and major McNeil, followed, the speaker closing the debate. Another reason why no additional burthen should be laid upon the town of Halifax was that they had been assessed for the last half year to the amount of £500-that he attended at the time the assessment was laid, and had offered, if he might be relieved from his poor-tax, to take one of the poor for his own share, and take care of him. He stated, that in the year 1784 he had acted as an overseer, jointly with messrs. Cochran, Newton and Pyke; that the expence of the house in the year 1783 had been upwards of £1200; that they reduced the province part of this charge to between 4 and £500, and laid out besides £200 in repairs on the house; that they also reduced the town-charge to between 1 and £200. It was true, he said, he believed they had been rather too economical in their arrangements, for the keeper they employed, so far from making money by it, was so reduced, that the succeeding overseers were obliged to receive him as a pauper into the poor house.

A petition was read from Pictou, to be relieved from attending quarter sessions, &c., at Onslow. They were stated to have above four hundred families in the settlement of Pictou. (It is called Poictou in the magazine for 1790-a mistake in spelling, I think.) £300 had been subscribed at Annapolis

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