the continent were formerly so far from making two cantons, which were confounded under the same name, that when the grant was made by K. James I. to Sir William Alexander, of all that he had taken from France in this vast tract of Canada, the peninfula is named Nova Scotia, and the name of New Alexandria is given to the rest. We extend this province from lat. 43 to 51 N. but the metropolis, now called Annapolis, has never been very confiderable. The French, as Du Mont obferves, never fecured it by any better fortification than a few wretched palifadoes, which might be forced immediately by the firft handful of men that should come against it; notwithstanding its importance to them, which was confiderable for it enabled them greatly to moleft our people at New England, and interrupt the trade of the northern colonies; and it furnished a very confiderable article of commerce itself, in timber, fish, and furs, which drew to Acadia more than 6000 inhabitants. Since it fell laft into our hands, we have put it into a better state of defence. The trade is the fame as formerly, confifting of timber, furs, and fish. The kins are brought down by the Indians, who barter them for European commodities of little value, which the inhabitants of Annapolis take care to fupply. This city is fituated in the bottom of a bay, that forms a bafin which is two leagues long and one wide. This bafin is thought to contain a thousand veffels at a time, but the entrance is fomething difficult. It is judiciously observed by Du Mont, that it was of great importance to us to fecure the poffeffion of Acadia, independent of the advantages which arise from the extent which it adds to our dominion. For the French who were established in this country, formed an alliance with the Indians who dwelt to the east of New England, and by their means obftructed the progrefs of that codony. In time of war they derived fuccours from them, which were of great ufe in the incurfions which they made in the neighbourhood of New Hampshire, and the province of Main; and on the fea-coaft Port-Royal ferved as an ambush for their privateers, who rushed out upon our veffels; fo that Port-Royal was the Dunkirk of America. The ceffion which has been made of this country to us has, in a great degree, restored quiet to New England, and fe. curity to its commerce; though we are ftill incommoded by the Indians, who are in the French intereft; for as they would not fubmit to us, they returned from Acadia to Gaspesia, where they are troublesome neighbours. The foil of Acadia is almost every where fertile, producing corn, peaf, beans, and fruits of various kinds, which, with the cattle that the inhabi tants are provided with, not only fuffice for the fubfiftence of the colony, but enable it to furnish others. Many parts of this country afford mafts much stronger than thofe of Nor way; and the timber that is felled them ferves to make cafks for barrelling the cod, and the oil of the fea-wolves, which is excellent in its kind, and is exported to Europe. Wolf-island, fo called from the great number of fea-wolves that go on fhore there, affords many skins of thefe am phibious animals, and much oil. The oil is drawn from the fat of the young, and two or three will yield enough to fill a hogfhead. When it is fresh, it is very fweet, and fit for the table; it is ufed alfo to burn, and for other purposes. But the fkin-trade and cod-fishery, which is carried on with great advantage on this coaft, are the principal fources of wealth to the inhabitants of Acadia. Among the fkins, those of the badger hold the first rank; otters, wolves, lynxes, foxes, and many other animals, furnish the reft. The skins of the elk are also a confiderable branch of the trade of Acadia, and are used here for belts, girdles, and gloves. The beavers are dealt in by feparate traders independent of any company, and fell for 20 or 30 fhillings a pound. The cod-fifhery is carried on in mot of the rivers and fmall gulfs on the coaft; and by the 12th article of the treaty treaty of Utrecht, the fubjects of the King of France are prohibited from fifh ing within thirty leagues of the coaft of Nova Scotia, reckoning from the ifle of Sable inclufive to the S. W. The commodities which are exported from Europe to Nova Scotia confift of wearing-apparel of all forts, houfeholdgoods, implements, and furniture of va nous kinds. They are landed at Hahfax, and thence diftributed to the reft of the country. The English fettlers in Acadia are also fometimes furnished from Bofton, and other colonies to the fouthward. The fame conditions that were offered to foldiers and failors, were alto offered to all carpenters and other handycaftfmen; and furgeons were offered the fame conditions as enfigns. This proclamation was published in March; and in the beginning of May following 3750 perfons imbarked; who eftablished themfelves on the borders of the bay of Chebecto, and built a city, which they called Halifax, in honour of the projector. In the month of October the fame year 350 houses were built, and before the end of the winter many more. The parliament has allowed very confiderable fums for the establishment and increase of this colony. For maintaining the colony of Nova Scotia, is an article every year in the parliamentary grants; and there has been already granted for that purpose near half a mil lion Sterling. [245] SIR, [To be continued] Aberdeen, July 1755. S the arguments of your corre Afpondent against the reformed At the reduction of our forces upon the conclufion of the laft peace, Lord Halifax formed a project to augment our colony at Nova Scotia, by giving tras of land to fuch officers and foldiers as were willing to go over and fet tle there. This fcheme the government adopted, and began to execute in 1749; and the Lords Commiffioners of Trade and Plantations iffued a proclamation, by which 50 acres of land were offered To the author of the SCOTS MAGAZINE. to every foldier or failor who would fetde in that part of America, without paying any rent or service during ten years, and no more than one fhilling per . for the 50 acres afterwards; to every foldier or failor, who had a wife and children, 10 acres more were offer. ed for every individual in his family, and for every increase that should afterwards happen, on the fame conditions: to rach non-commiffioned officer 80 acres, and 15 more for each of his family; 200 acres to each enfign, 300 to each Heutenant, 400 to each captain, 600 to ach officer in rank above a captain, in the land-fervice; and 400 acres to every lieutenant in the fea fervice, and 600 to every captain; and 30 acres more for every perfon of which the family of eery fuch officer fhould confift. The goVernment alfo engaged to tranfport and maintain the new fettlers one year at its own expence, and to furnish them with fuch arms, provifions, utenfils, implements, and tools, as fhould be neceffary to put them in a condition to dear and cultivate their lands, to build them habitations, and commence a fiflery: [xi. 99.] church-mufic [192], are not deduced from the nature of the thing itself, but depend on extraneous circumstances, to which the beft things may be liable; and as this renders them of no force, though they were founded on truth; I thought it needlefs for fome while to trouble you with any remarks upon that paper. But I am now informed, that many of your readers are defirous to have the matter more fully explained; as they apprehend, that an oppofition fo formidable as is there reprefented, must be occafioned by fome latent evil in the thing itself, of which they have not been fufficiently apprifed. I fhall therefore endeavour to explain the matter fully, and as clearly as I can. In order to this, it is proper to diftin. guifh betwixt thofe things in which the effence of this reformation confifts, and others, which are only expedient in or der to attain it, and very harmless. The paper you inferted [189.] from the Aberdeen Intelligencer, justly reprefente VOL. XVII. 3 D .the the intended reformation to confift, 1. In having a number of tunes, of fuch various tastes as the different pfalms may require, fo as to answer the ends of devotion, i. e. fome grand, fome mournful, fome chearful, &c. 2. In finging these plainly and truly to their proper time. 3. In introducing harmony, or the concord of different parts; which not only produces a moft agreeable ef. fect, but also adds a folemnity to the performance, very requifite in churchmufic. These are the effential things aimed at in this reformation. Without the first there can properly be no churchmufic; for it is only fuch, when the ends of devotion are answered: without the second there can be no mufic at all: and without the third the mufic is imperfect, and precarious in a great degree. All the fets of tunes that have been published fince the reformation, contain the different parts; and the tunes have been thus performed within the memory of man, particularly in the churches of Aberdeen. Where then are thofe dreadful innovations, about which fo aloud an alarm is founded? It is plain, then, that the design is not to explode any tunes which a congregation judges to be decent and agreeable, or to intrude any they think not to be fo; but to engage all to perform truly, and in parts fuited to their voices, fuch tunes as they fing, whether old or new; and that precentors fhould fuit the pfalm and tune together, and not give out a mournful tune to a thankfgiving pfalm, and vice versa. The truth is, that this abfurdity in the common practice is but little minded; becaufe the performance is generally fo wretched, that the tunes have neither meaning nor expreffion, and it is all one how they are applied. But how foon they are fung plainly and truly, their tafte appears, if they have any, and the abfurdity becomes glaring. Then alfo it becomes evident, that a greater variety of tunes is requifite than are commonly ufed in any one church where this reformation has not taken place; as the tafte of those presently ufed is moftly of one kind, even where they have a confiderable number. Some of the old tunes are extremely good. Dundee for a plaintive tune, and Newton or London new tune, for a grand, French and Stil are inferior to none. are very tolerable tunes. But most of the others, fuch as Old Common, Oll London, English, &c. feem to be ver infipid, and void of all expreffion. Thi however is a matter of mere taste, abou which different congregations will ver naturally, and may very innocently di fer. Accordingly the church of Scot land, and, for ought I could ever leam every church in Chriftendom, leaves the people at liberty in each congregation to ufe the tunes they judge moft prope for anfwering the ends of devotion Some particular tunes obtain in me churches in Scotland; but very few gree precifely in finging altogether fame tunes; far lefs do they agree finging exactly the fame way fuch tu It has be as they have in common. ufual all along for precentors to int duce a tune which they liked, and to mit others which they lefs affect Not many years ago, a precentor, men ly by his own authority, introduc three tunes into the churches of Abd deen, viz. Abbey, Dunfermline, au Newton, none of which, fo far as i known, had ever been heard there be fore; and no body then blamed the he neft precentor, or called him innevat or beretic. In like manner several con gregations, and thofe particularly whe the reformation of mufic obtains, ha found it proper, along with the beft their old tunes, to ufe iome others of van ous taftes, either taken from the most ap proved authors, or now composed of put pofe. Surely there can be no bereft in tune, nor innovation in introducing :: as the fame liberty has been taken froc time to time, ever since the reformatic of religion. Even the feffion of Aberdeen, in th act fo much approved of by your corre fpondent, propofes to increase the num ber of their tunes to twelve; for fo ma ny were not formerly used. If they ha made, or shall yet make a judicio choice, this may perhaps be a very fa ficient number; and as they propofe has have them justly fung, to proper time and in different parts, it is obvious that this act, instead of making against the intended reformation, as your correfpondent imagines, does, in the most mate. rial articles, plainly approve of it. The fpecimen referred to in that act, was given, on the 2d of January, in the new church of Aberdeen. at the defire of the magiftrates, fome of the minifters, and many of the principal inhabitants, by fome of the parishioners of Kintore and Fintray, to the number of 70 or thereabouts. They performed before the greatest audience that has been in that church of a long time, in a moft regular and decent manner, and with an extetness in all the different parts that furprifed every body. They fung fome ones that were formerly ufed, in the ime of divine fervice; that fuch of the congregation as could, might join; which feveral accordingly did, and ound no dificulty in finging the tenor while the other parts were alfo going th. The fpecimen after divine fervice tonfifted entirely of tunes not formerly fed in Aberdeen; and it is only against the introduction of thefe that the feffion declare, but not againft the manner in which any were performed. If the feffon had waited to know the opinion of the generality of the audience, and found to be unfavourable to thefe tunes, their inhibition had been the more warrantable. But instead of this, it is well known, that they hurried their act, fo as to preoccupy fuch a declaration from the body of the people, and to throw the weight of their authority into the fcale against any alteration. But this ferved only to place the inclinations of the inhabitants in the ftronger light, when, notwithstanding this weight of authority, feveral hundreds both in New and Old Aberdeen entered scholars to Mr Channon, who had taught the performers of *It may perhaps be agreeable to fome of your teaders to know how the parts ought to be proportioned in order to produce the beft effect; and be this end it may be proper to inform them, that of thefe 70, there were 18 bass, 30 tenor, is of which fung counter in the four part tunes), and 22 female voices, for treble and cantus, as Be one or other was performed, the fpecimen and fome other parishes, and learned feveral of the new tunes as well as the old in the manner now taught, Among thofe who entered scholars were feveral gentlemen in the magistracy in both towns, mafters of both colleges, members of the feffion, many of the moft refpectable inhabitants, their ladies and daughters, numbers of tradesmen, fervants, and common people, befides ftudents at both colleges. The feffion likewife took upon them to do, what neither the church of Scotland nor any other ever did, in limiting their congregation to a precife number of tunes. They alfo confine them to tanes on which they themselves do not condescend, and no body elfe, I believe, can, viz. the twelve tunes commonly used in the church of Scotland. It is well known, that these abfurdities appeared fo glaring to the prefbytery of Aberdeen when the act was fhown them, that the oppofers of the reformed churchmufic were glad to rescue it out of their hands, by infifting that the act was not formally before them. Every body who knows the circumftances of the New Town of Aberdeen must be fenfible, that the fchifm which there obtains, behoved to raise more difficulties in that congregation, than if there was an actual feceffion. In this delicate fituation, it was no wonder that the ministers and elders who favoured the reformation of the mufic, were prevailed on, by those in the oppofition, to come into that act, as a kind of compromife, and to overlook fome of the abfurdities, for the fake of unanimity in other things which were of confequence to the end in view. As to thofe things which are now prac tifed in this neighbourhood, as only tending to facilitate this reformation, it is plain they may either be approved or condemned without affecting the cause in queftion, if others as effectual are subftituted in their place, or the end can be attained without them. But as none fo effectual or more harmless than those mentioned in your paper from the Intel ligencer have yet been propofed, they generally obtain of course. These are, the taking the found before beginning 3D 2 the together, than when they are feattered up and down: nay, they are furely better intitled to that appellation, when their number is double, and confifts of the moft decent and refpectable part of the people; as is the cafe in all the congregations where this reformation has taken place. the tune, which is called pitching, and the body of the congregation when they fit ufing a pitch-pipe for that end. when there is not a perfon skilful enough to do it without that inftrument, as is in that paper explained. This indeed is not as yet practised in the new church of Aberdeen; and the confequence is, that notwithstanding the great numbers of excellent voices with which it a bounds, the progrefs there has been flower, and the performance oft more defective, than in any other place where it has been attempted; though indeed, confidering all circumstances, it is rather better than could have been expected, Another circumftance is, that a body of the fingers fit together, generally in fome gallery or loft, by which means they mutually affift each other, and lead the voices of fuch as are scattered in the body of the church, and command them more effectually than it is in the power of any precentor to do. Thus too the mufic is mellowed, and the effect of the whole parts united is agreeably diffused through the audience. The manner in which the feats in the church of New Aberdeen had been fet, before the reformation of their mufic was in view, made it impracticable there as yet to attend to this circumftance, the good effect of which is daily experienced in all the neighbouring congregations where it takes place. But it is hoped this will be remedied, when their fine new church is finifhed, and the feats there are to be difpofed of. Now, Sir, this is the foundation of what your correfpondent is pleased to call finging by trained choirifiers, which is generally moft abfurdly represented by ill defigning people as an introduction of the fuperftitious pomp of cathedral worship. But the fact is, that this part of worship is performed by the congregation according to the directory of the church of Scotland; as all to whom God has given ears and voices, and who will be at the trouble to learn, either do, or may join if they pleafe; and the mufic of those who fit together, greatly facilitates the doing fo to all others. The whole congregation never fung former ly; and those who do fing, are no lefs Who this nameless heretic was, who introduced this church mufic about thousand years ago, your correfpondent best knows; and it feems he chufes keep the fecret. If he means, that he introduced church-mufic, which through the confufions of the times had perhap formerly been little attended to, and d that was really the case, the church wa certainly obliged to the heretic for his mufic, however little they were fo for his herefy. If the common tradition be true, that David Rizzio compofed fore of the beft tunes now used, fuch as Du dee, &c; the tunes are not one wit the worse that Rizzio was a Papift, a a profligate fellow. If he means, the fome heretic then introduced the fuper ftitious pomp of cathedral worship; him and thofe concerned fettle that mat ter betwixt them. It is obvious, that the reforming the manner of finging our pfalm tunes has no more connection with the choirs of cathedrals, than H ry upon prayer has with their liturgies. The generality of mankind are very tenacious of old habits, especially it Wher matters of religious worship. therefore any of thefe are propofed to b reformed, and the doing of this puts then to fome trouble, and a trifle of expence, would it have been any furprife, though feveral had ftruck out, and for a time deferted their churches? Yet the influ ence of the mufic has been fo powerful to conquer thefe prejudices, that in elever country parishes where it either has ta ken effect or is carrying on, I have no been able, after a very minute inquiry to hear of fix perfons who have deferte their churches on that account; and have been affured on the best authority that in most of them, the congregation are thronger, the collections greater, and the communicants more numerous that formerly |