Page:Tourist's Maritime Provinces.djvu/98

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THE TOURIST'S MARITIME PROVINCES

the same year, and returned there victorious. On March third, 1815, peace between England and America was proclaimed at Halifax, and the affairs of the municipality resumed a normal course, punctuated by such incidents as the arrival of the packet which bore news of the Battle of Waterloo, the completion of the Province Building, the installation of new Governors and garrison commandants and the opening of roads to other towns in the province.

Scotch colonists came in increasing numbers to Prince Edward Island, to Cape Breton and New Brunswick. In the latter province they formed settlements along the Fundy shore which were given names reminiscent of their native land.

The first steamboat to run on the River St. John was the General Smyth which inaugurated a service in 1816 between St. John City and Fredericton. The Saint John was the first steam craft to cross the Bay of Fundy. On its maiden trip, in 1827, it anchored in Digby harbour amid great excitement. The Royal Tar maintained the original service between St. John and Boston, beginning in 1836. The first railway to be operated in the Maritime Provinces (some say on the continent) was a mining road between Albion and Pictou Landing, Nova Scotia. According to the memory of an old inhabitant, the initial trip in 1827 was celebrated by free rides for all, a barbecue, a parade and a ball. It was not until nine years after-