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Title: Picturesque Quebec
Author: James MacPherson Le Moine
Release Date: December, 2004 [EBook #7033]
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PICTURESQUE QUEBEC
BY
J. M. LEMOINE
TO THE CITIZENS OF QUEBEC
THIS VOLUME IS
Respectfully Inscribed
BY THE AUTHOR.
PREFACE
This volume, purporting to be a sequel to "QUEBEC PAST AND PRESENT,"
published in 1876, is intended to complete the history of the city. New
and interesting details will be found in these pages, about the locality,
where Samuel de Champlain located his settlement in 1608, together with a
rapid glance at incidents, sights, objects, edifices, city gates and other
improvements, both ancient and modern, which an antiquarian's ramble round
the streets, squares, promenades, monuments, public and private edifices,
&c., may disclose. It will, it is hoped, be found a copious repository of
historical, topographical, legendary, industrial and antiquarian lore--
garnered not without some trouble from authorities difficult of access to
the general reader. May it prove not merely a faithful mirror of the past,
but also an authentic record of the present!
THE SKETCH OF THE ENVIRONS OF QUEBEC will take the tourist or student of
history beyond the ramparts of Old Stadacona, to the memorable area--the
Plains of Abraham--where, one century back and more, took place the hard-
fought duel which caused the collapse of French power in the New World,
established British rule on our shores, and hastened the birth of the
great Commonwealth founded by George Washington, by removing from the
British Provinces, south of us, the counterpoise of French dominion. More
than once French Canada had threatened the New England Settlements; more
than once it had acted like a barrier to the expansion and consolidation
of the conquering Anglo-Saxon race.
THE ENVIRONS OF QUEBEC are, indeed, classic soil, trodden by the footsteps
of many of the most remarkable men in American History: Cartier,
Champlain, Phipps, d'Iberville, Laval, Frontenac, La Galissonnère, Wolfe,
Montcalm, Levis, Amherst, Murray, Guy Carleton, Nelson, Cook,
Bougainville, Jervis, Montgomery, Arnold, DeSalaberry, Brock and others.
Here, in early times, on the shore of the majestic St. Lawrence, stood the
wigwam and canoe of the marauding savage; here, was heard the clang of
French sabre and Scotch claymore in deadly encounter--the din of battle
on the tented field; here,--but no further--had surged the wave of
American invasion; here, have bivouaced on more than one gory battle-
field, the gay warrior from the banks of the Seine, the staunch musketeers
of Old England, the unerring riflemen of New York, Massachusetts and Rhode
Island. Another spot calculated to interest us is the vast expanse from
the Plains to Cap Rouge, round by Ste. Foye to the city, for which I
intend to use its former more general name, Sillery: the ground is not new
for us, as its annals and country seats furnished, in 1865, materials for
sketches, published that year under the title of _Maple Leaves_. These
sketches having long since disappeared from book-stores, at the request of
several enlightened patrons, I re-publish from them some selections, with
anecdotes and annotations. Several other sites round Quebec--Beauport,
Charlesbourg, the Falls of Montmorency and of the Chaudière, Château
Bigot, Lorette and its Hurons--will, of necessity, find a resting place in
this repertory of Quebec history, which closes a labour of love, the
series of works on Canada, commenced by me in 1861.
In order to enhance the usefulness of this work, extensive and varied
historical matter has been included in the appendix for reference.
To my many friends, whose notes and advice have been so freely placed at
my disposal, I return my grateful thanks.
J. M. LEMOINE.
SPENCER GRANGE, December, 1881.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF QUEBEC
Quebec as seen by Tourists--Descriptions--by Francis Parkman--M. Sand--
Eliot Warburton--Thoreau--Mrs. Moodie--Charles Dickens--Marmier--Sir
Charles Dilke--Henry Ward Beecher--Professor Silliman--Charles Lever--
Capt. Butler--Alfred Hawkins--Hon. P. J. O. Chauveau.
CHAPTER II.
FOUNDATION OF QUEBEC.
Samuel de Champlain--_L'Abitation_--the Dwelling of Champlain--Chief
Donaconna--Jacques Cartier's Landing--Interview between Cartier and
Donaconna.
CHAPTER III.
THE ANCIENT CAPITAL.
Streets and By-ways of the Old City--Names of Famous Men preserved by
Street Names--Dangerous Streets.
THE UPPER TOWN.
Louis Hébert, the First Resident--The First Street--The First Horse--
Marquis de Tracy--St. Louis Street--The Quebec Gazette--William Brown--
Samuel Neilson--Dr. Wilkie--Lawyers--Madame Péan--Montgomery's Assault--
Death of Montcalm--SOCIETY IN EARLY ENGLISH TIMES--Theatre--Early Society
Poets--Literature--United Empire Loyalists,--ST. LOUIS HOTEL--THE
FRÉCHETTE DINNER--Mr. Fréchette's Speech--Mr. Lamier's Speech--Mr.
Stewart's Speech--Mr. LeMay's, Speech---Mr. LeMoine's Speech---FORT ST.
LOUIS--CHÂTEAU ST. LOUIS--HALDIMAND CASTLE--The Council--Dress of the
Councillors--A Braggart Mohawk Hanged--The New Château--Fealty and
Homage--Re-building by Frontenac--Quebec Agricultural Society--The Loyal
League--An Antique Stone--Lord Edward Fitzgerald--The Duke of Richmond--
Sir Peregrine Maitland--John Galt--Lord Dorchester--Isaac Weld--Dufferin
Terrace--Laying of Corner Stone--Rev. Dr. Sparks--St. Andrew's Church--
The Lymburners--Hugh McQuarters James Thompson--The Rosses--The Georges--
Parloir Street--Jupiter Street--St. George Street--LAVAL UNIVERSITY--
Palace Street--Statue of General Wolfe--St. Famille Street--St. Stanislas
Street--Trinity Chapel--Theatre Royal--THE LITERARY AND HISTORICAL
SOCIETY--Mr. LeMoine's Lecture on Arnold's Assault--The Centenary Fete--
The Jesuit's Church--The Jesuit's Barracks--The Récollet Convent--The
Palace--Couillard Street--The Union Hotel--The Prisoners of 1812--Bell's
Cavalry--Rue du Trésor--Royal Notaries--St. John Street--Le Club des
Anciens--La Crucifix Outragé--Olden Times in the Ancient Capital--Durham
Terrace.
THE LOWER TOWN.
Le Chien d'Or--The Elevator--Mountain Hill--Landing of the Marquis de
Tracy--Landing of the Earl of Durham--The Inconstants--St. Peter Street--
Jean Taché--The Chronicle Building--The Neptune Inn--Press Gangs at
Quebec--Notre Dame Des Victoires--Notre Dame Street--Dalhousie Street---
Public Whipping--Sous-le-Fort Street--The Cul-de-Sac--The King's Wharf--A
Fighting Stevedore--M. Marmier--Sault-au-Matelot Street--Dog Lane--St.
Paul Street--Pointe à Carcy--The Duke of Saxe Weimar.
ST. ROCH'S SUBURBS.
La Friponne--The Intendant Bigot--The Intendant's Palace--La Vacherie--
Côte à Coton--St. Valier Street--The Blue House--Horatio Nelson in Quebec
--Dorchester Bridge--Crown Street--The Harbour Docks--The Graving Dock at
Levis.
THE GATES OF QUEBEC.
The New Gates--The Kent Gate--The Citadel Gates--Theller and Dodge's
Escape from the Citadel--The Men of '37.
CHAPTER IV.
SUBURBS OF QUEBEC.
St. Louis Road--Parliament Buildings--Bleak House--Martello Towers--
Buttes-à-Nepveu--Wolfe's Landing Place--Ste. Foye Road--Association Hall.
CHAPTER V.
MODERN QUEBEC.
City Government--Boundaries of the Wards--War Department Property.
PART II.
THE ENVIRONS OF QUEBEC.
SILLERY
OUR COUNTRY SEATS
THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM
THE BATTLE-FIELD
BATTLE-FIELD PARK
THE DUKE OF KENT'S LODGE--MONTMORENCI
L'ASYLE CHAMPÊTRE
MARCHMONT--Anecdote of Wolfe's Army
WOLFESFIELD--Carlyle's Account of the Capture of Quebec
ELM GROVE
THORNHILL
SPENCER WOOD--The Perceval Family--A Fête Champêtre in 1809
SPENCER GRANGE--Audubon at Quebec
BAGATELLE COTTAGE
WOODFIELD
SOUS LES BOIS
SILLERY HOUSE
ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH--SILLERY
MOUNT HERMON
BARDFIELD--The Mountain Family
BENMORE--The Sparrows and Quails
CLERMONT
THE WILD FLOWERS OF SILLERY
BEAUVOIR
MONTAGUE COTTAGE--The History of Emily Montague
KIRK ELLA
CATARACOUI
ROSEWOOD
RAVENSWOOD
THE WOODS OF SILLERY
LONGWOOD
MEADOWBANKS--A Raid in 1775
THE HIGHLANDS
WINTER FOX HUNTING IN CANADA
CAP ROUGE COTTAGE
BEAUSÉJOUR
BELMONT--Irish Education in the Olden Time
HOLLAND FARM
THE HOLLAND TREE--A Scandal of the last Century
HAMWOOD
BIJOU--Anecdote of Wolfe's Army
MORTON LODGE
WESTFIELD
COUCY-LE-CASTEL
RINGFIELD--Journal of Chevalier Johnstone
CASTOR VILLE
THE JOYS OF WINTER
THE MANOR HOUSE--BEAUPORT--The Inscription
MOUNT LILAC--Beauport
A VISIT TO INDIAN LORETTE
TAHOURENCHE AND THE HURONS OF LORETTE
INDIAN CUSTOMS
CHÂTEAU BIGOT--The Algonquin Maid--Marmette's Romance
THE FALLS OF THE CHAUDIÈRE
APPENDIX.
Jacques Cartier's Officers and Crew
Jacques Quartier, the Pilot
Discovery of the Remains of Jacques Cartier's Vessel
The Bronze Cannon
The French who remained after the Capitulation of 1629
The Arms of the Dominion
Militia Uniforms
Horses
Ship-building at Quebec under French Domination
The Conquest of New York
The French Refugees of Oxford, Mass.
The Venerable Mother of the Incarnation
Variation of the Needle at Quebec
Our City Bells
General Wolfe's Statue
Vente d'une Négresse à Quebec
The Ice-Shove--April 1874
The Pistols and Sash of General Wolfe
The Post Office
Monument to the Victims of 1837-8
Fines for Duelling
Memorabilia
Executions at Quebec Gaol
Quebec Golf Club
Quebec Snowshoe Club
French Governors of Canada
English Governors
MAPS.
Plan of Quebec in 1759
Map to Illustrate the Siege of Quebec in 1759
Map to Illustrate Operations of Generals de Levis and Murray, 1759-60
Plan of the Links--Quebec Golf Club
The description of ASYLE CHAMPÊTRE was written by Dr. P. Bender, the
biographer of Joseph Perrault, the founder of ASYLE CHAMPÊTRE.
PICTURESQUE QUEBEC
CHAPTER 1.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF QUEBEC.
Quebec, founded by Samuel de Champlain, in 1608, has certainly much to
recommend her, by her monuments, her historical memories and her scenery,
to the traveller--the scholar--the historian. The wintering of the
venturesome Jacques Cartier on the banks of the St. Charles in 1535-6, by
its remoteness, is an incident of interest, not only to Canadians, but
also to every denizen of America. It takes one back to an era nearly
coeval with the discovery of the continent by Columbus--much anterior to
the foundation of Jamestown, in 1607--anterior to that of St Augustine, in
Florida. Quebec, has, then, a right to call herself an old, a very old,
city of the west.
The colonization of Canada, or, as it was formerly called, New France, was
undertaken by French merchants engaged in the fur trade, close on whose
steps followed a host of devoted missionaries who found, in the forests of
this new and attractive country, ample scope for the exercise of their
religious enthusiasm. It was at Quebec that these Christian heroes landed,
from hence they started for the forest primeval, the bearers of the olive
branch of Christianity, an unfailing token of civilization.
A fatal mistake committed at the outset by the French commanders, in
taking sides in the Indian wars, more than once brought the incipient
colony to the verge of ruin. During these periods, scores of devoted
missionaries fell under the scalping knife or suffered incredible tortures
amongst the merciless savages whom they had come to reclaim. Indian
massacres became so frequent, so appalling, that on several occasions the
French thought seriously of giving up the colony forever. The rivalry
between France and England, added to the hardships and dangers of the few
hardy colonists established at Quebec. Its environs, the shores of its
noble river, more than once became the battle-field of European armies.
These are periods of strife, happily gone by, we hope, forever.
In his "_Pioneers of France in the New World_," the gifted Francis
Parkman mournfully reviews the vanished glories of old France in her
former vast dominions in America:--
"The French dominion is a memory of the past; and when we evoke its
departed shades, they rise upon us from their graves in strange
romantic guise. Again their ghostly camp-fires seem to burn, and the
fitful light is cast around on lord and vassal and black robed priest,
mingled with wild forms of savage warriors, knit in close fellowship
on the same stern errand. A boundless vision grows upon us: an untamed
continent, vast wastes of forest verdure, mountains silent in primeval
sleep; river, lake, and glimmering pool; wilderness oceans mingling
with the sky. Such was the domain which France conquered for
civilization. Plumed helmets gleamed in the shade of its forests;
priestly vestments in its dens and fastnesses of ancient barbarism.
Men steeped in antique learning, pale with the close breath of the
cloister, here spent the noon and evening of their lives, ruled savage
hordes with a mild, parental sway, and stood serene before the direst
shapes of death. Men of a courtly nurture, heirs to the polish of a
far-reaching ancestry, here, with their dauntless hardihood, put to
shame the boldest sons of toil."
Of all this mighty empire of the past, Quebec was the undisputed capital,
the fortress, the keystone.
It would be a curious study to place in juxtaposition the impressions
produced on Tourists by the view of Quebec and its environs--from the era
of Jacques Cartier, the discoverer of Canada, down to that of the Earl of
Dufferin, one of its truest friends.
Champlain, La Potherie, La Houtan, Le Beau, Du Creux (Creuxius), Peter
Kalm, Knox, Silliman, Ampère, Mrs. Moodie, Dickens, Lever, Anthony
Trollope, Sala, Thoreau, Warburton, Marmier, Capt. Butler, Sir Charles
Dilke, Henry Ward Beecher, have all left their impressions of the rocky
citadel: let us gaze on a few of their vivid pictures.
"The scenic beauty of Quebec has been the theme of general eulogy. The
majestic appearance of Cape Diamond and the fortifications, the
cupolas and minarets, like those of an eastern city, blazing and
sparkling in the sun, the loveliness of the panorama, the noble basin,
like a sheet of purest silver, in which might ride with safety a
hundred sail of the line, the graceful meandering of the river St.
Charles, the numerous village spires on either side of the St.
Lawrence, the fertile fields dotted with innumerable cottages, the
abode of a rich and moral peasantry,--the distant falls of
Montmorency,--the park like scenery of Point Levis,--the beauteous
Isle of Orleans,--and more distant still, the frowning Cape Tourmente,
and the lofty range of purple mountains of the most picturesque form,
which, without exaggeration, is scarcely to be surpassed in any part
of the world." (Hawkins' _Picture of Quebec_.)
"Quebec recalls Angoulême to my mind: in the upper city, stairways,
narrow streets, ancient houses on the verge of the cliff; in the lower
city, the new fortunes, commerce, workmen;--in both, many shops and
much activity." (M. Sand.)
"Take mountain and plain, sinuous river, and broad, tranquil waters,
stately ship and tiny boat, gentle hill and shady valley, bold
headland and rich, fruitful fields, frowning battlement and cheerful
villa, glittering dome and rural spire, flowery garden and sombre
forest,--group them all into the choicest picture of ideal beauty your
fancy can create; arch it over with a cloudless sky, light it up with
a radiant sun, and lest the sheen should be too dazzling, hang a veil
of lighted haze over all, to soften the lines and perfect the repose,
--you will then have seen Quebec on this September morning." (Eliot
Warburton.)
"I rubbed my eyes to be sure I was in the nineteenth century, and not
entering one of those portals which sometimes adorn the frontispiece
of old black-letter volumes. I though it would be a good place to read
Froissart's Chronicles. It was such a reminiscence of the Middle Ages
as Scott's Novels.
"Too much has not been said about the scenery of Quebec. The
fortifications of Cape Diamond are omnipresent. You travel ten,
twenty, thirty miles up or down the river's banks, you ramble fifteen
miles among the hills on either side, and then, when you have long
since forgotten them, perchance slept on them by the way, at a turn of
the road or of your body, there they are still with their geometry
against the sky....
"No wonder if Jacques Cartier's pilot exclaimed in Norman-French
_Que bec!_ ("What a peak!") when he saw this cape, as some suppose.
Every modern traveller uses a similar expression....
"The view from Cape Diamond has been compared by European travellers
with the most remarkable views of a similar kind in Europe, such as
those from Edinburgh Castle, Gibraltar, Cintra, and others, and
preferred by many. A main peculiarity in this, compared with other
views which I have beheld, is that it is from the ramparts of a
fortified city, and not from a solitary and majestic river cape alone
that this view is obtained.... I still remember the harbour far
beneath me, sparkling like silver in the sun,--the answering headlands
of Point Levis on the south-east,--the frowning Cape Tourmente
abruptly bounding the seaward view in the north-east,--the villages of
Lorette and Charlesbourg on the north,--and farther west, the distant
Val Cartier, sparkling with white cottages, hardly removed by distance
through the clear air,--not to mention a few blue mountains along the
horizon in that direction. You look out from the ramparts of the
citadel beyond the frontiers of civilization. Yonder small group of
hills, according to the guide-book, forms the portals of the wilds
which are trodden only by the feet of the Indian hunters as far as
Hudson's Bay." (Thoreau).
Mrs. Moodie (Susannah Strickland), in her sketches of Canadian life,
graphically delineates her trip from Grosse Isle to Quebec, and the
appearance of the city itself from the river:--
"On the 22nd of September (1832), the anchor was weighed, and we bade
a long farewell to Grosse Isle. As our vessel struck into mid-channel,
I cast a last lingering look at the beautiful shore we were leaving.
Cradled in the arms of the St. Lawrence, and basking in the bright
rays of the morning sun, the island and its sister group looked like a
second Eden just emerged from the waters of chaos. The day was warm,
and the cloudless heavens of that peculiar azure tint which gives to
the Canadian skies and waters a brilliancy unknown in more northern
latitudes. The air was pure and elastic; the sun shone out with
uncommon splendour, lighting up the changing woods with a rich mellow
colouring, composed of a thousand brilliant and vivid dyes. The mighty
river rolled flashing and sparkling onward, impelled by a strong
breeze that tipped its short rolling surges with a crest of snowy
foam.
"Never shall I forget that short voyage from Grosse Isle to Quebec.
What wonderful combinations of beauty and grandeur and power, at every
winding of that noble river!
"Every perception of my mind became absorbed into the one sense of
seeing, when, upon rounding Point Levis, we cast anchor before Quebec.
What a scene! Can the world produce another? Edinburgh had been the
_beau ideal_ to me of all that was beautiful in nature--a vision
of the Northern Highlands had haunted my dreams across the Atlantic;
but all these past recollections faded before the _present_ of
Quebec. Nature has ransacked all our grandest elements to form this
astonishing panorama. There, frowns the cloud-capped mountain, and
below, the cataract foams and thunders; woods and rock and river
combine to lend their aid in making the picture perfect, and worthy of
its Divine originator. The precipitous bank upon which the city lies
piled, reflected in the still, deep waters at its base, greatly
enhances the romantic beauty of the situation. The mellow and serene
glow of the autumn day harmonized so perfectly with the solemn
grandeur of the scene around me, and sank so silently and deeply into
my soul, that my spirit fell prostrate before it, and I melted
involuntarily into tears."
Such the poetic visions which were awakened in the poetic mind of the
brilliant author of "_Roughing it, in the Bush._" Charles Dickens also had
his say in this matter, on his visit to Quebec, in May 1842, where he was
the guest of the President of the _Literary and Historical Society_, Dr.
John Charlton Fisher:--
"The impression made upon the visitor by this Gibraltar of America,
its giddy heights, its citadel suspended, as it were, in the air; its
picturesque steep streets and frowning gateways; and the splendid
views which burst upon the eye at every turn, is at once unique and
lasting. It is a place not to be forgotten or mixed up in the mind
with other places, or altered for a moment in the crowd of scenes a
traveller can recall. Apart from the realities of this most
picturesque city, there are associations clustering about it which
would make a desert rich in interest. The dangerous precipice along
whose rocky front Wolfe and his brave companions climbed to glory; the
Plains of Abraham, where he received his mortal wound; the fortress so
chivalrously defended by Montcalm; and his soldier's grave, dug for
him when yet alive, by the bursting of a shell, are not the least
among them, or among the gallant incidents of history. That is a noble
monument too, and worthy of two great nations, which perpetuates the
memory of both brave Generals, and on which their names are jointly
written.
"The city is rich in public institutions and in Catholic churches and
charities, but it is mainly in the prospect from the site of the Old
Government House and from the Citadel, that its surpassing beauty
lies. The exquisite expanse of country, rich in field and forest,
mountain-heights and water, which lies stretched out before the view,
with miles of Canadian villages, glancing in long white streaks, like
veins along the landscape; the motley crowd of gables, roofs and
chimney tops in the old hilly town immediately at hand; the beautiful
St. Lawrence sparkling and flashing in the sunlight; and the tiny
ships below the rock from which you gaze, whose distant rigging looks
like spiders' webs against the light, while casks and barrels on their
decks dwindle into toys, and busy mariners become so many puppets; all
this framed by a sunken window [1] in the fortress and looked at from
the shadowed room within, forms one of the brightest and most
enchanting pictures that the eye can rest upon." (Dickens' _American
Notes_.)
A distinguished French _littérateur_, fresh from the sunny banks of
the Seine, thus discourses anent the Ancient capital; we translate:--
"Few cities," says M. Marmier, [2] "offer as many striking contrasts
as Quebec, a fortress and a commercial city together, built upon the
summit of a rock as the nest of an eagle, while her vessels are
everywhere wrinkling the face of the ocean; an American city inhabited
by French colonists, governed by England, and garrisoned with Scotch
regiments; [3] a city of the middle ages by most of its ancient
institutions, while it is submitted to all the combinations of modern
constitutional government; an European city by its civilization and
its habits of refinement, and still close by, the remnants of the
Indian tribes and the barren mountains of the north, a city of about
the same latitude as Paris, while successively combining the torrid
climate of southern regions with the severities of an hyperborean
winter; a city at the same time Catholic and Protestant, where the
labours of our (French) missions are still uninterrupted alongside of
the undertakings of the Bible Society, and where the Jesuits driven
out of our own country (France) find a place of refuge under the aegis
of British Puritanism!"
An American tourist thus epitomises the sights:--
"As the seat of French power in America until 1759, the great fortress
of English rule in British America, and the key of the St. Lawrence,
Quebec must possess interest of no ordinary character for well-
informed tourists. To the traveller, there are innumerable points and
items vastly interesting and curious--the citadel and forts of Cape
Diamond, with their impregnable ramparts that rival Gibraltar in
strength and endurance against siege, the old walls of the city and
their gates each of which has its legend of war and bloody assault and
repulse, the plains of Abraham, every foot of which is commemorated
with blood and battle; Wolfe's monument, where the gallant and brave
soldier died with a shout of victory on his lips, the Martello towers,
with their subterranean communications with the citadel; the antique
churches, paintings, and all their paraphernalia, treasures, and
curiosities that are religiously preserved therein, the falls of
Montmorency, the natural steps. Montcalm's house, and a thousand other
relics of the mysterious past that has hallowed these with all the
mystic interest that attaches to antiquity, great deeds, and beautiful
memories. To see all these, a tourist requires at least two days'
time, and surely no one who pretends to be a traveller, in these days
of rapid transit will fail to visit Quebec, the best city, the most
hospitable place, and richer in its wealth of rare sights and grand
old memorials. French peculiarities and English oddities, than any
other city on this broad continent."
"Leaving the citadel, we are once more in the European Middle ages.
Gates and posterns, cranky steps that lead up to lofty, gabled houses,
with sharp French roofs of burnished tin, like those of Liège;
processions of the Host; altars decked with flowers; statues of the
Virgin; sabots, blouses, and the scarlet of the British lines-man,--
all these are seen in narrow streets and markets that are graced with
many a Cotentin lace cap, and all within forty miles of the down-east,
Yankee state of Maine. It is not far from New England to Old
France.... There has been no dying out of the race among the French
Canadians. They number twenty times the thousand that they did 100
years ago. The American soil has left physical type, religion,
language, and laws absolutely untouched. They herd together in their
rambling villages, dance to the fiddle after Mass on Sundays,--as
gayly as once did their Norman sires,--and keep up the _fleur-de-
lys_ and the memory of Montcalm. More French than the French are the
Lower Canada _habitans_. The pulse-beat of the continent finds no echo
here."--(Sir Charles Dilke.)
In the rosy days of his budding fame, the gifted Henry Ward Beecher
discoursed as follows of the Rock City [4]:--
"Curious old Quebec!--of all the cities on the continent of America,
the quaintest.... It is a populated cliff. It is a mighty rock,
scarped and graded, and made to hold houses and castles which, by a
proper natural law, ought to slide off from its back, like an ungirded
load from a camel's back. But they stick. At the foot of the rocks,
the space of several streets in width has been stolen from the
river.... We landed....
"Away we went, climbing the steep streets at a canter with little
horses hardly bigger than flies, with an aptitude for climbing
perpendicular walls. It was strange to enter a walled city through low
and gloomy gates, on this continent of America. Here was a small bit
of mediaeval Europe perched upon a rock, and dried for keeping, in
this north-east corner of America, a curiosity that has not its equal,
in its kind, on this side of the ocean....
"We rode about as if we were in a picture-book, taming over a new leaf
at each street!... The place should always be kept old. Let people go
somewhere else for modern improvements. It is a shame, when Quebec
placed herself far out of the way, up in the very neighbourhood of
Hudson's Bay, that it should be hunted and harassed with new-fangled
notions, and that all the charming inconveniences and irregularities
of narrow and tortuous streets, that so delight a traveller's eyes,
should be altered to suit the fantastic notions of modern people....
"Our stay in Quebec was too short by far. But it was long enough to
make it certain that we shall come back again. A summer in Canada
would form one of the most delightful holidays that we can imagine. We
mean to prove our sincerity by our conduct. And then, if it is not all
that our imagination promises, we will write again and confess."
Professor Benjamin Silliman discourses thus:--
"A seat of ancient dominion--now hoary with the lapse of more than two
centuries--formerly the seat of a French empire in the west--lost and
won by the blood of gallant armies, and of illustrious commanders--
throned on a rock, and defended by all the proud defiance of war! Who
could approach such a city without emotion? Who in Canada has not
longed to cast his eyes on the water-girt rocks and towers of
Quebec."--(Silliman's _Tour in Canada_, 1819.)
Charles Lever has left a curious glimpse of Quebec from Diamond Harbour,
as seen, by his incomparable Irish Gil Blas, Mr. Cornelius Cregan, the
appreciated lodger of Madam Thomas John Davis at the "Hotel Davis."
"As viewed from Diamond Harbour, a more striking city than Quebec is
seldom seen. The great rock rising above the Lower Town, and crowned
with its batteries, all bristling with guns, seemed to my eyes the
very realization of impregnability. I looked upon the ship that lay
tranquilly on the water below, and whose decks were thronged with
blue-jackets--to the Highlander who paced his short path as sentry,
some hundred feet high upon the wall of the fortress, and I thought to
myself with such defenders as these that standard yonder need never
carry any other banner. The whole view is panoramic, the bending of
the river shuts out the channel by which you have made your approach,
giving the semblance of a lake, on whose surface vessels of every
nation lie at anchor, some with the sails hung out to dry, gracefully
drooping from the taper spars; others refitting again for sea, and
loading the huge pine-trunks moored as vast rafts to the stern. There
were people everywhere, all was motion, life and activity. Jolly-boats
with twenty oars, man-of-war gigs bounding rapidly past them with
eight; canoes skimming by without a ripple, and seemingly without
impulse, till you caught sight of the lounging figure, who lay at full
length in the stern, and whose red features were scarce
distinguishable from the copper-coloured bark of his boat. Some moved
upon the rafts, and even upon single trunks of trees, as, separated
from the mass, they floated down on the swift current, boat-hook in
hand to catch at the first object chance might offer them. The quays
and the streets leading down to them were all thronged, and as you
cast your eye upwards, here and there above the tall roofs might be
seen the winding of stairs that lead to the Upper Town, alike dark
with the moving tide of men. On every embrasure and gallery, on every
terrace and platform, it was the same. Never did I behold such a human
tide.
"Now there was something amazingly inspiriting in all this,
particularly when coming from the solitude and monotony of a long
voyage. [5] The very voice that ye-hoéd; the hoarse challenge of the
sentinels on the rock; the busy hum of the town--made delicious music
to my ear; and I could have stood and leaned over the bulwark for
hours, to gaze at the scene. I own no higher interest invested the
picture--for I was ignorant of Wolfe. I had never heard of Montcalm--
the plains of "Abraham" were to me but grassy slopes, and "nothing
more." It was the life and stir,--the tide of that human ocean, on
which I longed myself to be a swimmer--these were what charmed me. Nor
was the deck of the old "Hampden" inactive all the while, although
seldom attracting much of my notice: soldiers were mustering,
knapsacks packing, rolls calling, belts buffing, and coats brushing on
all sides; men grumbling, sergeants cursing; officers swearing; half-
dressed invalids popping up their heads out of hatchways, answering to
wrong names, and doctors ordering them down again with many an
anathema: soldiers in the way of sailors, and sailors always hauling
at something that interfered with the inspection-drill: every one in
the wrong place, and each cursing his neighbour for stupidity. At last
the shore-boats boarded us, as if our confusion wanted anything to
increase it. Red-faced harbour-masters shook hands with the skipper
and pilot, and disappeared into the "round-house" to discuss grog and
the gales. Officers from the garrison came out to welcome their
friends--for it was the second battalion we had on board of a regiment
whose first had been some years in Canada;--and then what a rush of
inquiries were exchanged. "How is the Duke?"--"All quiet in England"--
"No sign of war in Europe!"--"Are the 8th come home!"--"Where is
Forbes?"--"Has Davern sold out?" with a mass of such small interests
as engage men who live in coteries." (Confessions of Con. Cregan, Chap
XIII.)
There are yet among the living in Quebec many who can recall the good
olden times when our garrison contained two regiments and more of the red-
coated soldiers of England, at the beck of the "Iron Duke"--_him_ of
Waterloo.
A Haligonian tourist thus writes:--
"HALIFAX, N. S., 1880.--I reached Halifax on the Saturday after
leaving Quebec.....Nothing was wanting to make my impressions of
Quebec perfect, but a little more time to widen, deepen and strengthen
the friendships made; alas! to be severed (for a time) so soon. I went
expecting to see a city perched on a rock and inhabited by the
descendants of a conquered race with a chasm between them and every
Englishman in the Dominion. In place of this, I found the city more
picturesque, more odd, more grand, than I had ever imagined, and
peopled by a race who, if conquered in 1759, have had sweet revenge
ever since, by making a conquest of every stranger who has entered
Quebec--through his higher nature. It is no wonder that Quebec has
such a story of song and adventure. There is romance in the river and
tragedy on the hill, and while the memory of Wolfe and Montcalm is
green, the city will be the Mecca of the Dominion. But keep the hand
of the Goth--the practical man--from touching the old historic
landmarks of the city. A curse has been pronounced on those who remove
their neighbours' landmark, but what shall be said of those who remove
the landmarks which separate century from century and period from
period." (J. T. Bulmer.)
The following affords a good specimen of Capt W. F Butler's pictorial
style:--
"Spring breaks late over the province of Quebec--that portion of
America known to our fathers as Lower Canada, and of old to the
subjects of the Grand Monarque as the kingdom of New France. But when
the young trees begin to open their leafy lids after the long sleep of
winter, they do it quickly. The snow is not all gone before the maple
trees are all green--the maple, that most beautiful of trees! Well has
Canada made the symbol of her new nationality that tree whose green
gives the spring its earliest freshness, whose autumn-dying tints are
richer than the clouds of sunset, whose life-stream is sweeter than
honey, and whose branches are drowsy through the long summer with the
scent and the hum of bee and flower! Still the long line of the
Canadas admits of a varied spring. When the trees are green at Lake
St. Clair, they are scarcely budding at Kingston, they are leafless at
Montreal, and Quebec is white with snow. Even between Montreal and
Quebec, a short night's steaming, there exists a difference of ten
days in the opening of the summer. But late as comes the summer to
Quebec, it comes in its loveliest and most enticing form, as though it
wished to atone for its long delay in banishing from such a landscape
the cold tyranny of winter. And with what loveliness does the whole
face of plain, river, lake and mountain turn from the iron clasp of
icy winter to kiss the balmy lips of returning summer, and to welcome
his bridal gifts of sun and shower! The trees open their leafy lids to
look at him--the brooks and streamlets break forth into songs of
gladness--"the birch tree," as the old Saxon said," becomes beautiful
in its branches, and rustles sweetly in its leafy summit, moved to and
fro by the breath of heaven"--the lakes uncover their sweet faces, and
their mimic shores steal down in quiet evenings to bathe themselves in
the transparent waters--far into the depths of the great forest speeds
the glad message of returning glory, and graceful fern, and soft
velvet moss, and white wax-like lily peep forth to cover rock and
fallen tree and wreck of last year's autumn in one great sea of
foliage. There are many landscapes which can never be painted,
photographed, or described, but which the mind carries away
instinctively to look at again and again in the after-time--these are
the celebrated views of the world, and they are not easy to find. From
the Queen's rampart, on the citadel of Quebec, the eye sweeps over a
greater diversity of landscape than is probably to be found in any one
spot in the universe. Blue mountain, far-stretching river, foaming
cascade, the white sails of ocean ships, the black trunks of many-
sized guns, the pointed roofs, the white village nestling amidst its
fields of green, the great isle in mid-channel, the many shades of
colour from deep blue pine-wood to yellowing corn-field--in what other
spot on the earth's broad bosom lie grouped together in a single
glance so many of these "things of beauty" which the eye loves to
feast on and to place in memory as joys for ever?" (_The Great Lone
Land._)
Let us complete this mosaic of descriptions and literary gems, borrowed
from English, French and American writers, by a sparkling _tableau_ of the
historic memories of Quebec, traced by a French Canadian _littérateur_,
the Honourable P. J. O. Chauveau:--
"History is everywhere--around us, beneath us; from the depths of
yonder valleys, from the top of that mountain, history rises up and
presents itself to our notice, exclaiming: 'Behold me!'
"Beneath us, among the capricious meanders of the River St. Charles,
the Cahir-Coubat of Jacques Cartier, is the very place where he first
planted the cross and held his first conference with the _Seigneur
Donnacona_. Here, very near to us, beneath a venerable elm tree,
which, with much regret, we saw cut down, tradition states that
Champlain first raised his tent. From the very spot on which we now
stand, Count de Frontenac returned to Admiral Phipps that proud
answer, as he said, _from the mouth of his cannon_, which will
always remain recorded by history. Under these ramparts are spread the
plains on which fell Wolfe and where, in the following year, the
Chevalier de Lévis and General Murray fought that other battle, in
memory of which the citizens of Quebec are erecting (in 1854) a
monument. Before us, on the heights of Beauport, the souvenir of
battles not less heroic, recall to our remembrance the names of
Longueuil, St. Hélène, and Juchereau Duchesnay. Below us, at the foot
of that tower on which floats the British flag, Montgomery and his
soldiers all fell, swept by the grape-shot of a single gun pointed by
a Canadian artilleryman.
"On the other hand, under that projecting rock, now crowned with the
guns of old England, the intrepid Dambourgès, sword in hand, drove
Arnold and his men from the houses in which they had established
themselves. History is then everywhere around us. She rises as well
from these ramparts, replete with daring deeds, as from those
illustrious plains equally celebrated for feats of arms, and she again
exclaims: 'Here I am!'"
CHAPTER II.
_QUEBEC FOUNDED, JULY 3,_ 1608.
Fancy borne on the outspread wings of memory occasionally loves to soar
o'er the dull, prosaic present, far away into the haunted, dream-land of a
hazy but hopeful past.
Let us recall one year, in the revolving cycle of time--one day above all
days--for dwellers in Champlain's eyry keep pre-eminently sacred that
auspicious 3rd of July, 1608, when his trusty little band, in all twenty-
eight, founded the city destined soon to be the great Louis's proud forta-
lice,--the Queen city of the French western world.
On that memorable July day, would you, kind reader, like to ascend the
lofty slope of Cape Diamond, at the hour when the orb of light is shedding
his fierce, meridian rays on the verdant shores and glancing waters below,
and watch with bated breath the gradually increasing gap in the primeval
forest, which busy French axes are cleaving in order to locate the
residence--"L'ABITATION"--of a loved commander, Samuel de Champlain?
Or else would you, in your partiality for the cool of the evening, prefer
from the dizzy summit, where now stands our citadel, to gaze--which would
be more romantic--over the silent strand at your feet, pregnant with a
mighty future, at the mystic hour of eve, when the pale beams of Diana
will lend incomparable witchery to this novel scene. Few indeed the
objects denoting the unwelcome arrival of Europeans in this forest home of
the red man: the _prise de possession_ by the grasping outer barbarian--
for such Champlain must have appeared to the descendants of king
Donnacona. In the stream, the ripple of the majestic St. Lawrence caresses
the dark, indistinct hull of an armed bark: in Indian parlance, a "big
canoe [6] with wings"; on an adjoining height waves languidly with the
last breath of the breeze the lily standard of old France; on the shore, a
cross recently raised: emblems for us of the past and of the present:
State and Church linked together.
Such the objects decernible amid the hoary oaks, nodding pines, and green
hemlocks, below Cape Diamond, on that eventful 3rd of July, 1608.
THE DWELLING OF CHAMPLAIN.
"Above the point of the Island of Orleans," says Parkman, "a constriction
of the vast channel narrows it to a mile; on one hand, the green heights
of Point Levi; on the other, the cliffs of Quebec. Here, a small stream,
the St. Charles, enters the St. Lawrence, and in the angle betwixt them
rises the promontory, on two sides a natural fortress. Land among the
walnut-trees that formed a belt between the cliffs and the St. Lawrence.
Climb the steep height, now bearing aloft its ponderous load of churches,
convents, dwellings, ramparts, and batteries,--there was an accessible
point, a rough passage, gullied downward where Prescott Gate (in 1871)
opened on the Lower Town. Mount to the highest summit, Cape Diamond, [7]
now zig-zagged with warlike masonry. Then the fierce sun fell on the bald,
baking rocks, with its crisped mosses and parched lichens. Two centuries
and-a-half have quickened the solitude with swarming life, covered the
deep bosom of the river with barge and steamer and gliding sail, and
reared cities and villages on the site of forests; but nothing can destroy
the surpassing grandeur of the scene.
"Grasp the savin anchored in the fissure, lean over the brink of the
precipice, and look downward, a little to the left, on the belt of woods
which covers the strand between the water and the base of the cliffs. Here
a gang of axe-men are at work, and Point Levi and Orleans echo the crash
of falling trees.
"These axe-men were pioneers of an advancing host,--advancing, it is true,
with feeble and uncertain progress: priests, soldiers, peasants, feudal
scutcheons, royal insignia. Not the Middle Age, but engendered of it by
the stronger life of modern centralization; sharply stamped with parental
likeness, heir to parental weakness and parental force.
"A few weeks passed, and a pile of wooden buildings rose on the brink of
the St. Lawrence, on or near the site of the market-place of the Lower
Town of Quebec. The pencil of Champlain, always regardless of proportion
and perspective, has preserved its semblance. A strong wooden wall,
surmounted by a gallery loop-holed for musketry, enclosed three buildings,
containing quarters for himself and his men, together with a court-yard,
from one side of which rose a tall dove-cot, like a belfry. A moat
surrounded the whole, and two or three small cannon were planted on
salient platforms towards the river. There was a large magazine near at
hand, and a part of the adjacent ground was laid out as a garden."
(_Pioneers of France in the New World_, p. 301.)
CHIEF DONNACONA.
On the 14th of September, 1535, under the head "Shipping News, Port of
Quebec," history might jot down some startling items of marine
intelligence; the arrival from sea of three armed vessels--the "Grande
Hermine," the "Petite Hermine," and the "Emerillon." One would imagine
their entrance in port must have awakened as much curiosity among the
startled denizens of Stadacona--the Hurons of 1535--as did the anchoring
in our harbour, in August, 1861, of Capt. Vine Hall's leviathan, the
"Great Eastern." Were the French fleet the first European keels which
furrowed the Laurentian tide under Cape Diamond? We like to think so. Let
the Basques make good their assumed priority: let them produce their
logbook, not merely for the latitude of Newfoundland or Tadoussac, but
also an undisputed entry therein, for the spot where, a century later,
Samuel de Champlain lived, loved, and died. Had the advent of the St. Malo
vikings been heralded by watchful swift-footed retainers to swarthy king
Donnacona, the ruler of the populous town of Stadacona, and a redoubtable
agouhanna of the Huron nation? 'Tis not unlikely.
An entry occurs in the diary of Jacques Cartier, commander of the flagship
"Grande Hermine," to the effect that Donnacona, escorted by twelve canoes,
had met the foreign craft several miles lower than Quebec, where he had
parleyed with his fellow-countrymen, Taiguragny and Domagaya, kidnapped
the year previous at Gaspé and just brought back by Cartier from France;
that, dismissing ten of his twelve canoes, the agouhanna had invited and
received the French commander in his canoe of state, harangued him, and
readily accepted from him a collation of bread and wine, which the captain
of the "Grande Hermine" (thoughtful host) had brought with him.
The meeting over, Donnacona steered for home; and Jacques Cartier ordered
his boats to be manned and ascended the river to seek for a safe anchorage
for his ships. He soon found what he sought, entered then the river Saint
Charles, by him called the St. Croix, landed, crossed the meadows, climbed
the rocks, and threaded the forest. On his return, when he and his party
were rowing for the ships, they had to stand another harangue from the
bank, from an old chief, surrounded by men, boys and some merry squaws, to
whom they gave as presents glass beads, &c., when they regained their
vessels.
What took place at the interview between the French commander and the
Huron potentate? What were the thoughts, hopes, fears of the grim
chieftain on that fateful September day which brought in across the
Atlantic the first wave of foreign invasion--the outer barbarian to his
forest abode?
One would fain depict king Donnacona roaming, solitary and sad; mayhap, on
the ethereal heights of Cape Diamond, watching, with feelings not
unmingled with alarm, the onward course of the French ships--to him
phantoms of ill-omen careering over the dreary waters--until their white
shrouds gradually disappeared under the shadow of the waving pines and
far-spreading oaks which then clad the green banks of the lurking,
tortuous St Charles.
Chief Donnacona, beware! O beware!
CHAPTER III.
_THE "ANCIENT CAPITAL."_
_QUEBEC--ITS HIGHWAYS AND BY-WAYS, EDIFICES, MONUMENTS, CITIZENS,
LEGENDS, CHRONICLES, AND ANTIQUITIES._
"I pray you, let us satisfy our eyes
With the memorials and the things of fame
That do renown this city."--(_Shakespeare_.)
What a field here for investigation? Has not each thoroughfare its
distinctive feature--its saintly, heathenish, courtly, national, heroic,
perhaps burlesque, name? Its peculiar origin? traceable sometimes to a
dim--a forgotten past; sometimes to the utilitarian present time. What
curious vistas are unfolded in the birth of its edifices--public and
private--alive with the memories of their clerical, bellicose,
agricultural or mercantile founders? How much mysterious glamour does not
relentless time shed over them in its unceasing march? How many
vicissitudes do they undergo before giving way to modern progress, the
exigencies of commerce, the wants or whims of new masters? The edifices,
did we say? Their origin, their progress, their decay, nay, their
demolition by the modern iconoclast--have they no teachings? How many
phases in the art of the builder and engineer, from the high-peaked Norman
cottage to the ponderous, drowsy Mansard roof--from Champlain's picket
fort to the modern citadel of Quebec--from our primitive legislative
meeting-house to our stately Parliament Buildings on the Grande Allée?
The streets and by-ways of famous old world cities have found chroniclers,
in some instances of rare ability: Timbs, Howitt, Augustus Sala,
Longfellow, &c. Why should not those of our own land obtain a passing
notice?
Is there on American soul a single city intersected by such quaint,
tortuous, legend-loving streets as old Quebec? Is there a town retaining
more unmistakable vestiges of its rude beginnings--of its pristine,
narrow, Indian-haunted, forest paths?
Our streets and lanes bear witness to our dual origin: Champlain,
Richelieu, Buade streets, by their names proclaim the veneration our
fathers had for the memory of men who had watched over the infancy of the
colony, whilst the mystic, saintly nomenclature of others exhibited the
attachment of the early dwellers in Quebec to the hallowed old Roman faith
which presided at their natal hour.
One also finds here and there, in the names of certain thoroughfares,
traces of the sojourn within our walls of popular Governors, famous
Viceroys, long since gathered to their fathers, some of whose ashes mingle
in our cemeteries with the dust of our forefathers--[8] Champlain,
Frontenac, Mesy, De Callières, De Vaudreuil, De la Jonquière, Ramsay,
Carleton, Hope, Dalhousie, Richmond and Aylmer.
A student of history, in the signboards affixed to street corners, loves
to light on the names of men whose memories are fragrant for deeds of
heroism, devotedness, patriotism or learning. Bréboeuf, Champlain,
Dollard, Ferland, Garneau, Christie, Turgeon, Plessis, and many others of
blameless and exemplary life--each has his street. We know of a worthy and
learned old antiquary whose lore and advice has been more than once placed
at our disposal in unravelling the tangled skein on which we are engaged,
who rejoices that his native city, unlike some of the proud capitals of
Europe, is free from vulgar names, such as "Tire-Boudin," "P--t--au
D----le," in gay Paris, and "Crutched Friars," "Pall-Mall," and "Mary-le-
bone," in great London.
In fact, does not history meet you at every turn? Every nook, every lane,
every square, nay, even the stones and rocks, have a story to tell--a
record to unfold--a tale to whisper of savage or civilized warfare--a
memento to thrill the patriot--a legend of romance or of death--war,
famine, fires, earthquakes, land and snow-slides, riot?
Is it not to be apprehended that in time the inmates of such a city might
become saturated with the overpowering atmosphere of this romantic past--
fall a prey to an overweening love of old memories--become indifferent,
and deadened to the feelings and requirements of the present? This does
not necessarily follow. We are, nevertheless, inclined to believe that
outward objects may act powerfully on one's inner nature: that the haunts
and homes of men are not entirely foreign to the thoughts, pursuits and
impulses, good or bad, of their inmates.
Active, cultured, bustling, progressive citizens, we would fain connect
with streets and localities partaking of that character, just as we
associate cheerful abodes with sunshine, and repulsive dwellings with
dank, perennial shadows.
Mr. N. Legendre, in a small work intituled "_Les Échos de Quebec_," has
graphically delineated the leading features of several of our
thoroughfares:--
"In a large city each street has its peculiar feature. Such a street
is sacred to commerce--a private residence in it would appear out of
place. Such another is devoted to unpretending dwellings: the modest
grocery shop of the corner looks conscious of being there on
sufferance only. Here resides the well-to-do--the successful merchant;
further, much further on, dwell the lowly--the poor. Between both
points there exists a kind of neutral territory, uniting the
habitations of both classes. Some of the inmates, when calling, wear
kid gloves, whilst others go visiting in their shirt sleeves. The same
individual will even indulge in a cigar or light an ordinary clay
pipe, according as his course is east or west. All this is so marked,
so apparent, that it suffices to settle in your mind the street or
ward to which an individual belongs. The ways of each street vary.
Here, in front of a well-polished door, stands a showy, emblazoned
carriage, drawn by thoroughbreds; mark how subdued the tints of the
livery are. There is, however, something _distingué_ about it, and
people hurrying past assume a respectful bearing.
"In the next street, the carriage standing at the door is just as
rich, but its panelling is more gaudy--more striking in colour are the
horses--more glitter--more profusion about the silver harness
mountings. Though the livery has more _éclat_, there seems to be
less distance between the social status of the groom and that of his
master.
"Walk on further--the private carriage has merged into the public
conveyance; still further, and you find but the plain _calèche_.
"Finally, every kind of vehicle having disappeared, the house-doors
are left ajar; the inmates like to fraternise in the street. On fine
evenings the footpath gets strewed with chairs and benches, occupied
by men smoking--women chatting _al fresco_ unreservedly--laughing
that loud laugh which says, "I don't care who hears me." Passers-by
exchange a remark, children play at foot-ball, while the house-dog,
exulting in the enjoyment of sweet liberty, gambols in the very midst
of the happy crowd. These are good streets. One travels over them
cheerfully and gaily. An atmosphere of rowdyism, theft, wantonness,
hovers over some thoroughfares. Dread and disgust accompany him who
saunters over them. Their gates and doorways seem dark--full of pit-
falls. Iron shutters, thick doors with deep gashes, indicate the
turbulent nature of their inhabitants. Rude men on the sidepaths stare
you out of countenance, or make strange signs--a kind of occult
telegraphy, which makes your flesh creep. To guard against an unseen
foe, you take to the centre of the street--nasty and muddy though it
should be,--for there you fancy yourself safe from the blow of a
skull-cracker, hurled by an unseen hand on watch under a gateway. The
police make themselves conspicuous here by their absence; 'tis a fit
spot for midnight murder and robbery--unprovoked, unpunished. Honest
tradesmen may reside here, but not from choice; they are bound to
ignore street rows; lending a helping hand to a victim would cause
them to receive, on the morrow, a notice to quit.
"Be on your guard, if necessity brings you, after nightfall, to this
unhallowed ground. Danger hovers over, under, round your footsteps. If
an urchin plays a trick on you at a street corner, heed him not. Try
and catch him, he will disappear to return with a reinforcement of
roughs, prepared to avenge his pretended wrongs by violence to your
person and injury to your purse.
"Should a drunken man hustle you as he passes, do not mind him: it may
end in a scuffle, out of which you will emerge bruised and with rifled
pockets.
"We dare not tell you to yield to fear, but be prudent. Though
prudence may be akin to fear, you never more required all your wits
about you. It is very unlikely you will ever select this road again,
though it should be a short cut. Such are some of the dangerous
streets in their main features. There are thoroughfares, on the other
hand, to which fancy lends imaginary charms; the street in which you
live, for instance. You think it better, more agreeable. Each object
it contains becomes familiar, nay cherished by you--the houses, their
doors, their gables. The very air seems more genial. A fellowship
springs up between you and your threshold--your land. You get to
believe they know you as you know them--softening influences--sweet
emanations of 'Home.'"--_Translation._
_THE UPPER TOWN._
The Upper Town in 1608, with its grand oaks, its walnut trees, its
majestic elms, when it formed part of the primeval forest, must have been
a locality abounding in game. If Champlain, his brother-in-law, Boullé, as
well as his other friends of the Lower Town, [9] had been less eager in
hunting other inhabitants of the forest infinitely more dreaded (the
Iroquois), instead of simply making mention of the foxes which prowled
about the residency (_l'abitation_), they would have noted down some
of the hunting raids which were probably made on the wooded declivities of
Cape Diamond and in the thickets of the Coteau Sainte Geneviève, more
especially when scurvy or the dearth of provisions rendered indispensable
the use of fresh meats. We should have heard of grouse, woodcock, hares,
beavers, foxes, caribou, bears, &c., at that period, as the probable
denizens of the mounts and valleys of ancient Stadacona.
In 1617 the chase had doubtless to give way to tillage of the soil, when
the first resident of the Upper Town, the apothecary Louis Hébert,
established his hearth and home there.
"He presently," (1617) says Abbé Ferland, "commenced to grub up and
clear the ground on the site on which the Roman Catholic cathedral and
the Seminary adjoining now stand, and that portion of the upper town
which extends from St. Famille Street up to the Hôtel-Dieu. He
constructed a house and a mill near that part of St. Joseph Street
where it received St. François and St. Xavier Streets. These edifices
appear to have been the first which were erected in the locality now
occupied by the upper town."
At that period there could have existed none other than narrow paths,
irregular avenues following the sinuosities of the forest. In the course
of time these narrow paths were levelled and widened. Champlain and Sir
David Kirtk bothered themselves very little with improving highways.
Overseers of roads and _Grand-Voyers_ were not then dreamed of in _La
Nouvelle France_: those blessed institutions, macadamized [10] roads, date
for us from 1841.
One of the first projects of Governor de Montmagny, after having fortified
the place, was to prepare a plan for a city, to lay out, widen and
straighten the streets, assuredly not without need. Had he further
extended this useful reform, our Municipal Council to-day would have been
spared a great amount of vexation, and the public in general much
annoyance. On the 17th November, 1623, a roadway or ascent leading to the
upper town had been effected, less dangerous than that which had
previously existed.
"As late as 1682, as appears by an authentic record (_procès-verbal_)
of the conflagration, this steep road was but fourteen feet wide. It
was built of branches, covered with earth. Having been rendered
unserviceable by the fire, the inhabitants had it widened six feet, as
they had to travel three miles, after the conflagration, to enter the
upper town by another hill."--(T. B. Bédard.)
In the summer season, our forefathers journeyed by water, generally in
birch-bark canoes. In winter they had recourse to snow-shoes.
To what year can we fix the advent of wheeled vehicles? We have been
unable to discover.
The first horse presented by the inhabitants to the Governor of the colony
arrived from France on the 25th June, 1647. [11] Did His Excellency use
him as a saddle horse only? or, on the occasion of a New Year's day, when
he went to pay his respects to the Jesuit Fathers, and to the good ladies
of the Ursulines, to present, with the compliments of the season, the
usual New Year's gifts, was he driven in a _cariole_, and in the summer
season in a _calèche_? Here, again, is a nut to crack for commentators.
[12]
Although there were horned cattle at Quebec in 1623, oxen for the purpose
of ploughing the land were first used on the 27th April, 1628.
"Some animals--cows, sheep, swine, &c.--had been imported as early as
1608. In 1623, it is recorded that two thousand bundles of fodder were
brought from the pasture grounds at _Cap Tourmente_ to Quebec for
winter use."--(Miles.)
On the 16th of July, 1665, [13] a French ship brought twelve horses. These
were doubtless the "mounts" of the brilliant staff of the Marquis de
Tracy, Viceroy. These dashing military followers of Colonel de Salières,
this _jeunesse dorée_ of the Marquis de Tracy, mounted on these twelve
French chargers, which the aborigines named "the moose-deer (_orignaux_)
of Europe," doubtless cut a great figure at Quebec. Did there exist
_Tandems_, driving clubs, in 1665? _Quien sabe?_ A garrison life in 1665-7
and its amusements must have been much what it was one century later, when
the "divine" Emily Montague [14] was corresponding with her dear "Colonel
Rivers," from her Sillery abode in 1766; she then, amongst the vehicles in
use, mentions, _calèches_. [15]
They were not all saints such as Paul Dupuy, [16] the patriarchal seigneur
of _Ile-aux-Oies_, these military swells of Colonel de Salières! Major
Lafradière, for instance, might have vied with the most outrageous rake in
the _Guards_ of Queen Victoria who served in the colony two centuries
later.
If there were at Quebec twelve horses for the use of gentlemen, they were
doubtless not suffered to remain idle in their stables. The rugged paths
of the upper town were levelled and widened; the public highway ceased to
be reserved for pedestrians only. This is what we wanted to arrive at.
In reality, the streets of Quebec grew rapidly into importance in 1665.
Improvements effected during the administration of the Chevalier de
Montmagny had been highly appreciated. The early French had their _Saint
Louis (Grande Allée), Saint Anne, Richelieu, D'Aiguillon, Saint John,
streets_, to do honour to their Master, Louis XIII.; his Queen the
beautiful Anne of Austria; his astute Premier the Cardinal of Richelieu;
his pious niece la Duchesse D'Aiguillon; his land surveyor and engineer
Jehan or Jean Bourdon. This last functionary had landed at Quebec on the
8th August, 1634, with a Norman priest, the Abbé Jean LeSueur de Saint-
Sauveur, who left his surname (St. Sauveur) to the populous municipality
adjoining St. Roch suburbs. [17]
In the last and in the present century, St. Louis Street was inhabited by
many eminent persons. Chief Justice Sewell resided in the stately old
mansion, up to June 1881 occupied as the Lieutenant-Governor's offices;
this eminent jurist died in 1839. "One bright, frosty evening of January
1832," says Mr. Chauveau, "at the close of a numerously attended public
meeting held at the Ottawa Hotel, to protest against the arrest of Messrs.
Tracy, editor of the _Vindicator_, and Duvernay, editor of the _Minerve_,
the good citizens of Quebec, usually so pacific, rushed in a noisy
procession, led by a dozen students wearing tri-coloured ribbons in their
button-holes, and sang the _Marseillaise_ and the _Parisienne_ under the
windows of the Chief Justice, whose ear was little accustomed to such a
concert." The ermined sage, 'tis said, was so startled, that he made sure
a revolution was breaking out.
"Among the fiery, youthful leaders, the loudest in their patriotic
outburst, there was one who would then have been much surprised had any
one predicted that after being President of the Legislative Council, Prime
Minister of the Canadas, and knighted by H. R. H. the Prince of Wales in
person, he would one day, as Lieutenant-Governor, enter in state this same
former residence of Chief Justice Sewell, whilst the cannon of Britain
would roar a welcome, the flag of England stream over his head, and a
British regiment present arms to him." Such, however, has been the fate of
Sir Narcissus Fortunatus Belleau.
The mansion of M. de Lotbinière, in St. Louis street, was the residence of
Madame Pean, the _chère amie_ of M. Bigot the Intendant. The late
Judge Elmsley resided there about the year 1813; Government subsequently
purchased it to serve as an officers' barracks. Nearly opposite the old
Court-House (burned in 1872), stands the "Kent House," in which His Royal
Highness the late Duke of Kent resided in summer, 1791-3. [18] No. 42 St.
Louis Street is the house [19] which belonged to the cooper, François
Gobert; it now has become historical. In it were deposited the remains of
General Montgomery on the 31st December, 1775. This summer it is leased by
Louis Gonzague Baillargé, Esq., the proprietor, to Widow Pigott, whose
late husband was in the "B" Battery.
In the street sacred to Louis XIII., St. Louis street, Messrs. Brown [20]
& Gilmor established, in 1764, [21] their printing office for the _Quebec
Gazette_, "two doors higher up than the Secretary's Office," wherever this
latter may have stood. The _Gazette_ office was subsequently removed to
Parloir Street, and eventually settled down for many a long year at the
corner of Mountain Hill, half-way up, facing _Break-Neck_ steps,--the
house was, with many others, removed in 1850 to widen Mountain Street.
According to a tradition published in the _Gazette_ of the 2nd May, 1848,
the prospectus of this paper had, it would appear, been printed in the
printing office of Benjamin Franklin.
This venerable sheet, which had existed one hundred and ten years, when it
was merged, in 1874, by purchase of the copyright, into the _Morning
Chronicle_, in its early days, was nearly the sole exponent of the wants--
of the gossip (in prose and in verse)--and of the daily events of Quebec.
As such, though, from the standard of to-day, it may seem quaint and puny,
still it does not appear an untruthful mirror of social life in the
ancient capital. Its centenary number of June, 1864, with the fyles of
the _Gazette_ for 1783, have furnished the scholarly author of the
"Prophecy of Merlin," John S. Reade, with material for an excellent sketch
of this pioneer of Canadian journalism, of which our space will permit us
to give but some short extracts:--
"The first number of the _Quebec Gazette_, judged by the _fac-simile_
before me, was a very unpretending production. It consists of four
folio pages, two columns to each page, with the exception of the
'Printer's Address to the Public,' which takes up the full width of
the page, and is written in French and English, the matter in both
languages being the same, with the exception of a Masonic
advertisement, which is in English only. In the address, accuracy,
freedom and impartiality are promised in the conduct of the paper. The
design of the publishers includes 'a view of foreign affairs and
political transactions from which a judgment may be formed of the
interests and connections of the several powers of Europe'; and care
is to be taken 'to collect the transactions and occurrences of our
mother-country, and to introduce every remarkable event, uncommon
debates, extraordinary performance and interesting turn of affairs
that shall be thought to merit the notice of the reader as matter of
entertainment, or that can be of service to the publick as inhabitants
of an English colony.' Attention is also to be given to the affairs of
the American colonies and West India Islands; and, in the absence of
foreign intelligence, the reader is to be presented with 'such
originals, in prose and verse, as will please the fancy and instruct
the judgment. And,' the address continues, 'here we beg leave to
observe that we shall have nothing so much at heart as the support of
virtue and morality and the noble cause of liberty. The refined
amusements of literature and the pleasing veins of well-pointed wit
shall also be considered as necessary to the collection; interspersed
with other chosen pieces and curious essays extracted from the most
celebrated authors; so that, blending philosophy with politicks,
history, &c., the youth of both sexes will be improved, and persons of
all ranks agreeably and usefully entertained.'
"As an inducement to advertisers, it is held out that the circulation
of the _Gazette_ will extend, not only through the British colonies,
but also through the West India Islands and the trading ports of Great
Britain and Ireland. The address very sensibly concludes with the
following remarks, which, however, cast a shade over the rather
tedious prolegomena: 'Our intention to please the whole, without
offence to any individual, will be better evinced by our practice than
by writing volumes on this subject. This one thing we beg may be
believed, that party prejudice or private scandal will never find a
place in this paper.'
"With this large promise began the first Canadian newspaper on the
21st of June, 1764.
"The news in the first number is all foreign. There are despatches
from Riga, St. Petersburg, Rome, Hermanstadt, Dantzic, Vienna,
Florence and Utrecht, the dates ranging from the 8th of March to the
11th of April. There are also items of news from New York, bearing
date the 3rd, and from Philadelphia the 7th of May. News-collecting
was then a slow process, by land as well as by sea.
"Of the despatches, the following is of historical importance:
'London, March 10th. It is said that a scheme of taxation of our
American colonies has for some time been in agitation, that it had
been previously debated in the Parliament whether they had power to
lay a tax on colonies which had no representative in Parliament and
determined in the affirmative,' etc. The occasional insertion of a
dash instead of a name, or the wary mention of a 'certain great
leader' or 'a certain great personage' tell a simple tale of the
jealousy with which the press was then regarded both in England and on
the continent. The prosecution of Smollett, Cave, Wilkes and others
were still fresh in the minds of printers and writers.
"Another despatch informs the readers of the _Gazette_ of an _arrêt_
lately issued for the banishment of the Jesuits from France, and
another of a deputation of journeymen silk weavers who waited on the
King at St. James with a petition setting forth their grievances from
the clandestine importation of French silk, to which His Majesty
graciously replied, promising to have the matter properly laid before
Parliament.
"An extract from a letter from Virginia gives an account of some
Indian outrages, and there is some other intelligence of a similar
nature. The other news is of a like temporary interest.
"I have already mentioned a masonic advertisement. I now give it in
full:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN,
That on _Sunday_, the 24th, being the Festival of _St. Jhon_ (sic),
such strange BRETHREN who may have a desire of joining the Merchants
Lodge, No. 1, _Quebec_, may obtain Liberty, by applying to _Miles
Prenties_, at the Sun, in _St. John Street_, who has Tickets, Price
_Five Shillings_, for that Day.
"One thing is evident, that a printing establishment of 1764 had to be
supplied with abundance of italics and capitals to meet the exigencies
of the typographic fashion of the time.
"Of the two remaining advertisements, one is an order of the Collector
of Customs for the prevention of composition for duties and the other
gives a list of 'an assortment of goods,' 'just imported from London,
and to be sold at the lowest prices by John Baird, in the upper part
of Mr. Henry Morin's house at the entry of the Cul de Sac'--an
assortment which is very comprehensive, ranging from leather breeches
to frying-pans. From this and subsequent trade advertisements we are
able to gather some not unimportant information as to the manner of
living of the citizens of Quebec in those days." [22]
William Brown was succeeded in the editorship and proprietorship of this
venerable sheet by his nephew, Samuel Neilson, the elder brother of John
Neilson, who for years was the trusted member for the County of Quebec; as
widely known as a journalist--a legislator--in 1822 our worthy ambassador
to England--as he was respected as a patriot.
Samuel Neilson had died in 1793;--his young brother and _protégé_, John,
born at Dornald, in Scotland, in 1776, being, in 1793, a minor, the
_Gazette_ was conducted by the late Rev. Dr. Alex. Sparks, his guardian,
until 1796. When John Neilson became of full age, he assumed the direction
of the paper for more than half a century, either in his own name or in
that of his son Samuel. Hon. John Neilson closed his long and spotless
career, at his country seat (Dornald), at Cap Rouge, on the 1st February,
1848, aged 71 years. Who has not heard of the Nestor of the Canadian
Press, honest John Neilson? May his memory ever remain bright and
fragrant--a beacon to guide those treading the intricate paths of
Journalism--a shining light to generations yet unborn!
In a pretty rustic cemetery, the site of which was presented by himself to
the Presbyterian Church of Valcartier, near Quebec, were laid, on the 4th
February, 1848, the remains of this patriotic man--escorted by citizens of
every origin, after an eloquent address had been delivered by the Rev. Dr.
John Cook, the present pastor of St Andrew's Church.
The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec is indebted to his son John
Neilson, of Dornald, for a precious relic, the iron lever of the first
Press used at Quebec in 1764--precious, indeed, as a souvenir of Canadian
Journalism.
There are indeed many Scotch names associated with the Quebec Press. Space
precludes us from enlarging more on this subject. In alluding to notable
Quebec Journalists we are bound to name Daniel Wilkie, LL.D., the editor
of the Quebec _Star_,--a literary gazette--in 1818--still better
remembered as the esteemed instructor of Quebec youth for forty years.
Dr. Wilkie was born at Tollcross, in Scotland, in 1777, one year later
than John Neilson: he settled in Quebec in 1803, and died here on the 10th
May, 1851. His pupils had the following truthful words inscribed on the
monument they erected to their patron in Mount Hermon cemetery:
"He was a learned scholar
And indefatigable student of philosophy and letters,
An able and successful instructor of youth,
Of genuine uprightness and guileless simplicity
A devout, benevolent and public spirited man."
The Abbé Vignal resided at the corner of St. Louis and Parloir street,
previous to joining the _Sulpiciens_. In October, 1661, he was roasted
alive and partly eaten by the Mohawks at Isle à la Pierre, _la Prairie de
la Magdeleine_, near Montreal. In our day, the judicial and parliamentary
heads, and the Bar have monopolized the street. In it have resided at
various times, Sir N. F. Belleau, Chief Justice Duval, the Judges
Taschereau, Tessier, Bossé, Caron, Routhier; Hon. H. L. Langevin, P.
Pelletier, M.P.; Messrs. Bossé, Baby, Alleyn, Languedoc, Tessier,
Chouinard, Hamel, Gauthier, Bradley, Dunbar, _cum multis aliis_, some
of whose rustic clients are as early birds as those in the days of Horace,
and scruple not to wake up their trusted advisers, "_sub galli cantum_."
[23]
St. Louis street legal luminaries are careful not to endanger their hard-
earned reputations by delivering their consultations with the oracular,
Solon-like gravity of the barristers who flourished in the palmy days of
Hortensius or Justinian. 'Twould be an anachronism. The traditional fee,
however, is rarely omitted. A busy day, indeed, in this neighborhood,
watched over by the shades of Louis XIII., St. Louis street, is, in each
year, the 1st of September, when the close of the sultry midsummer
vacation brings round "the first day of term," then
"Grave gownsmen, full of thought, to 'chambers hie,
From court to court, perplexed, attorneys fly;
... each! Quick scouring to and thro',
And wishing he could cut himself in two
That he two places at a time might reach,
So he could charge his six and eightpence each."
--(_The Bar, a Poem_, 1825.)
Matters judicial, legal, financial, etc., have much changed--we are
inclined to say improved--in Canada, especially for the Judges. "I will
not say," writes the satirical La Hontan, "that justice is more chaste and
disinterested here than in France; but, at least, if she is sold, she is
sold cheaper. We do not pass through the clutches of advocates, the talons
of attorneys and the claws of clerks. These vermin do not infest Canada
yet. Everybody pleads his own cause. Our Themis is prompt, and she does
not bristle with fees, costs and charges. The judges have only four
hundred francs a year--a great temptation to look for law in the bottom of
the suitor's purse. Four hundred francs! Not enough to buy a cap and gown,
so these gentry never wear them." [24] Justice is not now sold, either in
Quebec or elsewhere, but judges, on the other hand, viz., in Ottawa,
receive, not "four hundred francs," but thirty-five thousand francs
($7,000) a year, and have "enough to buy a cap and a gown," yea, and a
brilliant red one, to boot. _Voilà un progrès._
On an old plan, in our possession, of the Cape and Mount Carmel, showing
the whereabouts of lots and the names of their proprietors, drawn by Le
Maître Lamorille, a royal surveyor, bearing date 20th May, 1756, and duly
sanctioned by the French Intendant Bigot on the 23rd January, 1759, can be
seen at Mont Carmel, St. Louis street, a lot marked "No. 16, M. Pean."
[25]
M. Pean, Town Major of Quebec, a trusted confederate of the Intendant
Bigot, the proprietor of this land, was the husband of the beautiful
Angélique de Meloises, the _inamorata_ of the voluptuous and munificent
Intendant. In her youth she had been a pupil of the Ursuline nuns. In his
_Reminiscences of Quebec_, 2nd edition republished in 1859, Col. Cockburn
thus alludes to this St. Louis street house (now Dominion property and
occupied by Lt.-Col. Forest and Lt.-Col. D'Orsonnes). "It sometimes happened
in those days, when a gentleman possessed a very handsome wife, that the
husband was sent to take charge of a distant post, where he was sure to
make his fortune. Bigot's _chère amie_ was Madame P---- in consequence of
which as a matter of course, Mr. P---- became prodigiously wealthy. Bigot
had a house that stood where the officers barracks in St Louis street, now
(1851) stands. One New Year's Day he presented this house to Madame P----
as a New Year's gift."
Mr. Kirby, in his "_Chien d'Or_," a historical novel of rare Merit,
thus recalls this house--"The family mansion of the des Meloises was a
tall and rather pretentious edifice overlooking the fashionable rue St
Louis where it still stands, old and melancholy as if mourning over its
departed splendors. Few eyes look up now-a-days to its broad façade. It
was otherwise when the beautiful Angélique de Meloises sat of summer
evenings on the balcony, surrounded by a bevy of Quebec's fairest
daughters, who loved to haunt her windows where they could see and be seen
to the best advantage exchanging salutations, smiles and repartees with
the gay young officers and gallants who rode or walked along its lively
thoroughfare."
The novelist has selected this historic house for the meeting of the
lovers, on Christmas Eve 1748. Here Le Gardeur de Repentigny, the loyal
and devoted cavalier was to meet the fascinating, but luckless Cleopatra
of St Louis street a century ago and more.
"As Le Gardeur spoke, adds Mr. Kirby; a strain of heavenly harmony
arose from the chapel of the Convent of the Ursulines, where they were
celebrating midnight service for the safety of New France. Amid the
sweet voices that floated up on the notes of the pealing organ was
clearly distinguished that of Mère St. Borgia, the aunt of Angélique,
who led the choir of nuns. In trills and cadences of divine melody,
the voice of Mère St. Borgia rose higher and higher, like a spirit
mounting the skies. The words were indistinct, but Angélique knew them
by heart. She had visited her aunt in the convent, and had learned the
new hymn composed by her for the solemn occasion. As they listened
with quiet awe to the supplicating strain, Angélique repeated to Le
Gardeur the words of the hymn as it was sung by the choir of nuns:--
Soutenez, grande Reine,
Notre pauvre pays!
Il est votre domaine,
Faites fleurir nos lis!
L'Anglais sur nos frontières,
Porte ses étandards
Exaucez nos prières
Protégez nos remparts!"
"The hymn ceased. Both stood mute until the watchman cried the hour in
the silent street."
We shall not follow further the beautiful but heartless Cleopatra through
her deadly schemes of conquest, or in her flight after the Intendant.
Sixteen years after the departure of the Court beauty, on a dark, stormy
winter morning, the 31st December, 1775, a loud note of alarm awoke at
dawn from their slumbers the demure denizens of St. Louis street. It was
the captain of the guard, Captain Malcolm Fraser, [26] formerly of
Fraser's Highlanders (78th), but now of the 84th Royal Emigrants, Col.
Allan McLean--who, on going his rounds between 4 and 5 in the morning, had
passed the guard at St. Louis gate, and had noticed flashes like lightning
on the heights without the works. Convinced it was for an attack, he sent
notice to all the guards, and ran down St. Louis street, calling "Turn
out" as loud and as often as he could. The alarm soon caught the quick ear
of the General (Guy Carleton) and the picquet at the Récollets Convent was
instantly turned out. Captain Fraser's alarm was timely. Before eight
o'clock on that memorable December morning, Benedict Arnold had been
wounded, routed at the Sault au Matelot barricade, and 427 of his daring
men taken prisoners of war, whilst the Commander-in-Chief, Brigadier-
General Richard Montgomery and thirteen followers were lying dead in their
snowy shrouds at Près-de-Ville. The rest had taken flight.
The saddest sight ever witnessed in St. Louis street was that which
heralded to its awe-struck denizens the issue of the momentous conflict on
the adjoining heights in Sept. 1759.
In the paper read by the writer before the Literary and Historical Society
of Quebec, on the 3rd of December, 1879, the mournful appearance of the
French hero, Montcalm, is thus described:--
"The morning of the 13th September, 1759, has dawned; an astounding
rumour fills the air; the citizens of Quebec repeat with bated breath:
_Wolfe's army is at the gates of the city._
"Hark! What means this deafening roar of artillery--this hissing of
shot and shell--these rolling, murderous volleys of musketry in the
direction of the heights of Abraham?
"Hark! to these loud cheers--British cheers mixed with the discordant
yells of those savage warriors, Fraser's Highlanders! The fate of a
continent has just been decided. The genius of William Pitt has
triumphed, though victory was bought at a dear price.
"Here comes from St. Louis gate [27] on his way to the Château, pale,
but dauntless--on a black charger--supported by two grenadiers, one on
each side of his horse, a General officer wearing the uniform which
won at Fontenoy, won at Laufeldt, as well as at the Monongahela [28]
and at Carillon. [29] A bloody trail crimsons the _Grande Allée_,
St. Louis street, on that gloomy September day. My friends, 'tis the
life-blood of a hero. Drop in reverential silence, on the moistened
earth, a sympathetic tear; France's chivalrous leader, the victor of
many battle-fields, has returned from his last campaign.
"_Oh! mon Dieu! mon Dieu! Le Marquis est tué,_" is repeated by female
voices as the death-stricken but intrepid general glides past, to
which he courteously replies, trying to quiet their fears, 'that he
was not seriously hurt, and not to distress themselves on his
account.' '_Ce n'est rien! ce n'est rien! ne vous affligez pas pour
moi, mes bonnes amies._'
"You have all heard the account of the death-bed scene--of his tender
solicitude for the good name of France--of his dying injunctions to de
Ramesay, the King's lieutenant in charge of the Quebec Garrison, and
to the Colonel of the Roussillon Regiment. '_Gentlemen, to your
keeping I commend the honour of France. Endeavour to secure the
retreat of my army to-night beyond Cape Rouge. As for myself, I shall
pass the night with God, and prepare for death._'
"At nine o'clock in the evening of that 14th of September, 1759, a
funeral cortege, issuing from the castle, winds its way through the
dark and obstructed streets to the little church of the Ursulines.
With the heavy tread of the coffin-bearers keeps time the measured
footsteps of the military escort. De Ramesay and the other officers of
the garrison following to their resting-place the lifeless remains of
their illustrious commander-in-chief. No martial pomp was displayed
around that humble bier, but the hero who had afforded at his dying
hour the sublime spectacle of a Christian yielding up his soul to God
in the most admirable sentiments of faith and resignation, was not
laid in unconsecrated ground. No burial rite could be more solemn than
that hurried evening service performed by torchlight under the
dilapidated roof of a sacred asylum, where the soil had been first
laid bare by one of the rude engines of war--a bombshell. The grave
tones of the priests murmuring the _Libera me, Domine_ were responded
to by the sighs and tears of consecrated virgins, henceforth the
guardians of the precious deposit, which, but for inevitable fate,
would have been reserved to honour some proud mausoleum. With gloomy
forebodings and bitter thoughts de Ramesay and his companions in arms
withdrew in silence.
"A few citizens had gathered in, and among the rest one led by the
hand his little daughter, who, looking into the grave, saw and
remembered, more than three fourths of a century later, the rough
wooden box, which was all the ruined city could afford to enclose the
remains of her defender.
"The skull of the Marquis of Montcalm, exhumed in the presence of the
Rev. Abbé Maguire, almoner, in 1833, many here present, I am sure,
have seen in a casket, reverently exposed in the room of the present
almoner of the Ursuline Convent."
SOCIETY UNDER EARLY ENGLISH RULE.
Under the sway of the English Government, Canada soon recovered her wonted
gaiety, and the social condition of the country, following on so large an
admixture of a different nationality, is a subject stimulating inquiry. We
cannot do better than have recourse again to Mr. Reade's graphic pen in an
article on "British Canada in the Last Century," contributed to the New
Dominion Monthly, and suggested by the _Quebec Gazette_ of 1783, the St.
Louis Street journal above quoted:--
"If there were nothing left to the enquirer but the single
advertisement of John Baird, which appeared in the first number of the
Quebec _Gazette_, as the basis of information, he might, with a
moderate power of inductiveness, construct a very fair account of the
mode of living pursued at Quebec a hundred years ago. But the fact is
he is overwhelmed with _data_, and his chief difficulty is to
choose with discrimination. There is certainly ample evidence to show
that the inhabitants of the ancient capital did not stint themselves
in the luxuries of their day and generation. The amount of wine which
they consumed was something enormous, nor are we wanting in proof that
it was used among the better classes to an extent which public opinion
would not allow at the present day. A correspondent, more inclined to
sobriety than his fellow citizens, after complimenting Quebec society
for its politeness and hospitality--in which qualities it still
excels--finds fault with the social custom by which 'men are excited
and provoked by healths and rounds of toasts to fuddle themselves in
as indecent a manner as if they were in a tavern or in the most
unpolished company.' In connection with this state of affairs it may
be interesting to give the prices of different wines at that period:
Fine Old Red Port was sold at 17 shillings a dozen, Claret at 12s.,
Priniac at 17s.; Muscat at 24s., Modena at 27s., Malaga at 17s.;
Lisbon at 17s.; Fyall at 15s.
"Mr. Simon Fraser, perhaps one of those converted Jacobites who scaled
the height of Quebec, in 1759, turned civilian, gives us the price of
tea: Single Green tea is 13s. a pound, Best Hyson, 25s; Bohea, 6/6d.
Pity that tea was so dear and wine so cheap! Bread was very cheap, and
large quantities of wheat were exported--whereas now Lower Canada has
to import the most of its cereals. Great attention was paid to dress,
and though no sumptuary laws were in force, the principle on which
they were founded was still remembered, and attire bespoke the
position of the wearer. The articles and styles advertised by drapers
and tailors are, of course, in accordance with the manufacture and
fashion of the time. The lists of dry goods and fancy goods are very
full, but to those engaged in the business now the antique
nomenclature might be puzzling. Irish linen was sold at from 1/6 to
7/0 per yard, and Irish sheeting at from 1/6 to 2/6. We are not told
the prices of tammies or durants, romals or molletons, cades or
shalloons, but we are always carefully informed that they may be had
at the lowest prices. Pains are also taken, in many instances, to
indicate the previous experience of the advertisers. Thus tailors and
mantua-makers generally 'hail from' London. Mr. Hanna, the watch-
maker, whose time-keepers still tick attestation to his industry and
popularity, is proud to have learned his trade by the banks of the
Liffey. Mr. Bennie, tailor and habit-maker, from Edinburgh, 'begs
leave to inform the public that all gentlemen and ladies who will be
so good as to favour him with their custom may depend upon being
faithfully served on the shortest notice and in the newest fashion for
ready money or short credit, on the most reasonable terms.' There were
peruke-makers in those days and they seem to have thriven well in
Quebec, if we may judge by their advertised sales of real estate.
Jewellers also seem to have had plenty to do, as they advertise
occasionally for assistants instead of customers. Furriers, hatters,
_couturières_ and shoemakers also present their claims to public
favour, so that there was no lack of provision for the wants of the
outer man.
"From the general tone and nature of the advertisements it is easily
inferred that the society of Quebec soon after the conquest was gay
and luxurious. We are not surprised when we find that a theatrical
company found it worth their while to take up their abode there. Among
the pieces played we find Home's 'Douglas' and Otway's 'Venice
Preserved.' The doors were opened at five o'clock and the
entertainment began at half-past six! The frequenters of the 'Thespian
Theatre' were a select and privileged class, and only subscribers were
admitted. Private theatricals were much in vogue; and, indeed, there
was every variety of amusement which climate could allow or suggest,
or the lovers of frolic devise. Nor were bards wanting to celebrate
these festivities, witness the following extract from a 'carioling
song:'
"'Not all the fragrance of the spring,
Nor all the tuneful birds that sing,
Can to the _Plains_ the ladies bring,
So soon as carioling.
"'Nor Venus with the winged Loves,
Drawn by her sparrows or her doves,
So gracefully or swiftly moves,
As ladies carioling,"
"Another poet, whose mind was evidently less healthily braced by out-
door exercise, gives us a very different picture of the recreations of
the period. It occurs in the course of an essay in versification
called 'Evening.'
"'Now minuets o'er, the country dance is formed
See every little female passion rise,
By jealousy, by pride, by envy warmed,
See Adam's child the child of Eve despise.
"'With turned-up nose Belinda Chloe eyes,
Chloe Myrtilla with contempt surveys,
"What! with that creature dance!" Cleora cries,
"That vulgar wretch! I faint--unlace my stays.
* * * * *
"'Now meet in groups the philosophic band,
Not in the porch, like those of ancient Greece,
But where the best Madeira is at hand
From thought the younger students to release
"'For Hoyle's disciples hold it as a rule
That youth for knowledge should full dearly pay,
Wherefore to make young cubs the fitter tool
Presuming sense by Lethean drafts they slay.
* * * * *
"'With all the fury of a tempest torn,
With execrations horrible to hear,
By all the wrath of disappointment borne,
The cards, their garments, hair, the losers tear.'
"The winner's unfeeling composure is described in another verse, and
"'Now dissipation reigns in varied forms
Now riot in the bowl the senses steeps,
Whilst nature's child, secure from passion's storms,
With tranquil mind in sweet oblivion sleeps.'
"It is to be hoped, for the honour of the ladies and gentlemen of old
Quebec, that 'Asmodeus' was under the malign influence of envy, hatred
and all uncharitableness when he wrote those cynical verses. If he
wrote the truth we cannot be too thankful that the Chloes and Cleoras
are dead and buried.
"Who was Miss Hannah MacCulloch? She _was_ a young lady once; and, if
we may believe her panegyrist, was a beauty in her day. The acrostic
in her honor is anonymous, and occasion is taken in the course of it
to almost mention some other young ladies by the way of making a
climax of her charms. The poet seems to have been inspired by
indignation at the insinuations of 'Asmodeus,' for he begins thus.
"'Muses, how oft does Satire's vengeful gall
Invoke your powers to aid its bitter sting,'
and then he prefers his own claims to the favor of the Nine
"'Sure you will rather listen to my call,
Since beauty and Quebec's fair nymphs I sing'
"It seems his petition was heard, for he forthwith begins his
laudation:
"'Henceforth Diana in Miss S--ps--n see,
As noble and majestic is her air,
Nor can fair Venus, W--lc--s, vie with thee,
Nor all her heavenly charms with thine compare.
"'Around the B--ch--rs Juno's glory plays,
Her power and charms in them attract our praise
Minerva, who with beauty's queen did vie
And patronized all the finer arts,
Crowned the McN--ls with her divinity,
Crowned them the queens of beauty and of hearts.
"'Unto fair F--m--n now I turn my song,
Lovely in all she says, in all she does,
Lo! to her toilet see each goddess throng,
One cannot all, but each a charm bestows
Could all these beauties in one female be,
_Her_ whom I sing would be the lovely she.'
"This effusion provoked more criticism than many a book of poetry is
subjected to nowadays, and the censors were in their turn criticized
by others. Montreal even took part in this literary tournament. But we
are left in the dark as to its effect on the spirits, tempers or
destinies of Miss MacCulloch and her sister belles.
"It would seem that the author was a young clerk or merchant of
Quebec, as one of the critics spitefully tells him not to desert his
shop. The ladies themselves do not escape, one writer suggesting that
they are coquettish enough already without making them more so. The
Montreal correspondent is warned off as an intruder, and told that he
had better have saved his ninepence of postage money. Just imagine
this silly acrostic furnishing gossip for Quebec and matter for the
_Gazette_ for two months!
"As another note of the state of society at that time may be mentioned
occasional advertisements for the sale of negro lads and wenches, or
of rewards for the recovery and restoration of missing ones. Slavery
was not abolished in Lower Canada till 1803. In Upper Canada, as a
separate province, it hardly ever existed. Did the manumitted blacks
remain in Canada after their liberation, or did they seek a more
congenial climate?
"For education there does not seem to have been any public provision,
but private schools for both sexes were numerous. These were probably
expensive, so that the poorer classes were virtually debarred from the
advantages of learning. The instruction of Catholic children was in
the hands of the clergy, and it may be that in some of the conventual
schools a certain number were admitted free of expense or at reduced
rates. It would appear that some of the young ladies were sent to
English boarding-schools, if we may judge by advertisements in which
the advantages of these institutions are set forth.
"A Miss or Mrs. Agnes Galbraith not only taught school, but also
carried on the millinery business, to which she informs the public
that she had served a regular apprenticeship, besides having been 'a
governess for several years to a genteel boarding-school.'
"The principal of a boys' school who resided at Three Rivers
'respectfully begs leave to remark that he means to presume no further
than he is perfectly able to perform, and build his hope of
encouragement on no other foundation than his assiduity to merit it.'
His 'course' is nevertheless a pretty full one, including English,
French, Latin, Greek, writing in a natural and easy style after the
best precedents; arithmetic, vulgar and decimal; geography, with use
of the globes; geometry, navigation with all the _late modern_
improvements; algebra, and every other useful and ornamental branch of
mathematical learning. Some of the other male teachers write in a
similar strain of their qualifications."
"It may be inferred, then, that the wealthier classes of Canada in
those days had much the same advantages of culture as their friends in
England. Intercourse with the mother country was much more general and
frequent than might be imagined, and, no doubt, many young gentlemen,
after a preliminary training at a colonial academy, were sent home to
enter some of the English public schools or universities. From the
higher ranks downwards education varied till it reached the 'masses,'
with whom its index was a cipher. There is no reason to suppose,
however, that the population of Canada, taken as a whole, was less
cultivated during the last forty years of the eighteenth century than
that of any European nation during the same period. From the
consideration of education, one naturally passes to that of crime.
Thefts were frequent, and sometimes committed on a large scale. The
punishment was whipping at a cart-tail through the streets of the
city--the culprits themselves being whipped and whipsters in turn.
Assault, stealing in private houses, and highway robbery were punished
with death. The expiation for manslaughter was being branded in the
hand which did the deed. Desertion was very frequent, especially among
the Hessians and Brunswickers then stationed in Canada. In some cases
they were promised pardon if they returned to their regiments, but woe
to them if they returned against their will! Towards the end of the
year 1783 'Gustavus Leight, a German doctor, confined for felony,
broke out of His Majesty's jail at Quebec.' He was '25 years of age,
about 5 feet high.' We are not told whether or not he was captured as
the advertisement is continued to the end of the year, but if he did
not change his dress he could not have succeeded in baffling very long
the keen eye of a detective, for "he had on, when he made his escape,
a brown coat, red plush waistcoat, white stockings and cock'd hat.' If
such a gentleman made his appearance in the streets of any Canadian
city to-day, he would certainly be requested to 'move on,' or asked to
'explain his motives.' One thing is certain, that prisoners for felony
in the year 1783 had not to submit to any arbitrary sumptuary
arrangement--at least in the Quebec _gaol_ (as it is always spelled in
the _Gazette_, perhaps because it is the goal of evildoers).
"The general state of society in Montreal, as well as in Three Rivers,
St. Johns, L'Assomption, Terrebonne, Sorel and the other towns and
villages in existence at the period which we are considering was, in
all probability, very like that of Quebec--the last-mentioned place
having, of course, a certain prestige as the capital.
"It would be futile to attempt to give an accurate picture of the
appearance of Montreal or Quebec at that distant date, and a
description pretending to accuracy would not be possible without the
collation of more ancient records than are easily obtainable by one
person. The names of some of the streets, as Notre Dame, St. Paul and
St. Antoine in Montreal, and St. John's, Fabrique, St. Peter and
others in Quebec, are still unchanged. Villages near these towns, such
as Ste. Foye, Beauport, Charlesbourg, Sault aux Récollets, St. Denis,
Ste. Thérèse, etc., are also frequently mentioned in the old
_Gazettes_. Detroit and Niagara were places of considerable
importance, and St. Johns, Chambly, Berthier, L'Assomption, L'Acadie
and other places were much more influential communities in comparison
with the population of the country than they are to-day. The
authorities at Quebec and Montreal were not wanting in endeavors to
keep these cities clean, to judge, at least, by the published
'regulations for the police.' Every householder was obliged to put the
Scotch proverbs in force, and keep clean and 'free from filth, mud,
dirt, rubbish straw or hay' one-half of the street opposite his own
house The 'cleanings' were to be deposited on the beach, as they still
are in portions of Montreal and Quebec which border on the river.
Treasure-trove in the shape of stray hogs could be kept by the finder
twenty-four hours after the event, if no claim had been made in the
meantime, and if the owner declared himself in person or through the
bellman, he had to pay 10s. before he could have his pork restored.
Five shillings was the penalty for a stray horse. The regulations for
vehicles, slaughter-houses, sidewalks, markets, etc., were equally
strict. Among other duties, the carters had to keep the markets clean.
The keepers of taverns, inns and coffee-houses had to light the
streets. Every one entering the town in a sleigh had to carry a shovel
with him for the purpose of levelling _cahots_ which interrupted
his progress, 'at any distance within three leagues of the town.' The
rates of cabs and ferry-boats are fixed with much precision. No carter
was allowed to plead a prior engagement, but was to go 'with the
person who first demanded him, under a penalty of twenty shillings.'
The rate of speed was also regulated, and boys were not allowed to
drive.
"Constant reference is made to the walls and gates of Montreal as well
as Quebec, and there is reason to believe the smaller towns were
similarly fortified. Beyond the walls, however, there was a
considerable population, and many of the military officers, Government
officials and merchants had villas without the city. The area in
Montreal which lies between Craig, St. Antoine and Sherbrooke streets
was studded with country-houses with large gardens and orchards
attached. The seigneurs and other gentry had also fine, capacious
stone-built residences, which much enhanced the charm of the rural
scenery. Some of the estates of those days were of almost immense
extent. The Kings of France thought nothing of granting a whole
province, and, even in British times, there were gentlemen whose acres
would have superimposed an English county. The extraordinary donation
of James I. of a large portion of North America to Sir William
Alexander was not long since brought before the public by the claims
of his descendants. Large tracts of land were given away by Louis
XIII., Louis XIV. and other French kings, by Oliver Cromwell and the
Stuarts, and the same extravagant system of entailing unmanageable
wealth on companies and individuals was continued after the conquest.
"It would be interesting to know what was the kind of literary fare on
which the intellect of Canada subsisted in those days. It cannot be
supposed that the people spent all their time in business and social
pleasure. There must have been readers as well as cariolers and
dancers, and the literature of England and France was by no means
scanty. Great writers on every subject have flourished since that
time, but some of the greatest that ever lived, some of those whose
productions are still read with the highest pleasure, were the
offspring of the two centuries which preceded the conquest. No one
will be surprised to find, then, that in the year 1783, a circulating
library in Quebec numbered nearly 2,000 volumes. Nor is the enquirer
left in the dark as to its probable contents. In the Quebec
_Gazette_ of the 4th of December, a list of books is given which
'remained unsold at M. Jacques Perrault's, very elegantly bound'--and
books were bound substantially as well as elegantly in those days. In
this list are found 'Johnson's Dictionary,' then regarded as one of
the wonders of the literary world, 'Chesterfield's Letters,' long the
_vade-mecum_ of every young gentleman beginning life, and which,
even in our own days (and perhaps still), were frequently bound along
with spelling and reading books, the 'Pilgrim's Progress', which it is
not necessary to characterize, Young's 'Night Thoughts,' the
'Spectator and 'Guardian,' Rapin's 'English History,' 'Cook's
Voyages,' Rousseau's 'Eloise,' 'Télémaque,' 'Histoire Chinoise,'
'Esprit des Croissades,' 'Lettres de Fernand Cortes,' 'Histoire
Ancienne' par Rollin, 'Grammaire Anglaise et Française,'
'Dictionnaire par l'Académie,' 'Dictionnaire de Commerce,' 'Dictionary
of the Arts and Sciences,' 'Smith's Housewife,' 'The Devil on Sticks,'
'Voltaire's Essay on Universal History,' 'Dictionnaire de Cuisine' and
several others on various subjects, 'Oeuvres de Rabelais,' 'American
Gazetteer,' etc. These, it will be remembered, had remained unsold,
but among the sold there must have been copies of the same.
"It is, according to our notions of to-day, a meagre collection, but,
no doubt, many families possessed good libraries, brought with them
from over the sea, and the bookseller may not have kept a large stock
at one time. It was the custom for merchants to sell off all their
overlying goods before they went or sent to Europe for a
reinforcement.
"The following books were advertised as 'missing:'--Langhorn's
Plutarch, 1st vol., Thomson's Works, 4th vol., Gordon's 'Universal
Accountant,' 1st vol.; and Gray's Hudibras, 2nd vol. For each one of
them there is offered a reward of _two dollars_! Reading was expensive
recreation in those times.
"The reader, perhaps, has seen, or, it may be, possesses one of those
old libraries, of which the general public occasionally have a glimpse
at auction rooms, composed of standard authors, and beautifully and
solidly bound, which had adorned the studies of the fathers of our
country. They contain all that was best in the French and English
literature of the last century--history, poetry, divinity, _belles
lettres_, science and art. From these may be gathered what were the
tastes, the culture and the thought of the Canadians of the last
century.
"Music and painting were cultivated--the former being, as now, a
necessary part of female education. Of a festival given by the young
ladies of a place called _La Côte_, near Quebec, in 1764, it is
promised in the programme that "the orchestra and symphony will be
composed of instruments of all kinds." It may interest some ladies to
know that among the dances at the same entertainment are mentioned
'l'Harlequinade,' 'La Chinoise,' and 'La Matelote Hollandaise'--some
relation, perhaps, to the 'Sailor's Hornpipe.'
"The settlement in Canada of the United Empire Loyalists, after the
peace of September, 1783, by which the independence of the revolted
colonies was recognized, must have had a considerable influence on
Canadian society, and more than atoned for sufferings inflicted on the
colony during the progress of the war. Repeated efforts had been made
by the Americans to engage the affections of the Canadians. Among
those whom Congress had appointed commissioners to treat with the
Canadian people on this subject was the renowned Dr. Benjamin
Franklin, whose visit to this country was not the most successful
portion of his career. Although in some instances there was a
manifestation of disaffection to the British Government, the great
bulk of the population remained unmistakably loyal. In the Quebec
_Gazette_ of October 23rd, 1783, is found the Act of Parliament
passed in favour of the Loyalists, in which the 25th day of March,
1784, is fixed as the limit of the period during which claims for
relief or compensation for the loss of property should be received.
How many availed themselves of the provisions of this act it is not
easy to say, but the whole number of persons dispossessed of their
estates and forced to seek another home in consequence of their
continued allegiance, is set down at from 25,000 to 30,000. Of these,
the great majority took up their abodes in the Canadas, New Brunswick
and Nova Scotia, while a few went to the West Indies, and others
returned to England. The biographies of some of these Loyalist
settlers in British North America would be full of interest and
instruction. But records of family movements and vicissitudes are very
rarely kept--most rarely in those cases in which adventures are most
frequent and the course of events most changeful. I have, however,
seen accounts of the early settlements in the Eastern Townships, P.
Q., and in different portions of Ontario, which were full of the
romance of faith, of courage, and of perseverance."
THE ST. LOUIS HOTEL
A sketch of this fashionable thoroughfare--St. Louis street--the
headquarters of the judiciary, barristers, politicians, etc., would be
incomplete without a mention of the chief trysting-place of travellers and
tourists for the last thirty years--the leading hostelry of Quebec. St.
Louis Hotel is made up of two or more private dwellings joined together.
That on the corner of Haldimand and St. Louis streets formerly was owned
as a residence by the late Edward Burroughs, Esq., P. S. C. Next to it
stood, in 1837, Schluep's Hotel--the Globe Hotel--kept by a German, and
where the military swells in 1837-8-9 and our jolly curlers used to have
_recherché_ dinners or their frugal "beef and greens" and fixings. In
1848, Mr. Burroughs' house was rented to one Robert Bambrick, who
subsequently opened a second-class hotel at the corner of Ste. Anne and
Garden streets, on the spot on which the Queen's printer, the late Mr.
George Desbarats, built a stately office for the printing of the _Canada
Gazette_--subsequently sold on the removal of the Government to Ottawa
--now the Russell House. The _Globe_ Hotel belonged to the late B. C.
A. Gugy, Esq. It was purchased by the late Messrs Lelièvre & Angers,
barristers, connected with two or three adjacent tenements, and rented,
about 1852, to Messrs. Azro and Willis Russell (represented now by the
Russell Hotel Company) for the St. Louis Hotel. Connected by a door
through the wall with the Music Hall, it is a notable landmark in St.
Louis street and an object of considerable interest to city cabmen as
well, during the season of tourists. Its dining saloon, on the second
flow, has witnessed many bountiful repasts, to celebrate social, military,
political or literary events, none better remembered than that of the 17th
of November, 1880, when the _élite_ of Quebec crowded in unusual numbers--
about one hundred and eighty citizens, English and French--to do honour,
by a public banquet, to the laureate of the French Academy, M. Louis
Honoré Fréchette, [30] to celebrate his receiving in August last, in
Paris, from the _Académie Française_, the unprecedented distinction, for a
colonist, of the _Grand Prix Monthyon_ (2,000 livres) for the excellence
of his poetry.
Subjoined will be found the names of some of those present, also, extracts
from a few of the addresses delivered. We regret much that want of space
precludes us from adding more of the eloquent speeches delivered, because
they throw light for English readers on the high degree of culture French
literature has attained at Quebec. All, we are sure, will rejoice with us
that, for the cause of letters, M. Fréchette was timely rescued from the
quagmire of political warfare and hustings promises.
_THE FRÉCHETTE DINNER, NOVEMBER 17, 1880._
"Mr. L. H. Fréchette, the laureate of the French Academy, was last
night the recipient of marks of honor and esteem, in the shape of a
magnificent banquet given him at the St. Louis Hotel, by the citizens
of Quebec and vicinity. The tables were laid in the large dining hall
of the St. Louis Hotel, which was handsomely decorated for the
occasion. The walls were partially covered with French and English
flags, and wreaths of evergreen surrounded all the windows. Behind the
Chairman, on a bracket, was an excellent bust of the Canadian poet,
having on either side paintings of scenes in Mr. Fréchette's drama,
'Papineau,' by Mr. E. W. Sewell, Levis.
"Over 125 gentlemen sat down to the banquet, amongs-whom we noticed--
The Honorable Judge Henri T. Taschereau, M. Lefaivre, Consul of
France, Count de Premio-Real, Consul-General of Spain, the Baron
Bols, Consul-General of Belgium, Major Wasson, Consul of the United
States, M. Thors, Hon. W. Laurier, Hon. I. Thibaudeau, Hon. C. A. P.
Pelletier, C.M.G. Hon. D. A. Ross, M.P.P., Achille Larue, N.P.,
Charles Langelier, M.P.P., Hon. H. G. Joly, M.P.P., Hon. F. Langelier,
M.P.P., Hon. Arthur Turcotte, Speaker of the Assembly, Dr. Rinfret,
M.P.P, P. B. Casgrain, N.P., James Dunbar, Esq., Q.C., Nazaire
Turcotte, Dr. Colin Sewell, Oscar Dunn, C. Antil, B. Bédard, G. T.
Davie, G. Paré, Henri Delagrave, W. E. Brunet, E. W Sewell, F. X.
Lemieux, Faucher de St. Maurice, F. M. Dechêne, G. E. T. Rinfret, O.
L. Richardson, Louis Bilodeau, Oscar Lanctôt, N. Levasseur, George
Stewart, jr., Edward Thomas, D. Chambers, F. G. Gautier, Paul de
Cazes, R. J. Bradley, D. J. Montambault, T. Godfroy Papineau, N.P.,
Montreal, De La Broquerie Taché, C. Massiah, James M. LeMoine,
President Literary and Historical Society, W. J. Wyatt, Alphonse
Pouliot, Dr. L. LaRue, Colonel Rhodes, Dr. Pourtier, C. Duquet, V.
Bélanger, Charles Langlois, W. C. Languedoc, Alfred White, Peter
McEwan, George Henry Powell, A. P. Beaulieu, Alfred Lemieux, Elie
Lachance, Richard L. Suffur, Lieut.-Col. Turnbull, H. M. Price, R. St.
B. Young, G. R. White, Captain Gzowski, J. U. Laird, Chariot,
Fitzpatrick, E. Swindell, E. J. Hale, Cecil Fraser, Aug. Stuart, C. V.
M. Temple, Timolaus Beaulieu, C. S. Beaulieu, N. Laforce, George
Bouchard, L. N. Carrier, J. B. Michaud, Dr. Lamontagne. Dr. Collet,
Arthur Lavigne, P. Boutin, M.P.P., F. Fortier, G. Bresse, J. S. C.
Wurtele, M.P.P., P. E. Godbout, Paul Dumas, Lieutenant Drury, Captain
Wilson, H. G. Sheppard, J. B. Charleson, Dr. Hubert LaRue, H. J. J. B.
Chouinard, Président de l'Institut Canadien, H. J. Beemer, J. L.
Renaud, E. W. Méthot, E. C. E. Gauthier, O. Leger, J. E. Pouliot, D.
R. Barry, L. P. Lemay, Jacques Auger, Ernest Pacaud, J. Allaire, M.P.,
T. G. Tremblay, M.P., J. J. Gahan, Joseph Blondeau, Thomas Potvin, J.
B. Z. Dubeau, Frs. Bertrand, J. C. Hamel, Emile Jacot, John Buchanan,
Antoine Carrier, William Breakey.
"The Chair was occupied by Hon. Judge H. T. Taschereau, having on his
right the guest of the evening, L. H. Fréchette, the Count Premio-
Real, Hon. C. A. P. Pelletier, Mr. Wasson, Hon. F. Langelier, M. Thors
of Paris, &c., and on his left the Consul-General for France, Hon. Mr.
Laurier, Mr. Bols, Hon. D. Ross, &c.
"The banquet was given in the well-known excellent style of the
Russell Hotel Company, which never leaves anything to be desired.
After full justice had been done the good things provided for the
occasion, silence was obtained, when the following resolution,
presented to Mr. Fréchette by the Literary and Historical Society of
Quebec, was read by the Secretary, Mr. Delagrave:--
"At a monthly general meeting of the Literary and Historical Society,
held on the 13th October last:
"It was proposed by Commander Ashe, R.N., seconded by R. McLeod, Esq.,
"That the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec has witnessed with
the highest satisfaction the literary honours conferred in August
last, by the _Académie Française_, on Monsieur Louis Honoré Fréchette,
for the poetical excellence of his two poems, 'Les Fleurs Boréales'
and 'Les Oiseaux de Neige.'
"That the Academical crown, encircling the brow of a Canadian poet,
ought to be as much prised by Canada as it must be dear to its gifted
son, the Laureate of the French Academy.
"That such a signal distinction conferred by the highest literary
tribunal, whilst it exhibits in such a favourable light the
intellectual vigour of the Province of Quebec, cannot be otherwise
than a subject of legitimate pride to the Dominion of Canada.
"That the President and Secretary of this Society be charged with the
pleasant duty of conveying to Monsieur L. H. Fréchette the expression
of the sentiments of admiration with which it views his literary
success.
(Signed,) J. M. LEMOINE, President
ALEX. ROBERTSON, Secretary
_Quebec_, 13th October, 1880.
"The usual loyal toasts--the Queen and Governor-General--were given
by the Chairman, and enthusiastically honoured.
"The Chairman then proposed "France," the toast being received with
the usual honours and responded to by M. Lefaivre, the Consul-General
for France.
"M. Lefaivre made an interesting speech, alluding to the past and
present of France, to the communication between the France of the Old
World and the _Nouvelle France_ of this Western hemisphere, dwelling
upon the honours achieved by the guest of the evening in Paris, and
contending that literature was the soul of a nation.
"The Chairman, Hon. Mr. Justice H. Taschereau, then rose to propose
the toast of the evening, being received with loud and prolonged
cheering. He said,--
"GENTLEMEN,--I have now the honour to propose the toast of the
evening--the health of our distinguished fellow-countryman, our guest,
Louis Honoré Fréchette, the poet of Canada, crowned by the Academy of
France. You have heard, gentlemen, the loud hurrah of all Canada in
honour of one of her children, and here, perhaps, I might cease
speaking. Nothing that I might say could increase the glad strength of
the general voice of the country, when the news arrived here that the
grand arena of literature, the French Academy, an institution whose
life is counted by centuries, and which is without equal in the world,
that great interpreter and infallible judge of the difficulties, the
beauties and the genius of the French language, had given one of its
annual prizes, and perhaps the finest of all--the prize of poetry--to
one of our countrymen. I could never fittingly express or depict the
sentiments of pride and joy felt by all lovers of literature in this
country--I may add of all good Canadians--when the news came from
beyond the ocean, from that sacred France, mother of civilization;
from fairy Paris, capital of the Muses, that Mr. Fréchette had been
crowned! But, as Chairman of this happy reunion, at the risk of but
faintly re-echoing the general sentiment, I must at least try to
express my feelings in proposing this toast. The emotions which I feel
are of a dual nature, that of friendship and of patriotism, and, as
friendship is nearer to the heart, so I gave that feeling the first
place. The speaker here referred to his collegiate days in the
Seminary of Quebec, where he met Mr. Fréchette, and in preparing
himself for the battle of life, had won the friendship of the Canadian
poet. He alluded to Mr. Fréchette's first efforts in verse, and had
judged his early attempts, and in referring to his (the Judge's) own
literary works at the time, the speaker said that the line of Boileau
might be applied to him,
"'Pour lui, Phoebus est sourd et Pégase est rétif.'
"At that time, Mr. Fréchette had not reached the heights of Helicon,
nor attained the regions wherein the 'Boreal Flowers' are gathered and
the 'Snow Birds' fly, but the little flowers he gathered in more
modest fields had around them the perfume of genuine poetry, and the
emerald, ruby and topaz of art already shone in the dainty plumage of
his summer birds. Mr. Fréchette published in a small journal in
manuscript, called _L'Echo_, of which Judge Taschereau was then
editor in the Seminary, the first efforts of his muse. This souvenir
of the past is now very precious to me, said the speaker, because it
enables me to state that I was the first editor of our poet's works.
Judge Taschereau further alluded to the time when, with Mr. Fréchette,
he studied law, that dry study, and though the poet was thus devoted
to the goddess Themis, he nevertheless found time to worship at the
shrine of song. How could the poet do otherwise? His fame had already
gone abroad. The journals of the country were already publishing his
sonnets, odes and songs. His acrostics were sought after to grace the
albums of fair ladies. Even the volunteers of Canada asked him for
war-songs, which are happily more frequently heard in drawing-rooms
than in camps. The young student did not possess himself. He was
already the property of the country, and the Institutes of Justinian
were put aside for the more pleasing task of framing idyllic pictures
of poetic genius. In fact, Crémazie was almost forgotten, and the name
of Fréchette was on every tongue. Mr. Taschereau tried to reclaim the
poet to his legal duties, and give him the place of Mr. Faucher de St.
Maurice in his office. Mr. Fréchette accepted the sinecure, but no
sooner had he done so than Mr. Faucher returned, anxious, no doubt,
for good and congenial company. Judge of my happiness, with Fréchette
and Faucher in my office, and I their humble patron. I thought I would
succeed in converting my friends, but in this I failed, for they led
me on their own paths until I myself began to versify, and, instead of
reading Pothier, read 'proofs' of verses. As it is, Mr. Fréchette did
become a lawyer; but Mr. Faucher abandoned the pursuit--he retired
from my office, lost forever to Themis, but safe to the cause of
literature. The departure of my young friends saved me. I could never
expect to win the applause of the French Academy, and thus, as I am
enabled to preside at this banquet, I may be permitted to offer our
guest a bouquet of friendship's flowers, gathered during twenty-five
years, and I feel that its perfume will be agreeable to my
distinguished friend. The life of Mr. Fréchette is written in the
poetry and literature of this country. He has marched steadily onward
from the day on which he wrote his _Loisirs_, until the grand
moment when he stood the crowned victor in the Academy of France. We
have known our guest as a lawyer, journalist and member of Parliament,
and have always admired his wonderful faculties, ever ready as he was
to promote the welfare of his friends. His large heart contributed to
pave the way to success, for, undoubted though his talents are, his
winning manners won for him an ever-growing popularity, and we may
affirm that, if he had traducers, he had, on the other hand, a host of
friends. Traducers always follow the wake of a literary man, and they
resemble the creeping things which we suffer in our gardens, because
their existence can lead to no effectual harm. I may have occupied
your time at too great length in treating of Mr. Fréchette as a
friend. Allow me now, however, for a few moments, to speak of his
success from a patriotic point of view. As French-Canadians, we are
proud of our Laureate, and happy to see him in our midst this evening.
In crowning our distinguished poet, the French Academy has given a
splendid recognition to Canadian literature in the great Republic of
Letters. Our Laureate is a French-Canadian, but our fellow-citizens of
British origin have joined with us in this manifestation of our joy,
and through their press, as at such gatherings as this, they have
spontaneously recognized his talent, thus showing their spirit of
justice and their enlightened patriotism. Party politics have ceased
their discordant cries to join unanimously in honoring our Laureate,
and this is a spectacle of consolation to the country. No commentary
is required on this expression of our joy. It is, in itself, the most
eloquent of proofs that the citizens of Quebec, as well as those of
Montreal, in giving this festival to Mr. Fréchette, have invited all
Canadians, in the largest acceptation of the word, to do him honour.
In concluding, as I know you are anxious to hear him address you this
evening, permit me to make a comparison. One of the most distinguished
of modern poets, Alfred de Musset, said in a moment of despair:--
"J'ai perdu ma force, et ma vie,
Et mes amis, et ma gaîté:
J'ai perdu jusqu'à la fierté
Qui faisait croire à mon génie."
"'I have lost my strength and my life, my friends and my gayety,
almost my very pride, which made me believe in my genius.' We may say
to Mr. Fréchette, as an offset to this cry of despair from one of his
elder poetic brethren: 'Courage! You have strength and life! More
friends than ever! An enthusiasm of gayety which is fathomless! March
on and sing! We are proud of you, and we believe in your genius,
crowned, as it is, by the highest literary tribunal in the world--that
of the Forty Immortals!' (Cheers.)
"The utmost enthusiasm pervaded those present, and when the poet
laureate rose to reply, he was greeted with loud applause, which
continued for several minutes. Mr. Fréchette said:--
"MR. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN,--For some time past I have abstained from
public speaking, and there are those amongst my best friends who tell
me that I have done well. To-day Montreal [31] and Quebec seem to have
conspired against me, to oblige me to make two speeches on the same
subject. This, though flattering to me, is hardly fair. If, having
pleaded in one sense, I were asked to take the opposite ground, it
might appear that such would not embarrass a lawyer, and one who has
also been a politician, but in my present position I am called upon to
treat the same question twice, and absolutely in the same sense. How
can I discover something new to advance. Naturally, I felt embarrassed
at the outset, but, at any risk, my duty is to respond to your
flattering call, and thus to best avenge myself upon this conspiracy
of my friends. It will not be surprising if I affirm that the occasion
of this reunion has for me a character of especial solemnity. Seated
at this festive board, I see the representatives of different nations,
who, in private capacities also, have won general respect. I see,
also, my fellow-citizens of Quebec and of Levis, my native town--the
schoolmates of my earliest days--_confrères_ in professional
life and in the walks of literature--comrades of past political
struggles--friends, ever indulgent and generous--political leaders of
whom I have always been proud, and gentlemen of various origins,
divergent opinions and different religious beliefs, all tendering me
their warmest congratulations upon the success I have achieved in the
literary world. No words of mine are adequate to express my feelings,
not can I sufficiently thank you all for this spontaneous and
sympathetic demonstration in honour of one who regrets that he is not
more worthy of your favour. I can only accept your evidences of
friendship with cordial emotion, thank you from the depth of my heart
and bear with me from this hall a proud memory which will unite with
the remembrances of my youth, all of which are so intimately
identified with the hospitable people of Quebec, and, in so declaring,
I am but assuring you that this remembrance will ever attend upon me.
The past vouches for this; for when my tent of exile shook in the
winds from off the great Western lakes, or slept on the bowery shores
of Louisianian streams; when my traveller's skiff was rocked on the
waters of the Southern gulfs, or was reflected on the blue waves of
the Loire; when I had before me the wild majesty of Niagara, the
immensity of the ocean, or when, filled with admiration, I paused to
gaze upon the stupendous monuments of the Old World, my thoughts ever
instinctively flew back to the good old city of Champlain,
unparalleled in the world for the picturesque splendor of its site,
and the poetry which no less issues from the very stones of its
fortress, than it lingers upon every page of its history. Yes! Old
Quebec! In all places I have cherished with devotion every memory of
you, for within your walls my heart first opened to the noble teaching
of intellect! It is your lofty embrasures--your flag, bravely floating
in the skies--your abrupt rock, your stretches of ramparts, your
brilliant steeples, reflecting their beauty on the bosom of the St.
Lawrence, mingled with the sails of your cosmopolitan navies; which,
for the first time, awoke the poetic enthusiasm in my breast. Long ago
I first saw these scenes from the window of an humble cottage of
Levis, half-hidden in a screen of foliage; and in my youngest days,
ere I knew the method or formation of a verse, I felt the fluttering
against the cage of my heart of that golden bird, whose sonorous voice
is styled Poetry. In fact, gentlemen, I was carried towards a literary
career from the very outset, and in this connection you will permit me
to relate a little anecdote. You will pardon me if I appear
egotistical, but your cordial reception warrants me in looking for
your indulgence. I had learned to read in a book full of reveries and
sentiment, entitled 'Letters or the poet Gilbert to his sister.' Of
course I understood but little of it, yet it made a deep impression on
my imagination. One day my father, an honest man and good citizen, if
there were ever any such, but who had nothing in common with the
Muses, asked my brother and I what professions we would adopt when we
grew big. 'For me,' replied my happy-hearted brother Edmond, 'I will
be a carter,' and 'I will be a poet,' I immediately added. I still
remember my father's smile of affectionate pity when he heard these
unexpected declarations from the hopes of his declining years. "My
poor children," said he, with a resigned air, "these two occupations
will never lead you to wealth and fortune." Later I understood the
wise reflection of my father, but no one carves out his own destiny
and he must submit to fate. I have vainly tried other careers but
finally was obliged to return to this dream of my infancy. As the poet
says,
"Drive away the natural, and it returns at full speed."
Yes, dear old City of Quebec, so old and so glorious, so beautiful in
your _ensemble_ and so characteristic in your details, so cordial
and so hospitable, in presence of your noblest children assembled here
to welcome me, within your old walls, let me give this testimony, that
if I have had the happiness of causing the Canadian name to be heard
in the immortal shrine of French literature it is to you I owe it, and
to you is my gratitude offered. For I must tell you, gentlemen, that I
loved Quebec too much, at the distance, not to hasten across the
river, when the bird felt that his wings were strong enough to fly. At
that time the greatest of the poets of Quebec, Octave Crémazie, sang
the glories of our ancestors and the brave deeds of old France. His
energetic and inspired voice excited youthful emulation. A group of
budding writers surrounded him, but each one felt timid and hesitated
to tune his notes amongst the loud echoes of his vigorous patriotism.
Alas! the star fled from our skies, another generation of enthusiastic
poets and writers disputed the honour of seizing the lyre, so heavy
for their fingers, which had been left on the rock of Quebec, by the
author of the Flag of Carillon. O! my old comrades, do you think as
frequently as do I, of those old days, when with hearts full of poetic
illusions, we united our talents, our hopes and I might add our
poverty, to establish that spiritual association in which the
beautiful was idolized, seekers as we were after the ideal, dealers in
mental _bijouterie_, despised at first by some, but which
succeeded more than once in directing the attention of literary France
to our shores? Do you, at times, remember our joyful meetings, our
interminable readings, our long hours of continued study and waking
reveries in common--do you yet remember the bewildering evenings in
which the glass of Henri Murger mingled its sonorous tinklings, bright
and merry, to the love-song of our flowery youth? We were all rivals,
but
"Our hearts, as our lute, vibrated as one,"
and God knows that this rivalry never severed the bonds of affection
which united us, and so was founded what has since been styled the
Mutual Admiration Society. Mutual Admiration Society! If we were to
consider the number of books, dress-coats, gloves and other articles
of more intimate character that were exchanged between us, it might
more safely have been called the Society for Mutual Support. At all
events, from the spectacle before me this evening I gather that this
Society of Mutual Admiration, if admiration it must be termed, has
taken a singular development since I had the honour of assisting so
frequently at its meetings, and there is nothing surprising in this,
since one of the most distinguished of the founders of this society,
Mr. Faucher de St. Maurice, informed me the other day that the society
in question was about to annex the French Academy. (Laughter.) But to
be serious, allow me to recount another anecdote. There was a time,
gentlemen, when our Mutual Admiration was far from being so ambitious
as to dream of having a _succursale_ under the rotunda of the
French Institute. But if our productions were meagre, our revenues
were still more so, and famine often reigned in the chests of the
confraternity. However we had our own days of abundance when there was
corn in Egypt. The first Quebecer who understood that poetry, unlike
perpetual motion, could not feed itself, was a brewer, whose memory is
now legendary and who was known by the harmonious name of McCallum.
Arthur Casgrain, who in a couple of years afterwards we sorrowfully
bore to the cemetery, had thought of composing an Epic on the Grand
Trunk. This was called "La grande Tronciade!" Well in one of the
twelve parts of this production, so very original, there were three
remarkable lines.
"Buvons, buvons, amis, de ce bon maccallome,
Venant directement du brasseur qu'il dénome!
C'est ça qui vous retape et vous refait un homme?"
The effect was magical. The heart of the brewer was touched. A long
waggon on which we could read the eloquent words "pale ale and porter"
stopped next day before our door. For twenty minutes a man with
burthened step climbed the Jacob's ladder which led to the poet's
attic, and one hundred and forty-four bottles of inviting appearance
ranged themselves around the chamber. I cannot picture the joy of the
happy recipient. In his enthusiasm he offered me a community in his
good fortune--of course under a pledge of inviolable secrecy. But as I
felt the imperious necessity of communicating my emotions I was as
wanting in discretion as he had been, and that evening all the
Bohemians, students and literary friends even to the remotest degree
followed in the wake of McCallum's bottles, and invaded the attic
chamber of poor Arthur (your good-natured cousin, Mr. President.)
There we had French, English, Latin and Greek speeches in prose and in
verse. Arsène Michaud has even prepared a story for the occasion. In
brief, the hecatomb was made; the libation was Olympic, the twelve
dozen disappeared and on the morrow poor Casgrain showed me with a sad
face the Homeric remains of his one day's wealth, and in a lamentable
tone of despair he exclaimed: "I will have to write another poem."
Gentlemen, that was the first time in Canada that poetry made a return
to its author, and in tasting these delicate viands which the
hospitable city of Quebec now offers to one of those early Bohemians
in recognition of his literary success, I could not fail to recollect
with emotion this amusing circumstance now enveloped, with other
scenes of youth, sometimes glad--sometimes sorrowful, in the shadowy
robe of past recollections. Another story just suggests itself to my
mind. Lusignan and I occupied the attic of an old house in Palace
street. Our room was heated by a stove-pipe, which reached from the
lower apartments. One day I had published in _Le Canadien_--_Tempora
Mutantur_--a little poem in which was the following line:
"Shivering in my attic poor."
The next day a surprise awaited us. A dumb stove had replaced the mere
stove-pipe, and while holding our sides from laughter we heard this
speech: "Gentlemen, we are very indulgent, considering your noisy
meetings--we are not very particular when rent-day arrives--and if you
_so shivered_ in your room, it would have been better to have
said so privately, than to have complained of it in the newspapers."
(Laughter.) Poor Mrs. Tessier, our landlady--she was not well
acquainted with figures of speech, but she has been the Providence of
many of the destitute, and more than one who hears me now can say as I
do, that no better or more obliging heart ever beat in a more pitiful
bosom towards purseless youth. And who knows, it is perhaps due to
this sympathetic feeling of its population towards literary men and
writers that this city of Quebec has seen such an array of talent
within her bosom, such a succession of Pleiades of distinguished
litterateurs, who have glorified her name and that of their country.
For the last fifty years, men eminent in all branches of literature
have made a gorgeous and resplendent aureole around the city of
Quebec. In the generation immediately preceding us, we see Petitclerc,
Parent, Soulard, Chauveau, Garneau, L'Ecuyer, Ferland, Barthe and Réal
Angers, these grand pioneers of intellect, who in history, poetry,
drama and romance, made such a wide opening for the generation which
followed them. Then we have l'Abbé Laverdière, l'Abbé Casgrain,
LeMoine, Fiset, Taché, Plamondon, LaRue, and the first among all
Octave Crémazie, who coming at different times bravely and constantly
continued the labours of their predecessors, until we reach the
brilliant phalanx of contemporary writers, Lemay, Fabre, l'Abbé Begin,
Routhier, Oscar Dunn, Faucher de St. Maurice, Buies, Marmette and
Legendre, all charged with the glorious task of preserving for Quebec
her legitimate title of the Athens of Canada. And how could it be
otherwise? Is not Quebec the cradle of our nationality--the spot
whereon is engraved the most illustrious pages of our history--heroic
annals, touching souvenirs, all combining with the marvels of nature
to speak here the soul of the historian and of the poet. What a
flourishing field for the historian and poet is not the tale of that
handful of Breton heroes, who, three centuries ago, planted on the
rock of Quebec the flag of Christianity and civilization! What
innumerable sources of inspiration can we not find in our majestic
river, our gigantic lakes, our grand cascades, our lofty mountains,
our impenetrable forests and in all that grand and wild nature, which
will ever be the characteristic feature of our dear Canada. Oh! our
history, gentlemen! Oh, the picturesque beauties of our country! Two
marvellous veins--two mines of precious material open at our feet. The
European writers are ever striving to discover something fresh. Having
exhausted all kinds of themes, they are now stooping to the dust to
find an originality which seems to fly from them. Well, this
freshness, this originality, so courted and so rare now-a-days, may be
found within our grasp,--it is there in our historical archives--in
our patriarchal customs--in the many characters of a people young and
thirsting for independence--a robust and healthy poetry, floats on our
breezes--breathes in our popular songs--sings in the echoes of our
wild forests, and opens graceful and proud her white wings to the
winds of the free aspirations of the new world. To us this virgin
field belongs, gentlemen! Take from Europe her form and experience,
but leave to her, her old Muses. Let us be true to ourselves! Be
Canadians and the future is ours. "That which strikes us most in your
poems" said a member of the French Academy to me, "is that the modern
style, the Parisian style of your verses is united to something
strange, so particular and singular--it seems an exotic, disengaged
from the entire." This perfume of originality which this writer
discovered in my writings was then unknown to myself. What was it? It
was the secret of their nationality,--the certificate of their origin,
their Canadian stamp! And it is important for us, gentlemen, never to
allow this character to disappear. Let our young writers stamp it
broadly on their pages and then advance to their task, they need no
longer fear the thorns on the way. The path is wide open and millions
of readers await their efforts. To the work then; France offers us her
hand, and now that we have renewed the bonds between us and our
illustrious and well-beloved mother country--bonds broken by the
vicissitudes which occur in the life of peoples, we shall be enabled
once more to prove the great truth enunciated by Bulwer Lytton in
"_Richelieu_," that
"The pen is mightier than the sword."
The Chairman called upon Hon. Wilfred Laurier to propose the next
toast.
Hon. Mr. Laurier, on being called on to propose the toast of the
Academy of France, was loudly cheered on rising, and the enthusiasm
became the greater as he advanced, showing the many claims the great
French tribunal of letters had upon the attention of the learned word.
He spoke of the old ties which bound France and Canada, and alluded to
the argument of Doucet, the French Academician, in favour of the
admission of Fréchette to the French _concours_, viz., that when
France was in the throes of agony, the voice of French Canada spoke
out its loud attachment to the cause of the ancient mother country. In
such action was the forgotten daughter restored to its sorrowing
mother. The hon. gentleman then in language of forcible eloquence
referred to the pleasure shown by English-Canadians at the success of
Mr. Fréchette, and concluded a highly intellectual and eloquent
speech, amidst the reiterated cheers of the whole assemblage.
The Chairman then proposed the toast of English and French literature.
Mr. George Stewart, jr., who on rising was greeted with cheers,
said:--
MR. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN:--I must thank you for the very
enthusiastic manner in which you have just drank to this toast, and
for the cordiality with which you have been good enough to receive my
name. Before asking you to consider with me the subject which has just
been so happily proposed from the chair, I would ask your permission
to say how gratified I am at being present, this evening, to assist
you in paying homage to one whom we all delight to honour, and at
whose feet it is our special privilege to sit. (Cheers.) It is all of
seventeen years since Mr. Fréchette gave to the public, in a little
book, the best fruits of his youthful muse, but those early efforts of
his mind gave abundant promise of future excellence and hope,--a
promise which has since been admirably and delightfully fulfilled. I
cannot tell you how proud we all feel,--we who speak the English
tongue, alike with you who utter the liquid and mellow language of
Béranger and De Musset,--that the "Forty Immortals" of Mother France,
recognized in Mr. Fréchette,--what all of us knew before,--that he was
a tender and graceful poet, and that his work is as pure and sweet as
anything to be found in the lyric poetry of our time. (Cheers.) Mr.
Fréchette had not to go abroad to find that out, but it is pleasing to
us all to find our opinions confirmed and ratified by the highest
authority in France. I again thank you, gentlemen, for the privilege
which you have afforded me of saying these few words regarding our
laurel-crowned poet and guest. (Applause.) With regard to the subject
which has brought me to my feet, what am I to say? I might dilate upon
the beauties of Chaucer's _Canterbury Tales_, or Edmund Spenser's
immortal _Faerie Queene_, or Shakespeare's tender women, the
_Juliet_ we love, the Rosalind who is ever in our hearts, the
Beatrice, the Imogen, gentle Ophelia, or kindly but ill-starred
Desdemona, or the great heroes of tragedy, Lear, Macbeth, Hamlet or
Othello, or I might ask you to hear a word about Ben Jonson, "rare
Ben," or poor Philip Massinger who died a stranger, of the Puritan
Milton, the great Catholic Dryden, or Swift, or Bunyan, Defoe,
Addison, Pope and Burke and grim Sam Johnson who made the dictionary
and wrote Rasselas, the Prince of Abyssinia, but there is not time for
us to go into the subject as minutely as that. At a dinner of this
kind, which is so rich in every delicacy which the most sensitive
palate could desire, and which boasts wines as delicate and as
fragrant in bouquet as one of Mr. Fréchette's sonnets--(Cheers)--and I
might add also as one of my friend LeMay's hopefullest lyrics--
(Cheers), it would be ungenerous of me to keep you very long. I will
content myself therefore with a remark or two regarding the peculiar
features which seem to inspire our literature, at the present time,
and by our literature I mean English literature in its broadest sense
and amplest significance. Perhaps at no period of letters, in the
whole history of literature from the days of Chaucer and Raleigh, from
the renaissance, through the classic period, to more modern times, to
our own day in fact, has the cultured world seen such a brilliant
array of brilliant men and women, who write the English prose which
delights our fire-sides, and enriches our minds at the present time.
The world has never presented to mankind before, in all its years of
usefulness, such a galaxy of great essayists and novelists as we have
enjoyed and enjoy now, within a period of fifty or sixty years, and
which properly belong to our own age. The era is rich in stalwart
minds, in magnificent thinkers, in splendid souls. Carlyle, Emerson,
Wilson, Morley, Froude, Holmes, Harrison, Darwin, Huxley, Spencer,
Mill, Buckle, Lewes. In fiction the list is too long for mention, but,
in passing, I may note George Eliot--a woman who writes as if her soul
had wings, William Black who paints almost as deftly as Walter Scott,
Thomas Hardy, Anthony Trollope, Thackeray, Dickens, Reade, William
Howells, who has not forgotten to write of the grandeur of the
Saguenay, and William Kirby whose _Chien d'Or_ will serve to keep
a memory green in many a Quebecer's heart. I need hardly name more.
The list could, I am well aware, be extended indefinitely, and as each
of you doubtless has your favourite novelist, I need not waste your
time by the simple enumeration of men and women who have from time to
time, beguiled away the hours with their stories of the heart, or of
purpose, or of endeavour. We get _blasé_ now and then perhaps
through the reading of so many moderns, but the cure for that lies
within easy range. We can take a peep at those old fellows in old-
fashioned bindings, who used to delight our grandfathers in the "brave
days of old," when Richardson told the story of "Pamela," and
"Clarissa Harlowe," when Fielding wrote "Tom Jones," and Smollett
narrated the history of "Humphrey Clinker," and the career of
"Tristram Shandy" found a truthful historian in that mad parson
Lawrence Sterne. We might even read those ancient authors, ancient in
style at least, for a change, and still be reading English literature
in its truest and widest sense. But it is less with the fiction-
writers that we have to deal, than with the thinkers who have given to
_belles-lettres_ in this age, its robustness and vigour. In
political economy, in scientific thought, in history, in moral
philosophy and in polite learning, and in criticism, I think our day
has produced the greatest teachers, as well as the largest number of
them since the English tongue had a literature of its own. (Applause.)
This is true at least in prose writing. I know that in poetry we are
surpassed in grandeur and majesty by the bards of other periods of our
mental activity, I know that we have not produced a Milton yet, nor a
Dryden, nor a Pope--I leave Shakespeare and Chaucer out of the
question, nor a Spenser. We have very many more than our share of
really tuneful singers and fine poets like Tennyson and Longfellow,
Morris and Swinburne, the Arnolds and Lowell--all of them sweet and in
every way charming, none of them grand and magnificent like the sons
of song of the great days of poesy. We have singers and singers, minor
poets and minor poets, all engaged in weaving for our delight very
many pretty fancies; graceful story-tellers in verse, if you will, but
our chief strength lies in prose, sober, scholarly and healthful
prose. Our fame will rest on that branch of the service. (Applause.)
Turning to Canada, I might say that our mental outfit is by no means
beggarly. In fiction we have produced, and I confine myself
particularly to those who have written in English, Judge Haliburton,
James DeMille, Wm. Kirby, John Lesperance. (Applause.) In poetry,
Heavysege, John Reade, Roberts, Charles Sangster, Wm. Murdoch,
Chandler, Howe; in history, Beamish Murdoch, Todd, Morgan, Hannay, Mr.
LeMoine--(Applause)--whom I see present here to night; Dr. Miles, Mr.
Harper, the efficient Rector of our High School, and others of more or
less repute. In Science, Dr. Dawson and Sir Wm. Logan; in logic, Wm.
Lyall; in rhetoric, James DeMille. In political and essay writing we
have a good list, the most prominent names being Goldwin Smith, whom
we may fairly claim, Bourinot, Haliburton, Todd, Howe, Elder, Ellis,
Griffin, Anglin, Dymond, McDougall, White. (Cheers.) And here I would
just say to you--for I have spoken longer than I intended--over-taxed
your patience I fear very much--that we must, if we would ever become
great in helping to form current thought and the intellectual movement
of the day, renounce all sectionalism in letters, and go in for the
great goal which all may aspire to who wish. When the French Academy
hailed our friend Fréchette as a brother poet, the act was not done
because he was a Canadian, but because he was a poet, writing and
speaking the French tongue. (Applause.) There is no such thing really
as Canadian literature or American literature. It is all English
literature, and we should all strive to add to the glory of that
literature. We can do it, in our way, as well as Moore and Lover and
Lever and Carleton and McGee did, when they added the splendid work of
their genius to build up the renown and prestige of the parent stock.
(Applause.) As Scott and Burns, Dunbar and Hector McNeill, and
Tannahill and James Hogg and bluff "Kit North;" all of Scotland, did
to make the English literature massive and spirited and grand.
(Applause.) As Hawthorne and Longfellow, Holmes and Bryant, Cooper and
Irving, and Motley did, and as our own John Reade (cheers) and Charles
Roberts, a new poet whose star has just arisen, and Bourinot--
(cheers)--and the rest of them are doing now. We must forget the small
localism which can do us no good, and join the great brotherhood of
letters which writes the world over, in the English tongue. France,
Germany and Russia, Italy and Spain teem with the grand work of their
children. We who speak and write in the English language must not be
unmindful of our several duties. We must work for the attainment of
the great end, the development of English literature, of which we are
as truly a part as the authors of the United States, of Scotland, of
Ireland and of England. English literature does not mean simply a
literature written solely by Englishmen. It takes its name from the
fact that it draws its nourishment from all writers who write in
English, and Scotchmen, Irishmen, Americans, and colonists, as well as
citizens of England are invited to add to its greatness and
permanency. I thank you Mr. Chairman and you gentlemen for your
kindness and forbearance in listening to me so long, and so patiently.
(Loud continued cheering.)
Mr. Lemay, in replying for French literature, said--It is particularly
agreeable to be called on to speak on this occasion because it affords
me the opportunity to render to our host an evidence of the admiration
and friendship which I bear towards him this evening. It is now over
twenty years since we were together at College, and the same tastes
which pleased us then govern us now. The same destiny which led us
towards the bar guided us also on the paths of literature. The speaker
here improvised a magnificent address to the genius of French-Canadian
letters. He alluded to the first pages of Canadian history written in
the blood of martyrs, thus giving to the Canadian people a literature
of heroes. The speaker then traced the changeful epochs from the days
of the soldiers of the sword to the warriors of the pen, and he drew
forth loud applause as he alluded to the brave polemists who traced
their literary endeavors in the brave work of defending their country
and redeeming its liberties. In quoting Sir Geo. Cartier's well known
line, "O Canada, my country and my love," ("O Canada, mon pays, mes
amours,") the eloquent orator elicited the warm and hearty applause of
the assemblage. From the troublous days of 1837 to the present moment,
Mr. Lemay reviewed the various efforts at literary renown of the
French Canadian people, and concluded one of the finest speeches of
the evening amidst the tumultuous applause of his sympathising
auditors.
The next toast was that of the Literary and Historical Society and of
the _Institut Canadien_ of Quebec.
Mr. J. M. LeMoine, in replying to the first part of the toast said:--
GENTLEMEN,--In the name of the Literary and Historical Society of
Quebec, I thank you cordially for the health just proposed--As the
President of a society numbering close on 400 members, who though
diverse in creed and language, are united for one common object--the
promotion of culture and science and the encouragement of historical
studies,--I cannot help feeling I stand here somehow in the character
of a representative man. In tendering a welcome to Mr. Fréchette, our
honoured guest, I can add but little to the sentiments conveyed in the
resolution adopted at our last meeting and which you have heard read.
In presence of so many distinguished persons, several of whom have
made their mark, at the Bar--or on the Bench--the forum--in
literature--in the bank parlor or in the counting house,--with so many
fluent speakers here present and prepared to applaud, with all the
graces of oratory and fervour of patriotism,--the distinction
conferred on French Canada, by the highest literary tribunal in
France--convinced myself of the honour which Mr. Fréchette's laurels
must confer on this ancient and picturesque Province of Quebec, with
its glorious though yet unrevealed destinies, I feel proud as a
Canadian in standing here, the bearer even of a solitary rosebud for
the fragrant _bouquet_, which a grateful country offers this
night to its gifted child. Alas! had not the relentless hand [32] of
death--had not a self-imposed fate, darker even than death, removed
from our midst, another "mind pregnant with celestial fire," Canada
this night might possibly have counted two laurel-crowned poets--Louis
Honoré Fréchette and Octave Crémazie. For I am not one of those who
refuse to recognize Canadian talent; on the contrary, I feel myself
moved to rejoice in our wealth of intellect. I am reminded to be
brief; around me there is a surging stream of eloquence ready to burst
through its floodgates. I must give way. With your permission, I shall
therefore merely ask a question. What propitious turn of fortune?
which of the benign fairies who watched over his natal hour has Mr.
Fréchette to thank for his present success? How came it to pass that,
though he was born a poet, he should have to undergo an ordeal like
another great poet (whom posterity may specially claim as an
historian) the author of the "Lays of Ancient Rome," of emancipating
himself from his earthy--at one time not burdensome--thraldom before
soaring on the wings of poesy to that lofty region, where his classic
diction and lyric power attracted the attention of those worthy but
fastidious gentlemen, yclept "The Forty Immortals of the French
Academy." I have mentioned a very illustrious name in the Republic of
Letters,--a name as dear to Britain as that of our Laureate ought to
be to Canada--that of Macaulay--historian, essayist, poet. You all
know how his parliamentary defeat as candidate for Edinburgh in 1847,
rescued him forever from the "dismal swamp" of politics, providing his
wondrous mind, with leisure to expand and mature, in the green fields
of literature. If New France has not yet produced such a gorgeous
genius as he, of whom all those who speak Chatham's tongue are so
justly proud, it has however out of its sparse population of one
million, put forth a representative whom Old France with its thirty-
eight millions has deemed a fit subject to honour in an unmistakable
way. Shall I tell you how, figuratively, if you should prefer, ended
for Fréchette the "day of tumult"?
That _Ignis Fatuus_, ambition, has allured, as you are aware,
more than one youthful fowler to an uncertain swampy hunting ground,
called "politics." Mr. Fréchette was one of the unfortunate. This game
preserve, I pronounce "uncertain" because owing to several
inexplicable eventualities sportsmen innumerable, therefrom return
empty handed, whilst others, Mr. Chairman, make up, we know, pretty
good bags. The Son of Apollo, whilst thus hunting one gruesome, windy
morning, fortunately for us, sank in a boggy, yielding quicksand.
Luckily he extricated himself in time, and on reaching the margin of
the swamp, there stood an old pet of his tethered as if waiting for
its loved rider, a vigorous Norman or Percheron steed. Our friend
bestrode him, cantered off, and never drew rein until he stood,
panting perhaps, but a winner in the race, on the top of a mount,
distant and of access arduous, called Parnassus.
In conclusion, Mr. LeMoine quoted the memorable lines from Macaulay,
written the night when his parliamentary defeat at Edinburgh, in 1847,
restored him to letters:--
The day of tumult, strife, defeat, was o'er,
Worn out with toil, and noise, and scorn, and spleen,
I slumbered and in slumber saw once more
A room in an old mansion, long unseen.
That room, methought, was curtained from the light;
Yet through the curtains shone the moon's cold ray
Full on a cradle, where, in linen white,
Sleeping life's first sleep, an infant lay.
* * * * *
And lo! the fairy queens who rule our birth
Drew nigh to speak the new-born baby's doom:
With noiseless step, which left no trace on earth,
From gloom they came, and vanished into gloom.
Not deigning on the boy a glance to cast
Swept careless by the gorgeous Queen of Gain.
More scornful still, the Queen of Fashion passed,
With mincing gait and sneer of cold disdain.
The Queen of Power tossed high her jewelled head
And o'er her shoulder threw a wrathful frown.
The Queen of Pleasure on the pillow shed
Scarce one stray rose-leaf from her fragrant crown.
Still fay in long procession followed fay;
And still the little couch remained unblest:
But, when those wayward sprites had passed away,
Came One, the last, the mightiest, and the best.
Oh! glorious lady, with the eyes of light,
And laurels clustering round thy lofty brow,
Who by the cradle's side didst watch that night,
Warbling a sweet strange music, who wast thou?
"Yes, darling; let them go," so ran the strain:
"Yes; let them go, gain, fashion, pleasure, power,
And all the busy elves to whose domain
Belongs the nether sphere, the fleeting hour.
"Without one envious sigh, one anxious scheme,
The nether sphere, the fleeting hour assign.
Mine is the world of thought, the world of dream,
Mine all the past, and all the future mine.
* * * * *
"Of the fair brotherhood who share my grace,
I, from thy natal day, pronounce thee free;
And, if for some I keep a nobler place,
I keep for none a happier than for thee.
* * * * *
"No; when on restless night dawns cheerless morrow,
When weary soul and wasting body pine,
Thine am I still in danger, sickness, sorrow,
In conflict, obloquy, want, exile, thine;
"Thine where on mountain waves the snowbirds scream,
Where more than Thule's winter barbs the breeze,
Where scarce, through lowering clouds, one sickly gleam
Lights the drear May-day of Antarctic seas;
* * * * *
"Amidst the din of all things fell and vile,
Hate's yell, and envy's hiss, and folly's bray,
Remember me!"
_FORT ST. LOUIS, CHÂTEAU ST. LOUIS, HALDIMAND CASTLE._
_CHÂTEAU ST. LOUIS._
In Professor Kalm's saunter round Quebec, his description of the public
edifices, in 1749, is worthy of note:
"The Palace (Château Saint Louis) says he, is situated on the west or
steepest side of the mountain, just, above the lower city. It is not
properly a palace, but a large building of stone, two stories high,
extending north and south. On the west side of it is a court-yard,
surrounded partly with a wall, and partly with houses. On the east
side, or towards the river, is a gallery as long as the whole
building, and about two fathoms broad, paved with smooth flags, and
included on the outside by iron rails, from whence the city and the
river exhibit a charming prospect. This gallery serves as a very
agreeable walk after dinner, and those who come to speak with the
Governor-General wait here till he is at leisure. The palace is the
lodging of the Governor-General of Canada, and a number of soldiers
mount the guard before it, both at the gate and in the court-yard; and
when the Governor, or the Bishop comes in or goes out, they must all
appear in arms and beat the drum. The Governor-General has his own
chapel where he hears prayers; however, he often goes to Mass at the
church of the _Récollets_, which is very near the palace."
Such it seemed, in 1749, to the learned Swedish naturalist and philosopher
Peter Kalm. How many rainbow tints, poetry and romance can lend to the
same object, we may learn from the brilliant Niagara novelist, William
Kirby! In his splendid historical novel "Le Chien d'Or," whilst venturing
on the boldest flights of imagination, he thus epitomises some striking
historical features of the state residence of the French Viceroys of
Canada.
"The great hall of the Castle of St. Louis was palatial in its
dimensions and adornment. The panels of wainscoting upon the walls
were hung with paintings of historic interest--portraits of the Kings,
Governors, Intendants and Ministers of State, who had been
instrumental in the colonization of New France.
"Over the Governor's seat hung a gorgeous escutcheon of the Royal
arms, draped with a cluster of white flags, sprinkled with golden
lilies--the emblems of French sovereignty in the colony; among the
portraits on the walls, beside those of the late (Louis XIV.,) and
present King (Louis XV)--which hung on each side of the throne--might
be seen the features of Richelieu, who first organized the rude
settlements on the St. Lawrence in a body politic--a reflex of feudal
France; and of Colbert, who made available its natural wealth and
resources, by peopling it with the best scions of the Mother Land--the
noblesse and peasantry of Normandy, Brittany and Aquitaine. There,
too, might be seen the keen, bold features of Cartier, the first
discoverer, and of Champlain, the first explorer of the new land, and
the founder of Quebec. The gallant, restless Louis Buade de Frontenac
was pictured there, side by side with his fair countess, called, by
reason of her surpassing loveliness, "The Divine." Vaudreuil, too, who
spent a long life of devotion to his country, and Beauharnois, who
nourished its young strength until it was able to resist, not only the
powerful confederacy of the Five Nations, but the still more powerful
league of New England and the other English Colonies. There, also,
were seen the sharp intellectual face of Laval, its first bishop, who
organized the church and education in the colony; and of Talon, wisest
of Intendants, who devoted himself to the improvement of agriculture,
the increase of trade, and the well being of all the King's subjects
in New France. And one more portrait was there, worthy to rank among
the statesmen and rulers of New France--the pale, calm, intellectual
features of Mère Marie de l'Incarnation--the first superior of the
Ursulines of Quebec, who in obedience to heavenly visions, as she
believed, left France to found schools for the children of the new
colonists, and who taught her own womanly graces to her own sex, who
were destined to become the future mothers of New France." (Page 109.)
It were difficult to group on a smaller and brighter canvass, so many of
the glorious figures of our storied past.
In the days of de Montmagny and later, the _Jesuits' Journal_ retraces gay
scenes at the Château in connection with the festivals of the patron
saints, of St. Joseph, whose anniversary occurred on the 19th March, and
of St. John the Baptist, whose _fête_ happened on the 24th June.
For a long time the old Château, was the meeting place of the Superior
Council.
"On any Monday morning one would have found the Superior Council in
session in the antechamber of the Governor's apartment, at the Château
St. Louis. The members sat at a round table, at the head was the
Governor, with the Bishop on his right and the Intendant on his left.
The councillors sat in the order of their appointment, and the
attorney-general also had his place at the board. As La Hontan says,
they were not in judicial robes, but in their ordinary dress and all
but the Bishop wore swords. The want of the cap and the gown greatly
disturbed the Intendant Meules, and he begs the Minister to consider
how important it is that the councillors, in order to inspire respect,
should appear in public in long black robes, which on occasions of
ceremony they should exchange for robes of red. He thinks that the
principal persons of the colony should thus be induced to train up
their children to so enviable a dignity; "and" he concludes, "as none
of the councillors can afford to buy red robes, I hope that the King
will vouchsafe to send out nine such; as for the black robes, they can
furnish those themselves."
"The King did not respond, and the nine robes never arrived. The
official dignity of the Council was sometimes exposed to trials
against which even red gowns might have proven an insufficient
protection. The same Intendant urges that the tribunal ought to be
provided immediately with a house _of its own_."
"It is not decent," he says, "that it should sit in the Governor's
antechamber any longer. His guards and valets make such a noise, that
we cannot hear each other speak. I have continually to tell them to
keep quiet, which causes them to make a thousand jokes at the
councillors as they pass in and out. As the Governor and the council
were often on ill terms, the official head of the colony could not
always be trusted to keep his attendants on their good behaviour."
(Parkman's _Old Regime_, p. 273.)
At other times, startling incidents threw a pall over the old pile. Thus
in August 1666, we are told of the melancholy end of a famous Indian
warrior: "Tracy invited the Flemish Bastard and a Mohawk chief named
Agariata to his table, when allusion was made to the murder of Chasy. On
this the Mohawk, stretching out his arm, exclaimed in a Braggart tone,
"This is the hand that split the head of that young man." The indignation
of the company may be imagined. Tracy told his insolent guest that he
should never kill anybody else; and he was led out and hanged in presence
of the Bastard. [33]
Varied in language and nationality were the guests of the Château in days
of yore: thus in 1693, the proud old Governor Frontenac had at one and the
same time Baron Saint Castin's Indian father-in-law, Madocawando, from
Acadia, and "a gentleman of Boston, John Nelson, captured by Villebon, the
nephew and heir of Sir Thomas Temple, in whose right he claimed the
proprietorship of Acadia, under an old grant of Oliver Cromwell."
(Parkman's _Frontenac_, p. 357.)
_FORT ST. LOUIS_
Ere one of the last vestiges of the _ancien régime_, Haldimand Castle,
disappears, a few details culled from reliable sources may not be
unacceptable, especially as by fire, repairs and the vicissitudes of time,
the changes are so great, as to render difficult the delineation of what
it originally formed part of in the past.
Grave misconceptions exist as to what constituted the stately residence of
our former Governors. Many imagine that the famous _Château St. Louis_,
was but one structure, whilst in reality, it was composed at one time of
three, viz:--Fort St. Louis, Château St. Louis and Haldimand Castle, the
present Normal School. The writer has succeeded in collecting together
nine views of the Fort and Château St. Louis since the days of Champlain
down to modern times. Champlain's "brass bell" is conspicuous in more than
one of the designs.
According to Father DuCreux, the first fort erected by Champlain on the
crest of the promontory, _arx aedificata in promontarii cuspidine_,
was not placed on the site of Dufferin Terrace, but at the south-east
point of the area, which is now occupied by the Grand Battery, north-east
of the present Parliament building and looking down on Sault-au-Matelot
street. Champlain subsequently removed it to a still more elevated site;
its bastions, towers and ramparts surrounded the space on which the former
Governor's residence, soldier's barracks, magazine, &c., were constructed.
"The fortress, says Bouchette, (Fort) of St. Louis covered about four
acres of ground, and formed nearly a parallelogram; on the western
side two strong bastions on each angle were connected by a curtain, in
the centre of which was a sallyport: the other faces presented works
of nearly a similar description, but of less dimensions." [34]
We may add that Fort St. Louis, shown on the plan of Quebec of 1660,
published by Abbé Faillon, and more plainly exhibited on Jeffery's map of
Quebec, published in London in 1760, disappears after the conquest. No
mention is made of it in 1775, and still less in 1784, as a fortress.
Champlain, in his deposition, [35] sworn to, on the 9th Nov. 1629, in
London, before the Right Worshipful Sir Henry Martin, Knight, Judge of the
High Court of Admiralty, describes minutely, the armament and belongings
of Fort St. Louis, on the 9th August 1629, when he surrendered it to the
Kirkes: cannon such as they were, and ammunition he seems to have had in
abundance, without forgetting what he styles "the murderers with their
double boxes or charges," a not excessively deadly kind of
_mitrailleuse_ or Gatling gun, we should imagine; the Fort also contained
a smith's forge, carpenter's tools, machinery for a windmill, and a
handmill to grind corn, a brass bell--probably to sound the tocsin, or
alarm, at the approach of the marauding savages of Stadacona, the array
of muskets--(thirteen complete)--is not formidable. Who was the maker of
his pistol-proof coats-of-mail?
_NEW CHÂTEAU ST. LOUIS._
"Such dusky grandeur clothed the height
Where the huge castle holds its state,
And all the steep slope down
Whose ridgy back heaves to the sky,
Piled deep and massy, close and high
Mine own romantic town."
(Scott's _Marmion_.)
"Few circumstances of discussion and enquiry, says Hawkins, are more
interesting than the history and fate of ancient buildings, especially
if we direct our attention to the fortunes and vicissitudes of those
who were connected with them. The temper, genius and pursuits of an
historical era are frequently delineated in the features of remarkable
edifices, nor can any one contemplate them without expressing
curiosity, concerning those who first formed the plan, and afterwards
created and tenanted the structure. These observations apply
particularly to the subject of this chapter.
The history of the ancient Castle of St. Louis, or Fort of Quebec, for
above two centuries the seat of Government in the Province (of
Quebec), affords subjects of great and stirring interest during its
several periods. The hall of the old Fort during the weakness of the
colony was often a scene of terror and despair at the inroads of the
persevering and ferocious Iroquois, who, having passed or overthrown
all the French outposts, more than once threatened the fort itself and
massacred some friendly Indians within sight of its walls. Here, too,
in intervals of peace, were laid those benevolent plans for the
religious instruction and conversion of the savages which at one time
distinguished the policy of the ancient governors. At a later era,
when, under the protection of the French kings, the province had
acquired the rudiments of military strength and power, the Castle of
St. Louis was remarkable as having been the site whence the French
governors exercised an immense sovereignty, extending from the Gulf of
St. Lawrence, along the shores of that noble river, its magnificent
lakes, and down the course of the Mississippi to its outlet below New
Orleans. The banner which first streamed from the battlements of
Quebec was displayed from a chain of forts which protected the
settlements throughout this vast extent of country, keeping the
English colonies in constant alarm, and securing the fidelity of the
Indian nations. During this period the council-chamber of the castle
was the scene of many a midnight vigil [36]--many a long deliberation
and deep-laid project to free the continent from the intrusion of the
ancient rival of France and assert the supremacy of the Gallic lily.
At another era, subsequent to the surrender of Quebec to the British
armies, and until the recognition of the independence of the United
States, the extent of empire of the government of which the Castle of
Quebec was the principal seat, comprehended the whole American
continent north of Mexico. It is astonishing to reflect for a moment,
to how small, and, as to size, comparatively insignificant an island
in the Atlantic ocean this gigantic territory was once subject. Here
also was rendered to the representative of the French king, with all
its ancient forms, the fealty and homage of the noblesse and military
retainers, who held possessions in the province under the crown. A
feudal ceremony, suited to early times, which imposed a real and
substantial obligation on those who performed it, not to be violated
without forfeiture and dishonour. The king of Great Britain having
succeeded to the rights of the French crown, this ceremony is still
retained.
"Fealty and homage is rendered at this day (1834) by the seigniors to
the Governor, as the representative of the sovereign, in the following
form: His Excellency being in full dress and seated in a state chair,
surrounded by his staff, and attended by the Attorney-General, the
seignior, in an evening dress and wearing a sword, is introduced into
his presence by the Inspector General of the Royal Domain and Clerk of
the Land Roll, and having delivered up his sword, and kneeling upon
one knee before the Governor, places his right hand between his and
repeats the ancient oath of fidelity; after which a solemn act is
drawn up in a register kept for that purpose, which is signed by the
Governor and the seignior, and countersigned by the proper officers."
--(Hawkin's _Picture of Quebec_.)
The historian, Ferland, _Notes sur les Registres de Notre Dame de
Quebec_, relates one of the earliest instances (1634) of the manner
the _foi et hommage_ was rendered. It is that of Jean Guion (Dion?)
vassal of Robert Giffard, seignior of Beauport: "Guion presents
himself in the presence of a notary, at the principal door of the
manor-house of Beauport; having knocked, one Boulle, farmer of
Giffard, opened the door and in reply to Guion's question, if the
seignior was at home, replied that he was not, but that he, Boulle,
was empowered to receive acknowledgments and homage for the vassals in
his name. After the which reply, the said Guion, being at the
principal door, placed himself on his knees, on the ground, with bare
head and without sword or spurs, and said three times these words:
'Monsieur de Beauport, Monsieur de Beauport, Monsieur de Beauport, I
bring you the faith and homage which I am bound to bring you on
account of my _fief_ Du Buisson, which I hold as a man of faith
of your seigniory of Beauport, declaring that I offer to pay my
seigniorial and feudal dues in their season, and demanding of you to
accept me in faith and homage as aforesaid.'" (Parkman's _Old
Regime_, p 246.)
"Of these buildings (says Bouchette), the Castle of St. Louis being
the most prominent object on the summit of the rock--will obtain the
first notice.
"It is a handsome stone building seated near the edge of a precipice,
* * and supported towards the steep by a solid work of masonry, rising
nearly half the height of the edifice, and surmounted by a spacious
gallery, * * * The whole pile is 162 feet long by 45 feet broad, and
three stories high * * * Each extremity is terminated by a small wing,
giving to the whole an easy and regular character.
"It was built shortly after the city was fortified with solid works,
* * *--for a long series of years it was neglected, so much as to be
suffered to go to decay, and ceasing to be the residence of the
Commander-in-Chief, was used only for the offices of Government until
the year 1808, when a resolution passed the Provincial Parliament for
repairing and beautifying it; the sum of £1,000 was at the same time
voted, and the work forthwith commenced.
"The money applied was inadequate to defray the expenses--upon the
grand scale the improvements were commenced, but an additional grant
was made to cover the whole charge, * * *
"Sir James Craig took possession of it, etc.
"The part properly called the Château occupies one side of the square
or court-yard; on the opposite side stands an extensive building
(Haldimand Castle) divided among the offices of Government, both civil
and military, that are under the immediate control of the Governor, it
contains also a handsome suite of apartments where the balls and other
public entertainments of the court are always given. During the
dilapidated state of the Château, this building was occupied by the
family of the Governors. Both the exterior and the interior are in a
very plain style, it forms part of the curtain that ran between the
two exterior bastions of the old fortress of St. Louis, adjoining it
are several other buildings of smaller size, appropriated to similar
uses, a guard house, stables, and extensive riding house, of these
works only a few vestiges remain, except the eastern wall, which is
kept in solid repair. The new guard house and stables, both fronting
the parade, have a very neat exterior, the first forms the arc of a
circle and has a colonnade before it, the stables are attached to the
riding house, which is spacious, and in every way well adapted to its
intended purpose, it is also used for drilling the city militia"--
(Bouchette's _Topography of Lower Canada_, 1815, p. 431-4.)
The brilliant biographer of "Frontenac" and author of the, "Old Regime,"
thus sums up from the official correspondence of the French Governors and
Intendants the foundation, reconstructions and alterations in the Fort and
Château.
"This structure," says Francis Parkman, "destined to be famous in
Canadian history, was originally built by Samuel de Champlain. The
cellar still remains under the wooden platform of the present Durham
(now Dufferin) Terrace. Behind the château was the area of the fort,
now an open square. In the most famous epoch of its history, the time
of Frontenac, the château was old and dilapidated, and the fort was in
sad condition." "The walls are all down," writes Frontenac in 1681,
"there are neither gates nor guard-houses, the whole place is open."
On this the new Intendant Meules was ordered to report what repairs
were needed. Meanwhile la Barre had come to replace Frontenac, whose
complaints he repeats. He says that the wall is in ruins for a
distance of a hundred and eighty _toises_. "The workmen ask 6,000
francs to repair it. I could get it done in France for 2,000. The cost
frightens me. I have done nothing."--(_La Barre au Ministre_, 1682).
Meules, however, received orders to do what was necessary, and, two
years later, he reports that he had rebuilt the wall, repaired the
fort, and erected a building, intended at first for the council,
within the area. This building stood near the entrance of the present
St. Louis street, and was enclosed by an extension of the fort wall.
Denonville next appears on the scene, with his usual disposition to
fault-finding. "The so-called château," he says (1685), "is built of
wood, and is dry as a match. There is a place where with a bundle of
straw it could be set on fire at any time,... some of the gates will
not close, there is no watchtower, and no place to shoot from."--
(_Denonville au Ministre_, 20 _Août_, 1685).
When Frontenac resumed the Government, he was much disturbed at the
condition of the château, and begged for slate to cover the roof, as
the rain was coming in everywhere. At the same time the Intendant
Champigny reports it to be rotten and ruinous. This was in the year
made famous by the English attack, and the dramatic scene in the hall
of the old building when Frontenac defied the envoy of Admiral Phipps,
whose fleet lay in the river below. In the next summer, 1691,
Frontenac again asks for slate to cover the roof, and for 15,000 or
20,000 francs to repair his mansion.
In the next year the king promised to send him 12,000 francs, in
instalments. Frontenac acknowledges the favour, and says that he will
erect a new building, and try in the meantime not to be buried under
the old one, as he expects to be every time the wind blows hard.--
(_Frontenac au Ministre_, 15 _Septembre_, 1692). A misunderstanding
with the Intendant, who had control of the money, interrupted the
work. Frontenac writes the next year that he had been "obliged to send
for carpenters during the night, to prop up the château, lest he
should be crushed under the ruins." The wall of the fort was, however,
strengthened, and partly rebuilt to the height of sixteen feet, at a
cost of 13,629 francs. It was a time of war, and a fresh attack was
expected from the English.--(_Frontenac et Champigny au Ministre_, 4
_Nov_, 1693). In the year 1854, the workmen employed in demolishing a
part of this wall, adjoining the garden of the château, found a copper
plate bearing an inscription in Latin as follows--
D. O. M.
Anno reparatae salutis
Millesimo sexcentesimo nonagesimo tertio
Regnante Augustissimo Invictissimo ac
Christianissimo Galliae Rege
Rege Ludovico Magno XIIII
Excellentissimus ac Illustrissimus Dnûs Dnux
Ludovicus de Buade
Comes de Frontenac, totius Novae Franciae
Semel et iterum Provex,
Ab ipsomet, triennio ante rebellibus Novae
Angliae incolis, hanc civitatem Quebecensem,
Obsidentibus, pulsis, fusis ac penitus
Devictis,
Et iterum hocce supradicto anno obsidionem
Minitantibus
Hanc arcem cum adjectis munimentis
In totius patriae tutelam populi salutem
Nec non in perfidae, tum Deo, tum suo Regi
Legitimo, gentis iterandum confusionem
Sumptibus regies oedificari
Curavit,
Ac primarium hunc lapidem
Posuit,
JOANNES SOULLARD, Sculpsit
(_Translation_)
"In the year of Redemption, 1693, under the reign of the Most August,
Most Invincible, and Most Christian King of France, Louis the Great,
fourteenth of that name, the Most Excellent Louis de Buade, Count of
Frontenac, Governor for the second time of all New France, seeing that
the rebellious inhabitants of New England, who three years ago were
repulsed, routed, and completely vanquished by him, when they besieged
this town of Quebec, are threatening to renew the siege this very
year, has caused to be built, at the expense of the King, this
Citadel, with the fortifications adjoining thereto, for the defence of
the country, for the security of the people, and for confounding again
that nation perfidious alike towards its God and its lawful King, and
he (_Frontenac_) has placed here this first stone."
A year later, the rebuilding of the château was begun in earnest.
Frontenac says that nothing but a miracle has saved him from being
buried under its ruins, that he has pulled everything down, and begun
again from the foundation, but that the money has given out.--
(_Frontenac au Ministre_, 4 _Nov._, 1694) Accordingly, he and the
Intendant sold six licenses for the fur trade, but at a rate unusually
low, for they brought only 4,400 francs.
The King hearing of this sent 6,000 more. Frontenac is profuse in
thanks, and at the same time begs for another 6,000 francs, "to
complete a work which is the ornament and beauty of the city" (1696).
The Minister sent 8,000 more, which was soon gone; and Frontenac drew
on the royal treasurer for 5,047 in addition. The Intendant complains
of his extravagance, and says that he will have nothing but
perfection; and that besides the château, he has insisted on building
two guard-houses, with mansard roofs, at the two sides of the gate. "I
must do as he says," adds the Intendant, "or there will be a quarrel."
(_Champigny au Ministre_, 13 _Oct._, 1697). In a letter written two
days after, Frontenac speaks with great complacency of his château,
and asks for another 6,000 francs to finish it. As the case was urgent
he sold six more licenses at 1,000 francs each, but he died too soon
to see the completion of his favorite work (1698). The new château was
not finished before 1700, and even then it had no cistern. In a pen
sketch of Quebec, on a manuscript map of 1699, preserved in the Dépôt
de Cartes de la Marine, the new château is distinctly represented. In
front is a gallery or balcony resting on a wall and buttresses at the
edge of the cliff. Above the gallery is a range of high windows, along
the face of the building, and over these a range of small windows and
a mansard roof. In the middle is a porch opening on the gallery, and
on the left extends a battery, on the ground now occupied by a garden
along the brink of the cliff. A water-colour sketch of the château
taken in 1804, from the land side, by William Morrison, Jr., is in my
possession. [37] The building appears to have been completely
remodelled in the interval. It is two stories in height, the mansard
roof is gone, and a row of attic windows surmount the second story. In
1809 it was again remodelled at a cost of ten thousand pounds
sterling, a third story was added, and the building, resting on the
buttresses which still remain under the balustrade of Durham
(Dufferin) Terrace, had an imposing effect when seen from the river.
It was destroyed by fire in 1834.--(Parkman's _Old Regime_.)
HALDIMAND CASTLE
After sketching Fort St. Louis, begun in 1624,--a refuge against the
Iroquois, and whose bastions rendered useless disappeared shortly after
the conquest, as well as giving the history of the Château St. Louis
proper, destroyed by fire 23rd January, 1834, it behoves us to close the
narrative with a short account of the origin of the wing or new building
still extant, and used since 1871 as the Normal School. This structure
generally, though improperly styled the _Old Château_, dates back to
the last century. On the 5th May, 1784, the corner stone was laid with
suitable ceremonies, by the Governor-General, Sir Frederick Haldimand; the
Château St. Louis had been found inadequate in size for the various
purposes required, viz.: a Vice-regal residence, a Council room for the
Legislative, the Executive and Judiciary Councils, &c.
The Province was rapidly expanding, as well as the Viceroy's levees,
official balls, public receptions, &c.; suites of rooms and stately
chambers, became indispensible.
The following incident occurred during its construction:--On the 17th
September, 1784, the workmen at the Château in levelling the yard, dug up
a large stone with a Maltese cross engraved on it, bearing the date
"1647." One of Wolfe's veterans, Mr. James Thompson, Overseer of Public
Works, got the masons to lay the stone in the cheek of the gate of the new
building. A wood-cut of the stone, gilt at the expense of Mr. Ernest
Gagnon, City Councillor in 1872, appeared in the _Morning Chronicle_
of the 24th June, 1880. Let us hope when the site shall be transferred,
that the Hon. Premier will have a niche reserved for this historic relic
as was so appropriately done by Sir H L Langevin, for the "Chien d'Or"
tablet when the new city Post Office was built in 1871-3.
Haldimand Castle soon became a building of note. On the 19th January,
1787, the anniversary of the Queen's Birthday--Charlotte of Mecklenburg,
consort of George III., the first grand reception was held there. In the
following summer, the future monarch of Great Britain, William IV., the
sailor prince, aged 22 years, visited his father's loyal Canadian lieges.
Prince William Henry had then landed, on 14th August, in the Lower Town
from H. M. frigate "Pegasus." Traditions repeat that the young Duke of
Clarence enjoyed himself amazingly among the _beau monde_ of Quebec,
having eyes for more than the scenic beauties of the "Ancient Capital,"
not unlike other worthy Princes who came after him.
"He took an early opportunity of visiting the Ursulines, and by his
polite and affable manner quite won the hearts of those worthy
ladies."--(_Histoire des Ursulines_, vol. III, p. 183.)
Sorel, in honour of his visit, changed its name into Fort William Henry.
Among other festivities at Quebec, Lord Dorchester, Governor-General, the
successor to Sir Frederick Haldimand, on the 21st August, 1787, treated H.
R. Highness to a grand pyrotechnic display. "Prince William Henry and his
company, being seated on an exalted platform, erected by the Overseer of
Public Works, James Thompson, over a powder magazine joining the end of
the new building (Haldimand Castle), while the fireworks were displayed on
an eminence fronting it below the _old_ Citadel."--(_Thompson's Diary._)
_THE QUEBEC AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY._
In the stately reception room of the Castle was founded, in 1789, the
_Quebec Agricultural Society_.
"On the 6th April, the rank and fashion, nobility and clergy of all
denominations, as well as commoners, crowded at the _Château St.
Louis_, to enter their names as subscribers to the Quebec Agricultural
Society, warmly patronized by his Excellency Lord Dorchester, Hon.
Hugh Finlay, Deputy Postmaster-General, was chosen Secretary.
The _Quebec Gazette_ of the 23rd April, 1789, will supply the names,
the list is suggestive on more points than one.
Rev. Philip Tosey, Military M. Pierre Florence, Rivière
Chaplain. Ouelle
T. Monk, Atty-Genl. T. Arthur Coffin
G. B. Taschereau, Esq. Capt. Chas. St. Ours.
Peter Stewart, Esq. Aug. Glapion, Sup. Jésuites.
Malcolm Fraser, Esq. A. Hubert, Curé de Québec.
William Lindsay, Esq. Juchereau Duchesnay, Esq.
J. B. Deschêneaux, Esq. L. de Salaberry, Esq.
John Lees, Esq. P. Panet, P.C.
John Renaud, Esq. M. Grave, Supérieur, Séminaire
John Young, Esq. John Craigie, Esq.
Mathew Lymburner, Esq. Berthelot D'Artigny, Esq.
John Blackwood, Esq. Perrault l'Aine, Esq.
M. L. Germain, fils. George Allsopp, Esq.
A. Panet, Esq. Robert Lester, Esq.
P. L. Panet, Esq. Alex. Davidson, Esq.
A. Gaspé, Esq., St. Jean Port The Chief Justice (W. Smith).
Joly. Hon. Hugh Finlay.
M. Ob. Aylwin. Hon. Thos. Dunn.
The Canadian Bishop. Hon. Edw. Harrison.
M. Bailly, Coadjutor. Hon. John Collins.
T. Mervin Nooth, Dr. Hon. Adam Mabane.
Henry Motz, Dr. Hon. J. G. C. DeLéry.
Jenkins Williams. Hon. Geo. Pownall.
Isaac Ogden, Judge of Admiralty. Hon. Henry Caldwell.
Messire Panet, Curé of Rivière Hon. William Grant.
Ouelle. Hon. Francois Baby.
Sir Thomas Mills. Hon. Saml. Holland.
François Dambourges, Esq. Hon. Geo. Davidson.
Capt. Fraser, 34th Regt. Hon. Chas. De Lanaudière.
Kenelm Chandler, Esq. Hon. LeCompte Dupré.
J. T. Cugnet, Esq. Major Mathews.
J. F. Cugnet, Esq. Capt. Rotson.
_THE LOYAL LEAGUE._
Could that patriotic feeling which, ten years later, in 1799, enlisted
Quebecers of all creeds to support Great Britain, then at war with
regicide France, have been inspired by the sturdy old chieftain, who
hailed from the Castle,--General Robert Prescott? It was indeed a novel
idea, that loyal league, which exhibited both R. C and Anglican Bishops,
each putting their hands in their pockets to help Protestant England to
rout the armies of the "eldest son of the Church," represented by the
First Consul; so general and so intense was the horror inspired by
revolutionary and regicide France.
Though in the past, as at present, attempts were occasionally made to
stir up discord amongst our citizens, there appears more than once,
traces of enlarged patriotism and loyalty to the mother country,
animating all classes. This seems conspicuous in the public invitation
by men of both nationalities, inserted in a public journal, for 1799,
to form a national fund in order to help England with the war waged
against France; this invitation not only bears the signatures of
leading English citizens, but also those of several Quebecers of
French extraction, rejoicing in old and historic names such as the
following."--(_Quebec, Past and Present_, page 244.)
Hon. William Osgood, C. Justice. John Young.
Hon. Francois Baby. Louis Dunière.
Hon. Hugh Finlay. J. Sewell.
Hon. J. A. Panet. John Craigie.
Hon. Thos. Dunn. Wm. Grant.
Hon. Ant. Juchereau Duchesnay Rob. Lester.
Hon. George Pownall. Jas. Sheppard, Sheriff.
Mr. Panet, one of the signers, was Speaker of our Commons for twenty-
two years later on. The city journals contain the names and amounts
subscribed, as follows:--
J. Quebec .................................. £300 0 0
Wm. Osgood ................................. 300 0 0
George Pownall ............................. 100 guineas
Henry Caldwell ............................. £300 0 0
George W. Taylor, .. per annum during war... 5 0 0
A. J. Baby, ............. " " ........ 5 0 0
Geo. Heriot, ............ " " ........ 50 0 0
Chs. De Léry, ........... " " ........ 12 0 0
John Blackwood, ......... " " ........ 10 0 0
Wm. Burns, .............. " " ........ 20 0 0
Le Séminaire de Quebec, . " " ........ 50 0 0
J. A. Panet, ............ " " ........ 30 0 0
John Wurtele, ........... " " ........ 4 0 0
Wm. Grant, .............. " " ........ 32 4 5
Wm. Bouthillier, ........ " " ........ 3 10 0
Juchereau Duchesnay, .... " " ........ 20 0 0
James Grossman, ......... " " ........ 10 0 0
Henry Brown, ............ " " ........ 0 10 0
Thos. Dunn, ............. " " ........ 66 0 0
Peter Boatson, .......... " " ........ 23 6 8
Antoine Nadeau, ......... " " ........ 0 6 0
Robert Lester, .......... " " ........ 30 0 0
Le Coadjutor de Quebec, . " " ........ 25 0 0
Thos. Scott, ............ " " ........ 20 0 0
Chs. Stewart, ........... " " ........ 11 2 2
Samuel Holland, ......... " " ........ 20 0 0
Jenkin Williams, ........ " " ........ 55 11 1
Francois Baby, .......... " " ........ 40 0 0
G. Elz. Taschereau, ..... " " ........ 10 0 0
M. Taschereau, Curé de St. Croix, " ........ 5 0 0
Thos. Taschereau, ....... " " ........ 5 0 0
Monro & Bell, ........... " " ........ 100 0 0
J. Stewart, ............. " " ........ 11 13 4
Louis Dumon, ............ " " ........ 23 6 8
Rev. Frs. de Montmollin, " " ........ 10 0 0
Xavier de Lanaudière, ... " " ........ 23 6 8
Peter Stewart, .......... " " ........ 11 2 2
Messire Raimbault, Ange-Gardien, " ........ 4 13 5
Messire Villase, Ste. Marie, " ........ 4 13 4
Messire Bernard Panet, Rivière Ouelle, ..... 5 0 0
Messire Jacques Panet, Islet, " ....... 25 0 0
See _Quebec Gazette_, 4th July, 1799.
See _Quebec Gazette_, 29th August, 1799.
_AN ANTIQUE STONE._
"Praetorian here, Praetorian there, I mind the bigging o't"--
(_The Antiquary_)
[Illustration: THE OLD CHÂTEAU STONE]
Some years back a spicy little controversy was waged among our Quebec
antiquarians as to the origin and real date of the stone in the wall
adjoining the _Old Château_, the two last figures of the inscription
being indistinct.
Was it 1646, 1647 or 1694? After deep research, profound cogitation
and much ink used in the public prints, 1647, the present date,
prevailed, and Mr. Ernest Gagnon, then a City Councillor, had this
precious relic restored and gilt at his cost.
The date 1647 also agrees with the Jesuits _Relation_, which states
that, in 1647, under Governor de Montmagny, one of the bastions was
lined with stone; additional light was thrown on this controversy, by
the inspection of a deed of agreement, bearing date at Fort St. Louis,
19th October, 1646, exhumed from the Court House vaults, and signed by
the stonemasons who undertook to _revetir de murailles un bastion qui
est au bas de l'allee du Mont Caluaire, descendant au Fort St. Louis_,
for which work they were to receive from _Monsieur Bourdon_, engineer
and surveyor, 2,000 _livres_ and a puncheon of wine.
This musty, dry-as-dust, old document gives rise to several enquiries.
One not the least curious, is the luxurious mode of life, which the
puncheon of wine supposes among stonemasons at such a remote period of
Quebec history as 1646. Finally, it was decided that this stone and
cross were intended to commemorate the year in which the Fort St.
Louis Bastion, begun in 1646, was finished, viz., 1647.
This historic stone, which has nothing in common with the
"Stone of Blarney
On the banks of Killarney,"
cropped up again more than a century later, in the days when Sergeant
Jas. Thompson, one of Wolfe's veterans, was overseer of public works
at Quebec--(he died in 1830, aged 98.) We read in his unpublished
diary. "The cross in the wall, September 17th, 1784. The miners at the
Château, in levelling the yard, dug up a large stone, from which I
have described the annexed figure (identical with the present), I
could wish it was discovered soon enough to lay conspicuously in the
wall of the new building, (Haldimand Castle), in order to convey to
posterity the antiquity of the Château St. Louis. However, I got the
masons to lay the stone in the cheek of the gate of new building."
Extract from _James Thompson's Diary_, 1759-1830.
Col. J. Hale, grandfather to our esteemed fellow townsman, E. J. Hale,
Esq., and one of Wolfe's companions-at-arms, used to tell how he had
succeeded in having this stone saved from the _débris_ of the Château
walls, and restored a short time before the Duke of Clarence, the
sailor prince (William IV), visited Quebec in 1787.
Occasionally, the Castle opened its portals to rather unexpected but, nor
the less welcome, visitors. On the 13th March, 1789, His Excellency Lord
Dorchester had the satisfaction of entertaining a stalwart woodsman and
expert hunter, Major Fitzgerald of the 54th Regiment, then stationed at
St. John, New Brunswick, the son of a dear old friend, Lady Emilia Mary,
daughter of the Duke of Richmond. This chivalrous Irishman was no less
than the dauntless Lord Edward Fitzgerald, fifth son of the Duke of
Leinster, the true but misguided patriot, who closed his promising career
in such a melancholy manner in prison, during the Irish rebellion in 1798.
Lord Edward had walked up on snowshoes through the trackless forest, from
New Brunswick to Quebec, a distance of 175 miles, in twenty-six days,
accompanied by a brother officer, Mr. Brisbane, a servant and two
"woodsmen." This feat of endurance is pleasantly described by himself.
Tom Moore, in his biography of this generous, warmhearted son of Erin,
among other dutiful epistles addressed by Lord Edward to his mother, has
preserved the following, of which we shall give a few extracts:--
QUEBEC, March 14, 1789.
DEAREST MOTHER,--I got here yesterday after a very long and, what some
people would think, a very tedious and fatiguing journey; but to me it
was, at most, only a little fatiguing, and to make up for that, it was
delightful and quite new. We were thirty days on our march, twenty-six
of which we were in the woods, and never saw a soul but our own party.
You must know we came through a part of the country that had always
been reckoned impassable. In short, instead of going a long way about,
we determined to try and get straight through the woods, and see what
kind of country it was. I believe I mentioned my party in a letter to
Ogilvie (his step-father) before I left St. Anne's or Fredericton: it
was an officer of the regiment, Tonny, and two woodsmen. The officer
and I used to draw part of our baggage day about, and the other day
steer (by compass), which we did so well, that we made the point we
intended within ten miles. We were only wrong in computing our
distances and making them a little too great, which obliged us to
follow a new course, and make a river, which led us round to Quebec,
instead of going straight to it. * * * I expect my leave by the first
despatches. * * * I shall not be able to leave this part of the world
till May, as I cannot get my leave before that. How I do long to see
you. Your old love, Lord Dorchester, is very civil to me. I must,
though, tell you a little more of the journey. After making the river,
we fell in with some savages, and travelled with them to Quebec; they
were very kind to us, and said we were "all one brother," "all one
indian." They fed us the whole time we were with them. You would have
laughed to have seen me carrying an old squaw's pack, which was so
heavy I could hardly waddle under it. However, I was well paid
whenever we stopped, for she always gave me the best bits and most
soup, and took as much care of me as if I had been her own son; in
short, I was quite _l'enfant chéri_. We were quite sorry to part:
the old lady and gentleman both kissed me very heartily. I gave the
old lady one of Sophia's silver spoons, which pleased her very much.
When we got here, you may guess what figures we were. We had not
shaved nor washed during the journey; our blanket-coats and trousers
all worn out and pieced, in short, we went to two or three houses and
they would not let us in. There was one old lady, exactly the
_hôtesse_ in Gil Blas, _elle me prit la mesure du pied jusqu'à
la tête_, and told me there was one room, without a stove or bed,
next a billiard room, which I might have if I pleased, and when I her
told we were gentlemen, she very quietly said, "I dare say you are,"
and off she went. However, at last we got lodgings in an ale house,
and you may guess ate well and slept well, and went next day well
dressed, with one of Lord Dorchester's aide-de-camps to triumph over
the old lady; in short, exactly the story in Gil Blas.
We are quite curiosities here after our journey, some think we were
mad to undertake it, some think we were lost; some will have it we
were starved; there were a thousand lies, but we are safe and well,
enjoying rest and good eating, most completely. One ought really to
take these fillips now and then, they make one enjoy life a great deal
more.
The hours here are a little inconvenient to us as yet; whenever we
wake at night we want to eat, the same as in the woods, and as soon as
we eat we want to sleep. In our journey we were always up two hours
before day, to load and get ready to march, we used to stop between
three and four, and it generally took us from that till night to
shovel out the snow, cut wood, cook and get ready for night, so that
immediately after our suppers we were asleep, and whenever any one
awakes in the night, he puts some wood on the fire, and eats a bit
before he lies down again; but for my part, I was not much troubled
with waking in the night.
"I really do think there is no luxury equal to that of lying before a
good fire on a good spruce bed, after a good supper, and a hard moose
chase in a fine clear frosty moonlit starry night. But to enter into
the spirit of this, you must understand what a moose chase is: the man
himself runs the moose down by pursuing the track. Your success in
killing depends on the number of people you have to pursue and relieve
one another in going first (which is the fatiguing part of snow-
shoeing), and on the depth and hardness of the snow, for when the snow
is hard and has a crust, the moose cannot get on, as it cuts his legs,
and then he stops to make battle. But when the snow is soft, though it
be above his belly, he will go on three, four or five days, for then
the man cannot get on so fast, as the snow is heavy and he only gets
his game by perseverance--an Indian never gives him up." Then follows
a most graphic description of a hunt--closing with the death of the
noble quarry.
"Pray," continues Lord Edward, "write to uncle Richmond, I would write
if there was time, but I have only time to fill up this."
Tom Moore adds, that the plan of Lord Edward's route through the woods
was forwarded from Quebec to the Duke of Richmond, by Mr. Hamilton
Moore, in a letter dated Quebec, May 22nd, 1789, this letter closes
with the following:--"Lord Edward has met with the esteem and
admiration of all here."
In a subsequent epistle to Mr. Ogilvie, his step-father, dated
"Quebec, 12th April, 1789," Lord Edward mentions the death of the
Lieut.-Governor of Quebec (Major Patrick Bellew). "It is a place of
£1,600 a year, and I think would do well for Charles. The day before
he died I was in treaty for his Lieut.-Colonelcy in the 44th
Regiment."
Later, on 4th May, 1789, he writes from Montreal, and speaks
gratefully of the open-handed hospitality extended to him, and of the
kind lady friends he met at Quebec. (Page 67.)
Alas! generous youth, what foul fiend, three year later, inspired you,
with Tom Paine as your adviser, to herd at Paris with the regicide crew,
and howl the "_Carmagnole_" and "_Çà Ira_," with the hideous monsters who
revelled in blood under the holy name of liberty?
Again, one follows the patriotic Irish nobleman, in 1793, plighting his
faith to a lovely and noble bride, Pamela Sims, the youthful daughter of
the Duke of Orleans, by Madame de Genlis.
A few short years and the ghastly phantom of death, in a dismal prison, in
the dearly loved land of his birth, spreads a pall over what might have
been to his unfortunate country, a career full of honour. Alas! brave,
noble Edward! Poor, pretty little Pamela, alas!
The Castle had its sunshine and its shadows. Many still survive to tell of
an impressive, and gloomy pageant. On the 4th September, 1819, previous to
their transfer to the chancel of the Anglican Cathedral, were exposed in
state in the Château, the mortal remains of the late Governor-General, His
Grace Charles Gordon Lennox, Duke of Richmond, Lennox and Aubigny, who, on
the 28th August, 1819, had died of hydrophobia.
The revolving wheel of time ushers in, with his successor, other actors,
and other scenes. One likes to recall the presence there of a graceful and
noble Chatelaine, his daughter, Lady Sarah Lennox, the devoted wife of the
administrator of the Government of Lower Canada, Sir Peregrine Maitland,
"a tall, grave officer, says Dr. Scadding, always in military undress, his
countenance ever wearing a mingled expression of sadness and benevolence,
like that which one may observe on the face of the predecessor of Louis
Philippe, Charles the Tenth," whose current portraits recall, not badly,
the whole head and figure of this early Governor of Upper Canada.
"In an outline representation which we (Dr. Scadding) accidentally
possessed, of a panorama of the battle of Waterloo, on exhibition in
London, the 1st Foot Guards were conspicuously to be seen, led on by
'Major General Sir Peregrine Maitland.'" [38]
With persons of wider knowledge, Sir Peregrine was invested With
further associations. Besides being the royal representative in these
parts, he was the son-in-law of Charles Gordon Lennox, fourth Duke of
Richmond, a name that stirred chivalrous feelings in early Canadians
of both Provinces; for the Duke had come to Canada as Governor-in-
Chief, with a grand reputation acquired as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland,
and great benefits were expected, and probably would have been
realized, from his administration, had it been of long continuance.
But he had been suddenly removed by an excruciating death. Whilst on a
tour of inspection in the Upper Province, he had been fatally attacked
by hydrophobia, occasioned by the bite of a pet fox. The injury had
been received at Sorel; its terrible effects were fatally experienced
at a place near the Ottawa river called Richmond.
Some of the prestige of the deceased Duke continued to adhere to Sir
Peregrine Maitland, for he had married the Duke's daughter, a graceful
and elegant woman, who was always at his side here (York, now
Toronto), and at Stanford Cottage across the lake. She bore a name not
unfamiliar in the domestic annals of George III., who once, it is
said, was enamored of a beautiful Lady Sarah Lennox, grandmother, as
we suppose, or some other near relative of the Lady Sarah Lennox here
before us. However, conversationists whispered about (in confidence)
something supposed to be unknown to the general public, that the match
between Sir Peregrine and Lady Sarah had been effected in spite of the
Duke. The report was that there had been an elopement, and it was
naturally supposed that the party of the sterner sex bad been the most
active agent in the affair. To say the truth, however, in this
instance it was the lady who precipitated matters. The affair occurred
at Paris, soon after the Waterloo campaign. The Duke's final
determination against Sir Peregrine's proposals having been announced,
the daughter suddenly withdrew from the father's roof, and fled to the
lodgings of Sir Peregrine, who instantly retired to other quarters.
The upshot of the whole thing, at once romantic and unromantic,
included a marriage and a reconciliation, and eventually a Lieutenant-
Governorship for the son-in-law, under the Governorship-in-Chief of
the father, both despatched together to undertake the discharge of
vice-regal functions in a distant colony. At the time of his marriage
with Lady Sarah Lennox, Sir Peregrine had been for some ten years a
widower. [39] After the death of the Duke of Richmond, Sir Peregrine
became administrator, for a time of the general government of British
North America.
One of the Duke of Richmond's sons was lost in the ill-fated steamer
_President_ in 1840. In December, 1824, Sir Peregrine revisited Quebec
with Sir Francis Burton, Lieutenant-Governor, in the _Swiftsure_, steamer
escorting some very distinguished tourists. A periodical notices the
arrivals at the old Château as follows:--
"Sir Peregrine is accompanied by Lord Arthur Lennox, Mr. Maitland,
Colonels Foster, Lightfoot, Coffin and Talbot, with the Hon. E. G.
Stanley (from 1851 to 1869 Earl of Derby), grandson of Earl Derby, M.
P. for Stockbridge; John E. Denison, Esq., (subsequently Speaker of
the House of Commons), M. P. for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and James S.
Wortley, Esq. (afterwards Lord Wharncliffe), M. P. for Bossiney in
Cornwall. The three latter gentlemen are upon a tour in this country
from England, and we are happy to learn, that they have expressed
themselves as being highly gratified with all they have hitherto seen
in Canada."--(_Canadian Review_, 1824.)
Quebecers will be pleased to learn that the name of Sir Peregrine Maitland
is pleasantly preserved by means of Maitland Scholarships in a grammar
school for natives at Madras, and by a Maitland Prize in the University of
Cambridge. Sir Peregrine, as patron of education, opened an era of
progress which his successors Lords Elgin, Dufferin and Lorne have
continued in a most munificent manner.
A curious glimpse of high life at Quebec, in the good old days of Lord
Dalhousie, is furnished in a letter addressed to _Delta_, of Blackwood's
Magazine, by John Galt, the novelist, the respected father of our gifted
statesman, Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt. [40]
The talented author of the "_Annals of the Parish_," after expatiating on
the dangers he had that day incurred in crossing over from Levis to Quebec
in a canoe, among the ice-floes, thus alludes to the winter amusements:--
QUEBEC, 22nd February, 1827.
MY DEAR SIR,--I am under very great obligations to you. A copy of the
"Laird" having come to the castle from the New York publishers, Lady
Dalhousie lent it to me. * * * I am much pleased with Quebec. It is at
present filled with Highland regiments, in which I have many
acquaintances and the hospitality of the other inhabitants is also
unbounded, for the winter suspends all business, and pleasure is
conducted as if it were business. The amateurs have a theatre, and I
wrote a piece for them, in which a Londoner, a Glasgow merchant, an
Irish girl, a Yankee family and a Highlander were introduced. It was
adapted entirely to the place, and in quiz of a very agreeable custom
--of everybody calling on strangers. Dr. Dunlop performed the
Highlander beyond anything I ever saw on the regular stage. The whole
went off with more laughter than anything I have ever seen, for the
jokes being local and personal (supplied by upwards of thirty
contributors), every one told with the utmost effect."
"This farce, says Delta, composed at Quebec by J. Galt, and performed
there before the Earl of Dalhousie (then Governor-General), was named
"The Visitors, or a Trip to Quebec," and was meant as a good humoured
satire on some of the particular usages of the place. An American
family figured as the visitors, and the piece opened with a scene in
an hôtel, when a waiter brings in a tea-tray loaded with cards of
callers, and the explanation of the initials having had reference to
people, many of whom were present at the performance, tended much to
make the thing pass off with great éclat. It seems that a custom
prevails there to a punctilious extent, of all the inhabitants of a
certain grade calling upon strangers and leaving their cards.
"This flash of harmless lightning, however, assumed somewhat of a
malignant glare when seen from the United States. The drift of the
performance was, it seems, hideously misrepresented by some of the
newspapers, and it was said that Mr. Galt had ungratefully ridiculed
the Americans, notwithstanding the distinction and hospitality with
which they had received him. It thus came to pass that he promised,
when next in New York, to write another farce, in which liberty as
great should be taken with his own countrymen. "An Aunt in Virginia"
was the product of this promise, and with the alterations mentioned
and a change of scene from New York to London, it was published under
the name of "Scotch and Yankees.""
A volume would not suffice to detail the brilliant receptions, gay routs,
_levees_, state balls given at the Castle during Lord Dorchester's
administration--the lively discussions--the formal protests originating
out of points of precedence, burning _questions de jupons_ between
the touchy magnates of the old and those of the new _regime_. Whether
la Baronne de St. Laurent would be admitted there or not? Whether a de
Longueuil's or a de Lanaudière's place was on the right of Lady Maria, the
charming consort of His Excellency Lord Dorchester--a daughter of the
great English Earl of Effingham? Whether dancing ought to cease when their
Lordships the Bishops entered, and made their bow to the representative of
royalty? Unfortunately Quebec had then no Court Journal, so that following
generations will have but faint ideas of all the witchery, the stunning
head-dresses, the _décolletées_, high-waisted robes of their stately
grandmothers, whirled round in the giddy waltz by whiskered, épauletted
cavaliers, or else courtesying in the demure _menuet de la cour_.
In August, 1796, when Isaac Weld, Jr., visited Quebec, he describes the
old part of the château as chiefly taken up with the public offices, all
the apartments in it, says he, "are small and ill-contrived; but in the new
part (Haldimand Castle) which stands in front of the other, facing the
square (the ring), they are spacious and tolerably well furnished, but
none of them can be called elegant. This part is inhabited by the
Governor's family. * * * * Every evening during summer, when the weather
is fine, one of the regiments of the garrison parades in the open place
before the château, and the band plays for an hour or two, at which time
the place becomes the resort of numbers of the most genteel people of the
town, and has a very gay appearance." (_Weld's Travels through the States
of North America in_ 1795-6-7, vol. 1, p. 351)
In 1807, when the deadly duel between England and Imperial France was at
its height, Great Britain sent New France as her Viceroy, a military
Governor, equally remarkable for the sternness of his rule and for his
love of display, hence the name of "Little King Craig," awarded to Sir
James Craig. To meet his requirements the House of Assembly voted in 1808,
a sum of £7,000 to repair the Château St. Louis. Sir James took up his
quarters in the interim, in Castle Haldimand. The Château St. Louis
received an additional story and was much enlarged. In 1812 an additional
sum of £7,980 19s 4d was voted to cover the deficit in the repairs. Little
King Craig inhabited Château St. Louis during the winters of 1809-10-11,
occupying Spencer Wood during the summer months. The _Château_ stables
were subsequently converted into a riding school, afterwards into a
theatre, where the exhibition of Harrison's Diorama caused the awful
tragedy of 12th June, 1846. [41] The Earl of Durham, in 1838, struck with
the commanding position of this site, had the charred ruins of the old
Château removed and erected a lofty platform which soon was called after
him "Durham Terrace."
In 1851-2-3-4, Haldimand Castle was repaired at a cost of $13,718.42. In
1854, Hon. Jean Chabot, member for Quebec and Commissioner of Public
Works, had Durham Terrace much enlarged; the adjoining walls were repaired
at an expense of $4,209.92. More expenditure was incurred in 1857. When
the Laval Normal School was installed there, Bishop Langevin, then
Principal, had the wing erected where the chapel stands. The vaulted room
used as a kitchen for the Laval Normal School, was an old powder magazine;
it is the most ancient portion of the building. The present Castle was, by
Order in Council of 14th February, 1871, transferred by the Dominion
authorities to the Government of the Province of Quebec, together with
Durham Terrace, the Sewell Mansion, facing the Esplanade (Lieutenant-
Governor's office), also, the site and buildings of the Parliament House,
on Mountain Hill.
The extension of this lofty and beautiful Terrace, suggested to the City
Council by the City Engineer in his report of 1872, necessarily formed a
leading feature in the splendid scheme of city improvements, originated by
the Earl of Dufferin, with the assistance of Mr. Lynn, an eminent Irish
engineer, and of our City Engineer, le Chevalier Baillairge. An appeal was
made by a true and powerful friend to Quebec (Lord Dufferin) to our
gracious Sovereign, who contributed munificently from her private purse,
for the erection of the new gate, called after her late father, the Duke
of Kent--Kent Gate, in remembrance of his long sojourn (1791-4) in this
city. Large sums were also granted by the Dominion, it is thought, chiefly
through the powerful influence of Lord Dufferin, seconded by Sir H. L.
Langevin; an appeal was also made for help to the City Council and not in
vain; it responded by a vote of $7,500.
The front wall was built at the expense of the Dominion Government, and
occupies part of the site of the old battery, erected on that portion of
the château garden granted to Major Samuel Holland in 1766.
The length of Dufferin Terrace is 1420 feet, and it is 182 feet above the
level of the St. Lawrence. It forms part of the city fortifications. The
site can be resumed by the Commander of the Forces (the Governor-General)
whenever he may deem it expedient for objects within the scope of his
military authority.
Durham Terrace, increased to four times its size, now forms a link in the
Dufferin plans of city embellishment, of which the corner stone was laid
by the Earl of Dufferin on the 18th October, 1878, and was authentically
recognized as "Dufferin Terrace" in April and May, 1879, in the official
records of the City Council; several iron plates were inserted in the
flooring with the inscription, "_Dufferin Terrace, H. Hatch, contractor,
C. Baillairge, engineer._" But a famous name of the past, which many
loved to connect with this spot--that of Louis de Buade, Count de
Frontenac, was not forgotten. The Literary and Historical Society of
Quebec, on the 18th April, 1879, presented to the City Council a petition,
asking among other things, that one of the handsome kiosks on the Terrace
should bear the name of Frontenac; their prayer was granted, and by a
resolution moved on 9th May, 1879, by Mr. P. Johnson, C.C., and seconded
by Alderman Rhéaume, the five kiosks of Dufferin Terrace were named
_Victoria, Louise, Lorne, Frontenac, Plessis_.
It is the site of the present Normal School, adjacent to this historic
spot, which has been selected for the palatial hotel in contemplation.
LAYING OF CORNER STONE OF DUFFERIN TERRACE
"The laying of the corner stone of Dufferin Terrace took place the
same day (18th Oct., 1878) as that of the two city gates, the St.
Louis and the Kent Gate. The ceremony was performed in the presence of
thousands. His Worship the Mayor (R. Chambers) received His Excellency
the Earl of Dufferin, and with him were present many of the Aldermen
and Councillors, with the City Engineer and contractors, the members
of the Judiciary, Consul-General of Spain, Consuls of France, Belgium
and the United States, Dean Stanley, of London, England; Mrs.
Stevenson, sister to the Countess of Dufferin, Messrs. Russell
Stevenson, R. R. Dobell, Simon Peters, Dr. Marsden, Jas. Motz, many
ex-Aldermen and ex-Councillors, Alexander Woods, Chairman of the
Harbour Commission, W. S. Desbarats, W. G. Sheppard, Wm. White, Very
Revd. H. Hamel, His Lordship Judge Taschereau, late of the Supreme
Court, Hon. Judge H. Taschereau, Judge of the Superior Court, &c.
"A handsome trowel and mallet were handed to His Excellency the
manufacture of Mr. Cyrille Duquet. On the face of the trowel a
splendid likeness of the Governor-General was embossed, and an
appropriate inscription was engraved thereon. On the plate of the
foundation stone the inscription reads as follows:--"Dufferin
Terrace, laid by His Excellency the Earl of Dufferin, Governor-General
of the Dominion of Canada, on the 18th day of October, 1878, in
presence of the Dominion and city authorities and dignitaries, and an
immense concourse of people from all parts of Canada, also His Honor
Luc Letellier de St. Just, Lieut.-Governor of the Province of Quebec,
R. Chambers, Esq., Mayor of the city of Quebec. City Aldermen--Hon.
John Hearn, Patrick Henchey, Louis Bourget, R. F. Rinfret, Francois
Gingras, J. P. Rhéaume, Germain Guay, F. O. Vallerand, Esqs. City
Councillors--Onésime Beaubien, Andrew Hatch, Guillaume Bouchard, F. X.
Langevin, Jean Docile Brosseau, Francis McLaughlin, John C. Burns,
William McWilliam, William Convey, J. F. Peachy, John Delaney, F. W.
Roy, Peter Johnston, Willis Russell, Charles Brochu, Richard Turner,
Esqs. City Clerk--L. A. Cannon, Esq. City Treasurer--C. J. L.
Lafrance, Esq. City Accountant--M. F. Walsh, Esq. City Legal Adviser--
L. G. Baillairge, Esq. City Notary--A. G. Tourangeau, Esq. Owen
Murphy, Esq., ex-Mayor; Chas. Baillairge, Chevalier, City Engineer."
In the leaden box, placed within the stone, were laid mementoes of the
occasion, similar to those placed in the proper receptacle in the
stone laid in the morning at St. Louis Gate, with the addition of
beautifully executed portraits of Lord and Lady Dufferin, from the
studio of Messrs. Ellison & Co.
"His Excellency having given the _coup de grâce_ to the foundation
stone with the silver mallet, the proceedings were closed."--
(_Morning Chronicle_, 19th Oct., 1878.)
The new city gate erected on the site of the old St. Louis Gate, instead
of being called Dufferin Grate, as it had been contemplated, was allowed
to retain its time-honored name, St. Louis Gate; the public of Quebec,
however, were resolved that some conspicuous monument should recall to
Quebecers the fragrant memory of its benefactor, Lord Dufferin; on the
visit in June, 1879, of His Excellency Lord Lorne and H.R.H. the Princess
Louise, a request was made on them by the citizens, through their chief
executive officer, the Mayor of Quebec (R. Chambers), to name and open to
the public our world-famous Terrace. On the 9th June, 1879, our
distinguished visitors performed this auspicious ceremony in presence of
thousands, and in the following words confirmed the name previously
entered in the Corporation records:--
_INAUGURATION OF DUFFERIN TERRACE, 9th JUNE, 1879._
"According to notice previously given, the inauguration of Dufferin
Terrace occurred at half-past two o'clock in the afternoon. When that
hour arrived a mass of people variously estimated at from eight to
fifteen thousand, but probably containing about ten thousand, occupied
the Terrace. The appearance from an elevated place of this sea of
humanity was indeed wonderful. The band pavilion in the centre of the
garden had been reserved for the Viceregal party, and was covered in
carpet and scarlet cloth, with two chairs of state. The entrance to
the pavilion was kept by the City Police, while "B" Battery furnished
the band and guard of honour, and played the National Anthem as the
distinguished party arrived on the field.
The Mayor and members of the City Council had previously walked in a
body to the pavilion from the City Hall, and now His Worship conducted
His Excellency and Her Royal Highness to the dais, and addressing
himself to the Governor-General, said:--
"MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY.--On behalf of the Corporation and
citizens of Quebec, permit me to thank Your Excellency for acceding to
our request that you would be pleased to open in person this public
promenade, and also Her Royal Highness for graciously honouring us by
her presence.
"The corner stone of this structure was laid by Your Excellency's
predecessor, the Earl of Dufferin (18th Oct., 1878).
"It will be gratifying to the noble Lord to learn that the work in
which he took so lively an interest has been inaugurated by Your
Excellency, and that the ceremony was graced by the presence of Her
Royal Highness the Princess Louise.
"I have, therefore, respectfully to request that Your Excellency may
be pleased to give the name which the Terrace is henceforth to bear,
and to signify if it is the pleasure of Your Excellency that it be
opened to the public."
His Excellency replied:--"I am happy to accede to your request to
signify that this Terrace shall be called after your late Governor-
General, Dufferin, and that it is now open to the public."
Rounds of applause followed His Excellency's remarks, and loud cheers
were given for the Earl of Dufferin, Her Royal Highness and His
Excellency." (_Morning Chronicle_, 10th June, 1879.)
Parallel with Ste. Anne street, and terminated by Dauphin street, a
tortuous, rugged little lane, now known as St. Andrew's street, leads past
St Andrew's schoolhouse, to the chief entrance of the Presbyterian house
of worship; a church opened at the beginning of the century, repaired and
rendered quite handsome a few years ago, but much damaged by fire on the
30th April, 1881. In connection with the erection of this structure, a
document was recently exhumed from the archives of the Literary and
Historical Society, which throws much light on an important section of the
former population of the city. It is a memorial to His Majesty George
III., signed at Quebec on the 5th October, 1802, by the Rev. Dr Sparks'
congregation and by himself. The first incumbent of St. Andrew's Church--
commenced in 1809, and opened for worship on the 30th November, 1810--was
the Reverend Doctor Alexander Sparks, who had landed at Quebec in 1780,
became tutor in the family of Colonel Henry Caldwell at Belmont, St. Foye
road, and who died suddenly in Quebec, on the 7th March, 1819. Dr. Sparks
had succeeded to the Rev. George Henry, a military chaplain at the time of
the conquest; the first Presbyterian minister, we are told, who officiated
in the Province, and who died on the 6th July, 1795, aged 86 years.
One hundred and forty-eight signatures are affixed to this dusty document
of 1802.
A carefully prepared petition--it seems--to the King, asking for a site in
Quebec whereon to build a church--and suggesting that the lot occupied by
the Jesuits' Church, and where until 1878, stood the Upper Town, market
shambles, be granted to the petitioners, they being without a church, and
having to trust to the good will of the government for the use, on
Sundays, of a room in the Jesuits Barracks, as a place of worship. [42]
_Signatures to Memorial addressed to George III., asking for land in
Quebec to build a Presbyterian Church_:--
Alex. Sparks, Minister, A. Ferguson,
Jas. Thompson, Jr., Robert Eglison,
Fred. Grant, Robt. Cairns,
Jno. Greenshields, William A. Thompson,
Chas. G. Stewart, Wm. McWhirter,
James Sinclair, John McDonald,
John Urquhart, John Auld,
William Morrin, Bridget Young,
Jno. Eifland, Jno. Shaw,
John Barlie, Charles Hunter,
Geo. McGregor, Geo. Black,
Wm. Holmes, W. G. Hall,
James Ward, J. Gray,
Jno. Purss, F. Leslie,
Ann Watt, Robt. Wood,
J. Brydon, Lewis Harper,
Jno. Frazer, Mary Boyle,
James Somerville, A. Anderson,
J. A. Thompson, John Anderson,
Wm. Hall, Robt. Ross,
Wm. Thompson, Sr., Wm. Fraser,
D. Monroe, Wm. Hay,
J. Blackwood, Wm. McKay,
M. Lymburner, Robt. Harrower,
Francis Hunter, James Tulloch,
W. Rouburgh, Samuel Brown,
John McCord, Isaac Johnstone,
J. G. Hanna, Peter Leitch,
J. McNider, Henry Baldwin,
Adam Lymburner, Daniel Forbes,
Jno. Lynd, William Jaffray,
Peter Stuart, J. Hendry,
William Grant, John Thompson,
J. A. Todd, George Smith,
John Mure, Wm. Reed,
John Patterson, Alexander Harper,
John Crawford, Robert Marshall,
John Hewison, William White,
David Douglas, Thomas White,
George Wilde, John Taylor,
Fred. Petry, Adam Reid,
James Ross, James Irvine,
David Stewart, John Munro,
John Yule, Alexander Munn,
Angus McIntyre, Alexander Rea,
John Mackie, James Elmslie,
John Purss. Johnston, Charles Smith,
Wm. Thompson, Jr., Ebenezer Baird,
Con. Adamson, Lawrence Kidd,
Geo. Morrison, James McCallum,
Jno. Goudie, John Burn,
G. Sinclair, Joanna George,
Walter Carruthers, Maya Darling,
Wm. Petrie, William Lindsay,
John Ross, Janet Smith,
Wm. McKenzie, William Smith,
Thos. Saul, Henrietta Sewell,
J. Ross, Jr., Jane Sewell,
Ann Rose, C. W. Grant,
James Mitchell, Robert Ritchie,
Geo. King, George Pyke,
Alex. Thompson, Joseph Stilson,
James Orkney, Henry Hunt,
J. Neilson, George Thompson,
Daniel Fraser,
Quebec, 5th October, 1802.
Some of these signatures are suggestive. The most notable is probably that
of old Adam Lymburner, the cleverest of the three Lymburners, all
merchants at Quebec in 1775. [43] Adam, according to the historian
Garneau, was more distinguished for his forensic abilities and knowledge
of constitutional law, than for his robust allegiance to the Hanoverian
succession at Quebec, when Colonel Benedict Arnold and his New Englanders
so rudely knocked at our gates for admission in 1775.
According to Garneau and other historians, in the autumn of that memorable
year, when the fate of British Canada hung as if by a thread, Adam
Lymburner, more prudent than loyal, retired from the sorely beset fortress
to Charlesbourg, possibly to Château Bigot, a shooting box then known as
the "Hermitage," to meditate on the mutability of human affairs. Later on,
however, in the exciting times of 1791, Adam Lymburner was deputed by the
colony to England to suggest amendment's to the project of the
constitution to be promulgated by the home authorities. His able speech
may be met with in the pages of the _Canadian Review_, published at
Montreal in 1826. This St Peter street magnate attained four score and ten
years, and died at Russell Square, London, on the 10th January, 1836.
Another signature recalls days of strife and alarm: that of sturdy old
Hugh McQuarters, the brave artillery sergeant who, at _Près-de-Ville_
on that momentous 31st December, 1775, applied the match to the cannon
which consigned to a snowy shroud Brigadier-General Richard Montgomery,
his two _aides_, McPherson and Cheeseman, and his brave, but doomed
followers, some eleven in all; the rest having sought safety in flight. By
this record, it appears Sergeant McQuarters had also a son, in 1802, one
of Dr Sparks' congregation. Old Hugh McQuarters lived in Champlain street,
and closed his career there in 1812.
Another autograph, that of James Thompson, one of Wolfe's comrades--"a big
giant," as our old friend, the late Judge Henry Black, who knew him well,
used to style him, awakens many memories of the past. Sergeant James
Thompson, of Fraser's Highlanders, at Louisbourg in 1758, and at Quebec in
1759, came from Tain, Scotland, to Canada, as a volunteer to accompany a
friend-Capt. David Baillie, of the 78th. His athletic frame, courage,
integrity and intelligence, during the seventy-two years of his Canadian
career, brought him employment, honour, trust and attention from every
Governor of the colony from 1759 to 1830, the period of his death, he was
then aged 98 years. At the battle of the Plains of Abraham, James
Thompson, as hospital sergeant, was intrusted with the landing, at Point
Levi, of the wounded, who were crossed over in boats; he tells us of his
carrying some of the wounded from the crossing at Levi, up the hill, all
the way to the church at St. Joseph, converted into an hospital, and
distant three miles from the present ferry, a "big giant" alone could have
been equal to such a task. In 1775, Sergeant Thompson, as overseer of
Government works, was charged with erecting the palisades, fascines and
other primitive contrivances to keep out Brother Jonathan, who had not yet
learned the use of Parrot or Gatling guns and torpedoes. Later on, we find
the sturdy Highlander an object of curiosity to strangers visiting Quebec
--full of siege anecdotes and reminiscences--a welcome guest at the Château
in the days of the Earl of Dalhousie. In 1827, as senior Mason, he was
called on by His Excellency to give the three mystic taps with the mallet,
when the corner stone of the Wolfe and Montcalm monument was laid, in the
presence of Captain Young of the 79th Highlanders, and a great concourse
of citizens. About New Year's day, 1776, Mr. Thompson became possessed of
Gen. Montgomery's sword; it has since passed to his grandson, James
Thompson Harrower. Mr. James Thompson left several sons, some of whose
signatures are affixed to the document before us. John Gawler was Judge
for the District of Gaspé from 1828 to 1865; George received a commission
in the Royal Artillery; a third was Deputy Commissary General James
Thompson, who died in this city in 1869.
Old James Thompson expired in 1830, at the family mansion, St. Ursule
street, now occupied by his grandson, Mr. James Thompson Harrower.
When we name John Greenshields, D. Munro (the partner of the Hon. Matthew
Bell), J. Blackwood, Matthew Lymburner, Peter Stuart, William Grant, John
Mure, John McNider, J. G. Hanna, John Crawford, David Stewart (the David
Stewart of "Astoria" described by Washington Irving?) James Orkney, Robert
Wood, Alexander Munn, James McCallum, Thomas White, Fred. Petrie, Robert
Ritchie, we recall many leading merchants in St. Peter street, Notre Dame
street and the old _Cul-de-Sac_.
"Ebenezer Baird," we take to have been the progenitor of a well-remembered
Quebec Barrister, James E. Baird, Esq., the patron of our city member,
Jacques Malouin, Esquire.
George Pyke, a Halifax barrister, had settled here. He rose to occupy a
seat on the judicial bench.
Robert Harrower, was doubtless the father of Messrs. Robert, David and
Charles Harrower, of Trois Saumons, County of L'Islet. Honorable James
Irvine, in 1818, a member of the Legislative Council, was the grandfather
of the Hon. G. Irvine, of this city. The Hon. John Jones Ross, the present
Speaker of the Legislative Council, Quebec, traces back to the "James
Ross" of 1802, and the Hon. David Alex. Ross claims for his sire that
sturdy Volunteer of 1759, under Wolfe, "John Ross," who made a little
fortune; he resided at the house he purchased in 1765, near Palace Gate
within. He held a commission as a Captain in the British Militia in 1775,
under Colonel Le Maitre; we can recollect his scarlet uniform which he
wore in 1775, also worn in 1875, by his grandson, our worthy friend, Hon.
D. A. Ross, at the ball of the Centenary of the repulse of Brigadier-
General Richard Montgomery, 31st December, 1775. He had three sons, David
was Solicitor-General at Quebec; John was a lawyer also, and Prothonotary
at Quebec (the signer of the memorial of 1802); the third died young; of
three daughters, one was married to the Rev. Doctor Sparks, already
mentioned; a second was married to Mr. James Mitchell, A.C.G., and the
third to an army surgeon. John Ross, Sr., died at an advanced age. Charles
Grey Stewart, our Comptroller of Customs died in 1854; he was the father
of Messrs. McLean, Charles, Alexander, Robert and John Stewart, of Mrs.
William Price, of Mrs. William Phillips, of the Misses Ann and Eleanor
Stewart.
"Joanna George" the mother of an aged contemporary, Miss Elizabeth George,
and of [44] Miss Agnes George, the widow of the late Arch. Campbell, Esq.,
N.P., and grandmother of the present President of the St. Andrew's
Society, W. Darling Campbell, died about 1830.
"Maya Darling" was another daughter, and wife of Capt. Darling. "John
Burn," also one of the signers of the Memorial, and who afterwards settled
in Upper Canada, was the son of "Joanna George" by another marriage; the
eccentric and clever Quebec merchant, Mr. James George, was another son.
He was the first who suggested in 1822, a plan of the St. Charles River
Docks--the first who took up the subject of rendering the St. Lawrence
Rapids navigable higher than Montreal. The idea seemed so impracticable,
and what was still worse, so new, that the far-seeing Mr. George, was at
the time branded as _non compos_! and still for years the "Spartan,"
"Passport," "Champion" and other steamers have safely ran these rapids
daily every season!
James George had also suggested the practicability of Wooden Railways or
Tramways, with horses as locomotive power, forty years before the Civil
Engineer Hulburt built the Gosford Wooden Railway, with steam as
locomotive power.
"William Grant, of St. Roch's, after whom Grant street was called, was
member for the Upper Town of Quebec, during our two first Parliaments,
from 17th December, 1792, to 29th May, 1800, and from 9th January, 1805,
to period of his death at St. Roch in 1805. An enterprising and important
personage was the Hon. Wm. Grant, the Receiver General of the Province in
1770. He had married the widow of the third Baron de Longueuil.
"John Mure" represented the County of York (Vaudreuil) in three
Parliaments, from 9th January, 1805, to 26th February, 1810, and was
member for the Upper Town of Quebec, from 1810 to 1814. A man of
intelligence, he also, though a Presbyterian, became a benefactor to the
R. C. Church, having, in 1812, given to the R. C. parishioners of St.
Roch's, a site whereon to erect their church in that thriving suburb.
"John Blackwood" also represented the Upper Town in two Parliaments, from
9th April, 1809, to 20th February, 1810.
"Jane Sewell" was the wife of Stephen Sewell, Solicitor-General of Lower
Canada, brother to Chief Justice Sewell.
"Henrietta Sewell," one of the signers, survived ten years her husband,
the late Jonathan Sewell, Chief Justice for Lower Canada, who died in
Quebec in 1839. Chief Justice Sewell left a numerous progeny. [45]
"William Lindsay" was the father of the late William Burns Lindsay, for
years Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, and of our
venerable fellow-citizen, Errol Boyd Lindsay, Esq., Notary Public, now
more than four score years of age; he seems to have taken his surname from
Capt. Errol Boyd, in 1798, commander of the well remembered Quebec and
Montreal trader, the "Dunlop."
"William Smith," one of the last among the signers of the memorial, the
brother of Henrietta Smith, wife of Chief Justice Sewell, was the Hon.
William Smith, Clerk of the Legislative Council, and who, in 1815,
published his _History of Canada_, in two volumes, a standard work;
he was a descendant of the Hon. William Smith, a noted U. E. Loyalist, who
wrote the history of the State of New York, and landed at Quebec, 23rd
October, 1786. As a reward for his loyalty he had been made Chief Justice
of Lower Canada, 1st September, 1785; he died at Quebec, 6th December,
1793.
The names of six signers of the _Memorial to the King_, appear on the
list of the jury empanelled to try, in 1797, before Chief Justice Osgood,
David McLane for high treason, viz.: John Blackwood, John Crawford, David
Munro, John Mure, James Irvine, James Orkney. George Pyke was the Counsel
named _ex officio_, together with M. Franklin, to defend the misguided
Yankee.
The Jury stood thus;--
John Blackwood, James Irvine,
John Crawford, James Orkney,
John Painter, James Watson Goddard,
David Monro, Henry Cull,
John Mure, Robert Morrogh,
John Jones, George Symes.
Parloir street, well leavened with lawyers, leads to the _parloir_ of
the Ursulines. Here resided the late Judge de Bonne, at the dawn of the
present century. The locality is alive with memories of this venerable
seat of education, and with saintly and heroic traditions of Madame de la
Peltrie, Mère de l'Incarnation--Montcalm. "There exists," says the Abbé
Casgrain, "in the Ursuline Nunnery, a small picture, which portrays a
touching tradition of the early days of Canada: a painting executed by a
Canadian artist, from old etchings, preserved in the monastery. * * The
canvas represents the forest primeval, which mantled the promontory of
Quebec, at the birth of the Colony. In the centre of the picture may be
seen, amidst the maples and tall pines, the first monastery, founded in
1641 by Madame de la Peltrie. On its front stands forth in perspective the
dwelling which the founder had erected for her own use, three years later
on. The area comprised between these two edifices, is occupied by a
clearing, surrounded by a palisade, whereon are seen grazing a flock of
sheep. On the left side of the picture a broad avenue leads through the
forest:--the _Grand Allée_--later on St. Louis street, which leads to
the village of Sillery. Two horsemen, habited à la Louis XIV, meet on this
avenue, the one Monsieur d'Ailleboust, the Governor of the Colony, the
other is Monsieur DuPlessis Bochard, the Governor of Three Rivers. In the
midst of their interview, they are interrupted by an Indian Chief, who
offers them a beaver skin. A few steps from her residence, Madame de la
Peltrie is standing close to another Indian Chief, who, with head
inclined, seems in the attitude of listening to her in the most respectful
manner, whilst she, dignified and composed, is expounding to him the
sacred truths of faith. This scene presents an admirable contrast, with
another taking place close by; an Indian warrior is seen giving,
imperiously, his orders to a squaw,--his wife mayhap--but who, from her
downcast and humble look, seems more like his slave. A short distance from
this group, a missionary, (Father Jérôme Lalemant) after visiting some
wigwams, erected around the house of Madame de la Peltrie, is threading a
narrow path leading to the depths of the forest. The most attractive
feature about the painting is a group of young children, listening
attentively to the teachings of a nun, seated on the right, under the
shade of an ash tree. The impression created by this antique painting, is
the more delightful and vivid, because on turning one's gaze, at present,
from the picture, to the interior of the cloister, may still be seen the
hoary head of an old ash tree, under which tradition shows us the
venerable _Mother de l'Incarnation_, catechising the Indian children
and teaching the young girls of the colony." [46] After more than two
centuries of existence, the old ash tree succumbed lately to a storm.
Laval, Attorney-General Ruette D'Auteuil, Louis de Buade, Ste. Hélène ()
seem to come back to life in the ancient streets of the same name, whilst
Frontenac, Iberville, Piedmont, are brought to one's recollection, in the
modern thoroughfares. The old Scotch pilot, Abraham Martin, (who according
to the _Jesuits' Journal_, might have been a bit of a scamp, although
a church chorister, but who does not appear to have been tried for his
peccadiloes,) owned a domain of thirty-two acres of land in St. John's
suburbs, which were bounded towards the north, by the hill which now bears
his name (_La Côte d'Abraham_.)
Mythology has exacted a tribute on a strip of ground in the St. Louis
suburbs. The chief of the pagan Olympus boasts of his lane, "Jupiter
street," so called after a celebrated inn, Jupiter's Inn, on account of a
full sized statue of the master of Olympus which stood formerly over the
main entrance. In the beginning of the century, a mineral spring, of
wondrous virtue, attracted to this neighbourhood, those of our _bon
vivants_ whose livers were out of order. Its efficacy is now a thing of
the past!
That dear old street,--St. George street formerly,--now called after the
first settler of the Upper Town in 1617, _Louis Hébert_, by the erection
of the lofty Medical College and Laval University, for us has been shorn
of its name--its sunshine--its glory, since the home [47] of our youth, at
the east end, has passed into strange hands. It is now _Hébert_ street, by
order of the City council.
Opposite to the antique and still stately dwelling, lately owned by Jos.
Shehyn, M.P.P., is a house formerly tenanted by Mr. J. Dyke. In the
beginning of this century it was occupied by an old countryman,
remarkable, if not for deep scientific attainments, at least for shrewd
common sense and great success in life--Mr. P. Paterson, the proprietor of
the extensive mills at Montmorency--now owned by the estate of the late
George Benson Hall, his son-in-law.
Peter Paterson, about 1790, left Whitby, England, to seek his fortune in
Canada. His skill as a ship builder--his integrity of character and
business habits, pointed him out as a fit agent--later on as a partner in
a wealthy Baltic firm of London merchants who still have representatives
in the colony. At the time of Napoleon's continental blockade, the English
Government, seeing that the Baltic was closed for the supply of timber for
the navy, gave out a large contract to Messrs. Henry and John Usborne--of
London--for masts and oak. Usborne & Co., employed Mr. P. Paterson to
dress and ship this timber. A timber limit license, of portentous import,
authorizing the cutting of oak and masts for the navy in all British North
America, was issued. Under authority of this license, Mr. Paterson partly
denuded the shores of Lake Champlain as well as the Thousand Islands, of
their fine oak. Mr. Paterson was the first to float oak in rafts to
Quebec. He built a large mill at Montmorency, having exchanged his St.
George street house for the mill site at Montmorency. His mills have since
attained to great importance.
In the rear of (St. George--now) Hébert street loom out the lofty walls of
the Laval University, which received its Royal Charter in 1852. [48]
_THE LAVAL UNIVERSITY._
The main edifice is 298 feet in length, five stories high; a plain,
massive structure of cut-stone, much improved in appearance since the
addition, in 1876, of the present superstructure, which relieves the
unbroken monotony of its form. The work is a great ornament not only to
the immense building itself, but to the city. The task of designing the
superstructure was entrusted to the taste and talent of J. F. Peachy,
architect. The superstructure is in the French mansard roof style, with
handsome cupolas on the east and west ends, surmounted with flag-staffs
and weather vanes. In the centre towers a dome far above all, surmounted
by a gilt-iron cross in the modern Grecian style--the upright shaft and
arms being formed at four right angles. The crown ornaments on the centre
top and ends of the arms are all of wrought iron and weigh about 700 lbs.
The base is strongly braced and bolted to an oak shaft, secured to the
truss work of the dome so firmly as to resist the fiercest gale of wind or
any other powerful strain. It is 11 feet six inches in height and the arms
are 7 feet six inches across. Mr. Philip Whitty, iron worker and,
machinist, of St. James street, was the builder of this cross, and its
handsome design and solidity reflect credit upon his taste and
workmanship. We believe that it is intended to have a picture gallery in
the superstructure under the central dome. The entire roof is strongly
trussed and braced with iron bolts. This portion of the work was done
under the superintendence of Mr. Marcou. We understand that it is also the
intention to erect two balconies on the eastern end, fronting the St.
Lawrence--these balconies to be supported by Corinthian columns. From the
base to the present superstructure, the building was originally 80 feet
high; it now stands 202 feet high from the base to the top of the cross on
the central dome.
In 1880, another important addition, involving a heavy outlay, was
planned. A lofty wing, 265 feet in length has been added to this
imposing pile of buildings; it covers a large area in the seminary
garden and connects on each story with the main structure, from which
it stands out at right angles. Both buildings are intended to form but
one, and seen from Levi or from the River St. Lawrence, it looks like
an extension of the Laval University itself. The edifice is fireproof,
its internal division walls are of brick, its rafters of iron; the
floors are brick lined with deals as a preventive against dampness.
The iron rafters were wrought at Lodelinsart, near Charleroi, Belgium;
they weigh 400 tons, and cost laid down 1-1/2 cent per lb.
The basement and the ceiling of the first flat are vaulted over. The
refectory takes up a whole wing of the first story. The masonry of the
upper corridors rests on eighteen cast iron columns, weighing 3,000
lbs. each. The ceiling of the refectory is exceedingly strong and
handsome; every story, in fact, is vaulted from top to bottom.
A corridor eight feet wide and two hundred and sixty-five feet long,
intersects the centre of each story. All the vestibules, corridors and
passages are paved with ceramic square blocks brought from Belgium.
The most notable part of the structure is the main staircase, entirely
of iron and stone; it contains 120 steps 8 feet long, 16 feet broad, 5
inches high, each step hewn out of a single block. The iron material
weighs about 37,000 lbs. There is also another flight of steps made of
iron. A hydraulic elevator in the centre of the building will provide
an easy access to every story.
The roofed galleries, eight feet wide, attached to each story on the
front, present promenades and views unrivaled in the city looking
towards Levi and the Island of Orleans. On a large stone or the
loftiest part of the front wall, over the window, is inscribed--
_Conditum_, 1880.
The arch of the entrance to the Court House burnt in 1872, which, it
was said, had formed part of the old Récollet Church, destroyed by
fire on 6th Sept., 1796, has been used to build the arch of the porch
which leads from the seminary garden to the farm-yard in rear. There
are 230 windows in this new wing which has a mansard roof. It is
computed that 4,000,000 bricks have been employed in the masonry. The
architect is J. F. Peachy.
_STAFF OF THE LAVAL UNIVERSITY IN 1881._
Rector, Revd. Ed. Méthot,--Superior of Quebec Seminary.
Professor of Commercial and Maritime Law,--Hon. Napoleon
Casault, J.S.C.
Professor of Civil Procedure,--Hon. Ulric J. Tessier, J.Q.B.
Professor of Civil Law, etc.,--Hon. Chas. Thos. A. Langelier.
Professor of Roman Law,--Hon. Ed. James Flynn.
Professor of Commercial Law,--Hon. Richard Alleyn, J.S.C.
Secretary,--Thos. Chase Casgrain, Barrister.
Professor of Internal Pathology,--Dr. Jas. Arthur Sewell, M.D.
Professor of External Pathology,--Dr. J. E. Landry, M.D.
Professor of Toxicology, etc.,--Dr. Alfred Jackson, M.D.
Professor of Descriptive Anatomy,--Dr. Eusèbe Lemieux, M.D.
Professor of Medical Jurisprudence,--Dr. H. A. LaRue, M.D.
Professor of General Pathology,--Dr. Simard, M.D.
Professor of Materia Medica, etc.,--Dr. Chas. Verge, M.D.
Professor of Practical Anatomy, etc.,--Dr. Laurent Cattelier, M.D.
Professor of Clinical--Children's Diseases,--Dr. Arthur Vallée, M.D.
Professor of Clinical--Old People's Diseases,--Dr. Michael Ahern, M.D.
Professor of Comparative Zoology, Anatomy and Physiology,--Dr. L. J.
A. Simard, M.D.
Professor of Political Economy,--Hon. C. T. A. Langelier.
Professor of Physical Science,--Rev. Mr. Laflamme.
Professor of French Literature,--Rev. Ed. Méthot.
Professor of Greek Literature,--Rev. L. Baudet.
Professor of Mineralogy,--Rev. J. C. Laflamme.
Professor of Natural Law,--Mgr. Beng. Paquet.
Professor of Dogmatic Theology,--Rev. L. H. Paquet.
Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Rev. L. N. Begin.
On the conspicuous site where stands the unpretending brick structure
known as our present House of Parliament, (which succeeded to the handsome
cut stone edifice destroyed by fire in 1864) one might, in 1660, have seen
the dwelling of a man of note, Ruette d'Auteuil. D'Auteuil became
subsequently Attorney General and had lively times with that sturdy old
ruler, Count de Frontenac. Ruette d'Auteuil had sold the lot for $600
(3,000 livres de 20 sols) to Major Provost, who resold it, with the two
story stone house thereon erected, for $3,000, to Bishop de St. Vallier.
The latter having bequeathed it to his ecclesiastical successor, Bishop
Panet ceded it in the year 1830 to the Provincial Government for an annual
ground rent of £1,000--this rent is continued to the Archbishop by the
Provincial Government of Quebec. No one now cares to enquire how Bishop
Panet made such an excellent bargain, though a cause is assigned.
Palace Street was thus denominated from its leading direct from the Upper
Town to the Intendant's Palace--latterly the King's woodyard. In earlier
days it went by the name of _Rue des Pauvres_, [49] (Street of the
Poor,) from its intersecting the domain of the _Hôtel Dieu_, whose
revenues were devoted to the maintenance of the poor sheltered behind its
massive old walls. Close by, on Fabrique street, Bishop de St. Vallier had
founded _le Bureau des Pauvres_, where the beggars of Quebec (a thriving
class to this day) received alms, in order to deter them from begging in
the country round the city. The success which crowned this humble retreat
of the mendicant led the philanthropic Bishop to found the General
Hospital in the Seigneurie de Notre Dame des Anges, beyond St. Roch. He
received there nuns of the Convents of the Ursulines and of the Hôtel Dieu
and gave them the administration of the newly founded establishment,
where, moreover, he at a more recent date resided as almoner of the poor.
At the western corner of Palace and St. John streets, has stood since
1771, a well known landmark erected to replace the statue of Saint John
the Baptist, which had, under the French _régime_, adorned the corner
house. After the surrender of Quebec to the British forces, the owners of
the house, fearing the outer barbarians might be wanting in respect to the
saint's effigy, sent it to the General Hospital, where it stood over the
principal entrance until a few years back. They replaced it by a wooden
statue of General Wolfe, sculptured by the Brothers Cholette, at the
request of George Hipps, a loyal butcher. The peregrinations of this
historic relic, in 1838, from Quebec to Halifax--from Halifax to Bermuda,
thence to Portsmouth, and finally to its old niche at Wolfe's corner, St.
John Street, whilst they afforded much sport to the middies of H. M. Ship
_Inconstant_, who visited our port that summer and carried away the
General, were the subject of several newspaper paragraphs in prose and
verse.
Finally, the safe return of the "General" with a brand new coat of paint
and varnish in a deal box, consigned to His Worship, the Mayor of Quebec
sent by unknown hands, was made an occasion of rejoicing to every friend
of the British hero whom Quebec contained, and they were not few.
Some of the actors of this practical joke, staunch upholders of
Britannia's sovereignty of the sea, now pace the quarter deck, t'is said,
proud and stern admirals.
The street and hill leading down from the parochial Church, (whose title
was _Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
Mary_,) to the outlet, where Hope Gate was built in 1786, was called
Ste. Famille street from its vicinity to the Cathedral, which, as the
parish church of the citizens of Quebec, was formerly called the Ste.
Famille Church. On the east side, half way up the hill still exist the
ruins of the old homestead of the Seigneurs de Léry--in 1854, occupied by
Sir E. P. Taché, since, sold to the Quebec Seminary. A lofty fence on the
street hides from view the hoary old poplar trees which of yore decked the
front of the old manor. On the opposite side, a little higher up, also
survives the old house of Mr. Jean Langevin, father of the Bishop of
Rimouski, and of Sir H. L. Langevin. Here in the closing days of French
Dominion lived the first Acadian, who brought to Quebec the news of the
dispersion of his compatriots, so eloquently sung by Longfellow, Dr.
Lajus, of French extraction, who settled at Quebec and married a sister of
Bishop Hubert. On the northern angle of this old tenement you now read
"_Ste. Famille_ street."
St. Stanislas street, the western boundary of the ancient estate of the
Jesuits--on the eastern portion of which their college was built in 1637--
owes its saintly nomenclature to the learned order--no doubt desirous of
handing down to posterity an enduring souvenir of a valiant ascetic,
though youthful member of the fraternity. Its northern end reaches at
right angles to Ste. Hélène street in a line with the old tenement
recently occupied by the late Narcisse Constantin Faucher, Esq.,
Barrister--recently leased by the late Lieut.-Col. John Sewell, one of Sir
Isaac Brock's officers at Queenstown Heights in 1812 In 1835 it was the
home of a Mrs. Montgomery. That year it was burglarized in a somewhat
romantic--shall we say--humane manner by Chambers' murderous gang; the
aged and demure mistress of the house and her young maid servant being
rolled up in the velvety pleats of the parlor carpet and deposited gently,
tenderly and unharmed in the subterranean and discreet region of the
cellar, so that the feelings of either should not be lacerated by the
sight of the robbery going on above stairs.
Who will dare assert that among the sanguinary crew who in 1836, heavily
ironed, bid adieu to Quebec forever, leaving their country for their
country's good--in the British Brig _Ceres_, all bound as permanent
settlers to Van Dieman's Land--who will dare assert there was not some
Jack Sheppard, with a tender spot in his heart towards the youthful
_Briseis_ who acknowledged Mrs. Montgomery's gentle sway.
A conspicuous landmark on St. Stanislas street is Trinity Chapel.
Of yore there stood in rear of the chapel the "Theatre Royal," opened 15th
February, [50] 1832, where the Siddons, Keans and Kembles held forth to
our admiring fathers. Church and theatre both owed their birth to the late
Chief Justice Sewell. The site of this theatre was purchased some years
back by the ecclesiastical authorities of St Patrick Church. Thus
disappeared the fane once sacred to Thespis and Melpomene, its fun-loving
votaries, as such, knew it no more.
_TRINITY CHURCH._
The church of the "Holy Trinity," St. Stanislas street, Quebec, was
erected on a site which, judging from the discovery of a skeleton,
when the foundations were laid, had been a cemetery.
The architecture of this church is Doric, and is considered correct
both internally and externally. It is a substantial building of good
proportions, 90 feet in length by 49 in breadth, is supplied with an
organ and bell. It is commodious and capable of seating 700 persons.
The sittings are free. It contains a beautiful marble monument, by
Manning, of London, which was erected to the memory of the late Hon.
Jonathan Sewell, LL.D., the founder of the church, also a few other
tablets in memory of different members of the family of Sewell. The
present incumbent and proprietor is the Rev. Edmund Willoughby Sewell,
M.A., but it is confidently expected that ere long it will pass into
the hands of an incorporated body, with whom the future presentment of
the officiating clergyman will rest.
On a tin-plate on the corner-stone of the chapel, the following
inscription occurs:
"Quebec, 15th September, 1824.
On Thursday was deposited in a private manner, under a stone at
the north-east angle of the new Chapel of Ease to the English
Cathedral, a tin plate having the following Latin inscription:
Anno Dm. Christi MDCCCXXIV Regnante
Georgio Quarto, Britaniarum Rege Fidet
Defensore Reverendissimo Patre in Deo
Jacob Mountain S. T. P. Episcopo Quebecensi,
Hanc Capellam, ad perpetuum honorem
Sacrosanctae Trinitatis, et in usum Fidelium
Ecclesiae Anglican dedicatam Vir honorabilis
Jonothan Sewell, Provinciae Canadae inferioris
Judex Primarius, et Henrietta ejus uxor
Adificaverunt
Edmundo Willoughby Sewell, clerico, uno de eorum filiis Capellano
primo
G. BLAICKLOCK, _Architecto_
J. PHILIPS, _Conditore_
On the other side is the inscription on the monument:
IN MEMORY OF
JONATHAN SEWELL, LL.D.
The Pious and Liberal Founder of this Chapel.
Endowed with talents of no common order
He was selected in early life to fill the highest offices
in this Province
He was appointed Solicitor General A.D. 1793,
Attorney and Advocate General and Judge of the Court of Vice
Admiralty, A.D. 1795, Chief Justice of the Province and Chairman
of the Executive Council A.D. 1809.
Speaker of the Legislative Council A.D. 1809.
Distinguished in his public capacity,
He shone equally conspicuous as a statesman and a jurist.
Naturally mild and courteous, he combined the meekness of the
Christian
with the authority of the Judge.
Beloved at home as a kind father, a firm friend and an
affectionate husband.
Respected abroad as an acknowledged example of truth, faithfulness
and integrity;
He has left a name to which not only his descendants in all future
ages, But his country may recur
With just pride, deep reverence, and a grateful recollection.
He was born in Boston, Mass., June 6th, 1766, and died in this
city, in the Fulness of the Faith in Christ, November 13th, 1839
in the 74th year of his age
This tribute to departed worth is erected by his sorrowing widow."
The southern extreme of St. Stanislas street terminates at the
intersection of Ste. Anne street, past the old jail, which dated from
1810. Lugubrious memories crowd round this massive tolbooth--of which the
only traces of the past are some vaulted lock-up or cells beneath the
rooms of the Literary and Historical Society, one of which, provided with
a solid new iron door, is set apart for the reception of the priceless
M.S.S. of the society. The oak flooring of the passages to the cells
exhibit many initials, telling a tale of more than one guilty life--of
remorse--let us hope, of repentance.
The narrow door in the wall and the iron balcony, over the chief entrance
leading formerly to the fatal drop which cut short the earthly career of
the assassin or burglar [51] was speedily removed when the directors of
the Morrin College in 1870 purchased the building from Government to
locate permanently the seat of learning due to the munificence of the late
Joseph Morrin, M.D.
The once familiar inscription above the prison door, the rendering of
which in English was a favourite amusement to many of the juniors of the
High School, or Seminary, on their way to class, that also has
disappeared:
"_Carcer iste bonos a pravis vindicare possit_!"
May this prison teach the wicked for the edification of the good."
The damp, vaulted cells in the basement, where the condemned felon in
silence awaited his doom, or the airy wards above, where the impecunious
debtor or the runaway sailor meditatively or riotously defied their
traditional enemies the constable and policeman, now echo the Hebrew,
Greek and Latin utterances of the Morrin College professors, and on
meeting nights the disquisitions before the Literary and Historical
Society, of lecturers on Canadian history, literature or art.
It is the glory and privilege of the latter institution in accordance with
the object of its Royal Charter, to offer to citizens of all creeds and
nationalities, a neutral ground, sacred to intellectual pursuits. It dates
back to 1823, when His Excellency, George Ramsay, Earl of Dalhousie,
assisted by the late Dr. John Charlton Fisher, LL.D., and ex-editor of the
New York _Albion_, successfully matured a long meditated plan to promote
the study of history and of literature. The Literary and Historical
Society held its first meeting in the _Château St. Louis_. It is curious
to glance over the list of names in its charter. [52] It contained the
leading men on the Bench, in the professions, and in the city. In 1832 the
library and museum occupied a large room in the Union building facing the
Ring. From thence they were transferred to the upper story of the
Parliament Buildings, on Mountain Hill, where a portion of both was
destroyed by the conflagration which burnt down the stately cut-stone
edifice in 1854, with the stone of which in 1860, the Champlain Market
Hall was built. What was saved of the library and museum was transferred
to apartments in St Louis street, then owned by the late George Henderson,
J.P. [53] The next removal, about 1860, brought the institution to Masonic
Hall, corner of Garden and St. Louis streets. Here, also, the fire-fiend
assailed the treasures of knowledge and specimens of natural history, of
the society, which, with its household gods, flitted down to a suite of
rooms above the savings bank apartments in St. John Street, from whence,
about 1870, it issued to become an annual tenant in the north wing of the
Morrin College, where it has flourished ever since.
In the protracted and chequered existence of this pioneer among Canadian
literary associations, one day, above all others is likely from the
preparations--pageant and speeches which marked it, to be long remembered
among Quebecers as a red letter day in the annals of the society. The
celebration in December, 1875 of the centennial of the repulse of
Brigadier General Richard Montgomery and Colonel Benedict Arnold, who, at
dawn on the 31st December, 1775, attempted to take the old fortress by
storm. The first, with a number of his followers, met with his death at
Près-de-Ville, in Champlain street; the other was carried wounded in the
knee, to the General Hospital, St. Roch's suburbs, whilst 427 of his
command were taken prisoners of war and incarcerated until September
following in the Quebec Seminary, the Récollet Convent and the Dauphin
Prison, since destroyed, but then existing, a little north of St. John's
Gate, inside. The worthy commander of the "B" Battery, Lieut.-Col. T. B.
Strange, R.A., then stationed at the Citadel of Quebec, having consented to
narrate the incidents which marked the attack of Brigadier General Richard
Montgomery at Près-de-Ville (which we reserve for another page,) the
description of Col. Benedict Arnold's assault on the Sault-au-Matelot
barriers, was, left to ourselves. We subjoin a portion of the address
delivered by us at this memorable centenary. It embodies an important
incident of Quebec history:
_ARNOLD'S ASSAULT ON SAULT-AU-MATELOT BARRIERS._
MR. CHAIRMAN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
"The event which we intend commemorating this evening, is one at
peculiar interest to us as Canadians, and more especially so to us as
Quebecers, the narrow, I may say, the providential escape of the whole
Province from foreign subjugation one century ago. It is less a
chapter of Canadian annals I purpose to read to you this night, than
some minute details little known, and gleaned from the journals left
by eye witnesses of the thrilling hand to hand fight which took place
a few hundred yards from where you sit, under our walls, on the 31st
December, 1775, between Col. Arnold's New England soldiery and our own
garrison.
Possibly, you may not all realize the critical position of the city on
that memorable morning. Next day, a Sunday, ushered in the new year.
Think you there was much "visiting," much festivity, on that new
year's day? alas! though victory crowned our banner, there was
mourning in too many Canadian homes; we, too, had to bury our dead.
Let us take a rapid glimpse of what had proceeded the assault.
Two formidable parties, under experienced leaders, in execution of the
campaign planned by George Washington and our former Deputy Post
Master General, the able Benjamin Franklin, had united under the walls
of Quebec. Both leaders intimately knew its highways and by-ways.
Brigadier General Richard Montgomery, before settling near New York,
had held a lieutenant's commission in His Britannic Majesty's 17th
Foot, had taken part in the war of the conquest, in 1759, and had
visited Quebec. Col. Benedict Arnold, attracted by the fame of our
Norman horses, had more than once been in the city with the object of
trading in them.
Benedict Arnold was indeed a daring commander. His successful journey
through trackless forests between Cambridge and Quebec--his descent in
boats through rivers choked with ice, and through dangerous rapids;
the cold, hunger and exposure endured by himself and his soldiers,
were feats of endurance of which any nation might justly feel proud.
Major-General Sir James Carmichael Smyth, a high authority on such
matters, says of this winter campaign: "It is, perhaps, one of the
most wonderful instances of perseverance and spirit upon record." So
much for the endurance and bravery of our foes. I am compelled to pass
unnoticed many important incidents of the campaign in order to reach
sooner the main facts.
What was the real state of the Colony on that identical 31st December,
one hundred years ago? Why, it was simply desperate. The wave of
invasion had surged over our border. Fort after fort, city after city,
had capitulated--Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Fort St. John, Fort
Chambly, Montreal, Sorel, Three Rivers. Montgomery with his victorious
bands had borne everything before him like a tornado. The Canadian
peasantry dreaded the very sight of warriors who must be ball-proof,
as they were supposed, by a curious mistake, to be "incased in plate-
iron," _vêtus de tole_, instead _de toile_. [54] The red [54a] and
black flag of successful rebellion floated over the suburbs of Quebec.
Morgan's and Humphries' riflemen were thundering at the very gates of
the city, those dear old walls--(loud applause)--which some Vandals
are longing to demolish, alone kept away the wolf.
Levi, Sillery, Ste Foye, Lorette, Charlesbourg, the Island of Orleans,
Beauport and every inch of British territory around the city were in
possession of the invaders, every house in the suburbs sheltered an
enemy--every bush in the country might conceal a deadly foe. Treachery
stalked within the camp--disaffection was busy inside and outside of
the walls. At first many of the citizens, English as well as French,
seemed disinclined to take part in the great family quarrel which had
originated at Boston--the British of New England pitted against the
British of Canada. The confusion of ideas and opinions must at first
have been great. Several old British officers who had served in the
wars of the conquest of Canada, had turned their swords against their
old messmates--their brothers-in-arms--amongst others, Richard
Montgomery, Moses Hazen and Donald Campbell. Quebec, denuded of its
regulars, had indeed a most gloomy prospect to look upon. No soldiers
to man her walls except her citizens unaccustomed to warfare--no
succour to expect from England till the following spring--scantiness
of provisions and a terrified peasantry who had not the power, often
no desire, to penetrate into the beleaguered city during winter.
Were not these trying times for our worthy sires?
Such was the posture of affairs, when to the general joy, our gallant
Governor Guy Carleton, returned and rejoined his dauntless little army
at Quebec, having succeeded, thanks to Captain Bouchette and other
brave men, in eluding the vigilance of the enemy in possession of
Three Rivers, Sorel and Montreal. Turn over the records of those days
and yon will see the importance our fathers attached to the results of
the Sault-au-Matelot and Près-de-Ville engagements.
For more than twenty-five years, the 31st December, 1775, was annually
commemorated, generally by a club dinner given at Ferguson's Hotel,
(Freemasons' Hall?) or at some other hotel of note--sometimes a
Château ball was added by the Governor of the Province. In 1778, we
find in the old _Quebec Gazette_, a grand _fête champêtre_, given by
Lady Maria Carleton and her gallant partner Sir Guy, at the Red House,
a fashionable rustic Hostelry, kept by Alex. Menut, the prince of
Canadian _Soyers_ of those days, who had been _Maître d'Hôtel_ to
General Murray, and selected that year by Their Excellencies. It stood
on the Little River road, (the land is now owned by Mr. Tozer) about
two miles from Quebec. It reads thus in the _Gazette_ of 8th January,
1778:
Quebec, 8th January, 1778._
"Yesterday, seventh night, being the anniversary of the victory
obtained over the Rebels in their attack upon this City in the year
1775, a most elegant Ball and Supper were given at Menut's Tavern by
the Gentlemen who served in the Garrison during that Memorable Winter.
The Company, consisting of upwards of two hundred and thirty Ladies
and Gentlemen, made a grand and brilliant appearance, and nothing but
mirth and good humour reigned all night long. About half-past six, His
Excellency, Sir Guy Carleton, Knight of the Bath, our worthy Governor
and Successful General, dressed in the militia uniform, (which added
lustre to the Ribbon and Star) as were also all the gentlemen of that
corps who served under him during the siege, entered the assembly room
accompanied by Lady Maria, &c., &c., and the Ball was soon opened by
her Ladyship and the Honorable Henry Caldwell, Lieutenant Colonel
Commandant of the British Militia. The dancing continued until half-
past twelve, when the Ladies were conducted into the supper room,
where Mr. Menut exhibited fresh proofs of that superior excellence in
the _culinary_ art he so justly claims above his Peers.... The
company in general broke up about four in the morning, highly
satisfied with their entertainment and in perfect good humour with one
another. May that disposition prevail until the next and every
succeeding 31st of December, and may each return of that glorious day
(the event of which was not only the preservation of this garrison;
but of the whole Province) be commemorated with the same spirit and
unanimity in grateful remembrance of our happy deliverance from the
snares of the enemy, and with grateful acknowledgements of those
blessings of peace and tranquility of Government and Laws we now enjoy
in consequence of that day's success."
The _Gazette_ of the following year carefully chronicles the gathering
of the Veterans of 1775.--"Thursday last being the anniversary of the
31st December, a Day which will be ever famous in the annals of this
country for the defeat of Faction and Rebellion, the same was observed
with the utmost festivity In the evening a ball and cold Collation was
given by the gentlemen who composed the Garrison in the winter of
1775, to His Excellency and a numerous and brilliant assembly of
Ladies and Gentlemen, the satisfaction every one felt in Commemorating
so Glorious an event, strongly appeared by the joy which was visible
in every contenance."
In 1790, according to the _Quebec Herald_, the annual dinner was
held at the _Merchant's Coffee House_, by about 30 survivors of
the Veterans, who agreed to meet twice a year, instead of once, their
joviality apparently increasing with their age.
In 1794, [55] the _Gazette_ acquaints us that the Anniversary
Dinner was to be held at Ferguson's Hotel, on the 6th May. [56] We
find both nationalities fraternising in these loyal demonstrations. M.
DeBonne (afterwards Judge DeBonne) taking his place next to loyal John
Coffin, of Près-de-Ville fame, and probably Simon Fraser and the Hon.
Hugh Finlay, will join Lieutenant Dambourgès and Col Dupré, in
toasting King George III. under the approving eye of Lt. Col.
Caldwell, Wolfe's Deputy Quarter-Master General. Col. Caldwell, lived
to a green old age, and expired in this city in 1810. Our esteemed
fellow-citizen, Errol Boyd Lindsay, remembers him well, and in front
of whom I stand, a stalwart Volunteer of 1837, Col. Gugy, is now
relating how when a lad he once dined with Col. Caldwell, some seventy
years ago, at Belmont, amidst excellent cheer.
The _Quebec Gazette_ teems with loyal English and French songs of
1775, for a quarter of a century, and for more than twenty-five years
the anniversary banquet, ball or dinner was religiously kept up.
But we must hie away from these "junketings"--these festive boards,
which our loyal ancestors seem to have infinitely enjoyed. We must hie
away the long wished for "snow storm," the signal of attack has come.
'Tis five o'clock before dawn. Hark to the rattle of the alarm drum.
Hark! Hark to the tolling of every city bell (and you know Quebec
bells are numerous) louder! louder even than the voice of the easterly
storm. To ARMS! To ARMS! resounds in the Market Place--the _Place
d'Armes_--and in the streets of our slumbering city.
Instead of giving you my views on the attack, I shall summon from the
silent, the meditative past, one of the stirring actors in this
thrilling encounter, an intrepid and youthful Volunteer, under Arnold,
then aged seventeen years, John Joseph Henry. He will tell you how his
countrymen attacked us:
"It was not," says Judge Henry, "until the night of the 31st
December, 1775, that such kind of weather ensued as was considered
favorable for the assault. The fore part of the night was
admirably enlightened by a luminous moon. Many of us, officers as
well as privates, had dispersed in various directions among the
farm and tippling houses of the vicinity. We well knew the signal
for rallying. This was no other than a "snow storm." About 12
o'clock, P.M., the heaven was overcast. We repaired to quarters.
By 2 o'clock we were accoutred and began our march. The storm was
outrageous, and the cold wind extremely biting. In this northern
country the snow is blown horizontally into the faces of the
travellers on most occasions--this was our case.
When we came to Craig's house, near Palace Gate, a horrible roar
of cannon took place, and a ringing of all the bells of the city,
which are very numerous, and of all sizes. Arnold, leading the
forlorn hope, advanced, perhaps, one hundred yards, before the
main body. After these followed Lamb's artillerists. Morgan's
company led in the secondary part of the column of infantry.
Smith's followed, headed by Steele, the Captain from particular
causes being absent. Hendrick's company succeeded and the eastern
men so far as known to me, followed in due order. The snow was
deeper than in the fields, because of the nature of the ground.
The path made by Arnold, Lamb, and Morgan was almost
imperceptible, because of the falling snow. Covering the locks of
our guns, with the lappets of our coats, holding down our heads
(for it was impossible to bear up our faces against the imperious
storm of wind and snow), we ran, along the foot of the hill in
single file. Along the first of our run, from Palace Gate, for
several hundred paces, there stood a range of insulated buildings,
which seemed to be store-houses, we passed these quickly in single
file, pretty wide apart. The interstices were from thirty to fifty
yards. In these intervals, we received a tremendous fire of
musketry from the ramparts above us. Here we lost some brave men,
when powerless to return the salutes we received, as the enemy was
covered by his impregnable defences. They were even sightless to
us, we could see nothing but the blaze from the muzzles of their
muskets.
A number of vessels of various sizes lay along the beach, moored
by their hawsers or cables to the houses. Passing after my leader,
Lieutenant Steele, at a great rate, one of those ropes took me
under the chin, and cast me head long down, a declivity of at
least fifteen feet. The place appeared to be either a dry-dock or
a saw-pit. My descent was terrible, gun and all was involved in a
great depth of snow. Most unluckily, however, one of my knees
received a violent contusion on a piece of scraggy ice, which was
covered by the snow. On like occasions, we can scarcely expect, in
the hurry of attack, that our intimates should attend to any other
than their own concern. Mine went from me, regardless of my fate.
Scrambling out of the cavity, without assistance, divesting my
person and gun of the snow, and limping into the line, I attempted
to assume a station and preserve it. These were none of my
friends--they knew me not. I had not gone twenty yards, in my
hobbling gait, before I was thrown out, and compelled to await the
arrival of a chasm in the line, when a new place might be
obtained. Men in affairs such as this, seem in the main, to lose
the compassionate feeling, and are averse from being dislodged
from their original stations. We proceeded rapidly, exposed to a
long line of fire from the garrison, for now we were unprotected
by any buildings. The fire had slackened in a small degree. The
enemy had been partly called off to resist the General, and
strengthen the party opposed to Arnold in our front. Now we saw
Colonel Arnold returning, wounded in the leg, and supported by two
gentlemen; a parson, Spring, was one, and, in my belief, a Mr.
Ogden, the other. Arnold called on the troops, in a cheering
voice, as we passed, urging us forward, yet it was observable
among the soldiery, with whom it was my misfortune to be now
placed, that the Colonel's retiring damped their spirits. A cant
term "We are sold," was repeatedly heard in many parts throughout
the line. Thus proceeding, enfiladed by an animated but lessened
fire, we came to the first barrier, where Arnold had been wounded
in the onset. This contest had lasted but a few minutes, and was
somewhat severe, but the energy of our men prevailed. The
embrasures were entered when the enemy were discharging their
guns. The guard, consisting of thirty persons, were, either taken
or fled, leaving their arms behind them. At this time it was
discovered that our guns were useless, because of the dampness.
The snow which lodged in our fleecy coats was melted by the warmth
of our bodies. Thence came that disaster. Many of the party,
knowing the circumstance, threw aside their own, and seized the
British arms. These were not only elegant, but were such as
befitted the hand of a real soldier. It was said, that ten
thousand stand of such arms had been received from England, in the
previous summer, for arming the Canadian militia. These people
were loath to bear them in opposition to our rights. From the
first barrier to the second, there was a circular course along the
sides of houses, and partly through a street, probably of three
hundred yards or more. This second barrier was erected across and
near the mouth of a narrow street, adjacent to the foot of the
hill, which opened into a larger, leading soon into the main body
of the Lower Town. Here it was, that the most serious contention
took place: this became the bone of strife. The admirable
Montgomery, by this time, (though it was unknown to us) was no
more; yet, we expected momentarily to join him. The firing on that
side of the fortress ceased, his division fell under the command
of a Colonel Campbell, of the New York line, a worthless chief,
who retreated, without making an effort, in pursuance of the
general's original plans. The inevitable consequence was, that the
whole of the forces on that side of the city, and those who were
opposed to the dastardly persons employed to make the false
attacks, embodied and came down to oppose our division. Here was
sharp-shooting. We were on the disadvantageous side of the
barrier, for such a purpose. Confined in a narrow street, hardly
more than twenty feet wide, and on the lower ground, scarcely a
ball, well aimed or otherwise, but must take effect upon us.
Morgan, Hendricks, Steele, Humphrey's, and a crowd of every class
of the army, had gathered into the narrow pass, attempting to
surmount the barrier, which was about twelve or more feet high,
and so strongly constructed, that nothing but artillery, could
effectuate its destruction. There was a construction, fifteen or
twenty yards within the barrier, upon a rising grounde, the cannon
of which much overtopped the height of the barrier, hence, we were
assailed by grape shot in abundance. This erection we called the
platform. Again, within the barrier, and close into it, were two
ranges of musketeers, armed with musket and bayonet, ready to
receive those who might venture the dangerous leap. Add to all
this, that the enemy occupied the upper chambers of the houses, in
the interior of the barrier, on both sides of the street, from the
windows of which we became fair marks. The enemy, having the
advantage of the ground in front, a vast superiority of numbers,
dry and better arms, gave them an irresistible power, in so narrow
a space. Humphreys, upon a mound, which was speedily erected,
attended by many brave men, attempted to scale the barrier, but
was compelled to retreat, by the formidable phalanx of bayonets
within, and the weight of fire from the platform and the
buildings. Morgan, brave to temerity, stormed and raged;
Hendricks, Steele, Nichols, Humphreys, equally brave, were sedate,
though under a tremendous fire. The platform, which was within our
view, was evacuated by the accuracy of our fire, and few persons
dared venture there again. Now it was, that the necessity of
occupancy of the houses, on our side of the barrier, became
apparent. Orders were given by Morgan to that effect. We entered.
This was near day-light. The houses were a shelter, from which we
might fire with much accuracy. Yet, even here, some valuable lives
were lost. Hendricks, when aiming his rifle at some prominent
person, died by a straggling ball through his heart. He staggered
a few feet backwards, and fell upon a bed, where he instantly
expired. He was an ornament of our little society. The amiable
Humphreys died by a like kind of wound, but it was in the street,
before we entered the buildings. Many other brave men fell at this
place; among these were Lieutenant Cooper, of Connecticut, and
perhaps fifty or sixty noncommissioned officers and privates. The
wounded were numerous, and many of them dangerously so. Captain
Lamb, of the York artillerists; had nearly one-half of his face
carried away, by a grape or canister shot. My friend Steele lost
three of his fingers, as he was presenting his gun to fire;
Captain Hubbard and Lieutenant Fisdle, were all among the wounded.
When we reflect upon the whole of the dangers of this barricade,
and the formidable force that came to annoy us, it is a matter of
surprise that so many should escape death and wounding as did. All
hope of success having vanished, a retreat was contemplated, but
hesitation, uncertainty, and a lassitude of mind, which generally
takes place in the affairs of men, when we fail in a project, upon
which we have attached much expectation, now followed. The moment
was foolishly lost, when such a movement might have been made with
tolerable success. Captain Laws, at the head of two hundred men,
issuing from Palace Gate, most fairly and handsomely cooped us up.
Many of the men, aware of the consequences, and all our Indians
and Canadians (except Natanis [57] and another,) escaped across
the ice, which covered the Bay of St. Charles, before the arrival
of Captain Laws. This was a dangerous and desperate adventure, but
worth while the undertaking, in avoidance of our subsequent
sufferings. Its desperateness consisted in running two miles
across shoal ice, thrown up by the high tides of this latitude--
and its danger, in the meeting with air holes, deceptively covered
by the bed of snow. Speaking circumspectly, yet it must be
admitted conjecturally, it seems to me, that in the whole of the
attack, of commissioned officers, we had six killed, five wounded,
and of non-commissioned and privates, at least one hundred and
fifty killed, and fifty or sixty wounded. Of the enemy, many were
killed and many more wounded, comparatively, than on our side,
taking into view the disadvantages we laboured under; and that but
two occasions happened when we could return their fire, that is,
at the first and second barriers. Neither the American account of
this affair, as published by Congress, nor that of Sir Guy
Carleton, admit the loss of either side to be so great as it
really was, in my estimation * * * * * as to the British, on the
platform they were fair objects to us. They were soon driven
thence by the acuteness of our shooting. * * * *
Perhaps there never was a body of men associated, who better
understood the use and manner of employing a rifle, than our
corps; while by this time of the attack, they had their guns in
good order. When we took possession of the houses, we had a great
range. Our opportunities to kill, were enlarged. Within one
hundred yards, every man must die. The British however were at
home--they could easily drag their dead out of sight, and bear
their wounded to the Hospital. It was the reverse with us. Captain
Prentis, who commanded the provost guards, would tell me of seven
or eight killed, and fifteen or twenty wounded; opposed to this
the sentries, (who were generally Irishmen, that guarded us with
much simplicity, if not honesty,) frequently admitted of forty or
fifty killed, and many more wounded. The latter assertions
accorded with my opinion. The reasons for this belief are these:
when the dead, on the following days, were transported on the
carioles which passed our habitation for deposition in the "dead
house," we observed many bodies, of which none of us had any
knowledge; and again when our wounded were returned to us from the
hospital, they uniformly spoke of being surrounded there, in its
many characters, by many of the wounded of the enemy. To the great
honor of General Carleton, they were all, whether friends or
enemies, treated with like attention."
The Continentals of Brigadier-General Montgomery had settled on the
following plan of attack:--Col Livingston, with his three hundred
Canadians and Major Brown, was to simulate an attack on the western
portion of the walls--Montgomery to come from Holland House down by
Wolfe's Cove, creep along the narrow path close to the St. Lawrence
and meet Arnold on his way from the General Hospital at the foot of
Mountain Hill, and then ascend to Upper Town.
The brilliant _fête littéraire_ held by the Literary and Historical
Society to commemorate the event was thus noticed in the _Morning
Chronicle_ of Dec 30th, 1875:
_THE LITERARY AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S CENTENARY FÊTE._
It would be hardly possible to imagine a more graceful or unique
gathering than that which assembled in the rooms of the Literary and
Historical Society last evening, for the purpose of celebrating with
all possible _éclat_ that gloriously memorable event, the repulse
of the troops commanded by General Richard Montgomery, of the American
Army, whilom officer of the 17th Regiment of Infantry in the service
of his Britannic Majesty George III, who on the blusterous wintry
morning of the 31st December, 1775, attempted an assault upon the
redoubts and fortifications which at that time did the duty of our
present Citadel, and whose intrepidity was rewarded with a soldier's
death, and his want of success formed the nucleus of the power which
is so firmly established in this Royal Canada of ours to day.
The arrangements made by the Society for the reception of their
unusually numerous guests and the decorations of the various
apartments, were all that could be wished--commodious and tasteful. In
the entrance hall the Royal standard floated, and there the B. Battery
Band was placed. Turning up the left hand flight of steps the visitor
--passing the large class room of Morrin College, transformed for the
nonce into spacious refreshment buffets--was ushered into the lecture
room, from the galleries of which flags of many nations and many
colours were drooping. The raised dais, occupied during the delivery
of the addresses by James Stevenson, Esq., Senior Vice-President, L. &
H. Society, in the chair; Lieut.-Col. Bland Strange, R. S. M.
Bouchette, Esq., Dr. Boswell, Vice-Presidents, J. M. LeMoine, Esq.,
and Commander Ashe, R.N., ex-Presidents, was flanked on either side
with the blue and silver banners of St. Andrew's Society, bearing the
arms and escutcheon of Scotia, and their proud motto "_Nemo me
impune lascessit_." Bunting and fresh spruce foliage gave an air of
freshness to all the adornable parts of the room. Immediately opposite
the lectern, which was illuminated with wax candles, placed in last
century candlesticks, and attached to the gallery railings, was a fine
collection of Lochaber axes, clustered around a genuine wooden Gaelic
shield studded with polished knobs of glittering brass. Long before
the hour of eight the company had increased to such an extent that the
room was crowded to the doors, but not inconveniently as the
ventilation was unexceptionable. With accustomed punctuality, James
Stevenson, Esq., acting in the absence of the President, opened the
meeting with some highly appropriate remarks relative to the
historical value of the subjects about to be discussed and summarising
very succinctly the events immediately previous to the beleaguering of
the fortress city. He alluded in stirring terms to the devotion which
had been manifested by the British and French defenders, who resolved
rather to be buried in the ruins than surrender the city. He stated
that he thought it especially meet and proper that the Literary and
Historical Society here should have taken up the matter and dealt with
it in this way. He alluded in eulogistic terms to the capability of
the gentlemen about to address them and, after regretting the
unavoidable absence of Lt-Col. Coffin, a lineal descendant of an
officer present, formally introduced the first speaker, Lieutenant-
Colonel Strange, commandant of Quebec Garrison, and Dominion Inspector
of Artillery. This gallant officer, who on rising was received with
loud and hearty cheering by the audience, plunged with characteristic
military brevity _in medias res_, simply remarking, at the outset,
that he, in such a position, was but a rear rank man, while Colonel
Coffin would have been a front-ranker; but his soldierly duty was
to fill that position in the absence of him to whom the task would
have been officially assigned. The subject which formed a distinct
section of the major topic of the evening was then taken up. Inasmuch
as it is our intention, and we believe that of the Society, to
reproduce faithfully in pamphlet form the graphic, interesting and
detailed word-pictures of the ever memorable events of the 31st
December, 1775, as given by the learned and competent gentlemen who
addressed the meeting, it suffices to say in the present brief notice
of the proceedings that Colonel Strange exhaustively treated that
portion which referred to the attack and defence at Pres-de-Ville--the
place in the vicinity of which now stands the extensive wharves of the
Allan Company. Many incidents of the siege, utterly unknown to
ordinary readers of history were recalled last night, and many things
that have hitherto been dubious, or apparently unaccountable explained
away. The story of the finding of the snow-covered and hard-frozen
corpse of the unfortunate General and his Aide-de-Camp, was told with
much pathos, as were details of his burial. The references to
descendants of then existing families still residents in Quebec, were
extremely interesting, because many were among the audience. At the
conclusion of Colonel Strange's admirable resumé, and some further
pointed remarks from the Chairman, Mr. J. M. LeMoine, who is _par
excellence_ and _par assiduité_ our Quebec historian, whose life has
been mainly devoted to compilation of antiquarian data touching the
walls, the streets, the relics, the families, the very Flora, and
Fauna of our cherished Stadacona--commenced his erudite and amusing
sketches of the day, taken from the stand point of the enemy's
headquarters, and the fray in the Sault-au-Matelot. Interspersing in
his own well digested statement of events, he chose the best
authenticated accounts from contemporaneous participants, British,
French Canadian and American, proving that the record as presented by
Col. Strange and himself last night, was a "plain unvarnished truthful
tale," a reliable mirror in which was faithfully reflected all that
was historically interesting as affecting Quebec in the Campaign of
1775-6. When Mr. LeMoine had terminated his address, which was of
considerable length, Mr. Stevenson concluded this portion of the
proceedings with a most eulogistic and deserved recognition of the
devotion which the two gentlemen who had read during the evening had
shewn in preparing their respective papers, and a vote of thanks to
them was heartily and unanimously accorded. He also made reference to
the topic of the day, the restoration and embellishment of our oft-
besieged, city, gracefully attributing honour where it was due, first
and foremost to His Excellency the Governor-General, Earl of Dufferin,
at whose instigation the plans had been prepared; secondly, to His
Worship the Mayor, Owen Murphy, Esq., (who was present), for his
untiring exertions and valuable assistance in developing, maturing and
preparing the way for an early completion of said designs, which are
to make Quebec a splendid architectural example of the deformed,
transformed; thirdly, to the hearty co-operation of the public, aided
in their views by the enterprise of the proprietor of the _Morning
Chronicle_, who had prepared the splendid illustrations of these
improvements, thereby reflecting infinite credit upon himself. After a
few other remarks the ladies and gentlemen were invited to inspect the
library, which for the rest of the evening was the centre of
attraction. The _coup d'oeil_, when once one had fairly entered
into this beautifully designed, permanent focus of intellectual
wealth, around whose walls were ranged the imperishable memorials of
nearly all of man's genius that has been thought worthy of
preservation, was striking and memorable. As in the lecture room,
those emblems, which are our symbolical as well as actual rallying
points in all times of trouble or war, draped and covered the book
shelves which contain the essence of almost all that human
intelligence, human thought, human wit, man's invention and ingenuity
has as yet brought to light. Here, historian and poet, geographer and
engineer, humorist and preacher, dramatist and theologian, are
congregated, serving in the one great cause of public instruction and
the expansion of the limitless ramifications which exist in the ever
growing tree of knowledge. The student and litérateur, the bibliophile
and dilletante novel reader, the most frequent visitors here last
night were replaced by groups of fair women and patriotic men
assembled to commemorate an event which had a marked effect upon the
history of this continent in this nineteenth century, which will
expire a few hours after these lines meet the reader's eyes. In lieu
of study and thought, the attention of the throng was attracted to the
splendid stand of arms reaching from floor to ceiling, and which was
as it were defended by the Dominion standard that fell in long
festoons behind. In the centre of a diamond-shaped figure, made up of
scores of sabres pointing inwards, was a large glittering star of
silvery steel bayonets. In chronological order were pink and gilt
tablets, containing each one the names of the Lieutenant-Governors of
Canada, commencing with Carleton, in 1775, and proceeding through the
noble list, which includes Haldimand, Dorchester, Dalhousie, Gosford,
Colborne, Durham, Sydenham, Bagot, Cathcart, Elgin, Head, Monk,
Lisgar, down to the present glorious epoch, when this prosperous
country is vice-regally and right royally presided over by Lord
Dufferin, in the year of grace, 1875--on the opposite side of the
room, under a similar spiky coronet of bristling steel, was hung the
sword of the dead and vanquished, but honoured and revered hero, the
trusty blade which only left Montgomery's hands, when in his death-
throes he 'like a soldier fell,' and the pitiless snow became his
winding-sheet. On a table below this interesting and valuable historic
relic, now in possession, as an heirloom, of J. Thompson Harrower,
Esq., of this city, was exhibited the full uniform of an artillery
officer of the year 1775. Several quaint old sketches and paintings
were placed around the Library, which, with the Museum, was converted
for the time into an extempore conversazione hall, and while the
melodies of the 'B' Battery band were wafted hither and thither
through the building, the dames and cavaliers gossiped pleasantly over
their tea or coffee and delicacies provided by the members for the
guests, and declared, with much show of reason, that the Literary and
Historical Society's centennial entertainment was a red-letter day in
the annals of that learned and well-deserving body."
_THE JESUITS' CHURCH._
This little church, of which the corner stone was laid by the Marquis de
Tracy, "Lieutenant du Roi, dans toutes ses possessions Françaises en
Amérique," on 31st May, 1666, existed until 1807. "It is built," says
Kalm, "in the form of a cross. It has a round steeple, and is the only
church that has a clock." The oldest inhabitant can yet recall, from
memory, the spot where it stood, even if we had not the excellent drawing
made of it with a half dozen of other Quebec views, by an officer in
Wolfe's fleet, Captain Richard Short. It stood on the site recently
occupied by the shambles, in the Upper Town, facing the Russell House.
Captain Short's pencil bears again testimony to the exactitude, even in
minute things, of Kalm's descriptions: his Quebec horses, harnessed one
before the other to carts. You see in front of the church, in Captain
Short's sketch, three good sized horses, harnessed one before the other,
drawing a heavily laden two-wheeled cart. The church was also used until
1807 as a place of worship for Protestants. Be careful not to confound the
Jesuits' Church with the small chapel in the interior of their college
(the old Jesuit Barracks) contiguous thereto. This latter chapel had been
commenced on the 11th July, 1650. The Seminary Chapel and Ursulines
Church, after the destruction by shot and shell, in 1759, of the large
Roman Catholic Cathedral, were used for a time as parish churches. From
beneath the chief altar of the Jesuits' Church was removed, on the 14th
May, 1807, the small leaden box containing the heart of the founder of the
Ursulines' Convent, Madame de la Peltrie, previously deposited there in
accordance with the terms of her last will.
You can see that the pick-axe and mattock of the "_bande noire_" who
robbed our city walls of their stones, and demolished the Jesuits' College
and city gates, were busily employed long before 1871.
_THE JESUITS' BARRACKS._
There are few, we will venture to say, who, in their daily walk up or down
Fabrique Street, do not miss this hoary and familiar land mark, the
Jesuits' College. When its removal was recently decreed, for a long time
it resisted the united assaults of hammer and pick-axe, and yielded,
finally, to the terrific power of dynamite alone.
The Jesuits' College, older than Harvard College, at Boston, takes one
back to the dawn of Canadian history. Concerning the venerable
institution, we translate the following from the French of Mr. T. B.
Bédard. It appeared originally in the _Journal de Quebec_:--
"The recent discovery of human bones at the Jesuit Barracks has
excited the curiosity of the public in general, and especially of
antiquarians and all interested in historical research. Naturally, the
question presents itself--who were the individuals interred where
these bones were found, and what was this place of sepulture? An
attentive study of the subject leads me to believe that the remains of
the three skeletons discovered, with two skulls only, are those of
Brother Jean Liégeois, Père du Quen, and Père Francois du Peron,
deceased at Chambly, and whose mortal remains were sent to Quebec for
interment. The spot where the bones were found must have been the site
of the chapel built at the same time as the other portions of the
Jesuits' College. But inasmuch as the demolition of this more than
venerable edifice approaches completion, a sketch of the history of
its construction may not be amiss.
"Let us preface by saying, with the learned Abbés Laverdière and
Casgrain, that the residence or the Convent of Notre Dame de la
Recouvrance, burnt together with the chapel of the same name in 1640,
should not be confounded with the College (turned later on into
barracks), the foundations of which were not laid until several years
afterwards. The Chapel of Notre Dame de la Recouvrance and the
Jesuits' house attached thereto, were situated upon the ground upon
which the Anglican Cathedral now stands. In the conflagration of 1640,
chapel and residence were destroyed; the registers of Civil Status
burnt, and the Jesuits lost all their effects. 'We had gathered
together in that house,' writes Father Lejeune, 'as in a little store,
all the maintenance and support of our other residences and of our
missions. Linen, clothing, and all the other necessaries for twenty-
seven persons whom we had among the Hurons, were all ready to be
conveyed by water into that distant country.' After this disaster, the
Jesuits were sheltered for some time at the Hôtel Dieu. In 1637 the
Fathers of the Company of Jesus in Canada set forth to the Company of
New France that they wished to build a college and a seminary for the
instruction of Indian youths, the Hurons dwelling 200 leagues from
Quebec having sent them six, with the promise of a larger number, and
also for the education of the country, and that, for this purpose,
they sought a grant of land. The Company of New France awarded them
twelve acres of ground in Quebec to build a seminary, church,
residence, &c. This grant was made at a meeting of the Directors of
the Company, at the hôtel of the celebrated Fouquet, on the 18th
March, 1637. It was not, however, until the spring of 1647 that the
work of digging the foundations of the College was begun--the first
stone being laid on the 12th June. 'The same day,' says the _Journal
des Jésuites_, 'was laid the first stone of the foundations of the
offices of the main-building of the Quebec house. In 1648, we
completed the half of the large main-building, in 1649, our building
was completed as regards the exterior masonry and the roof; but the
interior had not yet been touched.' In July, 1650, the foundations of
the chapel were commenced, and on the 18th October, 1651, it was
sufficiently advanced to allow the pupils of the college to receive
therein Governor de Lauzon. 'The scholars,' says again the _Journal
des Jésuites_, 'received Monsieur the Governor in our new chapel,
_latinâ oratione et versibus gallicis_, &c., &c. The Indians
(scholars) danced, when mass was first celebrated in the chapel.' On
the 29th May, 1655, a great misfortune befell the good Fathers. The
brother known as Jean Liégeois was treacherously assassinated. He was
their business man; several times he had crossed over from Canada to
France in their interests; he was also their architect, and had
superintended the building of the residences at their various
missions, as well as the erection of the college. On the day in
question, while engaged in the fields near Sillery, seven or eight
Agniers (Iroquois) suddenly surrounded him, captured him without
resistance, and, put a bullet through his heart, and, adds the
_Journal des Jésuites_, one of them scalped him, while another
chopped off his head, which they loft upon the spot. On the following
day the Algonquins found his body and brought it to Sillery, whence it
was conveyed in a boat to Quebec, where it was exposed in the chapel,
and, on the 31st May, after the usual offices, 'it was interred at the
lower end of the chapel; that is to say, in one of the two sides where
the altar of the Congregation des Messieurs is now located.' To
understand these last words, it is necessary to explain that nearly
two years later, on the 14th February, 1657, Father Poncet founded
this congregation; and it was M. de Lauzon-Charny, Master of the Woods
and Forests of New France, son of Governor de Lauzon, who was elected
Prefect of the first members of the body to the number of twelve. This
same M. de Charny had married the daughter of M. Giffard, the first
Seigneur of Beauport; but his wife dying two years after that
marriage, M. de Charny passed over to France, where he entered holy
orders, subsequently returning to Canada with Mgr. de Laval, whose
grand vicar he became, as well as the first ecclesiastical dignitary,
inasmuch as he replaced him at the Conseil Souverain at the period of
the difficulties between the Bishop of Petrea and Governor de Mesy.
"But to return to the interments in the Jesuits' Chapel. The next
which took place was that of Father de Quen, who died on the 8th
October, 1659, of contagious fever brought into the colony by vessels
from beyond the seas. It was he, who, in 1647, discovered Lake St.
John, and, in 1653, celebrated the Mass at the Hôtel Dieu, when the
Sister Marie de L'Incarnation embraced the religious profession.
Father de Quen was buried on the morning of the 9th _praesente
corpore, dictae duae missae privatae, in summo altari, dum diceretur
officium_. He was 59 years of age. The _Journal des Jésuites_
does not say that he was interred in the chapel, but it is easy to
infer the fact from the _two private_ masses said in presence of
the body, and also because the entry of his burial does not appear in
the parish register. Moreover, it is also the opinion of Rev. Messrs.
Laverdière and Casgrain, as published in the _Journal des Jésuites_.
On the 15th November, 1665, arrived at Quebec, coming from the
Richelieu River, a vessel bringing the body of Father François du
Peron, who died on the 10th at Fort St. Louis (Chambly). The body was
exposed in the Chapel of the Congregation, and 'on the 16th, after the
service at which the Marquis de Tracy assisted, it was interred in the
vault of the chapel towards the confessional on the side of the
street,' and Father le Mercier, who wrote the foregoing, adds that
'there remains room only for another body.'
"From the preceding, it appears that three interments took place in
the Jesuits' Chapel (the only ones mentioned in the _Journal des
Jésuites_), and it is probable that the place remaining for only
one more body was never filled. The remains of three bodies having
been found, it seems to me therefore reasonable to conclude that they
are those of Brother Liégeois and Fathers de Quen and du Peron. It is
true only two skulls have been recovered, but it must be remembered
that Brother Liégeois had his head chopped off and left upon the spot,
as remarks the text, so that it is easy to conjecture that the
Iroquois dragged his body further off, when it was found in a headless
condition and thus buried. With respect to the site of the chapel, the
text already cited relative to Father du Peron indicates sufficiently
that it was alongside the street; and a reference to the map of Quebec
in 1660 shows in fact the street skirting the Jesuits' property as it
does to-day. Further, the excavations which, at the request of Père
Sachez, Dr. Larue and others, Hon. Mr. Joly, with a good will which
cannot be too highly praised, has ordered to be made, have already
laid bare the foundations of a well outlined building upon the very
site where tradition locates the chapel and where the bones have been
found.
"As it was stated at the time of the finding of the skeletons that one
of them was supposed to be that of a nun of the Hôtel Dieu, Mr. Bédard
applied to the authorities of that institution for information on the
subject and received an answer from the records which conclusively
proves that the nun in question was buried in the vault of the
Jesuits' Church and not in their Chapel."
Though a considerable sum had been granted to foster Jesuit establishments
at Quebec by a young French nobleman, René de Rohault, son of the Marquis
de Gamache, as early as 1626, it was on the 18th March, 1637, only, that
the ground to build on, "twelve arpents of land, in the vicinity of Fort
St. Louis" were granted to the Jesuit Fathers. In the early times, we find
this famous seat of learning playing a prominent part in all public
pageants; its annual examinations and distribution of prizes called
together the _élite_ of Quebec society. The leading pupils had, in
poetry and in verse, congratulated Governor d'Argenson on his arrival in
1658. On the 2nd July, 1666, a public examination on logic brought out,
with great advantage, two most promising youths, the famous Louis Jolliet,
who later on joined Father Marquette in his discovery of the Mississippi,
and a Three Rivers youth, Pierre de Francheville, who intended to enter
Holy Orders. The learned Intendant Talon was an examiner; he was remarked
for the erudition his Latin questions displayed. Memory likes to revert to
the times when the illustrious Bossuet was undergoing his Latin
examinations at Navarre, with the Great Condé as his examiner; France's
first sacred orator confronted by her most illustrious general.
How many thrilling memories were recalled by this grim old structure?
"Under its venerable roof, oft had met the pioneer missionaries of New
France, the band of martyrs, the geographers, discoverers, _savants_
and historians of this learned order: Dolbeau, de Quen, Druilletes,
Daniel, de la Brosse, de Crepieul, de Carheil, Bréboeuf, Lallemant,
Jogues, de Noue, Raimbeault, Albanel, Chaumonot, Dablon, Ménard, LeJeune,
Massé, Vimont, Ragueneau, Charlevoix, [58] and crowds of others." Here
they assembled to receive from the General of the Jesuits their orders, to
compare notes, mayhap to discuss the news of the death or of the success
of some of their indefatigable explorers of the great West; how the "good
word" had been fearlessly carried to the distant shores of Lake Huron, to
the _bayous_ and perfumed groves of Florida, or to the trackless and
frozen regions of Hudson's Bay.
Later on, when France had suppressed the order of the Jesuits, and when
her lily banner had disappeared from our midst, the College and its
grounds were appropriated to other uses--alas! less congenial.
The roll of the English drum and the sharp "word of command" of a British
adjutant or of his drill sergeant, for a century or more, resounded in the
halls, in which Latin orisons were formerly sung; and in the classic
grounds and grassy court, [59] canopied by those stately oaks and elms,
which our sires yet remember, to which the good Fathers retreated in sweet
seclusion, to "say" their _Breviaries_ and tell their beads, might have
been heard the coarse joke of the guard room and coarser oath of the
trooper.
It had been claimed as a "magazine for the army contractor's provisions on
14th November, 1760." On the 4th June, 1765, His Excellency General James
Murray had it surveyed and appropriated for quarters and barracks for the
troops, excepting some apartments. The court and garden was used as a
drill and parade ground until the departure of Albion's soldiers. Here was
read on the 14th November, 1843, by Major-General Sir Jas. Hope's
direction, the order of the day, at the morning parade, congratulating
Major Bennet and the brave men of the 1st Royals, whom he was escorting to
England in the ill-fated transport "Premier," on the discipline and good
conduct manifested by them during the incredible perils they had escaped
at Cape Chatte when the Premier was stranded.
How singular, how sad to think that this loved, this glorious relic of the
French _régime_, entire even to the Jesuit College arms, carved in
stone over its chief entrance, should have remained sacred and intact
during the century of occupation by English soldiery--and that its
destruction should have been decreed so soon as the British legions, by
their departure, in 1871, had virtually handed it over to the French
Province of Quebec?
The discovery of the 28th August, 1878, of human remains beneath the floor
of this building--presumed to be those of some of the early missionaries--
induced the authorities to institute a careful search during its
demolition. These bones and others exhumed on the 31st August, and on the
1st and 9th September, 1878, were pronounced by two members of the
Faculty, Drs. Hubert Larue and Chas. E. Lemieux, both Professors of the
Laval University, (who signed a certificate to that effect) to be the
remains of three [60] persons of the male sex and of three [61] persons of
the female sex. Some silver and copper coins were also found, which with
these mouldering remains of humanity, were deposited under lock and key in
a wooden box; and in September, 1878, the whole was placed in a small but
substantial stone structure, in the court of the Jesuit Barracks, known as
the "Regimental Magazine," pending their delivery for permanent disposal
to Rev. Père Sachez, Superior of the Jesuits Order in Quebec.
In May, 1879, on opening this magazine, it was found that the venerable
bones, box and all had disappeared, the staple of the padlock on the door
having been forced. By whom and for what purpose, the robbery?
_THE RÉCOLLET CONVENT._
Let us walk on, and view with the Professor's eyes the adjoining public
edifice in 1749, the Récollet Convent, "a spacious building," says Kalm,
"two story high, with a large orchard and kitchen garden." It stood
apparently on the south-eastern extremity of the area, on which the
Anglican Cathedral was built in 1804, across what is now the southern
prolongation of Treasury Street; it is said its eastern end occupied a
portion of the site now occupied by the old _Place d'Armes_--now the
Ring.
Its church or chapel was, on 6th September, 1796, destroyed by fire; two
eye-witnesses of the conflagration, Philippe Aubert DeGaspé and Deputy-
Commissary-General James Thompson, the first in his _Mémoires_, the second
in his unpublished _Diary_, have vividly portrayed the accident.
"At the date of the conflagration of the Récollets Church, 6th
September, 1796, the bodies of those who had been interred there were
taken up. The remains of persons of note, those among others of Count
de Frontenac, were re-interred in the Cathedral (now the Basilica), it
is said, under the floor of the Chapel N. D. of Pity. The leaden
coffins, which, it appears, had been placed on iron bars in the
Récollets Church, had been partially melted by the fire. In Count de
Frontenac's coffin was found a small leaden box, which contained the
heart of that Governor. According to a tradition, handed down by Frère
Louis, the heart of Count de Frontenac was, after his death, sent to
his widow in France. But the haughty Countess refused to receive it,
saying that 'she did not want a dead heart, which when beating did not
belong to her.' The casket containing the heart was sent back to
Canada and replaced in the Count's coffin, where it was found after
the fire." (_Abbé H. R. Casgrain_.)
The Church faced the Ring and the old Château; it formed part of the
Récollet Convent, "a vast quadrangular building, with a court and well
stocked orchard" on Garden Street; it was occasionally used as a state
prison. The Huguenot and agitator, Pierre DuCalvet, [62] spent some dreary
days in its cells in 1781-84; and during the summer of 1776, a young
volunteer under Benedict Arnold, John Joseph Henry, (who lived to become a
distinguished Pennsylvania Judge), was immured in this monastery, after
his capture by the British, at the unsuccessful attack in Sault-au-Matelot
Street, on the 31st December, 1775, as he graphically relates in his
_Memoirs_. It was a monastery of the Order of Saint Francis. The
Provincial, in 1793, a well-known, witty, jovial and eccentric personage,
Father Félix DeBerey, had more than once dined and wined His Royal
Highness Prince Edward, the father of our gracious Sovereign, when
stationed in our garrison in 1791-4, with his regiment, the 7th Fusiliers.
The Récollet Church was also a sacred and last resting place for the
illustrious dead. Of the six French Governors who expired at Quebec, four
slept within its silent vaults, until the translation, in 1796, of their
ashes to the vaults of the Basilica, viz: (1) Frontenac, (2) de Callières,
(3) Vaudreuil, (4) de la Jonquière. [63] Governor de Mesy had been buried
in the Hôtel-Dieu Cemetery, and the first Governor, de Champlain, it is
generally believed, was interred near the Château Saint Louis, in a
"sépulchre particulier," near the spot now surmounted by his bust, on
which, in 1871, was erected the new Post Office.
On the south-west side of the Château, on the site where stands M. A.
Berthelot's old dwelling on St. Louis Street, now owned by James Dunbar,
Esq., Q.C., could be seen a building devoted to the administration of
Justice, _La Sénéchaussée_ (Séneschal's Jurisdiction), and which bore
the name of "The Palace." It was doubtless there that, in 1664, the
Supreme Council held its sessions. In 1665 it was assigned to the Marquis
de Tracy, for a residence whilst in the colony. From the _Place d'Armes_,
the higher road (_Grande Allée_) took its departure and led to Cap Rouge.
On the right and left of this road, were several small lots of land given
to certain persons for the purpose of being built upon. The Indian Fort
was that entrenchment of which we have spoken, which served as a last
hiding place to the sad remains of the once powerful Huron nation, forming
in all eighty four souls, in the year 1665. It had continued to be
occupied by them up to the peace with the Iroquois. After the arrival of
the troops, they took their departure in order to devote themselves to the
cultivation of the lands.
Besides the buildings of the Reverend Jesuit Fathers, those of the
Ursulines (nuns), and those of the Hospital (Hôtel Dieu), in the Upper
Town, could be seen in a house situated behind the altar part of the
Parish Church, where dwelt Monseigneur de Laval. It was, probably, what he
called his Seminary, and where he caused some young men to be educated,
destined afterwards for the priesthood.
It was at the Seminary the worthy prelate resided with his priests, to the
number of eight, which, at that period, comprised all the secular clergy
of Quebec. There, also, was the Church of Notre Dame, in the form of a
Latin cross. [64]
Couillard Street calls up one of the most important personages of the era
of Champlain, Guillaume Couillard, the ancestor of Madame Alexandre de
Léry _née_ Couillard. It would fill a volume to retrace the historical
incidents which attach themselves to "La Grande Place du Fort," which in
the early part of the century was known as the "Grand Parade" before the
Castle, and is now called the _Ring_. We have pointed out a goodly number
in the first pages (10-16) of the "Album du Touriste." To what we have
already said we shall add the following details:
_THE UNION HOTEL._
It would appear that the site upon which the Union Hotel was built [65]
(1805), and where previously stood the dwelling of Dr. Longmore, Staff
Medical Officer, now occupied by the offices of the _Journal de Quebec,
&c._, was owned by Governor D'Ailleboust, about the year 1650. He had
reserved to himself, on the 10th January, 1649, the strip of ground
comprised between Fort and Treasury Streets on the one side, and the
streets Buade and Ste. Anne on the other side. At the corner of Treasury
and Buade Streets, on the west, Jean Côté possessed a piece of ground
(_emplacement_) which he presented as a dowry in 1649, to his daughter
Simonne, who married Pierre Soumandre.
The grounds of the Archbishop's Palace formed part of the field possessed
by Couillard, whose house stood in the now existing garden of the
Seminary, opposite the gate which faces the principal alley, the
foundations of which were discovered and brought to light by the Abbé
Laverdière in 1866. The Union Hotel was for years the meeting place of our
festive ancestors, when the assembly balls brought together the Saxon and
the Gaul; it also recalls warlike memories of 1812.
_THE AMERICAN PRISONERS._
In looking over old fyles of our city journals, we find in the _Quebec
Mercury_ of 15th September, 1812, the following item:
"On Friday, arrived here the detained prisoners taken with Gen. Hull,
at Detroit. The non-commissioned officers and privates immediately
embarked on board of transports in the harbour, which are to serve as
their prison. The commissioned officers were liberated on their
parole. They passed Saturday morning at the Union Hotel, where they
were the gazing-stock of the multitude, whilst they, no way abashed,
presented a bold front to the public stare, puffed the smoke of their
cigars into the faces of such as approached too near. About two
o'clock they set off in a stage, with four horses, for Charlesbourg,
the destined place of their residence."
The Union Hotel here mentioned is the identical building erected for a
hotel by a company in 1805, and now owned by the _Journal de Quebec_,
facing the ring.
Were these prisoners located at Charlesbourg proper, or at that locality
facing Quebec, in Beauport, called _Le Canardière_, in Judge de Bonne's
former stately old mansion, on which the eastern and detached wing of the
Beauport Lunatic Asylum now stands?
Tradition has ever pointed to this building as that which sheltered the
disconsolate American warriors in 1812, with the adjoining rivulet,
_Ruisseau de l'Ours_, as the boundary to the east which their parole
precluded their crossing.
The result of the American defeat at Detroit had been important--"one
general officer (Wadsworth), two lieutenant-colonels, five majors, a
multitude of captains and subalterns, with nine hundred men, one field-
piece and a stand of colors, were the fruits of the victory, the enemy
having lost in killed, wounded, missing and prisoners, upwards of fifteen
hundred." (Christie's History.)
Amongst the American prisoners sent down to Quebec was the celebrated
General Winfield Scott, who lived to cull laurels in the Mexican war. He
was then Col. Scott, and there is yet (1878) living in Quebec an old
resident, R. Urquhart, who well remembers, when a boy, seeing the "tall
and stern American Colonel." He was six feet five inches in height.
(Lossing, p. 408.)
Of these prisoners taken at Detroit, twenty-three had been recognized as
British born and deserters from the English army. they were sent to
England for trial. It is yet possible that some of the veterans of 1812,
by their diaries or other sources of information, may tell us who were the
Charlesbourg or Beauport captives in 1812. They had not been under
restraint much more than a week, when, by the following advertisement in
the _Quebec Mercury_, dated 29th September, we find the British Government
attending to their comforts with a truly maternal foresight:--
Commissary General's Office,
QUEBEC, 28th Sept., 1812
"Wanted for the American prisoners of war, comfortable warm clothing,
consisting of the following articles:
Jackets,
Shirts,
Trowsers,
Stockings,
Moccassins or Shoes.
Also 2000 pounds of soap."
From which it is clear John Bull intended his American cousins should not
only be kept warm, but suitably scrubbed as well. Two thousand lbs. of
soap foreshadowed a fabulous amount of scrubbing. Colonel Scott and
friends were evidently "well off for soap."
Colonel Coffin, of Ottawa, the annalist of the War of 1812, in reply to a
query of mine, writes me:
"Scott remained in Canada from the date of his surrender, 23d October,
1812, to the period of his departure from Quebec, say May, 1813. But
he was on parole the whole time, and from Quebec, as given in his life
by Mansfield, p. 55, he went in a cartel to Boston, and soon after was
exchanged. Under these circumstances, I do not think it likely that he
would have been escorted militarily in custody anywhere. Winder may
have been also taken to Quebec, or he may have been exchanged on the
Western frontier. Armstrong's 'War of 1812' will probably give the
details."
The _Quebec Mercury_, of 27th October, 1812, contains the following:
"The prisoners taken at Detroit and brought down to Quebec are on the
point of embarking for Boston for the purpose of being exchanged. Five
cannon are now lying in the _Château_ Court taken at Detroit."
In retaliation for the twenty-three American prisoners sent for trial to
England, as deserters from the British army, the American Government had
ordered that forty-six British prisoners of war should be detained in
close confinement.
"In consequence of this," says Christie, "the Governor ordered all the
American officers, prisoners of war, without exception of rank, to be
immediately placed into close confinement as hostages, until the
number of forty-six were completed over and above those already in
confinement. In pursuance of this order, Generals Winder, Chandler and
Winchester were conveyed from their quarters in the country at
Beauport to a private house in Quebec, where their confinement was
rendered as little inconvenient as their situation could admit of."
They were exchanged in April, 1814, against British officers,
prisoners of war in the States.
In connection with General Scott's captivity at Quebec, Lossing relates a
little incident, which redounds to his credit:--
"When the prisoners were about to sail from Quebec, a party came on
board the vessel, mustered the captives and commenced separating from
the rest those who, by their accent, were found to be Irishmen. These
they intended to send to England for trial as traitors in a frigate
lying near, in accordance with the doctrine that a British subject
cannot expatriate himself. Scott, who was below, hearing a tumult on
deck, went up. He was soon informed of the cause, and at once entered
a vehement protest against the proceedings. He commanded his soldiers
to be absolutely silent, that their accent might not betray them. He
was repeatedly ordered to go below, and as repeatedly refused. The
soldiers obeyed him. Twenty-three had been already detected as
Irishmen, but not another one became a victim. The twenty-three were
taken on board the frigate in irons. Scott boldly assured them that if
the British Government dared to injure a hair of their head, his own
Government would fully avenge the outrage. He at the same time as
boldly defied the menacing officers, and comforted the manacled
prisoners in every way. Scott was exchanged in January, 1813, and at
once sent a full report of this affair to the Secretary of War. He
hastened to Washington in person, and pressed the subject upon the
attention of Congress. Fortunately, the President never had occasion
to exercise this retaliation, the British Government having abstained
from carrying out in practice, in the case of the American prisoners,
its cherished doctrine of perpetual allegiance.
"The final result of Scott's humane and courageous conduct in this
matter was very gratifying to himself. Almost three years after the
event at Quebec, he was greeted by loud huzzahs as he was passing a
wharf on the East River side of New York city. It came from a group of
Irishmen, who had just landed from an emigrant ship. There were
twenty-one out of the twenty-three prisoners for whom he had cared so
tenderly. They had just returned from a long confinement in English
prisons. They recognized their benefactor, and, says Scott's
biographer, "nearly crushed him by their warm-hearted embraces."
(Lossing's Field Book, p. 409.)
Some years back a discussion took place in the columns of the
_Morning Chronicle_, of Quebec, as to the names of the volunteers
of Bell's Cavalry who had escorted the U. S. prisoners of war in
1812 from Beauport to Quebec. The following extract from our diary
throws some light on this subject:
_THE LAST SURVIVORS OF BELL'S CAVALRY IN 1812._
"Among more than one strange meeting, which that welcome haven of
the wearied wayfarer, the way-side inn, has brought me, in course
of many peregrinations through the length and breadth of the
Province of Quebec, none can I recall less anticipated, than the
one which happened to me this 22nd March, 1881. I reached that
night at 10.30, direct from the Kennebec Railway, the parlor of
Monsieur Lessard's Temperance Hotel at St. Joseph, Beauce. (Such
the euphonious name the Licence Act awards to these fallacious
emblems of comfort or good cheer). After a lengthy interview, I
next day parted, possibly for ever, from an old and withered
_sabreur_ of 1812, the last survivor, I think, of that dashing
volunteer cavalry corps, raised by Capt. the Hon. Matthew Bell at
Quebec in 1812.
I had the rare luck of having from the very lips of this
octogenarian, an account of the share he had in conducting as one
of the cavalry detachment detailed to escort Colonel Winfield
Scott and brother officers from Beauport, where they were confined
as prisoners on _parole_, to the district prison in St. Stanislas
street (the Morrin College) from whence the "big" Colonel and his
comrades were taken and lodged in Colonel Coffin's house in St.
Louis street.
How different the careers! Scott in time became the hero of the
war with Mexico, and the dashing cavalry corporal who escorted
him, aged now 89, after 30 years tenure of office, still holds the
position of village Postmaster, in the township of Broughton,
Beauce. Among the incidents of which my ancient acquaintance seems
proud, is that of his having played at cards with General Scott
and his captive comrades.
"Charles Hy. J. Hall," (such his clear and well written autograph
authenticating the memorandum I drew up for him) a roystering
_militaire_ and _bon vivant_, in our good city, seventy years ago,
presents in his person a rare instance of mental and physical
faculties well preserved until the end--memory, sight, mind,
appetite, all unimpaired.
I was so interested when he informed me that he had been one of
Col. Bell's cavalry, (I felt convinced that, of all the members of
this dashing corps, he was the last survivor,) that I questioned
him very closely, and cross-examined him on such matters of
detail, which an eye-witness alone could know. Mr. Hall, the son
of the late Wm. Hall, of Fabrique street, Quebec, is connected
with several of our most noted families. His father came to Canada
about 1783, from the adjoining provinces,--a United Empire
Loyalist, and became wealthy. Subjoined will be found a short
statement taken down as it fell from the lips of my new
acquaintance, and authenticated by his signature. Mr. Chas. Hall
is Postmaster of Broughton, County of Beauce."--(_Diary of J. M.
LeMoine_.)
* * * * *
"I am now 89 years of age. My father, the late Wm. Hall, a well-
to-do Quebecer, whose partner in business I subsequently was,
lived at what I should call No. 1 Fabrique street (the house
lately vacated by Behan Bros). I was born in a house in St. John
street. I loved to roam--have travelled the world over and
received some hard knocks in my day. As to that part of my career,
which seems particularly to interest you--the war of 1812--I
regret I cannot tell you as much as you wish to know. In 1812 I
joined Capt. the Hon. Matthew Bell's Volunteer Cavalry; we
numbered between 90 to 100 men. Our uniform was blue coat, red
collar,--silver braid; arms, a sabre and holster pistols. As
volunteers every man furnished his own horse, suits, etc. My
horse, which cost me thirty guineas, I refused sixty for from Col.
McNeil; our mounts were of Canadian, American, and English
pedigree.
We were commanded by Col. Bell; Hon Wm. Sheppard (late of
Woodfield), was our Major, Mr. Hale, our Captain, Wm. Henderson,
our Lieutenant. I cannot say, in reply to your question, whether
the late Hammond Gowan was our Cornet. Our house stood next to
that where General Brock had lived, in Fabrique street. I was, in
1812, one of the escort who took General Winfield Scott, Col.
Winder,----from Beauport; I remember well the big Col. Scott, as I
played cards with the American officers who were, on their parole,
quartered in Judge DeBonne's house, on the site of which the east
wing of the Lunatic Asylum has since been erected. I formed part
of the escort who conducted the American officers to the Quebec
jail, in St. Stanislas street, previous to their being located in
a St. Louis street house. During the war, under Sir George
Prevost, I formed, in March, part of the detachment of cavalry,
sent with a company of the 103rd, to the parish of St. Joseph,
Beauce, to arrest some militia men who had refused to enlist. The
ice-bridge before Quebec, started a few minutes after our last
horse had crossed.
CHAS. HY. J. HALL
St. Joseph, Beauce, 23rd March, 1881.
N B.--I can read yet without glasses; I reckon I am the last
survivor of Bell's Cavalry.--_Morning Chronicle_, 28th _April_,
1881.
QUEBEC TROOP OF LIGHT CAVALRY.
_Extract from a Troop Order Book of Captain Bell's Troop, dated
Quebec, 1st March, 1813._
NOTES RESPECTING THE FORMATION OF THE TROOP.
[Furnished by Lt.-Col. Turnbull, Q.O.C.H.]
This Troop was first formed by Capt. Bell, under an order of H. E.
Sir G. Prevost, dated 22nd April, 1812, as a part of 3rd
Battalion, Quebec Militia.
22nd May, 1812.--William Sheppard and Hammond Gowan are appointed
Sergeants. Mr. Hale attached to the Troop as Cornet.
27th June.--Intelligence of the declaration of war reached Quebec.
The gentlemen composing the Troop, to the number of 34,
volunteered their services, to act when and where the Government
thought proper.
27th July.--The Troop declared independent of the 3rd Battalion,
Quebec Militia. In case of alarm, to assemble on their private
parade, in front of the Castle, by order of General Glasgow.
October.--Mr. Hale appointed Lieutenant, and Mr. Sheppard, Cornet,
dated 24th April last.
19th December.--The Troop to be held in readiness to march on
active service early in the spring.
15th February, 1813.--Orders received to add 25 dismounted men to
the Troop.
MUSTER ROLL.
QUEBEC LIGHT CAVALRY, BELL'S TROOP.
1st March, 1813.
_Officers._
Captain (Commandant) Matthew Bell.
Lieutenant Edward Hale,
Cornet W. G Sheppard,
Quarter-Master Benjamin Racy, (from the Ste. Marie, Nouvelle
Beauce Battalion), attached to the Troop.
_N.C. Officers_
Sergeant Hammond Gowan, Corporal Charles Hall,
" Wm. Henderson, " Wm. Sheppard,
" Alex. Gowan, Acting " G. Wilson,
" James Heath, Acting Trumpeter Thos. Pearson.
_Privates_
On the full establishment, furnishing horse, clothing, &c.:--
*William Turner, John Stansfield, *James Capper,
*Wm. Thomas, James McCallum, Robert Page,
*John Patterson, John Connolly, John White,
William Price, Peter Burnet, William Hoogs,
John Dempster, *James Dick, J. G. Clapham,
*John Campbell, James Henderson, George Chapman,
Andrew Moire, George Cossar, *James Black,
James Oliver, *John McQuay, William Henderson,
John Racy, Archibald Campbell, *Amos Priest,
William Moore, James George, James McCallum,
*David Robertson, Webb Robinson, John McCallum,
James Whyte, Daniel Buckley, Frank Bell.
_Dismounted Party._
Age. Ft. In.
James Winton . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 5 10
*Frederick Petry . . . . . . . . . . 19 5 10
*George Burns . . . . . . . . . . . 19 5 10
Henry Connolly . . . . . . . . . . . 16 5 10
*Francis Martineau . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Daniel Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
James Stewart . . . . . . . . . . . 19 5 9
Frederick Wyse . . . . . . . . . . . 27 5 9
John Menzies . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 5 9
David Flynn . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 5 8-1/2
*William Graves . . . . . . . . . . . 21 5 8
*Richard Burns. . . . . . . . . . . . 22 5 8
*James Loan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 5 7-1/2
Alexander Russell . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..
*William Parker . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..
*Charles Gethings . . . . . . . . . . 19 5 7
*Thomas Burney. . . . . . . . . . . . 21 5 7
John Chillas . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 5 7
George C. Ross. . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5 8
*Godfroi Langlois . . . . . . . . . . 20 5 10
George Patterson. . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..
Peter Legget. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..
J. Dion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..
David Denny . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..
Wm. Hobb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..
[Note: * Reside in Upper Town.]
Troop Order, 1st March.--Foot drills on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays in the Riding House at 12 o'clock till further orders.
8th March.--The Captain commanding desires that the following
articles be provided as soon as possible by each person in the
Troop, to enable him to comply with the General Orders of the
Commander-in-Chief, dated 19th December last, viz: Helmet; blue
cloth forage cap; black silk handkerchief or stock; dress jacket,
undress jacket (plain), plain linen jacket (stable); a pair of
brown linen trowsers; a pair of grey cloth overalls; a pair of
grey cloth or stockinett pantaloons; a pair of half boots and
spurs; two flannel shirts; two pair flannel drawers; three pairs
of stockings; one pair of shoes; one razor; one knife; one brush;
one curriecomb, brush and mane comb; one linen haversack; one
linen nose-bag; one linen bag for necessaries.
The dismounted men may make their undress jacket of strong brown
linen if they prefer it.
Quarter-Master Racy will shew patterns and give any information
that may be required. The Captain wishes the different articles to
be good and strong, but not of an expensive kind.
28th March.--A detachment was ordered on service to Ste. Marie
Nouvelle Beauce and St. Joseph, returning on the 31st under the
command of Lieutenant Hale, consisting of two officers, two
sergeants, one corporal, 18 privates; total, 23.
At right angles from Buade Street, opposite the wall [66] which surrounds
St. Joseph Cemetery, enclosed between the Basilica and the street, there
exists, since the earliest times, a short, narrow street--more properly a
lane--_Treasury Street_. The French know it as _Rue du Trésor_, because
under French rule, the Government Office, where public monies were
paid out, stood in the vicinity. Until the departure of the English
garrison and removal of the Commissariat Staff, in 1871, Treasury Street
was one of the avenues which led contractors and others to the Royal
Commissariat Department, at the east end of St. Louis Street. Here, for
years, were dealt out lavishly either the old French or Spanish piastres
during the war of 1812-14, the proceeds of the army bills, and later on,
English sovereigns, guineas and doubloons, &c. The Commissariat office was
situate facing the Ring, and after the departure of the British troops,
about 1871, was used as the office and dwelling of the Deputy Adjutant
General of Militia. The lot, which, with the garden in rear, reaches to
Mount Carmel Street, had been bought by the Ordnance from Mr. Peter
Bréhault in the early part of the century.
Prince Edward had brought to Quebec from Gibraltar, in 1791, as his
Secretary, Capt. John Hale, 2nd Queen's Regiment. Capt. Hale was the
eldest son of Brevet Major John Hale, [67] of the 47th, who served under
General Wolfe at Quebec. Major J. Hale subsequently became General Hale.
Capt. John Hale, after stopping at Quebec with the Prince, subsequently
returned to Halifax with him. He was afterwards appointed by the Imperial
authorities Deputy Paymaster General to the Forces in Canada. He, it was,
who owned the lot on which the Commissary-General's office stood. This
occurred previous to 1812. He sold the property to Peter Bréhault, who had
come out to Canada as an employé to John Muire, Esq. Mr. Bréhault resold
it to the Imperial Government, the Paymaster's Office being merged into
the Commissariat Office. The Ursuline nuns have named, after their patron
Saint, Ste. Ursule, the first street to the west, which intersects at
right angles, St. Louis and Ste. Anne streets. Ste. Ursule and Ste. Anne
streets and environs seem to have been specially appropriated by the
disciples of Hippocrates. Physicians [68] and surgeons there assuredly do
congregate, viz.: Dr. James Sewell, his son, Dr. Colin Sewell, Drs.
Landry, Lemieux, Simard, Belleau, Russell, Russell, Jr., Gale, Ross,
Baillargeon, Roy, Fortier, LaRue, Parke, Rowand, Henchey, Vallée, Marsden,
Jackson--distinguished physicians. Notwithstanding that it is the abode of
so many eminent members of the Faculty, the locality is healthy; nay,
conducive to longevity.
The streets Aylmer, Burton, Bagot, Craig, Carleton, Dorchester, Dalhousie,
Haldimand, Hope, Metcalf, Murray, Prevost, Richmond, perpetuate the memory
of thirteen English Governors, while four French Governors have left their
names on as many thoroughfares--Buade, Champlain, d'Aillebout, Montmagny.
Many of the luxurious dwellings on the Cape date back to 1840 or so; this
now aristocratic neighborhood, after the conquest and until 1830, was
occupied by carters, old French market gardeners and descendants of French
artisans, &c.--such were the early tenants of Des Carrières, Mont Carmel,
Ste. Geneviève, St. Denis, Des Grissons streets.--"_Mais nous avons
changé tout cela._"
A few years since, the Town Council, on motion of Councillor Ernest
Gagnon, whose name is identified with our popular songs, [69] disturbed
the nomenclature of that part of D'Aiguillon street, _extra muros_, by
substituting the name of "Charlevoix." To that section of St. Joseph
street, _intra muros_, was conferred the name of our respected historian,
F. X Garneau. [70] To St. François street, the name of the historian,
Ferland, was awarded; the historian, Robert Christie, [71] has also his
street. This met with general approval.
"On ascending," says Abbé Faillon, "from the Lower to the Upper Town by a
tortuous road, contrived betwixt the rocks, and on the right hand side, we
reach the Cemetery. [72] This road, which terminated at the Parish Church,
[73] divided itself into two,--on one side it led to the Jesuits (Jesuits'
College) and to the Hospital (Hôtel Dieu); and on the other, to the Indian
Fort [74] and to the Castle of Saint Louis. The Castle and King's Fort,
guarded by soldiers night and day, under the orders of the Governor, was
of an irregular shape, flanked by bastions, fortified by pieces of
artillery, and contained in its interior several _suites_ of apartments
separated one from the other. At the distance of about forty toises (240
feet) from the Castle was seen, on the south side, a small garden, fenced
in, for the use of the Governor, and in front, towards the west, was the
_Place d'Armes_ (now the _Ring_), in the form of a trapezium."
St. John street, for years without a rival as chief commercial
thoroughfare for retail trade in dry goods, sees its former busy aspect
daily fleeting since the invasion of that bitter foe to wheeled vehicles--
the street railway. Its glory is departing: the mercer's showy counter and
shelves are gradually replaced by vegetable and fruit stores. Stately
shops on Desfosses, Crown and Craig streets are rapidly diverting the
_Pactolus_ of the city custom northwards. In the dark ages of the
Ancient Capital, when this lengthy, narrow lane was studded with one-story
wooden or stone tenements, Old Sol occasionally loved to look down and
gladden with his rays its miry footpaths. To our worthy grandfathers 'twas
a favorite _rendezvous_--the _via sacra_--the Regent street--the
_Boulevard des Italiens_--where the _beau monde_ congregated at 4 P.M.,
sharp; where the merry jingle of the tandem _grelots_ invaded the frosty
air in January; where the freshest toilettes, the daintiest bonnets--those
"ducks of bonnets" invented fifty years ago by Mrs. T--d--ensnared
admirers; where marten or "silver fox" muffs of portentous size--all the
rage then--kept warm and coursing the stream of life in tiny, taper hands,
cold, alas! now in Death's pitiless grasp; where the old millionaire,
George Pozer, chinked his English guineas or piled up in his desk his army
bills. Alas! Jean Bourdon, the pioneer of our land surveyors, you, who,
more than two centuries ago, left your name to this vaunted locality--your
street as well as your name are getting to be things of the past! Shall we
bid adieu to this oft travelled over thoroughfare without deigning a
parting glance, as we saunter on, at that low old-fashioned house, No. 84,
on the north side of the street, where, for a quarter of a century and
more, Monsieur Charles Hamel's book and church ornament emporium held its
own against all the other book stores? It is now occupied as a dwelling
and a notarial office by an ex-Mayor and late member for the city, P. A.
Tourangeau, Esq., N.P. Vividly, indeed, can we recall the busy aspect of
its former counter, studded with gilt madonnas, rosaries, some in brass
mountings, variegated Job beads for the million; others set in ebony and
silver for rich _dévotes_, flanked with wax tapers, sparkling church
ornaments, bronze crucifixes--backed with shelves of books bearing, some,
the _visa_ of Monseigneur de Tours--the latter for the faithful; others in
an inner room, without the _visa_--these for city _littérateurs_; whilst
in a shady corner-cupboard, imported to order--sometimes without order--
stood a row of short-necked but robust bottles, labelled "_Grande
Chartreuse_" and "_Bénédictine_," for the especial delectation of a few
Quebec Brillat-Savarins--the _gourmets_!
Monsieur Hamel, a sly, courteous, devout old bachelor, had a honied word,
a holy, upturned glance, a jaunty welcome for all and every one of his
numerous "dévotes" or fashionable _pratiques_. A small fortune was
the result of the attention to business, thrift and correct calculations
of this pink of French politeness. Monsieur Chas. Hamel, honoured by his
familiars with the sobriquet "Lily Hamel," possibly because his urbanity
was more than masculine, in fact, quite lady-like--the _crème de la
crème_ of commercial suavity. This stand, frequented by the Quebec
gentry from 1840 to 1865, had gradually become a favourite stopping place,
a kind of half-way house, where many aged valetudinarians tarried a few
minutes to gossip with friends equally aged, homeward bound, on bright
winter afternoons, direct from their daily "constitutional" walk, as far
as the turnpike on St. John's road. Professor Hubert Larue [75] will
introduce us to some of the _habitués_ of this little club, which he
styles _Le Club des Anciens_, a venerable brotherhood uniting choice
spirits among city _littérateurs_, antiquarians, superannuated Militia
officers, retired merchants: Messrs. Henry Forsyth, Long John Fraser,
Lieut.-Colonel Benjamin LeMoine, F. X. Garneau, G. B. Faribault, P. A. De
Gaspé, Commissary-General Jas. Thompson, Major Lafleur, Chs. Pinguet, the
valiant Captain of the City Watch in 1837. The junior members counted from
fifty to sixty summers; their seniors had braved some sixty or seventy
winters. After discussing the news of the day, local antiquities and
improvements, there were certain topics, which possessed the secret of
being to them eternally young, irresistibly attractive: the thrilling era
of Colonel De Salaberry and General Sir Isaac Brock; the Canadian
_Voltigeurs_, [76] the American War of 1812-14, where a few of these
veterans had clanked their sabres and sported their epaulettes, &c. With
the exception of an esteemed and aged Quebec merchant, Long John Fraser,
all now sleep the long sleep, under the green sward and leafy shades of
Mount Hermon or Belmont cemeteries, or in the moist vaults of some city
monastery.
On revisiting lately these once famous haunts of our forefathers, the new
proprietor, ex-Mayor Tourangeau, courteously exhibited to us the
_antiques_ of this heavy walled tenement, dating back possibly to the
French _régime_, perhaps the second oldest house in St. John street.
In a freshly painted room, on the first story, in the east end, hung two
ancient oil paintings, executed years ago by a well-remembered artist,
Jos. Legaré, for the owners, two octogenarian inmates--his friends,
Messrs. Michel and Charles Jourdain, architects and builders. They were
charged some seventy years ago with the construction of the District Court
House (burnt in 1872) and City Jail (now the Morrin College.) Messrs.
Jourdain had emigrated to Canada after the French Revolution of 1789. They
had a holy horror of the guillotine, though, like others of the
_literati_ of Quebec in former days, they were well acquainted with
the doctrines and works of Voltaire, Diderot, and d'Alembert. One of the
Jourdains, judging from his portrait, must have been a shrewd, observant
man. Later on, the old tenement had sheltered the librarian of the
Legislative Council, Monsieur Jourdain--a son--quite a _savant_ in
his way, and whose remains were escorted to their last resting place by
the _élite_ of the Canadian population. It is a mistake to think that
culture and education were unknown in those early times; in some instances
the love of books prevailed to that degree that, in several French-
Canadian families, manuscript copies then made at Quebec exist to this
day, of the Latin and French classics from the difficulty of procuring
books; there being little intercourse then with Paris book-stores, in
fact, no importations of books. Among many quaint relics of the distant
days of the Messrs. Jourdain and of their successor, Monsieur Audiverti
_dit_ Romain, we saw a most curiously inlaid _Marqueterie_ table, dating,
we might be tempted to assert, from the prehistoric era!
Innumerable are the quaint, pious or historical souvenirs, mantling like
green and graceful ivy, the lofty, fortified area, which comprises the
Upper Town of this "walled city of the North". An incident of our early
times--the outraged Crucifix of the Hôtel Dieu Convent, [77] and the
Military Warrant, appropriating to urgent military wants, the revered seat
of learning, the Jesuits' College, naturally claim a place in these pages.
The _Morning Chronicle_ will furnish us condensed accounts, which we
will try and complete:--
_LE CRUCIFIX OUTRAGÉ._
"An interesting episode in the history of Canada during the last
century attaches to a relic in the possession of the Reverend Ladies
of the Hôtel Dieu, or, more properly, "the Hospital of the Most
Precious Blood of Jesus Christ," of which the following is a synopsis
taken from l'Abbé H. G. Casgrain's history of the institution:--
"On the 5th October, 1742, it was made known that a soldier in the
garrison in Montreal, named Havard de Beaufort, professed to be a
sorcerer, and, in furtherance of his wicked pretensions, had profaned
sacred objects. He had taken a crucifix, and having besmeared it with
some inflammable substance--traces of which are still to be seen upon
it--had exposed it to the flames, whilst he at the same time recited
certain passages of the Holy Scripture. The sacrilege had taken place
in the house of one Charles Robidoux, at Montreal. Public indignation
at this profanation of the sacred symbol and of the Scripture was
intense; the culprit was arrested, tried and convicted, and sentenced
to make a public reparation, after which he was to serve three years
in the galleys. To this end he was led by the public executioner, with
a cord around his neck, bareheaded and barefooted, wearing only a long
shirt, and having a placard on his breast and back on which was
inscribed the legend "Desecrator of holy things" (_Profanateur des
choses saintes_), in front of the parish church in Montreal, and
being placed on his knees, he made the _amende honorable_ to God,
to the King and to Justice, and declared in a loud and intelligible
voice that he had rashly and wickedly desecrated the sacred image of
Jesus Christ, and had profaned the words of Holy Scripture. He was
then brought to all the cross-roads of the town, where he was scourged
by the public executioner, and afterwards lodged in prison to await
the sailing of the vessel which was to convey him to France, where he
was to undergo the remainder of his sentence. The Bishop of Quebec,
(whose vast diocese then included all of North America) immediately
wrote a letter to Montreal, inviting the people to make reparation by
penances and public prayers for the outrage committed, and ordering a
public procession from the parish church to that of Notre Dame de
Bonsecours, where the veneration of the cross took place. He then
obtained the crucifix from the magistrates, and forwarded it to the
reverend ladies of the Hôtel Dieu in Quebec, accompanied by a letter
in which he directed that it should be placed in their chapel, and
that on a certain day the veneration of it should be made in
reparation of the insult offered the Saviour of the world in his
sacred image on the cross. The nuns placed it in a reliquary, and to
this day it occupies a prominent position on the high altar. In virtue
of a brief of His Holiness the Pope, dated the 15th December, 1782, a
plenary indulgence was granted to any one who, having fulfilled the
usual conditions, should visit the Hôtel Dieu chapel on the first
Friday in March of each year. By an indult of the Supreme Pontiff,
dated 21st March, 1802, this indulgence was transferred to the first
Friday of October, when the veneration of the relic takes place
annually.
The cross is of some sort of dark wood, about five or six inches long,
bearing a brass figure of our Saviour, with the inscription I. N. R.
I. (_Jesus Nazarene Rex Judaeorum_) overhead and the skull and
cross-bones beneath. Attached to it is the certificate of authenticity
and the seal of the Bishop, Monseigneur de Pontbriand. In accordance
with this arrangement, public service was held in the chapel of the
hospital yesterday. The crucifix, enclosed in a gorgeous reliquary and
surrounded with a number of lighted tapers, flowers and other
ornaments, was placed on one of the lateral altars. Solemn mass was
sung at eight o'clock by the Rev. Mr. Rhéaume, of the Seminary, the
musical portion being rendered in a most impressive manner by the
reverend mothers, to organ accompaniment. In the afternoon, at two
o'clock, solemn vespers were chanted by the community, after which an
eloquent and impressive sermon was preached by Rev. Father Lepinto,
S.J., followed by the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, which was
given, by Rev. Mr. Fraser, of the Seminary, who had previously read a
solemn form of "Reparation" in the name of all present, and in which
all joined. The _Tantum Ergo_ and other hymns were sung by the
nuns, and after the chanting of the CXVI. Psalm, the relic was
venerated, each one devoutly kissing it, during which the choir of
nuns sang the _Crux fidelis_. Altogether the ceremony was a very
impressive one, as was evidenced by the solemn, subdued manner of the
large congregation assembled."--(_Morning Chronicle_, _2nd Oct._,
1880.)
_THE JESUITS' BARRACKS._
"At the present moment, in 1871, when, it is said, the Jesuits'
Barrack is on the eve of being returned to the Quebec authorities, our
readers will no doubt be pleased to learn how and when this valuable
property came into the possession of the Military Government. We are
indebted to J. M. LeMoine, Esq., President of the Literary and
Historical Society, for a copy of the ukase of Governor Murray
converting the old College of the Jesuits, on the Upper Town Market
Place, into a barrack, which it has remained ever since. It is
extracted from some rare old manuscripts belonging to that
institution. The orthographical mistakes exist in the original, and we
have allowed them to reappear:--
By His Excellency the Hon. James Murray, Esq., Capt. General and
Governor-in-Chief of the Province of Quebec and the territories
thereupon depending in America, Vice-Admiral of the same, Major-
General of His Majesty's Forces, and Colonel Commandant of the 2nd
Battalion of the Royal American Regiment of Foot, &c., &c., &c.
To Captain James Mitchelson, Captain William Martin, Lieut. Smith,
Messieurs Amiot, Boisseau and Moore:
Whereas it appears to me that proper Quarters and Barracks are much
wanted for the officers and troops in this garrison, and it being
apprehended that the Jesuits' College may be fitted up for that
purpose--You are hereby authorized and impowered to survey the same,
calling to your assistance such number of tradesmen as you may judge
necessary, in which survey, regard is to be had to a sufficient number
of Fire Places and Chimneys, to ascertain with precision the number of
officers and private soldiers the said College will contain, and to
make an estimate of the expense that will attend the repairs thereof.
And whereas the Contractors' provisions are at present lodged in the
said college, other magazines should be found to lodge the same. You
are therefore further impowered to inspect and survey that building
known by the name of the Intendant's Palace, and to ascertain also the
charges that will attend the fitting up the same to contain the
quantity of six thousand barrels, reporting to me on the back hereof
your proceedings upon the warrant, which shall be to you and every of
you sufficient authority.
Given under my hand and seal at Quebec, this 4th day of June, 1765.
(sd) JAS. MURRAY. By His Excellency's command.
(Counters'd,) J. GOLDFRAP, D. Sectry.
General Arnold's soldiers having during the winter of 1775 established
themselves in and near the French Intendant's Palace, facing the St.
Charles, Governor Carleton decided to sacrifice the stately pile of
buildings in order to dislodge the enemy. A lively fire was in
consequence opened from the guns on the ramparts, near Palace Gate,
and the magnificent structure was soon riddled with shot. It stood in
rear of Vallière's furniture factory and Boswell's brewery. Thus was
acquired the Jesuits' Barrack, and thus perished the Intendant's
Palace."--(_Chronicle_, 27_th Dec._, 1871.)
D'Auteuil street, bounded to the west by an open space--the Esplanade--
lined on one side by shade trees, on the other by the verdant slopes of
the glacis and city walls, deserves a passing notice. Bouchette describes
it thus:--"The Esplanade, between St. Louis and St. John's Gate, has a
length of 273 yards, by an average breadth of 80, except at the Ste.
Ursula bastion, where it is 120 yards. It is tolerably level, in some
places presenting a surface of bare rock. This is the usual place of
parade for the troops of the garrison, from whence every morning in summer
the different guards of the town are mounted; in winter the Jesuits'
Barracks drill ground is generally used for parades. The musters and
annual reviews of the militia belonging to the city are held there. [78]
The Esplanade is still used as a parade ground, if not by our city militia
by our provincial troops. Right well can we recall the manly form of the
Commander of the "B" Battery, Lieut.-Colonel T. B. Strange, bestriding a
noble charger, putting his splendid, though not numerous corps, through
their drill on the Esplanade. We have also sometimes caught sight there of
our gay Volunteers. Occasionally these grounds are used by the divers
lacrosse clubs for their athletic games--the _doyen_ of our city
_littérateurs_, the Hon. P. J. O. Chauveau, in a graphic portraiture
of the "Quebec of the Past," has most feelingly retraced the vanished
glories, the military pageants, the practical jokers, the City Watch, the
social gatherings, which his youthful eyes witnessed of yore on the
Esplanade and on Durham Terrace. We have attempted to render in English a
striking chapter of this sparkling effusion:--
_OLDEN TIMES IN THE ANCIENT CAPITAL._
"There is not only the quaint city of Champlain--of Montmagny--of
Frontenac--of Bishop Laval--of Governor de Vaudreuil and Montcalm--of
Lord Dorchester and Colonel Dambourges--that is rapidly fading away;
there is not merely the grim fortress of the French _régime_, the
city of early English rule, disappearing piecemeal in the dissolving
shadows of the past. A much more modern town--newer even than that so
graphically pictured by our old friend Monsieur de Gaspé--the Quebec
of our boyhood--of our youth--the Quebec embalmed in the haunted
chambers of memory prior to 1837--it also each day seems retreating--
crumbling--evanescing.
Where are those dashing regiments which every Sunday at 4 p.m. (we
were not such Puritans then as now) paraded in the open space facing
the Esplanade walls, under the approving eye of the beauty and fashion
of all Quebec, assembled from outside and from inside of the walls--
the men proud of their bottle-green or dark-blue coats and white duck
pants--all the vogue then--while the softer sex and juveniles were
apparelled in the gayest of toilettes--brightest of colors--loudest of
contrasts: white--pink--green! How densely packed, our Esplanade!
Little boys and girls crowding in every corner of the lovely
precipitous lawn which, amphitheatre-like, stretches down--a hanging
garden of verdure and beauty. The splendid regimental bands of music,
the gaudily uniformed staff officers curvetting on their chargers,
with nodding plumes and heavy, glittering epaulettes (alas! the navy
now seems to have monopolised the gold lace for their shoulder-
straps), and those irresistible sappers with their bushy beards
heading the pageant, and those incomparable drum-majors, who could
fling high in the air their _batons_, and catch them so gracefully in
their descent. How their glittering coats did enrapture the crowd! All
these wondrous sights of our youth, where will we now find them?
The mounting guard, the _Grand Rounds_ at noon, when one of the
regimental bands (there were here nearly always two, and an honorable
rivalry existed between them) struck up a martial strain, whilst every
sentry in the city was relieved. What a treat this was to every one,
without forgetting the Seminary Externes (pupils), with their blue
coats and sashes of green or of variegated tints.
More than one of those lithesome youths came to grief for having
rushed away from the _Gradus ad Parnassum_ to those Elysian Fields,
ostensibly to hear the band--possibly to cast a sly glance at "sweet
sixteen" chatting with the _Militaires_ off duty. Here,
too, was the spot where amateurs came to hear new pieces of music--the
latest from London. Durham Terrace was the favoured locality from
whence the new waltz--the fashionable march--the latest opera--was
launched into city existence; from thence it found its way to the
_salons_ of the wealthy: such the history of _Di tanti palpiti_ and
other sweet emanations of great masters.
Where, now, are those squads of jolly tars, in navy blue,
irrepressible in their humors when on shore, far from the quarterdecks
of the trim frigates anchored under Cape Diamond: upsetting the cake-
stands, the spruce beer kegs--helping open-handed to the contents the
saucy street urchins, or, handing round, amidst the startled
wayfarers, pyramids of horse cakes, trays of barley-sugar and
peppermints, like real princes dispensing the coin of the realm. Where
are those noisy gangs of swaggering raftsmen--those _voyageurs_ from
the _pays d'en haut_, with their glittering costumes--hats festooned
with red or blue ribbons, sashes of variegated colors, barred shirts--
tightly wedged, three by three, in _calèches_, like Neapolitans--
patrolling the streets--interlarding a French song occasionally with
an oath, tolerably profane--at all times to be met, whether in the
light of day or the still hours of night. No police in those halcyon
days; but with the thickening shades of evening issued forth that
venerable brotherhood, the City Watch.
The watch, did we say? Where are now these dreamy wanderers of the
night, carolling forth, like the muezzin in Eastern cities, their
hourly calls, "All's well!" "Fine night!" "Bad weather!" as the case
might be--equally ready with their rattles to sound the dread alarm of
fire, or with their long _bâtons_ to capture belated midnight
brawlers, that is, when they saw they had a good chance of escaping
capture themselves. Their most formidable foes were not the thieves,
but the gay Lotharios and high-fed swells of the time, returning from
late dinners, and who made it a duty, nay, a crowning glory, to thrash
the Watch! Where now are those practical jokers who made collections
of door-knockers (the house-bell was not then known), exchanged sign-
boards from shop-doors, played unconscionable tricks on the simple-
minded peasants on market-days--surreptitiously crept in at suburban
balls, in the guise of the evil one, and, by the alarm they at times
created, unwittingly helped _Monsieur le Curé_ to frown down upon
these mundane junkettings.
One of these escapades is still remembered here. [79]
Four of these gentlemanly practical jokers, one night, habited in
black like the Prince of Darkness, drove silently through the suburbs
in a _cariole_ drawn by two coal-black steeds, and meeting with a
well-known citizen, overcome by drink, asleep in the snow, they
silently but vigorously seized hold of him with an iron grip; a
_cahot_ and physical pain having restored him to consciousness,
he devoutly _crossed_ himself, and, presto! was hurled into another
snow-drift. Next day all Quebec had heard in amazement how, when and
where Beelzebub and his infernal crew had been seen careering in state
after nightfall. Oh! the jolly days and gay nights of olden times!
But the past had other figures more deserving of our sympathy. The
sober-sided sires of the frolicsome gentry just described: the
respected tradesmen who had added dollar to dollar to build up an
independence--whose savings their children were squandering so
recklessly; those worthy citizens who had filled without stipend
numerous civic offices, with a zeal, a whole-heartedness seldom met
with in the present day--at once churchwardens, justices of the peace,
city fathers, members of societies for the promotion of agriculture,
of education, for the prevention of fires; who never sat up later than
nine of the clock p.m., except on those nights when they went to the
old Parliament Building to listen in awe to fiery Papineau or eloquent
Bourdages thunder against the _Bureaucracy_; who subscribed and
paid liberally towards every work of religion, of charity, of
patriotism; who every Saturday glanced with trembling eye over the
columns of the _Official Gazette_, to ascertain whether Government had
not dismissed them from the Militia or Commission of the Peace, for
having attended a public meeting, and having either proposed or
seconded a motion backing up Papineau and censuring the Governor.
Thrilling--jocund--simple war-like time of 1837, where art thou
flown?"
The "sunny Esplanade," the "Club," the "Platform," in those days "rather
small," the "Rink," "Montmorency Falls," "Lake Charles," the "Citadel" and
its "hog's-back," it would appear, inspired the bard of the 25th King's
Own Borderers--for years forming part of our garrison--on this favourite
regiment embarking for England, to waft to the old Rock the following
poetic tribute.
_FAREWELL TO QUEBEC._
Adieu, ye joys of fair Quebec!
We've got what's coarsely termed the sack.
Adieu, kind homes that we have entered;
What hopes and joys are around ye centered!
Adieu, ye flights of Lower Town stairs!
To mount you often, no one cares.
Adieu, that Club, with cook whose skill
Makes none begrudge his dinner bill.
Adieu, O sunny Esplanade!
You suit us loungers to a shade.
Adieu, thou Platform, rather small,
For upper-ten, the band and all.
And Music Hall! adieu to thee!
Ne'er kinder audiences we'll see;
There on each 'Stadacona' night,
'Ye antient citie' proves its right
To boast of beauty, whose fair fame,
To us at Malta even came.
Adieu, O Rink, and 'thrilling steel,'
Another sort of thrill we feel,
As eye entranced, those forms we follow,
And see the Graces beaten hollow.
Adieu, John's Gate! your mud and mire
Must end in time, _as does each fire_!
Adieu, that pleasant four-mile round,
By bilious subs so useful found.
Adieu, Cathedral! and that choir,
All eye and ear could well desire.
Adieu, that service--half-past three
And chance walks after, home to tea.
And 'city fathers,' too, adieu!
Sorry we shan't know more of you.
Adieu, your daughters passing fair,
In dancing, skating, who so rare?
Adieu, too soon, O Citadel!
Adieu, hogs-back, we like thee well,
Though when on _poudré_ days we've crossed,
Noses and ears we've all but lost.
Adieu, to Montmorency's Fall!
Adieu, ye ice-cones large and small!
Who can forget the _traîneau's_ leap
From off that icy height, so steep;
It takes your breath as clean away
As plunge in air--at best you may
Get safely down, and borne along,
Run till upset; but ah! if wrong
At first, you take to turning round,
The _traîneau_ leaves you, and you're found
Down at the bottom, rolling still,
Shaken and bruised and feeling ill.
Adieu, ye lakes and all the fishing!
To cast a fly we've long been wishing.
One last adieu! sorry are we
That this must be our p.p.c.!
Folly to think we'll feel resigned
In leaving you, who've proved so kind.
Our bark of happiness goes wreck,
In quitting you, far-famed Quebec!
_--P.P.C., of the 25th K.O.B._
Our thoroughfares, our promenades, even in those dreary months, when the
northern blast howls over the Canadian landscape, have some blithsome
gleams of sunshine. Never shall we forget one bright, frosty January
afternoon, about four o'clock, in the year 1872, when solitary, though
not sad, standing on Durham [80] Terrace, was unveiled to us "a most
magnificent picture, a scene of glorified nature painted by the hand of
the Creator. The setting sun had charged the skies with all its gorgeous
heraldry of purple and crimson and gold, and the tints were diffused and
reflected through fleecy clouds, becoming softer and richer through
expansion. The mountain tops, wood-crowned, where the light and shadow
appeared to be struggling for mastery, stood out in relief from the white
plain, and stretching away in indistinct, dreamy distances finally seemed
to blend with the painted skies. The ice-covered bay was lit up with
glowing shades, in contrast with the deep blue of the clear water beyond;
from which the island rose, and into which the point jutted with grand
picturesqueness; the light played through the frost-adorned, but still
sombre pines, and spread out over deserted fields. Levis and the south
shore received not so much of the illumination, and the grimness of the
Citadel served as a contrast and a relief to the eye bewildered with the
unaccustomed grandeur. But as the sun sank deeper behind the eternal
hills, shadows began to fall, and the bright colours toned down to the
grey of dusk, stars shone out, the grey was chased away, and the azure,
diamond-dotted skies told not of the glory of sunset which had so shortly
before suffused them."--(_Morning Chronicle_.)
We have just seen described the incomparable panorama which a winter
sunset disclosed from the lofty promenade, to which the Earl of Dufferin
has bequeathed his name. Let us now accompany one of our genial summer
butterflies, fluttering through the mazes of old Stadacona escorting a
bride; let us listen to W. D. Howells in the WEDDING JOURNEY. "Nothing, I
think, more enforces the illusion of Southern Europe in Quebec than the
Sunday-night promenading on the Durham (now Dufferin) Terrace. This is the
ample span on the brow of the cliff to the left of the Citadel, the
noblest and most commanding position in the whole city, which was formerly
occupied by the old Castle of St. Louis, where dwelt the brave Count
Frontenac and his splendid successors of the French _régime_. The
castle went the way of Quebec by fire some forty years ago (23rd January,
1834), and Lord Durham levelled the site and made it a public promenade. A
stately arcade of solid masonry supports it on the brink of the rock, and
an iron parapet incloses it; there are a few seats to lounge upon, and
some idle old guns for the children to clamber over and play with. A soft
twilight had followed the day, and there was just enough obscurity to hide
from a willing eye the Northern and New World facts of the scene, and to
leave in more romantic relief the citadel dark against the mellow evening,
and the people gossiping from window to window across the narrow streets
of the Lower Town. The Terrace itself was densely thronged, and there was
a constant coming and going of the promenaders, and each formally paced
back and forth upon the planking for a certain time, and then went quietly
home, giving place to new arrivals. They were nearly all French, and they
were not generally, it seemed, of the first fashion, but rather of
middling condition in life; the English being represented only by a few
young fellows, and now and then a red-faced old gentleman with an Indian
scarf trailing from his hat. There were some fair American costumes and
faces in the crowd, but it was essentially Quebecian. The young girls,
walking in pairs, or with their lovers, had the true touch of provincial
unstylishness, the young men had the ineffectual excess of the second-rate
Latin dandy, the elder the rude inelegance of a _bourgeoisie_ in them; but
a few better-figured _avocats_ or _notaires_ (their profession was as
unmistakable as if they carried their well-polished door-plates upon their
breasts), walked and gravely talked with each other. The non-American
character of the scene was not less vividly marked in the fact, that each
person dressed according to his own taste, and frankly indulged private
shapes and colours. One of the promenaders was in white, even to his
canvas shoes; another, with yet bolder individuality, appeared in perfect
purple. It had a strange, almost portentous effect when these two
startling figures met as friends and joined with each other in the
promenade with united arms; but the evening was beginning to darken round
them, and presently the purple comrade was merely a sombre shadow beside
the glimmering white.
The valleys and the heights now vanished; but the river defined itself by
the varicolored light of the ships and steamers that lay, dark, motionless
hulks upon its broad breast; the lights of Point Levis swarmed upon the
other shore; the Lower Town, two hundred feet below them, stretched an
alluring mystery of clustering roofs and lamp-lit windows, and dark and
shining streets around the mighty rock, mural-crowned. Suddenly a
spectacle peculiarly Northern and characteristic of Quebec revealed
itself; a long arch brightened over the northern horizon; the tremulous
flames of the aurora, pallid violet or faintly tinged with crimson, shot
upward from it, and played with a vivid apparition and evanescence to the
zenith. While the stranger looked, a gun boomed from the Citadel, and the
wild, sweet notes of the bugle sprang out upon the silence."
_THE LOWER TOWN._
On bidding adieu to the lofty plateau which constitutes the Upper Town, on
our way to an antiquarian ramble in the narrow, dusty, or muddy
thoroughfares of the Lower (as it was formerly styled) the Low Town, we
shall cast a glance, a glance only, at the facade of the City Post Office,
on the site of which, until razed in 1871, stood that legendary, haunted
old house, "LE CHIEN D'OR." Having fully described it elsewhere, [81] let
us hurry on, merely looking up as we pass, to the gilt tablet and
inscription and its golden dog, gnawing his bone, pretty much as he
appeared one hundred and twenty-two years ago, to Capt. John Knox, of the
43rd Regt., on his entering Quebec, after its capitulation on the 18th
September, 1759. History has indeed shed very little light on the Golden
Dog and its inscription since that date, but romance has seized hold of
him, and Kirby, Marmette, Soulard and others have enshrined both with the
halo of their imagination. In 1871 the corner stone of the "Chien d'Or"
was unearthed; a leaden plate disclosed the following inscription:--
"NICOLAS LAQUIN
Dit PHILIBER,
_M'a posé le 2e Aoust,_
1735."
We clip the following from KNOX'S JOURNAL, of the siege of Quebec in 1759,
at which he was both an actor and an eye-witness:--
"On the right of the descent, leading to the low town, stands a
stately old house, said to be the first built of stone in this city
(Quebec), and over the front door of it is engraved a dog gnawing a
large, fleshy bone, which he has got under and between his fore-feet,
with the following whimsical inscription:--
"Je suis le chien qui ronge l'os,
Sans en perdre an seul morceau;
Le temp viendra, qui n'est pas venu,
Je mordrai celui, qui m'aura mordû."
"The true meaning of this device I never could learn, though I made
all possible inquiries, without being gratified with the least
information respecting its allusion. I have been informed that the
first proprietor of the house was a man of great natural abilities,
and possessed a plentiful fortune, which he, after many
disappointments and losses in trade, had scraped together by means of
the most indefatigable industry. Now, whether the foregoing device had
any reference to these particulars of his own private affairs, or that
we may rather suppose the bone with flesh on it to resemble Canada,
and the dog an emblem of fidelity, to represent the French settled
there as if determined faithfully to defend that colony for their King
and country against the savage natives, who may perhaps be alluded to
by the two last lines of the inscription, I will not take upon me to
determine, but submit it to the more penetrating capacity of the
curious reader."--(KNOX'S JOURNAL, Vol. II., p. 149.)
There are two ways of arriving at this El Dorado of commerce: an easy,
expeditious, and, it is believed a safe passage, originated by our
enterprising fellow-townsman, W. A. G. Griffith, Esq.--the _Terrace
Elevator_. The ascent or descent by the elevator occupies fifty seconds
of time, at the moderate cost of three cents per head. The elevator,
opened to the public on 10th February, 1880, was erected at a cost of
about $30,000. Whether it is placed in the most suitable spot remains to
be seen.
_THE ELEVATOR._
"The elevator is worked by the weight of water; this necessitates
there always being a sufficient supply in the tank at the top of the
incline, which is pumped by a 12-horse-power steam pump from a large
tank at the foot. The _modus operandi_ is as follows: Suppose a
person enters the car at the foot of the incline to be carried to the
top, the bell-boy at once rings a bell to notify the brakesman to go
ahead; weight is required to bring the car and passenger from the foot
to the top, and both cars being built on tanks with necessary valves
for the entrance of the water from the upper tank and for the exit of
the same water when it reaches the bottom of the track, which the
large tank below receives, the brakesman proceeds to open one of the
water valves and allows sufficient water to enter the car tank until
it outweighs the car and passengers at the foot; the cars are now
supposed to be in motion, with the bell-boy at the foot and brakesman
at the top of the incline, who duties are to watch that everything
runs smoothly and that the track is clear of all obstructions. Nothing
can happen inside the cars during the transit that is not noticed by
the employés; now let us suppose that while in motion one of the
cables breaks, there is a second cable to take all the strain, which
is never over five tons, and each cable will lift at least 30 tons,
but should it happen by some extraordinary oversight that there
existed flaws in the cables which had not been noticed, so that first
one cable broke and then the second also broke, it would probably be
thought that an accident must occur. No such catastrophe would happen,
because under the cars and out of sight there are two enormously
strong chisels bolted to the iron tank, and running within half an
inch of the trestle work; immediately the strain is taken off the
cables, or immediately the two cables break, the two chisels would
enter the strong wooden beams that support the iron rails and hold the
cars firmly in position. Finally, let us suppose that these chisels
also gave way, it must be said surely an accident is now inevitable;
but no, for at the top as well as at the foot of the track there are
two air buffers, against which the cars strike on their ascent and
descent. So nicely adjusted are they, and so ingeniously are they
constructed, that although the cars may descend with great force
against these air buffers, the resistance being gradually developed as
the air compresses, there will be but little, if any, extra shock.
Should the brakesman happen to be absent from his post, we are
informed by the Manager that no irregularities would occur in
consequence, as a governor regulates the speed at which the cars are
to go, and on their arrival the air buffers come into play and receive
them. So well has the brakesman the cars under his control that at one
stroke of the bell he can stop them instantaneously wherever they may
be on the track. The brakes are arranged in such a way that it would
seem to be quite impossible for both of them to be out of order at the
same time; but even if they were, nothing could happen, as the air
buffers would check the force of any extra shock. It may be thought
that an enormous quantity of water must be used to work this
machinery, seeing that there is a 5,000 gallon water-tank at the top
of the incline and a 10,000 gallon tank at the foot, but such is not
the case, the water which is pumped up from the lower to the upper
tank returns again to the lower one, and so the same water is used
over and over again; indeed, the amount of water wasted is not nearly
as much as is consumed by a private family. In confirmation of this
statement, only a halt-inch tap is used to supply the tanks, and the
Manager informs us that frequently for days together the tap is not
turned on either at night or day."
How our worthy grandfathers would have shrugged their shoulders had such
an innovation been mooted eighty years ago. The other mode of penetrating
into the Lower Town is through that steep and tortuous hill--called
Mountain Hill by the English, Côte de la Montagne by the French.
This is the hill which has re-echoed the tread of so many regiments, on
which so many Governors, French and English, have, on divers occasions,
heard themselves enthusiastically cheered by eager crowds; the hill which
Viceroys of France and of England, from the ostentatious Marquis de Tracy
to the proud Earl of Durham, ascended on their way to Government House,
surrounded by their brilliant staffs and saluted by cannon and with
warlike flourish of trumpets! In earlier times the military and religious
display was blended with an aroma of literature and elaborate Indian
oratory, combining prose and poetry.
Francis Parkman will tell us of what took place on the arrival, on the
28th July, 1658, of the Viscount D'Argenson, the Governor of the colony:--
"When Argenson arrived to assume the government, a curious greeting had
awaited him. The Jesuits asked him to dine; vespers followed the repast;
and then they conducted him to a hall where the boys of their school--
disguised, one as the Genius of New France, one as the Genius of the
Forest, and others as Indians of various friendly tribes--made him
speeches by turn, in prose and in verse. First, Pierre du Quet, who played
the Genius of New France, presented his Indian retinue to the Governor, in
a complimentary harangue. Then four other boys, personating French
colonists, made him four flattering addresses, in French verse. Charles
Denis, dressed as a Huron, followed, bewailing the ruin of his people, and
appealing to Argenson for aid. Jean François Bourdon, in the character of
an Algonquin, next advanced on the platform, boasted his courage, and
declared that he was ashamed to cry like the Huron. The Genius of the
Forest now appeared, with a retinue of wild Indians from the interior,
who, being unable to speak French, addressed the Governor in their native
tongues, which the Genius proceeded to interpret. Two other boys in the
character of prisoners just escaped from the Iroquois, then came forward
imploring aid in piteous accents; and in conclusion the whole troop of
Indians from far and near laid their bows and arrows at the feet of
Argenson, and hailed him as their chief.
Besides these mock Indians, a crowd of genuine savages had gathered at
Quebec to greet the new "Ononthio." On the next day--at his own cost, as
he writes to a friend--he gave them a feast, consisting of seven large
kettlesful of Indian corn, peas, prunes, sturgeon, eels and fat, which
they devoured, he says, after having first sung me a song, after their
fashion."
Probably one of the most gorgeous displays on record was that attending
the arrival of the great Marquis of Tracy, in 1665. He came with a
brilliant staff, a crowd of young nobles; and accompanied by two hundred
soldiers, to be followed by a thousand more of the dashing regiment of
Carignan-Salières. He sailed up the St. Lawrence, and on the 30th of June,
1665, anchored in the basin of Quebec. The broad, white standard, blazoned
with the arms of France, proclaimed the representative of royalty; and
Point Levi and Cape Diamond and the distant Cape Tourmente roared back the
sound of saluting cannon. All Quebec was on the ramparts or at the landing
place, and all eyes were strained at the two vessels as they slowly
emptied their crowded decks into the boats alongside. The boats at length
drew near, and the Lieutenant-General and his suite landed on the quay
with a pomp such as Quebec had never seen before.
Tracy was a veteran of sixty-two, portly and tall, "one of the largest men
I ever saw," writes Mother Mary (Marie de l'Incarnation), but he was
sallow with disease, for fever had seized him, and it had fared ill with
him on the long voyage. The Chevalier de Chaumont walked at his side, and
young nobles surrounded him, gorgeous in lace and ribbons, and majestic in
leonine wigs. Twenty-four guards in the King's livery led the way,
followed by four pages and six valets; [82] and thus, while the Frenchmen
shouted and the Indians stared, the august procession threaded the streets
of the Lower Town, and climbed the steep pathway that scaled the cliffs
above. Breathing hard, they reached the top, passed on the left the
dilapidated walls of the Fort and the shed of mingled wood and masonry
which then bore the name of the Castle de St. Louis; passed on the right
the old house of Couillard and the site of Laval's new Seminary, and soon
reached the square betwixt the Jesuit College and the Cathedral.
The bells were ringing in a frenzy of welcome. Laval in pontificals,
surrounded by priests and Jesuits, stood waiting to receive the Deputy of
the King, and as he greeted Tracy and offered him the holy water, he
looked with anxious curiosity to see what manner of man he was. The signs
were auspicious. The deportment of the Lieutenant-General left nothing to
desire. A _prie-dieu_ had been placed for him. He declined it. They
offered him a cushion, but he would not have it, and fevered as he was, he
knelt on the bare pavement with a devotion that edified every beholder.
_Te Deum_ was sung and a day of rejoicing followed. [83]
In our day, we can recall but one pageant at all equal: the roar of
cannon, &c., attending the advent of the great Earl of Durham, [84] but
there were noticeable fewer "priests," fewer "Jesuits," and less
"kneeling" in the procession. There was something oriental in the vice-
regal pageantry. Line-of-battle ships--stately frigates, twelve in number
--the _Malabar_, _Hastings_, _Cornwallis_, _Inconstant_, _Hercules_,
_Pique_, _Charybdis_, _Pearl_, _Vestal_, _Medea_, _Dee_ and _Andromache_
visited that summer our shores, a suitable escort to the able, proud,
humane, [85] but unlucky Viceroy and High Commissioner, with his clever
advisers--the Turtons, Bullers, Wakefields, Hansomes, Derbyshires,
Dunkins, _cum multis aliis_. The Dictator was determined to "make a
country or mar a career." He has left us a country.
That warlike, though festive summer of 1838, with our port studded with
three-deckers and spanking frigates, was long remembered in the annals of
the _bon ton_. Some men-of-war were in especial favour. A poetical
lament by the Quebec ladies was wafted to the departing officers of H. M.
frigate _Inconstant_, the words by the Laureate of the period, George
W. Wicksteed, of Ottawa. This effusion includes the names of every vessel
in the fleet _in italics_, and of several of the officers.
_THE LADIES' ADDRESS TO THE INCONSTANTS._
_Written by G. W. Wicksteed._
We saw the _Hastings_ hasting off,
And never made a fuss.
The _Malabar's_ departure waked
No malady in us.
We were not piqued to lose the _Pique_;
Each lady's heart at ease is,
Altho' the _Dees_ are on the seas,
And gone the _Hercules_--es.
Our parting with the _Andromache_
Like Hector's not at all is;
Nor are we Washingtons to seek
To capture a _Cornwallis_.
And no _Charybdis_ ever caught
Our hearts in passion's whirls;
There's not a girl among us all
Has ever fished for _Pearls_.
The _Vestals_ with their sacred flame
Were not the sparks we wanted;
We've looked _Medeas_ in the face,
And yet were not enchanted.
But when our dear _Inconstants_ go,
Our grief shall know no bounds,
The dance shall have no joy for us,
The song no merry sounds.
All dismal then shall be the waltz,
The dull quadrille as bad,
And wearily we'll hurry through
The joyless galopade.
We'll gaze upon each changeful cloud
As through the air it skims,
We'll think of fickle fortune's wheel,
And fashion's turns and whims--
Sweet emblems of _Inconstancy_
In each of these we'll find,
And our _Inconstants_ constantly
We'll fondly bear in mind.
And spite of Durham's fetes and balls,
We'll pine and mourn and mope
Our long, long winter season through,
As girls without a _Hope_.
And when the spring shall come again,
Our hearts, to pleasure dead,
Shall sigh for spring without an S,
And wish for _Pring_ instead.
Unless, indeed, sweet spring with _Hope_
Those hearts again should bless,
And bring our dear _Inconstants_ back,
And spring without an S.
Quebec, 6th July, 1838.
(From _Waifs in Verse_, by G. W. Wicksteed, Q.C., Law Clerk, House of
Commons of Canada, 1878.)
To which melting address the "Inconstants," on their way to Britain,
feelingly replied. Our space allows us to insert but a few stanzas of this
poetical lament.
All language fails to tell how much
We value your address,
Or say how deeply we partake
The feelings you express.
Those _Hastings_ are a hasty set,
And left you in a hurry;
Those _Malabars_ are malapert,
And hot as Indian curry.
Be true, and then the breath of May
Shall fill our sails and bring
Our willing steps and eager hearts,
And _Spring_--and _Pring_--and _Ring_.
And each of you for one of ours
Shall change her maiden name,
And as we are all _Inconstants_, you
Of course will be the same.
Kamouraska, August, 1838.
Here we stand on the principal artery of the commerce of the city, St.
Peter street, having a width of only twenty-four feet. St. Peter street is
probably not so ancient as its sister, Sault-au-Matelot street. St. Peter
street was so named in memory of Messire Pierre le Voyer d'Argenson, who,
in 1658, came to Quebec as successor to M. de Lauzon. M. d'Argenson was,
in 1661, succeeded by the Baron d'Avaugour.
On the site on which the Quebec Bank [86] was erected in 1863, there stood
the offices, the vaults, and the wharf of the well-known merchant, John
Lymburner. There were three Lymburners: John, lost at sea in the fall of
1775, Mathew, and Adam, the most able of the three; they were, no doubt
related to each other. The loyalty of Adam, towards the British Crown, in
1775, was more than suspected; his oratorical powers, however, and his
knowledge of constitutional law, made him a fit delegate to England in
1791, to plead the cause of the colony before the Metropolitan
authorities. His speech on the occasion is reported in the _Canadian
Review_, published at Montreal in 1826.
Colonel Henry Caldwell states that, in 1775, Governor Guy Carleton had
ordered a cannon to be pointed from the wharf on which stood Lymburner's
house, with the intention to open fire upon the _Bostonais_, should
they attempt a surprise on the Sault-au-Matelot quarter. Massive and
strongly built stone vaults (probably of French origin), are still extant
beneath the house adjoining, to the south of this last, belonging to the
heirs Atkinson.
On the site of the offices of Mr. McGie stood, in 1759, the warehouse of
M. Perrault, _l'aîné_, from a great number of letters and invoice-bills
found in the garret, and which a friend [87] has placed at our disposal,
it would seem that M. Perrault had extensive commercial relations both in
Canada and in France. A curious letter to M. Perrault, from Bigot's
notorious councillor, Estebe, then in Bordeaux, was found in this
tenement. It discloses a sad state of things in Old France. This old
document dates of 24th February, 1760, a few months subsequent to the
Battle of the Plains and a few weeks prior to that of Ste. Foye, in April,
1760.
"BORDEAUX, 24th February, 1760.
"_To Monsieur Perrault,_
Quebec:
"SIR,--It was with heartfelt pleasure I received your favour of the
7th November last, since, in spite of your misfortunes, it apprized me
of the fact that both you and your lady were well.
"I feel grateful for the sympathy you express in our troubles during
our passage from Quebec to Bordeaux. I wish I could as easily forget
the misfortunes of Canada as I do the annoyances we suffered on the
voyage.
"We learned, _via_ England, by the end of October last, the
unfortunate fate of Quebec. You can imagine how we felt on hearing of
such dreadful news I could contain neither my tears nor my regrets on
learning the loss of a city and country to which I owe everything, and
to which I am as sincerely attached as any of the natives. We
flattered ourselves that the silence the English had kept during all
last summer on their operation was of good omen for us, and that they
would be ignominiously compelled to raise the siege; we had even an
indistinct knowledge of the repulse they had met with at Montmorency
(31st July, 1759); we knew that our troops followed them closely
wherever they attempted to land. We have erred like you in the hopes
we cherished. What fatality, what calamity and how many events unknown
to us have led to your downfall? You do not know, my dear Sir, of the
extent of your misfortunes. You imagine that the loss of the remainder
of the colony is close at hand. You are right. This cannot be
otherwise, since the relief which is sent to you from France cannot
prevent that. The small help which Canadians expected from the payment
of some Treasury notes is taken away from them; none are paid since
the 15th of October last. This, then, is the overwhelming blow to all
our hopes! The Treasury notes of the other colonies are generally in
the same predicament; the King pays none, and the nation groans under
taxation. No credit, no confidence, anywhere; no commerce nor
shipments; a general bankruptcy in all the cities of France. The
kingdom is in the greatest desolation possible. Our armies have been
beaten everywhere; our navy no more exists--our ships have been either
captured or burnt on the coasts where the enemy has driven them
ashore, Admiral de Conflans having been defeated in getting out of the
harbor of Brest. In one word, we are in a state of misery and
humiliation without precedent. The finances of the King are in fearful
disorder; he has had to send his plate to the Mint. The _Seigneurs_
have followed his example, and private individuals are compelled to
sell their valuables in order to live and pay the onerous taxes which
weigh on them. At the present moment, by Royal order, an inventory is
being taken of the silver of all the churches of the kingdom. No doubt
it will have to be sent to the Mint, and payment will be made when
that of the Treasury notes takes place--that is, _when it pleases
God_. Such is a summary of what now occurs here. How I regret, my dear
Sir, the merry days I spent in Canada! I would like to be there still
if matters were as formerly. I could own a _turn-out_ there, whereas I
go on foot, like a dog, through the mud of Bordeaux, where I certainly
do not live in the style I did in Quebec. Please God this iron age may
soon end! We flattered ourselves this winter that peace would soon be
proclaimed; it is much talked of, but I see no signs of it. It will,
it is said, require another campaign to complete the ruin, and to
postpone more and more the payment of the Treasury notes. What will be
the ultimate fate of these bills is very hard to say. It is unlikely
any settlement of them will be made before peace is concluded. My
opinion is that nothing will be lost on the bills, which are
registered, but I cannot say the same of the exchange, which is not
registered, since payment has been stopped. The Government has refused
to register any bills, even some which had been sent to me, and which
were payable in 1758. I negotiated some registered ones here and in
Paris at 50 per cent. discount. Non-registered ones are valueless, and
you get few purchasers even for registered bills. Four richly laden
vessels belonging to the West India Company (_Compagnie des Indes_)
have arrived lately. This was very opportune, as the Company was
rather shaky. However, it never failed to pay the "Beaver Bills," and
has even accepted those which had not yet fallen due. Our affairs on
the coast of Coromandel are like the rest--in a bad way. Fears are
entertained for Pondicherry. The English are arming a large expedition
for Martinique. That island will have the same fate as Guadeloupe. The
succor sent out to you, if ever it reaches you, of which I doubt,
consists in six merchant ships, laden with 1,600 tons of provisions,
some munitions of war, and 400 soldiers from Isle Royal. I believe
this relief is sent to you more through a sense of honour than from
any desire (as none exists) to help you. Many flatter themselves you
will retake Quebec this winter. I wish you may, but I do not believe
you will. This would require to be undertaken by experienced and
determined men, and even then such attempts fail. [88] Remember me to
your dear wife. Kiss my little friend (your boy) for me. I reserve him
when he comes to France a gilt horse and a silver carriage. My wife
and family beg to be remembered.
Yours, &c.,
(Sd) ESTEBE.
P.S.--Your brother is always at La Rochelle. Since I am at Bordeaux,
out of 80 vessels which left South America, one only has arrived here.
You can fancy how trade stagnates. A singular distrust exists
everywhere. The exchange of ---- and other good houses is refused.
Those who want to remit to Paris have to get their specie carried.
6th March, 1760.
The hospital of Toulouse is just short of nine millions. Bankrupts
everywhere merchants and others.
St. Peter street has become the general headquarters of the most important
commerce, and of life insurance and fire assurance offices. The financial
institutions are there proudly enthroned: the Bank of Montreal (founded in
1818 and incorporated in 1828), Bank of Quebec (founded in 1817), the
Union Bank (founded in 1865), the Banque Nationale (founded in 1873), the
Bank of British North America (founded in 1836, incorporated in 1840,
opened at Quebec in 1837), the Merchants' Bank (founded in 1861).
In this street resided, in 1774, the Captain Bouchette, who, in the
following year, in his little craft, _Le Gaspé_, brought us back our
brave Governor, Guy Carleton; M. Bouchard, merchant, M. Panet, N.P. (the
father of His Lordship, Bishop B.C. Panet), as also M. Boucher, Harbor
Master of Quebec, "(who was appointed to that post by the Governor, Sir R.
S. Milnes, on the recommendation of the Duke of Kent.)." [89] Boucher had
piloted the vessel, having on board the 7th Regiment, (the Duke's), from
Quebec to Halifax.
The office in which the _Quebec Morning Chronicle_ has been published
since 1847, belonged in 1759 to M. Jean Taché, "President of the
Mercantile Body," "an honest, and sensible man," as appears by _Mémoirs
sur le Canada_, (1749-60). One of our first poets, he composed a poem
"_On the Sea_." The ancestor of the late Sir E. P. Taché, and of the
novelist, Jos. Marmette and others, he possessed, at that period,
extensive buildings on the Napoleon wharf, which were destroyed by fire in
1845, and a house in the country, on the Ste. Foye road, afterwards called
"Holland House," after Major Samuel Holland, our first Provincial
Surveyor-General, whose services as surveyor and engineer were
subsequently so conspicuous at Quebec and at Prince Edward Island.
The _Chronicle_ building, during nearly half a century, was a coffee
house, much frequented by sea-faring men, known as the "Old Neptune" Inn.
The effigy of the sea-god, armed with his formidable trident, placed over
the main entrance, seemed to threaten the passers-by. We can remember, as
yesterday, his colossal proportions. "Old Neptune" [90] has disappeared
about thirty years back.
_THE OLD NEPTUNE INN._
"Shall I not take mine ease in mine Inn."
--_Shakespeare_.
"The Golden Fleece was the oldest tavern in Corinth. It had been the
resort of sea-faring men from the remotest period."--(_Travels of
Herodotus in Greece_, 460 _B.C._)
When the brilliant Henry Ward Beecher pronounced Quebec an _Old
Curiosity Shop_, we are induced to think that amidst its accumulated
antiquarian relics, its church pictures and madonnas, its famous
battle-fields, its historical monuments, massive fortifications and
wondrous scenery,--more than one of the quaint French dwellings with
their peaked gables, and walls four feet thick, must have caught his
observant eye. However striking Ward Beecher's word-painting may be,
it would I opine, have required the marvellous pencil of the author of
"_The House with the Seven Gables_," Nathaniel Hawthorne, becomingly
to portray all the _arcana_ of such a building as the _Chien d'Or_
(the old Post Office), with its ghastly memories of blood and revenge.
The legendary moss clustering round these hoary piles, is not,
however, always dark and gloomy. Love, war, adventure, occasionally
lend them their exciting or their soft glamour. Sometimes the annals
of commerce entwine them with a green wreath--a sure talisman against
the rust of oblivion. It is one of the land marks of commerce we
purpose here briefly to describe.
At the foot of Mountain Hill, lies our chief emporium of news,
labelled for more than a quarter of a century, _Morning Chronicle_
Office. These premises stand on a very conspicuous site, viz., at the
foot of Mountain Hill, the highway from the port to the Upper Town,
direct to the old _Château_ and Citadel--a few rods only from the spot
where Champlain, in 1608, laid the foundations of his extensive
warehouses and dwelling, and close to where, in 1615, he had his
famous gardens. This business stand, for many years past, was owned by
the late Hon. Henry Black; at present it belongs to Hon. Geo. Okill
Stuart, Judge of the Court of Vice Admiralty. Its beginnings brings us
back to the era of the Bourbon sovereigns of Canada, to the
unregretted time (1758), when Intendant Bigot's shoddy _entourage_
held high carnival in famine-stricken Quebec.
In those blighting days, in which Madame de Pompadour reigned in
France, and Madame Pean in Quebec, _rings_ and public robbery
flourished in Canada; but among high officials, all were not corrupt.
There were some memorable exceptions. One of these exceptions was the
worthy, witty, and honest warden of the Quebec merchants, Jean Taché,
"_homme probe et d'esprit_," say old memoirs. Mr. Taché, the "_syndic
des marchands_," was not only an upright and wealthy merchant, he was
also gifted with the poetical fire; he, it was, who wrote the first
French poem issued in Canada, "_Le Tableau de la Mer_."
Jean Taché was also an extensive holder of real estate in and round
Quebec, warehouses (_des voûtes_) on the Napoleon wharf; a country
seat on the Ste. Foye road, subsequently the property of Surveyor-
General Samuel Holland--Holland Farm; lastly, the well-known business
stand, where, in 1847, Mr. St. Michel printed James Bell Forsyth's
news sheet, the _Morning Chronicle_.
Commercial ruin overtook the worthy Lower Town magnate, Monsieur
Taché; his ships and cargoes, during the war of the conquest, like the
rest of poor, deserted Canada, fell into English hands, being captured
at sea; out of the disaster Jean Taché saved naught but his honourable
name.
We fail to trace for a time the fortunes of his Mountain Hill Counting
House. At the dawn of this century the premises were used as a famous
coffee-house, the "Neptune" Inn, [91] a noted place of resort for
merchants, masters and owners of ships. Like the Golden Fleece Tavern
of Corinth, which seems to have sheltered the father of History--
Herodotus--in the year 460 B.C., its "banqueting saloon" was roomy,
though every word uttered there also smacked of the salt water. The
old "Neptune" was probably occasionally looked up in 1807 by the Press
Gang, which, in those days, was not a thing to be laughed at. Witness
the fate of poor Latresse, shot down for refusing to surrender to
Lieut. Andrel, R.N., on trying to make his escape from a tavern in St.
John's suburbs, where he had been attending a dancing party. [92]
Singularly enough, sixty years ago, the leading Lower Town merchants
met in this old tenement of the former "_Syndic des Marchands_"
to establish the first Exchange. Of the resolutions passed at the
meeting thereat, held in 1816, and presided over by an eminent
merchant, John William Woolsey, Esq., subsequently President of the
Quebec Bank, we find a notice in the _Quebec Gazette_, of 12th
December, 1816. [93] They decided to establish a Merchant's Exchange
in the lower part of the "Neptune" Inn. Amongst those present, one
recognizes familiar names--John Jones, George Symes, James Heath,
Robert Melvin, Thomas Edward Brown, &c.
Why was the place called "Neptune" Inn? For the obvious reason that a
large statue of the god of the sea, bearing in one hand a formidable
iron trident, stood over the main entrance in a threatening attitude.
This conspicuous land-mark was known to every British ship-captain
frequenting our port. Right well can the writer of these lines
remember the truculent trident.
But if, even in the days of that excellent landlady, Mrs. Hammond, it
meant to the wearied mariner boundless cheer, the latest London
papers, pipes and soothing rum punch mixed by a comely and cheerful
bar-maid, to the unsophisticated Canadian peasant, attracted to the
Lower Town on market days, it was of evil portent.
With honest Jean Baptiste, more deeply read in the _Petit Catéchisme_
than in heathen mythology, the dreaded god of the sea and his
truculent trident were ominous, in his simple eyes, they symbolised
the Prince of Darkness, "_Le diable et sa fourche_," the terrors of a
hereafter.
This did not, however, prevent Neptune from standing sentry, in the
same exalted spot, for close on forty years, until in fact, having
fallen to pieces by natural decay, it was removed about the time the
Old Neptune Inn became the _Morning Chronicle_ office; the whereabouts
of its _dejecta membra_ are now a dead secret.
The origin of the famed statue had defied the most recondite searchers
of the past. For the following we are indebted to the retentive memory
of that eminently respected authority, the "oldest inhabitant." The
statue of Neptune, says the octogenarian, Robert Urquhart, so well
remembered at the foot of Mountain Hill, was presented to the landlord
of the hotel, George Cossar, formerly butler to Hon. Matthew Bell, who
then owned the St. Lawrence Chambers. It had been the figure-head of
the _Neptune_, a large king's ship, stranded in 1817 on Anticosti.
Would the stranded _Neptune_ of 1817 be the same as the flagship of
Admiral Durell in 1759, the _Neptune_ of 90 guns, to whom the large
bell bearing the word "_Neptune_, 1760," inscribed on, belonged? This
bell, which formerly stood on the Royal Engineers' workshop at Quebec,
was recently taken to Ottawa. The wreck had been bought by John
Goudie, of St. Roch suburb, then a leading ship builder, and, having
to break it up, the figure-head was brought to Quebec, and presented
as above stated.
The following respecting press gangs and the presence of Lord
Nelson, whilst at Quebec in 1782, was contributed by one of the
"oldest inhabitants" to QUEBEC PAST AND PRESENT, but reached too
late for insertion:--
_MY RECOLLECTIONS OF THE PAST._
J. M. LEMOINE, Esq., _Spencer Grange_.
DEAR SIR,--I have much pleasure in acceding to your request to
send you a note of some circumstances connected with the city, in
which seventy-one years of my life--now verging towards eighty--
have been spent. I am familiar with no part of Nelson's career,
except what I heard from my mother's own lips respecting this
brave man. My mother was gifted with a remarkable memory, and
recollected well having herself seen Captain Nelson, when in 1782,
he commanded at Quebec the sloop-of-war Albemarle. "He was erect,
stern of aspect and wore, as was then customary, the _queue_
or pigtail," she often repeated. Her idea of the Quebec young lady
to whom he had taken such a violent fancy, was that her name was
Woolsey--an aunt or elder sister, perhaps, of the late John W.
Woolsey, Esq., President for some years of the Quebec Bank, who
died in 1852, at a very advanced age. According to her, it was a
Mr. Davidson who prevented the imprudent marriage contemplated.
As to the doings of the press gangs in the Lower Town and suburbs,
I can speak from what I saw more than once. Impressing seamen
lasted at Quebec from 1807, until after the battle of Waterloo.
The terror these sea-faring gentlemen created was great. I
remember a fine young fellow who refused to surrender, being shot
through the back with a holster pistol and dying of the wound,
this was in 1807. I can name the following as being seized by
press gangs * * * * * Soon ruses were resorted to by the gay
fellows who wandered after night fall in quest of amusement in the
highways and byways. Her Majesty's soldiers were, of course,
exempt of being impressed into the naval service; so, that our
roving city youths would either borrow coats, or get some made,
similar to the soldiers', to elude the press gang. These ruses
were, however, soon stopped, the press gang, having secured the
services of two city constables, Rosa and ------, who could spot
every city youth and point out the counterfeits.
R. URQUHART.
Quebec, 1st August, 1876.
Parallel with St. Peter street, runs Notre Dame street, which leads us to
the little Church of the Lower Town, named Notre Dame de la Victoire, in
remembrance of the victory achieved in 1690 over Sir William Phipps. This
church was, at a later period, called "Notre Dame des Victoires," in
commemoration of the dispersion by a storm of Admiral Walker's squadron,
in 1711. Bishop Laval had projected the erection of this modest little
church, but the building of it was performed in 1688, under the auspices
of his successor, Bishop St. Vallier, out of funds provided by the Lower
Town ladies. The corner of these streets (St. Peter and Sous-le-Fort
streets) is probably the site of the "Abitation," close to the walks and
garden plots where Champlain cultivated roses and carnations, about the
year 1615.
Fronting the Church of "Notre Dame des Victoires," and on the site now
occupied as Blanchard's Hotel, the ladies of the Ursulines, in 1639, found
a refuge in a humble residence, a sort of shop or store, owned at that
period by the Sieur Juchereau des Châtelets, at the foot of the path
(_sentier_), leading up to the mountain (foot of Mountain street), and
where the then Governor, M. de Montmagny, as is related, sent them their
first Quebec meal.
The locality possesses other pleasant memories: the good, the youthful,
the beautiful Madame de Champlain, about the year 1620, here catechised
and instructed, under the shade of the trees, the young Huron Indians, in
the principles of Christianity. History has related their surprise and joy
on seeing their features reflected in the small mirror which their
benefactress wore suspended at her side, "close to her heart," as they
said, according to the then prevailing custom.
In 1682 a conflagration broke out in the Lower Town, which, besides the
numerous vaults and stores, reduced into ashes a considerable portion of
the buildings. Denonville, on the 20th August, 1685, wrote to Paris,
asking His Most Christian Majesty to contribute 200 crowns worth of
leather fire-buckets, and in 1691 the historical Dutch pump was imported
to throw water on fires. At a later period, 1688, "Notre Dame de la
Victoire" Church was begun on part of the ruins. Let us open the second
volume of the "_Cours d'Histoire du Canada_," by the Abbé Ferland, and let
us read: "Other ruins existed in 1684, in the commercial centre of the
Lower Town; these ruins consisted of blackened and dilapidated walls.
Champlain's old warehouse, which, from the hands of the Company
(_Compagnie de la Nouvelle France_), had passed into those of the
King (Louis XIV.), had remained in the same state as when left after the
great fire which, some years previously, had devastated the Lower Town."
In 1684 Monseigneur de Laval obtained this site or _emplacement_ from
M. de la Barre for the purpose of erecting a supplementary chapel for the
use of the inhabitants in the Lower Town. This gift, however, was ratified
only later, in favor of M. de St. Valier, in the month of September, 1685.
Messieurs de Denonville and de Meules caused a clear and plain title or
patent of this locality to be issued for the purpose of erecting a church
which, in the course of time, was built by the worthy Bishop and named
"Notre Dame de la Victoire." The landing for small craft, in the vicinity
of the old market (now the Finlay [94] Market), was called "La Place du
Débarquement," or simply "La Place."
It is in this vicinity, a little to the west, under the silent shade of a
wood near the garden which Champlain had laid out, that the historical
interview, in 1608, which saved the colony, took place. The secret was of
the greatest importance; it is not to be wondered at if Champlain's trusty
pilot, Captain Testu, deemed it proper to draw the founder of Quebec aside
into the neighbouring wood and make known to him the villanous plot which
one of the accomplices, Antoine Natel, lock-smith, had first disclosed to
him under the greatest secrecy. The chief of the conspiracy was one Jean
du Val, who had come to the country with Champlain.
In rear of and parallel to St. Peter street, a new and wide street, called
after one of the Governors of Canada--Dalhousie street--was opened
recently, and promises to be before long the leading commercial artery.
Several extensive warehouses have been erected on Dalhousie street since
it was opened to the public, in 1877, by the city Corporation purchasing
from St. James street to St. Andrew's wharf a strip of land, of 60 feet in
breadth, from the landed proprietors of this neighbourhood. At the south-
western extremity a noble dry goods store has just been erected by Mr.
George Alford; it is four stories high, 155 feet long and 72 feet wide,
and faces on Dalhousie, Laporte, Union Lane and Finlay Market. It is
occupied by a wealthy and ancient dry goods firm, founded in Montreal
about 1810, with a branch in Quebec, in 1825. The original founders were
Messrs. Robertson, Masson & Larocque; this firm was subsequently changed
to Robertson, Masson, Strang & Co., to Masson, Bruyère, Thibaudeau & Co.,
to Langevin, Thibaudeau, Bruyère & Co., to Thibaudeau, Thomas & Co., to
Thibaudeau, Généreux & Co., and finally to Thibaudeau Frères & Co., at
Quebec; Thibaudeau Bros. & Co., Montreal; Thibaudeau Bros. & Co., London,
Manchester and Manitoba.
In the early days of the colony, the diminutive market space, facing the
front of Notre Dame Church, Lower Town, as well as the Upper Town Market,
was used for the infliction of corporal punishment, or the pillory, or the
execution of culprits.
On the area facing the Lower Town Church on Notre Dame street, the plan of
the city, drawn by the engineer, Jean François or Jehan Bourdon, in 1641,
shows a bust of Louis XIII., long since removed; this market, which dates
from the earliest times of the colony, as well as the vacant area (until
recently the Upper Town market, facing the Basilica), was used as a place
for corporal punishment, and for the exhibition in the pillory of public
malefactors.
"Among the incidents," says Mr. T. P. Bédard, "which claimed the privilege
of exciting the curiosity of the good folks of Quebec (then 1680,
inhabited by 1,345 souls,) was reckoned the case of Jean Rathier, charged
with murdering a girl of eighteen--Jeanne Couc. The case had been tried at
Three Rivers, and Rathier sentenced to have his legs broken [95] with an
iron bar, and afterwards to be hung. Judgment had been confirmed. An
unforseen hitch arose: the official hangman was dead; how then was Rathier
to be hung? The officers of justice cut the Gordian knot, by tendering to
Rathier, in lieu of the halter, the position, little envied, of hangman.
He accepted. Some years after, the wife and the daughter of Rathier were
accused and found guilty as accomplices in a robbery; the daughter, as the
receiver of the stolen goods, was sentenced to be whipped, but in secret,
at the General Hospital by the nun appointed Provost Marshal (_Maitress
de Discipline_), and the mother was also adjudged to be whipped, but
publicly in the streets of the city. This incident furnished the singular
and ludicrous spectacle of a husband publicly whipping his wife with
impunity to himself, as he was acting under the authority of justice."--
(_Première Administration de Frontenac_, _p._ 39.)
The whip and pillory did not go out with the old _régime_. The _Quebec
Gazette_ of 19th June, 1766, mentions the whipping, on the Upper and Lower
Town markets, of Catherine Berthrand and Jeanotte Blaize, by the hand of
the executioneer, for having "borrowed" (a pretty way of describing petty
larceny), a silver spoon from a gentleman of the town, without leave or
without intention of returning it.
For male reprobates, such as Jean May and Louis Bruseau, whose punishment
for petty larceny is noted in the Gazette of 11th August, 1766, the
whipping was supplemented with a walk--tied at the cart's tail--from the
Court House door to St. Roch and back to the Court House. May had to whip
Bruseau and Bruseau had to whip May the day following, at ten in the
morning.
Let us revert to Captain Testu's doings. The plot was to strangle
Champlain, pillage the warehouse, and afterwards betake themselves to the
Spanish and Basque vessels, laying at Tadousac. As, at that period, no
Court of Appeals existed in "_la Nouvelle France_"--far less was a
"Supreme Court" thought of--the trial of the chief of the conspiracy was
soon dispatched says Champlain, and the Sieur Jean du Val was "_presto_
well and duly hanged and strangled at Quebec aforesaid, and his head
affixed to the top of a pike-staff planted on the highest eminence of the
Fort." The ghastly head of this traitor, on the end of a pike-staff, near
Notre Dame street, must certainly have had a sinister effect at twilight.
But the brave Captain Testu, the saviour of Champlain and of Quebec--what
became of him? Champlain has done him the honour of naming him; here the
matter ended. Neither monument, nor poem, nor page of history in his
honour; nothing was done in the way of commemorating his devotion. As in
the instance of the illustrious man, whose life he had saved, his grave is
unknown. According to the Abbé Tanguay, none of his posterity exist at
this day.
During the siege of 1759, we notice in _Panet's Journal_, "that the Lower
Town was a complete mass of smoking ruins; on the 8th August, it was
a burning heap (_braisier_). Wolfe and Saunders' bombshells had found
their way even to the under-ground vaults. This epoch became disastrous to
many Quebecers." The English threw bombs (_pots à feu_) on the Lower
Town, of which, says Mr. Panet, "one fell on my house, one on the houses
in the Market place, and the last in Champlain street. The fire burst out
simultaneously, in three different directions; it was in vain to attempt
to cut off or extinguish the fire at my residence; a gale was blowing from
the north-east, and the Lower Town was soon nothing less than a blazing
mass. Beginning at my house, that of M. Desery, that of M. Maillou, Sault-
au-Matelot street, the whole of the Lower Town and all the quarter _Cul-
de-Sac_ up to the property of Sieur Voyer, which was spared, and in
short up to the house of the said Voyer, the whole was devastated by fire.
Seven vaults [96] had been rent to pieces or burned: that of M. Perrault
the younger, that of M. Taché, of M. Benjamin de la Mordic, of Jehaune, of
Maranda. You may judge of the consternation which reigned; 167 houses had
been burnt."
One hundred and sixty-seven burnt houses would create many gaps. We know
the locality on which stood the warehouse of M. Perrault, junior, also
that of M. Taché (the _Chronicle Bureau_), but who can point out to
us where stood the houses of Desery, Maillou, Voyer, de Voisy, and the
vaults of Messieurs Benjamin de la Mordic, Jehaune, Maranda?
It is on record that Champlain, after his return to Quebec, in 1633, "had
taken care to refit a battery which he had planted on a level with the
river near the warehouse, the guns of which commanded the passage between
Quebec and the opposite shore." [97] Now, in 1683, "this cannon battery,
erected in the Lower Town, almost surrounded on all sides by houses, stood
at some distance from the edge of the river, and caused some inconvenience
to the public; the then Governor, Lefebvre de la Barre [98] having sought
out a much more advantageous locality towards the Point of Rocks (_Pointe
des Roches_) west of the _Cul-de-Sac_, [99] and on the margin of the said
river at high-water mark, which would more efficiently command and sweep
the harbour, and which would cause far less inconvenience to the houses in
the said Lower Town," considered it fit to remove the said battery, and
the Reverend Jesuit Fathers having proposed to contribute towards the
expenses which would be incurred in so doing, he made them a grant "of a
portion of the lot of ground (_emplacement_) situated in front of the site
on which is now planted the said cannon battery, * * * * between the
street or high road for wheeled vehicles coming from the harbour [100] and
the so-called St. Peter street."
Here then we have the origin of the Napoleon wharf and a very distinct
mention of St. Peter street. The building erected near this site was sold
on the 22nd October, 1763, to William Grant, Esquire, who, on the 19th
December, 1763, also purchased the remainder of the ground down to low-
water mark, from Thomas Mills, Esquire, Town Major, who had shortly before
obtained a grant or patent of it, the 7th December, 1763, from Governor
Murray, in recognition, as is stated in the preamble of the patent, of his
military services. This property which, at a later period, belonged to the
late William Burns, was by him conveyed, the 16th October, 1806, to the
late J. M. Woolsey. The Napoleon wharf, purchased in 1842 by the late
Julien Chouinard from the late Frs. Buteau, forms at present part of the
Estate Chouinard; in reality, it is composed of two wharves joined into
one; the western portion is named "The Queen's Wharf," and was Mr.
Woolsey's property.
The highway which leads from the Cape towards this wharf is named "Sous-
le-Fort" street, which sufficiently denotes its position; this street, the
oldest, probably dates from the year 1620, when the foundations of Fort
St. Louis were laid; we may presume that, in 1663, the street terminated
at "la Pointe des Roches." In the last century "Sous-le-Fort" street was
graced by the residences, among others, of Fleury de la Jannière, brother
of Fleury de la Gorgendière, brother-in-law of the Governor de Vaudreuil.
In this street also stood the house of M. George Allsop, [101] the head of
the opposition in Governor Cramahé's Council. His neighbour was M.
d'Amours des Plaines, Councillor of the Superior Council; further on,
stood the residence of M. Cuvillier, the father of the Honorable Austin
Cuvillier, in 1844 Speaker of the House of Assembly. In this street also
existed the warehouse of M. Cugnet, the lessee of the Domaine of Labrador.
We must not confound the Napoleon wharf, sold by J. O. Brunet to Francois
Buteau, with the Queen's wharf, the property of the late J. W. Woolsey. On
the Queen's wharf, in a dwelling, since converted into a tavern, in 1846
one of the wittiest members of the Quebec Bar, Auguste Soulard, Esq.,
opened a law office for the especial convenience of his numerous country
clients. After office hours it was the rendezvous of many young
barristers, who have since made their mark: Messieurs T. Fournier, Justice
of the Supreme Court; A. Plamondon, Judge of the Superior Court; N.
Casault, Judge of the Superior Court; Jean Taché, Frederick Braun, L.
Fiset, J. M. Hudon and others. From the king's wharf to the king's forges
(the ruins of which were discovered at the beginning of the century, a
little further up than the king's store), there are but a few steps.
François Bellet, M.P. for the county of Buckingham from 1815 to 1820,
resided on the property of the late Julien Chouinard, at the corner of St.
Peter and Sous-le-Fort streets. He combined parliamentary duties, it
seems, with a sea-faring life, being styled "Capitaine de Bâtiment" in a
power of attorney before Martin A. Dumas, N.P., at Quebec, dated 9th
September, 1796, in which as attorney and agent for Revd. "Messire Louis
Payet, prêtre, curé de la paroisse de St. Antoine, au Nord de la Rivière
Richelieu," he sells to Monsieur Thomas Lee, later on an M.P.P., his negro
slave, named Rose, for the sum of "500 livres et vingt sols,"--about $100
of our currency. The traffic in human flesh became extinct in Canada in
1803 by legislative enactment. The bluest blood of our Southern neighbours
was shed to keep it up in the model Republic sixty years subsequently.
[102] In the space between the Queen's wharf and the jetty on the west,
belonging to the Imperial authorities and called the king's wharf, there
existed a bay or landing place, much prized by our ancestors, which
afforded a harbour for the coasting vessels and small river crafts, called
the "_Cul-de-Sac_." There, also, the ships which were overtaken by an
early winter lingered until the sunny days of April released them from
their icy fetters. There the ships were put into winter quarters, and
securely bedded on a foundation or bed of clay; wrecked vessels also came
hither to undergo repairs. The _Cul-de-Sac_, with its uses and marine
traditions, had, in by-gone days, an important function in our
incomparable sea-port. In this vicinity, Vaudreuil, in 1759, planted a
battery.
The old Custom House (now the Department of Marine), was built on this
site in 1833. In 1815 the Custom House was on McCallum's wharf. The
_Cul-de-Sac_ recalls "the first chapel which served as a Parish
Church at Quebec," that which Champlain caused to be built in the Lower
Town in 1615, where the name of Champlain is identified with the street
which was bounded by this chapel. The Revd. Fathers Récollets there
performed their clerical functions up to the period of the taking of
Quebec by the brothers Kertk, that is from 1615 to 1629, (Laverdière.)
Nothing less than the urgent necessity of providing the public with a
convenient market-place, and the small coasting steamers with suitable
wharves, could move the municipal authorities to construct the wharves now
existing, and there, in 1856, to erect out of the materials of the old
Parliament House, the spacious Champlain Hall, so conspicuous at present.
The king's wharf and the king's stores, two hundred and fifty feet in
length, with a guard house, built on the same site in 1821, possess also
their marine and military traditions. The "Queen's Own" volunteers, Capt.
Rayside, were quartered there during the stirring times of 1837-38, when
"Bob Symes" dreamed each night of a new conspiracy against the British
crown, and M. Aubin perpetuated, in his famous journal "_Le Fantasque_"
the memory of this loyal magistrate.
How many saucy frigates, how many proud English Admirals, have made fast
their boats at the steps of this wharf! Jacques Cartier, Champlain,
Nelson, Bourgainville, Cook, Vauclain, Montgomery, Boxer, Sir Rodney
Mundy, poor Captain Burgoyne, of the ill-fated iron-clad _Captain_,
Sir Leopold McClintock, [103] have, one after the other, trodden over this
picturesque landing place, commanded as it is by the guns of Cape Diamond.
Since about a century, the street which bears the venerated name of the
founder of Quebec, Champlain street, unmindful of its ancient Gallic
traditions, is almost exclusively the headquarters of our Hibernian
population. An ominous-looking black-board, affixed to one of the
projecting rocks of the Cape, indicates the spot below where one of their
countrymen, Brigadier-General Richard Montgomery, with his two _aides-
de-camp_, Cheeseman and McPherson, received their death wounds during a
violent snow storm about five o'clock in the morning, the 31st December,
1775. On this disastrous morning the post was guarded by Canadian
militiamen, Messieurs Chabot and Picard. Captain Barnesfare, an English
mariner, had pointed the cannon; Coffin and Sergeant Hugh McQuarters
applied the match. At the eastern extremity, under the stairs, now styled
"Breakneck Steps," according to Messrs. Casgrain and Laverdière, was
discovered Champlain's tomb, though a rival antiquary, M. S. Drapeau, says
that he is not certain of this. [104]
A little to the west is Cap Blanc, inhabited by a small knot of French-
Canadians and some Irish; near by, was launched in October, 1750, the
_Orignal_, a King's ship, built at Quebec; at that period the lily flag of
France floated over the bastions of Cape Diamond; the _Orignal_, in being
launched, broke her back and sank. Among the notabilities of Cap Blanc,
one is bound to recall the athletic stevedore and pugilist, Jacques
Etienne Blais. Should the fearless man's record not reach remote
posterity, pointing him out as the Tom Sayers of Cap Blanc, it cannot fail
to be handed down as the benefactor of the handsome new church of Notre
Dame de la Garde, erected on the shore in 1878, the site of which was
munificently given by him on the 17th June, 1877. Jacques Blais, now
(1881) very aged, though still vigorous, in his best days by his prowess
re-called that prince of Quebec raftsmen so graphically delineated by Chas
Lanman.
Champlain street stretches nearly to Cap Rouge, a distance of six miles.
During the winter the fall of an avalanche from the brow of the Cape on
the houses beneath is a not unfrequent occurrence. In former years, in the
good time of ship-building, the laying the keel of a large vessel in the
ship-yards often brought joy to the hearts of the poor ship-carpenters;
many of whose white, snug cottages are grouped along the river near by.
Except during the summer months, when the crews of the ships, taking in
cargo alongside the booms, sing, fight and dance in the adjacent
"shebeens," the year glides on peacefully. On grand, on gala days, in
election times, some of the sons of St. Patrick used to perambulate the
historical street, flourishing treenails, or _shillaleghs_--in order
to _preserve the peace!!!_ of course. To sum up all, Champlain street
has an aspect altogether _sui generis_.
A QUEBEC PORTRAIT
(From the ATLANTIC MONTHLY.)
"Physical size and grand proportions are looked upon by the French-
Canadians with great respect. In all the cases of popular
_émeutes_ that have from time to time broken out in Lower Canada,
the fighting leaders of the people were exceptional men, standing head
and shoulders over their confiding followers. Where gangs of raftsmen
congregate, their 'captains' may be known by superior stature. The
doings of their 'big men' are treasured by the French-Canadians in
traditionary lore. One famous fellow of this governing class is known
by his deeds and words to every lumberer and stevedore and timber-
tower about Montreal and Quebec. This man, whose name was Joe
Monfaron, was the bully of the Ottawa raftsmen. He was about six feet
six inches high, and proportionally broad and deep; and I remember how
people would turn round to look after him, as he came pounding along
Notre Dame street, in Montreal, in his red shirt and tan-colored
_shupac_ boots, all dripping wet, after mooring an acre or two of
raft, and now bent for his ashore haunts in the Ste. Marie suburb, to
indemnify himself with bacchanalian and other consolations for long-
endured hardship. Among other feats of strength attributed to him, I
remember the following, which has an old, familiar taste, but was
related to me as a fact:
"There was a fighting stevedore or timber-tower, I forget which, at
Quebec, who had never seen Joe Monfaron, as the latter seldom came
farther down the river than Montreal. This fighting character,
however, made a custom of laughing to scorn all the rumors that came
down on rafts, every now and then, about terrible chastisements
inflicted by Joe upon several hostile persons at once. He, the
fighting timber-tower, hadn't found his match yet about the lumber
coves at Quebec, and he only wanted to see Joe Monfaron once, when he
would settle the question as to the championship of rafts, on sight.
One day a giant in a red shirt stood suddenly before him, saying--
"'You're Dick Dempsey, eh?'
"'That's me.' replied the timber-tower, 'and who are you?'
"'Joe Monfaron. I heard you wanted me--here I am,' was the Caesarean
answer of the great captain of rafts.
"'Ah! you're Joe Monfaron!" said the bully, a little staggered at the
sort of customer he saw before him. 'I said I'd like to see you, for
sure, but how am I to know you're the right man?'
"'Shake hands first,' replied Joe, 'and then you will find out, may
be.'
"They shook hands--rather warmly, perhaps, for the timber-tower, whose
features wore an uncertain expression during the operation, and who at
last broke out into a yell of pain, as Joe cast him off with a defiant
laugh. Nor did the bully wait for any further explanations, for,
whether the man who had just brought the blood spouting out at the
tops of his fingers was Joe Monfaron or not, he was clearly an ugly
customer, and had better be left alone.
The St. Lawrence, its rafts of timber, raftsmen, _voyageurs_ and
their songs, are pleasantly alluded to by a sympathetic French writer of
note, X. Marmier, [105] who visited Canada some thirty years ago:
"On the St. Lawrence, traversed by steamboats, by vessels heavily
laden, and by light bark canoes, we may see early in the season
immense rafts of timber that are brought down from the dense northern
forests, hewn where they are felled, drawn to the rivers upon the
snow, and made up into rafts. The Canadian crews erect masts and
spread their sails, and by the aid of wind and current, and sometimes
by rowing, they boldly guide these acres of fir down the rapids to
Quebec, while they animate their labours with the melody of their
popular songs. A part would intone the Canadian song
"A la Claire Fontaine,"
while the others, repeating the last two lines, would at the same time
let drop their oars as those of the former arose.
"There is probably no river on earth that has heard so many vows of
love as the St. Lawrence; for there is not a Canadian boatman that has
ever passed up or down the river without repeating, as the blade of
his oar dropped into the stream, and as it arose, the national
refrain.
"Il y a longtemps que je t'aime,
Jamais je ne t'oublierai!"
"Long time have I loved thee,
Never will I forget thee!"
"And I will here say that there is a harmonious sweetness in these
simple words, that well accords with the simple yet imposing character
of the scenery of this charming region.
"Upon our coquettish rivers in Europe they may whisper of loves along
their flowery banks and under the vine-clad terraces that overhang
them, like the curtains of a saloon; but here, in this grand severity
of nature, upon these immense, half desert plains, in the silence of
these gloomy forests, on the banks of this majestic river that is ever
speeding onward to the eternal ocean, we may feel emotions that are
truly sublime. If, in this quiet solitude, should we open the soul to
a dream of love, it takes the serious tone; it needs must be a pure
being that dares to breathe to the heavens and to the waves these
sacred words, 'I love thee,' and that can add the promise and the
pledge of the Canadian song:
"Jamais je ne t'oublierai."
"Ne'er will I forget thee!" [106]
Among the streets of Quebec, most celebrated in our annals by reason of
the incidents which attach thereto, one may name the frowsy and tortuous
highway which circulates from the foot of Mountain Hill, running for a
distance of two hundred feet below the Cape, up to the still narrower
pathway which commences west of St. James street and leads to the foot of
the hill "_de la canoterie_;" [107] all will understand we mean the
leading commercial thoroughfare of olden time, [108] Sault-au-Matelot
street. Is it because a sailor, no doubt only partially relieved from the
horrors of sobriety, there made a wild leap? or are we to attribute the
name to the circumstance of a dog named "Matelot" ("Sailor") there taking
a leap? [109] Consult _Du Creux_. Our friend, Joseph Marmette,
appropriated it for the reception of his hero, "Dent de Loup," who escaped
without broken bones after his leap. [110]
The western portion of the still narrower pathway of which we have just
spoken, rejoices in the name of "Ruelle des Chiens," (Dog Lane); [111] the
directories name it Sous-le-Cap street. It is so narrow that, at certain
angles, two carts passing in opposite directions, would be blocked. Just
picture to yourself that up to the period of 1816, our worthy ancestors
had no other outlet in this direction at high water to reach St. Roch,
(for St. Paul street was constructed subsequently to 1816, as M. de Gaspé
has informed us.) Is it not incredible? As, in certain passes of the Alps,
a watchman no doubt stood at either extremity of this lane, provided with
a speaking trumpet to give notice of any obstruction and thus prevent
collisions. This odoriferous locality, especially during the dog-days, is
rather densely populated. The babes of Green Erin, with a sprinkling of
young Jean Baptistes, here flourish like rabbits in a warren. Miss Kitty
Ellison and her friend. Mr. Arbuton, in their romantic wanderings, were
struck with the _mise en scène_ of Dog Lane:--
"Now that Prescott Gate, by which so many thousands of Americans have
entered Quebec since Arnold's excursionists failed to do so, is
demolished, there is nothing left so picturesque and characteristic as
Hope Gate (alas! since razed), and I doubt if anywhere in Europe there
is a more mediaeval-looking bit of military architecture. The heavy
stone gateway is black with age, and the gate, which has probably
never been closed in our century, is of massive frame, set thick with
mighty bolts and spikes. The wall here sweeps along the brow of the
crag on which the city is built, and a steep street drops down, by
stone-parapeted curves and angles, from the Upper to the Lower Town,
when, in 1775, nothing but a narrow lane bordered the St. Lawrence. A
considerable breadth of land has since been won from the river, and
several streets and many piers now stretch between this alley and the
water, but the old Sault-au-Matelot still crouches and creeps along
under the shelter of the city wall and the overhanging rock, which is
thickly bearded with weeds and grass, and trickles with abundant
moisture. It must be an ice pit in winter, and I should think it the
last spot on the continent for the summer to find; but when the summer
has at last found it, the old Sault-au-Matelot puts on a vagabond air
of southern leisure and abandon, not to be matched anywhere out of
Italy. Looking from that jutting rock near Hope Gate, behind which the
defeated Americans took refuge from the fire of their enemies, the
vista is almost unique for a certain scenic squalor and gypsy luxury
of colour--sag-roofed barns and stables, and weak-backed, sunken-
chested workshops of every sort, lounge along in tumble-down
succession, and lean up against the cliff in every imaginable posture
of worthlessness and decrepitude, light wooden galleries cross to them
from the second stories of the houses which back upon the alley, and
over these galleries flutters from a labyrinth of clothes-lines a
variety of bright-coloured garments of all ages, sexes and conditions,
while the footway underneath abounds in gossiping women, smoking men,
idle poultry, cats, children, and large, indolent Newfoundland dogs."
--(_A Chance Acquaintance_, p, 175.)
Adventurous tourists who have risked themselves there in the sultry days
of July, have found themselves dazed at the sight of the wonders of the
place. Among other indigenous curiosities, they have there noticed what
might be taken for any number of aerial tents, improvised no doubt as
protection from the scorching rays of a meridian sun. Attached to ropes
stretched from one side of the public way to the other, was the family
linen, hung out to dry. When shaken by the wind over the heads of the
passers-by, these articles of white under-clothing (_chemisettes_),
flanked by sundry masculine nether-garments, presented a _tableau_,
it is said, in the highest degree picturesque. As regards ourselves,
desirous from our earliest days to search into the most recondite
_arcana_ of the history of our city and to portray them in all their
suggestive reality, for the edification of distinguished tourists from
England, France and the United States, it has been to us a source of
infinite mortification to realize that the only visit which we ever made
to Dog Lane was subsequent to the publication of the _Album du Touriste_;
a circumstance which explains the omission of it from that repository of
Canadian lore. Our most illustrious tourists, [112] the eldest son of the
Queen, the Prince of Wales, his brothers, the Princes Alfred and Arthur,
the Dukes of Newcastle, of Athol, of Manchester, of Beaufort, of Argyle,
of Sutherland, Generals Grant and Sherman, and Prince Napoleon Bonaparte,
it is said, took their leave of Quebec without having visited that
interesting locality, "_la Ruelle des Chiens_," Sous-le-Cap street,
probably unconscious of its very existence! Nevertheless, this street
possesses great historical interest. It has re-echoed the trumpet sounds
of war, the thundering of cannon, the briskest musketry; there fell
Brigadier-General Arnold, wounded in the knee: carried off amid the
despairing cries of his soldiers, under the swords of Dambourgès, of the
fierce and stalwart Charland, of the brave Caldwell, followed by his
friend Nairn and their chivalrous militiamen. Our friends, the
annexationists of that period, were so determined to annex Quebec, that
they threw themselves as if possessed by the evil one upon the barriers
(there were two of them) in Sous-le-Cap street and in Sault-au-Matelot
street; each man, says Sanguinet, wearing a slip of paper on his cap on
which was written "_Mors aut Victoria_," "Death or Victory!" One
hundred years and more have elapsed since this fierce struggle, and we are
not yet under Republican rule!
A number of dead bodies lay in the vicinity, on the 31st December, 1775;
they were carried to the Seminary. Ample details of the incidents of this
glorious day will be found in "QUEBEC PAST AND PRESENT." It is believed
that the first barrier was placed at the foot of the stone _demi-lune_,
where, at present, a cannon rests on the ramparts; the second was
constructed in rear of the present offices of Mr. W. D. Campbell, N.P., in
Sault-au-Matelot street.
Sault-au-Matelot street has lost the military renown which it then
possessed; besides the offices of M. Ledroit, of the _Morning Chronicle_,
and of the timber cullers, it now is a stand for the carters, and a
numerous tribe of pork merchants, salmon preservers and coopers, whose
casks on certain days encumber the sidewalks.
St. Paul street does not appear on the plan of the city of Quebec of 1660,
reproduced by the Abbé Faillon. This quarter of the Lower Town, so
populous under the French _régime, and where, according to Monseigneur de
Laval, there was, in 1661, "_magnus numerus civium_" continued, until
about 1832, to represent the hurry-scurry of affairs and the residences of
the principal merchants, one of the wealthiest portions of the city.
There, in 1793, the father of our Queen, Colonel of the 7th Fusiliers,
then in garrison at Quebec, partook of the hospitality of M. Lymburner,
one of the merchant princes of that period. Was the _chère amie_, the
elegant _Baronne de St. Laurent_, of the party? We found it impossible to
ascertain this from our old friend, Hon. William Sheppard, of Woodfield,
near Quebec (who died in 1867), from whom we obtained this incident. Mr.
Sheppard, who had frequently been a guest at the most select drawing-rooms
of the ancient capital, was himself a contemporary of the generous and
jovial Prince Edward.
The Sault-au-Matelot quarter, St. Peter street, and St. James street, down
to the year 1832, contained the habitations of a great number of persons
in easy circumstances; many of our families of note had their residences
there: John Wm. Woolsey, Esq., in 1808, and later on first President of
the Quebec Bank; the millionaire auctioneer, Wm. Burns, the god-father to
the late George Burns Symes, Esq.; Archbishop Signai--this worthy prelate
was born in this street, in a house opposite to La Banque Nationale.
Evidences of the luxuriousness of their dwelling rooms are visible to this
day, in the panelling of some doors and in decorated ceilings.
Drainage, according to the modern system, was, at that period, almost
unknown to our good city. The Asiatic cholera, in 1832, decimated the
population: 3,500 corpses, in the course of a few weeks, had gone to their
last resting place. This terrible epidemic was the occasion, so to speak,
of a social revolution at Quebec; the land on the St. Louis and Ste. Foye
roads became much enhanced in value; the wealthy quitted the Lower Town.
Commercial affairs, however, still continued to be transacted there, but
the residences of merchants were selected in the Upper Town or in the
country parts adjacent.
The _Fief Sault-au-Matelot_, which at present belongs to the Seminary, was
granted to Guillaume Hébert on the 4th February, 1623, the title of which
was ratified by the Due de Ventadour on the last day of February, 1632. On
the ground reclaimed from the river, about 1815, Messrs. Munro and Bell,
eminent merchants, built wharves and some large warehouses, to which lead
"Bell's lane," (so named after the Honorable Matthew Bell) [113] the
streets St. James, Arthur, Dalhousie and others. Mr. Bell, at a later
period, one of the lessees of the St. Maurice Forges, resided in the
house--now St. Lawrence Chambers--situate at the corner of St. James and
St. Peter streets, now belonging to Mr. John Greaves Clapham, N. P. Hon.
Matthew Bell commanded a troop of cavalry, which was much admired by those
warlike gentlemen of 1812--our respected fathers. He left a numerous
family, and was related by marriage to the families Montizambert, Bowen,
&c. Dalhousie street, in the Lower Town, probably dates from the time of
the Earl of Dalhousie (1827), when the "Quebec Exchange" was built by a
company of merchants. The extreme point of the Lower Town, towards the
northeast, constitutes "La Pointe à Carcy," named after Carcy Pagès, who
succeeded to the office of "Guardian of the Harbor," held in 1713 by Louis
Pratt. In the offing is situated the wharf, alongside of which the stately
frigate _Aurora_, Captain De Horsey, passed the winter of 1866-7. The
wharves of the Quebec docks now mark the spot.
The expansion of commerce at the commencement of the present century and
increase of population rendered it very desirable that means of
communication should be established between the Lower Town and St. Roch,
less rugged and inconvenient than the tunnel--Sous-le-Cap lane--and the
sandy beach of the river St. Charles at low water. Towards 1816 the
northern extremity of St. Peter street was finished, it was previously
bounded by a red bridge, well remembered by our very old citizens. The
Apostle St. Paul was honoured with a street, as was his colleague, St.
Peter. Messrs. Benj. Tremaine, Budden, Morrisson, Parent, Allard and
others acquired portions of ground on the north side of this (St. Paul)
street, upon which they have erected wharves, offices and large
warehouses. Renaud's new block now occupies a portion of the site.
The construction of the North Shore Railway will have the effect, at an
early date, of augmenting, in a marked degree, the value of these
properties, the greater portion of which now belong to our fellow citizen,
M. J. Bte Renaud, who has adorned this portion of the Lower Town with
first class buildings. Let us hope that this quarter may flourish, and
that our enterprising fellow citizen may prosper in consequence.
Let us join a party of distinguished strangers wending their way through
our muddy streets, following a titled tourist, His Highness the Duke of
Saxe-Weimar. This noble visitor's rank seems to have been fully
recognized, since he was escorted by a guard of honour furnished by the
Lt.-Governor, and saluted on his departure by 21 guns. After fifty-five
years, the Duke's utterances have yet interest for us, though he seems to
have judged harshly the absent Governor-General, the Earl of Dalhousie.
[114]
"About eight o'clock in the evening of the 3rd of September, 1825, we
embarked at Montreal on board the steamer _Lady Sherbrooke_ for
Quebec. The banks, which as far as Trois Rivières are pretty low,
become higher and more rocky, particularly on the left side. The
neighborhood is remarkably handsome and picturesque. The majestic
stream with its pleasant banks, and the view of the distant blue
mountains near Quebec, produce an indescribable effect. The weather
was favourable,--a clear, sunny sky and not very warm; in this
northern latitude you can perceive the approaching autumn by the
coolness of the nights and mornings. We reached Quebec at 10 o'clock
in the evening. This city consists of two parts, the Upper Town, which
is built on a rock, and the Lower, which is pressed in between the
river and the rock. The lights in the Lower Town and the
fortifications had an elegant appearance, when contrasted with the
dark rock. The first _coup d'oeil_, which was by night, reminded
me of Namur, as it is seen from the right bank of the Maas. In the
river were many vessels; mostly used for carrying wood. It was already
late, and we should have found difficulty in transporting our baggage
by night, besides other inconveniences in finding lodgings for the
ladies, so we spent the second night also on board the steamboat,
where we were very comfortable and found it cleanly.
"The next morning, after dismissing the guard which the Governor
appointed to escort us, we went to our lodgings in the upper part of
the town. The lower town is very narrow, and has a filthy appearance.
The streets are not paved, and badly provided with sidewalks. The road
which leads to the upper part of the town is very steep. It stands on
a rocky ground, and its fortifications are elevated 300 feet from the
level of the ocean. The upper is separated from the lower town by a
stone wall, which has the form of a horn-work. Through this wall is a
gate, [115] which has a guard; the guard-room is opposite the gate,
and by means of a portcullis defends the entrance. For the convenience
of foot-passengers there is a door [116] near the gate, with wooden
stairs, by ascending which you reach the upper town. On the right of
the gate is a building which resembles a chapel, [117] and serves for
the House of Commons of Canada. In order to get home we were obliged
to go round part of the walls of the town. Even here you have an
indescribably beautiful view of the Bay of Quebec and the right bank
of the river, which has the appearance of a cape, called Point Levi.
"Shortly after our arrival, I received a visit from Colonel Duchesnay,
First Adjutant of the Governor-General, and from [118] Colonel
Durnford, Director of Engineers. The first gentleman came to bid me
welcome in the name of the Governor, and the latter begged to show me
the fortifications. Lord Dalhousie, Governor General of all British
possessions in North America, was at that time in England, but was
expected daily. During his absence, the Government was under the
direction of the Lt.-Governor, Sir Francis Barton, brother of Lord
Conyngham. He is a civilian, but is said to fill his high post with
credit. The good spirit the inhabitants are in, and the harmony that
exists in the colony, are mostly owing to his good management and his
humane and friendly deportment towards them. It is said of Lord
Dalhousie that he has estranged the hearts of the people from himself
and the Government, through his haughty and absolute deportment, and
the Opposition party in the Canadian Parliament has thereby been
strengthened.
"The upper part of the town is very old and angular, the streets are
muddy, and many not paved. Both towns contain about 25,000
inhabitants. The Catholic Cathedral is quite a handsome building, it
has three altars, and paintings of but little value. It is near the
Seminary, an old French building, with massive walls, having four
corners like a bastion. In this Seminary resides the Bishop of Quebec.
We had already been introduced to Bishop Plessis, in the house of Sir
Francis Burton, and found him a very agreeable and well-informed man.
He is the son of a butcher of Montreal, and has elevated himself by
his own merit.
"On the second and last day of my sojourn in Quebec I went to the
parade, escorted by Colonels Durnford and Duchesnay. I was pleasantly
taken by surprise when I found the whole garrison under arms. The
commanding officers wished to show me their corps. On the right wing
stood two companies of artillery, then a company of sappers and
miners, after this, the Sixty-Eighth, and lastly, the Seventy-First
Regiment of Infantry. The last is a light regiment, and consists of
Scotch Highlanders; it appeared to be in particularly good condition.
This regiment is not dressed in the Highland uniform, which was only
worn by some of the buglemen. It has a very good band of buglemen, who
wear curious caps, made of blue woollen, bordered below with red and
white stripes. The troops defiled twice before me.
"On the 6th of September we set out in the steamboat for Montreal. Sir
Francis sent us his carriage, which was very useful to the ladies. On
the dock stood a company of the Sixty-Fifth Regiment, with their flags
displayed as a guard of honour, which I immediately dismissed. The
fortifications saluted us with 21 guns; this caused a very fine echo
from the mountains. Night soon set in, but we had sufficient light to
take leave of the magnificent vicinity of Quebec."
St. Vallier street is sacred to Monseigneur de St. Vallier; his name is
identified with the street which he so often perambulated in his visits to
the General Hospital, where he terminated his useful career in 1729. His
Lordship seems to have entertained a particular attachment for the
locality where he had founded this hospital, where he resided, in order to
rent his Mountain Hill Palace to Intendant Talon, and thus save the
expense of a chaplain. The General Hospital was the third asylum for the
infirm which the Bishop had founded. Subsequently, came the Intendant de
Meules, who, toward 1684, endowed the eastern portion of the quarter with
an edifice (the Intendant's Palace) remarkable for its dimensions, its
magnificence and its ornate gardens.
Where Talon (a former Intendant) had left a brewery in a state of ruin and
about seventeen acres of land unoccupied, Louis XIV., by the advice of his
Intendant de Meules, lavished vast sums of money in the erection of a
sumptuous palace, in which French justice was administered, and in which,
at a later period, under Bigot, it was _purchasable_. Our illustrious
ancestors, for that matter, were not the kind of men to weep over such
trifles, imbued as they were from infancy with the feudal system and all
its irksome duties, without forgetting the forced labour (_corvées_)
and those admirable "Royal secret warrants," (_lettres de cachet_). What
did the institutions of a free people, or the text of Magna Charta signify
to them?
On this spot stood the notorious warehouse, where Bigot, Cadet and their
confederates retailed, at enormous profits, the provisions and supplies
which King Louis XV. doled out in 1758 to the starving inhabitants of
Quebec. The people christened the house "_La Friponne_," (_The Cheat_!!)
Near the sight of Talon's old brewery which had been converted into a
prison by Frontenac, and which held fast, until his trial in 1674, the
Abbé de Fénélon [119] now stands the Anchor Brewery (Boswell's).
We clip the following from an able review in the Toronto _Mail_, Dec.,
1880, of M. Marmette's most dramatic novel, "_l'Intendant Bigot_":
"In the year 1775 a grievous famine raged, sweeping off large numbers
of the poor, while the unscrupulous Bigot and his satellites were
revelling in shameless profligacy. It is midnight of Christmas, when
an old officer, M. de Rochebrune, pressed with cold and hunger to the
last point, resolved to pawn his St. Louis Cross of gold at the
Intendant's Palace stores. On the way thither the officer and his
young daughter, a young girl of fourteen, are startled at the blaze of
light illuminating the Palace windows, during one of the Intendant's
festivals. The pleasures of the evening are suddenly interrupted and
shaded by the entry of the aged, suffering M. de Rochebrune and his
wan-visaged but beautiful daughter. Words of galling truth are
addressed to Bigot before his painted courtezans and his other
depraved attendants, whose hearts are too hard and whose consciences
are too seared to be tortured by either misery or reproof, and the
ruffian varlets eject both father and daughter to the furies of the
midnight blast. The ball ended, Bigot leads Madame de Pean to her
vehicle, when she tumbles over an object which, when torches are
brought, was found to be the corpse of the suppliant rebuker of a few
hours previous, alongside of which lay the unconscious form of his
daughter, half buried in the drifting snow. '_Mon Dieu_,' exclaimed
Madame de Pean, '_Il ne dormira pas de la nuit, c'est bien sûr._' This
tragic event is narrated with thrilling effect, in the author's best
style." P. B.
In a paper read by us before the Literary and Historical Society of
Quebec, 3rd December, 1879, we alluded in the following terms to the
history of the "Friponne" and the infamous entourage of Intendant Bigot in
the second part of our lecture: the first part related to Kalm's ramble
round the city in 1749.
Prepare, now for other--dark--far less pleasant scenes. The bright sky
of old Stadacona will rapidly lower; leaden clouds, pregnant with
storms are hovering over head. The simplicity of early days is getting
obsolete. Vice, gilded vice, flaunts in the palace. Gaunt famine is
preying on the vitals of the people. 'Tis so at Versailles; 'tis so at
Quebec. Lust--selfishness--rapine--public plunder everywhere--except
among the small party of the _Honnêtes Gens_: [120] a carnival of
pleasure, to be followed by the voice of wailing and by the roll of
the muffled drum.
In 1748, the evil genius of New France, "La Pompadour's
_protégé_" François Bigot, thirteenth and last Intendant, had landed
at Quebec.
Born in Guienne, of a family distinguished at the bar, Bigot, prior to
coming to Canada had occupied the high post of Intendant in Louisiana.
In stature, he was small--but well formed;--active--full of pluck--
fond of display and pleasure--an inveterate gambler. Had he confined
his operations merely to trading, his commercial ventures would have
excited little blame, trading having been a practice indulged in by
several other high colonial officials. His salary was totally
inadequate to the importance of his office, and quite insufficient to
meet the expenditure his exalted position led him into. His
speculations, his venality, the extortions practised on the community
by his heartless minions: this is what has surrounded his memory with
eternal infamy and made his name a by-word for scorn.
There existed, at Quebec, a _ring_ composed of the Intendant's
secretary, Deschenaux, of the Commissary General of Supplies, Cadet,
of the Town-Major, Hugues Péan; of the Treasurer-General, Imbert. Péan
was the Chief and Bigot the Great Chief of this nefarious association.
Between Bigot and Péan, another link existed. Péan's favour at Court
lay in the charms of his wife. Madame Péan, _née_ Angélique De
Meloises, was young, pretty, witty and charming; a fluent and
agreeable speaker--in fact so captivating that François Bigot was
entirely ruled by her during all his stay at Quebec. At her house in
St. Louis street he spent his evenings; there, he was sought and found
in May, 1759, by Col. de Bougainville returning from Paris, the bearer
of the dispatches, announcing the coming struggle.
Would you like some of the pen-photographs which a clever French
contemporary [121] has left of the corrupt entourage of the
magnificent intendant, here are a few:
"Brassard Deschenaux, the son of a poor cobbler, was born at Quebec. A
notary who boarded with Deschenaux, senior, had taught his son to
read. Naturally quick and intelligent, young Deschenaux made rapid
progress and soon found something to do in the office of Intendant
Hocquart where Bigot found him and succeeded in having him appointed
clerk in the Colonial Office at Quebec. Industrious, but at heart a
sycophant, by dint of cringing he won the good graces of Bigot, who
soon put unlimited trust in him, to that degree as to do nothing
without Deschenaux's aid, but Deschenaux was vain, ambitious, haughty
and overbearing and of such inordinate greed, that he was in the habit
of boasting 'that to get rich he would even rob a church.'
"Cadet was the son of a butcher. In his youth he was employed to mind
the cattle of a Charlesbourg peasant; he next set up as a butcher and
made money. His savings, he invested in trade; his intriguing spirit
brought him to the notice of the Intendant Hocquart, who gave him
contracts to supply meat for the army. Deschenaux soon discovered that
Cadet could be useful to him; he made him his friend and lost no
opportunity to recommend him to the Intendant. He was accordingly
often employed to buy the supplies for the subsistence of the troops.
In verity, there were few men more active, more industrious, more
competent to drive a bargain. The King required his services and
secured them, by having Cadet named Commissary General. He had his
redeeming points--was open-handed in his dealings--of a kindly nature
and lavish even to excess."
The worthy Commissary General, like Péan, was blessed with a charming
wife, whom Panet's Diary styles "La Belle Amazone Aventurière."
Probably like her worthy spouse,--of low extraction; "elle n'était pas
sortie de la cuisse de Jupiter," to use a familiar French saw.
She certainly was not, like Caesar's wife "above suspicion." Madame
Cadet, later on, transferred her allegiance from the rich butcher
Cadet, to one "Sieur Joseph Ruffio";... but let us draw the veil of
oblivion over the short comings of another age.
"Capt. Hughes Péan, _Chevalier de la Livaudière_, was Town Major
of Quebec, _aide-Major des Troupes_." He was not long in discovering
that with an Intendant like Bigot, he could dare anything. Had he not
without any trouble netted a gain of 50,000 half crowns? A large
quantity of wheat was required for Government; he was charged with the
purchase. There was a fat job in store for the Town Major. How was his
master the Intendant to manage the matter for him? Bigot was a man of
resource, who never forgot his friends. First, he provided Péan with a
large sum out of the Treasury to buy the wheat as low as possible for
cash; and then his complaisant council passed an order or Ordonnance
fixing the price of grain much higher than that at which Péan had
purchased. The town Major charged it to the Government at the rate
fixed by the Ordonnance; the difference left him a handsome profit. He
thought he would next try his hand at building coasting craft, which
he could manage to keep constantly in commission for Government; this
also was lucrative. Other devices, however, were resorted to; a secret
partnership was entered into between Cadet and a person named Clavery,
who shortly after become store-keeper at Quebec. Cadet was to purchase
wheat in the parishes, have it ground at a mill he had leased, the
flour to be sent abroad, secretly. Péan, too, had large warehouses
built--at Beaumont some say. Cargoes of grain were thus secretly
shipped to foreign ports in defiance of the law. Bréard, the
Comptroller-General, for a consideration winked at these mal-
practices, and from a poor man when he landed in Canada, he returned
to France in affluent circumstances.
The crowning piece of knavery was the erection of a vast shop and
warehouses near to the Intendant's Palace. Clavery had charge of this
establishment, where a small retail business was carried on as a
blind. The real object was to monopolize the trade in provisions and
concentrate it here. Clavery was clerk to Estebe, Royal store-keeper
at Quebec. In this warehouse were accumulated all such provisions and
supplies as were wanted annually, and ordered from France for the
King's stores at Quebec.
It was the practice of the Intendant to send each summer the
requisitions to Paris. Bigot took care to order from France less
supplies than were required, so as to have an excuse to order the
remainder in times of want, at Quebec. The orders were sent to
Clavery's warehouse, where the same goods were sold twice over, at
increased rates. Soon the people saw through the deceit, and this
repository of fraud was called in consequence La Friponne, "The
Knave."
Want of space prevents me from crowding in photos of the other
accomplished rogues, banded together for public robbery during the
expiring years of French domination in Canada.
It is singular to note how many low-born [122] parasites and
flatterers surrounded Bigot.
In 1755, the wheat harvest having failed, and the produce of former
years having been carried out of Canada or else stored in the magazine
of Bigot's ring, the people of Canada were reduced to starvation: in
many instances they had to subsist on horse flesh and decayed codfish.
Instead of having recourse to the wheat stored here, the Intendant's
minions led him to believe that wheat was not so scarce as the
peasantry pretended--that the peasants refused to sell it, merely in
anticipation of obtaining still higher rates; that the Intendant, they
argued, ought to issue orders, for domiciliary visits in the rural
districts; and levy a tax on each inhabitant of the country, for the
maintenance of the residents in the city, and of the troops.
Statements were made out, shewing the rations required to prevent the
people from dying of hunger. Cadet was charged with the raising of
this vexatious impost. In a very short time, he and his clerks had
overrun the country, appropriating more wheat than was necessary. Some
of the unfortunate peasants, who saw in the loss of their seed wheat
starvation and death, loudly complained. A few called at the
Intendant's Palace, but the heartless Deschenaux, the Intendant's
Secretary, was ever on the watch and had them questioned by his
_employés_, and when the object of their visit, was discovered,
they were ushered into the presence of Deschenaux, who insulted them
and threatened to have them imprisoned for thus presuming to complain
to the Intendant. Bigot was afterwards advised of their visit, and
when they appeared before him they were so maltreated and bullied that
they left, happy in the fact that they had not been thrown into
prison; soon, none dared to complain. Bread was getting scarcer every
day. The Intendant had named persons to distribute the bread at the
baker's shops, the flour being furnished by Government. The people
crowded the bakeries on the days fixed; the loaves were taken by
violence, mothers of families used to complain that they could not get
any; they used occasionally to besiege the Intendant at his Palace
with their lamentations and complaints, but it was of no avail, the
Intendant was surrounded by a crowd of flatterers, who on retiring,
gorged from his luxurious board, could not understand how the poor
could die of hunger.
Land of my fathers reclaimed from barbarism at the cost of so much
blood--so much treasure, bountifully provided with nobles--priests--
soldiers--fortifications by the great Louis; sedulously--paternally
watched over by Colbert and Talon: to what depth of despair, shall we
say, degradation are thou sunk!
Proud old city, have you then no more defenders to put forth, in your
supreme hour of woe and desertion! Has then that dauntless race of
_Gentilshommes Canadiens_, d'Iberville--Ste. Hélène--de Bouville
--de Bécancourt--de Repentigny, disappeared without leaving any
successors!
And you stern old de Frontenac, you who replied so effectually to the
invader through the mouth of your cannon, is your martial spirit
quenched forever, in that loved fortress in which rest your venerated
remains, you who at one time (1689) were ready, at the head of your
Regulars and fighting Canadians, [123] to carry out the rash scheme,
hatched by deCallières: the conquest of New York and destruction of
the chief settlements in New England, a scheme which involved the
dispersion of more than eighteen thousand people, as sixty-six years
later (in 1755), a British Commander tore from their homes the
peaceable Acadians of _Grand-Pré_. [124]
I could enlarge to any extent the gloomy picture which the history of
this shameful period discloses. Two skilful novelists, the one in the
English language, Wm. Kirby, [125] Esq., of Niagara, the other in the
French, Joseph Marmette, [126] of Quebec, have woven two graphic and
stirring historical romances, out of the materials which the career of
the Intendant Bigot and the desertion of the colony in its hour of
trial, by France--so abundantly supply. One redeeming _trait_, one
flash of sunshine lights up the last hour of French domination: the
devotion of the Canadian militia towards their oblivious mother-
country, their dauntless courage at the Beauport engagement--after the
battle of the Plains, 13th Sept., 1759--and at the battle of Ste.
Foye, on the 28th April 1760, a day glorious to French arms, but at
best a useless victory.
_RUINS OF THE INTENDANT'S PALACE._
"It is the voice of years that are gone! they roll before me with all
their deeds."--OSSIAN.
"'The descriptions, or perspective sketches,' says Mr. Walkem,
'according to the fancy or whim of the artist or the photographer, of
what is left of the ruins, convey no adequate idea of its real
capacity and magnitude in length, breadth or height. My present
object, therefore, with your permission, is to supply this deficiency
from plans and elevations drawn to a scale of feet about the year
1770--when some repairs were effected by the Military Engineers,--five
years before its destruction in 1775. And more especially do I feel it
my duty to submit this plan, &c., for publication since it has become
part of the military history, not of Quebec only, but of Canada.
"The following is an extract from the Centenary report: 'This once
magnificent pile was constructed under the French King's directions in
1684, under Intendant de Meules. It was burnt in 1712, when occupied
by Intendant Bégon, and restored by the French Government. It became,
from 1748 to 1759, the luxurious resort of Intendant Bigot and his
wassailers. Under English rule it was neglected, and Arnold's men
having, from the cupola, annoyed Guy Carleton's soldiers, orders were
given to destroy it with the city guns.'
"'Skulking riflemen in St. Roch's, watching behind walls to kill our
sentries, some of them fired from the cupola of the Intendant's
Palace. We brought a nine-pounder to answer them.'--(_Extract from a
journal of an officer of the Quebec Garrison_.)
"For those who may not be familiar with the meaning of the term
'Intendant,' and the official duties of his office, the following
remarks are submitted from the most authentic sources. It was one of
civil administration, direction management, superintendence, &c., and
next to that of Governor-General, the office of Intendant was one of
the greatest importance and celebrity in Quebec. It was established by
the proclamation of the King of France in 1663,--creating a Sovereign
Council for the affairs of the Colony--viz: the Governor-General, the
Bishop, the Intendant and four Councillors, with an Attorney-General
and Chief Clerk. The number of Councillors was afterwards increased to
twelve.
"The authority of the Intendant, except in his executive capacity, was
indeed little inferior to that of the Governor himself. He had the
superintendence of four departments, viz: Justice, Police, Finance,
and Marine.
The first intendant named under the proclamation of 1663 was M.
Robert; but he never came to Canada to fill his office, and it was not
till the summer of 1655 that Jean de Talon arrived at Quebec, as the
first real Intendant, with the Viceroy deTracy, and the Carignan
Regiment. The building in which the Sovereign Council first held their
meetings would appear to have stood on the south side of Fabrique
street westward (?) of the Jesuit College, known at that time as the
'Treasury.'
"During the Intendancy of M. de Meules, in 1684, that gentleman, at
his own expense, endowed the eastern portion of the St. Roch's suburbs
with an edifice henceforth known as the 'Intendant's Palace' ('Le
Palais'), remarkable for its dimensions, magnificence and general
appearance; it included also (according to old plans) about ten acres
of land contained probably between St. Rochs and St. Nicholas streets,
having the River St. Charles in front, and afterwards laid out in
ornamental gardens. The Palace was described by _La Potherie_, in
1698, as consisting of eighty toises, or 480 feet of buildings, so
that it appeared a little town in itself. The King's stores were also
kept there.
"In 1712, Intendant Bégon, with a splendid equipage and retinue,
arrived in Quebec from France, and took up his residence at the
Palace. On the 5th of January, 1713, the entire building and premises
unfortunately were destroyed by fire, and such was the rapidity of the
flames that the Intendant and his wife escaped with great difficulty.
Madame Bégon was obliged to break the panes of glass in her apartment
before she had power to breathe. The young lady attendants were burned
to death. The Intendant's _valet de chambre_, anxious to save some of
his master's wardrobe, also perished in the flames. His Secretary,
passing barefooted from the Palace to the river front, was so much
frozen that he died in the Hospital of the Hôtel-Dieu a few days
afterwards. [127]
"The Palace was afterward rebuilt under the direction of M. Bégon at
the expense of His Majesty, and of which the plans and elevation now
presented are presumed to be a correct and faithful illustration. The
principal entrance appears to have been from that side next the cliff,
opposite the 'Arsenal,'--or from the present line of St. Valier
street--with large store buildings, magazines, &c., on either side of
the entrance, and in the rear of that stood the building known as the
'Prison.' It would appear that _La Potherie's_ remark, in 1698,
of the first construction resembling a little town in itself, would
also apply to the group of the second construction--as no less than
twenty in number are shown on some of the old plans of this period.
From sketches taken on the spot by an officer of the Fleet in Wolfe's
expedition of 1759, and published in London two years afterwards,
there can be little doubt, for want of room elsewhere, that the Palace
was converted into barracks and occupied immediately after the
surrender of Quebec by the troops under General Murray, and continued
to be used as such until it fell into the hands of the American
insurgents under Arnold, in 1775, and was destroyed by the cannon from
the ramparts. The assumption is strengthened, if not confirmed, by the
occupation of the Jesuit College as barracks the following year the
amount of accommodation in both cases, a full regiment--would be the
same; hence the comfortable quarters in the 'Palais' by the rebel
force under Arnold, which would accommodate the most of his men.
"The appearance of this once celebrated structure in its general
aspect was more imposing from its extent than from any architectural
ornate embellishments. The style was the French domestic of that
period, of two clear stories in height, the extreme frontage was 260
feet, with projecting wings at either end of 20 feet (vide plan), the
depth from the front of the wings to the rear line 75 feet, and the
central part 58 feet; the height from the site level to the apex of
roof about 55 feet, and to the eaves line about 33 feet; in the
basement there were no less than 9 vaults, 10 feet high to the crown
of the arch running along the whole front, as shown in the elevation.
The apartments in the two stories are divided longitudinally by a wall
from one end to the other, and comprise altogether about 40 in number,
allotted into barrack-rooms as per original military plans.
"The roof is plain and steep, and only broken by the pedimented wings
at each end of the building, with chimney stacks and stone coping over
the transverse fire walls, and otherwise relieved by a small octagonal
cupola of two sections placed in the centre of the roof. The approach
to the building in front is by two flights of steps, an enclosed porch
forming a central feature to the main entrance; the basement windows
are shewn in the elevation above the ground line. The walls were
substantially built of black slate rock peculiar to Quebec and must
have taken much time in the erection judging from its tenacity, and
the hardness of the material still remaining. No doubt the walls, as
was the practice in those days, were built of dry masonry, a few feet
at a time, and then _grouted_ with mortar in a thin semi-fluid
state, composed of quicklime and fine sand poured into the interspaces
of the stone-work, filling every cavity, excluding the air, and left
to dry before commencing the next course. The wrought stone at the
quoins and angles appear to have been quarried at Point-aux-Trembles,
or more likely at Beauport, while the sides of the doors and windows
were faced with hard Flemish brick, still intact, and beyond doubt
imported directly from France. [128] The main store buildings in
front, with vaults underneath, were undoubtedly built in the same
compact manner, as Mr. Boswell, some years ago, in excavating for his
brewery on the site of these stores, came in contact with the old
foundation walls, so hard that powder had to be used for blasting. The
mortar was found to be harder than stone, and a drill had but small
effect upon it. That gentleman many years ago became the tenant of the
war department for these ruins and vaults, and has roofed them in,
taken care of the property and made improvements generally at his own
expense. There is an old story current that a subterraneous passage,
under the old ruins, led to the river. Others say that a passage
communicated with the Upper Town. It is highly probable the old vaults
and passage discovered by Mr. Boswell in the above excavation have
been the origin of this story; for in one case towards the river it
would be flooded at high water, and towards the Upper Town barred by a
rampart of solid rock.
"From 1775 to the withdrawal of the Imperial troops in 1870-71--
nearly a century,--this property was used specially for military
purposes, and commonly known, as shown on old plan, as the King's Wood
Yard, and more recently as the Commissariat Fuel Yard. The land
several years ago was reduced in extent by the sale of building lots
on the lines of St. Valier and St. Nicholas streets.
"At the beginning of this century, and many years afterwards, a
military guard seems to have done duty at the 'Palais' and adjoining
premises, east of St. Nicholas street, known as the Royal Dock Yard,
King's Wharf, Stores, &c. This latter property extended eastward as
far as La Canoterie, in front of a blockhouse, the site of the present
Nunnery Bastion, and lying between what is now known as St. Charles
street, or the foot of the cliff, and the high water mark on the north
side, corresponding pretty nearly with the line of St. Paul street.
"The ruins of 'Le Palais' and accessories since 1775 were several
times fitted up by the military authorities for stabling, fodder-
sheds, wash-house, military stores, caretaker's quarters, &c., &c.,
and the vaults were leased for storing ice, wines and other liquors,
and storage generally to the inhabitants of the city, and the roof was
shingled or otherwise covered in on several occasions by the
Government.
"In the great fire of St. Roch's (1845) the Fuel Yard, about four
acres in extent, with some hundreds of cords of wood piled there, and
a very large quantity of coals in a 'lean-to-shed' against the Palais
walls were consumed--the coals continued to burn and smoulder for
nearly _six months_,--and notwithstanding the solidity of the
masonry, as already described, portions of it, with the heat like a
fiery furnace, gave way. Upon this occasion an unfortunate woman and
two children were burned to death in the Fuel Yard. Great efforts were
made by Mr. Bailey, a commissariat officer, and Mr. Boswell, owner of
the brewery, to save the lives of the victims, but unfortunately
without success. These gentlemen, after their coats had been burned
off their backs, and the hair from their heads and eyebrows, had to
fly at last to save their own lives.
"On the withdrawal of the Imperial troops in 1870-71, the whole of 'Le
Palais' property was handed over to the Dominion Government.
"CHARLES WALKEM, "(Late R. E. Civil Service Staff in Canada.)
"Ottawa, 24th July, 1876."
Doubtless to the eyes of the "free and independent electors" of La
Vacherie, in 1759, the Intendant's Palace seemed a species of "eighth
wonder" The eighth wonder lost much of its _éclat_, however, by the
inauguration of English rule, in 1759, but a total eclipse came over this
imposing and majestic luminary when Guy Carleton's guns from the ramparts
of Quebec began, in 1775, to thunder on its cupola and roof, which offered
a shelter to Arnold's soldiery: the rabble of "shoemakers, hatters,
blacksmiths and innkeepers," (says that savage old Tory, Colonel Henry
Caldwell), bent on providing Canada with the blessings of Republicanism. A
century and more has passed over the gorgeous Palace--now a dreary, moss-
covered ruin, surrounded in rear by coarse grass, fallen stones: Bigot--
his wassailers,--the fair but frail Madame de Pean, like her prototype of
Paris, Madame de Pompadour, have all fleeted to the land of shadows; and
tourists, high and low, still crowd to glance meditatively at those fast
fading traces of a guilty past. It was in October, 1879, the special
privilege of the writer to escort to these ruins one of our Sovereign's
gentle and accomplished daughters, H.R.H. the Princess Louise, accompanied
by H.E. Lord Lorne, as he had done the previous autumn with regard to the
learned Dean of Westminster, Revd. A. P. Stanley: proud he was to think
that though Quebec had no such attractions like antique, like classic
England,--turretted castles, moated granges, or even
"Old pheasant Lords,
"Partridge breeders of a thousand years,"
--its romantic past was not without pleasing or startling or interesting
memories.
We have just mentioned "_La Vacherie_", this consisted of the extensive
and moist pastures at the foot of _Coteau Sainte-Geneviève_, extending
towards the General Hospital, where the city cows were grazed; on this
site and gracing the handsome streets "Crown" "Craig" and "Desfossés," can
now be seen elegant dry-goods stores, vying with the largest in the Upper
Town. Had St. Peter street, in 1775, been provided with a regular way of
communication with St. Roch; had St. Paul street then existed, the sun of
progress would have shone there nearly a century earlier.
"For a considerable time past, several plans of amelioration of the City
of Quebec," says the Abbé Ferland, "were proposed to the Ministry by M. de
Meules. The absolute necessity of obtaining a desirable locality for the
residence of the Intendant, and for holding the sessions of the Council;
the Château St. Louis being hardly sufficient to afford suitable quarters
for the Governor and the persons who formed his household. M. de Meules
proposed purchasing a large stone building which M. Talon had caused to be
erected for the purpose of a brewery, and which, for several years, had
remained unoccupied. Placed in a very commodious position on the bank of
the river St. Charles, and not many steps from the Upper Town, this
edifice, with suitable repairs and additions, might furnish not alone a
desirable residence for the Intendant, but also halls and offices for the
Supreme Council and the Courts of Justice, as likewise vaults for the
archives and a prison for the criminals. Adjacent to the old brewery, M.
Talon owned an extent of land of about seventeen superficial acres, of
which no use was made in M. de Meules' plan; a certain portion of this
land could be reserved for the gardens and dependencies of the Intendant's
Palace, whilst the remainder might be portioned off into building lots
(_emplacements_), and thus convert it into a second lower town, and
which might some day be extended to the foot of the Cape. He believed that
if this plan were adopted, the new buildings of Quebec would extend in
that direction, and not on the heights almost exclusively occupied by the
Religious Communities. [129]
We perceive, according to Mr. Panet's Journal, that Saint Roch existed in
1759; that the women and children, residents of that quarter, were not
wholly indifferent to the fate of their distressed country. "The same day
(31st July, 1759)," says Panet, "we heard a great uproar in the St. Roch
quarter--the women and children were shouting, 'Long Live the King!'"
[130] "I ascended the height (on the _Coteau Ste. Geneviève_) and
there beheld the first frigate all in a blaze, very shortly afterwards a
black smoke issuing from the second, which blew up and afterwards took
fire." On the 4th August several bomb-shells of 80 lbs. fell on St. Roch.
We read, that on the 31st August, two soldiers were hanged at three
o'clock in the afternoon, for having stolen a cask of brandy from the
house of one Charland, in the St. Roch quarter. In those times the General
(or _the Recorder_) did not do things by halves. Who was, this Charland of
1759? Could he be the same who, sixteen years afterwards, fought so
stoutly with Lieut. Dambourgès at the Sault-au-Matelot engagement? Since
the inauguration of the English domination, St. Roch became peopled in a
most rapid manner, we now see there a net-work of streets, embracing in
extent several leagues.
The first steep hill past the Y. M. C. Association Hall--formerly Gallows
Hill, (where the luckless David McLane was disembowelled, in 1797, for
levying war against the King of Great Britain), and leading from St. John
street without to that not over-straight thoroughfare, named after the
second Bishop of Quebec--St. Vallier street--borrows its name from
Barthélémy Coton, who in days of yore closed his career in Quebec at the
advanced age of 92 years. Can anyone tell us the pedigree of Barthélémy
Coton? To the French portion of the inhabitants it is known as _Côte à
Coton_, whilst the English portion still continue to surround it,
unopportunely we think, with the unhallowed traditions of a lugubrious
past and call it Gallows Hill. Côte à Coton debouches into St. Vallier
street, which on your way takes you to Scott's Bridge, over the Little
River St Charles. Across St. Vallier street it opens on a rather
magnificent street as to extent--Baronne street,--commemorating the
_souvenir_ of an illustrious family in colonial History, represented
by Madame la Baronne de Longueuil, the widow of the third Baron, who had,
in 1770, married the Honorable. Wm. Grant, the Receiver-General of the
Province of Quebec, who lived at St. Rochs, and died there in 1805.
On M. P. Cousin's plan of Quebec, published in 1875, parallel to St.
Vallier street to the south, and St. Fleurie street to the north, halfway
between, is laid down Baronne street. The most ancient highway of the
quarter (St. Roch) is probably St. Vallier street. "Desfossés" street most
likely derives its name from the ditches (_fossés_) which served to
drain the green pastures of _La Vacherie_. The old Bridge street dates
from the end of the last century (1789). "Dorchester" street recalls
the esteemed and popular administrator, Lord Dorchester, who, under the
name of Guy Carleton, led on to victory the militia of Quebec in 1775.
"Craig" street received its name from Sir John Craig, a gouty, testy, but
trusty old soldier, who administered the Government in 1807-9-10; it was
enlarged and widened ten feet, after the great fire of 1845. The site of
St. Paul's Market was acquired from the Royal Ordnance, on 31st July,
1831.
A former Quebecer writes:--
OTTAWA, 17th May, 1876.
"At the beginning of this century only eighty square-rigged vessels
entered the Port of Quebec. There were then in Quebec only nine
importers, and half a dozen master mechanics, one shipyard (John
Black's, where one ship was launched each year), one printing office
and one weekly paper.
"The tide then washed the rear walls of the houses on the north part
of Sault-au-Matelot street. The only deep water wharves were Dunières,
afterwards Brébaut's, Johnson & Purss', and the King's Wharf. There
were no dwelling houses beyond Dunières' Wharf, but a few huts were
built at the base of the cape. A black man was the solitary inhabitant
on the beach, and all the way to Sillery the woods extended to the
water's edge. A lease of this beach might then have been obtained for
£50 a year.
"In St. Roch's Suburbs there was no house beyond the Manor House near
the Intendant's Palace, save a few straggling ones in St. Vallier and
St. Roch's streets. The site of the present Parish of St. Roch was
mostly occupied by Grant's Mills, by meadows and farms.
"In St. John Suburbs there were only a few houses on St. John and St.
George's streets and St. Louis Suburbs which, in 1775, contributed but
three militia-men, viz--Jean Dobin, gardener, Jos. Proveau, carter,
and Jacques Dion, mason, could boast of only one house, and the
nearest one to it was Powell Place, Spencer Wood.
"On the St. Foy Road there was no house beyond the mineral well in St.
John Suburbs, until you came to the Haut Bijou--Mr. Stewart's. The
population of the city was then estimated at 12,000.
"I wonder if your friend Col. Strange is aware that his old friend
Sergt. Hugh McQuarters, of 1775 fame, was led captive to Hymen's altar
by the winning smiles and bright eyes of a _belle Canadienne_,
Mam'selle Victoire Fréchette. She died on the 12th October, 1812.
"Not having seen a copy of the address of Henri Taschereau, Esq., M.P.
before the Canadian Institute on the American Invasion of '75, I am
not aware if he alluded to the facet that Captain and Paymaster
Gabriel Elzéar Taschereau took part in the '_l'affaire du Sault-au-
Matelot_.'
"Thus, by degrees, you see some little odds and ends of Quebec history
are coming to light.
"I remain, "(Signed,) C. J. O'LEARY.
"J. M. LEMOINE, Esq."
In the present day the prolongation of the wharf has left no trace of it;
the Station of the North Shore Railway covers a portion of this area.
"Church" street (la rue de l'Église), doubtless owes its name to the
erection of the beautiful Saint Roch Church, towards 1812, the site of
which was given by the late Honorable John Mure, who died in Scotland in
1823.
Saint Roch, like the Upper Town, comprises several _Fiefs_, proceeding
from the _Fief_ of the Seminary and reaching as far as the Gas Wharf; the
beaches with the right of fishing belonged originally to the _Hôtel-Dieu_
by a concession dated the 31st March, 1648, but they have since been
conceded to others. The Crown possesses an important reserve towards the
west of this grant; then comes the grant made, in 1814 or 1815, to the
heirs of William Grant, now occupied by several ship-yards. Jacques
Cartier who, in 1535-6, wintered in the vicinity of Saint Roch, left his
name to an entire municipal division of this rich suburb, as well as to a
spacious market hall. (The Jacques Cartier Market Hall.) The first secular
priest, who landed in Quebec on the 8th August, 1634, and who closed his
days in the Hôtel-Dieu on the 29th November, 1668, Jean le Sueur de Saint
Sauveur, left his name to what now constitutes the populous municipality
of Saint Sauveur. (Casgrain, _Historie de l'Hôtel-Dieu_, p. 81.)
On the spot on which the General Hospital Convent was erected, in 1691,
the four first Franciscan Friars, Pères Jamay, D'Olbeau, LeCaron and Frère
Pacifique Du Plessis, who had landed at Quebec on the 2nd June, 1615, soon
set to work to erect the first Church, the first Convent and the first
Seminary in New France, and on the 3rd June, 1620, Father d'Olbeau, in the
absence of Father Jamay, the Superior of the Mission, placed the first
stone of the church, under the name of _Notre Dame des Anges_, on the
25th May, 1625. This was on the bank of the river which Jacques Cartier
had called the River Ste. Croix, because he had landed there on the 14th
September, 1535, the day of the exaltation of the Holy Cross: the Friars
changed the name to that of St. Charles, in honor of "Monsieur Charles de
Boues, Grand Vicaire _de Pontoise_," one of the most distinguished
benefactors of their Order.
St. Vallier street, leading to ancient and Indian Lorette, over the Little
River Road, at present so well built up and echoing to the shrill whistle
of the Q. M. O. & O. Railway, until a few years back was a lone
thoroughfare, beyond the toll-bar, lined with bare, open meadows. Here,
also, has been felt the march of progress.
In the genial summer months passers-by are admonished by a pungent, not
unhealthy, odor of tannin, an effluvia of tamarac bark, that tanners and
curriers have selected their head-quarters in St. Vallier street. History
also lends its attractions to the venerable thoroughfare.
Our forefathers would tell of many cosy little dinners, closed, of course,
with whist or loo--of many _recherché_ pic-nics in days of yore, kept
up until the "sma' hours" at two renowned hostelries, only recently
removed--the BLUE HOUSE and the RED HOUSE,--chiefly at that festive and
crowning season of the year, when
"The snow, the beautiful snow,"
called forth the City Driving Club and its silvery, tinkling sleigh bells.
A steward--once famous as a caterer--on closing his term of service at the
_Château_, with a departing Governor, more than a century back, was
the Boniface at the Blue House: Alexandre Menut. A veritable Soyer was
_Monsieur_ Menut. During the American invasion, in the autumn of 1775,
Monsieur Menut, owing to a _vis major_, was forced to entertain a rather
boisterous and wilful class of customers: Richard Montgomery and his
warlike Continentals. More than once a well-aimed ball or shell from
General Carleton's batteries in the city must have disturbed the good
cheer of the New York and New England riflemen lounging about Menut's, a
great rebel rendezvous in 1775-6, we are told, visible from afar, [131]
"with its white flag flying on the house.
Arnold's head-quarters being close to the St. Charles, where Scott's
Bridge was since built, the intervening space between the city and the
General Hospital was daily swept by Carleton's artillery. The Page Diaries
abound with details of the casualties or narrow escapes of the invading
host. A few quotations will suffice:
"8th December, 1775. Mr. (Brigadier-General) Montgomery visited
Menut's to-day; a few minutes after he got out of the cariole, a
cannon ball from the city walls killed his horse.
"18th December. Some shells were thrown in to-day, and we threw some
into St. Roch's: very few of the enemy seen anywhere to-day. A man was
shot through the head from St. Roch; would it were destroyed; it
serves as a secure cover to the rebels.
"26th January, 1776. Eighty loaded sleighs passing towards Menut's.
Two field-pieces placed at the door; people passing and repassing
between that house and the General Hospital; some of our shots went
through Menut's house; we fired a long time at that object; at last we
perceived a man coming towards the town in a cariole, carrying the old
signal; he passed their guard-house and waved with his handkerchief;
we took no notice of him, but fired away at Menut's, he turned about
and went back. ... Perhaps, they find Menut's too hot for them.--
(_from Journal of an officer of the Quebec Garrison_, 1775-6,
quoted in Smith's History of Canada, Vol. II.)
"21st February, 1776. Fired at their guard-house and at Menut's.
"23rd February. About four this morning we heard the enemy's drum at
Menut's, St. Foix. Sentries saw rockets in the night."
Prince Edward street, St. Roch, and "Donnacona" street, near the
Ursulines, the latter thus named about 1840 by the late Rev. Messire
Maguire, then Almoner of the Ursuline Convent, bring up the memory of two
important personages of the past, Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent, an
English Prince, and Donnacona, a swarthy chief of primitive Canada, who
welcomed Jacques Cartier.
The vanquisher of Montcalm, General Wolfe, is honoured not only by a
statue, at the corner of Palace and St. John's streets, but again by the
street which bears his name, Wolfe street. In like manner, his illustrious
rival Montcalm claims an entire section of the city, "Montcalm Ward." Can
it be that the susceptible young Captain of the _Albemarle_, Horatio
Nelson, carried on his flirtation with the captivating Miss Mary Simpson,
in 1782, in the street which now rejoices in his name?
_NELSON IN QUEBEC_--1782.
"C'est l'amour qui fait le tour de la ronde."--OLD SONG.
"Though the "Ancient Capital," ever since 1764, rejoiced in an organ
of public opinion--a chronicle of daily events, fashions, city gossip,
the _Quebec Gazette_,--one would look in vain, in the barren columns
of that journal, for any intelligence of an incident, in 1782, which,
from the celebrity in after-life of the chief actor, and the local
repute of the reigning belle of the day, must have caused a flutter
among the F. F. Q. of the period. We mean the tender attachment of
Horatio (Lord) Nelson, commanding H. M. frigate _Albemarle_, 28 guns
then in port,--his romantic admiration for Miss Mary Simpson, the
youthful and accomplished daughter of Saunders Simpson (not "James,"
as Dr. Miles asserts), the cousin of James Thompson, Sr., one of
Wolfe's veterans. Traditions, venerable by their antiquity, told of
the charms divine, of the conquests of a marvellously handsome Quebec
beauty in the latter part of the last century: the _Catullus_ of 1783
thus begins his inspired lay in the _Quebec Gazette_ of that year:
'Sure you will rather listen to my call,
Since beauty and Quebec's fair nymphs I sing.
Henceforth Diana in Miss S--ps--n see,
As noble and majestic is her air;
Nor can fair Venus, W--lc--s, vie with thee,
Nor all thy heavenly charms with thee compare.'
"It was our fate first to attempt to unravel the tangles of this
attractive web. In the course of our readings, in 1865, our attention
had been drawn to a passage in the life of Nelson by the Laureate of
England, Robert Southey, [132] and enlarged on by Lamartine in the
pleasant sketch he gave of the naval hero. Our investigations were
aided by the happy memory of an old friend, now deceased: the late
Lt.-Col. John Sewell, who had served in the 49th under General Brock,
and whose birth was nearly contemporary with the visit of Nelson to
our port in September, 1782. It was evident the chief biographers of
the gifted sea captain ignored the details of his youthful attachment
on our shores.
"'At Quebec,' says Southey, 'Nelson became acquainted with Alexander
Davison, by whose interference he was prevented from making what would
have been called an imprudent marriage. The _Albemarle_ was about
to leave the station, her Captain had taken leave of his friends, and
was gone down the river to the place of anchorage; when the next
morning, as Davison was walking on the beach, to his surprise he saw
Nelson coming back in his boat. Upon inquiring the cause of his re-
appearance, Nelson took his arm to walk towards the town, and told him
he found it utterly impossible to leave Quebec without again seeing
the woman whose society contributed so much to his happiness, and then
and there offering her his hand.' 'If you do,' said his friend, 'your
utter ruin must inevitably follow.' 'Then, let it follow,' cried
Nelson; 'for I am resolved to do it.' 'And I,' replied Davison, 'am
resolved you shall not.' Nelson, however, on this occasion was less
resolved than his friend, and suffered himself to be led back to the
boat.'
"This led us to prepare a short 'Novelette' on the subject in the
_Revue Canadienne_, in 1867, subsequently incorporated in the _Maple
Leaves_: amended and corrected as new light dawned upon us in the
_Tourists' Note Book_, issued in 1876, and _Chronicles of the St.
Lawrence_, published in 1878.
"Whether it was Alexander Davison, his tried friend in afterlife, as
Southey suggests, or another Quebecer of note, in 1782, Matthew
Lymburner, as Lt.-Col. John Sewell, on the faith of Hon. William
Smith, the Historian of Canada, had stated to us, is of minor
importance: one thing is certain, some thoughtful friend, in 1782,
seems to have extricated the impulsive Horatio from the 'tangles of
Neaera's hair' in the port of Quebec: the hand of fate had marked the
future Captain of the _Victory_, not as the Romeo of a Canadian
Juliet, but as the paramour of Lady Emma Hamilton. Alas! for his fair
fame! It seems certain that the Commander of the _Albemarle_,
during his repeated visits to our port, in July, September and
October, 1782, became acquainted, possibly at some entertainment at
Freemason's Hall,--the 'Windsor' of the period--with 'sweet sixteen'
(he himself was but twenty-four) in the person of Miss Mary Simpson,
the blooming daughter of an old Highlandman, Sandy Simpson, a cousin
to Mr. James Thompson, then overseer of works, and father of the late
Judge John Gwalor Thompson, of Gaspé, and of late Com.-General James
Thompson, of Quebec. Sandy Simpson was an _habitué_ of this historical
and, for the period, vast old stone mansion where Captain Miles
Prentice, [133] as he had been styled in 1775, hung out, with good
cheer, the olive branch of Freemasonry and of loyalty to his
Sovereign. The _bonne société_ of Quebec, in 1782, was limited
indeed: and it was not probable the arrival from sea of one of H.M.'s
ships of war, the _Albemarle_, could escape the notice of the leading
men in Quebec.
"If the _Quebec Gazette_ of 1782 and _Quebec Herald_, published in
1789-90, contain no mention of this incident, several passages in the
correspondence [134] exchanged by the Thompson family with the early
love of Nelson, when she had become a stately London matron, as spouse
of Colonel Matthews, Governor of the Chelsea Hospital, throw light on
his previous career in Quebec.
"The question as to whether Nelson's charmer was Miss Prentice or her
cousin, Mary Simpson, which we submitted in the Tourists' Note Book in
1876 (see pages 26 and 36), we had considered as settled, in 1878, in
favour of Miss Simpson, as the following passage in the _Chronicles
of the St. Lawrence_ shows:
"Here anchored (Island of Orleans), it would seem, Nelson's sloop of
war, the _Albemarle_, in 1782, when the love-sick Horatio returned to
Quebec, for a last farewell from the blooming Miss Simpson, a daughter
of Sandy Simpson, one of Wolfe's Provost Marshals. Miss Simpson
afterwards married Colonel Matthews, Governor of the Chelsea
Pensioners, and died speaking tenderly of her first love, the hero of
Trafalgar.' (_Chronicles of the St. Lawrence_, p. 198.)
"This _éclaircissement_, as to dates, is not out of place, inasmuch as
one of our respected historians, Dr. Hy. Miles, in a scholarly
article, published March, 1879, three years after our mentioning Miss
Simpson, labours under the idea he was the first to give her name in
connection with Lord Nelson. Several inaccuracies occur in his
interesting essay. Miss Simpson is styled the daughter of 'James'
Simpson, whereas she was the daughter of Saunders Simpson, a cousin of
James Thompson, who had married a niece of Miles Prentice. In a foot
note appended to his essay the Doctor states that 'just before the
departure of our late popular Governor-General (Lord Dufferin), at a
breakfast at the Citadel, where His Excellency entertained the
Captains of the British war vessels _Bellerophon_ and _Sirius_ (he
means the _Argus_ and the _Sirius_), then in port, at which we were
present, the conversation having turned on former visits of commanders
of ships-of-war, when, Nelson's name being brought up, the Earl
remarked that Mr. LeMoine (then present) was able to afford some
information about him.' 'Mr. LeMoine,' adds Dr. Miles, 'at His
Excellency's request, related what he had previously written, much to
the satisfaction of his hearers.' Mr. LeMoine's account of the affair,
however, as it is based on the now exploded doctrine that the heroine
was one of the nieces of Mrs. Miles Prentice, was not, as has been
shown in the foregoing article, the correct one, however gratifying to
the distinguished listeners to its recital on that occasion.'
"As the correctness of the information we were asked to impart on this
occasion is impugned by the learned historian, we will, we hope, be
pardoned for setting this point at rest. Dr. Miles has committed some
egregious, though no doubt unintentional, error. The publication in
our _Tourist's Note Book_, in 1876, of the name of Miss Simpson,
in connection with Captain Nelson, three years before the appearance
of Dr. Miles' essay, which was published in March, 1879, and its
repetition, as previously shown, in the _Chronicles of the St.
Lawrence_, issued in the beginning of the year 1878, can leave no
doubt as to our knowledge of this incident, and disposes of the
Doctor's statement. The name furnished by us was that of Miss Simpson,
and no other. The breakfast in question took place on the 18th
October, 1878: there were present Lord Dufferin, Mrs. Russell
Stephenson, Mrs. J. T. Harrower, Very Rev. Dean Stanley, the Commander
of H.M.S. the _Sirius_, Capt. Sullivan, the Captain of H.M.S. the
_Argus_, Capt. Hamilton, A.D.C., and the writer."
Several streets in the St. Louis, St. John and St. Roch suburbs bear the
names of eminent citizens who have, at different periods, made a free gift
of the sites, or who, by their public spirit, have left behind them a
cherished memory among the people, such as Berthelot, Massue, Boisseau,
D'Artigny, Grey, Stewart, Lee, Buteau, Hudon, Smith, Salaberry, Scott,
Tourangeau, Pozer [135], Panet, Bell, Robitaille, Ryland [136], St. Ours
[137], Dambourgès [138]. Laval, Panet, Plessis, Séguin, Turgeon streets
perpetuate the names of eminent Roman Catholic Bishops. Jerome street took
this name from one of the ablest preceptors of youth the Quebec Seminary
ever had--Messire Jerome Demers.
"Dorchester" Bridge was constructed in 1822, and took the place of the
former bridge (Vieux Pont), on the street to the west, built by Asa Porter
in 1789, and called after Lord Dorchester the saviour of Quebec. Saint
Joseph street, St. Roch, was named after the eminent Roman Catholic
prelate, Mgr. Joseph Octave Plessis, Bishop of Quebec, who, in 1811, built
the church of St. Roch's suburbs, on land donated by a Presbyterian
gentleman, John Mure, and dedicated it to St. Joseph, the patron saint of
Canada. At one period it had a width of only twenty-five feet, and was
widened to the extent of forty, through the liberality of certain persons.
From the circumstance, the corporation was induced to continue it beyond
the city limits up to the road which leads to Lorette, thereby rendering
it the most useful and one of the handsomest streets of St. Roch.
At what period did the most spacious highway of the ward ("Crown" street,
sixty feet in width), receive its baptismal name? Most assuredly it was
previous to 1837, the democratic era of Papineau. "King" street, no doubt,
recalls the reign of George III. So also does "Queen" street recall his
royal Consort. The locality seems eminently favourable to monarchical
belongings, to the House of Hanover in particular, judging from the names
of several of its highways: _Crown, King, Queen, Victoria, Albert, Prince
of Wales, Alfred, Arthur, Prince Edward,_ &c.
Towards the year 1815, the late Honorable John Richardson, of Montreal,
conferred his name on the street which intersects the grounds which Sir
James Craig had, on the 15th March, 1811, conceded to him as Curator to
the vacant estate of the late Hon. William Grant, [139] whose name is
likewise bequeathed to a street adjacent, Grant street, while his lady, La
Baronne de Longueuil, is remembered in the adjoining thoroughfare which
intersects it. A Mr. Henderson, [140] about the commencement of the
present century, possessed grounds in the vicinity of the present Gas
Works, hence we have "Henderson" street. The Gas Company's wharf is built
on the site of the old jetty of which we have seen mention made, about
1720. This long pier was composed of large boulders heaped one upon the
other, and served the purpose of sheltering the landing place at the
Palais harbour from the north-east winds. In 1750, Colonel Bouchette says,
it served as a public promenade, and was covered by a public platform.
Ramsay street, parallel with Henderson street, leads from St. Paul street
to Orleans Place, _Place d'Orléans_, recalling the Bourbon era, prior
to 1759, and also the last French Commander of Quebec, Jean Bte. Nicholas
Roche deRamezay. The historic Château deRamezay, on Notre Dame street,
Montreal, now threatened with destruction, attests the sojourn in New
France of a scion of the proud old Scotch house of Ramsay.--(_Montreal
Gazette, 3rd Feb._, 1881.)
THE HARBOUR DOCKS
One of the most active promoters of this hopeful scheme, in recent times,
was the Hon. Mr. Justice C. J. Tessier, when a member of the Corporation
about 1850. A plan of the Harbour Works which he suggested was submitted
to the Council. Nothing, however, was then done. The Legislature
eventually assigned the work to the Harbour Commission Trust. The dredging
commenced on May 2nd, 1877.
"The progress made with our Harbour Improvements, year by year, forms
part of the history of our times, so far, at least, as the annals of
this most ancient city of Quebec are concerned. The first stone of the
Graving Dock at Levis was laid on Monday, the 7th June, 1880, by His
Excellency the Governor-General, and the tablet stone, with the name
of "Louise" graven on it, on Thursday, the 29th of July. Thenceforth
the Harbour Works in the River St. Charles became "The Princess Louise
Embankment and Docks," and the work in progress on the Levis or south
side of the St. Lawrence "The Lorne Graving Dock," thus naming the
entrance approaches to our cliff-bound city after our present popular
Vice-Regal rulers."
To the address presented to His Excellency the Governor-General on this
occasion, the following reply was made:--
MR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN OF THE BOARD OF THE QUEBEC HARBOUR
COMMISSIONERS,--It is with a full sympathy for you in the hopes which
have guided you to the construction of this great work that the
Princess comes to-day to lay this stone, commemorating an important
stage in the completion of your labours. She desires that her name,
graven on this wall, shall serve to remind your citizens, as well as
all who profit by the excellence of the accommodation here given to
vessels of great burden, of her interest in your fortunes, and of her
association with you in the speeding of an undertaking designed to
benefit at once a great port of the new world and many of the
communities of Europe.
Access to Quebec is easy now to the largest ocean-going vessels. Tour
city has the railways far advanced, which will pierce to the heart of
the granary of the world--the great wheat centres of the Canadian
North-West. The very might and grandeur of the stream on which Quebec
is built is in her favour as compared with other centres of commerce,
for her visitors have but little tax to pay when a favouring wind
fails them, while steam must be employed against the strong currents
of the upper river.
The gigantic quays and the feeding lines of rail stretching inwards
unbroken to the prairies must, in all human probability, in the
future, ensure to the ancient capital a place among the most
flourishing cities of the continent. Even without the aid which
science is now bringing to her support look at the strides which have
been made in her prosperity within the last century. Old pictures will
show you the hillside above us bare of all but the houses necessary
for the garrison of a fortress, whose hard fate it had been to be the
place of contention of rival armies, while beneath the ramparts or
within their walls were to be seen only a few of the buildings now
devoted in far greater numbers to the purposes of religion and of
charity. The banks of the St. Charles possessed then only a few store-
houses such as would not now be thought sufficient for one of our
fifth-rate towns. Now the whole of the slope is covered by the homes
of a thriving, increasing and industrious population, while, over the
extending limits under the rule of the municipality, learning looks
down from the stately walls of Laval, and the members elected by your
free and noble province will pass the laws, whose validity is
guaranteed by our federal constitution, in a palace reminding one of
the stately fabric which holds the art treasures of France. None can
observe the contrast without seeing that your progress, although it
has partaken of no magic or mushroom-like growth, has been most marked
and promising.
If commerce seeks for her abode the head of navigation, there are many
instances to show that she loves also to keep her ships to their
native tides. An instance well known to us may be cited in the case of
Glasgow and of Greenock, cities which have risen to their present
prosperity so quickly that they rival in that respect many in America
and in Canada. Greenock has not been killed by the enormous rise in
the importance of the commercial capital of Scotland. Assuredly we may
believe that Quebec, with a far greater country at its back, may be
enabled, with the aid of proper communications, to pour forth every
summer from her lap much of our wealth, of which Europe is so eager to
partake.
These are the aspirations we share with you, and we wish to give
effect to them by drawing the attention of those beyond the seas to
the practical invitation you extend to them by the facilities afforded
by your docks and wharves, and we now join with you in the trust that
ample repayment will be yours for the energy and engineering skill you
have lavished on the public works, which are comparable to any
designed for a similar purpose.
LORNE.
The drapery by which it had been concealed having been removed, the
tablet stone was discovered suspended over the place it was intended
to occupy in the wall. The attendant masons having performed their
part, a silver trowel was handed to the Princess. This was a handsome
piece of workmanship, beautifully chased and set in a rosewood handle,
and bore the following inscription:--"To H.R.H. Princess Louise, this
trowel was presented by the contractors of the Quebec Harbour Works,
on the occasion of her laying the tablet stone of the Princess Louise
Embankment and Docks, River St. Charles, Quebec July 29, 1880." Her
Royal Highness, with this splendid implement, dug right lustily into
the cement, and having prepared the bed, drew back to allow the
ponderous stone to be lowered thereinto. This done, a beautiful mallet
of polished oak having been presented, the mass received two or three
blows, and was then declared to be well and truly laid. The Vice-Regal
party almost immediately afterwards regained the _Druid_, which
swiftly conveyed the members thereof to _terra firma_, the police
yacht _Dolphin_ being in attendance. Of the other steamers, the
_Clyde_ and _North_, after a short sail round the harbour, landed
their passengers at the Grand Trunk Railway wharf; the _Brothers_ went
down to St. Joseph, and gave to those on board an opportunity of
noticing the progress made upon the new Graving Dock there. The troops
and privileged guests having been conveyed to and from the scene by
the Montreal Harbour Commissioners' boat _John Young_.
_HARBOUR AND DOCK WORKS._
Before describing these vast and important structures, calculated to
afford such boundless facilities to ocean shipping frequenting our port,
it may not be without interest to note the efforts made at various times
for their construction. In his excellent work, "_British Dominions in
North America_," Vol. 1., p. 263-264, Col. Bouchette thus deals with
the subject in 1832--the far-seeing but misunderstood Mr. James George,
however, as early as 1822, had conceived in his teeming brain the whole
scheme.
"The construction of a pier across the estuary of the St. Charles is a
measure of the greatest practicability, and of pronounced importance in
every aspect, and a subject that was brought under the notice of the
Legislature in 1829, when it received the most serious consideration of
the committee, and was very favourably reported upon; but no bill has yet
(1832) been introduced tending to encourage so momentous an undertaking.
The most judicious position contemplated for the erection of such a pier
is decidedly between the New Exchange and the Beauport Distillery and
Mills, [141] a direct distance of 4,300 yards, which, with the exception
merely of the channels of the St. Charles (that are neither very broad nor
deep nor numerous), is dry at low water, and affords every advantage
calculated to facilitate the construction of a work of that nature. It
appears that, anterior to the conquest, the French Government had
entertained some views in relation to so great an amelioration; but the
subject seems to have never been properly taken up until 1822, when the
project was submitted to the Governor-in-Chief of the Province by James
George, Esq., a Quebec merchant, conspicuous for his zeal and activity, as
well in promoting this particular object as in forwarding the views of the
St. Lawrence Company, an association formed avowedly for the improvement
of the navigation of the St. Lawrence.
Of the benefits to be derived from thus docking the St. Charles no one can
doubt, whether the undertaking be considered in a local, municipal or
commercial point of view. As a means of extending the boundaries of the
Lower Town, and bringing under more immediate improvement the extensive
branches of the St. Charles, it is of the greatest consequence.
Commercially considered, this pier (which would at first form a _tide-
dock_, that might eventually be converted into a _wet-dock_) would
be of incalculable advantage from the great facilities it would offer to
the general trade of the place, and especially the timber trade, which has
frequently involved its members in much perplexity, owing to the
deficiency that exists of some secure dock or other similar reservoir
where that staple article of the colony might be safely kept, and where
ships might take in their cargoes without being exposed to the numerous
difficulties and momentous losses often sustained in loading at moorings
in the coves or in harbour. By building the outward face of the pier in
deep water, or projecting wharves from it, an important advantage would
also be gained, affording increased conveniences in the unloading and
loading of vessels. In fact, it would be impossible, in summarily noticing
the beneficial tendency of this great work, to particularize its manifold
advantages; they are too weighty to be overlooked, either by the
Legislature or the community at large, and will doubtless dictate the
expediency of bringing them into effectual operation. The different modes
suggested of raising the capital required for the undertaking are: 1st.
From the Provincial revenue by the annual rate of a loan; 2nd. By an Act
vesting it in the City of Quebec, by way of loan to the city, to be
refunded by the receipts of rents and dock dues arising from the work;
3rd. By an Act of Incorporation, the Province taking a share in the stock,
and appointing commissioners; 4th. By an Act of Incorporation only."
The Wet-Dock quay wall was to have been completed by the 1st of October,
1880, but delays have taken place, and the much-desired Tide Harbor of 20
acres, entering from the St. Lawrence, with a depth of 24 feet at low
water, together with a Dock of 40 acres, having a permanent depth of 27
feet, will require another year before it is finally completed.
_GRAVING DOCK, LEVIS._
An important portion of our Harbour improvements are located on the
opposite shore of the St. Lawrence at Levis, and the sums voted by the
Parliament of Canada (38 Vic., chap. 56), or granted by the Imperial
Government to construct a graving dock in the Harbour of Quebec, were used
in this structure, located by Order-in-Council, dated May, 1877, at St.
Joseph de Lévis.
"The dimensions of the dock are:
Length............................. 500 feet
Extreme width...................... 100 "
Depth.............................. 25.5 "
Width of entrance.................. 62 "
"The designs and specifications were prepared by Messrs. Kinnipple &
Morris, Engineers, Westminster and Greenock.
"The Graving Dock of St. Joseph de Lévis, Parish of Lauzon, Quebec,
was commenced by the Quebec Harbour Commissioners, under the Resident
Engineer, Woodford Pilkington, M.I., C.E. in November, 1877, and was
carried on previous to tenders being invited for the present contract,
to the month of March, 1878, during which time the sum of $6,298.20
was expended in excavation on the site of the Dock, which work was
afterwards taken over by Messrs. Larkin, Connolly & Co., as an
executed part of their contract, signed August 17th, 1878, and the
above sum deducted from the contract amount of their tender for the
excavations given in the bills of quantities under this head; the
Harbour Commissioners being afterwards re-credited with this amount of
expenditure under the first certificate.
The work of excavating for and building this Graving Dock was taken in
hand under contract with the Quebec Harbour Commissioners, by Messrs.
Larkin, Connolly & Co., on the 17th August, 1878, for the lump sum of
$330,953.89. The works to be delivered over to the Quebec Harbour
Commissioners, finished complete, on the 1st day of June, 1882. [142]
_THE GATES OF QUEBEC._
It seems superfluous to furnish a detailed description of the
fortifications and citadel of Quebec. After the lengthy account given in
"Quebec, Past and Present," pages 348-60, the following sketch, which we
borrow, written previous to the erection of the new St. Louis and Kent
Gates, [143] corrected to date, throws additional light on this part of
the subject.
"Of all the historic monuments connecting modern Quebec with its
eventful and heroic past, none have deservedly held a higher place in
the estimation of the antiquarian, the scholar and the curious
stranger than the former gates of the renowned fortress. These relics
of a by-gone age, with their massive proportions and grim, medieval
architecture, no longer exist, however, to carry the mind back to the
days which invest the oldest city in North America with its peculiar
interest and attraction. Nothing now remains to show where they once
raised their formidable barriers to the foe or opened their hospitable
portals to friends, but graceful substitutes of modern construction or
yawning apertures in the line of circumvallation, where until 1871
stood Prescott and Hope Gates which represented the later defences of
the place erected under British rule. Of the three gates--St. Louis,
St. John and Palace--which originally pierced the fortifications of
Quebec under French dominion, the last vestige disappeared many years
ago. The structures with which they were replaced, together with the
two additional and similarly guarded openings--Hope and Prescott
gates--provided for the public convenience or military requirements by
the British Government since the Conquest, have experienced the same
fate within the last decade to gratify what are known as modern ideas
of progress and improvement--vandalism would, perhaps, be the better
term. No desecrating hand, however, can rob those hallowed links, in
the chain of recollection, of the glorious memories which cluster
around them so thickly. Time and obliteration itself have wrought no
diminution of regard for their cherished associations.
To each one of them an undying history attaches, and even their vacant
sites appeal with mute, but surpassing eloquence to the sympathy, the
interest and the veneration of visitors, to whom Quebec will be ever
dear, not for what it is, but for what it has been. To the quick
comprehension of Lord Dufferin, it remained to note the inestimable
value of such heirlooms to the world at large. To his happy tact we
owe the revival of even a local concern for their preservation; and to
his fertile mind and aesthetic taste, we are indebted for the
conception of the noble scheme of restoration, embellishment and
addition in harmony with local requirements and modern notions of
progress, which is now being realized to keep their memories intact
for succeeding generations and retain for the cradle of New France its
unique reputation as the famous walled city of the New World. It has
more than once been remarked by tourists that, in their peculiar
fondness for a religious nomenclature, the early French settlers of
Quebec must have exhausted the saintly calendar in adapting names to
their public highways, places and institutions. To this pardonable
trait in their character, we must unquestionably ascribe the names
given to two of the three original gates in their primitive lines of
defence--St. Louis and St. John's gates--names which they were allowed
to retain when the Gallic lilies drooped before the victorious flag of
Britain. The erection of the original St. Louis gate undoubtedly dates
back as far as 1694. Authentic records prove this fact beyond
question; but it is not quite so clear what part this gate played in
subsequent history down to the time of the conquest, thought it may be
fairly presumed that it rendered important services in connection
especially with the many harassing attacks of the Iroquois tribes in
the constant wars which were waged in the early days of the infant
colony with those formidable and savage foes of the French. One thing
is certain, however, that it was one of the gates by which a portion
of Montcalm's army, after its defeat on the Plains of Abraham, passed
into the city on its way back, _via_ Palace gate and the bridge
of boats over the St. Charles, to the Beauport camp. In 1791, after
Quebec had fallen into British hands, St. Louis gate was reported to
be in a ruinous condition, and it became necessary to raze it to the
ground and rebuild it. Between this date and 1823, it appears to have
undergone several changes; but, in the latter year, as part of the
plan of defence, including the Citadel, adopted by the Duke of
Wellington, and carried out at an enormous cost by England, it was
replaced by another structure, retaining the same name. About this
time seem to have been also constructed the singularly tortuous
outward approaches to this opening in the western wall of the city,
which were eventually so inconvenient to traffic in peaceful days, of
whatever value they might have been from a military stand-point in
trying hours half-a-century ago. These were also removed with the gate
itself in 1871. On the vacant site of the latter, in accordance with
Lord Dufferin's improvment project, a magnificent memorial gate, which
the citizens had unanimously agreed to call "The Dufferin gate," is
now (1880) erected.
The intention of naming it "The Dufferin gate," however, was
abandoned. H.R.H. the Princess Louise, in deference to its traditions
and with a graceful appreciation of the feelings of the French element
of the population, having recently expressed the desire that it should
be allowed to retain its original appellation.
Before their departure from Canada, Lord and Lady Dufferin had the
pleasure of assisting at the ceremony of laying the corner stone of
this new gate, as well as of the new terrace, which bears their name,
and of fairly starting those important works on the high road to
realization.
As an interesting link between the present and the past, St. John's
gate holds an equally prominent rank and claims an equal antiquity
with St. Louis gate. Its erection as one of the original gates of the
French fortress dates from the same year and its history is very much
the same. Through it another portion of Montcalm's defeated forces
found their way behind the shelter of the defences after the fatal day
of the Plains of Abraham. Like St. Louis gate, too, it was pulled down
on account of its ruinous condition in 1791 and subsequently rebuilt
by the British Government in the form in which it endured until 1865,
when it was demolished and replaced, at an expense of some $40,000 to
the city, by its present more ornate and convenient substitute, to
meet the increased requirements of traffic over the great artery of
the upper levels--St. John street. St. John's gate was one of the
objective points included in the American plan of assault upon Quebec
on the memorable 31st December, 1775; Col. Livingston, with a regiment
of insurgent Canadians, and Major Brown, with part of a regiment from
Boston, having been detailed to make a false attack upon the walls to
the south of it and to set fire to the gate itself with combustibles
prepared for that purpose--a scheme in which the assailants were
foiled by the depth of snow and other obstacles. This gate, being of
quite recent construction and of massive, as well as passably
handsome, appearance, is not included in the general scheme of
improvement. The erection of a life-size statue of Samuel Champlain,
the founder of Quebec, upon its summit, is, however, talked of.
Palace or the Palais gate is the third and last of the old French
portals of the city, and derives its title from the fact that the
highway which passed through it led to the palace or residence of the
Intendants of New France, which has also given its name to the present
quarter of the city lying beneath the cliff on the northern face of
the fortress, where its crumbling ruins are still visible in the
immediate neighborhood of the passenger terminus of the North Shore
Railway. Erected under French rule, during which it is believed to
have been the most fashionable and the most used, it bade a final
farewell to the last of its gallant, but unfortunate French defenders,
and to that imperial power which, for more than one hundred and fifty
years, had swayed the colonial destinies of the Canadas and contested
inch by inch with England, the supremacy of the New World, when a
portion of Montcalm's defeated troops passed out beneath its darkening
shadows on the fatal 13th September, 1759. After the capitulation of
Quebec, General Murray devoted himself at once to the work of
strengthening the defences of the city, and the attention in this
respect paid to Palace gate appears to have stood him in good stead
during the following year's campaign, when the British invaders,
defeated in the battle of St. Foye, were compelled to take shelter
behind the walls of the town and sustain a short siege at the Hands of
the victorious French under deLévis. In 1791, the old French
structure, now a decayed ruin, was razed by the English, but, in the
meanwhile, during 1775, it had gallantly withstood the assaults and
siege of the American invaders under Montgomery and Benedict Arnold.
The somewhat ornate substitute, by which it was replaced is said to
have resembled one of the gates of Pompeii, and seems to have been
erected as late as the year 1830 or 1831, as, in the course of its
demolition, in 1874, an inscription was laid bare, attesting the fact
that at least the timbers and planking had been put up by local
workmen in 1831. It is not intended to rebuild this gate under the
Dufferin plan, on account of the great volume of traffic, more
especially since the completion of the North Shore Railway, to whose
terminus the roadway which leads over its site is the most direct
route. To mark that memorable spot, however, it is intended to flank
it on either side with picturesque Norman turrets rising above the
line of the fortification wall.
Hope Gate, also on the northern face of the ramparts, was the first of
the two purely British gates of Quebec, and was erected in 1786 by
Colonel Henry Hope, Commandant of the Forces and Administrator of the
Province, from whom it takes its name. It was demolished in 1874 for
no especial reason, this gate being no obstacle whatever to the
growing requirements of traffic, as will be readily understood from
its situation. Like Palace Gate, too, it is not to be rebuilt--its
approaches being easily commanded and its position on the rugged,
lofty cliff being naturally very strong.
Its site, however, will be marked in the carrying out of the Dufferin
Improvements by flanking Norman turrets.
The last of the city gates proper, wholly of British origin, but the
first that grimly confronted in by-gone days the visitor approaching
the city from the water-side and entering the fortress, is, or rather
was, Prescott Gate, which commanded the steep approach known as
Mountain Hill. This gate, which was more commonly known as the Lower
Town gate, because it led to that part--the oldest--of the city known
by that name, was erected in 1797, (to replace a rough structure of
pickets which existed at this point from the time of the siege by the
Americans in 1775) by General Robert Prescott, who served in America
during the revolutionary war, and, after further service in the West
Indies, succeeded Lord Dorchester as the British Governor-General in
Lower Canada in 1796, dying in 1815, at the age of 89 years, and
giving his name to this memento of his administration, as well as to
Prescott, Ontario. Old Prescott Gate was unquestionably a great public
nuisance in times of peace, its demolition, in 1871, consequently
provoked the least regret of all in connection with the obliteration
of those curious relics of Quebec's historic past. For reasons, which
are obvious, it would be impossible to replace Prescott Gate with any
structure of a like character, without impeding seriously the flow of
traffic by way of such a leading artery as Mountain Hill. It will,
however, be replaced by a light and handsome iron bridge of a single
span over the roadway with flanking Norman turrets.
_KENT GATE._
For the information of our visitors and strangers generally, we may
explain that, a few years since, the western fortification wall
between St. John's gate and the military exercising ground in past
years, known as the Esplanade, was cut through to form a roadway
communicating between the higher levels of the Upper Town and the St.
Louis suburbs, now styled Montcalm Ward.
It consequently became necessary, in keeping with the aesthetic spirit
of the whole Dufferin scheme, to fill up in some way this unsightly
gap without interfering with the traffic. It was finally decided to
erect here one of the proposed memorial gates, which is altogether
therefore an addition to the number of the existing gates or their
intended substitutes. This edifice, has been designed to do homage to
the memory of Edward, Duke of Kent, the father of Queen Victoria. This
gate will be the most imposing of all in the entire circuit of the
fortifications, while it has had the signal honour of further being
reserved for a handsome subscription towards its cost from Her
Majesty's privy purse and dedication at the hands of H. R. H. the
Princess, who laid its corner stone with appropriate ceremonial during
the month of June, 1879.
_THE CITADEL GATES._
Besides the foregoing, however, the fortress possesses in reality two
other gates of much interest to the stranger. When the famous Citadel,
commanding the entire harbour and surrounding country, was constructed
on Cape Diamond, the number of existing gates was increased from five
to seven by the erection of the Chain and Dalhousie, or Citadel gates,
leading to that great fortalice of British power, which may be aptly
styled the _summum opus_ of the magnificent but costly system of
strategic works that has earned for Quebec its title of the Gibraltar
of America. But, as these belong to the Citadel, which is an
independent stronghold of itself, rather than to the defensive works
of the city proper, it suffices to mention that they were erected
under the administration of the Earl of Dalhousie, in 1827, and that
they are well worthy of a visit of inspection--the one being a
handsome and formidable barrier of its class and the other of very
massive construction and considerable depth.
The proposed Château St. Louis or Castle of St. Louis, must be
regarded as the crowning feature of the Dufferin scheme of
embellishment and was designed by the late Governor General to serve
as a vice-regal residence during the sojourn of the representative of
the Crown in Quebec, as well as to revive the historic splendors of
the ancient pile of that name, which formed the abode of the early
Governors of New France. Of course, this noble structure only exists
as yet on paper; but, should it ever be erected, it will be a striking
object from any point whence the Citadel is visible as it will rise to
a considerable height above its highest battlements, standing out in
bold relief to the east of the building known as the Officers'
Quarters, with a frontage of 200 feet, and an elevation partly of 60
and partly of 100 feet, with a basement, two main stories, and mansard
roof and two towers of different heights, but of equally charming
design--the style of architecture of the whole being an agreeable
_mélange_ of the picturesque Norman and Elizabethan.
_THELLER AND DODGE'S ESCAPE FROM THE CITADEL._
The Citadel has been described in detail elsewhere; [144] it is,
therefore, unnecessary to allude to it further than recording here a
startling episode in which it played a conspicuous part in those days
of foes and alarm, during the Insurrection of 1838:--
"After the affair of St. Denis," says Roger, [145] "the murder of
Lieutenant Weir, the matter of St. Charles, the storm and capture
of the Church of St. Eustache, and the battle of Toronto, there
were filibustering attempts to invade Canada, neither recognized
by the Government of the United States nor by the bulk of the
people, but indulged in by a party, sentimental with regard to
liberty, and by others to whom plunder and excitement were
congenial. In one of these filibustering expeditions, 'General'
Sutherland, 'Brigadier General' Theller, Colonel Dodge, Messrs.
Brophy, Thayer and other residents, if not citizens, of the United
States, sailed from Detroit in the schooner _Anne_ for Bois
Blanc, which having been seized, an attack was made on Fort Maiden
on the 8th of January, 1838, terminating in the capture of
Theller, Dodge, Brophy and some others; General Sutherland having
been afterwards captured on the ice, at the mouth of the River
Detroit, by Colonel John Prince, of the Canadian Militia. The
prisoners, after having been for a time in gaol at Toronto, were
transferred, some to Fort Henry, at Kingston, and others, among
whom were Sutherland, Theller and Dodge, to the Citadel of Quebec,
which was then occupied by a battalion of the Guards, and there
imprisoned, but treated with consideration and courtesy. It was
not, however, unnatural that they should endeavor to escape. They
were taken out of their prison-house daily for an airing, in
charge of a guard, and, as it would appear, were not altogether
denied the opportunity of conversing with persons who were
friendly to them. Theller, in an account of the Rebellion in
Canada, edited, it is said, by General Roberts, of Detroit,
himself minutely details the nature and manner of his intercourse
with a Mr. P. S. Grace, while under the charge of the military in
Cape Diamond; how he succeeded in bribing soldiers' wives, and in
cultivating the friendship of officers, non-commissioned officers
and men of the Guards, much of which is exaggerated, and some of
which is untrue. Some of the sergeants, for small presents,
Theller asserts, did whatever he required in the way of bringing
books and newspapers from town and articles of food and drink from
the canteen, which is undoubtedly true, but no man in the
regiment, either directly or indirectly, connived at the escape.
It was the result of clever management on the part of Theller,
Dodge and his companions, and of unsuspecting stupidity on the
part of the sentry who guarded the door of the prison, and,
indeed, of all who seemed to have had intercourse with the
prisoners. The escape was thus effected:--On a dark, rainy night,
late in October, 1838, an iron bar having been previously cut
through with a file given them from without, the sawing having
been effected during performances on the shrill fife of one of the
fifers of the garrison, which a prisoner had borrowed for the
purpose of passing away the time and keeping up the spirits of his
companions in misfortune, some of whom were despondent, Theller's
conversation seduced a sentry into conversation, next to smoke a
pipe, then to drink a tumbler of London porter, drugged with
rathermore than 'three times sixty drops' of laudanum. The sentry
struggled hard to prevent the drowsiness that was stealing over
him; he spoke thick, and muttered that he had never before drank
anything so good or so strong. He walked about in the rain to keep
himself awake, and staggered a little. * * * It resulted in the
escape of Dodge, Thayer, Theller and Partridge, who, after several
hair-breadth escapes and hazardous incidents, found themselves
outside of their old quarters." "The escaping party," adds Roger,
"moved cautiously forward, at respectable distances from each
other, along the canteen, and then got out into the middle of the
great square to elude the sentry at the magazine. While there a
sergeant came rushing from the guard-room towards the officers'
quarters, the red, or as they appeared dark, stripes being visible
on a white undress jacket. It seemed to be an alarm. There were
only three sentinels between the escaping party and the flagstaff,
where the descent was intended. Abreast was one whose duty was to
guard the back part of the magazine and a pile of firewood which
was there corded up, and also to prevent soldiers from going to
the canteen. Another stood opposite the door of the officers'
mess-room. There was room enough in the darkness to pass these
sentinels, and Theller and his companions no longer crawled, but
walked upright, one by one, quietly, but passing along as quickly
as possible. Parker, however, after the sergeant passed, became
much excited and terrified, and lost his way. He made some noise,
and a sentry challenged, but without answering, the rest hurried
towards the half-moon battery where the flagstaff is. Passing
round the old telegraph post on one side, near the stabling
attached to the officers' quarters, a sentinel there with side-
arms only, or, as he is technically termed 'a flying Dick,'
challenged, and Theller asserts he promptly answered, 'Officer of
the guard,' when the countersign being demanded, he muttered,
'teen,' having learned during the confinement that the countersign
of the Guards ordinarily ended so--seventeen, eighteen, nineteen,
or such like--and the sentry, fancying from the cap with a gold
lace band on it, which, having undone his cloak, Theller placed
upon his head, that he was one of the officers, suffered him to
pass. Parker had got among the firewood, and was making a noise.
Dodge was running about on the top of the wall, making signals for
Grace and other friends who were to be outside, but could see no
one there. The haulyards of the flagstaff were then partially cut
down with a penknife. An alarm was now given by an officer of the
garrison who accidentally came upon Culver, one of the escaping
party, and in a moment the drums beat and the guard turned out.
The officers rushed out of the mess-room. An artilleryman detected
Parker, and the cry arose that the American prisoners were loose
and escaping. Some immediately ran towards the prison, whilst
others dragged Parker to the guard-room, and yet others began to
search about for the 'General,' Colonel Dodge, Culver and Hall,
whom Parker intimated, in reply to a question put to him by an
officer, had not come out. There was no alternative but to jump
from the wall to the flat part of the precipice below, on which
the wall is built, what Theller first did. For an instant he hung
by his hands, then dropped, and alighted on his feet on the solid
rock, falling back on his head. He was stunned, and lay a minute
or two unconscious. When he came to himself, he heard Dodge
inquiring if he was hurt, and replied in the negative, telling him
to throw down the bundle of cloaks and leap upon them. Theller had
broken the outer bone of his leg and dislocated his right ankle
joint, but had been so stunned that he scarcely felt any pain.
Culver descended next, and was stunned, the blood gushing from his
nose and mouth; he had, it is said, also fractured his leg. Culver
was more fortunate, as he alighted on a pile of cloaks, and was
little, if at all, hurt. Dodge then, throwing down the piece of
rope which he had cut from the haulyards to be used in the next
descent, also slipped down the wall upon the pile of cloaks, and
was unhurt. The second descent was made with the aid of the rope,
the end of which was held by two of the party, while Theller with
his wounded leg slipped down over a piece of cedar post which had
been accidentally placed against the wall of the ditch. Culver
followed, then Hall held the rope alone for Dodge, and afterwards
descended himself as all had done on the first leap, caught as he
came to the ground, however, by the rest of the party. Dodge, in
saving Hall from falling after or as he leaped, sprained his
wrist. The whole party, however, managed to crawl up the outer
wall of the ditch, which was faced with dry stone, by inserting
their hands in the interstices and using their feet as well as
they could. They rested on the summit of the glacis for a moment,
and saw the search that was being made for them inside by lights
that were flashing about into every nook and cranny."
It would take us too far to describe the subsequent incidents of this
clever plan of escape. The patriots of St. Roch, Dr. Rousseau, Grace,
Hunter and others, provided means of escape for the "sympathisers"
which baffled all the ingenuity of the Commandant of the Quebec
garrison, an old Waterloo hero, Sir James Macdonald, who certainly
spared neither time, men nor trouble to recover the Citadel prisoners,
but in vain.
We must find room here for another singular incident in connection
with the Citadel and the Insurrection of 1837-8:--
_"THE MEN OF '37."_
_THE SECRET SOCIETY OF THE "CHASSEURS"--RECOLLECTIONS OF A
VETERAN--PROPOSED CAPTURE OF QUEBEC._
"A representative of the Montreal _Witness_, in a conversation
with Mr. Rouillard, Inspector of Buildings, ascertained that he
had taken a somewhat prominent part in the stirring scenes of the
Rebellion of 1837. The old gentleman's eyes lit up with the fire
of youthful enthusiasm when recounting the deeds of the "Sons of
Liberty," and the secret society of the "Chasseurs."
"I was vigorous and strong in those days, and from my mother
inherited an ardent love for the country in which I was born. Her
letters in those days so magnetized me with patriotism that I
could willingly lay down my life for the cause. I can only,
however, give you a mere sketch to-day of some of the incidents
and adventures through which I passed. The 'Sons of Liberty,' in
Quebec and Montreal, numbered over 20,000 men, but within this
body there was a secret society called 'Les Chasseurs,' all picked
and trustworthy men. They formed a secret society and had their
signs and passwords. It is singular that, though many of those men
were placed in perilous positions when the revelations of our
secrets would have saved them, not one traitor was found to betray
the cause, and even to this day the secrets of the fraternity are
unknown. Not very long ago I had occasion to go to Quebec, and was
introduced to one of the Provincial ministers. I gave the sign of
the 'Chasseurs' of forty-three years ago. He looked up surprised
and returned the countersign. We had not met since the memorable
_émeute_ in the stable yard on St. James street.
We used to meet for drill and pistol practice in the upper story
of the house still standing on the corner of Dorchester and
Sanguinet streets.
There I remember one of our leaders harangued us. He is still
alive, and Montreal's citizens know him well. He urged us to be
brave and show no mercy in sweeping every obstacle from oar path,
and when we gained our liberty we would have 'ample time for--
tears, repentance and regret.' There used to be a loyal
association called 'The Doric Club,' which met on Great St. James
street near our rendezvous. Our men and the members of this club
used to have many _rencontres_, until it culminated in a challenge
from the 'Chasseurs' who sent a _cartel_ to the sixty members of
the Doric Club, offering to meet them with thirty of their picked
men. The President of the Doric Club sent back a cold formal reply
to the effect that they wished to have nothing to do with traitors
and rebels.
"Our secret society had formed the daring design of seizing the
citadel of Quebec on the same plan as Wolfe's Highlanders. We had
our rendezvous within a short march of Quebec and on the eventful
night numbered about 1,500 men, two hundred of whom had come from
Montreal and the rest from St. Jerome, Three Rivers and other
places. Each man was armed with a pair of pistols and a bowie-
knife, and carried on his shoulders a bundle of straw.
They had thirty ladders which were to be used in scaling the
narrow glacis which led to the citadel. The object was to make a
regular roadway of these ladders, almost like a trellis work
bridge, up which the patriots might easily pass. The night was
dark and stormy. We had been waiting in the cold in our white
blanket coats and white tuques, to assimilate to the color of the
snow, when the order arrived to prepare to march. The second
signal came at half-past eleven, and everything was in readiness
for the attack. At a quarter to twelve the chief came in as pale
as death and gave the order to disband, as the storm had suddenly
ceased and the moon shone bright and clear, much to the
discomfiture of the patriots, who looked forward to an easy
victory. That chief, who still lives, said it was providential
that the storm had cleared off before the attack had been made,
for if it had continued and only cleared when the patriots were
placing their scaling ladders in the glacis, not a man would have
survived, as the British troops could have trained several guns on
this particular spot and swept every living thing into
destruction."
Mr. Rouillard said the Roman Catholic clergy were much opposed to
their society, because it was secret, and had done all in their
power to break it up, and England is indebted for her supremacy in
North America to-day to the exertions and assistance given her in
that troublous period by the Roman Catholic clergy." (_Montreal
Witness, 29th November_ 1880.)
CHAPTER IV
_SUBURBS OF QUEBEC._
_ST. LOUIS ROAD--CAP ROUGE--STE. FOYE ROAD--THE ROUND DRIVE._
On emerging from St. Louis Gate, several handsome terraces and cut stone
dwellings are noticeable. We may mention Hon. Frs. Langelier's, Mr.
Shehyn's, and the Hamel Terrace--quite a credit to the new town. The new
town outside of the walls, like that of New Edinburgh, in beauty and
design will very soon cast the historical old town within the walls in the
shade. The next object which attracts the eye is the spacious structure of
the Skating Rink, the only charge we can make against it, is that it is
too close to St. Louis Gate. 'Tis the right thing in the wrong place.
Adjoining stood the old home of the Prentices, in 1791,--Bandon Lodge,
[146] once the abode of Sandy Simpson, [147] whose cat-o'nine-tails must
have left lively memories in Wolfe's army. Did the beauteous damsel about
whom Horatio, Lord Nelson, raved in 1782, when, as Commander of H. M.'s
frigate _Albemarle_, he was philandering in Quebec, ever live here? [148]
This is more than I can say. On the north side of the _Grande Allée_, the
lofty structure--the new Parliament Buildings--occupies a whole square.
THE PARLIAMENTARY AND DEPARTMENTAL BUILDINGS.
When completed, the Parliament and Public Buildings of the Province of
Quebec, erected on the _Grande Allée_, outside of St. Louis Gate,
will form a square, each side of which externally will measure 300
feet and will enclose a court l98 x l95 feet. Three facades are now
completed; they are tenanted by the various Public Departments of the
Civil Service--the Halls of the Legislative Assembly alone remain to
be built and the foundations are now in process of construction in
consequence of the vote of Parliament in 1881. The main facade, now in
process of construction, will look towards the city walls and face on
St. Eustache street, or rather on the splendid new area to constitute
Dufferin Avenue, should St. Eustache street be closed; this street
being altogether too narrow and in too close proximity to the
buildings. The Lieut.-Governor will occupy a handsome suite of rooms
on the second story in the portion of the edifice which lies parallel
with and faces towards St. Louis Road. The northern facade faces on
St. Augustin street and the fourth or western facade looks towards St.
Julia street.
The style of architecture is that which was used in French edifices of
the XVII. century. Pointe Levi greenish sandstone was used for the
basement.
The second and third story are divided by a continuous band, supported
by an Ionic entablature of Deschambault cut stone.
Embossed pilasters in _rustic work_, rising from the basement up
to the cornice, close the salient angles of each projection. Hard
Murray Bay sandstone has been used in constructing the interior
revetment wall of the court, but Deschambault limestone forms the
masonry of the basement, the bands, cornices, mantle-pieces, and
lintels.
The roof of the building, a handsome one, is of galvanized sheeting,
the ornaments of zinc; some cast, some wrought and hammered. The
height of the body of the edifice from the ground to the great cornice
is 60 feet English measure, and 72 feet to the top of the cornice
above the attics.
Each angle of the square has a pavilion and contains a stone
sculptured dormer window provided with a costly clock constructed by
Duquet.
Access is had to the inner court by two passages in the centre
pavilion, which faces St. Julia street.
A heraldic _Lion passant_, between two fleur de lys and three maple
leaves, display the arms of the Province of Quebec. On the piers of
the first story are cut in relief the escutcheons of the two first
Lieut.-Governors of the Province of Quebec, sculptured on the central
window of the second story, is visible from afar, the "year" when the
structure was commenced, "1878," and on the side windows are inscribed
the monograms of the Governor-General and Lieutenant-Governor, under
whose administration the edifice was built.
The frieze of the main entablature shows the cypher of the reigning
Sovereign V. R. wreathed in oak leaves.
There are at present three main central entrances, the pavilions of
the angle also contain one each with Ionic pillars.
The main facade, only just commenced, differs from the others; instead
of a pavilion in the centre, it will have a tower or campanile 160
feet high, flanked by two projections. The ground floor of this tower
will show a stately entrance to the halls of Assembly of both branches
of the Legislature, accessible through two semicircular inclined
planes.
The inequalities in the level of the soil at that spot will be
concealed by terraces on three sides of the stately pile. At the foot
of the tower the design shows a basin 115x42 feet embraced within the
walls of the inclined plane, to receive the water of a fountain in a
portico of Tuscan order of architecture. Four Ionic columns with
entablatures will deck the main entrance.
Niches on different points of the edifice will exhibit statues of
Jacques Cartier, the discoverer of Canada; of Champlain, the founder
of Quebec; of deMaisonneuve, the founder of Montreal.
On the lantern of the tower will stand forth prominently the Royal
arms of England, supported by winged genii and wreathed in oak leaves.
The tower on four sides will contain four huge clocks lit up by
electric light.
Lofty, roomy halls with ceilings arched and decorated with stucco
panelling; devices and symbols of the quarterings of the Provincial
arms, lead to the interior of the buildings, which though simple,
seems well adapted for public offices. Broad, well lighted corridors,
divide in two each wing and afford ready access to the various
departments located on both sides.
Each flat communicates with the adjoining one by broad, splendid black
walnut staircases decked with arabesques in gilt carving.
The design, elevation and general plan of the edifices, were prepared
and drafted by Mr. Eugène Taché, the Assistant-Commissioner of Crown
Lands. The internal divisions and specifications were laid out under
the direction of Mr. P. Gauvreau, the Engineer of Public Works; the
contractor was F. X. Cimon, M.P.
Messrs. Beaucage & Chaliauvert, undertook the cut stone work, which
was carried out by their foreman, Mr. Bourgeaud.
Messrs. Cerat & Vincent, of Montreal, are contractors for the
sculpture in stone, and the galvanized iron roof and ornamentation in
the same material and in zinc was executed by Messrs. De Blois &
Bernier, of Montreal, whilst Mitchell & Co. contracted for the heating
apparatus.
The whole building when completed is expected to cost about $800,000.
Opposite looms out the long tea-caddy-looking building, built by the
Sandfield Macdonald Government in 1862,--the Volunteer Drill Shed. Its
length, if not its beauty, attracts notice. "Ferguson's house," next it,
noted by Professor Silliman in his "_Tour between Hartford and Quebec in
1819_," is now difficult to recognize; its present owner, A. Joseph,
Esq., has added so much to its size. This antiquated dwelling certainly
does not belong to a new dispensation. Another land-mark of the past
deserves notice--the ex-Commander of the Forces' lofty quarters; from its
angular eaves and forlorn aspect it generally went by the name of "Bleak
House." I cannot say whether the place was ever haunted, but it ought to
have been. [149] On the summit of the plateau, formerly known as _Buttes-
à-Nepveu_, and facing Mr. John Roche's stately mansion, Hon. P. Garneau
and M. Bilodeau have constructed handsome terraces of cut-stone dwellings.
We are now in the _Grande Allée_--the forest avenue, which two hundred
years ago led to Sillery Wood. On turning and looking back as you approach
Bleak House, you have an excellent view of the Citadel, and of the old
French works which extend beyond it, to the extremity of the Cape,
overlooking _l'Anse de Mères_. A little beyond Bleak-House, at the top of
what is generally known as Perrault's Hill, stands the Perrault [150]
homestead, dating back to 1820, _l'Asyle Champêtre_--now tastefully
renovated and owned by Henry Dinning, Esq. The roof and facade of a
_Chalet Suisse_ would much enhance its appearance. The adjoining range of
heights, occupied by the Martello Towers, the Garneau and Bilodeau
Terraces, &c., were called the _Buttes-à-Nepveu_, after one of their first
French owners. "It was here that Murray took his stand on the morning of
April 28th, 1760, to resist the advance of Levis, and here commenced the
hardest-fought, the bloodiest action of the war, which terminated in the
defeat of Murray, and his retreat within the city". The Martello Towers
are bomb-proof, they were four [151] in number, and formed a chain of
forts extending along the ridge from the St. Lawrence to the River St.
Charles. The fact that this ridge commanded the city, unfortunately
induced Murray to leave it and attempt to fortify the heights, in which he
was only partially successful, owing to the frost being still in the
ground.
The British Government were made aware of the fact, and seeing that from
the improved artillery the city was now fully commanded from the heights,
which are about seven hundred yards distant, decided to build the Towers.
Arrangements were accordingly made by Col. Brock, then commanding the
troops in Canada. In 1806 the necessary materials were collected, and in
the following year their construction commenced. They were not, however,
completed till 1812. The original estimate for the four was £8,000, but
before completion the Imperial Government had expended nearly £12,000.
They are not all of the same size, but, like all Martello Towers, they are
circular and bomb-proof. The exposed sides are _thirteen_ feet thick
and gradually diminish like the horns of the crescent moon, to seven feet
in the centre of the side next the city walls. The first or lower story
contains tanks, store-rooms and magazine; the second has cells for the
garrison, with port-holes for two guns. On the top there used to be one
68-pounder carronade, two 24 and two 9-pounders.
A party of Arnold's soldiers ascended these heights in November, 1775, and
advanced quite close to the city walls, shouting defiance at the little
garrison. A few shots soon dispersed the invaders, who retraced their
steps to Wolfe's Cove. At the _Buttes-à-Nepveu_ great criminals were
formerly executed. Here, La Corriveau, the St. Vallier Lafarge, met her
deserved fate, in 1763, after being tried by one of Governor Murray's
Courts-martial for murdering her husband. After death she was hung in
chains, or rather in a solid iron cage, at the fork of four roads, at
Levi, close to the spot where the Temperance Monument has since been
built. The loathsome form of the murderess caused more than one shudder
amongst the peaceable peasantry of Levi, until some brave young men one
dark night, cut down the horrid cage, and hid it deep under ground, next
to the cemetery at Levi, where, close to a century afterwards, it was dug
up and sold to Barnum's agent for his museum.
Sergeant Jas. Thompson describes in his diary, under date 18th Nov., 1782,
another memorable execution:
"This day two fellows were executed for the murder and robbery of Capt.
Stead, Commander of one of the Treasury Brigs, on the evening of the 31st
Dec., 1779, between the Upper and Lower Town. The criminals went through
Port St. Louis, about 11 o'clock, at a slow and doleful pace, to the place
where justice had allotted them to suffer the most ignominious death. It
is astonishing to see what a crowd of people followed the tragic scene.
Even our people on the works (Cape Diamond) prayed Capt. Twiss for leave
to follow the hard-hearted crowd." It was this Capt. Twiss who
subsequently furnished the plan and built a temporary citadel in 1793.
In 1793, we have also, recorded in history, another doleful procession of
red-coats, the Quebec Garrison accompanying to the same place of execution
as a mess-mate (Draper), a soldier of the Fusileers, then commanded by the
young Duke of Kent, who, after pronouncing the sentence of death, as
commander, over the trembling culprit kneeling on his coffin, as son and
representative of the Sovereign, exercised the Royal prerogative of mercy
and pardoned poor Draper.
Look down Perrault's hill towards the south. There stands, with a few
shrubs and trees in the foreground, the Military Home--where infirm
soldiers, their widows and children, could find a refuge. It has recently
been purchased and converted into the "Female Orphan Asylum." It forms the
eastern boundary of a large expanse of verdure and trees, reaching the
summit of the lot originally intended by the Seminary of Quebec for a
Botanical Garden; subsequently it was contemplated to build their new
seminary there to afford the boys abundance of fresh air. Alas! Other
counsels prevailed.
Its western boundary is a road leading to the new District Jail--a stone
structure of great strength, surmounted with a diminutive tower, admirably
adapted, one would imagine, for astronomical pursuits. From its glistening
cupola, Commander Ashe's Provincial Observatory is. visible to the east.
I was forgetting to notice the substantial building, dating from 1855--the
Ladies' Home. The Protestant Ladies of Quebec have here, at no small
expense and trouble, raised a useful asylum, where the aged and infirm may
find shelter. This, and the building opposite, St. Bridget's Asylum, with
its growing fringe of trees and green plots, are decided ornaments to the
_Grande Allée_.
The old burying ground of 1832, with all its ghastly memories of the
Asiatic scourge, has assumed quite an ornate, nay a respectable aspect.
Close to the toll-bar on the _Grande Allée_, may yet be seen one of
the meridian stones which serve to mark the western boundary of the city,
beyond the Messrs. Lampson's mansion. On the adjoining domain, well named
"Battlefield Cottage," formerly the property of Col. Charles Campbell, now
owned by Michael Connolly, Esq., was the historic well out of which a cup
of water was obtained to moisten the parched lips of the dying hero, James
Wolfe, on the 13th September, 1759. The well was filled in a few years
ago, but not before it was nigh proving fatal to Col. Campbell's then
young son,--(Arch. Campbell, Esq., of Thornhill.) Its site is close to the
western boundary fence, in the garden, behind "Battlefield Cottage." Here
we are at those immortal plains--the Hastings of the two races once
arrayed in battle against one another at Quebec. The western boundary of
the Plains is a high fence enclosing Marchmont, for years the cherished
family seat of John Gilmour, Esq., now occupied by Col. Fred Turnbull, of
the Canadian Hussars.
On the north-east corner of the Belvedere Road, may be seen a range of
glass houses, put up by J. Doig, formerly gardener at Benmore.
A few minutes more brings the tourist to the Hon. D. Price's villa, Wolfe-
field, where may be seen the precipitous path up the St. Denis burn, by
which the Highlanders and British soldiers gained a footing above, on the
13th September, 1759, and met in battle array to win a victory destined to
revolutionize the New World. The British were piloted in their ascent of
the river by a French prisoner brought with them from England--Denis de
Vitré, formerly a Quebecer of distinction. Their landing place at Sillery
was selected by Major Robert Stobo, who had, in May, 1759, escaped from a
French prison in Quebec, and joined his countrymen, the English, at
Louisbourg, from whence he took ship again to meet Admiral Saunders' fleet
at Quebec. The tourist next drives past Thornhill, for years owned by
Arch. Campbell, Esq., P.S.C., Sir Francis Hincks' old home when Premier to
Lord Elgin. Opposite appear the leafy glades of Spencer Wood, so grateful
a summer retreat, that Lord Elgin used to say, "There he not only loved to
live, but would like to rest his bones." Next comes Spencer Grange, the
seat of J. M. LeMoine, Esq.; then Woodfield, the homestead, of the Hon.
Wm. Sheppard [152] in 1847, later on of Messrs. John Lawson and Jas Gibb.
[153] Facing the Woodfield property, on the Gomin Road, are visible the
extensive vineries and peach houses of Hon. Geo. Okill Stuart, Judge of
the Vice-Admiralty Court. The eye next dwells on the rustic church of St.
Michael, embowered in evergreens. This handsome little temple of worship
where the Governors of Canada usually attended, when living at Spencer
Wood, contain several memorial window. Southwards looms out, at _Sous-
les-Bois_, the stately convent of _Jésus-Marie_; on the edge of the bank,
to the south-east, at _Pointe-à-Pizeau_, stands the R. C. Church of St.
Colomb de Sillery, in a most commanding position; on the Sillery heights,
north-west of the Church of St. Michael, the late Bishop George J.
Mountain owned a delightful summer retreat, recently sold to Albert H.
Furniss, Esq.; then you meet with villas innumerable--one of the most
conspicuous is Benmore House, Col. Rhodes' country seat. Benmore is well
worthy of a call, were it only to procure a _bouquet_. This is not merely
the Eden of roses; Col. Rhodes has combined the farm with the garden. His
underground rhubarb and mushroom cellars, his boundless asparagus beds and
strawberry plantations, are a credit to Quebec.
Next come Clermont, [154] Beauvoir, [155] Kilmarnock, [156] Cataraqui,
[157] Kilgraston, [158] Kirk-Ella, [159] Meadow Bank, [160] Ravenswood,
[161] Dornald, [162] until, after a nine miles' drive, Redclyffe closes
the rural landscape--Redclyffe, [163] on the top of _Cap Rouge_
Promontory. There, many indications yet mark the spot where Roberval's
ephemeral colony wintered as far back as 1542. You can now, if you like,
return to the city by the same route, or select the Ste. Foye Road,
skirting the classic heights where General Murray, six months after the
first battle of the Plains, lost the second, on the 28th April, 1760; the
St. Foye Church was then occupied by the British soldiers. Beauséjour is a
beautiful demesne, where M. Ls. Bilodeau has several reservoirs, for the
propagation of trout. Your gaze next rests on Holland House, Montgomery's
headquarters in 1775, behind which is Holland tree, overshadowing, as of
yore, the grave of the Hollands. [164]
The view, from the St. Foye Road, of the gracefully meandering St. Charles
below, especially during the high tides, is something to be remembered.
The tourist shortly after detects the iron pillar, surmounted by a bronze
statue of Bellona, presented in 1855 by Prince Napoleon Bonaparte--
intended to commemorate the fierce struggle at this spot on the 28th
April, 1760. In close vicinity, appear the bright _parterres_ or
umbrageous groves of Bellevue, [165] Hamwood, [166] Bijou, [167]
Westfield, [168] Sans-Bruit, and the narrow gothic arches of Finlay
Asylum; soon you re-enter by St. John's Suburbs, with the broad basin of
the St. Charles and the pretty Island of Orleans staring you in the face.
The principal objects to be noted in this street are: on the north side,
St. John's Church, built in 1848--a large but not very elegant temple of
R. C. worship, capable of seating 2,000 persons; on the south side, St.
Mathew's Church, (Church of England,) a handsome structure, whose
beginnings, in 1828; were associated with the late Bishop G. J. Mountain's
ministrations and munificence. The exertions of the Rev. Chs. Hamilton and
the generous donations of his brother, Robert Hamilton, and other members
of the family, have been mainly instrumental in enlarging and decorating
this building. Close by, is the new French Protestant Church. We shall
close this short sketch with a mention of the "Quebec Protestant Burying
Ground," originally bought by the Government of the Province of Quebec,
from the heirs of St. Simon, partly on the 9th December, 1771, and partly
on the 22nd August, 1778. In the year 1823, Lord Dalhousie made a grant of
this ground to the "Trustees of the Protestant Burying Ground," in whose
hands it has remained until the 19th May,, 1860, when the cemetery was
declared closed by the 23rd Vict., chap. 70. Major Thomas Scott, Pay-
master of the 70th Regiment, a brother to Sir Walter, was buried here in
1823. Major Thomas Scott was at one time charged with having written
"_Rob Roy_." And next to St. John Gate, looms out the handsome new
building of the Y. M. C. A Association facing the new Montcalm Market.
ASSOCIATION HALL.
"The first Young Men's Christian Association in this city was
organized about twenty years ago, but it soon collapsed, having run
into debt. A second attempt resulted in the formation of another
Association in 1867, which was also a failure. The present Association
was established in January, 1870. It had a very small beginning--five
young men met in a merchant's office in the Lower Town for prayer and
conference and they formed the nucleus of the present Association.
John C. Thomson, Esq., now President of the Association, a gentleman
well known for his active interest in all good works, was one of the
five. Soon after this prayer meeting, a canvass was made among young
men, and 150 names obtained. Henry Fry Esq., merchant, was elected
first President, and Mr. W. Ahern, Secretary. For three years the
Association occupied rooms over the hardware store of Messrs. Bélanger
& Gariépy, Fabrique street, and, in 1873, removed to the rooms above
Mr. McLeod's drug store, which it vacated to enter upon an enlarged
sphere of labour in its elegant new building. It is admirably
situated, facing the Montcalm market."
"In October 1875, a delegation of Y. M. C. A. workers visited this
city, including Messrs. Crombie, Budge, Cole, &c. The revival services
which followed their visit will still be fresh in the memory of our
readers. Two results, both fraught with very great importance to the
Association, followed their visit. One was the engagement of Mr. T. S.
Cole as permanent Secretary, the other was the development of a scheme
for the construction of a building to be specially adapted, and
regularly set apart for the use of the Association. On a memorable
Monday evening in October, 1877, in the Methodist Church in this city,
the scheme was first publicly discussed. At this meeting some $5,000
was subscribed, and the canvass next day resulted in large additions
to the above. Up to the present, $19,000 have been subscribed towards
the structure, and over $15,000 paid in, including the proceeds of the
ladies' bazaar last year (1879).
"The site of the building, one of the most valuable, and certainly one
of the most eligible for the purpose in the city was obtained by
purchase from the Dominion Government by auction in the month of
January, 1878. The plans for the building were secured by competition,
the successful architect being Mr. J. F. Peachy. The cost of the whole
building, when completed, will be $40,000, but at present only the
front portion has been erected. The back wing will be commenced when a
few thousand dollars more have been subscribed towards it. It is to
contain the gymnasium below, and above a large hall 100 feet by 56,
with seating accommodation for 700 people on the floor and 300 in the
galleries. This hall will be furnished with an independent entrance
from Glacis street, twelve feet wide. The lot upon which the present
building is erected contains 21,000 square feet, being 186 feet in
depth, and having a frontage on St. John street of 106 feet. The front
building covers the whole extent of frontage and has a depth of 50
feet. It is built of stone and brick, the whole front being stone and
cut glass. It contains three flats including the mansard. Over the
main entrance is an open Bible, upon which is engraved Matt. XXIII.,
8. Above the centre Window in raised letters in stone, are the words
"Quebec Young Men's Christian Association, 1879." Immediately behind
the front structure is a small building which forms a room for the
daily prayer meeting. It may be reached from Glacis street, and also
by a staircase leading down to it from the entrance hall of the main
building."
"The lower part of the edifice has been fitted up as stores. The main
entrance to Association Hall, in the middle of the front, is by a
spacious staircase twelve feet wide, at the foot of which are elegant
double swinging doors with plate glass. Beneath this stairway is the
heating apparatus, which has been placed in the building by Mr. Thomas
Andrews, of St. John street, and is on an entirely new and highly
approved principle. The whole second flat, is set apart for
Association use. One-half of it composes the reading room. This
magnificent apartment which is one of the finest reading rooms on the
Continent, is 45 by 46 feet, having a height of 18 feet, with windows
on three sides, the balcony window on the North overlooking the whole
of the country between St. Roch's and the Laurentian Mountains.
Opposite the top of the stairway on the landing of this flat, is the
door leading to the Secretary's room, which is fitted with glass, in
order that the Secretary may see everybody coming up stairs into the
reading room or elsewhere. This room is about 12 by 18 feet, and has
on either side of it, the committee room and cloak room, both of about
similar dimensions. Opposite the committee room is the lavatory, &c.,
for the use of members. At the West end of this flat the rooms both
front and back are parlours, with folding doors between, so that while
one may be used for conversational purposes or such like, the other
may be fitted with a piano and also with games, such as chess,
draughts, &c. The upper flat, which contains also very handsome rooms,
beautifully finished, is divided into two portions, one to be occupied
exclusively by the Secretary, and containing dining and drawing rooms
divided by folding doors, four bed-rooms, kitchen, store room, &c. The
other part is divided between the caretaker's apartments, and the bath
room, which is specially for the use of members. The committee also
reserve a spare room in this portion of the building. From the roof of
the structure, which is reached by a staircase leading into the tower,
a magnificent view is obtained of every part of the city and of all
the surrounding country. Special credit in connection with its
erection is certainly merited by the contractor, Mr. John Hatch, and
the architect, Mr. J. F. Peachy."
CHAPTER V.
_MODERN QUEBEC_.
"I can re-people with the Past; and of
The Present there is still, for eye and thought
And meditation, chasten'd down, enough."
--(CHILDE HAROLD.)
Quebec, with the limitations set forth elsewhere, under the English
regime, was governed by Justices of the Peace, who sat in special
sessions, under authority of Acts of the Provincial Legislature, until
1833. In 1832 the city was incorporated (1 William IV., chap. 52,), Its
first Mayor, elected in 1833, was a barrister of note, Elzéar Bédard,
Esq., subsequently Mr. Justice Elzéar J.S.C. The amended Act of
Incorporation of the City of Quebec, the 29th Vic., cap. 57, sanctioned on
the 18th September, 1865, thus defines the limits of the city, the number
and limits of the wards:--"The City of Quebec, for all municipal purposes,
comprises the whole extent of land within the limits assigned to the said
city by a certain proclamation of His Excellency Sir Alured Clarke,
bearing date the 7th May, 1792, and in addition all land extending to low
water mark of the River St. Lawrence, in front of the said city, including
the shore of the River St Charles, opposite the city, as limited by high
water mark on the north side of the said river, from, the prolongation of
the west line of St. Ours street to the west line of the farm of the Nuns
of the Hôtel Dieu; thence running southwards along the said line, about
550 feet, to the southern extremity of a pier erected on the said farm, at
low water mark; thence running due east, about 800 feet, to the
intersection of the line limiting the beach grants of the Seigniory of
Notre Dame des Anges, at low water; and finally, thence along the said
beach line, running north 40 degrees east, to the intersection of the
prolongation of the line of the Commissioners for the Harbour of Quebec,
and thence following the said Commissioners' line to the westerly line of
the city. The said city also comprises all wharves, piers and other
erections made or to be made in the said River St. Lawrence, opposite to
or adjoining the said city, though extending beyond the low water mark of
the said river, and being within the said Commissioners' line, and even
beyond the same, should it be hereafter extended or reduced.
_BOUNDARIES OF THE WARDS._
"The said city is divided into eight wards, to wit: St. Louis Ward, Palace
Ward, St. Peter's Ward, Champlain Ward, St. Roch's Ward, Jacques Cartier
Ward, St. John's Ward and Montcalm Ward.
1st. St. Louis Ward comprises all that part of the Upper Town within the
fortifications, and south of a line drawn from Prescott Gate to St John's
Gate, along the middle of Mountain street, Buade street, Fabrique street,
and St. John street.
2nd. Palace Ward comprises all that part of the Upper Town within the
fortifications, and not included in St. Louis Ward. 3rd. St. Peter's Ward
comprises all that part of the Lower Town bounded on the south by a line
drawn in the middle of Sous-le-Fort street, and prolonged in the same
direction to low water mark in the River St. Lawrence at the one end, and
to the cliff below the Castle of St. Louis at the other, and on the west
by the eastern limits of the Parish of St. Roch, together with all the
wharves, piers and other erections, opposite to this part of the Lower
Town, although built beyond low water mark in the said river.
4th. Champlain Ward comprises all that part of the Lower Town lying
between St. Peter's Ward and the limits of the said city, together with
all wharves, piers and other erections, opposite thereto, although built
beyond the low water mark in the said river.
5th. St. Roch's Ward comprises all that part of the Parish of St. Roch
which lies within the limits of the said City of Quebec, on the north-west
side of a line drawn in the middle of St. Joseph street, from one end to
the other.
6th. Jacques Cartier Ward comprises all that part of the Parish of St.
Roch which lies within the limits of the said City of Quebec, not
comprised in St. Roch's Ward.
7th. St John's Ward comprises all that space bounded by Jacques Cartier
Ward, the fortifications, the limits of the said city on the west, and a
line drawn in the middle of St. John street from St. John's Gate to the
western limits of the city.
8th. Montcalm Ward comprises all that space bounded by the fortifications
on the east, and on the west by the city limits, on the north by St John's
Ward, and on the south by the _cime du cap_ of the St. Lawrence.
The city is administered by a Mayor, holding office for two years, at a
salary of not more than $1,200, nor less than $600, per annum; and by
eight Aldermen and sixteen Councillors, returned by the eight wards,--
elected to serve gratuitously three years by the duly qualified electors
of each ward: no one is eligible as Mayor, Aldermen or Councillor unless
he be a British subject, by birth or naturalization, and of the full age
of twenty-one years, and owning within the city limits real estate, free
from encumbrance, of the value of $2,000. Quebec contains ten small
_Fiefs_ or Domaines. The _Fief_ Sault-au-Matelot belongs to the Seminary.
The Ursuline Nuns, the R. C. Church (_La Fabrique_), the Heirs LaRue, the
Hôtel-Dieu Nuns, the Récollet Friars, each had his _Fief_. The _Fief de la
Miséricorde_ (Mercy) belongs to the Hôtel-Dieu. The Heirs LaRue own the
_Fief de Bécancour_ and that of _de Villeraie_; there is also the _Fief
Tasseville_. The _Fief_ of the Récollets--or Franciscan Friars--the order
being extinct, reverted to the Crown.
_WAR DEPARTMENT PROPERTY IN QUEBEC CITY AND DISTRICT._
_As per Schedule, Consolidated Statutes of Canada (22 Vict.) Cap. 36._
_LOCAL NAME OF THE PROPERTY AND ORIGIN OF THE TITLE._
Exercising Ground, Plains of Abraham--Leasehold from the Ursuline
Nuns, 99 years from 1st May, 1802.
No. 3 Tower Field, N. W. of the Grande Allée, Plains of Abraham--
Leasehold from the Nuns of the Hôtel-Dieu, 99 years from 1st May, 1790;
space covered by the tower is freehold.
No. 4 Tower Field, N. W. of St. John's Road--Leasehold from the Nuns
of the Hôtel-Dieu; 99 years from 1st May, 1790; including a freehold
strip of 0_a_. 1_r_. 0-1/2_p_.
Land surrounding Nos. 1 and 2, Towers, S. E. side of the Grande Allée
Plains of Abraham--Acquired by purchase from the Ursuline Nuns, 15th
June, 1811, Joseph Plante, N. P., Quebec.
Land S. E. of the Grande Allée to the Cime du Cap and between Nos. 1
and 2, Towers property, and counterscarp of the Citadel and works
adjacent--The greater part acquired by purchase from individuals, and
partly by conquest, of the old French Works, &c., an annual ground
rent of £1 17s. 0d., is payable on part of this land to the Fief de
Villeray.
The Esplanade, Town Works--Glacis, Cricket Field, ditches, ravelin,
&c., in front, lying between St. Louis and St. John's Gates--Acquired
partly by conquest and partly by purchase from various individuals
(Cricket Field, 5_a_. 3_r_. 22_p_.)
Citadel--Glacis and Town Works, as far as St. Louis Gate, Engineer
Yard, &c.--Chiefly by right of conquest and military appropriation.
Town Works, Artillery Barracks, Glacis, &c., between St. John's Gate,
Palace Gate and St. Valier street--Chiefly by conquest and military
appropriation. Lots in St. Vallier street, purchased in 1846-7.
Mount Carmel, a commanding eminence, and site of the Windmill Redoubt
or Cavalier, formerly a portion of the defenses of Quebec.--Acquired
by purchase, 25th Nov, 1780. J. Plinguet, N.P.
Officers' Barracks, Garrison Hospital, &c., fronting on St. Louis
street, and in rear by St. Geneviève street.--Acquired by purchase,
5th April, 1811.
Commissariat Premises, opposite old Court House, on St. Louis street,
and in rear by Mount Carmel street.--Acquired by purchase, 11th
August, 1815.
Jesuit Barracks, with other buildings and land attached, fronting on
St. Anne street and Upper Town market square.--By right of conquest
and military appropriation, occupied as Infantry Barracks, &c.
The Town Works, along the top of the Cape (Cime du Cap), between the
King's Bastion of the Citadel and Prescott Gate, Mountain Hill,
including site of old Fort St. Louis, Government Garden, &c.--Part of
the Crown Domain by conquest and military appropriation, with small
portions at either end acquired by purchase in 1781, and about 1827-
29.
Near Grand Battery, East end of St. George street. Magazine F., and
Ordnance stores, &c.--By right of conquest and military appropriation.
Magazine E., Hôtel Dieu, on Rampart street, between Palace and Hope
Gates.--Acquired by purchase, 17th June, 1809.
The Defences along the Ramparts between Prescott Gate, Grand Battery,
Hope Gate and Palace Gate (Upper Town).--By right of conquest and
military appropriation (including Rampart street and cliff
underneath).
Inclined Plane Wharf and land to the Cime du Cap (top of the cliff) on
Champlain street, S. E. of the Citadel.--Acquired by purchase, 24th
Sept., 1781, afterwards used in connection with the Citadel.
Queen's Wharf premises, and small lot opposite, on Cul-de-Sac street--
Formerly a part of the defences of Quebec, site of a battery.--
Acquired by right of conquest, &c.
Land at the foot of the cliff in La Canoterie and St. Charles streets,
as a Glacis in front of the Town Works.--Acquired by purchase in 1846-
7, to prevent buildings against the defences.
Commissariat Fuel Yard, &c., on Palace Harbor, St. Roch's.--Part of
the Intendant's Palace property, held by conquest.
_SEIGNIORY OF NEUVILLE COUNTY OF PORTNEUF._
(_Site of Fort Jacques-Cartier._)
A strong defensive position, on the right bank of the River Jacques
Cartier, about 30 miles above Quebec.--Acquired by purchase from the
Seignior, 26th June, 1818.
THE ENVIRONS OF QUEBEC.
_INTRODUCTION._
"Oh give me a home where the maple and pine
Around the wild heights so majestically twine;
Oh give me a home where the blue wave rolls free
From thy bosom, Superior, down to the sea."
"Could you not write the history of 'Our Parish,' and also sketch briefly
our country seats, marking out the spots connected with historical
events?" Thus discoursed one day to us, in her blandest tones, a fair
denizen of Sillery. There was a poser for a _galant homme_; a crusher
for the first _littérateur_ of ... the parish. In vain did we allege
we were not a "Christopher North," but a mere retiring "antiquaire"--a
lover of books, birds, flowers, &c. The innate civility of a Frenchman
elicited from us an unreflective affirmative reply. Thus, compassionate
reader, was entrapped, caught and committed the first _littérateur_
of Sillery--irrevocably handed over to the tender mercies of all the
critics, present and future, in and out of the parish. Oh, my friends,
what a crunching up of literary bones in store! what an ample repast was
thus prepared for all the reviewers--the Jeffreys and LaHarpes--in and out
of the parish, should the luckless _littérateur_ fail to assign fairy
scenery--important historical events--great battles, not only to each
renowned spot, but even to the merest potato-patch, turnip-ground or
cabbage-garden within our corporate limits? Yes, tremble for him.
Joking apart, is there not a formidable difficulty besetting our path--the
insipidity and monotony inseparable from the necessity which will devolve
on us of having constantly to discover new beauties in spots identical in
their main features; and should we, in order to vary the theme, mix up the
humorous with the rural, the historical, or the antiquarian style, may not
fun and humour be mistaken for satire--a complimentary notice for
flattery, above all others, a thing abhorrent to our nature? But 'tis vain
to argue. That fatal "yes" has been uttered, and no true knight goes back
from his plighted word. There being no help, we devoutly commend our case
to St. Columba, St. Joseph, and the archangel St. Michel, the patrons of
our parish, and set to our task, determined to assume a wide margin, draw
heavily on history, and season the whole with short anecdotes and glimpses
of domestic life, calculated to light up the past and present.
O critic, who would fain seek in "Our Parish"--in our homes--great
architectural excellence, we beseech you to pause! for the majority of
them no such pretension is set up. Nowhere, indeed, on our soil are to be
found ivied ruins, dating back to doomsday book, moated castle, or
mediaeval tower. We have no Blenheims, no Walton Halls, nor Chatsworths,
nor Woburn abbeys, nor Arundel castles, to illustrate every style of
architectural beauty, rural embellishment, and landscape. A Dainpierre, a
Rochecotte, a LaGaudinière, may suit old France: they would be lost in New
France. Canadian cottages, the best of them, are not the stately country
homes of
"Old pheasant-lords,
... Partridge-breeders of a thousand years,"
typifying the accumulated wealth of centuries or patrician pride; nor are
they the gay _châteaux_ of _La Belle France_. In the Canada of the past,
we could--in many instances we had to--do without the architect's skill;
nature having been lavish to us in her decorations, art could be dispensed
with. Our country dwellings possess attractions of a higher class, yea, of
a nobler order, than brick and mortar moulded by the genius of man can
impart. A kind Providence has surrounded them in spring, summer and autumn
with scenery often denied to the turreted castle of the proudest nobleman
in Old England. Those around Quebec are more particularly hallowed by
associations destined to remain ever memorable amongst the inhabitants of
the soil.
Some of our larger estates, like Belmont (comprising 450 acres,) date back
more than two centuries, whilst others, though less ancient, retrace
vividly events glorious in the same degree to the two races, who, after
having fought stoutly for the mastery, at last hung out the olive branch
and united long since, willing partners, in the bonds of a common
nationality, neither English nor French, though participating largely of
both, and have linked their destinies together as Canadians. Every
traveller in Canada, from Baron La Hontan, who "preferred the forests of
Canada to the Pyrénées of France," to the Hon. Amelia Murray, Charlevoix,
LaGalissonière, Peter Kalm, Isaac Weld, John Lambert, Heriot, Silliman,
Dickens, Lever, Ampère, Marmier, Rameau, Augustus Sala, have united in
pronouncing our Quebec landscape so wild, so majestic, and withal so
captivating, as to vie in beauty with the most picturesque portions of the
Old or the New World.
Let us first sketch "Our Parish," the home of our forefathers--the home of
our children.
_SILLERY._
Henry IV. of France had for his chancellor, in 1607, Nicholas Brulart de
Sillery, a worthy and distinguished magistrate, who, as state councillor,
ever enjoyed the confidence of his sovereign until death closed his useful
career in 1627, at the ripe age of 80. He was the eldest brother: his
father had also for years basked in the smiles of good King Henry IV. for
his unwavering adherence to his fortunes. To this eminent lawyer and
statesman was born a patriarchal family of sons and daughters. The
youngest of his sons, Noël Brulart de Sillery, [169] having brilliantly
completed his studies at Paris in the classics, entered, at the age of 18,
the military order of the Knights of Malta, and resided twelve years in
that island as a knight; his martial bearing and ability, modesty, and
uniform good conduct soon paved the way for him to the highest dignities
in this celebrated Order. Soon the Grand Master appointed him "Commandeur
de Troyes"; this preferment yielded him 40,000 livres per annum.
On his return to Paris in 1607, the favour of the court and the protection
of Marie de Medicis were the means of having him nominated Knight of
Honour. His talents, birth, deportment and position soon procured him the
appointment of French Ambassador to the Court of Spain in 1614, which high
position he left for that of Ambassador at Rome in 1622, where he replaced
the Marquis of Coeuvres. He spent two years in the Eternal City, and
subsequently acknowledged that it was there that he conceived the idea
first of embracing Holy Orders; Cardinal de LaValette replacing him at the
Roman Court as French _Chargé d'Affaires_. From what can be gleaned
in history, this distinguished personage led a princely life, his enormous
rent-roll furnishing the means for a most lordly establishment of
retainers, liveries and domains. [170] His fancy for display, great though
it was, never, however, made him lose sight of the poor, nor turn a deaf
ear to the voice of the needy.
In 1626, the Pope (Barberini), Urban the VIII., having proclaimed a
jubilee, the ex-ambassador, as if a new light had dawned on him, and under
the guidance of a man famous for his pious and ascetic life, Vincent de
Paul, determined to reform his house and whole life. Thus, a few years
after, viz., in 1632, the Commandeur de Sillery sold to Cardinal Richelieu
his sumptuous and princely hôtel in Paris, called Sillery, entered Holy
Orders in 1634, and devoted all the energy of his mind and his immense
wealth to the propagation of the faith amongst the aborigines of Canada,
having been induced to do so by the Commandeur de Razili, who had
previously solicited him to join the company des "Cents Associés," or
Hundred Partners, of which Razili was a member.
The Commandeur de Sillery inaugurated his benevolent purpose by placing
12,000 livres in the hands of Father Charles Lalemant, a zealous Jesuit;
this was the beginning of the mission which, through gratitude to its
founder, was called Sillery--it was distant about four miles and a half
from Quebec, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence; date of the
foundation, July, 1637. [171] History has preserved a letter addressed
from Paris by the Commandeur de Sillery to the Chevalier de Montmagny,
governor of the colony, in which the benevolent man asked the Governor to
ratify a grant of "twelve arpents" made to him in the city itself by the
company of the Hundred Partners, and also to ratify a promised grant of
other lands to open a seminary or school to educate Algonquin and
Montagnais children, although, at the request of the Indians, the
settlement became, in 1638, more extensive, and comprised also the
residence of the christianized Indians. Negabamat and Nenasesenat were the
first to establish their families there. On the last day of June, 1665, we
will find the eloquent Negabamat, then a resident of Quebec, sent by his
tribe to harangue and compliment the great Marquis of Tracy on his arrival
at Quebec. (_Relations_, 1665, _p_. 4.) Father LeJeune, a learned Jesuit,
had charge and control over the workmen who were sent out from France at
the expense of the Commandeur de Sillery; and on the 22nd February, 1639,
a permanent bequest was authentically recorded in favor of the mission by
the Commandeur placing at interest, secured on the Hôtel-de-Ville at
Paris, a sum of 20,000 livres tournois. Palisades had been used originally
to protect the settlement; in 1651, the Governor of Quebec, Jean de
Lauzon, strengthened the palisades and added redoubts. [172] In 1647 the
church of the mission had been placed under the invocation of St. Michael
the Archangel; hence Sillery Cove, once called St. Joseph's, was, in 1647,
named St Michael's Cove.
The Commandeur de Sillery extended his munificence to several other
missionary establishments in Canada and other places. What with the
building of churches, monasteries and hospitals in Champagne, France; at
Annecy, Savoy; at Paris, and elsewhere, he must, indeed, have been for
those days a veritable Rothschild in worldly wealth.
This worthy ecclesiastic died in Paris on the 26th September, 1640, at the
age of sixty-three years, bequeathing his immense wealth to the Hôtel-Dieu
of that city. Such was, in a few words, the noble career of one of the
large-minded pioneers of civilization in primitive Canada, le Commandeur
Noël Brulart de Sillery--such the origin of the name of "Our Parish," our
sweet Canadian Windermere.
One of the first incidents, two years after the opening of the mission,
was the visit paid to it by Madame de la Peltrie, the benevolent founder
of the Ursuline Convent at Quebec. This took place on the 2nd August,
1639, the day after her arrival from Dieppe and stately reception by the
Governor, M. deMontmagny, who had asked her to dinner the day previous.
This same year the nuns called _Hospitalières_ (Hôtel-Dieu) opened a
temporary hospital at Sillery, as the inmates and resident Indians
suffered fearfully from the ravages of small-pox. In attempting a sketch
of the Sillery of ancient days, we cannot follow a truer nor pleasanter
guide than the old historian of Canada in the interesting notes he
published on this locality in 1855, after having minutely examined every
inch of ground. "A year after their arrival at Quebec," says Abbé Ferland,
"in August, 1640, the _Hospitalières_ nuns, desirous of being closer
to the Sillery mission, where they were having their convent built
according to the wishes of the Duchess D'Aiguillon, left Quebec and
located themselves in the house of M. de Puiseaux. They removed from this
house at the beginning of the year 1641 to take possession of their
convent, a mile distant. During that winter no other French inhabitants
resided near them except the missionaries, and they suffered much from
cold and want. But the following year they had the happiness to have in
the neighbourhood a good number of their countrymen. M. de Maisonneuve,
Mlle. Mance, the soldiers and farmers recently arrived from France, took
up their abode at M. de Puiseaux.... They spent the winter there, and paid
us frequent visits, to our mutual satisfaction." [173]
The mission of St. Joseph at Sillery being constantly threatened by the
Five Nations, the _Hospitalières_ ladies were compelled to leave their
convent and seek refuge in Quebec on the 29th May, 1644, having thus
spent about three years and a half amongst the savages. [174] The locality
where they then resided still goes under the name of "Convent Cove."
"Monsieur Pierre Puiseaux, Sieur de l'habitation de Sainte Foye, after
whom was, called _Pointe-à-Pizeau_, at Sillery, seems to have been a
personage of no mean importance in his day. Having realized a large
fortune in the West Indies, he had followed Champlain to Canada, bent on
devoting his wealth to the conversion of the aboriginal tribes. His manor
stood, according to the Abbé Ferland, on that spot in St Michael's Cove on
which the St. Michael's Hotel [175]--long kept by Mr. W. Scott--was
subsequently built, to judge from the heavy foundation walls there. Such
was the magnificence of the structure that it was reckoned "the gem of
Canada'--"_Une maison regardée dans le temps comme le bijou du Canada_,"
says the old chronicler. Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve having arrived,
in 1641, with colonists for Montreal, the laird of Ste. Foye [176]
generously tendered him the use of his manor. Under the hospitable roof of
this venerable old gentleman, M. de Maisonneuve, Mlle. Mance, the founder
of the Hôtel Dieu Hospital at Montreal, and Mdme. de la Peltrie spent the
winter of 1641-2, whilst the intended colonists [177] for Ville-Marie were
located close by in the Sillery settlement. During the winter, dissensions
took place between the future Governor of Montreal, M. de Maisonneuve, and
the then present Governor of Quebec, Chevalier de Montmagny. It appears
that on a certain festival a small cannon and also fifteen musket shots
had been fired without authority; His Excellency Governor Montmagny, in
high dudgeon at such a breach of military discipline, ordered Jean Gorry,
the person who had fired the shots, to be put in irons; Mlle. Mance had
furnished the powder for this military display The future Governor of
Montreal, Monsieur de Maisonneuve, is said to have, on this occasion,
publicly exclaimed: "Jehan Gorry, you have been put in irons for my sake
and I affronted! I raise your wages of ten half crowns (dix écus), let us
only reach Montreal; no one there will prevent us from firing." [178]
Bravo! M. de Maisonneuve! Peace, however, was restored, and His Excellency
Governor Montmagny headed in person the expedition which, on the 8th May
following, sailed from St Michael's Cove, Sillery, to found at Montreal
the new colony. Monsieur Puiseaux accompanied M. de Maisonneuve, to take
part also in the auspicious event, but his age and infirmities compelled
Him soon after to return to France, where he died a few years
subsequently, and by his last will, executed at LaRochelle on the 21st
June, 1647, he bequeathed his Ste. Foye property to the support of the
future bishops of Quebec. "The walls of the Sillery Chapel," says the
historian of Canada previously quoted, "were still standing about thirty
years ago, and the foundations of this edifice, of the hospital and of the
missionary residency are still perceptible to the eye on the spot now
occupied by the offices and stores of Hy. LeMesurier, Esq., at the foot of
the hill, and opposite the residence of the Honourable Mr. Justice Caron."
"Amongst the French gentlemen of note who then owned lands at Sillery may
be mentioned. François de Chavigny, _sieur de Berchéreau qui_," adds
Abbé Ferland, "_occupait un rang élevé dans le colonie. En quelques
occasions, il fut chargé de remplacer le Gouverneur, lors que celui-ci
s'absentait de Québec_." Now, dear reader, let it be known to you that
you are to look with every species of respect on this worthy old denizen
of Sillery, he being, as the Abbé has elsewhere established beyond the
shadow of a doubt, not only the ancestor of several old families, such as
the Lagorgendières, the Rigaud de Vaudreuils and Tachereaus, but also one
of the ancestors of your humble servant the writer of these lines.
"The Sillery settlement contained during the winter of 1646-7, of Indians
only, about two hundred souls. Two roads led from Quebec to the
settlement, one the Grande Allée or St. Louis Road, the other the Cove
Road, skirting the beach. Two grist mills stood in the neighbourhood: one
on the St. Denis streamlet which crosses the Grande Allée road (from
Thornhill to Spencer Wood)--the dam seems to have been on the Spencer Wood
property. 'This mill, and the _fief_ on which it was built, belonged
to M. Juchereau,' one of the ancestors of the Duchesnays. 'Another mill
existed on the Bell Borne brook,' which crosses the main road, the
boundary between Spencer Grange and Woodfield. Any one visiting these two
streamlets during the August droughts will be struck with their
diminutiveness, compared to the time when they turned the two grist mills
two hundred years back: the clearing of the adjoining forests, whence they
take their source, may account for the metamorphosis."
The perusal of the Rev. Mr. Ferland's work brings us to another
occurrence, which, although foreign to the object of this sketch, deserves
notice:--
"The first horse [179] seen in Canada was landed from a French vessel
about the 20th June, 1647, and presented as a gift to His Excellency
Governor Montmagny." Another incident deserving of mention occurs under
date of 20th August, 1653. The Iroquois [180] surprised at Cap Rouge Rev.
Father J. Antoine Poncet and a peasant named Mathurin Tranchelot, and
carried them off to their country. For three days the rev. missionary was
subjected to every kind of indignity from the Indian children and every
one else. A child cut off one of the captive's fingers. He was afterwards,
with his companion, tied up during two nights, half suspended in the air;
this made both suffer horribly; burning coals were applied to their flesh.
Finally, the missionary was handed over to an old squaw; he shortly after
became free, and returned to Quebec on the 5th of November, 1653, to the
joy of everybody.
His comrade, Tranchelot, after having had his fingers burnt, was finally
consumed by fire on the 8th September, 1653. Such were some of the
thrilling incidents of daily occurrence at Sillery two centuries ago.
What with breaches of military etiquette by M. de Maisonneuve's colonists,
the ferocity of skulking Iroquois, and the scrapes their own neophytes
occasionally got into, the reverend fathers in charge of the Sillery
mission must now and again have had lively times, and needed, we would
imagine, the patience of Job, with the devotion of martyrs, to carry out
their benevolent views.
We read in history [181] how, on one Sunday morning in 1652, the Sillery
Indians being all at mass, a beaver skin was stolen from one of the wig-
wams, on which a council of the chiefs being called, it was decided that
the robbery had been committed by a Frenchman, [182] enough to justify the
young men to rush out and seize two Frenchmen then accidentally passing
by, and in no wise connected--as the Indians even admitted--with the
theft. The Indian youths were for instantly stripping the prisoners, in
order to compel the Governor of the colony to repair the injury suffered
by the loss of the peltry. One of them, more thoughtful than the rest,
suggested to refer the matter to the missionary father, informing him at
the same time that in cases of robbery it was the Indian custom to lay
hold of the first individual they met belonging to the family or nation of
the suspected robber, strip him of his property, and retain it until the
family or nation repaired the wrong. The father succeeded, by appealing to
them as Christians, to release the prisoners. Fortunately, the real thief,
who was not a Frenchman, became alarmed, and had the beaver skin restored.
Old writers of that day occasionally let us into quaint glimpses of a
churchman's tribulations in those primitive times. The historian Faillon
tells some strange things about Bishop Laval and Governor D'Argenson:
their squabble about holy bread. (_Histoire de la Colonie Française en
Canada_, vol. ii., p. 467.) At page 470, is an account of a country
girl, ordered to be brought to town by Bishop Laval and shut up in the
Hôtel-Dieu, she being considered under a spell, cast on her by a miller
whom she had rejected when he popped the question: the diabolical suitor
was jailed as a punishment. Champlain relates how a pugnacious parson was
dealt with by a pugnacious clergyman of a different persuasion respecting
some knotty controversial points. The arguments, however irresistible they
may have been, Champlain observes, were not edifying either to the savages
or to the French: "J'ay veu le ministre et nostre curé s'entre battre è
coup de poing sur le différend de la religion. Je ne scay pas qui estait
le plus vaillant et qui donnait le meilleur coup; mais je scay tres bien
que le ministre se plaignoit quelque fois au Sieur de Mons (Calviniste,
directeur de la compagnie) d'avoir ésté battu et vuoidoient en ceste
faccon les poincts de controverse. Je vois laisse à penser si cela éstait
beau à voir; les sauvages éstoient tantôt d'un côté, tantôt de l'autre, et
les François meslez selon leur diverse croyance, disaient pis que pendre
de l'une et de l'autre religion." The fighting parson had evidently caught
a tartar. However, this controversial sparring did _not_ take place at
Sillery.
The winter of 1666 was marked by a novel incident in the annals of the
settlement. On the 9th of January, [183] 1666, the Governor of the colony,
M. de Courcelles, with M. du Gas as second in command, and M. de Salampar,
a volunteer, together with two hundred colonists who had volunteered, and
three hundred soldiers of the dashing regiment of Carignan, [184] which
the viceroy, the proud Marquis de Tracy, had brought over from Europe,
after their return from their campaign in Hungary, sallied forth from the
capital on snow-shoes. A century and a half later one might have met, with
his gaudy state carriage and outriders, on that same road, another
viceroy--this time an English one, as proud, as fond of display, as the
Marquis de Tracy--with the Queen's Household Troops, the British
Grenadiers, and Coldstream Guards--the Earl of Durham, one of our ablest,
if not one of the most popular of our administrators. Let us now follow
the French Governor of 1666, heading his light-hearted soldiers along the
St. Louis road, all on snow-shoes, each man, His Excellency included,
carrying on his back from 25 to 30 lbs. of biscuit, &c. The little army is
bound towards the frontiers of New Holland (the State of New York) on a
900 miles' tramp (no railroads in those days), in the severest season of
the year, to chastise some hostile Indian tribes, after incorporating in
its ranks, during its march, the Three Rivers and Montreal reinforcements.
History tells of the intense suffering [185] experienced during the
expedition by these brave men, some of them more accustomed to Paris
_salons_ than to Canadian forest warfare on snow-shoes, with spruce
boughs and snow-drifts for beds. But let us not anticipate. We must be
content to accompany them on that day to the Sillery settlement, a march
quite sufficient for us degenerate Canadians of the nineteenth century.
Picture to yourself, our worthy friend, the hurry and scurry at the
Missionary residence on that day--with what zest the chilled warriors
crowd round the fires of the Indian wigwams, the number of pipes of peace
they smoked with the chiefs, the fierce love the gallant Frenchmen swore
to the blackeyed Montagnais and Algonquin houris of Sillery, whilst
probably His Excellency and staff were seated in the residency close by,
resorting to cordials and all those creature comforts to be found in
monasteries, not forgetting _Grande Chartreuse_, to restore circulation
through their benumbed frames!--How the reverend fathers showered down the
blessings of St. Michael, the patron saint of the parish, on the youth and
chivalry of France!--How the Sillery duennas, the _Capitainesses_, closely
watched the gallant sons of Mars lest some of them [186] should attempt to
induce their guileless neophytes to seek again the forest wilds, and roam
at large--the willing wives of white men!
We shall clip a page from Father Barthélémy Vimont's _Journal of the
Sillery Mission_, (Relations des Jesuits, 1643, pp. 12, 13, 14) an
authentic record, illustrative of the mode of living there; it will, we
are sure, gladden the heart even of an anchorite:--
"In 1643, the St. Joseph or Sillery settlement was composed of between
thirty-five and forty Indian families, who lived there the whole year
round except during the hunting season; other nomadic savages occasionally
tarried at the settlement to procure food, or to receive religious
instruction. That year there were yet but four houses built in the
European fashion; the Algonquins were located in that part of the village
close to the French residences; the Montagnais, on the opposite side; the
houses accommodate chiefs only, their followers reside in bark huts until
we can furnish proper dwellings for them all. In this manner was spent the
winter season of 1642-3, the French ships left the St Lawrence for France
on the 7th October, 1642; a period of profound quiet followed. Our Indians
continued to catch eels, (this catch begins in September)--a providential
means of subsistence during winter. The French settlers salt their eels,
the Indians smoke theirs to preserve them. The fishing having ended about
the beginning of November, they removed their provisions to their houses,
when thirteen canoes of Atichamegues Indians arrived, the crews requesting
permission to winter there and be instructed in the Christian religion.
They camped in the neighborhood of the Montagnais, near to Jean Baptiste,
the chief or captain of these savages, and placed themselves under the
charge of Father Buteux, who undertook to christianize both, whilst Father
Dequen superintended the religious welfare of the Algonquins. Each day all
the Indians attended regularly to mass, prayers, and religious
instruction. Catechism is taught to the children, and the smartest amongst
them receive slight presents to encourage them, such as knives, bread,
beads, hats, sometimes a hatchet for the biggest boys. Every evening
Father Dequen calls at every hut and summons the inmates to evening
prayers at the chapel. The _Hospitalières_ nuns also perform their
part in the pious work; Father Buteux discharged similar duties amongst
the Montagnais and Atichamegues neophytes. The Atichamegues have located
themselves on a small height back of Sillery. 'When the Reverend Father
visits them each evening, during the prevalence of snow storms, he picks
his way in the forest, lantern in hand, but sometimes losing his footing,
he rolls down the hill.' Thus passed for the Sillery Indians, the early
portion of the winter. In the middle of January they all came and located
themselves about a quarter of a league from Quebec, to make tobogins and
began the first hunt, which lasted about three weeks. Each day they
travelled a quarter of a league to Quebec to attend mass, generally at the
chapel of the Ursuline Convent, where Father Buteux and also the nuns
instructed them. In February they sought the deep woods to hunt the
moose." "On my return to Sillery," adds Father Vimont, "twelve or thirteen
infirm old Indians, women and children, who had been left behind, followed
me to the Hospital, where we had to provide for them until the return, at
Easter, of the hunting party."
Whilst the savage hordes were being thus reclaimed from barbarism at
Sillery, a civilized community a few hundred miles to the east of it were
descending to the level of savages. We read in Hutchinson's _History of
Massachusetts Bay_, of our Puritan brethren of Boston, occasionally
roasting defenceless women for witchcraft; thus perished, in 1645,
Margaret Jones; and a few years after, in 1656, Mrs. Ann Hibbens, the lady
of a respectable Boston merchant. Christians cutting one another's throats
for the love of God. O, civilization, where is thy boast!
During the winter of 1656-7, Sillery contained, of Indians alone, about
two hundred souls.
Let us now sum up the characteristics of the Sillery of ancient days in a
few happy words, borrowed from the _Notes_ [187] published in 1855 on
that locality, by the learned Abbé Ferland.
"A map of Quebec by Champlain exhibits, about a league above the youthful
city, a point jutting out into the St. Lawrence, and which is covered with
Indian wigwams. Later on this point received the name of Puiseaux, from
the first owner of the Fief St. Michael, bounded by it to the southwest.
[188] On this very point at present stands the handsome St. Columba
church, surrounded by a village." [189]
"Opposite to it is the Lauzon shore, with its river _Bruyante_ [190]
(the 'Etchemin'), its shipyards, its numerous shipping, the terminus of
the Grand Trunk Railway; the villages and churches of Notre Dame de Lévis,
St. Jean Chrysostôme and Saint Romuald. To your right and to your left the
St. Lawrence is visible for some twelve or fifteen miles, covered with
inward and outward bound ships. Towards the east the landscape is closed
by Cap Tourment, twelve leagues distant, and by the cultivated heights of
the _Petite Montagne_ of St. Féréol, exhibiting in succession the
_Côte de Beaupré_, (Beauport), (L'Ange Gardien, &c.) the green slopes
of the Island of Orleans, Cape Diamond, crowned with its citadel, and
having at its feet a forest of masts, Abraham's Plains, the Coves and
their humming, busy noises, St. Michael's Coves forming a graceful curve
from Wolfe's cove to Pointe à Puiseaux. Within this area thrilling events
once took place, and round these diverse objects historical souvenirs
cluster, recalling some of the most important occurrences in North
America; the contest of two powerful nations for the sovereignty of the
New World; an important episode of the revolution which gave birth to the
adjoining Republic. Such were some of the events of which these localities
were the theatre. Each square inch of land, in fact, was measured by the
footsteps of some of the most remarkable men in the history of America:
Jacques Cartier, Champlain, Frontenac, Laval, Phipps, d'Iberville, Wolfe,
Montcalm, Arnold, Montgomery, have each of them, at some time or other,
trod over this expanse.
"Close by, in St. Michael's Cove, M. de Maisonneuve and Mademoiselle Mance
passed their first Canadian winter, with the colonists intended to found
Montreal. Turn your eyes towards the west, and although the panorama is
less extensive, still it awakens some glorious memories. At Cap Rouge,
Jacques Cartier established his quarters, close to the river's edge, the
second winter he spent in Canada, and was succeeded in that spot by
Roberval, at the head of his ephemeral colony. Near the entrance of the
Chaudière river stood the tents of the Abnoquiois, the Etchemins and the
Souriquois Indians, when they came from the shores of New England to smoke
the calumet of peace with their brethren the French; the river Chaudière
in those days was the highway which connected their country with Canada.
Closer to Pointe à Puiseaux is Sillery Cove where the Jesuit Fathers were
wont to assemble and instruct the Algonquin and Montagnais Indians, who
were desirous of becoming Christians. It was from that spot that the
neophytes used to carry the faith to the depths of the forest; it was here
that those early apostles of Christianity congregated before starting with
the joyous message for the country of the Hurons, for the shores of the
Mississippi, or for the frozen regions of Hudson's Bay. From thence went
Father P. Druilletes, the bearer of words of peace on behalf of the
Christians of Sillery, to the Abnoquiois of Kennebeki, and to the puritans
of Boston. Near this same mission of Sillery, Friar Liégeois was massacred
by the Iroquois, whilst Father Poncet was carried away a captive by these
barbarous tribes.
"Monsieur de Sillery devoted large sums to erect the necessary edifices
for the mission, such as a chapel, a missionary residence, an hospital, a
fort, houses for the new converts, together with the habitations for the
French. The D'Auteuil family had their country seat on the hill back of
Pointe à Puiseaux; and the venerable Madame de Monceau, the mother-in-law
of the Attorney-General Ruette D'Auteuil, was in the habit of residing
there from time to time, in a house she had constructed near the chapel."
In 1643, Father Bressani having been taken prisoner by the Iroquois, and
having heard them discuss a plan to seize on the white maidens of Sillery
(such were the names the Nuns went by); wrote it on some bark, which a
Huron Indian having found, took it to Governor Montmagny. The Governor
then organized a guard of six soldiers, who each day relieved one another
at Sillery, to watch over the village--the incursions of the savages
increasing, the soldiers refused to remain any longer, and Governor
Montmagny gave the Hospitalières the use of a small house on the beach of
the river in the lower town. (Hist. de l'Hôtel-Dieu, p. 50.)
Francis Parkman furnishes interesting details of the arrival of Piesharit,
a famous Indian chief, at Sillery in 1645, and of a grand council held by
deMontmagny, in the Jesuits House, which exists to this day, probably the
oldest structure of the kind in Canada, dating from 1637.
"As the successful warriors approached the little mission settlement of
Sillery, immediately above Quebec, they raised their song of triumph and
beat time with their paddles on the edges of their canoes; while, from
eleven poles raised aloft, eleven fresh scalps fluttered in the wind. The
Father Jesuit and all his flock were gathered on the strand to welcome
them. The Indians fired three guns, and screeched in jubilation; one Jean
Baptiste, a Christian chief of Sillery, made a speech from the shore;
Pisharet repeated, standing upright in his canoe, and to crown the
occasion, a squad of soldiers, marching in haste from Quebec, fired a
salute of musketry, to the boundless delight of the Indians. Much to the
surprise of the two captives, there was no running of the gauntlet, no
gnawing off of finger-nails or cutting off of fingers; but the scalps were
hung, like little flags, over the entrance of the lodges, and all Sillery
betook itself to feasting and rejoicing. One old woman, indeed, came to
the Jesuit with a pathetic appeal. "Oh, my father! let me caress these
prisoners a little: they have killed, burned, and eaten my father, my
husband and my children." But the missionary answered with a lecture on
the duty of forgiveness.
On the next day, Montmagny came to Sillery and there was a grand council
in the house of the Jesuits. Pisharet, in a solemn harangue, delivered his
captives to the Governor, who replied with a speech of compliment and an
ample gift. The two Iroquois, were present, seated with a seeming
imperturbability, but great anxiety of heart; and when at length they
comprehended that their lives were safe, one of them, a man of great size
and symmetry, rose and addressed Montmagny." [191]
It would be indeed a pleasant and easy task to recall all the remarkable
events which occurred in this neighborhood. One thing is certain, the cool
retreats studding the shores of the St. Lawrence were equally sought for
by the wealthy in those days as they have been since by all those who wish
to breathe pure air and enjoy the scenery.
The Sillery settlement commenced to be deserted about the beginning of the
last century. After the cession of Canada the care of the buildings was
neglected, and they soon fell to ruins; but the residence of the
missionary fathers was preserved, and the ruins of the other structures
remained standing long enough to be susceptible of identification with
certainty. Several of the old inhabitants recollect having seen the church
walls demolished, and they were of great solidity. Abbé Ferland himself,
twenty years ago, saw a portion of those walls standing above ground. The
ruins of the hospital and the convent were razed about fifty years ago,
and in demolishing them several objects were discovered, some of which
must have belonged to the good ladies, the _Hospitalières_ nuns.
For the benefit of those who might feel inclined to explore the remaining
vestiges of M. Sillery's foundation, I shall furnish some details on the
locality. About the centre of Sillery Cove can be seen a cape, not very
high, but with its sides perpendicular. The position of surrounding
objects point it out as the spot on which stood the fort intended to
protect the village; there also, in a dry soil, stood the cemetery, from
which several bodies were exhumed in the course of last summer (1854) At
the foot of the cape, on your left, is the missionaries' house now
converted into a residence for the clerks of Messrs. E. R. Dobell & Co.
This building has been kept in repair, and is still in a good state of
preservation. In a line with it, and nearest the St. Lawrence, can be
discovered the foundation of the church. This edifice stood north-east and
south-west.
Near the wall closest to the river ran a spring of water, perfectly clear,
and, no doubt, used for the wants of the church and of the presbytery.
Several other streams of excellent water run down the hill and intersect
the grounds in all directions. No misconception can exist as to where the
chapel stood, as there are still (in 1855) living several persons who saw
the walls standing, and can point out the foundations which have since
been identified and enclosed by stone pillars and chains. To the right of
the small cape, and on a line with the chapel, stood the hospital, now
deserted for more than two centuries. Over its foundation an elm has
grown,--'tis now a handsome and large tree; six feet from the ground its
circumference measures two fathoms (12 feet), which makes its diameter
about three and a half. Heriot thus describes the locality in 1806:--
"From hence to Cap Rouge the scenery, on account of its beauty and
variety, attracts the attention of the passenger. At Sillery, a league
from Quebec, on the north shore, are the ruins of an establishment which
was begun in 1637, intended as a religious institution for the conversion
and instruction of natives of the country; it was at one time inhabited by
twelve French families. The buildings are placed upon level ground,
sheltered by steep banks, and close by the borders of the river; they now
only consist of two old stone houses, fallen to decay, and of the remains
of a small chapel (the chapel has of late been repaired and fitted up for
a malt house, and some of the other buildings have been converted into a
brewery). [192] In this vicinity the Algonquins once had a village;
several of their tumuli, or burying places, are still discoverable in the
woods, and hieroglyphics cut on the trees remain, in some situations, yet
unaffected." [193]
On the 6th June, 1865, we determined to afford ourselves a long-promised
treat, and go and survey, with Abbé Ferland's _Notes on Sillery_ open
before us, and also the help of that eminently respected authority in
every parish, the "oldest inhabitant," the traces of the Sillery
settlement of 1637. Nor had we long to wait before obtaining ocular
demonstration of the minute exactitude with which our old friend, the
Abbé, had investigated and measured every stone, every crumbling remain of
brick and mortar. The first and most noticeable relic pointed out was the
veritable house of the missionaries, facing the St. Lawrence, on the north
side of the road, on Sillery Cove; it was the property of the late Henry
Le Mesurier, Esquire, of Beauvoir. Were it in the range of possible events
that the good fathers could revisit the scene of their past apostolical
labours and view their former earthly tenement, hard would be the task to
identify it. The heavy three-feet-thick wall is there yet, as perfect, as
massive, as defiant as ever; the pointed gable and steep roof, in spite of
alterations, still stands--the true index of an old French structure in
Canada. Our forefathers seemed as if they never could make the roof of a
dwelling steep enough, doubtless to prevent the accumulation of snow. But
here ends all analogy with the past; so jaunty, so cosy, so modern does
the front and interior of Sillery "Manor House" look--thus styled for many
years past. Paint, paper and furniture have made it quite a snug abode.
Nor was it without a certain peculiar feeling of reverence we, for the
first time, crossed that threshold, and entered beneath those fortress-
like walls, where for years had resounded the orisons of the Jesuit
Fathers, the men from whose ranks were largely recruited our heroic band
of early martyrs--some of whose dust, unburied, but not unhonoured, has
mingled for two centuries with its parent earth on the green banks of Lake
Simcoe, on the borders of the Ohio, in the environs of Kingston, Montreal,
Three Rivers, Quebec--a fruitful seed of christianity scattered
bountifully through the length and breadth of our land; others, whose
lifeless clay still rests in yon sunny hillock in the rear, to the west of
the "Manor House"--the little cemetery described by Abbé Ferland. Between
the "Manor House" and the river, about forty feet from the house,
inclining towards the south, are the remains of the foundation walls of
the Jesuit's church or chapel, dating back to 1640. On the 13th June,
1657, fire made dreadful havoc in the residence of the Jesuits
(_Relations_, for 1657, p. 26); they stand north-east and south-west,
and are at present flush with the greensward; a large portion of them were
still visible about thirty-five years ago, as, attested by many living
witnesses; they were converted into ballast for ships built at this spot,
and into materials for repairing the main road by some Vandal who will
remain nameless. From the Manor House you notice the little cape to the
south-west mentioned in Abbé Ferland's _Notes_, though growing smaller and
smaller every year from the quantities of soil and stone taken from it,
also to repair the road. The large elm pointed out by the Abbé as having
grown over the spot where the hospital stood is there yet, a majestic
tree. The selection of a site for the little cemetery is most judicious,
several little streams from the heights in the rear filter through the
ground, producing a moisture calculated to prevent decomposition and
explanatory of the singular appearance of the bodies disinterred there in
1855. Every visitor will be struck with the beauty, healthiness and
shelter which this sequestered nook at Sillery presents for a settlement,
and with its adaptability for the purposes for which it was chosen, being
quite protected against our two prevailing winds, the north-east and
south-west, with a warm southern exposure.
Many years after the opening of the Algonquin and Montagnais school at
Sillery, the Huron Indians, after being relentlessly tracked by their
inveterate foes, the Five Nations, divided into five detachments; one of
these hid on the Great Manitoulin Island, others elsewhere; a portion came
down to Quebec on the 26th July, 1650, [194] under the direction of Father
Ragueneau, and, on the 28th July, 1650, settled first on the Jesuits land
at Beauport; in March, 1651, they went to _Ance du Fort_, on the lands of
Mademoiselle de Grandmaison, on the Island of Orleans. But the Iroquois
having scented their prey in their new abode, made a raid on the island,
butchered seventy-one of them, and carried away some prisoners. The
unfortunate redskins soon left the Island in dismay, and for protection,
encamped in the city of Quebec itself, under the cannon of the fort,
constructed by Governor d'Aillebout to receive them, near the Jesuits
College (at Cote de St. Michel); in 1667, they settled on the northerly
frontier of Sillery, [195] in Notre Dame de Foy [now St. Foye]; restless
and scared, they again shifted they quarters on the 29th December, 1693,
and pitched their erratic tents at Ancienne Lorette, which place they also
abandoned many years afterwards to go and settle at _Jeune_ or Indian
Lorette, where the remnants of this once warlike race [196] (the _nobles_
amongst Indian tribes) exist, now crossed with their Caucasian brethren,
and vegetate in obscurity--exotic trees transplanted far from their native
wilds.
Shall we venture to assert that Sillery equals in size some of the German
principalities, and that, important though it be, like European dynasties,
it has had its periods of splendor succeeded by eras of medieval
obscurity. From 1700 down to the time of the conquest, we appeal in vain
to the records of the past for any historical event connected with it;
everywhere reigns supreme a Cimmerian darkness. But if the page of history
is silent, the chronicles of the _ton_ furnish some tit-bits of drawing-
room chit-chat. Thus, as stated in Hawkins' celebrated _Historical Picture
of Quebec_, [197] the northern portion of the parish skirting the St. Foye
road "was the favorite drive of the Canadian belle." In these few words,
of Hawkins is involved an intricate question for the salons, a problem to
solve, more abstruse than the one which agitated the Grecian cities
respecting the birth of Homer. Who then was the Canadian Belle of former
days? The Nestors of the present generation still speak with admiration of
a fascinating stranger who, close to the end of the last century, used to
drive on the St. Foye road, when a royal duke lived in the city, in what
is now styled "The Kent House," on St. Louis street. The name of this
distinguished traveller, a lady of European birth, was Madame St. Laurent;
but, kind reader, have patience. The Canadian belle who thus enjoyed her
drives in the environs of Quebec was not Madame St. Laurent, as it is
distinctly stated at page 170 of Hawkins that this occurred before the
conquest, viz., 1759. Might it have been that vision of female loveliness,
that spotless and beautiful Mrs. De Léry, whose presentation at court,
with her handsome husband, shortly after the conquest, elicited from His
Majesty George III. the expression which history has preserved, "If such
are all my new Canadian subjects, I have indeed made a conquest;" or must
we picture to ourselves as the Canadian belle that peerless beauty, that
witty and aspiring Madame Hughes Pean, Intendant Bigot's fair charmer,
mysteriously hinted at, in all the old Quebec guide books, as "Mrs.
P----." Madame Hughes Pean, [198] whose husband was Town Major of Quebec,
owned a seigniory in the vicinity of the city--some say at St. Vallier,
where Mons Pean used to load with corn the vessels he dispatched
elsewhere; she also was one of the gay revellers at the romantic
Hermitage, Bigot's shooting lodge at Charlesbourg. Old memoirs seem to
favour this version. Be this as it may the St. Foy road was a favorite
drive even a century before the present day; so says Hawkins' historical
work on Quebec--no mean authority, considering that the materials thereof
were furnished by that accomplished scholar and eminent barrister, the
late Andrew Stuart, father of the present Judge Stuart, and compiled by
the late Dr. John Charlton Fisher, one of the able joint editors of the
New York _Albion_, and father of Mrs. Ed. Burstall, late of Sillery. Who
was the reigning belle in 1759, we confess that all our antiquarian lore
has failed to satisfactorily unravel. The battles of 1759 and 1760 have
rendered Sillery, St. Foye, and the Plains of Abraham classic ground. The
details of these events, having appeared elsewhere, [199] the reader is
referred to them.
Those of the present day desirous to ascertain the exact spot in the
environs of Quebec where past events have taken place, ought to be careful
not to be misled by subsequent territorial divisions for municipal or
canonical purposes. Many may not be aware that our forefathers included
under the denomination of Abraham's Heights that plateau of comparatively
level ground extending in a south-easterly direction from the _Coteau
Ste. Geneviève_ towards the lofty banks which line the River St.
Lawrence, covering the greatest part of the land on which subsequently
have been built the St. Lewis and St. John's suburbs, the hilly portion
towards the city and river, where stands the Asile Champêtre; thence
south-east, being then called Buttes à Nepveu; the land close by, between
the Plains and Pointe à Puiseaux, as Côte St. Michael; the ascent from the
valley of the St. Charles towards this plateau was through the hill known
as Côte d'Abraham. The locality afterwards known as Woodfield and Spencer
Wood, in the fief of St. Michael, was designated as the wood of Sames,
thus called after a celebrated French ecclesiastic of Quebec, Bishop
Dosquet, who owned there a country seat in 1753--then known as Sames--
later on, as Woodfield. To the west lay the Gomin Wood--which had taken
its name from a French botanist, Dr. Gomin, who had located himself on
land on which it is said, Coulonge Cottage was subsequently built in order
to study the Flora of Sillery, which is very varied and rich.
The old Sillery settlement, which lay within the limits of the parish of
Ste. Foye, was, in 1855, placed under the distinguished tutelage of a
Saint, dear to those who hail from the Emerald Isle, and called St.
Columba of Sillery. Thus the realms heretofore sacred to the Archangel,
St. Michael and to St. Joseph, have peaceably passed under the gentle sway
of St. Columba, despite the law of prescription. The British residents of
Sillery--and this ought to console sticklers for English precedents and
the sacredness of vested rights--did not permit the glory of the Archangel
to depart, and soon after the erection of St. Columbia into a parish, the
handsome temple of worship called St. Michael's church, came into
existence. [200]
_OUR COUNTRY SEATS._
In the preceding paper a general sketch has been attempted of that portion
of the St. Lawrence highlands adjoining Quebec to the west--a locality
remarkable for the numerous residences it contains of "the nobility of
commerce," as a contemporary facetiously styles our merchants. We shall,
in the following go over a great portion of the same ground, delineating,
first the land area west of Quebec proper, where was fought the battle of
the 13th Sept., 1759, _the Plains or Abraham_, and next detail,
specifically, the most attractive of these country residences, enlarging
our canvass, however, so as to comprise also descriptions of rural homes
beyond the limits of Sillery. Many other abodes we would also desire to
take in these pages, but space precludes it. It is hoped we won't be
misunderstood in our literary project: far is it from our intention to
write a panegyric of individuals or a paean to success, although sketches
of men or domestic recollections may frequently find their place in the
description of their abodes. No other desire prompted us but that of
attempting to place prominently before the public the spots with which
history or nature has more specially enriched Quebec. Quebecers ought to
be proud of their scenery and of the historical ivy which clings to the
old walls of Stadacona. Neighbouring cities may grow vast with brick and
mortar; their commerce may advance with the stride of a young giant; their
citizens may sit in high places among the sons of men, but can they ever
compare with our own fortress for historical memories or beautiful
scenery? We shall assign the first place to the mansion which still crowns
the Montmorenci Falls, once the abode of the father of our Sovereign; we
shall then view the residences on the St. Lewis road in succession, then
those along the St. Foy road, and finally close this paper with the
description of other remarkable spots in the neighborhood of Quebec.--
Lorette, Château Bigot, Montmorency Falls, Chaudière Falls.
_THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM._
"Aux plaines d'Abraham, rendez-vous des batailles, revenez voir ces
lieux, oh! revenez encore, officiers du _Grand Roi_, revenez tous
aussi, La Barre, Frontenac, Denonville, Tracy! alignez vous, soldats,
Carignan et Guienne, appuyez, Languedoc et Béarn et la Reine."--
_Alp. de Puibusque_.
"Among modern Battle-fields," says Col. (now Lt. General) Beatson,
"none surpass in romantic interest the Plains or Heights of Abraham."
No Quebecer would have the hardihood to challenge the assertion of this
able engineer officer, stationed here from 1849 to 1854, and who spared
neither time nor pains, with the assistance of our historians and
antiquarians, Ferland, Faribault and McGuire, to collect authentic
information on this subject. Col. Beatson compiled a volume of historical
notes, which he published in 1858, when stationed at Gibraltar. [201]
The Plains of Abraham will ever be famous, as having witnessed, more than
one century back, the deadly encounter of the then two leading nations of
Europe--England and France--to decide the fate of Canada--one might say
(by the series of events it led to) the destinies of North America.
Of this mighty duel, which crimsoned with human gore these fields one
murky September morning, in 1759--Smollett, Carlyle, Bancroft, Hawkins,
Smith, Garneau, Ferland, Miles and other historians have vied with one
another to furnish a graphic account. Of the origin of the name, none
until lately could tell.
"Notwithstanding," adds Col. Beatson, "the world-like celebrity of
these Plains, it was not until very recently that the derivation of
their name was discovered; and as it is comparatively unknown, even in
Canada, the following explanation of its origin will doubtless possess
attractions for such as are fond of tracing to their sources the names
of celebrated localities, and who may be surprised to learn that
upwards of a century previous to the final conquest of Canada by the
British arms, the scene of the decisive struggle for national
supremacy in the northern division of the New World had derived its
name from one who, if not a Scotchman by birth, would seem to have
been of Scottish lineage. This apparently improbable fact will,
however, appear less extraordinary when it is known that he was a sea-
faring man; and when it is considered how close was the alliance and
how frequent the intercourse which, for centuries before that period,
had subsisted between France and Scotland.
"This individual, whose name was Abraham Martin, is described in a
legal document, dated the 15th August, 1646, and preserved among the
archives of the Bishop's Palace, at Quebec, as (the King's) Pilot of
the St. Lawrence; an appointment which probably conferred on its
possessor considerable official rank; for we find that Jacques
Quartier, or Cartier, the enterprising discoverer and explorer of the
St. Lawrence, when about to proceed in 1540, on his third voyage to
Canada, was appointed by Francis I, Captain General and Master Pilot
of the expedition which consisted of four vessels.
"That Martin was a person of considerable importance in the then
infant colony of New France may also be inferred from the fact that,
in the journal of the Jesuits and in the parish register of Quebec, he
is usually designated by his Christian name only, Maître Abraham; as
well as from the circumstance of Champlain, the distinguished founder
of Quebec and father of New France, having been god-father to one of
Abraham's daughters (Hélène) and of Charles de St. Etienne, Sieur de
la Tour, of Acadian celebrity, having stood in the same relation to
Martin's youngest son, Charles Amador.
"The earliest mention of Martin's name occurs in the first entry of
the parish register of Quebec, viz., on, the 24th of October, 1621;
when his son Eustache, who died shortly afterwards, was baptized by
father Denis, a Franciscan Friar. The second baptism therein recorded
is that of his daughter Marguerite, which took place in 1624; and it
is stated in the register that these children were born of the
legitimate marriage of Abraham Martin surnamed or usually known as
_the Scot_ ("dict l'Ecossois.") Their family was numerous; besides
Anne and other children previously to the opening of the register in
1621, the baptism of the following are therein recorded:--
Eustache,................ \ / 1621.
Marguerite,.............. | | 1624.
Marie,................... | | 1627.
Adrien,.................. | Born in | 1635.
Madelaine,............... | | 1640.
Barbe (Barbara),......... | | 1643.
Charles Amador,.......... / \ 1648.
who was the second Canadian raised to the priesthood, and became a
canon at the erection of the chapter of Quebec."
As the reader will observe there is nothing to connect the Plains with
that of the patriarch of Genesis. Nay, though our Scotch friend owned a
family patriarchal in extent, on referring to The Jesuits' Journal we
find, we regret to way, at page 120 an Entry, according to which the
"Ancient Mariner" seems to have been very summarily dealt with; in fact
committed to prison for a delinquency involving the grossest immorality.
The appellation of Plains of Abraham was formerly given by our historians
to that extensive plateau stretching from the city walls to the Sillery
Wood, bounded to the north by the heights of land overhanging the valley
of the St. Charles, and to the south by the _coin du cap_ overlooking
the St. Lawrence, whose many indentures form coves or timber berths, for
storing square timber, &c., studded with deep water wharves.
The hill in St. John suburbs or ascent leading up from the valley of the
St. Charles, where St. Roch has since been built to the table-land above,
was from time immemorial known as COTE D'ABRAHAM, Abraham's Hill. Why did
it bear that name?
On referring to the Parish Register of Quebec, from 1621 to 1700, one
individual seems to have borne the name of Abraham, and that person is
Abraham Martin, to whom under the appellation of _Maître_ Abraham,
repeated reference is made both in the Register and the Jesuits' Journal.
Abraham Martin, according to the documents quoted by Col. Beatson, owned
in two separate lots--one of twenty and the other of twelve
_arpents_--thirty-two _arpents_ of land, covering, as appears by the
subjoined Plan or Diagram copied from his work, a great portion of the
site on which St. John and St. Louis Suburbs have since been erected.
Abraham's property occupied, it would seem, a portion of the area--the
northern section--which, for a long period, also went under the name of
Abraham's Plains. It adjoined other land of the Ursuline Ladies then owned
on _Côteau St. Louis_, closer to the city, when 1667, [202] it was
purchased by them; at that time, the whole tract, according to Col.
Beatson, went under the general name of Plains of Abraham. Such appear to
be the results of recent researches on this once very obscure question.
_THE BATTLE FIELD._
Two highways, lined with country seats, forest trees or cornfields run
parallel, at a distance varying from one to half a mile, leading into
Quebec: the _Grande Allée_, or St. Louis and the Ste. Foye road. They
intersect from east to west the expanse, nine miles in length, from _Cap
Rouge_ to the city. These well known chief arteries of travel were solidly
macadamized in 1841. At the western point, looms out the oak and pine clad
cliffs of a lofty cape--_Cap Rouge_ or _Redclyffe_. Here wintered, in
1541-2, the discoverer of Canada, Cartier and his followers, here, in
1543-4, his celebrated follower, Roberval, seems also to have sojourned
during the dreary months of winter.
A small stream, at the foot of the cape, meanders in a north westerly
direction through St. Augustin and neighbouring parishes, forming a deep
valley all around the cape. The conformation of the land has led
geologists to infer that, at some remote period, the plateau, extending to
Quebec, must have been surrounded on all sides by water, the _Cap Rouge_
stream and St. Charles being the outlets on the west, north and east. This
area increases in altitude until it reaches the lofty summit of Cape
Diamond, its eastern boundary. Nature itself seems to have placed these
rugged heights as an insurmountable barrier to invasion from the St.
Lawrence. With the walls, bastion and heavy city guns; with artillery in
position on the _Cap Rouge_ promontory; cavalry patrolling the Sillery
heights; a numerous army on the only accessible portion of the coast--
Beauport, Quebec, if succoured in time, was tolerably safe; so thought
some of the French engineers, though not Montcalm.
"The two engagements," says Chauveau, "that of the 15th September,
1759, and that of the 28th of April, 1760, occupied nearly all the
plateau hereinbefore described. The first, however, it would seem, was
fought chiefly on the St. Louis road, whilst the second took place on
the Ste. Foye road. Each locality has its monument, one erected in the
honour of Wolfe, on the identical spot where he fell; the other in
1855, to commemorate the glorious fate of the combatants of 1760,
where the carnage was the thickest, viz: on the site where stood
Dumont's mill (a few yards to the east of the dwelling of J. W.
Dunscomb, Esq.)
"The victory of 1759 was a fitting reward of Wolfe's valour, punished
the infamies of the Bigot _régime_ and withdrew Canada from the
focus of the terrible chastisement which awaited France soon after--in
the Reign of Terror--for her impiety and immorality. The victory of
April, 1760, was a comforting incident--a species of compensation to a
handful of brave and faithful colonists, for the crushing disaster
which had befallen their cause, the preceding September. It was the
crowning--though bootless victory--to the recent brilliant, but
useless success of the French arms at Carillon, Monongahela, Fort
George, Ticonderoga, Beauport Flats. It was, moreover, the last title,
added to numerous others, to the esteem and respect of their
conquerors."
Of the second battle of the Plains, that of 28th April 1760, called by
some writers "The battle of Ste. Foye," by others "The battle of Sillery
Wood," so bloody in its results, so protracted in its duration, we have in
_Garneau's History_ the first complete account, the historian Smith
having glossed over with striking levity this "French victory." The loss
of the rival Generals, at the battle of the Plains, of September, 1759,
though an unusual incident in warfare, was not without precedent Generals
Braddock and DeBeaujeu in 1755, had both sealed on the battlefield their
devotion to their country with their blood on the shores of the
Monongahela, in Ohio; in this case as in that of Wolfe and Montcalm, he
whose arms were to prevail, falling first.
In 1759, everything conspired to transform this conflict into an important
historical event. Even after the lapse of a century, one sometimes is fain
to believe, it sums up all which Europe recollects of primitive Canada.
The fall of Quebec did not merely bring to a close the fierce rivalry of
France and England in America. It lent an immense prestige to Great
Britain, by consolidating her maritime supremacy over France--a supremacy
she then so highly prized. The event, after the discouraging news which
had prevailed, was heralded all over England by the ringing of the bells,
and public thanksgiving. Bonfires blazed through the length and breadth of
the land, it was a national victory which King, Peers and Commons could
not sufficiently extol, and still what has been the ultimate result? By
removing the French power from Canada--the only counterpoise to keep down
the restless and thriving New England colonies, New England, from being
strong got to be defiant. The surrender of Canada hastened the American
Revolution. The rule of Britain soon ceased to exist in the New England
Provinces; and later on, in 1810, by the abrogation of the right of search
on the high seas, her maritime supremacy became a dead letter. As Mr.
Chauveau has remarked, "if the independence of America meant the lessening
of the British prestige, it remains yet to be proved that France has
benefitted thereby."
How much of these momentous changes can be traced to the incidents
(perhaps the treason of Bigot), [203] which made the scale of victory
incline to British valour on the 13th of September, 1759!
Those desirous of obtaining a full account of the two battles of the
Plains are referred among other works, to "Quebec Past and Present." I
shall merely borrow from Col. Beatson's very rare volume details not to be
found in the ordinary histories.
"It has," says Col Beatson, "been alleged that Montcalm in hastening
to meet the British on an open plain, and thereby to decide in a
single battle, the fate of a fertile Province nearly equal in extent
to one-half of Europe, was not only forgetful of his usual caution,
but acted with culpable temerity."
Such action, however, proceeded from no sudden impulse, but from a
noble resolve deliberately formed after the most mature consideration
and recorded some time previously.
Painfully convinced how little security the weak defences of the city
could afford against the determined assault of well disciplined and
ably led troops, he believed that however great the risk of meeting
his daring adversary in the open field, this course was the only one
that seemed to promise him any chance of success. Besides, he had a
force numerically [204] superior to that of the English General, could
he have concentrated them at one spot. Bougainville with the flower of
the French army, the grenadiers and volunteers, 3,000 strong,
according to professor Dussieux, was at Cap Rouge, six miles from the
battlefield and took no part in the fight, having arrived there more
than one hour after the fate of Canada was decided. 1,500 men had been
left at the Beauport camp to repel the feint by Admiral Saunders'
ships, on the morning of the 13 Sept., 1759. The Charlesbourg, Lorette
and Beauport militia had been granted leave to return home that week,
to look after their harvest: a curious coincidence.
The French army was as follows, viz:
Left | The Royal Roussillon Regiment, a battalion Regulars. Militia.
Wing | of the marines, or colony troops, and
| Canadian militia........................... 1,300 2,300
Centre.--The Regiments of Béarn and militia. ...... 720 1,200
Right | The Regiments of La Sarre and Languedoc,
Wing | a battalion of the marine, and militia..... 1,600 400
----- -----
3,620 3,900
Wolfe's _field-state_ on the morning of the 13th September, showed
only 4,828 men of all ranks, from the General downwards; but of these
every man was a trained soldier.
And within little more than an hour's march from the Plains, he could
not honourably have remained inactive while believing that only a part
of the enemy's force was in possession of such vantage ground; and
neither the dictates of prudence [205] nor his own chivalrous spirit
and loyal regard for the national honour, would permit him to betray a
consciousness of weakness by declining the combat, on finding himself
unexpectedly confronted by the whole of Wolfe's army. Relying,
doubtless, on the prestige of his victories during the campaign of the
proceeding year (1758) in which he had been uniformly successful, and
in which at Ticonderoga, with four thousand men he had defeated
General Abercromby at the head of nearly four times that number--he
endeavoured by a confident bearing and encouraging expressions [206]
to animate his troops with hopes which he himself could scarcely
entertain; and though almost despairing of success, boldly resolved to
attempt, by a sudden and vigorous onset, to dislodge his rival before
the latter could intrench himself in his commanding position, and it
is surely no blot on his fame that the superior discipline and
unflinching steadiness of his opponents, the close and destructive
volley [207] by which the spirited but disorderly advance of his
battalions was checked, and the irresistible [208] charge which
completed their confusion, rendered unavailing his gallant effort to
save the colony; for (to borrow the words of the eloquent historian of
the _Peninsular War_), "the vicissitudes of war are so many that
disappointment will sometimes attend the wisest combinations; and a
ruinous defeat, the work of chance close the career of the boldest and
most sagacious of Generals, so that to judge a commander's conduct by
the event alone is equally unjust and unphilosophical."
In the remarkable letter said to have been addressed to his cousin, M.
de Molé, _Président au Parlement de Paris_, and dated _from the camp
before Quebec, 22nd August_, 1759,"--a fortnight before the battle--
MONTCALM thus pathetically describes how hopeless would be the
situation in the event of WOLFE effecting a landing near the city;
and, with a firm heart, foretold his own fate,
"Here I am, my dear cousin, after the lapse of more than three months
still contending with Mr. WOLFE, who has incessantly bombarded Quebec
with a fury unexampled in the attack of any place, which the besieger
has wished to retain after his capture.
"Nearly all the whole of Lower Town has been destroyed by his
batteries and of the Upper Town a great part is likewise in ruins. But
even if he leaves not one stone upon another, he will never obtain
possession of the capital of the colony whilst his operations continue
to be confined to the opposite side of the river.
"Notwithstanding all his efforts during these three months, be has
hitherto made no progress towards the accomplishment of his object. He
is ruining us, but without advantage to himself. The campaign can
scarcely last another month, in consequence of the approach of the
autumnal gales, which are so severe and so disastrous to shipping.
"It may seem that, after so favourable a prelude, the safety of the
colony can scarcely be doubtful. Such, however, is not the case, as
the capture of Quebec depends on a _coup-de-main_. The English have
entire command of the river, and have only to effect a landing on this
side, where the city without defences is situated. Imagine them in a
position to offer me battle! _which I could no longer decline, and
which I ought not to gain_.
"Indeed, if M. WOLFE understands his business he has only to receive
my first fire, give a volley in return, and then charge; when my
Canadians--undisciplined, deaf to the sound of the drum, and thrown
into confusion by his onset--would be incapable of resuming their
ranks. Moreover, as they have no bayonets with which to oppose those
of the enemy, nothing would remain for them but flight; and then--
behold me beaten without resource.
"Conceive my situation! a most painful one for a General-in-Chief, and
which causes me many distressing moments.
"Hitherto, I have been enabled to act successfully on the defensive;
but will a continuance in that course prove ultimately successful?
that is the question which events must decide! Of this, however, you
may rest assured, that I shall probably not survive the loss of the
colony. There are circumstances which leave to a General no choice but
that of dying with honour; such may soon be my fate; and I trust that
in this respect posterity will have no cause to reproach my memory."
[209]
MONTCALM, conspicuous in front of the left wing of his line, and
WOLFE, at the head of the 28th Regiment, and the Louisbourg
Grenadiers, towards the right of the British line, must have been
nearly opposite to each other at the commencement of the battle, which
was most severe in that part of the field; and, by a singular
coincidence each of these heroic leaders had been twice wounded during
the brief conflict before he received his last and fatal wound.
But the valiant Frenchman, regardless of pain, relaxed not his efforts
to rally his broken battalions in their hurried retreat towards the
city, until he was shot through the loins, when within a few yards of
the St. Louis Gate. And so invincible was his fortitude that not even
the severity of this mortal stroke could abate his gallant spirit or
alter his intrepid bearing. Supported by two grenadiers--one at each
side of his horse--he re-entered the city; and in reply to some woman
who, on seeing blood flow from his wounds as he rode down St. Louis
street, on his way to the château, [210] exclaimed, _Oh, mon Dieu!
mon Dieu! le marquis est tué!_ courteously assured them that he was
not seriously hurt, and beg them not to distress themselves on his
account. _Ce n'est rien! Ce n'est rien! Ne vous affligez pas pour
moi, mes bonnes amies._ The last words of WOLFE--imperishably
enshrined in history--excite, after the lapse of a century, the
liveliest admiration and sympathy, and similar interest may, perhaps
be awakened by the narrative of the closing scene in the eventful
career of his great opponent.
On the 24th of March, 1761, the French troops who had served in Canada
under Montcalm, through M de Bougainville, applied to the British
Government for leave to raise a monument to the illustrious dead hero.
The British Government, through Mr. Pitt, sent back to Paris on the
10th April, 1761, a graceful letter of acquiescence. The inscription
had been prepared by the _Académie des Inscriptions et Belles
Lettres_. Unfortunately the marble on which the inscription was
engraved by some cause or other never reached Canada. However, in
1831, Lord Aylmer erected over the tomb of the marquis, in the
Ursuline Convent, a simple mural tablet of white marble, having the
following concise and beautiful epitaph from his Excellency's own
pen--
HONNEUR
à
MONTCALM
Le Destin en lui dérobant la Victoire
L'a récompensé par une mort glorieuse.
In the course of the following year (1832), there was also erected by
his Lordship a small monument on the battle-field to indicate the spot
where WOLFE expired, which structure, having become injured, has since
given place to a pedestal and column about thirty-five feet high,
surmounted by a Roman helmet wreathed with a laurel, and sword; both
in bronze.
On two sides of the pedestal are inserted bronze panels, with
inscriptions cast in bold relief; one of which thus briefly records
the place, circumstances, and date of the conquering hero's death:
Here Died
WOLFE
Victorious
September the 13th, 1759.
The other is as follows:
"This pillar was erected
By the British Army in Canada, A.D. 1849;
His Excellency Lieut.-General Sir Benjamin
d'Urban,
G.C.B.; K.C.H.; K.C.T.S., &c.,
Commander of the Forces,
To replace that erected by Governor-General
Lord Aylmer, G.C.B.,
Which was broken and defaced, and is deposited
underneath.
From the foregoing, all admit that the Plains of Abraham must recall
memories equally sacred to both nationalities inhabiting Quebec.
The 13th September, 1759, and the 28th April, 1760, are two red-letter
days in our annals; the undying names of Wolfe and Montcalm claim the
first, the illustrious names of Levis and Murray, the second.
In the September engagement Montcalm's right wing rested on the Ste.
Foye road; his left on the St. Louis road, near the Buttes-à-Nepveu
(Perrault's Hill.)
In the April encounter, Murray's hardy warriors occupied the greatest
portion of the north-western section of the plateau. His right wing
rested on Coteau Ste. Genevieve, St. John Suburbs, and his left
reached to the edge of the cliff, overhanging the St Lawrence, near
Marchmont. On the 13th September, the French began the fight; on the
28th April it was the British who fired first. Fifteen years later, in
1775, the Heights of Abraham became the camping ground of other foes.
This time the British of New England were pitted against the British
of New France; we all know with what result.
_BATTLEFIELD PARK._
The departure from our shores of England's red coated legions, in
1871, amongst other voids, left waste, untenanted, and unoccupied, the
historic area, for close on one century reserved as their parade and
exercising grounds on review days--The Plains of Abraham. This famous
battle-field does not, we opine, belong to Quebec alone; it is the
common property of all Canada. The military authorities always so
careful in keeping its fences in repair handed it over to the
Dominion, which made no provision for this purpose. On the 9th March,
1875, the Dominion Government leased it to the Corporation of the city
of Quebec, for ten years of the lease under which it was held from the
Religious Ladies of the Ursulines of Quebec, provided the Corporation
assumed the conditions of the lease, involving an annual rental of two
hundred dollars.
The extensive conflagration of June 1876, which laid waste one-half of
St. Louis Suburbs, and the consequent impoverished state of the
municipal finances prevented the City authorities from voting any
money to maintain in proper order the fences of the Plains. Decay,
ruin and disorder were fast settling on this sacred ground, once
moistened by the blood of heroes, when the citizens of Quebec
spontaneously came to the rescue. No plan suggested to raise the
necessary funds obtained more favour than that of planting it with
some shade-trees, and converting it into a Driving Park. This idea
well carried out would, in a measure, associate it with the everyday
life of all citizens of all denominations. Its souvenir, its wondrous
river-views alone would attract thousands. It would be open
_gratis_ to all well-behaved pedestrians. The fatigued tradesman,
the weary labourer, may at any time saunter round and walk to the
brink of the giddy heights facing Levi; feast their eyes on the
striking panorama unrolled at their feet; watch the white winged
argosies of commerce float swan-like on the bosom of the mighty flood,
whilst the wealthy citizen, in his panelled carriage, would take his
afternoon drive round the Park _en payant_. The student, the
scholar, the traveller might each in turn find here amusement, and
fresh air and shade, and with sketch book and map in hand, come and
study or copy the formation of the battle-field and its monument;
whilst the city _belle_ on her palfrey, or the youthful equestrian,
fresh from college, might enjoy a canter round the undulating course
in September on all days, except that Autumn week sacred to the turf,
ever since 1789, selected by the sporting fraternity.
In November, 1876, an association was formed, composed as follows: His
Honour the Lieut.-Governor, His Worship the Mayor, Chief Justice
Meredith, Hon. Judge Tessier, Hon. E. Chinic, Hon. D. E. Price, Chs.
E. Levey, Hon. P. Garneau, Col. Rhodes, John Gilmour, John Burstall,
Hon. C. C. DeLéry, J. Bte. Renaud, Jos. Hamel, J. M. LeMoine, Hon.
Thos. McGreevy, Hon. C. Alleyn, C. F. Smith, A. P. Caron, Thos.
Beckett, James Gibb, R. R. Dobell, with E. J. Meredith, Secretary.
Hon. E. Chinic, and Messrs. C. F. Smith, and R. R. Dobell were named
Trustees to accept for the nominal sum of $1, the lease held by the
City Corporation, the Corporation continuing liable for the annual
rent of $200. Though the late period of the season prevented the
association from doing anything, beyond having the future Park
suitably fenced in, the praiseworthy object in contemplation has not
been lost sight of, and active measures in furtherance of the same
will yet be taken.
It would be unjust to close this hasty sketch without awarding a word
of praise and encouragement to one of the most active promoters of the
scheme, R. R. Dobell, Esq., of Beauvoir, Sillery. (These lines penned
in 1876, we recall this day, with regret, the excellent idea of
Battlefield Park having fallen through, on the promoters discovery
that the 99 years lease, granted by the Ursuline Nuns would expire in
a very few years, when the Nuns would resume the site).
_THE DUKE OF KENT'S LODGE,--MONTMORENCI._
"Oh! give me a home where the cataract's foam
Is admired by the poor and the rich, as they roam
By thy banks, Montmorenci, so placid and fair,
Oh! what would I give, could I find a home there."
The Montmorenci heights and beaches have become famous on account of the
successful defence made there during the whole summer of 1759, by
Montcalm, against the attacks of Wolfe's veterans. Finally, the French
lines having been deemed impregnable on the Beauport side, a fort and
barracks [211] were repeatedly talked of at Isle aux Coudres, to winter
the troops. Wolfe was, however, overruled in his councils, and a spot near
Sillery pointed out for a descent, possibly by a French renegade, Denis de
Vitré, [212] probably by Major Stobo, who, being allowed a good deal of
freedom during his captivity, knew the locality well. Stobo had been all
winter a prisoner of war in the city, having been sent down from Fort
Necessity, on its surrender, to Quebec, in 1754, by the French, from whom
he escaped in the beginning of May, 1759, and joined Durell and Saunders'
fleet long before it reached Point Levi. These same heights, celebrated
for their scenery, were destined, later on, to acquire additional interest
from the sojourn thereat of a personage of no mean rank--the future father
of our august Sovereign.
Facing the roaring cataract of Montmorenci stands the "Mansion House,"
built by Sir Frederic Haldimand, C.B., [213] when Governor of the
Province--here Sir Frederic entertained, in 1782, the Baronness Redesdale,
the wife of the Brunswick General, who had come over with Burgoyne to
fight the continentals in 1775,--a plain-looking lodge, still existing, to
which, some years back, wings have been added, making it considerably
larger. This was the favourite summer abode of an English Prince. His
Royal Highness Edward Augustus, Colonel of the Royal Fusileers,
subsequently Field Marshal the Duke of Kent, "had landed here," says the
_Quebec Gazette_ of the 18th August, 1791, from H. M. ships _Ulysses_ and
_Resistance_, [214] in seven weeks from Gibraltar, with the 7th or Royal
Regiment of Fusileers." The Prince had evidently a strong fancy for
country life, as may be inferred by the fact that, during his prolonged
stay in Halifax, as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, he owned also, seven
miles out of the city, a similar rustic lodge, of which Haliburton has
given a charming description. 'Twas on the 11th of August the youthful
colonel, with his fine regiment, landed in the Lower Town; on the 12th was
held in his honour, at the Château St. Louis, a levée, whereat attended
the authorities, civil, military and clerical, together with the gentry.
In the afternoon "the ladies were presented to the Prince in the Château."
Who, then, attended this levée? Did he dance? If so, who were his
partners? No register of names; no list of Edward's partners, such as we
have of the Prince of Wales. [215] No _Court Journal_! Merely an entry of
the names of the signers of the address in the _Quebec Gazette_ of the
18th August, 1791. Can we not, then, re-people the little world of Quebec
of 1791?--bring back some of the principal actors of those stormy
political, but frolicsome times? Let us walk in with the "nobility and
gentry," and make our best bow to the scion of royalty. There, in fall
uniform, you will recognize His Excellency Lord Dorchester, the Governor-
General, one of our most popular administrators; next to him, that tall,
athletic military man, is the Deputy Governor-General, Sir Alured Clark.
He looks eager to grasp the reins of office from his superior, who will
set sail for _home_ in a few days. See how thoughtful the Deputy Governor
appears; in order to stand higher with his royal English master he
chuckles before-hand over the policy which gives to many old French
territorial divisions, right English names--Durham, Suffolk, Prince
Edward, York, Granville, Buckinghamshire, Herefordshire, Kent. The western
section of Canada will rejoice in the new names of Hesse, Luneberg,
Nassau, Mecklenburg. That Deputy Governor will yet live to win a _baton_
[216] of Field Marshal under a Hanoverian sovereign. He is now in close
conversation with Chief Justice William Smith, senior. Round there are a
bevy of Judges, Legislative Councillors, Members of Parliament, all done
up to kill, _à l'ancienne mode_, by Monsigneur Jean Laforme, [217] court
hair-dresser, with powdered periwigs, ruffles and formidable pigtails.
Here is Judge Mabane, Secretary Pownall, Honorable Messrs. Finlay, [218]
Dunn, Harrison, Holland, Collins, Caldwell, Fraser, Lymburner; Messrs.
Lester, Young, Smith junior. Mingled with them you also recognize the
bearers of old historic names--Messrs. de Longueuil, Baby, de Bonne,
Duchesnay, Dunière, Guéroult, de Lotbinière, Roc de St. Ours, Dambourgès,
de Rocheblave, de Rouville, de Boucherville, Le Compte, Dupré, Bellestre,
Taschereau, de Tonnancour, Panet, de Salaberry, and a host of others. Were
these gentlemen all present? Probably not, they were likely to be. Dear
reader, you want to know also what royal Edward did--said--was thought of
--amongst the Belgravians of old Stadacona, during the three summers he
spent in Quebec.
"How he looked when he danced, when he sat at his ease,
When his Highness had sneezed, or was going to sneeze."
Bear in mind then, that we have to deal with a dashing Colonel of
Fusileers--age twenty-five--status, a prince of the blood; add that he was
ardent, generous, impulsive, gallant; a tall, athletic fellow; in fact,
one of George III.'s big, burly boys--dignified in manner--a bit of a
statesman; witness his happy and successful speech [219] at the hustings
of the Charlesbourg election, and the biting rebuke it contained in
anticipation--for Sir Edmund Head's unlucky post-prandial joke about the
_superior_ race. Would you prefer to know him after he had left our
shores and become Field Marshal the Duke of Kent? Take up his biography by
the Rev. Erskine Neale, and read therein that royal Edward was a truthful,
Christian gentleman--a chivalrous soldier, though a stern disciplinarian--
an excellent husband--a persecuted and injured brother--a neglected son--
the munificent patron of literary, educational and charitable
institutions--a patriotic Prince--in short, a model of a man and a paragon
of every virtue. But was he all that? we hear you say. No doubt of it.
Have you not a clergyman's word for it--his biographer's? The Rev. Erskine
Neale will tell you what His Royal Highness did at Kensington Palace, or
Castlebar Hill. Such his task; ours, merely to show you the gallant young
colonel, emerging bright and early from his Montmorenci Lodge, thundering
with his spirited pair of Norman horses over the Beauport and Canardière
road; one day, "sitting down to whist and partridges for supper," at the
hospitable board of a fine old scholar and gentleman, M. de Salaberry,
then M.P.P. for the county of Quebec, the father of the hero of
Châteauguay, and who resided near the Beauport church. The old de
Salaberry mansion has since been united by purchase to Savnoc, Col. B. C.
A. Gugy's estate. Another day you may see him dash past Belmont or Holland
House or Powell Place, occasionally dropping in with the _bonhommie_
of a good, kind Prince, as he was--especially when the ladies were young
and pretty. You surely did not expect to find an anchorite in a slashing
Colonel of Fusileers--in perfect health, age, twenty-five. Not a grain of
asceticism ever entered, you know, in the composition of "Farmer George's"
big sons; York and Clarence, they were no saints; neither were they
suspected of asceticism; not they, they knew better. And should royal
Edward, within your sight, ever kiss his hand to any fair daughter of Eve,
inside or outside of the city, do not, my Christian friend, upturn to
heaven the whites of your eyes in pious horror; princes are men, nay, they
require at times to be more than men to escape the snares, smiles,
seductions, which beset them at every step in this wicked, wicked, world.
How was Montmorenci Lodge furnished? Is it true that the Prince's
remittances, from Carlton House never exceeded £5,000 per annum during his
stay here?--Had he really as many bells to summon his attendants in his
Beauport Lodge as his Halifax residence contained--as he had at Kensington
or Castlebar Hill? Is it a fact that he was such a punctual and early
riser, that to ensure punctuality on this point, on of his servants was
commanded to sleep during the day in order to be sure to be awake at day-
break to ring the bell?--Did he really threaten to court-martial the 7th
Fusileers, majors, captains, subs and privates, who might refuse to sport
their pig-tails in the streets of Quebec, as well as at Gibraltar?
Really, dear reader, your inquisitiveness has got beyond all bounds; and
were Prince Edward to revisit those shores, we venture to say, that you
would in a frenzy of curiosity or loyalty even do what was charged by De
Cordova, when Edward's grandson, Albert of Wales, visited, in 1860, Canada
and the American Union:--
"They have stolen his gloves and purloined his cravat
Even scraped a souvenir from the nap of his hat."
Be thankful if we satisfy even one or two of your queries. He had indeed
to live here on the niggardly allowance of £5,000 per annum. The story
[220] about censuring an officer for cutting off his pig-tail refers not
to his stay in Canada, but to another period of his life. He lived rather
retired; a select few only were admitted to his intimacy; his habits were
here, as elsewhere, regular; his punctuality, proverbial; his stay amongst
us, marked by several acts of kindness, of which we find traces in the
addresses presented on several occasions, thanking him for his own
personal exertions and the assistance rendered by his gallant men at
several fires which had occurred. [221] He left behind some warm admirers,
with whom he corresponded regularly. We have now before us a package of
his letters dated "Kensington Palace." Here is one out of twenty; but no,
the records of private friendship must remain inviolate.
The main portion of the "Mansion House," at Montmorenci, is just as he
left it. The room in which he used to write is yet shown; a table and
chair--part of his furniture--are to this day religiously preserved. The
lodge is now the residence of the heirs of the late G. B Hall, Esquire,
the proprietors of the extensive saw mills at the foot of the falls.
_THE DUKE OF KENT, THE QUEEN'S FATHER, AT QUEBEC, 1791-4._
Of the numerous sons of King George III., none, perhaps, were born
with more generous impulses, none certainly more manly--none more true
in their attachments, and still none more maligned neglected--traduced
than he, who, as a jolly Colonel of Fusileers spent some pleasant
years of his life at Quebec from 1791 to '94, Edward Augustus, father
of our virtuous and beloved Sovereign.
We wish to be understood at the outset. It is not our intention here
to write a panegyric on a royal Duke; like his brothers, York and
Clarence--the pleasure-loving, he, too, had his foibles; he was not an
anchorite by any means. His stern, Spartan idea of discipline may have
been overstretched, and blind adherence to routine in his daily habits
may have justly invited the lash of ridicule. What is pretended here,
and that, without fear of contradiction, is that his faults, which
were those of a man, were loudly proclaimed, while his spirit of
justice, of benevolence and generosity was unknown, unrecognized,
except by a few. No stronger record can be opposed to the traducers of
the memory of Edward, Duke of Kent, than his voluminous correspondence
with Col. DeSalaberry and brothers, from 1791 to 1815--recently,
through the kindness of the DeSalaberry family, laid before the public
by the late Dr. W. J. Anderson, of Quebec.
The Duke had not been lucky in the way of biographers. The Rev.
Erskine Neale, who wrote his life, is less a biographer than a
panegyrist, and his book, if, instead of much fulsome praise, it
contained a fuller account--especially of the early career of his
hero--of the Duke's sayings and doings in Gibraltar, Quebec and
Halifax, it would certainly prove more valuable, much more complete.
Singularly enough, Neale, disposes in about three lines, of the years
the Duke spent in Quebec, though, as proved by his correspondence,
those years were anything but barren. Quebec, we contend, as exhibited
in the Duke's letters, ever retained a green spot in his souvenirs, in
after life.
The Old Château balls, the Kent House in St. Lewis street, had for him
their joyful sunshine, when, as a stalwart, dashing Colonel of
Fusileers, aged 25, he had his _entrées_ in the fashionable drawing-
rooms of 1791-4 Holland House, Powell Place (Spencer Wood, as it is
now called), old Hale's receptions, Lymburner's soirees in his old
mansion on Sault au Matelot street, then the fashionable quarter for
wealthy merchants. The Duke's cottage _orné_ at the Montmorenci Falls
had also its joyous memories, but these were possibly too tender to be
expatiated on in detail.
The Prince, it appears, was also present on an occasion of no ordinary
moment to the colony that is when the King, his father, "granted a
Lower Chamber to the two provinces in 1791."
The only original source now available for inditing that portion of
the Duke's life spent in Quebec, is Neilson's old _Quebec Gazette_,
supplemented with divers old traditions, not always reliable.
Dr. Anderson's compilation will certainly go far to dispel the
atmosphere of misrepresentation floating around the character of
Prince Edward, as he was familiarly styled when here during the past
century. The character of the most humble individual, when casually
mentioned in history, ought to be free from misrepresentation. Why
this rule should not apply to the manly soldier who, in the streets of
old Quebec in 1791, headed his gallant men wherever a riot, a fire, or
a public calamity required their presence, is difficult to understand.
No man was more popular in the city from the services he rendered when
called on. One class, however, found in him an unrelenting
disciplinarian--the refractory soldier attempting mutiny or desertion
from the corps.
We are invited to these reflections from the fact that new light is
now promised to us on this traduced commander, in the shape of what
will no doubt be an attractive biography of Duke Edward from the pen
of a London _littérateur_ of note, whose name we are not justified in
giving at present. The following extract from a London letter,
received this last mail by a gentleman of this city, who has succeeded
in gathering together valuable materials for Canadian history, will
prove what we now assert. It is addressed to Mr. LeMoine, late
President of the Literary and Historical Society, whose sketch of the
Prince's career in 1791, as contained in the _Maple Leaves_ for 1865,
seems to have obtained the full approbation of the distinguished
_littérateur_ now engaged in writing the life of the Duke:
"SOUTH KENSINGTON, London, May 30, 1874.
DEAR SIR,--If my note on Miss Nevill's incident [222] clears up any
point hitherto obscure of Canadian life, use it by all means for your
Canadian sketches. During my searches consequent to elucidate the
Duke's sojourn in Canada, many curious stories came under my eye,
which have never, as I am aware, been yet published in Canadian
histories, when the Prince was stationed at Quebec. The London pens
were m the habit of publishing from time to time incidents of
considerable interest bearing on forgotten periods of the early
British Constitutional History of Canada--parliamentary. My intention
is to note them in the life of H.R.H., as he was present when the
King granted a lower Chamber to the two provinces in 1791. From this
circumstance he based his firm adherence to a constitutional
Government as the safest mode to ensure freedom to all parties
interested therein. My work on the Duke of Kent would have been
published ere this, but I am awaiting the correspondence promised me
by Lord B---- addressed to Lord L----, and that also to Sir H----
Douglas, formerly Lieutenant-Governor of ----. Your suggestion will
not be lost sight of. _Maple Leaves_ have been fully culled for
information concerning the Prince. Holland Farm and the Duke at
Montmorenci give a correct picture of life in Quebec in 1791--
information unknown to Rev. Mr. Neale in 1850.
If not too much trouble, could you let me know whether these works, of
which I enclose a list, mention the Duke in Canada, for the British
Museum does not possess these publications, which obliges me to seek
information from such a person as yourself, who is versed in Canadian
affairs. I am anxious to give a correct account of the Duke in Canada.
This period of his life has escaped all the biographers of the Prince,
Philippart and Neale, &c. If I should meet any striking incident
relative to Canadian affairs, I shall forward it to your address."--
_From Quebec Morning Chronicle_.
_L'ASYLE CHAMPÊTRE._
Founded by Joseph Francois Perrault, the pioneer of lay education in the
Province of Quebec.
"In these days of ambitious, showy villas and grand mansions, whose lofty
and imposing proportions, elaborate architectural ornaments, conspicuous
verandahs and prominent sites are all designed, not only to gratify the
taste and pride of their owners, but to impress with wonder and admiration
the ordinary observer, it may be interesting to give a description of Mr.
Perrault's residence, a fair specimen of a comfortable and well ordered
dwelling of the olden time. My object, in describing it, is to convey to
the present generation some idea of the taste and domestic architecture of
our ancestors, especially to those who, in culture and social influence,
might truly be regarded as representative men. For a similar purpose, I
have thought of presenting such social pictures of the good old times, of
his habits and practices, as marked his connection with his relatives and
neighbors, and in this way an instructive lesson may be learned.
Mr. Perrault's abode was a building of one storey, with attics in front
and two in rear, in the style of the eighteenth century, on the north side
of the St. Louis Road, on the spot known to historians as les buttes à
nepveu, to-day, as Perrault's Hill, upon which the residence of Mr. Henry
Dinning now stands. As all students are aware, this is classic ground;
here was fought the main struggles of the battles of the Plains of Abraham
and of St. Foy; Murray's troops having entrenched themselves here on the
eve of the engagement with de Levis. A stone wall with an elegant railing
divided the property from the main road, near which was a graceful little
nestled summer house, overgrown with creepers and vines; through an avenue
with flowery borders, between lines of lofty vases, filled with blooming
plants, the visitor reached the house, which occupied the centre of a
garden of four acres. Above the door, at the summit of a flight of steps,
was inscribed in gilt letters, _Asyle Champêtre_. It was a double
house with a conservatory at each end, the first erected in Canada, filled
with exotic and native plants, at some distance on either side were
miniature Norman turrets. Mr. Perrault had selected this favourable site
for his residence, carefully noting all its advantages. The rays of the
rising sun flashed through the front windows, cheering him in his morning
labours, while as the day wore on, a flood of mellow light suffused the
western portion of his chamber. From such vantage ground, Mr. Perrault, of
an evening, could observe the movements of the heavenly bodies, the
position of the planets and the various phenomena of the firmament; the
study of which had great attractions for him, and created in his mind a
gratitude to the great architect for all His vast works and beneficent
care. On entering the visitor found himself in the reception room, of
about twenty-four feet square, with a large bay window towards the north,
and used as a drawing room and study. In whatever direction one looked,
the view was attractive; to the south, the commanding heights of Point
Levi, with the chasm between, where rolled by the great St. Lawrence; to
the east, the picturesque island of Orleans, dividing the river into two
channels, and the imposing old Citadel, or martial crown of the city on
Cape Diamond; to the north, the meandering river in the beautiful valley
of St. Charles, the heights of Charlesbourg and Lorette, the shore of
Beauport, the faint trace of the _embouchure_ of the Montmorenci, and
the grand Laurentian mountain range in the distance; and to the west, the
battle fields of 1759 and 60, memorable for their heroic deeds and
momentous results--views most charming, exquisite and impressive.
The front grounds were utilized as a model garden and orchard, in which
every improvement in horticulture had been adopted and were laid out in
plots and gravelled walks. In rear of the house was a miniature pond,
enlivened by waterfowl and turtles, and whose banks were adorned with
water plants and ferns, and receding thence were plateaux, covered with
flowers of every description.
In addition to the picturesque appearance and commanding position of Mr.
Perrault's house, the internal arrangements of the apartments deserve
notice, particularly as in them often met the leading men of Quebec, where
they discussed the fluctuations of the public mind, benevolent enterprises
and matters of general interest. The parlor in the _Asyle Champêtre_
was well known to the élite and leaders of society of that day; elegantly,
but not luxuriously, furnished; the carpet was made of flax, sown and
grown on the grounds adjoining his schools, and woven by the pupils; the
walls were hung with valuable paintings and ornamented by objects of
_virtû_ artistically arranged. From the centre descended a lustre of
six candles; at the rear angles were large circular mirrors, one concave
and the other convex, with lights on each side, reflecting every object in
movement in the apartment. Two bronze statues, or candelabra, with lights,
guarded either side of the hall door, in keeping with the surroundings;
the hangings and furniture were in the style of Louis XIV., in which the
colours harmoniously blended. On the left hand of this apartment was Mr.
Perrault's library, in which was a choice collection of Greek, Latin,
English, French and Spanish works, on philosophy, history and _les
belles lettres_. No one had a higher respect for the classics than he;
the odes of Horace, the poems of Virgil and the orations of Cicero were as
familiar to him as the best sermons of Bossuet or the tragedies of Racine.
On the right was another room, with a piano and organ, to which the family
devoted much attention, and lovers of music were certain of hearing there
excellent performances and well-cultivated voices.
Those who bad the privilege of enjoying his hospitality on ordinary
occasions, could never forget the hearty welcome of their whole-souled
entertainer; and on two particular days, the first of January and the
_fête de St. Joseph_, his patron saint, they had still better reason
for its remembrance. These social gatherings were for months looked
forward to as the events of the season, and for many a day subsequently
they recalled most agreeable recollections. As was then the custom, the
guests arrived early in the afternoon and took their departure at the
unfashionable hour of nine, and in the interval engaged themselves in
dancing, in games, in listening to brilliant executions on different
musical instruments and the rich melody of well-trained voices, in ballad
and song, clever repartees and intellectual conversation, while the supper
table, laden with all the delicacies procurable, was a continual feast
from the opening to the close of the entertainment. The guests were
escorted down the avenue by their host and his family, and as he bade them
good night, the shouts and merry laughter of the younger ones rang
joyfully in the night air, startling the passers by with their frolicsome
happiness.
Mr. Perrault's table had a wide reputation, and although he never issued
general invitations, it was rarely without two, or more, guests, for those
who happened to be at the _Asyle_ at meal time were cordially invited
to join in the family repast. From taste and habit, his board ever
presented a tempting display; but, as regards himself, he was most
abstemious, partaking sparingly and of but few dishes, while to his guests
his hospitality was unbounded. His old cook sometimes found her task
hard, or pretended to; and on one occasion, returning from confession, she
remarked that she had said to M. le Curé, when he counselled patience and
submission, "_je voudrais bien vous y voir_," (I would like to see you in
my place). Even in those days cooks were testy, for, when Mr. Perrault
found fault with her, she would answer as impertinently as one could in
these days: "_voulez-vous que je vous dise la vérité? Vous commencez à
être dégoûté de ma cuisine_," (Do you want me to tell you the truth? You
are getting tired of my cooking). To the tried and impatient, the above
incidents will cause them to ask themselves if there be any truth in the
old saying: "God sent us food and the devil sent us cooks."
A custom illustrative of the habits of that period, was the visit of
relations on New Year's morning. Old and young presented themselves at
five o'clock and repaired in a file to Mr. Perrault's bedroom to receive
his blessing. He afterwards rose, dressed and made all happy by giving
them suitable presents and paying graceful compliments. Later in the day
was witnessed a still more interesting scene, when his pupils, of both
sexes, and doubtless to their fullest number, arrived at his hospitable
mansion to offer him their grateful acknowledgements of his kindness. A
table, close by where he sat, in a large arm chair, was covered with piles
of "horns of plenty," filled with sweetmeats, and to each he presented
one, with a small piece of silver; and these children, who needed more
substantial gifts, had but to make their wants known and they were rarely
refused.
On that day he also made calls immediately after Grand Mass, in the
extremity of his politeness carrying his hat under his arm, regardless of
the weather, with the _queue_ of his wig blown to and fro by the
wind. His arrival, as a matter of coarse, caused a social stir, often
recalled with pleasure by many afterwards.
_MARCHMONT._
"Oh! give me a home on that bold classic height,
Where in sweet contemplation in age's dark night,
I may tread o'er the plain where as histories tell
Britain's stout-hearted Wolfe in his victory fell."
Adjoining the expanse of table land, now known as the Plains of
Abraham, and divided from it to the east by a high fence, lies with a
southern exposure a level and well-cultivated farm--Marchmont--
tastefully laid out some sixty summers ago by Sir John Harvey, next
occupied for several years by Sir Thomas Noel Hill, subsequently owned
by Hon. John Stewart, and for more than twenty years the residence of
John Gilmour, Esquire, of the well-known Glasgow house of Pollock,
Gilmour & Co. [223] To the west, Marchmont farm is bounded by
Wolfesfield; to the south by the river heights, having a valuable
timber cove (Wolfe's cove) attached to it. The dwelling, a cheerful
and sunny residence, decks a sloping lawn, not far from the high bank,
embedded as it were in a clump of fir, ash, maple and pine trees,
which conceal it from St. Lewis road, and afford, on the opposite
side, a variety of charming glimpses of our noble estuary, the main
artery of western commerce. A spacious and richly-stocked conservatory
opens on the drawing-room to the west of the house. The embellishment
was erected by the late John Gilmour, who also added a vinery.
In the summer months, visitors travelling past Marchmont cannot fail
to notice the magnificent hawthorn hedge, interspersed here and there
with young maple, which encloses it on the St. Lewis road.
Marchmont, even shorn of its historical memories, would much interest
an observer who had an eye to agricultural pursuits carried to a high
state of perfection. The outlines and arrangements for raising cattle,
poultry, &c., are on a truly comprehensive scale.
Connected with Marchmont, there are incidents of the past, which will
ever impress it on the mind of the visitor. A century back, over this
same locality, the tide of battle surged for several hours when
Wolfe's army had ascended the cliff. No later than 1860, the crumbling
bones of fallen warriors were discovered whilst laying the foundation
of the flag-staff to the east of the house. They were buried again
carefully under the same flagstaff--erected to salute the Prince of
Wales when passing Marchmont. Let us hear one of the actors on that
eventful September morning of 1759--Capt. John King:--
"Before day break," says he, "this morning we made a descent upon the
north shore, about half a mile to the eastward of Sillery; and the
light troops were fortunately, by the rapidity of the current, carried
lower down, between us and Cape Diamond. We had in this detachment
thirty flat-bottomed boats, containing about 1600 men. This was a
great surprise on the enemy, who, from the natural strength of the
place, did not suspect, and consequently were not prepared against, so
bold an attempt. The chain of sentries which they had posted along the
summit of the heights, galled us a little and picked off several men
(in the boat where I was one man was killed; one seaman, with four
soldiers, were slightly, and two mortally wounded, and some officers),
before our light infantry got up to dislodge them. This grand
enterprise was conducted and executed with great good order and
discretion; as fast as we landed the boats were put off for
reinforcements, and the troops formed with much regularity; the
General, with Brigadiers Monckton and Murray, were ashore with the
first division. We lost no time, but clambered up one of the steepest
precipices that can be conceived, being almost a perpendicular and of
an incredible length; as soon as we gained the summit all was quiet,
and not a shot was heard, owing to the excellent conduct of the
infantry under Colonel Howe. It was by this time clear day-light. Here
we formed again, the river and the south country in our rear, our
right extending to the town, our left to Sillery, and halted a few
moments. The general then detached the light troops to our left to
rout the enemy from their battery, and to disable their guns, except
they should be rendered serviceable to the party who were to remain
there; and this service was soon performed. We then faced to the right
and marched towards the town by files, till we came to the Plains of
Abraham, an even piece of ground which Wolfe had made choice of, while
we stood forming upon the hill. Weather showery; about six o'clock the
enemy first made their appearance upon the heights, between us and the
town; whereupon we halted and wheeled to the right, forming the line
of battle."
For some time past Marchmont has been occupied by Col. Ferdinand
Turnbull, of the Q. O. Canadian Hussars.
_ANECDOTE OF WOLFE'S ARMY._
"After the conquest of Quebec, the troops had to make shift for
quarters wherever they could find a habitable place; I myself made
choice of a small house in the lane leading to the Esplanade,
where Ginger the Gardner now lives (1828), and which had belonged
to Paquet the schoolmaster--although it was scarcely habitable
from the number of our shells that had fallen through it. However,
as I had a small party of the company, I continued to get a number
of little jobs done towards making it passably comfortable for the
men, and for my own part I got Hector Munro, who was a joiner by
trade, to knock up a kind of "cabinet" (as the Canadians called
it) in one corner of the house for myself. We had a stove, but our
Highlanders, who know no better, would not suffer the door to be
closed, as they thought if they could not naturally _see_ the
fire, it was impossible that they could _feel_ it. In this
way they passed the whole of the winter; three or four would sit
close up to the door of the stove, and when these were a little
warmed, three or four others would relieve them, and so on. Some
days they were almost frozen to death, or suffocated by the smoke,
and to mend the matter they had nothing better than green wood!
I contrived somehow or other to procure six blankets, so that
notwithstanding that I was almost frozen during the day, being the
whole winter out on duty, superintending the party of our
Highlanders, making fascines in the woods, still I passed the
nights pretty comfortably. 'Twas funny enough to see, every
morning, the whole surface of the blankets covered with ice, from
the heat of my breath and body. We wore our kilts the whole of
this time, but there was no accident, as we were sheltered by the
woods. I bought myself a pair of leather breeches, but I could not
walk in them, so I laid them aside.
When the spring came round, the French again made their appearance
on high ground between the town and Abraham's Plains, and General
Murray must needs march us out to fight them. At this time
scarcely a man in the garrison but was afflicted with colds or
coughs. The day fixed on orders was the 28th April, 1760, at seven
in the morning, and cold and raw enough it was! Before the sortie
I took a biscuit and, spread a bit of butter over it, and I set
about 'cranching' it, and said to Hector Munro, for whom I had a
great attachment: "You had better do as I am doing, for you cannot
know when you may be able to get your next meal." Hector answered,
"I will not touch anything; I have already taken my last meal, for
something tells me that I shall never require another meal in this
world." "Hout! man," said I, "you are talking nonsense; take a
biscuit, I tell you." But no, Hector would have none! Well, the
hour came for parading, and we were soon afterwards marched out of
the garrison. It was my lot to act as covering sergeant to
Lieutenant Fraser of our Grenadiers, who had already been wounded
at the affair of the Falls, through the belly and out at his back,
without his scarcely having felt it. (This Lieutenant Fraser was
nephew to my friend Captain Baillie, who was the first man killed
at the landing at Louisbourg, and who, had he lived, would have
been the means of securing to me my commission, as had been the
understanding between him and Colonel Fraser, when I volunteered
in Scotland for service in America). Early in the action with the
French, Lieut. Fraser received a shot in the temple, which felled
him to the very spot on which he then stood, and as not an inch of
ground was to be lost, I had to move up into line, which I could
not have done without my resting one foot upon his body! The
affair went altogether against us, and we had to retreat back into
the town. When I got back to my quarters, I there found poor
Hector Munro, who not being able to walk, had been carried in,
owning to a wound he had received in the lower part of the belly,
through which his bowels were coming out! He had his senses about
him, and reminded me of our conversation just before the battle.
He was taken to the Hôtel Dieu, where he died the next morning, in
great agony. When I first saw the French soldiers I thought them a
dirty, ragged set--their clothing was originally white. Many of
them, particularly in the 'Regiment de la Reine,' had a bit of
blue ribbon to the buttonhole of their coat, with a little white
shell fixed to it, which they called 'Papa,' and this, it seems,
was a mark of honour for having distinguished themselves on some
former occasion. I, at first, mistook them for Freemasons! After
the battle of the Plains of Abraham, on the 13th September, fifty-
nine, when a great many of the French lay killed and wounded on
the field (we killed seventy-two officers alone) it was horrid to
see the effect of blood and dust on their white coats! They lay
there as thick as a flock of sheep, and just as they had fallen,
for the main body had been completely routed off the ground, and
had not an opportunity of carrying away their dead and wounded
men. I recollect to have lost a regimental coat by their means.
There was no place about the town to put the wounded in, and they
had to be carried down the bank to Wolfe's cove, and from thence
put into boats and taken across to the lower ferry-place at Point
Levis, for the purpose of their being placed under the care of our
surgeons at the church (St Joseph's), which was converted into a
temporary hospital. Our men had nothing better to carry them on
than a handbarrow with canvass laid across it. By this means it
required two of our men to carry one of them to the top of the
hill at Point Levis.
The business going on very slowly, I at last got out of patience
looking at them, so I set to work and took up a wounded man to my
own share, and did not let him down at the top of the hill but
landed him safe at the temporary hospital. By the time that we had
done with them I was fatigued enough, and 'afaith, I spoiled my
red coat into the bargain!
The poor fellows would cry out lustily when they were in an uneasy
position, but we could not understand a word of what they said.
One of them had one of his cheeks lying flat down upon his
shoulder, which he got by attempting to run away, though he had a
Highlander at his heels. When the French gave themselves up
quietly they had no harm done them, but faith! if they tried to
outrun a Heelandman they stood but a bad chance, for whash went
the broadsword!"--(_Related in August, 1828, as stated in the
Diary of Volunteer Sergt. Jas. Thompson._)
_WOLFESFIELD_
"The hill they climb'd, and halted at its top, of more than mortal
size."
"The horror of the night, the precipice scaled by Wolfe the empire he
with a handful of men added to England, and the glorious catastrophe
of contentedly terminating life where his fame began... Ancient story
may be ransacked, and ostentatious philosophy thrown into the account,
before an episode can be found to rank with Wolfe's."--(_William
Pitt._)
The successful landing at this spot of the English forces, who, in 1759,
invaded Quebec, no less than its scenery, lends to Wolfesfield peculiar
interest. Major, afterwards General, John Hale, later on conspicuous for
gallantry during the long and trying siege of Quebec, in 1775-6, was one
of the first men who, in 1759, put his foot on the heights in front of the
locality where now stands the dwelling, having climbed up the hill by the
_ruisseau St. Denis_, heading the flank Company of the Lascelles or
47th Regiment. General Wolfe made the main body of the army march up,
Indian file, by a pathway which then existed where the high road is at
present. At the head of this path may yet be seen the remains of the
French entrenchments, occupied on that day by a militia guard of 100 men,
chiefly Lorette militiamen, a portion of whom had that very night obtained
leave to go and work on their farms, [224.] who fired at Major Hale's
party, and then, says an old manuscript, thinking they had to deal with
the whole English army, they surrendered, with their officer, Capt. De
Vergor, who, being wounded, could not escape, and exclaimed, "Sauvez
vous." This was shortly after midnight, and Wolfe, notwithstanding the
grievous indisposition he was then labouring under, organized a plan to
get up supplies and ammunition from the _bateaux_, this he had
accomplished by four in the morning, when he drew up his men on Marchmont
field. The sailors of the _bateaux_ were the men employed in carrying
up the provisions and ammunition. Wolfe had grog served out to them as
they reached, tired and panting, the top of the hill with their loads,
using to each kind and encouraging words. The crowning success which
followed is lengthily described elsewhere. The first house built at
Wolfesfield was by Captain Kenelm Chandler, [225] David Munro, Esquire,
was the next proprietor. The occupant for forty years was an old and
respected Quebec merchant, well known as the "King of the Saguenay," on
account of the extensive mills he owned in that region--William Price,
Esq., the respected father of a patriarchal family of sons and daughters.
Mr. Price added much to the beauty of the place, which enjoys a most
picturesque river view. In front of the dwelling there is a fine lawn,
shaded by some old thorn and oak trees, with comfortable rustic seats
close by the ravine St. Denis. This ravine is a favourite locality for
botanizing excursionists. Wolfesfield, without being as extensive as some
of the surrounding estates, is one of the most charming rural homes Quebec
can boast of.
As these pages are going through the press, we clip from a Quebec journal
the following tribute to the worth of our late excellent neighbour, Wm.
Price, Esq., a son of the Laird of Wolfesfield:
_MONUMENT TO THE LATE WILLIAM PRICE, ESQ._
"A large and costly monument in granite is now in course of erection
at Chicoutimi to the memory of the late Wm. Price. The people of
Chicoutimi are erecting the monument as a token of their respect and
admiration for the memory of their late representative in the
Legislative Assembly of Quebec. The column will be fifty feet in
height, and will, it is expected, be completed by the month of
September next. Being placed upon an elevated site, it will be visible
for many miles up and down the Saguenay river."
_THE CAPTURE OF QUEBEC._
The following dramatic account of the capture of Quebec is taken from
the fifth volume of Mr. Carlyle's _Biography of Frederick the Great_:
"Above Quebec, night of September 12-13th, in profound silence, on the
stream of the St. Lawrence, far away, a notable adventure is going on.
Wolfe, from two points well above Quebec ('as a last shift, we will
try that way'), with about five thousand men, is silently descending
in rafts, with purpose to climb the heights somewhere on this side of
the city, and be in upon it, if Fate will. An enterprise of almost
sublime nature; very great, if it can succeed. The cliffs all beset to
his left hand; Montcalm, in person, guarding Quebec with his main
strength.
Wolfe silently descends; mind made up; thoughts hushed quiet into one
great thought; in the ripple of the perpetual waters, under the grim
cliffs and the eternal stars. Conversing, with his people, he was
heard to recite some passages of Gray's _Elegy_, lately come out
to those parts; of which, says an ear-witness, he expressed his
admiration in an enthusiastic degree: 'Ah, these are tones of the
Eternal Melodies, are not they? A man might thank heaven had he such a
gift; almost as we might for succeeding here, gentlemen!'
Next morning (Thursday, 13th September, 1759), Wolfe, with his 5.000,
is found to have scrambled up some woody neck in the height, which was
not quite precipitous; has trailed one cannon with him, the seamen
busy bringing up another; and by ten of the clock, stands ranked (just
somewhat in the Frederick way, though on a small scale); ready at all
points for Montcalm, but refusing to be over-ready. Montcalm on first
hearing of him, had made haste: _Oui, je les vois où ils ne doivent
pas être; je vais les écraser_ (to smash them)!" said he, by way of
keeping his people in heart. And he marches up beautifully skilful,
neglecting none of his advantages. His numerous Canadian
sharpshooters, preliminary Indians in the bushes, with a provoking
fire. 'Steady!' orders Wolfe; 'from you, not one shot till they are
within thirty yards!' And Montcalm, volleying and advancing, can get
no response, more than from Druidic stones; till at thirty yards, the
stones become vocal--and continued so at a dreadful rate; and in a
space of seventeen minutes, have blown Montcalm's regulars, and their
second in command, and their third into ruin and destruction. In about
seven minutes more the army was done 'English falling on with bayonet,
Highlanders with claymore'; fierce pursuit, rout total--and Quebec and
Canada as good as finished. The thing is yet well known to every
Englishman; and how Wolfe himself died in it, his beautiful death."
_ELM GROVE._
Elm Grove, until recently owned, though not inhabited, by the Marquise de
Bassano, will be familiar to many, from having been the residence during
the summer of 1878, of His Holiness the Pope's Apostolic Ablegate--Bishop
Conroy.
This eminent prelate, prematurely struck down by death at Newfoundland, in
the midst of his mission of peace and good will to all men spent many
busy, let us hope pleasant, hours in this cool retreat.
The plantation of elms from which this seat takes its name, together with
other trees, conceals the dwelling so entirely from the road, that unless
by entering the grounds no idea can be formed of their beauty and extent;
amidst the group of trees there is one of lordly dimensions, in the centre
of the garden. The new dwelling at Elm Grove is a stately, substantial
structure; its internal arrangement and heating apparatus, indicate
comfort and that _bien-être_ for which Quebec homes are proverbial. A
winding, well-wooded approach leads up to the house from the porter's
lodge and main road. From the upper windows an extensive view of
Charlesbourg, Lorette, Beauport, Point Levi and surrounding parishes may
be obtained.
Elm Grove, owned for many years by John Saxton Campbell, Esq., was
purchased in 1856 by J. K. Boswell, Esq., who resided there for nearly
twenty years. John Burstall, Esquire, late of Kirk Ella, has within a few
months acquired it from Madame la Marquise de Bassano, and it bids fair
ere long to take its place among the first and best kept country seats in
the environs of the city.
_THORNHILL._
".....let us pierce into the midnight depth
Of yonder grove, of wildest, largest growth,
That, forming high in air a woodland quire,
Nods o'er the mount beneath"
There is a peculiar feature noticeable about Quebec country seats which
speaks volumes for their attractiveness as healthy and pleasant retreats;
not only have they been at all times sought after by wealthy and permanent
residents, Canadian born, but also by men of European birth, holding for
the time being the highest position in the country, both under the French
and under the English monarchs. Thus the celebrated Intendant Talon was
the first owner of Belmont; Intendant Bigot had his luxurious château at
Charlesbourg; Attorney General Ruette D'Auteuil used, near two centuries
back, to spend his summer months at Sillery, where, later on, Bishop
Dosquet, a French ecclesiastic, had his pretty villa at Samos (Woodfield).
Vaudreuil was also a Canadian land-owner. Later on Governor Murray
purchased extensively on the St. Foy road, amongst others, Belmont and the
"Sans Bruit" farm, Governor Haldimand must have his lodge at Montmorenci
Falls, subsequently occupied by the father of our august Queen; Hector
Theophilus Cramahé (afterwards Lieut.-Governor), in 1762, had his estate--
some 500 acres of cornfield and meadows--at Cap Rouge, now Meadowbank,
owned by Lt.-Col. Chs. Andrew Shears. The Prime Minister of Canada, in
1854, and a late Governor of British Guiana, Sir Francis Hincks, following
in the footsteps of Sir Dominick Daly, must needs locate himself on the
St. Lewis road, and in order to be close to his chief, the late Earl of
Elgin, then residing at Spencer Wood, the Premier selected and purchased
Thornhill, across the road, one of the most picturesque country seats in
the neighbourhood. You barely, as you pass, catch a glimpse of its
outlines as it rests under tall, cone-like firs on the summit of a
hillock, to which access is had through a handsomely laid out circuitous
approach between two hills. An extensive fruit and vegetable garden lies
to the east of the house; a hawthorn hedge dotted here and there with some
graceful young maple and birch trees, fringes the roadside; a thorn
shrubbery of luxuriant growth encircles the plantation of evergreens along
the side of the mound which slopes down to the road, furnishing a splendid
croquet lawn. One of the chief beauties of the landscape is the occasional
glimpses of the Grande Allée and Spencer Wood, obtained from the house.
The dwelling was erected many years ago by Alexander Simpson, Esq., then
Manager of the Bank of Montreal, at Quebec. Forming a portion of it to the
west, and looking towards Charlesbourg, there is a snug English-looking
little nest, "Woodside," with the prettiest of thorn and willow hedges.
Thornhill has exchanged hands, and been for many years the seat of
Archibald Campbell, Esq., P.S.C., at Quebec.
_SPENCER WOOD._
On the South side of the St. Louis road, past Wolfe and Montcalm's famed
battle-field, two miles from the city walls, lies, embowered in verdure,
the most picturesque domain of Sillery--one might say of Canada--Spencer
Wood. [226]
This Celebrated Vice-Regal Lodge was (1780-96) known as Powell Place, when
owned by General Henry Watson Powell. It took its name of Spencer Wood
from the Right Honorable Spencer Perceval, [227] the illustrious relative
of the Hon. Henry Michael Perceval, whose family possessed it from 1815 to
1833, when it was sold to the late Henry Atkinson, Esquire, an eminent and
wealthy Quebec merchant. Hon. Mr. Perceval, member of the Executive and
Legislative Council, had been H. M.'s Collector of Customs at Quebec for
many years, and until his death which took place at sea, 12th October,
1829. The Percevals lived for many years in affluence in this sylvan
retreat. Of their elegant receptions Quebecers still cherish pleasant
reminiscences. Like several villas of England and France, Spencer Wood had
its periods of splendor alternated by days of loneliness and neglect,
short though they were. Spencer Wood, until 1849, comprised the adjoining
property of Spencer Grange. Mr. Atkinson that year sold the largest half
of his country seat--Spencer Wood--to the Government, as a gubernatorial
residence for the hospitable and genial Earl of Elgin, reserving the
smaller half (now owned by the writer), on which he built conservatories,
vineries, a pinery, orchid house, &c., far more extensive than those of
Spencer Wood proper. Though the place was renowned for its magnificence
and princely hospitality in the days of Lord Elgin, there are amongst the
living plenty to testify to the fact that the lawns, walks, gardens, and
conservatories were never kept up with the same intelligent taste and
lavish expenditure as they were during the sixteen years (1833-1849) when
this country seat owned for its master Mr. Atkinson.
_THE LATE HONORABLE MRS. M. H. PERCEVAL. FORMERLY OF SPENCER WOOD,
QUEBEC._
Through the kindness of Mrs. Peter Sheppard, of Quebec, we are enabled
to furnish some further particulars touching the estimable and
accomplished lady who, during the protracted sojourn of her family at
Spencer Wood, seems to have won the hearts of all those admitted to
her charmed circle some fifty years ago. Mrs. Sheppard [228] not only
renders to the worth of her lamented friend a merited tribute, she
also furnishes a curious page of Quebec history, Quebec festivities in
the olden times, which may interest our readers. "The Honorable
Michael H. Perceval was closely connected with the Earl of Egmont's
family, who were Percevals. The "Spencer" was borrowed from the Earl's
eldest son "Spencer;" the name was given to their beautiful domain
purchased from old LeHoullier about 1815, as well as to their eldest
son, Col. (now Major General) Spencer Perceval, who was here in
garrison in 1840, in the Coldstream Guards, as well as his uncle, Col.
Perceval, also serving in the Guards. When a girl in my teens, many
happy days did I spend in the Perceval family, who were as
passionately fond of music, as I then was. They had "at homes" every
Monday, one week for dancing, the next for music, (the latter I never
missed attending, to play on the harp,) they had also grand dinners
_de cérémonie_. Amongst the _habitués_ I can yet recall some names;
Hon. Mathew Bell and lady; (Mrs. B. was a Miss McKenzie, of Three
Rivers,) Miss Bell (Mrs. Walker,) Sir John Pownal, the Montizamberts,
Judge Kerr and Misses Kerr, Miss Uniacke, the Duchesnays, the
Vanfelsons, De Gaspés, Babys and others. (I may be wrong in quoting
some names after half a century.)
Mr. Perceval, was a member of the Legislative Council, as well as
Collector of Customs, an imperial appointment which yielded him £8000
in fees per annum. English and French society were equally welcome
under his hospitable roof. His beautiful and accomplished wife, was
the eldest daughter of Sir Charles Flower, Lord Mayor of London, in
1809--had filled the position of Lady Mayoress, when 18 years of age,
her father being a widower; she brought her husband £40,000 and
subsequently inherited £100,000. She was eminently fitted to grace
Spencer Wood--her beauty, her refined and cordial manners made her
receptions eminently attractive. Her education was perfect, she was
mistress of four languages, English, French, Italian and Latin, which
studies she took great trouble in keeping up and which she herself
taught to her children, ten in number, besides teaching them the
piano, the harp and drawing. Instead of fancy work the young ladies
were taught to repair their clothes and do plain sewing; this did not
prevent them from making most brilliant matches. The family left
Spencer Wood in 1828, to spend a year in Italy, at Florence, intending
to return, but the Hon. M. H. Perceval, died at sea on the 12th Oct.,
1829, and the family never returned.
The daughters married as follows: the eldest, Eliza, was wedded to Sir
George Denys, Bart.; the second, Caroline, to Col. Alexander Houstoun,
of Clerkington; the third, Isabella, to a wealthy French nobleman,
Baron de Veauce; the fourth, Mary Jane, to Sir James Matheson, Bart.;
the fifth died at the age of 18. The eldest son [229] "Spencer" is a
General officer. There were several other sons; George Ramsay, who
entered the army, Michael Henry and Col. Charles Perceval.
I can recall the time also when Lady Dalhousie and Mrs. Sheppard, of
Woodfield, would come to Spencer Wood, in their botanizing excursions.
Spencer Wood, later on, was also a favorite resort of Lady Aylmer, in
1832, whilst at an earlier period, the Duke of Richmond's family, in
1818, used to come and ramble about the grounds, lunching there with
all the junior folks.
This charming and beloved lady, my old friend, Ann Perceval, died at
Lewes Castle, Stornaway. Scotland, the seat of her son in law, Sir
James Matheson, on the 23rd Nov., 1876, most deservedly regretted, at
the very advanced age of eighty-seven years."--24 January, 1877.
Spencer Wood garden is described in London's _Encyclopedia of Gardening_,
page 341, and also in the _Gardener's Magazine_ for 1837, at page 467. Its
ornate style of culture, which made it a show-place for all strangers
visiting Quebec, was mainly due to the scientific and tasty arrangements
of an eminent landscape gardener, M. P. Lowe, [230] now in charge of the
Cataraqui conservatories.
Well can we recall the time when this lordly demesne extended from
Wolfefield, adjoining Marchmont, to the meandering Belle-Borne brook,
which glides past the porter's lodge at Woodfield, due west, the historic
stream _Ruisseau Saint Denis_, up which clambered the British hero,
Wolfe, to conquer or die, intersecting it at Thornhill. It was then a
splendid old seat of more than one hundred acres, a fit residence for the
proudest nobleman England might send us as Viceroy--enclosed east and west
between two streamlets, hidden from the highway by a dense growth of oak,
maple, dark pines and firs--the forest primeval--letting in here and there
the light of heaven on its labyrinthine avenues; a most striking
landscape, blending the sombre verdure of its hoary trees with the soft
tints of its velvety sloping lawn, fit for a ducal palace. An elfish plot
of a flower garden, alas! how much dwarfed, then stood in rear of the
dwelling to the north, it once enjoyed the privilege of attracting many
eyes. It had also an extensive and well-kept fruit and vegetable garden,
enlivened with flower beds, the centre of which was adorned with the
loveliest possible circular fount in white marble, supplied with the
crystal element from the Belle-Borne rill by a hidden aqueduct;
conservatories, graperies, peach and forcing houses, pavilions
picturesquely hung over the yawning precipice on two headlands, one
looking towards Sillery, the other towards the Island of Orleans, the
scene of many a cosy tea-party; bowers, rustic chairs _perdues_ among
the groves, a superb bowling green and archery grounds. The mansion itself
contained an exquisite collection of paintings from old masters, a well-
selected library of rare and standard works, illuminated Roman missals,
rich portfolios with curious etchings, marble busts, quaint statuettes,
medals and medallions, _objets de vertu_ purchased by the millionaire
proprietor during a four years' residence in Italy, France and Germany.
Such we remember Spencer Wood in its palmiest days, when it was the ornate
home of a man of taste, the late Henry Atkinson, Esquire, the President of
the Horticultural Society of Quebec.
May I be pardoned, for lingering lovingly on this old spot, recalling
"childhood scenes" of one dear to me and mine!
The following, written by a valued old friend of Mr. Atkinson, is dated
Brighton, England:
On a sketch of Spencer Wood sent to the writer (Miss A.), with her
album, Oct. 18, 1848.
Dear Spencer Wood! What a group of pleasing remembrances are clustered
around me as I gaze upon this visible image and type of thee. Thy
classic lawn, with its antiquated oaks and solemn pines; thy wood-
crowned cliffs and promontories, with the sparkling sunlight reflected
on a thousand sheaves from the broad surface of Jacques Cartier's
river, hundreds of feet below. And then the quiet repose of thy ample
mansion, with its stores of art and models of taste within and
without; thy forest shades, thy gardens, thy flowers and thy fruit.
But most of all, thy gay and happy inmates, their glad and joyous
hearts beating with generous emotions, and their countenances
brightened with the welcome smile. Ah! how I seem to hear, as in time
past I have heard, their lively prattle, or their merry laugh echoing
across the lawn, or through the flower garden, or along the winding
paths down the steep slope to the pavilion.
And can it be that I shall never again realize these happy scenes! I
would fain hope otherwise; but life is a changeful drama, and time
fleeting; this world is _not_ our home.
Adieu, then, dear friends. May God's blessing ever rest upon you; and
should it be His providence that we meet not again here, may we all so
use His dealings with us in this disciplinary state that we may be
sure to meet.
Brighton, Dec. 20th. In memory of some pleasant moments.
E. E. DOUGLASS.
In the beginning of the century Spencer Wood, as previously stated, was
known as Powell Place. His Excellency Sir James Henry Craig spent there
the summers of 1808-9-10. Even the healthy air of Powell Place failed to
cure him of gout and dropsy. A curious letter from Sir James to his
secretary and _chargé d'affaires_ in London, H. W. Ryland, Esquire, dated
"Powell Place, 6th August, 1810," has been, among others, preserved by the
historian Robert Christie. It alludes in rather unparliamentary language
to the _coup d'état_ which had on the 19th March, 1810, consigned to a
Quebec dungeon three of the most prominent members of the Legislature,
Messrs. Bédard, Taschereau and Blanchet, together with Mr. Lefrançois, the
printer of the _Canadien_ newspaper, for certain comments in that journal
on Sir James' colonial policy. Sir James had spent the greatest part of
his life in the army, actively battling against France; a Frenchman for
him was a traditional enemy. This unfortunate idea seems more than once to
have inspired his colonial policy with regard to the descendants of
Frenchmen whom he ruled.
Born at Gibraltar, of Scotch parents, James Henry Craig entered the
English service in 1763 at the age of 15, and on many occasions
distinguished himself by his courage. During the war of the American
revolution he served in Canada, and was present at the unfortunate affair
of Saratoga.
_SIR JAMES CRAIG TO MR. RYLAND._
QUEBEC, Powell Place, 6th August, 1810.
My Dear Ryland,--Till I took my pen in my hand I thought I had a great
deal to say to you, and now I am mostly at a loss for a subject. * * *
We have remained very quiet; whatever is going on is silently. I have
no reason to think, however, that any change has taken place in the
public mind; _that_ I believe remains in the same state. Bishop
Plessis, on the return from his tour, acknowledged to me that he had
reason to think that some of his _curés_ had not behaved quite as
they ought to have done; he is now finishing the remainder of his
visitations.
Blanchette and Taschereau are both released on account of ill-health;
the former is gone to Kamouraska to bathe, the latter was only let out
a few days ago. He sent to the Chief Justice (Sewell) to ask if he
would allow him to call on him, who answered, by all means. The Chief
Justice is convinced he is perfectly converted. He assured him that he
felt it to be his duty to take any public occasion, by any act
whatever that he could point out, to show his contrition and the sense
he entertained of his former conduct.
He told the Chief Justice in conversation that Blanchette came and
consulted him on the subject of publishing the paper, "Prenez vous par
le bout du nez," and that having agreed that it would be very improper
that it should appear, they went to Bédard, between whom and
Blanchette there were very high words on the occasion. I know not what
Panet is about, I have never heard one word of or about him. In short,
I really have nothing to tell you, nor do I imagine that I shall have,
till I hear from you. You may suppose how anxious I shall be till that
takes place. We have fixed the time for about the 10th September; till
then I shall not come to any final resolution with respect to the
bringing the three delinquents to trial or not. I am, however,
inclined to avoid it, so is the B----; the C. J. is rather, I think,
inclined to the other side, though aware of the inconvenience that may
arise from it. Blanchette and Taschereau have both, in the most
unequivocal terms, acknowledged the criminality of their conduct, and
it will be hinted that if Bédard will do the same it may be all that
will be required of them; at present his language is that he has done
nothing wrong, and that he does not care how long he is kept in
prison.
We have begun upon the road to the townships (the Craig Road, through
the Eastern Townships) * * * We shall get money enough, especially as
we hope to finish it at a third of what it would have cost if we would
have employed the country people. (It was made by soldiers.)
The scoundrels of the Lower Town have begun their clamour already, and
I should scarcely be surprised if the House should ask, when they
meet, by what authority I have cut a road without their permission.
The road begins at St. Giles and will end at the township of Shipton.
Yours most faithfully,
(Signed,) J. H. CRAIG.
(History of Canada, Christie, vol. VI., p. 128.)
Very different, and we hope more correct, views are now promulgated on
colonial matters from Powell Place.
If Sir James, wincing under bodily pain, could write angry letters, there
were occasions on which the "rank and fashion" of the city received from
him the sweetest epistles imaginable. The 10th of August of each year (his
birthday, perhaps) as he informs us in another letter, was sacred to
rustic enjoyment, conviviality and the exchange of usual courtesies, which
none knew better how to dispense than the sturdy old soldier.
The English traveller, John Lambert, thus notices it in his interesting
narrative in 1808:--"Sir James Craig resided in summer at a country house
about four or five miles from Quebec, and went to town every morning to
transact business. This residence is called Powell Place, and is
delightfully situated in a neat plantation on the border of the bank which
overlooks the St. Lawrence, not far from the spot where General Wolfe
landed and ascended to the heights of Abraham. Sir James gave a splendid
breakfast _al fresco_ at this place in 1809 to all the principal
inhabitants of Quebec, and the following day he allowed his servants and
their acquaintances to partake of a similar entertainment at his
expense."--(Lambert's Travels, 1808, p. 310.)
Spencer Wood has ever been a favourite resort for our Governors--Sir James
Craig--Lord Elgin--Sir Edmund Walker Head--Lord Monk--Lord Lisgar, and
Lord Dufferin on his arrival in 1872, none prized it so highly, none
rendered it more attractive than the Earl of Elgin. Of his _fêtes
champêtres_, _recherchés_ dinners, _château_ balls, a pleasant remembrance
still lingers in the memory of many Quebecers and others. Several
circumstances added to the charms and comfort of Spencer Wood in his day.
On one side of St. Louis Road stood the gubernatorial residence, on the
opposite side at Thornhill, dwelt the Prime Minister, Sir Francis Hincks.
Over the vice-regal "walnuts and wine," how many knotty state questions
have been discussed, how many despatches settled, how many political
points adjusted in the stormy days which saw the abolition of the
Seignioral Tenure and Clergy Reserves. At one of his brilliant
postprandial speeches,--Lord Elgin was much happier at this style of
oratory than his successor, Sir Edmund Head,--the noble Earl is reported
to have said, alluding to Spencer Wood, "Not only would I spend here the
rest of my life, but after my death, I should like my bones to rest in
this beautiful spot;" and still China and India had other scenes, other
triumphs, and his Sovereign, other rewards for the successful statesman.
Sir Edmund Head's sojourn at Spencer Wood was marked by a grievous family
bereavement; his only son, a promising youth of nineteen summers, was, in
1858, accidentally drowned in the St. Maurice, at Three Rivers, while
bathing. This domestic affliction threw a pall over the remainder of the
existence of His Excellency, already darkened by bodily disease. Seclusion
and quiet were desirable to him.
A small private gate still exists at Spencer Grange, which at the request
of the sorrowful father was opened through the adjoining property with the
permission of the proprietor. Each week His Excellency, with his amiable
lady, stealing a few moments from the burthen of affairs of State, would
thus walk through unobserved to drop a silent tear on the green grave at
Mount Hermon, in which were entombed all the hopes of a noble house. On
the 12th March, 1860, on a wintry evening, whilst the castle was a blaze
of light and powdered footmen hurried through its sounding corridors, to
relieve of their fur coats and mufflers His Excellency's guests asked at a
state dinner that night--Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir Geo. E. Cartier, Mr.
Pennefather and others--the alarm of fire was sounded, and in a couple of
hours, of the magnificent pile a few charred ruins only remained. There
was no State dinner that night.
One of the last acts of the Ministry in retiring in 1861, was the signing
of the contract to rebuild Spencer Wood. The appropriation was a very
niggardly one, in view of the size of the structure required as a vice-
regal residence. All meretricious ornaments in the design were of course
left out. A square building, two hundred feet by fifty, was erected with
the main entrance, in rear, on the site of the former lovely flower
garden. The location of the entrance and consequent sacrifice of the
flower garden for a court, left the river front of the dwelling for the
private use of the inmates of the _Château_ by excluding the public.
Lord Monk, the new Governor-General, took possession of the new mansion
and had a plantation of fir and other trees added to conceal the east end
from public gaze. Many happy days were spent at Spencer Wood by His
Lordship and family, whose private secretary, Denis Godley, Esq., occupied
the picturesque cottage "Bagatelle," facing the Holland Road, on the
Spencer Grange property. If illustrious names on the Spencer Wood
Visitor's Register could enhance the interest the place may possess,
foremost, one might point to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, visiting in 1860
the site probably more than once surveyed and admired, in 1791-4, by his
grand-father, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, in his drives round Quebec,
with the fascinating Baroness de St. Laurent. Conspicuous among all those
familiar with the portals of Spencer Wood, may be mentioned other Royal
Princes--the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Arthur, Princess Louise, Prince
Leopold; with Dukes and Earls--the Duke of Newcastle, Manchester,
Buckingham, Argyll, Athol. Sutherland, Prince Napoleon, Generals Grant,
Sherman, &c.
Since Confederation, Spencer Wood has been successively tenanted by Sir.
N. F. Belleau, Lieutenant-Governor Caron, Lieutenant-Governor Letellier de
St. Just, and Lieutenant-Governor Robitaille, the present occupant of the
seat.
To the late Lieut.-Governor Letellier is due the initiation of the
_soirées littéraires_, which united under his hospitable roof the literary
talent of the Ancient Capital, and his successor, Lieut.-Governor
Robitaille, not only followed this enlightened course, but also added
_soirées musicales_ and _artistiques_.
Spencer Wood was not included in the schedule and division of property
handed over by the Dominion Government to the Province of Quebec--it was,
however, about that time presented as a gift to our province, solely as a
gubernatorial residence--as such to be held, and consequently cannot be
sold by the Government of the Province of Quebec.
HENRY WATSON POWELL was commissioned a Lieutenant in the 46th Foot,
March 10th, 1753. He was promoted to a captaincy in the 2nd Battalion
of the 11th Foot, September 2nd, 1756, but upon that battalion's being
detached from the 11th and renumbered in 1758, his regimental number
became the 64th. He served in the expedition against the French West
India Islands in 1759, and went with his regiment to America in 1768.
June 2nd, 1770, he became Major of the 38th Foot, and July 23rd, 1771,
Lieutenant-Colonel of the 53rd Foot, which was then stationed at
Minorca. He accompanied his corps to Canada in the spring of 1776, and
on June 10th of that year, a few days after his arrival, Sir Guy
Carleton appointed him a Brigadier General and assigned him to the 2nd
Brigade, which consisted of the 34th, 53rd and 20th Regiments. When
Gen. Gordon's brigade was broken up on the death of that officer,
August 1st, 1776, the 62nd was added to Powell's brigade, and in
November of that year, upon General Nesbit's death, Gen. Powell was
transferred to the command of the 1st Brigade, consisting of the 9th,
47th, 31st and 21st Regiments, save that the 53rd was substituted for
the 21st. Gen. Powell served under Gen. Carleton in 1776, and the next
year accompanied Burgoyne. In organizing the troops for Burgoyne's
expedition in 1777, Gen. Powell was assigned to the 2nd Brigade,
consisting of the 20th, 21st and 62nd Regiments. The 62nd was left at
Ticonderoga, however with Prince Frederick's (German) Regiment and a
portion of Captain Borthwick's company of the Royal Artillery July 5th
when the Americans evacuated that fort, and August 10th Gen. Powell
was sent back to assume command of that post, his regiment, the 53rd,
being also ordered to relieve the 62nd. Though he successfully
repelled the American Col. Brown's attack on Ticonderoga and for four
days maintained a gallant defence, the enemy retreating September
22nd, yet inasmuch as a considerable part of four companies of the
53rd were surprised in the old French lines and at the outposts by the
American advance, and a number of American Prisoners were recaptured,
the affair was not one of unmixed satisfaction to either side.
When the toils of adversity began to tighten round Burgoyne in October
Gen. Powell was sorely puzzled as to his duty for though he was out of
Sir Guy Carleton's military jurisdiction yet that officer was
accessible while Burgoyne, his own proper commander was not. The
following letter, there fore, written by Sir Guy to Gen. Powell, after
Burgoyne's surrender, though in ignorance of that event, throws some
light upon the awkwardness of Powell's situation. The letter reads as
follows:--
QUEBEC, the 20th October, 1777.
SIR,--I have this moment received your letter of the 19th instant,
wherein you demand orders from me for your guidance in your present
emergency. It is impossible that I should give orders to you, not
alone because the post you are in has been taken out of my command,
but the distance is too great for my being able to judge of the
situation of Gen Burgoyne or of the exigencies of the place you are at
which must depend upon the other, as if you were subject to my
commands ignorant as I am of the strength or weakness of your post, I
should under all the other circumstances think it best for His
Majesty's service to suffer you to act by your own judgment, so you
will there fore easily see the greater necessity there is as matters
are for my leaving you to pursue such steps, as shall be suggested to
you by your own prudence and reason. I can only recommend to you not
to balance between two opposite measures, whereby you may be disabled
from following the one or the other with advantage but that either you
prepare, with vigour to put to place in such a situation as to be able
to make the longest and most resolute defence or that you prepare in
time to abandon it with all the stores while your retreat may be
certain. Your own sense will tell you that this latter would be a most
pernicious measure if there be still hopes of General Burgoyne coming
to your post.
I am, sir, &c.
Though Sir Guy did not feel at liberty to issue orders to Gen. Powell
yet he immediately despatched Gen. Maclean with the 31st regiment, the
Royal Highland Emigrants and a detachment of artillery with four guns
to take post and entrench at Chimney Point, near Crown Point, in order
to keep up communication with Ticonderoga. Two or three weeks later
Gen. Powell abandoned Ticonderoga and withdrew to Canada. After a
short tarry at St. John's he was posted at Montreal, where he
commanded during the winter of 1777-8. Then he was stationed at St
John's and in the autumn of 1780, after Lieut.-Colonel Bolton's
unfortunate loss on Lake Ontario, we find him in command of the upper
posts with his headquarters at Niagara. By Gen. Haldimand's order of
October 21st, 1782, Brig.-Gen. Maclean was assigned to the command of
the upper posts, and Gen. Powell was appointed commandant of Quebec.
How long he remained at Quebec has not been ascertained, but in 1780
he bought a fine estate on the St. Lewis Road, about two and a half
miles from Quebec to which he gave the name of Powell Place and which
he did not dispose of until 1796, when he sold it to Francis
Lehoullier. This place was subsequently known as Spencer Wood, but it
has since been divided, the larger portion being still known as
Spencer Wood, and serving as the residence of the Lieutenant-Governor,
while the smaller portion consisting of about forty acres and known as
Spencer Grange, belongs to and is the property of J. M. LeMoine,
President of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec.
Gen. Powell became a Colonel in the army February 19th, 1779; a Major
General, November 20th, 1782; Colonel of the 69th Foot, April 16th,
1792; Colonel of the 15th Foot, June 20th, 1794 (not April 20th, as
printed in Burgoyne's Orderly Book); A Lieutenant-General, May 3rd,
1796, and a General, January 1st, 1801. He died at an advanced age at
Lyme, England, July 14th, 1814.
Army Lists--Gentleman's Magazine, vol. 84, p. 190; Burgoyne's Orderly
Book, p. 10; Hadden's Journal; Haldimand Papers; LeMoine's Maple
Leaves, 3rd series; J. M. LeMoine's Title Deeds." (_From Gen. Horatio
Rogers' Notes on HADDEN'S JOURNAL of Burgoyne's Campaign_, 1776.)
_A FÊTE CHAMPÊTRE AT POWELL PLACE._
(From the French of P. A. DeGaspé.)
"At half-past eight A.M., on a bright August morning (I say a bright
one, for such had lighted up this welcome _fête champêtre_ during
three consecutive years), the _élite_ of the Quebec _beau monde_ left
the city to attend Sir James Craig's kind invitation. Once opposite
Powell Place (now Spencer Wood) the guests left their vehicles on the
main road, and plunged into a dense forest, following a serpentine
avenue which led to a delightful cottage in full view of the majestic
St. Lawrence; the river here appears to flow past amidst luxuriant
green bowers which line its banks. Small tables for four, for six, for
eight guests are laid out facing the cottage, on a platform of planed
deals--this will shortly serve as a dancing floor _al fresco_; as the
guests successively arrive, they form in parties to partake of a
_déjeuner en famille_. I say _en famille_, for an _aide-de-camp_ and a
few waiters excepted, no one interferes with the small groups clubbed
together to enjoy their early repast, of which cold meat, radishes,
bread, tea and coffee form the staples. Those whose appetites are
appeased make room for new comers, and amuse themselves strolling
under the shade of trees. At ten the cloth is removed; the company are
all on the _qui vive_. The cottage, like the enchanted castle in the
Opera of Zemira and Azor, only awaits the magic touch of a fairy; a
few minutes elapse, and the chief entrance is thrown open; Little King
Craig followed by a brilliant staff, enters. Simultaneously an
invisible orchestra, located high amidst the dense foliage of large
trees, strikes up "God Save the King." All stand uncovered, in solemn
silence, in token of respect to the national anthem of Great Britain.
"The magnates press forward to pay their respects to His Excellency
Those who do not intend to "trip the light fantastic toe" take seats
on the platform where his Excellency sits in state; an A.D.C. calls
out, _gentlemen, take your partners_, and the dance begins.
"Close on sixty winters have run by since that day, when I,
indefatigable dancer, figured in a country dance of thirty couples. My
footsteps, which now seem to me like lead, scarcely then left a trace
behind them. All the young hearts who enlivened this gay meeting of
other days are mouldering in their tombs, even _she_, the most
beautiful of them all, _la belle des belles_--she, the partner of
my joys and of my sorrows--she who on that day accepted in the
circling dance, for the first time, this hand, which two years after
was to lead her to the hymeneal altar--yes, even she has been swept
away by the tide of death. [231] May not I also say, with Ossian,
'Why art thou sad, son of Fingal! Why grows the cloud of thy soul! the
sons of future years shall pass away, another race shall arise! The
people are like the waves of the ocean, like the leaves of woody
Morven--they pass away in the rustling blast, and other leaves lift
their green heads on high.'
"After all, why, indeed, yield up my soul in sadness? The children of
the coming generation will pass rapidly, and a new one will take its
place! Men are like the surges of the ocean, they resemble the leaves
which hang over the groves of my manor, autumnal storms cause them to
fall, but new and equally green ones each spring replace the fallen
ones. Why should I sorrow? Eighty-six children, grand-children, and
great-grand-children, will mourn the fell of the old oak when the
breach of the Almighty shall smite it. Should I have the good fortune
to find mercy before the Sovereign Judge: should it be vouchsafed to
me to meet again the angel of virtue who cheered the few happy days I
passed in this vale of sorrow, we will both pray together for the
numerous progeny we left behind us. But let us revert to the merry
meeting previously alluded to. It is half-past two in the afternoon,
we are gaily going through the figures of a country-dance, 'Speed the
plough' perhaps, when the music stops short, everyone is taken aback,
and wonders at the cause of interruption. The arrival of two prelates,
Bishop Plessis and Bishop Mountain, gave us the solution of the
enigma; an aide-de-camp had motioned to the bandmaster to stop on
noticing the entrance of the two high dignitaries of the respective
churches. The dance was interrupted whilst they were there, and was
resumed on their departure. Sir James had introduced this point of
etiquette from the respect he entertained for their persons.
"At three the loud sound of a hunters horn is heard in the distance;
all follow His Excellency in a path cut through the then virgin forest
of Powell Place. Some of the guests from the length of the walk, began
to think that Sir James had intended those who had not danced to take
a "constitutional" before dinner, when, on rounding an angle a huge
table, canopied with green boughs, groaning under the weight of
dishes, struck on their view--a grateful oasis in the desert. Monsieur
Petit, the _chef de cuisine_, had surpassed himself, like Vatel,
I imagine he would have committed suicide had he failed to achieve the
triumph by which he intended to elicit our praise. Nothing could
exceed in magnificence, in sumptuousness this repast--such was the
opinion not only of Canadians, for whom such displays were new, but
also of the European guests, though there was a slight drawback to the
perfect enjoyment of the dishes--_the materials which composed them
we could not recognize_, so great was the artistic skill, so
wonderful the manipulations of Monsieur Petit, the French cook.
"The Bishops left about half an hour after dinner, when dancing was
resumed with an increasing ardor, but the cruel mammas were getting
concerned respecting certain sentimental walks which the daughters
were enjoying after sunset. They ordered them home, if not with their
menacing attitude with which the goddess Calypso is said to have
spoken to her nymphs, at least with frowns; so said the gay young
_cavaliers_. By nine o'clock, all had re-entered Quebec."
_SPENCER GRANGE._
"Retirement, rural quiet, friendship, books"--_Thomson_
When Spencer Wood became the gubernatorial residence, its owner (the late
Hy. Atkinson) reserved the smaller half, Spencer Grange, some forty acres,
divided off by a high brick wall and fence, and terminating to the east in
a river frontage of one acre. A small latticed bower facing the St.
Lawrence overhangs the cliff, close to where the Belle Borne rill--nearly
dry during the summer months--rushes down the bank to Spencer Cove, in
spring and autumn,--a ribbon of fleecy whiteness. To the south, it is
bounded by Woodfield, and reaches to the north at a point opposite the
road called Stuart's road which intersects Holland farm, leading from the
St. Lewis to the Ste. Foye highway. The English landscape style was
adopted in the laying out of the flower garden and grounds; some majestic
old trees were left here and there through the lawns; three clumps of
maple and red oak in the centre of the meadows to the west of the house
grouped for effect; fences, carefully hidden away in the surrounding
copses; hedges, buildings, walks and trees brought in here and there to
harmonize with the eye and furnish on a few acres a perfect epitome of a
woodland scene. The whole place is girt round by a zone of tall pine,
beech, maple and red oaks, whose deep green foliage, when lit up by the
rays of the setting or rising sun, assume tints of most dazzling
brightness,--emerald wreaths dipped into molten gold-overhanging under a
leafy arcade, a rustic walk, which zigzags round the property, following
to the southwest the many windings of the Belle Borne streamlet. This
sylvan region most congenial to the tastes of a naturalist, echoes in
spring and summer with the ever-varying and wild minstrelsy of the robin,
the veery, the songsparrow, the red-start, the hermit-thrush, the red-eyed
flycatcher and other feathered choristers, while the golden-winged
woodpecker or rain fowl, heralds at dawn the coming rain of the morrow,
and some crows, rendered saucy by protection, strut through the sprouting
corn, in their sable cassocks, like worldly clergymen computing their
tythes. On the aforesaid walk, once trodden over by the prince of American
naturalists, the great Audubon, whilst on a visit to Mr. Atkinson at
Spencer Wood, was conferred the name of _Audubon Avenue_, by his Sillery
disciple, the author of the _Birds of Canada. The grand river views of
Spencer Wood, are replaced by a woodland scenery, sure to please the eye
of any man of cultivated taste, accustomed to the park-like appearance of
the south of England. In front of the mansion, close to the lawn, stands
the noblest elm tree of Sillery (_Ulmus Americanus_), leafy to its very
roots. Here, amidst literature and flowers, after leaving Spencer Wood,
lived for several years Henry Atkinson, a name in those regions once
synonymous with ornamental gardens and flowers. Graperies, conservatories,
an orchid house soon sprung up under his hand at this spot, larger than
Spencer Wood had ever boasted of in its palmiest days, since 1860, it is
the seat of J. M. LeMoine.
The advent in Quebec of the great Audubon is heralded thus in the
Quebec _Gazette_ of the 23rd September, 1842:--
"To the Editor of the Quebec _Gazette_"
SIR,--It does not appear to be known to the Quebec public that one of
the most distinguished men of the present age is now on a visit to our
city--John James Audubon, the author of the magnificent work entitled
'Ornithological Biography; or an Account of the Habits of the Birds of
America, etc.' I understand that Mr. Audubon devoted nearly fifty
years of his life to this interesting subject, and has placed before
the world, at a cost of £27,000 sterling, the whole family of the
feathered tribe, giving to each its natural size, and coloured to the
very life. Mr. Audubon has brought one copy [232] of his work with
him, let as hope it may be secured by our citizens. It is his first
visit to Quebec, the splendid scenery of which has induced him to
prolong his stay a few days. His present portfolio contains several
beautiful specimens of the quadrupeds of America, now in course of
publication by him as a companion to the above splendid work, which
only requires to be seen to ensure him a numerous list of subscribers
in this neighborhood.
"In order to afford Mr. Audubon every facility in the pursuit of his
arduous and interesting undertaking, the President of the United
States and the Commander-in-Chief, General Winfield Scott, have
furnished him the necessary documents to ensure him a cordial
reception throughout the Union.
"Mr. Audubon thus speaks of his meeting on the coast of Labrador, a
British officer well known to us all in Quebec--"But few days had
elapsed, when one morning we saw a vessel making towards our
anchorage, with the gallant flag of England waving in the breeze and
as she was moored within a cable's length of the _Ripley_, I soon
paid my respects to her commander, Captain Bayfield, of the Royal
Navy. The politeness of British naval officers is proverbial, and from
the truly frank and cordial reception of this gentleman and his brave
companions in arms, I felt more than ever assured of the truth of this
opinion. On the _Gulnare_ there was an amiable and talented surgeon,
who was a proficient in botany. We afterwards met the vessel in
several other harbors.'
"The name of John James Audubon, we should hope, is quote sufficient
to ensure him a cordial welcome throughout the British dominions in
America, and we sincerely hope that his visit to Quebec may hereafter
be a source of pleasing remembrance to him.
"H.
"Quebec, Sept. 23, 1842."
(_From the Antiquarian and Numismatic Journal._)
MY VISIT TO SPENCER GRANGE, QUEBEC, IN 1856, THE COUNTRY SEAT OF J. M.
LEMOINE.
BY BENJAMIN SULTE, THE HISTORIAN OF "THREE RIVERS."
[Translated from the French.]
One of the greatest attractions for me, says Mr. Sulte, in visiting
Spencer Grange, was its museum of Canadian birds, comprising two-
thirds of the Feathered tribe of the Dominion, with a fair sprinkling
of foreign specimens in the skin, and a collection of birds' eggs. Our
friend, long known among Canadian naturalists for his persevering
efforts during twenty years to popularize [233] the beautiful and
instructive study of ornithology, had evidently met with more than one
ally--in fact, many sympathizers. I am inclined to think--in his
special branch of natural history., Each class of birds, in this
apartment, has its corner; judging by the label, its "habitation,", as
well as name.
The thrushes and flycatchers of Canada, from their exquisite bright
tints or delicate arrow-shaped markings, are particularly conspicuous.
The cinnamon-backed cuckoo must be a graceful minstrel in our green
hedges in July, though I am ashamed to admit I never was lucky enough
to meet him. The oriole, blue jay, officer-bird, summer red-bird,
indigo-bird and golden-winged woodpecker form a group of striking
beauty; a most excellent idea, I would say, to thus place in
juxtaposition the most gorgeously habited of our feathered choristers
for the sake of contrasts.
A succession of drawers contain the nests and eggs, scientifically
labelled, of many Canadian species, and of some of the most melodious
songsters of France and England; pre-eminent stands the Italian,
French and Devonshire nightingale and its eggs. Our time was much too
limited to allow us to treasure up all the anecdotes and theories
anent birds, their mysterious spring and autumn migrations, their
lively memory of places, so agreeably dealt out to us. We cannot,
however, entirely omit noticing some curious objects we saw--the tiny
nest of a West Indian humming bird male out of a piece of sponge, and
he _cubiculum_ of a redheaded woodpecker, with its eggs still in
it, scooped out of the decayed heart of a silver birch tree, with the
bird's head still peering from the orifice in the bark. Here, as well
as in the library, the presentations were numerous: Col. Rhodes was
represented by a glossy Saguenay raven. I listened, expecting each
moment to hear it, like Poe's nocturnal visitor, "ghostly, grim and
ancient," croak out "nevermore!"
The late Hon. Adam Fergusson Blair, once a familiar of Spencer Grange,
was remembered by some fine Scotch grouse, ptarmigan and a pair of
capercailzie, in splendid feather, brought from Scotland. A good
specimen of the silvery gull, shot at Niagara Falls, was a gift from
John William McCallum, Esq., now of Melbourne, E.T.--an early friend
of our friend, whilst a very rare foreign bird (a Florida or glossy
ibis), shot at Grondines, had been contributed by Paul J. Charlton,
Esq., a Quebec sportsman. What had brought it so far from home?
At the bead of the grave, omniscient owls, like the foreman of a grand
jury, stood a majestic "grand duc," the largest owl of the Pyrénées,
resembling much our Virginian species,--a donation from a French
_savant_, Le Frère Ogérien. The owls have ever been to me a deep
subject of study, their defiant aspect, thoughtful countenances, in
which lurks a _soupçon_ of rapacity, remind me of a mayor and
town council bent on imposing new taxes without raising too much of a
row.
A gaudy and sleek bird of Paradise had been donated by Miss Caron, of
the adjoining _château_. There was also a newly-patented bird-
trap, sent by a New York firm, in the days of Boss Tweed, Conolly,
Field and other birds of prey I noticed boxes for sparrows to build
in, designed by Col W Rhodes. On the floor lay a curious sample of an
Old World man-trap, not sent from New York, but direct from England, a
terror to poachers and apple stealers, French swords and venomous
looking bayonets, of very ancient design, a rusty, long Indian musket
barrel together with _tibiae_ and _tarsi_, labelled 1759-60, presents
from H. J. Chouinard, Esq., the owner in 1865 of the site of the
battlefield at St. Foye, where stands _Le Monument des Braves_. A
bristling-fretful porcupine, a ferocious-looking lynx, and several
well-mounted specimens of game had been donated by McPherson Le Moyne,
Esq., the President of the "Montreal Fish and Game Protection Club,"
also several other contributions from the same.
Who had sent the colossal St. Bernard dog, like another Maida,
talking over the lawn, we had not an opportunity of asking. We patted
him, all trembling.
The flower garden is laid out in the modern landscape style. Fences
carefully concealed, a deep fringe of hard wood trees on one side, a
trim lilac hedge on the other, and a plantation of shrubs, roan,
barbary, sumac, lilac and young maple. On the side west of the house
was observable, next to a rustic seat, in the fork of a white birch,
an archaeological monument made with the key-stone of Prescott and
Palace Gates when removed by order of the City Corporation, [234] it
stands about ten feet in height.
From this spot, spanned by a little rustic bridge, a walk meanders
round the property to the west, canopied by a grove of silver birch,
oak, beach, pine and maple. Along the serpentine brook, Belle-Borne,
now so diminutive, and which, according to the historian Ferland, two
centuries ago turned the wheel of a mill below, is visible a dam,
creating a small pond in May, June and July, a favorite bathing place,
we are told, for the thrushes, robins and other songsters of the
adjoining groves. This tiny runlet is fringed with several varieties
of ferns, dog-tooth violets and other algae--(_From L'Opinion
Publique._)
_SPENCER OR BAGATELLE COTTAGE._
"We have many little Edens
Scattered up and down our dales;
We've a hundred pretty hamlets,
Nestling in our fruitful vales,
Here the sunlight loves to linger,
And the summer winds to blow,
Here the rosy spring in April,
Leapeth laughing from the snow."
On the western corner of the Spencer Grange property, and dependant to it,
can be seen from the road, _Bagatelle_--a long, straggling, picturesque
cottage, in the Italian style, with trees, rustic seats, walks and a
miniature flower-garden round it; a small prospect pavillion opens on the
St. Lewis road, furnishing a pretty view of the blue range of mountains to
the north; in summer it peeps from under clusters of the green or purple
leaves of some luxuriant _Virginian_ creepers--our American ivy--which
climb round it. _Bagatelle was generally occupied by an _attaché_ of
Spencer Wood, in the days of the Earl of Elgin and Sir Edmund W. Head.
Bagatelle is a quiet little nest, where our Canadian Laureate, Fréchette,
might be tempted to pen an invitation to his brother bard of the city,
LeMay, somewhat in the manner of the soft warbler of Albion towards his
friend the Revd. P. D. Maurice:
"Where, far from smoke or noise of town,
I watch the twilight falling brown
All round a careless ordered garden,
Close to the ridge of a noble down.
You'll have no scandal while you dine,
But honest talk and wholesome wine,
And only hear the magpie gossip
Garrulous under a roof of pine.
For groves of pine on either hand,
To break the blast of winter, stand;
And further on the hoary channel
Tumbles a breaker on chalk and sand."
The poet has sometimes received as well as sent out poetical invitations.
Here is one from Water Savage Landor.
"I entreat you, Alfred Tennyson,
Come and share my haunch of venison,
I have, too, a bin of claret,
Good, but better when you share it.
Though 'tis only a small bin
There's a stock of it within,
And, as sure as I'm a rhymer,
Half a butt of Rudesheimer,
Come, among the sons of men is none
Welcomer than Tennyson?"
_THE WOODFIELD OF THE PAST._
"Deambulatio per loca amoena."--_Frascatorius_
"Unquestionably the most ornate and richly laid-out estate around Quebec
is Woodfield, formerly the elegant mansion of the Honorable Wm. Sheppard,
afterwards of Fairymead, Drummondville. For many years past it has become
the permanent residence of the Gibb family. The horticultural department
and conservatory are under the immediate charge of Andrew Torrance, Esq.,
Mrs. Gibb's brother. His taste is too well known to require any praise,
and truly may it be said that the lovers of sweet flowers, trim hedges,
and fairy scenery, can easily beguile several hours together in exploring
the broad acres of Woodfield, equal in extent to Spencer Wood itself. In
the year 1646, the company of New France, under M. de Montmagny, conceded
this land, a lot of ground, with a frontage of three _arpents_, to
Jean Bouvart dit Lafortune. Jean Beauvart resold in 1649 to Barthélémy
Gaudin, in 1702 this land was possessed by Guillaume Pagé dit Garey. In
1724, Nicholas de la Nouiller purchased it and sold it in 1731 to
Monseigneur Dosquet, Bishop of Samos. In 1762, the seminary, then
proprietor of these grounds, conceded to Thomas Ainsley, the portion on
which stood the house, built by Bishop Dosquet. Judge Mabane acquired it
in 1769, he died in 1792, when his sister Miss. Isabella Mabane purchased
it in 1794 and held it until 1805, when the Honorable Matthew Bell
purchased it.
Let us hear on this subject one who knows how to describe and embellish a
country seat.--
"In the early part of the last century," says the Honorable Wm. Sheppard,
"this estate was in the possession of Monseigneur Dosquet, [235] titular
Bishop of Samos _in partibus infidelum_, and he gave it that name
after his Episcopal title. He built a substantial stone residence near the
brow of the hill, overlooking the St. Lawrence--a one story house--with a
high peaked roof, long and narrow, after the mode of building in those
days, something in the style of the manor house at Beauport. The name of
Samos is now superseded by that of Woodfield, yet it is still in use as
applied to the high road passing on its western side, commencing at the
termination of the road leading from Quebec in that direction, called the
Grand Allée, where it forks into the Samos road and the Chemin Gomin at
Spencer Wood. It is not known how long Bishop Dosquet occupied his estate.
"Soon after the cession of Canada to the British Crown, this property
passed into the hands of Judge Mabane, [236] by purchase, from the
reverend proprietors of the seigniory. Mr. Mabane changed the name to
Woodfield, and made extensive alterations to the house, adding to it a
second story, giving it by other additions a more imposing appearance from
the river, and adding two pavillion wings, connected with the house by
corridors. In 1775-6 it was converted into an hospital for American
soldiers.
"About the year 1807, the late Honorable Matthew Bell purchased Woodfield
from Miss Mabane, the Judge's sister. Mr. Bell occupied the house as a
summer dwelling only, and it is not known that he improved the estate to
any extent, unless it were the garden, which he enlarged and stocked with
choice fruit trees. Previous to the purchase of Mr. Bell, Woodfield was
occupied as a dwelling during several years (1795-1802) by Bishop
Mountain, the first Protestant Bishop of Quebec. During his occupation he
removed a bridge which spanned Bell Borne Brook, with the intention of
cutting off communication with Powell Place (Spencer Wood), the
neighboring estate, for reasons which it is not now necessary to enter
into. The bridge was subsequently restored, by the sons of Sir R. S.
Milnes, Governor General, and was known by the name of Pont Bonvoisin.
"In 1816 Woodfield passed into the possession of Mr. William Sheppard, by
purchase, from Mr. Bell. Mr. Sheppard improved the house and grounds
greatly, erecting vineries and a large conservatory, changing the front of
the house so as to look upon a rising lawn of good extent, interspersed
with venerable oaks and pine, giving the whole a striking and pleasing
aspect. The alteration in the house gave it a very picturesque appearance,
as viewed from the foot of the old avenue, backed by sombre pines Mr.
Sheppard added to the estate about sixty acres of land on its southern
side, it being now bounded by the road leading to St. Michael's Cove.
During the alterations made in the house, a leaden foundation plate was
discovered, stating that the house was built in 1732, by Bishop Dosquet.
This plate was deposited for safe keeping in the Museum of the Literary
and Historical Society, where (if still extant) it may be consulted.
"In December 1842, the house was unfortunately destroyed by fire, and with
it a valuable library of some three thousand volumes, many of them costly
illustrated works on Natural History and other sciences. Shortly
afterwards a new house was built on a more desirable and commanding site,
in the midst of splendid old oaks and pines, looking down upon an
extensive lawn, with the St Lawrence in the middle distance, the view
terminated by the South Shore, studded with cheerful-looking cottages. To
suit the new site Mr. Sheppard laid out a new approach, placing the
entrance somewhat nearer Quebec, than the old avenue, following the
roundings of Belle Borne Brook, and leaving it with a striking sweep,
among groups of trees, to the house. This approach is one of the greatest
attractions of the place. He also built a large conservatory in connection
with the house.
"Woodfield changed hands in 1847, having been purchased by Thos. Gibb,
Esq., who exchanged it with his brother, Jas. Gibb, Esq., a wealthy
merchant of Quebec, president of the Quebec Bank, who added much to the
beauty of the estate. [237] Woodfield, with the improvements and
embellishments made by the preceding proprietor is one of the most
imposing and showy places in Canada, well worthy the encomiums passed upon
it by J. Jay Smith, Esq., of Philadelphia, editor of the
_Horticulturist_, who, with a party of friends, visited it in 1857.
He says, in that work, 'James Gibb, Esq., at Woodfield, possesses one of
the most charming places on the American continent. Thoroughly English in
its appurtenances, and leaving out its views of the St. Lawrence, its
lawns, trees, and superb garden are together, a model of what may be
accomplished. The whole scene was enchanting. The traveller felt as if he
was transported to the best parts of England, our whole party uniting in
an exclamation of pleasure and gratification. Here is everything in the
way of well-kept lawns, graperies and greenhouses, outhouses for every
possible contingency of weather, gardens, redolent of the finest flowers,
in which bulbs of the best lilies make a conspicuous figure, and every
species of fruit that can be grown. The traveller who does not see
Woodfield hah not seen Canada in its best trim.'
"The remains of one redoubt [238] are visible near Belle Borne Brook, just
above Pont Bonvoisin, or Bridge of Friendship, no doubt intended to guard
the approach to Quebec by the footpath from Pointe à Puiseaux. Another
large one was on the west side of Samos road, nearly opposite the entrance
gate of the new approach to Woodfield, it commanded the Samos road.
"Woodfield once could boast of a well-stocked aviary. The garden, of large
extent, has always been celebrated for its fruit and flowers, for the
taste in which it was laid out, and for the beautiful prospect obtained
from it of the Citadel of Quebec, of the intervening portion of the St.
Lawrence, with the numerous shipping in the harbour busily engaged in
taking in their return cargoes of the staple article of exportation."
Since this sketch was published in the _Maple Leaves_ for 1865, death
has borne heavily on the estimable Gibb family we then knew at Woodfield;
and in 1879, Mr. John Lawson Gibb sold the old homestead as a site for an
ornate rural cemetery.
"WOODFIELD CONSERVATORY--On 10th Feby, 1869 we availed ourselves of
the opportunity afforded to the public of visiting this celebrated
conservatory, and feasting our eyes on the immense mass of floral
treasures which it contains. Flora's rarest gifts from every quarter
of the globe are here in full bloom. The Indian Azaleas are
magnificent beyond description--the one near the entrance called
'Criterion" is exquisitely beautiful, Roi Leopold, purpurea and alba
are also very handsome. The Dielytra, or Bleeding Heart, is chaste and
beautiful the Joy plant (Chorozema) from the Swan River, struck us as
particularly interesting, the colours of the flower are so
harmoniously blended, the Golden-leaved Geranium (Cloth of Gold)--well
worthy the name, with intense scarlet flowers, is very pretty Numerous
Camelias of every shade and colour, these we think may well be called
the Queen of winter flowers rivalling in beauty the famous "rose." The
Cinerarias and Cape cowslips are very fine, and so are the Acacias
Many beautiful and interesting Ferns, the most remarkable being the
elks-horn, walking fern, hearts-tongue, maiden-hair and silver-
braken."--_Morning Chronicle._
_SOUS LES BOIS._
This country seat, two miles from the city limits, stands in view of
Pointe à Puiseaux, at Sillery, exactly fronting the mouth of the Etchemin
River Imagine a roomy, substantial, one story cottage equally well
protected in winter against the piercing north, east and west winds,
surrounded by large oaks and pines to temper the rays of an August sun,
and through whose foliage the cool river breeze murmurs in the vernal
season, wafting pleasure and health to the inmates Add one of those
unrivalled river landscapes, peculiar to Sillery, well cultivated fruit
gardens, pastures, meadows, and lawns intersected by a long curving
avenue, fringed with single trees at times, at others tastefully concealed
in a clump of evergreens, and leading to the house by a circuitous
approach, which hides the mansion until you are a few feet of it Place in
it a toiling professional man, eager, after a dusty summer day's work in
St Peter street, to breathe the coolness and fragrance of his rustic
homestead, and enjoy the presence of his household gods, again, add to it
the conviction in his heart that country life has increased the span of
his existence by twenty years, and you have a faint idea of one of our
many Canadian homes, of _Sous les Bois_ the former residence of Errol
Boyd Lindsay, Esq., one of the few remaining Quebecers who can recall the
festivities of Powell Place, when Sir James Craig flourished there in
1809.
In 1870, _Sous les Bois_ was disposed of for educational purposes. The
flourishing Jésus Marie Academy, with its shiny dome and lofty walls,
looms out in the very centre of the demesne The Lindsay manor, at present,
is the hospitable lodge of the devoted and talented almoner of the
Convent, Rev. Abbé Octave Audette.
_SILLERY HOUSE._
This handsome dwelling, is situated at the foot of the Cape, close to the
Jesuits' old house, on a line with the river: it stands in the centre of
an extensive garden, with here and there some large forest trees
interspersed.
The residence was built a few years back by the late John Sharples,
Esquire, of the firm of Sharples & Co., whose vast timber coves are in
view from Sillery house.
ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH, SILLERY
"A rural chapel neatly dress'd,
In covert like a little nest;
And thither young and old repair
This Sabbath day, for praise and prayer."
--_The White Doe of Rylstone_.
St. Michael's Church was built by some spirited parishioners, in front of
Mount Hermon Cemetery; a not inappropriate monument on their part to the
memory of the ancient and worthy patron of the parish. St. Michael's
Church was weekly honoured by the attendance of the Sovereign's
representative and _suite_ when inhabiting Spencer Wood; and on fine
summer days by the rank and fashion of the neighbouring metropolis. It is
a handsome cut-stone church, in the Gothic style. The incumbent for many
years has been the Rev. Anthony A. Von Iffland.
This neat Gothic structure was erected in 1854, at a cost of $12,400,
the proceeds of the munificent donations of several members of its
congregation and others. The ground on which it stands was presented,
as a gift, by Mrs. Jas. Morrin. Several handsome stained-glass
windows, representing scriptural scenes, have been recently added. We
read, amongst others, the following names on the list of subscribers
to the foundation of the chapel, parsonage and school-house:--
Sir Edmund Head Lord Monck The Lord Bishop Mountain
Colonel Rhodes Henry Lemesurier Denis Godley
Ed. Burstall Charles E. Levey Jos. B. Forsyth
Captain Retallack Captain Pemberton Colonel Boomer
J. Walker E. Jackson F. H. Andrews
Miss Mountain D. D. Young C. N. Montizambert
Miss Cochran Rev. A. Mountain Mrs. Carroll
F. Burroughs W. F. Wood Robert Hamilton
Wm. Petry Honorable W. Walker Mrs. J. Gibb
W. Price Michael Stevenson Major H. W. Campbell
T. K. Ramsay Mrs. Helmuth Okill Stuart
Lieut.-Colonel Mountain John Jordan
Miss Guerout Hon. Henry Black G. B. Symes & Co.
J. F. Taylor Mrs. Montizambert C. Coker
G. Alford Mrs. Forsyth H. S. Scott.
N. H. Bowen G. Hall Mrs. G. R. Mountain
Charles Hamilton J. K. Boswell James Gibb
Rich Tremain T. G. Penny J. H. Oakes
Miss Taylor W. Drum Mrs. Woodbury
Dr. Boswell W. Herring Miss George
Charles Wilson John Giles Charles O'Neill
Preston Copeman Thomas Nelson Society for the Promotion
Thomas Beckett Barthy W. Goff of Christian Knowledge
Through the aid and efforts of the late Charles E. Levey, Esq., of
Cataracoui, a handsome organ was subscribed for in England, and now
graces St. Michael's Chapel.
MOUNT HERMON
A SPOT DEAR TO QUEBECERS
Oh, Hermon! oft I wander o'er,
Thy silent records of the past,
In fancy, when the storm and roar
Of icy winter holds thee fast,
But, when the gentle spring-time tells
'Tis time to rove amid the flow'rs,
I love to walk amid thy dells,
And dream once more of happy hours.
All seems a dream! thy lovely slopes,
O'ershadowed with primeval trees,
Are rich with many blighted hopes,
And ceaseless tears, _He_ only sees
What broken hearts, and scatter'd homes,
And grief of mourners ne'er since met,
One pictures by these solemn tombs,
This scene of parting and regret!
Bless'd spot! though long, long years ago
That loving one was buried here,
My soul still ever seeks to know
When once again we shall be near!
A day ne'er pass'd in foreign climes,
At home, or on the restless sea,
But I have sought thee many times,
Oh, Hermon! ever dear to me.
S. B. F.
In this neighbourhood is situated Mount Hermon Cemetery. It is about three
miles from Quebec, on the south side of the St. Lewis road, and slopes
irregularly, but beautifully, down the cliff which overhangs the St.
Lawrence. It is thirty two acres in extent, and the grounds were
tastefully laid out by the late Major Douglas, U. S. Engineers, whose
taste and skill had been previously shown in the design of Greenwood
Cemetery, near New York. A carriage drive, upwards of two miles in extent,
affords access to all parts of the grounds, and has been so arranged as to
afford the most perfect view of the scenery. The visitor, after driving
over the smooth lawn-like open surface, finds himself suddenly transferred
by a turn of the road into a dark avenue of stately forest trees, from
which he emerges to see the broad St. Lawrence almost beneath him, with
the city of Quebec and the beautiful slopes of Point Levi in the distance.
Many beautiful monuments now adorn the grounds, some of which are from
Montreal and some from Scotland; but the great majority are the
productions of Mr. Felix Morgan, of Quebec, and do credit to his taste and
skill. Many of them are beautiful and costly structures of Italian marble.
The Aberdeen and Peterhead granite is much used at present for monuments
to the departed.
A neat gothic lodge at the entrance of the grounds contains the office and
residence of the superintendent. In the former, a complete plan of the
grounds is kept, every separate grave being marked upon it with its
appropriate number, so that at any future time, on consulting it, the
exact spot of interment can be ascertained, and the Register which is also
kept, affords information respecting the places of birth, age, and date of
death.
There are few sites round Quebec more attractive to visit, especially
during the month of September, than the last abode of the departed,
crowning the green banks of the St. Lawrence at Sillery--the Cemetery of
Mount Hermon. Apart from possessing some of the most picturesque scenery
in America, this spot borrows from the glories of autumn tints of a fairy
brightness. In providing for the repose of the dead, the citizens of all
denominations seemed to have vied to surpass one another. Scarcely had the
skilful designer, Major Douglas, U.S.E., completed the laying out of the
Mount Hermon grounds, when a strong desire was manifested in all quarters
to do away with _intra mural_ burials. In a very short time, the
Roman Catholics had selected as a cemetery the lovely old seat of the late
Mr. Justice P. Panet, on the banks of the St. Charles, whilst a few years
later the shady groves of Belmont, on the Ste. Foye road, were required
for a similar object. The ornamentation of a _necropolis_ must naturally
be a work of time, trees do not spring up in one summer, nor do lawns
clothe themselves with a soft, green velvety surface in one season, and if
the flowers in Mount Hermon are so beautiful and so well attended to, the
secret in a measure possibly rests with the landscape gardener located at
the entrance, and who professes to furnish flowers for the adornment of
cemetery lots, and to plant and keep them fresh during the summer. The St.
Charles, St. Patrick and Belmont Cemeteries, which do not enjoy in the
same measure these facilities, cannot be expected to possess all the
rustic adornments of their elder brother. One may safely predict that ere
many summers go by, our public cemeteries, by their natural beauty, are
likely to attract crowds of strangers, as Greenwood and Mount Auburn do in
the States. Chaste monumental marbles, on which can be detected the chisel
of English, Scotch and Canadian artists, are at present noticeable all
over the grounds, tastefully laid out and smiling _parterres_ of annuals
and perennials throw a grateful fragrance over the tomb where sleeps
mayhap a beloved parent, a kind sister, an affectionate brother, a true
friend, a faithful lover. How forcibly all this was brought to our minds
recently on strolling through the shady walks of Mount Hermon. Under the
umbrageous trees, perfumed by roses and lilies, tombs, [239] silent,
innumerable tombs on all sides, on marble, the names of friends, kindred,
acquaintances, solemn stillness all round us, at our feet the placid
course of our majestic flood. There were indeed many friends round us,
though invisible, nay, on counting over the slumberers, we found we had
more, though not dearer friends, in this abode of peace than within the
walls of yonder city. Overpowered by mournful, though soothing thoughts,
we walked along pondering over those truthful reflections of Washington
Irving:--
"There is a voice from the tomb sweeter than song, there is a
recollection of the dead to which we turn ever from the charms of the
living Oh, the grave! the grave! It buries every error, covers every
defect, extinguishes every resentment. From its peaceful bosom spring
none but fond regrets and tender recollections. * * * The grave of
those we loved--what a place for meditation. There it is that we call
up in long review the whole history of virtue and gentleness, and the
thousand endearments lavished upon us almost unheeded in the daily
intercourse of intimacy; there it is that we dwell upon the
tenderness, the solemn, awful tenderness of the parting scene; the bed
of death with all its stifled grief; its noiseless attendants; its
mute, watchful assiduities; the last testimonies of expiring love; the
feeble, faltering, thrilling (oh, how thrilling!) pressure of the
hand; the last fond look of the glazing eye, turning upon us from the
threshold of existence; the faint, faltering accents struggling in
death to give once more assurance of affection! aye, go to the grave
of buried love and meditate! There settle the account with thy
conscience for every past benefit unrequited, every past endearment
unregarded of that being who can never, never, never return to be
soothed by thy contrition. If thou art a child and hast ever added a
sorrow to the soul, or a furrow to the silvered brow of an
affectionate parent; if thou art a husband and hast ever caused the
fond bosom that ventured its whole happiness in thy arms to doubt one
moment of thy kindness or thy truth; if thou art a friend and hast
ever wronged in thought, word or deed the spirit that generously
confided in thee; if thou art a lover and hast ever given one
unmerited pang to that true heart that now lies cold and still beneath
thy feet, then be sure that every unkind look, every ungracious word,
every ungentle action will come thronging back upon thy memory and
knocking dolefully at thy soul....
Then weave that chaplet of flowers and strew the beauties of nature
about the grave; console thy broken spirit if thou canst with these
tender, though futile, tributes of regret; but take warning over the
dead, and be more faithful and affectionate in the discharge of thy
duties to the living." Reader, allow not pensive September to close in
without visiting Mount Hermon, linger under its silent shades, go
partake of the joy of grief, and meditate at the grave of a buried
love.
"MONUMENT TO LIEUT. BAINES, R.A.--Few of our readers but recollect and
cherish the name of Lieut. Baines, who unfortunately lost his life
while gallantly endeavoring to arrest the progress of the
conflagration which destroyed the greater portion of St. Roch's
suburbs in October, 1866. His gallant devotion to duty, and his zeal
in one of the most praiseworthy and charitable objects that ever
engaged the attention of man, has caused his memory to be cherished
with love and respect by every one of our citizens. Last year the
ladies of the General Hospital sent a tribute of their gratitude to
his widowed mother in England, worked by their own hands. Now the
citizens of Quebec have completed their share of the grateful task. We
had the mournful pleasure yesterday of viewing one of the most chaste
and graceful monuments that adorn Mount Hermon Cemetery, erected by
public subscription, and placed over the grave of one whose memory is
so dearly cherished by all. The monument is of the Egyptian style of
architecture, an obelisk 18 feet in height, with a base of 4 feet 10
inches, designed and modelled by our talented fellow-citizen, Mr. F.
Morgan, sculptor, St. John street, so many of whose classic memorials
of the dead grace Mount Hermon. It is cut from a solid block of
imported sandstone, and in chasteness of design or execution is not
excelled on this continent. It bears the following inscription:--
Erected by the citizens of Quebec
To preserve the memory
and to record their gratitude for the
gallant services of
Lieut. Henry Edmund Baines,
Royal Artillery,
whose death was occasioned by his noble
efforts to arrest the progress
of the calamitous fire
which, on the 14th Oct., 1866
destroyed a large portion of the city.
Born at Shrewsbury, England, April 4, 1840
Died at Quebec Oct. 27, 1866
Surmounting the epitaph is the coat of arms of the Royal Artillery,
chiselled out of the solid block by the hands of a finished artist,
with the motto of the regiment in a scroll underneath--"_Quo fas et
gloria ducunt_' The erection of this, monument to the memory of the
brave but unfortunate young officer is a noble tribute of gratitude on
the part of our citizens, and in entrusting its execution to our
talented fellow-townsman, Mr. Morgan, the committee has shown a wise,
discretion that makes the completion of their task one upon which they
may heartily congratulate themselves.
A VOICE FROM MOUNT HERMON
DEDICATED TO MRS. BAINES, BY MRS. A. CAMPBELL
My dust lies sleeping here,
Mother dear!
In this, far off distant land,
Away from your little band,
And the touch of loving hand,
Your boy lies sleeping here,
Mother dear!
The Ocean rolls between
Mother dear!
You and your own boy's grave,
And the distant rush of waves
On the pebbly shore to lave,
Is the requiem sung between,
Mother dear!
Mine is a sweet green spot.
Mother dear!
And the song of the bird
Is ever heard
In the trees that gird
Us, in this quiet spot
Mother dear!
And echo answers here
Mother dear!
The tinkle of chapel bell,
And the murmur of its knell
And the mourners "_It is well_,'
Echo answers here,
Mother dear!
To picture my last home,
Mother dear!
I am laid me down to rest,
Where "Our Father" saw 'twas best,
In this quiet little nest,
For my last home,
Mother dear!
And my spirit is with Him,
Mother dear!
In the precious home above,
Where all is light and love,
There rests your own dear dove,
Now with Him,
Mother dear!
Through Jesus' blood I'm here,
Mother dear!
In this happy, heavenly land,
One of a glorious band,
Touched by His healing hand,
Through Jesus I am here,
Mother dear!
So dry that bitter tear,
Mother dear!
'Twill not be very long
Ere with Jesus you'll sing the song,
Sung by those who to Him belong,
And wipe that bitter tear--
Mother dear!
BARDFIELD
THE LATE BISHOP MOUNTAIN'S COUNTRY SEAT.
"Far from me and my friends be that frigid philosophy, which can make
us pass unmoved over any scenes which have been consecrated by virtue,
by valour, or by wisdom."--JOHNSON.
Pleasant the memories of our rustic homes! 'Tis pleasant, after December's
murky nights, or January and February's inexorable chills, to go and bask
on the sunny banks of our great river, under the shade of trees, in the
balmy spring, and amidst the gifts of a bountiful nature, to inhale
fragrance and health and joy. Pleasant, also, to wander during September
in our solemn woods, "with footsteps inaudible on the soft yellow floor,
composed of the autumnal sheddings of countless years." Yes, soothing to
us are these memories of home--of home amusements, home pleasures, and
even of home sorrows. Sweeter still, even though tinged with melancholy,
the remembrance of the departed friends,--those guardian spirits we once
saw moving in some of our Canadian homes in the legitimate pride of
hospitality--surrounded by young and loving hearts--enshrined in the
respect of their fellow men.
Oft has it been our privilege at that festive season of our year, when a
hallowed custom brings Canada's sons and daughters together with words of
greeting and good-fellowship, to wend our way to Bardfield, high on the
breezy hills of Sillery, and exchange a cordial welcome with the venerable
man who had dwelt in our midst for many long years. Seldom has it been our
lot to approach one who, as a scholar, a gentleman, a prelate, or what is
more than all those titles put together, a truly good man, impressed
himself more agreeably on our mind.
Another revolution of the circling year and the good pastor, the courteous
gentleman, the learned divine, our literary [240] friend and neighbour,
the master of Bardfield, had been snatched from among us and from an
admiring public. Where is the Quebecer who has not noticed the neat
cottage on the north of the St. Lewis road, where lived and died the Lord
Bishop Mountain? As you pass, you see as formerly its lovely river view,
gravelled walks, curving avenue, and turfy lawns, luxuriant hedges
designed by a hand now cold in death. Bardfield continues to be occupied
by Miss Mountain and other members of the late Bishop's family. A school
house, in the rural Gothic style, quite an ornament to Sillery, has been
erected by His Lordship's family, as a memorial of the sojourn at this
spot of this true friend of suffering humanity and patron of education.
Bardfield, founded about forty years ago by an eminent merchant of Quebec,
Peter Burnet, Esquire, was recently purchased by Albert Furness, Esquire
and by him leased to Charles Earnest Levey, Esquire, until Kirke Ella, the
property of Mr. Levy, is rebuilt.
THE FAMILY OF MOUNTAIN
The family of Mountain, which is a very old Norman family, and
therefore of French extraction, originally wrote their name "de
Montaigne," from the name of their estates at Périgord, near Bordeaux,
and as stated in the life of one of its members, the well-known
Michael Seigneur de Montaigne, the essayist and philosopher, "This
race was noble, but noble without any great lustre till his time,
which fortune showed him signal favours, and, together with honorary
and titular distinctions, procured for him the collar of the Order of
St. Michael, which at that time was the utmost mark of honour of the
French _noblesse_, and very rare. He was twice elected mayor of
Bordeaux, his father, a man of great honour and equity, having
formerly also had the same dignity."
Michael left only a daughter--Leonor or Leonora, who by marrying a
distant cousin of the same name, preserved the estates in the family,
as they had been for more than a century before they were inherited by
her father. These remained in possession of the senior branch until
the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, when, having espoused the
Protestant cause, they were forced to sacrifice them and quit the
country in 1685, with what ready money they could hastily get
together. With this they purchased an estate in Norwich, England; from
which in after generations several of the family went out to Canada,
and among them the late Bishop of Quebec.
To him, likewise I have heard attributed the irreverent piece of wit
alluded to by the _Witness_; but with equal injustice, as his son, the
late Bishop of Quebec assured me. [241]
It is one of those sayings evidently made up for people whose names or
position suit for hanging them on.
George Mountain, D.D., Archbishop of York, was a contemporary of
Michael de Montaigne, and a scion of the same family, though through a
younger branch, which appears to have crossed over from France about
the time of the massacre of St. Bartholomew in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, and for the same reason that the elder branch did
afterwards, namely, because of their religious tenets.
It is not by any means improbable that by this separation from the
rest of his family, who were still adherents of the Roman Catholic
faith, and the consequent abandonment of worldly prospects for the
sake of religious principles, the Archbishop's progenitors may have
been reduced in circumstances, but only comparatively with what he had
lost before, for history shows that the Archbishop himself was, born
at Callwood Castle, educated at Queen's College, Cambridge, chosen a
Fellow in 1591, and Junior Proctor of that University in 1600, Dean of
Westminster in 1610, Bishop of Lincoln in 1617, Bishop of London in
1621, Bishop of Durham in 1627, and Archbishop of York in 1628.
JACOB J. C. MOUNTAIN,
Formerly of Coteau de Lac, Canada, now Vicar of Bulford, England.
BULFORD VICARAGE, Amesbury, Salisbury, May 30, 1877.
BENMORE.
We like to portray to ourselves our energetic neighbour of Benmore House,
such as we can recall him in his palmy, sporting days of 1865; we shall
quote from the _Maple Leaves_ of that year:
"It will not be one of the least glories of 'Our Parish,' even when the
Province will have expanded into an empire, with Sillery as the seat of
Vice Royalty, to be able to boast of possessing the Canadian, the adopted
home of a British officer of wealth and intelligence, known to the
sporting world as the Great Northern Hunter. Who had not heard of the
_battues_ of Col. Rhodes on the snow-clad peaks of Cap Tourment, on
the Western Prairies, and all along the Laurentian chain of mountains? One
man alone through the boundless territory extending from Quebec to the
North Pole, can dispute the belt with the Sillery Nimrod, but then, a
mighty hunter is he; by name in the St. Joachim settlement, Olivier
Cauchon, to Canadian sportsmen known as _Le Roi des Bois_. It is said, but
we cannot vouch for the fact--that Cauchon, in order to acquire the scent,
swiftness and sagacity of the cariboo, has lived on cariboo milk, with an
infusion of moss and bark, ever since his babyhood, but that this very
winter (1865) he killed, with slugs, four cariboo at one shot, we can
vouch for.
A few weeks since, a _habitant_ with a loaded sleigh passed our gate;
on the top of his load was visible a noble pair of antlers. "Qui a tué--
ces cariboo?" we asked. Honest John Baptiste replied, "Le Colonel Rhodes,
Monsieur." Then followed a second--then a third. Same question asked, to
which for reply--"Le Colonel Rhodes, Monsieur." Then another sleigh load
of cariboo, in all twelve Cariboo, two sleighs of hare, grouse and
ptarmigan, then a man carrying a dead _carcajou_, then in the distance,
the soldier-like phiz of the Nimrod himself, nimbly following on foot the
cavalcade. This was too much, we stopped and threatened the Colonel to
apply to Parliament for an Act to protect the game of Canada against his
unerring rifle. Were we not fully aware of the gratifying fact, that,
under recent legislative enactment, the fish and game of Canada have much
increased, we might be inclined to fancy that the Colonel will never rest
until he has bagged the last moose, the last cariboo in the country.
Benmore nestles cosily in a pine grove on the banks of the great river,
the type of an English Country gentleman's homestead. In front of the
house, a spacious piazza, from which you can watch the river craft; in the
vast surrounding meadows, a goodly array of fat Durhams and Ayrshires, in
the farm-yard, short-legged Berkshires squeaking merrily in the distance,
rosy-cheeked English boys romping on the lawn, surrounded by pointers and
setters: such, the grateful sights which, greeted our eyes one lovely June
morning round Benmore House, the residence of the President of the Quebec
Game Club, and late member of Parliament for Megantic." (Written in 1865.)
IMPORTATION OF BIRDS.
Sixteen years have elapsed since these lines were penned, and the Colonel
has devoted much time, spent a large amount of capital on his vegetable
farm and his green houses. Agriculturalists and naturalists will know him
as the introducer of the English sparrow and the Messina quail.
_THE SPARROW AND QUAIL._
Information for Mr. Lemoine on the importation of the European house
sparrow and on that of the migratory quail. In consequence of great
complaints all over the United States of the ravages of insects and
particularly of caterpillars, amongst street and park trees and their
visible destruction, it was generally recommended to girdle the trees
with tin troughs containing oil or some liquid, also to pick the
insects off the infected trees. This course had been followed to a
very considerable extent, when it struck me the importation of the
common house sparrow would meet the difficulty. In 1854 I imported
sparrows. I turned loose six birds at Portland, Maine, and brought
about as many more to Quebec.
On turning the birds loose at Portland, I wrote a letter to the
_Portland Advertiser_, recommending the English sparrow as an
insect destroyer, especially in the early spring months when the
native birds are away on their migrations. This idea of picking off
insects with birds commended itself to the municipal authorities of
Boston and other large cities, who made large importations of
sparrows, with the result of saving their ornamental trees from
destruction.
The first colony of sparrows failed at Quebec. I therefore made two
more importations, succeeding at last by wintering over thirteen birds
--This occurred about ten years ago, there are now house sparrows all
over Canada, our French Canadians say "_C'est un oiseau qui suit la
Religion_" frequenting churches, convents and sacred places, and it
is considered a privilege to have so good a bird about the house. The
sparrow lives readily in Canada, as it feeds on the droppings of the
horse and takes shelter down the chimneys or under the roofs of the
houses. The enemies of the sparrow are very numerous, notably the
great Northern Shrike, the owls, hawks and in summer the swifts and
swallows. I have seen the English sparrow from New York to St.
Francisco, and from the Saguenay to Florida. In some places the bird
is used as an article of food, and there is no doubt this will be the
case generally; it will also become an object of sport for young
shooters and trappers in America, the same as it has always been in
Europe.
THE QUAIL.
I imported this bird in 1880, turning loose over 100 birds between
Quebec and the river Saguenay, I cannot say what has been the result;
the French population have taken much interest in this importation,
because they understand it is a bird well known in France as La
Caille, and I have no doubt it will become quite numerous in our
French settlements wherever it is established.
Large numbers of migratory quail have been imported for the State of
Maine, 2,500 birds were turned loose in 1880, in all about 10,000
quails have been imported for the United States and Canada during the
last few years, and as no importations are being made this year we
shall see what the migratory instinct does for the North in the spring
of the year?
It is very certain the migratory quail leave for parts unknown at an
early period in the autumn, but where they go to and whether they
return to the north has not been established; whilst they are with us,
they are very friendly, frequently mixing with the chickens in the
back yards. It is not improbable the feeling which gives hospitality
to the house sparrow will extend itself to the Farmer's Quail, and
that the latter bird may receive the same treatment from the settler
as he gives to ordinary domestic fowl, such as Pigeons, Guinea fowl,
and so on.--_W. Rhodes_.
BENMORE, 4th February, 1881.
N.B.--The house sparrow has indeed multiplied amazingly and though an
emigrant and not "un enfant du sol" has found a hearty welcome. 'Tis
said that he scares away our singing birds, if he should thus
interfere with the freedom of action of the _natives_, he will get the
cold shoulder, even though he should be an _emigrant_.
The sparrow though a long suffering bird is neither meek nor
uncomplaining. A "limb of the law" is, we are told, responsible for
the following:
_A HUMBLE APPEAL._
(_To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle_.)
DEAR SIR,--Oft, doubtless, passing through the Ring,
Me you have seen in autumn, summer, spring--
Picking, with gleesome chirp, and nimble feet,
My scanty living from the public street;
Or else devouring in those golden hours,
Insects from cabbages and other flowers:--
Ah me! those happy days!--but they are past,
And winter with his harsh and biting blast
Remind me and my fellow-sparrows bold
Of coming snow-storms, ice and sleet and cold;
Reminds us, too, of those far-off abodes,
Whence we were rudely reft by Col. R----s,
On his acclimatizing purpose bent,
And moved by scientific sentiment,
My heart is anxious, Sir, from what I know
Of last years sufferings from cold and snow,
Another winter's hardships, will, I fear,
Cause us poor colonists to disappear.
What shall we do, Dear Sir?--how shall we live,
Unless our charitable townsmen give
Us aid in food and shelter, otherwise
Each of us young and old, and male and female, dies!
Could we not make our _friend_ our _Garnishee_,
And seize his chattels by a _tiers saisi_?
(I tell him, Sir, that living mid the frosts
Is harder far than paying _lawyers' costs_)
Or do you think, (I write in great anxiety,)
We have a claim on the St. George Society?
We are compatriots--an exiled band,
From the fair pickings of our native land,
Cast on this frigid shore by savage Fate,
With mouths to fill, and bills to liquidate.
Dear Sir, I leave our case now with you, pray
To make it public do not long delay,
But give it, (I don't mean to be ironical,)
A prominent position in the CHRONICLE.
My wife and children cry to me for corn
With feeble earnestness and chirp forlorn,
My eye is dim, my heart within me pines,
My claws so numb I scarce can scratch two lines,
My head--no more will I your feelings harrow,
But sign me,
Truly yours,
Till death,
All Souls' Day. COCKSPARROW.
_CLAREMONT._
THE SEAT OF THOMAS BECKETT, ESQUIRE.
"A house amid the quiet country's shades,
With length'ning vistas, ever sunny glades,
Beauty and fragrance clustering o'er the wall.
A porch inviting, and an ample hall."
Claremont was founded by Lieut.-Governor R. E. Caron, and was his family
mansion--ever since he left Spencer Grange which he had temporally
leased,--until he was named Lt.-Governor of the Province of Quebec. We
find in it, combined the taste and comfort which presides in Canadian
homes; and in the fortunes of its founder, an illustration of the fact,
that under the sway of Britain, the road to the highest honours has ever
been open to colonists, irrespective of creed or nationality.
Claremont stands about one acre from the main road, three miles from
Quebec, a handsome, comfortable and substantial villa. The umbrageous
grove of trees which encloses it from view, is a plantation laid down by
the late occupant about twenty-five years ago; its growth has been truly
wonderful. The view from the veranda and rear of the house is magnificent
in the extreme. To the west of the dwelling, environed in forest trees
well protected against our northern "blizzards," lies the fruit, flower
and vegetable garden, laid out originally by Madame Caron; watered by an
unfailing spring, its dark rich soil produces most luxuriant vegetables,
and Mr. Beckett's phlox, lilies, pansies, roses, generally stand well
represented on the prize list of the Quebec Horticultural Society, of
which Mr. Beckett is a most active member.
Claremont [242] is indicated by one of the most reliable of our
historians, the Abbé Ferland, as the spot where one of the first Sillery
missionaries, Frère Liégeois met with his end at the hands of some hostile
Indians. This occurred in the spring of 1655. The missionary at the time
was helping the colonists to build a small redoubt to protect their maize
and wheat fields from the inroads of their enemies. On viewing, at
Sillery, in 1881, Claremont the luxurious country seat of a successful
merchant, memory reverts to the same locality two centuries back, when
every tree of the locality might have concealed a ferocious _Iroquois_
bent on his errand of death.
From the cupola of Claremont, a wondrous vista is revealed. The eye gazing
northward, rests on the nodding pinnacles of the spruce, hemlock and
surrounding pine. Towards the south-east and west you have before you
nearly every object calculated to add effect to the landscape. Far below
at your feet, rushes on the mighty St. Lawrence, with its fleet of
merchantmen and rafts of timber; the church of St. Romuald, half way up
the hill; facing you, the Etchemin stream, its mills, its piers, crowded
with deals; to the west, the roaring Chaudière, "La Rivière Bruyante" of
early times, in the remote distance, on a bright morning, are also plainly
visible, the hills of the White Mountains of Maine.
_THE WILD FLOWERS OF SILLERY._
"Everywhere about us are they glowing,
Some like stars, to tell us spring is born;
Others, their blue eyes, with tears o'erflowing,
Stand like Ruth amid the golden corn."
Are you an admirer of nature, and sweet flowers? Would you, most worthy
friend, like to see some of the bright gems which spring, whilst dallying
over the sequestered, airy heights and swampy marshes of our woods drops
along our path? Follow, then, sketch book and pencil in hand, the fairy
footsteps of one of the most amiable women which old England ever sent to
our climes, accompany the Countess of Dalhousie on a botanizing tour
through Sillery woods; you have her note book, if not herself, to go by.
For May, see what an ample store of bright flowers scattered around you;
fear not to lose yourself in thickets and underbrush; far from the beaten
track a noble lady has ransacked the environs over and over again,
sometimes alone, sometimes with an equally enthusiastic and intelligent
friend, who hailed from Woodfield; [243] sweet flowers and beautiful ferns
attract other noble ladies to this day in that wood. Are you anxious to
possess the first-born of spring? Whilst virgin snow still whitens the
fields, send a young friend to pluck for you, from the willow, its golden
catkins:--
"The first gilt thing
Decked with the earliest pearls of spring."
The Gomin Wood will, with the dawn of May, afford you materials for a
wreath, rich in perfume and wild in beauty. The quantity of wild flowers,
to be found in the environs of Quebec has called forth the following
remarks from one of Flora's most fervid votaries, a gentleman well known
in this locality:--"A stranger," says he, "landing in this country, is
much surprised to find the flowers which he has carefully cultivated in
his garden at home, growing wild at his feet. Such as dog-tooth violets,
trilliums and columbines. I was much excited when I discovered them for
the first time; the _trillium_, for which I had paid three shillings
and six-pence when in England, positively growing wild. I could scarcely
believe that I had a right to gather them; having paid so much for one, I
felt that it was property, valuable property running wild, and no one
caring to gather it. No one? Yes! some did, for _we_ carried all that
we could find, and if the reader will stroll along the hedges on St. Lewis
road he will find them in abundance: dark purple flowers, growing on a
stalk naked to near the summit, where there is a whorl of three leaves,
its sepals are three, petals three, stamens twice three, and its stigmas
three, hence its name of _trillium_. We have a few of the white varieties.
After the purple _trillium_ has done flowering, we have the painted
trillium of the woods; the _trillium grandiflorum_ is abundant at Grosse
Isle. The dog-tooth violet early arrested my attention; the spotted leaves
and the bright yellow flowers, fully recurved in the bright sunshine,
contrasted beautifully with the fresh green grass on the banks on which
they are usually found, the bulbs are deep-seated, and the plant will at
once, from the general appearance of the flower, be recognized as
belonging to the lily family.
"The marsh marigolds, with the bright yellow buttercup-looking flowers,
are now in full luxuriance of bloom in wet places near running water; they
may not be esteemed beautiful by all, and yet all God's works, and all his
flowers, are good and beautiful. Let any one see them as I have seen them,
a large flowerbed of an acre and more, one mass of the brightest yellow, a
crystal stream meandering through their midst, the beautiful Falls of
Montmorenci across the river rolling their deep strains of Nature's music,
the rising tide of the St. Lawrence beating with refreshing waves at their
feet, and a cloudless azure sky over head, from which the rosy tints of
early morn had hardly disappeared, and if his soul be not ready to
overflow with gratitude to the Supreme Being who has made everything so
beautiful and good, I do not know what to think of him. I would not be
such a man, 'I'd rather be a dog and bay the moon.'"
The whole Gomin bog is studded with Smilacina _Bifolia_, sometimes
erroneously called _the white lily of the valley_, also the Smilacina
_Trifolia_, the _Dentaria_, the _Streptopus roseus_ or twisted stem, a
rose-colored flower, bearing red berries in the fall. There are also in
this wood, _trillium_, the May flower, _Hepatica_, and _Symplocarpus_,
thickets crowned with _Rhodoras_ in full bloom--a bush a few feet high
with superb rose-colored flowers--the general appearance of a cluster of
bushes is most magnificent. In the same locality, further in the swamp,
may be found the _Kalmia angustifolia_ bearing very pretty compact rose-
colored flowers like small cups divided into five lobes, also the
beautiful Ladies' Slipper Orchis (_Cypripedum humile_) in thousands on the
borders of the swamp,--such is Sillery wood in May. The crowded flora of
June is the very carnival of nature, in our climes. "Our Parish" is no
exception. The Ladies' Slippers, _Kalmia Smilacina_, etc., may still
be gathered in the greatest abundance throughout most of this month. Here
is also the bunch of Pigeon berry, in full bloom, the Brooklime Spedwell,
the Blue-eyed-grass, the herb Bennet, the Labrador Tea, the _Oxalis
Stricta_ and _Oxalis acetosella_, one with yellow, the other with
white and purple flowers: the first grows in ploughed fields, the second
in the woods. "Our sensitive plant; they shut up their leaves and go to
sleep at night, and on the approach of rain. These plants are used in
Europe to give an acid flavor to soup." Here also flourishes the Linnea
Borealis, roseate bells, hanging like twins from one stalk, downy and
aromatic all round. In the middle of June, the Ragwort, a composite flower
with yellow heads, and about one-half to two feet high, abounds in wet
places by the side of running streams. Also, the Anemone, so famous in
English song, principally represented by the Anemone Pennsylvanica,
growing on wet banks, bearing large white flowers; add the Corydalis,
_Smilacina racemosa_ resembling Solomon's Seal. Here we light on a lovely
Tulip bed; no--'tis that strangely beautiful flower, the pitcher plant
(_Saracenia Purpurea_). Next we hit on a flower not to be forgotten, the
_Myosotis palustris_ or Forget-me-not. Cast a glance as you hurry onwards
on the _Oenothera pumila_, a kind of evening primrose, on the false
Hellebore--the one-sided Pyrola, the Bladder Campion--_silene inflata_,
the sweet-scented yellow Mellilot, the white Yarran, the Prunella with
blue labrate flowers the Yellow Rattle, so called from the rattling of the
seeds. The perforated St. John's Wort is now coming into flower
everywhere, and will continue until late in August; it is an upright
plant, from one to two feet high, with clusters of yellow flowers. The
Germans have a custom for maidens to gather this herb on the eve of St.
John, and from its withering or retaining its freshness to draw an augury
of death or marriage in the coming year. This is well told in the
following lines:--
"The young maid stole through the cottage door,
And blushed as she sought the plant of power;
Then silver glow-worm, O lend me thy light,
I must gather the mystic St. John's Wort to-night,
The wonderful herb whose leaf must decide
If the coming year shall make me a bride.
And the glow-worm came
With its silvery flame,
And sparkled and shone
Through the night of St. John;
While it shone on the plant as it bloomed in its pride,
And soon has the young maid her love-knot tied.
With noiseless tread
To her chamber she sped,
Where the spectral moon her white beams shed.
"Bloom here, bloom here, thou plant of power,
To deck the young bride in her bridal hour;
But it dropped its head, the plant of power,
And died the mute death of the voiceless flower
And a withered wreath on the ground it lay,
And when a year had passed away,
All pale on her bier the young maid lay;
And the glow-worm came,
With its silvery flame,
And sparkled and shone
Through the night of St. John;
And they closed the cold grave o'er the maid's cold clay,
On the day that was meant for her bridal day."
Let us see what flowers sultry July has in store for us in her bountiful
cornucopia. "In July," says a fervent lover of nature, "bogs and swamps
are glorious indeed," so look out for Calopogons, Pogonias, rose-colored
and white and purple-fringed Orchises, Ferns, some thirty varieties, of
exquisite texture,
"In the cool and quiet nooks,
By the side of running brooks;
In the forest's green retreat,
With the branches overhead,
Nestling at the old trees' feet,
Choose we there our mossy bed.
On tall cliffs that won the breeze,
Where no human footstep presses,
And no eye our beauty sees,
There we wave our maiden tresses,"
the Willow-herb, the true Partridge-berry, the Chimaphila, Yellow Lily,
Mullein, Ghost Flower, Indian Pipe, Lysimacha Stricta, Wild Chamomile.
August will bring forth a variety of other plants, amongst others the
Spirantes, or Ladies' Tresses, a very sweet-scented Orchis, with white
flowers placed as a spiral round the flower stalk, the purple Eupatorium,
the Snake's head, and crowds of most beautiful wild flowers, too numerous
to be named here. [244] (From _Maple Leaves_, 1865).
_BEAUVOIR._
"The merchant has his snug retreat in the vicinity of the metropolis,
where he often displays as much pride and zeal in the cultivation of
his flower garden, and the maturing of his fruits, as he does in the
conduct of his business, and the success of a commercial enterprise."
--_Rural Life in England--Washington Irving_.
Situated on the left bank of the River St. Lawrence, about four miles from
the city, on the Sillery heights, and overlooking the river. The site was
selected about half a century back by the late Hon. A. N. Cochrane, who
acquired the property in September, 1830, and after holding it for
nineteen years sold it to the Hon. John Stewart, who built the residence,
which was occupied for a number of years by the late Henry LeMesurier,
Esq., and was finally destroyed by fire in 1866. It was subsequently
rebuilt, and afterwards purchased by the present occupant R. R. Dobell,
Esq., who has since added considerably to the building and extended the
property by the addition of about twelve acres purchased from the Graddon
estate, and about the same quantity purchased from Mr. McHugh, the whole
now comprising about thirty-five acres. The grounds are beautifully wooded
and descend by a series of natural terraces to the river, on the banks of
which are the extensive timber coves and wharves known as Sillery Cove,
with the workmen's cottages, offices, &c., fringing the side. There is
also telegraphic communication between this cove and the city. Here too is
the site of the ancient church of the Récollet Fathers, within the
precincts of which lie buried the remains of Rev. Ed. Massé, one of the
earliest missionaries sent from France to Canada by the Jesuits, the
expense of the mission was chiefly borne by the Chevalier Brulart de
Sillery. Here also is the old MANSION HOUSE, and a little higher up the
cliff is the ancient burial ground of the Huron Indians, where the remains
of many of this tribe can still be found. The property is bounded on the
west by the historical stream of St. Michaels brook, so often mentioned in
the narratives of the siege of Quebec in 1759. This stream used to be well
stocked with trout, and promises to regain its former character in this
respect, as the present proprietor intends to re-stock it.
Mr. Dobell has collected here some very fine specimens of Canadian Game,
which the art of the taxidermist has rendered very life-like. His oil
paintings are deserving of notice and attracted attention at a recent
exhibition of art, &c., at the Morrin College, they appear in the printed
catalogue as follows:--
A Scene in Wales, (Morning).............. by Marcham.
A Scene in Wales, (Evening).............. "
Reading the Bible, ...................... "
Our Saviour,--an old painting on copper..
Dead Canary,............................. S. M. Martin.
Fox and Ducks,........................... "
Prairie Hen,............................. "
View of Quebec,.......................... Creswell.
Egyptian Interior,....................... Kornan.
Dead Game,............................... "
Two Oil Paintings,....................... after Guido Reni.
Girl and Birdcage,--a Dutch painting.....
Prisoners,............................... by Jacobi.
Flower Piece,............................ Victor
Pandora and Casket,--old painting........
The chief charm of Beauvoir is in its beautiful level lawn and deep
overhanging woods, recalling vividly to mind the many beautiful homes of
merry England. Mr. Dobell the proprietor is largely engaged in mercantile
operations, and for many years past has carried on the most extensive
business in the lumber trade.
In 1865 we alluded as follows to this bright Canadian Home, which the
shadow of death was soon to darken:
"Crowning a sloping lawn, intersected by a small stream, and facing the
Etchemin Mills, you notice on the south side of the St. Lewis road, next
to Clermont, a neat dwelling hid amongst huge pines and other forest
trees; that is one of our oldest English country seats. Family memories of
three generations consecrate the spot. Would you like a glimpse of
domestic life as enjoyed at Sillery? then follow that bevy of noisy, rosy-
cheeked boys in Lennoxville caps, with gun and rod in hand, hurrying down
those steep, narrow steps leading from the bank to the Cove below. How
they scamper along, eager to walk the deck of that trim little craft, the
_Falcon_, anchored in the stream, and sitting like a bird on the bosom of
the famed river. Wait a minute and you will see the mainsail flutter in
the breeze. Now our rollicking young friends have marched past ruins of
"chapel, convent, hospital," &c., on the beach; you surely did not expect
them to look glum and melancholy. Of course they knew all about "Monsieur
Puiseaux," "le Chevalier de Sillery," "the house where dwelt Emily
Montague"; but do not, if you have any respect for that thrice happy age,
the halcyon days of jackets and frills, befog their brains with the musty
records of departed years. Let the lads enjoy their summer vacation,
radiant, happy, heedless of the future. Alas! it may yet overtake them
soon enough! What care could contract their brow? Have they not fed for
the day their rabbits, their pigeons, their guinea-pigs? Is not that
faithful Newfoundland dog "Boatswain," who saved from drowning one of
their school-mates, is he not as usual their companion on ship-board or
ashore? There, now, they drop down the stream for a long day's cruise
round the Island of Orleans. Next week, peradventure, you may hear of the
_Falcon_ and its jolly crew having sailed for Portneuf, Murray Bay, the
Saguenay or Bersimis, to throw a cast for salmon, sea-trout or mackerel,
in some sequestered pool or sheltered bay.
"There we'll drop our lines, and gather
Old Ocean's treasures in."
Are they not glorious, handsome, manly fellows, our Sillery boys? No
wonder we are all proud of them, of the twins as much as the rest, and
more so perhaps. "Our Parish" you must know, is renowned for the
proportion in which it contributes to the census: twins--a common
occurrence; occasionally, triplets.
Such we knew this Canadian home in the days of the late Henry Lemesurier.
_MONTAGUE COTTAGE._
"I knew by the smoke which so gracefully curled,
Above the green wood that a cottage was near."
--_Moore's Woodpecker._
Facing Sillery hill, on the north side of "Sans Bruit," formerly the
estate of Lieut.-Col. the Hon. Henry Caldwell, Mr. Alfred P. Wheeler,
[245] the Tide Surveyor of H. M. Customs, Quebec, built in 1880, a
comfortable and pleasing little cottage. He has called it Montague Cottage
[246] in memory of Wolfe's brave assistant Quarter Master General Col.
Caldwell, of Sans Bruit, the Col. Rivers of "The Novel and the preferred
suitor of Emily Montague who addressed her romantic 'Sillery letters to
Col. Rivers from a house not far from the Hill of Sillery.
It is stated in all the old Quebec Guide Books that the house in which the
'divine Emily then dwelt stood on the foot of Sillery Hill, close to Mrs.
Graddon's property at Kilmarnock, her friend Bella Fermor probably lived
near her. Vol. I of the Work, page 61, states; "I am at present at an
extremely pretty farm on the banks of the River St. Lawrence, the house
stands as the foot of a steep mountain covered with a variety of trees
forming a verdant sloping wall, which rises in a kind of regular
confusion, shade above shade a woody theatre, and has in front this noble
river, on which ships continually passing present to the delighted eye the
most charming picture imaginable. I never saw a place so formed to inspire
that pleasing lassitude, that divine inclination to saunter, which may not
improperly be called the luxurious indolence of the country. I intend to
build a temple here to the charming goddess of laziness. A gentleman is
coming down the winding path on the side of the hill, whom by his air I
take to be your brother. Adieu. I must receive him, my father is in
Quebec. Yours,
ARABELLA FERMOR.
_THE HISTORY OF EMILY MONTAGUE._
On the 22nd March 1769, a novelist of some standing Mrs. Frances
Brooks an officer's lady, [247] author of _Lady Julia Mandeville_
published in London a work in four volumes, which she dedicated to His
Excellency the Governor of Canada, Guy Carleton afterwards Lord
Dorchester, under the title of the _History of Emily Montague_ being a
series of letters addressed from Sillery by Emily Montague the heroine
of the tale, to her lively and witty friend Bella Fermor--to some
military admirers in Quebec, Montreal, and New York--to some British
noblemen, friends of her father.
This novel, whether it was through the writer's _entourage_ in
the world or her _entrée_ to fashionable circles, or whether on
account of its own intrinsic literary worth, had an immense success in
its day. The racy description it contains of Canadian scenery, and
colonial life, mixed with the fashionable gossip of our Belgravians of
1766, seven years after the conquest, caused several English families
to emigrate to Canada. Some settled in the neighborhood of Quebec, at
Sillery, it is said. Whether they found all things _couleur-de-
rose_, as the clever Mrs. Brooke had described them,--whether they
enjoyed as much Arcadian bliss as the Letters of _Emily Montague_
had promised--it would be very ungallant for us to gainsay, seeing
that Mrs. Brooke is not present to vindicate herself. As to the
literary merit of the novel, this much we will venture to assert, that
setting aside the charm of association, we doubt that _Emily
Montague_ if republished at present, would make the fortune of her
publisher. Novel writing, like other things, has considerably changed
since 1766, and however much the florid Richardson style may have
pleased the great grandfathers of the present generation, it would
scarcely chime in with the taste of readers in our sensational times.
In Mrs. Brooke's day Quebecers appear to have amused themselves pretty
much as they do now, a century later. In the summer, riding, driving
boating, pic-nics at Lake St. Charles, the Falls of Montmorenci, &c.
In winter tandems, sleigh drives, toboganing at the ice cone, tomycod
fishing on the St. Charles, Château balls; the formation of a
_pont_ or ice-bridge and its breaking up in the spring--two events of
paramount importance. The military, later on, the promoters of
conviviality, sport and social amusements; in return obtaining the
_entrée_ to the houses of the chief citizens; toying with every
English rosebud or Gallic-lily, which might strew their path in spite
of paternal and maternal admonitions from the other side of the
Atlantic; occasionally leading to the hymeneal altar a Canadian bride,
and next introducing her to their horror-stricken London relatives,
astounded to find out that our Canadian belles, were neither the
colour of copper, nor of ebony; in education and accomplishments,
their equals--sometimes their superiors when class is compared to
class. Would you like a few extracts from this curious old Sillery
novel? Bella Fermor, one of Emily Montague's familiars, and a most
ingrained _coquette_, thus writes from Sillery in favour of a
military protégé on the 16th September, 1766, to the "divine" Emily,
who had just been packed oft to Montreal to recover from a love fit.
"Sir George is handsome as an Adonis ... you allow him to be of an
amiable character; he is rich, young, well-born, and he loves you..."
All in vain thus to plead Sir. George's cause, a dashing Col. Rivers
(meant, we were told, by the Hon. W. Sheppard, to personify Col. Henry
Caldwell, of Belmont) had won the heart of Emily, who preferred true
love to a coronet. Let us treasure up a few more sentences fallen from
Emily's light-hearted confidante. A postscript to a letter runs thus--
"Adieu, Emily, I am going to ramble in the woods and pick berries with
a little smiling civil captain [we can just fancy we see some of our
fair acquaintances' mouths water at such a prospect], who is enamoured
of me. A pretty rural amusement for lovers." Decidedly; all this in
the romantic woodlands of Sillery, a sad place it must be confessed,
when even boarding school misses, were they to ramble thus, could
scarcely escape contracting the _scarlet_ fever. Here goes another
extract:--
(BELLA FERMOR TO MISS RIVERS. LONDON)
"Sillery, Sept. 20th, (1766)--10 o'clock.
"Ah! we are vastly to be pitied; no beaux at all at the general's,
only about six to one; a pretty proportion, and what I hope always to
see. We--the ladies I mean--drink chocolate with the general to-
morrow, and he gives us a ball on Thursday; you would not know Quebec
again. Nothing but smiling faces now: all gay as never was--the
sweetest country in the world. Never expect to see me in England
again; one is really somebody here. I have been asked to dance by only
twenty-seven. ..."
Ah! who would not forgive the frolicsome Bella all her flirtations?
But before we dismiss this pleasant record of other days, yet another
extract, and we have done.
(BELLA FERMOR TO LUCY RIVERS)
"Sillery--Eight in the evening.
"Absolutely, Lucy, I will marry a savage and turn squaw (a pretty soft
name for an Indian Princess!) Never was anything so delightful as
their lives. They talk of French husbands, but commend me to an Indian
one, who lets his wife ramble five hundred miles without asking where
she is going.
"I was sitting after dinner, with a book, in a thicket of hawthorn
near the beach, when a loud laugh called my attention to the river,
when I saw a canoe of savages making to the shore. There were six
women and two or three children, without one man amongst them. They
landed and tied the canoe to the root of a tree, and finding out the
most agreeable shady spot amongst the bushes with which the beach was
covered, (which happened to be very near me) made a fire, on which
they laid some fish to broil, and fetching water from the river, sat
down on the grass to their frugal repast. I stole softly to the house,
and ordering a servant to bring some wine and cold provisions,
returned to my squaws. I asked them in French if they were of Lorette,
they shook their heads--I repeated the question in English, when the
eldest of the women told me they were not, that their country was on
the borders of New England, that their husbands being on a hunting
party in the woods, curiosity and the desire to see their brethren,
the English, who had conquered Quebec, had brought them up the great
river, down which they should return as soon as they had seen
Montreal. She courteously asked me to sit down and eat with them,
which I complied with and produced my part of the feast. We soon
became good company, and brightened the chain of friendship with two
bottles of wine, which put them in such spirits that they danced,
sung, shook me by the hand, and grew so fond of me that I began to be
afraid I should not easily get rid of them.
"Adieu! my father is just come in and has brought some company with
him from Quebec to supper.
"Yours ever,
"A. FERMOR."
KIRK ELLA
"This villa, erected in 1850 on the north side of the St. Lewis road,
facing Cataracoui, affords a striking exemplification of how soon taste
and capital can transform a wilderness into a habitation combining every
appliance of modern refinement and rustic adornment. It covers about
eighty-two acres, two thirds of which are green meadows, wheat fields,
&c., the remainder, plantations, gardens and lawn. The cottage itself is a
plain, unpretending structure, made more roomy by the recent addition of a
dining room, &c., in rear. On emerging from the leafy avenue, the visitor
notices two _parterres_ of wild flowers--kalmias, trilliums, etc.,--
transplanted from the neighboring wood, with the rank, moist soil of the
Gomin marsh to derive nourishment from, they appear to thrive. In rear of
these _parterres_ a granite rockery, festooned with ferns, wild
violets, &c., raises its green gritty, rugged outline. This pretty
European embellishment we would much like to see more generally introduced
in our Canadian landscape; it is strikingly picturesque. The next object
which catches the eye is the conservatory in which are displayed the most
extensive collection of exotics in Sillery. In the centre of some fifty
large camellia shrubs there is a magnificent specimen of the fimbriata
variety--white leaves with a fringed border; it stands twelve feet high
with corresponding breadth. When it is loaded with blossoms in the winter
the spectacle is exquisitely beautiful. In the rear of the conservatory
are a vinery, a peach and apricot house; like the conservatory, all span-
roofed and divided off in several compartments, heated by steam-pipes and
furnaces, with stop-cocks to retard or accelerate vegetation at will. On
the 31st May, when we visited the establishment, we found the black
Hamburg grapes the size of cherries; the peaches and apricots
correspondingly advanced; the cherries under glass quite over. One of the
latest improvements is a second flower garden to the west of the house, in
the English landscape style. In rear of this garden to the north, there
existed formerly a cedar swamp, which deep subsoil draining with tiles has
converted into a grass meadow of great beauty; a belt of pine, spruce,
tamarack, and some deciduous trees, thinned towards the south-west, let in
a glimpse of the St. Lawrence and the high-wooded Point Levi shores,
shutting out the view of the St. Lewis road, and completely overshadowing
the porter's lodge; out-houses, stables, root-house, paddocks and barns
are all on a correspondingly extensive scale. We have here another
instance of the love of country life which our successful Canadian
merchant likes to indulge in; and we can fancy, judging from our own case,
with what zest Mr. Burstall the portly laird of Kirk Ella, after a
toilsome day in his St. Peter street counting-house, hurried home to revel
in the rustic beauty which surrounds his dwelling." Such was Kirk Ella in
1865.
Mr. Burstall having withdrawn from business, removed to England and died
there a few years back. Kirk Ella has now become the property of Charles
Ernest Levey, Esq., only son of the late Charles E. Levey, Esq., formerly
of Cataracoui. The dwelling having been destroyed by fire in 1879, the new
owner decided on erecting a handsome roomy mansion on the same site. The
visitor at Kirk Ella, after paying his devoirs to the youthful Chatelain
and Chatelaine, can admire at leisure Mr. Levey's numerous and expensive
stud: "Lollypop", "Bismark," "Joker," "Jovial," "Tichborne," "Burgundy,"
"Catch-him-alivo," a crowd of fleet steeds, racing and trotting stock,
surrounded by a yelping and frisky pack of "Peppers," "Mustards,"
"Carlos," "Guys," "Josephines," "Fidlers;" Mastiffs, French Poodles, Fox
Terriers, Bulldogs,--Kirk Ella is a perfect Elysium for that faithful
though noisy friend of man, the dog.
_CATARACOUI._
The conflagration of Spencer Wood, on the 12th March, 1860, made it
incumbent on the Provincial Government to provide for His Excellency Sir
Edmund Head a suitable residence. After examining several places,
Cataracoui, the residence of Henry Burstall, Esquire, opposite to Kirk
Ella was selected, and additions made, and still greater decorations and
improvements ordered when it became known that the First Gentleman in
England, our Sovereign's eldest son, was soon to pay a flying visit to Her
Majesty's Canadian lieges. Cataracoui can boast of having harbored two
princes of the blood royal, the prince of Wales, and his brother Alfred; a
circumstance which no doubt much enhanced its prestige in the eyes of its
owner. It was laid out about 1836 by Jas. B. Forsyth, Esq., the first
proprietor, and reflects credit on his taste.
This seat, without possessing the extensive grounds, vast river frontage,
and long shady walks of Spencer Wood, or Woodfield, is an eminently
picturesque residence. A new grapery with a lean-to roof, about ninety
feet in length, has just been completed: the choicest [248] varieties of
the grape vine are here cultivated. Several tasty additions have, also,
recently been made to the conservatory, under the superintendence of a
Scotch landscape gardener, Mr. P. Lowe, formerly in charge of the Spencer
Wood conservatories, &c. We had the pleasure on one occasion to view, on a
piercing winter day, from the drawing room of Cataracoui, through the
glass door which opens on the conservatory, the rare collections of
exotics it contains,--a perfect grove of verdure and blossoms,--the whole
lit up by the mellow light of the setting sun, whose rays scintillated in
every fantastic form amongst this gorgeous tropical vegetation, whilst the
snow-wreathed evergreens, surrounding the conservatory waved their palms
to the orb of day in our clear, bracing Canadian atmosphere--summer and
winter combined in one landscape; the tropics and their luxuriant
magnolias, divided by an inch of glass from the realms of old king frost
and his hardy familiars, the pine and the maple. Charming was the
contrast, furnishing a fresh proof of the comfort and luxury with which
the European merchant, once settled in Canada, surrounds his home. What,
indeed, can be more gratifying, during the arctic, though healthy,
temperature of our winter, than to step from a cosy drawing-room, with its
cheerful grate-fire, into a green, floral bower, and inhale the aroma of
the orange and the rose, whilst the eye is charmed by the blossoming
camellia of virgin whiteness; the wisteria, spirea, azalea, rhododendron,
and odorous daphne, all blending their perfume or exquisite tints.
Cataracoui has been recently decorated, we may say, with regal
magnificence, and Sillery is justly proud of this fairy abode, for years
the country seat of the late Charles B. Levey, Esq., and still occupied by
Mrs. Levey and family.
_ROSEWOOD._
"Along their blushing borders, bright with dew,
And in yon mingled wilderness of flowers,
Fair-handed Spring unbosoms every grace;
Throws out the snow-drop and the crocus first;
The daisy, primrose, violet darkly blue,
And polyanthus of unnumber'd dyes;
The yellow wall-flower, stain'd with iron-brown;
And lavish stock that scents the garden round;
From the soft wing of vernal breezes shed,
Anemones; auriculas, enrich'd
With shining meal o'er all their velvet leaves;
And full ranunculas, of glowing red.
Then comes the tulip race, where beauty plays
Her idle freaks; from family diffus'd
To family, as flies the father dust,
The varied colors run; and while they break
On the charm'd eye th' exulting florist marks,
With sweet pride, the wonders of his hand.
No gradual bloom is wanting; from the bud,
First-born of spring, to summer's musky tribes
Nor hyacinths, of purest virgin white,
Low bent, and blushing inward; nor jonquils
Of potent fragrance; nor narcissus fair,
As o'er the fabled fountain hanging still;
Nor broad carnations, nor gay spotted pink;
Nor, shower'd from every bush, the damask rose."
A tiny and unostentatious cottage buried among the trees. All around it,
first, flowers; secondly, flowers; thirdly, flowers. The garden, a network
of walks, and spruce hedges of rare beauty; occasionally you stumble
unexpectedly on a rustic bower, tenanted by an Apollo or Greek slave in
marble, or else you find yourself on turning an angle on the shady bank of
a sequestered pond, in which lively trout disport themselves as merrily as
those goldfish you just noticed in the aquarium in the hall hung round
with Krieghoff's exquisite "Canadian scenery." You can also, as you pass
along, catch the loud notes issuing from the house aviary and blending
with the soft, wild melody of the wood warblers and robin; but the
prominent feature of the place are flowers, sweet flowers, to charm the
eye and perfume the air. Do not wonder at that; this was the summer abode
of a gentleman whose name usually stood high on the Montreal and Quebec
exhibition prize list, and who was as successful in his commercial
ventures as he had been in the culture of carnations, zenias, gladiolus,
roses and dahlias. We remember seeing six hundred dahlias in bloom at
Rosewood at the same time, the _coup d'oeil_ and contrasts between
the varieties were striking in the extreme.
This rustic cottage was the summer residence of the late Jas. Gibb, Esq.,
of the old firm of Lane, Gibb & Co., a name remembered with gratitude, in
several educational and charitable institutions of Quebec for the
munificent bequests of its owner.
_RAVENSWOOD._
Near some fair town I'd have a private seat,
Built uniform, nor little, nor too great;
Better if on a rising ground it stood,--
On this side fields, on that a neighboring wood;
A little garden, grateful to the eye,
Where a cool rivulet runs murmuring by."
In the year 1848, Mr. Samuel Wright, of Quebec, purchased from John
Porter, Esq., that upper portion of Meadowbank (the old estate of
Lieutenant Governor Cramahé in 1762), which lies to the north of the Cap
Rouge or St. Lewis road, and built a dwelling thereon. In 1846 Mr.
Wright's property was put in the market, and Ravenswood acquired by the
present owner, William Herring, Esq., of the late firm of Charles E. Levey
& Co. No sylvan spot could have been procured, had all the woods around
Quebec been ransacked, of wilder beauty. In the centre, a pretty cottage;
to the east, trees; to the west, trees; to the north and south, trees--
stately trees all around you. Within a few rods from the hall door a
limpid little brook oozes from under an old plantation, and forms, under a
thorn tree of extraordinary size and most fantastically shaped limbs, a
reservoir of clear water, round which, from a rustic seat, you notice
speckled trout roaming fearlessly. Here was, for a man familiar with the
park-like scenery of England, a store of materials to work into shape.
That dense forest must be thinned; that indispensable adjunct of every
Sillery home a velvety lawn, must be had; a peep through the trees, on the
surrounding country, obtained; the stream dammed up so as to produce a
sheet of water, on which a birch canoe will be launched; more air let in
round the house; more of the forest cut away; and some fine beech, birch,
maple, and pine trees grouped. The lawn would look better with a graceful
and leafy elm in the centre, and a few smaller ones added to the
perspective. By dint of care, elms of a goodly size were removed from the
mountain brow. The efforts of the proprietor to plant large trees at
Ravenswood have been eminently successful, and ought to stimulate others
to add such valuable, such permanent elements of beauty, to their country
seats. One plantation, by its luxuriance, pleased us more than any other,
that which shades both sides of the avenue. Few of our places can boast of
possessing a more beautifully-wooded and gracefully-curved approach to the
house than Ravenswood. You see nothing of the dwelling until you emerge
from this neat plantation of evergreens. We once viewed it under its most
fascinating aspect; 'tis pretty in the bright, effulgent radiance of day,
but when the queen of night sends forth her soft rays, and allows them to
slumber silently on the rustling boughs of the green pines and firs, with
the dark, gravelled avenue, visible here and there at every curve, no
sounds heard except the distant murmur of the _Chaudière_ river, the
effect is striking.
_THE WOODS OF SILLERY._
I know each lane, and every valley green,
Dingle, or bushy dell, of this wild wood;
And every bosky bourn from side to side,
My daily walks and ancient neighborhood.
--Comus, _Shakespeare_.
"You, doubtless, imagine you have now seen Sillery under every aspect;
there never was a greater mistake, dear reader. Have you ever viewed
its woods in all their autumnal glory, when September arrays them in
tints of unsurpassed loveliness? We hear you say, no. Let us then, our
pensive philosopher, our romantic blushing rose bud of sweet sixteen,
our _blasé_-traveller, let us have a canter over Cap Rouge road
out by St. Louis gate, and returning by the St. Foy road, nine miles
and more, let us select a quiet afternoon, not far distant from the
Indian summer, when
The gentle wind a sweet and passionate wooer,
Kisses the blushing leaf, and stirs up life
Within the solemn woods of ash, deep crimsoned,
And Silver beech, and maple yellow-leaved,"
and then you can tell us whether the glowing description below is
overdrawn:
"There is something indescribably beautiful in the appearance of
Canadian woods at this season of the year, especially when the light
of the rising or setting sun falls upon them. Almost every imaginable
shade of green, brown, red and yellow, may be found in the foliage of
our forest trees, shrubs, and creeping vines, as the autumn advances
and it may truly be said that every backwood's home in Canada is
surrounded by more gorgeous colourings and richer beauties than the
finest mansions of the nobility of England.
"Have our readers ever remarked the peculiarly beautiful appearance of
the pines at this season of the year? When other trees manifest
symptoms of withering, they appear to put forth a richer and fresher
foliage. The interior of the tree, when shaded from the sun, is a deep
invisible-green, approaching to black, whilst the outer boughs,
basking in the sunlight, show the richest dark-green that can be
imagined. A few pine and spruce trees scattered among the more
brightly-colored oaks, maple, elms and beeches, which are the chief
denizens of our forests, give the whole an exceedingly rich
appearance. Among the latter, every here and there, strange sports of
nature attract attention. A tree that is still green will have a
single branch, covered with red and orange leaves, like a gigantic
bouquet of flowers. Another will have one side of a rich maroon,
whilst the other side remains green. A third will present a flounce or
ruffle of bright buff, or orange leaves round the middle, whilst the
branches above and below continue green. Then again some trees which
have turned to a rich brown, will be seen intertwined and festooned by
the wild vine or red root, still beautifully green; or a tree that is
still green will he mantled over by the Canadian ivy, whose leaves
have turned to a deep reddish-brown. In fact, every hue that painters
love, or almost could imagine, is found standing out boldly or hid
away in some recess, in one part or another of a forest scene at this
season, and all so delicately mingled and blended that human art must
despair of making even a tolerable imitation. And these are beauties
which not even the sun can portray; the photographer's art has not yet
enabled him to seize and fix them on the mirror which he holds up to
nature. He can give the limbs and outward flourishes, but not the soul
of such a scene. His representation bears the same relation to the
reality that a beautiful corpse does to the flashing eye and glowing
cheek of living beauty."--(From "_Maple Leaves_," 1865.)
_LONGWOOD._
THE COUNTRY SEAT OF THE HON. WM. SMITH
(1760-1847.)
Here there was laughing of old, there was weeping,
Haply of lovers none ever will know,
Whose eyes went seaward a hundred sleeping
Years ago.
The ghost of a garden fronts the sea,
A girdle of brushwood and thorn encloses
The -- square slope of the blossomless bed
Where the weeds that grew green from the graves of its roses
Now lie dead.
The fields fall southward, abrupt and broken,
To the low last edge of the long lone land,
If a step should sound or a word be spoken
Would a ghost not rise at the strange guest's hand?
SWINBURNE'S _Forsaken Garden_.
On a grey, cheerless May afternoon, I visited what I might call the ruins
of this once bright abode--Longwood--at Cap Rouge. Here the eccentric,
influential and scholarly historian of Canada and statesman, the Honorable
William Smith, spent the evening of his long and busy life. Whence the
name Longwood? Did the Hon. William bestow on his rustic home the name of
the residence where sojourned his illustrious contemporary--his admired
hero, Napoleon I. (born like himself in 1769), to commemorate his own
release from the cares of State? Was Cap Rouge and its quiet and sylvan
bowers to him a haven of rest like St. Helena might have been to the
_Petit Caporal_?
The locality, at present, can only attract from its woodland views. The
house, of one story, is about eighty feet in length by forty in breadth,
of wood, with an oval window over the entrance to light up that portion of
the large attic. Its roomy lower apartments and attics must have fitted it
admirably for a summer retreat. It is painted a dull yellow; the blinds
may have been once green. When I saw it, I found it as bleak, as forlorn,
as the snows and storms of many winters can well make a tenantless
dwelling.
Outside, the "ghost of a garden" had stared at me, and when the key turned
and grated in the rusty old lock of this dreary tenement, with its
disjointed floors, disintegrated foundations, darkened apartments with
shutters all closed, I almost thought I might encounter within the ghost
of the departed historian;
All within is dark as night:
In the windows is no light;
And no murmur at the door,
So frequent on its hinge before,
still the time had been when the voice of revelry, the patter of light
feet, the meeting of many friends, had awakened gladsome echoes in these
now silent halls of Longwood. Traditions told of noted dinner parties, of
festive evenings, when Quebec could boast of a well appointed garrison,
and stately frigates crowded its port.
How many balls at the Barons' Club? how many annual dinners of the
Veterans of 1775, at Menut's? how many _levees_ at the old Château,
had the Laird not attended from the first, the historical levee of Dec. 6,
1786, "where the Governor-General, Lord Dorchester, monopolised the
kissing," so graphically depicted by William's dignified papa, [249] the
Chief Justice, down to the jocund _fêtes champêtres_ of Sir James Craig at
Powell Place immortalized by old Mr. DeGaspé--to the gay _soirees_ of the
Duke of Richmond--the literary _reunions_ of the scholarly Earl of
Dalhousie--the routs and lawn parties at Spencer Wood.
The Honorable William Smith, a son of the learned chief Justice of New
York in 1780--of all Canada in 1785, was indeed a prominent figure in
Quebec circles for more than half a century; his high, confidential and
official duties, his eminent position as member of the Executive Council,
to which his powerful protector Earl Bathurst had named him in 1814--his
refined and literary tastes, his tireless researches in Canadian annals,
at a time when the founts of our history as yet unrevealed by the art of
the printer, lay dormant under heaps of decaying--though priceless--M.SS.
in the damp vaults of the old Parliament Buildings; these and several
other circumstances surround the memory, haunts and times of the Laird of
Longwood with peculiar significance.
But for the Honorable William one bleak autumn came, when the trees he had
planted ceased to lend him their welcome shade--the roses he had reared,
to send perfume to his tottering frame--the garden he had so exquisitely
planned, to gladden his aged eyes. He then bid adieu forever to the
cherished old spot and retired to his town house, now the residence of
Hon. Chas. Alleyn, Sheriff of Quebec, [250] where those he loved received
his last farewell on the 7th December, 1847, bequeathing Longwood to his
son Charles Webber Smith, who lived some years there as a bachelor, then
decked out his rustic home for an English bride and retired to England
where he died in 1879. Desolation and silence has reigned in the halls of
Longwood for many a long day, and in the not inappropriate words of
Swinburne,
Not a flower to be prest of the foot that falls not.
As the heart of a dead man the seed plots are dry;
From the thickets of thorns whence the nightingale calls not,
Could she call, there were never a rose to reply.
Chief Justice Smith [251] concerning house-keeping, house-furnishing
château ceremonies, etc, at Quebec in 1786, wrote thus in a letter to his
wife:
QUEBEC, 10th Dec., 1786.
_Mrs. Janet Smith, New York._
My dear Janet,
"Not a line from you yet! so that our approach to within 600 miles is
less favourable to me hitherto, than when the ocean divided us by
three thousand. It is the more vexatious, as we are daily visited by
your Eastern neighbors, who, caring nothing for you, know nothing of
you, and cannot tell me whether McJoen's or the Sopy Packet is
arrived. If the latter is not over, there will be cause for ill boding
respecting Mr. Lanaudière, who, I imagine, left the channel with the
wind that brought us out.
If the packet is on the way for Falmouth, get my letters into it for
Mr. Raphbrigh, it contains a bill for £300 sterling to enable him to
pay for what you order. You have no time to spare. A January mail
often meets with easterly winds off the English coast, that blows for
months, and we shall be mortified if you arrive before the necessary
supplies, which, to be in time, must come in the ships that leave
England in March or on the beginning of April.
I have found no house yet to my fancy. None large enough to be hired.
We shall want a drawing-room, a dining or eating-room, my library, our
bedroom, one for the girls, another for Hale and William, and another
for your house-keeper and hair-dresser. Moore and another man servant
will occupy the eight. And I doubt if there is such a house to be
hired in Quebec. To say nothing of quarters for the lower servants
who, I think must be negroes from New York as cheapest and least
likely to find difficulties. My Thomas's wages are 24 guineas and with
your three from England will put us to £100 sterling per annum.
If you bring blacks from New York with you, let them be such as you
can depend upon. Our table will always want four attendants of decent
appearance. The hurry of the public arrangements prevents me from
writing, as I intended, to my friends on the other side of the water,
nor even to Janet _upon the great wish of my heart_, tell her so,
but she will know what can be done in time, for she cannot leave
England till April or May, at any time before August to be here in
good season. I have written to Vermont upon the subject of Moore Town
and hear nothing to displease me, as yet, if no mischief has been done
to our interests in that country, there will be peace, I believe; but
of this more when I have their Governor's answer to my letters. They
already ask favours and must first do justice.
Our winter is commenced and yet I was never less sensible of the
frost. The stoves of Canada, in the passages, temper the air through
all the house. I sit ordinarly by a common hearth which gives me the
thermometer at 71 or 72, nearly summer heat. The close cariole and fur
cap and cloak is a luxury only used on journeys. The cariole alone
suffices in town. The Rout of last Thursday demonstrates this: 50
ladies in bright head dresses and not a lappet or frill discomposed.
All English in the manner, except the ceremony of kissing which my
Lord D. (Dorchester) engrossed all to himself. His aide-de-camp handed
them through a room where he and I were posted to receive them. They
had given two cheek kisses and were led away to the back rooms of the
château, to which we repaired when the rush was over. The gentlemen
came in at another door. Tea, cards, etc., that till 10 o'clock and
the ceremony ended. I stole away at 9 and left your son to attend the
beauty of the evening, a Mrs. Williams, wife to a major Williams and a
daughter to Sir John Gibbons of Windford, a lady of genteel manners as
well as birth. He did not find his lodging till near midnight. We had
a dance that day at the Lt. Governor's. You must know General Hope. He
was often at General Robertson's under the name of Col. Harry Hope,
nephew to Lord Hopetown in Scotland, to Lord Darlington (by his
mother's second marriage) in England. His table is in very genteel
fashion. It reminds me that Mrs. Mallet must not forget all those
little ornaments of plate, glass, etc., that belong to a dining-room.
No water plates, the rooms don't require them, the plates being
sufficiently heated by the stoves. But water dishes are necessary for
soup and fish _fricassees_ all in the shape of the proper dishes
for such articles. Don't forget, among others, the silver gravy cups
with double cavities, the larger for hot water. They are small hand
ones, not unlike a tea pot. Mrs. Mallet will find these at all the
great shops and particularly at Jones, in Cockspur street, near
Charing Cross, where I bought my Mary's watch chain. William that
understands Latin and French letters better than his native tongue,
importunes my ordering a set of classical books, which he is welcome
to, if you can purchase at N. Y. a small bill for about £15 sterling
and enclose it in my letter to Mr. Ryland. If that is inconvenient to
you stop my letter, and I will find other means to gratify his
inclination. There is a very good library [252] here, and many private
ones at my friends. How wretched your general affairs? if our Yankey
informers speak the truth, multitudes are disposed to turn their heads
from that draught, which I thought they would not long relish. Lord D.
with the generosity and charity he always indulged, bids them welcome,
disposed as he says to favour even the independant Whigs of America,
above any other nation under heaven, for tho' no longer brethren, they
are at least our cousins, branches from the same stock.
I have infinite consolation, in having dissuaded the parties from the
steps, that led to all the calamities they have felt and still dread
and more cheerfully will grasp at the means to lessen these
afflictions, as the surest path to the greatest glory. I am solicited
from Cambridge for a gift for pious uses, and find that you have been
applied to, and probably will again. My promise shall most certainly
be fulfilled. It was to give a lot for a church. But as I told them it
was to be a gift to _Christianity_ and not to Sectarianism.
Religion and party are two different things. Tell them so that my gift
will be to all Protestants, that is to say to the majority of the town
being protestants, be the denomination what it may, and that I may not
be imposed upon, I shall put my seal to no deed, before they bring me
Dr. Rodger's certificate upon the subject. My best respects to him
with compliments to Mrs. T., Mr. Ainslie, Mr. and Mrs. Foxcraft and
all your friends.
The snapping of my wood fires makes me think of yours. Don't forget
them yourself. _Your three hundred acres of shingles_, chills the
blood in my veins.... Adieu. The broad hand of Heaven protect you!
I am, my dearest,
Most faithfully yours,
W. S.
_MEADOWBANK._
"THE COUNTRY SEAT OF LIEUT.-COL. ANDREW CHARLES STUART.
Happy, is he who in a country life
Shuns more perplexing toil and jarring strife,
Who lives upon the natal soil he loves
And sits beneath his old ancestral groves."
--_Downing_.
Facing Ravenswood, on the road to Cape Rouge, on the breezy banks of the
noble river, there lies a magnificent expanse of verdure, with here and
there a luxuriant copse of evergreens and sugar maple. It crowns a
graceful slope of undulating meadows and cornfields. The dwelling, a
plain, straggling white cottage, lies _perdu_ among the green firs
and solemn pines. Over the verdant groves, glimpses of the white cottages
of Levi and New Liverpool occasionally catch the eye. This rustic
landscape, pleasant at all times, becomes strikingly picturesque, at the
"fall of the leaf"--when the rainbow-tinted foliage is, lit up by a
mellow, autumnal sun. Under this favored aspect it was our happiness to
view it in September, 1880.
"Bright yellow, red and orange
The leaves came down in hosts;
The trees are Indian princes
But soon they'll turn to ghosts."
In 1762, this broad, wild domain was owned by Lt.-Gov. Hector Theophilus
Cramahé of Quebec, and according to an entry in the Diary of Judge Henry,
he apparently was still the proprietor in 1775, at the time of the
blockade of Quebec. In 1785, the land passed by purchase to one of
Fraser's Highlanders, Capt. Cameron. It was from 1841 to 1875, the
cherished abode of a cultured English gentleman, the late John Porter, the
able secretary and treasurer of the Quebec Turnpike Trust. It did one good
to see the courteous old bachelor, cosily seated in his ample, well
selected library, surrounded by a few congenial friends, the toils of the
day over--the dust of St. Peter Street shaken off. Mr. Porter was a fair
type of the well-informed English country gentleman, well read in Debrett,
with a pedigree reaching as far back as William the Norman. At his demise,
he bequeathed this splendid farm to the son of a valued old friend. Andrew
Chs. Stuart, Esq., of the law firm of Ross, Stuart & Stuart, Quebec, now
Lt.-Col. Andrew Charles Stuart, of the 8th Batt. "Royal Rifles," Quebec.
Col. Stuart, the possessor of ample means, having a taste for agricultural
pursuits, has lately become an active member of the Quebec Turf Club, as
well as a successful breeder of prize cattle. His stud is renowned all
over Canada. Col. Stuart lately took up his residence at Meadowbank, since
which time a transformation seems to have come over the land; sprightly
parterres of flowers, dainty pavilions, trim hedges, rustic seats, hanging
baskets of ferns, are conspicuous, where formerly hay alone flourished. A
neighboring rill has been skilfully enlisted to do duty, dammed up,
bridged over, gently coaxed to meander, whimple and bubble, like
Tennyson's brook, here and there rippling over and rushing into cool trout
ponds, under the shade of moss and trees, until it leaps down to the St.
Lawrence.
A small race-course has been laid out, south of the house, in a declivity
towards the St. Lawrence to exercise the thoroughbreds and keep healthy
the pet charger for parade days, as well as ladies' palfreys, which are
not forgotten at Meadowbank.
In an enclosure protected by stone pillars and chains, under the shade of
a handsome tree, may be read on a board, the following name, recently
inscribed,
"ASTREA"
This marks the spot where a favourite saddle-horse, who died prematurely,
now rests. All now wanting to perfect this scene of rustic beauty is a
cottage _orné_ or a _Chalet Suisse_.
A RAID ON MEADOWBANK IN 1775, AND HOW KING GEORGE'S FRIENDS, THE
"QUEBEC TORIES" WERE THEN PLUNDERED.
The following extract from Judge Henry's Diary seems to refer to the
country seat, now known as Meadowbank:
Arnold's little army had retreated to Pointe aux Trembles on the 15th
Nov. On the 2nd December, 1775, they retraced their steps to Quebec
and in the evening arrived at St. Foy. On the 12th of December, Henry
[253] says "The officers and men still wore nothing else than the
remains of the summer clothing, which being on their back, had escaped
destruction in the disaster of the wilderness." At this time the snow
lay three feet deep over the whole country. One fine morning a fellow
addressed Simpson who was the only officer in quarters and said "that
about two miles up the St. Lawrence lay a country seat of Governor
Cromie's (Cramahé?) stocked with many things they wanted and he would
be our guide. Carioles were immediately procured. The house, a neat
box, was romantically situated on the steep bank of the river, not
very distant from a chapel. [254] Though in the midst of winter the
spot displayed the elegant taste and abundant wealth of the owner. The
house was closed; knocking, the hall door was opened to us by an
Irishwoman who, of the fair sex, was the largest and most brawny that
ever came under my notice. She was the stewardess of the house. Our
questions were answered with an apparent affability and frankness. She
introduced us into the kitchen, a large apartment, well filled with
these articles which good livers think necessary to the happy
enjoyment of life. Here we observed five or six Canadian servants
huddled into a corner of the kitchen trembling with fear. Our prying
eyes soon discovered a trap door leading into the cellar. The men
entered it; firken after firken of butter,--lard, tallow, beef, pork,
fish and salt, all became a prey. While the men were rummaging below
the lieutenant descended to cause more despatch. My duty was to remain
at the end of the trap door with my back to the wall, and rifle cocked
as a sentry, keeping a strict eye on the servants. My good Irishwoman
frequently beckoned to me to descend; her drift was to catch us all in
the trap. Luckily she was comprehended. The cellar and kitchen being
thoroughly gutted, and the spoil borne to the carriages, the party
dispersed into the other apartments. Here was elegancy. The walls and
partitions were beautifully papered, and decorated with large
engravings, maps, &c., and of the most celebrated artists. A noble
view of the City of Philadelphia upon a large scale taken from the
neighborhood of Cooper's Ferry drew my attention and raised some
compunctive ideas; but war and the sciences always stand at arms
length in the contests of mankind. The latter must succumb in the
tumult. Our attention was much more attracted by the costly feather
beds, counterpanes, and charming rose blankets, which the house
afforded. Of these there was a good store and we left not a jot behind
us. The nooks and crevices in the carioles were filled with smaller
articles; several dozen of admirably finished case knives and forks;
even a set of dessert knives obtained the notice of our cupidity.
Articles of a lesser moment nor a thousandth part so useful, did not
escape the all-grasping hands of the soldiery. In a back apartment
there stood a mahogany couch or settee in a highly finished style. The
woodwork of the couch was raised on all sides by cushioning, and
costly covered by a rich figured silk. This to us was lumber, besides
our carioles were full. However, we grabbed the mattrass and pallets
all equally elegant as the couch. Having, as we thought, divested his
Excellency of all the articles of prime necessity, we departed,
ostensibly and even audibly accompanied by the pious blessings of the
stewardess for our moderation. No doubt she had her mental
reservations; on such business as this we regarded neither. Near the
chapel we met a party of Morgan's men coming to do that which we had
already done. The officer appeared chagrined when he saw the extent of
our plunder. He went on, and finally ransacked the house, and yet a
little more the stables. The joy of our men, among whom the plunder
was distributed in nearly equal portions was extravagant. Now an
operation of the human mind, which often takes place in society, and
is every day discernable by persons of observation, became clearly
obvious. Let a man once with impunity desert the strict rule of rules,
all subsequent aggression is not only increased in atrocity, but is
done without a qualm of conscience. Though our company was composed
principally of freeholders, or the sons of such, bred at home under
the strictures of religion and morality, yet when the reins of decorum
were loosed and the honorable feeling weakened, it became impossible
to administer restraint. The person of a Tory or his property became
fair game, and this at the denunciation of some base domestic villain.
On the morning following December 13, the same audacious scoundrel
again returned, and another marauding expedition started under his
guidance to a farm "said to belong to Gov. Cromie (Cramahé?) or some
other inhabitant of Quebec. It was further than the former scene." The
farm-house, though low, being but one story, was capacious and
tolerably neat. The barn built of logs, with a thrashing floor in the
centre, was from 70 to 80 feet in length. The tenant, his wife and
children shuddered upon our approach. Assurances that they should be
unharmed relieved their fears. The tenant pointed out to us the horned
cattle, pigs and poultry of his landlord. These were shot down without
mercy or drove before us to our quarters. Thus we obtained a tolerable
load for our caravan, which consisted of five or six carioles. "With
this disreputable exploit marauding ceased. A returning sense of
decency and order emanating from ourselves produced a sense of
contrition. It is a solemn truth that we plundered none but those who
were notoriously Tories and then within the walls of Quebec."
_THE HIGHLANDS._
The range of heights extends from Spencer Wood, west, to the black bridge
over the stream at Kilmarnock, gradually recedes from the road, leaving at
its foot a spacious area interspersed with green pastures, lawns, ploughed
fields and plantations. On the most elevated plateau of this range stands
"The Highlands," a large substantial fire-brick dwelling, with an ample
verandah, erected a few years back by Michael Stevenson, Esquire,
merchant, of Quebec. The site is recommended by a fine view of the river
St. Lawrence, an airy and healthy position, and the luxuriant foliage of
the spruce, pine and maple in the background. The internal arrangements of
the dwelling, whether regard be had to ventilation in summer or heating in
winter, are on the most modern and improved plan. "The Highlands" lie
above St. Michael's Cove teeming with historical recollections, a little
to the west thereof, in front of St. Lewis road of historic renown, over
which pranced, in 1663, the Marquis of Tracy's gaudy equipage and splendid
body-guard wearing, as history tells, the uniform of the _Gardes de la
Reine_. In Sept., 1759, [255] the Rochbeaucourt Cavalry, with their
"blue uniforms and neat light horses of different colours," scoured the
heights in all directions, watching the motions of the English fleet,
which may be seen in the plate of the siege operations, lying at anchor at
Sillery, ready, the huge black leviathans, to hurl destruction on the
devoted city. In 1838, we remember well noticing Lord Durham's showy
equipage with outriders, thundering daily over this same road: the Earl
being a particular admirer of the Cap Rouge scenery. This seat has passed
over, by purchase, to Chas. Temple, Esq., son of our late respected
fellow-townsman, Major Temple, who for a series of years served in that
15th regiment, to whose prowess the Plains of Abraham bore witness during
the war of the conquest. "The Highlands" are now occupied by J. W.
Stockwell, Esquire.
_WINTER FOX HUNTING IN CANADA._
From time immemorial, Merry England has been renowned for her field
sports; prominent amongst which may be reckoned her exciting pastime
of Fox-hunting, the pride, the glory, _par excellence_ of the
roystering English squire. Many may not be aware that we also, in our
far-off Canada, have a method of Fox-hunting peculiarly our own--in
harmony with the nature of the country--adapted to the rigors of our
arctic winter season--the successful prosecution of which calls forth
more endurance, a keener sight, a more thorough knowledge of the
habits of the animal, a deeper self-control and greater sagacity, than
does the English sport; for, as the proverb truly says, "_Pour
attraper la bête, faut être plus fin qu'elle._" [256]
A short sketch [257] of a Canadian Fox-hunt may not, therefore, prove
uninteresting. At the outset, let the reader bear in mind that Sir
Reynard _Canadensis_ is rather a rakish, dissipated gentleman,
constantly turning night into day, in the habit of perambulating
through the forests, the fields, and homesteads, at most improper
hours, to ascertain whether, perchance, some old dame Partlett, some
hoary gobbler, some thoughtless mother-goose, allured to wander over
the farm-yard by the jocund rays of a returning March sun, may not
have been outside of the barn, when the negligent stable-boy closed up
for the night; or else, whether some gay Lothario of a hare in yonder
thicket may not, by the silent and discreet rays of the moon, be
whispering some soft nonsense in the willing ear of some guileless
doe, escaped from a parent's vigilant eye. For on such has the
midnight marauder set his heart: after such does noiselessly prowl,
favoured by darkness--the dissipated rascal--_querens quem devoret_--
determined to make up, on the morrow, by a long meridian _siesta_ on
the highest pinacle of a snow-drift, for the loss of his night's-rest.
Should fortune refuse the sly prowler the coveted hen, turkey, goose,
or hare, warmly clad in his fur coat and leggings, with tail
horizontal, he sallies forth over the snow-wreathed fields, on the
skirts of woods, in search of ground mice, his ordinary provender.
But, you will say, how can he discover them under the snow? By that
wonderful instinct with which nature has endowed the brute creation to
provide for their sustenance, each according to its nature, to its
wants. By his marvellously acute ear, the fox detects the ground mouse
under the snow, though he should utter a noise scarcely audible to a
human ear. Mr. Fox sets instantly to work, digs down the earth, and in
a trice gobbles up _mus_, his wife, and young family. Should nothing
occur to disturb his arrangements, he devotes each day in winter, from
ten or half-past ten in the forenoon, to repose; selecting the
loftiest snow-bank he can find, or else a large rock, or perchance any
other eminence from which--
"Monarch of all _he surveys_"--
he can command a good view of the neighborhod, and readily scent
approaching danger. Nor does he drop off immediately in a sound sleep,
like a turtle-fed alderman; but rather, like a suspicious, blood-
thirsty land pirate, as he is, he first snatches hastily "forty
winks," then starts up nervously, for several times, scanning all
around with his cruel, cunning eye--snuffing the air. Should he be
satisfied that no cause of alarm exists, he scrapes himself a bed, if
in the snow and, warmly wrapped in his soft fur cloak, he coils
himself up, cat-fashion, in the sun, with his brushy tail brought over
his head, but careful to keep his nose to the direction from which the
wind blows, so as to catch the first notice of and scent the lurking
enemy. On a stormy, blustery day, the fox will, however, usually seek
the shelter of some bushes or trees, and on such occasion is usually
found under the _lee_ of some little wooded point, where, steeped
in sweetest sleep, he can at leisure dream of clucking hens, fat
turkeys, and tender leverets--sheltered from the storm, and still
having an uninterrupted view before him. The hunter, when bent on a
fox hunt, is careful to wear garments whose colour blends with the
prevailing hue of frosted nature: a white cotton _capot_, and
_capuchon_ to match, is slipped over his great coat; pants also
white--everything to harmonize with the snow; a pair of snow-shoes and
a short gun complete his equipment. Once arrived at the post where he
expects to meet reynard, he looks carefully about for signs of tracks,
and having discovered fresh ones, he follows them, keeping a very
sharp look-out. Should he perceive a fox, and that animal be not
asleep, it is then that he has need of all his wits and of all the
knowledge of the animal's habits he may possess. As previously stated,
the fox depends principally on his scent, to discover danger; but his
eye is also good, and to succeed in approaching within gun shot of him
in the open country, the gunner must watch every motion most
carefully, moving only when the animal's gaze is averted, and stopping
instantly the moment he looks towards him, no matter what position the
sportman's may be at that time. No matter how uncomfortable he may
feel; move he dare not, foot nor limb; the eye of the fox is on him,
and the least movement would betray him and alarm his watchful quarry.
It will be easily conceived that to succesfully carry out this
programme, it requires nerves of steel and a patience _à toute
épreuve_. It has been the good luck of one of our friends once to
approach thus a fox, within twenty feet, without his detecting him;
needless to say, it was done moving against the wind. Some few hunters
can so exactly imitate the cry of the ground mouse, as to bring the
fox to them, especially if he is very hungry; but it is not always
that this plan succeeds. The animal's ear is keen; the slightest
defect in the imitation betrays the trap, and away canters alarmed
reynard at railroad speed. Some sportsmen prefer to watch the fox, and
wait until he falls asleep which they know he will surely do, if not
disturbed, and then they can approach him easily enough against the
wind. It is not unusual for them to get within fifteen feet of the
animal, before the noise of their footsteps causes him to wake.--As
may readily be supposed in such cases, his awakening and death are
generally simultaneous.
It is a fact worthy of note, that the fox, if undisturbed, will every
day return to the same place to sleep, and about the same hour. These
animals are not as abundant as they were a few years back.
The extent of country travelled by a fox by moonlight, each night, is
very great. Not many years ago, a Quebec hunter [258] who is in the
habit of enjoying his daily walk at peep of day, informed the writer
that on many occasions he has seen the sly wanderer, on being
disturbed from the neighborhood of the tanneries in St. Vallier
street, hieing away at a gallop towards the Lorette and Charlesbourg
mountains, a distance of nine miles each way.
_CAPE ROUGE COTTAGE._
With its rear facing St. Augustin parish, eight miles from the city a
commodious dwelling graces the summit of the lofty cape or promontory,
which terminates westward the elevated _plateau_, on the eastern extremity
of which, Champlain, in 1608, raised the lily-spangled banner of the
Bourbons. Unquestionably the environs of Quebec are rich in scenery,
revelling one half of the year in rural loveliness, the other half
enjoying that solid comfort, which successful enterprise, taste and free
institutions communicate to whatever they touch; but no where, not even at
Spencer Wood, or Woodfield, has nature lavished such beautiful landscapes,
such enchanting views. Three centuries ago, Europeans had pitched here
their tents, until the return of spring, attracted by the charms of the
spot; three hundred years after that, a man of taste--to whom we may now
without fear, give his due, as he is where neither praise nor censure can
be suspected,--an English merchant had selected this site for its rare
attractiveness; here he resided for many summers. In 1833 he removed to
Spencer Wood. We allude to the late Henry Atkinson, who was succeeded at
the Cap Rouge Cottage by William Atkinson, Esq., merchant of London,
England. Mr. William Atkinson lived in affluence and happiness at Cap
Rouge, several years. There are yet at Quebec those who remember the kind-
heartedness and hospitality of this English gentleman of the old school.
Geo. Usborne, Esq., was the next occupant of the cottage. The estate
consisted formerly of close on one hundred acres of land, extending north
across the king's highway, with a river frontage of about twenty acres,
the lot on the south side of the road is laid out, one half in a park, the
remainder in two or three fruit and flower gardens, divided by brick walls
to trail vines and ripen fruit. It lies quite sheltered with a southerly
exposure, bounded by the lofty, perpendicular river banks; the base, some
two hundred feet below, skirted by a narrow road, washed by the waves of
the St. Lawrence. A magnificent avenue extends along the high bank under
ancient, ever-verdant pines, whose far outspreading branches, under the
influence of winds, sigh a plaintive but soothing music, blending their
soft rustle to the roar of the Etchemin or the Chaudière rivers before
easterly gales; how well Pickering has it:--
"The overshadowing pines alone, through which I roam,
Their verdure keep, although it darker looks;
And hark! as it comes sighing through the grove,
The exhausted gale, a spirit there awakes
That wild and melancholy music makes."
From the house verandah, the eye plunges westward down the high cape,
following the capricious windings of the Cap Rouge stream far to the
north, or else scans the green uplands of St. Augustin, its white cottages
rising in soft undulations as far as the sight can reach. Over the extreme
point of the southwestern cape hangs a fairy pavilion, like an eagle's
eyrie amongst alpine crags, just a degree more secure than that pensile
old fir tree which you notice at your feet stretching over the chasm;
beneath you the majestic flood, Canada's pride, with a hundred merchantmen
sleeping on its placid waters, and the orb of day dancing blithely over
every ripple. Oh! for a few hours to roam with those we love under these
old pines, to listen to the voices of other years, and cull a fragrant
wreath of those wild flowers which everywhere strew our path.
Is there not enough of nature's charm around this sunny, truly Canadian
home? And how much of the precious metal would many an English duke give
to possess, in his own famed isle, a site of such exquisite beauty? We
confess, we denizens of Quebec, we do feel proud of our Quebec scenery;
not that on comparison we think the less of other localities, but that on
looking round we get to think more of our own.
Cap Rouge, from it having been the location of Europeans, early in the
sixteenth century, must claim the attention of every man of cultivated
mind who takes a pleasure in scrutinizing the past, and in tracing the
advent on our shores of the various races of European descent, now
identified with this land of the West, yearning for the bright destinies
the future has in store.
At the foot of the Cape, on which the Cape Rouge Cottage now stands,
Jacques Cartier and Roberval wintered, the first in 1541-2; the second in
1543-4. Recent discoveries have merely added to the interest which these
historical incidents awaken. The new _Historical Picture of Quebec_,
published in 1834, thus alludes to these circumstances:--
"We now come to another highly interesting portion of local history. It
has been stated that the old historians were apparently ignorant of this
last voyage of Cartier. Some place the establishment of the fort at Cape
Breton, and confound his proceedings with those of Roberval. The exact
spot where Cartier passed his second winter in Canada is not mentioned in
any publication that we have seen. The following is the description given
of the station in Hakluyt: 'After which things the said captain went, with
two of his boats, up the river, beyond Canada'--the promontory of Quebec
is meant--'and the port of St. Croix, to view a haven and a small river
which is about four leagues higher, which he found better and more
commodious to ride in, and lay his ships, than the former. * * * The said
river is small, not passing fifty paces broad, and ships drawing three
fathoms water may enter in at full sea; and at low water there is nothing
but a channel of a foot deep or thereabouts. * * * The mouth of the river
is towards the south, and it windeth northward like a snake; and at the
mouth of it, towards the east, there is a high and steep cliff, where we
made a way in manner of a pair of stairs, and aloft we made a fort to keep
the nether fort and the ships, and all things that might pass as well by
the great as by the small river." Who that reads the above accurate
description will doubt that the mouth of the little river Cap Rouge was
the station chosen by Jacques Cartier for his second wintering place in
Canada? The original description of the grounds and scenery on both sides
of the river Cap Rouge is equally faithful with that which we have
extracted above. The precise spot on which the upper fort of Jacques
Cartier was built, afterwards enlarged by Roberval, has been fixed by an
ingenious gentleman of Quebec, at the top of Cap Rouge height, a short
distance from the handsome villa and establishment of H. Atkinson (now of
James Bowen) There is, at the distance of about an acre to the north of
Mr. Atkinson's house, a hillock of artificial construction, upon which are
trees indicating great antiquity, and as it does not appear that any
fortifications were erected on this spot, either in the war of 1759, or
during the attack of Quebec by the Americans in 1775, it is extremely
probable that here are to be found the interesting site and remains of the
ancient fort in question.
"On his return to the fort of Charlesbourg Royal, the suspicions of
Cartier as to the unfriendly disposition of the Indians were confirmed. He
was informed that the natives now kept aloof from the fort, and had ceased
to bring them fish and provisions as before. He also learned from some of
the men who had been at Stadacona, that an unusual number of Indians had
assembled there--and associating, as he always seems to have done, the
idea of danger with any concourse of the natives, he resolved to take all
necessary precautions, causing everything in the fortress to be set in
order.
"At this crisis, to the regret of all who feel an interest in the local
history of the time the relation of Cartier's third voyage abruptly breaks
off. Of the proceedings during the winter which he spent at Cap Rouge,
nothing is known. It is probable that it passed over without any collision
with the natives, although the position of the French, from their
numerical weakness, must have been attended with great anxiety.
"It has been seen that Roberval, notwithstanding his lofty titles, and
really enterprising character, did not fulfil his engagement to follow
Cartier with supplies sufficient for the settlement of a colony, until the
year following. By that time the Lieutenant General had furnished three
large vessels chiefly at the King's cost, having on board two hundred
persons, several gentlemen of quality, and settlers, both men and women.
He sailed from La Rochelle on the 16th of April, 1542, under the direction
of an experienced pilot, by name John Alphonse, of Xaintonge. The
prevalence of westerly winds prevented their reaching Newfoundland until
7th June. On the 8th they entered the road of St. John, where they found
seventeen vessels engaged in the fisheries. During his stay in this road,
he was surprised and disappointed by the appearance of Jacques Cartier, on
his return from Canada, whither he had been sent the year before with five
ships. Cartier had passed the winter in the fortress described above, and
gave as a reason for the abandonment of the settlement, 'that he could not
with his small company withstand the savages which went about daily to
annoy him.' He continued, nevertheless, to speak of the country as very
rich and fruitful. Cartier is said, in the relation, of Roberval's voyage
in Hakluyt, to have produced some gold ore found in the country, which on
being tried in a furnace, proved to be good. He had with him also some
_diamonds_, the natural production of the promontory of Quebec, from
which the Cape derived its name. The Lieutenant General having brought so
strong a reinforcement of men and necessaries for the settlement, was
extremely urgent with Cartier to go back again to Cap Rouge, but without
success. It is most probable that the French, who had recently passed a
winter of hardship in Canada, would not permit their Captain to attach
himself to the fortunes and particular views of Roberval. Perhaps, the
fond regret of home prevailed over the love of adventure, and like men who
conceived that they had performed their part of the contract into which
they had entered, they were not disposed to encounter new hardships under
a new leader. In order, therefore, to prevent any open disagreement,
Cartier weighed anchor in the course of the night without taking leave of
Roberval, and made all sail for France. It is impossible not to regret
this somewhat inglorious termination of a distinguished career. Had he
returned to his fort, with the additional strength of Roberval, guided by
his own skill and experience, it is most probable that the colony would
have been destined to a permanent existence. Cartier undertook no other
voyage to Canada; but he afterwards completed a sea chart, drawn by his
own hand, which was extant in the possession of one of his nephews,
Jacques Noël, of St. Malo, in 1587, who seems to have taken great interest
in the further development of the vast country discovered by his deceased
uncle. Two letters of his have been preserved, relating to the maps and
writings of Cartier: the first written in 1587, and the others a year or
two latter, in which he mentions that his two sons, Michael and John Noël,
were then in Canada, and that he was in expectation of their return.
Cartier himself died soon after his return to France, having sacrificed
his fortune in the case of discovery. As an indemnification for the losses
their uncle had sustained, this Jacques Noel and another nephew, De la
Launay Chaton, received in 1588, an exclusive privilege to trade to Canada
during, twelve years, but this was revoked four months after it was
granted.
"Roberval, notwithstanding his mortification at the loss of Cartier's
experience and aid in his undertaking, determined to proceed, and sailing
from Newfoundland, about the end of June, 1543, he arrived at Cap Rouge,
'four leagues westward of the Isle of Orleans,' towards the end of July.
Here the French immediately fortified themselves, 'in a place fit to
command the main river, and of strong situation against all manner of
enemies.' The position was, no doubt, that chosen by Jacques Cartier the
year previous. The following is the description given in Hakluyt of the
buildings erected by Roberval: 'The said General on his first arrival
built a fair fort, near and somewhat westward above Canada, which is very
beautiful to behold, and of great force, situated upon a high mountain,
wherein there were two courts of buildings, a great tower, and another of
forty or fifty feet long, wherein there were divers chambers, a hall, a
kitchen, cellars high and low, and near unto it were an oven and mills,
and a stove to warm men in, and a well before the house. And the building
was situated upon the great River of Canada called _France-Prime_ by
Monsieur Roberval. There was also at the foot of the mountain another
lodging, where at the first all our victuals, and whatsoever was brought
with us, were sent to be kept, and near unto that tower there is another
small river. In these two places above and beneath, all the meaner sort
was lodged.' This fort was called _France-Roy_, but of these extensive
buildings, erected most probably in a hasty and inartificial manner, no
traces now remain, unless we consider as such the mound above mentioned,
near the residence of Mr. Atkinson, at Cap Rouge.
"On the 14th September, Roberval sent back to France two of his vessels,
with two gentlemen, bearers of letters to the King; who had instructions
to return the following year with supplies for the settlement. The natives
do not appear, by the relation given, to have evinced any hostility to the
new settlers. Unfortunately, the scurvy again made its appearance among
the French and carried off no less than sixty during the winter. The
morality of this little colony was not very rigid--perhaps they were
pressed by hunger, and induced to plunder from each other--at all events
the severity of the Viceroy towards his handful of subjects appears not to
have been restricted to the male sex. The method adopted by the Governor
to secure a quiet life will raise a smile; 'Monsieur Roberval used very
good justice, and punished every man according to his offence. One whose
name was Michael Gaillon, was hanged for his theft. John of Nantes was
laid in irons, and kept prisoner for his offence; and others also were put
in irons, and divers whipped, as well men as women, by which means they
lived quiet.'
"We have no record extant of the other proceedings of Roberval during the
winter of 1543. The ice broke up in the month of April; and on the 5th
June, the Lieutenant General departed from the winter quarters on an
exploring expedition to the Province of Saguenay, as Cartier had done on a
former occasion. Thirty persons were left behind in the fort under the
command of an officer, with instructions to return to France, if he had
not returned by the 1st of July. There are no particulars of this
expedition, on which, however, Roberval employed a considerable time. For
we find that on the 14th June, four of the gentlemen belonging to the
expedition returned to the fort, having left Roberval on the way to
Saguenay; and on the 19th, some others came back, bringing with them some
six score weight of Indian corn; and directions for the rest to wait for
the return of the Viceroy, until the 22nd July. An incident happened in
this expedition, which seems to have escaped the notice of the author of
the treaties on the _canon de bronze_ (Amable Barthelot), which we
have noticed in a former chapter. It certainly gives an authentic account
of a ship wreck having been suffered in the St. Lawrence, to which,
perhaps, the finding of the cannon, and the tradition about Jacques
Cartier, may with some possibility be referred. The following is the
extract in question: 'Eight men and one bark drowned and lost, among whom
were Monsieur de Noire Fontaine, and one named La Vasseur of Constance.'
The error as to the name might easily arise, Jacques Cartier having been
there so short a time before, and his celebrity in the country being so
much greater than that of Roberval, or of any of his companions."
Cap Rouge Cottage is now owned by James Bowen, Esq.
_BEAUSÉJOUR._
Flooded in sunny silence sleep the kine,
In languid murmurs brooklets float and flow,
The quaint farm-gables in rich light shine
And round them jasmined honeysuckles twine,
And close beside them sun-flowers burn and blow.
About one mile beyond the St. Foye Church, there is a fertile farm of one,
hundred acres, lying chiefly on the north side of the road. The dwelling,
a roomy, one story cottage, stands about two acres from the highway, from
which a copse of trees interrupts the view.
There are at present in this spot, several embellishments--such as trout
ponds--which bid fair to render it worthy of the notice of men of taste.
It was merely necessary to assist nature in order to obtain here most
gratifying results. Between the road fence and the dwelling, a small brook
has worn its bed, at the bottom of a deep ravine, sweeping past the house
lawn westward, and then changing its course to due north-west the boundary
in that direction between that and the adjoining property. The banks of
the ravine are enclosed in a belt of every imaginable forest shrub,--wild
cherry, mountain ash, raspberry, blueberry, interspersed here and there
with superb specimens of oak, spruce, fir and pine. A second avenue has
been laid out amongst the trees between the road fence and the brook, to
connect with the lawn at the west of the house, by a neat little bridge,
resting on two square piers about twenty-five feet high: on either side of
the bridge a solid dam being constructed of the boulders and stones
removed from the lower portion of the property, intended to form two trout
ponds of a couple of acres in length each, a passage in the dam is left
for the water-fall, which is in full view of the bridge. On the edge of
the bank, overhanging the ravine, nature seems to have pointed out the
spot for a pavilion, from which the disciples of Isaac Walton can throw a
cast below. The green fringe of the mountain shrubs in bud, blossom or
fruit, encircling the farm, materially enhances the beauty of this sylvan
landscape,--the eye resting with particular pleasure on the vast expanse
of meadow of vivid green, clothed in most luxuriant grass, some 10,000
bundles of hay for the mower, in due time. About two acres from the house,
to the west, is placed a rustic seat, under two weather-beaten, though
still verdant oaks, which stretch their boughs across the river: closer
again to the cottage, the eye meets two pavilions. The new avenue, rustic
bridges, ponds and pavilions, are due to the good taste of the present
owner, Louis Bilodeau, Esq. This rural home was for several years occupied
in summer by Stephen Sewell, Esq., and does not belie its name--
Beauséjour.
_BELMONT._
Owners--Intendant Talon, 1670; General James Murray, 1765; Sir John
Caldwell, 1810; J. W. Dunscomb. Esquire, 1854-81.
That genial old joker, Sir Jonas Barrington, in his _Sketches_, has
invested the Irish homes and Irish gentry with features certainly very
original--at times so singular as to be difficult of acceptance. True, he
lived in an age and amongst a people proverbial for generous hospitality,
for conviviality carried to its extreme limit. Gargantuan banquets he
describes, pending which the bowls of punch and claret imbibed appear to
us something fabulous. Irish squires, roystering Irish barristers,
toddling home in pairs after having stowed away under their belts as many
as twelve bottles of claret a piece, during a prolonged sitting, _i.e._,
from 6 P.M. to 6 A.M. Such intrepid diners-out were known as "Twelve
bottle men;" and verily, if the old Judge is to be credited, they might
have been advantageously pitted even against such a Homeric guzzler as
history depicts Aurora Konigsmark's sturdy son, Maréchal de Saxe, who, in
his youth, 'tis said, tossed off, at one draught and without experiencing
any ill-effects, one whole gallon of wine.
The first time our eye scanned the silent and deserted banquetting halls
of Belmont, with their lofty ceilings, and recalling the traditional
accounts of the hospitable gentlemen, whose joviality had once lit up the
scene, visions of social Ireland of Barrington's day floated uppermost in
our mind. We could fancy we saw the gay roysterers of times by-gone--first
a fête champêtre of lively French officers from Quebec, making merry over
their Bordeaux or Burgundy, and celebrating the news of their recent
victories at Fontenoy, [259] Lauffeld or Carillon, to the jocund sound of
_Vive la France! Vive le Maréchal de Saxe! à la Claire Fontaine_, &c
then Governor Murray, surrounded by his veterans, Guy Carleton, Col.
Caldwell, Majors Hale, Holland, and some of the new subjects, such as the
brave Chs. De Lanaudière, [260] complimenting one another all around over
the feats of the respective armies at the two memorable battles of the
Plains, and all joining loyally in repeating the favorite toast in Wolfe's
fleet, _British colours on every French fort, port and garrison in
America_! Later on, at the beginning of the present century, a gathering
of those Canadian Barons, so graphically delineated by John Lambert in his
_Travels in Canada_, in 1808--one week surrounding the festive board of
this jolly Receiver General of Canada at Belmont, the next at
Charlesbourg, making the romantic echoes of the Hermitage ring again with
old English cheers and loyal toasts to "George the King," or else
installing a "Baron" at the Union Hotel, Place d'Armes,--possibly in
the very Council-room in which the State secrets of Canada were in 1865
daily canvassed--and flinging down to the landlord as Lambert says, "250
guineas for the entertainement." Where are now the choice spirits of that
comparatively modern day, the rank and fashion who used to go and sip
claret or eat ice-cream with Sir James Craig, at Powell Place? Where gone
the Mures, Paynters, Munros, Matthew Bells, de Lanaudières, Lymburners,
Smiths, Finlays, Caldwells, Percevals, Jonathan Sewells? Alas! like the
glories of Belmont, departed, or living in the realms of memory only!
This estate, which, until lately, consisted of four hundred and fifty
acres, extending from the line of the Grande Allée down to the Bijou wood,
was _conceded_ in 1649 by the Jesuit Fathers to M. Godfroy. It passed
over, in 1670, to the celebrated Intendant Talon, by deed of sale executed
on the 28th of September, 1670, before Romain Becquet, Notaire Royal.
Messire Jean Talon is described in that instrument as "Conseiller du roi
en ses conseils d'état et premier Intendant de justice, police et finance
de la Nouvelle France, Isle de Terreneuve, Acadie et pays de l'Amérique
Septentrionale." Shortly after the conquest it was occupied by Chief
Justice Wm. Gregory. In 1765 it was sold for £500 by David Alves of
Montreal, to General James Murray, who, after the first battle of the
Plains, had remained Governor of Quebec, whilst his immediate superior,
Brigadier Geo. Townshend, had hurried to England to cull the laurels of
victory. In 1775, we find that one of the first operations of the American
General Montgomery was to take possession of "General Murray's house, on
the St. Foy road." General Murray also, probably, then owned the property
subsequently known as Holland's farm, where Montgomery had his
headquarters. All through our history the incidents, actors and results of
battles are tolerably well indicated, but the domestic history of
individuals and exact descriptions of localities are scarcely ever
furnished, so that the reader will not be surprised should several
_lacunae_ occur in the description of Belmont, one of the most interesting
Canadian country seats in the neighbourhood of Quebec. The history of
Holland House might also, of itself, furnish quite a small epic; and,
doubtless, from the exalted social position of many of the past owners of
Belmont, its old walls, could they obtain utterance, might reveal
interesting incidents of our past history, which will otherwise ever be
buried in oblivion.
In the memory of Quebecers, Belmont must always remain more particularly
connected with the name of the Caldwells, three generations of whom
occupied its spacious halls. The founder of this old family, who played a
conspicuous part in Canadian politics for half a century, was the Hon.
Col. Henry Caldwell, for many years Receiver General of the Province, by
royal appointment, and member of the Legislative Council. He came first to
Canada in 1759, says Knox, [261] as Assistant Quartermaster General to
Wolfe, under whom he served. When appointed Receiver General, the salary
attached to that high office [262] was £400 per annum, with the
understanding that he might _account_ at his convenience, he never
accounted at all, probably as it was anything but _convenient_ to do
so, having followed the traditional policy of high officials under French
rule, and speculated largely in milk, &c. The fault was more the
consequences of the system than that of the individual, and had his
ventures turned out well, no doubt the high-minded Colonel and Receiver
General would have made matters right before dying. In 1801 Col. Caldwell
was returned member for Dorchester, where he owned the rich Seigniory of
Lauzon, and most extensive mill at the Etchemin river, the same
subsequently owned by J. Thomson, Esq., and now by Hy. Atkinson, Esq. The
colonel was re-elected by the same constituency in 1805, and again in
1809, lived in splendor at Belmont, as a polished gentleman of that age
knew how to live, and died there in 1810. Belmont is situated on the St.
Foye road, on its north side, at the end of a long avenue of trees,
distant three miles from Quebec. The original mansion, which was burnt
down in 1798, was rebuilt by the Colonel in 1800 on plans furnished by an
Engineer Officer of the name of Brabazon. It stood in the garden between
the present house and main or St. Foye road. The cellar forms the spacious
root house, at present in the garden. Col Caldwell's exquisite
entertainments soon drew around his table some of the best men of Quebec,
of the time, such as the gallant Gen. Brock, John Colt man, William
Coltman, the Hales, Foy, Haldimand, Dr. Beeby of Powell Place, J. Lester,
John Blackwood. In 1810 Mr. John Caldwell, son of the Colonel, accepted
the succession with its liabilities, not then known. He however made the
Lauzon manor his residence in summer, and was also appointed Receiver
General. In 1817 Belmont was sold to the Hon. J. Irvine, M.P.P., the
grandfather of the present member for Megantic, Hon. George J. Irvine.
Hon. Mr. Irvine resided there until 1833. The beautiful row of trees which
line the house avenue and other embellishments, are due to his good taste.
In 1838 the property reverted to the late Sir Henry Caldwell, the son of
Sir John Caldwell, who in 1827, had inherited the title by the death of an
Irish relative, Sir James Caldwell, the third Baronet (who was made a
Count of Milan by the Empress Maria Theresa, descended by his mothers'
side from the 20th Lord Kerry). John Caldwell of Lauzon, having become Sir
John Caldwell, _menait un grain train_, as the old peasants of Etchemin
repeat to this day. His house, stud and amusements were those of a baron
of old, and of a hospitable Irish gentleman, spreading money and progress
over the length and breadth of the land. At his death, which happened at
Boston in 1842, the insignificant Etchemin settlement, through his
efforts, had materially increased in wealth, size and population. There
was, however, at his demise, an _error_ in his Government balance sheet of
£100,000 on the wrong side!
Belmont lines the St. Foye heights, in a most picturesque situation. The
view from the east and north-western windows is magnificently grand;
probably one might count more than a dozen church spires glittering in the
distance--peeping out of every happy village which dots the base of the
blue mountains to the north. In 1854 this fine property was purchased by
J. W. Dunscomb, Esq., Collector of Customs, Quebec, who resided there
several years, and sold the garden for a cemetery to the Roman Catholic
Church authorities of Quebec, reserving 400 acres for himself. The old
house, within a few years, was purchased by Mr. Wakeham, the late manager
of the Beauport Asylum. His successful treatment of diseases of the mind
induced him to open, at this healthy and secluded spot, under the name of
the "Belmont Retreat," a private _Maison de Santé_, where, wealthy
patients are treated with that delicate care which they could not expect
in a crowded asylum. The same success has attended Mr. Wakeham's
enterprise at Belmont which crowned it at Beauport.
_AN IRISH EDUCATION IN THE OLDEN TIMES._
Among the old stories handed down in Canadian homes
"In the long nights of winter,
When the cold north winds blow,"
of the merry gatherings and copious feasts of other days, one is told
of a memorable entertainment at Belmont, given a crowd of friends.
Some assert it was the Belmont anniversary dinner of the battle of
Waterloo and bring in of course Blucher, Hougomont! Belle-Alliance and
what not. It is, however, more generally believed among the aged,
judging from the copious libations and kindly toasts drank, that it
partook of a more intimate character and was merely a _fête de
famille_, to commemorate the safe return of sir John Caldwell's
only son from Ireland, where he had just completed his collegiate
course at Dublin, be that as it may, it unquestionably was meant to
solemnise an important family or national event.
As was wont, in those hospitable times, the "landlord's flowing bowl,"
alas! had been emptied too often. Some of the "Barons of the round
table" were in fact preparing for a timely retreat, before the city
gates should be closed, [263] the genial host soon put a stop to such
a treasonable practice, exclaiming that the sentry would let them pass
at any hour, so they need only follow the Commandant, their fellow
guest, who of course had the countersign, closing his well timed
remarks, by raising his voice and proclaiming in an authoritative tone
"no heel taps here," the stately banquet hall re-echoed with cheers "a
bumper, a bumper," resounded on all sides, "to the future Sir Harry,
who has just completed his Irish education." The future Sir Harry was
soon on his legs, and in a voice mellow with old port, youth and fun,
responded "Friends, fellow countrymen, brothers, (this last expression
was challenged as he was an only son) I am indeed proud of my Dublin
education, we have something, however better before us than a
disquisition on the excellence of the various systems of continental
courses, to be brief, I now challenge any here present to meet me on
the classics, astronomy, the cubic root or glass to glass, you have
your choice." "Glass to glass," they one and all replied. Toasts,
songs, healths of every member of the Royal family, were gone through
with amazing zest as time advanced towards the small hours of the
morning, the guests, one by one disappeared from the banqueting room,
some, alas! under the mahogany, more with the genial commander of the
garrison, whilst the stalwart Irish student, still undaunted and
meeting the foe, glass to glass--a veritable giant, fresher as he went
on.
Old Sir John, a well seasoned diner-out, at last found himself
solitary at his end of the table, whilst his son adorned the other end
defiantly.
Looking round in dismay and fearing, if he continued the healths, to
be unequal to cope with such an intrepid Dublin student, he the last
gave up, flinging himself majestically back in his chair, exclaiming
"D----n your Irish education!"
_HOLLAND FARM._
This estate, which formerly comprised two hundred acres of ground,
extending from the brow of the St. Foye heights to St Michael's Chapel on
the Samoa or St. Lewis road, possesses considerable interest for the
student of Canadian history, both under French and English rule. The
original dwelling, a long high-peaked French structure, stood on an
eminence closer to the St. Foye road than does the present house. It was
built about the year 1740, by a rich Lower Town merchant, Monsieur Jean
Taché [264] who resided there after his marriage in 1742 with Mademoiselle
Marie Anne Jolliet de Mingan, grand-daughter to the celebrated discoverer
of the Mississippi, Louis Jolliet. Monsieur Jean Taché was also _Syndic
des Marchands_, member of the Supreme Council of Quebec, and ancestor
to Sir. E. P. Taché. He at one time owned several vessels, but his
floating wealth having, during the war of the conquest, become the prize
of English cruisers, the St. Peter street Nabob of 1740, as it has since
happened to some of his successors in that _romantic_ neighbourhood,
--lost his money. Loss of fortune did not, however, imply loss of honour,
as old memoirs of that day describe him, "Homme intègre et d'esprit." He
had been selected, in the last year of French rule, to go and lay at the
foot of the French Throne the grievances of the Canadians. About this
time, the St. Foye road was becoming a fashionable resort, _Hawkin's
Picture of Quebec_ calls it "The favorite drive of the Canadian Belle
before the conquest." This is an interesting period in colonial life, but
imperfectly known,--nor will a passage from Jeffery, an old and valued
English writer, illustrative of men, manners and amusements in the Colony,
when it passed over to the English monarch, be out of place:--
"The number of inhabitants being considerably increased, they pass their
time very agreeably. The Governor General, with his household; several of
the _noblesse_ of exceeding good families; the officers of the army,
who in France are all gentlemen; the Intendant, with a Supreme Council,
and the inferior magistrates; the Commissary of the Marine; the Grand
Provost; the Grand Hunter; the Grand Master of the Woods and Forests, who
has the most extensive jurisdiction in the world; rich merchants, or such
as live as if they were so; the bishops and a numerous Seminary; two
colleges of Récollets, as many of Jesuits; with three Nunneries; amongst
all those yon are at no loss to find agreeable company and the most
entertaining conversation. Add to this the diversions of the place, such
as the assemblies at the Lady Governess's and Lady Intendant's; parties at
cards, or of pleasure, such as in the winter on the ice, in sledges, or in
skating; and in the summer in chaises or canoes; also hunting, which it is
impossible not to be fond of in a country abounding with plenty of game of
all kinds.
"It is remarked of the Canadians that their conversation is enlivened by
an air of freedom which is natural and peculiar to them, and that they
speak the French in the greatest purity and without the least false
accent. There are few rich people in that Colony, though they all live
well, are extremely generous and hospitable, keep very good tables, and
love to dress very finely.... The Canadians have carried the love of arms,
and glory, so natural to their mother country, along with them.... War is
not only welcome to them but coveted with extreme ardor." [265]
During the fall of 1775, the old mansion sheltered Brigadier Richard
Montgomery, [266] the leader of the American forlorn hope, who fell on the
31st December of that year, at Près-de-Ville, Champlain street, fighting
against those same British whom it had previously been his pride to lead
to victory. About the year 1780, we find this residence tenanted by a
worthy British officer, who had been a great favourite with the hero of
the Plains of Abraham. Major Samuel Holland had fought bravely that day
under General Wolfe, and stood, it is said, after the battle, close by the
expiring warrior. His dwelling took the name of Holland House: he added to
it, a cupola, which served in lieu of a _prospect tower_, wherefrom
could be had a most extensive view of the surrounding country. [267] The
important appointment of Surveyor General of the Province, which was
bestowed on Major Holland, together with his social qualities, abilities
and education, soon gathered round him the _élite_ of the English
Society in Quebec at that time. Amongst the distinguished guests who
frequented Holland House in 1791, we find Edward, afterwards Duke of Kent.
The numerous letters still extant addressed by His Royal Highness from
Kensington Palace, as late as 1814, to the many warm friends he had left
on the banks of the St. Lawrence, contain pleasant reminiscences of his
sojourn amongst his royal father's Canadian lieges. Amongst other
frequenters of Holland House, may also be noted a handsome stranger, who
after attending--the gayest of the gay--the Quebec Château balls,
Regimental mess dinners, Barons' Club, tandem drives, as the male friend
of one of the young Hollands was, to the amazement of all, convicted at a
mess dinner of being a lady [268] in disguise. A _fracas_ of course
ensued. The lady-like guest soon vamosed to England, where _he_ became the
lawful spouse of the Hon. Mr. C----, the brother to Lord F----d. One
remnant of the Hollands long endured; the old fir tree on that portion of
the property purchased by James Creighton, farmer. Holland tree was still
sacred to the memory of the five slumberers, who have reposed for more
than a century beneath its hoary branches. Nor has the recollection of the
"fatal duel" faded away. Holland farm, for many years, belonged to Mr.
Wilson of the Customs Department, Quebec, in 1843 it passed by purchase to
Judge George Okill Stuart, of Québec; Mr. Stuart improved the place,
removed the old house and built a handsome new one on a rising ground in
rear, which he occupied for several summers. It again became renowned for
gaiety and festivity when subsequently owned by Robert Cassels, Esquire,
for many years Manager of the Bank of British North America at Quebec.
Genl. Danl. Lysons had leased it in 1862, for his residence, when the
unexpected vote of the House of Assembly on the Militia Bill broke through
his arrangements. Holland House is still the property of Mr. Cassels.
_THE HOLLAND TREE._
(BY THE AUTHOR OF "MAPLE LEAVES")
"Woodman spare that tree."
It has often been noticed that one of the chief glories of Quebec
consisted in being surrounded on all sides by smiling country seats,
which in the summer season, as it were, encircle the brow of the old
city like a chaplet of flowers; those who, on a sunny June morning,
have wandered through the shady groves of Spencer Wood, Woodfield,
Marchmont, Benmore, Kilmarnock, Kirk Ella, Hamwood, Beauvoir,
Clermont, and fifty other old places, rendered vocal by the voices of
birds, and with the sparkling waters of the great river or the winding
St. Charles at their feet, are not likely to gainsay this statement.
Amongst these beautiful rural retreats few are better known than
Holland Farm, in 1780 the family mansion of Surveyor-General Holland,
one of Wolfe's favourite engineer officers. During the fall of 1775 it
had been the headquarters of Brig. General Montgomery, who chose it as
his residence during the siege of Quebec, whilst his colleague, Col.
Benedict Arnold, was stationed with his New Englanders at the house
southeast of Scott's Bridge, on the Little River road, for many years
the homestead of Mr. Langlois. This fine property, running back as far
as Mount Hermon Cemetery, and extending from the St. Louis or Grand
Allée road, opposite Spencer Wood, down to the St. Foye road, which it
crosses, is bounded to the north by the _cime du cap_, or St. Foye
heights. For those who may be curious to know its original extent to
an eighth of an inch, I shall quote from Major Holland's title-deed,
wherein it is stated to comprise "in superficies, French measure, two
hundred and six arpents, one perch, seven feet eight inches, and _four
eighths of an inch_," from which description one would infer the Major
had surveyed his domain with great minuteness, or that he must have
been rather a stickler for territorial rights. What would his shades
now think could they be made cognizant of the fact that that very
château garden, [269] which he possessed and bequeathed to his sons in
the year 1800, which had been taken possession of for military
purposes by the Imperial authorities, is held by them to this day?
Major Samuel Holland had distinguished himself as an officer under
General Wolfe, on the Plains of Abraham, lived at Holland House [270]
many years, as was customary in those days, in affluence, and at last
paid the common debt to nature. He had been employed in Prince Edward
Island and Western Canada on public surveys.
The Major, after having provided for his wife, Mary Josette Rolet,
bequeathed his property to Frederick Braham, John Frederick,
Charlotte, Susan and George Holland, [271] his children. In 1817,
Frederick Braham Holland, who at that time was an ordnance storekeeper
at Prince Edward Island, sold his share of the farm to the late
William Wilson, of the Customs. Ten years later, John Frederick and
Charlotte Holland also disposed of their interest in this land to Mr.
Wilson, who subsequently, having acquired the rights of another heir,
viz., in 1835, remained proprietor of Holland Farm until 1843, when
the property by purchase passed over to Judge Geo. Okill Stuart, of
this city. Mr. Stuart built on it a handsome mansion now known as
Holland House, which he subsequently sold to Rob. Cassells, Esq., of
Quebec, late manager of the Bank of British North America.
Holland Farm has been gradually dismembered: Coulonge Cottage, at the
outlet of the Gomin Road, [272] is built on Holland farm. A successful
gold digger by the name of Sinjohn purchased in the year 1862 a large
tract of the farm fronting the St. Louis road with Thornhill as its
north eastern and Mr. Stuart's new road as its south-western boundary.
His cottage is shaded by the Thornhill Grove, with a garden and lawn
and adjoins a level pasturage entirely denuded of shrubs and forest
trees. [273] To a person looking from the main gate, at Spencer Wood
in the direction of the south gable of Holland House, exactly in a
straight line, no object intervenes except a fir tree which detaches
itself on the horizon, conspicuous from afar over the plantation which
fronts the St. Foye road. That tree is the Holland Tree. Well! what
about the Holland Tree? What! you a Quebecer and not to know about the
Holland Tree? the duel and the slumberers who have reposed for so many
years under its shade!
Oh! but suppose I am not a Quebecer. Tell me about the Holland Tree.
Well, walk down from the St. Louis road along Mr. Stuart's new road
and we shall see first how the rest of the 'slumberers' has been
respected. Hear the words which filial affection dictated to Frederick
Braham, John Frederick and Charlotte Holland, when on the 14th July
1827, they executed a deed [274] in favor of Wm. Wilson conveying
their interest in their father's estate.
"Provided always and these presents as well as the foregoing deed of
sale and conveyance are so made and executed by the said Robert
Holland acting as aforesaid (as attorney of the heirs Holland) upon
and subject to the _express_ charge and _condition_ that is to say,
that the said William Wilson his heirs and assigns shall forever hold
sacred and inviolable the small circular space of ground on the said
tract or piece of land and premises enclosed with a stone wall and
wherein the remains of the late Samuel Holland, Esquire, father of the
said vendors and of his son the late Samuel Holland jr., Esq., are
interred, and shall and will allow tree ingress and egress at all
times to the relatives and friends of the family of the said Samuel
Holland for the purpose of viewing the state and condition of the said
space of ground and making or causing to be made such repairs to the
wall enclosing the same or otherwise providing for the protection of
the said remains as they shall see fit."
Not many years back the 'small circular space' which Mr. Wilson bound
himself to hold sacred and inviolable and which contained two neat
marble slabs with the names of Messrs. Holland, senior and junior, and
other members of the family engraved on them, was inclosed within a
substantial stone wall to which access was had through an iron gate,
the walls were covered with inscriptions and with the initials of
those who had visited a spot to which the fatal issue of a deadly
encounter lent all the interest of a romance. Nothing now is visible
except the foundation, which is still distinct: the monument stones
have disappeared, the wall has been razed to the ground, some modern
Vandal or a descendant of the Ostrogoths [275] (for amongst all
civilized nations, the repose of the dead is sacred) has laid violent
hands on them! When Mr. Wilson sold Holland farm in 1843 he made no
stipulation about the graves of the Hollands, he took no care that
what he had agreed to hold inviolable should continue to be so held.
The tragical occurrence connected with the Holland Tree is much out of
the ordinary run of events, it seems very like the plot of a sensation
novel--a dark tale redolent with love, jealousy and revenge. Two men
stood, some sixty years ago, in mortal combat, not under the Holland
Tree, as it has generally been believed but near Windmill Point, Point
St Charles, at Montreal, one of them Ensign Samuel Holland, of the
60th Regiment, the other was Capt Shoedde. The encounter, it was
expected would be a deadly one in those duelling days blood alone
could wipe out an insult. Old Major Holland, on bidding adieu to his
son is reported to have said, "Samuel, my boy, here are weapons which
my loved friend General Wolfe, presented me on the day of his death.
Use them, to keep the old family name without stain." Of this
memorable affair W. H. Henderson, Esq., of Hemison, has kindly
furnished me with the following details.
'The duel originated from some, it was considered, unjustifiable
suspicions on the part of Capt. Shoedde of his (Holland's) intimacy
with Mrs. Shoedde so palpably unfounded that young Holland applied to
his father as to whether in honour he was bound to take notice of the
matter. The Major replied by forwarding by post his pistols. Ensign
Holland was mortally wounded at the first shot, but in his agony rose
on his knees and levelled his pistol, aiming for Capt. Shoedde's
heart, who received the ball in his arm laid over his breast.'
Mr. Holland was conveyed to the Merchants Coffee House, in the small
lane, near the river side, called Capital street, where he expired in
great pain. The battalion in which this gentleman served was at that
time, commanded by Major Patrick Murray, a relative of the British
General of Quebec fame, with whom I became very intimate in the years
1808 and 1809. Major Murray's account of the duel agreed with the
general report prevalent in 1799 in Montreal. Murray thought that the
challenge had been given by young Holland and not by Shoedde. Murray
subsequently married sold his commission, and purchased the seignory
of Argenteuil. At that time Sir George Prevost was also a Major In the
60th Regiment of 1790, whilst Murray's commission dated of 1784. Sir
George gave Murray in 1812 a colonel's commission in the militia, who
raised the corps of lawyers in Montreal known, as styled by the
humorous old man, "as The Devil s Own."
_A SCANDAL OF THE LAST CENTURY._
One of the young Hollands had also been a party to a _scandalum
magnum_, which created much gossip amongst our grandfathers, about
the time H.R.H the Duke of Kent was at Quebec.
At a regimental mess dinner a handsome young fellow, having, in these
days of hard swearing and hard drinking, exceeded in wine, was
convicted of being a lady in disguise, attending as the guest of young
Holland, and whose sex was unknown to young Holland.
This lady, whom all Quebec knew as Mr. Nesbitt, turned out to be a
Miss Neville, left for England, and was eventually married to Sir J.
C---, brother of Lord F----, a British nobleman.
One of the Nestors of the present generation, Col. J. Sewell, has
related to me the circumstances as he heard them in his youth from the
lips of a man of veracity and honour--Hon. W. Smith, son of Chief
Justice Smith.
Here are his own words:--"Hon. Mr. Smith told me that Mr. Nesbitt,
_alias_ Miss Neville, was dining at a mess dinner of the 24th
Grenadiers at the Jesuits' Barracks, upper Town market place--Having
sacrificed too freely to the rosy god, an officer of the 24th, Mr.
Broadstreet, I think, helped him to the balcony ... when having to
lean on his supporter, Mr. Broadstreet became confident Nesbitt was a
girl in disguise. Nesbitt drove out after dinner to Holland House and
Broadstreet told the joke all round. Nesbitt hearing of it, sent him,
next day, a challenge for originating such a report.
Mr. Broadstreet, not knowing how to act, applied to one of his
superior officers--Capt. Doyle (subsequently Genl. Doyle, who married
at Quebec, a Miss Smith), for advice, saying: "How can I fight a
girl?" to which Capt. Doyle rejoined, "I will act as your second. If
Nesbitt is a girl, you shall not fight him, and I engage to prove this
fact." He then drove out to Holland House, and found the gay Lothario
Nesbitt flirting with the young ladies. He observed him attentively,
and having tried an experiment, calculated to throw light on the
mysterious foreigner, he went to complain direct to the Governor and
Commander in Chief; Lord Dorchester, who, on hearing the perplexity
caused by Mr. Nesbitt, sent for Dr. Longmore, the military physician,
and ordered him to investigate of what sex Nesbitt might be.
Mr. Nesbitt stormed--refused to submit--vowed he would go direct to
England and make a formal complaint of the indignity with which he was
threatened.
Hon. Jonathan Sewell,--later on Chief Justice, by persuasion,
succeeded in pouring oil on the troubled waters. Nesbitt confessed,
and Quebec was minus of a very handsome but beardless youngster, and
the English Court journals soon made mention of a fashionable marriage
in high life.
_HAMWOOD._
How sweet it is, when mother Fancy rocks
The wayward brain, to saunter through a wood
An old place, full of many a lovely brood,
Tall trees, green arbours, and ground-flowers in flocks
And wild rose tiptoe upon hawthorn stocks,
--_Wordsworth_.
How many vicissitudes in the destinies of places, men, families, nations!
See yonder mansion, its verdant leaves, with the leafy honours of nascent
spring encircling it like a garland, exhaling the aroma of countless buds
and blossoms, embellished by conservatory, grapery, avenues of fruit and
floral trees. Does not every object bespeak comfort, rural felicity,
commercial success!
When you enter that snug billiard-room, luxuriously fitted up with fire
place, ottomans, &c., or when, on a balmy summer evening, you are seated
on the ample verandah, next to the kind host, do you not my legal friend,
feel inclined to repeat to yourself "Commerce, commerce is the turnpike to
health, to affluence, the path to consideration." But was the scene always
so smiling, and redolent of rustic enjoyment.
If so, what means yon stately column, [276] surmounted by its fat,
helmetted Bellona, mysteriously looking round as if pregnant with a mighty
unfathomable future. Ask history? Open Capt. Knox's _Journal of the
Siege of Quebec_, and read therein how, in front of that very spot
where you now stand, along that identical road, over which you emerged
from the city, war once threw her sorrows, ask this brave British officer
to retrace one of those winter scenes he witnessed here more than one
hundred years ago: the howling blast of the north sighing through the few
remaining gnarled pines and oaks spared by Albion's warriors; add to it
tired teams of English troops, laboriously drawing, yoked eight by eight,
long sledges of firewood for Murray's depressed, harassed garrison, and
you have something like John Knox's _tableau_ of St. Foye Road on the
7th December, 1759.--
"Our garrison, now undergo incredible fatigue, not only within but also
without the walls, being obliged to load and sleigh home firewood from the
forest of St. Foy, which is near four miles distant, and through snow of a
surpassing depth, eight men are allowed to each sleigh, who are yoked to
it in couples by a set of regular harness, besides one man who guides it
behind with a long stout pole, to keep it clear of ruts and other
obstructions. We are told that M. de Lévis is making great preparations
for the long-meditated assault on this place (Quebec) with which we are
menaced. Christmas is said to be the time fixed for this enterprise, and
_Monsieur_ says, 'if he succeed he shall be promoted to be _Maréchal de
France_, and if he fail, Canada will be lost, for he will give it up.'"
[277]
Do not, dear reader, however fear for the old rock, it is tolerably secure
so long as Fraser's Highlanders and British Grenadiers garrison it.
We have here endeavored to contrast the smiling present with the dreary
past; peace, progress, wealth, as we find it to-day in this important
appendage of the British Crown, ready to expand into an empire, with the
dismal appearance of things when it was scantily settled, and in those
dark days when war stalked through our land. Hamwood takes its name from
that of the paternal estate of the Hamiltons, county of Meath, Ireland,
and without pretending to architectural excellence, it is one of the
loveliest spots on the St. Foye road. It belongs to Robert Hamilton, Esq.,
a leading merchant of Quebec.
_BIJOU._
And I have heard the whispers of the trees,
And the low laughter of the wandering wind,
Mixed with the hum of golden-belted bees,
And far away, dim echoes, undefined,--
That yet had power to thrill my listening ear,
Like footsteps of the spring that is so near.
--(_Wood Voices_, KATE S. McL.)
Shall we confess that we ever had a fancy for historical contrasts? It is
our weakness, perhaps our besetting sin; and when, on a balmy June day, at
the hour when the king of day it sipping the dew-drops from the flowers,
we ride past this unadorned but charming little Canadian home, next to
Westfield, on the St. Foye heights, as it were sunning itself amidst
emerald fields, fanned by the breath of the fragrant morn, enlivened by
the gambols of merry childhood; memory, in spite of us, brings back the
ghastly sights, the sickening Indian horrors, witnessed here on the 28th
April, 1760. There can be no doubt on this point; the mute, but eloquent
witnesses of the past are dug up every day: shot, shell, bullets, old
bayonets, decayed military buttons, all in the greatest profusion.
"The savages," says Garneau, "who were nearly all in the woods behind
during the fight, spread over the battle-field when the French were
pursuing the enemy, and killed many of the wounded British, whose scalps
were afterwards found upon neighboring bushes. As soon as De Lévis was
apprised of the massacre, he took vigorous measures for putting a stop to
it. Within a comparatively narrow space nearly 2,500 men had been struck
by bullets. The patches of snow and icy puddles on the ground were so
reddened with the blood shed, that the frozen ground refused to absorb,
and the wounded survivors of the battle were immersed in pools of gore and
filth, ankle deep."
Such _was_ the deadly strife in April, 1760, on the identical spot on
which, reader, you and we now stand on the St. Foye heights. Such is
_now_ the smiling aspect of things as you see them at Bijou, which
crowns the heights over the great Bijou marsh, etc., the dwelling of
Andrew Thomson, Esq., (now President of the Union Bank of Quebec.) Some
natural springs in the flower garden, in rear of the dwelling, and slopes
of the ground, when turned to advantage, in the way of terraces and
fountains, bid fair to enhance materially the beauty of this rustic spot.
_ANECDOTE OF WOLFE'S ARMY (1760).--QUEBEC._
By a volunteer (J. T.).
"At the Battle of the Plains of Abraham we had but one Piper, and
because he was not provided with Arms and the usual other means of
defence, like the rest of the men, he was made to keep aloof for
safety:--When our line advanced to the charge, General Townshend
observing that the Piper was missing, and knowing well the value of
one on such occasions, he sent in all directions for him, and he was
heard to say aloud. "Where's the Highland Piper?" and "Five pounds for
a Piper;" but devil a bit did the Piper come forward the sooner.
However, the charge, by good chance, was pretty well effected without
him, as all those that escaped could testify. For this business the
Piper was disgraced by the whole of the Regiment, and the men would
not speak to him, neither would they suffer his rations to be drawn
with theirs, but had them serv'd out by the Commissary separately, and
he was obliged to shift for himself as well as he could.
The next spring, in the month of April, when the Garrison of Quebec
was so madly march'd out, to meet the French, who had come down again
to attack us, and while we were on the retreat back to the Town, the
Highlanders, who were a raw undisciplin'd set, were got into great
disorder, and had become more like a mob than regular soldiers. On the
way I fell in with a captain Moses Hazen, [278] a Jew, who commanded a
company of Rangers, and who was so badly wounded, that his servant,
who had to carry him away, was obliged to rest him on the grounds at
every twenty or thirty yards, owing to the great pain he endured. This
intrepid fellow, observing that there was a solid column of the French
coming on over that high ground where Commissary General Craigie [279]
built his house, and headed by an Officer who was at some distance in
advance of the column, he ask'd his servant if his fuzee was stil
loaded? (The servant opened the pan, and found it is still prim'd).
"Do you see," says Captain Hazen, "that fellow there, waving his sword
to encourage those other fellows to come forward?"--Yes, says the
servant, I do Sir;--Then, says the Captain again, "just place your
back against mine for one moment, 'till I see if I can bring him
down." He accordingly stretch'd himself on the ground, and, resting
the muzzle of his fuzee on his toes, he let drive at the French
Officer. I was standing close behind him, and I thought it perfect
madness to attempt it. However, away went the charge after him, and
faith down he was in an instant. Both the Captain and myself were
watching for some minutes, under an idea that altho' he _had_ laid
down, he might perhaps take it into his head to get up again. But no.
And the moment that he fell, the whole column that he was leading on,
turn'd about and decamp'd off leaving him to follow as well as he
might! I could'nt help telling the Captain that he had made a capital
shot, and I related to him the affair of the foolish fellow of our
grenadiers who shot the savage at the landing at Louisbourg, altho'
the distance was great, and the rolling of the boat so much against
his taking a steady aim. "Oh! yes, says Captain Hazen, you know that a
_chance shot_ will kill the Devil himself."
But, to return to the Highlanders: so soon as the Piper had discovered
that his men had scatter'd and were in disorder, he as soon
recollected the disgrace that still hung upon him, and he likely
bethought to give them a blast of his Pipes. By the Lord Harry! this
had the effect of stopping them short, and they allow'd themselves to
be formed into a sort of order. For this opportune blast of his
chanters, the Piper gain'd back the forgiveness of the Regiment, and
was allow'd to take his meals with his old messmates, as if nothing-
at-all had happened.
On the 6th May, 1760, which was after we had been driven back to the
town by the French, and while they yet lay in their trenches across
that high ground where the martello tower now stands, there came a
ship of war in sight, and she was for some considerable time tacking
across and across between Pointe Lévis and the opposing shore. We were
at a loss to know the meaning of all this, when the commanding Officer
of Artillery bethought himself to go and acquaint General Murray (who
had taken up his Quarters in Saint Louis Street, now (1828) the
Officer's Barracks) of the circumstance: He found the General in a
meditative mood, sitting before the fire in the chimney place. On the
Officer acquainting him that there was a ship of war in sight, the
General was quite electrified! He instantly got up, and, in the
greatest fury, order'd the Officer to have the colours immediately
hoisted on the citadel! Away he went, but dev'l a bit could the
halliards be made to go free until at last, a sailor was got hold of,
who soon scrambl'd up the flagstaff, and, put all to rights in a
jiffy.
All this time the ship of war did not show her own colours, not
knowing whether the town was in the hands of the French or the
English, but as soon as she perceived our flag, she hoisted English
colours, and shaped her course towards the town, and was soon safe at
anchor opposite to the King's Wharf. Our men had been all the winter
in bad spirits from coughs and colds, and, their having been obliged
to retreat from the French, did'nt help much to mend the matter.
However, when they heard that an English man-o-war was come, it was
astonishing how soon they became stout-hearted; faith, they were like
lions, and just as bold! The man-o-war prov'd to be the "Lowestoffe,"
which had been detached from the main fleet below, with orders to make
the best of time through the ice, and take up the earliest
intelligence of the approach of the fleet. Her sides were very much
torn by the floating ice. Our having hoisted colours for the first
time since the conquest, and a ship of war having made her appearance,
led the French to imagine that there was something strange going on.
Indeed they expected a fleet as well as ourselves, and this arrival
brought them out of their trenches, as thick as midges; they appeared
to us like so many pigeons upon a roost! whilst they were gaping at us
in such an exposed position, they received a salute from the whole
line of our guns, extending from Cape Diamond down to the Barrack
Bastion, and yet they went off almost like a single volley. It was
fearful enough to see how they tumbled down in their intrenchments,
like so many sacks of wool! Their seeing soldiers passing ashore from
our frigate, they thought that we were about to receive powerful
reinforcements, and they scamper'd away, their killed and wounded men
along with them. Our men soon were allow'd to go out, and they regaled
themselves upon the soup and pork which the French had left cooking on
the fires. That single discharge disabled so many of our guns, that we
had to get others then in the lower town, and our men were so weak
that they could not drag them up, but which was at last done with the
help of the sailors just arrived in the Fleet.
In about three days after the arrival of the "Lowestoffe" the
remainder of the Fleet came up to Quebec, and finding that the French
had some ships lying above Wolfe's Cove, they went up to look after
them. As soon as the French had seen them coming on, they slipp'd
their cables, and endeavor'd to get out of the way with the help of
the flood-tide, but the Commodore's ship got upon a ledge of rocks,
and stuck fast, and the crew took to the boats, and got ashore,
leaving the ship to take care of itself. There was found, on board of
this ship, one Mons. Cugnet and an Englishman call'd Davis, both of
whom had their hands tied behind their back, and a rope about their
neck, and they were inform'd that they both were to be hang'd at the
yard-arm so soon as the ship's company had finish'd their breakfast!
Monsieur Cugnet was the person who, at the Island of Orleans, gave
General Wolfe the information where would be the best place to get up
the bank above the Town, and Davis, who had been taken prisoner by the
French, some years before, had given some other kind of information,
and they both were to be punish'd as spies. However, they not only got
off with their lives, but were afterwards, well rewarded by our
Government. The former was appointed French-Translator to the
Government Offices, and something more, which enabled him to live
respectably; and Davis, who had been a grenadier-soldier, got a
pension of twenty five pounds a year: they both lived a long time in
the enjoyment of it."
_MORTON LODGE._
The extensive green pastures which General James Murray owned, in 1768, on
the St. Foy road, under the name of _Sans bruit_, [280] form at present
several minor estates. One of the handsomest residences of this well
wooded region was Morton Lodge, on the south side of the highway, and
bounded by the Belvidère road,--about thirty-two acres in extent. It was
honored with this name by one of its former owners, the builder of the
lodge, some sixty years ago--the late James Black, Esquire. Morton Lodge
is built in the cottage style, with a suite of roomy apartments forming a
spacious wing in rear; the lawns in front of the house, with a grove of
trees, add much to its beauty; a handsome conservatory to the east opens
on the drawing room; it is located in the centre of a flower garden. The
additional attraction of this residence, when owned by the late David
Douglas Young was an extensive collection of paintings, purchased at
various times by the owner both in Canada and in Europe: the French,
Flemish and Italian schools were well represented, as well as Kreighoff's
winter scenery in Canada.
Morton Lodge, for many years was the residence of David Douglass Young,
Esquire, once President of the Quebec Bank, and formerly a partner of the
late George B. Symes, Esquire. Mr. Young claimed, on the maternal side, as
ancestor, Donald Fraser, one of Fraser's (78th) Highlanders, a regiment
which distinguished itself at the taking of Quebec, whilst fighting under
Wolfe, on these same grounds.
Forming a portion of this estate, to the west, may be noticed a cosy
little nest, _Bruce's Cottage_, as it was formerly called--now
Bannockburn--surrounded on all sides by trees, lawns and flowers.
_WESTFIELD._
"What, sir, said I," cut down Goldsmith's hawthorn bush, that supplies
so beautiful an image in the DESERTED VILLAGE! 'Ma foy,' exclaimed the
bishop (of Ardagh,) 'is that the hawthorn bush? then ever let it be
saved from the edge of the axe, and evil to him that would cut from it
a branch."--_Howitt's Homes and Haunts of British Poets_.
At Mount Pleasant, about one mile from St. John's Gate, a number of
agreeable suburban residences have sprung up, as if by enchantment, within
a few years. This locality, from the splendid view it affords of the
valley of St. Charles, the basin of the St. Lawrence and surrounding
country, has ever been appreciated. The most noticeable residence is a
commodious cut-stone structure, inside of the toll, erected there a few
years back by the late G. H. Simard, Esq., member for Quebec, and later,
purchased by the late Fred. Vannovous, Esq., Barrister. Its mate in size
and appearance a few acres to the west, on the St. Foye road, is owned by
the Hon. Eugene Chinic, Senator. In the vicinity, under the veil of a
dense grove of trees, your eyes gather as you drive past, the outlines of
a massive, roomy homestead, on the north side of the heights, on a site
which falls off considerably; groups of birch, maple, and some mountain
ash and chesnut trees, flourish in the garden which surrounds the house;
in rear, flower beds slope down in an enclosure, whose surface is
ornamented with two tiny reservoirs of crystal water, which gushes from
some perennial stream, susceptible of great embellishment at little cost,
by adding _Jets d'eau_. The declivities in rear seem as if intended
by nature to be laid out into lovely terraces, with flowers or verdure to
fringe their summits.
In the eastern section of the domain stands,
"The hawthorne bush, with seats beneath the shade,
For talking age and whispering lovers made."
Whether it blossoms on Christmas Day, like the legendary White Thorn of
Glastonbury, "which sprang from Joseph of Arimathea's dry staff, stuck by
him in the ground when he rested there" deponent sayeth not. This majestic
and venerable tree, branching out like a diminutive cedar of Lebanon, is
indeed the pride of Westfield. It is evidently of very great age, though
each summer as green, as fruitful as ever; the oldest inhabitant cannot
recall when it was smaller. If trees could reveal what has passed under
their boughs, would not the veteran hawthorn tell of wounded men resting
beneath it; of the strange garb and cries of combatants, English, French,
Celts, Canadians and Indians, on that luckless 28th April, 1760, when
Murray's soldiers, were retreating in hot haste from St. Foye and placing
the city walls between them and Levi's victorious legions; of shot, shell
and bullets, [281.] whistling through its hoary branches, on that
memorable 13th of September, 1759, when the _Sauvages d'Ecosse_, with
their reeking claymores, were slashing at, and pursuing the French, flying
from the battle field, over the St. Foye heights, to the French Camp on
the north bank of the St. Charles, in a line with the Marine Hospital.
Various indeed for as are the attractions of stately trees; we can
understand why this one is the pride of Westfield. To us, an old denizen
of the country, a stately tree has ever been a companionable; in fact, a
reverential object. In our eyes 'tis not only rich in its own native
beauty; it may perchance also borrow interest from associations and become
a part of our home--of ourselves: it may have overshadowed the rustic
seat, where, in our infant years, one dear to us and now departed, read
the Sunday hymn or taught us with a mother's sanctifying love to become a
good citizen, in every respect worthy of our sire. Perchance it may have
been planted on the day of our birth; it may also commemorate the natal
hour of our first-born, and may it not like ourselves, in our early days,
have required the fostering care of a guardian spirit,--the dews from
heaven to refresh it and encourage its growth. Yes, like the proprietor of
Westfield, we dearly love the old trees of our home.
We were invited to ascend to the loftiest point of this dwelling, and
contemplate from the platform on the roof the majestic spectacle at our
feet. Far below us waved the nodding pinnacles of countless forest trees;
beyond and around us, the site of the old battle-fields of 1759 and 1760,
to the east, the white expanse of the St. Lawrence sleeping between the
Beauport, Orleans and Point Levi shores; to the northwest, the snake-like
course of the St. Charles, stealing through fertile meadows, copses of
evergreens--until, by a supreme effort, it veers round the compass at the
Marine Hospital; there, at sunset, it appears as if gamboling in the light
of the departing luminary, whose rays anon linger in fitful glances on the
spires of Lorette, Charlesbourg and St. Sauveur, until they fade away, far
away in the cerulean distance, over the sublime crags of
_Tsononthouan_,
--"of these our hills
the last that parleys with the setting sun."
or else gild in amber tints, the wooded slopes of the lofty ridges to the
west.
Westfield, forms part of a larger expanse of land, formerly known as the
"Upper Bijou," crowning the heights, overhanging the valley of the St.
Charles, where existed the "Lower Bijou," marshy and green meadows, once
sacred to snipe, and on which the populous suburb St. Sauveur has recently
sprung up. It was granted in free and common soccage, to the late Charles
Grey Stewart, Esq., in 18--; he resided there many years.
In 1870, this lovely old homestead, became the property of the Hon. David
Alex. Ross, Barrister, M.P.P. for the county of Quebec, its present
occupant. Several embellishments have been added to it by this gentleman
and his lady; at present, the views, groves, parterres of Westfield during
the summer months are more attractive than ever.
_COUCY-LE-CASTEL._
"Sol Canadien, terre chérie
Par des braves tu fus peuplé,
Ils cherchaient, loin de leur patrie,
Une terre de liberté,
Qu'elles sont belles, nos campagnes,
Au Canada qu'on vit content!
About the year 1830 that portion of the environs of Quebec watered by the
River St. Charles, in the vicinity of Scott's bridge, had especially
attracted the attention of several of our leading citizens as pleasant and
healthy abodes for their families. Two well known gentlemen in particular,
the bearers of old and respected names, the late Honorable Mr. Justice
Philippe Panet, and his brother the Honorable Louis Panet, "Senator
selected two adjoining lots covering close on eighty acres, on the banks
of the St. Charles, the Cahire-Coubat of ancient days. The main road to
the east intervenes between the Hon. Judge Panet's seat and the mossy old
dwelling in which Col. Arnold had his head-quarters during the winter of
1775-76, now the residence of the Langlois family. Judge Panet built there
an elegant villa on an Italian design, brought home after returning from
the sunny clime of Naples, the rooms are lofty and all are oval. Several
hundred sombre old pines surround the house on all sides.
The neighboring villa, to the west, was planted by the Honorable Louis
Panet, about 1830; also the grounds tastefully laid out in meadows,
plantations and gardens, symmetrically divided off by neat spruce, thorn,
and snowball hedges, which improve very much their aspect. One fir hedge,
in particular, is of uncommon beauty. To the west an ancient pine, a
veritable monarch of the forest, rears his hoary trunk, and amidst most
luxuriant foliage looks down proudly on the young plantation beneath him,
lending his hospitable shades to a semi-circular rustic seat--a grateful
retreat during the heat of a summer's day. Next to this old tree runs a
small rill, once dammed up for a fish-pond, but a colony of muskrats
having "unduly elected domicile thereat," the finny denizens disappeared
as if by magic; and next, the voracious _rodents_ made so many raids
into the vegetable garden that the legal gentleman, who was lord of the
manor, served on them _a notice to quit_, by removing the dam. The
ejected amphibii crossed the river in a body and "elected domicile" in the
roots of an elm tree at Poplar Grove, opposite and in full view of the
castle, probably by way of a threat. On the high river banks is a twelve-
pounder used formerly to crown a miniature fort erected over there. We
remember on certain occasions hearing at a distance its loud _boom_.
Coucy-le-Castel is surrounded on two sides by a spacious piazza, and
stands on an elevated position close to the river bank. From the drawing-
room windows is visible the even course of the fairy Cahire-Coubat,
hurrying past in dark eddies, under the pendulous foliage of some graceful
elms which overhang the bank at Poplar Grove, the mansion of the late L.
T. McPherson, Esq. Now and again from the small fort, amidst the murmur of
rapids not far distant, you may catch the shrill note of the king-fisher
in his hasty flight over the limpid stream, or see a lively trout leap in
yonder deep pool; or else, in the midsummer vacation, see a birch canoe
lazily floating down from _la mer Pacifique_, impelled by the arm of
a pensive law student, dreaming perchance of Pothier or Blackstone,--
perchance of his lady love, whilst paddling to the air:--
"Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Jamais je ne t'oublierai."
The neighborhood of running water; the warbling of the birds; the distant
lowing of kine in the green meadows; the variety and beauty of the
landscape, especially when the descending orb of day gilds the dark woods
to the west, furnish a strikingly rural spectacle at Coucy-le-Castel, thus
named from a French estate in Picardy, owned by the Badelarts, ancestors,
on the maternal side, of the Panets.
In 1861 Coucy-le-Castel was purchased by Judge Jean Thomas Taschereau, of
Quebec, under whose care it is acquiring each year new charms. A
plantation of deciduous trees and evergreens has taken the place of the
row of poplars which formerly lined the avenue. The Judge's _Château_
stands conspicuous amongst the pretty but less extensive surrounding
country seats, such as the old mansion of Fred. Andrews, Esq., Q. C., the
neat cottage of Fred. W. Andrews, Esq., Barrister, festooned with wild
vines.
_RINGFIELD._
FRANCISCUS PRIMUS, DEI GRATIA, FRANCORUM REX REGNAT.
Inscription on cross erected 3d May, 1536, by Jacques Cartier.
We will be pardoned for devoting a larger space than for other country
seats, in describing Ringfield, on account of the important events of
which it was the theatre.
Close to the Dorchester Bridge to the west, on the Charlesbourg road,
there was once an extensive estate known as Smithville--five or six
hundred acres of table land owned by the late Charles Smith, Esq., who for
many years resided in the substantial large stone dwelling subsequently
occupied by A. Laurie, Esq., at present by Owen Murphy, Esq., opposite the
Marine Hospital. Some hundred acres, comprising the land on the west of
the _ruisseau_ Lairet, known as _Ferme des Anges_, [282] were detached
from it and now form Ringfield, whose handsome villa is scarcely visible
from the Charlesbourg road in summer on account of the plantation of
evergreens and other forest trees which, with white-thorn hedge, line
its semicircular avenue on both sides. One might be inclined to regret
that this plantation has grown up so luxuriantly, as it interferes with
the striking view to be had here of the Island of Orleans, St. Lawrence,
and surrounding parishes. Before the trees assume their vernal honours
there can be counted, irrespective of the city spires, no less than
thirteen steeples of churches in so many parishes. Ringfield takes its
name from its circular meadow (Montcalm's hornwork). In rear it is bounded
to the west by the little stream called Lairet, with the _ruisseau_ St.
Michel in view; to the south, its natural boundary is the meandering
Cahire-Coubat. [283]
Ringfield has even more to recommend it than the rural beauty common to
the majority of our country seats; here were enacted scenes calculated to
awaken the deepest interest in every student of Canadian history. On the
banks of the River St. Charles, 1535-36, during his second voyage of
discovery, Jacques Cartier, the intrepid navigator of St. Malo, more than
three centuries back, it is now generally supposed, wintered. We have
Champlain's [284] authority for this historical fact, though, Charlevoix
erroneously asserts that the great discoverer wintered on the banks of the
River Jacques Cartier, twenty-seven miles higher up than Quebec. A careful
examination of _Lescarbot's Journal of Cartier's Second Voyage_, and
the investigations of subsequent historians leave little room to doubt
Champlain's statement. [285] Jacques Cartier in his journal, written in
the quaint old style of that day, furnishes us curious descriptions of the
locality where he wintered, and of the adjoining Indian town,
_Stadaconé_, the residence of the Chief Donacona. The Abbé Ferland
and other contemporary writers have assigned as the probable site of
Stadacona that part of Quebec which is now covered by a portion of the
suburbs of St. John, and by that part of St. Roch looking towards the St.
Charles. How graphically Jacques Cartier writes of that portion of the
River St. Lawrence opposite the Lower Town, less than a mile in width,
"deep and swift running," and also of the "goodly, fair and delectable bay
or creek convenient and fit to harbour ships," the St. Charles (St. Croix
or Holy Cross) river! and again of the spot wherein, he says, "we stayed
from the 15th of September, 1535, to the 6th May, 1536, and there our
ships remained dry." Cartier mentions the area of ground adjoining to
where he wintered "as goodly a plot of ground as possible may be seen,
and, wherewithal, very fruitful, full of goodly trees even as in France,
such as oak, elm, ash, walnut trees, white-thorns and vines that bring
forth fruit as big as any damsons, and many other sort of trees; tall hemp
as any in France, without any seed or any man's work or labor at all."
There are yet some noble specimens of elm, the survivors of a thick clump,
that once stood on the edge of the hornwork. The precise spot in the St.
Charles where Cartier moored his vessels and where his people built the
fort [286] in which they wintered may have been, for aught that could be
advanced to the contrary, where the French government in 1759 built the
hornwork or earth redoubt, so plainly visible to this day, near the Lairet
stream. It may also have been at the mouth of the St. Michel stream which
here empties itself into the St. Charles, on the Jesuits' farm. The
hornwork or circular meadow, as the peasantry call it, is in a line with
the General Hospital, Mount Pleasant, St. Bridget's Asylum and the
corporation lots recently acquired by the Quebec Seminary for a botanical
garden and seminary, adjoining Abraham's Plains. Jacques Cartier's fort,
we know to a certainty, must have been on the north bank of the river,
[287] from the fact that the natives coming from Stadacona to visit their
French guests had to cross the river, and did so frequently. It does seem
strange that Champlain does not appear to have known the exact locality
where, seventy years previously, Stadacona had stood; the cause may lie in
the exterminating wars carried on between the several savage tribes,
leaving, occasionally, no vestige of once powerful nations and villages.
Have we not seen in our day a once warlike and princely race--the Hurons--
dwindle down, through successive decay, to what _now_ remains of them?
A drawing exists, copied from an engraving executed at Paris, the subject
of which, furnished by G. B. Faribault, Esquire, retraced the departure of
the St. Malo mariner for France on the 6th of May, 1536. To the right may
be seen, Jacques Cartier's fort, [288] built with stockades, mounted with
artillery, and subsequently made stronger still, we are told, with ditches
and solid timber, with drawbridge, and fifty men to watch night and day.
Next comes the _Grande Hermine_, his largest vessel, of about one
hundred and twenty tons, in which Donacona, the interpreter, and two other
Indians of note, treacherously seized, are to be conveyed to France, to be
presented to the French monarch, Francis I. Close by, the reader will
observe _l'Emerillon_, of about forty tons in size, the third of his
ships; and higher up, the hull of a stranded and dismantled vessel, the
_Petite Hermine_, of about sixty tons, intended to represent the one
whose timbers were dug up at the mouth of the St. Michel in 1843, and
created such excitement amongst the antiquaries of that day. On the
opposite side of the river, at Hare Point, the reader will notice on the
plate, a cross, intended to represent the one erected by Cartier's party
on the 3rd May, 1536, in honour of the festival of the Holy Cross; at the
foot a number of Indians and some French in the old costume of the time of
Francis I. So much for Jacques Cartier and his winter quarters, in 1535-
36.
Two hundred and twenty-three years after this date we find this locality
again the arena of memorable events. In the disorderly retreat of the
French army on the 13th of September, 1759, from the heights of Abraham,
the panic-stricken squadrons came pouring down Côte d'Abraham and Côte à
Cotton, hotly pursued by the Highlanders and the 58th Regiment, hurrying
towards the bridge of boats and following the shores of the River St.
Charles until the fire of the hulks anchored in the river stopped the
pursuit. On the north side of the bridge of boats was a _tête de
pont_, redoubt or hornwork, a strong work of pentagonal shape, well
portrayed in Tiffeny's plan of the Siege Operations before Quebec. This
hornwork was-partly wood, defended by palisades, and towards Beauport, an
earthwork--covering about twelve acres, the remains (the round or ring
field), standing more than fifteen feet above the ground, may be seen to
this day surrounded by a ditch, three thousand [289] men at least must
have been required to construct, in a few weeks, this extensive
entrenchment. In the centre stood a house, visible on a plan of Mr.
Parke's, in which, about noon on that memorable day, a pretty lively
debate was taking place. Vaudreuil and some of the French officers were at
that moment and in this spot debating the surrender of the whole colony.
Let us hear an eye-witness, Chevalier Johnstone, General de Lévis' aide-
de-camp, one of the Scotchmen fighting in Canada for the French king,
against some of his own countrymen under Wolfe, after the disaster of
Culloden. It was our good fortune to publish the recently-discovered
journal of this Scotch officer for the first time in 1864. Chevalier
Johnstone's description will strike every one from its singular
accuracy:--
"The French army in flight, scattered and entirely dispersed, rushed
towards the town. Few of them entered Quebec; they went down the
heights of Abraham opposite the Intendant's Palace (past St. John's
gate) directing their course to the hornwork, and following the
borders of the River St. Charles. Seeing the impossibility of rallying
our troops I determined myself to go down the hill at the windmill
near the bake house [290] and from thence across over the meadows to
the hornwork resolved not to approach Quebec from my apprehension of
being shut up there with a part of our army which might have been the
case if the victors had drawn all the advantage they could have reaped
from our defeat. It is true the death of the General-in-chief--an
event which never fails to create the greatest disorder and confusion
in an army--may plead as an excuse for the English neglecting so easy
an operation as to take all our army prisoners.
The hornwork had the River St. Charles before it about seventy paces
broad which served it better than an artificial ditch; its front
facing the river and the heights was composed of strong thick and high
palisades planted perpendicularly with gunholes pierced for several
pieces of large cannon in it, the river is deep and only fordable at
low water at a musket shot before the fort: this made it more
difficult to be forced on that side than on its other side of
earthworks facing Beauport which had a more formidable appearance and
the hornwork certainly on that side was not in the least danger of
being taken by the English by an assault from the other side of the
river. On the appearance of the English troops on the plain of the
lake house Montguet and La Motte, two old captains in the Regiment of
Béarn, cried out with vehemence to M. de Vaudreuil, that the hornwork
would be taken in an instant, by an assault sword in hand, that we
would all be cut to pieces without quarter and nothing else would save
us but an immediate and general capitulation of Canada giving it up to
the English.
Montreul told them that a fortification such as the hornwork was not
to be taken so easily. In short there arose a general cry in the
hornwork to cut the bridge of boats. [291] It is worth of remark that
not a fourth part of our army had yet arrived at it and the remainder
by cutting the bridge would have been left on the other side of the
river as victims to the victors. The regiment Royal Roussillon was at
that moment at the distance of a musket shot from the hornwork
approaching to pass the bridge. As I had already been in such
adventures, I did not lose my presence of mind, and having still a
shadow remaining of that regard which the army accorded me on account
of the esteem and confidence which M. de Lévis and M. de Montcalm had
always shewn me publicly, I called to M. Hugon, who commanded, for a
pass in the hornwork and begged of him to accompany me to the bridge.
We ran there and without asking who had given the order to cut it, we
chased away the soldiers with their uplifted axes ready to execute
that extravagant and wicked operation.
"M. Vaudreuil was closeted in a house in the inside of the hornwork
with the Intendant and some other persons. I suspected they were busy
drafting the articles for a general capitulation and I entered the
house, where I had only time to see the Intendant with a pen in his
hand writing on a sheet of paper, when M. Vaudreuil told me I had no
business there. Having answered him that what he said was true, I
retired immediately, in wrath to see them intent on giving up so
scandalously a dependancy for the preservation of which so much blood
and treasure had been expended. On leaving the house, I met M.
Dalquier, an old, brave, downright honest man, commander of the
regiment of Béarn, with the true character of a good officer--the
marks of Mars all over his body. I told him it was being debated
within the house to give up Canada to the English by a capitulation,
and I hurried him in, to stand up for the King's cause, and advocate
the welfare of his country. I then quitted the hornwork to join
Poulanes at the Ravine [292] of Beauport, but having met him about
three or four hundred paces from the hornwork, on his way to it, I
told him what was being discussed there. He answered me, that sooner
than consent to a capitulation, he would shed the last drop of his
blood. He told me to look on his table and house as my own, advised me
to go there directly to repose myself, and clapping spurs to his
horse, he flew like lightning to the hornwork."
Want of space precludes us from adding more from this very interesting
journal of the Chevalier Johnstone, replete with curious particulars of
the disorderly retreat of the French regiments from their Beauport camp,
after dark, on that eventful 13th September, how they assembled first at
the hornwork, and then filed off by detachments on the Charlesbourg road,
then to Ancient Lorette, until they arrived, worn out and disheartened
without commanders, at day break at Cap Rouge.
On viewing the memorable scenes witnessed at Ringfield,--the spot where
the French discoverer wintered in 1535-36, and also the locality, where it
was decided to surrender the colony to England in 1759--are we not
justified in considering it as both the _cradle_ and the _tomb_ of French
Dominion in the new world?
Ringfield has, for many years, been the family mansion of George Holmes
Parke, Esquire.
CASTOR VILLE
"In woods or glens I love to roam,
* * * *
Or by the woodland pool to rest."
In the deepest recesses of the Lorette woods, amongst the most shady
meanders of the sinuous Cahire Coubat, some five miles due north from
Castel-Coucy, we know a bank, not precisely where
"The wild thyme grows,"
but where you are sure, in spring and summer, to pluck handfuls of
trilliums, wild violets, ferns of rare beauty, columbines, kalmias,
ladies' slippers, ladies' tresses (we mean of course the floral subjects).
In this beauteous region, sacred to Pan, the Naiades, Dryades, and the
daughters of Mnemosyne, you might possibly, dear reader, were you
privileged with a pass from one of our most respected friends, be allowed
to wander; or perchance in your downward voyage from Lake Charles to the
Lorette Falls, in that _vade mecum_ of a forester's existence--a birch
canoe--you might, we repeat, possibly be allowed to pitch your camp
on one of the mossy headlands of Castor Ville, and enjoy your luncheon, in
this sylvan spot, that is, always presuming you were deemed competent to
fully appreciate nature's wildest charms, and rejoice, like a true lover,
in her coyest and most furtive glances.
Castor Ville, a forest wild, where many generations of beavers, otters,
caribou, boars, foxes and hares once roamed, loved and died, covers an
area of more than one hundred acres. Through it glides the placid course
of the St. Charles--overhung by hoary fir trees--from the parent lake to
the pretty Indian Lorette Falls, a distance of about eight miles of fairy
scenery, which every man of taste, visiting Lake St. Charles, ought to
enjoy at least once in his life. It is all through mantled over by a dense
second growth of spruce and fir trees, intersected by a maze of avenues.
The lodge sits gracefully, with its verandah and artillery, on a peninsula
formed by the _Grand Desert_ and St. Charles streams. You can cross
over in a canoe to that portion of the domain beyond the river: along the
banks, a number of resting places--tiny bowers of birch bark--dingies and
canoes anchored all round--here and there a _portage_--close by, a
veritable Indian wigwam--_Oda Sio_ [293] by name. On a bright morning
in early spring, you may chance to meet, in one of the paths, or in his
canoe, a white-haired hunter, the Master of Castor Ville, returning home
after visiting his hare, fox, or otter traps, proudly bearing _Lepus_
in his game bag, next to which you may discover a volume of _Molière_,
_Montaigne_ or _Montesquieu_. On selling Castle-Coucy, its loyal-hearted
old proprietor, taking with him the guns of the fort, retired to the
present wild demesne, in which occasionally he passes, with his family,
many pleasant hours, amidst books, friends and rural amusements, far from
city noises and city excitement.
Castor Ville belongs to the Hon. Louis Panet, member of the Legislative
Council of Canada." (Written in 1865.)
Since this little sketch was penned, sixteen years ago, the unwelcome
shadow of years has crept over our old friend, eighty-six winters and then
frost has cooled the ardor of the _Chasseur_, Castor Ville for Mr. Panet
has lost much of its sunshine.
_THE JOYS OF WINTER._
"Oh! the snow, the beautiful snow,
Filling the earth and sky below,
Over the house-tops, over the street,
Over the heads of the people you meet,
Dancing,
Flirting,
Skimming along,
Beautiful snow, it can do no wrong,
Flying to kiss a lady's cheek,
Clinging to lips in a frolicsome freak,
Beautiful snow from the heaven above,
Pure as an angel, gentle as love!
Oh! the snow, the beautiful snow
How the flakes gather and laugh as they go,
Whirling about in the maddening fun,
It plays in its glee with every one,
Chasing,
Laughing,
Hurrying by,
It lights on the face and sparkles the eye!
And even the dogs, with a bark and a bound,
Snap at the crystals that eddy around,
The town is alive, and its heart is aglow!
To welcome the coming of the beautiful snow
How the wild crowds go swaying along,
Hailing each other with humour and song,
How the gay sledges, like meteors, pass by,
Bright for the moment, then lost to the eye,
Ringing,
Swinging,
Dashing they go,
Over the crust of this beautiful snow,
Snow so pure when it falls from the sky,
To he trampled and tracked by the crowd rushing by,
To be trampled and tracked by the thousands of feet,
Till it blends with the filth in the horrible street."
Has it ever been your fortune, kind reader, to enjoy, in the depth of
winter, a ramble in a Canadian forest, at the mystic hour when the Queen
of Night asserts her silent sway? Have you ever revelled in this feast of
soul, fresh from the busy hum of city life--perchance strolling up a
mountain path with undulating plains of spotless whiteness behind you, or
else canopied by the leafy dome of odorous pines or green hemlock, with no
other companion but your trusty rifle, nor other sound but the hoot of the
Great Horned Owl, disturbed by the glare of your camp fire--or the rustle
of the passing hare, skulking fox, or browsing cariboo? Have you ever been
compelled, venturesome hunter as you are, with the lengthening shades of
evening, after a twenty miles' run, to abandon the blood-stained trail,
reserving for the morrow the slaying of the stricken cariboo? Can you
recall the sense of weariness, with which you retraced your heavy steps to
the camp--perspiring at every pore,--panting with thirst--famished--
perhaps bewildered with the flakes of the gathering storm--yea, so
exhausted, that the crackling of the pine faggots of your mountain hut--
watched over in your absence by your faithful Indian "Gabriel" [294]--
struck on your quickened senses amidst the winter gloom like heavenly
music--sounds as soft, as welcome as the first April sunbeam? Have you
ever had the hardiness to venture with an Indian guide and toboggin on an
angling tour far north in the Laurentian chain, to that _Ultima Thule_
sacred to the disciples of old Isaac. Snow Lake, over chasm, dale,
mountain, pending that month dear above all others to King Hiems--
inexorable January? If so, you can indeed boast of having held communion
with the grim God of Winter in some of his stern, though captivating,
moods. Nor are these the only charms which the capricious monarch has in
store.
Never shall I forget, one balmy March morning, sauntering along the green
uplands of Sillery, towards the city, while the "sun god" was pouring
overhead, waves of soft, purple light. The day previous, one of our
annual, equinoctial storms had careered over the country; first, wind and
snow; then wind and sleet, the latter dissolving into icy tears,
encircling captive Nature in thousands of weird, glossy crystals; every
tree of the forest, according to its instinct, its nature, writhing in the
conqueror's cold embrace--rigid, creaking, ready to snap in twain rather
than bend, as the red oak or sugar maple, or else meekly, submissively
curving to the earth its tapering, frosted limbs, like the silver birch--
elegant, though fragile, ornament of the Canadian park, or else, rearing
amid air a graceful net-work--waving, transparent sapphire-tinted
arabesques, stretched on amber pillars; witness the Golden Willow. Each
gleam of sunshine investing this gorgeous tapestry with all the glories of
Iris; here, rising above his compeers, a stately lord of the grove, hoary
with frost and years, whose outspreading boughs are burnished, as if every
twig had been touched by the hand of an enchanter, whilst there, under his
shade, bends a mountain ash, smeared with the crimsoned berries of the
preceding summer, now ice-coated _bon-bons_ eagerly plucked by troops
of roseate grosbeaks resting on the whitened branches. How lovely the
contrasts!
Such, the scene in the winsome light of day. But of those objects, viewed
by moonlight, who would have dared becomingly depict the wild beauty? The
same incomparable landscape, with Diana's silver rays softly sleeping on
the virgin snow; on each side, an avenue of oak, spruce and fir trees, the
latter with their emerald boughs wreathed in solid ice, and to the earth
gracefully bending in festoons--now and again kissed by the night wind; at
each wavy motion disclosing their dark trunks, under the frozen foliage,
like old Ocean's billows breaking on dark rocks; the burnished gold of the
morn changed into silver floss, twinkling with a mild radiance, under the
eye of night, like diamond tiaras--a vista fit for Queen Mab! Of such,
mayhap dreamed Moorish maid, under the portals of the Alhambra. Were
Armida's enchanted forests brighter?
Who can describe all thy witchery? Thy nameless graces, who can compass,
serene majesty of Winter in the North? And yet all these glories of frost
and moon-lit snows we once did see round our Canadian Home.
Wouldst thou fancy another view of winter less serene; a contrast such as
glorious old KIT NORTH would have revelled in? Step forward, my witty, my
sarcastic friend of the _Evènement_ newspaper--by name Henri Fabre!
"The true season of Canada is winter; winter with its bright skies by day
and its brighter stars by night. Of spring we have none. April is nothing
better than a protracted thaw, with scenes of mud and melting snow. May,
the month dear to poets, is frequently but an uninterrupted succession of
showers to fecundate the earth; its symbol, an array of outspread
umbrellas in our streets. As to our summer, it is but the epitome of the
lovely summer of France and Italy for the use of new countries. Autumn is
a shade better; but anon, the first frost hurries on to blanch and
disperse the leaves and dim the hues of mellowed nature. When the fields
slumber under ten feet of snow; when human noses freeze before their
sneezing owners have time to utter a cry for help, then is the _beau
ideal_ of our climate. He who on such an occasion dares to sigh for the
boasted shade of trees and the murmur of gushing waters, that man is no
true Canadian. The searching wind, the cold, the northern blast, [295] are
part and parcel of our country; one is bound to love them. Should they
increase in intensity, rub your hands, first to keep yourself warm, nest
to denote your patriotic joy!"
But all this won't prevent us from exclaiming with a Canadian son of song:
"Oh! dear is the Northern forest home,
Where the great pine shoots on high;
And the maple spreads its soft, green leaves
In the clear, blue, taintless sky;
Though the summer mantle paleth fast
Into winter's virgin veil
There is health in the fierce, quick lightning blast,
And strength in the icy gale;
And life glides on in a quiet calm,
Like our own great river's flow;
And dear to the hearts of her children all
Is our own FAIR LAND OF SNOW!"
SILLERY, near Quebec, 1881.
_THE MANOR HOUSE, BEAUPORT_.
Let us view a remnant of feudal times.
On the Beauport road, four miles from the city and about forty feet from
the late Colonel B. C. A. Gugy's habitation, stood until 1879 an
antiquated high-gabled French stone dwelling, very substantially put
together. About thirty years back there was still existing close to and
connected with it, a pavilion or tower, used in early days as a fort to
protect the inmates against Indian raids. It contained the boudoir and
sleeping apartments of some of the fair _seignieuresses_ [296] of Beauport
in the house which Robert Giffard, the first seignor built there more than
two centuries ago; it is the oldest seignorial manor in Canada. Robert
Giffard's house--or, more properly, his shooting box--is thought to have
stood closer to the little stream to the west. The first seignior of
Beauport had two daughters who married two brothers, Juchereau, the
ancestors of the Duchesnays; and the manor has been in the possession of,
and occupied by, the Duchesnays for more than two hundred years.
Robert Giffard had visited Canada, for the first time, in 1627, in the
capacity of a surgeon; and being a great sportsman, he built himself a
small house on the banks of the Beauport stream, to enjoy to perfection,
his favorite amusements--shooting and fishing. No authentic data exist of
the capacity of Beauport for game in former days; we merely read in the
_Relations des Jésuites_ that in the year 1648. 1200 ptarmigan were
shot there, we also know that the quantities of ducks congregating on the
adjoining _flats_ caused the place to be called _La Canardière_. There is
a curious old record in connection with this manor, exhumed by the Abbé
Ferland; it is the exact formula used by one of the tenants or
_censitaires_ in rendering _foi et hommage_ to the Lord of the Manor.
Guion (Dion?), a tenant, had by sentence of the Governor, Montmagny, been
condemned on the 30th July, 1640, to fulfil this feudal custom. The
document recites that, after knocking at the door of the chief manorial
entrance, and in the absence of the master, addressing the farmer, one
Boulle, the said Guion, having knelt down bare headed without his sword or
spurs, repeated three times the words,--"_Monsieur de Beauport, Monsieur
de Beauport, Monsieur de Beauport, je vous fais et porte la foy et hommage
que je suis tenu de vous porter, a cause de mon fief du Buisson,_ [297]
_duquel je suis homme de foy relevant de votre seigneurie de Beauport,
lequel m'appartient au moyen du contrat que nous avons passe ensemble par
devant Roussel à Mortagne, le_ 14 _Mars_, 1634, _vous déclarant que je
vous offre payer les droits seigneuriaux et féodaux quand dûs seront, vous
réquerant me recevoir à la dite foy et homage._" "Lord of Beauport, Lord
of Beauport, Lord of Beauport, I render you the fealty and homage due to
you on account of my land du Buisson ... which belongs to me by virtue of
the title-deed executed between us in presence of Roussel at Mortagne, the
14th March, 1634, avowing my readiness to acquit the seignorial and feudal
rents whenever they shall be due, beseeching you to admit me to the said
and homage." This Guion, a mason by trade, observes the Abbé Ferland, was
the man of letters and scribe of the parish. There is still extant a
marriage contract, drafted by him, for two parishioners; it is one of the
earliest on record in Canada, bearing date the 16th July, 1636. It is
signed by the worthy Robert Giffard, the seignior, and by Francois
Bellanger and Noël Langlois; the other parties affixed their mark. It
possesses interest as serving to illustrate the status and education of
the early French settlers. In 1628, Robert Giffard had been taken a
prisoner of war by the English, on board of Rocmont's fleet. On his
return, and in acknowledgement of the services rendered by him to the
colonial authorities, he obtained a grant of the seigniory of Beauport,
together with a large tract of land, on the River St. Charles. For many
long years the ancestral halls of the Duchesnays, at Beauport, rang with
the achievements of their warlike seigneurs. One of them, Nicholas
Juchereau de St. Denys, so distinguished himself at the siege of Quebec in
1690, that his sovereign granted him "a patent of nobility." ("_Le sieur
de St. Denys, seigneur de Beauport, _" says Charlevoix, "_commandait ses
habitants, il avait plus de soixante ans et combattait avec beaucoup de
valeur, jusqu'a ce qu'il eut un bras casse d'un coup de feu. Le Roi
récompensa peu de temps après son zèle en lui accordant des lettres de
noblesse._") His son distinguished himself in Louisiana. Two other
members of the family won laurels at Châteaugay. A descendant, Lieut.-Col.
Théodore Duchesnay, is Deputy Adjutant General of Militia.
The late Col. Gugy, built himself, in 1865, close to the manor, a
comfortable dwelling, wherein, amidst rural retirement, he divided his
existence between literature, briefs and his stud, noted all over Canada.
He had recently added to his domain, by purchase, a large tract of land
from the adjoining property, the De Salaberry homestead, where H.R.H.
the Duke of Kent, the father of our beloved Queen, in 1791 enjoyed more
than one _petit souper_. The broad acres which in 1759 resounded to
the tread of Montcalm's heavy squadrons, for years the quiet home of a
barrister of note, now bear the name of Darnoc. _Cedant arma togae._
Darnoc, since the death of Col. Gugy, in 1878, is occupied by Mrs. Gugy
and Herman Ryland, Esq., who married a daughter of the late proprietor.
The ruins of the Duchesnay Manor, more than once have been disturbed by
the pick and shovel of the midnight seeker for hidden French piastres:
though religiously protected against outrage by Mrs. Gugy's family, and
more especially watched over by the _Genius Loci_, the divining rod
and a _Petit Albert_ have recently found their way there; however
successfully poised and backed by the most orthodox incantations and
fumigations, the magic rod has failed so far to bring to the surface
either gold or silver coin. This was probably owing to the omission of a
very important ceremony: the production on the spot of "a candle [298]
made out of the fat of an executed murderer, as the clock strikes twelve
at midnight," under suitable planetary influence.
The recent discovery of the corner stone of the old manor, and of an
inscription dating back to 1634, have given rise to a spicy newspaper
discussion among our antiquarians.
_THE SEIGNIORIAL MANOR OF THE FIRST SEIGNEUR OF BEAUPORT, 1614._
I.H.S. M.I.A.
LAN 1634 LE
NTE
25 IVILET.IE.ETE-PLA
PREMIERE.P.C.GIFART
SEIGNEVR.DE CE.LIEV
In March 1881, the _Literary and Historical Society_ of Quebec, received
from the widow of the late Col. B. C. A. Gugy, of Darnoc, Beauport, a lead
plate, with the above quoted inscription, and a note, stating under what
circumstances Col. Gugy's family became possessed of it. This lead plate,
affords a written record of the laying of the foundation stone, on the
25th July, 1634, of the historical homestead of the fighting _Seigneurs_
of Beauport: the Gifart, the Juchereau, the Duchesnay.
The massive old pile alleged to have been the headquarters of the Marquis
de Montcalm, during the siege of Quebec, in 1759, and in which many
generations of Duchesnays and some of Col. Gugy's children were born,
became the prey of flames in 1879, 'tis said, by the act of a Vandal. Thus
perished the most ancient stronghold of the proud feudal Lairds of
Beauport, of the stone manor of Surgeon Robert Giffard; the safe retreat
against the Iroquois of the warlike Juchereau Duchesnays, one of whose
ancestors, in 1645, had married Marie Gifart, or Giffard, a daughter of
the bellicose Esculapius from Perche, France,--Surgeon Robert Gifart.
Grim and defiant the antique manor, with its high-peaked gables, stood in
front of the dwelling Col. Gugy had erected, at Darnoc, in 1865: it rather
intercepted the view to be had from this spot, of Quebec. One of the
memorable landmarks of the past, it has furnished a subject for the pencil
of Col. Benson J. Lossing, author of the "American Revolution," and "Life
of Washington," who, during his visit to Quebec, in July, 1858, sketched
it with others, for _Harper's Magazine_, where it appeared, over the
heading "Montcalm's Headquarters, Beauport," in the January number, 1859,
page 180, from which drawing it was transferred to the columns of the
Canadian _Illustrated News_, for May, 1881.
Whilst the deciphering of some of the letters I.H.S.--M.I.A. at the top of
the inscription has exercised the ingenuity of our Oldbucks and Monkbarns,
the plate itself and its inscription will furnish to the student of
history an indefeasible proof of the exact spot, and of the date, when and
where stood the oldest of our seigniorial manors,--that of Robert Gifart,
on the margin of the _ruisseau de l'ours_, at Beauport, in 1634.
_J. M. LeMoine Esquire, President Literary and Historical Society,
Quebec:_
BEAUPORT, 26th March, 1881
"SIR.--The tablet found in the Manor House of Beauport by some
workmen, last summer, and only recently restored to the proprietors,
is a circular plate of lead or pewter much injured by the fire which
consumed the building.
Owing to the unwillingness of the men concerned to give any
information, it is difficult to learn much about whereabouts in the
building it was found, nor what other articles may have accompanied
it, but as far as can be ascertained, this oval plate (about 1/4 of an
inch in thickness) was rolled up and contained a few coins and some
documents; the first cannot be traced and are spoken of as "quelques
sous;" the latter, they say, crumbled into dust at once.
The inscription, as well as can be deciphered, is as follows:--
I.H.S. M.I.A.
LAN 1634 LE
NTE
25 IVILET.IE.ETE-PLA
PREMIERE.P.C.GIFART
SEIGNEVR.DE CE.LIEV
This is rudely but deeply cut into the plate, and underneath may be
seen in patches, traces of a fainter etching, part of which may be a
coat of arms, but this is uncertain; underneath can be seen a heart
reversed, with flames springing from it upwards. All these are
enclosed in a larger heart, point downwards.
The enclosed rough simile may give an idea of the lettering at the top
of the circle, the plate itself being about nine inches in diameter."
(With Mrs. Gugy's compliments.)
Darnoc, 26th March, 1881.
_THE BEAUPORT MANOR INSCRIPTION._
(To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle.)
"Whilst regretting the loss of the coins and document accompanying the
inscription of the Beauport Manor, on account of the light it might
have thrown on this remote incident of Canadian history, let us
examine the case as it stands.
This rude inscription of 25th July, 1634, gives priority as to date to
the Beauport Manor over any ancient structure extant in Canada this
day. The erection of the manor would seem to have preceded by three
years the foundation of the Jesuits' Sillery residence, now owned by
Messrs. Dobell and Beckett, which dates of July, 1637. Who prepared
the inscription? Who engraved the letters? Who cut on the lead the
figure of the "flaming heart?" The stars? Are they heraldic? What did
they typify? Did the plate come out, ready prepared from France? Had
the _Académie des Inscriptions, etc._, or any other _académie_, any
hand in the business? No, for obvious reasons.
The lead-plate was imbedded in solid masonry. It is too rude to be the
work of an engraver. Could it have been designed by Surgeon Gifart,
the Laird of Beauport and cut on the lead-plate by the scribe and
_savant_ of the settlement, Jean Guion (Dion?) whose penmanship
in the wording of two marriage contracts, dating from 1636, has been
brought to light by an indefatigable searcher of the past--the Abbé
Ferland? probably.
But if the lettered Beauport stone mason, who never rose to be a Hugh
Miller, whatever were his abilities, did utilize his talents in 1634,
to produce a durable record in order to perpetuate the date of
foundation of this manor, he subsequently got at loggerheads with his
worth _seignieur_, probably owing to the litigious tastes which
his native Perche had instilled in him. Perche, we all know, is not
very distant from Normandy, the hot-bed of feuds and litigation, and
might have caught the infection from this neighborhood:
Governor Montmagny, in the space of eight short years, had been called
on to adjudicate on six controversies which had arisen between Gifart
and his vassals, touching boundaries and seigniorial rights, though
the learned historian Ferland, has failed to particularize, whether
among those controverted rights, was included the _Droit de Chapons_
and _Droit de Seigneur_; could the latter unchaste, but cherished
right of some Scotch and German feudal lords, by a misapprehension of
our law, in the dark days of the colony, have been claimed by such an
exacting seignior as M. de Gifart? One hopes not.
Be that as it may, the stone mason and _savant_ Jean Guion had refused
to do feudal homage to "Monsieur de Beauport," and on the 30th July,
1640, six years after the date of the inscription, under sentence
rendered by Governor de Montmagny, he was made to do so.
Who will decipher the I.H.S.--M.I.A. the letters at the top of the
plate? Is there no defendant of the haughty Seignior of Beauport, Rob.
Gifart, to give us his biography, and tell us of his sporting days; of
the black and grey ducks, brant, widgeon, teal, snipe, and curlew,
etc., which infested the marshy banks of the stream--the _Ruisseau de
l'Ours_, on which he had located, first his shooting box, and
afterwards his little fort or block-house, against Iroquois
aggression? Dr. Gifart was a keen sportsman, tradition repeats. Did
the locality get the name of _Canardière_ on account of the _Canards_,
the ducks, he had bagged in his time? Who will enlighten us on all
these points?
ENQUIRER.
Quebec, 8th April, 1881.
QUERY.--Would I. H. S. stand for _Jesus Hominum Salvator_? and M.I.A.
for _Maria-Josephus-Anna_?--the Holy Family--asks Dr W. Marsden.
_COUNT D'ORSONNENS LETTER_
_A monsieur J. M. LeMoine, président de la Société Littéraire et
Historique de Québec, etc., etc, etc._
CHER MONSIEUR,.--Votre lettre du 1er avril, publiée dans le _Morning
Chronicle_, en groupant, autour du premier Manoir canadien, des
grands noms canadiens, des faits historiques et des traditions, semble
vouloir nous faire regretter encore plus la perte d'un monument dont
il ne reste plus qu'une plaque de plomb gravée sans art, avec une
inscription sans orthographe. Je suis allé, comme bien d'autres, voir
ce morceau de plomb, qui contient, autant que l'imprimerie peut le
représenter, l'inscription suivante:
I.H.S. M.I.A.
LAN 1634 LE
NTE
25 IVILET.IE.ETE-PLA
PREMIERE.P.C.GIFART
SEIGNEVR.DE CE.LIEV
La première ligne a été, sans doute, gravée avec une pointe,
l'incision plus indécise est aussi moins profonde, de même que les
lettres NTE ajoutées au-dessus de PLA, pour faire le mot planté, que
l'art du graveur ou la largeur du ciseau n'avait pas su contenir dans
la troisième ligne.
Les lettres des trois dernières lignes ont été coupées avec un ciseau
de un demi-pouce de large, l'incision est nette et bien dessinée; on
voit encore les lignes qui ont été tracées dans toute la largeur de la
plaque, an moyen d'une pointe pour guider le ciseau du graveur.
Dans le centre de la plaque, on distingue avec peine un écusson.
portant un coeur renversé et fiammé; au centre de l'écu, trois
étoiles. Impossible de dire si elles sont posées en face ou sur un
champ quelconque. Le tout a du être surmonté d'un heaume, car on voit
encore de chaque coté de l'écu des lignes courbes multiples, qui
doivent nécessairement représenter les lambrequins; sur le côte
gauche, un bout de banderolle, mais l'_artiste_ a dû abandonner
sa première idée, car le haut de la banderolle se perd dans les lignes
du lambrequin.
J'ai lu dans la lettre qui accompagnait l'envoi de Madame Gugy, que
les ouvriers, qui avaient travaille aux ruines, disaient avoir trouve
la plaque de plomb, _roulée_ avec certains documents qui seraient
tombés en poussière au toucher. La chose me paraît impossible. Le
dessous de la plaque indique qu'elle a été posée à plat sur un lit de
mortier, et la partie gravée, du moins celle où sont gravées les
armoiries qu'une pierre pesante a été placée dessus, et c'est par
l'enfoncement de sa surface inégale que la plupart des lignes gravées
ont été détruites. On voit encore dans le plomb oxidé l'empreinte
d'une coquille pétrifiée qui se trouvait agrégée au calcaire.
En roulant le bloc supérieur, les ouvriers ont pu plier le métal; de
là l'erreur de croire que la plaque était roulée, elle a dû, comme
toutes choses de ce genre, être placée dans une cavité comme fond, où
on avait deposé le document tombé en poussière et les "quelques sous"
que ces honnêtes ouvriers ont gardés pour eux, sans doute, sans en
connaître la valeur.
Peu habitué à lire de telles inscriptions, mais connaissant la piété
des premiers colons du Canada, j'essayai de donner un sens courant à
l'inscription et je trouvai qu'on pouvait lire ici:
_Iesu Hominum Salvatore, Mariâ Immaculatâ Auspice_
(Sous les auspices ou la protection de Jesus sauveur des hommes et de
Marie-Immaculée)
L'an 1634,
le 25 juillet--je--été plantée
première par (ou pour) C. (chirur.) Gifart, Seigneur de ce lieu.
Jusqu'à présent la chose se lit bien, le sens en est raisonnable et
positif. Supposant le chirurgien un homme instruit et lettré,
l'inscription latine se complète d'elle-même. Mais, hélas! il y un
mais,--la lettre C avant Gifart me trouble un peu. Comme je n'ai sous
la main aucun volume, aucune tradition du temps à consulter, je suis
obligé de m'en tenir aux correspondances de journaux, et je trouve
dans toutes le prénom de _Robert_--ce qui ne commence pas du tout
par un C! [299] Mais le C, le malheureux C, ne serait-il pas
l'initiale de Cloutier, le charpentier ou l'entrepreneur avec lequel
Gifart avait fait un contrat à Mortaigne, le 14 mars 1634, quatre mois
à peu près avant la pose de la première pierre? Alors il faudrait lire
j'ai été plantée par Cloutier, Gifart étant seigneur de ce lieu.
Je m'arrête, le souvenir de _certaine_ inscription sur certain
_pont_ vient troubler toutes ces belles spéculations. A force de
vouloir être _savant_, on pourrait faire dire à Robert Gifart des
choses qu'il n'a jamais pensées.
Si, après tout, ce Gifart n'était pas _savant_, et qu'il eut voulu
dire par I. H. S., Jésus-Christ, et M. I. A., Maria, ce serait trop
fort--J'aimerais mieux la théorie de M. le Dr. Marsden, et de M.
Bédard, _Maria, Joachim, Anna_. Le 25 juillet étant la fête de
saint Jacques, et la vigile de saint Joachim, il serait plus
raisonnable de penser qu'on aurait mis la construction du premier
Manoir canadien sous la protection et les auspices du saint du jour
Reste a savoir si la Saint Jacques se fêtait le 25 juillet, la Saint
Joachim le 26, en l'an de notre Seigneur 1634.
Je laisse à d'autres de mieux trouver.
Quoiqu'il en soit, cette date 1634, est un centenaire mémorable, car
c'est en 1534 que Jacques Cartier, visita le golfe Saint-Laurent et
c'est en 1535, qu'il remonta notre beau fleuve jusqu'à Hochelaga, cent
ans avant la première concession seigneuriale de Beauport.
J'ai l'honneur d'être, Monsieur,
votre humble servt.,
Cte. d'ORSONNENS
L'INSCRIPTION DU MANOIR DE BEAUPORT.
Parmi une masse de vieux documents que je possède, concernant la
seigneurie de Beauport et ses seigneurs, j'ai trouve le reçu suivant:
"Je, soussigné, confesse avoir reçu un billet de cent cinquante livres
de monsieur de Beauport, pour ce qu'il m'avait promis pour faire sa
bâtisse de logis de Beauport.
"faict ce 27ième juillet 1642.
"P. CLUST."
Cela donnerait peut-être une explication des abréviations "P. C." de
l'inscription trouvée dans les ruines du vieux manoir.
En effet, il est loisible de supposer que cet architecte a fait ce que
ses confrères modernes font encore, et qu'il a gravé ses initiales sur
l'inscription commémorative de la pose de la première pierre
_plantée dans la bâtisse de Beauport_.
H. J. J. DUCHESNAY.
La Beauce, 14 avril, 1881.
_H. V'S LETTER._
(ABBÉ H. VERREAU?)
_Une relique historique_.
La _Minerve_ a publié l'inscription de la plaque trouvée à Beauport.
Le _Journal de Québec_ l'a reproduite aussi; mais avec une certaine
différence. Pour l'étude des personnes éloignées et pour l'utilité de
la science, il est bien désirable qu'on en prenne de nombreuses
impressions sur plâtre. Si madame Gugy accorde la permission
nécessaire, elle méritera certainement la reconnaissance de ceux qui
étudient notre histoire.
Il paraît que le dernier chiffre de la date se lit avec difficulté. Il
est toutefois très important de le déterminer avec toute la précision
possible.
A mes yeux, la date du 25 juillet entraîne plusieurs conséquences qui
disparaissent avec un autre chiffre.
I. Le 25 juillet est consacré à l'apôtre saint Jacques-le-Majeur. Ne
peut-on pas traduire le second groupe trilittère M. J. A. par
_Majori Jacobo Apostolo_, Le premier groupe, si connu d'ailleurs,
étant latin, il est naturel de supposer que le second l'est aussi.
II. La fête de saint Jacques-le-Majeur, qui tombait un mardi en 1634,
était chômée; par conséquent les travaux serviles ont dû être suspendu
ce jour-là.
III. Le même jour, 25 juillet 1634, Robert Gifart assistait à un
mariage à Québec, ce qui peut expliquer pourquoi il était remplacé à
Beauport par son fils Charles.
Mais la pose de la pierre angulaire d'une simple maison, un jour de
grande fête, me semble difficile à expliquer, qu'on veuille ou non y
faire intervenir les cérémonies de la Religion.
L'expression _Je été plantée_ offre aussi une difficulté. A cette
époque on faisait de nombreuses fautes d'orthographe, mais on avait
presque toujours le mot propre.
Il est bien vrai qu'en terme d'architecture, on disait _planter un
édifice_ pour l'_asseoir sur la maçonnerie de ses fondements_, mais je
ne sache pas qu'on ait dit _planter_ les pierres des fondements.
Cette plaque n'aurait-elle pas été destinée à une croix plantée à
l'endroit que Giffard voulait défricher?
Il est d'autant plus naturel qu'il ait commencé ses travaux par cet
acte de foi qu'il devait songer à faire bâtir une église près de sa
demeure. Dans cette supposition, on s'explique facilement que la croix
ait été plantée un jour de fête solennelle où tout le monde surtout à
cette époque, devait vaquer à ses devoirs religieux. Je vois dans les
_Archives_ de Beauport par Mgr. Langevin que la maison de Giffard,
d'après M. Ferland, devait être plus près de la petite rivière que le
manoir actuel.
C. Giffard, qui est désigné comme seigneur de Beauport, est le fils de
Robert. Il était né en France et devait être encore assez jeune. C'est
de lui que parle le _Journal_ des Jésuites en disant que le fils
de M. Giffard passa en France en 1646, avec d'autres jeunes gens 'tous
fripons pour la plupart qui avait fait mille pièces à l'autre voyage
et on donnait à tous de grands appointements.'
Ce 28 octobre il était parrain, et il s'embarquait le 31.
Il n'est plus question de lui après cette date, soit qu'il ait renoncé
au Canada, soit qu'il ait péri prématurément. Le père repris sa
seigneurie de Beauport qu'il fit agrandir le mieux put.
P. S.--En écrivant ce qui précède, j'étais un peu pressé; j'aurais dû
remarquer cependant que sous la lettre C, les lecteurs ne pouvaient
deviner le prénom du jeune seigneur de Beauport. Il s'appelait
_Charles_, et devait être né en France comme sa soeur _Marie_, qui
devint Madame de la Ferté.
Dans l'intérêt de vos lecteurs je ferai remarquer que le _Dictionnaire
Généalogique_ renferme, à l'article Giffard, certaines erreurs. Ainsi,
_Françoise_ qui commence l'article est la même que _Marie Françoise_
qui le termine; elle se fit religieuse à l'Hôtel-Dieu. L'épouse de
_Jean Juchereau de la Ferté_ fut _Marie_ née en France, puisque son
contrat de mariage en 1645 la dite "âgée de 17 ans environ" ce qui
reporte sa naissance vers 1628. Charles assiste et signe un contrat.
Ce n'est pas _Robert Giffard_, mais son fils _Joseph_, dont le corps
fut transporté à la cathédrale, le 31 décembre 1705.
_MOUNT LILAC, BEAUPORT._
Some thirty years ago, I saw, for the first time, the picturesque old
manor of the Rylands at Beauport, this was in its classic days. Later on,
I viewed it, mossy and forlorn, in what some might style its "non age". Of
this, hereafter.
The _Château_ stood embowered amidst lilac groves and other ornamental
shrubs, so far as I can recollect, with a background of elms, white birch,
spruce, &c. Its vaulted, lofty and well-proportioned dining-room, with
antique, morocco-covered chairs, and carved _buffets_ to store massive
plate, its spacious hall and graceful winding staircase, its commanding
position on the crest of the Beauport ridge, affording a striking view of
Quebec, its well-stocked orchard, umbrageous plantations, and ample
stables, from which issued, among other choice bits of blood, in 1842, the
celebrated racer "Emigrant": several circumstances, in fact, conspired to
impress it favorably on my youthful mind. On that occasion, I found _le
milord anglais_ (as a waggish Canadian peasant called him) under his
ancestral roof.
Recalling our parish annals of early times, I used then to think that
should England ever (which God forbid) hand back to its ancient masters
"these fifteen thousand acres of snow," satirized by Voltaire, ridiculed
by Madame de Pompadour, cruelly and basely deserted by Louis XV, in their
hour of trial, here existed a ready-made manor for the Giffards and
Duchesnays of the future, where their descendants could becomingly receive
fealty and homage. (_foi et homage_) from their feudal retainers. There
was, however, nothing here to remind one of the lordly pageantry of other
times--the days of absolutism--of the dark era, the age of _lettres de
cachet_, _corvées_, _lods et ventes_, and other feudal burthens, when the
flag of the Bourbons floated over the fortress of New France. In 1846, at
the time of my visit, in vain would you have sought in the farm yard for a
live seigniorial capon (_un chapon vif et en plumes_) though possibly in
the larder, at Christmas, you might have discovered some fat, tender
turkeys, or a juicy haunch of venison. Of _vin ordinaire_ ne'er a trace,
but judging from the samples on the table, perhaps much mellow Madeira,
and "London Stout" might have been stored in the cellars. Everywhere, in
fact, was apparent English comfort, English cheer. On the walls of the
banqueting apartment, or within the antique red-leathered portfolios
strewn round, you would have run a greater chance of meeting face to face
with the portraits of Lord Dorchester, Genl. Prescott, Sir Robert Shore
Milnes, Sir James Craig, the Duke of Richmond, and other English
Governors, the cherished friends of the Rylands than with the powdered
head of his most sacred Majesty, the Great Louis, or the ruffled bust and
sensual countenance of the voluptuous Louis XV.... But let us see more of
Mount Lilac and its present belongings.
Facing the glittering cupolas of Quebec, there is a fertile area of meadow
and cornfield stretching from Dorchester bridge to the deep ravine and
Falls over which the Montmorency, _La Vache_, hangs its milk-white
curtain of spray. On the river shore, in 1759, stood Montcalm's earth and
field works of defence. Parallel to them and distant about half a mile,
the highway, over which H.R.H. Prince Edward's equipage pranced daily,
during the summers of 1791-3, now a macadamized road, ascends by a gentle
rise, through a double row of whitewashed cottages, about seven miles, to
the brow of the roaring cataract spanned over by a substantial bridge,
half way, looms out the Roman Catholic temple of worship--a stately
edifice, filled to overflowing on Sundays, the parochial charge in 1841 of
the Rev. Charles Chiniquy, under whose auspices was built the Temperance
Monument on the main road, a little past the Beauport Asylum. This
constitutes the parish of Beauport, one of the first settled in the
Province. It was conceded by the Company of New France, on the 31st
December, 1635, to a French surgeon of some note, "le sieur Robert
Giffard." Surgeon Giffard had not only skill as a chirurgeon to recommend
him, he could plead services, nay captivity undergone in the colonial
cause. An important man in his day was this feudal magnate Giffard, to
whom fealty and homage were rendered with becoming pomp, by his
_consitaires_, the Bellangers--Guions--Langlois--Parents--Marcoux, of
1635, whose descendents, still bearing the old Perche or Norman name,
occupy to this day the white cottages to be seen on all sides.
On the highest site of this limestone ridge, a clever, influential,
refined, and wealthy Briton, the Hon. Henry Wistius Ryland, for years
Civil Secretary, Clerk of the Executive Council, a member of the
Legislative Council, with other appointments, purchased from Col.
Johnston, a lot, then a wilderness, for a country seat in 1805. Mr. Ryland
had come out to Canada with Lord Dorchester in 1795, as his secretary, at
the instance, we believe, of Lord Liverpool, his protector, at the age of
21 he was acting as Paymaster of two army corps, during the War of
Independence in America.
For more than thirty years, Mr. Ryland enjoyed the favour, nay the
intimacy of every ruler (except Sir George Prevost) which this then mis-
ruled colony owed to Downing Street.
Antipathies of race had been on the increase at Quebec, ever since the
parliamentary era of 1791; there was the French party, [300] led by fiery
and able politicians, and the English oligarchy occupying nearly all the
offices, and avenues to power. French armies under Napoleon I. swayed the
destinies of continental Europe, their victories occasionally must have
awakened here a responsive echo among their down-trodden fellow-countrymen
cowardly deserted by France in 1759, whilst Nelson's victories of the
Nile, of Trafalgar, of Copenhagen, and finally the field of Waterloo, had
buoyed up to an extravagant pitch the spirits of the English minority of
Quebec, which a French parliamentary majority had so often trammelled. It
was during the major part of that stormy period that Hon. Herman Wistius
Ryland, advised by the able Chief Justice Jonathan Sewell,--was in reality
entrusted with the helm of state. He was, as Christie the historian
observes, considered the "Fountain head of power." This subtle _diplomat_
(for such will be his title in history), however hostile in his attitude
he might have appeared towards the French Canadian nationality, succeeded
in retaining to the last the respect of the French Canadian peasantry who
surrounded him.
Probably never at any time did he wield more power than under the
administration of Sir James H. Craig. His views were so much in unison
with those of Sir James, that His Excellency deputed him to England with a
public mission threefold in its scope, the ostensible object of which was
first "to endeavor to get the Imperial Government to amend or suspend the
Constitution; secondly, to render the Government independent of the
people, by appropriating towards it the revenues accruing from the estates
of the Sulpicians [301] of Montreal, and of the Order of the Jesuits;
thirdly to seize the patronage exercised by the Roman Catholic Bishop of
Quebec,--the _cures_ or church livings in his diocese; contending that no
Roman Catholic Bishop really existed in Canada, (but merely a
superintendent of _curés_), none having been recognized by the Crown.
It has been stated that he had a fair chance of succeeding on two points,
had not the great Lord Chancellor, Eldon, intervened to thwart his scheme.
The correspondence exchanged between Mr. Ryland and His Excellency, Sir
James H. Craig, preserved in the sixth volume of Christie's _History of
Canada_, exhibits Mr. Ryland at his best, and has led some to infer
that, had he been cast in a different sphere, where his talents and
attainments would have been more properly appreciated and directed, he
would have played a very conspicuous part. "We find the Beauport statesman
in 1810, in London, [302] consulted on Canadian affairs by the leading
English politicians and some of the proudest peers. The honored guest of
English noblemen, [303] he appears at no disadvantage, sips their old port
unawed, cosily seated at their mahogany. It must be borne in mind that, in
1810, Lord Castlereagh and Lord Liverpool had their hands pretty full with
continental politics, perhaps too much so, to heed poor distant Canada.
Shortly after the arrival, at Quebec, of the Earl of Durham, viz., on the
29th July, 1838, the Hon. H. W. Ryland expired at his country seat at
Beauport, aged 78 years. He was born in 1760 at Northampton in England, of
a very ancient Saxon family, dating back to Edward the Confessor. Wm.
Ryland his great grandfather having successfully defended Oxford against
Oliver Cromwell, while his sons fought on the other side.
Mount Lilac then reverted to his son, George Herman Ryland, Esq., now
Registrar at Montreal, who added much to the charms of the spot. It was
offered to Lord Metcalfe subsequently as a country seat, but for reasons
which it is unnecessary to enter into, the negotiations fell through. Mr.
Ryland occupied it till his removal from the Quebec to the Montreal
Registry, Office. Some years back the property was purchased by Mr. James
Dinning, Quebec, who reserved for himself the farm, one hundred and five
acres in extent, and sold in 1856, the house and twenty-three acres
thereunto attached to a wealthy and whimsical old ironfounder of Quebec,
Mr. John H. Galbraith. This thrifty tradesman, in order to keep his hand
in order, like Thackeray's hero, continued the pursuit of his former
occupation, the smelting of ore, even under the perfumed groves of Mount
Lilac, and erected there an extensive grapery and conservatory, and a
foundry as well; the same furnace blast thus served to produce, under
glass, fragrant flowers--exquisite grapes--melting peaches, as well as
solid pig iron and first class stove plates.
Mount Lilac owed a divided allegiance to Vulcan and Flora. Which of the
home products pleased, the most the worthy Mr. Galbraith? is still an open
question. [304]
_A VISIT TO THE INDIAN LORETTE._
Of the many attractive sites in the environs of the city, few contain in a
greater degree than the Huron village of Lorette during the leafy months
of June, July and September, picturesque scenery, combined with a wealth
of historical associations. The nine miles intervening between Quebec and
the rustic _auberge_ of the village, thanks to an excellent turnpike,
can be spanned in little more than an hour. I shall now attempt to
recapitulate some of the sights and incidents of travel which recently
befell me, whilst escorting to Lorette an Old World tourist, of very high
literary estate.
With a mellow autumnal sun, just sufficient to bronze the sombre tints,
lingering at the close of the Indian summer, we left the St. Louis Hotel,
the headquarters of tourists, and rapidly drove through _Fabrique_ and
Palace streets, towards the unsightly gap in our city walls, of yore
yclept Palace Gate, which all Lord Dufferin's _prestige_ failed to protect
against vandalism, but which, thanks to his initiative, we expect yet to
see _bridged over_ with, graceful turrets and Norman towers.
A turn to the west brought us opposite to the scarcely perceptible ruins
of the Palace [305] of the French Intendants, destroyed by the English
shells in 1775, to dislodge Arnold and Montgomery's New England soldiery.
The park which intervened formerly between it and the St. Charles was many
years back converted into a wood yard to store the fuel for the garrison,
a portion now is used as a cattle market, opposite, stands the station and
freight sheds of the Q. M. O. & O. Railway, the road skirts the park
towards the populous St. Roch suburbs, rebuilt and transformed since the
great fire of the 28th May, 1845, which destroyed 1,600 houses, occupying
the site of former spacious pasture grounds for the city cows, styled by
the early French _La Vacherie_. In a trice we reach Dorchester bridge, the
second one, built there in 1822, the first, opened with great pomp by His
Excellency Lord Dorchester in 1789, having been constructed a few acres to
the west, and called after him. The bridge, as a means of crossing from
one shore to the other, is an undoubted improvement on the scow used up to
1789.
One of the first objects on quitting the bridge and diverging westward to
the Charlesbourg road, on the river bank, is the stately, solid, antique
mansion of the late C. Smith, Esq, who at one time owned nearly all the
broad acres intervening between the house and _Gros Pin_. It took for
a time the name of Smithville and was inherited by several members of his
family, who built cosy houses round it. These green fields, fringed with
white birch and spruce plantations, are watered by the St. Charles, the
_Kahir-Koubat_ [306] of ancient days. In rear of one of the first villas
_Ringfield_, owned by Geo. Holmes Parke, Esq., runs the diminutive stream,
the _Lairet_, at the confluence of which Jacques Cartier wintered in 1535-
6, leaving, there one of his ships, the _Petite-Hermine_, of 60 tons,
whose decayed oak timbers were exhumed in 1843, by Jos. Hamel, City
Surveyor of Quebec. A very remarkable vestige of French domination exists
behind the villa of Mr. Parke--a circular field (hence the name Ring-
field) covering about twelve acres, surrounded by a ditch, with an earth
work about twenty feet high, to the east, to shield its inmates from the
shot of Wolfe's fleet lying at the entrance of the St. Charles, before
Quebec. A minute description has been given by General Levi's aide-de-
camp, the _Chevalier_ Johnstone, [307] of what was going on in this
earthwork, where at noon, on the 13th Sept., 1759, were mustered the
disorganized French squadrons in full retreat from the Plains of Abraham
toward their camp at Beauport. Here, on that fatal day, was debated the
surrender of the colony--the close of French rule: here also, close by, in
1535-6, was the cradle of French power, the first settlement and winter
quarters of the French pioneers--Jacques Cartier's hardy little band.
From this spot, at eight o'clock that night (13th Sept.), began the French
retreat towards the Charlesbourg church; at 4 a.m. next day the army was
at Cap Rouge, disordered, panic-stricken! Oh! where was the heroic Levi!
On ascending a hill (Clearihue's) to the north, the eye gathers in the
contour of a dense grove, hiding in its drooping folds "Auvergne," the
former secluded country seat of Chief Justice Jonathan Sewell, now owned
by George Alford, Esq.
A mile to the north, in the deep recesses of Bourg-Royal, rest the fast
crumbling and now insignificant ruins of the only rural _Château_ of
French origin round Quebec. Was it built by Talon, or by Bigot? an
unfathomable mystery. Silence and desertion reign supreme, where of yore
Bigot's heartless wassailers used to meet and gamble away King Louis's
card money and _piastres_.
"And sunk are the voices that sounded in mirth.
And empty the goblets and dreary the hearth!"
The tower or boudoir, where was immured the Algonquin maid Caroline, the
beautiful, that too has crumbled to dust.
We are now at Lorette.
_TAHOURENCHE._
"I'm the chieftain of this mountain,
Times and seasons found me here,
My drink has been the crystal fountain,
My fare the wild moose or the deer."
(_The_ HURON CHIEF, _by Adam Kidd_).
There exists a faithful portrait of this noble savage, such as drawn by
himself and presented, we believe, to the Laval University at Quebec; for
glimpses of his origin, home and surroundings, we are indebted to an
honorary chief of the tribe, Ahatsistari. [308]
Paul _Tahourenché_ (François Xavier Picard), Great Chief of the Lorette
Hurons, was born at Indian Lorette in 1810; he is consequently at present
71 years of age. He is tall, erect, well proportioned, dignified in face
and deportment; when habited in his Indian regalia: blue frock coat, with
bright buttons and medals, plumed fur cap, leggings of colored cloth,
bright sash and armlets, with war axe, he looks the _beau ideal_ of a
respectable Huron warrior, shorn of the ferocity of other days. Of the
line of Huron chiefs which proceeded him we can furnish but a very meagre
history. Adam Kidd, who wrote a poem entitled the _Huron Chief_ in 1829,
and who paid that year a visit to the Lorette Indians and saw their oldest
chief, _Oui-a-ra-lih-to_, having unfortunately failed to fulfil the
promise he then made of publishing the traditions and legends of the tribe
furnished him on that occasion, an omission which, we hope, will yet be
supplied by an educated Huron; the Revd. Mr. Vincent. Of _Oui-a-ra-lih-
to_, we learn from Mr. Kidd: "This venerable patriarch, who is now (in
1829) approaching the precincts of a century, is the grandson of _Tsa-a-
ra-lih-to_, head chief of the Hurons during the war of 1759. _Oui-a-ra-
lih-to_, with about thirty-five warriors of the Indian village of Lorette
in conjunction with the Iroquois and Algonquins, was actually engaged in
the army of Burgoyne, a name unworthy to be associated with the noble
spirit of Indian heroism. During my visit to this old chief--May, 1829--he
willingly furnished me with an account of the distinguished warriors, and
the traditions of different tribes, which are still fresh in his memory,
and are handed from father to son, with the precision, interest and
admiration that the tales and exploits of Ossian and his heroes are
circulated in their original purity to this day among the Irish." Mr. Kidd
alludes also to another great chief, _Atsistari_, who flourished in 1637,
and who may have been the same as the Huron Saul _Ahatsistari_, who lived
in 1642.
Of the powerful tribes of the aborigines who, in remote periods, infested
the forests, lakes and streams of Canada, none by their prowess in war,
wisdom in council, success as tillers of the soil, intelligent and lofty
bearing, surpassed the Wyandats, or Hurons. [309] They numbered 15,000
souls, according to the historian Ferland, 40,000 according to Bouchette,
and chiefly inhabited the country bordering on Lake Huron and Simcoe; they
might, says Sagard, have been styled the "nobles" among savages in
contradistinction to that other powerful confederacy, more democratic in
their ways, also speaking the Huron language, and known as the Five
Nations (Mohawks,[310] Oneydoes, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas), styled
by the French the Iroquois, or Hiroquois, from the habit of their orators
of closing their orations with the word "Hiro"--_I have said_.
'Tis a curious fact that the aborigines whom Jacques Cartier had found
masters of the soil, at Hochelaga (Montreal,) and Stadacona (Quebec,) in
1535, sixty-eight years later on, in 1603, when Champlain visited these
Indian towns, had disappeared: a different race had succeeded them. Though
it opens a wide field to conjecture, recent investigations seem to
indicate that it was the Huron-Iroquois nation who, in 1535, were the
_enfants du sol_ at both places, and that in the interim the Algonquins
had, after bloody wars, dispersed and expelled the Huron-Iroquois. The
savages with whom the early French settlers held intercourse can be
comprised under two specific heads--the Algonquins and the Huron-Iroquois
--the language of each differing as much, observes the learned Abbé
Faillon, as French does from Chinese.
It would take us beyond the limit of this sketch to recapitulate the
series of massacres which reduced these warlike savages, the Hurons, from
their high estate to that of a dispersed, nomadic tribe, and placed the
Iroquois or Mohawks, at one time nearly destroyed by the Hurons, in the
ascendant.
Their final overthrow may be said to date back to the great Indian
massacres of 1648-9, at their towns, or missions, on the shores of Lakes
Simcoe, the first mission being founded in 1615 by the Friar LeCaron,
accompanied by twelve soldiers sent by Champlain in advance of his own
party. The Jesuit mission was attacked by the Iroquois in 1648; St. Louis,
St. Joseph [311], St. Ignace [312], Ste. Marie [313], St. Jean [314],
successively fell, or were threatened; all the inmates who escaped sought
safety in flight; the protracted sufferings of the missionaries Bréboeuf
and Gabriel Lallemant have furnished one of the brightest pages of
Christian heroism in New France. Bréboeuf expired on the 16th March and
Lallemant on 17th March, 1649. A party of Hurons sought Manitoulin Island,
then called Ekaentoton, a few fled to Virginia; others succeeded in
obtaining protection on the south shore of Lake Erie, from the Erie tribe,
only to share, later on, the dire fate of the nation who had dared to
incorporate them in its sparse ranks.
Father P. Ragueneau (the first writer, by the by, who makes mention of
Niagara Falls--_Relations de_ 1648,) escorted three or four hundred
of these terror-stricken people to Quebec on the 26th July, 1650, and
lodged them in the Island of Orleans, at a spot since called _L'Anse du
Fort_, where they were joined, in 1651, by a party of Hurons, who in
1649, on hearing of the massacre of their western brethren, had asked to
winter at Quebec. For ten years past a group of Algonquins, Montagnais and
Hurons, amidst incessant alarms, had been located in the picturesque
parish of Sillery; they, too, were in quest of a more secure asylum.
Negotiations were soon entered into between them and their persecuted
friends of the West; a plan was put forth to combine. On the 29th March,
1651, the Sillery Indians, many of whom were Hurons united with the
western brethren, sought a shelter, though a very insecure one, in a
fortified nook, adjoining their missionary's house, on the land of
Eléonore de Grandmaison, purchased for them at _l'Anse du Fort_, in
the Island of Orleans, on the south side of the point opposite Quebec.
Here they set to tilling the soil with some success, cultivating chiefly
Indian corn, their numbers being occasionally increased during the year
1650, by their fugitive brethren of the West, until they counted above 600
souls. Even under the guns of the picket Fort of Orleans, which had
changed its name to Ile St. Marie, in remembrance of their former
residency, the tomahawk and scalping-knife reached them; on the 20th May,
1656, eighty-six of their number were carried away captives, and six
killed, by the ferocious Iroquois; and on the 4th June, 1656, again they
had to fly before their merciless tormentors. The big guns of Fort St.
Louis, which then stood at the north-west extremity of the spot on which
the Dufferin Terrace has lately been erected, seemed to the Hurons a more
effectual protection than the howitzers of _Anse du Fort_, so they
begged from Governor d'Aillebout for leave to nestle under them in 1658.
'Twas granted. When the Marquis de Tracy had arranged a truce with the
Iroquois in 1665, the Huron refugees prepared to bid adieu to city life
and to city dust. Two years later we find them ensconced at Beauport,
where others had squatted on land belonging to the Jesuits; they stopped
there one year, and suddenly left, in 1669, to pitch their wigwams for a
few years at Côte St. Michel, four and a half miles from Quebec, at the
Mission of Notre Dame de Foye, now called St. Foye. On the 29th December,
1673, restless and alarmed, the helpless sons of the forest sought the
seclusion, leafy shades and green fields _Ancienne Lorette_. [315]
Here they dwelled nearly twenty-five years. The youths had grown up to
manhood, with the terrible memories of the past still fresh on their
minds. One fine day, allured by hopes of more abundant game, they packed
up their household gods, and finally, in 1697, they went and settled on
the elevated _plateau_, close to the foaming rapids of St. Ambroise,
now known as Indian, or _Jeune_, Lorette.
"Tis here we shall now find them, 336 souls all told, [316] living in
comparative ease, successful traders, exemplary Christians, but fast
decaying Hurons.
"The Hurons," says Ahatsistari, [317] "are divided into four families:
that of the _Deer_; of the _Tortoise_; of the _Bear_; of the _Wolf_. Thus,
the great Chief François Xavier Picard--Tahourenché--is a _Deer_, and his
son Paul is a _Tortoise_, because (Her Highness) Madame _Tahourenché_ is a
_Tortoise_; a lithe, handsome woman for all that.
"Each family has its chief, or war captain; he is elected by choice. The
four war captains chose two council chiefs, the six united select a grand
chief, either from among themselves or from among the honorary chiefs, if
they think proper."
We append a letter, from Sister Ste. Helene, descriptive of Indian
customs, in 1730. Civilization and Christianity have sensibly modified,
some will say, improved the Red Skins since then.
_INDIAN DRESS--LOVE MAKING-FEASTSBURIALS._
From a MS. Letter of _Soeur Ste. Hélène_, published by Abbé Verrault.
"Would you like to learn how they dress--how they marry--how they are
buried? First, you must know that several tribes go completely naked,
and wear but the fig-leaf. In Montreal, you meet many stately and
well-proportioned savages, walking about in this state of nudity, as
proud in their bearing, as if they wore good clothes. Some have on a
shirt only; others have a covering negligently thrown over one
shoulder. Christianized Indians are differently habited. The Iroquois
put their shirt over their wearing apparel, and over the shirt another
raiment, which encloses a portion of the head, which is always bare.
The men generally wear garments over their shirts; the latter, when
new, is generally very white, but is used until it gets perfectly dark
and disgustingly greasy. They sometimes shave a portion of their head,
or else they comb one half of their hair back, the other half front.
They occasionally tie up a tuft of hair very tight on the top of the
head, rising towards the skies. At other times some allow a long tress
of hair to fall over their face: it interferes with their eating, but
it has to be put up with. They smear their ears with a white
substance, or their face with blue, vermillion and black. They are
more elaborate in their war-toilette than a coquette would be in
dressing--in order to conceal the paleness which fear might engender.
They are profuse of gold and silver brocade, porcelain necklaces,
bracelets of beads--the women, especially in their youth. This is
their jewellery, their diamonds, the value whereof sometimes reaches
1,000 francs. The Abenaqis enclose their heads in a small cap
embroidered with beads or ornamented with brocade. They wrap their
legs in leggings with a fringe three or four inches long. Their shoes
consist of socks, with plaits round the toe, covering the foot. All
this has its charm in their eyes; they are as vain of dress as any
Frenchman. The pagan tribes, whenever love is felt, marry without any
ceremonial. The pair will discover whether they love one another in
silence, Indian-like. One of the caresses consists in throwing to the
loved one a small pebble, or grains of Indian corn, or else some other
object which cannot hurt. The swain, on throwing the pebble, is bound
to look in the opposite direction, to make believe he did not do it.
Should the adored one return it, matters look well, else, the game is
up.
"The Christianized Indians are married in face of the church, without
any contract of marriage and without stipulations, because an Indian
cannot own real estate and cannot bequeath to his children. The
wealthiest is the mightiest hunter. This favored individual, in his
village, passes for a grand match. Bravery and great warriors they
think much of--they constitute the latter their chiefs. Poverty is no
disgrace at the council board, and an orator in rags will speak out as
boldly, as successfully, as if he were decked out in gold cloth. They
come thus poorly habited in the presence of the Governor, indulge in
long harangues, and touch his hand fearlessly. When ladies are present
at these interviews, they honor them thus--seize their hand and shake
it in token of friendship. Before I became a nun I was present at some
of these ceremonies, and having won their good opinion, they would
extend to me a hand which was disgusting in the extreme, but which I
had cheerfully to accept for fear of offending them. They are
sometimes asked to dine at the Governor's table. Unlucky are their
neighbors, especially when they happen to be ladies, they are so
filthy in their persons.--1730."--_Revue Canadienne_, page 108-9.
Such the Montreal Indians in 1730.
The Lorette Chapel dates back, as well as the _Old Mill_, to 1731. In
1862 the Chapel suffered much by fire. The tribe occupies land reserved by
Government, under the regulations of the Indian Bureau of Ottawa. "Indian
Lorette comprises from forty to fifty cottages, on the _plateau_ of
the falls--spread out, without design, over an area of about twenty square
acres. In the centre runs the kings highway, the outer half sloping down,
towards the St. Charles. The most prominent objects are the church, a
grist mill and Mr. Reid's paper mill; close by a wooden fence encloses
'God's acre,' in the centre of which a cross marks the tomb of Chief
Nicholas." [318] It is indeed, "a wild spot, covered with the primitive
forest and seamed by a deep and tortuous ravine, where the St. Charles
foams, white as a snow drift, over the black ledges, and where the
sunshine struggles through matted boughs of the pine and the fir, to bask
for brief moments on the mossy rocks, or flash on the hurrying waters....
Here, to this day, the tourist finds the remnants of a lost people,
harmless weavers of baskets and sewers of mocassins, the Huron blood fast
bleaching out of them."
Of "free and independent electors" none here exist, the little Lorette
world goes on smoothly without them. "No Huron on the Reserve can vote. No
white man is allowed to settle within the sacred precincts of the Huron
kingdom, composed, 1st, of the lofty _Plateau_ of the village of
Indian Lorette, which the tribe occupy. 2nd. Of the forty square acres,
about a mile and a half to the north-west of the village. 3rd. Of the
Rocmont settlement, in the adjoining County of Portneuf, in the very heart
of the Laurentine Mountains, ceded to the Hurons by Government, as a
compensation for the Seigniory of St. Gabriel, of which Government took
possession, and to which the Hurons set up a claim.
"In all that which pertains to the occupation, the possession and the
administration of these fragments of its ancient extensive territory, the
usages and customs of the tribe have force of law. The village is governed
by a Council of Sachems; in cases of misunderstandings an appeal lies to
the Ottawa Bureau, under the control of the Minister of the Interior (our
"Downing street" wisely abstaining from interference except on very urgent
occasions). Lands descend by right of inheritance; the Huron Council alone
being authorized to issue location tickets; none are granted but to Huron
boys, strangers being excluded. Of course, these disabilities affect the
denizens of the reserve only; a Huron (and there are some,
_Tahourenche_, Vincent and others) owning lands in his own right
elsewhere, and paying taxes and tithes, enjoys the rights and immunities
of any other British subject."
From the date of the Lorette Indian settlement in 1697, down to the year
of the capitulation of Quebec--1759--the annals of the tribe afford but
few stirring incidents: an annual bear, beaver, or cariboo hunt; the
return of a war party, with its scalps--English, probably--as the tribe
had a wholesome terror of the Iroquois; an occasional _pow wow_ as to
how many warriors could be spared to assist their trusted and brave
allies, the French of Quebec, against the heretical soldiers of Old or New
England.
We are in possession of no facts to show that these Christianised Hurons
differed much from other Christianised Indians; church services, war
councils, feasting, smoking, dancing, scalping, fishing and hunting,
filling in, agreeably, socially, or usefully, the daily routine of their
existence. Civilization, as understood by christianised or by pagan
savages, has never inspired us with unqualified admiration. The various
siege narratives we have perused, whilst they bring in the Indian allies,
at the close of the battle, to "finish off" the wounded at Montmorency, in
July, 1759; at the plains of Abraham, in September 1759; at St. Foye, in
April, 1760, generally mention the Abenaquis for this delicate office of
_friseurs_. The terror, nay, the horror, which the use of the tomahawk and
scalping knife inspired to the British soldiery, was often greater than
their fear of the French sabres and French musquetoons.
British rule, in 1759, if it did bring the Hurons less of campaigning and
fewer scalps, was the harbinger of domestic peace and stable homes, with
very remunerative contracts each fall for several thousands of pairs of
snow-shoes, cariboo mocassins and mittens for the English regiments
tenanting the Citadel of Quebec, whose wealthy officers every winter
scoured the Laurentine range, north of the city, in quest of deer, bear
and cariboo, under the experienced guidance of Gros Louis, Sioui, Vincent,
and other famous Huron Nimrods.
The chronicles of the settlement proclaim the valour and wisdom of some of
their early chiefs, conspicuous appears the renowned Ahatsistari, surnamed
the Huron Saul, from his early hostility to missionaries; death closed his
career, on the verdant banks of Lake Huron, in 1642, a convert to
missionary teachings.
At the departure of the French, in 1759, a new allegiance was forced on
the sons of the forest, St. George and his dragon for them took the place
of St. Louis and his lilies. The _Deer_, the _Bear_, the _Tortoise_ and
the _Wolf_ tribe, however, have managed to live on most friendly terms
with the _Dragon_. In 1776, Lorette sent its contingent of painted and
plumed warriors to fight General Burgoyne's inglorious campaigns. The
services rendered to England by her swarthy allies in the war of 1812-14
were marked, for years a distribution of presents took place from the
Quebec Commissariat and Indian Department. Proudly did the Hurons, as well
as the Abenaquis, Montagnais, Micmac and Malicite Indians bear the snow-
white blankets, scarlet cloth and hunting-knives awarded them by George
the King, and by the victors of Waterloo. Each year, at midsummer, the
Indians in their canoes, with their live freight of hunters, their copper-
coloured squaws and black-eyed papooses, rushed from Labrador, Gaspé,
Restigouche, Baie des Chaleurs, and pitched their tents on a strip of land
at Lévi, hence called Indian Cove, the city itself being closed to the
grim monarchs of the woods, reputed ugly customers when in their cups. A
special envoy, however, was sent to the Lorette Indians on similar
occasions. The Indians settled on Canadian soil were distinguished for
their loyalty to England, who has ever treated them more mercifully than
did "Uncle Sam."
The war between England and the United States in 1812 brought the Lorette
braves again to the front, and the future hero of Châteauguay, Col. De
Salaberry, was sent to enlist them. Col. De Salaberry attended in person
on the tribe, at Indian Lorette. A grand pow-wow had been convoked. The
sons of the forest eagerly sent in their names and got in readiness when
the Colonel returned a few days later to inform them that the Government
had decided to retain them as a reserve in the event of Quebec being
attacked from the Kennebec.
Notwithstanding this announcement, six Hurons (among whom were Joseph and
Stanislas Vincent) claimed with loud cries the right to accompany the
Canadian _Voltigeurs_, commanded by the Colonel.
At Châteauguay, where 300 Canadians so gloriously repelled 7,000 invaders,
the brothers Vincent swam across the river to capture and make prisoners,
the flying Yankees.
These swarthy warriors had but a faint idea of what military discipline
meant, and thinking that, the battle being over, they could return to
Lorette, left accordingly. This was a flagrant case of desertion. Nothing
short of the brave Colonel's earnest entreaties, sufficed to procure a
pardon for the redskins. A letter was written to Col. De Salaberry by his
father, late M.P. for the county, on this subject; it has been preserved.
The Hurons attended at Beauport at the unveiling of the monument of De
Salaberry on the 27th of June, 1880, and subscribed bountifully to the
building fund.
What with war medals, clothing, ammunition, fertile lands specially
reserved at Lorette, on the Restigouche, at Nouvelle, Isle Verte,
Caughnawaga, St. Regis, &c., the "untutored savage," shielded by a
beneficent legislation, watched over by zealous missionaries, was at times
an object of envy to his white brethren. Age or infirmity, seldom war,
tore him away from this vale of sorrow, to join the great Indian
"majority" in those happy hunting grounds promised to him by his Sachems.
The Hurons were ever ready to parade their paint, feathers, and tomahawks,
at the arrival of every new Governor at Quebec, and to assure Ononthio,
[319] of their undying attachment and unswerving loyalty to their great
father or august mother "who dwells on the other side of the Great Lake."
These traditions have descended even to the time when _Ononthio_ was
merely a Lieutenant-Governor under Confederation. We recollect meeting, in
31st March, 1873, a stately deputation, composed of twenty-three Hurons
from Lorette, returning from Clermont, the country seat of Lieutenant-
Governor Caron, where they had danced the war-dance for the ladies, and
harangued, as follows, the respected Laird of Clermont, just then
appointed Lieutenant-Governor:--
ONONTHIO:--
Aisten tiothi non8a [320] tisohon dekha hiatanonstati deson8a8en-dio
daskemion tesontamai denon8a ation datito8anens tesanonron-h8a nionde,
aon8a deson8a8endio de8a desakatade; a8eti desanon-ronk8anion datito8anens
chia ta skenrale the kiolaoutou8ison tothi chia hiaha a8eti dechienha
totinahiontati desten de sendete ataki atichiai a8eti alatonthara
deskemion ichionthe desten tiodeti aisten orachichiai.
Rev. Prosper _Sa8atonen_. The Memory Man. (Rev. Mr. Vincent, a chief's
son, then _Vicaire_ at Sillery.)
Paul _Tahourenché_, 1st Chief. The Dawn of Day.
Maurice _Agnolin_, 2nd Chief. The Bear.
Francis _Sassennio_. The Victor of Fire.
Gaspard _Ondiaralethe_. The Canoe Bearer.
Philippe _Theon8atlasta_. He stands upright.
Joseph Gonzague _Odt'o rohann_. He who does not forget.
Paul Jr. _Theianontakhen_. Two United Mountains.
Honoré _Telanontouohe_. The Sentry.
A. N. Montpetit _Ahatsistari_. The Fearless Man.--And others, in
all 23 warriors.
[_Translation._]
"The chiefs, the warriors, the women and children of our tribe, greet you.
The man of the woods also likes to render homage to merit: he loves to see
in his chiefs those precious qualities which constitute the statesman.
"All these gifts of the Great Spirit, wisdom in council, prudence in
execution, and that sagacity we exact in the Captains of our nation, you
possess them all in an eminent degree.
"We warmly applaud your appointment to the exalted post of Lieutenant-
Governor of the Province of Quebec, and feel happy in taking advantage of
the occasion to present our congratulations.
"May we also be allowed to renew the assurance of our devotion towards our
august Mother, who dwells on the other side of the Great Lake, as well as
to the land of our forefathers.
"Accept for you, for Mrs. Caron and your family, our best wishes."
_CHÂTEAU BIGOT._
ITS HISTORY AND ROMANCE.
"Ensconced 'mid trees this château stood
'Mid flowers each aisle and porch;
At eve soft music charmed the ear
High blazed the festive torch.
But, ah! a sad and mournful tale
Was hers who so enjoyed
The transient bliss of these fair shades
By youth and love decoyed,
Her lord was true--yet he was false,
False--false--as sin and hell
To former plights and vows he gave
To one that loved him well."
_The Hermitage._
From time immemorial an antique and crumbling ruin, standing in solitary
loneliness, in the centre of a clearing at the foot of the Charlesbourg
mountain, some five miles from Quebec, has been visited by the young and
the curious. It was once a two story stone building, with ponderous walls.
In length it is fifty-five feet by thirty-five feet broad--pierced for six
windows in each story, with a well-proportioned door, in the centre. In
1843, at the date of my first visit, the floor of the second story was yet
tolerably strong: I ascended to it by a rickety, old staircase. The ruin
was sketched in 1858, by Col. Benj. Lossing, and reproduced in _Harper's
Magazine_ for January, 1859. The lofty mountain to the north-west of it
is called _La Montagne des Ormes_; for more than a century, the
Charlesbourg peasantry designate the ruin as _La Maison de la Montagne_.
The English have christened it the _Hermitage_, whilst to the French
portion of the population, it is known as Château-Bigot, or Beaumanoir;
and truly, were it not on account of the associations which surround the
time-worn pile, few would take the trouble to go and look at the dreary
object.
The land on which it stands was formerly included in the _Fief de la
Trinité_ granted between 1640 and 1650 to Monsieur Denis, a gentleman
from La Rochelle, in France, the ancestor of the numerous clans of Denis,
Denis de la Ronde, Denis de Vitré, &c. The seigniory was subsequently sold
to Monseigneur de Laval, a descendant of the Montmorency's, who founded in
1663 the Seminary of Quebec, and one of the most illustrious prelates in
New France, the portion towards the Mountain was dismembered. When the
Intendant Talon formed his Baronie Des Islets [321] he annexed to it
certain lands of the _Fief de la Trinité_, amongst others that part
on which now stands the remains of the old château, of which he seems to
have been the builder, but which he subsequently sold. Bigot having
acquired it long after, enlarged and improved it very much. He was a
luxurious French gentleman, who, more than one hundred years ago, held the
exalted post of Intendant or Administrator under the French Crown, in
Canada. [322] In those days the forests which skirted the city were
abundantly stocked with game: deer, of several varieties, bears, foxes,
perhaps even that noble and lordly animal, now extinct in eastern Canada,
the Canadian stag, or Wapiti, roamed in herds over the Laurentian chain of
mountains, and were shot within a few miles of the Château St. Louis. This
may have been one of the chief reasons why the French Lucullus erected the
little _château_, which to this day bears his name--a resting place for
himself and friends after the chase. The profound seclusion of the spot,
combined with its beautiful scenery, would have rendered it attractive
during the summer months, even without the sweet repose it had in store
for a tired hunter. Tradition ascribes to it other purposes, and
amusements less permissible than those of the chase. A tragical occurrence
enshrines the old building with a tinge of mystery which the pen of the
novelist has woven into a thrilling romance.
François Bigot, thirteenth and last Intendant of the Kings of France in
Canada, was born in the Province of Guienne, and descended of a family
distinguished by professional eminence at the French bar. His commission
bears date "10th June, 1747." The Intendant had the charge of four
departments: Justice, Police, Finance and Marine. He had previously filled
the post of Intendant in Louisiana, and also at Louisburg. The
disaffection and revolt caused by his rapacity in that city, were mainly
instrumental in producing its downfall and surrender to the English
commander, Pepperell, in 1745. Living at a time when tainted morals and
official corruption ruled at court, he seems to have taken his standard of
morality from the mother country; his malversations in office, his
extensive frauds on the treasury, more than £400,000; his colossal
speculations in provisions and commissariat supplies furnished by the
French government to the colonists during a famine; his dissolute conduct
and final downfall, are fruitful themes wherefrom the historian can draw
wholesome lessons for all generations. Whether his Charlesbourg (then
called Bourg Royal) castle was used as the receptacle of some of his most
valuable booty, or whether it was merely a kind of Lilliputian _Parc au
Cerfs_, such as his royal master had, tradition does not say. It would
appear, however, that it was kept up by the plunder wrung from sorrowing
colonists, and that the large profits he made by paring from the scanty
pittance the French government allowed the starving residents, were here
lavished in gambling, riot and luxury.
In May, 1757, the population of Quebec was reduced to subsist on four
ounces of bread per diem, one lb. of beef, HORSE-FLESH or CODFISH; and in
April of the following year, the miserable allowance was reduced to one
half. "At this time," remarks our historian, Garneau, "famished men were
seen sinking to the earth in the street from exhaustion."
Such were the times during which Louis XV.'s minion would retire to his
Sardanapalian retreat, to gorge himself at leisure on the life blood of
the Canadian people, whose welfare he had sworn to watch over! Such, the
doings in the colony in the days of La Pompadour. The results of this
misrule were soon apparent: _the British lion placed his paw on the
coveted morsel_. The loss of Canada was viewed, if not by the nation,
at least by the French Court, with indifference, to use the terms of one
of Her Britannic Majesty's ministers, when its fate and possible loss were
canvassed one century later in the British Parliament, "without
apprehension or regret." Voltaire gave his friends a banquet at Ferney, in
commemoration of the event; the court favourite congratulated His Majesty,
that since he had got rid of these "fifteen hundred leagues of frozen
country," he had now a chance of sleeping in peace; the minister Choiseul
urged Louis XV. to sign the final treaty of 1763, saying that Canada would
be _un embarras_ to the English, and that if they were wise they
would have nothing to do with it. In the meantime the red cross of St.
George was waving over the battlements on which the lily-spangled banner
of the Bourbons had proudly sat with but one interruption for one hundred
and fifty years, the infamous Bigot was provisionally consigned to a
dungeon in the Bastille--subsequently tried and exiled to Bordeaux; his
property was confiscated, whilst his confederates and abettors, such as
Varin, Bréard, Maurin, Corpron, Martel, Estèbe and others, were also tried
and punished by fine, imprisonment and confiscation: one Penisseault, a
government clerk (a butcher's son by birth), who had married in the
colony, but whose pretty wife accompanied the Chevalier de Lévis on his
return to France, seems to have fared better than the rest.
But to revert to the château walls as I saw them on the 4th of June, 1863.
During a ramble with an English friend through the woods, which gave us an
opportunity of providing ourselves with wild flowers to strew over the
tomb of its fair "Rosamond," [323] such as the marsh marigold, clintonia,
uvularia, the star flower, veronica, kalmia, trillium, and Canadian
violets, we unexpectedly struck on the old ruin. One of the first things
that attracted our notice was the singularly corroding effect the easterly
wind has on stone and mortar in Canada; the east gable being indented and
much more eaten away than that exposed to the western blast. Of the
original structure nothing is left now standing but the two gables and the
division walls; they are all three of great thickness; certainly no modern
house is built in the manner this seems to have been. It had two stories,
with rooms in the attic, and deep cellars; a communication existed from
one cellar to the other through the division wall. There is also visible a
very small door cut through the cellar wall of the west gable; it leads to
a vaulted apartment of some eight feet square; the small mound of masonry
which covered it might originally have been effectually hidden from view
by a plantation of trees over it. What could this have been built for,
asked my romantic friend? Was it intended to secure some of the
Intendant's plate or other portion of his ill-gotten treasure? Or else as
the Abbé Ferland suggests: [324] "Was it to store the fruity old Port and
sparkling Moselle of the club of the Barons, who held their jovial
meetings there about the beginning of this century?" Was it his
mistresses' secret _boudoir_ when the Intendant's lady visited the
château, like the Woodstock tower to which Royal Henry picked his way
through "Love's Ladder?" _Quien sabe?_ Who can unravel the mystery?
It may have served for the foundation of the tower which existed when Mr.
Papineau visited and described the place fifty years ago. The heavy cedar
rafters, more than one hundred years old, are to this day sound: one has
been broken by the fall, probably of some heavy stones. There are several
indentures in the walls for fire-places, which are built of cut masonry;
from the angle of one a song sparrow flew out uttering an anxious note. We
searched and discovered the bird's nest, with five spotted, dusky eggs in
it. How strange! in the midst of ruin and decay, the sweet tokens of hope,
love and harmony! What cared the child of song if her innocent offspring
were reared amidst these mouldering relics of the past, mayhap a guilty
past? Could she not teach them to warble sweetly, even from the roof which
echoed the dying sighs of the Algonquin maid? Red alder trees grew rank
and vigorous amongst the disjointed masonry, which had crumbled from the
walls into the cellar; no trace existed of the wooden staircase mentioned
by Mr. Papineau; the timber of the roof had rotted away or been used for
camp fires by those who frequent and fish the elfish stream which winds
its way over a pebbly ledge towards Beauport. It is well stocked with
small trout, which seem to breed in great numbers in the dam near the
Château--a stream, did we say?
"A hidden brook,
In the leafy mouth of June,
That to the sleeping woods all night
Singeth a quiet tune"
"Enough! enough! cried my poetic companion. The fate of the fair maid, the
song of birds, the rustling of groves, the murmur of yonder brook,--does
not all this remind you of the accents of our laurel-crowned poet, he who
sang of Claribel?"
Those who wish to visit the Hermitage, are strongly advised to take the
cart-road which leads easterly from the Charlesbourg church, turning up.
Pedestrians prefer the route through the fields; they may, in this case,
leave their vehicle at Gaspard Huot's boarding-house--a little higher than
the church at Charlesbourg,--and then walk through the fields, skirting,
during the greater part of the road, the trout stream I have previously
mentioned; but by all means _let them take a guide_ with them.
Let us now translate and condense, from the interesting narrative of a
visit paid to the Hermitage in 1831, by Mr. Amédée Papineau and his
talented father, the Hon. Louis Joseph Papineau, the legend which attaches
to it:
CAROLINE, OR THE ALGONQUIN MAID.
(BY AMÉDÉE PAPINEAU.)
"We drove, my father and I, with our vehicle to the foot of the
mountain, and there, took a foot-path which led us through a dense
wood. We encountered and crossed a rivulet, and then ascended a
plateau cleared of wood, a most enchanting place; behind us and on our
right was a thick forest: on our left the eye rested on boundless
green fields, diversified [325] with golden harvests and with the neat
white cottages of the peasantry. In the distance was visible the broad
and placid waters of the St. Lawrence, at the foot of the citadel of
Quebec, and also the shining cupolas and tin roofs of the city houses;
in front of us, a confused mass of ruins, crenelated walls embedded in
moss and rank grass, together with a tower half destroyed, beams, and
the mouldering remains of a roof. After viewing the _tout ensemble_,
we attentively examined each portion in detail--every fragment was
interesting to us; we with difficulty made our way over the wall,
ascending the upper stories by a staircase which creaked and trembled
under our weight. With the assistance of a lighted candle we
penetrated into the damp and cavernous cellars, carefully exploring
every nook and corner, listening to the sound of our own footsteps,
and occasionally startled by the rustling of bats which we disturbed
in their dismal retreat. I was young, and consequently very
impressionable. I had just left college; these extraordinary sounds
and objects would at times make me feel very uneasy. I pressed close
to my father and dared scarcely breathe; the remembrance of this
subterranean exploration will not easily be forgotten. What were my
sensations when I saw a tombstone, the reader can imagine? 'Here we
are at last,' exclaimed my father and echo repeated his words.
Carefully did we view this monument; presently we detected the letter
'C,' nearly obliterated by the action of time; after remaining there a
few moments, to my unspeakable delight we made our exit from the
chamber of death, and stepping over the ruins, we again alighted on
the green sward. Evidently where we stood had formerly been a garden;
we could still make out the avenues, the walks and plots, over which
plum, lilac and apple trees grew wild.
"I had not yet uttered a word, but my curiosity getting the better of
my fear, I demanded an explanation of this mysterious tombstone. My
father beckoned me towards a shady old maple; we both sat on the turf,
and he then told me as follows:--You have, no doubt, my son, heard of
a French Intendant, of the name of Bigot, who had charge of the public
funds in Canada somewhere about the year 1757; you have also read how
he squandered these moneys and how his Christian Majesty had him sent
to the Bastille when he returned to France, and had his property
confiscated. All this you know. I shall now tell you what, probably,
you do not know. This Intendant attempted to lead in Canada the same
dissolute life which the old _noblesse_ led in France before the
Revolution had _levelled_ all classes. He it was who built this
country seat, of which you now contemplate the ruins. Here he came to
seek relaxation from the cares of office; here he prepared
entertainments to which the rank and fashion of Quebec, including the
Governor General, eagerly flocked; nothing was wanting to complete the
_éclat_ of this _little_ Versailles. Hunting was a favorite pastime of
our ancestors, and Bigot was a mighty hunter. As active as a chamois,
as daring as a lion was this indefatigable Nimrod, in the pursuit of
bears and moose.
"On one occasion, when tracking with some sporting friends an old bear
whom he had wounded, he was led over mountainous ridges and ravines
very far from the castle. Nothing could restrain him; on he went in
advance of every one, until the bloody trail brought him on the
wounded animal, which he soon dispatched.
"During the chase the sun had gradually sunk over the western hills;
the shades of evening were fast descending; how was the lord of the
manor to find his way back? he was alone in a thick forest; in this
emergency his heart did not fail him,--he hoped by the light of the
moon to be able to return to his stray companions. Wearily he walked
on, ascending once or twice a lofty tree, in order to see further, but
all in vain; soon the unpleasant conviction dawned on him that like
others in similar cases, he had been walking round a circle. Worn out
and exhausted with fatigue and hunger, he sat down to ponder on what
course he should adopt. The Queen of night, at that moment shedding
her silvery rays around, only helped to show the hunter how hopeless
was his present position. Amidst these mournful reflections, his ear
was startled by the sound of footsteps close by; his spirits rose at
the prospect of help being at hand; soon he perceived the outlines of
a moving white object. Was it a phantom which his disordered
imagination had conjured up; terrified he seized his trusty gun and
was in the act of firing, when the apparition, rapidly advancing
toward him, assumed quite a human form; a little figure stood before
him with eyes as black as night, and raven tresses flowing to the
night wind; a spotless garment enveloped in its ample folds this airy
and graceful spectre. Was it a sylph, the spirit of the wilderness?
Was it Diana, the goddess of the chase, favoring one of her most
ardent votaries with a glimpse of her form divine? It was neither. It
was an Algonquin beauty, one of those ideal types whose white skin
betray their hybrid origin--a mixture of European blood with that of
the aboriginal races. It was Caroline, a child of love, born on the
shores of the great Ottawa river; a French officer was her sire, and
the powerful Algonquin tribe of the Beaver claimed her mother.
"The Canadian Nimrod, struck at the sight of such extraordinary
beauty, asked her name, and after relating his adventure, he begged of
her to shew him the way to the castle in the neighborhood, as she must
be familiar with every path in the forest. Such is the story told of
the first meeting between the Indian beauty and the Canadian Minister
of Finance and Feudal Judge in the year 175--.
"The Intendant was a married man; [326] his lady resided in the
capital of Canada. She seldom accompanied her husband on his hunting
excursions, but soon it was whispered that something more than the
pursuit of wild animals attracted him to his country seat; an intrigue
with an Indian beauty was hinted at. These discreditable rumors came
to the ears of her ladyship; she made several visits to the castle in
hopes of verifying her worst fears; jealousy is a watchful sentinel.
"The Intendant's dormitory was on the ground floor of the building; it
is supposed the Indian girl occupied a secret apartment on the flat
above; that her boudoir was reached through a long narrow passage,
ending with a hidden staircase opening on the large room which
overlooked the garden.
"The King, therefore, for his defence
Against the furious Queen,
At Woodstock builded such a bower,
As never yet was seen.
Most curiously that bower was built,
Of stone and timber strong."
(Ballad of Fair Rosamond.)
"Let us now see what took place on this identical spot on the 2nd
July, 176--. It is night; the hall clock has just struck eleven; the
murmur of the neighboring brook, gently wafted on the night wind, is
scarcely audible; the Song Sparrow [327] has nearly finished his
evening hymn, while the _Sweet Canada_ [328] bird, from the top
of an old pine, merrily peals forth his shrill clarion. Silence the
most profound pervades the whole castle; every light is extinguished;
the pale rays of the moon slumber softly on the oak floor, reflected
as they are through the gothic windows; every inmate is wrapped in
sleep, even fair Rosamond who has just retired. Suddenly her door is
violently thrust open; a masked person, with one bound rushes to her
bed-side, and without saying a word, plunges a dagger to the hilt in
her breast. Uttering a piercing shriek, the victim springs in the air
and falls heavily on the floor. The Intendant, hearing the noise,
hurries up stairs, raises the unhappy girl who has just time to point
to the fatal weapon, still in the wound, and then falls back in his
arms a lifeless corpse. The whole household are soon on foot; search
is made for the murderer, but no clue is discovered. Some of the
inmates fancied they had seen the figure of a woman rush down the
secret stair and disappear in the woods about the time the murder took
place. A variety of stories were circulated, some pretended to trace
the crime to the Intendant's wife, whilst others alleged that the
avenging mother of the creole was the assassin; some again urged that
Caroline's father had attempted to wipe off the stain on the honour of
his tribe, by himself despatching his erring child. A profound mystery
to this day surrounds the whole transaction. Caroline was buried in
the cellar of the castle, and the letter 'C' engraved on her
tombstone, which, my son, you have just seen."
Half a century has now elapsed since the period mentioned in this
narrative. In vain do we search for several of the leading characteristics
on which Mr. Papineau descants so eloquently; time, the great destroyer,
has obliterated many traces. Nothing meets one's view but mouldering
walls, over which green moss and rank weeds cluster profusely.
Unmistakable indications of a former garden there certainly are, such as
the outlines of walks over which French cherry, apple and gooseberry trees
grow in wild luxuriance. I took home from the ruins a piece of bone; this
decayed piece of mortality may have formed part of Caroline's big toe, for
aught I can establish to the contrary; Château-Bigot brought back to my
mind other remembrances of the past. I recollected reading that pending
the panic consequent on the surrender of Quebec in 1759, the non-
combatants of the city crowded within its walls; this time not to
realized, but to seek concealment until Mars had inscribed another victory
on the British flag. Who would be prepared to swear that later, when
Arnold and Montgomery had possession of the environs of Quebec, during the
greater portion of the winter, of 1775-6, some of those prudent English
merchants, (Adam Lymburner at their head), who awaited at Charlesbourg and
Beauport the issue of the contest, did not take a quiet drive, to Château-
Bigot, were it only to indulge in a philosophical disquisition on the
mutability of human events?
We are indebted to Mr. John D. Stewart of Quebec for a copy of the
following letter from his grandfather, written in 1776, from the Château.
(Mr. Charles Stewart, father of the late Mr. Charles Grey Stewart,
Comptroller of Customs, to his father.)
"HERMITAGE, June 25th, 1776.
"MY DEAR FATHER,--I was overjoyed to hear by a letter from Mr. Gray,
that you and my dear mother were in good health. Nothing can give me
greater pleasure than to hear so. I was very sorry to hear that my
sister had been ill. I hope she is now getting better.
We have been here for this winter in a very dismal situation. The
rebels came here and blocked up the town of Quebec, at the end of
November. I had been not at all well for two months previous, and at
that time had not got better with a pain which obliged me to stay in
the country, where I had been all the summer, although greatly against
my inclination. I was allowed to remain peaceably by the rebels, until
the middle of January, when I was taken and carried with sword and
(fixed) bayonets before their general; the reason why, was, that after
their attack upon the town on the 31st December, the Yankees were
obliged to demand assistance of the country people to join them. I had
spoken and done what I could to hinder the people of the village where
I resided from going and taking arms with them. This came to light,
and I was told at their head-quarters their general, one Arnold, a
horse jockey or shipmaster, who then had the command, threatened to
send me over to the (New England) colonies. After being detained a ...
and two days, Arnold asked me, if he had not seen me before in Quebec.
I said he had, and put him in remembrance of having once dined with
him; upon which he said, on condition that I gave my word of honour
not to meddle in the matter, he would allow me to go away. I told him
the inhabitants were a parcel of scoundrels, and beyond a gentleman's
notice; upon this I got off, and remained for upwards of two months
without molestation, till the tracks of persons going to town from
Beauport had been observed; the country people immediately suspected
me, and came with drawn cutlasses to take me; luckily I was from home,
having gone two days before about fifteen miles to see an
acquaintance, and when I got back they had found out who had gone in
(to town). The ill-nature of the peasants to me made me very uneasy on
account of all the papers I had of Mr. Gray's, and dreading their
malice much, I determined to go from them. I found out a place about
five miles up amongst the woods, the Hermitage which being vacant I
immediately retired to it, and carried all my papers with me. Mr.
Peter Stewart had gone from his house in Beauport, down with his
family to the Posts, and gave me the charge of it, and having heard
that they (the Yankees) were going to put 150 men in it, I sent all
his furniture, &c., to the house I had taken, so that I had my house
all furnished; this was in the beginning of March; since which I have
remained there. The people who left the town in the fall have not been
allowed to go back. A Mr. Vi... one of the most considerable
merchants, went in immediately after the 6th of May, (the day when the
town people made a sally with about 900 men in all, who drove nigh
3000 of the Yankees from their camp, and relieved the town) and was
sent to prison and kept several days. Major John Nairn was so obliging
as to come out 8 or 9 days after that affair to see me; he asked me
why I had not been in town. I told him the reason; I had got no pass.
The next day he sent me one; except another, this is the only one
which had been granted by the Governor as yet, and it is thought some
won't be allowed to go in this summer, why, I cannot say. Every person
had liberty to leave or stay by a proclamation for that purpose, but
as it is military law, no person dare say it is wrong
I am going now again to remain in town, having now learned a little of
the French. I understand every word almost that is said, although I
cannot speak it as well; however I could wish that my brother John
knew as much of it. I three days ago wrote him they were gone to
Halifax, but am told they are to go from there to New York soon....
I am at present studying a little of the French law. If I do not make
use it, it will do me no harm. I expect you have had letters from my
brother Andrew....
I wish you would send me your vouchers of all your Jamaica debts I
could go easily from here to there. If I cannot get money I can get
rum, which sells and will sell, at a great price in this place. I can
only stay there a few months."
Nor must we forget the jolly pic-nics the barons held there some eighty
years ago. [329]
On quitting these silent halls, from which the light of other days had
departed, and from whence the voice of revelry seems to have fled forever,
I re-crossed the little brook, already mentioned, musing on the past. The
solitude which surrounds the dwelling and the tomb of the dark-haired
child of the wilderness, involuntarily brought to mind that beautiful
passage of Ossian, [330] relating to the daughter of Reuthamir, the
"white-bosomed" Moina:--"I have seen the walls of Balclutha, but they
were desolate. The fire had resounded in the halls, and the voice of the
people is heard no more. The thistle shook there its lonely head; the moss
whistled to the wind. The fox looked out of the windows, the rank grass of
the wall waved round its head. Desolate is the dwelling of Moina, silence
is in the house.... Raise the, song of mourning, O bards! over the land of
strangers. They have but fallen before us: for one day, we must fall."
L'INTENDANT BIGOT--ROMANCE CANADIENNE.
PAR JOS. MARMETTE.
After perusing the Legend of _Caroline, the Algonquin Maid_, the lover of
Canadian story, can find a more artistically woven plot in one of Mr.
Marmette's historical novels L'Intendant Bigot. The following passage
is from a short critique we recently published thereon:
"It is within the portals of Beaumanoir (Château-Bigot) that several
of the most thrilling scenes in Mr. Marmette's novel are supposed to
have taken place. A worthy veteran of noble birth, M. de Rochebrune,
had died in Quebec through neglect and hunger, on the very steps of
Bigot's luxurious palace, then facing the St Charles, leaving an only
daughter, as virtuous as she was beautiful. One day, whilst returning
through the fields (where St. Rochs has since been built) from
visiting a nun in the General Hospital, she was unexpectedly seized by
a strong arm and thrown on a swift horse, whose rider never stopped
until he had deposited his victim at Bigot's country seat,
Charlesbourg. The name of this cold-blooded villain was Soumois. He
was a minion of the mighty and unscrupulous Bigot. Mdlle. de
Rochebrune had a lover. A dashing young French officer was Raoul de
Beaulac. Maddened with love and rage he closely watched Bigot's
movements in the city, and determined to repossess his treasure, it
mattered not, at what sacrifice. Bigot's was a difficult game to play.
He had a _liaison_ with one of the most fascinating and fashionable
married ladies of Quebec, and was thus prevented from hastening to see
the fair prey awaiting him at Beaumanoir. Raoul played a bold game,
and calling jealousy to his help, he went and confided the deed to
Madame Pean, Bigot's fair charmer, entreating her immediate
interference, and after some hairbreadth escapes, arrived at the
Château with her just in time to save Mdlle de Rochebrune from
dishonor.
Madame Pean was returning to the city with Mdlle de Rochebrune and
Raoul, when on driving past the walls of the Intendant's palace, close
to the spot where Desfosses street now begins, her carriage was
attacked by a band of armed men--a reconnoitering party from Wolfe's
fleet, anchored at Montmorency. A scuffle ensued, shots were fired,
and some of the assailants killed; but in the _mêlée_ Mdlle. de
Rochebrune was seized and hurried into the English boat commanded by
one Capt. Brown. During the remainder of the summer the Canadian maid,
treated with every species of respect, remained a prisoner on board
the admiral's ship. (It is singular that Admiral Durell, whose beloved
young son was at the time a prisoner of war at Three Rivers, did not
propose an exchange of prisoners.) In the darkness and confusion which
attended the disembarking of Wolfe's army on the night of the 12th of
September, 1759, at Sillery, Mdlle. de Rochebrune slipped down the
side of the vessel, and getting into one of the smaller boats, drifted
ashore with the tide, and landed at Cap Rouge, just as her lover
Raoul, who was a Lieutenant in La Roche-Beaucour's Cavalry was
patrolling the heights of Sillery. Overpowered with joy, she rode
behind him back to the city, and left him on nearing her home; but, to
her horror, she spied dodging her footsteps her arch enemy the
Intendant, and fell down in a species of fit, which turned out to be
catalepsy. This furnishes, of course, a very moving _tableau_. The
fair girl---supposed to be dead---was laid out in her shroud, when
Raoul, during the confusion of that terrible day for French Rule, the
13th September, calling to see her, finds her a corpse just ready for
interment. Fortunately for the heroine, a bombshell forgotten in the
yard, all at once and in the nick of time igniting, explodes,
shattering the tenement in fragments. The concussion recalls Mdlle. de
Rochebrune to life; a happy marriage soon after ensues. The chief
character in the novel, the Intendant sails shortly after for France,
where he was imprisoned, as history states, in the Bastile, during
fifteen months, and his ill-gotten gains confiscated. All this, with
the exception of Mdlle. de Rochebrune's career, is strictly
historical."
_THE FALLS OF THE CHAUDIÈRE_.
A tourist of a cultured mind and familiar with classic lore, standing on
the lofty brow of the _Chaudière_, might, without any peculiar flights of
imagination, fancy he beholds around him a solitary dell of that lovely
TEMPE immortalized in song:
"Est nemos Haemoniae, praerupta quod undique claudit
Silva; vocant Tempe; per quae Peneus ab imo
Effusus Pindo, spumosis volvitur undis,
Dejectuque gravi tenues agitantia fumos
Nubila conducit, sommasque aspergine silvas
Impluit, et sonitu plus quam vicina fatigat."
_Ovid Met_. I--568.
The Falls of the _Chaudière_, in their chief features, differ entirely
from the majestic cascade of Montmorency.
"To a person who desires nothing more than the primary and sudden electric
feeling of an overpowering and rapturous surprise, the cascade of
Montmorency would certainly be preferable, but to the visitor, whose
understanding and sensibilities are animated by an infusion of antiquated
romance, the Falls of the _Chaudière_ would be more attractive." [331]
This favourite resort of tourists is accessible by two modes of travel. We
would assuredly advise visitors, both on account of the striking objects
to be met with, to select the water route, going the land route on their
return; a small steamer plies daily, for a 10 cent fare, at stated hours,
from the Lower Town market place, touching at Sillery and skirting the
dark frowning cliffs of Cape Diamond, amidst the shipping, affording a
unique view of the mural-crowned city. After stopping five minutes at the
Sillery wharf, the steamer crosses over and lands its passengers nearly
opposite the R. C. Church of St. Romuald, which, with its frescoed ceiling
and ornate interior is one of the handsomest temples of worship round
Quebec. Vehicles are abundant at Levi and at St. Romuald; an hour's drive
will land the tourist on the weird and romantic brink of the
_Chaudière_, either by following the lower road on the beach, skirting the
adjoining highland, or taking the road on the heights.
"Although yielding in grandeur to Niagara and Montmorency, it possesses
features more interesting than either. The river, in its course of one
hundred miles over a rugged bed, full of rapids and falls, is here
narrowed to a width of between three hundred and four hundred feet, and is
precipitated over a height of about one hundred and thirty feet,
preserving the characteristic features of its _boiling_ waters, till
it mingles with the St. Lawrence. Hence it has received the appropriate
name of _Chaudière_ or _Caldron_. Instead of descending in one continuous
sheet, it is divided by large projecting rocks into three channels or
cataracts, which, however, unite before reaching the basin below. A
globular figure is imparted to the descending volumes of brilliant white
foam, in consequence of the deep excavations of the rocks, and the clouds
of spray produce in the sunshine a brilliant variety of prismatic colours.
The dark-green foliage of the dense forests that overhang the torrent on
both sides, forms a striking contrast with its snow-white foam.
"The wild diversity of rocks, the foliage of the overhanging woods, the
rapid motion, the effulgent brightness and the--deeply solemn sound of the
cataracts, all combine to present a rich assemblage of objects highly
attractive, especially when the visitor, emerging from the wood, is
instantaneously surprised by the delightful scene. Below, the view is
greatly changed, and the falls produce an additionally strong and vivid
impression.
"If strangers view the Falls from one side of the river only, the prospect
from the eastern shore is recommended as preferable.
"The Falls of Montmorency are not immediately surrounded by any rugged
scenery, calculated to strengthen and perpetuate the peculiar emotion
which is excited by the first glimpse of the cascade, but the dreary
wildness in the foliage of the encircling forest, the total absence of
every vestige of human improvement, and the tumultuous waves and commotion
and effulgence that incessantly occupy the mind and rivet the senses of
the beholder in the survey of the _Chaudière_, conjoined with the wider
expansion and larger quantity of water in the stream, in the opinion
of many visitors more than compensate for the greater elevation from which
the waters of the Montmorency are precipitated."
On returning to the town of Levi, the tourist, taking the upper road, may
visit the Falls of Etchemin, where have existed for close on a century,
the extensive saw mills of Sir John Caldwell. They are now owned by Henry
Atkinson, Esq.
APPENDIX
[See p. 4.]
_JACQUES CARTIER'S OFFICERS AND CREW._
_Liste de l'Équipage_ de Jacques Cartier, conservée dans les archives
de St. Malo, France--revue avec soin sur le _fac-similé_ par C. H.
Laverdière, Ptre., Bibliothécaire de l'Université Laval, 22 novembre,
1859.
Jacques Cartier, capne.
Thomas Fourmont, Me. de la nef.
Guille. Le breton Bastille, capne. et pilote du Galion.
Jacq. Maingar, me. du Galion.
Marc Jalobert, capne. et pilote du Courlieu.
Guille. de Marié, me. de Courlieu.
Laurent Boulain.
Estienne Nouel.
Pierre Esmery dict Talbot.
Michel Herué.
Estienne Reumevel.
Michel Audiepore.
Bertrande Samboste.
Richard Lebay, Faucamps.
Lucas père Sr., ou Lucas Jacq, Sr., Fammys.
François Guiteault, Apoticaire.
Georges Mabille.
Guillme. Sequart, charpentier.
Robin Le Fort.
Samson Ripault, barbier.
Françoys Guillet.
Guillme. Esnault, charpentier.
Jehan Dabin, charpentier.
Jehan Duuert.
Julien Golet.
Thomas Boulain.
Michel Philipot.
Jehan Hamel.
Jehan Fleury.
Guille. Guilbert.
Colas Barbe.
Laurens Gaillot.
Guille. Bochier.
Michel Eon.
Jean Anthoine.
Michel Maingard.
Jehan Margen.
Bertrand Apuril.
Giles Staffin.
Geoffrey Olliuier.
Guille. de Guernezé
Eustache Grossin.
Guillme. Allierte.
Jehan Ravy.
Pierres Marquier, trompet.
Guille. Legentilhomme.
Raoullet Maingard.
Françoys Duault.
Herué Henry.
Yvon Legal.
Anthoine Alierte.
Jehan Colas.
Jacq Poinsault.
Dom Guille. Le Breton.
Dom Antoine.
Philipe Thomas, charpentier.
Jacq. Duboys.
Julien Plantiruet.
Jehan Go.
Jehan Legentilhomme.
Michel Douquais, charpentier.
Jehan Aismery, charpentier.
Pierre Maingart.
Lucas Clauier.
Goulset Riou.
Jehan Jacq. de Morbihan.
Pierre Nyel.
Legendre Estienne Leblanc.
Jehan Pierres.
Jehan Commuyres.
Anthoine Desgranches.
Louys Donayrer.
Pierre Coupeaulx.
Pierres Jonchée.
_74 signatures; the subsequent seven signatures were added in the answer
to the Quebec Prize Historical Questions, submitted in_ 1879.
Jean Gouyon.
Charles Gaillot.
Claude de Pontbrians.
Charles de la Pommeraye.
Jean Poullet.
Philippe Rougemont.
De Goyelle.
"_JACQUES QUARTIER, THE PILOT._"
"Gerald, eleventh Earl of Kildare, was born on the 26th of February, 1525.
He was ten years of age at the time of his brother's arrest, and then
lying ill with the small-pox at Donore in the County Kildare. He was
committed to the care of his tutor, Thomas Leverous, who conveyed him in a
large basket into Offaly to his sister, Lady Mary O'Connor. There he
remained until he perfectly recovered. The misfortunes of his family had
excited great sympathy for the boy over the whole of Ireland. This made
the government anxious to have him in their power; and they endeavored
accordingly to induce O'Brien to surrender him to them. About the 5th of
March, 1540, Lady Eleanor O'Donnel, suspecting that it was the intention
of her husband to surrender Gerald to the English Government, resolved to
send him away. She engaged a merchant vessel of St. Malo which happened to
be in Donegal Bay, to convey a small party to the coast of Brittany.
"Bartholomew Warner, an agent of the English Government, sends the
following account of this transaction to Sir John Wallop, the English
Ambassador in France:
"'After ther departing from Yrlande they arryved at Murles (Morlaix) wher,
as he was well receyvyd of the Captayne, whiche leadde him throughe the
towne by the hande, wher he tarryed 3 or 4 days, and strayghtwayes, the
captayne sent word to Monsieur de Chattebriande off ther arrivying ther.
* * * * And from thens they came in the sayde shippe to Saynt Malo, where
he was also well receyvyd of them of the Town, and specially of Jacques
Quartier, the pilot, which your Lordship spake off at my being at
Rouene.'"--_The Earls of Kildare and their Ancestors, from_ 1057 _to_
1773, by the Marquis of Kildare. 3rd edition, pp. 179, 196.
_DISCOVERY OF THE REMAINS OF JACQUES CARTIER'S VESSEL, THE "PETITE
HERMINE."_
(_Note for pages 429-431-455._)
On the 25th of August, 1843, there was much commotion among the
antiquarians of our old city. Mr. Jos. Hamel, the city surveyor, had
thought it proper to call the attention of the Literary and Historical
Society to the remains of a vessel lying at the brook St. Michel, which
falls into the River St. Charles on the north bank about half way between
the General Hospital and old Dorchester Bridge. This vessel was supposed
to be the _Petite Hermine_, one of Jacques Cartier's vessels left by
him at the place where he wintered in 1535-6.
"The existence of this vessel had been known to persons frequenting the
place for a great many years. Part of it, the farthest out in the stream,
had been carried away for firewood or otherwise, and the forepart of the
vessel was covered with clay and earth from the adjoining bank to the
depth of six or seven feet. This was in great part removed, leaving the
keel and part of the planking and ribs visible. The vessel had been built
of large-grained oak, which was mostly in a good state of preservation,
although discolored, and the iron spikes and bolts were still strong. The
bolts in the keel, contrary to the usual practice, had been placed in from
below. This is the spot where Jacques Cartier, is supposed to have
wintered. The tide rises in the entrance of the brook, where the vessel
lies, about six or seven feet. This entrance forms a semi-circular cove,
on each side of which towards the St. Charles, the earth is elevated so as
to have the appearance of a breastwork; the bank to the west of the cove
is about eighteen feet high, and it was then covered with thick brush
which prevented its being fully examined. The distance of the place from
town is about one mile; the road is over the Dorchester Bridge and along
the north bank of the St. Charles."--(_Quebec Gazette_, August 30, 1843).
(_From the Quebec Gazette, 30th August_, 1843.)
"In the last number (August 25th, inst.,) of _Le Canadien_ there is
an article of deep interest to the Canadian antiquarian: The long agitated
question as to the _where_ or _whereabouts_ Jacques Cartier, on his second
voyage from France to this continent spent the winter of 1535-6; whether
at the embouchure of the river bearing his name emptying into the St.
Lawrence some ten or eleven leagues above Quebec, or in the little river
St. Charles to the north of and at the foot of the promontory on which
Quebec is built, is now, it would seem, about to be solved and
satisfactorily set at rest by the recent discovery of the remains of a
vessel, doubtless of European construction, supposed to be those of _La
Petite Hermine_, of about 60 tons burthen, one of the three (_La Grande
Hermine_, _La Petite Hermine_, and _L'Emerillon_), with which on the 19th
of May, 1535, that intrepid navigator left St. Malo.
The article alluded to, which we believe to be the work of the editor
himself (Mr. McDonald) of _Le Canadien_, logically establishes from
Jacques Cartier's narrative that the place of his wintering, or Sainte
Croix, as he named it, can be none other than the little river St.
Charles, as we now call it. "Coasting," says he, "the said island
(Orleans) we found at the upper end of it an expanse of water very
beautiful and pleasant, at which place there is a little river and bar
harbor with two or three fathoms of water, which we found to be a place
suitable for putting our vessels in safety. We called it _Ste. Croix_,
because on that day, (14th September) we arrived there. Near this place
there are natives, whose chief is Donnacona and who lives there, which
place is called Stadaconé," (now Quebec). Cartier observes in another part
of his narrative that _Sainte Croix_ was situate half a league from _and
to the north_ of Quebec. Again, speaking of the residence (Stadacone) of
Donnacona, he says, "_under which high land towards the north_ is the
river and harbour Sainte Croix, at which place we remained from the 15th
of September, to the 16th of May, 1536, where the vessels remained dry."
* * * * *
"We now translate from _Le Canadien_:--'At the invitation of Mr. Jos.
Hamel, City Surveyor, Hon. Wm. Sheppard, the President, and (G. B.)
Faribault, Vice-President of the Literary and Historical Society of
Quebec, went with him on Saturday, the 19th instant, (1843) to visit the
place, and according to the position of the _debris_ of the vessel,
the nature of the wood it is composed of, and the character of the stones
(ballast) they found at the bottom, they were satisfied that all the
probabilities are in favor of Mr. Hamel's hypothesis.
"'On a report of this visit, the Council of the Literary and Historical
Society assembled on Monday last, and resolved on laying open the
_debris_, leaving it to Mr. Faribault, the Vice-President, to make,
with Mr. Hamel, the necessary arrangements for the execution. The members
of the Council having no funds at their disposal, that they can legally
apply to this purpose, have so far carried it on at their own expense.
"'Some valuable evidences of the ancient existence of this vessel have
been gathered. We shall speak of them in giving an account of the
exhumation in progress, under the direction of Messrs. Faribault and
Hamel. All those who can throw any light on the subject, either of their
own knowledge or by what they may have learnt by tradition, are earnestly
solicited to impart the same at the Office of _Le Canadien_.'
"Those gentlemen ought not to be allowed to carry on this work at their
sole expense. The country, the world, are interested in it. This continent
in 1535, from end to end one vast wilderness, the imagination can scarcely
figure to itself a more awful solitude than that in which, during the
winter of 1535-6 Cartier and his faithful followers, amidst savages in an
unknown country, during a Canadian winter, at a thousand leagues from
their native land, were buried in the dreary swamp (for it then must have
been little better) of _Sainte Croix_ now the beautiful valley of the
St. Charles, covered with cheerful cottages and a redundant population.
Look to-day from the Citadel of _Stadaconé_ in all directions north,
south, east, west, than which under heaven, there is not a more splendid
panorama, and think of what it was when Cartier and his comrades first
looked upon it. Contrast his landing on the flinty rock at the base of
Cape Diamond, the 14th September, 1535, and reception by a few gaping
savages, with that of the present Governor-General, Sir Charles Metcalfe;
amidst acclaiming thousands, on the 25th (Aug. 1843)--the manner of
passing a winter at Stadaconé in 1535-6 and at the same place in 1842-3.
What changes have the three centuries wrought! What recollections have
they left! And what changes will not the next three hundred years bring
about? More wonderful probably than those we admire to-day. But come what
may of that which men sometimes call great and glorious, nothing can
obliterate or eclipse the honors justly due to the memory of the
celebrated navigator and his comrades, who first "coasting the said island
(now Orleans) found at the end of it an expanse of water very beautiful
and pleasant, and a little bar harbour," ('hable,' as he calls it,) and
wintered there at about half a league northward of and under the highland
of Stadaconé."
"During the dismal winter Jacques Cartier must have passed in his new
quarters at _Ste. Croix_, he lost, by sickness contracted, it is said,
from the natives, but more probably from scurvy, twenty-five of his
men. This obliged him to abandon one of his three vessels (_La Petite
Hermine_ it is believed) which he left in her winter quarters, returning
with the two others to France. The _locale_ of the _débris_ or remains,
not only corresponds with the description given by Jacques Cartier of Ste.
Croix, but also with the attention and particular care that might be
expected from a skilful commander, in the selection of a safe spot in an
unknown region where never an European had been before him, for wintering
his vessels. They lie in the bottom of a small creek or gulley, known as
the _ruisseau St. Michel_, into which the tides regularly flow, on the
property of Charles Smith, Esq., on the north side of the St. Charles and
at about half a mile following the bends of the river above the site of
the old Dorchester Bridge.--They are a little up the creek at about an
acre from its mouth, and their position (where a sudden or short turn of
the creek renders it next to impossible that she should be forced out of
it by any rush of water in the spring or efforts of the ice,) evinces at
once the precaution and the judgment of the commander in his choice of the
spot. But small portions of her remaining timber (oak) are visible through
the mud, but they are bitumanised and black as ebony, and after reposing
in that spot 307 years, seem, as far as by chopping them with axes or
spades, and probing by iron rods or picks, can be ascertained, sound as
the day they were brought thither. The merit of the discovery belongs to
our fellow townsman, Mr. Joseph Hamel, the City Surveyor."
Quebec, 28th August, 1843.
_"LE CANON DE BRONZE."--THE BRONZE CANNON._
"A few years ago an ancient cannon of peculiar make, and supposed to have
been of Spanish construction, was found in the river St. Lawrence,
opposite the Parish of Champlain, in the District of Three Rivers. It is
now in the Museum of Mr. Chasseur, and will repay the visit of the curious
stranger. The ingenious writer of the Treatise upon this piece of
ordnance, published in the second volume of the TRANSACTIONS of the
Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, has endeavoured to show that it
belonged to Verazzani,--that the latter perished before the second voyage
of Jacques Cartier, either by scurvy or shipwreck, on his way up the river
towards Hochelaga. He also endeavors, with great stretch of fancy, to
explain and account for the pantomime enacted by the Indians in the
presence of Jacques Cartier, in order to dissuade him from proceeding to
Hochelaga so late in the season, by their recollection and allusion to the
death of Verazzani, some nine or ten years before. But if they had really
known anything respecting the fate of this navigator--and it must have
been fresh in their memory, if we recall to mind how comparatively short a
period had elapsed--is it not most likely that they would have found
means, through the two interpreters to communicate it to Cartier? Yet it
appears that the latter never so much as heard of it, either at Hochelai,
now the Richelieu, where he was on friendly terms with the chief of the
village--or at Hochelaga, where it must have been known--or when he
wintered at Ste. Croix, in the little river St. Charles--nor yet when he
passed a second winter at Carouge! The best evidence, however, that the
Indian pantomime had no reference to Verazzani, and to disprove at once
the truth of the tradition respecting his death in any part of the St.
Lawrence, is to show, which we shall do on good authority, that at the
very time when Cartier was passing the winter at Ste. Croix, Verazzani was
actually alive in Italy. From a letter of Annibal Caro, quoted by
Tiraboschi, an author of undoubted reputation, in the Storie della
Literature Italiana, Vol. VII. part I. pp. 261, 462, it is proved that
Verazzani was living in 1537, a year after the pantomime at Ste. Croix!
While on the subject of the Canon de Bronze it may be noted that
Charlevoix mentions also a tradition, that Jacques Cartier himself was
shipwrecked at the mouth of the river called by his name, with the loss of
one of his vessels. From this it has been supposed that the Canon de
Bronze was lost on that occasion; and an erroneous inscription to that
effect has been engraved upon it. In the first place the cannon was not
found at the mouth of the River Jacques Cartier, but opposite the Parish
of Champlain; in the next, no shipwreck was ever suffered by Jacques
Cartier, who wintered in fact at the mouth of the little river St.
Charles. The tradition as to his shipwreck, and to the loss of one of his
vessels, most probably arose from the well known circumstance of his
having returned to France with two ships, instead of three, with which he
left St. Malo. Having lost so many men by scurvy during his first winter
in Canada, he was under the necessity of abandoning one of them, which lay
in the harbour of Ste. Croix. The people of Champlain having possessed
themselves of the old iron to be found on the vessel, it of course soon
fell to pieces, and in process of time arose the tradition that Jacques
Cartier had been shipwrecked. The removal of the scene of his supposed
disaster from the St. Charles to the River Jacques Cartier. was an error
of Charlevoix.
Before we conclude this notice of Verazzani: it may be mentioned, that in
the Strozzi Library at Florence, is preserved a manuscript, in which he is
said to have given with great minuteness, a description of all the
countries which he had visited during his voyage, and from which, says
Tiraboschi, we derive the intelligence, that he had formed the design, in
common with the other navigators of that era, of attempting a passage
through those seas to the East Indies. It is much to be desired, that some
Italian Scholar would favor the world with the publication of this
manuscript of Verazzani."
[_See pages_ 71-72.]
_THE FRENCH WHO REMAINED IN QUEBEC AFTER ITS CAPITULATION TO THE BRITISH
IN 1629._
(_From the Canadian Antiquarian_)
In Canadian annals there is no period veiled deeper in Cimmerian darkness,
than the short era of the occupation of Quebec by the English under Louis
Kirke, extending from the 14th July 1629, to 13th July, 1632. The absence
of diaries, of regular histories, no doubt makes it difficult to
reconstruct, in minute details, the nascent city of 1629. Deep researches,
however, in the English and French archives have recently brought to the
surface many curious incidents. To the Abbé Faillon, who, in addition to
the usual sources of information had access to the archives of the
Propaganda at Rome, the cause of history is deeply indebted, though one
must occasionally regret his partiality towards Montreal which so often
obscures his judgment. Another useful source to draw from for our
historians, will be found in a very recent work on the conquest of Canada
in 1629 by a descendant of Louis Kirke, an Oxford graduate, it is
published in England.
Those who fancy reading the present to the past, will be pleased to meet
in those two last writers a quaint account of the theological feud
agitating the Rock in 1629. Religious controversies were then, as now, the
order of the day. But bluff Commander Kirke had a happy way of getting rid
of bad theology. His Excellency, whose ancestors hailed from France, was a
Huguenot, a staunch believer in John Calvin. Of his trusty garrison of 90
men a goodly portion were calvinists, the rest, however, with the chaplain
of the forces, were disciples of Luther. The squabble, from theology,
degenerated into disloyalty to the constituted authorities, a conspiracy
was hatched to overthrow the Governor's rule and murder Kirke. His
Reverence the Lutheran minister was supposed to be in some way accessory
to the plot, which Kirke found means to suppress with a high hand, and His
Reverence, without the slightest regard to the cut of his coat, was
arrested and detained a prisoner for six months in the Jesuit's residence
on the banks of the St. Charles, near Hare Point, from which he emerged,
let us hope, a wiser, if not a better man. History has failed to disclose
the name of the Lutheran minister.
Elsewhere [332] we have furnished a summary of the French families who
remained in Quebec in 1629, after the departure of Champlain and
capitulation of the place to the British. Students of Canadian history are
indebted to Mr. Stanislas Drapeau, of Ottawa, for a still fuller account,
which we shall take the liberty to translate.
"Over and above the English garrison of Quebec, numbering 90 men, we can
make out that twenty-eight French remained. The inmates of Quebec that
winter amounted to 118 persons, as follows:
1. GUILLAUME HOBOU--Marie Rollet, his wife, widow of the late Louis
Hébert, Guillaume Hébert son of Louis Hébert.
2. GUILLAUME COUILLARD, son-in-law of the late Louis Hébert.--Guillemette
Hébert, his wife, Louise, aged four years, Marguerite, aged three years,
Louis, aged two years, their children.
3. ABRAHAM MARTIN.--Marguerite Langlois, his wife; Anne, aged twenty-five
years; Marguerite, aged five years; Hélène, aged two years, their
children.
4. PIERRE DESPORTES.--Francois Langlois, his wife; Hélène Langlois.
5. NICHOLAS PIVERT.--Marguerite Lesage, his wife; Marguerite Lesage, his
little neice; Adrien du Chesne, Surgeon.
NICOLET; FROIDEMOUCHE; LE COQ., carpenter; PIERRE ROY, of Paris, coach-
builder; ETIENNE BRUSLÉ, of Champigny, interpreter of the Hurons; NICOLAS
MARSOLAIS, of Rouen, interpreter of the Montagnais; GROS JEAN, of Dieppe,
interpreter of the Algonquins.
ENGLISH GARRISON.--Louis Kirke, Commandant and Governor;... Minister of
Religion; Le Baillif, of Amiens, clerk to Kirke; 88 men, officers, and
soldiers."
_THE ARMS OF THE DOMINION._
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES TO THE GOVERNOR GENERAL.
DOWNING STREET, October 14, 1868.
My Lord,--I have the honour to enclose a certified copy of 26th May, Her
Majesty's Warrant of Assignment of 1868, Armorial Bearings for the
Dominion and Provinces of Canada, which has been duly enrolled in Her
Majesty's College of Arms, and I have to request that your Lordship will
take such steps as may be necessary for carrying Her Majesty's gracious
intentions into effect.
I have, &c,
(Signed) BUCKINGHAM AND CHANDOS.
TO THE GOVERNOR, THE RIGHT HON. VISC. MONK, &c., &c.
VICTORIA R.
VICTORIA, by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith, &c.
To our right trusty and well-beloved councillor Edward George Fitzalan
Howard, (commonly called Lord Edward George Fitzalan Howard), deputy to
our right trusty and right entirely beloved cousin, Henry, Duke of
Norfolk, Earl Marshal, and our Hereditary Marshal of England--Greeting:
Whereas, etc,... We were empowered to declare after a certain day therein
appointed, that the Provinces of Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick should
form one Dominion under the name of Canada, etc.,... and after the first
day of July, 1867, the said Provinces should form and be one Dominion
under the name of Canada accordingly.
And forasmuch as it is Our Royal will and pleasure that for the greater
honour and distinction of the said Provinces, certain Armorial Ensigns
should be assigned to them;
Know Ye, therefore, that We, of Our Princely Grace and special favour have
granted and assigned, and by these presents do grant and assign the
Armorial Ensigns following, that is to say:
FOR THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
Vert a sprig of three Leaves of Maple slipped, or on a chief Argent the
Cross of St. George.
FOR THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC
Or on a Fess Gules between two Fluer de Lis in chief Azure, and a sprig of
three Leaves of Maple slipped vert in base, a Lion passant guardant or
FOR THE PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA
Or on a Fess Wavy Azure between three Thistles proper, a Salmon Naiant
Argent
FOR THE PROVINCE OF NEW BRUNSWICK
Or on Waves a Lymphad, or Ancient Galley, with Oars in action, proper on a
chief Gules a Lion passant guardant or, as the same are severally depicted
in the margin hereof, to be borne for the said respective Provinces on
Seals, Shields, Banners, Flags or otherwise, according to the Laws of Arms
And we are further pleased to declare that the said United Province of
Canada, being one Dominion under the name of Canada, shall, upon all
occasions that may be required, use a common Seal, to be called the "Great
Seal of Canada," which said seal shall be composed of the Arms of the said
four Provinces quarterly, all of which armorial bearings are set forth in
our Royal Warrant
Our Will and Pleasure is that you, Edward George Fitzalan Howard,
(commonly called Lord Edward George Fitzalan Howard) Deputy to our said
Earl Marshal, to whom the cognizance of matters of this nature doth
properly belong, do require and command that this Our Concession and
Declaration be recorded in our college of arms, in order that Our Officers
of Arms and all other Public Functionaries whom it may concern may take
full notice and knowledge thereof in their several and respective
departments. And for so doing this shall be your Warrant, given at our
Court at St James, this twenty-sixth day of May, in the thirty-first year
of Our Reign
By Her Majesty's command,
(Signed) BUCKINGHAM AND CHANDOS
"SEAL OF THE DOMINION OF CANADA--Messrs J. G. and A. B. Wyon have now on
view, at 287 Regent Street, impressions from the seals of the four
provinces of Canada and the Great Seal of the Dominion, just completed,
with the gold medal that has been struck in commemoration of the union of
the provinces. They are all designed and executed in a very high style of
art. Of the seals, that for the Dominion is, of coarse, the largest. It
represents the Queen seated under a Gothic canopy and holding the ball and
sceptre, while the wings of the canopy contain the shields of the
Provinces--two on either side--hanging on the stem of an oak. These Gothic
canopies occupy nearly the whole of the middle space of the seal, the
ground between them and the border is covered with a rich diaper, and a
shield bearing the Royal Arms of England fills the space beneath the
centre canopy. The border of the seal bears the inscription, "Victoria,
Dei Gratia, Britanniae Regina, F. D. In Canada Sigillum." This work would
add to the reputation of any other seal engraver, though it can hardly do
so to that of the Messrs Wyon, whose productions have long enjoyed a high
and deserved celebrity. The seal is well filled, as it should be in a
Gothic design, but it is not crowded, the ornaments are all very pure in
style, and the whole is in the most perfect keeping. The execution is not
less remarkable, the relief is extremely high in parts (although it does
not at first appear to be so, owing to the breadth of the composition),
but, in spite of this difficulty, the truth, sharpness, and finish of
every part have been preserved as well as they could possibly be on a
medal, or even on a coin. The smaller seals for the provinces are engraved
on one general design. The crown surmounts a central shield bearing the
Royal Arms, below which is a smaller shield bearing the arms of the
particular province--New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, or Nova Scotia. The
Royal motto on a flowing ribbon fills up the space at the sides; a border
adapted to the outline of the design runs outside this, and touches the
circular border of the seal containing the legend. These seals are no less
remarkable for carefulness of execution than the one to which we have
referred. The medal which has been struck to commemorate the confederation
of the provinces is in solid gold, and is so large and massive that its
value in metal alone is £50. On the obverse there is a head of the Queen,
for which Her Majesty recently gave Mr. Wyon sittings; the reverse bears
an allegorical design--Britannia seated and holding the scroll of
confederation, with figures representing the four provinces grouped around
her. Ontario holds the sheaf and sickle; Quebec, the paddle; Nova Scotia,
the mining spade; and New Brunswick the forest axe. Britannia carries her
trident and the lion crouches by her side. The following inscription runs
round a raised border: "Juventas et Patrius Vigor Canada Instaurata 1867."
The relief on this side is extremely bold, and the composition, modelling
and finish are such as to leave little to be desired. The treatment of the
head on the obverse is broad and simple; the hair is hidden by a sort of
hood of flowing drapery confined by a plain coronet, and the surface is
but little broken anywhere. The ornaments are massive rather than rich;
there is a plain pendant in the ear, and a miniature of the Prince Consort
is attached to a necklace of very chaste design."--_Morning Chronicle,
Quebec._
[_See page_ 148.]
_MILITIA UNIFORMS._
Canadian militiamen will be interested in the following letter which
appeared in the Toronto _Globe_.
SIR,--I observe in your "Notes from the Capital" a paragraph to the effect
that Major-General Luard has taken exception to the gold lace worn by
certain arms of the active militia. I am aware that this point has been
raised before, and perhaps it is not a very material issue; but there is a
feature--an historical one--in connection with the subject that deserves
attention, and I remember when the militia was more active than now, in
the face of danger to the peace of the country, this historical point was
brought into prominence. I simply suggest that a certain warrant signed by
the King after the war of 1812 be unearthed. I believe it lies somewhere
in the militia archives, having been transferred from the Public Record
Office. According to an old officer, now dead, who was familiar with it,
this warrant authorises the Canadian militia--a royal force, by the way--
to wear the same uniform as His Majesty's "Royal Regiments." Hence it is
that the characteristic features of the royal livery has been assumed by
the artillery and the other arms of the service. My informant, who had
served in 1812, also stated that it was owing to an accident that silver
was assumed in 1862, the contractor in London, who supplied, in great
haste, uniforms for the militia at the time of the Trent affair, assuming
that "militia" uniforms must be after the style of the English force,
which bears silver ornaments. The Canadian militia is, of course, on a
different footing, and takes precedence after the regular army. I think,
therefore, that for the sake of history and the prominent position of the
Canadian militia in a warlike sense, and in view of services rendered,
such as no other militia in the British service ever rendered, this point
is worthy of revival and investigation. Apart from this there is the fact
that a change of dress is a source of expense and embarrassment to
officers. I have served in various corps for seventeen years, and I know.
L. A. M. L.
[_See page_ 24.]
_HORSES._
"L'un des premiers soins du Monarque fut d'y faire passer (au Canada), à
ses frais, des chevaux, tant pour faciliter aux colons les travaux de
l'agriculture, que pour leur procurer leur commodité particulière, attendu
que jusque-là ils n'avaient pu marcher qu'à l'aide de raquettes pendant
l'hiver. Le 16 juillet 1665 on débarqua à Québec douze chevaux, les
premiers envoyés de France par le Roi. Il était naturel que les sauvages,
à qui ces animaux étaient entièrement inconnus, témoignassent une grande
surprise en voyant ces _orignaux de France_: c'est ainsi qu'ils les
appelaient, par comparaison avec ces animaux du pays, n'ayant pas de mots
dans leur langue pour les désigner. Ce qu'ils admiraient surtout,
c'étaient qu'ils fussent si traitables et si dociles sons la main de leurs
cavaliers, qui les faisaient marcher à leur fantaisie. [333] Sa Majesté a
encore envoyé des chevaux, écrivait en 1667 la mère Marie de
l'Incarnation, et on nous a donné pour notre part deux belles juments et
un cheval, tant pour la charrue que pour le charroi. [334] "L'année 1670,
le Roi envoya pareillement un étalon et douze juments, et les fit
distribuer aux gentilshommes du pays, les plus zélés pour la culture des
terres: une jument à M. Talon, deux juments à M. de Chambly avec un
étalon, une à M. de Sorel, une à M. de Contrecoeur, une à M. de Saint-
Ours, une à M. de Varenne, deux juments à M. de Lachesnaye, une à M. de
Latouche, une à M. de Repentigny, enfin la douzième à M. Le Ber. Voici les
conditions auxquelles le Roi faisaient ces sortes de dons aux
particuliers, ils devaient les nourrir pendant trois ans: et si par leur
faute, quelqu'un de ces animaux venaient à mourir, celui à qui il avait
été donné était obligé de donner au receveur du Roi la somme de deux cents
livres. Dans l'autre cas, il pouvait le vendre après les trois ans
expirés, ainsi que les poulains qu'il aurait pu avoir; mais avec charge au
bout de trois ans, de donner au receveur de Sa Majesté un poulain d'un an
pour chaque cheval, ou la somme de cent livres. Il était pareillement
ordonné que, lorsque ces poulains que le Roi faisait élever et nourrir
seraient parvenus à leur troisième année, on les distribuer ait à d'autres
particuliers, et toujours aux mêmes conditions. [335] Comme on le voit,
ces conditions ne pouvaient être plus avantageuses aux particuliers, ni au
pays en général; aussi Colbert, qui avait tant à coeur de voir fleurir la
colonie, écrivait à M. Talon, le 11 février 1671. "Je tiendrai la main à
ce qu'il soit envoyé en Canada des cavales et des ânesses, afin de
multiplier ces espèces si nécessaires à la commodité des habitants." [336]
De tous les animaux domestiques envoyés par le Roi dans la Nouvelle-
France, les chevaux furent, en effet, ceux qui s'y multiplièrent le plus,
quoique le nombre des autres y augmentât d'une manière étonnante. [337]--
(_L'Histoire de la Colonie Française en Canada_, Faillon, Vol. III, p.
222.)
_EXPORTATION OF CANADIAN CATTLE TO EUROPE._
According to the statistics furnished by Mr. McEachran, V.S., and
Government Inspector of live stock, the total shipments for 1879 from
Montreal and Quebec from toe opening to the close of navigation, as
compared with the two previous years, are as follows:--
1879 1878 1877
Cattle... 24,823 18,665 6,940
Sheep.... 78,792 41,250 9,500
Hogs..... 4,745 2,078 430
The great majority of animals shipped from Quebec were forwarded by sail
from Montreal, and large as the increased shipments of cattle, sheep and
hogs this year are over 1878 and 1877, the exports next year will
doubtless show a still large increase as compared with those of 1879--
[Quebec _Mercury_, 18th Nov., 1879.]
Mr. J. A. Couture, veterinary surgeon, the officer in charge of the Point
Levi cattle quarantine, furnishes the following figures regarding the
Canadian Cattle Trade during the season of 1879. The total number of live
stock shipped at Montreal was 17,101 head of cattle, 59,907 sheep, and
3,468 hogs. From this port the shipments were 4,000 head of cattle, 17,274
sheep, and 188 hogs; or a grand total from the two shipping ports of
21,112 head of cattle; 77,181 sheep and 3,656 hogs. The estimated value of
this live stock is--cattle, $1,111,200; sheep, $771,810; and hogs,
$52,720; or a grand total of $2,935,730. The value of the forage exported
with this stock for food, averaging the trip of each steamship at ten
days, is placed at $92,690; and the estimated sums paid to the various
steamship lines for freight is $583,900.--[Quebec _Mercury_, 24th Nov.,
1879.]
[_See page_ 200.]
_SHIP-BUILDING AT QUEBEC UNDER FRENCH DOMINATION._
"La construction des vaisseaux était une autre branche d'industrie que
Louis XIV avait à coeur d'introduire en Canada; et dans ce dessin, il eut
soin d'y faire passer tous les ouvriers nécessaires, ainsi que d'autres,
pour préparer des bois propres à cette construction et les transporter en
France. Peu après son arrivée en Canada, M. Talon donna tous ses soins à
un objet de si grande importance. "Il faut couper des bois de toute sorte,
lit-on dans la Relation de 1667, qui se trouvent par tout le Canada, et
qui donnent facilité aux Français et aux autres, qui viennent s'y
habituer, de s'y loger dès leur arrivée. Il fait faire des matures, dont
il envoie cette année des essais à la Rochelle pour servir à la marine. Il
s'est appliqué, de plus, aux bois propres à la construction des vaisseaux,
dont l'épreuve a été faite en ce pays par la bâtisse d'une barque, qui se
trouve de bon service, et d'un gros vaisseau tout prêt à être mis à
l'eau." [338] Dans l'état de la dépense du Roi pour l'année 1671, nous
lisons cet article remarquable: "Quarante-mille livres pour être employées
à la construction des vaisseaux qui se font en Canada, comme aussi à la
coupe et à la façon des bois envoyés de ce pays pour les constructions qui
se font dans les ports du royaume." [339] Le premier de ces vaisseaux,
auxquels on travaillait l'année 1672, devait être du poids de quatre a
cinq cents tonneaux; et, dans le même temps, on se disposait à en
construire un autre plus considérable encore, dont tous les matériaux
étaient déjà prêts. [340] L'un de ces bâtiments étant enfin achevé, on
demanda au Roi qu'il voulût bien le laisser dans la colonie, ce qui
pourtant n'eut pas lieu." [341]--_Histoire de la Colonie Française en
Canada_, Faillon, Vol. III, p. 256.
Extract from "_Mémoires et Relations sur l'Histoire Ancienne du Canada_
d'après des Manuscrits récemment obtenus des Archives et Bureaux Publics,
en France."
(Publiés sous la direction de la Société Littéraire et Historique de
Québec, 1840. (1748.))--"Il y a une Construction royale établie à Québec;
le Roy y entretient un Constructeur-en-chef, et tous les ouvriers
nécessaires; mais cette construction est aujourd'hui décriée, et l'on dit
que le Roy va la faire cesser pour les raisons suivantes:
En premier lieu, on prétend que les vaisseaux bâtis à Québec coûtent
beaucoup plus que ceux bâtis dans les ports de France; mais on n'ajoute
pas que ce n'est qu'en apparence, attendu qu'il passe sur le compte de la
construction beaucoup de dépenses qui n'y ont aucun rapport.
En second lieu, que ces vaisseaux jusqu'a présent ont été de très-peu de
durée; d'où l'on conclut que les bois du Canada ne valent rien.
Pour juger sainement de la qualité de ces bois, il faut entrer dans le
détail de ce qui en regarde la coupe, le transport à Québec, et l'employ à
la construction.
Premièrement: Ces bois du Canada sont extrêmement droits, ce n'est qu'avec
beaucoup de peine qu'on trouve dans leurs racines des bois tords, propres
à la construction.
Deuxièmement: Jusqu'à présent on n'a exploité que les Chênières les plus
voisines des rivières, et conséquemment situées dans les lieux bas, a
cause de la facilité de transport.
Troisièmement: Les bois sont coupés en hiver; on les traîne sur la neige
jusques au bord des rivières et des lacs; lorsque la fonte des neiges et
des glaces a rendu la navigation libre, on les met en radeaux pour les
descendre à Québec, où ils restent longtems dans l'eau, avant d'être tirés
à terre, et où ils en contractent une mousse qui les échauffe; encore
imbibés d'eau, ils sont exposés dans un chantier à toute l'ardeur du
soleil de l'été; l'hiver qui succède les couvre une seconde fois de neige,
que le printems fait fondre, et ainsi successivement jusqu'a ce qu'ils
soient employés; enfin, ils restent deux ans sur les chantiers, où de
nouveau ils essuyent deux fois l'extrémité du froid et du chaud qu'on sent
dans ce climat.
Voilà les causes du peu de durée de ces vaisseaux:
Si on coupoit les bois sur les hauteurs; s'ils étoient transportés à
Québec dans des barques; si on les garantissoit des injures du tems dans
des hangars, et si les vaisseaux ne restoient qu'une année sur les
chantiers il est évident qu'ils dureroient plus longtems. Dans la
démolition de ceux qui ont été condamnés en France, on a reconnu que les
bordages s'etoient bien conservés, et qu'ils étoient aussi bons que ceux
qu'on tire de Sède; mais que les membres en étoient pourris. Est-il
étonnant que les bois tords pris à la racine d'arbres qui avoient le pied
dans l'eau qu'on n'a pas eu attention de faire sécher à couvert,
s'échauffent quand ils se trouvent enfermés entre deux bordages?
Je ne vois donc pas que les raisons alléguées centre les vaisseaux de
Québec soient suffisantes pour en faire cesser la construction. Je dis
plus, que le Roy fait en Canada, celle de la construction me paroit la
plus nécessaire, et celle qui peut devenir la plus utile. Tout esprit non
prévenu sera forcé de convenir qu'on y fera construire des vaisseaux avec
plus d'économie que dans les ports de France, toutes les fois qu'on ne
confondra pas d'autres dépenses avec celles de la construction.
D'ailleurs, il est important qu'il y ait à Québec un certain nombre de
charpentiers et de calfats; il en manque aujourd'hui, malgré ceux que le
Roy entretient; et lorsque les particuliers en ont besoin au printems, ils
n'en trouvent point; un calfat se paye six francs pour une marée. J'avoue
qu'alors tous les travaux de cette espèce sont pressés; mais ordinairement
un charpentier gagne trois à quatre francs par jour avec les particuliers.
Indépendamment de l'intérêt des particuliers, les vaisseaux qui viennent à
Québec, ont quelques fois besoin d'un radoub, et dans le nombre des
navires marchands, il y en a toujours quelqu'un qu'il est nécessaire de
radouber par des accidents arrivés dans la traversée. Si le Roy faisoit
cesser ici la construction de ses vaisseaux, tous les ouvriers qui y sont
employés seroient forcés d'aller chercher du travail ailleurs.
Enfin, on a besoin en Canada de petits bâtiments pour les postes de la
pêche, pour le commerce de Québec, à Montréal, pour le cabotage de la
rivière, pour la traite à Gaspé et à Louisbourg; et cette partie de la
construction est si fort négligée ici, que les Anglois de ce continent
fournissent une partie des bâtimens pour la navigation dans l'intérieur de
notre Colonie. Ce n'est pas que leurs bois sont meilleurs, ou leurs
bâtimens mieux construits que les nôtres, mais ils les donnent à meilleur
marche. Aussi voyons-nous dans toutes nos places maritimes des navires
marchands construits dans la Nouvelle-Angleterre.
Loin donc de prendre le parti d'abandonner la Construction royale, parti
préjudiciable à la Colonie, et j'ose dire à l'État, il seroit nécessaire
non-seulement que le Roy continuât à faire construire des vaisseaux en
Canada, mais encore qu'il encourageât des entrepreneurs pour la
construction de bâtimens marchands. La gratification de vingt francs par
tonneau, accordée aux particuliers qui feroient passer en France des
bâtimens construits en Canada, ne suffroit pas aujourd'huy pour les
engager à cet égard dans des entreprises d'un certaine considération; la
main d'oeuvre est hors de prix, et les entrepreneurs seraient forcés de
faire venir de France les voiles, cordages et autres agrès.
Il faudroit, indépendamment de la gratification, que le Roy fît passer à
Québec une partie de ses agrès, et qu'il les donnât aux entrepreneurs à un
prix raisonnable: il faudroit en outre qu'il leur procureroit un frêt pour
les bâtimens qu'ils envoyeroient en France, et il le leur procureroit en
ordonnant qu'on reçut dans ses ports les planches, bordages, merrains,
plançons de chêne, mâtures et autres articles de cette espèce, dont ces
bâtimens seroient chargés, au même prix qu'il les paye aux fournisseurs
qui tirent tous ces articles de l'étranger; en prenant ces mesures, le
Canada fourniroit les bâtimens nécessaires pour le commerce intérieur de
la Colonie, dispenseroit la France d'avoir recours aux Anglois pour les
navires qui manquent à son commerce en Europe, et que les Anglois
construisent dans le même continent où nous avons de si vastes
possessions; les mâtures du Canada, estimées autant que celles que nous
tirons du Nord à grands frais, ne seroient pas pour nous en pure perte;
ces exploitations devenant considérables, faciliteroient la culture des
terres, en désertant des cantons qui, peut-être, ne le seront jamais;
enfin cette construction, établie sur le pied où on le propose, coûteroit
sans doute, au Roy; mais cette dépense, sagement économisée, feroit partie
de celles que nous avons dit être nécessaires pour la balance du commerce
de cette Colonie avec la France."
I have furnished elsewhere, a sketch and a tabular statement showing the
gradual progress in ship-building, under French Rule and under English
Rule, from 1787 down to 1875.--_Vide_ QUEBEC PAST AND PRESENT, page 434-9.
[_See page 219._]
_THE CONQUEST OF NEW YORK._
"Louis XIV," says Parkman, "commanded that eighteen thousand unoffending
persons should be stripped of all they possessed, and cast out to the
mercy of the wilderness. The atrocity of the plan is matched by its folly.
The King gave explicit orders, but he gave neither ships nor men enough to
accomplish them; and the Dutch farmers, goaded to desperation, would have
cut his sixteen hundred soldiers to pieces." [342]
"Si parmy les habitans de la Nouvelle-York il se trouve des Catholiques de
la fidélité desquels il croye se pouvoir asseurer, il pourra les laisser
dans leurs habitations, après leur avoir fait prester serment de fidélité
à Sa Majesté.... Il pourra aussi garder, s'il le juge à propos, des
artisans et autres gens de service nécessaires pour l'a culture des
terres, ou pour travailler aux fortifications, en qualité de
prisonniers.... Il faut retenir en prison les officiers et les principaux
habitans desquels on pourrat retirer des rançons. A l'esgard de tous les
autres estrangers (_ceux que ne sont pas Français_), hommes, femmes
et enfans, sa Majesté trouve à propos qu'ils soient mis hors de la Colonie
et envoyez a la Nouvelle Angleterre, a la Pennsylvanie ou en d'autres
endroits qu il jugera à propos par mer ou par terre, ensemble ou
séparément le tout suivant qu il trouvera plus seur pour les dissiper et
empescher qu en se réunissant ils ne puissent donner occasion à des
entreprises contre cette Colonie. Il envoyera en France les Français
fugitifs qu'il y pourra trouver et particulièrement ceux de la Religion
Prétendue-Reformée (_Huguenots_)--(New York Col. Docs. IX 422)
_Vide--Le Roy à Denonville, 7 juin 1689 le Ministre à Denonville, même
date, le Ministre à Frontenac, même date ordre du Roy à Vaudreuil, même
date le Roy au Sieur de la Coffinère; même date, Champagny au Ministre, 16
Nov. 1689_
_COPY OF THE EPITAPH PREPARED BY THE ACADÉMIE DES INSCRIPTIONS AT PARIS
FOR THE MARQUIS OF MONTCALM'S TOMB._
Leave was asked by the French Government to have the marble tablet, on
which this epitaph was inscribed, sent out to Quebec, and granted by the
English Government (_Vide_ William Pitt's Letter, 10th April, 1761).
This inscription, from some cause or other, never reached Quebec.
EPITAPH
Hic jacet
Utroque in orbe aeternum victurus,
LUDOVICUS JOSEPHUS DE MONTCALM GOZON
Marchio Sancti Verani, Baro Gabriaci,
Ordinis Sancti Ludovici Commendator,
Legatus Generalis Exercituum Gallicorum
Egregius et Civis et Miles,
Nullius rei appetens praeterquam verae laudis
Ingenio felici et literis exculto
Omnes Militiae gradus per continua decora emensus,
Omnium Belli Artium, temporum, discriminum gnarus,
In Italia, in Bohemia, in Germania
Dux industrius
Mandata sibi ita semper gerens ut majoribus par haberetur,
Jam clarus periculis
Ad tutandam Canadensem Provinciam missu
Parva militum manu Hostium copias non semel repulit,
Propugnacula cepit viris armisque instructissima
Algoris, mediae, vigiliarum, laboris patiens,
Suis ucice prospiciens immemor sui,
Hostis acer, victor mansuetus
Fortunam virtute, virium inopiam peritia et celeritate compensavit,
Imminens Coloniae fatum et consilio et manu per quadriennium sustinuit
Tandem ingentem Exercitum Duce strenuo et audaci,
Classemque omni bellorum mole gravem,
Mulitiplici prudentia diu ludificatus
Vi pertractus ad dimicandum,
In prima acie, in primo conflictu vulneratus,
Religioni quam semper coluerat innitens,
Magno suoram desiderio, nec sine hostium moerore,
Extinctus est
Die XIV. Sept, A. D. MDCCLIX. aetat. XLVIII.
Mortales optimi ducis exuvias in excavata humo,
Quam globus bellicus decidens dissiliensque defoderat,
Galli lugentes deposuerunt,
Et generosae hostium fidei commendarunt
_The Annual Register for 1762._
_THE FRENCH REFUGEES OF OXFORD, MASS._
An elegantly printed volume has just issued from the press of Noyes, Snow
and Co., Worcester, Mass, from the pen of George F. Daniels, containing a
succinct history of one of the earliest Massachusetts towns--the town of
Oxford; we think we cannot introduce it to the reader more appropriately,
than in the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, whose graceful introduction
prefaces the volume.
Oliver Wendell Holmes to George F. Daniels:--"Of all my father's
historical studies," says the Autocrat of the Breakfast-table, "none ever
interested me so much as his 'Memoir of the French Protestants who settled
at Oxford, in 1686,'--all the circumstances connected with that second
Colony of Pilgrim-Fathers, are such as to invest it with singular
attraction for the student of history, the antiquary, the genealogist. It
carries us back to the memories of the massacre of Saint Bartholomew, to
the generous Edict of Nantes, and the gallant soldier-king, who issued it;
to the days of the Grand Monarque, and the cruel act of revocation which
drove into exile hundreds of thousands of the best subjects of France--
among them the little band which was planted in our Massachusetts half-
tamed wilderness. It leads the explorer who loves to linger around the
places consecrated by human enterprise, efforts, trials, triumphs,
sufferings, to localities still marked with the fading traces of the
strangers who, there found a refuge for a few brief years, and then
wandered forth to know their homes no more. It tells the lovers of family
history where the un-English names which he is constantly meeting with--
Bowdoin, Faneuil, Sigourney--found their origin, and under what skies were
moulded the type of lineaments, unlike those of Anglo-Saxon parentage,
which he finds among certain of his acquaintance, and it may be in his own
family or himself. And what romance can be fuller of interest than the
story of this hunted handful of Protestants leaving, some of them at an
hour's warning, all that was dear to them, and voluntarily wrecking
themselves, as it were, on this shore, where the savage and the wolf were
waiting ready to dispute possession with the feeble intruders. They came
with their untrained skill to a region where trees were to be felled, wild
beasts to be slain, the soil to be subdued to furnish them bread, the
whole fabric of social order to be established under new conditions. They
came from the sunny skies of France to the capricious climate where the
summers were fierce and the winters terrible with winds and snows. They
left the polished amenities of an old civilization, for the homely ways of
rude settlers of another race and language. Their lips, which had shaped
themselves to the harmonies of a refined language, which had been used to
speaking such names as Rochefort and Beauvoir and Angoulême, had to
distort themselves into the utterances of words like Manchaug and
Wabquasset and Chaubunagungamang. The short and simple annals of this
heroic and gentle company of emigrants are full of trials and troubles,
and ended with a bloody catastrophe.
'After Plymouth, I do not think there is any locality in New England more
interesting. This little band of French families, [343 ] transported from
the shore of the Bay of Biscay to the wilds of our New England interior,
reminds me of the isolated group of Magnolias which we find surrounded by
the ordinary forest trees of our Massachusetts town of Manchester. It is a
surprise to meet with them, and we wonder how they came there, but they
glorify the scenery with their tropical flowers, and sweeten it with their
fragrance. Such a pleasing surprise is the effect of coming upon this
small and transitory abiding-place of the men and women who left their
beloved and beautiful land for the sake of their religion. The lines of
their fort may become obliterated, 'the perfume of the shrubbery may no
longer be perceived but the ground they hallowed by their footsteps is
sacred and the air around their old Oxford home is sweet with their
memory.'
This exclusiveness in the selection of settlers for Canada, ever since the
days of the DeCaens, to render the population homogeneous and prevent
religious discord, was extended to Frenchmen, whose only disability, was
their faith, and who did not belong to the national Church, and though the
colony, more than once was at its last gasp, for want of soldiers and
colonists to defend it, it was forbidden ground to the 500,000 industrious
Frenchman, whom the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1682, drove to
England, Holland and Germany, and the English and Dutch colonies in
America. This policy of exclusiveness, was vigorously denounced by the
leading historian of Canada, F. X. Garneau, in 1845.
"The poorly expressed request, for fifteen hundred colonists to take the
place of those who had joined the army, remained unanswered--unattended
to. Though at the very time the Huguenots solicited as a favour permission
to settle in the New World, where they promised to live peaceably under
the shadow of their country's flag--which they could not cease to love--it
was just when they were denied a request, which had it been granted would
have saved Canada and permanently secured it to France. But Colbert's
influence," says Garneau, "at Court had fallen away; he was on his death-
bed. So long as he was in power he had protected the Calvinists, who had
ceased to disturb France and who then were enriching it. His death which
took place in 1684, handed them over to the tender mercy of the Chancellor
Le Tellier and of the fierce Louvois. The _dragonnades_ swept over
the protestant strongholds, awful heralds of the revocation of the edict
of Nantes. The king, said a celebrated writer, exhibited his power by
humbling the Pope and by crushing the Huguenots. He wished the unification
of the Church and of France--the hobby of the great men of the day,
presided over by Bossuet. Madame de Maintenon, a converted Calvinist, and
who had secretly become his wife (1685) encouraged him in this design and
suggested to him the cruel scheme of tearing away children from their
parents, to bring them up in the Roman Catholic faith. The vexatious
confiscations, the galleys, the torture of the wheel, the gibbet,--all
were successively but unsuccessfully resorted to as a means to convert
them. The unhappy Protestants' sole aim was to escape from the band which
tortured them, in vain were they prohibited from quitting the kingdom, and
those who aided them in their flight sent to the galleys--five hundred
thousand escaped to Holland, to Germany, to England, and to the English
colonies in America. They carried thither their wealth, their industry,
and after such a separation--ill blood and thirst for revenge, which
subsequently cost their native country very dear. William III, who more
than once charged the French troops at the heads of French regiments, and
Roman Catholic and Huguenot regiments, were seen, when recognising one
another on the battle-field, to rush on one another with their bayonets,
with an onslaught more ferocious than soldiers of different nationalities
exhibit to one another. How advantageous would not have been an
emigration, strong in numbers and composed of men, wealthy, enlightened,
peaceful, laborious, such as the Huguenots were--to people the shores of
the St. Lawrence, or the fertile plains of the West? At least, they would
not have borne to foreign lands the secret of French manufactures, and
taught other nations to produce goods which they were in the habit of
going and procuring in the ports of France. A fatal policy sacrificed
these advantages to the selfish views of a party--armed by the alliance of
the spiritual and temporal power with an authority, which denied the
breath of life to conscience as well as to intellect. 'If you and yours
are not converted, before such a day, the king's authority will ensure
your conversion,' thus wrote Bossuet to the dissenters. We repeat it, had
this policy not been resorted to, we should not be reduced, we Canadians,
to defend every foot of ground, our language, our laws, and our
nationality, against an invading hostile sea. How will pardon be granted
to fanaticism, for the anguish and suffering inflicted on a whole people,
whose fate has been rendered so painful, so arduous--whose future has been
so grievously jeopardized.
"Louis XIV, who had myriads of dragoons to butcher the Protestants, and
who by his own fault was losing half a million of his subjects--the
monarch who dictated to Europe, could only spare two hundred soldiers to
send to Quebec, to protect a country four times larger than France, a
country which embraced Hudson's Bay, Acadia, Canada, a large portion of
Maine, of Vermont, New York, and the whole Mississippi valley"--
_Garneau's History of Canada_, (Vol. I. p. 492-96--1st edition.)
[See page 107.]
_VENERABLE MOTHER OF THE INCARNATION._
"In one of the many works which the philosopher of Chelsea has given to
the world, we find the assertion of a great truth that history is but the
biography of leading men. The poet of Cambridge also tells us that the
lives of the great are so many models, and that as they have left their
footprints on the sands of time, so may we by following their noble
example render our lives illustrious. These reflections of the philosopher
and poet extend no doubt to those of the fairer sex, in whom exalted
virtue was manifested, and whose devotion in the pursuit of noble deeds
awakens the spirit of emulation in all hearts. From the earliest period of
time heroic women have appeared. The mother of the Maccabees, the mother
of the Gracchi, the grand prophetesses whose actions are recorded in that
sublimest of books, the Bible--these and many others adorn the pages of
history, whether sacred or profane, and afford living, ever-present
proofs, that the pathway of glory and honour may be pursued by even the
weaker members of the human race.
In Canada, youthful though her record may be, there have appeared
actresses on the great stage of humanity, whose virtues appeal for
admiration, whose nobility of soul provokes general reverence, and whose
impress upon the future destinies of the country is of a more profound
nature than may be imagined at first sight.
Foremost among such heroic women, may be regarded the foundress of the
Ursuline Convent in Quebec, the Venerable Mother Mary of the Incarnation.
Gifted by nature, burning with zeal for the welfare of souls, imbued with
the greatest confidence in the mercies of a bountiful Creator, she fully
realized the great idea of Blessed Angela de Merici, that the preservation
of the world from innumerable evils, largely depended upon the correct
training of youth. Born in sunny France, she braved the dangers of the
deep, so that on our virgin soil she might plant the pure, untainted flag
of Christian education; and, now that the Province of Quebec has emerged
from the lowliness of its early condition--now that the settlers by the
banks of the St. Lawrence have become a great people, with a literature
all their own, rich in its very youthful exuberance, with their language
preserved, and the free exercise of their religion guaranteed no less by
the faithful adherence to treaty obligations, than by their own hardy
devotion, we can calmly review the past, and gratefully acknowledge the
blessings bestowed on the country through the instrumentality of that lady
who founded that holy sisterhood in our midst, which daily labours to
honour the Intelligence of God, by the cultivation of intellectual graces.
Few, indeed, are the families in Quebec which have not experienced the
value of the Ursuline community in our city. One of the crowns of
womanhood is gained in Christian education--an education which falls upon
the soil of the soul, like freshening dew, and adorns the heart and mind
with the flowers of virtue. Hence the life of the Venerable Mother Mary
should be carefully studied and pondered over; hence her deeds should be
proclaimed and her saintly legacies preserved, and therefore, it is, that
the writer humbly calls attention to a new work, written by a daughter of
Erin, written lovingly and sweetly in the quiet precincts of the Ursuline
Convent, Blackrock, Cork, and in which may be found the story of the
devoted French woman, whose name is now inseparably linked with that of
Canada, told in chaste language worthy alike of the virtuous theme, and of
the ability which marks the narration. The earlier days of the French
Colony are depicted therein; and with an accuracy no less commendable than
useful. In fact the book is eminently a readable one, the object of the
publication being to extend the knowledge which all of us ought to possess
of one whose life glorified God, and whose advent to our shores was a very
benediction."
JAMES JOSEPH GAHAN.
Quebec, 27th January, 1881.
We copy the following from the _Quebec Gazette_, 10th October, 1793:--
THE VARIATION OF THE NEEDLE AT QUEBEC.
"For the information of the curious, the particular benefit of Land
Surveyors, and safety of seafaring people, please to insert in your
_Gazette_, that from critical observation on the variation of the
needle at Quebec, it is found to be on the decrease, or in other words to
be again returning to the Eastward,--a proof of which is, that in 1785,
when the Meridian line on Abraham's Plains was ascertained by me, the
variation was found to be 12 degrees, 35 minutes West; whereas at present
the variation is no more than 12 degrees, 5 minutes West, having in the
space of eight years diminished half a degree.
I am sir,
Your most obedient humble servant.
(Signed,) SAMUEL HOLLAND.
Quebec, 8th October, 1793.
How do matters now stand, Commander Ashe?
"VARIATION OF THE NEEDLE AT QUEBEC."
(_To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle._)
DEAR SIR,--"For the information of the curious, the particular benefit of
Land Surveyors, and safety of sea-faring people," I will endeavor to
explain how our compass variation stands.
With regard to the reprint from the _Quebec Gazette_ of 1793, in the
Chronicle of the 23rd instant, in which Major Samuel Holland observes that
he had passed our Maximum Westerly Variation, it is very likely that such
was the case, as I find that Major Sabine in 1818, found the Variation for
London to be 24° 30' West, and in 1822 to have retrograded to 24° 12':
this was not only the case in England, but all over Europe where
observations were taken, so that there is no doubt that the same
disturbing influence was affecting the needle here in 1793. Whatever that
influence is, it must shortly alter. Major Samuel Holland's observations
have affected us in the opposite direction, for in 1860 Captain Bayfield
found the variation for Quebec to be 15° 45' West, with an annual increase
of 5', which would give the present variation as about 17° 0' West. This
agrees very closely with observations taken here last November for
deviation, which with range of only 7° 30', gave a mean result of 17° 3'
9" West. I am, &c,
E. D. ASHE,
Commander R. N.
Observatory, Quebec, Feb. 23rd, 1876.
_OUR CITY BELLS--THEIR NAMES._
1st. Bell, Louise; 2nd, Olivier Geneviève; 3rd, Pierre Marie; 4th, Marie-
Joseph-Louise-Marguerite; 5th, Jean-Olivier, &c.
"Now, on the gentle breath of morn,
Once more I hear that _chiming_ bell,
As onward, slow, each note is borne,
Like echo's lingering, last farewell."
(_The Evening Bells_, of the General Hospitals:
by ADAM KIDD.--1829.)
"Quebec Bells are an institution of the present and of the past:" so says
every Tourist. To the weary and drowsy traveller, steeped at dawn in that
"sweet restorer, balmy sleep," under the silent eaves of the St. Louis or
Stadacona hotel, this is one of the features of our city life, at times
unwelcome. We once heard a hardened old tourist savagely exclaim,
"Preserve me against the silvery voice of Quebec Evening _Belles_, I
rather like your early Morning Bells." Another tourist, however, in one of
our periodicals closes a lament over Quebec "Bell Ringing," with the
caustic enquiry "Should not Bell Bingers be punished?"
Being more cosmopolitan in our tastes, we like the music of our City Bells
in the dewy morn, without fearing the merry tones of our City _Belles_,
when the silent shades of evening lends them its witchery. There is
certainly as much variety in the names as there is in the chimes of our
Quebec Bells.
Though the Bells of the "ancient capital" are famous in history and song,
Quebec cannot boast of any such monsters of sound as the "Gros Bourdon" of
Montreal--weighing 29,400 lbs., dating from 1847, "the largest bell in
America." The R. C. Cathedral in the upper town, raised in 1874, by His
Holiness, Pius IX to the high position of _Basilica Minor_, the only one
on the continent--owns two bells of antique origin; the Parish Register
traces as follows, their birth and christening. "1774--9th October. The
Churchwardens return thanks to His Lordship Jean 0. Briand, Bishop, for
the present he made of the big bell, which, exclusive of its clapper,
weighs 3,255 lbs. Name, LOUISE, by Messieur Montgolfier, _Grand Vicaire_,
and Mdlle de Léry, representing its Matron. Blessed by Monsigneur Louis
Masriacheau D'Esgley, coadjutor."
"1778. 28th July. Christening of the bells by M. Noel Voyer, on the 22nd
July. Blessed by _Sa Grandeur_, Monseigneur Briand; the first weigh
1,625 lbs.--named OLIVIER GENEVIÈVE--Godfather, _Sa Grandeur_, with
Madame Chanazard wife of M Berthelot 7 yards of white damask given as a
(christening) dress. The second, was called PIERRE MARIE, by M. Panet,
Judge of the Court, and his wife Marie Anne Rottot; said bell weighing
1,268 lbs."
A halo of poetry hovers over some of our bells. About 1829, Adam Kidd, a
son of song, hailing from Spencer Wood,--a friend of the Laird of the
Manor--Hon. H M Percival, wrote some graceful lines on the _Church
Bells_ of the General Hospital Convent. This poem was published at the
_Herald_ and _New Gazette_ office, in Montreal. In 1830, with the _Huron
Chief_, and other poems by Kidd, and by him inscribed to Tom Moore, "the
most popular, most powerful and most patriotic poet of the nineteenth
century, whose magic numbers have vibrated to the heart of nations," says
the Dedication.
A delightful volume has recently been put forth by a Ursuline Nun,
entitled "GLIMPSES OF THE MONASTERY," in which the holy memories of the
cloister blend with exquisite bits of word painting; we find in it a
glowing sketch of the Convent Bells, and of the objects and scenery,
surrounding the "Little World" of the Ursulines. "Marriage Bells" are of
course left out.
The writer therein alludes to that short-lived bell of Madame de la
Peltrie, melted in the memorable fire of the 31st December, 1650, which
the pious lady used to toll, to call "the Neophytes to the waters of
baptism, or the newly made Christians to Holy Mass."
(_See page 113._)
(_From "Trifles from my Diary."_)
"_GENERAL WOLFE'S STATUE," CORNER PALACE STREET_
BY THE AUTHOR OF "MAPLE LEAVES."
Olim truncus eram ficulnus, inutile lignum,
Cum faber, incertus scamnum faceretne Priapum
Maluit esse Deum.
Horace, Sat I. 8.
Henry Ward Beecher begins an amusing sketch of our city with the words,
"Queer old Quebec,--of all the cities on the Continent of America, the
quaintest." He concludes his humorous picture by expressing the wish that
it may remain so without being disturbed by the new-fangled notions of the
day. Some one has observed that its walls, streets, public places,
churches and old monasteries, with the legends of three centuries clinging
to them, give you, when you enter under its massive gates, hoary with age,
[344] the idea of an "old curiosity shop," or, as the name Henry Ward
Beecher well expresses it, "a picture book, turning over a new leaf at
each street." It is not then surprising that the inhabitants should have
resorted not only to the pen of the historian to preserve evergreen and
fragrant the historical ivy which clings to its battlements, but even to
that cheap process, in use in other countries, to immortalize heroes--
signboards and statues--a process recommended by high authority. We read
in that curiously interesting book, "History of Signboards--"
"The Greeks honored their great men and successful commanders by erecting
statues to them; the Romans rewarded their popular favorites with
triumphal entries and ovations; modern nations make the portraits of their
celebrities serve as signs for public-houses:
Vernon, the Butcher Cumberland, Wolfe, Hawke,
Prince Ferdinand, Granby, Burgoyne, Keppel, Howe,
Evil and good have had their tithe of talk,
And filled their signpost then, like Wellesley now."
If Wolfe served as a signboard recently in Britain, he has filled the same
office now close on a century in Canada, and still continues to do so. He
has defied wind and weather ever since the day when the Cholette Brothers
affixed to the house at the north-west corner of St. John and Palace
streets a rough statue of the gallant young soldier in the year 1771, with
one arm extended in the attitude of command, and pointing to the Falls of
Montmorency.
Nor has Mr. de Gaspé, the author of the "Canadians of Old," thought it
beneath his pen to indite an able disquisition on its origin, brimful of
wealth for our antiquaries and a great deal more practical in its bearings
than even Jonathan Oldbuck's great Essay on Castrametation. A Three Rivers
antiquarian had attempted to establish that it was Ives Cholette who had
been the sculptor of the statue in question, but our old friend (through
the church registers--and through ancient and irrefutable records) showed
it could neither be Ives Cholette, aged, in 1771, 10 years, nor his
younger brother Hyacinthe, aged then but 8 years, who had designed this
great work of art, but Cholette of another ilk. [345]
In these halycon days of old Quebec, free from municipal taxes, Fenian
scares and labor strikes, when the practical joker [346] and _mauvais
sujets_, bent on a lark, would occasionally take possession, after
night-fall, of some of the chief city thoroughfares, and organize a
masquerade, battering unmercifully with their heavy lanterns. Captain
Pinguet's _hommes de guêt_,--the night patrol--long before Lord Durham's
blue-coated "peelers" were thought of, the historic statue would disappear
sometimes for days together; and after having headed a noisy procession,
decorated with _bonnet rouge_ and one of those antique camloteen cloaks
which our forefathers used to rejoice in, it would be found in the morning
grotesquely propped up, either in the centre of the old Upper Town market,
or in the old Picote cemetery in Couillard street [347], in that fanciful
costume (a three-storied _sombrero_, with eye-glass and _dudeen_) which
rendered so _piquant_ some of the former vignettes on the Union Bank
notes. I can yet recall as one of the most stirring memories of my
childhood, the concern, nay, vexation, of Quebecers generally when the
"General" was missing on the 16th July, 1838, from his sacred niche in
Palace street, and was subsequently triumphantly replaced by the grateful
citizens,--rejuvenated, repainted, revarnished, with the best materials
Halifax could furnish, the "General" having been brought there by the
youngsters of the "Inconstant" frigate, Captain Pring, from Quebec. It
would appear the roystering middies, having sacrificed copiously to the
rosy god, after rising from a masonic dinner in the Albion Hotel, in
Palace street, had noticed the "General" by the pale moonlight, looking
very seedy, and considering that a sea voyage would set him up, had
carried him on board. The General was driven down in a calèche by Colvin
of St. Louis street--a carter--through Palace Gate, standing erect; the
sentry presenting arms, as if he were saluting the officer of the night.
He was safely introduced through a port-hole, the seaman of the watch,
shaking his head knowingly, saying--"One of our swells pretty tight, I
guess." From Halifax "General Wolfe" sailed for Bermuda--thence to
Portsmouth, at both of which places he was jauntily set up as a signboard;
a short time after he was re-shipped to Halifax, packed in a box, with his
extended arm sawn off lying by his side. Fearing, however, the anger of
the Quebec authorities, the "General" was painted afresh and returned by
the "Unicorn" steamer, "Cape Douglas," which plied between the Lower
Ports,--with the "Inconstants'" best regards to their Quebec friends, and
best wishes for the General's health and safety.
The following extract from the journal of the venerable Jas. Thompson, the
last survivor of Wolfe's army, who expired at the ripe age of 98 years--in
1830, throws light on this matter. This anecdote was reduced to writing,
and by request forwarded by him to His Excellency the Earl of Dalhousie,
through his A.D.C. and brother Col. Ramsay. "We had a loyal fellow in
Quebec, one George Hipps, a butcher, who owned that house at the corner of
Palace and John streets, still called 'Wolfe's Corner,' and as it happened
to have a niche, probably for the figure of a saint, [348] he was very
anxious to fill it up, and he thought he could have nothing better than a
statue of General Wolfe; but he did not know how to set about getting one.
At last he found out two French sculptors, who were brothers--of the name
of Cholette, and asked me if I thought I could direct them how to make a
likeness of the General in wood. I said I would, at all events, undertake
it, and accordingly the Cholettes tried to imitate several sketches I gave
them; but they made but a poor job of it after all; for the front face is
no likeness at all, and the profile is all that they could hit upon. The
body gives but a poor idea of the General, who was tall and straight as a
rush. So that after my best endeavors to describe his person, and I knew
it well, for which purpose I attended every day at their workshop which
was in that house in St. Louis street where the Misses Napier are now
(1828) residing, [349] and which is somewhat retired from the line of the
street, the shop itself being on the projecting wing--I say that we made
but a poor "General Wolfe" of it. It has been several times--the house
being only one storey high--pulled down by mischievous persons and broken,
and as often repaired by the several owners of the house; and, much to
their credit be it spoken, it still keeps its ground, and I hope it will
do so until the monument is finished. [350]
"I suppose that the original parts of the statue must be as rotten as a
pear and would be mouldered away if it was not for their being kept so
bedaubed with paint."
Note.--Officers of H.B.M. frigate "Inconstant," Capt. Pring: 1st Lieut.
Hope; Lieutenants and other officers,--Sinclair, Erskine, Curtis,
Connolly, Dunbar, McCreight, Sharpe, Stevens, Hankey, Shore, Barnard,
West, Tonge, Prevost, Amphlett, Haggard, Tottenham, Maxfield, Paget, Kerr,
Herbert, Jones, Montgomery. Mr. James was purser. L. de Tessier Prevost is
now high in command, having distinguished himself in the Indian seas,
capturing pirates: West and others are admirals, (1870).
[_See page 197_.]
_2 Sept_, 1796. VENTE D'UNE NEGRESSE PAR FRANCIS BELLET A TH. LEE
Pardevant le Notaire Public en la Province du Bas Canada, résidant à St-
Denis sur la rivière et comté Richelieu, soussigné et témoins enfin
nommés, fut présent Messire Louis Payet prêtre, Curé de la paroisse de St-
Antoine au nord de la rivière Richelieu, lequel a constitué pour son
procureur spécial M. François Bellet, capitaine de bâtiment, résidant en
la ville de Québec, pour vendre pour et au nom du dit constituant et à son
plus grand avantage qu'il pourra faire, une négresse d'environ trente et
une années, appelée Rose, appartenant au dit constituant par achat devant
M. J. Pierre Gautier, notaire à Montréal, en date du mois mars 1795, dont
il s'oblige remettre l'expédition si besoin est à la première Réquisition,
pour le prix et somme que le dit procureur en trouvera du reçu donner
toute quittance valable et raisonable, approuvant d'avance comme alors,
tout ce que ce dit procureur aura fait concernant la dite vente, ce fut
ainsi fait et passé à St-Denis, étude du notaire soussigné, l'an mil sept
cent quatre-vingt seize le deux de septembre avant midi présence des Srs.
Charles Gariépy et Jean-Baptiste Gosselin au dit lieu, témoins à ce
appellé, qui ont signé avec Messire Louis Payet et notaire soussigné,
ainsi signé Charles Gariépy, Jean-Bte. Gosselin, L. Payet, Chs. Michaud
Nre. Pc. à la minute des présentes demeurée en la Garde et possession du
dit notaire soussigné.
CHS. MICHAUD.
Nre. Pc.
Par devant les notaires publics en la province du Bas Canada résidens à
Québec soussignés.
Fut présent M. Francis Bellet demeurant en sa maison, rue sous le Fort, en
cette ville, lequel en vertu de la procuration ci-dessus et précédentes
pages reconnaît et déclare avoir vendu et vendre à M. Thomas Lee du dit
Québec, la nommée Rose, négresse, dénommée et désignée en la dite
obligation, pour prix et somme de cinq cents livres de vingt sols et de la
lui délivrer incessement le dit Sieur acquéreur déclarant la connaître et
l'accepter, et a payé les dites cinq cents livres au dit Sieur vendeur en
billet de la dite somme, ordre du dit sieur Bellet, lequel acquitté, la
présente vente le sera aussi, Québec, neuvième septembre en l'office de M.
Dumas, Notaire, l'an mil sept cent quatre-vingt seize et ont signé,
lecture faite avec les dits notaires
FRANCOIS BELLET
THOMAS LEE.
CHS. VOYER,
N. Public.
A. DUMAS.
Not. Pub.
[_See page_ 200.]
THE ICE-SHOVE. APRIL, 1874
WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY--A SAD SPECTACLE
"At the very moment of its departure, and when the entire city was
rejoicing in the longed-for event--at the very time when the glad news was
flashing over the wires to Montreal and the West, that Nature's barrier to
the uninterrupted navigation of the St. Lawrence was so slowly floating
away--we regret to say that the ice-bridge of 1874 was making itself
memorable yesterday to Quebec in a shape more formidable than its perverse
tenacity or its injurious effects upon trade. It was rioting in a perfect
orgie of destruction, crushing man's handwork in its passage like so much
frail glass in the grasp of a giant. At 3.20 p.m., when the glad
announcement passed from mouth to mouth that the ice was moving, it began
its destructive work. The scene was at Blais Booms and the immediate
neighborhood, where the Government steamers _Napoleon III_ and _Druid_,
the Gulf Ports steamers _Georgia_, _Miramichi_ and _Hadji_ and a large
number of tug steamers and other craft belonging to the St. Lawrence Tow
Boat Company and other parties were in winter quarters and have been in
the habit of so doing for years on account of the superior facilities and
safety offered by the place. Nearly a hundred craft of all kinds,
steamers, ships, schooners, and barges, were here congregated, moored in
many instances together and extending over a line of nearly 300 yards. The
floating ice as it came down, struck the outside craft--a sailing vessel,
we believe--driving it against its neighbor, the _Georgia_, and then
hurrying both of them against the others, jamming them against each other
and against the wharves in inextricable confusion and causing a tremendous
amount of damage, if not irreparable loss. Some were stove in, filled with
water and sunk, only leaving their bows or masts above water to mark where
they had gone down, while others disappeared from view altogether.
Fortunately no lives were lost. The loss and damage to property cannot
fall far short, we believe, of a million of dollars. The following is a
summary of the accident:
Government steamer _Napoleon III_ driven against the Mariner's Chapel
wharf had her side completely stove in; full of water and almost keeled
over, very badly damaged, and will cost a heavy sum to repair. She had
steam up at the time, but could not move out. Broke her cables and lost
her anchors.
Gulf Ports steamer _Georgia_--Hole stove in her side; hold, full of
water. Damage easily repaired.
Gulf Ports SS. _Hadji_--Singular to say, though the boat was in the
very middle of the confused mass, it received no damage worth mentioning.
Gulf Ports SS. _Miramichi_--very slightly damaged. Will be extricated
to-day and proceed to her wharf, to sail for below on Tuesday next.
Government steamer "Druid,"--on her beam ends, slightly damaged.
Steamboat "Napoleon,"--keeled over,
Steamboat "Mersey,"--on her side.
Steamboat "Canada,"--sunk.
Steamboat "Beaver,"--sunk, completely disappeared.
Steamboat "Castor"--disappeared.
Steamboat "Rival"--badly damaged.
Steamboat "Shannon,"--badly damaged.
Steamboat "Rescue,"--sunk, lies under the bows of the "Miramichi."
Steamboat "Conqueror No. 1,"--badly damaged.
A schooner, owned by Mr. Kennedy, of Gaspé, laden with provisions, and
which was detained here last fall, was also sunk and lies near the
"Georgia." In addition two of Mr. H. H. Hall's blocks or piers were
completely carried away by the crushing weight of the ice."--(Quebec
Budget.)
[_See page 317_.]
_THE PISTOLS AND SASH OF GENERAL WOLFE_, 1759.
(_To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle_.)
DEAR SIR,--Would you allow me to supply in your columns additional
information on an incident relating to the siege of Quebec in 1759. By the
following documents, which come to me with every guarantee of reliability
in the writer, it would appear that the gallant General Wolfe, before
expiring on the Plains of Abraham, on the 13th of Sept, 1759, bequeathed
his pistols and sash to one of the surgeons who attended him. Dr. Elihu or
Edward Tudor was a Welshman, born in 1733. He graduated at Yale College,
1750, joined the English army in 1755, was present at the taking of
Quebec, and left the service about 1767, receiving a pension and grant of
land from the English Government. These relics are now in the possession
of Dr. Tudor's grand daughter, Mrs. Strong, at Monkton, awaiting farther
particulars.
I remain, Dear Sir,
Yours, &c.
J. M. LeMoine.
_STATE OF VERMONT_,
SENATE CHAMBER,
MONKTON, April 26th, 1875.
J. M. LeMoine, Esq., Literary and Historical Society, Quebec.
SIR,--Please find enclosed statement of Mrs. Strong relative to the
pistols and sash of Gen. Wolfe. You will undoubtedly remember that I wrote
to you last winter, and that you answered asking for something more
authentic. Consequently I drew up a set of questions, leaving after each
question space for answer. Now I return them to you. There is no question
in the minds of people here about the facts as stated by Mrs. Strong. The
authority of the matter is as established here as that Mr. Harrower is
proprietor of Gen. Montgomery's sabre. I should be very happy to receive
one of the books that are being prepared of that era in the history of
Quebec.
I have the honor, sir, of being at your service, G. E. SMITH.
STRONG AND MIDDLEBROOKE,
VERGENNES, Vt., 1875.
Dr. Elihu or Edward was descended from Owen Tudor, who came from Wales
with the Puritans, was born 1733, graduated at Yale College 1750, joined
the army 1755, was at the taking of Quebec and the Havana; about 1767; he
was discharged and returned to his native place; he received a pension
during his life, and also a grant of land from the English Government.
The above statement is made by C. W. Strong, of the above firm.
C. E. SMITH
Will Mrs. Strong please answer the following questions:--
What is your maiden name?--Sarah Tudor.
What was your father's name in full and profession?--Edward Tudor,
educated at Philadelphia as Physician, Surgeon and Dentist.
What was your grandfather's name and profession?--Elihu Tudor, Physician
and Surgeon,--generally wrote it _Edward_, as he disliked the name of
_Elihu_.
When and where was he born?--Feb. 1733, Windsor, Conn.
When and where did he die?--East Windsor, Conn., 1826.
Was he Surgeon on Gen. Wolfe's staff's at Quebec in 1759?--He was.
How do you know that your grandfather Tudor attended upon Gen. Wolfe when
he was wounded on the 13th Sept., 1759, at Quebec?--I have often heard my
grand father relate the circumstances and other interesting reminiscences
of the General.
What is the history or tradition as you have it that Gen. Wolfe gave your
grandfather his pistols?--The history he (my grandfather) gave was only,
that they were given him at the death of Gen. Wolfe.
Describe them--They are rifle breech-loaders, London maker, Flint Locks,
silver mounted, with English coat of arms on butt; the sash was cut up;
Dr. Strong has a piece; it is stained.
Have you them in your possession?--My son, Dr. Edward Strong, of Crown
Point, N. Y., has them.
Have you the sash worn by Surgeon Tudor at the time the General was
killed?--The sash was three yards long, Crimson silk. It was Gen. Wolfe's
sash given to my grandfather.
What is said of stains of blood upon it from the wound that caused Wolfe's
death?--It was rent with the shot, and stained with his blood.
MRS. SARAH TUDOR STRONG.
_THE POST OFFICE.
"In a recent issue of the _Journal des Trois Rivières_ appeared a
somewhat interesting paper on the Canadian postal system. From this paper
we learn that on the cession of this country to Great Britain a regular
mail courier was established between the cities of Montreal and Quebec.
The celebrated Benjamin Franklin was the Deputy Postmaster General for the
English colonies from 1750 to 1774. In 1776 this functionary, while giving
evidence before a committee of the British Parliament, stated that, as a
rule, the mail courier kept the route by the water highways, seldom
penetrating into the interior. From his evidence, also, we learn that the
mail communication between Quebec and Montreal was not more frequent than
once a month. For not having established intermediate post-offices between
the two towns, Franklin alleged the great distance between the settlers on
the banks of the St. Lawrence, the isolation of the Canadian villages, and
the excessive difficulty of intercommunication in his day. The fact is,
however, that Benjamin Franklin was a great enemy to Canadian prosperity,
and always looked with aversion upon the people of the newly-acquired
colony. In 1774, war having broken out between the mother-country and the
English colonies, Franklin was deprived of his office, and Mr. Hugh
Finlay, a subordinate of the great republican philosopher, was appointed
Deputy Postmaster General for Canada. Mr. Finlay had been given great
proofs of capacity under the previous _régime_, and being a man of
very high character and probity, he was armed with large discretionary
powers to put the mail system of Canada on a better footing, and to make
its operations more extended and regular. Until 1790, there were added but
two intermediate post-offices between Quebec and Montreal; in the year
following, offices were opened at Three Rivers and Berthier. Every month,
however, a mail messenger was sent by way of Halifax to England. At this
date the local mail betwixt Quebec and Halifax was bi-weekly in summer,
and once a week in winter; the local mail between Quebec and Montreal had
increased to twice a week. In 1800, Mr. Hugh Finlay was succeeded in
office by Mr. George Heriot. This gentleman, being also commissioned as
Deputy Postmaster General for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as well as
for the two Canadas, had to oversee the service throughout all these
provinces and to visit them from time to time. In the four first years of
his administration he opened but one new post-office in Lower Canada, and
five in the Upper Province. Matters progressed slowly enough until 1816,
when Mr. David Sutherland succeeded Mr. Heriot. In 1817 be opened six
additional offices of delivery in Lower Canada which made the total number
of offices in operation thirteen. Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
were placed under the management of independent offices, and in that year
the mails were still expedited but weekly to New Brunswick. In 1824, Mr.
Sutherland was succeeded by Mr. Thomas Allen Stayner, and it was in this
year that New Brunswick was endowed with an independent postal department.
Mr. Stayner administered his important office for the space of twenty-
seven years, with great zeal and giving entire satisfaction to the public.
He greatly increased the number of local offices, and inaugurated many of
the reforms which have since developed into that vast and safe system of
communication with which our people are so familiar. On the 6th of April,
1851, the Canadian Mail Department was transferred from the Imperial to
Provincial control, the first Postmaster General being the Hon. John
Morris. Some idea of the progress made from 1760 to 1851, a period of
ninety years, may be obtained by contrasting the department under Benjamin
Franklin and that over which Mr. Morris was called to preside. The
courier, who made monthly journeys on horseback between the military posts
of Quebec and Montreal, and whose safe arrival at either of those then
distant cities would no doubt cause the utmost satisfaction to the King's
lieges, male and female, had been replaced by the steamboat and soon would
be by the railway; and the two primitive post offices of Canada had
expanded into a network of 601 local offices, transmitting among them
letters to the number of 2,132,000 annually. In 1861 these figures had
attained to 1775 offices, and the number of letters transmitted to
9,400,000; in addition to a weekly line of ocean mail steamers to Europe,
over 1200 miles of railway doing mail service from one end of Canada to
the other, and a magnificent network of telegraphic wire supplementing the
postal system. What the number of offices and of letters carried may have
been for the last year ending July 1867, when the postal systems of the
Dominion were again placed under one head, we have not at hand, but we may
state that during the official term of Hon. Mr. Langevin, now Secretary of
State, the revenue from this source attained almost $900,000.
In the year 1851, the system of cheap postage was tried in Canada, the
rate being reduced from an average one of fifteen cents to a uniform rate
of five cents for prepaid and seven cents for unpaid letters. In the
following year this reform resulted in doubling the number of letters
carried, with the reduction of only one-third of the previous revenue; and
in a short time the receipts not only increased to the former figure but
greatly exceeded it. Under the new system we expect this reform in the
charge for postage will be greatly extended."--(_Quebec Mercury_.)
[_See page 263._]
_MONUMENT OF THE VICTIMS OF 1837-'38_
"_L'Ordre_ newspaper announces the completion of the monument in the
Côte des Neiges Cemetery to the memory of the victims of 1837-38. It
required many efforts and great energy to bring to a completion a work
which had unhappily encountered many difficulties. For some months,
furnished with sums collected either by a special or general subscription,
or the proceeds of concerts and pleasure excursions, the Committee applied
themselves to the work, and on Sunday they went to take possession from
Mr. T. Fahrland, architect, and Mr. L. Hughes, the constructor of the
monument. The inauguration will take place next summer.
Situated on the highest elevation of the Cemetery, this monument commands
the vast resting place of the dead. It is of octagonal shape, 55 feet in
height, the pyramid reposing on a base of 80 by 90 feet. The architecture,
stern and grand, strikes the beholder at a distance, and his admiration
will not cease as he approaches. On the four sides of the base white
marble tablets are set, having neatly engraved on them these inscriptions
(in French):
On the first stone, facing the road, we read:
To the
Political Victims
of
1837-1838.
Religious Souvenir
The 92 Resolutions adopted by the Assembly of Lower Canada,
March 1st, 1834
Subsidies refused by the Assembly of Lower Canada, Feb 23rd, 1836.
Lord Gosford
Disposes of the Public Money notwithstanding the refusal to grant it.
This religious and historical monument has been erected under the auspices
of the _Institut Canadien_ in 1858.
L. HUGHES, T. FAHRLAND,
Contractor. Architect
On the second stone:
BATTLES OF ST. DENIS AND ST. CHARLES,
23rd and 25th Nov., 1837.
Charles Ovide Perrault, Advocate, M.P.P.
Charles St. Germain Benjamin Bouthillier Olivier L'Escaut
François Dufaux Romain dit Mandeville Joseph Comeau
André Mandeville Moïse Pariseau Henri Chaume
Eusèbe Phaneuf Pascal Delisle Louis Dauphinais
Pierre Minet Marie Anne Martel Gabriel Lusignan
Joseph Dudevoir Amable Hébert Toussaint Paquet
Antoine Amiot J. Bte. Hébert Marc Jeannotte
J. Bte. Patenaude Toussaint Loiselle François Dubuc
Cléophas Bourgeois François Dumaine Hypolite Sénécal-Lamoureux
Pierre Emery-Coderre,
And eleven other victims not identified.
On the third stone, facing the city:
EXECUTED AT MONTREAL;
By the order of the Court Martial.
The 21st December, 1838,
Joseph Narcisse Cardinal, Notary, M. P. P.
Joseph Duquet, Student at Law.
The 18th January, 1839:
François Marie Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Notary.
François Nicholas, Teacher, Amable Daunais, Farmer.
Pierre Rémi Narbonne, Painter. Charles Hendelang, Soldier.
And on the fourth side we read:
BATTLE OF ST. EUSTACHE,
15th December, 1837:
Jean Olivier Cherrier, M.D.
(His ashes repose here.)
Joseph Payette Amable Lauzon Alexis Lachance
J. B. L. Lanze Jean Morin Joseph Leduc
Nazaire Filion Jean Doré Eustache Lafleur
Séraphine Doré Joseph Guitard Augustin Doré
François Dubé Pierre Dabeau Pierre Gatien
J. Gauthier dit Larouche Joseph Bonviette J. B. Lebrun
J. B. Campeau J. B. Toupin Louis Robert dit Faché
Their remains as well as those of several other persons, not identified,
rest in the cemeteries of St. Eustache and Ste. Scholastique.
Engagement at Odelltown,
_November_, 1838;
To the Number of Victims found:
BOYER, LANCTÔT.
Of St. Philippe.
It is a holy and salutary thought, to pray for the dead:
M. LII, Ch. 12, v. 46.
The fine monument has cost $3,000 to $4,000, and many efforts were
required to realize this sum. The execution does great credit to Messrs.
Fehrland and Hughes. The names of the committee who contributed to produce
this result, are as follows: Dr. Coderre, chairman; Mr. R. Trudeau,
treasurer; Mr. C. O. Perrault, secretary; Messrs. L. A. Dessaulles, Henry
Lacroix, A. H. Morin, Joseph Doutre, N. Bourbonnière and Gonzalve
Doutre."--(_Quebec Mercury_.)
_FINE FOR DUELLING GIVEN TO BUREAU DES PAUVRES._
(Sentence du Conseil Souverain du Samedy, septième avril 1691.)
(Extrait par T. P. Bédard, archiviste provincial--Québec.)
Le Conseil assemblé ou estoient;
Monsieur le gouverneur et Monsieur l'intendant
Maistres Louis Rouer de Villeray, primier conseiller -+
" Mathieu Damours Deschampen |
" Nicolas Dupont de Neuville + Conseillers
" Jean Baptiste Depeiras |
" Charles Denys de Vitray -+
Et François de la Magdeleine Ruette d'Auteil, procureur général du Roy.
Veu par le Conseil le procès criminel extraordinairement fait et instruit
à la requête du procureur général du Roy, demandeur et accusateur
allencontre de Pierre de Noyan et Guillaume de Lorimier, capitaine dans le
détachement de la marine que sa majesté entretient en ce pays, défendeurs
et accusés. Information faite contre les dits accusés, les 25, 27 et 28
février dernier, décrets d'ajournement personel allencontre deux donné le
cinq mars ensuivant; exploits de signification faite à leur auberge le
neuvième ensuivant; autres exploits de signification faite au quartier où
est la compagnie du dit de Lorimier le 16 ensuivant, et en la ville des 3
R. au domicile du dit de Noyan quartier de sa compagnie du 15 du mesme
mois, arrest du 27 ensuivant rendu sur requête du dit de Lorimier,
certificat du chirurgien major du dit détachement sur réquisitoire du dit
procureur général, le dit arrest portant que le dit sieur Noyan seroit
incessamment interrogé, et ensuite le dit sieur de Lorimier en son
domicile où le conseiller commissaire se transportera à cet effet.
Interrogatoires des dits de Noyan et de Lorimier du 29 du dit mois,
contenant leurs reconnaissances, confessions et dénégations. Conclusions
du dit procureur général, ouy le rapport de Mtre. Jean Baptiste Peiras
conseiller et tout considéré. Le conseil a déclaré et déclare les dits de
Noyan et de Lorimier deument atteints et convaincus de s'estre querellés
et battus sur le champ, l'épée à la main, et s'estre entreblessés.
Pourquoy les a condamnés et condamne à aumosner chacun la somme de
cinquante livres, aplicable moytié à l'Hostel Dieu de cette ville, et
l'autre au bureau des pauvres d'icelle, et aux dépens du procès à taxer
par le conseiller raporteur; deffenses à eux de récidiver, sous telle
peine qu'il apartiendra.
(Signé) Bochart Champigny, Depeiras.
_MEMORABILIA.
Jacques Cartier landed on the banks of the Saint Charles .. Sept. 14, 1535
Quebec founded by Samuel de Champlain ..................... July 3, 1608
Arrival of the Franciscan Friars (Récollets, Denis Jamay,
Jean Dolbeau, Joseph LeCaron) at Tadousac, in the ship St.
Etienne, Capt. Pontgravé .................................. May 25, 1615
First Mass said in the Lower Town Chapel, by Father Dolbeau. June 26, 1615
Fort St. Louis built at Quebec ............................ 1620-4
Arrival of the First Jesuits .............................. 1625
Quebec surrendered to Admiral Kirk ........................ 1629
Quebec returned to the French ............................. 1633
Death of Champlain the first Governor ..................... Dec. 25, 1635
Settlement formed at Sillery .............................. 1637
A Royal Government formed at Quebec ....................... 1663
Quebec unsuccessfully besieged by Admiral Phipps .......... 1690
Count de Frontenac died ................................... Nov. 28, 1698
Sir Hovenden Walker's armada shipwrecked on Egg Island .... Aug. 23, 1711
Battle of the Plains of Abraham ........................... Sept. 13, 1759
Capitulation of Quebec .................................... Sept. 18, 1759
Battle of Ste. Foye--a French Victory ..................... April 28, 1760
Canada ceded by treaty to England ......................... Feb. 10, 1763
Blockade of Quebec by Generals Montgomery and Arnold ...... Nov. 10, 1775
Death of General Richard Montgomery ....................... Dec. 31, 1775
Retreat of Americans from Quebec .......................... May 6, 1776
Division of Canada into Upper and Lower Canada ............ 1791
First Cholera, (3,500 deaths) ............................. 1832
Second do. 2,500 " ................................. 1834
Destruction by fire of Château St. Louis .................. Jan. 23, 1834
Insurrection in Canada .................................... 1837
Second Insurrection ....................................... 1838
Union of the two Provinces in one ......................... 1841
Great Fire in St. Roch's suburb ........................... May 28, 1845
" " in St. John " ............................. June 28, 1845
Dominion of Canada formed ................................. July 1, 1867
Departure of English troops ............................... 1870-1
Second Centenary of Foundation of Bishopric of Quebec by
Monseigneur Laval Oct. 1, 1674, ........................... 1874
Centenary of Repulse of Arnold and Montgomery before
Quebec, on 31st Dec., 1775 ................................ Dec. 31, 1875
Dufferin Plans of City embellishment, promulgated Christmas day 1875
Departure of the Earl of Dufferin ......................... Oct. 18, 1878
Arrival of the Marquis of Lorne and Princess Louise ....... June 4, 1879
Dufferin Terrace named by " " ........... July 9, 1879
" City Gates--St. Lewis and Kent founded ........... 1879
_DEATH SENTENCES CARRIED INTO EFFECT AT THE QUEBEC GAOL FROM THE
YEAR_ 1814 _to_ 1876, _INCLUSIVE.
a-PRISONER'S NAME AND DESCRIPTION
b-COMMITTED WHEN AND HOW, BY WHAT AUTHORITY AND FOR WHAT CAUSE
c-RECOMMITTED, WHEN, HOW, BY WHAT AUTHORITY, AND FOR WHAT CAUSE
d-REMARKS
1
a-PATRICK MURPHY, an Irishman, in height, 5 feet, 8 inches, fair
complexion, sandy hair, and blue eyes, and mark in the head.
b-On the 5th of March, 1814, by warrant from Henry Blackstone, (Coroner
Blackstone was a son of the celebrated English Jurist, Sir Wm Blackstone),
Coroner for the District of Quebec, for the wilful murder of Marie Anne
Dussault, of the Parish of Les Ecuriels, on the 1st of March, 1814.
c-On the 6th of May, 1814 by order of the Court of Oyer and Terminer and
General Gaol Delivery, being on this day convicted of wilful murder of
Marie Anne Dussault, and on 9th of May, 1814, by further order of the
Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Gaol Delivery, being on this day
attained, sentenced to be hanged on Friday, the 20th of May.
d-Executed on Friday, the 20th May, 1814.
2
a-JAMES WELSH, an Irishman, in height, 5 feet, 10 inches, dark complexion,
black hair, and brown eyes, and no nose.
b-On the 27th of December, 1814, by virtue of a warrant from Henry
Blackstone, Esq., Coroner for the district of Quebec, charged with the
wilful murder of Robert Stephens.
c-On the 16th May, 1815, by order of the Court of Oyer and Terminer and
General Gaol Delivery, held for the District of Quebec, being on this day
convicted of murder, and further ordered by the same court attained,
sentenced to be executed on the 18th of May.
d-On the 18th of May, 1815, executed, according to his sentence.
3 4
a-GABRIEL MIRON,
*CHARLES ALARIE,
*THOMAS THOMAS
+THOS CHAMBERLAIN,
+_JAMES MARTIN_,
+JOHN CALLOW.
b-On the 12th day of September, 1818, by John Fletcher, Esq., charged
before me with suspicion of having feloniously stolen from on board a
vessel in the harbour of Quebec, several chests of Tea of the value of one
hundred pounds, sterling, of the goods and chattels of James Owen.
c-*On the 30th of September, 1818, by the Court of Oyer and Terminer, for
stealing to the value of forty shillings in a vessel on a navigable river,
sentenced to death. Suspended in consequence of former sentence of death.
d-*On the 23rd Oct., 1818, sentence put in execution. +Delivered by the
September Court, 1818.
5
a-JOHN MULKAHEY
b-On the 3rd day of July, 1821, by A. Caron, Esq., charged with suspicion
of felony and murder.
c-On the 5th of July, by H. Blackstone, Esq., Coroner, charged with the
wilful murder of Moses McAllister, at the parish of St. Michel, in the
county of Hertford.
c-On the 29th of September, by the Court of King's Bench, convicted of
murder. Sentence: That he be taken to the place from whence be came, and
that he be taken from thence, on Wednesday, the 26th day of September
instant, to the place of execution, and he be then hanged by the neck
'till he be dead; and that his body, when dead, be taken down and
dissected and anatomised.
Respited till the 5th Oct, 1821.
The above sentence of the court executed on the 5th October, 1821.
6
a-WILLIAM POUNDER, an Irishman; aged 28, height, 5 feet, 6 inches; sallow
complexion.
b-On the 31st of May, 1823, by virtue of a warrant from T. Fletcher, Esq.,
charged with suspicion of felony and murder.
c-On the 7th of June, 1823, by order of H. Blackstone, Esq., Coroner, and
sentenced to be hanged by the neck until he be dead.
d-Executed on the 10th Oct., 1823 Body given to Dr Fargues.
7
a-JOHN HART, a Nova Scotian, aged 34, height 5 feet, 9 inches, dark
complexion.
b-On the 7th of October, 1825, by virtue of a warrant from N.
D'Estimauville, Esq., charged with suspicion of larceny.
c-March term (1826) Six months' imprisonment, and to be whipt, May 6,
between 10 and 12, in the market-place.
d-On the 14th of Jan, 1826, escaped, and was re taken on the 17th, charged
with another offence, for which he was condemned and executed 10th
November, 1826.
8
a-JOHN BTE MONARQUE, a Canadian, aged [sic]
b-On the 29th of September, 1826, by virtue of a warrant from J. F.
Taschereau, Esq., charged with suspicion of burglary.
c-March term Sentenced to be hanged at Pointe Levi, on the 24th April,
1827.
d-Sentence carried into execution on the 24th April, 1827.
9 10
a-BENJAMIN JOHNSON,
ROBERT MESSENGER
b-On the 12th of November, 1826, by virtue of a warrant from T. A. Young,
Esq., charged with suspicion of burglary.
c-March term. Sentenced to be hanged on the 21st of April, 1827.
d-Sentence executed.
11
a-PIERRE DUCHARME,
+MICHAEL MORNEAU,
+JOHN DOHARTY, _alias_ John Dougherty
b-On the 15th of September, 1828, by virtue of a warrant from A. G. Chenet
and J. G. Boisseau, Esqrs., charged with stealing a quantity of
merchandize from Jacques Oliva, of St. Thomas.
c-Sentenced to be hanged by the neck, on the 24th October next ensuing, by
the Court of King's Bench, September term, 1828.
+18th of October, 1828, ordered for transportation.
d-24th Oct, 1828, sentence carried into execution.
12
a-J. M. DESJARDINS
b-On the 13th of June, 1829, by virtue of a warrant from R. Christie,
Esq., charged with suspicion of burglary.
c-By the Court of King's Bench September term, 1829, sentenced to be
executed on the 31st day of October, 1829.
d-Sentence carried into execution.
13
a-FRS. MALOUIN, _dit_ FRS. Marois _dit_ Frs. Lafaye, a Canadian.
b-On the 23rd August, 1829, by virtue of a warrant from R. Harrower, Esq.,
charged with murder.
c-26th August, François Malouin _dit_ Marios _dit_ Lafaye, recommitted for
murder under coroner's inquest.
Court of King's Bench, September term, 1829, sentence of death on 30th
September, 1829.
d-Sentence carried into execution.
14
a-WILL SHUTER
b-On the 14th of January, 1824, by virtue of a warrant from J. J. Reny,
Esq., charged with inflicting a gunshot wound on Living Lane.
c-By Court of King's Bench, March term, 1834. Sentence, death.
d-4th April, 1834, sentence carried into execution.
15
a-EDWARD DEVELIN, _alias_ Harvicker
b-On the 30th of November, 1835, by virtue of a warrant from the Coroner,
charged with murder.
c-By Court of King's Bench, March term, 1836. Sentence, death.
d-8th April, 1836, executed pursuant to sentence.
16
a-JOHN MEEHAN, an Irishman, aged 22
b-On the 12th of Sept., 1863, by virtue of a warrant from C. E. Panet,
charged with murder.
c-Convicted January term, 1864, Queen's Bench. Sentenced to be executed on
Friday, the 22nd of March, 1864, between the hours of 10 and 11 o'clock
A.M.
d-Sentence carried into execution
QUEBEC GAOL, February 7, 1877.
_QUEBEC GOLF CLUB._
The members of this Club had their annual meeting on Saturday last to
compete for their "Handicap Medal" over the Cove Field, or Quebec links.
The "Ancient game of Golf" having only recently been introduced into the
country it may not be uninteresting for the information of the uninitiated
to give a general idea of the game. It is played with a ball, weighing 1-
3/4 oz., made of "gutta percha" and a set of clubs of various construction
suitable for the different stages of the game; the play is over an
extended grass common or "Links." At St. Andrew in Scotland, for instance,
the ground "Links" over which the game is played, extends in length about
two miles and the circuit "out and home" is about four miles; over this
space, circular holes of about four inches in diameter are placed, in all
eighteen holes, from a quarter of a mile to one-half or one-third of the
distance apart. The game is interspersed with what in golfing language are
called "hazards," that is sand bunkers and whins, and all the skill
required is to avoid these, reach each hole, and hole the ball in the
fewest possible number of strokes. Of course the distance and number of
holes varies according to the extent of ground available for play in
different localities; at Quebec, for instance, the "round" consists in 14
holes, extending from the racquet court westward to Perrault's Hill, and
making a circuit back to the "home hole" or the point from which the game
started. The game is played by two persons or by four (two of a side)
playing alternately. They commence by each party playing off from a place
called a "tee" near the first hole; the ball must afterwards be played
from wherever it lies and the hole is won by the party holing in fewest
strokes; hereafter the balls are again teed and so on at each hole over
the whole course. All golf clubs as a rule have an annual competition for
a medal or other trophy; sometimes the rule is that all must compete on
equal terms; at others the players are handicapped, that is odds are given
according to the player's supposed skill or want of skill, and in awarding
the prize the odds thus given are deducted from the aggregate score made
by the player--thus, say a player is handicapped or receives the odds of
ten strokes and holes the round in 80, his odds being deducted makes him
stand 70 in the competition; he therefore wins as against another
competitor whose aggregate score is 71, but who received no odds.
LIST OF MEMBERS--QUEBEC GOLF CLUB.
PATRON:
His Excellency, the MARQUIS OF LORNE, Governor-General of Canada.
_Captain_:
C. Farquharson Smith.
_Committee:_
James Stevenson. H. Stanley Smith.
Peter MacNaughton. Herbert M. Price.
_Secretary-Treasurer:_ William P. Sloane.
Beckett, Thos. Macpherson, William M.
Campbell, Colin. MacEwen, Peter.
Cook, William. MacKay, John.
Denistoun, A. Roberts, Jos.
Dobell, Richard R. Ruthven, Hon. E.
De Winton, Lt.-Col., F. W. Richardson, D. B. C.
Foote, John J. Smith, C. Chaloner.
Griffith, W. A. Smith, R. H.
Gibb, James. Stikeman, H.
Gilmour, John D. Scott, T. M.
Hale, E. I. Scott, A. P.
Irvine, Hon. Geo. Scarth, James L.
Irvin, Lt.-Col., D. T., R.A. Sheppard, H. C., A.D.C., Lt.-Gov.
Laird, Thomas U. Thomson, Andrew.
Lindsay, Crawford. Thomson, Geo. H.
Machin, H. T. Taylor, John.
Moffat, W., jun. Hussey, George.
Meredith, Hon. Chief Justice W. C. Young, G. B. Symes.
We may add that a certain historical interest attaches to the Game of
Golf. It was played in early times by two Kings of Scotland, hence the
prefix "Royal;" hence also, perhaps, the custom of players wearing red
coats while at play. In the "Memorials of Edinburgh in the olden time," by
Dr. Daniel Wilson, President of the University College, Toronto, and
Professor of History, we read that King Charles I was engaged in the game
of Golf on Leith links when, in November, 1641, a letter was handed to him
which gave the first news of the Rebellion in Ireland. On reading the
letter, he suddenly called for his coach, and leaving a few of his
attendants in great agitation, he drove to Holyrood palace, from whence he
set out next day for London. This was undoubtedly his last game in
Scotland, and probably the last game of Golf he played.
It will he observed that His Excellency the Marquis of Lorne is Patron of
the Quebec Club. His Excellency is not on the list as a mere figurehead;
he is a golfer, and plays an excellent game, as shewn in the Reports of
medal day games.
_QUEBEC SNOW-SHOE CLUB._
Founded In 1876.
Colours: RED and BLACK.
This Club, which counts upwards of 60 members in its ranks, meets weekly
during the snow-shoe season; it has three rendezvous, viz., at Hamels on
the Cap Rouge Road, at Belleau's, on the St. Foye Road, and at
Chamberlain's near Beauport. At these tramps the members amuse themselves
with chess, cards, draughts, singing, &c, to 11 P.M., when supper is
served. The club is conducted on strictly temperance principles.
The Annual Concert of the Club, usually held in the Music Hall, is looked
for by the Quebec public with pleasure In 1881, one of the largest
audiences ever collected in the Music Hall, attended the annual concert.
The Hall was decorated with flags, devices, wreaths, snow-shoes most
ingeniously arranged. It was a most brilliant and enjoyable _soirée._
The various LaCrosse, the Golf and the Snow-shoe Clubs, tend very much to
develop the muscle of our city youths, combining healthy exercise, with
pleasure and health.
Subjoined will be found the names of the Q. S. S. C, for 1881
QUEBEC SNOW-SHOE CLUB
Ashe, H. Fraser, D. Peters, J. B.
Ashe, F. Gingras, J. Peters, A. H.
Bell, J. L. Green, J. A. Phillips, C. W.
Buchanan, A. H. Holloway, A. Oliver, F.
Boswell, V. Holloway, F. Richardson, J. 0.
Boswell, J. Holt, C. Roche, J, Jr.
Buchanan, N. H. Hurst, H. Rawson, Rev. C. W
Brown, J, Jr. Hague, L. Ramsay, W. T.
Bruneau, L. Hemming, H. Scott, W. B.
Bruneau, J. Harrison, R. M., Jr. Scott, W.
Burroughs, W. Irvine, G. H. Scott, A.
Campbell, B. Joly, E. Smith, R. H., Jr.
Campbell, W. W. Judge, H. E. Scwartz, E.
Campbell, W. N. Jones, E., Jr. Sewell, R. L.
Colley, A. W. King, Wm. Woods, W. C.
Dunn, C. Laird, J., Jr. Woods, H.
Dunn, T. Lelièvre, S. Wilson, E.
Dunbar, J, Jr. Montizambert, W. Welch, R. C.
Doucet, R. E. B. Meredith, F. Whitehead, B.
Fry, H., Jr. Mountain. A. H. Wurtele, C. F.
Forrest, S. Mountain, H. H.
Forrest, H. Myles, P.
OFFICERS
R. H. Smith, Jr., President, A. Holloway, Vice-President; H. Woods,
Secretary-treasurer.
_Committee_:
W. B Scott, A. H. Buchanan, P. Myles.
On the 24th March, 1881, a handsome gold locket and chain was presented to
one of the most energetic promoters of the Club, Mr. A. Holloway, with the
following address:--
_To Alfred Holloway, Esquire, from the members of the Quebec Snow-shoe
Club._
DEAR SIR,--We, your fellow-members of the Quebec Snow-Shoe Club,
acknowledging the indefatigable zeal yon have always shewn for the
prosperity of the club, beg to offer for your acceptance the accompanying
locket and chain as a small token of regard. It is the spontaneous tribute
of the members in recognition of your many fine qualities as a companion,
and to mark our appreciation of your efforts to make our meetings
agreeable.
The success and pleasure of the many winter tramps were in no small
measure due to the bright and cheerful manner you always displayed in
encouraging and enlivening the journey, and thus your impromptu songs at
our place of meeting, on the route, were inimitable, and were, we assure
you, thoroughly enjoyed. These pleasant and invigorating snow-shoe rambles
and entertainments will ever remain a green spot in our memories.
That the Quebec Snow-Shoe Club may long continue to enjoy the benefit and
influence of your agreeable company is the heartfelt desire of us all.
R. HARCOURT SMITH,
President.
HARRY WOODS,
Secretary.
14th March, 1881.
The locket and chain which were presented to Mr. A. Holloway were made by
Mr. G. Seifert, the locket having upon it a pair of crossed snow-shoes and
tuque with a monogram of the club beautifully raised on the one side, and
on the back, were engraved the following words: "Presented to Mr. Holloway
by the members of Q. S. S. C., 24th March, 1881." The address was
handsomely illuminated by the Nuns of the Good Shepherd Convent, and
reflects great credit upon them for the artistic manner in which it is got
up.
_FRENCH GOVERNORS OF CANADA_.
(LIST PREPARED BY FRED A. MCCORD)
Date of
Commission From To
CHAMPLAIN, Samuel de Oct 15, 1612 Oct 15, 1612 July 20, 1629
CHAMPLAIN, Samuel de (a) ---- --- ---- May 23, 1633 Dec 25, 1635
Châteaufort, Marc
Antoine Bras-de-fer (b) ---- --- ---- Dec 25, 1635 June 11, 1636
MONTMAGNY, Charles
Huault de ---- --- ---- June 12, 1636 Aug 19, 1648
D'AILLEBOUST de Coulonge,
Louis ---- --- ---- Aug 20, 1648 Oct 12, 1651
LAUZON, Jean de Jan 17, 1651 Oct 13, 1651 ---- --- 1656
Lauzon-Charny, Charles de ---- --- ---- ---- --- 1658 Sep 12, 1657
D'Ailleboust de Coulonge,
Louis ---- --- ---- Sep 13, 1657 July 10, 1658
D'ARGENSON, Pierre de
Voyer, Vicomte Jan 26, 1657 July 11, 1658 Aug 30, 1661
D'AVAUGOUR, Pierre Dubois,
Baron ---- --- ---- Aug 31, 1661 July 28, 1663
MEZY, Augustin de Saffray May 1, 1663 Sep 15, 1663 May 5, 1665
COURCELLES, Daniel de Remy
de (c) Mar 23, 1665 Sep 12, 1665 ---- --- 1672
FRONTENAC, Louis de Buade,
Comte de Palluau et de Apr 7, 1672 Sep --- 1672 ---- --- 1683
LA BARBE, Le Fèbvre de (d) May 1, 1682 Oct 9, 1682 ---- --- 1685
DENONVILLE, Jacques Rene
de Brisay, Marquis de Jan 1, 1685 July 30, 1685 Oct 14, 1689
FRONTENAC, Louis de Buade,
Comte de Palluau et de May 15, 1689 Oct 15, 1689 Nov 28, 1698
Callières, Louis Hector de ---- --- ---- Nov 29, 1698 Sep 13, 1699
CALLIÈRES, Louis Hector Apr 20, 1699 Sep 14, 1699 May 26, 1703
de (d)
Vaudreuil, Philippe de
Rigaud, Marquis de ---- --- ---- May 27, 1703 Sep 16, 1705
VAUDREUIL, Philippe de
Rigaud, Marquis de (d) Aug 1, 1703 Sep 17, 1705 Oct
10, 1725
Ramesay, Claude de ---- --- ---- ---- --- 1714 ---- --- 1716
Longueuil, Charles LeMoyne,
(1st) Baron de ---- --- ---- ---- --- 1725 ---- --- 1726
BEAUHARNOIS, Charles,
Marquis de (d)
La Galissonnière, Rolland Jan 11, 1726 Sep 2, 1726 ---- --- 1747
Michel Barrin, Comte
de (e) June 10, 1747 Sep 19, 1747 Aug 14, 1749
LA JONQUIÈRE, Jacques Pierre
de Taffanel, Marquis de Mar. 15, 1746 Aug 15, 1749 May 17, 1752
Longueuil, Charles
LeMoyne, (2nd) Baron de ---- --- ---- May --- 1752 July --- 1752
DUQUESNE-DE MENNEVILLE,
Marquis de Mar 1, 1752 July --- 1752 June 24, 1755
VAUDREUIL-CAVAGNAL, Pierre
de Rigaud, Marquis de Jan. 1, 1755 June 25, 1755 Sep. 8, 1760
_ENGLISH GOVERNORS._
From To
AMHERST, General Jeffrey (f) Sep. 8, 1760 ---- -- ----
MURRAY, General James Aug. 10, 1764 June 28, 1766
Irving, Paulus Aemilius June 30, 1766 Sep. 23, 1766
Carleton, Lt. Gov. Guy Sep. 24, 1766 Oct. 25, 1768
CARLETON, Guy (g) Oct. 26, 1768 June 26, 1778
Cramahé, Hon. Hector Theophilus Aug. 9, 1770 Oct. 10, 1774
HALDIMAND, Frederick June 27, 1778 Nov. 15, 1784
Hamilton, Lt. Gov. Henry Nov. 16, 1784 Nov. 1, 1785
Hope, Lt. Gov. Henry Nov. 2, 1785 Oct. 22, 1786
DORCHESTER, Baron (h) Oct. 23, 1786 July 11, 1796
Clarke, Lt. Gov. Alured Aug. 17, 1791 Sep. 24, 1793
Prescott, Lt. Gov. Robert July 12, 1796 Apr. 26, 1797
PRESCOTT, Robert Apr. 27, 1797 July 30, 1799
Milnes, Lt. Gov. Robert Shore (i) July 31, 1799 July 30, 1805
Dunn, Hon. Thomas July 31, 1805 Oct. 23, 1807
CRAIG, Sir James Henry Oct. 24, 1807 June 19, 1811
Dunn, Hon. Thomas June 20, 1811 Sep. 13, 1811
Prevost, Sir George Sep. 14, 1811 July 15, 1812
PREVOST, Sir George July 15, 1812 Apr. 4, 1815
ROTTENBURG, Major Gen. Francis de May 12, 1813 June 13, 1813
GLASGOW, Major Gen. George June 14, 1813 Sep. 25, 1813
Drummond, Sir Gordon Apr. 5, 1815 May 21, 1816
Wilson, Major Gen. John May 22, 1816 July 11, 1816
SHERBROOKE, Sir John Coape (j) July 12, 1816 July 29, 1818
RICHMOND, Charles, Duke of July 30, 1818 Aug. 28, 1819
Monk, Hon. James Sep. 20, 1819 Feb. 7, 1820
Maitland, Sir Peregrine (k) Feb. 8, 1820 Feb. 8, 1820
Monk, Hon. James Feb. 9, 1820 Mar. 16, 1820
Maitland, Sir Peregrine Mar. 17, 1820 June 18, 1820
DALHOUSIE, George, Earl of June 19, 1820 Sep. 7, 1828
Burton, Lt. Gov. Sir. Francis Nathaniel June 7, 1824 Sep. 16, 1825
Kempt, Sir James Sep. 8, 1828 Oct. 19, 1830
Aylmer, Matthew Whitworth Aylmer, Baron Oct. 20, 1830 Feb. 3, 1831
AYLMER, Matthew Whitworth Aylmer, Baron Feb. 4, 1831 Aug. 23, 1835
GOSFORD, Archibald Acheson, Earl of Aug. 24, 1835 Feb. 26, 1838
Colborne, Sir John Nov. 1, 1838 Jan. 16, 1839
DURHAM, John George Lambton, Earl of May 29, 1838 Oct. 31, 1838
Colborne, Sir John Nov. 1, 1838 Jan. 16, 1839
COLBORNE, Sir John Jan. 17, 1839 Oct. 18, 1839
SYDENHAM, Chs Ed. Poulett Thomson, Lord (l) Oct. 18, 1839 Sep. 19, 1841
_Clitherowe_, Major Gen. John (m) Sep. 18, 1841 Sep. 18, 1841
Jackson, Sir Richard Downes Sep. 24, 1841 Jan. 11, 1842
BAGOT, Sir Charles Jan. 12, 1842 Mar. 29, 1843
METCALFE, Sir Charles Theophilus (n) Mar. 30, 1843 Nov. 25, 1845
Cathcart, Charles Murray, Earl of Nov. 26, 1845 Apr. 23, 1846
CATHCART, Charles Murray, Earl of Apr. 24, 1846 Jan. 29, 1847
ELGIN, James Bruce, Earl of Jan. 30, 1847 Dec. 18, 1854
_Rowan_, Major Gen. William (m) May 29, 1849 May 30, 1849
Rowan, Lieut. Gen. William Aug. 23, 1853 June 10, 1854
HEAD, Sir Edmund Walker Dec. 19, 1854 Oct. 24, 1861
Eyre, Sir William June 21, 1857 Nov. 2, 1857
Williams, Sir William Fenwick Oct. 12, 1860 Feb. 22, 1861
Monck, Charles Stanley, Viscount Oct. 25, 1861 Nov. 27, 1861
MONCK, Charles Stanley, Viscount (o) Nov. 28, 1861 Nov. 13, 1868
Michel, Sir John Sep. 30, 1865 Feb. 12, 1866
Windham, Sir Charles Ash Nov. 14, 1868 Nov. 30, 1868
Young, Sir John Dec. 1, 1868 Feb. 1, 1869
YOUNG, Sir John (p) Feb. 2, 1869 June 21, 1872
Doyle, Sir Charles Hastings June 22, 1872 June 24, 1872
DUFFERIN, Sir F. T. Blackwood, Earl of June 25, 1872 Oct. 18, 1878
O'Grady Haly, Lieut. Gen. William Oct. 12, 1874 Nov. 2, 1874
O'Grady Haly, Lieut. Gen. William May 15, 1875 Oct. 22, 1875
O'Grady Haly, Sir William Jan. 21, 1878 Feb. 6, 1878
Macdougall, Sir Patrick L. Oct. 19, 1878 Nov. 24, 1878
LORNE. Sir John D. S. Campbell, Marquis of Nov. 25, 1878 ---- -- ----
_NOTES_.
Names indented are those of administrators.
Except in the case of administrators, the date of the arrival at Quebec,
wherever I have been able to ascertain it, is that given in the second
column in the list of French Governors.
(a) Quebec was held by the English, under Louis Kirke, from July 20, 1629,
to July 13, 1632, when it was restored to France. The colony was then
governed by Emery de Caen and Duplessis Bochart, until Champlain's return,
May 23, 1633.
(b) The date given in the second column is that of Champlain's death.
Châteaufort's administration began on the day of the interment, probably
the 28th.
(c) The Marquis de Tracy, the King's _Lieutenant-Général_ in America,
arrived at Quebec, June 30, 1665, and was virtually the Governor of Canada
till his departure, August 28, 1667.
(d) The date here given in the second column is that of the registration
of the Governor's commission at Quebec.
(e) La Galissonnière was sent out to administer the Government during the
captivity of La Jonquière, who, on his way from France, had been made
prisoner by the English.
(f) Although Amherst is usually placed first on the list of English
Governors, it is well known that after the capitulation of Montreal be
divided the province into three governments or districts, to each of which
he appointed a Governor, and that he himself very shortly afterwards left
the country and did not return. The Governors of these three districts,
during what is commonly called the period of military rule, from Sept. 8,
1760, to Aug. 10, 1764,
were as follows:
District of Quebec,
Gen. James Murray Sep. 1760 to Aug. 1764.
District of Three Rivers,
Col. Ralph Burton Sep. 1760 to May 1762.
Col. Fred. Haldimand May 1762 to Mar. 1763.
Col. Ralph Burton Mar. 1763 to Oct. 1763.
Col. Fred. Haldimand Oct. 1773 to Aug. 1764.
District of Montreal,
Gen. Thomas Gage Sep. 1760 to Oct. 1763.
Col. Ralph Burton Oct. 1763 to Aug. 1764.
(g) Guy Carleton was made a Knight of the Bath on the 6th of July, 1776.
(h) Sir Guy Carleton was named Lord Dorchester on the 21st of August,
1786.
(i) Created a Baronet on the 14th of February, 1801.
(j) On the 12th of July, 1816, Sir John Sherbrooke took the oaths of
office at Quebec, although he had previously, on the 8th of June, been
sworn in at Halifax.
(k) Sir Peregrine Maitland, Governor of Upper Canada, was sworn in at
Quebec, as Administrator of the Government of Lower Canada, on the 8th of
February. He returned to Upper Canada next day; but came back to Quebec
in March, and was again sworn in on the 17th.--_Quebec Mercury_.
(l) The Hon. C. Poulett Thomson was created Baron Sydenham and
Toronto in 1840. The date given in the first column is that of his
assuming the Governorship of Lower Canada, of which province he was the
last Governor. He was sworn in as Governor of the Province of Canada, on
the 10th of February, 1841, when Upper and Lower Canada were united.
(m) Acted merely as Deputy of the Governor for the prorogation of
parliament. The name is retained because it appears on other lists.
(n) Sir Charles Metcalfe was created Baron Metcalfe in January, 1845.
(o) Lord Monck was Governor of the Province of Canada until the first of
July, 1867. On that day, the Dominion of Canada was proclaimed, and he
was sworn in as the first Governor.
(p) Sir John Young was elevated to the peerage, with the title of Lord
Lisgar, on the 8th of October, 1870.
INDEX.
Abenaquis Indians, march with Arnold to Quebec.
Abercrombie, General, defeated by Montcalm.
Abraham, see Plains of.
Agariata, Mohawk chief hanged by De Tracy.
Agricultural society founded, names of members.
Americans, invade Canada;
attack Quebec;
anniversary celebration of;
repulse of;
centenary celebration;
plan of attack upon Quebec;
taken at Detroit and sent to Quebec;
defeated at Detroit.
American flag, historical notice of.
Arms of the Dominion described.
Arnold, Benedict, wounded;
centenary of defeat of;
carried to General Hospital;
account of his assault on Quebec;
anniversary of his defeat;
accompanied by Abenaquis Indians;
imprisoned in Récollet Convent;
his head quarters near the St. Charles;
in possession of environs of Quebec.
Arnoux, A French surgeon, Montcalm carried to his house.
Ashe, Comr. E. D., on variation of Compass at Quebec.
Asylum, Female Orphan;
Finlay;
St Bridget's.
Audubon, visits Quebec.
Aylmer, Lord, erects monument to Wolfe;
his tablet and epitaph to Montcalm.
Baines, Lieut., monument erected to;
verses by Mrs. Campbell.
Banks--Merchants';
Montreal;
Nationale;
Quebec;
Union;
British North America.
Baron de Longueuil, title recognized by England.
Basilica, the, notice of;
oldest church in North America.
Battlefield Park, a project.
Beatson, Lt. Col, cited;
details of battle of the Plains.
Beauport, occupied by Americans;
entrenchments constructed by Montcalm;
first seigneur of;
Huron Indians move to;
early settlement of;
monument at;
to DeSalaberry;
several Quebecers retire to;
in 1775.
Beauport Flats, why called La Canardière.
Beauport Manor, when built;
said to have been Montcalm's head quarters;
burnt;
oldest seignioral manor in Canada;
meaning of the inscription discussed.
Bédard, T. P., cited.
Bédard, Mr., imprisoned by Sir Jas. Craig.
Beecher, Henry Ward, description of Quebec.
Bégon, Intendant, arrival of.
Belleau, Sir N. F., Lieut.-Governor.
Bellew, Major Patrick, Lieut. Governor of Quebec, death of.
Bells, of Quebec churches;
"Gros Bourdon," of Montreal, largest in America.
Belmont Retreat.
Berthelot, Amable, cited.
Bigot, Intendant, arrival at Quebec;
character of;
members of his ring;
residence at Charlesbourg;
acquires and enlarges Château Bigot;
notice of;
extent of his frauds;
confined in the Bastille and exiled;
fate of his confederates.
_Bigot, L'Intendant_, a novel, plot of.
Bishop, Roman Catholic, of Quebec, his power threatened.
Blanchet, Mr., imprisoned by Sir Jas. Craig.
Blue House, the, a famous inn.
Books, first printed in Canada.
Bouchette, Joseph, cited.
Bouchette, Captain, conducts Governor Carleton to Quebec.
Bougainville, at Quebec.
Boulle, brother-in law to Champlain,
Bressani, Father, captured by Iroquois,
Brewery, erected by Talon;
converted into prison;
situate near site of Boswell's brewery;
at Sillery.
Bridge, Dorchester, built.
British troops, departure of.
Brown and Gilmore, founders of Quebec Gazette.
_Bruyante_, River, see Etchemin.
Bulmer, J. H., description of Quebec.
Burgoyne, Captain, at Quebec.
Burton, Sir F. N., Lieut.-Governor.
Burying Ground, cholera.
Protestant;
See Cemetery.
Butler, Captain W. F., description of Quebec
Buttes à Nepveu, scene of French victory;
criminals formerly executed there;
La Corriveau executed there.
Cadet, one of Bigot's confederates, notice of
Caldwell, Henry, Receiver-General
Caldwell, Sir John, Receiver-General;
note, his mills at Etchemin.
Calèches, mentioned in 1761.
Canada, colonization of;
Administration of justice in;
slavery in;
society in the last century;
invaded by Americans;
Voltaire's allusion to;
its loss, how viewed in France;
arms of;
seal of;
dates of events in history of;
list of Governors of.
Canadian writers, names of.
_Canadien, Le_ newspaper, its printer imprisoned.
Canardière, La, name given to Beauport Flats.
_Canon de Bronze, Le_.
Cap Blanc.
Cape Diamond, called Mont du Gas;
Pointe à Puiseaux, so called by Champlain.
Cap Rouge;
Roberval winters at;
Jacques Cartier winters at;
Cramahé resides at.
Carcy, Pointe à.
Carignan regiment;
its service in Hungary.
Carillon, battle of.
Carleton, Governor Guy, returns to Quebec.
Carlyle, Thomas, describes capture of Quebec.
Caron, Lieut.-Governor, receives address from Lorette Indians.
Cartier, Jacques, winters on banks of the St. Charles;
names of his ships;
met by Donnacona;
captures and takes to France, two Indians;
passes second winter at Cap Rouge;
account of his voyage to Canada;
his Journal cited;
old print of his departure from Quebec;
list of his officers and crew;
mentioned;
discovery of remains of his vessel, "La Petite Hermine."
Cartier, Sir G. E.
Casgrain, Abbé, cited.
Cathedral, Roman Catholic, destroyed.
Cattle, exportation of, to Europe.
Cavalry, Captain Bell's, troop of;
muster roll of;
statement of last survivor of.
Cayugas, an Iroquois nation.
Cemetery, old;
Cholera;
Mount Hermon;
St. Charles;
Bellmont.
Centenary celebration of Montgomery's defeat.
_Cents Associés_, Company of the.
Chambly, Fort, surrendered to Americans;
formerly Fort St. Louis.
Champlain, Samuel de, founder of Quebec;
his dwelling;
surrenders Quebec;
place of interment;
plot against;
returns to Quebec;
place of interment unknown;
cited.
Champlain Ward.
Chapel, first which served as parish church.
Chandler, Captain, seigneur of Nicolet.
Charlesbourg, captured by Americans;
American prisoners at;
French retreat towards;
called Bourg Royal;
several Quebecers retire to, in 1775.
Charlevoix, cited.
Château Bigot;
described;
other names of;
probably built by Talon;
acquired by Bigot;
subsequent owners of;
present state of ruins;
how to reach;
Amédée Papineau's account of visit to;
its legend;
refugees from Quebec at, in 1759;
letter written from, during American invasion.
Château St. Louis;
described by Kalm;
by Kirby;
meeting place of Superior Council;
described in Hawkins' "Picture of Quebec";
by Bouchette;
by Parkman;
burnt;
too small;
foundation of Quebec Agricultural Society in;
described by Weld;
repaired and enlarged;
first meeting of Literary and Historical Society held in;
proposed reconstruction.
Châteauguay battle, of.
Chaudière, Falls of the, how reached;
described;
compared with Montmorency.
Chauveau, P. J. O., description of Quebec;
Quebec fifty years ago;
the battles of the Plains.
_Chien d' Or, Le_.
Cholera, Asiatic, visits Quebec;
burying-ground.
Christie, Robert, cited;
his history noticed;
his epitaph.
"Chronicle, Quebec Morning," building.
Church, first in Canada built by Récollets.
Churches:--Basilica;
French Protestant;
Jesuits';
Notre Dame;
Notre Dame des Anges;
Notre Dame de la Garde;
Notre Dame des Victoires;
Récollet;
St. Andrews;
St. Columbia (Sillery);
St. John's;
St. Mathew's;
St. Michael's (Sillery);
St. Roch's;
Trinity;
Ursulines.
Citadel, escape of Theller and Dodge from;
proposed capture of.
Clavery, in charge of "La Friponne".
Clubs:--"Beef Steak," first in Quebec;
name changed;
prominent members of;
places of meeting;
"Sober";
"Beaver Club," at Montreal.
Coffin, Colonel cited.
Conroy, Bishop, the Pope's Ablegate.
Convent, first in Canada;
of Jesus-Marie.
Convent Cove, at Sillery.
Corriveau, La, hanged in iron cage;
cage sold to Barnum.
Country seats about Quebec:
Auvergne.
Bagatelle.
Bandon Lodge.
Bannockburn.
Bardfield.
Battlefield Cottage.
Beauséjour.
Beauvoir.
Bellevue.
Belmont.
Benmore.
Bijou.
Bleak House.
Cap Rouge Cottage.
Castor Ville.
Cataraqui.
Clermont.
Coucy le-Castel.
Dornald.
Elm Grove.
Ferguson's House.
Hamwood.
Highlands, the.
Holland House.
Kilgraston.
Kilmarnock.
Kirkella.
L'Asyle Champêtre.
Longwood.
Marchmont.
Meadow-bank.
Montague Cottage.
Morton Lodge.
Mount Lilac.
Ravenswood.
Redclyffe.
Ringfield.
Rosewood.
Sans-Bruit.
Sillery House.
Sous les Bois.
Spencer Grange.
Spencer Wood.
Thornhill.
Westfield.
Wolfesfield.
Woodfield.
Woodside.
Court House burnt;
built;
temporary.
Craig, Sir James, resides at Spencer Wood;
noticed;
correspondence with H. W. Ryland;
deputes H. W. Ryland to England.
Cramahé, Lieut.-Governor,
residence at Cap Rouge;
plundered by American troops.
Crown Point, captured by Americans.
_Crucifix outragé_ in Hôtel Dieu;
annual service in memory of.
Cugnet, informed Wolfe how to ascend to Plains of Abraham.
Custom House, the old.
D'Aillebout, Governor, builds fort for Indians;
protects the Hurons.
D'Argenson, Governor, arrival of;
quarrels with Laval.
Dauphin prison, American prisoners in.
D'Auteuil, Attorney-General.
D'Avaugour, Governor, succeeds D'Argenson.
Death sentences carried into effect at Quebec.
DeBerey, Father Felix.
DeBréboeuf, martyrdom of.
DeCaen, Emery.
DeCallières, Governor, buried in Quebec;
epitaph;
plan for conquest of New York.
DeCourcelles, Governor, commands expedition against the Indians.
DeGaspé, P. A., description of _fête champêtre_;
at Spencer Wood.
DeLéry, old residence of seigneurs;
presented at Court;
saying of George III.
DeMeules, Intendant, builds Intendant's Palace.
Denonville, Governor.
DeRamezay, commander of Quebec;
his Château in Montreal.
DeSalaberry, Colonel, in command of Voltigeurs;
residence on Beauport road.
DeSalampar, accompanies DeCourcelles against Indians.
Deschambault, French ladies captured by the English at.
Deschenaux, secretary to Bigot, notice of.
DeVergor, Captain, in charge of French post on Plains of Abraham;
treason imputed to.
DeVitré, Denis, said to have pointed out Wolfe's landing place;
pilots the English fleet to Quebec.
Dickens, Charles, description of Quebec;
cited.
Dilke, Sir Charles, description of Quebec.
Dodge, escapes from Citadel.
Dollard Desormeaux and his companions save the colony.
Domagaya, an Indian kidnapped by Jacques Cartier.
Donnacona, Chief of Stadacona, meets Jacques Cartier.
Dorchester Bridge built.
Dorchester, Lord.
Dosquet, Bishop,
resides at Samos;
notice of.
Drill Shed.
DuCalvet, Pierre, imprisoned in Récollet Church;
notice of.
DuCreux, cited.
Duelling, punishment of, under French rule.
Dufferin, Earl of, plans for improving Quebec;
lays corner stone of Dufferin Terrace;
at Spencer Wood.
Dufferin Terrace, length and height above river;
laying corner stone of;
inaugurated;
comprises former site of Fort St. Louis.
DuGas, accompanies DeCourcelles against Indians.
Dunn, Hon. Thomas, administrator.
DuPeron, Father Francois, death of.
Durham, Earl of, notice of;
arrival of.
Durham Terrace, erected by Earl of Durham;
enlarged;
transferred to Province of Quebec;
extended;
winter view from;
promenade upon.
DuQuen, Father, discovers Lake St. John.
Elevator, description of the.
Elgin, Earl of, at Spencer Wood.
_Emerillon, L'_, one of Cartier's ships.
"Emily Montague, the History of," a novel;
extracts from.
Epitaphs:--Dr. Wilkie;
Hon. Jonathan Sewell;
Frontenac;
DeCallières;
Vaudreuil;
La Jonquière;
Thomas Ainslie;
Robert Christie;
Father Massé;
Montcalm;
Wolfe;
Lieut. Baines;
proposed to Montcalm.
Esplanade, described.
Estebe,
royal store-keeper at Quebec;
punishment of.
Etchemin river, called Rivière Bruyante;
falls of.
Exchange, Merchants', established.
Executions;
at Buttes à Nepveu;
at Quebec;
La Corriveau.
Exportation of cattle to Europe.
Fabre, Hector, description of a Canadian winter.
Faillon, Abbé, cited.
Famine in Quebec in 1757.
Faucher de St. Maurice, cited.
Fénélon, Abbé de, trial of.
Ferland, Abbé, cited.
Feudal ceremony of fealty and homage;
form of.
Fiefs, several in Quebec;
de la Trinité;
Sault-au-Matelot.
Fires, in Lower Town;
in St. Roch suburbs.
Fireworks in honour of Prince William Henry.
Fisher, Dr. John Charlton, Charles Dickens his guest;
compiler of Hawkins' "Picture of Quebec".
Fitzgerald, Lord Edward, his long walk on snowshoes;
entertained by Lord Dorchester.
Flag, American, historical notice of.
Flowers, wild.
_Foi et hommage_, how rendered.
Fort St. Louis, where first erected;
removal of;
disappears after the conquest;
armament of, when surrendered by Champlain;
described by Parkman;
when begun.
See Château St. Louis.
Fort William Henry. See Sorel.
Fox-hunting in Canada.
France, condition of, in 1760.
Franciscan Friars. See Récollets.
Franklin, Benjamin, appointed Commissioner to Canada;
said to have printed prospectus of Quebec Gazette;
Deputy Postmaster-General for the British Colonies.
Fraser, Captain Malcolm, gives the alarm before the American assault on
Quebec.
Fréchette, L. H., notice of;
account of dinner given to.
French who remained in Quebec in 1629.
French refugees of Oxford, Mass.
French empire in America;
victories preceding conquest of Canada.
_Friponne, La_, Bigot's warehouse.
Frontenac, Governor, where interred;
his heart sent to his widow;
epitaph.
Galt, John, father of Sir A. T. Galt, notice of;
cited;
founder of several cities.
Gas Company's wharf, a public promenade in 1750.
Garneau, F. X, cited.
Gates of Quebec, formerly closed at gun-fire;
Chain;
Dalhousie;
Hope;
Kent;
Palace;
Prescott;
St. John's;
St. Louis.
Gazette, the Quebec, founded;
prospectus printed by Franklin;
first number described;
centenary number;
extinction of;
successive editors;
relict of first press used by.
General Hospital, founded;
Arnold carried to
erection of.
George, James, suggests Harbour improvements.
Giffard, first seigneur of Beauport;
first _habitant_;
taken prisoner by the English.
Gobert, Francois, remains of General Montgomery laid in his house.
Golf Club.
Gomin road, origin of name.
Gosford wooden railway.
Governors buried in Quebec;
list of.
Grand Allée;
only road to Sillery.
_Grande Hermine, La_, Cartier's flag-ship.
Graving Dock at Levi, first stone laid;
dimensions of.
"Great Eastern" steamship, at Quebec.
Hairdresser, fashionable, in the last century.
Haldimand Castle, corner stone laid;
used as a Normal School;
improperly styled the Old Château;
incident during its construction;
first grand reception held in;
remains of Duke of Richmond laid in state in;
described by Weld;
repaired;
wing erected;
most ancient portion;
transferred to Province of Quebec.
Haldimand, Governor, departs for England;
residence at Montmorency.
Hale, Major John.
Harbor Works, suggested by James George;
by Hon. U. J. Tessier.
See Princess Louise Embankment, and Graving Dock.
Hawkins' Picture of Quebec, cited;
by whom written.
Head, Sir Edmund, at Spencer Wood;
his son drowned.
Hebert, Louis, first resident in Upper Town.
Heights of Abraham. See Plains of Abraham.
Henry, Judge, account of Arnold's assault on Quebec;
imprisoned in Récollet Convent;
account of plunder of Cramahé's residence.
Heriot, his description of Sillery;
Deputy Postmaster-General.
Hincks, Sir Francis, at Thornhill.
Hochelaga, by whom inhabited.
Holland, --, and Miss Nevill;
his duel.
Holland Tree.
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, cited.
Hope, Lieut.-Governor, buried in Quebec.
Horses, first arrivals of.
Hospital, the General, founded.
Hospitalières Nuns, or Nuns of Hôtel Dieu;
at Sillery;
removal to Quebec.
Hôtel Dieu, _le crucifix outragé_ preserved in;
owns Fief de la Miséricorde;
at Montreal, founded.
Howells, W. D., promenade on Durham Terrace;
description of Dog Lane.
Howells, W. C., historical notice of American flag.
Hurons, inhabited Stadacona;
their fort at Quebec;
defeated by Iroquois;
dispersion of;
elect honorary chiefs;
their Chief Tahourenche described;
former numbers of;
divided into four families;
at the battle of Châteauguay;
their address to Lieut.-Gov. Caron.
Ice-shove, at Quebec in 1874.
Ile aux Coudres, proposed to fortify.
Incarnation, Mother of the.
"Inconstant," H.M.S., carries off Wolfe's statue;
address of Quebec ladies to officers of;
reply of officers.
Indians, their fort at Quebec;
Expedition of DeCourcelles against;
Their customs, dress, etc., in 1730;
allies of the French;
the part they took in battles;
serve under English;
receive presents from Government.
Intendant, nature of the office;
first named;
first to come to Canada.
See Begon, Bigot, DeMeules, Robert, Talon.
Intendant's Palace, situation of;
destroyed;
by whom built;
history of;
description;
occupied by Arnold's soldiers;
ruins of; originally a brewery.
Invasion of Canada by Americans.
Iroquois, murder of Jesuits by;
incessant incursions of;
carry off two Frenchmen;
dispute with;
capture Fathers Poncet and Bressani;
plan the capture of Nuns at Sillery;
defeat the Hurons;
nations composing;
derivation of name.
Irving, Washington, cited.
Island of Orleans, occupied by Americans;
Hurons remove to;
Hurons massacred at;
name changed.
Jacques Cartier Ward.
Jail, the old, built;
inscription over door of.
Jeffery, his description of Quebec society before the conquest.
Jesuits, their residence burnt;
their chapels;
murdered by Iroquois;
aided by René de Rohault;
receive grant of land;
names of;
captured by Indians;
their mission at Sillery;
their house at Sillery, probably oldest in Canada;
their missions destroyed by Iroquois;
martyrs.
Jesuits' Barracks. See Jesuits' College.
Jesuits' Church, foundation stone laid;
noticed by Kalm;
site of;
used as place of worship for Protestants;
heart of Madame de la Peltrie deposited in.
Jesuits' College, built;
history of;
used as barracks;
demolished;
discoveries during demolition;
warrant for conversion into barracks.
Johnstone, Chevalier, wrote _Journal du Siege de Quebec_;
cited;
aide-de-camp to General de Lévis.
Jolliet, Louis, discoverer of Mississippi.
Jonquière, Governor de La, buried in Quebec;
epitaph.
Kalm, Peter, description of Château St. Louis;
mention of Jesuits' Church;
mention of Récollet Convent.
Kent, Duke of, at Quebec;
arrival from Gibraltar;
reception of;
exercises prerogative of pardon;
his stay in Canada;
his lodge at Montmorency;
his correspondence with DeSalaberry family;
frequent guest at Holland House;
at the De Salaberry homestead.
Kent Gate.
Kent House.
Kidd, Adam, his verses on Spencer Wood;
visits Lorette.
King's Own Borderers (25th Regt.), farewell to Quebec.
Kirby, William, cited.
Kirke, Louis, takes Quebec;
his government;
names of French who remained with him.
Kirke, Henry, cited.
Knox, Captain John, describes _Le Chien d'Or_;
cited.
LaBarre, De, Governor.
Ladies' Protestant Home.
Laforme, Jean, fashionable hairdresser.
LaHontan, his account of administration of justice in Canada.
Lairet, a small stream near which Jacques Cartier wintered.
Lajus, Dr., brings first news of dispersion of Acadians.
Lake St. John discovered.
Lalemant, Father Charles, receives aid from M. de Sillery;
martyrdom of.
Lambert, John, cited.
LaRue, Dr. H., cited.
Lauzon, De, Governor.
Lauzon-Charny, De.
Laval, Bishop, residence of;
receives Marquis de Tracy;
his description of Quebec;
quarrels with D'Argenson;
founds Seminary.
Laval University, charter granted to;
description of;
new building;
staff.
LeCaron, Frère, founder of first Huron mission on Lake Simcoe.
Legendre, Napoleon, his description of Quebec streets.
LeJeune, Father, a Jesuit.
Lever, Charles, his description of Quebec.
Levi, in possession of the Americans;
La Corriveau hanged in iron cage at.
Levis, Marquis de, defeats General Murray;
at Montreal;
returns to France.
Library Association founded by Lord Dorchester.
Liégeois, Frère, massacred by Iroquois.
Lisgar, Lord, at Spencer Wood.
Literary and Historical Society, rooms of, in old jail;
founded;
first meeting held in Château St. Louis;
list of names in its charter;
rooms successively occupied by.
Literature. See Canadian writers.
Longueuil, Baron de, title recognized by England.
Lorette, _Ancienne_, occupied by Americans;
Hurons remove to;
French retreat towards;
origin of name.
Lorette, Indian, remnants of Huron tribe at;
a visit to;
also called _Jeune_ Lorette;
population;
Chapel and Old Mill built;
extent of village reserve;
how governed.
Lorne, Marquis of, inaugurates Dufferin Terrace.
Lossing, B. J., cited.
Louisbourg, Bigot Intendant, at;
surrenders to the English.
Louisiana, Bigot Intendant of.
Lower Town;
great fire in;
bombarded and destroyed by English.
Loyal League, the; names of subscribers.
Lutheran minister imprisoned by Kirke.
Lymburner, Adam; delegate to England.
Macadamized roads introduced.
Macdonald, Sir John A.
Madocawando, an Indian chief;
his daughter married to Baron St. Castin.
Maisonneuve, M. de, arrives with colonists for Montreal;
winters at Sillery;
difficulties with Montmagny;
Governor of Montreal.
Maitland, Sir Peregrine, administrator;
son in law of Duke of Richmond;
revisits Quebec.
Mance, Mlle., arrives from France;
winters at Sillery;
founder of Hôtel Dieu at Montreal.
Manitoulin Island, party of Hurons retires to;
called Ekaentoton.
Market Hall, Champlain, built;
Finlay;
Montcalm.
Marmette, Joseph, cited;
his novel, _l'Intendant Bigot_.
Marmier, Xavier, description of Quebec;
notice of.
Marquette, Father, discovers the Mississippi.
Martello Powers.
Massé, Father Ennemond, dies at Sillery;
first missionary in Canada;
monument to.
McCarthy, Justin, notice of Lord Durham.
McClintock, Sir Leopold, at Quebec.
McLane, David, tried for high treason.
McQuarters, Hugh, fired the canon which killed Montgomery.
Memorial to the King for site for Presbyterian church;
signatures to;
some of the signers noticed.
Menut, Alexandre, proprietor of Blue House inn;
forced to entertain Montgomery.
Merchants' Exchange established.
Mercury, the Quebec, cited.
Mesy, de, Governor, buried in Quebec.
Miles, Dr. H. H., cited;
his statements concerning Miss Simpson referred to.
Militia uniforms.
Milnes, Sir R. S.; note.
Minister imprisoned by Kirke.
Mississippi, discovery of the.
Mohawks, kill Abbé Vignal;
murder Chasy;
one of their chiefs hanged;
an Iroquois nation.
Monk, Lord, residence at Spencer Wood.
Monongahela, battle of the.
"Montague, the History of Emily," a novel;
extracts from.
Montcalm, Marquis de, place of death doubtful;
death and burial of;
defeats Abercrombie;
letter said to have been written by, just before his death;
application of the French to erect a monument to;
mural tablet in Ursuline Chapel;
successfully defends Montmorency;
entrenched at Beauport;
his field works at Montmorency;
proposed epitaph to.
Montcalm Ward.
Montgomery, Brigadier General Richard, his remains laid in Gobert's house;
killed;
his sword;
centenary celebration of his defeat;
in the English army;
anniversary celebration of his defeat;
plan of attack upon Quebec;
spot where he fell;
head-quarters at Holland House;
in possession of environs of Quebec.
Montmagny, Governor, builds road from Upper to Lower Town;
receives Ursuline Nuns;
receives Madame de la Peltrie;
holds grand council at Sillery;
Indian name given to.
Montmorency, mill built by Peter Paterson at;
French victorious at;
residence of Governor Haldimand;
Montcalm's entrenchments at.
Montmorency Falls, called _La Vache_;
compared to Chaudière Falls.
Montpetit, A. N., honorary chief of Lorette Indians.
Montreal, capitulates to Americans;
arrival of colonists for;
Hôtel Dieu founded;
founded by DeMaisonneuve;
'Beaver Hall' Club at;
note: has largest bell in America.
Monument to Wolfe and Montcalm, corner stone laid;
restored;
note: to Father Massé;
to Montcalm, application of French to erect;
erected where Wolfe fell;
_des Braves_, Prince Napoleon Bonaparte presents statue for;
when erected;
_de la Tempérance_;
to victims of rebellion of 1837.
Moodie, Mrs., description of Quebec.
Morrin College.
Morris, John, Postmaster-General.
Mount Carmel.
Mount Hermon Cemetery;
monument to Lieut. Baines in.
Mount Lilac, Beauport.
Mountain, first Protestant Bishop of Quebec;
the family of.
Mountain Hill, constructed;
described.
Murray, General, appropriates Jesuits' College for barracks;
warrant issued by,
defeated by Lévis;
residence at Belmont;
served at Fontenoy;
Governor of Quebec.
Negro, sale of a.
Neilson, Hon. John, notice of.
Neilson, Samuel.
Nelson, Admiral, in Quebec;
admirer of Miss Simpson.
Nelson, John, nephew of Sir T. Temple.
Neptune Inn, its statue of Neptune.
Neuville, Seigniory of.
Neville, Miss.
New York, plan for conquest of.
Newspapers, first in Canada and Nova Scotia.
Niagara Falls, earliest mention of.
Notary, first in Canada.
Observatory, Provincial.
Oneidas, an Iroquois nation.
Onondagas, an Iroquois nation.
Ononthio, meaning of.
_Original, L'_, French ship sunk at Quebec.
Orphan Asylum, Female.
Oxford, Mass., French refugees.
Palace Ward.
Panet, Bishop.
Papineau, Amédée, account of visit to Château Bigot.
Papineau, Hon. L. J., visits Château Bigot.
Parkman, Francis, description of French empire in America;
foundation of Quebec;
session of Superior Council;
hanging of Mohawk Chief;
cited;
Fort and Château St. Louis;
D'Argenson's arrival;
Tracy's arrival;
DeCallières' plan for conquest of New York.
Parliament Building, burnt;
description of the new.
Paterson, Peter, notice of.
Pean, Captain Hugues;
to whom married;
notice of.
Pean, Madame.
Peltrie, Madame de la, founder of Ursulines Convent;
her heart deposited in Jesuits' Church.
Perceval, M. H., Collector of Customs;
owner of Spencer Wood.
Perrault, Joseph F., pioneer of lay education;
description of his residence.
Perrault's Hill.
_Petite Hermine, La_, one of Cartier's, ships;
discovered.
Phipps, Sir William, defeated.
Physicians, first in Canada.
Pieskurit, an Indian chief.
Pillory, on the market place.
Pitt, William, cited.
Place d'Armes.
Plains of Abraham, former extent of;
derivation of name;
ascent to, said to have been indicated by DeVitré or Stobo;
by Cugnet;
Wolfe's landing and occupation of.
Plains of Abraham, Battle of the, date of;
various estimates of troops engaged;
position of forces;
anecdotes of;
described by Carlyle;
flight of the French.
Plessis, Bishop, builds St. Roch's Church.
Poem, first French, issued in Canada.
Pointe à Carcy.
Pointe à Puiseaux, called Cape Diamond by Champlain;
after whom named;
view from.
Poncet, Father, captured by Iroquois.
Post Office, demolished;
history of the Canadian.
Postage, amount of, in 1774.
Powell, Henry W., biographical sketch of.
Powell Place. See Spencer Wood.
"Premier," transport, stranded.
Presbyterian minister, first in Province of Quebec.
Prescott, Governor.
Près-de-Ville, Montgomery killed at;
situation of.
Press-gangs in Quebec.
Prince Edward. See Kent, Duke of.
Prince of Wales, ball in honor of.
Prince William Henry, afterwards William IV., visits Canada;
name of Sorel changed in his honor;
festivities during his stay in Quebec.
Princess Louise embankment and docks, tablet stone laid.
Printing. See Newspapers and Books.
Protestants, use Jesuits' Church.
Punishment of criminals.
Quail, imported from Europe.
Quebec, described by Henry Ward Beecher,
--J. T. Bulmer
--Captain Butler
--P. J. O. Chauveau
--Charles Dickens
--Sir Charles Dilke
--Hawkins
--Bishop Laval
--Charles Lever
--Marmier
--Mrs. Moodie
--M. Sand
--Duke of Saxe-Weimar
--Prof. Silliman,
--Thoreau
--Eliot Warburton;
foundation of;
society in the last century;
old plans of city;
surrendered by Champlain;
fifty years ago;
farewell of King's Own Borderers;
population in 1680;
inhabitants starved by Bigot's ring;
extent at beginning of nineteenth century;
shipping and business at that time;
early city government under the English;
incorporated;
first Mayor;
limits;
municipal divisions;
present city government;
_fiefs_, contained in;
War department property in;
capture described by Carlyle;
society before the Conquest;
arrival of British fleet;
French who remained in, in 1629;
dates of events in history of.
Quebec Bank, history of site of.
Queen's wharf and stores.
Raffeix, Father, accompanies DeCourcelles against the Indians.
Raftsmen.
Ragueneau, Father, makes first mention of Niagara Falls;
accompanies defeated Hurons to Quebec.
Railway, Gosford, wooden.
Razilly, De, influences M. de Sillery.
Reade, John S., description of first number of Quebec Gazette;
account of Quebec society in the last century.
Rebellion of 1837, monument to victims of.
Récollets, Father DeBerey, provincial of the;
at Quebec;
first who arrive;
build first church, convent and seminary;
their _fief_ reverts to the Crown.
Récollet church, situation of.
Récollet convent, American prisoners in;
situation of;
burnt;
occasionally used as a prison;
noted prisoners in.
Red House, the, a famous inn.
_Relations des Jesuites_, cited.
Richmond, Duke of, death of;
loss of one of his sons;
buried in Quebec.
Robert, first Intendant, never came to Canada.
Roberval, winters at Cap Rouge;
account of his voyage to Canada.
Roger, Charles, cited.
Royal visitors to Canada.
Ryland, H. W., secretary to Sir James Craig;
correspondence with Sir James Craig;
secretary to Lord Dorchester;
his mission to England;
his death;
his manor at Beauport;
note.
Sagard, cited.
St. Bridget's Asylum.
St. Castin, Baron, notice of;
note.
St. Charles river, Cartier winters on banks of;
named by him the St Croix;
re-named by the Récollets;
former names of;
meaning of Indian name of.
St. Foye, occupied by American soldiers;
church occupied by British in 1760;
Hurons settle at.
St. Foye road, a favorite drive a century ago;
See Country Seats.
St Foye, Battle of, date of;
an English defeat;
various estimates of troops engaged;
position of forces;
anecdotes of;
massacre by Indians;
retreat of the English.
St Helen's Island, residence of Baronne de Longueuil.
St John's, surrendered to Americans.
St John's ward.
St Louis hotel.
St Louis road;
See Country Seats.
St Louis ward.
St Peter's ward.
St Rochs, existed in 1759;
extent of at beginning of nineteenth century;
ward;
fire of.
St. Sauveur, origin of name.
St. Valier, Bishop founder of General Hospital;
builds N. D. des Victoires church;
death of.
Samos road.
Sand, Maurice, description of Quebec.
Sault au Matelot, Americans defeated at;
situation of barriers.
Saxe Weimar, Duke of, description of Quebec.
Scott, Major Thomas, brother of Sir Walter, where buried.
Scott, General Winfield, a prisoner at Quebec;
courageous conduct of.
Seal of Canada.
Seigniory of Neuville.
Seminary, American prisoners in;
first in Canada built by Récollets;
intended site of new;
owns _fief_ Sault au Matelot.
Seminary chapel, temporarily used as parish church.
Senecas, an Iroquois nation.
Sénéchaussée, La.
Sewell, Hon Jonathan founder of Trinity church;
his epitaph.
Ship-building under French rule.
Sillery, Noel Brulart de, notice of;
founds Sillery mission.
Sillery, occupied by Americans;
first mission at;
visited by Madame de la Peltrie;
hospital founded;
first settlement;
expedition against Indians starts from;
early population;
St. Columba church at;
Jesuits' House at, probably first building in Canada;
grand council held at;
settlement abandoned;
site of settlement;
locality described by Henot;
brewery at;
visit to site of early settlement;
called St. Columba;
monument at;
woods of.
Sillery Cove, other names of;
Jesuits at.
Silliman, Professor Benj., description of Quebec.
Simpson, Mary, admired by Lord Nelson.
Simpson, Saunders, Provost Marshal in Wolfe's army.
Skating Rink.
Slave, sale of a negro.
Slavery in Canada, abolition of.
Smith, Chief Justice, notice of;
letter to his wife.
Smith, Hon W., cited;
notice of.
Snow shoe club.
Society, in the last century;
before the Conquest.
Sorel, name changed to Fort William Henry
taken by Americans.
Southey's Life of Nelson, cited.
Sparrows imported from England;
appeal in behalf of.
Spencer Wood, Sir James Craig at;
Lord Elgin at;
formerly called Powell Place;
Kidd's verses upon;
origin of name;
at one time included Spencer Grange;
garden and conservatories at;
residence of several Governors of Canada;
burnt;
re-built;
illustrious visitors;
residence of Lieut. Governors of Quebec;
transferred by Dominion to Province;
_fête champêtre_ at.
Stadacona, former name of Quebec;
inhabited by Hurons;
site of.
Stanley, Dean, at Quebec.
"Star" the Quebec.
Statue of General Wolfe, peregrinations of.
Stayner, Thomas Allen, Deputy Postmaster General.
Stewart, Charles, his letter from Château Bigot.
Stobo, Major Robert made prisoner by the French;
escapes;
selects Wolfe's landing place;
advises expedition to Deschambault.
Streets of Quebec, described;
oldest Sous le Fort;
oldest in St Roch's St. Valier
Aylmer;
Bagot;
Baronne;
Bell's lane;
Berthelot;
Boisseau;
Bridge;
Buade;
Burton;
Buteau;
Canoterie hill;
Carleton;
Champlain;
Charlevoix;
Christie;
Côte à Coton;
Côte d'Abraham;
Couillard;
Craig;
Crown;
Cul de Sac;
D'Aiguillon;
D'Aillebout;
Dalhousie;
Dambourgies;
D'Artigny;
D'Auteuil;
DeSalaberry;
Desfosses;
Des Prairies;
Dog lane;
Donnacona;
Dorchester;
Ferland;
Fiedmont;
Frontenac;
Gallows hill;
Garneau;
Grant;
Grey;
Haldimand;
Hébert;
Henderson;
Hope hill;
Hudon;
Iberville,
Jérôme;
Jupiter;
King;
Laval;
Lee;
Longueuil;
Massue;
Metcalfe;
Montmagny;
Murray;
Palace;
Panel;
Plessis;
Pozer;
Prévost;
Prince Edward;
Queen;
Ramsay;
Richardson;
Richelieu;
Richmond;
Robitaille;
Ryland;
St. Ann;
St. Famille
St. Helen;
St. James;
St. John;
St. Joseph;
St. Louis;
St. Ours;
St. Paul;
St. Peter
St. Stanislas;
St. Ursule;
St. Valier;
Sault au-Matelot;
Scott;
Séguin;
Smith;
Sous le Cap;
Sous le Fort;
Stewart;
Tourangeau;
Treasure;
Turgeon;
Wolfe.
Stuart, Andrew, materials for Hawkins' "Picture of Quebec," furnished by.
Sulpicians, of Montreal.
Suite, Benjamin, description of Spencer Grange.
Superior Council, session of, where held.
Sutherland, David, Deputy Postmaster-General.
"Swiftsure," steamer.
Taché, writer of first French poem issued in Canada.
Taiguragny, Indian kidnapped by Cartier.
Talon, Intendant, arrival at Quebec;
builds a brewery;
first owner of Belmont;
seigniory granted to;
probable builder of Château Bigot.
Taschereau, Mr., imprisoned by Sir James Craig.
Terrace. See Dufferin and Durham.
Tessier, Hon U. J., suggests plan for Harbour Works.
Theatre Royal opened.
Theller, escapes from Citadel.
Thompson, James, one of Wolfe's veterans;
extracts from his diary;
notice of.
Thoreau, description of Quebec.
Three Rivers, taken by Americans.
Ticonderoga, taken by Americans;
Montcalm defeats Abercrombie at.
Tracy, Marquis de, Viceroy;
hangs a Mohawk chief;
lays foundation stone of Jesuits' church;
residence;
arrival of;
brings Carignan regiment to Canada;
arranges truce with Iroquois.
Twiss, Captain, builds temporary Citadel.
Uniforms, Militia.
Union hotel.
United Empire Loyalists settle in Canada.
Upper Town;
first resident of;
partly destroyed by English batteries.
Ursuline church, temporarily used as parish church.
Ursuline convent, old painting in the;
founded by Madame de la Peltrie;
mural tablet to Montcalm in chapel.
Vacherie, La, extent of;
origin of name.
Variation of the compass at Quebec.
Vaudreuil, Governor, buried in Quebec;
epitaph;
at Beauport after battle of the Plains;
prepares to capitulate.
Verazzani.
Vignal, Abbé, killed by the Mohawks.
Vimont, Father, Jesuit missionary;
description of life at Sillery.
Voltaire, his remark upon the loss of Canada.
_Voltigeurs Canadiens_, formation of.
Voyageurs.
Walkem, Charles, history of Intendant's palace.
Walker, Admiral, squadron dispersed by storm.
Wapiti, extinct in Eastern Canada.
War Department property.
Warburton, Eliot, description of Quebec.
Wards, boundaries of.
Weld, Isaac, description of Haldimand Castle.
Wild flowers of Sillery.
Wilkie, Dr. Daniel, notice of.
Winter, the Joys of;
in Canada.
Witchcraft, executions at Boston for.
Wolfe, General, monument to;
statue of;
his landing place;
monument where he fell;
repulsed at Montmorency;
proposes wintering at Ile aux Coudres;
scales the Heights of Abraham;
served at Fontenoy;
pistols and sash of.
Wooden railway, Gosford.
Woods of Sillery.
Writers, names of Canadian.
Wyandots. See Hurons.
Young Men's Christian Association, building;
history of, in Quebec.
FOOTNOTES
CHAPTER I.
[1] Mr. and Mrs. Dickens had lunched in the Citadel on that May 27th,
1842, the admired guests of the officers of the Grenadier Guards stationed
there.
[2] _Lettres sur l'Amérique_: X. Marmier. Paris, 1869.
[3] The Highlanders--78th, 79th, and 93rd.
[4] _The New York Ledger._
[5] Before the era of the Allan line, sailing vessels used to land their
living cargoes of forlorn emigrants in the Lower Town, sometimes after a
passage of fourteen weeks.
CHAPTER II.
[6] Parkman thus heralds the advent of this foreign arrival from sea:--"A
lonely ship sailed up the St. Lawrence. The white whales floundering in
the Bay of Tadousac, and the wild duck diving as the foaming prow drew
near,--there was no life but these in all that watery solitude, twenty
miles from shore to shore. The ship was from Honfleur, and was commanded
by Samuel de Champlain. He was the Aeneas of a destined people, and in her
womb lay the embryo life of Canada." (_Pioneers of France in the New
World_, p. 296.)
[7] Champlain calls Cape Diamond, Mont du Gas (Guast), from the family
name of De Monts. He gives the name of Cape Diamond to Pointe à Puiseaux.
See map of Quebec (1613.)
CHAPTER III.
[8] Six French Governors died and were buried in Quebec--Samuel de
Champlain, Count de Frontenac, M. de Mesy, De Callières, Marquis de la
Jonquière, and Marquis de Vaudreuil. Two English Governors--Lieut. Gen.
Hope and the Duke of Richmond.
[9] Up to 1617, and later, Cbamplain's residence was in the Lower Town,
and stood nearly on the site of the Church _of Notre-Dames des Victoires_.
[10] John London MacAdam, the inventor of macadamized roads, was born in
Ayr, Scotland, on the 21st September, 1756, and died at Moffat on the 26th
November, 1836. The Parliament of Great Britain voted £2,000 to this
benefactor of the human race. Macadamized roads, like several other useful
inventions, met with many obstacles in Quebec. Some of the loudest to
denounce this innovation were the carriage builders, who augured that good
roads, by decreasing the bills for repairs to carriages, would ruin their
industry, that their "usefulness would be gone."
[11] _Jesuit's Journal_, page 89. _Vide_ Appendix--Verbo, Horses.
[12] The _Journal des Jésuites_, published by Geo. Desbarats in 1874,
under the supervision of the learned Abbés Laverdière and Casgrain, from
the copy in the Archives of the Quebec Seminary, though fragmentary,
throws valuable light on many points in Canadian History. We clip the
entry for 1st January, 1646, as summarized in the _Glimpses of the
(Ursuline) Monastery_, respecting the custom of New Year's visits and
presents; this entry will further introduce us to some of the denizens of
note in Quebec in 1646:--We meet with the first _seigneur_ of Beauport,
Surgeon Robert Giffard, who had settled there in 1634; the Royal Engineer
and Surveyor, Jean Bourdon; J. Bpte. Couillard, the ancestor of the Quebec
Couillards, of late years connected by marriage with the Quebec DeLérys;
Mdlle. de Repentigny, a high-born French lady; the founder of the
Ursuline Monastery, the benevolent Madame de la Peltrie; the devoted
Sillery missionary, Father de Quen; without forgetting our old Scotch
friend, Pilot Abraham Martin, who, from the nature of the gift bestowed,
it seems, could relish his glass, and evidently was not then what we now
call a "Neal Dow man."
January, 1st, 1646.--The soldiers went to salute the Governor with their
guns; the inhabitants presented their compliments in a body. He was
beforehand with us, and came here at seven o'clock to wish us a 'Happy New
Year,' addressing each of the Fathers one after another. I returned his
visit after Mass. (Another time we must be beforehand with him.) M.
Giffard also came to see us. The hospital nuns sent us a letter of
compliment early in the morning; the Ursulines also, with beautiful
presents, wax candles, rosaries, a crucifix, and, at dinner, two excellent
pigeon-pies. I sent them two images, in enamel, of St. Ignatius and St
Francois Xavier. We gave to M. Giffard the 'Life of Our Lord,' by F.
Bonnet; to M. des Châtelets, a little volume of Drexellius on Eternity; to
M. Bourdon, a telescope and compass, and to others, reliquaries, rosaries,
medals, images, etc. We gave a crucifix to the woman who washes the Church
linen, a bottle of rum to Abraham, and four handkerchiefs to his wife;
some books of devotion to others, and two handkerchiefs to Robert Haché;
he asked for more and we gave them to him. I went to see M. Giffard, M.
Couillard and Mademoiselle de Repentigny. The Ursulines sent to beg I
would come and see them before the end of the day. I went; and paid my
compliments also to Madame de la Peltrie, who had sent us presents. I was
near leaving this out, which would have been a great oversight. At home, I
gave to our Fathers and Brothers what I thought they would like best. I
had given beforehand to F. De Quen, for Sillery, all he chose to take from
my room, and a choice present for Father Masse."--_Journal_, p. 24.
[13] Histoire de la Colonie Française en Canada, Vol. III., p. 384.
[14] History of Emily Montague, 4 Vols., 1767--London.
[15] The "dear man," in a concluding paragraph, dated 1st July, 1766, to
John Temple, Esq., Pall-Mall, London, says: "Adieu! I am going to attend a
very handsome French lady, who allows me the honour to drive her _en
calashe_ to our Canadian Hyde Park, the road to St. Foix, where you
will see forty or fifty calashes, with pretty women in them, parading
every evening."--(_History of Emily Montague, Vol. I., p. 25._) The
handsome Colonel Rivers, who so fancied his drives on the Foye road in
1766, the writer was told by Hon. W. Sheppard, was no other than the
gallant Colonel Henry Caldwell, Wolfe's Assistant Quartermaster-General at
the battle of the Plains, in 1759--the "Laird of Belmont"--who died at
Quebec in 1810, a friend, no doubt, of the clever Mrs. Brookes who wrote
this novel.
[16] Histoire de l'Hôtel-Dieu de Québec (Mère Juchereau, 511.)
[17] Histoire de l'Hôtel-Dieu, Casgrain, p. 81.
[18] To Let.--That elegant house, No. 6 Port Louis Street, lately occupied
by H.R.H. Prince Edward, and at present by the Lord Bishop of Quebec. For
particulars, apply to Miss Mabane, or to Munro & Bell, Quebec.--4th March,
1794 (_Quebec Gazette_, 1794.)
[19] Montgomery's House is now a much frequented stand for the sale of
cigars, candies, newspapers, &c., to tourists.
[20] William Brown, uncle to the Neilsons, was a Scotchman from
Philadelphia, who had been induced to print a journal in Quebec from the
representations and information he had collected from William Laing, a
Quebec merchant tailor, whom he had met in Scotland.
[21] Twenty-four years in advance of the _London Times_, founded in 1778,
but twelve years after the _Halifax Gazette_, published in Halifax, N.S.,
in March, 1762, by one John Bushnell.
[22] The first books printed in Quebec were:--
"Catéchisme Montagnais," 1767.
"Lettre sur la Ville de Québec," 1774.
"Cantique de Marseilles," 1776.
In Montreal:--
"Réglement de la Confrérie de l'Adoration Perpétuelle du Saint Sacrement
et de la Bonne Mort," _Mesplet & Berger_, 1776.
"Jonathan and David, a tragedy, a book of 40 pages," _Mesplet & Berger_,
1776.
"Officium Sacerdotum," _Mesplet & Berger_, 1777.
--(_Montreal Prize Questions in Canadian History_.)
[23] The mode of consulting a Roman lawyer was this: the lawyer was placed
on an elevated seat, the client, coming up to him said _Licet consulere?_
The lawyer answered, _consule_. The matter was then proposed, and an
answer returned very shortly, thus: _Quaero an existimes_, vel, _id jus
est, nec ne? Secundum ea, quae proponuntur, existimo, placet, puto._--
(_Adams' Roman Antiquities_, 201.)
Lawyers gave their opinions either by word of mouth or in writing,
commonly without any reasons annexed, but not always.
The lawyers of these days do not, as a rule, see their clients quite so
early in the morning as those of Rome did.
Agricolam laudat juris legumque peritus
Sub galli cantum, consultor ubi ostia pulsat.
Romae dulce diu fuit et solemne, reclusa
Mane domo vigilare, clienti promere jura.
[24] La Hontan, I., 21 (Ed. 1705). In some editions the above is expressed
in different language--(From Parkman's _Old Regime_, p. 270.)
[25] It lines a space in rear, on which the Imperial Government erected,
for the British troops in garrison, the Military Hospital. Since 1872, it
is used as a temporary Court House, in lieu of the old Court House, built
in 1814, and destroyed by fire in 1871. A high wall to the south-east,
encloses a lofty eminence surmounted by a flagstaff--the _Mont Carmel_
mentioned by La Potherie, Charlevoix and other old writers. The French had
a _Cavalier_ here. A little Eden of flowers, adjacent to the residence of
the member for the County of Quebec, Hon. Adolphe P. Caron, Minister of
Militia, and son of the late Lieutenant-Governor, Hon. R. E. Caron, now
enlivens this eminence. On the same side of the street, about one hundred
feet to the east, facing Parloir street, still exists a high-peaked old
tenement, to which a livery stable is attached. This house is said to
occupy the site on which, in 1759 stood the dwelling of Dr. Arnoux, Jr.,
the French surgeon under whose roof the gallant Montcalm was brought about
noon, on his way from the lost battle of the Plains.
[26] Smith's _History of Canada_, Vol. II, p. 92. _Diary of Siege of_
1776. _Lit. and Hist. Society Pub., fourth series_, p. 9.
[27] In accepting the _Château St. Louis_ as the spot where Montcalm
expired, we still wish to leave the question an open one. Did Montcalm
expire at the _Château_, under Dr. Arnoux's roof, at the General Hospital,
as averred by Capt. John Knox, or, possibly, under his own roof on the
ramparts, near Hope Gate? This point is not yet cleared up. See
disquisition in _Album du Touriste_ "Où est mort Montcalm?"
[28] On the 9th July, 1755, De Beaujeu won this brilliant victory.
[29] The 8th July, 1758, has been rendered famous by Montcalm and his
regulars and Canadian militia at Carillon.
[30] Louis Honoré Fréchette, born at the town of Levis, opposite to
Quebec--went through a classical course at the Quebec Seminary--studied
for the Bar, recently member of parliament for his native county, Levis,
under the present Judge for the Kamouraska District, Hon. Henri
Taschereau. Represented his native county of Levis in the Commons
Parliament from 1873 to 1878. His poetical effusions were published, at
Quebec, in 1863, in a small volume, intituled "Mes Loisirs"; in 1877, a
more extensive collection was published under the title of "Pêle-Mêle." He
was awarded in 1880, by the _Académie Française_ of Paris, the _Grand Prix
Monthyon_, 2,000 francs. In April, 1881, Queen's College conferred on Mr.
Fréchette the degree of Doctor of Laws, and McGill University also made
him an LL.D. Since his marriage in Montreal to Mdlle. Beaudry, the poet
resides in that city.
[31] A magnificent banquet had just previously been given to Mr.
Fréchette.
[32] The greatest of French Canada's poets died at St. Malo, France, in
June 1880, an exile--and fugitive from Justice.
[33] Parkman's _Old Regime_, p. 192.
[34] Bouchette--_Topography of Lower Canada_, 1815.
[35] "There were in that forte and habitation thereof four brasse pieces
each weighing about 150 lbs. weight, another piece of brasse ordinance
weighing eighty lbs. weight, five iron boxes of shot, for the five brasse
pieces of ordinance; two small iron pieces of ordinances weighing each
eight cwt. six murderers with their double boxes or chargers, one small
piece of ordinance weighing about eighty lbs., forty-five small iron
bullets for the service of the aforesaid; five brasse pieces, six iron
bullets for the service of the aforesaid, twenty-six brasse-pieces
weighing only three lbs. each, thirty or forty lbs. of gunpowder all
belonging to M. de Caen, of Dieppe; about thirty lbs. of mettle belonging
to the French King; thirteen whole and one broken musket, a harquebush,
two large harquebueses five or six foote longe, a piece belonging to the
Kinge; five or six thousand leaden bulletts, plate and bars of lead
belonging, sixty corselletts whereof two are compleat and pistoll proof;
two great brasse pieces weighing eighty lbs., one pavilion to lodge about
twenty men belonging to the Kinge, a smith's fordge with appurtenances,
all necessaries for a carpenter, all appurtenances of iron work for a
windmill; a handmill to grind corn; a brass bell belonging to the said
merchants, and about 2,500 to 3,000 beaver skins in the magazines, and
some cases of knives and the forte belonging to the Kinge, and the
habitations and houses then belonging to the said merchants were all left
standing. * * * * *
"That there were not any victualls or ordinance, sustenance for men in the
said forte at the time of taking it, the men in the same having lived by
the space of two months before upon nothing but rootes." (THE CONQUEST OF
CANADA, 1629, by _Kirke_, p. 76-7.)
[36] A detailed account of the picturesque interview between Count de
Frontenac and Sir Wm. Phipps' envoy in 1690, will be found in _Quebec
Past and Present_, p. 122.
[37] This sketch of the old Château in 1804, now forms part of the
historical album of the writer, through the kindness of Mr. Parkman.
[38] "_Toronto of Old_," H. Scadding, D.D., Toronto, 1873, p. 122-3.
[39] The name of Lennox in 1819, was indeed a familiar one in the highways
and byways of old Stadacona. There were three brothers, we are told, sons
of the Duke; Lord Charles, Lord William Pitt, Lord Arthur Lennox; more
than one of them are said to have had a hand in some of the practical
jokes so much to the fancy of Quebec military men, barristers, &c, in
1819, some of whom still survive, demure grandfathers, at present.
[40] John Galt, novelist, dramatist, historian, the genial author of
"Lawrie Todd," "Annals of the Parish," "The Laird," "Stanley Buxton," "The
Radical," "Eben Erskine," "The Stolen Child," "Majolo," "Omen,"
"Kathelun," "Ringan Gilhaize," "Spaewife," "Sir Andrew Wylie," "Provost,"
"Entail," "Steamboat," "The Life of Byron," and other works. Born at
Irvine, in Ayrshire, on the 2nd May, 1779, died at Greenock, 11th April,
1839. He came to Canada in 1827, as Secretary to the Canada Land Company,
which he had originated, and one of the five Commissioners (Colonel
Cockburn, Sir John Harvey, John Galt, Mr. McGillivray and Mr. Davidson)
named by England for the valuation of the Province of Upper Canada. This
remarkable man was the founder of Galt, Goderich, Guelph, and other
western cities, and was the father of three sons, John, Thomas and Sir
Alexander Tilloch, the last at present our _chargé d'affaires_ in
London.
[41] See _Quebec, Past and Present_, page 454.
[42] For full particulars about St Andrew's Church, see "_Quebec, Past
and Present_," pages 404-5.
[43] Adam, the oldest; John lost at sea on his voyage to England, in the
fall of 1775; and Matthew, who, later on, we think was a partner in the
old firm of Lymburner & Crawford, came to his end, in a melancholy manner
at the Falls of Montmorency, about 1823. Were they all brothers? we cannot
say. Adam and John were.
[44] Mrs. Widow Arch. Campbell closed her long career at Quebec, in
November, 1880.
[45] John Sewell, Capt. in 49th (Brock's Regiment), and Lt-Col. Volunteers
in 1837.
William Smith Sewell; late Sheriff of Quebec, died 1st June, 1866.
Edmund Willoughby Sewell, Clerk in Holy Orders.
Robert Shore Milnes Sewell, Advocate, died 9th May, 1834.
Maria May Livingstone Sewell, widow of Major Henry Temple, 15th
Regiment, died at Quebec in April, 1881.
Henrietta Sewell, wife of Rev. Dr. Frs. J. Lundy, died 17th Nov. 1847.
Henry Doyle Sewell, Clerk in Holy Orders.
James Arthur Sewell, M.D., Professor at Laval University.
Montague Charles Sewell, died 28th February, 1859.
Charlotte DeQuincy Sewell, died 31st December, 1826.
Fanny Georgina Sewell, wife of Capt. Trevor Davenport, 1st "Royals."
Eliza Janet Sewell, wife of John Ross, Esq., died 8th May, 1875.
Algernon Robinson Sewell, Lt.-Col. 15th Regiment, died 10th January,
1875.
[46] Histoire de Marie de l'Incarnation, par l'Abbé H. R. Casgrain.
[47] The old homestead, successively owned by Messrs. Timothy H. Dunn and
Joseph Shehyn, M.P.P., and now by Mr. J. O. Vallières, was erected in 1812
for Capt. Benjamin LeMoine, Canadian Militia, the writer's father.
[48] A detailed sketch of this great educational institution, descriptive
of its origin and constitution, galleries of paintings, museum, library
etc., appears at page 361 of "Quebec, Past and Present," to which the
reader is referred. We purpose to note the changes which have taken place
since the publication of that work only.
[49] In 1808, among other notabilities on the _Rue des Pauvres_, we
find that, as appears by a notarial deed of transfer, in the Woolsey
estate, before J. Plante, N.P., 28th March, 1808, a grand old relic of the
Canadian _noblesse_, la Baronne de Longueuil, the widow of the late
Captain David Alexander Grant, of the 94th regiment--to whom she had been
united in wedlock at Quebec, on the 7th May, 1781. She then dwelt there in
a house belonging to her husband's uncle, the Honorable William Grant (who
had died at Quebec in 1805), though her usual abode was on the picturesque
family property--on the Island of St. Helen, opposite Montreal. This
island was purchased by the Imperial authorities for military purposes
about 1815. The dignified, accomplished and queenly old Baronne expired at
Montreal on the 7th February, 1841, aged 86 years. Her grandson, Charles
Colmore Grant, of London England, now bears the title of Baron de
Longueuil, in virtue of the gracious recognition of our Sovereign, as set
forth in the London (Royal) _Gazette_ of the 4th December, 1880, and
Canada _Gazette_ of the 21st January, 1881.
[50] The following was composed by the late Hon J. Sewell, Chief Justice
of Lower Canada:--
ADDRESS
_Spoken at the Opening of the Quebec Royal Theatre, February_ 15,
1832.
Ye sons of pity, whose kind acts proclaim
How much you glory in true English fame,
In fame which rests on deeds of solid worth
And kindred feelings for the peopled earth:
Ye too, fair dames, whose daily conduct shows
How much ye feel in heart, for others woes
Who by compassion led, have hither come
To grace these walls and soften mis'rys doom,
We bid you welcome all--and what you see
[_Looking around the House_]
Thus dedicate to you and charity
[_Bowing to the audience_]
By the kind bounty which you now bestow
You will assuage the pangs of human woe,
To infant suffering and to aged grief
You will afford prompt solace and relief,
The famished penitent who stole for bread
Snatched from his wants will once more raise his head
The sickly wretch upon his bed of straw
Will pine no longer, but will quickly draw
From your resources, the comfort he requires
To sooth his pains, and quench a fever's fires;
And houseless strangers will no longer meet
Their fete in storms, and perish in the street.
[51] See appendix for list of executions.
[52] The Earl of Dalhousie, Sir James Kempt, John Adams, Edmund William
Romer Antrobus, Charles Ardouin, Thomas Cushing Aylwin, Frederick Baddely,
Henry W. Bayfield, Francis Bell, Henry Blake, Edward Bowen, William Brent,
Joseph Bouchette, Robert Shore Milnes Bouchette, Joseph Bouchette, junior,
George Bourne, Judge Burton, Edward Burroughs, John Caldwell, Hugh
Caldwell, Archibald Campbell, Charles Campbell, John Saxton Campbell, John
Cannon, Edward Caron, John P. Cockburn, Andrew Wm. Cochran, Thos. Coffin,
James Cuthbert, John Davidson, Wm. H. A. Davies, Dominick Daly, Jerome
Demers, Edward Desbarats, Frederick Desbarats, Robert D'Estimauville,
William Dudley Dupont, William Bowman Felton, John Charlton Fisher, John
Fletcher, William Finlay, James B. Forsyth, John Fraser, John Malcolm
Fraser, Francois Xavier Garneau, Augustin Germain, Manly Gore, William
Green, Louis Gugy, John Hale, James Hamilton, Andre Rémi Hamel, Joseph
Hamel, Victor Hamel, Aaron Hart, James Harkness, William Henderson,
Frederick Ingall, William Kemble, William Kelly, James Kerr, Pierre
Laforce, Louis Lagneux, William Lampson, Pierre de Salles Laterrière,
Thomas Lee, junior, Joseph Légaré, Henry Lemesurier, Thomas Lloyd, William
Lyons, Frederick Maitland, John McNider, William McKee, William King
McCord, Roderick McKenzie, John Langley Mills, Thomas Moore, Joseph
Morrin, George J Mountain, Henry Nixon, Charles Panet, Joseph Parent,
Etienne Parent, Augustus Patton, Francois Xavier Perrault, Joseph Francois
Perrault, William Power, Francis Ward Primrose, William Price, Rémi
Quirouet, William Rose, John Richardson, Randolph I. Routh, William Sax,
Jonathan Sewell, Edmund Sewell, Robert S M. Sewell, William Sheppard,
Peter Sheppard, Joseph Skey, William J. Skewes, William Smith, James
Smilie, William Stringer, Charles James Stewart, Lord Bishop of Quebec,
Sir James Stuart, David Stuart, Andrew Stuart, Joseph Signay, Robert
Symes, Jean Thomas Taschereau, John Peyfinch Thirlwall, Henry Truder,
Joseph Rémi Valières de St. Real, Geo. Vanfelson, Norman Fitzgerald
Umacke, George Usborne, George A Wanton, Gustavus Wicksteed, Daniel
Wilkie, George Willing, Thomas William Willan, George Wurtele and Jonathan
Wurtele. After half a century the survivors are Gen. Baddely, Gustavus
Wicksteed, Revd Edmund Sewell, John Fraser, Admiral Bayfield and Thomas
Lloyd.
[53] Now the mansion of the Hon. Pantaléon Pelletier, Senator.
[54] LOSSING'S FIELD BOOK, Vol. I, p. 195, thus describes the dress of the
invaders: "Each man of the three rifle companies (Morgan's, Smith's, and
Hendrick's) bore a rifle barreled gun, a tomahawk or small axe, and a long
knife, usually called a scalping knife, which served for all purposes in
the woods. His underdress, by no means in a military style, was covered by
a deep ash-coloured hunting shirt, legging and moccasins if the latter
could be procured. It was a silly fashion of those times for riflemen to
ape the manners of savages." "The Canadians who first saw these (men)
emerge from the woods, said they were _vêtus en toile_--clothed in
linen. The word _toile_ was changed to _tôle_, iron plated. By a mistake
of a single word the fears of the people were greatly increased, for the
news spread that the mysterious army that descended from the wilderness
was clad in _sheet-iron_."
[54a] "The flag used by what was called the Continental troops, of which
the force led into Canada by Arnold and Montgomery was a part, was of
plain crimson, and perhaps sometimes it may have had a border of black. On
the 1st January, 1776, the army was organized, and the new flag then
adopted was first unfurled at Cambridge, at the head-quarters of General
Washington, the present residence of the poet Longfellow. That flag was
made up of thirteen stripes, seven red and six white, but the Union was
the Union of the British flag of that day, blue bearing the Cross of St
Andrew combined with the cross of St George and a diagonal red cross for
Ireland. This design was used by the American Army till after the 14th
June, 1777, when Congress ordered that the Union should be changed, the
Union of the English flag removed and in its place there should be a
simple blue field with thirteen white stars, representing the thirteen
colonies declared to be states. Since that time there has been no change
in the flag except that a star is added as each new state is admitted. The
present number being thirty-eight."--W. O. HOWELLS.
[55] _Extract from the Quebec Gazette, May 1st_, 1794.
"CLUB."
"The Gentlemen who served in the Garrison of Quebec in 1775-76, are
acquainted that their Anniversary Dinner will be held at Ferguson's Hotel
on Tuesday, 6th May.
Dinner to be on Table at half-past-four o'clock.
The Honble. A. de Bonne,\
" " J. Walker, \ Esquires
Simon Fraser Senr., / Stewards,
James Frost, /
John Coffin, junr., Secretary.
Quebec, 25th April, 1794."
[56] Date of departure of invaders in 1776.
[57] Natanis and his brother Sabatis, and seventeen other (Abenaquis)
Indians, the nephews and friends of Sabatis, marched with Arnold to
Quebec.--(_Henry's Journal_, page 75.) This may account for their
successful venture through the trackless wilderness between Massachusetts
and Quebec.
[58] Faucher de Saint Maurice.
[59] A memorable Indian Council was held in the court of the Jesuits'
College, on 31st August, 1666.
[60] Mr. Faucher de Saint Maurice having been, in 1878, charged by the
Premier, Hon. Mr. Joly, to watch the excavations and note the discoveries,
in a luminous report, sums up the whole case. From this document, among
other things, we glean that the remains of the three persons of male sex
are those of:
1. Père François du Péron, who died at Fort St. Louys (Chambly) 10th
November, 1665, and was conveyed to Quebec for burial.
2. Père Jean de Quen, the discoverer of Lake St. John, who died at
Quebec, on 8th October, 1659, from the effects of a fever contracted
in attending on some of the passengers brought here that summer by
the French ship "Saint André."
3. Frère Jean Liégeois, scalped 29th May, 1655, by the Agniers at
Sillery--(the historian Ferland assigns as the probable spot, the
land on which the late Lieutenant-Governor Caron built his mansion
"Clermont," now occupied by Thomas Beckett, Esquire.) The remains of
this missionary, when excavated, were headless--which exactly agrees
with the entry in the _Jesuits' Journal_, May, 1655, which
states that Jean Liégeois was scalped--his head cut off and left at
Sillery, while his mutilated body, discovered the next day by the
Algonquins, the allies of the French, was brought to Sillery,
(probably the Jesuits' residence, the same solid old structure close
to the foundations of the Jesuits' chapel and monument at the foot of
the Sillery Hill, which many here have seen), from whence it was
conveyed to the Lower Town in a boat and escorted to the Jesuits'
College, with the ceremonies of the R. C. Church.
[61] Three Nuns of the Hôtel-Dieu Convent, according to authorities quoted
by Mr. Faucher, were buried in the vault (_caveau_) of the Jesuits'
Chapel. The sisterhood had been allowed the use of a wing of the Jesuits'
College, where they removed after the conflagration of the 7th June, 1755,
which destroyed their hospital.
4. _Mère_ Marie Marthe Desroches de Saint-François-Xavier, a young
woman of 28 years, who succumbed to small-pox on the 16th August,
1755.
5. _Mère_ de l'Enfant-Jésus, who expired on the 12th May, 1756.
6. _Mère_ de Saint-Monique, who died in July, 1756, the victim of
her devotion in ministering to the decimated crew of the ship
"Leopard," sunk in the port by order of Government to arrest the
spread of the pestilential disease which had raged on the passage.
Mr. Faucher closes his able report with a suggestion that a monument
ought to be raised, to commemorate the labours and devotion of the
Jesuits, on the denuded area on which stood their venerable College.
_Relation de ce qui s'est passé lors des Fouilles faites par ordre du
Gouvernement dans une partie des fondations du_ COLLÈGE DES JÉSUITES
_de Québec, précédée de certaines observations par_ FAUCHER DE SAINT
MAURICE. _Quebec. C. Darveau_--1879.
[62] Pierre DuCalvet was sent under warrant of Gen. Haldimand, a prisoner
on 29th September, 1780, on board the "Canceaux." He was then removed on
14th November, 1780, to the Military prison in Quebec, where he remained
until the 13th December, 1781, when the Provost Martial, Miles Prentice
placed him at the Franciscan convent, under the charge of Father DeBerey,
where he remained until the 2nd May, 1784. He followed Governor Haldimand
who had sailed in the "Atalante" on the 26th November, 1784, to England,
to sue him in an English Court of Justice for illegal arrest, and was lost
at sea in the "Shelburne" on his return to Canada.
[63] The following inscription was on the coffin plate:
(1) Count Frontenac--"Cy gyt le Haut et Puissant Seigneur, Louis de
Buade, Comte de Frontenac, Gouverneur-Général de la Nouvelle-France.
Mort à Québec, le 28 novembre 1698."--(_Hist. of Canada, Smith,
Vol._ 1, _p._ 133.)
(2) Gov de Callières.--"Cy gyst Haut et Puissant Seigneur, Hector de
Callières, Chevalier de Saint-Louis, Gouverneur et Lieutenant-
Général de la Nouvelle-France, décédé le 26 mai 1703."--(_Ibid.,
p._ 148.)
(3) Gov. de Vaudreuil.--"Cy gist Haut et Puissant Seigneur, Messire
Philippe Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil, Grande Croix de l'Ordre
Militaire de Saint-Louis, Gouverneur et Lieutenant-Général de toute
la Nouvelle-France décédé le dixième octobre 1725."--(_Ibid.,
p._ 190.)
(4) M. de la Jonquière--"Cy repose le corps de Messire Jacques-Pierre de
Taffanel, Marquis de la Jonquière, Baron de Castlenau, Seigneur de
Hardars-magnas et autres lieux, Commandeur de l'Ordre Royal et
Militaire de Saint-Louis, Chef d'Escadre des Armées Navales,
Gouverneur et Lieutenant-Général poor le Roy en tout la Nouvelle-
France, terres et passes de la Louisiane. Décédé à Québec, le 17 mai
1752, à six heures-et-demie du soir, âgé de 67 ans."--(_Ibid.,
p._ 222.)
[64] Faillon, Vol. III, p. 372.
[65] The laying of the corner stone of this lofty building whose
proportions must have seemed colossal to our fathers, was done with grand
masonic honors on the 14th August, 1805, by the Hon. Thos. Dunn, President
of the Province of Lower Canada, and administrator of the Government,
assisted by William Holmes, Esq., M.D., Deputy Grand Master of Ancient and
Accepted Free-Masons. Several coins of that reign were deposited under the
stone. Amongst the members of the craft, we find the names of Joseph
Bouchette, Claude Dénéchaud, Joseph Plante, Angus Shaw, Thomas Place,
David Monro, the architect's name is Edward Cannon, grand-father of
Messrs. Ed. J. Lawrence and James Cannon, our esteemed fellow-citizens;
Rev. Dr. Sparks delivered a splendid oration, to be found in the _Quebec
Mercury_, of 17th August, 1805.
Hujusce Fori Municipalis, Anglicè UNION HALL, ex Senates provincialis
consulto erecti,
THOMAS DUNN Vir Honorabilis Provinciae Proetectus Politiaeque
Administrator. Adstantibus et Curatioribus Selectis.
Hon. _John Young_ Praese, Hon. _John Antoine Panet_ Comitiae
Provincialis Rogatore.
_Jonathan Sewell_ Armigero Cognitore Regio,
_John Painter_ et _John Blackwood_, Armigeris, Pacis
Curatoribus;
_Joseph Bouchette_ Armigero Mensorum Principali,
_John Caldwell, Claude Dénéchaud, John Coltman, John Taylor, Joseph
Plante, Angus Shaw, Thomas Place_ et _David Monro_,
de Quebec Armigeris,
Nec non et multis _Latomorum_ hujus Urbis, quorum _William
Holmes_ Armiger,
M D fuit summus Magister Deputatus, adjuvantibus, hunc primum Lapidem
posuit, dei XIV. Mensis Sextilis, Anno Salutis MDCCCV.
Nummi quoque Regis Regnantis
GEORGE III.
Suppositi sunt,
_Videlicet_.
Nummus Aureus Anglicè _Guinea_, aureum etiam Dimidium ejus et Triens;
Nummus argenteus solidos quinque Anglicos valans, solidus dimidium solidi,
et quarta pars; nummus Aeranus denarios duos Anglicos valens; denarius
obolus; et quadrans.
EDWARD CANNON, Architectus.
[66] A MONUMENT OF THE OLDEN TIME.--Inserted in the wall enclosing the lot
of ground between Buade street and the Basilica, about midway from the
front entrance of the church, is to be seen a slab of very fine marble,
bearing the following inscription. It is the only one in the plate:--
"In memory
of
Mary,
wife of Thomas Ainslie, Esq.,
Collector of His Majesty's Customs of Quebec,
who died March 14th, 1767,
aged 25 years.
If Virtues Charms had pow'r to save
Her faithful votaries, from the grave;
With Beauty's ev'ry form supply'd
The lovely AINSLIE ne'er had died."
[67] John Hale who died in 1842, had six sons: 1st, Edward, who died at
Quebec in May, 1874; 2nd, Jeffery Hale; 3rd, Miss Hale; 4th, Bernard Hale,
now in England; 5th, Richard Hale, late 81st; 6th, William, late Capt.
52nd, who died at Ste. Anne, district of Three Rivers, about 1845; 7th,
Mrs. Hotham; 8th, George Hale; 9th, Miss Elizabeth Harriet Hale, who in
1838 married Commander John Orlebar, R.N.
[68] We are indebted to Professor H. LaRue, M.D., for the following notes
relative to an address delivered by him at a dinner given by the Notaries
Public in 1872:--"The first physician who entered Quebec narrowly escaped
being hung," says Dr. LaRue. "I said that he had narrowly escaped the
gallows; had he been hung I would not say it. It occurred thus:--Champlain
had just landed in the Lower Town and had laid the foundation of his
abode, when some of his followers hatched a plot against his life. The
scheme leaked out, the ring leader was arraigned, found guilty and hung;
so far as I know, this was the first execution which took place in Canada.
Some how or other, Surgeon Bonnerme, one of Champlain's followers, was
mixed up in the matter, imprisoned, but his innocence having shortly after
been established, he was acquitted. Dr Bonnerme died the following year
(1609) at Quebec, of scurvy. If Bonnerme was the first physician who came
to Quebec, he was not, for all that, the first medical man who landed in
New France; another had preceded him: Louis Hebert, the first citizen of
Quebec and of all Canada. Before Hebert's day the French who came to
Quebec came there for no other object than barter, hunting and fishing;
none had thought of settling permanently there. Louis Hebert was the first
proprietor in Quebec, the first land owner in Canada; as such, historians
recognize him as the first Citizen of Quebec--the _first Canadian_: a
surgeon, let us bear in mind. Louis Hebert visited New France in 1606, two
years before the foundation of Quebec. He spent the winter of 1606-7--a
merry one--at Port Royal, Acadia, in the company of Samuel de Champlain
and Lescarbot. Lescarbot was the first lawyer who found his way to New
France; Lescarbot was the first historian of the country; he was gifted
with wit--a proclivity to mild satire; each page of his history reveals
the lawyer familiar with the Bar and its lively forensic display. The
winter of 1606-7, at Port Royal, was remarkable for good cheer; appetising
repasts, the product of the chase or of the sea, were the order of the day
to that extent that Lescarbot declared that Port Royal fare was as
_recherché_ as that of _Rue aux Ours_, in Paris--apparently the "Palais
Royal" of the French capital in those times. The third or fourth physician
of New France was Robert Giffard, Seignior of Beauport, who also was the
first settler in that parish; not only was Giffard the first resident of
Beauport, but, I have reason to believe, he was also the first settler--
_habitant_--of the rural districts in Canada. Thus, the first citizen of
all Canada would appear to have been a physician; thus, after Champlain
the two founders of the colony would have been physicians. Giffard's Lodge
was situated on some portion of Col. Gugy's farm; the leading families of
Canada look to Giffard as one of their progenitors; Archbishop Taschereau
is one of his descendants.
"The first Royal Notary--_Notaire Royal_--of Canada was M. Audouard, whose
first minute rests in the vaults of the Prothonotary of Quebec. But two
deeds at least had been executed before this first minute. The deed of
_partage_ of the Hébert family (1634), and the last will of Champlain
(1635). These two instruments were executed before Mêtres Duchaîne and De
la Ville, _greffiers_; the _greffiers_ were _Notaires_ also. Another fact
worthy of note is that the first time a Notary's services were put in
requisition was at the instance of the heirs of Hébert, the physician."--
_Morning Chronicle_, 12th April, 1881.
[69] _Chansons populaires du Canada_, &c., par Ernest Gagnon, 1865.
[70] The father of French-Canadian history; born in 1809, died in 1866.
[71] The tablet on his monument, in Mount Hermon Cemetery, bears the
following inscription:--
IN MEMORY OF ROBERT CHRISTIE, ESQ.
A native of Nova Scotia, he early adopted Canada as his country, and
during a long life faithfully served her. In the War in 1812 as a Captain,
4th Batt., he defended her frontier; in peace, during upwards of 30 years,
he watched over her interests as member of Parliament for the County of
Gaspé; and in the retirement of his later years recorded her annals as her
historian.
He died at Quebec on the 13th October, 1856, aged 68, leaving behind him
the memory of a pure career and incorruptible character.
_Integer vitae scelerisque purus._
The inscription, which we think worthy of commendation for the chasteness
and conciseness of its style, is from the pen of (the late) J. B. Parkin,
Esq., advocate, of this city; the most lasting monument, however, of the
honoured deceased is that which was the product of his own brain, his
History of Canada. This work is unfortunately incomplete, though the
materials of a posthumous volume are still extant; but it is to be
regretted that Mr. Christie's widow has been robbed, and that by the hand
of no common thief, of some most important documents collected by and
belonging to her late husband--_Quebec Mercury, 5th Nov._, 1859.
[72] Opposite to Mr. Narcisse Turcotte, jeweller, on Mountain Hill.
[73] The Basilica Minor, or Roman Catholic Parish Church, built in 1647,
restored after the siege of 1759, was consecrated by Bishop Laval on the
18th July, 1666, under the name of the Church of the Immaculate
Conception. It is the oldest church in North America. Its length is 216
feet by 108 in breadth, and is capable of containing a congregation of
4,000 persons. "It originated in a gift, in 1644, on the part of Couillard
and Guillemette Hebert, his wife, of 80 perches of land in superficies,
for a parish church, on condition on the part of the _Fabrique_, or
church authorities, that they would furnish a pew in perpetuity in said
church for them and their successors, on their paying them a sum of 30
livres, _tournois_, at each mutation. The Church was begun in 1644
and 1645, on this spot, out of collections made in the years 1643 and 1644
together, until the price for which were sold 1,270 beaver skins--worth
about 8,000 livres--was given by the Quebec merchants. The partners of the
India Company presented the church with a bell."--_Histoire abrégée de
l'Église de Quebec_.
[74] The Indian Fort (_Fort des Hurons_) was built to protect the
unfortunate Hurons who, after the butchery of 1648-49, had sought refuge
at Quebec. It is conspicuous on an old plan of Quebec of 1660, republished
by Abbé Faillon. It stood on the northern slope of Dufferin Terrace, on
the side to the east of the present Post Office, south-east of the Roman
Catholic Parish Church.
[75] _Voyage Sentimental_--LaRue, page 96.
[76] "THE VOLTIGEURS, 1812.--This corps, now forming under the command of
Major De Salaberry, is completing with a despatch worthy of the ancient
war-like spirit of the country. Capt. Perrault's company was filled up in
48 hours, and was yesterday passed by His Excellency the Governor; and the
companies of Captains Duchesnay, Panet and L'Ecuyer have nearly their
complement. The young men move in solid columns towards the enlisting
officers, with an expression of countenance not to be mistaken. The
Canadians are awakening from the repose of an age secured to them by good
government and virtuous habits. _Their anger is fresh_, the object of
their preparations simple and distinct. They are to defend their King,
known to them only by acts of kindness and a native country, long since
made sacred by the exploits of their forefathers."--(From the _Montreal
Canadian Courant_, 4th May, 1812.) Does the sacred fire still burn as
bright? We hope so.
[77] The Hôtel Dieu is fully described at page 63 of "QUEBEC PAST AND
PRESENT."
[78] Bouchette's British Dominions in North America, 1832, p. 254.
[79] The practical jokers in our good city were numerous and select; we
might mention the Duke of Richmond's sons, Lord Charles and Lord William
Lennox: Col. Denny, 71st Highlanders; the brilliant Vallières de St. Real,
later on Chief. Justice; Petion Christie, P. A. De Gaspé, the writer; L.
Plamondon, C. Romain and other legal luminaries; recalling the days of
Barrington in Ireland, and those of Henry Cockburn in Scotland; their
_petit souper, bon mots_, boisterous merriment, found a sympathetic
chronicler in the author of "The Canadians of Old". _Facile princeps_
for riotous fun stood Chas. R. Ogden, subsequently Attorney-General, as
well known for his jokes as for his eloquence: he recently died a judge at
the Isle of Wight.--(J. M. L.)
[80] The first idea of utilising the ruins of the Château St. Louis, burnt
in 1834, is due to His Excellency the Earl of Durham, Governor-General and
High Commissioner in Canada from the 29th May to the 1st November, 1838.
George Lambton, Earl of Durham, died in England in 1840. He was one of our
ablest administrators, and with all his faults, one of the most
ungenerously treated public men of the day by the Metropolitan statesmen.
[81] "Le Chien d'Or--the History of an Old House,"--MAPLE LEAVES, 1873, p.
89. [82] "His constant attendance when he went abroad," says Mère
Juchereau.
[83] The _Old Régime in Canada_, p. 177-9.
[84] John George Lambton, Earl of Durham, was born at Lambton Castle, in
April, 1792, and died at the Isle of Wight, on the 28th July, 1840,
broken-hearted at the apparent failure of his Canadian mission.
"Lord Durham," says Justin McCarthy, "was a man of remarkable character.
It is a matter of surprise how little his name is thought of by the
present generation, seeing what a strenuous figure he seemed in the eyes
of his contemporaries, and how striking a part he played in the politics
of a time which has even still some living representatives. He belonged to
one of the oldest families in England. The Lambtons had lived on their
estate in the north in uninterrupted succession since the Conquest. The
male succession, it is stated, never was interrupted since the twelfth
century. They were not, however, a family of aristocrats. Their wealth was
derived chiefly from coal mines, and grew up in later days; the property
at first, and for a long time, was of inconsiderable value. For more than
a century, however, the Lambtons had come to take rank among the gentry of
the country, and some member of the family had represented the city of
Durham in the House of Commons from 1727 until the early death of Lord
Durham's father, in December, 1797, William Henry Lambton, Lord Durham's
father, was a staunch Whig, and had been a friend and associate of Fox.
John George Lambton, the son, was born at Lambton Castle, in April, 1792.
Before he was quite twenty years of age, he made a romantic marriage at
Gretna Green with a lady who died three years after. He served for a short
time in a regiment of Hussars. About a year after the death of his first
wife, he married the eldest daughter of Lord Grey. In 1828 he was raised
to the Peerage with the title of Baron Durham."--_History of Our Own
Times_, page 9.--Justin McCarthy.
[85] I use the term advisedly, for had he followed out the Colborne policy
and gibbetted the "Bermuda exiles," he would have had one sin less to
atone for, at the hands of Lord Brougham and other merciless enemies in
England.
[86] Thanks to the late Mr. J. B. Martel, then Secretary of the Harbour
Commission, Quebec, we may designate in a few words the site which the
Quebec Bank now possesses. This extent of ground (at that period a beach
lot), was conceded to the Seminary by the Marquis de Denonville in 1687,
and confirmed by the King, the 1st March, 1688. The 25th August, 1750,
Messire Christophe de Lalane, Directeur du Séminaire des Missions
Étrangères à Paris, made a concession of it to Mons. Nicholas René
Levasseur, _Ingénieur_, formerly chief contractor of the ships of "His
Most Christian Majesty." On the 24th June, 1760, a deed of sale of this
same property, to Joseph Brassard Deschêneaux, consisting of a two-story
house and a wharf (_avec les peintures au-dessus de la porte_.) On the 8th
September, 1764, a deed of sale to Alexander McKenzie, purchase money,
$5,800. On the 19th April, 1768, Joseph Deschêneaux assigned his mortgage
to Mr. John Lymburner. On the 11th August, 1781, a deed of concession of
the beach in the rear, to low water mark, by the Seminary to Adam
Lymburner. The 5th November, 1796, a deed of sale by the attorney of Adam
Lymburner. Subsequently Angus Shaw became the proprietor in consideration
of $4,100. On the 17th October, 1825, a judicial sale, to the late Henry
Atkinson, Esq.
[87] Hon. D.A. Ross.
[88] This attempt, although ushered in with a brilliant victory on 28th
April 1760, failed.
[89] Born in 1765; died in 1820; resided at Quebec, 1741-46.
[90] See _Histoire de la Gazette de Québec_--Gérin, p. 24.
[91] The "Neptune" Inn was opened as a house of public entertainment for
captains, by William Arrowsmith, on 1st May, 1809 (See _Quebec Mercury,_
1st May, 1809.)
[92] DOINGS OF THE PRESS GANG AT QUEBEC, 1807--_Le Canadien_ newspaper, of
September, 1807, thus records the death, on the 13th September of that
year, of Simon Latresse, from the discharge of fire arms.--It had taken
place on the evening of the preceding Saturday, the perpetrator being one
of the crew of H.M. man-of-war _Blossom_, commanded by Captain George
Picket. "Latresse," says this journal, "was at the time attending a dance
in St. John suburbs, when a press-gang, under the charge of Lieut. Andrel,
entered. Latresse was laid hold of, but his great strength and activity
enabled him to shake off his captors. He then took to his heels and
received from one of them a pistol shot, the ball going through his body.
He was a native of Montreal, aged 25 years; had been for seven years a
voyageur to Michilimakinac; was noted for his fidelity and attachment to
his employers. Latresse leaves a widowed mother of 75 years of age to
mourn his loss, of whom he was the support". The poet Quesnel wrote a fine
piece of verse to commemorate the event. It is to be found in the
_Bibliothèque Canadienne_ of 1826.
[93] Quebec, 5th December, 1816. "At a meeting of the Board of Green
Cloth, held at the "Neptune" Inn, John Wm. Woolsey in the chair, it was
unanimously decided to establish a Merchants' Exchange in the lower part
of the Neptune Inn, &c. (Then follow the resolutions.) Subscription to be
two guineas per annum.
"On motion of John Jones, Esq., Resolved that the following gentlemen do
form a Committee of Management:--Thomas Edward Brown, James Heath, George
Symes, John W. Woolsey and Robert Melvin."
[94] William Finlay, an eminent merchant of Quebec, and one of its chief
benefactors, made several bequests which the city authorities invested in
the purchase of this market. Mr. Finlay died at the Island of Madeira,
whether he had gone for his health, about the year 1831.
[95] "ROMPU VIF," 1752--A good deal of patriotic indignation has been
bubbled over at the mention of what was termed the Old World mode of
punishing high treason against the State. With respect to the atrocious
sentence pronounced by Chief Justice Osgood, at Quebec, in 1797, carried
out on the criminal David McLane, the "disembowling and hanging"
particulars (so well related by an eye-witness, the late P. A. DeGaspé,
Esq.,) ought not to be considered such a novelty in Canada.
A Montreal antiquary, Mr. P. S. Murphy, has unearthed a sentence
pronounced at Montreal in the good old Bourbon times, 6th June, 1752,
which shows that the terrible punishment of "breaking alive" (rompu vif)
was in force under the French _régime_.
"Belisle," says Mr. P. S. Murphy, "was condemned to 'torture ordinary and
extraordinary,' then to be broken alive on a scaffold erected in the
market place. The awful sentence was carried out to the letter, his body
buried in Guy street, Montreal, and a _Red Cross_ erected to mark the
spot."
_Translation_.--Extract from the requisition of H. C. Majesty's
Attorney:--
"I require for the King that Jean Baptiste Goyer dit Belisle be arraigned
and convicted of having wilfully and feloniously killed the said Jean
Favre by a pistol shot and several stabs with a knife, and of having
similarly killed the said Marie-Anne Bastien, wife of the said Favre, with
a spade and a knife, and of having stolen from them the money that was in
their house; for punishment of which that he be condemned to have his
arms, legs, thighs and backbone broken, he alive, on a scaffold, which
shall be erected for that purpose in the market place of this city, at
noon, then on a rack, his face turned towards the sky, he be left to die.
The said Jean Baptiste Goyer dit Belisle, being previously put to the
torture ordinary and extraordinary, his dead body shall be carried by the
executioners to the highway which lies between the house lately occupied
by the said accused and the house lately occupied by the said Jean Favre
and his wife. The goods and chattels of the said Jean Baptiste Goyer dit
Belisle confiscated to the King, or for the benefit of those who may have
a right to them, or of those not liable to confiscation, the sum of 300
livres fine being previously set apart, in case that confiscation could be
made for the benefit of His Majesty.
"(Signed), FAUCHER.
"Done at Montreal, the 6th June, 1752."
[96] The most spacious, the most remarkable of these substantial vaults of
French construction, are those which now belong to the Estate Poston, on
the north side of Notre Dame street, nearly opposite the church Notre Dame
des Victoires. It is claimed that these vaults were so constructed as not
only to be fire proof but water-proof likewise at the seasons of high
water, in spring and autumn. This vault is now occupied by Messrs.
Thompson, Codville & Co. as Inland Revenue and Customs bonded warehouses.
[97] "_Cours d'Histoire du Canada_," _Ferland, Vol._ 1, _p._ 280.
[98] _Concession de la Barre aux Jésuites_, _Sept._ 16, 1683.
[99] _Cul-de-Sac_ means a street without an issue. The filling in of
this old market place, by the wharves on which Champlain Market Hall now
stands, has totally altered this locality.
[100] M. de Laval, in 1661, described the city as follows:--
"Quebecum vulgo in superiorem dividitur et inferiorem urbem. In inferiore
sunt portus, vadosa navium ora, mercatorum apoticae ubi et merces
servantur, commercium quodlibet peragitur publicum et magnus civium
numerus commoratur."
[101] George Allsop, a British merchant, came from England to this country
in the last century with Thomas Aylwin, grandfather of Judge Thos. Cushing
Aylwin. The Hale family were already in Canada, and became intimate with
the Allsops. George Allsop had six sons, all born in the Montcalm House
ramparts. At the time of Robert Allsop's birth his mother was placed for
safety in the vaults of the Citadel, at the time of the siege (1775) says
a family tradition. These six sons were as follows:--
George Waters Allsop, eldest, sent home to the Bluecoat School to be
educated; he was a Latin and Greek scholar, and a person of eminence
in other respects.
John Allsop, merchant in London.
Carleton Allsop, Consul-General to Colombia.
Robert Allsop, Deputy Commissary-General.
James Allsop, Paymaster 1st Batt., 44th Foot.
William Allsop, merchant, died at sea on a voyage to Buenos Ayres, and
was buried on the Patagonian coast, all co-seigneurs of Seignories of
Jacques Cartier and d'Auteuil.
James Allsop, at the age of 17, was taken by Hon. John Hale, Receiver-
General, into his office, St. John street, at $600 per annum. This
house was afterwards occupied by a Mrs. Stinson (I think as a
boarding-house); sold to Judge Aylwin, who left it by will to his
nephew, Robt S. Bradley, who now owns it.
James Allsop did not like the drudgery of Mr. Hale's office, who sent
him to England with a recommendation to the late Duke of Kent, asking
for a Paymastership. There were difficulties at first, he not being
considered old enough; but at last he was gazetted to one in the 1st
Batt., 44th Regt., and this Battalion was ordered to New Orleans, Hon.
Col. Mullins (Lord Ventry's son), commanding, who, being seized with a
panic on the field, disgraced himself, lost his presence of mind on
seeing the destruction the Americans were dealing out to the British
troops, by firing behind their cotton bags, and was in consequence the
cause of the death of Hon. Col. Pakenham, brother-in-law to the Duke
of Wellington. Miss Pakenham was a celebrated beauty, and engaged to
marry the Duke on his return from the Peninsular War; but having,
unfortunately, taken the small-pox during the Duke's absence, her
father wrote to the Duke to absolve him from his promise, she having
become so much disfigured from its effects, but the Duke was too
honourable, and married her. They were both in Brussels. My father,
who was Paymaster to the 2nd Battalion of the 44th, was at Waterloo.
We remained in Brussels some years.--(_Diary of Mrs. Chas. Aylwin_.)
[102] See Appendix--"La Négresse Rose."
[103] Quebecers will remember with pleasure the presence in our midst of
this famous Polar navigator in August, 1880, and his lady, whose
kindliness of manner and elegant French, won the hearts of many. The
instructive torpedo lectures of the scientific commander of the
_Northampton_ iron-clad, Capt. Fisher, will likewise retain a corner
in the chambers of memory.
[104] In fact, the spot where the remains of the great geographer and
discoverer are supposed to rest, seems to be the site on which the new
Post Office in the Upper Town has lately been built. Another theory,
however, is lately propounded by an Ottawa antiquary. See QUEBEC PAST AND
PRESENT.
[105] XAVIER MARMIER.--This writer was born at Pontcartier, France, in
1809, and early evinced a passion for travel. Having visited Switzerland
and Holland, he came to Paris in 1830. Being well versed in German
literature, he edited for ten years the _Revue Germanique_, during
which period he travelled and wrote much. In 1836-38 he went as the
Secretary of a scientific expedition to the north of Europe. He spent
several weeks at Archangel, visited Iceland, Greenland, and other
hyperborean regions, and after his return published many works, among
which may be mentioned Travels in Iceland and Greenland (7 vols., 8vo,
with elaborate maps and numerous folio plates), the Literature of Denmark
and Sweden, Souvenirs of Voyages and Traditions, Popular Songs of the
North, Letters on Holland and on Russia, Finland and Poland, Poems of a
Traveller, the Rhine and the Nile, Letters upon Algeria and the Adriatic,
A Summer on the Baltic, &c, &c, besides voluminous essays in reviews and
magazines. He was recalled from travels to become librarian of the
Department of the Marine, and in 1847 was appointed in charge of the
library of Sainte Geneviève. He is still (in 1881) living in Paris.
[106] _Lettres sur l'Amérique, par X Marmier, Canada, États-Unis, Havane,
Rio de la Plata_, 2 _Vols., Paris_, 1851.
[107] The Jesuit Fathers were in the habit of fastening the painters of
their canoes at the foot of the hill, "la _canoterie_," on their return
by water from their farm called "_Ferme des Anges_," hence its name.
We borrow from the "Directory for the City and Suburbs of Quebec" for
1791, by Hugh McKay, printed at the office of the _Quebec Herald_,
the following paragraph, "_Rues Ecartées_" (out-of-the-way streets)--
"_La Canoterie_ (canoe landings) follows the street Sault-au-Matelot,
commencing at the house of Cadet (where Mr. O. Aylwin resides), and
continues up to Mr. Grant's distillery; St. Charles street commences there
and terminates below Palace Gate; St. Nicholas street extends from Palace
Gate to the water's edge, passing in front of the residence of the widow
La Vallée; the old ship yard opposite to the boat yard, Cape Diamond
street commences at the wharf owned by Mr. Antrobus and terminates at the
outer extremity of that of Mons. Dunière, underneath Cape Diamond, the
streets Carrière, Mont Carmel, Ste. Geneviève, St. Denis, Des Grisons, are
all situated above St. Louis street" (Mr. Louis Dunière was M.P. in 1828.)
[108] Mr. T. P. Bédard sends us the following note on this street:--"Au
17ème siècle, la rue Sault-au-Matelot était la rue commerciale par
excellence avec la rue Notre-Dame, c'était là où ce faisait toutes les
affaires, la rue St. Pierre actuelle étant alors envahie par l'eau durant
les grandes marées."
[109] Did the dog belong to Champlain? an antiquary asks us.
"Ad laevum fluit amnis S. Laurentii, ad dextram S. Caroli fluviolus. Ad
confluentem, Promontorium assurgit, _Saltum Nautae_ vulgo vocant, ab
cane hujus nominis qui se alias ex eo loco praecipitem dedit." (Historia
Canadensis.--Creuxius, p. 204.)
[110] François de Bienville.
[111] In that early, dark, but not unhappy era of Quebec municipal
existence, in June, 1842, when the great novelist, Chas. Dickens,
perambulated our thoroughfares and surveyed our battle fields, did the
author of "Pickwick," in his rambles, meet in this odoriferous lane any of
those "roving, gentlemanly, philosophic, republican" porkers, such as had
crossed his path in the "empire city" of the West, and which, as typical
New York pigs, have since become famous. "A select party," says he, "of
half a dozen gentlemanly hogs have just now turned the corner."
"Here is a solitary swine lounging homeward by himself. He has only one
ear, having parted with the other to vagrant dogs in the course of his
city rambles. But he gets on very well without it, and leads a roving,
gentlemanly, vagabond life, somewhat answering to that of our club men at
home. He leaves his lodgings every morning at a certain hour, throws
himself upon the town, gets through the day in some manner quite
satisfactory to himself, and regularly appears at the door of his own
house again at night, like the mysterious master of Gil Blas. He is a free
and easy, careless, indifferent kind of pig, having a very large
acquaintance among other pigs of the same character, whom he rather knows
by sight than conversation, as he seldom troubles himself to stop and
exchange civilities, but goes grunting down the kennel, turning up the
news and small talk of the city, in the shape of cabbage-stalks and offal,
and bearing no tails but his own, which is a very short one, for his old
enemies the dogs have been at that too, and have left him hardly enough to
swear by. He is in every respect a Republican pig, going wherever he
pleases, and mingling with the best society, on an equal if not superior
footing, for every one makes way when he appears, and the haughtiest give
him the wall if he prefer it. He is a great philosopher, and seldom moved,
unless by the dogs before mentioned."--(_Dickens' American Notes_, p. 38.)
[112] CANADA'S ROYAL VISITORS--WHO HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE 1787.--"Canada has
been honoured with visits from the following Royal personages:--His Royal
Highness Prince William Henry (afterwards William IV.) uncle of Her
Majesty Queen Victoria, landed in Quebec in 1787. H.R.H. Prince Edward,
Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria, visited Canada in 1791, four years
later than his brother. H.R.H. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and heir
apparent of the British Crown, was in this country in 1860, and laid the
corner-stone of the Parliament Buildings at Ottawa. H.R.H. Prince Alfred,
Duke of Edinburgh, second son of Queen Victoria, was here in 1861, H.R.H.
Prince Leopold in May, 1880. H.E.H. Prince de Joinville, son of Louis
Philippe, King of France, was in Canada the same year as Prince Alfred.
Prince Napoleon Bonaparte, cousin of Napoleon III., Emperor of France,
also in 1861. H.R.H. Prince Arthur, third son of the Queen, in 1869.
H.R.H. the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, in 1871. H.R.H. Dom Pedro, Emperor
of Brazil, in 1876 (Centennial year); and Her Royal Highness the Princess
Louise and H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh (his second visit), in 1878. It
will thus be seen that Queen Victoria's father, uncle and five of her
children have been in Canada."
[113] Opened by him in 1831.
[114] "Travels through North America during the years 1825-26," By Carl
Bernhard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar Eisenach.
[115] Prescott Gate levelled in 1871.
[116] These steps went into Prescott Gate.
[117] The R. C. Bishop's Palace, on whose site the present brick
structure, Parliament House, was since erected.
[118] Bleak House, on the St. Louis Heights, was, until 1871, the quarters
of the Colonel of Engineers.
[119] The Abbé de Fénélon was the half-brother of the illustrious
Archbishop of Cambray, the author of "Telemachus." He was tried by
Frontenac and the Superior Council for having, at the preceding Easter,
preached at Montreal a violent sermon against the _corvées_ (enforced
labor) to build up Fort Frontenac, &c. He refused to acknowledge the
competency of the tribunal to try him, appeared before it with his hat on,
&c. Frontenac had him committed for contempt. Altogether it was a curious
squabble, the decision of which was ultimately left to the French King.--
(Parkman's Frontenac, p. 37, M. Faillon, _La Colonie Française, Vol.
III, pp. 515, 517.)
[120] Montcalm, de Vaudreuil, de Longueuil, de Bougainville, LaCorne, de
Beaujeu, Taché, de Léry, de St. Ours and others constituted this party of
honourable men.
[121] MÉMOIRES sur les affaires du Canada, 1749-60.
[122] Servants, lackeys and nobodies were named store-keepers, "_leur
ignorance et leur bassesse ne font point un obstacle_," say the
_Mémoires_, 1749-60.
[123] "He (deCallières), says Parkman, laid before the King a plan, which
had, at least, the recommendation of boldness and cheapness. This was to
conquer New York with the forces already in Canada, aided only by two
ships of war. The blow, he argued, should be struck at once, and the
English taken by surprise. A thousand regulars and six hundred Canadian
Militia should pass Lake Champlain and Lake George, in canoes and bateaux,
cross to the Hudson, and capture Albany, where they would seize all the
river-craft, and descend the Hudson to the town of New York, which, as
Callières states, had then about two hundred houses and four hundred
fighting men. The two ships were to cruise at the mouth of the Harbour,
and wait the arrival of the troops, which was to be made known to them by
concerted signals, whereupon they were to enter and aid in the attack. The
whole expedition, he thought, might be accomplished in a month, so that by
the end of October, the King would be master of the country....
It will be well to observe what were the instructions of the King towards
the colony which he proposed to conquer. They were as follows: If any
Catholics were found in New York, they might be left undisturbed, provided
that they took an oath of allegiance to the King. Officers, and other
persons who had the means of paying ransoms, were to be thrown into
prison. All lands in the colony, except those of Catholics swearing
allegiance, were to be taken from the owners, and granted under feudal
tenure to the French officers and soldiers. All property, public or
private, was to be seized, a portion of it given to the grantees of the
land, and the rest sold on account of the King. Mechanics and other
workmen might, at the discretion of the commanding officer) be kept as
prisoners to work at fortifications and do other labor. The rest of the
English and Dutch inhabitants, men, women, and children were to be carried
out of the colony, and dispersed in New England, Pennsylvania or other
places, in such manner, that they could not combine in any attempt to
recover their property and their country. And that the conquest might be
perfectly secure, the nearest settlements of New England were to be
destroyed, and those more remote, laid under contribution.--(_Count
Frontenac and New France under Louis XIV_, _p._ 187-9.)
[124] See Appendix, _verbo_ "CONQUEST IN NEW YORK."
[125] THE CHIEN D'OR A LEGEND OF QUEBEC.
[126] L'INTENDANT BIGOT.
[127] For the names of the victims and further particulars, vide 2nd
Volume du Dictionnaire Généalogique, par l'Abbé Tanguay.
[128] These bricks were found to be only 1-1/2 inches thick, of a dark
flinty appearance and as hard as iron, and seemed to be composed of silica
and oxide of iron.
The Jesuit College had been occupied as a barrack, under the warrant of
General J. Murray, in 1765. (J. M. L.)
[129] _Cours d'Histoire du Canada_, Vol. II, p. 140.
[130] Louis XV.
[131] Smith's History of Canada, Vol. II., p. 105.
[132] _Life of Lord Nelson_, by Robert Southey, LL.D.
[133] See Judge Henry's Diary of the Siege of 1775.
[134] The friends of the history will, no doubt, rejoice to learn that the
Literary and Historical Society has acquired the interesting diaries and
correspondence of Mr. James Thompson.
[135] Named after George Pozer, an aged Quebec millionaire, who for years
resided in the house subsequently occupied as a book-store by the late
Chas. Hamel. This eccentric old German was a native of Wesel, Germany. He
had emigrated in the last century to New York, from thence to London,
England, from thence to Quebec. He died here in 1840, immensely wealthy,
the cause of his death being a cold be caught in attending Parliament, at
Kingston, to remonstrate against what he considered the encroachments of
the City Council, at Quebec, who, to remove obstructions in the public
streets, had forcibly done away with the projecting steps of "Freemasons'
Hall," the _Chien d'Or_ building, for years the property of George Pozer.
George Pozer was the grandfather of Hon. M. Pozer, the portly Senator for
Beauce.
[136] Ryland street recalls the astute and able secretary and adviser to
many Governors, the Hon. Herman W. Ryland, who died in 1836, at Mount
Lilac, Beauport.
[137] St. Ours street reminds the student of history of that brave French
brigadier who on the glorious battle-field of the 13th September, 1759,
shed his blood to uphold the lost cause of France.
[138] Dambourgès street perpetuates the name of the intrepid Lieutenant
(afterwards Colonel) Dambourgès, who, on the 31st December, 1775, in the
Sault au Matelot engagement, helped so zealously to uphold the flag of Old
England.
[139] Hon. William Grant had wedded, at Montreal, on the 11th September,
1770, the widow of the third Baron de Longueuil, who had expired in 1755.
Hon Wm. Grant's decease is thus mentioned in the _Quebec Mercury_, on
the 7th October, 1805:--"Died, on Saturday, of an inflammation in his
bowels, after a short illness, William Grant, Esq., of St. Roch. He came
to this country shortly after the conquest; (about 1763). Under the old
constitution (prior to 1774) he was many years a Privy and Legislative
Councillor. Under the present one, he was three times elected a
representative to the House of Assembly for the Upper Town of Quebec. He
also, at different periods, filled several other important stations in the
Province, in all which he manifested ability, assiduity and activity. He
embarked in speculative enterprise at an early age, whence his life may be
truly said to have been a life of distinguished usefulness. His
possessions are extensive and valuable". On a portion of the lot acquired
and still occupied by Mr. Prudent Vallée, from the heirs of the late Peter
Brébaut, on the 4th May, 1833, by deed, before L. T. McPherson, Esq., N.
P., there remains still the massive ruins of what in the early part of the
century was a stately stone dwelling, with vaulted rooms in the basement.
The edifice faced towards St. Vallier street, and was surrounded by a high
wall, with an iron gate on the St. Vallier street side, and an iron
_porte-cochère_, enclosing what was once no doubt a blooming garden;
it is now densely built over, since the great fire of 1845 swept over the
locality like a tornado. This ostentations mansion is described in Mr.
Vallée's deed as the "Manor House," and we are led to believe that here
for many a long day flourished the enterprising and wealthy "Seignior of
St. Roch," the Hon. Wm. Grant, Receiver-General of His Majesty's rents,
with Madame La Baronne de Longueuil, his respected spouse. The Grant
estate, by a patent from Sir James Craig, dated 11th March, 1811,
subsequently included what is now a most populous portion of St. Roch,
styled "La Vacherie," because the city cows were daily brought to these
moist lands adjoining the St. Charles. However, this opulent family had
another manor, built by the Baronne very shortly after her marriage with
Mr. Grant, in 1770, on the lovely Island of St. Hélène, opposite to
Montreal. She had also erected, opposite to Molson's brewery, a
_banal_ mill to grind the corn garnered in the neighborhood. The St.
Hélène manor was probably the country seat during the summer mouths, and
the St. Vallier street mansion _la maison de ville_ of its busy and
successful master, who died in 1805, ten years after his noble lady, who
had expired on the 25th February, 1795.
[140] This gentleman (Mr. William Henderson) was for many years Secretary
of the Quebec Fire Assurance Company. I believe he is still living, and
that he resides at Frampton, in the County of Dorchester, P.Q.
[141] Renaud & Brown's Mills at present.
[142] Report No. 3 of Commissioners of the Harbour of Quebec.
[142] Queen's Birthday, Brochure, 1880.
[144] QUEBEC PAST AND PRESENT, p. 353.
[145] QUEBEC AS IT WAS AND AS IT IS.--Chas. Roger, 1864.
CHAPTER IV.
[146] The residence of Jos. Shehyn, Esq., M.P.P., occupies now this
historic site.
[147] SAUNDERS SIMPSON.--He was Prevost Marshal in Wolfe's army of
Louisbourg, Quebec and Montreal, and cousin of my father's. He resided in
that house, the nearest to St. Louis Gate, outside, which has not
undergone any external alteration since I was a boy.--_From unpublished
Diary of Deputy Commissary General Jas. Thompson._
[148] Recent evidence extracted by Dr. H. H. Miles, out of Jas. Thompson's
papers and letters, strengthen the theory previously propounded, and
indicate Miss Mary Simpson, daughter of Saunders Simpson, as the famed
Quebec beauty of 1782.
[149] Paint and extensive repairs have very much improved the historical
house--owned and partly occupied by Mr. Green, Surveyor of H. M. Customs,
Quebec--this year until May tenanted by George Stewart, Esq., author of
"_Lord Dufferin's Rule in Canada_," "_The Great St. John Fire_, 1877," &c.
[150] Major Perrault and his esteemed father, the Prothonotary, a warm
friend to education, both lived there many years.
[151] Three only now exist.
[152] My old friend died in 1867--regretted as a scholar, an antiquarian
and the type of the old English gentleman.
[153] This realm of fairy land, so rich in nature's graces, so profusely
embellished by the late James Gibb, Esq., President of the Quebec Bank,
was recently sold for a rural cemetery.
[154] The stately home of Thomas Beckett, Esq.
[155] The picturesque villa of R. R. Dobell, Esq.
[156] A mossy old hall founded by Mr. McNider in the beginning of the
century; now occupied by the Graddon family.
[157] The grand mansion of the late Chas E. Levey, Esq.
[158] Owned by Mr. Morgan.
[159] The highly cultivated farm and summer residence of Andrew Stuart,
Esq.
[160] The property of Charles Ernest Levey, Esq.
[161] The beautiful home of W. Herring, Esq.
[162] The rustic abode of the late Hon. John Neilson, now owned by his
eldest son, John Neilson, P. L. Surveyor, advantageously known by his
popular notes on Canadian Birds. Dornald with its umbrageous glens,
undulating meadows, broad and dense hard wood groves, seems a veritable
Eden to the feathered tribe and offers innumerable opportunities of
observation to the eye of a naturalist.
[163] Recently acquired by James Bowen, Esq., founded by the late W.
Atkinson, Esq., in 1820.
[164] For account of the duel, which laid law one of the Hollands, see
_Maple Leaves_ for 1863. The tree, however, has lately been destroyed by a
storm.
[165] A stately Convent of Congregational Nuns.
[166] The ornate country seat of Robt. Hamilton, Esq.
[167] The cosy dwelling of And. Thompson, President Union Bank.
[168] The homestead of Hon. D. A. Ross, late Atty.-Genl., Province of
Quebec.
PART II--ENVIRONS OF QUEBEC
[169] A. Brulart de Sillery, Marquis de Puisieux, was Minister of Foreign
Affairs in France from 1747 to 1751.--O'Callaghan's _Paris Document
Table_, vol. x.
[170] His career furnishes a curious instance of the lavish expenditure
which ambitious sovereigns formerly required on such grand occasions. Let
us quote his biographer's own words: "Son entrée dans Rome fut superbe; il
était dans un carosse ouvert, en forme de calèche, tout brillant d'or,
même jusqu'aux roues qui étaient dorées. Ses chevaux étaient ferres avec
des plaques d'argent qui ne tenaient que par un seul clou, afin que,
venant à se détacher, elles fussent ramassées par les pauvres, à qui,
outre cela, il faisait jeter quantité d'argent. Son carosse était entouré
de douze gentilshomme bien montes et superbement vêtus; et de douze valets
de pied d'une rich livrée, suivis des carosses que le Pape avait envoyé
pour lui faire honneur. Sa Sainteté fut sur un balcon pour voir son
entrée. M. l'ambassadeur était vêtu en Chevalier de Malte, avec sa croix
enrichie de diamants. Ce fut dans ce superbe équipage qu'il fit les
visites des cardinaux."
[171] An authentic record still remains of the foundation of the mission;
it is written in the language of Virgil, by Father Deguen, its first
missionary, and heads the register of baptisms, marriages and burials of
the mission. It runs thus: "Dominus de Sillery, eques militenses et
sacerdos non adpridem factus, vir imprimis plus, reductionem Sancti
Josephi, una et amplius leaca, suprâ Kebicum ad ripas magni fluminis."
Jacta sunt fundimenta domûs, Julii, 1637, et 14 Aprilis anni, 1638.--
_Bressani_, _Appendix_, p. 300.
[172] Il y avait (des petite forts) à Sillery, sur les fiefs Saint Michel,
Saint François, Saint Sauveur, à Beauport, à l'Ile d'Orléans. "Les
_Hiroquois_," dit la mère de l'Incarnation, "craignent extrêmement les
cannons; ce qui fait qu'ils n'osent s'approcher des forts." Les habitants,
afin de leur donner la chasse et de la terreur, ont des redoutes en leurs
maisons pour se défendre avec de petites pièces.--_Abbé Ferland's Notes_,
p 92.
[173] _History of the Hôtel-Dieu_, Mère Juchereau.
[174] Abbé Faillon's _Histoire de la Colonie Française en Canada_, vol.
ii., p. 28.
[175] The hotel was later kept by one Pierre Letarte.
[176] Faillon cautions students to be careful not to confound the name of
the parish of Ste. Foye with the name "Sainte Foix" which M. Puiseaux had
given to his manor, higher up than Quebec on the shore of the St.
Lawrence.--_Ibid_, vol. iii, p. 319.
[177] "Jacques Brassier, Jean Tavernier, Nicholas Josselin, Etienne Robin
dit Desforges, René Douspin Jean LeComte, and Francois Crusson dit Pelate,
belonged to those immortal seventeen heroes who, led on by their brave and
youthful commander, Adam Dollard Desormeaux, shed their blood so nobly for
the salvation of the nascent colony at Montreal at the Longue Sault, on
21st May, 1660."--(See Faillon, vol. ii., p 416.)
[178] Manuscript owned by G. B. Faribault, Esq.
[179] _Histoire de la Colonie Française en Canada_, Faillon, vol. iii., p.
222.
[180] The insecurity produced in the colony at this period by the
incessant inroads of the Five Nations was such that several colonists were
on the eve of, and some did, return to France.
"Les familles françaises éparses sur les bords du St. Laurent, se
trouvaient exposées à des dangers continuels. Pendant le jour, les hommes
étaient attaqués au coin des champs, à l'orée d'un bois, sur les eaux du
grand-fleuve. Pour tomber tout-à-coup sur leurs victimes, les maraudeurs
iroquois se tenaient cachés tantôt derrière un arbre renversé, tantôt dans
un marais, ou au milieu des joncs du rivage pendant la nuit, ils rôdaient
autour des maisons, cherchant à surprendre quelques familles sans
défense."--(_Ferland, Histoire du Canada_: Vol. I., p. 398.)
Hence the French houses in each settlement were generally close to one
another for mutual protection; the church in the centre to sound the
tocsin of alarm.
[181] _Relations des Jésuites_, 1652, p. 7.
[182] _Histoire du Canada_--Ferland. Vol. I, page 109.
[183] "Monsieur de Courcelles, qui en fut le chef (de l'expédition), y
apporta toute la diligence possible, de sorte qu'il se trouva prêt à
partir le 9 Janvier, 1666, accompagné de M. duGas, qu'il prit pour son
lieutenant, de M. de Salampar, gentilhomme volontaire, du Père Pierre
Raffeix, Jésuite, de 300 hommes du Régiment Carignan Salières et de 200
volontaires, habitants des colonies françaises, chacun ayant aux pieds des
raquettes, dont ils n'étaient pas accoutumés de se servir et tous sans en
excepter les chefs et M. de Courcelles même étant chargés chacun de 25 ou
30 livres de biscuit etc. A peine pourrait on trouver dans toutes les
histoires une marche plus difficile et plus longue, que le fut celle de
cette petite armée, et il fallut un courage français et la constance de M.
de Courcelles pour l'entreprendre * * * il fallait faire trois cent lieues
sur les neiges, traverser continuellement sur la glace des lacs et des
rivières en danger de faire autant de chutes que de pas, ne coucher que
sur la neige au milieu des forêts, et souffrir un froid qui passe de
beaucoup la rigueur des plus rudes hivers de l'Europe.
"Cependant nos troupes estant allées le premier jour à Sillery, pour
recommander le succès de leur entreprise à l'Archange Saint Michel, Patron
de ce lieu là, plusieurs eurent des le troisième jour, le nez, les
oreilles, les genoux et les doigts, ou d'autres parties du corps gelées et
le reste du corps couvert de cicatrices."--_Relations des Jésuites_,
1666, page 6.
[184] This crack regiment had covered itself with glory at the battle of
St. Gothard in 1664, when 80,000 Turks had been cut to pieces by the army
of Count Coligny.--(_Histoire de la Mère de l'Incarnation_, Casgrain,
p. 425-6.)
[185] "Le vingt-cinq Janvier," says Ferland, "ils étaient sur les glaces à
l'entrée du lac Saint Pierre. Le froid était plus vif, que les jours
précédents; des glaçons accumulés barraient presque la route qu'ils
suivaient. Les volontaires accoutumés de longue main à rencontrer ces
difficultés savaient les surmonter; ils étaient vêtus à la manière du
pays, et portaient habits, bonnets et chaussures de peaux de bêtes; aussi
ils pouvaient sans danger braver le froid. Il n'en était pas ainsi des
soldats français, encore peu habitués à la sévérité du climat, et qui
n'étaient pas pourvus de couvertures suffisantes. L'on fut contraint de
reporter aux Trois Rivières plusieurs d'entre eux dont les uns s'étaient
blessés sur les glaces, et les autres avaient les mains, les bras et les
pieds gelés."--(_Cours d'Histoire du Canada_, vol. ii, p. 467.)
[186] Baron Vincent Saint Castin, was from Oléron, in Béarn. Originally a
Colonel in the King's Guards, he came to Canada in 1665, a Captain in the
Carignan Regiment. He was, in 1680-1, in command of Fort Penobscot in
Maine. He married Matilda, the daughter of Madockawando, Sachem of the
Penobscots, by which tribe he was adopted and elevated to the rank of
Chief. He played a conspicuous part in the wars of that day, signed
treaties with the Governors of New England. Having amassed a property of
300,000 crowns, he retired eventually to France, where he had an estate.
He was succeeded by his son in the Government of Penobscot. His daughters
married advantageously in the colony. We find one of them, Mademoiselle
Brigitte de Saint Castin, amongst the pupils of the Ursuline Nuns at
Quebec, about the beginning of the last century.--_"Les Gouverneurs
Généraux du Canada le ménagent et ceux de la Nouvelle Angleterre le
craignent," says La Hontan._
[187] _Notes on the Environs of Quebec_, 1855.
[188] Occupied by Michael Stevenson, Esq.
[189] The temple for Catholic worship, erected at Pointe à Puizeau about
1854, is very picturesquely located; its stained glass windows, its
graceful new spire, frescoed ceilings, add much to its beauty. The Rev'd
Messire George Drolet has succeeded to the Rev. Father Harkin, who had
been in charge ever since the late Abbé Ferland was appointed secretary to
the Archbishop of Quebec and Military Chaplain to the Forces. For some
time in 1877, St. Columba Church was in the spiritual charge of
Monseigneur de Persico.
[190] From the noise it makes before easterly gales.
[191] The _Jesuits in North America_, Parkman--pages 282-3. Vimont,
_Relation_, 1645, 2-22.
[192] Breweries, however, and other manufactories had been in operation in
the colony as early as 1668, as we glean from the following entry in the
_Jesuits' Journal_:--
"Et parce qu'un pais ne peut pas se former entièrement sans l'assistance
des manufactures, nous voyons déjà celle des souliers et des chapeaux
commencée, celle des toiles et des cuirs projetée, et on attend que la
multiplication qui se fait des moutons, produise suffisement des laines
pour introduire celle des draps, et c'est ce que nous espérons dans peu
puisque les bestiaux se peuplent assez abondamment, entr-autres les
chevaux qui commencent à distribuer dans tout le pais. La brasserie que
Monsieur Talon fait construire, ne servira pas peu aussi pour la commodité
publique, soit pour l'épargne des boissons enivrantes, qui causent ici de
grands désordres, auxquels on pourra obvier par cette antre boisson qui
est très saine et non malfaisante, soit pour conserver l'argent dans le
pais qui s'en divertit par l'achat qu'on fait en France de tant de
boissons, soit enfin pour consumer le surabondant des bleds qui si sont
trouves quelquefois en telle quantité que les laboureurs n'en pouuaient
avoir le débit."--_Relations des Jésuites_, 166, p. 3. On the site of
Talon's brewery, was built the Intendant's Palace, in the rear of
Boswell's Brewery.
[193] _Heriot's Travels_, 1806, p. 98.
The Jesuit, Father Ennemond Massé died at Sillery, 12th May, 1646, aged
seventy-two.
[194] _Histoire de la Colonie Française en Canada, vol. II, p._ 115.
[195] _Faillon_, vol. III, p. 318.
[196] In 1684, at the review of French troops at Fort Fontenac, appear
among others _Captaines de la Côte_; the _Captain de la Côte de Beauport_,
Duchesnay, Laferté and Meseray, of Cap. Rouge. (Paris Documents, vol. IX,
p 234.)
[197] "Along this road was the favorite drive of the Canadian belle."--
_Hawkins' Picture of Quebec_.
[198] Madame Pean's house in St. Louis street stood where the Officers
Barracks have been since built. We take her to have been that pretty Ang.
De Meloises, a pupil of the Ursuline Nuns, mentioned in the _Historie
des Ursulines de Québec_.
[199] _Quebec, Past and Present_; Maple Leaves--1865.
[200] The monument erected by the inhabitants of Sillery, to the memory of
the Revd. Père Ennemond Masse, S. J., first Missionary to Canada, was
inaugurated on Saturday afternoon, the 26th June, 1870, in presence of the
inhabitants of Sillery, and of several literary gentlemen of the environs.
Revd. G. V. Cazeau, addressed those present, and was followed by the Abbes
Laverdière and Casgrain, and by Hon'l P. C. A. Chauveau and Mr. R. R.
Dobell.
Mr. Dobell delivered a lengthy and able address on the worth of the good
missionary but dwelt chiefly on the career of the benevolent Commander
Brulart de Sillery:
At our suggestion, the monument was made by its inscriptions to
commemorate the merit of both:
The speakers all paid a high tribute to the researches of the Revd. Abbes
Laverdière and Casgrain, through whose labors the resting place of the
Revd. Père Masse were discovered, and with whom originated the idea of
erecting this monument.
The ground upon which the monument stands was given by Mr. Henry
Lemesurier: and Mr. R. R. Dobell has nobly assisted Messrs. Laverdière and
Casgrain in carrying out the project.
The monument is plain but elegant, and altogether about 20 feet high. It
is of cut-stone, with four marble tablets surmounted by a marble cross.
One of the tablets bears the following inscription:
The Inhabitants of Sillery
Have erected this Monument to the Memory of
PÈRE ENNEMOND MASSE, S.J.,
First Missionary in Canada,
Buried in 1646,
In the Church of Saint Michel,
On the Domain of Saint Joseph of Sillery.
On another tablet was inscribed:
The Church of Saint Michel,
Which formerly stood on this spot,
Was built by
The Commander of Sillery,
Founder (in 1637) of the St. Joseph Domain.
The ceremony throughout was of a most interesting character, serving to
mark an important event in the history of Canada.
[201] The Plains of Abraham. Notes, original and selected, by Lt. Col.
Beatson, Royal Engineers--Gibraltar: Printed at the Garrison Library
Press, 1858. This volume is very rare.
[202] Donation du 10 Octobre, 1648, et du 1er Février, 1652, par Adrien
Duchesne à Abraham Martin, de 30 arpents de terre.
Concession du 16 Mai, 1650, par la Compagnie de la Nouvelle France, de 12
arpents de terre à Abraham Martin.
Vente du 1er Juillet, 1667, aux Dames Ursuline de Quebec, par les
héritiers d'Abraham Martin, d'un terrain contenant 32 arpents en
superficie.
[203] A creature of Bigot, Capt. DeVergor, on the 13th of September, 1759,
after allowing his militia men to return home on leave, was in charge of
the post at Wolfefield, where Wolfe ascended after taking the Captain
prisoner; this was the key to the position. Ferland and other writers have
imputed treason to DeVergor.
[204] "MONTCALM EN CANADA."
In a work published at Tournai, in 1861, _par un ancien missionnaire_, at
page 193, Père Martin notices the discrepancies between the various
writers whom he had consulted. "It is difficult at the present day, to
decide with certainty as to the numbers of the two armies who met on the
Plains of Abraham; ancient writers are no more in accord than modern. Here
are some of the estimates:
FRENCH. ENGLISH.
L'Intendant Bigot,....................... 3,500 3 to 4,000
Montreuil, Major Général,................ ... 4,500
Doreil, Commissaire,..................... 3,000 6,000
Colonel Fraser,.......................... 5,000 4,000
(Sullivan says the forces were equal, but that Wolfe's soldiers were
disciplined veterans, and that the half of Montcalm's were militia and
Indians.)
Hawkins,................................. 5,000 4,800
Bancroft,................................ 5,000 5,000
Garneau,................................. 4,500 8,000
Beatson,................................. 7,500 4,828
Dussieux,................................ 4,500 5,000
The estimates given by Garneau, of the English, and by Lt. Col. Beatson,
of the French, are evidently exaggerated. The estimates of Knox and
Ferland deserves also notice, even if only from the discrepancy they
present."
[205] Montcalm, when he heard that the English had ascended the hill and
were formed on the high ground at the back of the town scarcely credited
the intelligence ... but he was soon undeceived. He saw clearly that the
English fleet and army were in such a situation that the Upper and Lower
Town might be attacked in concert, and that nothing but a battle could
save it. Accordingly he determined to give them battle.--_The Annual
Register for the year_ 1759.
[206] Local tradition relates that, on receiving, about 8 o'clock in the
morning of the 13th September, the startling intelligence that the English
were in possession of the Plains, MONTCALM (hitching up his breeches with
both hands, as was his custom) briskly exclaimed, "_if that be the case
it is time we were hastening thither; for we must drive them into the
river before noon._"--R. S. B.
[207] "The English troops were exhorted to reserve their fire; and they
bore that of the enemy's light troops in front (which was galling though
irregular) with the utmost patience and good order, waiting for the main
body of the enemy which fast advanced upon them. At forty yards distance
our troops gave their fire, which took place in its full extent, and made
a terrible havoc among the French."--_The Annual Register for_ 1759.
"General Wolfe ordered the men to load with an additional bullet which did
great execution.
"As soon as the French came within musket-shot they began to fire, but the
British reserved their fire until the enemy were within twenty yards."
--_Beatson's Naval and Military Memoirs of Great Britain from_ 1729
_to_ 1790.
[208] The Canadian militia (of which more than half of Montcalm's forces
consisted) were without bayonets.--MONTCALM'S _Letter of 24th August_,
1759.
[209] The authenticity of this famous, prophetic letter has been attacked
by subsequent writers: among others by Francis Parkman.
[210] For a description of the spot where MONTCALM expired, see _Album
du Touriste_.
[211] _Knox's Journal_, Vol. ii., pp. 14, 21, 24, 28, Aug. 21 "The
project of erecting a fortress on the Island of Coudres, for a garrison of
three thousand men, is laid aside for want of proper materials, and the
season being too far advanced for such an undertaking. The enterprise of
storming Quebec is also given up as too desperate to hope for success." P.
28.
[212] Denis de Vitré, then a prisoner of war in England, had been induced
to come to Canada, partly by threats, partly by promises, to pilot the
English fleet. According to the Diary of old James Thompson, both Cugnet
and Davis had indicated the spot when Wolfe landed at Sillery. Stobo
claimed the credit of it, and according to Panet's Diary, it was on his
advice, that on the 21st July, 1759, was undertaken the expedition to
Deschambeault and neighboring parishes, where 100 Quebec ladies of
respectability secreted there--had been captured and brought back.
[213] "For sale, the elegant villa of the late Sir Frederic Haldimand,
K.B., delightfully situated near the Falls of Montmorency, with the farm-
house.--Quebec, 1st December, 1791."--_Supplement to the Quebec Gazette,
22nd Dec._, 1792.
[214] Our port must have presented quite a warlike aspect--over and above
the _Ulysses_ and _Resistance_ frigates there had preceded the Prince's
arrival, the following ships of war, forming part of Commodore Sawyer's
squadron: The flag ship _Leander_, 50 guns, Capt. J. Bevelay; the
_Resource_, Commander Paul Minihin; the _Ariadne_, Commander Osburn; the
_Thisbe_, Capt. Coffin, was also arrived from a cruise, and four
transports, one named the _Lord Mulgrave_, with detachments of the 5th,
25th and 54th regiments, were anchored before the city.
[215] The list of the partners of Prince Edward's grandson H. R. H. the
Prince of Wales, at the ball, etc., given in his honour in Quebec, by the
Mayor and citizens, at the Music Hall, on the 21st August, 1860,
comprises: 1. Mrs. Langevin (wife of Sir H. L. Langevin, M.P.P., and Mayor
of Quebec); 2. Mrs. Cartier (wife of Sir George Etienne Cartier, Attorney
General); 3. Miss Irvine (daughter of Colonel Irvine, then Provincial
Aide-de-Camp); 4. Miss Price; 5. Miss LeMesurier (since married to Capt.
Carter); 6. Miss Derbyshire (Mrs. J. Adamson); 7. Miss Clementina Sewell;
8. Miss Caron (daughter of Hon. Justice Caron, and now wife of Mr. Justice
Taschereau); 9. Lady Milne; 10. Miss Napier, of Montreal (since married to
Capt. Bell); 11. Mrs. Serocold (wife of Captain Serocold and daughter of
the Hon. Chief Justice Duval); 12. Miss Dunscomb (daughter of the
Collector of Customs at Quebec); 13. Miss Fischer (daughter of the
Attorney General of New Brunswick); 14. Miss Mountain (daughter of the
late Bishop of Quebec); 15. Miss Agnes Anderson; 16. Mrs. Ross; 17. Mrs.
Alex. Bell; 18. Miss Tilley (daughter of Sir Leonard Tilley); 19. Mrs. R.
H. Smith.
[216] He was created Field Marshal in 1827.
[217] Monsieur Jean Laforme was, indeed, a high authority on hair
dressing. Our youthful grandmothers of 1791 would have no other than
Monsieur Laforme to dress their hair for the _Château_ balls. A memorable
instance has been handed down to posterity of the awful dilemma in which,
either a press of engagements or an oversight, placed the Court
_peruquier_, from which his genius alone extricated him. The
beautiful Mrs. P----t, the consort of the Speaker of the Legislative
Assembly in 179-, had to attend at a ball at the Castle St. Louis.
Unfortunately she had omitted engaging in time Laforme to arrange her hair
for the evening in question; and every hour of the day on which the ball
was to take place, being bespoken, the hair-dresser at his wit's ends said
that he would guarantee that she would yet go to the ball, but she must
place herself entirely in his hands. "Well," said the _Grande Dame_,
"what, then, am I to do?" "Bah!" said the _peruquier_, "'tis easily
settled; I shall _do_ your hair the day _previous_."--"But then how am I
to sleep with my hair done up?" "Oh! that is again easily arranged--you
will sleep in _fauteuil_. I will have your hair and head padded and
strapped down." And thus was it done and she went to the ball.
[218] The Hon. Hugh Finlay was Deputy Postmaster General for Canada from
1774 to 1800, when he was succeeded by George Heriot, who wrote a folio of
travels on Canada. Hugh Finlay had served under Benjamin Franklin, the
first English Deputy Postmaster General for the _then_ British American
Provinces, from 1750 to 1774, when he resigned. When he took the
appointment the postage on letters was insufficient to cover his salary,
£300 per annum.
[219] "Away," exclaimed the Prince to the excited voters, "with those
hated distinctions of English and Canadians; you are all my august
father's beloved subjects."
[220] The anecdote of the officer, who, on being ordered on foreign
service, cut off his queue and buried it with military honors, is
humorously related by Erskine Neale, in the Duke's biography, p. 325.
[221] Christie's History of Canada.
[222] This curious incident is mentioned in the _Maple Leaves_ for
1865, in connection with a mess dinner, when a gentleman friend of one of
the young Hollands was proved to be a beautiful female in disguise, who
afterwards married the brother of an English nobleman.
[223] Since these lines were written in 1865, many changes have come over
Marchmont--our esteemed neighbor was suddenly called away, leaving his
beautiful house to his devoted wife; she, too, alas! has paid the debt of
nature in May, 1880.
[224] "Ce capitaine avait avec lui beaucoup d'habitants de Lorette, dont
le lieu était à portée de ce poste; ils lui demandèrent permission d'aller
travailler la nuit chez eux, il la leur accorda (on prétend que ce fut à
condition d'aller aussi travailler pour lui, sur une terre qu'il avait
dans cette paroisse)."--_Mémoire sur les affaires du Canada_, 1749-60, p.
114.
[225] Captain Chandler was appointed, in 1800, commissioner to settle the
domain accruing from the Jesuits' estates; subsequently he became Seigneur
of Nicolet, where he died about 1863.
[226] We give here the poetical tribute paid by Adam Kidd to a spot where
he appears to have spent many happy hours, as a guest of the Percevals,
together with, his notes to the poem:--
SPENCER WOOD
Through thy green groves and deep receding bowers,
Loved Spencer Wood! how often have I strayed,
Or mused away the calm, unbroken hours,
Beneath some broad oak's cool, refreshing shade
There, not a sound disturbed the tranquil scene,
Save welcome hummings of the roving bee,
That quickly flitted o'er the tufted green,
Or where the squirrel played from tree to tree.
And I have paused beside that dimpling stream,
Which slowly winds thy beauteous groves among
Till from its breast retired the sun's last beam,
And every bird had ceased its vesper song.
The blushing arbors of those classic days,
Through which the breathings of the slender reed,
First softly echoed with Arcadia's praise,
Might well be pictured in this sheltered mead.
And blest were those who found a happy home
In thy loved shades, without one throb of care
No murmurs heard, save from the distant foam
That rolled in column's o'er the great Chaudière.
And I have watched the moon in grandeur rise
Above the tinted maple's leafy breast,
And take her brillant pathway through the skies,
Till half the world seemed lulled in peaceful rest.
Oh! these were hours whose soft enchanting spell
Came o'er the heart in thy grove's deep recess,
Where e'en poor Shenstone might have loved to dwell,
Enjoying the pure balm of happiness!
But soon, how soon, a different scene I trace,
Where I have wandered, or oft musing stood,
And those whose cheering looks enhanced the place,
No more shall smile on thee, lone Spencer Wood!
"This is one of the most beautiful spots in Lower Canada, and the property
(1830) of the late Hon. Michael Henry Perceval, who resided there with his
accomplished family, whose highly cultivated minds rendered my visits to
Spencer Wood doubly interesting. The grounds and grand walks are
tastefully laid out, interspersed with great variety of trees, planted by
the hand of nature. This scenery is altogether magnificent, and
particularly towards the east, where the great precipices overhang Wolfe's
Cove. This latter place has derived its name from the hero, who, with his
British troops, nobly ascended its frowning cliffs on the 13th September,
1759, and took possession of the Plains of Abraham."--ADAM KIDD, 1830.
--(The HURON CHIEF and other poems--Adam Kidd.)
[227] The illustrious Chancellor of the Exchequer, Spencer Perceval,
assassinated by Bellingham on the 11th May, 1812, probably took the name
of Spencer from the Earls of Egmont and Northampton, connected with the
Percevals.
[228] Mrs. P. Sheppard died 28th August, 1877.
[229] Died July the 7th, 1878.
[230] Mr. P. Lowe, during many years in charge of the conservatory,
furnished us with the following note:--"The hot-houses belonging to Henry
Atkinson, while in my charge, consisted of pinery, stove and orchid house.
In the pinery were grown specimens of the Providence, Enville, Montserrat
and Queen pines--a plant of the latter variety, in fruit, being exhibited
at the Horticultural Exhibition, Montreal, in September, 1852, the fruit
of which weighed between five and six pounds, tang the first pine-apple
exhibited of Canadian growth, but not the first grown at Spencer Wood, it
was noticed in the _Illustrated London News_. The following are the names
of a few of the plants grown in the stove-house:--_Ardisia; Alamanda;
Amaryllis, Achimenes; Aschynanthus, Asclepias, Begonias, Crinums,
Centradinias; Calumnmas, Drymonias; Euphorbias, Franciscia; Goidfussia;
Gesneras_, in twelve varieties; _Gloxinias_, in twenty-four varieties;
_Gloriosa; Gardenias; Hibiscus; Inga; Ipomaea; Justicia; Lamandra;
Legastrema; Musa-Cavendishii_, which we fruited--the only one fruited in
the province to this day, to my knowledge--the bunch of fruit weighed
ninety pounds; _Maranta; Melastomas, Mennetties; Nymphas; Osbeekias,
Penteas, Passiflora; Peideum; Stephenotis, Streluzias; Russellea; Ruellea;
Rondilitia, Tabernaemonana; Tradescantia; Vinca; Clerodendrons,_ &c., &c.
In the orchid house, the following are a portion of the names of plants
grown be me:--_Bletia; Bolbophyllum; Cyppripedium; Cymbedium; Catazetum;
Cattleya; Brassavoleas, Dendrobiums, Epidendrons, Aerides; Gongora;
Gomezia; Maxallaria; Oncidium, Plurathalis; Pholidota; Physosiphon;
Plurathalles; Peristerias, Ripsalis, Stanhopeas; Zygopetalum_, &c., &c.
The houses containing the above were heated by hot-water pipes for
atmospheric heat and open tanks for bottom heat; they were the most
complete of the kind I have seen either in Canada or Great Britain--so
much so, that, during my stay with Mr. Atkinson, we used to produce for
Christmas and New Year's Day pine-apples, cucumbers, rhubarb, asparagus
and mushrooms, all in the same house."
[231] Mr. DeGaspé married, 1811, Susanna, daughter of Thos. Allison, Esq.,
a captain of the 6th Regiment, infantry, and of Theresse Baby, the
latter's two brother officers, Captains Ross Lewin and Bellingham,
afterwards Lord Bellingham, married at Detroit then forming part of Upper
Canada, two sisters, daughters of the Hon. Jacques Duperon Baby.
[232] The copy of Audubon's works here alluded to, was the same, we opine,
as that generously presented by the illustrious _savant_ to Mr. Martyn,
chronometer-maker, St Peter street,--an ardent ornithologist, whose roof
sheltered the great naturalist, in Quebec in 1842.
Audubon made several excursions round Quebec to study our birds, was the
honoured guest of the late Henry Atkinson, at Spencer Wood, and visited
the collection of Canadian birds of Hon. William Sheppard, at Woodfield.
[233] His last work in the cause of natural history is the publication of
his "_Tableau Synoptique des Oiseaux du Canada_," got the use of schools,
which must have entailed no small amount of labour, a sequel to "_Les
Oiseaux du Canada_," 2 vols., 1860.
[234] These stones and inscriptions were donated to the author of "_Quebec
Past and Present_"--by the city authorities on taking down the City Gates.
[235] Pierre Herman Dosquet, born at Lille in Flanders in 1691, arrived in
Canada in 1721, was shortly afterwards sent a missionary to the Lake of
Two Mountains, was made a bishop in 1725, purchased Samos from Nicholas de
la Nouiller, in 1731, where he built a country house in 1732. Sold it some
years afterwards to the Quebec Seminary, visited France in 1733 and
resigned his see and left the country in 1739 and died in Paris in 1777.
[236] Judge Adam Mabane died in 1792.
[237] A fairy plot of a flower garden was laid out near the edge of the
cliff to the north-east, with a Chinese Pagoda enclosing the trunk of a
large tree at one side, and a tiny Grecian temple at the other.
[238] Probably the four-gun battery mentioned in the account of the Battle
of the Plains. We also find in a diary of the siege operations on the same
day, "A mortar and some l8-pounders were carried to Samos, three quarters
of a league from the town. Batteries were erected there, which fired
before night on the man-of-war that had come to anchor opposite, _L'Ance
du Foulon_, which was forced to sheer off."
[239] "Who can visit the sylvan abode, sacred to the repose of the
departed without noticing one tomb in particular in the enclosure of Wm.
Price, Esq. we allude to that of Sir Edmund Head's gifted son? The
troubled waters of the St. Maurice and the quiet grave at Sillery recall
as in a vision, not only the generous open-hearted boy, who perished in
one and sleeps in the other, but they tell us also of the direct line of a
good old family cut off--a good name passing away, or if preserved at all,
preserved only on a tombstone."--_Notman's British Americans_.
[240] The late Bishop is the author of a collection of poems known as the
_Songs of the Wilderness_, many of the subjects therein having been
furnished in the course of his apostolic labours in the Red River
settlement.
[241] The following is the extract from the _True Witness_ referred
to: "In the reign of George II, the see of York falling vacant, His
Majesty being at a loss for a fit person to appoint to the exalted
situation, asked the opinion of the Rev. Dr. Mountain, who had raised
himself by his remarkable facetious temper to the See of Durham. The Dr.
wittily replied. 'Hadst thou faith, thou wouldst say to this mountain (at
the same time laying his hand on his breast) be removed and cast into the
sea (see).' His Majesty laughed heartily, and forthwith conferred the
preferment on the facetious doctor."
[242] "En 1865, les Iroquois furieux d'avoir vu manquer l'effet de leurs
propositions faites aux Hurons, firent des incursions dans la colonie et
jusqu'au bas de Québec. Au mois de mai, on plantait le blé d'Inde dans les
environs de Québec; un frère Jésuite avait voulu engager les Algonquins à
faire la garde chacun leur tour et pour leur donner l'exemple, le bon
Frère avait voulu être la première sentinelle. Il s'était donc avancé en
explorant dans les bois (c'était dans le voisinage de la propriété
actuelle de M. le Juge Caron, sur le Chemin du Cap Rouge), tout â coup le
Frère reçut deux coups de feu qui l'étendirent à terre grièvement blessé,
et en même temps deux Iroquois, sortant d'un taillis, l'assommèrent et lui
enlevèrent la chevelure. (Cours d'histoire de l'abbé Ferland à
l'Université Laval). Page 4, _Journal de l'Instruction Publique_, pour
Janvier, 1865."
[243] The Hon. Wm. Sheppard, then President of the Literary and Historical
Society of Quebec. Lady Dalhousie had presented to this Society, founded
by her husband in 1824, her herbarium (see Vol. I _Transactions_, Literary
and Historical Society, page 255).
[244] For anything good in this short sketch of our Wild Flowers, the
reader is indebted to Mr. S. S. Sturton, whose paper on the _Wild Flowers
of Quebec_ was our guide.--J. M. L.
[245] Mr. Wheeler is a younger brother of J. Talboys Wheeler, the eminent
writer on the classics, but better known latterly as the Historian of
India.
[246] The History of Emily Montague, by Mrs. Brooke, London, 1769.
[247] It has been excessively difficult to procure even one copy of this
now old book, the edition being out of print more than sixty years ago.
The _Literary and Historical Society_ of Quebec, is indebted to Edwin
King Esq., Post Office Inspector, Montreal, for the only copy I ever saw.
Tradition recalls that Mrs. Brooks the novelist, was the wife of a
military Chaplain, stationed in Quebec in 1766. [248] The vinery contains
the following new varieties, etc:--Black Alicante Foster's Seedling,
White, Muscat Hamburg, Lady Downs, Golden Hamburg, also the common Black
Hamburg, Joslyn St. Albans, Muscat of Alexandria, Sweet Water, Black St.
Peter's, &c., &c. The conservatory is stocked with seventy Camellia
Japonica of the newest varieties, twenty varieties of choice Azelias;
Chorozemas, Heaths, Epacris, Dillwynia, Eriostemon, Acacias, Geraniums,
Fuchias, with a large collection of creeping plants, &c.
[249] William Smith was second son of Chief Justice William Smith, of
Quebec, born on 7th February, 1769, educated at Kensington Grammar School,
London, and came to Canada with his father in 1786. He was appointed, soon
after, Clerk of the Provincial Parliament, and subsequently Master in
Chancery of the Province of Lower Canada, and, in 1814, was appointed by
Earl Bathurst a member of the Executive Council. He was the author of the
first English "History of Canada, from its first discovery to the year
1791," a standard work in two volumes. He died at Quebec, 17th December,
1847.
William Smith married Susan, who died at Quebec, 26th Jan, 1819, daughter
of Admiral Charles Webber, of the County of Hampshire, England, by whom he
left five children:
1. William Breudenell Smith, late Colonel of the 15th Regt., (now of
London.)
2. Charles Webber Smith, of London, married Anna Chelworth, and died in
1879, without issue.
3. Emily Ann Smith, married the Rev. Geo., son of General Mackie, late
Governor of St. Lucia, and left issue Rev. Dr. Mackie, was for years
the Rector of the Anglican Cathedral at Quebec.
4. Louisa Janet Smith, married her cousin Robert Smith, son of Chief
Justice Sewell.
5. Caroline Susanna Smith, married Henry, son of Andrew Stuart, M. P.,
Quebec.--_Magazine of American Hist._, _June_ 1881.
[250] A plan drawn by Jeremiah McCarthy, P. L. S., dated 1802, shows what
was the Smith estate on St. Louis Street, in the early part of the
century.
[251] _CHIEF JUSTICE WILLIAM SMITH._
(1728-1793.)
Chief Justice William Smith was the eldest son of William Smith, who was a
member of His Majesty's Council, and afterwards Judge of the King's Bench
for the State of New York. He was born at New York, 18th June, 1728. In
his youth, he was sent to a grammar school, and afterwards to Yale
College, Connecticut, where he greatly distinguished himself by his
learning. He was an excellent Greek and Hebrew scholar, and a thorough
mathematician. He was appointed Chief Justice of New York, 24th April,
1780. At the breaking out of the rebellion in 1775, he was a staunch
Loyalist, and left New York in the same vessel with the King's troops and
Sir Guy Carleton, and landed at Plymouth, 16th January, 1784. As A reward
for his loyalty, he was made Chief Justice of Lower Canada, 1st September,
1785, and came to Canada in the Frigate "Thistle" of 28 guns, with Lord
Dorchester, the Governor-General of Canada, landing at Quebec, 23rd
October, 1786. Chief Justice Smith was the author of the "History of the
Province of New York, from the first settlement to the year 1732." He
married, 3d November, 1752, Janet, daughter of James Livingstone, Esq., of
New York, and died at Quebec, 6th December, 1793. His Royal Highness,
Prince Edward, fourth son of King George III, with a numerous train of
friends, followed the remains to the grave from his late dwelling on St.
Louis street. He owned the land on which his son-in-law, Chief Justice
Sewell, subsequently built his mansion, down, he the lot (inclusive) on
which stood his dwelling, and where his son the Hon. William Smith, died
in 1847. It is now the property of sheriff Chs. Alleyn.
[252] The Quebec Library Association founded by Lord Dorchester at Quebec
in 1779.
[253] An accurate and interesting account of the hardships and sufferings
of the band of heroes who traversed the wilderness in the campaign against
Quebec 1775, by John Joseph Henry, Esq., late President of the Second
Judicial District of Pennsylvania--Lancaster, printed by William Greer
1812.
Henry, according to the preface written by his daughter, was born Nov. 4th
1758, at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1775--being then 17 years
of age, he joined a regiment of men raised in Lancaster Co. for the
purpose of joining Arnold, who at that time was stationed in Boston. His
book is addressed to "my dear children" and assures them "upon the honour
of a gentleman and an honest man, that every word here related, to the
best of his recollection and belief is literally true." He with an officer
and seven men were dispatched in advance of the army "for the purpose of
ascertaining and marking the paths which were used by the Indians at the
numerous places in the wilderness towards the head of the river Kennebec,
and also to ascertain the course of the river Chaudière." Each day's
proceedings are carefully noted, and are really highly interesting,
showing the great privations they had to endure.
[254] The remains of this old French chapel were recently discovered, (the
site belongs to R. R. Dobell & Co.) and a small monument erected to Father
Massé who was interred there in 1646.
[255] "7th September, 1759.--Fine warm weather, Admiral Holmes' squadron
weighed early this morning. At six o'clock we doubled the mouth of the
Chaudière, which is near half a mile over; and at eight we came to anchor
off Cap Rouge. Here is a spacious cove, into which the river St. Michael
disembogues, and within the mouth of it are the enemy's floating
batteries. A large body of the enemy is well entrenched round the cove,
(which is of circular form) as if jealous of a descent in those parts;
they appear very numerous, and may amount to about one thousand six
hundred men, besides their cavalry, who are cloathed in blue, and mounted
on neat horses of different colours; they seem very alert, parading and
counter marching between the woods on the heights in their rear, and their
breastworks, in order to make their number show to the greater advantage.
The lands all around us are high and commanding, which gave the enemy an
opportunity of popping at our ships, this morning, as we tacked in working
up."--_Knox's Journal, Siege of Quebec_, 1759, vol. ii., page 56.
[256] _AN EARL ON FOX-HUNTING._
The Earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham addressed the following letter to
the _Pall Mall Gazette_, in May 1870:--Sir,--The fox is tolerated,
nay preserved (under the penalty of conventional ostracism against his
slayers,) because he is the only animal with whose intellect man may
measure himself upon equal terms without an overwhelming sense of the odds
in his favour. The lion, the elephant, the ibex, the chamois, and the red
deer are beasts of chase falling before man, but the fox alone can cope
with him in point of intellect and sagacity, and put him to all his
shifts. It is this ingredient in fox-hunting--viz: the consciousness of
having to do with a foe worthy of him, which brings men of all ages,
sorts, kinds, intellects, characters, and professions to the covert side,
uniting together occasionally as odd an assemblage as ever went into the
ark. No man, when he puts on his top-boots in the morning, can say whether
he may not be about to assist at a run which may live in story like the
Billesdon Coplow or the Trojan War, and of which it shall be sufficient,
not only to the fortunate sportsman himself but to his descendants of the
third and fourth generation, to say--he was there!
Villiers, Cholmondeley, and Forester made such sharp play,
Not omitting Germaine, never seen till to-day:
Had you jug'd of these four by the trim of their pace
At Bib'ry you'd thought they had been riding a race.
_Billesdon Coplow_.
"Their fame lives still. But what, O ye sentimentalists! would ye prepare
both for fox and fox-hunter? If the fox was not regarded as the only
animal possessed of these talents and capabilities, he must shortly rank
as a sneaking little robber of hen-roosts, the foe of the good wife and
gamekeeper, and become as extinct as a dodo. Were the fox himself
consulted, I am sure that he would prefer to this ignoble fate the present
pleasant life which he is in the habit of leading upon the sole condition
of putting forth all his talent and dying game when wanted."
[257] I am indebted for a deal of information contained in this
communication to McPherson LeMoyne, Esq., Seigneur of Crane Island, P.Q.,
and lately President of the Montreal Club for the _protection of fish
and game_.
[258] Chs. Panet, Esq., ex-member for the County of Quebec.
[259] The sanguinary battle of Fontenoy was fought on the 11th May, 1745.
The Duke of Cumberland, subsequently surnamed "the butcher," for his
brutality at Culloden, commanding the English, &c, the French led by
Maréchal de Saxe. This defeat, which took place under the eye of Louis XV
cost the British 4041, their allies the Hanoverians, 2762 and the Dutch
1541 men. Success continued to attend the French arms at Ghent, Bruges,
Oudenarde, and Dendermond, which were captured--(_Lord Mahon_) Wolfe,
Murray and Townshend were at Fontenoy. The battle of Lauffeld took place
on the 2nd July, 1747, the English commanded by Cumberland, the French by
Saxe, the chief of the English Cavalry, Sir John Ligonier, being taken
prisoner--(_Lord Mahon_). The French victory of Carillon, in which
the Militia of Canada bore a conspicuous part, was won near Lake George,
8th July, 1758. The English army, under General Abercrombie, though more
numerous, was repulsed with great slaughter.
[260] Chs. Tarieu de Lanaudière, Knight of St. Louis, commanded a portion
of the Canadian Militia at Carillon, and also during the campaign of 1759.
Under the English rule he was Aide de Camp to Sir Guy Carleton--served in
1775, and accompanied the General to England, where George III rewarded
him handsomely. He was called to the Legislative Council, and appointed
Deputy Postmaster General of Canada.
[261] _Knox's Journal_. Vol. I, p. 179.
[262] The Bureau was at the foot of Mountain Hill, next to (the Old
Neptune) _Chronicle_ Office.
[263] For many years, it was the practice to close the gates of Quebec at
gun fire (10 p.m.) for carriages, leaving the wicket open only for
pedestrians, in the troublous days of 1837-8, the wicket at times was
closed.
[264] Mr. Jean Taché, the first owner of the "Old Neptune Inn," and of a
poetical turn, wrote the first Canadian poem, intituled _Tableau de la
Mer_.
[265] _History of French Dominion in North and South America_.--Jeffery,
London, 1760, page 9.
[266] Montgomery Place, on the Hudson, is now the residence of Mrs. Ed.
Livingston, a country seat of unrivalled beauty.--"It is," says _Downing_,
"one of our oldest improved country seats, having been originally the
residence of General Montgomery, the hero of Quebec. On the death of his
widow, it passed into the hands of her brother, Edward Livingston, Esq.,
the late Minister in France."--page 31.
[267] Major Samuel Holland was also a first rate Engineer. He was, says
Abbé Bois, one of the legatees of the late Gen. Wolfe, and died at Quebec,
28th Dec, 1801.
[268] My old friend, the late Wm. Price, Esq., of Wolfe's Field, to whose
literary taste and happy memory, I am indebted for several incidents in
these pages, and whose written statement I still hold, anent the
mysterious stranger could not at the time furnish me with her name, it had
escaped his memory, but, as he informed me since he had furnished it to
Lady Head, his amiable neighbor of Spenser Wood. (Her name was Neville).
[269] The old Château Garden.--This lot, 3 acres, 3 yards, 9-1/2 feet in
superficies, was granted to Major Samuel Holland by letters-patent, under
the great seal, on the 12th March, 1766, with certain reservations as to
the requirements for barracks or fortifications. The Major does not seem
to have taken possession of it--but about 1780, General Haldimand having
tendered Major Holland the sum of £800 as an indemnity for the use of the
land, and the amount being refused, Government took possession of the lot
and erected there a five-gun battery. Major Holland died in 1801, and by
his will, dated 25th Oct., 1800, bequeathed the property to his wife,
Marie Josette Rolet, and his children, John Frederick, Charlotte, Susannah
and George Holland, in equal shares.
[270] The original Holland House stood a little behind the present
mansion.
[271] The last will and codicil of S. Holland was executed before Chs.
Voyer and colleague, N.P., at Quebec, and bears date 14th and 25th
December, 1800. The Château St. Louis property is therein thus described:
--"Un grand emplacement proche le Château St. Louis, donné et accordé au
dit Sieur Testateur, cultivé actuellement en jardin."
[272] The Gomin road took its name from Dr. Gomin, a French botanist and
physician, whose dwelling according to plans in the possession of the
"Seigneurs" the Seminary of Quebec stood some two hundred years ago on or
near the spot where the cottage of Jas. Connolly, Esq., now exists.
[273] This property has since passed by sherrif's sale into the hands of
Arch. Campbell, Esquire, of Thornhill, and is actually owned by Israel
Tarte, M.P.P.
[274] This deed was passed at Quebec before W. Fisher Scott, N.P. It
purports to have been executed "in the Gaoler's Room," _entre les deux
guichets_, in the common gaol of the district of Quebec. Some of those
who signed it must have been in custody, why or wherefore does not appear.
[275] A truculent gardener, it is said, who had been left in charge, some
years back, converted the monumental slabs into grinding stones, on the
15th November, 1871, a violent storm broke in twain the Holland Tree.
[276] The iron statue erected in 1863, to commemorate the Battle of St.
Foye, fought April 28th, 1760.
[277] Vol. ii., p. 224.
[278] Subsequently Col. of the American Rebel Regiment called the
"Congress Own."--See _Quebec Gazette_, 7 March, 1838.
[279] Bleak House, on the St. Louis Heights.
[280] "John King, living on General Murray's farm, at _Sans bruit_,
having the best pasturage for cattle in the neighborhood during the
summer, well watered by several runs, informs all those who may choose to
send him their cows that they will be well taken care of, and that he will
send them cow-herds to town every morning at six o'clock, who will bring
them home every evening between five and six. The price will be two
dollars for the summer, to be paid said King on St. Michael's day."--
_Quebec Gazette, 4th April_, 1768.
[281] Cannon balls, shot and shell, and rusty bayonets have been dug up in
the neighborhood. Old metallic buttons, with the figure XV., were picked
up showing that they once ornamented the scarlet uniforms of many gallant
fellows of that XVth Regiment, who, "at eight in the morning on the 28th
April, 1760," had issued triumphantly from St. John Gate--_never to
return_.
[282] Emery de Caen dined here with the Jesuits, 6th August, 1632.--
_Relations des Jésuites_.
[283] Cahire-Coubat (expressive of windings, says Sagard,) called by
Jacques Cartier, the river Ste. Croix (of the Holy Cross), and
subsequently denominated the River St. Charles, in compliment says La
Potherie, to Charles de Boues, Grand Vicar of Pontoise, founder of the
first mission of the Récollets in New France.
[284] "Champlain a certainement jeté un grand jour sur cette question, en
prouvant aussi bien qu'il était possible de le faire, que Jacques Cartier
avait hiverné dans la rivière Saint Charles, et en faisant lui-même des
investigations sur les lieux. Seulement il pourrait bien se faire qu'on
pris trop à la lettre un mot de son édition de 1632, où il dit que les
vaisseaux de Cartier hivernèrent là où était de son temps la demeure des
Jésuites. Quant à Charlevoix, non-seulement il n'a pas, éclairci la
question, mais il n'a fait que l'embrouiller. Tout ce qu'il dit la dessus,
à très peu d'exception près, est plein d'erreurs, et inconciliable avec la
situation et la conformation des lieux décrits par le capitaine Malouin."
[285] The late Amable Berthelot, one of our antiquarians, in reviewing the
papers published by Mr. Jos. Hamel, in 1843, on the recent discovery of
the wreck of the _Petite Hermine_, on the _Ferme des Anges_, at the mouth
of the Lairet stream, thus expressed himself, p. 3:--"Il ne me fut pas
difficile, en suivant attentivement le texte du second voyage de Jacques
Cartier, tel que nous le donne Lescarbot, de prouver, jusqu'à l'évidence,
que ce navigateur Malouin avait réellement passé l'hiver à la rivière St.
Charles, et non à celle qui porte aujourd'hui le nom de Jacques Cartier;
et je crois que depuis ma dissertation, il n'est resté en ce pays aucun
doute sur ce sujet."
[286] "Le lundi, onzième jour d'octobre, nous arrivasmes au Hâble de
Sainte Croix, ou estaient nos navires, et trouvasmes que les maistres et
mariniers qui estaient demeurés avaient fait un fort devant lesdits
navires, tout clos de grosses pièces de bois plantées debout, joignant les
unes aux autres, et tout à l'entour garni d'artillerie, et bien en ordre
pour se défendre contre tout le pays."--(_Second voyage de Jacques
Cartier_, p. 48). Republished by Literary and Historical Society of
Quebec, in 1843. At the foot, we read, "On pense que ce fort a dû être
bâti à l'endroit où la petite Rivière Lairet se décharge dans la Rivière
St. Charles." "The exact spot in the River St. Charles, where Cartier
moored his vessel, is supposed on good authority to have been the site of
the old bridge (a little higher up than the present), called Dorchester
Bridge, where there is a ford at low water, close to the Marine Hospital.
That it was on the east bank, not far from the former residence of Chas.
Smith, Esq., is evident from the river having been frequently crossed by
the natives coming from Stadacona, to visit their French guests."
(_Hawkins' Picture of Quebec_, p. 47) The Abbé Faillon in his elaborate
work--_Histoire de la Colonie Française au Canada_, 1865--in some valuable
notes on Jacques Cartier, p. 496, discusses the erroneous views of
Charlevoix and Father Leclerc, and corroborates the accepted belief about
the St. Charles and not the Jacques Cartier River, as being the spot where
the great discoverer wintered in 1535-36.
[287] Would this river be the Lairet or the St. Charles? We like to give
every circumstance calculated to throw light thereon: writers seem to
agree that Jacques Cartier, wintered in the St. Charles, as Champlain
says, in his edition of 1632, on the Jesuits' property--it may, however,
have been a few acres to the east or west of the spot generally indicated.
[288] "Le Capitaine fit renforcer le Fort tout à l'entour de gros fossés,
larges, et profonds avec porte à pont-levis et renforts de rangs ou pans
de bois au contraire des premiers. Et fut ordonné pour le guet de la
nuit.... cinquante hommes à quatre quarts, et à chacun changement des dits
quarts les trompettes sonnantes; ce qui fut fait selon la dite
ordonnance."--_Voyage de Jacques Cartier_, page 52.
[289] It is evident that the Beauport entrenchments were to be on a vast
scale In those days of _corvées_ and forced labor, when it was merely
necessary to command _de par le roi_, it was easy to bring together
large bodies of men. "M. de Montcalm arrive à Québec (from Montréal),
commanda tout le monde pour travailler à des retrenchements qui furent
tracés vers une paroisse nominée Beauport. Comme il pensait que ces
ouvrages ne seraient pas en état avant l'arrivée des vaisseaux anglais, ce
qui pourrait être d'un jour à l'autre, il envoya un ordre à M. de Lévis,
qui était à Montréal, de commander, générallement, tous les hommes de ce
gouvernement à de descendre à Québec, et qu'on avait besoin d'un coup de
main. Il envoya à cet égard des ordres précis et conformes, dans tontes
les paroisses, qui mirent tout le monde en mouvement." (_Memoirs sur les
affaires du Canada_, 1749-1760.) Finally, Vaudreuil decided that
Montreal would furnish 1,500 men only for this service.
[290] This bake-house appears to have been somewhere at the foot of
Abraham's Hill.
[291] It crossed the St Charles a little higher than the Marine Hospital,
exactly at the foot of Crown Street.
[292] A small bridge supported on masonry has since been built on this
spot, exactly across the main road, at Brown's mills, Beauport.
[293] _The Great River_. Such was the name the Lorette Huron Indians
pressed Hon. Mr. Panet to take when they elected him their honorary chief.
[294] A famous _Chasseur_ of Lake St. Charles.
[295] Robert Buchanan's fine lines describe well the sudden coming of
winter:
"Then, with a gust,
Old Winter tumbled shrieking from the hills,
His white Hair flowing in the wind."
[296] Emma Duchesnay, wife of Robt. LeMoine, Esq., Ottawa, was the last
born there.
[297] Beauport Church, it is said, was built on this _Fief du Buisson_.
[298] "Une chandelle faite avec la graisse d'un pendu."
[299] Le mot chirurgien--qui était la profession de Gifart, se présente
naturellement, mais l'article manque....Oh! le C, si c'était un R? plus de
doute l'affaire serait claire.
[300] NOTE.--In a parliamentary Document of 1852, it is stated to have
been conceded on 15th January, 1634.
[301] By an ordinance of the Special Council, obtained through Sir Poulet
Thompson, in the troublous times of 1838-41, these gentlemen made safe
their well-beloved charter.
[302] Mr. Ryland, writing to Sir James Craig under date 22nd August, 1810,
thus describes his interview with the Ministers of State, the Earl of
Liverpool, Lord Bathurst, Mr. Percival, Mr. Peel, Lord Camden, the Marquis
of Wellesey, &c "On entering the room I found it was a meeting of the
Cabinet Ministers, eight in number, Lord Liverpool desired me to take a
seat between him and Mr. Percival.... I then repeated an observation I had
made in my first interview with Lord Liverpool, concerning Bédard in
particular as the leader of the anti-government party, who has now so
committed himself as to render it impossible he be employed....
"H. W. RYLAND."
(Christie's History of Canada.)
[303] MR. RYLAND TO SIR J. H. CRAIG, K.B.
London, 14th August, 1810.
"Dear Sir,--I yesterday had the honor to dine with the Earl of Liverpool
at Coombe Wood; the party consisted of His Lordship, Lady Liverpool, Lord
and Lady Bathurst, Lord Ashley and his sister, I believe, Sir Joseph and
Lady Banks, Mr. Peel the Under-Secretary of State, and a lady whose name I
do not recollect.
I had some conversation with Mr. Peel, before dinner, concerning the state
of things in Canada, and I was mortified to find that he had but an
imperfect idea of the subject....
He told me that he had read Lord Granville's despatch of October, 1789, to
Lord Dorchester, which I had recommended to his attention, and he seemed
to think a re-union of the Provinces a desirable object....
H. W. RYLAND."
(Christie's History of Canada.)
[304] In 1871, Mr. John Henderson Galbraith expired at Mount Lilac,
leaving to his widow his beautiful country-seat, on which he had expended
some $25,000. The foundry or machine shop was closed, and under the
intelligent care of Miss Elizabeth Galbraith, Mount Lilac continues to
produce each summer ambrosial fruit and exquisite flowers.
[305] Originally a brewery owned by Intendant Talon, and sold to the
French King, in 1686 for 15,000 _écus_. Later on the Intendant's Palace,
in magnificence rivalled the _Château St. Louis_.
[306] _Kahir-Koubat_ "a meandering stream" Ahatsistari's house (formerly
"Poplar Grove," the homestead of L. T. McPherson, Esq.), on the north bank
of the St. Charles, was called _Kahir-Koubat_ by N. Monpetit. Here
formerly dwelt, we are told, Col. De Salaberry, the hero of Châteauguay,
until 1814.
[307] Beyond the unmistakable vestiges of its having been of early French
construction, there is nothing known of the origin under French rule, of
Bigot's little _Château_. History is replete with details about his
peculations and final punishment in the Bastile of France; possibly the
legends in prose and in verse, which mantle round the time-worn rein, have
no other foundation than the fictions of the poet and the novelist. Thanks
to Amédée Papineau, W. Kirby, Jos. Mannette, Beaumanoir, Bigot's Château,
is now immortalized in song.
[308] Ahatsistari, such the name of the former great Huron warrior, which
Mr. Montpetit was allowed to assume when recently elected Honorary Chief
of the Council of Sachems, possibly for the service rendered to the tribe
as their historiographer.
[309] The French named the Wyandats, Hurons, from their style of wearing
their hair--erect and thrown back, giving their head, says the Historian
Ferland, the appearance of a boar's head, "_une hure de sanglier_."
[310] The Dutch called them Maquas; the English, Mohawks, probably from
the name of the river Mohawk which flows into the Hudson.
[311] The Mission of St. Joseph, composed of 400 Huron families, was
suddenly attacked by the Iroquois on the 4th July, 1648.
[213] St. Ignace was surprised and taken on 16th March, 1649.
[313] Ste. Marie mission-house was given to the flames by the Jesuits
themselves on 15th May, 1649.
[314] St Jean was ravaged on 7th December, 1649.
[315] This parish was called after the celebrated Church of _Santa Casa_,
of Loretto, in Italy. The Huron Missionary, Father Chaumonot, had arranged
their huts around the church, which he had erected in imitation of the
Loretto Chapel in Italy, where he had seen a vision of angels.
[316] A census of the settlement taken on 19th January, 1879, exhibits the
population as composed of 326 souls, divided as follows:--Adult Males,
94; Adult Females, 137; Boys, 49; Girls, 56. Total, 336. 143 males to 193
females; bachelors must have been at a premium in the settlement. We
understood that a complete history of the tribe is now in course of
preparation by the Rev. Prosper Vincent, a son of Chief Vincent.
[317] An excellent sketch in French has been published of _Tahourenche_
and his tribe, in the Opinion Publique, under the _nom de plume_ of
_Ahatsistari_, which we think ourselves warranted in crediting to the
elegant pen of A. N. Montpetit, one of their honorary Chiefs.
[318] Probably the same as alluded to in a quaint old engraving, presented
us by John Neilson, Esq., P.L.S., a son of the Hon. John Neilson, himself
an honorary Chief of the Lorette Hurons. Under the portrait of Chief
Nicholas is printed "Nicholas Vincent Isawanhoni," principal Christian
chief and Captain of the Huron Indians, established at _La Jeune Lorette_,
near Quebec, habited in the costume of his country, as when presented to
his Majesty George IV. on the 7th of April, 1826, with three other chiefs
of his nation, by _Generals Brock and Carpenter_; the chief bears in his
hand the wampum or collar, on which is marked the tomahawk given by his
late Majesty George III. The gold medal on his neck was the gift of his
Majesty on this presentation.
"They were accompanied and introduced into England on the _14th December_,
1824, by Mr. W. Cooper, who though an Englishman, they state to be a chief
of their nation, and better known to them as chief _Tourhaunchi_."
N.B.--It may be well to say that from the earliest times the Lorette
Indians have been in the habit of electing as "Honorary Chiefs" Quebecers
of note, who may have rendered service to the tribe. A large oil painting
is now in the possession of William D. Campbell, Esq., of Quebec,
exhibiting the installation as a Chief, in 1837, of the late Robert Symes,
J.P., of Quebec.
[319] _Ononthio_ means the _Great Mountain_, the name the Indians gave
Governor de Montmagny and his successors.
[320] The 8 is pronounced _oui_.
[321] May, 1675, Louis XIV and Colbert granted Monsieur le Comte Talon,
Intendant, the Seigniory des Islets, "together with those three
neighboring villages to us belonging the first called Bourg Royal, the
second Bourg La Reine, the third, Bourg Talon, subsequently changed into
the Barony of Orsainville."--(_Ferland_, Vol. II p 59.)
[322] I am happy to be able to throw some additional light on the early
times of this mysterious ruin, which has much perplexed Quebec
antiquaries. 'Tis probable this stately mansion was built by the great
Intendant Talon as the baronial _château_, permitted by his grant,
(see _Seignorial Documents_, 1852,--page 444 and 488) according to
which he was empowered to establish gaols, "a four-post gibbet, a post
with an iron collar on which his arms should be engraved." Of all this
redoubtable feudal pomp there are no vestiges now extant. How the
_château_ fared from Talon's time to Bigot's, remains a mystery.
After the conquest, the land came by purchase into the possession of the
Stewart family, lately represented by Charles Grey Stewart--a most
interesting and lengthy letter from Charles Stewart, describing the winter
months spent in the Hermitage in 1775-6, whilst Arnold held for Congress
the environs of Quebec, will be given hereafter, Mr. Wm. Crawford the late
owner of the land and ruins, having kindly allowed me the use of his title
deeds. I find therein stated "Charles Stewart, avocat et notaire demeurant
à Québec, propriétaire du fief de Grand Pré, autrefois dit De la
Mistanguenne ou Mont Plaisir, à la Canardière par acte de vente du 26 Juin
1780, devant Jean Antoine Panet, N.P., concède a titre de cens et rentes
seigneuriales ... à Monsieur Jean Lees, le Jeune, Simon Fraser, le Jeune,
et William Wilson, négotiant en cette ville, 10 arpents de front situés
dans le fief Grand Pré ou Mont Plaisir à la Canardière an lieu nommé la
Montagne on l'Hermitage, prenant d'un bout, vers le sud aux terres de
Joseph Bédard, et Jean Baptiste Le Roux dit Cardinal, et allant en
profondeur vers le nord quatorze arpents ou environ, jusqu'à la vieille
clôture du verger, icelui verger compris en la présente concession et
vente, les dix arpents de front joignant du côté du sud-ouest ou fief de
la Trinité, appartenant au Séminaire, et du côté du nord-ouest à la terre
de Jean Chattereau, ensemble la maison à deux étages, une grange et un
étable en bois, construits sur les dits dix arpents."
[_Translation_.]
"Charles Stewart, advocate and notary, residing at Quebec, proprietor of
the _Fief_ Grand Pré, formerly styled De la Mistanguenne or Mont
Plaisir, at the Canardière, by deed of sale, bearing date the 26th June,
1780, before Jean Ant. Panet, N.P., conceded _à titre de cens et rentes
Seigneuriales_ ... to Mr. Jean Lees, junior, Simon Fraser, junior, and
William Wilson, merchants of this city, ten arpents, in front, situated in
the _Fief_ Grand Pré, or Montplaisir, at the Canardière, at the place
named The Mountain or the Hermitage, beginning on one side, towards the
south, at the lands of Joseph Bédard and Jean Baptiste LeRoux dit
Cardinal, and running in the depth towards the north, fourteen arpents or
thereabouts, to the old orchard fence--said orchard included in this
concession and deed of sale, the ten arpents in part joining towards the
north-west, to the _Fief de la Trinité_ belonging to the (Quebec)
Seminary, and on the north-east side joining the land of Jean Chattereau,
together with the two-story house, barn, wooden stable, built on the said
ten arpents."
The property was resold the 12th August, 1805, by John Lees, _et al._, to
Charles Stewart, Esq., Comptroller of Customs, Quebec. It is now owned by
Léger Brousseau, Esq.
[323] The fascinating daughter of Lord Clifford, famous in the legendary
history of England, as the mistress of Henry II. shortly before his
accession to the throne, and the subject of an old ballad. She is said to
have been kept by her royal lover in a secret bower at Woodstock, the
approaches to which formed a labyrinth so intricate that it could only be
discovered by the clew of a silken thread, which the king used for that
purpose. Here Queen Eleanor discovered and poisoned her, about 1173.--
(_Noted names of Fiction_, 1175. See also Woodstock--_Waverley Novels_.)
[324] I am indebted to my late old friend the Abbé Ferland for the
following remark: "I visited Château Bigot during the summer of 1834. It
was in the state described by Mr. Papineau in the interior, the walls were
still partly papered. It must not be forgotten that about the beginning of
this century a club of _Bons-vivant_ used to meet frequently in the
Château."
Three celebrated clubs nourished here long before the Stadacona and St.
James' Club were thought of. The first was formed in Quebec, about the
beginning of this century. It was originally called (after its London
prototype) says Lambert, the Beef Steak Club, which name it soon changed
for that of the Barons Club. It consisted of twenty-one members, "who are
chiefly the principal merchants in the colony, and are styled barons. As
the members drop off, their places are filled by knights elect, who are
not installed as barons until there is a sufficient number to pay for the
entertainment which is given on that occasion." John Lambert, during the
winter of 1807, attended one of the banquets of installation, which was
given in the Union Hotel (now the _Journal de Quebec_ office, facing
the Place d'Armes.) The Hon. Mr. Dunn, the President of the Province, and
Administrator, during the absence of Sir Robert S. Milnes, attended as the
oldest baron. The Chief Justice and all the principal officers of the
government, civil and military, were present. This entertainment cost 250
guineas. "The Barons Club," says W. Henderson, "was a sort of _Pitt
Club_,--all Tories to the back-bone. It was a very select affair--and
of no long duration. Among the members, if my memory serves me right, were
John Coltman, George Hamilton, Sir John Caldwell, Sir George Pownall,
Herman Wistius Byland, George Heriott, (Postmaster and author) Hon.
Matthew Bell, Gilbert Ainslie, Angus Shaw." (Notes of W. Henderson.)
The other club went under the appropriate name of "Sober Club,"--_lucus
a non lucendo_ perhaps: it flourished about 1811; we believe one of the
By-laws enacted that the members were expected to get _elevated_ at least
once a year. It seems to be more than likely that it was the Club of
Barons, and not the Sober Club, who caroused under the romantic walls of
the Hermitage. The third Club flourished at Montreal in 1785 and later, it
took the name of the Beaver Club) and was, I believe, composed of old
_Northwesters_.
[325] It is painful to watch the successive inroads perpetrated by
sportsmen and idlers on the old Château. In 1819, an old Quebecer, Mr.
Frederick Wyse, visited it; doors, verandah, windows and everything else
was complete. He, too, lost his way in the woods, but found it again
without the help of an Indian beauty. It was then known as the haunted
house, supposed to contain a deal of French treasure, and called _La
Maison du Bourg Royal_.
[326] Error--he was a bachelor. These unions were not uncommon. We find
the Baron de St. Castin marrying Matilda, the daughter of Madocawando--an
Indian beauty; he became a famous Indian Chief, helping D'Iberville, in
Acadia, and left a numerous progeny of olive colored princesses with eyes
like a gazelle's.
[327] Melospiza melodia.
[328] Zonotrichia leuchophry.
[329] The Hon. Mr. Dunn, Administrator of the Province in 1807, was the
senior baron; Hons. Matthew Bell, John Stewart, Messrs. Muir, Irvine,
Lester, McNaught, Grey Stewart, Munro, Finlay, Lymburner, Paynter; these
names were doubtless also to be found amongst the Canadian barons; the
Hon. Chas. de Lanaudière, once a general in the Hungarian service, was the
only French Canadian member.
[330] Book of Carthon.
[331] From Travellers' Guide Book, 1829.
APPENDIX
[332] See _Quebec Past and Present_, page 34.
[333] Relation de 1665, p. 25, Journal des Jésuites, 10 juillet 1665.
[334] Lettres de Marie de l'Incarnation, lettre 76e, p. 621.
[335] Archives de la Marine, vol. Canada, T. II, de 1670 à 1676, 20 août
1670.
[336] _Ibid._, lettres de Colbert à M. Talon, 11 février 1671.
[337] Relation de 1668, p. 3.
[338] Relation de 1667, p. 3.
[339] Archives de la Marine. Registre des dépêches de Colbert pour les
Indes, 1671, fol. 18.
[340] Relation de 1672, p. 2.
[341] Archives de la Marine. Registre des dépêches, ann. 1674 et 1675.
Lettre du 16 mai 1674 à M. de Frontenac.
[342] _Mémoire pour servir d'Intruction à Monsieur le Comte de Frontenac
sur l'Entreprise de la Nouvelle-York_, 7 _juin_ 1689.
[343] The names of the Huguenot families who settled New Oxford, as far as
ascertained, are as follows--
1 Montee, 1 Bureau l'aîné, 1 Jermon,
1 Peter Cante, 1 Jean Maillet, 1 Elle Dupeu,
2 Ober Germon, 2 Jean Martin, 1 Andre Segourne,
1 Jean Milleton, 4 Bertrand De Tuffeau, 3 M. Baurdille,
6 Rene Grignon, M. Germaine, 5 M. Alard,
M. Boudinot, Benj. Faneuil, Jean Beaudoin.
1 J. Dupeu,
[344] In 1870, when these lines were penned, the massive gates, hoary with
age, were already doomed--a portion of the materials like the stones of
Nelson's Abbey were robbed to build up houses near by.
[345] Memoirs de P.A. DeGaspé.
[346] The quips, pranks and _bon mots_ of this jolly corps would fill
a small volume. The bar was represented by the witty Chief Justice
Vallière, the fun loving Charles Richard Ogden, afterwards Attorney-
General, and recently Judge of the Isle of Wight; and the army by a choice
spirit of the 71st, Col. Denny.
[347] Market and cemetery have since disappeared.
[348] In this niche, at the time of the conquest, could be seen, just over
the door of the house, a statue of St John the Baptist. The inhabitants,
fearing that the introduction of so many heretics in Sept., 1769, might
subject the saint's statue to slight, had conveyed it to the General
Hospital nunnery, where Mr. D. De Gaspé asserts, it is to this day. To
fill its place, nothing occurred to the minds of the English, as more
suitable, than the wooden image of their young hero, Wolfe. As there is a
clause in the title deeds of this property making it incumbent on the
owners to maintain constantly in repair "General Wolfe," the "General" it
is to be hoped, will continue to flourish for many years yet--the only
notable difference being that, by his elevation of late years, he appears
closer to heaven than in the days of the Cholette Brothers, and therefore
safer from the attacks of practical jokers, middies, &c.
[349] Where the Music Hall, Louis street, has since been erected. The
first meeting of the Quebec City Corporation took place about 1834 in the
same house which Miss Napier had rented.
[350] Wolfe and Montcalm's monument in process of erection in 1827, was
recently restored, thanks to the efforts of Hy. Fry, Esq., and of a few
other public-spirited citizens.
End of Project Gutenberg's Picturesque Quebec, by James MacPherson Le Moine
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