BARONETS OF NOVA SCOTIA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1053, 16 February 1911, Page 8

BARONETS OF NOVA SCOTIA.

There can bo very. few people indeed who are aware of the fact that the parado ground of tho aucieut aud ■ historic castle of Edinburgh is legally Canadian soil. It is so, however; and this is how it comes about:—ln IG2I "Scots Jamie" gave a grant tc>Sir William Alexander of Memstrie—afterwards Earl, of Stirling —of all tho land lying, between tho St. -Lawrence, New England, the. St. Croix, and, Newfoundland. , 'J'be colony,was named Now,Scotlaud,,a'nd,,for administrative purposes, was attached, by,.a lega} fietiou to.Ediuburgh. As,, howiovir,,tho" colony was of. not niupU us'o' ; without' men to found aud develop it,.tho King instituted tho Order o£ Baronets .of K ova Scotia, 'i'ho title was given to nien of good birth, on the condition thoy seut out a certain number of settlers to the: colony and furnished a certain sum of money towards tho expenses of the plantation. In this connection, it. is interesting to note, that there aro many Nova Scotia baronetcies in existence still to-dny. Shortly after tho _death of James the new order was instituted, the cerorcony taking place in tho courtyard of Edinburgh Castle. For tho purposo of the institution a Royal decreo was issued declaring the place to bo an integral part of the now colony. The decree has never been annulled, and 50 to-day any Nova Scotian .who visits the parade-ground may have tho satisfaction of knowing that .he stands upon groun'd'that legally belongs to his own province. • , , ;