Nova Scotia Through and Through
This superb dispatch box was presented by the citizens of Halifax to Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Sir Charles Hastings Doyle upon his retirement in May of 1873. The box was originally surmounted by a gilt moose on a polished slab of gold-bearing quartz made by Windsor, Nova Scotia jeweller John Frederic Herbin. Unfortunately, both of these features were lost before the museum acquired the piece. The box itself was made from Nova Scotia maple and walnut by Halifax cabinet maker James McEwan. Look for mayflowers – our provincial flower – among the many elaborate designs that McEwan carved into the piece. If you get a chance to visit Province House, the beautiful home of Nova Scotia’s legislature, you can see the box in a portrait of Sir Charles Doyle by A.R. Venables.