-
Key Events in the History of Nova Scotia: 1816.
-
[Backward In Time (1815)]
[Forward In Time (1817)]
§With the long Napoleonic Wars at an end, tax on income was repealed by the British parliament, but with its removal the burden fell on consumer goods.
§The strength of the navy fell from 100,000 in 1815 to 35,000 in 1816.
§Coupled with the post-war depression, cold and wet weather struck that year, 1816, such that, in England, all records were broken, records that had been kept since 1698. "Between June 17 and September 13, more than sixteen inches of rain fell in the London area. This extraordinary weather resulted in 'the most severe scarcity of food since the 17th century."
§In England, "gold was declared to be the sole standard and full legal tender, and a new coin, known as the sovereign ... was put into circulation."
§In Nova Scotia, the house votes £25,000 "for roads and bridges, in which the council concurred next day." In addition, £100 was voted to the treasurer of the province beyond the £500 salary; £100, each, additional to the judges; £250 to the lieutenant governor, for contingent expenses; £400 for establishment at Sable island; £1500 for grain and seed for the indigent; £1500 for Cornwallis bridge, if the people there gave £1000. £1200 to assist in paving Water Street, in Halifax; ... also ... [an act] to subject persons convicted of larceny, &c., to a period not exceeding 7 years of hard labor, -- to enable the court of divorce to annul marriages for adultery or cruelty ... [and an act] to prevent combination of masters and journeymen."
§In February, there was established a scheduled run, twice a week, by stage-coach, Windsor/Halifax.
§In 1816, men were put to death for serious crimes; and for certain of the less serious crimes courts ordered that one of the convict's ears be cut off -- one-eared men were to be avoided.
§June 27th, 1816, Sir John Sherbrooke embarked for Canada.
§On Friday, 28 June, at 2 a.m., a transport ship from Quebec, Archduke Charles, on her way to Halifax, with six companies of a Nova Scotia regiment, under command of Lieut-Colonel Darling, "struck on a reef of rocks near Green Island, on the coast east of of Halifax; it was almost instantly bilged. Four privates, two women and two children, were lost, and all the luggage. The men got to Halifax in coasters about the 1st July, in a very destitute state."
§August: William Ross, a lieutenant in the 16th Regiment of Infantry, with his family and a number of men from his regiment settled New Ross, Lunenburg County.
§"Light House on Coffin's Island near Liverpool first lighted."
§Construction begins on Erie Canal, designed to connect the Great Lakes and the Hudson River (and thus the Atlantic Ocean).
§October 9th, severe fire on Sackville Street, extending to Bedford Row.
§October 24th, Earl of Dalhousie and his family arrive at Halifax in H.M. frigate Forth. That autumn Dalhousie was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor.
§December 17th, another serious fire on Water street, at a "spirit store" operated by Mr Grassie.
§December 16th: Spa Fields Riot at London. It was thought to be part of a traitorous conspiracy to overthrow the established government. It led to the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act and the determination by the authorities to round up the "chief incendiary writers" so that they might be put in "safe custody."
§Robert Owen publishes A New View of Society.
§Due to the discoveries of Volta, there comes into being the Voltaic battery.
§Up to this year, it cannot be concluded that there were any great numbers of ships coming to Nova Scotia with Scottish immigrants aboard. The Napoleonic Wars had put quite a damper on immigration in general. In 1816, The Three Brothers of Hull came out to Nova Scotia with some settlers. Then in 1817, William Tell came out to Canso N. S. with settlers from Barra. Then most every year thereafter, up to at least 1847, ships came to Nova Scotia with Scots aboard, all having been effected by the Land Clearances.
§Rev. Thomas McCulloch opened the Pictou Academy.
§An act was passed in the legislature to "encourage the trade in Gypsum or Plaister of Paris."
§A further act "for the founding, establishing and maintaining of the Pictou Academy."
§Another "to prevent dangerous quantities of Gunpowder" at Windsor.
-
[Backward In Time (1815)]