a town in the Kingdom of Sardinia, capital of a division and province of the same name, stands on a rising ground between the Agogna and the Terdoppio, 63 miles E.N.E. of Turin. It is well built, containing several good and well-paved streets; and was formerly surrounded by walls, but these have now nearly all disappeared. The cathedral is an ancient and handsome building; with a square tower surmounted by a cupola, and contains in the interior several fine paintings and sculptures. The church of St. Gaudenzio is likewise a fine structure, and contains one of the best paintings of Gaudenzio Ferrari. Besides these and other churches, Novara contains public offices, a town-house, court-house, an episcopal palace and seminary, several upper schools, a theatre, hospital, barracks, and market-house. The manufactures of the place are not very extensive, and consist chiefly of leather, cotton cloth, candles, starch, pottery, and biscuits. The principal trade is in silk and rural produce, for the latter of which Novara is the chief emporium in Piedmont. Near the town a battle was fought in 1849, in which the Sardinians were totally defeated by the Austrians under Radetzky. The result of this engagement was the resignation of the crown of Sardinia by the king, Carlo Alberto, and the renunciation of the Sardinia claims on Lombardy. Pop. about 16,000.

The division of Novara is bounded on the N. by Switzerland and the Alps, E. by Lake Maggiore and the Ticino, S. by the Po, and W. by the divisions of Turin and Ivrea. Towards the N.W. it is occupied by the branches of the Alps; but the greater part consists of a fertile plain, watered by the Foza, Sesia, Terdoppio, Agogna, Ticino, and other smaller streams. Corn, rice, hemp, pulse, &c., are grown here; and on the higher regions the vine is largely cultivated. The division of Novara is subdivided as follows:

| Province | Area in sq. miles | Pop. (1830) | |----------|------------------|------------| | Novara | 533 | 178,069 | | Lemellina| 480 | 139,419 | | Pallanza | 312 | 64,020 | | Omegna | 560 | 35,321 | | Valenza | 290 | 35,879 | | **Total**| **2135** | **453,958**|

**NOVA SCOTIA**, a British province of North America, situated between N. Lat. 43° 25' and 46° 0', and W. Lon. 61° 0' and 66° 30', and connected with the S.E. part of the continent by an isthmus of only 8 miles in width. It is bounded on the N. by the Strait of Northumberland, which divides it from Prince Edward's Island; on the N.E. by the Gut of Canseau, which interposes between it and the island of Cape Breton; on the S. and S.E. by the Atlantic Ocean; on the W. by the Bay of Fundy; and on the N.W. by New Brunswick. Its extreme length, from Cape Canseau on the E. to Cape St Mary's on the W., is about 280 miles; but its breadth varies from 50 to about 100 miles; and it contains a superficies of 15,607 square miles. From this, however, about one-fifth may be deducted for lakes, arms of the sea, and rivers, leaving about 8,000,000 acres of land, the greater part of which is still uncleared, and covered with forests.

The most remarkable characteristic of this peninsula is Surface. The numerous indentations along the coasts. The shores are lined with rocks, and studded with thousands of small islands; and close to these, and in the harbours, almost without exception, there is a considerable depth of water. All along the S.E. shore there is a succession of noble harbours; and vessels sail amongst and within the myriads of islands which line the coast during the most blustering weather, thus enjoying comparatively smooth water, whilst the main ocean heaves in violent agitation. The principal inlets are Sheet Harbour, Halifax Harbour, Margaret's Bay, Mahon Bay, Shelburne Harbour, on the Atlantic; St Mary's Bay, 10 miles broad and 35 long; Annapolis Basin, 10 miles in length, and from 1 to 4 in breadth; Mines Basin, 50 miles long, and 16 broad at the widest part, on the Bay of Fundy, which is terminated by Chignecto Bay, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick; Picton Harbour, on Northumberland Strait; St George's Bay, on the Gulf of St Lawrence; and Chedabucto Bay, on the Gut of Cansau. Between Halifax and Cape Cansean there are said to be no less than twelve harbours capable of accommodating ships of the line, besides fourteen others accessible for merchantmen. The interior of the country is very agreeably diversified with hill and dale, river and lake, forest and grassy plain. The surface, although undulating, is not mountainous; the highest land, Ardoise Hill or Arthur's Seat, being only 810 feet above the level of the sea, nearly the same height as Arthur's Seat at Edinburgh. The high lands generally run parallel to the coasts, branching off in all directions, and in some instances terminating in bold cliffs on the coast, the most remarkable of which is Aspotagoo, between Mahon and Margaret's Bay, which is about 500 feet in height. A tract of rugged and hilly country stretches along the shore of the Atlantic, varying in breadth from 20 to 60 miles, and having an average height of about 500 feet. The North Mountains, which are washed by the Mines Basin, extend along the coast of the Bay of Fundy, and terminate in Cape Blomidon; and parallel to these run the South Mountains in the interior of the peninsula. The Cobequid Hills extend from the northern shores of Mines Basin towards Northumberland Strait, having a breadth of 10 miles, and a height of about 800 feet. There are several remarkable caverns and grottoes in Nova Scotia, one of which, at St Peter's Point, on the coast of the Bay of Fundy, displays in the interior a spacious hall, the roof of which is fretted with stalactites.

The interior of Nova Scotia is intersected and watered by numerous rivers, lakes, and streams, which beautify and enrich the country. The two largest rivers are the Annapolis and the Shubenacadie. The former takes its rise in King's County, and, running parallel with the Bay of Fundy, after a long and serpentine course, in which it receives the Moose and Bear Rivers, discharges itself into Annapolis Bay. It is navigable to a considerable extent, and its banks present a rich and pleasing landscape. The Shubenacadie, issuing from the Grand Lake in the county of Halifax, divides that county from Hants, and, after a rapid and circuitous course, the length of which has not yet been accurately ascertained, discharges itself into the Bay of Mines. It receives the waters of ten other rivers, is navigable for large vessels a long way into the interior, and contains on its banks inexhaustible quantities of gypsum and lime, together with extensive groves of fine timber. At Pictou, three rivers, navigable for large vessels, empty themselves into the harbour; the East, West, and Middle Rivers. Besides these, there are the Avon, navigable for a considerable distance; the La Have, which issues from a chain of inland lakes, and has a course of about 60 miles; the Mersey, which winds from Lake Rosignol through the Queen's county, and discharges itself into Liverpool Harbour; the Medway, the Shelburne, the Clyde, the Tusket, the St Mary, and others, all of which owe their origin to lakes in the interior. A canal, called the Shubenacadie Canal, together with a chain of lakes, forms a communication by water across the peninsula from Halifax Harbour to Cobequid Bay, at the head of the Mines Basin. The most extensive still sheet of water is the Rosignol, situated partly in each of the three counties of Queen, Shelburne, and Annapolis. It is said to be 30 miles in length, but is little known. Lake George is also of considerable size; and there are innumerable others which it is unnecessary to mention.

The climate of Nova Scotia was for many years after its discovery considered as an insuperable barrier to agricultural industry, and an idea long prevailed in England that it was peculiarly the region of snow and fog. The temperature is indeed colder in winter in this peninsula than it is in Great Britain; but when the weather is cold it is usually dry; and altogether the winter is milder, and the summer less intensely hot, than at Quebec. The summer heat is moderate and regular; the autumn is a delightful season; and there is seldom any severe winter weather until the end of December. Frost continues generally from Christmas to April, and the spring is of very short duration. The temperature varies during the year from 6° or 8° Fahr. below zero, to 80° above it, the average of the coldest month at Halifax being about 20°, and that of the hottest about 70°. Like other parts of North America, however, Nova Scotia is subject to sudden changes of temperature, sometimes as much as 50° in twenty-four hours. The mildness of the climate seems to be owing in some degree to the influence of the gulf-stream, which prevents the harbours on the Atlantic from being frozen up in winter like those on the northern coast.

There is a great variety of rocks in Nova Scotia; but granite, trap, and clay-slate predominate. The most abundant variety is the gray granite, which, together with gneiss and mica-slate, prevails along the shore, and is well adapted for mill-stones. Trap rocks, sometimes embedded in clay-slate, protrude in various places in immense parallel ridges above the surface, and frequently in piles of loose masses heaped confusedly together, traversed frequently by veins of quartz. Clay-slate of a very fine quality, and used as a building stone, prevails in the eastern section of the colony; and graywacke and graywacke-slate extend along both shores of Chedabucto Bay, in which are found beds of limestone and numerous specimens of specular iron ore. In connection with carboniferous limestone are found, both in Cape Breton and Nova Scotia, those immense coal-fields which are supposed to rival in extent the mines of the mother country. The coal is of a bituminous character, and entirely different from that which is found in the United States, east of the Appalachian Mountains. It is of various kinds, some of which are well fitted for the use of the smith, others for that of steamboats, and others for gas-making. In the coal formations of this country there is also found an immense quantity of gypsum, which is largely exported to the United States. Varieties of copper, iron, and lead ores are also abundant; and different other minerals of less importance are found. Fine specimens of agates, amethysts, chalcedonies, jaspers, and other stones, are obtained in Nova Scotia. Salt springs, some of them strongly impregnated with saline matter, are met with near Pictou, at River Philip, and some other parts.

The wild animals are the moose, cariboo, bear, lynx, fox, marten, otter, mink, beaver, musk-rat, porcupine, raccoon, weasel, squirrel, hare, and the like, all of which, excepting the two last, have rapidly decreased in number. Nearly all the birds common to North America frequent Nova Scotia; and there are but very few kinds of fish which are found in the American seas that do not frequent the shores of this colony in vast swarms. The lakes and rivers abound in trout and salmon.

The soil is of many different qualities, and various degrees of fertility. The alluvial or intervale lands, of which there are extensive tracts, are rich, and produce plentiful returns of wheat, barley, oats, Indian corn, potatoes, turnips, with all the vegetables and fruits common in England. Some of the uplands, lying between the hilly country and the rivers, are light and poor; whilst the high lands are rich and very productive. The lands on the Atlantic coast are generally so rocky as to admit of cultivation only at much expense and labour; but after the stones are removed, the soil is by no means barren. The forests of Nova Scotia still constitute a prominent feature of the country. The trees are the same as those common to America, and the timber is generally large and lofty.

Agriculture is carried on to a considerable extent in Nova Scotia. The cultivated ground consists partly of the rich alluvial marshes on the shore of the Bay of Fundy, and partly of the uplands in the interior of the country. The former kind of ground, which has been recovered from the sea by means of dykes, was estimated in 1850 to amount to 40,012 acres; and the latter to 799,310 acres. The produce in 1852 was 297,157 bushels of wheat, 196,097 of barley, 61,488 of rye, 1,384,437 of oats, 170,301 of buckwheat, 37,475 of maize, 21,638 of pease and beans, 3686 of grass seeds, 1,986,789 of potatoes, 467,127 of turnips, 32,325 of other roots, 257,837 tons of hay, 3,613,890 lb. of butter, and 625,069 lb. of cheese. The amount of live stock in the same year was 28,789 horses, 156,857 neat cattle, 86,586 milch cows, 282,180 sheep, and 51,533 swine.

Sable Island, although distant about 85 miles from Nova Scotia, is considered as belonging to that province. It lies directly in the track of vessels bound to or from Europe, and has been the scene of numerous and melancholy shipwrecks. It is 25 miles in length, by about 1¼ in breadth, the eastern end being in Lat. 43° 59' N., and Long. 59° 45' W. It is a barren desert throughout, the soil consisting chiefly of sand, and the only vegetable productions being a coarse grass and some wild pease. A sum, which amounted in 1854 to L.1977, is annually devoted to keeping on the island a superintendent from Nova Scotia, with a party of men provided with provisions and other necessaries, for the purpose of affording assistance to any shipwrecked mariners, of whatsoever nation, who may be driven on its inhospitable shores. There is a small stock of cattle on the island, and a large number of wild horses, but the chief supplies of food are obtained from Nova Scotia.

The manufactures are few in number, consisting principally of coarse cloth, flannel, carpets, hats, paper, tobacco, leather, spirits, and agricultural implements. The province contained in 1850, 1,153 saw-mills, employing 1,786 hands; 386 grist-mills, employing 437 hands; 10 steam-mills; 237 tanneries; 9 foundries; 81 carding and weaving establishments; 17 breweries and distilleries; and 131 other manufactories of various sorts. In the same year there were raised in Nova Scotia 114,992 chaldrons of coal; there were quarried 79,795 tons of gypsum, valued at L.10,498; 28,603 casks of lime, valued at L.4,433, were burned; 2,845,400 bricks, valued at L.3211, were made; and 110,441 lb. of maple sugar were produced. In the same year the value of leather manufactured was L.52,625; of boots and shoes, L.73,654; of iron smelted, L.4635; of castings, L.3486; of soap, L.28,277; and of candles, L.21,210. Ship-building is also carried on in Nova Scotia. The number of vessels constructed in 1854 was 244, and their tonnage 52,814. Besides farming, the chief occupation of the inhabitants is fishing; and some combine both pursuits. There were in 1851 employed in the fisheries of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton 812 vessels, with a tonnage of 43,333, and manned by 3681 men; 5161 boats, with 6713 men; and the number of nets and seines was 30,154. The quantity of fish cured was 196,484 quintals; and there were also obtained 1669 barrels of salmon; 3386 of shad; 100,047 of mackerel; 53,200 of herring; 5343 of alewives; and 15,409 boxes of smoked herrings, valued at L.217,270; as well as 189,250 gallons of fish oil, valued at L.17,754. The total value of the fisheries is estimated to exceed L.200,000. The exports of the province consist principally of fish, sugar, molasses, rum, cotton and woollen goods, timber, &c. The total value of the exports in 1854 was L.1,247,668. The principal articles imported are flour, sugar, tea, manufactured goods, &c.; the total value of the imports in 1854 was L.1,791,082. The number and tonnage of the vessels that entered and cleared in 1851 were as follows:

| Countries | Entered | Cleared | |--------------------|---------|---------| | United Kingdom | 107 | 74 | | British Colonies | 1447 | 1045 | | United States | 1831 | 159 | | Other Countries | 267 | 208 | | Total | 3402 | 3247 |

The executive power in Nova Scotia is in the hands of a Lieutenant-governor, and a council of six members. The legislature consists of a council of nineteen, appointed by the governor, subject to the approval of the crown; and a House of Assembly, of fifty-one members, elected by the people. The system of responsible government has been established in Nova Scotia since 1848. The lieutenant-governor has a salary of L.3000 a-year. The judicial establishment consists of a supreme court, composed of a chief-justice and four assistant judges; which sits at Halifax three times a-year, and makes two annual circuits of the province; a court of error, composed of the lieutenant-governor and executive council; a court of chancery; courts of general sessions of the peace; courts of vice-admiralty; a court of marriage and divorce; and courts of probate. The established religion is Episcopalian; Nova Scotia was created a diocese in 1787, and has a bishop, an archdeacon, and fifty other clergymen; the two first being supported by an endowment from the home government, and the others by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. The amount of public expenditure for ecclesiastical purposes in 1854 was L.3687. There is a Synod of Nova Scotia in connection with the Established Church of Scotland, and various churches in connection with the Free Church of Scotland and the United Presbyterian Church. The Roman Catholic Church has two dioceses, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, within the province. The whole number of churches in 1851 was 567; and the adherents of the various denominations were as follows:

- Church of England: 33,482 - Church of Scotland: 18,857 - Free Church of Scotland: 25,280 - United Presbyterians: 28,767 - Roman Catholics: 69,634

Nova Scotia contains several colleges, besides inferior educational establishments. King's College at Windsor resembles the English universities, and Dalhousie College at Halifax those of Scotland. There are also a Free Church college, a Baptist college, and a Roman Catholic college. None of the attempts which have been made to unite some of these colleges into a university has proved successful. Each of the counties in the province has a grammar school; and the total number of schools in Nova Scotia in 1851 was 1086, attended by 31,354 scholars. The amount of public money expended on education in 1854 was L.13,401.

The military forces of the province consist of twenty-six Army-regiments of militia, 26,248 strong, but which might soon be raised to nearly double that number. Besides this, Nova Scotia is protected by two or three regiments of the line, which are always stationed in the garrison towns, and by the visits during the summer of the squadron of the Royal Navy. The principal fortifications in the province... The inhabitants of Nova Scotia consist of English, Scotch, Irish, Americans, Germans, Swiss, Acadian French, Indians, and freed Negroes. They mingle and live together in much harmony, and generally the social state of the province is rapidly improving. Its prosperity has greatly increased; and, instead of importing, it now exports provisions. Its fisheries, to which proper attention is at length paid, its rich and prolific soil, and its mines of coal and iron, are sources of wealth which were too long neglected by Great Britain.

The province is divided into eighteen counties, including Cape Breton, as follows:

| Counties | Pop. (1831) | Capitals | |----------------|-------------|----------| | Halifax | 39,112 | Halifax | | Lunenburg | 16,395 | Lunenburg| | Queen's | 7,256 | Liverpool| | Shelburne | 10,622 | Shelburne| | Yarmouth | 13,142 | Yarmouth | | Digby | 12,252 | Digby | | Annapolis | 14,286 | Annapolis| | Kentville | 14,138 | Kentville| | Windsor | 14,330 | Windsor | | Amherst | 14,339 | Amherst | | Truro | 15,469 | Truro | | Antigonish | 25,593 | Antigonish| | Guysborough | 13,457 | Guysborough| | Port Hood | 10,831 | Port Hood| | Arichat | 16,917 | Arichat | | Sydney | 10,381 | Sydney | | Bedeque | 27,580 | Bedeque |

Total: 276,117

Our limits will only admit of a brief abstract of the history of Nova Scotia. Ancient authorities state that it was discovered by the Cabots in 1497; but it was not until 1604 that the French attempted to form settlements. They were, however, expelled from it in 1614 by the English colonists of Virginia, who claimed the country in right of the discovery of Sebastian Cabot. In 1621 Sir William Alexander obtained a grant of the whole peninsula, and it was named in the patent Nova Scotia, instead of Acadia, as the country was called by the French. In the meantime the latter obtained a footing in it a second time; and it was not until 1654, when a strong force was despatched by Cromwell, that the French settlers were brought under subjection. In 1667 Nova Scotia was ceded to France by the treaty of Breda; but, after suffering during the war which broke out in 1701, as well as previously, it was finally ceded to England by treaty in the year 1711. From this period till 1749 it was neglected by Great Britain; but the designs of the French called the attention of government to the province. Encouragements were held out to settlers; Parliament gave a large grant; and about 4000 adventurers, with their families, embarked for the colony. Halifax was immediately founded; but the French settlers, under the name of neutrals, were still very numerous; and, with the aid of the Indians, they inflicted repeated injuries upon the British, until they were forcibly expelled by the latter. In 1758 a constitution was granted to Nova Scotia; and the capture of Louisburg, in the island of Cape Breton, during the same year, gave additional security to the colony, which now began to improve. By the treaty of Paris, 10th of February 1762, France resigned all further claims on any of her former possessions in North America, and nothing of any material importance has since occurred. New Brunswick and Cape Breton were separated from Nova Scotia, and formed into two distinct governments, in 1784, but the latter was re-annexed to Nova Scotia in 1819.