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St. John is not the metropolis, although the largest town in the province. It is about half the size of Halifax, but contains nearly two-thirds as many dwelling-houses. The government and public buildings, if not splendid, are certainly handsome structures. The wharfs, with warehouses built either over them or immediately adjoining, and the private houses, closely resemble the buildings in Halifax. The ground on which the town is built is rocky and very irregular, and the forming and levelling of the streets required vast labour. Much improvement is still necessary to level them sufficiently for carriages to drive along agreeably; and the abruptness of some of the streets renders them very dangerous in winter.

The public buildings are, a very commodious and handsome stone court-house, built lately on the high ground above the middle of the town, a marine hospital, poor-house, and, of course, a gaol. Previous to this period, the courts were held over the markethouse, a very mean building.

There are two Episcopal Churches; the oldest, built of wood, but painted so as to resemble white stone, is a very handsome edifice, with a pretty spire. The interior is arranged nearly in the same manner as most modern English churches of the same size.

The new Episcopal church is a substantial edifice, built in the Gothic style, of rough stone, and its interior very handsomely planned and finished. Both these churches have good organs.

The Scotch kirk is a plain building, with a tall spire, and neatly fitted up within. Besides these places of worship, there are, a Catholic chapel, two or three Methodist chapels, and one Baptist meetinghouse.

There is a grammar school, a central school on the Madras system, and some other institutions, principally Sunday schools, where the rudiments of education are taught.

There are also two or three Bible and religious societies, and the benevolent societies of St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick. The poor-house is made to answer also the purposes of an hospital.

The provincial bank, or, in reality, the bank of St. John, established under an act of the legislature, with a capital increased since its formation to 50,000l., has paid handsome dividends, and has been of great benefit, as well as occasional injury, to those engaged in trade. It facilitates sales, by discounting promissory notes at three months' date; but this accommodation is apt to tempt men into imprudent transactions. The directors, however, are said to guard with much caution against risks. When its stock was increased, in 1824, by legislative enactment, the new shares sold at 175 per cent.* There is also a bank for savings; and a marine assurance company, established also by an act of the legislature, seems to prosper, and has hitherto been singularly fortunate in its risks. There are two public libraries, and a respectable news-room, where the English, Colonial, and United States papers are taken.

The Chamber of Commerce is formed on much the same plan as that at Halifax. Four or five respectably conducted weekly newspapers are published at St. John, one at Fredericton, one at St. Andrew, and one at Miramichi.

* Another bank is considered necessary; and a bill for the purpose has lately (February, 1833) been brought into the House of Assembly. A great part of the stock has been subscribed for at Boston and New York.

St. John is a corporate town, and styled a city. Its municipal government is lodged in a mayor, recorder, six aldermen, and six assistants, designated " Mayor, Aldermen, and Commonalty of the City of St. John."

The other civil officers are a sheriff, coroner, townclerk, chamberlain, two marshals, a high constable, and six petty constables.

The mayor, recorder, sheriff, coroner, and town or common clerk, hold their appointment of the governor, continuing in office from one year to another. The aldermen are elected annually by the freemen. The mayor and council appoint the other officers.

The mayor and council make laws for the improvement or government of the town, which expire in one year, unless confirmed by the governor and council; they have also an annual revenue at their command for public improvements, &c.; and they constitute a Court of Record, or Common Pleas, for the "City and County of St. John." Small debts are recovered before an alderman's court, held once a fortnight. The aldermen are all justices of the peace.

On the opposite side of the river to St. John, and under its municipal government, stands the pretty little town of Carleton, with a neat English church and a chapel. The saw mills within the aboiteux, a little above this place, are well worth visiting. On the Point of Carleton several ships have been built.*

The upper part of St. John is named Portland, and the whole, including Carleton, is divided into * A fine vessel, intended for a steamer, was on the stocks when

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six wards. Opposite to the town, in the middle of the stream, is Navy Island, small, low, and muddy; and, as the Indians would have it, carried down en masse, by an extraordinary overflowing of the stream. It is evidently formed by alluvial deposits.

There are always some troops stationed at St. John; and the barracks, situated above the lower cove, and near the extremity of the peninsula, are spacious, handsome, and commodious.

The country in the vicinity is stubborn, but, when subjected to cultivation, fertile. An extensive prairie, named the marsh, containing about 3000 acres, and occupying a space which is by some considered to have been once the bed of the River St. John, lies near the town. The tide is shut out by an aboiteux, over which the road to Indian Town passes. The soil of this beautiful alluvial tract is remarkably rich, and mellowed by the application of lime, which is abundant in the neighbourhood.

There are several handsome houses along the rising grounds which follow the course of the prairie; and their situation and appearance seem to render them desirable and comfortable residences.

As to the condition of society, I am not able to treat so explicitly as I have done in respect to Halifax, from having less intercourse with the inhabitants than a traveller could have wished. There were no public amusements there at the time, or if there had been, these are not the places to draw a just picture of society. At both the churches, and at the Scotch kirk, the general appearance of the congregations was highly respectable; and their dresses were in the fashions prevailing about a year previously in England.

Many of the ladies are very pretty, but appeared to walk rather awkwardly. The steep uneven streets are certainly unfavourable to graceful movements. Of their manners or accomplishments I can say little. The gentlemen that I have had an opportunity of being acquainted with while there, or that I have met with from St. John in other places, were generally intelligent and well bred.

From the information given me by people living at St. John, it would appear that a very tolerable share of bickerings and divisions prevails among the inhabitants; - one family arrogating a rank and respect which others will not admit; and some building their pretensions on their families being of the number of the first royalist settlers; others measuring their respectability by the length of their purses. All this, however, is common in much larger towns; and the same ease and freedom of manners which have gained the ascendant at Halifax, will likely, as the population increases, and a greater intercourse with the world takes place, distinguish this city. When we also consider the late period of its foundation, we must make the most charitable allowance for any defect in the condition of its society. To Sir Howard Douglas there is much praise due for his attention to whatever rendered private and public life pleasing and elegant; nor did the influence of his amiable family fail in lending an agreeable tone to domestic manners.

Assemblies are common once a month, or oftener, during winter. They excite, as elsewhere in America, from the necessity of forming some fixed line of demarcation as to admission, the angry bile of those who are excluded. Carriolling, pic-nic, and

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