=28»

weekwday'sohoolo In May of '43 the cornerstone of the pre= sent Provincial Building was laid, and by the next spring the stone work had risen only to the window ledges. The portioo was not the same as now9 the heavy stone work and arches were not there but there were four handsome round pillars on each Side, front and back; they were then only half way up; apparently they are the same pillars that are now on the balcony. The building Was finished with only the portico} but changed some years after, which improved' its appearance very muché'There had been a few brick houses hfiilt in CharlOtte Town previous to this time; but nothing so grand as'a stone buildingo The Stone had to be brought from nova Sootia and elec“the‘stone cutters and builders. many watChed it with'pleeSureg and at last the stone work of the Provincial Building”wss completed, the grounds “‘ ’ levelled off by'a'geng of criminals, who were brOught every day frOm the jéil§ chainEd to the cart they hauled along. The men not Only leVelled off the groundg but broke up the useless Stone and spread it all around the building. Grim~ inals had in the same Way to keep the streets in order. Everyone who has seen views of Charlottetown in the olden time, has noticed the reund market Houseo EVery year, late in.3eptember, a Fair was held on the Square, about the market House; then it was that the people from the country made a greater effort. Mhny from far and near came to town bringing their fat cattle, horses, pigs, etc. Every avail- able space inside and outside the building was teken.up. As there were no posts or fences to tie the animals to, owners of stock had to tie them to certs. Everything was primitive in theSe days, but Feirmdey was a gale day for the huoksters. Everyone Who could provide a semblance of a tent, even four posts stuck in the ground and covered with patchwork quilts, old sails or something of like nature, brought there her beer, cakes, apples and plums, for the refreshment of the hungry people. Places of entertainment and ”good stahling" were few and for between and as Charlotte Town was then famed for its mud, Queen Square on Fairaday Wes ankle deep.

The streets in spring and autumn were something like the Square; there were no sidewalks then nor for many years after; all had to walk in the middle of the street, both winter and summer. If persons attempted to walk close by the houses or shape they were liable at any moment to pop into the open cellar hatch or go through a broken oneg and in winter the snow banks were not cleared away except from the doors, so you may be sure the walk“ ing was dangerous.