A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time. Various
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the college, mainly through the efforts of its energetic principal. Professor McEachran, during the past few years, has contributed many valuable articles to professional journals and the agricultural press as well as by public lectures, on his favourite theme. In 1875, he earnestly pressed upon the attention of the Dominion government, the necessity for the establishment of a quarantine system, to prevent the importation of certain cattle diseases from Europe, where they were then prevailing to a deplorable extent. Acting on his advice, the government created, in April, 1876, a quarantine station at Point Levis, Quebec, and made the professor chief inspector for the Dominion, and this position he still continues to occupy. In January, 1879, he was sent by the Dominion government to the United States, to investigate the lung-plague—pleuro-pneumonia—and visited New York, Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the district of Columbia; and on his return he reported the prevalence of this serious disease in all the states he had visited. The result was that shortly afterwards an embargo was placed on the importation of cattle from the United States to Canada and Great Britain, requiring that they should be slaughtered at the port of debarkation, within fourteen days after landing. This action of the British government entailed a heavy loss on cattle exported from the United States, but Canada, owing to her freedom from the diseases, and the perfect condition of her quarantine system, became a gainer in proportion to a large amount. Professor McEachran’s name will ever be associated with the early history of the export cattle trade of Canada, as one, who at the proper moment gave sound advice to the government, which, being promptly acted upon, helped in these early days to assist a trade that has since grown to vast proportions. The efficiency of the quarantine for cattle under his management has been thoroughly tested on two occasions, viz., 1885, when the contagious disease, “foot and mouth,” or vessicular epizootic, was twice brought into the quarantine from Great Britain, so thorough was the quarantine that not only did it not extend beyond, but it did not even affect any other cattle, of which there were several hundreds within the enclosure. The prompt and effective manner in which pleuro-pneumonia was dealt with in 1886, when that fell destroyer was imported in a herd of Galloways, proved beyond doubt the efficiency of the quarantine, and the ability of the inspectors to deal with contagious diseases. If Canada to-day is free from contagious disease, it is due in a great measure to his energy and knowledge of disease. In acknowledgment of his professional attainments he was elected one of the original Fellows of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, on that body being raised to the rank of a university in 1875, being the only one in Canada on whom that honour was conferred. He has been intimately connected with the cattle ranching business in the district of Alberta, Senator Cochrane and he being the pioneers in that business on a large scale in Canada. Together they visited Alberta in 1881, going via the Missouri river to Fort Benton, thence driving across the plains to where Calgary is now built. On his return he published a series of interesting letters, being a narrative of his trip, and description of the country. He was vice-president of the Cochrane Ranche Co. till 1883, when he became general manager of the Walrond Cattle Ranche Co., of which Sir John Walrond, Bart., is president, and which is now the largest and one of the most successful ranches in Canada. Professor McEachran was married on the 9th of June, 1868, to Esther, youngest daughter of the late Timothy Plaskett, Esq., St. Croix, West Indian Islands, to whom two children were born, viz., Evelyn Victoria, born 24th May, 1869, who died May, 1874, and Jeanie Blackney, born 19th September, 1871. In politics, Professor McEachran is a Conservative, but in consequence of his devotion to professional work he has never taken a very active part in politics. He served in the militia force for ten years as Veterinary Surgeon to the Montreal Field Battery of Artillery. He became a justice of the peace in 1886, with jurisdiction over the entire Province of Quebec.
Holmes, Hon. Simon H., Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, Halifax, was born near Springville, East River township, Pictou county, N.S., on the 30th July, 1831. His father, Hon. John Holmes, came from Ross-shire, Scotland, where he was born in 1783, to Nova Scotia, and settled in the province in 1803, and represented Pictou county in the Nova Scotia legislature, from 1839 to 1847, and from 1851 to 1855, and was called to the Legislative Council in 1858. At the time of Confederation in 1867 he was made a member of the Senate of the Dominion of Canada. His mother, Catherine Fraser, was a native of Nova Scotia. Simon H. Holmes received his educational training at the New Glasgow Grammar School and at the Pictou Academy. He adopted law as a profession, and studied in the office of the Hon. James McDonald, now chief justice of Nova Scotia, and was called to the bar of Nova Scotia in August, 1864. He practised for a number of years as a barrister in Pictou, and during that time acquired the honourable distinction of being a logical and able speaker, and one who always made a favourable impression on a jury. Mr. Holmes entered political life in 1867, and yet though he failed to carry Pictou county at the general election of that year, he was successful in 1871; and in 1874 he was re-elected by acclamation, and chosen leader of the opposition. After the contest in 1878, he was called upon to form an administration, of which he became premier and provincial secretary, which position he occupied during the four years following, when he accepted the office of prothonotary of the Supreme Court for Halifax, which office he now holds. Hon. Mr. Holmes was for twenty-four years editor and proprietor of the Colonial Standard, Pictou, an outspoken Liberal-Conservative paper, which he conducted with marked ability, and which exercised a great influence in shaping the politics of the province. When quite a young man he took an active interest in the volunteer movement, and rose to the rank of captain; subsequently he held the same rank in the militia, and was, before severing his connection with the corps on entering public life, promoted to the rank of major.
Archibald, Hon. Sir Adams Geo., K.C.M.G., D.C.L., P.C., Q.C., ex-Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia. This illustrious statesman was born at Truro, Nova Scotia, on the 18th May, 1814. His father was Samuel Archibald, grandson of one of two brothers who came from the North of Ireland, though of Scottish descent, settled at Truro, Colchester county, N.S., in 1761, and both of whom married and had families, and from these brothers sprung most of the families of that name now scattered over the Maritime and other provinces of the Dominion, some of whom honoured the liberal professions, and filled nearly every position of responsibility and trust in the legislature and government of Nova Scotia. His grandfather, James Archibald, was, on the 23rd June, 1796, appointed judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Colchester, Nova Scotia, and held this position till his death. The mother of Sir Adams Archibald was Elizabeth, daughter of Matthew Archibald, who was appointed coroner of Colchester in 1776, and represented Truro in the local parliament for many years. Adams George Archibald was educated at Pictou College under the late Dr. McCulloch, who had at that time the training of many young men who now fill various high positions in public life. He studied law in Halifax in the office of the late William Sutherland, afterwards recorder of the city; was admitted in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island as an attorney in 1838, and as barrister to the bar of Nova Scotia in 1839; and for many years practised his profession successfully both at Truro and Halifax, during which time he filled some very important positions. In 1851 he entered public life, and was elected to represent the county of Colchester in the Nova Scotia assembly, and sat as such until 1859, when the county was divided, and he was returned for South Colchester, which constituency he continued to represent until Confederation in 1867. During three years he occupied prominent positions in the government of Nova Scotia. In 1856 he was appointed solicitor-general of his native province, and in 1857 was sent as a delegate, in company with the late Hon. J. W. Johnstone, to England to arrange the terms of settlement with the British government and the General Mining Association, in regard to the mines of the province, and to ascertain the views of that government on the question of the union of the provinces. And one of the happy results of their labours was to effect a settlement of a long standing dispute between the province and the company, whereby certain collieries were allotted to the company on their surrendering all other collieries and all mines and minerals to the province, except the coal in the areas so allotted. In 1860 he was made attorney-general, and the following year (1861), he was a delegate to the Quebec Conference to discuss the question of an Intercolonial Railway. In 1862 he was appointed advocate-general of the Vice-Admiralty Court. Mr. Archibald being one of the foremost among the advocates of Confederation, he attended as a delegate the Charlottetown Union Conference in June, 1864; the Quebec Conference, held a few months later in the same year, and the final conference held in London (England), during the winter of 1866–7 to complete the terms of confederation. In 1867 he was made secretary of state for