There was then no regular police establishment in the town, the Magistrates, by turns, attended to police duties with the aid of the town constables, who were annually appointed. All special matters were discussed and settled at the special sessions, which was generally a private meeting of Magistrates in the back office in conjunction with the Clerk of the Peace. Criminal charges of a delicate nature, or when private character was likely to be affected, were usually investigated with closed doors, and no information made public until found to be necessary for the ends of justice. This system continued until Mr. John George Pyke received the appointment of Police Magistrate, about 60 years since. His duties were merely to relieve the Magistrates from the more onerous duties of attending daily at the Police office. Colonel Pyke became incapacitated by age about the year 1825 or 6, when Mr. John Liddell was appointed, who had to his aid three or four Police Constables, two of whom had attended his predecessor, and the valuable assistance of David Shaw Clarke, the clerk of the peace. Such was the arrangement until the Act of Incorporation in 1848.
The "Royal Gazette" was published by Anthony Henry, until about 1801, when it fell into the hands of Mr. John Howe, from Boston.
The "Weekly Chronicle," another paper, was at this time established by Mr. William Minns, stationer, in Barrington Street, opposite the north-end of the Grand Parade. It was commenced in 1787, and continued to exist until about 1828 or 9.
Among the merchants who advertized in these papers we find the names of James Vetch, opposite the woodyard; David Hall & Co., in Hollis Street, opposite Government House, (Crown Prince Building); and George Bell, Granville St. The shops appear to have contained both groceries and dry-goods, like the country stores of the present day. A. & R. Leslie were at the corner of Duke and Water Streets, near the Pontac. Lawrence Hartshorne, Hardware, corner of Granville and George streets, between the market house and the parade. This old corner, so many years known as Hartshorne & Boggs' corner, had a gun at the corner of the platform which extended down the hill to the lower corner, occupied by one Hart, a Jew, afterwards known as Martin Gay Black's, and now occupied by the new building of the Merchant's Bank; this walk was the resort of the merchants in the morning, and the fashionable and idle in the afternoons.
1789. On the night of Friday, the 23rd January, Cochran's buildings, a range of three-storey buildings in the market square, were totally consumed by fire. Firewards were John Fillis, J. G. Pyke, R. J. Uniacke, Michael Wallace, Geo. Bell, Lawrence Hartshorne, William Lawlor, Charles Hill.
On 9th February, an advertisement appeared in the "Gazette," as follows: "I am directed by His Excellency the Governor, to acquaint the several gentlemen called upon on Friday last to form a Fire Company, that he desires their attendance at the 'Golden Ball' on Thursday next, at twelve o'clock, to agree to rules and regulations. (Signed) Jas. Gautier."
On 15th August, the jail was broken open, and a prisoner for debt, one Livesay, who had been imprisoned at the suit of William Stairs, escaped, for which Sheriff Green was prosecuted; Green stated that he had repeatedly represented to the Council the insecure state of the jail. Mr. James Clarke succeeded Mr. Green as Sheriff of Halifax, this year.
The Dockyard at this period was in full operation. The Commissioner in charge was the Honorable Henry Duncan, who was also a member of His Majesty's Council. Doctor John Haliburton, father of the late Chief Justice Sir Brenton Haliburton, was Surgeon of the Naval Hospital, Mr. Provo Wallis was Master Superintendent, Elias Marshall, foreman of shipwrights, William Lee foreman of carpenters, Alexander Anderson and Provo F. Wallis, Chief Clerks.
A great scarcity of bread was felt in the town this summer. Vessels sent to Canada for wheat, returned empty. On the 9th July, the Governor received a letter from the Governor of Canada, stating the great scarcity of provisions in the Province of Lower Canada or Quebec, that a famine was dreaded, and requesting him not to obstruct the exportation of corn and flour from Halifax to Quebec. But the Justices of the Quarter Sessions presented a memorial which had been laid before them by the bakers of Halifax, setting forth that there is not more of flour in the town than sufficient to provide bread for three or four days, whereupon it was ordered by the Council that no vessel be permitted to clear out with bread or flour to Quebec, except the brigantine "Ceres," until further consideration.
There were amateur theatrical performances this winter at the Pontac. It would appear that the old theatre in Argyle Street, in the recollection possibly of some of the oldest inhabitants, was in operation this year. We find plays advertized to take place there in February and March. This building stood on the spot on which the present Acadian School was afterwards erected. It was the only theatre in the town during the time of the Duke of Kent. It was afterwards occupied by Walter Bromley as a public school upon the Lancaster plan, until removed to make way for the present building, in the year 1816.