Halifax and War – the Castine Fund; Dalhousie University and the spoils of war

In the early 19th century, George Ramsay, the ninth Earl of Dalhousie and Nova Scotia Lieutenant-Governor at the time, wanted to establish a Halifax college open to all, regardless of class or creed.

The spoils of war helped fulfill his dream. During the War of 1812, Castine, a small port in Maine, was being used as a base by American privateers who harassed ships along the Eastern Seaboard. In August and September 1814, Sir John Coape Sherbrooke sent a Royal Navy force and 500 British troops to conquer Maine and (again) establish the colony of New Ireland.