Letters written by George Henry Seymour to his father, 1860

Abstract

Letter written by George Henry Seymour to his father, 1860. The letter is dated at Halifax, August 4, 1860 and describes the Prince’s warm welcome in Newfoundland. He goes on to comment on the possibility of hostilities, writing that “we went to have a look…at what they were doing at St. Pierre and Miquelon where it is said they are erecting batteries contrary to treaty but they were not to be seen from outside…there is little doubt that the fortifications there are in existence and I believe they justify the measure by saying that they were erected just at the end of the Russian War when hostilities were expected between England and the U. States and that they had no other means of protecting themselves against the Privateers that would have been fitted out in the States if War had then been declared.” He continues with descriptions of the Volunteer Corps, the death of Sir Brenton Halliburton (Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia) only days earlier, and the upcoming itinerary.