MILITARY AND CIVIL. 61 
     
    
   
   
    
     places along the various highways. Over 2,000 gallons of 
     
     brandy, 3,000 gallons of gin, 2,000 gallons of wine and 54,000 
     
     gallons of rum, were imported during the year, and there were 
     
     also several distilleries of whiskey in the country, while a brewery 
     
     had been established within the capital. Ship-building was 
     
     extensively engaged in, the registered tonnage of this branch of 
     
     industry for the year being 7,747 tons, while the number of 
     
     vessels that arrived from the Mother Country during the sum— 
     
     mer was 18 and from the colonies 128. The exports of the 
     
     colony amounted to £95,426 and the imports to £85,357. 
     
    
   
   
    
     His Excellency Governor Ready, sailed on the 10th day of 
     
     December for England, having been escorted to the wharf by 
     
     the members of the Council, where a kind farewell was taken. 
     
     As a token of respect a salute of seventeen guns was fired from 
     
     George’s Battery, and again when abreast of Fort Edward the 
     
     salute was repeated. Another salute of thirteen guns from 
     
     George’s Battery announced that the Hon. George Wright had 
     
     been sworn in as Administrator of the colony. 
     
    
   
   
    
     During the early part of October. a terrible calamity befell 
     
     the flourishing district of Miramichi, by which hundreds of 
     
     people perished and many others were left destitute of the 
     
     means of subsistence. The woods near the town of Newcastle 
     
     had been on fire for some time previous, but not to such an 
     
     extent as to excite alarm until the night of the 7th, when the 
     
     wind began to blow from the north-west, and the inhabitants 
     
     were aroused by a tremendous roaring noise in the woods, but 
     
     before they could ascertain the cause the whole of the surround- 
     
     ing forest was in a blaze. The Town of Newcastle and Douglas 
     
     Town, together with miles of forest were enveloped in flame, 
     
     from which the unfortunate inhabitants were unable to make 
     
     their escape and perished in the fire. Great branches were torn 
     
     from the trees and whirled through the air like feathers by the 
     
     howling winds, while burning timbers and flaming huts were 
     
     carried before it with amazing rapidity. So fierce was the gale 
     
     that pieces of charred or burnt wood borne on the wings of the 
     
     tempest landed on the fields on the western part of this Island, 
     
     where they were picked up by the inhabitants. During the 
     
     nights of the conflagration a bright light was seen from Char- 
     
     lottetown to illuminate the western sky, the brilliancy of which 
     
    
   
   
    
     made an indelible impression on the then youthful mind of the 
     
     writer.