Skip to main content

Full text of "In old Quebec, and other sketches"

See other formats 


OLD 
QUEBEC 


fi^^ 


^i 


/ 


6.r.D^ 


I V^?^:?^^^/^^^ 


IN  OLD  QUEBEC 

AND 

OTHER  SKETCHES 


BY 

BYRON  NICHOLSON 

Author  of 

**  Resourceful.  Canada  " 

*'  Impressions  Abroad  " 

The  French  Canadian  "  etc 


QUEBEC 
Commercial  Printing  Company 

1908  .iy^i^ 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada,  in  the 
year  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eif^ht,  by  Byron  Nicholson^ 
Quebec,  at  the  office  of  the  Minister  of  Agriculture  at  Ottawa. 


;5  z 


9  -^ 

W      .;;  Z 

D      z  < 

0<    >  .; 


o  = 


PREFACE. 

Some  of  the  sketches  and  essays  of  which 
this  volume  is  composed  have  already  appeared 
iu  print  in  magazine  and  journalistic  litera- 
ture, in  the  United  States  and  Canada.  It  was 
not  the  intention  of  the  writer  to  make  a  book 
of  these  papers  at  first,  but  yielding  to  the 
desires  of  friends,  and  under  the  impression 
that  some  of  the  selections,  if  not  all  of  them, 
may  have  some  permanent  literary  value,  he 
has  seen  fit  to  reproduce  them  in  a  form  more 
durable  than  that  of  periodical  literature. 

Thr  Author. 


037 


{fhqm  an  old  kngravinc) 

SAMUEL   DE   CHAMPLAIN, 
rOUNDIR  ANP  FIBST  QOVER^OH  OF  QUEBEC,   1608 


CONTENTS 


Chapter  Page 

Note  from  Sir  James  LeMoink  -  -  5 

Dedication 6 

Preface           -          -          -  -  -  7 

I.  In  OI.D  Quebec          -          -  .  -  9 

II.  The  Island  of  Orleans     -  -  -  42 

III.  Quebec's  Unique  Promenade  -  -  55 

IV.  Canada  my  Country  !  Part  I  -  -04 
V.  Canada  my  Country  !  Part  II  -  -  81 

VI.  The  Lure  of  the  West     -  -  -  91 

VII.  The  Ethics  of  War             -  -  -  121 

VIII.  The  Charms  of  Bermuda  -  -  134 

IX.  The  Companionship  of  Books  -  -  145 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


His  Excellency,  Earl  Orey,  Gov- 
ernor  (leneral  of  Canada. 

City  of  Quebec,  from  the  Parlia- 
ment Buildings. 

Samuel  de  Champlain. 

Kent  House  and  Grounds,  Mont- 
morency. 

Montmorency  Falls. 

Shrine  of  Ste  Anne  de  Beaupre. 

The  Zoo  at  Montmorency  Falls. 

Tiie  City  Hall,  Quebec. 

J.  (ieo.  Cnii'  Ml],  M.iyor  of  Que- 
bec. 

Laval  University,  Quebec. 

Pro|)Osed  Monument  to  Mont- 
calm. 

Ohl  Manor  House,  Island  of  Or- 
leans. 

Chateau  Bel-Air,  Island  of  Or- 
leans 

Three  views  Island  of  Orleans 

Ox  Team,  Island  of  Orleans. 

Two  views  of  Duffenn  Terrace. 

Quebec  City  and  Harbour  from 
Levis. 

Al)enaoais  Group,  at  Parliament 
Buildings,  Quel)ec. 

St.  I»uis  (late,  Quebec. 

Some  of  the  Monument,  of 
Quel)ec. 

The  Drill  Hall,  Quebec. 

The  Court  House,  Quebec. 

Parliament  Buildings,  Quebec. 

I^ke  of  Bays,  Ont. 


Lake  Temiscouata,  Temiscouata 
Railway. 

Monti'eal-Macdonald  memorial, 
the  Victoria  Bridge,  the  Do- 
minion Square. 

Toronto— The  Parliament  Build- 
ings, the  University,  the  Main 
Door  of  the  University. 

Ottawa -The  Government  Build- 
ings. 

Lake  St.  Joseph,  Que. 

Roberval  and  Lake  St.  John. 

The  Saguenay,  Que. 

Bermuda-Hamilton,  Lilly  Field. 

Halifax,  N.  S. 

St.  John,  N.  B. 

View  near  Sherbrooke,  Que. 

International  Limited,  Grand 
Trunk  Ry. 

S.S.  Huronic,  Northern  Nav. 
Company. 

Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Ont. 

Port  Arthur,  Ont. 

Winnij^eg,  Man. 

Reaping  in  the  West. 
!  Threshing  in  the  West. 
'  Banff,  British  Columbia. 

•♦Overseas  Limited,"  C.  P.  R. 
I  (ireat  Glacier,  B.  C. 

Lake  Louise,  B.  C. 
j  Vancouver,  the  Harbour. 
I  Victoria,  the  Parliament  Build- 
ings. 


Note  from  Sir  James  LeMoine,  K.C.M.G. 


Dear  Mr.  Nicholson, 

I  have  read  with  delighted  interest  your 
glowing  account  of  our  Canadian  West,  and 
your  charming  description  of  the  picturesque- 
ness  of  the  Island  of  Orleans.  I  think  you 
ought  to  reserve  these  with  others  of  your 
carefully  written  sketches  for  a  coming  book. 

Yours  sincerely, 

J.  M.  IvEMoine, 
Spencer  Grange, 

Quebec,  Oct.  18th  1907. 


To 

His  ExcKLtENCY 

The  Right  Honourable 

Sir  Albert  Henry  George,  Earl  Grev, 
G.C.M.G., 

Governor-General  of  Canada. 
This  volume  is,  by  permission,  respect- 
fully dedicated. 


HIS   EXCELLENCY,    EARL   GREY, 
GOVERNOR   GENRRA?.  OF  CANADA, 


In  Old  Quebec; 

And   Otlier  SketcHes. 


1 

IN  OLD  QUEBEC. 

Speaking  of  England,  the  accomplished  au- 
thor of  that  admirable  book  for  boys,  Tom 
Brouni's  School  Days,  says,  "I  onh^  know  two 
neighborhoods  thoroughly  ;  and  in  each,  within 
reach  of  five  miles,  there's  enough  of  interest 
and  beauty  to  last  any  reasonable  man  his 
life."  The  latter  of  these  two  propositions 
is  emphatically  true  of  Quebec  ;  and  this  for 
either  of  two  reasons,  namely,  its  historical 
associations  and  the  magnificence  of  the  sur- 
rounding scenery.  Hence  in  a  sketch  like 
this  it  will  be  impossible  to  do  more  than 
glance  at  a  few  of  the  more  prominent  of  those 
features  which  strike  the  visitor  with  admira- 
tion and  inspire  him  with  emotions  of  pleasure. 

A  little  further  on  in  the  work  just  mention- 
ed, the  writer  exclaims,  "  O  young  England  ! 
young  England  !  you  were  born  into  these  rac- 


10  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

ing  railroad  times,  when  there's  a  great  exhi- 
bition or  some  monster  sight  year  by  year,  and 
you  can  get  over  a  couple  of  thousand  miles  for 
three  pound  ten  ;  why  don't  you  know  more  of 
your  birth  place?  "  Now  the  youth  of  Canada 
can  hardlj'  be  thus  apostrophised  ;  for,  first, 
comparatively  few  of  them  are  born  to  affluence, 
and  so  they  cannot  go  trotting  over  the  globe, 
bent  on  sight-seeing  ;  and,  secondly,  their  coun- 
try is  of  such  vast  extent,  and  Nature  has  done 
so  much  for  it,  and  the  history  of  some  parts 
of  it  is  so  bound  up  with  that  of  France  and  of 
England,  and  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific 
there  are  so  many  exemplifications  of  the  amaz- 
ing progress  of  the  civilized  world  during  the 
last  couple  of  centuries,  that  every  Canadian 
can  easily  find  at  home  "  enough  of  interest 
and  beauty  to  last  any  reasonable  man  his  life." 
Perhaps  in  the  whole  Dominion  of  Canada 
there  is  no  place  so  full  of  interest  as  the  Cit}^ 
and  Province  of  Quebec,  for  here  is  preser\^ed 
almost  the  last  example  of  civic  and  military 
architecture  of  the  earliest  settlers  on  the  St. 
Lawrence.  Hence  it  is  that  no  traveller  who 
comes  to  see  our  country  ever  thinks  of  going 
away  without  spending  at  least  a  few  days  in 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  11 

the  **  ancient  capital,"  as  well  as  other  parts 
of  the  oldest  of  Canadian  provinces.  Should 
he  come  from  the  west,  probably  the  first  thing 
that  strikes  him  after  he  has  entered  the  lower 
province  is  what  maj^  be  called  its  topograph- 
ical nomenclature,  so  different  from  that  to 
which  he  has  been  accustomed  ;  for  though  he 
may  have  been  familiar  with  many  of  those 
names  when  he  was  a  schoolboy,  he  has  never 
heard  them  used  in  ordinary  everyday  conver- 
sation. He  knows  very  well,  it  may  be,  such 
names  as  Cat  Lake  and  Jack  Lake,  but  in  the 
Province  of  Quebec,  he  can  sail  over  Lake  St. 
John  and  Lake  St.  Joseph  ;  Cut  Knife  Creek 
and  Smoky  River  may  sound  in  his  ears  like 
the  names  of  old  friends,  but  in  the  east 
he  hears  people  speaking  of  the  rivers  St. 
Maurice  and  St.  Charles  ;  Sulphur  Island  and 
Goat  Island  he  may  have  visited,  but  the 
French  Canadian  tells  him  of  the  Magdalen 
Islands  and  the  Island  of  Jesus  ;  he  finds  a 
strange  contrast  between  such  appellatives  as 
Yellow  Head,  Kicking  Horse,  and  Rat  Portage 
on  the  one  hand,  and  St.  Vincent,  St.  Louis, 
and  St.  Croix  on  the  other.  Moreover,  besides 
names  connected  with  the  Christian  Religion, 


12  IN  OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

he  finds  others  which  perpetuate  on  this  side 
the  Atlantic  the  memory  of  many  an  illus- 
trious house  in  old  France  and  many  a  place 
famous  in  her  history.  Now,  if  he  be  a  thought- 
ful man,  he  will  probably  muse  within  himself 
something  after  this  fashion  :  — 

* '  Those  old  French  settlers  in  Canada  cer- 
tainly seem  to  have  been  very  religious  men 
and  deeply  attached  to  their  native  country. 
At  any  rate,  if  religion  and  patriotism  were 
not  their  two  dominant  thoughts,  they  seem  to 
have  been  most  in  their  minds  after  they  came 
across  the  ocean,  and  found  themselves  in  a 
strange  land  and  amongst  a  heathen  and  savage 
people.  How  else  can  we  account  for  their 
giving  to  mountains  and  vallej's,  lakes  and 
streams,  villages  and  towns,  names  woven  into 
the  very  history  of  Christianity  or  identical 
with  those  of  famous  places  and  noble  families 
of  old  France  ?  We,  of  another  race  and  of  a 
later  age,  give  no  such  names  to  places  now, 
and  are  too  often  guided  in  our  choice  b}^  the 
irreligious,  or  materialistic,  or  plutocratic  spirit 
of  the  times  in  which  we  live.  We  must  surely 
be  growing  much  more  secular  in  our  notions 
than  were  our  predecessors  of  the  seventeenth 


Photo  by  Montminy. 

SIR   LOUIS   A.  JETTK,    K.  C.  M    G. 
LIEUTENANT  GOVERNOR   OF  QUEBEC. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  13 

and  eighteenth  centuries.  Nor  indeed  is  this 
much  to  be  wondered  at,  seeing  the  unprece- 
dented progress  we  have  been  making  in  almost 
every  direction,  but  especially  in  those  branch- 
es of  science  which  in  their  application  to 
practical  purposes,  have  promoted  the  world's 
material  advancement  to  an  extent  never  so 
much  as  dreamed  of  a  century  ago.  But  we 
should  be  careful,  for,  after  all.  there  are  higher 
pursuits  and  nobler  objects  than  those  which 
are  simply  utilitarian.  We  must  remember 
that  if  we  allow  the  spiritual  part  of  our  nature 
either  to  be  neglected  or  to  die  of  inanition,  or 
to  have  life  crushed  out  of  it  by  a  merciless 
materialism,  we  must  sink  to  a  distinctly  lower 
level,  and  at  length  become  merely  a  combina- 
tion of  proud  intellectualism  and  selfish  anima- 
lism, having  no  higher  objects  in  life  than  those 
sought  after  by  that  embodiment  of  ruthless 
egoism  so  cleverly  depicted  by  Lytton  in  that 
work  of  his  which  he  so  appropriately  calls 
A  Strange  Story, — a  being  so  concentered  in 
self  that  he  would  sacrifice  a  human  life  to 
save  himself  from  the  pain  produced  by  the 
prick  of  a  needle.  Yes,  most  decidedly  we 
should  be  very  careful.     But  whatever  may 


14  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

be  the  tendency  of  the  age,  and  however  great 
the  changes  which  may  take  place,  so  long  as 
the  Province  retains  the  names  one  hears  so 
frequentlj^  within  its  borders,  it  can  never  be 
forgotten  that  Canada  was  discovered  by  men 
from  old  France,  and  that  they  were  devout 
believers  in  the  Christian  Faith,  and  had  a 
passionate  love  for  their  native  land." 

The  initial  impression  made  upon  the  visitor 
to  the  city  of  Quebec,  especially  if  he  comes 
by  way  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  is  the  commanding 
situation  of  the  old  capital,  for  it  is  set  on  a 
hill  and  cannot  be  hid;  the  next,  the  strength 
of  its  fortifications.  As  he  passes  from  bastion 
to  bastion,  and  looks  down  upon  the  river,  so 
far  below,  where  the  British  ships  lay  at  anchor 
in  the  summer  of  1759,  he  cannot  but  be 
amazed  at  the  military  genius  of  the  man  who 
succeeded  in  taking  such  a  seemingly  impreg- 
nable fortress,  and  that  too  in  spite  of  an 
army  as  brave  as  his  ow^n  and  commanded  by 
a  general  no  less  gallant  than  himself.  Per- 
chance he  gives  a  sigh  to  the  memory  of  Wolfe 
and  Montcalm  ;  and  when  he  sees  the  monu- 
ment, one  monument,  which  commemorates 
both  of  these  men,  he  thinks  nothing  could  be 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  15 

more  appropriate  than   the  inscription   there 
engraved  : 

''Virtus  mortem  communem  ;  famam  Historia  ;  Pos- 
teritas  monumentem  dedit." 

It  might  be  supposed  that  owing  to  tiie  vast 
improvements  effected  in  the  fortifications  of 
the  city  as  miHtary  science  became  more  and 
more  developed,  Quebec  could  not  be  taken 
to-day.  But  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  development  of  offensive  weapons  has  kept 
pace  pari  passu  with  that  of  defensive  weapons; 
and  that,  therefore,  the  taking  of  the  citadel 
would  now  be  an  achievement  no  greater  than 
that  which  was  accomplished  by  Wolfe  on  the 
memorable  thirteenth  day  of  September,  1759. 
The  truth,  however,  seems  to  be  that  Quebec 
had  to  be  taken  by  stratagem  rather  than  by 
force  ;  and  if  ever  taken  again  it  must  be  by 
similar  tactics.  It  is  not  likely  indeed  that 
such  an  attempt  will  ever  be  made  and  so  far 
as  can  be  seen  Quebec  must  remain  the  Gibral- 
ter  of  the  western  world.  At  the  same  time 
it  is  just  as  well  to  remember  that  what  may 
have  every  appearance  of  perpetual  peace 
between  friendly  nations  may  be  rudely  and 
unexpectedly  broken  ;  and,  more  than  that,  a 


16  IN   OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

people  apparently  content  to-day  may  be  goaded 
and  exasperated  by  scheming  demagogues  and 
unprincipled  politicians  to  rise  in  insurrection 
to-morrow.  Eternal  vigilance  is  no  less  the 
price  of  safety  than  that  of  liberty  ;  and  every 
well-governed  country  should  be  ready  at  a 
moment's  warning  both  to  stamp  out  rebellion 
and  repel  an  invasion.  Meantime  the  fervent 
Christian  prayer  of  **  Give  peace  in  our  time, 
O  Lord,"  should  continue  to  be  the  guiding 
principle  of  action. 

As  every  one  knows,  Canada  was  ceded  to 
England  at  the  Treaty  of  Paris;  and  as  from 
that  date  to  this  people  have  been  coming  here 
from  the  British  Isles,  and  as  many  others — 
the  patriotic  United  Empire  Loyalists — came 
here  from  the  American  colonies  after  the 
Revolution, it  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  of  thought 
(forgive  the  figure)  that  Quebec  must  per- 
force l)e  inhabited  by  a  mixed  population,  a 
duo  in  appearance  and  language,  a  duo  in 
manners  and  customs,  a  duo  in  laws  and  reli- 
gion. Now,  so  far  as  the  writer's  opportun- 
ities, during  nearly  twenty  years'  residence 
there,  have  enabled  him  to  judge,  he  has  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  they  sing  together 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  17 

(a  minor  note  now  and  then  strikes  in  occa- 
sionally) in  fair  time  and  tune  ;  and  he  believes 
that  they  will  continue  to  do  so,  if  certain 
mischievous  busybodies,  influenced  by  ulterior 
and  selfish  motives,  will  only  discontinue  their 
dastardly  attempts  to  introduce  discord  mfe 
harmony.  Most  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Pro- 
vince are  of  French  descent,  man}^  are  of 
English,  and  there's  a  fairly  large  element  of 
Irish  and  Scotch  extraction,  and  yet,  notwith- 
standing this  variet}^  Quebec  city  and  Pro- 
vince are  quite  peaceable,  and  are  in  every 
way  as  well  governed  as  other  cities  and 
provinces  where  the  people  are  much  more 
homogeneous,  and  where  but  one  language  is 
used  for  the  purposes  of  trade,  commerce  and 
legislation. 

To  the  present  generation  Quebec  city 
remains  a  monument,  a  somewhat  pathetic 
monument,  of  the  days  of  the  old  regime.  No 
one  endowed  with  any  sensibility  to  the  tra- 
gedy of  human  life,  who  realizes  that  suffer- 
ing must  attend  every  step  upward  to  a  higher 
level  than  before,  who  knows  that  sacrifice  is 
the  essential  condition  of  progress,  but  must 
experience  a  sense  of  sadness  as  he  gazes  upon 


18  IN   OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

the  few  remaining  memorials  of  the  past  life 
of  the  old  city.  Here  and  there  he  finds  him- 
self in  streets,  narrow  and  irregular,  that  must 
have  been  laid  out  before  Scottish  Kelt  and 
Anglo-Saxon  had  proved  their  prowess  on  the 
Plains  of  Abraham.  On  this  side  and  that  he 
sees  houses  of  such  strange  construction,  and 
high  roofs,  and  queer  looking  windows,  and 
altogether  of  an  appearance  so  quaint,  that  he 
involuntarily  exclaims,  "  Ah  !  these  indeed 
must  have  been  built  not  long  after  Champlain 
began  to  found  the  city  ! '  *  Now  and  then  he 
comes  across  the  remains  of  what  must  once 
have  been  an  ecclesiastical  structure,  or  a  civic 
building,  or  a  military  fortification,  all  of 
which  were  the  work  of  the  first  settlers  on 
the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  As  he  looks 
down  upon  the  broad  expanse  of  the  majestic 
stream  below  his  thoughts  go  back  to  the  days 
of  the  intrepid  Cartier,  and  he  wonders  if  the 
adventurous  Commodore  of  St.  Malo,  as  he 
entered  the  river  August  10th,  on  St.  Lau- 
rent's Day,  153o,  and  sailed  to  old  Hoche- 
laga,  ever  dreamed  of  what  picturesque 
villages  and  stately  cities  would,  in  the  distant 
future,  adorn  the  banks  of  this   magnificent 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  10 

highway  into  the  interior  of  British  America. 
British  America  !  No,  no,  the  brave  explorer 
can  never  have  imagined  that  Britain  would 
one  day  reign  supreme  over  the  land  he  had 
discovered,  and  as  "  he  reared  the  Cross  and 
crown  on  Hochelaga's  heights,"  he  no  doubt 
believed  he  was  planting  a  New  France  in  the 
New  World,  which  would  in  days  to  come 
bless  the  continent  with  the  religion  of  the 
land  of  *'  the  fleur-de-lis  and  Cross,"  her 
advanced  civilization,  her  arts  and  sciences, 
her  energy  and  industry,  her  enterprise  and 
valour.  Oh,  the  irony  of  the  Muse  of  History  ! 
Still,  however,  notwithstanding  British  rule, 
Quebec  affords  striking  evidences,  touching 
evidences,  that  Cartier's  countrymen  were  its 
first  settlers  and  its  original  rulers. 

Since  those  old  days  many  a  change  has 
taken  place,  and,  as  a  rule,  each  change — 
much  as  one  misses  ancient  landmarks, —  has 
been  an  improvement  on  what  had  been  before. 
Thus,  for  example,  the  modern  English  archi- 
tecture, and  even  the  modern  French  archi- 
tecture, as  seen  in  numerous  private  residen- 
ces, present,  both  in  external  appearance  and 
internal  arrangements,  a  remarkable  contrast 


'20  IN   OLD   (J 

to  the  old  dwellings  that  are  still  to  be  seen, 
whilst  many  of  the  civic  buildings  of  past  days 
have  been  replaced  by  structures  which  would 
do  credit  to  a  cit}'  of  ten  times  the  population. 

The  Court  House,  for  instance,  and  the  Cit\' 
Hall,  the  Drill  Hall,  the  Chateau,  and  the 
Legislative  Buildings — the  latter  fine  examples 
of  modern  French  architecture,  would  be  orna- 
ments to  more  than  one  European  capital. 
As  to  churches,  every  one  knows  that  Quebec 
possesses  some  of  the  finest  on  the  continent ; 
and  indeed  the  same  thing  may  be  said  of 
any  French  Canadian  town  of  any  importance. 
Perhaps  the  most  spacious  and  beautiful  of 
the  Catholic  churches  in  the  city  are  the 
majestic  Basilica  and  the  beautiful  St.  John's, 
wliilst  the  most  imposing  and  commodious 
of  tlie  Protestant  churches  are  the  venerable 
and  stately  Anglican  Cathedral  and  the  ornate 
St.  Matthew's.  Then,  also,  among  the  Cath- 
olic places  of  worship,  there  are  the  spacious 
and  commanding  edifice  of  St.  Patrick's,  and 
the  historic  Notre  Dame  des  Victoires.  In 
speaking  of  Quebec's  educational  buildings 
mention  should  be  made  of  the  great  Uni- 
versity of  Laval,    which   is  another   striking 


Photo  by  MontniMiy. 

J.    GEORGE   GARNEAU, 

MAYOR   OF  THE  CITY  OK  QURBBC  AND  CHAIRMAN   OF  THE   BATTLEFIELDS 

COMMISSION. 


AND  OTHER   SKETCIIKS.  21 

example  of  modern  French  architecture,  and 
forms  a  conspicuous  feature  in  the  view  of  the 
city  from  the  river  ;  of  the  Seminaries,  the 
Normal  school,  the  High  schools,  the  numer- 
ous Convents  and  Academies,  and  of  old 
Morrin  College  which  is  now  devoted  to  the 
library  uses  of  the  L,iterary  and  Historical 
Society. 

The  * '  lungs ' '  of  the  city  embrace  several 
attractive  parks  and  promenades,  including 
the  shady  walks  of  the  Governor's  Garden, 
the  picturesque  **  Ring,"  the  grassy  slopes 
of  the  Glacis,  the  trim  Esplanade,  the  broad 
acres  of  the  Cove  Fields,  the  historic  Plains 
of  Abraham,  and  the  attractive  Frontenac, 
Victoria,  and  City  Parks. 

No  finer  promenade  can  be  found  in  either 
hemisphere  than  the  Dufferin  Terrace,  looking 
seaward  from  which  the  view  possesses  many 
characteristics,  both  beautiful  and  sublime, 
which  are  perhaps  unrivalled  as  they  are  cer- 
tainly unsurpassed,  by  any  other  landscape  on 
the  continent.  The  works  of  nature  here  are 
truly  on  the  grandest  scale  and  possess  un- 
speakable charms.  What  incentives  there  are 
for  the  artist's  pencil  !  What  splendid  natural 


22  ix  OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

defences,  and  what  battlegrounds  !  quickly 
thinks  the  military  man. 

The  modern  city  gates  are  unique  and  grace- 
ful, and  the  various  monuments,  both  eccle- 
siastic and  military,  possess  distinctive  beauty 
and  character. 

Viewed  from  anywhere  the  prospect  of  Que- 
bec is  an  inspiring  one,  but  most  so  from  the 
river  St.  Lawrence.  The  founder  of  Quebec 
chose  well,  in  fact  could  not  indeed,  have 
chosen  better,  when  he  laid  the  first  foundation 
of  the  city.  As  a  city  it  is  unique  on  the 
American  Continent,  as  a  harbour  it  is  almost 
perfect.  With  the  lofty  citadel,  and  the 
adjoining  highlands  on  both  sides  of  the  river, 
the  harbour  is  well  sheltered  from  ever}^  wind 
and  sea,  the  east  the  worst  *'  of  a'  the  airts," 
excepted,  but  east  winds,  like  most  other  ills 
of  this  best  of  all  worlds,  are  exceptions,  and 
for  most  days  of  the  year  few  harbors  afford  a 
safer  or  more  commodious  anchorage  than 
Quebec. 

If  this  paper  were  written  especiall}'  for 
those  to  whom  Quebec  is  not  unknown  it 
would  be  unnecessary  to  do  more  than  describe 
a  few  localities  which,  though  rich  in  associa-. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  lo 

tions  with  the  past,  are  not  included  amongst 
what  are  called  the  * '  sights  of  the  city, ' '  to 
which  cabby  or  some  other  guide  is  sure  to 
conduct  every  stranger  who  engages  his  servi- 
ces. The  Quebec  cabby  is  in  many  ways  a 
very  good  specimen  of  his  race,  being  respect- 
ful, polite,  and  attentive  ;  but  in  one  respect 
he  bears  a  famil}^  resemblance  to  his  brothers 
in  every  large  city  ;  he  will  take  his  fare  to  all 
those  noted  places  which  he  knows  are  likely 
to  be  of  interest  to  visitors  in  general,  but  in 
doing  so  he  will  pass  in  silence  by  many  a  quiet 
spot  which,  for  one  reason  or  another,  is  well 
worthy  of  notice.  He,  so  to  speak,  directs 
your  attention  to  the  stars,  heedless  that  whilst 
gazing  at  the  heavens  you  are  crushing  prim- 
roses and  violets  beneath  j^otir  feet.  Thus  he 
will  drive  3'ou  to  Montmorenci,  but  will  never 
think  of  showing  you  what  are  called  the 
Natural  Steps,  those  terraces  formed  during 
the  course  of  ages  by  the  resistless  stream  as 
it  cut  its  way  through  the  rocks,  as  if  deter- 
mined in  its  mad  career  to  hurl  itself  over  the 
awful  precipice  in  order  to  be  united  with  the 
St.  lyawrence  so  that  both  together  might  find 
a  home  in  the  ocean.     An  yet,  for  the  ordinary 


24  IN  OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

visitor  the  place  possesses  a  singular  charm, 
and  is  of  absorbing  interest  to  the  amateur 
geologist.  Again,  he  will  drive  you  along 
St.  Louis  Street  ;  but,  unless  you  happen  to 
enquire  about  it,  he  will  perhaps  never  dream 
of  pointing  out  to  you  the  site  of  the  house 
where  Montgomery  was  carried  after  he  had 
fallen  when  attempting  to  take  the  city,  or  the 
place  where  stood  that  other  house,  of  greater 
interest  still,  which  witnessed  the  death  of  the 
brave  Montcalm.  Cabby  is  almost  certain  to 
show  you  the  fine  post-office  building,  but  pro- 
bably will  forget  to  direct  your  attention  to 
the  Chien  d '  Or  which  adorns  its  eastern  f  a9ade 
and  will  perhaps  be  unable  to  explain  to  you 
why  it  is  virtually  a  memorial  to  him  who  may 
be  called  the  Hampden  of  Quebec.  Should 
he  take  you  to  be  a  Protestant — and  he  gene- 
rally makes  a  pretty  shrewd  guess  in  such  a 
matter, almost  as  shrewd  a  guess  as  if  he  hailed 
from  green  Erin — he  is  sure  to  point  out  to 
you  St.  Matthew's  church  ;  but,  poor  fellow, 
how  could  he  be  expected  to  know  that  in  the 
church-yard,  perhaps  within  a  few  feet  of  where 
you  are  standing,  there  is  a  memorial  of  the 
brother  of  the   author   of  Waverly.      Quite 


AND   OTHER    SKETCHES  25 

likely  he  will  drive  you  along  Champlain  street 
to  show  you  the  change  made  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  precipice  by  the  fatal  landslide  of 
1889,  but  if  you  are  at  all  interested  in  the 
abortive  attack  made  on  the  city  by  the  Ame- 
ricans in  1775  make  him  take  you  down  under 
the  cliff  so  that  you  may  see  the  only  memorial 
Quebec  possesses  of  the  death  of  that  ill-star- 
red Irish  soldier  and  American  Revolutionist, 
General  Montgomery. 

However,  as  this  article  on  Quebec  is  not 
meant  particularly  for  the  benefit  of  those  to 
whom  the  Ancient  Capital  is  more  or  less 
known,  but  for  the  sake  of  others,  it  is  desir- 
able to  attempt  such  an  account  of  the  city  and 
its  neighborhood  as  may  be  interesting  to 
people  in  general,  and  shew  them  that  though 
they  might  spend  a  summer  holiday  where  the 
goddess  of  fashion  is  more  wantonly  worship- 
ped by  her  votaries — and  where  also  their 
expenses  would  be  much  greater — they  will 
hardly  find  a  locality  on  the  continent  where 
such  a  holiday  may  be  spent  with  greater 
advantage  to  both  mind  and  body.  Of  course, 
one  may  spend  his  vacation  almost  anywhere 
in    reckless    dissipation  ;    but   the   man   who 


26  IN   OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

spends  it  rationally  in  Quebec  and  its  neigbor- 
hood  will  return  to  his  work  with  all  his 
powers  wonderfully  refreshed  and  recuperated. 

To  the  temporary  sojourner  within  the  gates 
of  ••  Old  Quebec's  "  tributary  country  there 
is  a  great  deal  in  the  way  of  scenery  which 
will  more  than  repay  a  visit. 

The  Saguenay  country  is  by  long  odds  the 
most  noted  of  these  natural  attractions,  and 
the  improvement  in  travelling  facilities  is 
rapidly  increasing  the  number  of  its  visitors. 
The  journey  is  made  by  one  of  two  different 
routes  from  Quebec, — the  improved  railway 
service  competing  with  the  splendid  river 
route.  An  attempt  to  describe  the  beauties  of 
this  extraordinary  country  would  be  only  to 
repeat  what  has  already  been  said,  and  then 
even  a  first  impression  of  what  the  Saguenay 
really  is  would  not  be  transmitted.  It  is  by 
a  visit  alone  that  the  grandeur  and  sublimity 
of  this  natural  wonder  can  be  thoroughly 
understood  and  appreciated. 

It  may  be  said,  however,  that  when  one  has 
seen  the  Saguenay  he  has  virtually  seen  a 
Norwegian  fjord.  Then,  en  route  thither  by 
the  St.  Lawrence  river  one  finds  such  pictur- 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  27 

esque  places  as  lyCS  Eboulements,  Baie  St. 
Paul,  Murray  Bay,  Capal'Aigle,  Riviere  du 
Loup,  Tadoussac,  Ha  !  Ha  !  Bay,  Chicoutimi, 
and  Roberval,  the  last  named  situated  upon 
the  margin  of  the  beautiful  Lake  St.  John  with 
its  blue  fringe  of  mountains,  and  affording 
a  view  from  every  point  of  the  great  white 
veil  of  the  Ouiatchouan  Falls  in  their  grace- 
ful descent  of  over  three  hundred  feet.  There 
is  also  the  impressive  scenery  of  the  Laurentian 
hills,  through  which  the  railway  has  penetrated 
at  a  great  altitude  for  nearly  two  hundred 
miles,  on  its  way  through  the  romantic 
'*  Canadian  Adirondacs  "  to  the  lake  just 
mentioned.  The  country  surrounding  this 
great  body  of  water  is  known  as  the  Lake  St. 
John  Territory,  and  comprises  over  thirt}^ 
thousand  square  miles  or  nearly  twenty  million 
acres,  and  the  resources  of  this  domain  are  as 
varied  as  can  be  imagined.  There  is  a  large 
area  of  arable  land  ;  the  soil  is  very  suitable 
for  mixed  farming,  which  is  being  carried  on 
at  the  present  time  with  more  than  average 
success.  The  land  is  peculiarly  adapted  to 
grazing.     The  country  has  been  aptly  styled 


28  IN   OLD  QUKBEC  ; 

the  future  granary  of  eastern  Canada,  and  it 
is  already  famous  as  a  dairy  country. 

The  chief  physical  feature  of  the  Lake  St. 
John  region  is  the  great  inland  sea  from  which 
it  takes  its  name.  This  is  a  beautiful  body  of 
water,  almost  circular  in  form,  and  about  a 
hundred  miles  in  circumference.  The  lake's 
elevation  is  three  hundred  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea  :  it  is  fed  by  a  dozen  or  so  of  rivers, 
some  of  which  are  of  immense  size.  Innumer- 
able lakes,  surrounded  for  the  most  part  by 
virgin  forests  of  valuable  timber,  feed  many 
hundreds  of  tributaries  of  these  large  rivers. 
Most  of  the  waters  furnish  a  vast  variety  of 
most  desirable  food  and  game  fishes,  and  fisher- 
men from  all  over  the  world  have  visited  them 
from  time  to  time. 

Of  the  many  valuable  gifts  that  nature  has 
bestowed  upon  the  Province  of  Quebec  are  the 
numerous  water- powers  which  abound  in  every 
part  of  it,  and  the  vast  forests  of  spruce  and 
other  woods  which  fill  the  valleys  and  adorn 
the  hills  of  this  picturesque  country.  Of  the 
twenty  millions  acres  comprising  this  territory 
about  fifteen  millions  acres  are  covered  by 
forests.     The  principal   kinds   of   timber  are 


MONTMORKXCV    FALLS,    OIK, 


SHRINK    OF    STE.    ANNK    Di;    JIKALTRl';,    tJL  K 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  29 

Spruce,  balsam,  fir,  white  birch,  cypress  and 
pine.  The  white,  black  and  red  spruce  cons- 
titute more  than  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the 
timber.  As  spruce  is  now  admitted  to  be  the 
best  wood  for  making  pulp  for  paper,  and  as 
better  values  are  being  obtained,  the  pulp 
industry  of  Quebec  is  assuming  gigantic  pro- 
portions. The  spruce  timber  resources  of  Que- 
bec forests  form  a  topic  of  national  interest. 
The  area  of  growth  of  spruce  timber  in  Quebec 
is  in  truth  a  wonderful  feature  in  connection 
with  the  native  tree  growth  of  this  North- 
eastern country. 

Another  important  territory  is  that  watered 
by  the  Rivers  Manicouagan  and  Aux  Outardes. 
This  comprises  an  area  of  thirteen  millions  five 
hundred  thousand  acres,  eight  millions  eight 
hundred  thousand  of  which  are  drained  by  the 
Manicouagan  and  four  millions  seven  thousand 
hundred  by  the  Outardes.  The  bay  at  the 
mouth  of  Manicouagan  River  is  three  miles 
broad.  There  are  many  excellent  water- 
powers  available  on  both  these  rivers.  There  is 
a  large  supply  of  spruce  timber  of  a  good  com- 
mercial size  in  various  parts  of  the  territory, 
and  an  abundance  of  white  birch,  white  and 


30  IN   OLD  QUEBKC  ; 

black  spruce,  aspen,  poplar,  balsam,  fir,  bank- 
sian  pine,  white  pine  and  black  ash.  Although 
shorter  and  smoother  than  the  Manicouagan, 
Auz  Outardes  is,  nevertheless,  one  of  the 
largest  rivers  flowing  into  the  St.  Lawrence. 
Its  width  is  from  seven  to  fifteen  chains,  with 
an  average  depth  of  eight  feet.  The  falls  are 
at  the  end  of  the  tidal  wave,  about  twelve 
miles  from  the  sea,  and  the  current  at  the  falls 
exceeds  one  hundred  feet  per  minute.  The 
soil  of  the  territory  is  fit  for  settlement  and 
pulpwood  is  abundant.  Graphite  and  immense 
deposits  of  iron  ore  have  been  found,  and 
thick  bands  of  magnetite  have  also  been' met 
with.  The  climate  is  not  severe,  and  agricul- 
ture has  been  undertaken  to  a  limited  extent. 
The  "La  Tuque"  rapids,  on  the  St.  Maurice 
River,  create  a  magnificent  water-power ;  the 
total  minimum  natural  power  of  these  rapids 
is  equal  to  seventy-nine  thousand  one  hundred 
and  ninety-sixth  horse-power.  By  damming  the 
river  above  the  rapids,  and  increasing  the  head 
to  one  hundred  feet,  it  is  said  that  the  total 
power  would  attain  to  ninety  thousand  horse- 
power. Convenient  sites  for  mills  are  available. 
The  distance  in  a  straight  line  from  the  head 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  31 

of  these  rapids  to  these  mill  sites  is  about 
four  thousand  feet. 

The  allied  industries  of  Shawenegan  Falls 
are  the  most  important  of  all  the  industries  of 
this  character  established  in  the  Province. 
There  has  been  an  expenditure  in  connection 
with  these  industries,  in  real  property  and  im- 
provements, of  approximately  seven  millions 
of  dollars.  These  industries  have  developed  a 
town  of  a  population  of  sixe  thousand  people, 
who  enjoy  all  modern  municipal  improvements 
and  nearly  two  thousand  people  are  employed 
in  connection  with  this  wide  range  of  indus- 
tries. 

At  Lake  St.  John  the  deep  and  rapid 
river  Saguenay  has  its  source  ;  and  emerging 
thence  through  the  Grand  Discharge  it  flows 
between  verdant  banks,  then  it  madly  rushes  bet- 
ween precipitous  rocks  some  two  thousand  feet 
in  perpendicular  height — dashing,  tumbling, 
foaming,  roaring,  raving,  until  at  last  it 
mingles  its  tumultuous  and  inky  waters  with 
those  of  the  more  pellucid  St.  Lawrence. 
No  wonder  that  amongst  the  crowds  which 
have  visited  Lake  St.  John  and  the  Saguenay 
there  have  been  some  very  exalted  personages 


32  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

indeed  ;  and  it  is  related  that  many  members 
of  the  royal  family  of  Salmon,  and  the  kindred 
Ouananiche, —  which  is  loveliest  and  gamest 
of  all  the  Salmon  tribe  —  have  met  death 
beneath  these  waters  at  the  hands  of  the  Royal 
House  of  Hanover.  The  river  does  not  actually 
rise  in  Lake  St.  John,  but  passes  through  it, 
its  source  being  about  three  hundred  miles 
further  back  in  Lake  Miscouaskame;  and  from 
thence  to  Lake  St.  John  it  is  known  as  the 
Ashuapmouchouan,or,  to  use  the  shorter  form, 
Chamouchuan.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  wild 
grandeur  of  the  scenery  along  its  course  from 
Ha!  Ha!  Bay,  a  distance  of  some  seventy- five 
miles. 

But  if  a  visit  to  the  Saguenay  and  Lake  St. 
John  be  out  of  the  question  a  choice  may  be 
be  made  from  several  other  places — quieter 
indeed,  but  none  the  less  attractive,  and 
reached  more  readily.  Out  of  these  we  select 
two  or  three  which  should  not  be  overlooked 
— or  rather,  they  should  be  overlooked,  but 
not  left  unvisited.  For  example,  there  is 
Lake  St.  Joseph,  nestling  amid  the  Laurentian 
hills, — a  favorite  resort  with  pleasure  seekers, 
and  one   which  has  many  attractions   in   he 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  33 

way  of  boating,  yachting  and  fishing,  and 
affording  every  modern  faciHty  in  the  way 
of  hotel  accomodation  ;  and  that  other  of 
nature's  gems,  Lake  Beaiiport,  quiet  but  none 
the  less  attractive  for  this  reason.  There  is, 
also,  Indian  Lorette,  a  little  village  having  a 
beautiful  cascade  nearby,  the  source  of  which 
is  the  sinuous  river  St.  Charles.  The  village 
is  inhabited  by  not  indeed  the  * '  last  of  the 
Mohicans,"  but  by  almost  the  last  of  the 
Hurons,  celebrated  along  with  many  an  other 
aboriginal  tribe  of  dusky  warriors  in  the  fas- 
cinating stories  of  a  deservedly  celebrated 
novelist.  Alas,  the  red  man  seems  to  be  rapidly 
passing  away  ;  and  although  we  would  not 
like  to  see  him  as  he  once  was — horrible  in  his 
paint, treacherously  stealing  upon  his  foe,  scalp- 
ing the  braves  with  his  deadly  knife,  and 
mercilessly  slaughtering  women  and  children — 
we  would  like  to  have  him  remain  with  us, 
untainted  by  the  vices  of  the  renegade  white 
man,  and  enjoying  all  the  blessings  of  Christian 
civilization.  Well,  those  of  them  to  be  seen 
at  Jeune  lyorette  spend  their  time  peaceably 
enough,  chiefly  engaged  at  the  work  in  which 
they  excel,  namely,  manufacturing  birch  bark, 


o4  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

buckskin,  beads,  and  so  on,  into  a  variety  of 
articles,  all  of  them  pretty  and  most  of  them 
useful. 

Of  course,  no  one  would  think  of  spending 
so  short  a  time  as  a  couple  of  day's  at  Quebec 
without  visiting  the  world-renowned  Shrine 
of  Ste.  Anne  de  Beauprd,  a  shrine  which  has 
such  a  reputation  as  being  the  scene  of  won- 
derful works  of  healing  that  it  has  drawn,  and 
continues  to  draw,  millions  of  devout  pilgrims 
and  others  from  all  parts  of  the  continent.  Is 
there  any  truth  in  the  accounts  given  of  these 
miracles  ?  Well,  when  one  sees  the  collections 
of  crutches  left  here  by  cripples  who,  when 
they  came  to  the  shrine,  were  unable  to  walk 
without  their  aid,  and  when  one  listens  to  the 
statements  of  those  whose  testimony  seems  to 
be  of  the  most  unimpeachable  character,  what 
can  one  say  ?  To  be  sure,  the  sceptic  will  turn 
away  with  scorn,  and  say  that  such  works  are 
absolutely  impossible,  that  they  are  contrary 
to  the  laws  of  nature,  and  that  no  miracle  has 
ever  been  performed  at  the  Shrine  of  Ste.  Anne 
de  Beaupre  or  any  where  else.  But  may  there 
not  be  * '  more  things  in  heaven  and  earth  than 
are  dreamed  of  " — even  **  in  the  philosophy  " 


SCENE  ON    THE   ST.  FRANCIS   RIVER,    NEAR   SHERBROOKE,    QUE. 
ON   THB  LINB  OF  THE  QUEBEC  CE.NTRAL  RAILWAY. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  35 

of  a  sceptic?  At  any  rate,  it  is  hardly  in  keeping 
with  the  meek  though  inquiring  spirit  of  the 
true  philosopher  to  sneeringly  say  that  vows 
and  prayers  offered  to  the  Saints  and  to  Him 
whom  the  Saints  adore,  for  some  miraculous 
work  of  healing  to  be  performed,  are  nothing 
but  the  outcome  of  ignorance  and  superstition. 
The  wonders  said  to  have  taken  place  in  our 
days  at  the  Shrine  of  Ste.  Anne  de  Beaupre 
and  other  places  may  not  seem  to  be  in  accor- 
dance with  any  department  of  that  domain 
which  some  men,  in  their  shortsightedness 
regard  as  the  whole  realm  of  Science  ;  but 
may  there  not  be  another  realm,  a  spiritual 
realm,  governed  by  other  laws  than  those 
which  are  known  to  mortals?  and  if  so,  may 
not  what  men  call  miracles  be  just  as  much 
in  accordance  with  these  laws  as  the  fall  of  the 
apple  which  is  said  to  have  led  Newton  to  his 
great  discovery  was  in  accordance  with  what  is 
known  as  the  law  of  attraction  of  gravitation  ? 
But  be  that  as  it  may,  even  the  most  unbeliev- 
ing cannot  but  acknowledge  that  the  faith 
which  leads  people  suffering  from  various  dis- 
eases, to  come  long  distances  to  the  Shrine  of 
Ste.  Anne,  and  there  make   holy   vows  and 


36  IN  OLD  QUKBEC  : 

offer  unceasing  prayers  in  concert  with  others, 
may  have  the  effect  of  enabling  them  to  cast 
off  those  diseases  which  afflicted  them,  and 
which  had  set  at  naught  the  best  efforts  of  the 
most  skilful  physicians. 

But  this  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  the  sub- 
ject of  miracles  ;  and  so  we  say  good  bye  to 
the  sacred  relics  and  the  holy  shrine,  to  the 
venerable  Scala  Sancta  and  the  beautiful  church, 
and  as  we  do  so  we  hope  and  pray  that  thou- 
sands of  miracles  may  yet  be  wrought  for  the 
relief  of  suffering  humanity.  God  knows  there 
is  sorrow  enough  in  the  world  without  our 
adding  to  it  by  trying  to  uildermine  the  beau- 
tiful faith  which  still  believes  that  the  day  of 
miracles  has  not  passed  away  forever,  and  that 
there  is  one  who  still  says  to  the  suppliant, 
**  Be  of  good  comfort ;  thy  faith  has  made  thee 
whole  ;  go  in  peace." 

Returning  from  Ste.  Anne  de  Beaupre  there 
is  another  place  of  interest,  which  should  be 
visited  before  bidding  farewell  to  glorious  old 
Quebec.  This  is  Montmorency  Falls  and  the 
grounds  in  connection  with  historic  Kent 
House.  Smoothly  and  quickly  we  glide  along 
a  charming  railway  route  by  the  banks  of  the 


THK    CITADEL,     HALIFAX,    X.    S. 


?.,:    '.-_3P#                     ^ 

•  '''TtTi^^^^~"--^*'^*^a&i^ 

_  «ife^ 

^^^^mm 

L 

gf*^^^ 

f::^ 

ST.   JOHN,  N.    B. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  37 

river  until  we  find  ourselves  almost  at  the 
foot  of  the  picturesque  and  beautiful  cataract. 
Indeed  just  where  we  leave  the  car  is  a  spot 
from  which  one  of  the  finest  views  is  to  be 
obtained  ;  and  as  we  notice  the  milk-white 
colour  of  the  waters  glistening  in  the  sunlight 
we  are  not  surprised  to  learn  that  the  Indians, 
after  their  usual  manner,  called  the  place 
' '  the  Cow  '  *  —  not  a  poetic  name  perhaps,  but 
certainly  expressive.  The  Falls  of  Montmo- 
rency are  some  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
height,  or  about  one  hundred  feet  higher  than 
Niagara,  and  are  characterized  by  peculiar 
grace  and  beauty. 

Near  by  is  Kent  House  which  was  once  the 
summer  residence  of  King  Edward's  grand- 
father, the  royal  Duke  of  Kent,  one  of  the 
wisest  and  most  efficient  Commandants  that 
ever  had  charge  of  the  garrison  at  Halifax. 

Here  one  can  roam  through  the  delightful 
park,  a  spot  which  the  art  of  the  landscape 
gardener,  supplementing  the  charms  lavished 
by  Nature's  generous  hand  has  converted  into 
a  terrestrial  paradise.  An  added  charm  here 
is  the  interesting  zoological  exhibition  which 
owes  its  existence  to  the  generosity  of  one  of 


38  IN  OLD  QUEBEC  : 

the  merchant  princes  of  the  ancient  capital. 
A  short  walk  brings  one  to  the  Natural  Steps, 
and  "Fairy  Lake,"  and  as  we  examine  the 
curious  geological  formation  we  are  once  more 
reminded  of  the  past  ;  for  here  the  French 
and  the  British  forces  lay  encamped  opposite 
each  other,  separated  only  by  the  river,  a  short 
time  before  the  succesful  assault  was  made  on 
the  city.  As  we  return  to  Montmorency  Park 
we  catch  glimpses  of  the  broad  bosom  of  the 
wondrous  river  that  gives  '  *  its  freshness  for  a 
hundred  leagues  to  ocean's  briny  wave."  Too 
soon,  we  fancy,  does  the  sun  give  his  last  kiss 
to  the  falling  waters  ;  but  as  he  sinks  to  rest 
behind  the  western  hills, 

"  Silently,  one  by  one,  in  the  infinite  meadows  of 

heaven, 
Blossom  the  lovely  stars,  the  forget-me  nots  of  the 

angels." 

And  as  we  reluctantly  leave  this  land  of 
delight  we  feel  that  we  are  saying  farewell  to 
a  place  which  we  shall  always  remember  as 
"  a  thing  of  beauty  and  a  joy  forever." 

One  cannot  very  well  speak  of  the  enter- 
prise and  natural  scenic  beauty  of  the  Pro- 
vince   of   Quebec     without     including    some 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  39 

reference  to  the  Eastern  Townships,  a  section 
of  country  which  stretches  south  easterly  from 
the  St.  Lawrence  River  to  the  New  England 
frontier.  This  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
fairest  tracts  of  Old  Canada,  and  embraces  ten 
thousand  square  miles,  ' '  a  land  of  river  and 
plain  ;  of  mountain,  and  tarn,  and  lake,  and 
valley  ;  but  first  and  chiefly  a  river  land.  " 
Principal  among  the  business  centres  of  great- 
est importance  in  this  part  of  the  province  is 
the  city  of  Sherbrooke.  Sweet  Sherbrooke  ! 
loveliest  city  of  the  Townships  !  The  effect  on 
the  visitor  on  entering  the  place  is  certainly 
pleasing,  and  there  are  many  indications  of 
recent  great  improvement  in  the  civic  character 
of  the  town.  Of  the  scenery  round  about 
there  is  much  to  charm  and  much  to  see.  It 
is  wonderful  how  all  the  towns  flourish  which 
possess  "  water  priviledges."  How  extraor- 
dinary, for  example,  is  the  growth  of  this  city 
on  the  Magog  River  ;  of  St.  Hyacinthe,  and 
of  many  similarly  situated  towns  in  the  Pro- 
vince of  Quebec.  Not  long  ago  the  two  towns 
mentioned  were  small  villages  overlooking 
picturesque  waters,  but  now  they  are  flourish- 
ing centres   of   twelve   thousand   and    fifteen 


40  IN  OI.D  QUEBEC  ; 

thousand  iuhabitants,  respectively,  the  current 
of  whose  rivers  is  the  source  of  an  industrial 
life  and  energy  which  generally  distinguishes 
the  West. 


THE  ISLAND  OF  ORLEANS. 

No  historiographer  of  Canada,  or  even  of 
the  Province  of  Quebec,  could  avoid  devoting 
a  chapter  or  two  of  his  work  to  the  Isle  of 
Orleans,  that  delightful  retreat  ''  from  the 
busy  haunts  of  men,  "  whilst  to  the  local 
annalist  it  affords  material  of  the  most  absorb- 
ing interest.  What  names  and  memories  are 
forever  associated  with  the  Island  of  Orleans ! 
As  we  wander  amid  its  quiet  groves,  or  recline 
upon  its  grassy  slopes,  or  listen  to  the  rippling 
of  the  waters  upon  its  silvery  sands,  we  think 
of  Cartier  and  De  la  Roque,  Champlain  and 
Montmorency,  Wolfe  and  Montcalm,  aye,  and 
many  another  also  whose  names  can  never  be 
forgotten,  and  whose  enterprise,  courage,  and 
fortitude  must  ever  illumine  the  page  of  his- 
tory. But  as  this  sketch  is  meant  to  be  des- 
criptive rather  than  historical,  we  must  content 
ourselves   with    lightly    skimming   over   the 


42  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  : 

island's  aunals,  noting  in  our  rapid  flight  a 
few  incidents  which  should  be  attractive  to 
the  average  reader  of  Canadian  literature. 

When  Jacques  Cartier,  on  his  second  voyage 
to  the  new  world,  first  sailed  up  the  St.  Law- 
rence, he  called  the  subject  of  our  sketch  the 
Island  of  Bacchus,  either  because  here  he  first 
found  the  grape-vine  in  Canada  or  because  it 
grew  here  in  great  abundance.  However,  just 
before  setting  out  on  his  return  voyage,  he 
gave  it  its  present  more  desirable  appellation, 
and  he  did  so  in  memory  of  that  Duke  of 
Orleans  who  had  died  a  short  time  before. 
Colonists  from  old  France,  with  the  enterprise 
which  has  always  characterized  their  race, 
soon  began  to  arrive  in  considerable  numbers  ; 
and  as  these  adventurous  men,  in  common  with 
all  Frenchmen  in  those  days,  brought  their 
religion  with  them  wherever  they  came,  chur- 
ches were  quickly  erected,  and  were  served  by 
priests  of  the  learned  and  self-sacrificing  Jesuit 
order,  an  order  to  which  not  only  Canada,  but 
the  whole  continent,  is  under  deep  and  lasting 
obligations.  Who  can  estimate  a  tithe  of  what 
they,  and  members  of  other  orders  also,  had 
to  .suffer  as,  animated  by  their  Master's  spirit, 


VIRWS   AT    "bout    DE   L'ISLE 
ISLAND  OF  ORLEANS,   QUEBEC. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  43 

they  carried  on  their  evangelistic  and  educa- 
tional work  among  the  pagan  aborigines  ?  Nor 
were  refined  and  delicately  nurtured  women 
less  devoted  to  the  cause  of  Christianity  ;  for 
very  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  at  the 
latest,  there  must  have  been  a  Sisterhood 
working  on  the  island,  seeing  that  when  their 
convent  was  burned  to  the  ground  in  1650 
very  many  Indians,  who  had  become  converts 
to  Christianity,  and  whom  they  had  helped  to 
civilize,  gladly  acknowledged  their  great  indeb- 
tedness to  the  Sisters,  and  gave  them  every 
assistance  in  their  power. 

It  is  not  surprising,  then,  that  very  early  in 
its  history  Orleans  became  divided  into  par- 
ishes, each  having  its  own  church  and  its  own 
cure  ;  and,  perhaps,  the  unadorned  worship 
offered  in  these  necessarily  humble  houses  of 
prayer,  beneath  whose  protection  the  early 
settlers  dwelt  secure,  was  just  as  earnest  and 
heartfelt  as  the  most  gorgeous  services  that 
have  ever  been  held  in  those  glorious  fanes 
which  now  bedeck  so  many  parts  of  the  Domi- 
nion, and  which  in  a  ver>^  real  sense  are  bul- 
warks of  Canada. 

The  island,  which  is  nearly  twenty-one  miles 


44  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

long,  and  in  some  places  five  and  a  half  miles 
broad,  was  granted  originally  as  a  Seigniory, 
— forming  part  of  the  Seigniory  of  Beaupr6, — 
by  the  Compan}^  of  New-France  to  the  Sieur 
Castillon  of  Paris,  on  the  loth  af  January, 
1636.  One  of  the  conditions  of  the  grant  was 
that  the  said  Sieur  was  to  send  out  colonists  to 
settle  on  the  island.  The  lands  were  soon 
occupied,  and  in  the  year  1663  one  of  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  wrote  :  — "  The  Island  of  Orleans  is 
remarkable  for  its  size,  being  upwards  of 
fifteenth  leagues  in  circumference.  It  abounds 
in  grain,  which  grows  there  of  every  descrip- 
tion, and  with  such  facility  that  the  farmer 
has  only  to  scrape  the  land,  which  yields  him 
all  that  he  can  desire,  and  this  during  fourteen 
or  fifteen  consecutive  years  without  repose. 
This  beautiful  island  continues  happily  to  be 
peopled  from  one  end  to  the  other." 

In  course  of  time  the  island  came  into  the 
possession  of  Monseigneur  de  Laval  Montmo- 
rency, the  first  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of 
Quebec,  and  that  enthusiastic  educationist  soon 
after  presented  it  to  the  Seminary  at  Quebec, 
which  indeed  he  himself  had  founded  ;  and 
the  same  ecclesiastical  dignitary,  as  the  repre- 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  45 

sentative  of  the  Seminary,  afterwards  exchang- 
ed it  for  the  Island  of  Jesus,  near  Montreal. 
In  1675  it  was  erected  into  an  independent 
Seigniory,  having  hitherto  belonged  as  stated, 
to  the  Seigniory  of  Beaupre  ;  and  some  thirty 
years  later  it  passed,  by  purchase,  into  the 
hands  of  M.  de  Berthelot,  a  former  owner. 
After  this  the  island  was  owned  by  one  person 
and  another  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  last 
century,  when  it  was  bought  by  the  then  head 
of  the  Drapeau  family,  and  it  has  since  been 
acquired  by  the  present  resident  population, 
numbering  four  thousand  and  more  souls,  who 
are  engaged  in  the  various  departments  of 
farming  life. 

The  only  other  historical  event  we  shall  refer 
to  is  of  a  deeply  interesting  character  to  the 
whole  British  people,  and  must  be  very  affect- 
ing to  those  loyal  subjects  of  King  Edward, 
the  French-Canadians  ;  that  is  to  say,  it  was 
in  this  island  that  Wolfe  prepared  for  his  ever- 
memorable  assault  on  Quebec.  It  is  question- 
able if  a  more  seemingly  desperate  underta- 
king was  ever  faced  by  a  military  commander, 
and  though  he  and  his  men  as  they  sailed  up 
the  St.  Lawrence  were  flushed  with  the  recent 


46  IN  OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

victory  at  Louisburg,  their  hearts  must  have 
sunk  within  them  as  they  began  to  realize  the 
stupendous  character  of  the  task  they  were 
expected  to  accomplish. 

Between  them  and  this  apparently  unassail- 
able object  of  attack  are  the  dangerous  rocks 
and  shoals  of  the  northern  branch  of  the 
mighty  river ;  some  eight  miles  east  of  the  city 
the  left  flank  of  the  enemy  is  protected  by  the 
deep  and  rapid  Montmorency,  and  before 
them  stands  the  frowning  citadel,  the  most 
formidable  fortress  on  the  continent.  Every 
available  position  all  the  way  up  the  almost 
perpendicular  ascent  is  fortified  with  redouts 
and  parapets,  bristling  with  cannon,  and 
manned  by  thousands  of  the  bravest  veterans 
of  Europe  and  of  the  hardy  and  courageous 
militia  men  of  Canada,  all  under  the  command 
of  a  valiant  and  skilful  general. 

But  why  say  more  ?  The  whole  world  knows 
what  was  the  issue  ;  and  we  shall  conclude 
this  part  of  our  paper  with  the  gratifying 
reflection  that  the  two  races,  including  many 
descendants  of  the  brave  men  who  met  in 
deadly  conflict  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham 
that  September  day  in  1759,  are  now  vying 


<  < 
o  u. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  47 

with  each  other  in  promoting  the  material, 
moral,  and  spiritual  welfare  of  the  land  we  all 
love  so  well,  our  own  Canada  ;  and  we  also 
express  our  earnest  hope  that  the  entente  cor- 
diale  now  happily  existing  between  philosophic 
France  and  practical  England  may  continue 
unimpaired  from  generation  to  generation. 

From  the  first  arrival  of  the  French  the 
Island  of  Orleans  has  been  noted  for  the 
fertility  of  its  soil,  the  salubrity  of  its  climate, 
and  its  diversified  scenery.  It  produces  in 
abundance  the  cereals  and  fruits  of  the  temper- 
ate zone,  and  a  great  variety  of  wild  flowers  ; 
surrounded  by  the  waters  of  the  broad  river, 
the  heat  in  summer  is  a  tonic  rather  than  ener- 
vating, nor,  it  is  said,  is  the  cold  in  winter  so 
intense  as  it  is  on  the  mainland  ;  whilst  maples 
and  oaks,  elms  and  cedars,  rowans  and  poplars, 
form  picturesque  groves,  dim  vistas  and 
delightful  avenues. 

One  of  these  last,  running  across  the  island 
from  north  to  south,  and  extending  from  the 
Church  of  St.  Pierre  to  the  Church  of  the  St. 
Laurent,  deserves  special  mention,  for  it  is 
particularly  beautiful.     As  we  walk  or  slowly 


48  IN  OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

drive  between  the  rows  of  umbrageous  maples 
we  catch  glimpses  of  the  azure  sky  through  the 
natural  lattice  work  of  overarching  branches,  — 
the  summer  heat  gratefully  moderated  by  the 
leafy  canopy ;  we  inhale  the  perfume  of  the 
flowers  which  *  *  opening  their  sweet  eyes  one 
by  one, ' '  spring  up  at  each  side,  '  *  where  nature 
has  her  mossy  velvet  spread  ; ' '  and  we  are 
joyously  greeted  by  the  feathered  songsters  as 
they  pour  forth  floods  of  melody.  Amid  such 
surroundings,  under  such  influences,  w^e  begin 
to  fancy  that  the  Bard  of  the  Emerald  Isle  might 
here  have  realized,  for  at  least  a  third  of  the 
year,  the  vision  which  must  have  appeared 
before  the  eyes  of  his  soul  when  he  sang  : 

*•  Oh!  had  we  some  bright  little  isle  of  our  own, 
In  a  blue  summer  ocean  far  off  and  alone, 
Where  the  leaf  never  dies  in  the  still  blooming  bowers; 
And  the  bee  banquets    on    through    the  whole   year 
of  flowers  ; 

Where  the  sun  loves  to  pause 

With  so  fond  a  delay, 
That  the  night  only    draws 
A  thin  veil  o'er  the  day  ; 
Where  simply  to  feel  that  we  breathe,  that  we  live. 
Is  worth  the  best  joy  that  life  elsewhere  can  give/' 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  49 

Some  two  miles  from  the  southwest  of  the 
island,  and  towards  the  north,  we  come  to  an 
eminence  which  rises  to  about  twelve  hundred 
feet  above  the  river ;  and  from  this  elevation 
the  eye  is  delighted  with  the  prospect  spread 
out  on  every  side.  On  the  opposite  main  land 
the  milk-white  waters  of  the  historic  Mont- 
morency are  seen  taking  their  graceful  leap 
from  a  height  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
their  mad  rush  to  mingle  themselves  with  those 
of  the  all-absorbing  St-Lawrence  ;  the  reverbe- 
rations of  their  descent,  mellowed  by  distance, 
fall  not  unmusically  upon  the  ear  ;  whilst,  the 
spray,  like  clouds  of  silver  dust,  now  appear 
vague  andshadov/y,  now  fantastic  and  bewilde- 
ring, and  anon  delights  the  enraptured  beholder 
by  exhibiting  ever^^  combination  of  grace  and 
beauty. 

We  cannot  but  recall  some  lines  once  ad- 
dressed to  another  waterfall,  and  as  we  repeat 
them  we  please  ourselves  by  believing  that 
the  poet's  prayer  was  answered,  and  that  the 
bow  was  seen  in  the  mist  that  circled  him  at 
the  last  : — 

"  Oh  !  may  my  falls  be  bright  as  thine. 
May  Heaven's  forgiving  rainbow  shine 


50  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

Upon  the  mist  that  circles  me, 
As  soft  as  now  it  falls  on  thee." 

See  the  shore  of  Beauport  shiiiiniering  in  the 
simlight  as  the  laving  waters  first  advance  and 
then  recede  ;  above,  as  if  to  protect  the  place 
from  danger,  see  the  parish  church,  bearing 
on  high  the  holy  Cross,  which,  as  it  dazzling- 
ly  reflects  the  brilliant  light  that  comes  down 
from  heaven  in  a  flood  of  glory,  reminds  us 
that  what  was  once  a  symbol  of  shame  has 
been,  since  the  dawn  of  the  first  Easter,  when 
the  Magdalene  saw  her  risen  Lord,  an  emblem 
of  joy  and  victor3\ 

Not  far  off  see  those  carefully  cultivated 
lauds  dotted  here  and  tliere  with  the  pretty 
dwellings  of  the  habitants,  embellished  by 
orchards  and  gardens,  and  protected  from  the 
rude  winds  of  the  north  by  a  background  of 
blue  hills.  The  cattle  quench  their  thirst  at 
the  crystal  stream,  or  crop  the  wholesome 
herbage  as  they  slowly  move  tlirough  the 
green  pasture  ;  the  lambs  are  resting  at  the 
mothers'  sides  or  disporting  themselves  in 
some  more  distant  part  of  the  enclosure  ;  and, 
as  we  hear  the  lowing  of  the  kine  or  the  tink- 


AND  OTHKR  SKETCHES.  51 

ling  of  the  sheep-bells,  the  Augelus  calls  us  to 
one  of  the  dearest  and  sweetest  devotions,  for 
it  is  in  honor  of  the  Divine  Child  and  His 
Virgin  Mother. 

A  pleasant  walk  of  between  two  and  three 
miles  brings  us  to  the  highest  elevation  on  the 
island  ;  and  from  this  altitude,  on  a  midsum- 
mer's day,  we  have  an  enchanting  view  of 
quaint,  old-fashioned  cottages,  fertile  fields 
and  fruitful  orchards,  picturesque  hills  and 
dales;  w^hilst  the  majestic  St.  Lawrence  reveals 
himself  at  intervals  here  and  there,  and  the 
towering  Laurentians  are  seen  in  the  distance. 
Further  eastward,  a  splendid  expanse  of  the 
river,  not  less  than  fifteen  miles  from  shore  to 
shore,  breaks  upon  our  gaze,  with  the  soft 
outlines  of  Caps  Ste.  Anne  and  Tourmente 
towards  the  one  side, and  towards  the  other  seve- 
ral islands  having  many  natural  beauties  ;  and 
these,  in  some  instances,  are  enhanced  by  the 
skill  of  the  horticulturist  or  the  art  of  the  lands- 
cape gardener.  Animation  is  given  to  the 
scene  by  the  light  canoe  skimming  over  the 
surface  of  the  translucent  waters,  by  the  trim 
yacht  as  she  gracefully  yields  to  the  favoring 


62  IN  OLD  QUKBBC  ; 

breeze,  by  the  big-sailed  bateau  slowly 
proceeding  to  her  destination,  and  by  the 
monstrous  ocean  steamers  as  they  pass  on  their 
way  to  some  "  land  beyond  the  sea,"  or  seek 
rest  in  the  quiet  haven  after  perchance  a 
rough  and  stormy  passage. 

Along  the  south  shore,  as  we  go  towards 
the  west,  a  fine  public  road  takes  one  past 
many  a  fair  and  fertile  farm,  lying  on  a  slight- 
ly elevated  plateau,  each  farm  having  its  own 
private  road  leading  to  the  highway,  and 
several  of  them  flying  the  Canadian  ensign 
from  graceful  flagstaffs.  We  soon  reach  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  fine  avenue  already 
mentioned  as  running  across  the  island  from 
north  to  south  ;  and  not  far  from  here  a  safe, 
and  almost  land-locked,  bay  reminds  us  that, 
at  a  time  now  long  gone  by,  some  of  the  adven- 
turous and  ubiquitous  sons  of  Erin  must  in  all 
probability  have  visited  the  island,  for  no  one 
remembers  a  time  when  the  bay  was  not  known 
by  the  name  of  the  patron  saint  of  Ireland. 
Still  pursuing  our  way  in  the  same  direction, 
we  at  length  reach  a  point  from  which  the 
citadel  city  itself  is  seen  to  great  advantage, 
its  roofs  and  spires  glittering  by  day  in  the 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  53 

bright  sunlight,  and  resplendent  by  night  in 
all  the  varied  and  brilliant  colors  which  the 
electrican  causes  to  be  assumed —  or  to  seem  to 
be  assumed  by  that  mysterious  fluid  which  the 
daring  Franklin,  the  modern  Prometheus,  was 
the  first  to  draw  down  from  the  throne  of 
Jove  in  the  clouds  of  heaven. 

With  such  a  charming  resort  within  half  an 
hour's  sail  from  the  city  of  Quebec  it  is  not  to 
be  wondered  at  that  many  outsiders  have  their 
summer  residences  here,  and  that  consequently 
many  fine  mansions  have  been  erected,  and 
that  here  are  to  be  found  golf  links,  tennis 
courts,  etc. 

But,  as  we  have  to  follow  our  itinerary  as 
closely  as  may  be,  the  time  has  come  when  we 
must  say  good-bye  to  this  beautiful  place  ;  and 
so,  in  the  twilight  of  an  ideal  summer  day,  we 
go  on  board  one  of  the  handsomely  appointed 
boats  just  before  she  sets  out  for  the  city.  As 
she  gracefully  glides  upon  her  watery  way,  a 
light  mist  spreads  itself  around  us,  and  the 
moon's  pale  beams  shed  a  soft  radiance  upon 
the  river's  tranquil  bosom.  lyooking  back 
towards  the  island,  we  see  the  lights  of  the 
dwellings  shining  out,  one  by   one,  through 


54  IN  OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

the  deepening  shadows  ;  and  as  we  murmur  our 
adieus,  somewhat  pensively  perhaps,  an  answer 
comes  to  us  from  the  now  dim  and 'distant 
shore,  for — hark  !  can  you  not  hear  it  ? 

*'  Through  the  mist  that  floats  above  us 
Faintly  sounds  the  vesper  bell, 
Like  the  voice  of  those  that  love  us. 
Fondly  calling,  Fare  thee  well !  " 


u 
:^  Of 
<    O 

=  i 


III. 

QUEBEC'S  UNIQUE  PROMENADE. 

Those  of  us  who  have  reached  middle  age, 
and  whose  home  has  been  in  Canada  for  the 
last  thirty-five  years  or  so,  must  have  a  very 
vivid  remembrance  of  him  who  was  Governor- 
General  of  the  country  during  the  middle 
seventies — a  nobleman  w^ho  was  the  wisest  and 
most  sagacious  statesman,  the  most  eloquent 
and  popular  representative  of  Royalt}^,  that 
the  motherland  has  ever  sent  to  this  vast  Domi- 
nion ;  and  happy  indeed  was  the  man  who  first 
suggested  that  the  memory  of  Lord  Dufferin 
should  be  perpetuated  in  this  portion  of  the 
Empire  by  giving  his  name  to  that  magnificent 
terrace  which  is  unique  amongst  the  many 
attractions  of  the  Ancient  Capital.  Peculiarly 
appropriate  is  it,  too,  that  the  impregnable 
citadel  should  tower  above  the  terrace,  as  if 
affording  protection  to  the  splendid  promenade 
which  is  named  after  him  who  did  so  much  for 
the  State  to  which  the  citadel  belongs.     Nor  is 


56  IN    OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

it  less  fitting  that  Duiferin  Terrace  should  be 
free  for  the  recreation  of  all  alike,  the  poor 
and  the  plebian  as  well  as  the  wealthy  and 
aristocratic,  for  the  Marquis  of  Dufferin  and 
Ava  formed  his  estimate  of  men  not  by  the 
length  of  their  purses  or  the  nobility  of  their 
pedigree,  but  by  their  moral  stamina  and  their 
mental  endowments.  Moreover,  at  one  time 
in  his  life,  before  he  had  ever  seen  the  great 
inland  seas  of  Canada  or  her  illimitable  prai- 
ries, her  majestic  mountains  or  her  romantic 
valleys,  he  is  said  to  have  known  something 
of  the  res  angtistce  domi —  which,  after  all,  was 
not  without  its  compensation,  for  to  this  seem- 
ingly unhappy  circumstance  we  are  indebted, 
it  is  said,  for  that  most  entertaining  book 
entitled  ' '  Letters  from  High  Latitudes. ' '  Let 
us  say  also  that  as  we  marvel  at  the  eloquence 
of  another  of  his  works,  ' '  Speeches  and 
Addresses,"  our  wonder  ceases  when  we  call 
to  mind  the  fact  that  the  blood  of  Richard 
Brinsley  Sheridan  coursed  through  his  veins  ; 
and  as  we  admire  the  poetic  strain  which  cha- 
racterizes many  of  these  addresses  we  remem- 
ber that  "  Bingen  on  the  Rhine"  is  one  of 
several  beautiful  poems  written  by  his  mother's 


VIE\YS  OF   THE  pUEFERIN    TERRACE  AND  CHATEAU   FRONTENAC 
QUEBEC. 


AND  OTHER  SKKTCHES.  57 

sister,  and  that  the  mother  herself  was  the 
author  of  mauy  others,  including  that  exqui- 
sitely tender  and  pathetic  lyric,  ' '  The  I^ament 
of  the  Irish  Emigrant,"  which  ''has  made 
the  world  realize  the  whole  tragedy  of  the 
Irish  exodus  more  than  the  four  millions  of 
people  who  have  left  Ireland  during  half  a 
century." 

So  much  for  the  name  of  the  Terrace.  But 
its  name  is  by  no  means  its  most  distinguishing 
feature,  for  in  some  respects  it  surpasses  even 
such  famous  promenades  as  Sackville  Street, 
or  any  walk  in  Phoenix  Park,  Dublin  ;  Princes' 
Street,  or  the  delightful  way  to  Arthur's  Seat, 
in  Edinburgh  ;  Piccadilly,  Regent  Street, 
the  Park  of  St.  James,  or  the  Thames  Embank- 
ment, in  lyondon.  In  one  of  his  addresses, 
when  in  Canada,  the  Earl  of  Dufferin  compar- 
ed the  view  from  the  Terrace  of  Quebec  to 
that  obtained  from  either  Arthur's  Seat, 
or  Ehrenbreitstein  on  the  Rhine,  and  the 
comparison  was  by  no  means  to  Quebec's 
disadvantage.  The  Terrace  was  originally 
built  during  the  Governor- Generalship  of  Lord 
Durham,  and  perpetuated  the  name  for  many 
years  of  one  of  the  ablest  British  Governors  of 


58  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

Canada.  The  Durham  Terrace  is  associated 
with  the  most  romantic  and  heroic  memories 
that  chister  round  Quebec.  Where  the  pre- 
sent monument  to  the  memory  of  Quebec's 
founder  is  erected  there  was  in  Champlain's 
time  a  rude  stockaded  fort,  within  whicli  lie 
and  his  men  were  fain  to  take  refuge  from  the 
incursions  of  the  fierce  Iroquois.  Here,  also, 
rose  the  old  Chateau  St.  Louis  which,  for  two 
centuries  under  the  Fletcr  de  lis  or  the  Union 
Jack,  was  the  centre  of  Canadian  Government, 
and  the  base  of  defense  against  Iroquois,  Bri- 
tish, and  American  assailants. 

The  original  Terrace  was  only  sixty  feet  in 
length,  but  was  extented  in  1854  to  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  feet,  and,  again,  in  1879, 
at  the  suggestion  of  Lord  Dufferin,  to  the  walls 
of  the  Citadel,  making  a  total  promenade  of 
fourteen  hundred  feet,  with  an  average  width 
of  at  least  seventy  feet.  Another  promenade 
has  since  been  constructed  on  a  higher  level 
and  extending  alongside  the  Citadel  walls  as 
far  as  the  Cove  Fields,  the  connection  between 
the  two  Terraces  having  been  effected  by  a 
series  of  stairwa>  s. 

At  a  height  of  three  hundred  feet  above  the 


AND   OTHER    SKETCHES  59 

waters  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  Terrace  affords 
a  view  which  for  extent  and  variety  of  scene  is 
perhaps  unrivalled,  as  it  is  certainly  unsurpas- 
sed, on  the  Continent  of  America,  a  view  which 
must  yield  very  delightful  recreation  to  those 
who  look  upon  it  on  a  fine  summer  evening 
from  this  commanding  situation.  In  one  direc- 
tion we  have  a  glimpse  of  a  quiet  village,  and 
the  slender  spire  of  its  modest  church,  glisten- 
ing in  the  after  glow  of  the  sunset  ;  in  another 
we  see  the  comfortable  home  of  some  Canadian 
farmer,  protected  from  the  heat  by  the  wide- 
spreading  branches  of  the  umbrageous  maple 
or  graceful  elm,  and  embellished  externally 
with  those  simple  creeping  vines  which  the 
French  Canadians  arrange  so  effectively  ;  in 
the  distance  the  Laurentian  mountains  raise 
their  purple  veiled  summits  towards  the  sky, 
here  shining  in  the  brilliant  sunlight,  there 
shrouded  in  shadow  ;  nearer  to  us,  but  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  water,  is  the  old  fashioned 
town  of  Levis,  with  its  somewhat  precipitous 
streets,  and  admirable  fortifications,  and  pictu- 
resque surroundings  ;  while  not  far  off  is  the 
beautifully  green  Island  of  Orleans,  calm  and 
undisturbed,   as  if  sleeping  in  the  embrace  of 


60  IN   OLD   QUfiBEC  ; 

the  arms  of  the  parted  river.  Nearer  to  us, 
and  seeming  nearer  still  because  of  our  altitude^ 
is  the  St.  Charles  Valley  of  many  charms  and 
wondrous  fertility,  and  the  sinuous  course  of 
its  shining  river.  How  impressive  the  sunset 
glow  tinting  hill  and  dale  with  aerial  light  and 
imparting  an  ideal  touch  to  the  wide  spreading 
scene  !  We  turn  away,  wearied  possibly  with 
gazing  upon  so  much  brilliance  and  so  many 
attractions  of  beauty,  and  look  in  another 
direction,  and,  lo  !  we  are  confronted  by  the 
colossal  statue  of  the  adventurous  Champlain  ; 
so  our  thoughts  turn  to  the  past,  and  we  think 
of  the  hero  of  St.  Malo,  and  of  the  founder  of 
Quebec,  and  of  many  another  brave  man  whose 
memory  the  Muse  of  History  will  never  allow 
to  be  forgotten. 

But  delightful  as  is  the  promenade  at  this 
hour  of  the  late  afternoon  or  early  evening^ 
when  the  beauty  and  fashion  of  the  city  are 
there  recuperating,  in  the  pure  and  tonic 
atmosphere,  those  powers  which  have  become 
somewhat  exhausted  by  the  exacting  demands 
of  Society,  it  is  still  more  so  a  few  hours  later 
when  its  brilliant  illuminations,  and  the  glowing 
lights  of  the  Chateau,  the  electric  splendour  of 


.MOM.MORli.\CV    I'AKK,    (JL  EBKC. 
M003K,   RBO  DEBR  AND  ELK,   AT  THE   ZOO.      THE  PROPERTY  OF  MESSRS  HOLT,    RENFREW  *   CO. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  61 

Montmorency  in  the  distance,  and  the  starr}^ 
effect  of  the  opposite  shore,  reflected  in  one 
place  or  another  from  the  broad  bosom  of  the 
river — and  the  pleasure  craft  crossing  the 
belts  of  light  and  passing  on  into  the  shade, 
or  emerging  from  the  shadows  and  passing  into 
the  light — thus  reminding  us  of  the  mystery 
of  the  beginning  of  each  one's  earthly  life,  or 
of  the  souls  of  the  just  passing  from  the  gloom 
of  things  terrestrial  into  the  celestial  bright- 
ness of  Paradise — all  combine  to  form  a  scene 
more  brilliant  and  glorious  than  the  I^amp  of 
Aladdan  ever  revealed  to  the  eraptured  vision 
of  its  fortunate  possessor.  Then,  too,  we 
experience  another  pleasure  also,  for  the  ear 
is  suddenly  awakened  by  the  tones — sharp  and 
distinct — of  a  military  band  stationed  in  one 
of  those  picturesque  and  brightly  illumined 
kiosks  which  adorn  the  Terrace  ;  or  else  it  is 
ravished  by  the  voluptuous  swell  of  the  orches- 
tra from  the  corridors  or  the  balconies  of  the 
Chateau,  which  mingles  with  the  subdued 
murmur  of  the  river's  current  and  traffic  ere 
it  falls  upon  the  ears  of  the  happy  promena- 
ders. 

But  none  of  these  many  charms,  nor  all  of 


62  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

them,  can  monopolize  our  attention,  and  we 
are  irresistibly  impelled  to  '  *  take  the  measure, ' ' 
to  some  extent  at  least,  of  our  fellow-promena- 
ders.  As  we  look  upon  the  men — every  care 
of  business,  whether  commercial,  professional, 
or  having  to  do  with  the  still  more  onerous 
affairs  of  State,  evidently  forgotten  for  the 
time  -  being — carrying  themselves  as  free  men 
should  ;  or  as  we  gaze  upon  the  women,  their 
cheeks  mantled  by  the  rosy  glow  of  health, 
their  eyes  softly  beaming  with  the  kindness  of 
charitable  hearts  or  quickly  flashing  with  the 
brightness  of  highly  cultivated  minds,  the  lis- 
some figure  and  the  graceful  gait  showing 
that  the  new  gospel  now  preached  of  joy,  of 
health,  and  rational  recreation  is  beginning  to 
be  seen  in  every  day  life  in  Canada,  and  that 
athletics  and  physical  culture  are  not  being 
neglected.  Amongst  others  we  see  many  fine 
looking  boys  enjoying  themselves— boys  w^hose 
faces  are  manly  rather  than  pretty,  whose  fea- 
tures show  intelligence  rather  than  what  is 
called  beauty,  and  whose  whole  air  indicates 
that  the  harmonious  development  of  mind  and 
body  is  going  on — and  as  we  notice  these 
indications,  we  cannot  but  think  that  many  of 


PROPOSED    MEMORIAL   TO    MONTCALM 

THR  ALLEGORY  REPRESENTS    GLORY    SUSTAINING   THE    DYING    HERO  WITH  THK, 

((AURBLOF  IMMORTALITY.       (FR9M   A  SKETCH  OF  THE    DESIGN.) 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  63 

these  youths,  if  not  all  of  them,  will  serve 
Canada  well — some  in  the  counting  house  and 
others  in  the  forum,  some  on  the  tented  field, 
and  others  in  the  legislative  halls,  and  others 
again  in  the  pulpit  and  at  the  altar.  But  we 
wonder  how  many  of  them  will  do  as  much  for 
their  country  as  was  done  by  him  who,  a  most 
accomplished  diplomatist,  carried  to  a  success- 
ful issue  those  very  delicate  commissions  with 
which  the  mother  country  entrusted  him  when 
sending  him  as  her  embassador  to  foreign  courts, 
who  was  no  less  idolized  Governor  General  of 
Britain's  most  wealthy  and  majestic  depen- 
dency in  the  magnificent  Orient  than  when  as 
Governor  General  of  her  most  extensive  and 
prosperous  colony  in  the  Western  World,  and 
who  will  be  gratefully  remembered  throughout 
the  empire  as  long  as  Dufferin  Terrace  graces 
the  mighty  precipice  which  makes  Quebec  the 
Gibralter  of  America. 


IV 

CANADA,  MY  COUNTRY  1 

Part.  I. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century, 
ere  navigation  had  reached  its  present  state  of 
advancement,  and  when  the  voyage  from  the 
west  of  Europe  to  the  east  of  Asia  was  a  much 
more  dangerous  undertaking  than  it  is  at  the 
present,  a  poor  man,  a  common  sailor,  taking 
the  sphericity  of  the  earth  as  the  basis  of  his 
reasoning,  concluded  that  by  constantly  sailing 
in  a  westerly  direction,  he  should  at  length 
reach  the  most  distant  shores  of  the  Eastern 
Continent.  In  his  applications  to  the  rich  and 
powerful  to  be  equipped  for  such  a  voyage  he 
met  w^ith  unexpected  reverses,  bitter  disap- 
pointment, and  heartless  deception  ;  under  all 
of  which  he  manifested  the  most  exemplary 
patience  and  indomitable  perseverance. 

At  last,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  of  Spain  fur- 
nished him  with  three  small  vessels,   old  and 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  65 

almost  uuseaworthy,  with  which  to  prosecute 
his  hazardous  enterprise.  His  sailors  accom- 
panied him  with  the  utmost  reluctance,  for 
they  believed  the  voyage  was  doomed  to  have 
a  disastrous  termination  ;  and  when  they  lost 
sight  of  the  Azores,  the  most  westerly  land  at 
the  time  visited  by  Europeans,  they  wept  like 
children  for  they  supposed  they  had  bidden  a 
final  farewell  to  home  and  native  land,  to  w4ves 
and  children.  Incessantly  did  they  harass 
their  brave  commander  with  their  fears  and 
complaints,  and  eventually  threatened  to  cast 
him  overboard  if  he  would  not  consent  to  relin- 
quish liis  project  and  return  to  Europe.  But 
by  means  and  influence  which  seem  ever  to  be 
within  the  reach  of  genius,  which  genius  is 
always  able  to  command,  he  dispelled  their 
terrors  and  inspired  them  with  some  degree  of 
confidence  in  his  undertaking.  One  night  as 
from  his  vessel's  deck  he  was  peering  sadly 
and  silently  into  the  surrounding  darkness,  he 
fancied  he  saw  a  light  in  the  distance.  Afraid 
to  trust  the  evidence  of  his  senses,  he  called  to 
him  a  couple  of  his  sailors,  one  after  the  other. 
They  confirmed  his  impression,  for  they,  too, 
saw  the  light  :  and  in  a  moment  or  two  after- 


66  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

wards,  the  whole  three  saw  it  simultaneously. 
Despondency  fled  ;  anxiety  was  ended  ;  the 
hollow  ships  resounded  with  the  joyful  cry  of 
Land  !  Land  !  ;  the  voyage  was  successful  ; 
the  New  World  was  discovered  ;  the  name  of 
Columbus  was  immortalized. 

Some  forty  years  afterwards  Cartier  set  sail 
from  the  shores  of  la  belle  France  upon  a  voyage 
of  discovery  and  exploration,  and  he,  too, 
crossed  the  Atlantic.  On  St.  Laurent's  anni- 
versary he  entered  one  of  the  magnificent 
streams  of  North  America  ;  and  it  has  been 
known  ever  since  as  the  river  St.  Lawrence. 
Proceeding  many  miles  up  the  stream  he 
reached  a  little  Indian  village  which  was  then 
called  Stadacona.  It  is  now  known  as  the  City 
of  Quebec,  one  of  Britain's  most  impregnable 
fortresses,  the  Gibralter  of  America,  the  key 
which  is  ready  to  lock  the  gates  of  Canada  in 
the  face  of  the  invader  from  the  East,  but 
which  opens  them  to  the  honest  and  indus- 
trious from  every  clime,  asking  no  man  any 
question  as  to  his  race  and  religion,  but  giving 
a  hearty  welcome  to  all  who  come  to  reclaim 
the  land  from  the  wilderness  of  nature,  to 
bring  it  into  cultivation,   and  to  fit  it  for  the 


THE    MACDONALD    MK.MOKIAL,    DOMINION     SQUARE,    MONTREAL. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  67 

bounteous  home  of  teeming  millions  in  the 
future.  And  though  the  brow  be  burnt  by 
the  sun,  and  the  hand  hardened  with  toil, 
these  people  are  those  who  form  Canada's  real 
aristocracy,  her  true  nobility.  The  intrepid 
Frenchman  sailed  still  further  up  the  river 
until  he  came  to  another  Indian  village. 
It  was  then  known  as  Hochelaga  ;  we  now 
call  it  Montreal,  and  it  is  universally  regarded 
as  Canada's  commercial  metropolis,  a  city 
celebrated  alike  for  its  business  enterprise 
and  educational  advantages,  for  its  architec- 
tural beauty  and  the  charming  scenery  of  the 
surrounding  country.  Cartier  here  took  formal 
possession  of  Canada  in  the  name  of  his  sover- 
eign, erecting  a  cross  w^hich  bore  the  inscrip- 
tion, Francisciis  Primus ^  Dei  Gratia  Francorum 
ReXy  Regnat. 

In  the  year  1608  Samuel  de  Champlain,  a 
native  of  Saintonge,  born  at  Brouage  on  the 
Bay  of  Biscay,  the  real  founder  of  the  City  of 
Quebec,  received  authority  from  the  King  of 
France  to  plant  the  Cross  and  FLeicr  dc  lis  in 
the  new  world,  and  to  extend  the  religion  and 
commerce  of  France  among  its  savage  tribes, 
and  whatever  of  romance  the  story  of  Cana- 


68  IN  OLD  QUEBKC  ; 

diaii  colonization  contains  is  centered  in  the 
person  of  Champlain.  He  reached  the  narrows 
of  the  river  where  frown  the  towering  heights 
of  Quebec,  and  here,  beneath  the  tall  cliff  of 
Cape  Diamond,  he  laid  the  foundations  of  one 
of  the  most  famous  cities  of  the  new^  world. 
In  his  search  for  a  passage  to  China  he  disco- 
vered Lake  Champlain,  penetrated  to  Lake 
Nipissing,  crossed  Lake  Ontario,  and  explored 
the  vter  douce  of  the  Hurons.  Owing  to  the 
efforts  of  this  brave  man  and  others,  and  also 
owing  to  the  most  incredible  labors  of  mission- 
aries, the  country  became  settled,  civilized, 
and  evangelized.  One  of  Canada's  foremost 
citizens,  literally  an  exile  from  Erin,  long 
since  called  to  his  rest,  but  who  at  the  time  of 
Confederation  was  justly  regarded  as  the  most 
painstaking  historian,  the  truest  poet,  the 
most  brilliant  orator,  and  the  most  devoted 
patriot,  of  the  New  Dominion,  we  mean 
Thomas  D'Arcy  McGee,  has  celebrated  the 
discovery  of  Canada  in  a  poem  which  should 
be  familiar  to  every  Canadian,  especially  to 
every  French  and  every  Irish  Canadian  :  for 
it  \vas  written  by  an  Irishman  and  celebrates 
the  achievement  of  a  Frenchman,  and  the  scene 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  69 

is  Canada.  He  presents  to  us  Cartier  setting 
sail  in  the  spring  ;  and  then,  when  he  had  not 
returned  by  autumn,  the  poet  shows  us  the 
people  in  Cathedral  praying  for  the  sailor's 
safety  : 

•*  In  the  sea-port  of  St.  Malo  'twas  a  smiling  morn 

in  May, 
When  the  Commodore,   Jacques  Cartier,   to  the  west 

ward  sailed  away. 
In  the  crowded  old   Cathedral  all  the   town   were  on 

their  knees, 
For  the  safe  return  of  kinsmen  from  undiscovered 

seas  ; 
And  every  autumn  blast  that  swept  o'er  pinnacle  and 

pier 
Filled  manly  hearts  with  sorrow^  and  gentle  hearts 

with  fear. 

He  next  depicts  Cartier,  upon  his  return  to 
France  after  an  absence  of  many  weary  months, 
telling  his  townsman  all  he  had  learned  of  the 
new  country  which  he  had  discovered,  and, 
with  much  more, 

' '  He  told  them  of  the  river  whose  mighty  current 

gave 
Its  freshness  for  a  hundred  leagues  to  ocean's  briny 

wave  ; 
He  told  them  of  a  glorious  scene  presented  to  his 

sight 


70  IN   OLD   QUKBEC  ; 

What  time  he  reared  the  Crown  and  Cross  on  Hoche- 

laga*s  height, 
And  of  the  Fortress-cliflF  that  keeps  of  Canada  the 

key  ; 
And  they  welcomed  back   Jacques   Cartier  from  his 

perils  o'er  the  sea." 

Canada  thus  belonged  to  France,  so  far, 
that  is,  as  discovery  implies  the  right  of  pos- 
session. Now  from  very  early  times  there 
had  been  the  most  deadly  feuds  between  France 
and  England.  These  two  nations  were  almost 
constantly  at  war  with  each  other  ;  and  their 
example  was  followed  by  the  colonists  in 
America.  After  many  alternate  reverses  and 
successes  their  disputes  were  brought  to  a 
close  under  the  masterly  statesmanship  of  Pitt; 
and  the  fate  of  Canada  was  decided  upon  the 
Plains  of  Abraham  where  on  September  thir- 
teenth, A.  D.  1759,  Quebec  was  taken  by  our 
noble  and  gallant  Wolfe  from  a  no  less  brave 
and  gallant  Montcalm.  Both  leaders  lost  their 
lives  in  the  engagements  ;  and  it  is  a  subject 
of  which  both  France  and  England  are  justly 
proud  that  the  descendents  of  those  French 
and  British  colonists  on  which  the  French  and 
Briti.sh   soldiers   relied   for   aid   in  the  deadly 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  71 

combat  have  since  united  in  erecting  a  noble 
monument  which  is  common  to  the  memory 
of  their  enemies  and  comrades. 

The  loj^alty  of  the  Province  of  Quebec  has 
been  subjected  to  more  than  one  severe  test 
but  it  has  remained  a  loyal  portion  of  the  British 
Empire.  Canada  as  a  whole  has  ever  since 
remained  a  faithful  dependency  of  Great 
Britain,  and  every  year  she  is  becoming  of 
greater  importance.  The  extent  of  her  terri- 
tory and  the  abundance  of  her  resources  entitle 
her  to  a  place  amongst  the  first  nations  of  the 
globe.  All  that  she  wants  to  give  her  this  posi- 
tion is  a  population  to  fully  develope  those 
resources  which  nature  has  so  bountifully 
furnished.  The  extraordinary  tide  of  immigra- 
tion to  our  shores  during  the  past  ten  or 
twelve  years,  and  the  consequent  development 
of  the  western  part  of  our  country,  go  to  show 
that  Canada  is  advancing  with  accelerated 
speed.  The  improvements  already  effected, 
the  state  of  progress  already  attained,  required 
more  energ}^  and  enterprise  on  the  part  of  a 
comparative  few,  who,  with  limited  means  and 
many  discouragements,  have  hitherto  borne 
the  burden,  than  ten  times  the  improvements 


/2  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

will  require  after  this,  when  a  teeming  popu- 
lation, together  with  increasing  wealth  and 
power,  will  enable  public  spirited  and  enter- 
prising citizens,  backed  by  free  and  enlight- 
ened government,  to  attempt  and  accomplish 
schemes  of  advancement  which  have  up  to  the 
present  been  regarded  as  Utopian. 

It  cannot  be  too  strongly  impressed  upon 
the  men  entrusted  with  the  public  interests 
that  by  every  improvement  by  which  any 
one  of  the  many  resources  of  the  countrj-  is 
developed,  the  welfare  of  the  whole  community 
is  promoted.  Every  branch  of  industry  which 
is  introduced  is  a  new  mine  of  wealth,  a  sinew 
of  power  added  to  the  nation  ;  and  ever)-  im- 
provement effected  not  only  suggests  others 
still  greater,  but  also  provides  means  for  their 
accomplishment. 

At  the  boundless  resources  of  Canada  we 
shall  but  glance  ;  and  a  glance,  we  think  will 
be  sufficient  to  prove  what  has  been  advanced 
with  reference  to  her  prospects.  The  lines  of 
the  sea  coast  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific, 
embracing  an  area  which  stretches  from  Labra- 
dor to  British  Columbia,  and  from  the  Great 
Lakes  to  the  icy  ocean,  and  including  nearly 


^^4l 


I 


■  .j-JigMrfei-^/tfagBiLifaiyap&ifc' "" 


ABENAQUIS    GROUP 
PARLIAMENT   BUILDINGS,  QUEBKC. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  73 

three  and  a  half  miUion  geographical  miles— 
present  facilities  for  commerce,  navigation  and 
fisheries,  unsurpassed  by  any  other  country. 
As  a  recent  writer  on  this  subject  has  aptly 
said,  '*  the  vast  extent  of  Canada  and  its 
boundless  possibilities  are,  perhaps,  not  fully 
realized  by  the  Canadian  himself.  A  man  must 
needs  travel  the  land,  from  north  to  south  and 
from  east  to  west,  to  obtain  a  correct  idea  of 
its  capacity  or  its  immensity.  It  contains 
within  its  boundaries  3,456,383  square  miles, 
one  and  a  quarter  million  of  which  are  covered 
with  forest  growths.  For  three  thousand  miles 
from  St.  Johns  to  Queen  Charlotte's  Island 
stretches  an  unbroken  blur  of  British  red  ;  two 
thousand  miles  of  the  same  warm  colour  from 
Windsor  to  the  north  shore  of  Baffin's  ;  sixteen 
hundred  miles  of  British  territory  between  Fort 
Macleod  and  Banks  Land,  and  for  three 
hundred  miles  north  of  these  northern  bound- 
aries the  Arctic  sea  is  blotched  with  crimson 
splashes — Prince  Patrick's  Island,  Bathurst, 
Grinnell's  Land,  North  Devon,  and  further 
still,  stretching  away  fourteen  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  miles  toward   the    pole — North 


/4  IN    OLD   QUEBEC   ; 

Lincoln.  Truly,  this  young  giant  of  the  north 
has  ample  room  for  growth." 

The  numerous  rivers  and  Lakes  which 
abound  in  the  interior  of  Canada,  and  her  very 
practical  system  of  canals,  are  becoming  as 
serviceable  for  internal  communication  as  the 
sea  coast  is  for  commerce  with  the  old  land 
and  with  foreign  nations.  Add  to  these  ad- 
vantages the  railroads,  one  already  spanning 
the  continent,  and  tw^o  others  of  like  character, 
in  course  of  construction, — and  where  is  there 
a  country  that  affords  better  facilities  for  rail- 
roads,— and  our  channels  of  traffic  will  bear 
comparison  with  those  of  our  proudest  rivals. 

Canada  seems  peculiarly  favored  with  every 
essential  for  her  development  into  a  great 
commercial  country  ;  an  inexhaustible  supply 
of  the  best  varieties  of  timber,  an  unlimited 
suppl}^  of  whatever  is  necessary  for  the  equip- 
ping and  furnishing  of  any  number  of  vessels  ; 
abundance  of  valuable  products  for  export  ; 
and  endless  quantities  of  imports  required.  In 
view  of  these  advantages,  and  possessed  of 
ample  means  for  the  most  direct  and  uninter- 
rupted communication  with  the  more  remote 
regions  of  the  universe — are  we  not  justified, 


i 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES. 


75 


in  asking,  what  is  there  to  hinder  Canada 
from  becoming  one  of  the  greatest  commercial 
countries  of  the  world  ? 

The  mineral  resources  and  manufacturing 
interests  of  our  country  are,  as  yet,  but  little 
known  outside  her  own  borders  ;  but  there 
are  indications  that  in  these  also  she  is  des- 
tined to  excel.  So  far  as  geological  survey 
and  practical  development  of  various  parts  of 
Canada  have  proceeded,  the  results  are  highly 
satisfactory  ;  and  the  coal  and  iron  mines  of 
the  Maritime  Provinces,  the  coal  fields  of 
Manitoba  and  the  Territories,  and  British 
Columbia  ;  the  gold,  asbestos,  mica,  and  iron 
mines  of  Quebec  ;  the  gold  and  silver  mines  of 
the  Pacific  Coast ;  the  silver  mines  of  Cobalt  and 
the  Lake  Superior  region,  in  Ontario  ;  are  all 
extraordinarily  resourceful.  The  discoveries 
already  made  are  sufficient  to  justify  the  pre- 
diction that  in  mineral  wealth  alone  the  Domi- 
nion will  be  nearly  independant  of  the  world. 
For  manufacturing  purposes  she  has  resources, 
both  in  material  and  means,  which  only  require 
to  be  fully  developed  and  fostered  in  order  to 
put  our  country  on  a  par  with  the  most  favored 
nations  of  western  Europe. 


76  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

But  it  is  to  her  great  fruit  and  agricultural 
resources  that  Canada  is  chiefly  to  be  indebted 
for  her  greatness.  For  in  the  variety  of  the 
produce  of  the  soil  she  has  few  equals,  and  the 
superior  quality  of  these  products  is  acknow- 
ledged wherever  they  are  known.  Our  climate 
some  have  supposed  to  be  prejudicial  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  the 
snows  and  frosts  of  winter  anticipate  the  labors 
of  the  plough,  and  by  pulverizing  the  soil, 
prepare  it  for  the  various  crops  which  our 
ardent  summer  sun  brings  in  due  time  to  per- 
fection. 

One  cannot  but  regard  with  admiration  the 
skill  and  science  displayed  so  far  in  the  varied 
improvements  in  Canadian  husbandry,  the 
greater  part  of  which  have  been  the  work  of 
scarce  a  decade.  The  waste  places  of  our 
country — the  rolling  prairies  and  the  plains  of 
the  west  — as  a  result  of  such  healthy  innova- 
tion, are  being  cultivated  and  transformed. 
In  various  parts  of  the  older  Provinces  of 
Quebec  and  Ontario  waving  fields  of  golden 
grain  and  other  crops  are  now  to  be  seen,  each 
year,  where  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago  the  aboriginies  of  the  forest  waved  their 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  77 

mighty  heads  as  if  in  obdurate  defiance  of  the 
onward  march  of  civilization.  We  have  expe- 
rienced in  all  parts  of  Canada  what  important 
changes  a  few  years  of  scientific  farming  are 
capable  of  unfolding.  If  the  soil  is  the  trea- 
sury from  which  the  largest  portion  of  our 
future  wealth  must  flow,  our  material  progress 
will  greatly  depend  upon  the  skill  of  the  hus- 
bandman. Agriculture  may  be  followed  as  a 
simple  rude  art,  yielding  but  a  scant  return, 
or  it  ma}'  be  practised  as  one  of  the  noblest 
sciences  which  can  engage  man's  physical  and 
mental  energies,  furnishing  material  wealth 
and  abounding  plenty.  If  the  gods  place 
labor  before  honor,  and  if  there  be  dignity  in 
human  industry,  then  labor  and  industry 
become  ennobled  under  the  guidance  of 
enlightened  judgment,  and  bring  in  their 
train  a  thousand  blessings. 

But  while  agriculture  is  and  will  continue 
to  be  our  chief  and  leading  interest,  there  are 
some  other  objects  which  must  engage  the 
enterprise  of  our  people.  The  farmer  raises 
more  than  he  can  consume,  while  in  this  age 
of  high  civilization  he  is  the  creature  of  a 
thousand  wants,  which  the  land  cannot  direct- 


/>  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

ly  supply.  We  must  look  to  commerce  and 
manufactures  to  supply  these  wants  and  to 
give  a  marketable  value  to  all  our  surplus 
produce.  We  must  foster  in  every  legitimate 
way  those  branches  of  industry  which  will  give 
additional  population  to  our  towns  and  cities, 
secure  to  us  a  home  market,  and  consolidate 
our  wealth.  Canada  has  already  been  signally 
successful  with  her  foundries,  tanneries,  im- 
plement and  furniture  factories,  woollen  and 
paper  mills ;  steel,  lumber,  pulp,  and  paper 
industries  ;  engine  and  machine  shops  ;  boot 
and  shoe  factories,  etc.  There  is  a  marked 
spirit  of  enterprise  abroad  in  our  country  ;  and 
when  we  look  at  the  noble  St.  Lawrence ,  with 
its  splendidly  equipped  and  busy  harbors  of 
Quebec  and  Montreal ;  at  Hudson's  and  James's 
Bays,  and  at  those  great  inland  unsalted 
seas,  the  lakes  Ontario,  Huron,  and  Superior, 
which,  together  with  our  modern  system  of 
canals  and  railways,  afford  such  facilities  for 
carrying  on  all  our  commercial  exchange  ; 
and  when  we  remember  the  boundless  extent 
of  our  water  powers, — the  certain  local  demand 
for  all  manufactured  products,  together  with 
the  fact  that  we  have  a  territory  that  can  sus- 


A  ^f^, 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  79 

tain  a  dense  and  teeming  population,  we  must 
feel  that  Canada  presents  an  unlimited  field 
for  human  enterprise.  We  [have,  then,  in 
our  grainfields,  in  our  fruit  farms,  in  our 
mines,  in  our  forests,  and  in  our  workshops, 
inexhaustible  resources  of  honest  wealth,  and 
to  bring  these  within  our  reach  we  require 
nothing  but  the  intelligent  application  of  mo- 
dern science.  It  is.  to  science  that  we  are 
indebted  for  all  those  discoveries,  inventions 
and  appliances,  which  have  given  to  the  world 
so  many  comforts,  and  ministered  so  power- 
fully to  our  present  high  civilization  that  the 
peasant  of  the  twentieth  century  enjoys  more 
luxuries  and  is  more  refined  than  the  prince 
of  a  few  centuries  ago. 

It  requires  no  argument  to  show  that  a 
region  extending  over  several  million  square 
miles,  and  possessed  at  almost  every  part  of  so 
many  natural  advantages,  is  destined  to  be- 
come a  great  country.  The  question,  then, 
What  is  to  be  the  character  of  the  population 
of  this  great  country  ?  is  one  that  must  come 
with  thrilling  interest  to  the  heart  of  every 
Canadian  patriot  and  philanthropist.  That  the 
country  is  capable  of  sustaining  a  numerous, 


<S0  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

enlightened,  and  happ}'  people,  is  clear,  and, 
as  we  have  vSaid,  it  is  very  evident  that  enlight- 
enment and  happiness  are  the  characteristics 
of  those  who  at  present  form  the  population 
of  Canada.  But  it  is  a  sad  truth  that  the 
richest  blessings  of  nature  and  Providence  may 
be  so  abused  as  to  prove  evils  instead  of 
benefits;  and  many  countries  evidently  designed 
to  be  the  abodes  of  light  and  liberty,  health 
and  happiness,  have  been  turned  into  scenes 
of  ignorance  and  vice,  misery  and  degradation. 
With  such  views  before  them  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  all  intelligent  Canadians  should 
watch  with  jealous  anxiety  the  doings  of  their 
rulers,  and  the  progress  of  their  national  ins- 
titutions—acts and  institutions  pregnant  with 
an  incalculable  amount  of  weal  or  woe  to  the 
many  millions,  who,  in  a  few  years,  will  form 
the  population  of  our  Canadian  country. 


V 

CANADA,  MY  COUNTRY  ! 

Part  II 

It  must  gratif3ai3g  to  all  patriotic  Canadians 
that  the  mother  country,  Great  Britain,  holds 
commercial  sway  in  ever}^  quarter  of  the  globe  ; 
that  her  flag  is  unfurled  to  ever}^  breeze  ;  that 
her  power  is  acknowledged  in  every  zone  ;  and 
that  her  influence  is  felt  in  every  nation.  The 
beat  of  her  morning  drum,  commencing  in  the 
east  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  with  the  ris- 
ing sun,  accompanies  the  god  of  day  in  his 
never  ceasing  journey  across  the  blue  vault  of 
heaven,  until  its  reverberations  are  heard  amid 
the  Titanic  mountains  which  keep  watch  and 
ward  over  the  Pacific  slope  ;  and  then  joining 
the  mid-day  guns  of  her  men-of-war  it  is  re- 
peated and  re-repeated  until  it  is  heard  by  the 
soldiers  and  civilians  in  India  and  Australia, 
and  mingles  with  the  boom  of  the  evening  gun 
on  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  is  then  repeated  at 
Mauritius  and  Good  Hope,  and  its  sounds  are 


82  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

heard  in  the  Red  Sea,  and  her  ships  carry  it 
through  the  Suez  Canal,  where  it  is  answered 
from  Egypt,  and  then  at  Cypress  and  Malta, 
and  mingles  with  the  sound  of  the  morning 
gun  at  Gibraltar.  It  passes  over  the  Atlantic 
and  asserts  Britain's  rule  at  Honduras,  and 
awakens  the  sleepers  in  the  West  Indies,  and 
from  the  fortifications  of  old  Quebec  it  vibrates 
over  the  river  St.  Lawrence.  But  of  all  the 
places  which  hear  it,  which  of  them  can  com- 
pare with  the  last,  our  own  Canada,  the  land 
of  our  adoption  or  our  nativity.  Canada  with 
her  vast  extent  of  territory.  Canada  with  her 
verdant  spring  and  glowing  summer,  her 
gorgeous  autumn  and  bracing  winter.  Canada 
with  her  fertile  soil  and  salubrious  clime,  her 
abundant  cereal  productions  and  prodigious 
mineral  resources.  Canada  with  her  fur- 
bearing  animals  and  her  inexhaustible  fish- 
eries, her  boundless  forests  and  magnificent 
harbours.  Canada  with  her  Dominion  Par- 
liament and  her  Provincial  Legislatures,  her 
honoured  statesmen  and  unsullied  ermine. 
Canada  with  her  liberty  of  conscience  and 
splendid  system  of  education,  her  patriarchal 
sires  and  brave  sons   and  fair  daughters,  is 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  83 

one  of  the  brightest  gems  that  sparkles  and 
flashes  in  King  Edward's  diadem  ! 

To-day  she  proudly  points  to  Britain,  France 
and  Ireland,  as  the  mother  countries  ;  and  her 
sons  are  safe  under  the  old  flag  which  her  fore- 
fathers often  followed  to  battle  and  victory. 
But  we  are  looking  forward  to  a  time  when  all 
the  British  possessions  containing  as  they  do 
more  than  a  million  square  miles  and  em- 
bracing a  quarter  of  the  world  inhabitants, 
shall  be  bound  together  still  more  indissolubly 
than  they  are  now  ;  and  yet  as  a  result  of 
such  federation,  each  one  of  them  shall  enjoy 
a  greater  measure  of  independence  than  at 
present.  We  are  looking  farther  forward  yet 
even  to  a  time  when  all  who  speak  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  tongue  shall  find  their  chief  rivalry  in 
teaching  the  nations  "  to  learn  war  no  more," 
in  promoting  the  reign  of  peace  and  good  will; 
in  leading  the  heathen  to  the  foot  of  the 
Cross  where  alone  they  can  hide  their  sin  and 
shame,  and  have  their  wounds  staunched  and 
healed  ;  in  striking  from  the  fettered  limbs  of 
those  vStill  unilluminated  the  shackles  of  igno- 
rance and  error,   of  cruelty  and  wrong  ;  and 


84  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  : 

in  every  way  advancing  the  material,  moral 
and  spiritual  welfare  of  humanity. 

There  are  indeed  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
this  mighty  achievement.  But  obstacles  are 
things  to  be  annihilated,  when  they  stand  in 
the  way  of  the  world's  progress.  Canada  has 
given  an  indication  already  pointed  out — an 
indication  which  reaches  all  the  way  across 
the  Continent — of  what  she  can  do  in  the  way 
of  overcoming  obstacles  at  one  time  thought  to 
be  insuperable.  To-day  we  see  the  great  iron 
horse  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  with 
his  throbbing  heart  of  fire  and  his  hot  blood 
coursing  through  his  veins,  as  he  is  led  forth 
from  his  smoky  stable  on  the  Atlantic  shore, 
and  drawing  after  him  a  long  train  of 
carriages  filled  with  men  and  women  on  their 
way  to  the  agricultural  Eldorado  of  the  great 
Canadian  West.  We  see  him  flying  over  Cana- 
dian Plains,  rushing  through  Canadian  settle- 
ments, pawing  up  Canadian  mountains,  and 
awakening  in  his  course  the  echoes  of  ten 
thousand  craggy  peaks,  which  had  hitherto 
raised  their  snow-crowned  summits  to  the  sky 
in  sublime  grandeur  and  primeval  solitude. 
He  returns  laden  with  the  productions  of  the 


■J    ^ 
O    o 

CO 

<     H 
U 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  85 

glowing  Orient  ;  and  all  the  way  along  his 
route  scatters  them  among  a  free,  a  prosperous, 
a  happy  people.  And  such  a  people  !  Where 
can  you  find  their  equal  ?  They  embrace  the 
Frenchman  with  the  vanity,  gayety,  gallantry 
and  chivalry  of  old  France  ;  the  Englishman 
with  the  straight  forwardness,  the  business 
ability,  the  honesty  of  old  Albion  ;  the  Scotch- 
man with  the  prudence,  cautiousness,  and 
perseverance  of  Old  Scotia,  and  the  Irishman 
with  the  hospitality  and  generosity,  the  wdt  and 
humour,  the  poetry  and  patriotism  of  Old  Erin. 
The  character  of  the  population  of  this  budd- 
ing nation  is  one  of  which  every  true  Canadian 
patriot  and  philanthropist  must  feel  justly 
proud,  because  we  realise  that  while  under 
present  auspices  we  are  becoming  a  more 
numerous  we  are  also  becoming  a  more  en- 
lightened and  contented  poeple. 

Let  us  turn  for  a  moment  to  the  happy  cir- 
cumstances under  which  we  are  living,  and 
see  how  everything  about  us  is  calculated 
to  induce  private  and  public  enterprise,  and 
inspire  our  Canadian  people  with  love  and 
attachement  to  their  country.    Here  all, — even 


86  IN  OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

the  poorest  emigrant  that  comes  to  our  shores, 
can  by  honesty  and  industrj^  become  the  pos- 
sessors of  broad  and  fertile  acres  ;  holding  their 
own  deeds  direct  from  the  Crown  ;  whilst  in 
every  improvement  they  make,  whether  of 
utility  or  taste,  is  adding  to  their  future  com- 
fort and  wealth,  and  to  the  comfort  and  wealth 
of  those  who  are  nearest  and  dearest  to  them. 
But  this  is  not  all.  We  are  living  in  a  state 
of  society  where  the  invidious  distinctions  of 
rank  and  fortune  are  little  known,  and  in- 
dustry and  integrit}'  command  everywhere 
respect,  while  the  highest  posts  of  honour  and 
emolument  are  fairly  and  equally  open  to  all. 
We  have  thus  everj^  natural  incentive  to 
honourable  ambition,  and  a  thousand  consid- 
erations to  animate  us  to  strain  every  nerve 
for  our  country's  advancement.  It  would, 
perhaps,  not  be  out  of  place  to  observe  that 
we  cannot  unfold  the  page  of  history  with- 
out perceiving  that  every  nation  which  has 
risen  to  eminence  in  ancient  or  modern  times 
has  been  distinguished  for  the  patriotism  of 
her  sons.  What  led  the  countless  conquests, 
the  glory  and  renown  of  ancient  Greece  and 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  87 

Rome  ?  What  absorbing  passion  animated  the 
immortal  Wallace  to  such  deeds  of  heroic 
valour  and  self-sacrifice  as  he  performed  that 
to  the  end  of  time  his  memory  will  be  warmlj^ 
cherished  in  the  heart  of  every  patriot  ?  What 
noble  enthusiasm  led  the  British  soldier — 
regiments  not  exclusively  English,  but  com- 
posed alike  of  men  from  the  rural  districts  of 
England,  Ireland  and  Scotland,  to  scale  so 
gallantly  the  heights  of  Alma,  and  rush  into 
sanguinary  but  triumphant  struggle  at  Inker- 
man  ?  And  we  unhesitatingly  reply,  a  far 
higher  honour  than  that  of  gain.  The  fame 
of  British  valour  and  the  integrity  of  the 
Empire,  the  future  peace  of  Europe  and  the 
cause  of  liberty  throughout  the  world,  hung 
upon  the  issue.  But  in  this  utilitarian  and 
wealth  amassing  age,  at  least  in  this  Canadian 
portion  of  Greater  Britain,  "our  swords" 
have  been  turned  into  "ploughshares,"  and 
our  * '  spears  into  pruning  hooks  ;  ' '  and  we 
behold  the  spirit  of  nationality  inflamed  with 
a  desire  to  excel  in  the  arts  of  peace,  rather 
than  in  those  of  war,  and  to  attain  commercial 
pre-eminence  rather  than  military  glory.  May 


88  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

this  great  public  virtue  continue  to  manifest 
itself  amongst  us,  stimulating  the  improve- 
ment of  our  agriculture,  the  increase  of  our  ma- 
nufactures and  the  extension  of  our  commerce, 
and  imbuing  all  with  an  earnest  concern  for 
the  country's  material  prosperity,  until  at  last 
the  motherland  who,  when  the  welfare  of  her 
people  and  the  cause  of  humanity  demanded 
it,  led  the  nations  of  the  earth  in  war,  shall 
teach  them  instead  to  cultivate  the  arts  of 
peace, — Peace,  which  hath  her  victories  no 
less  than  war.  And  whilst  our  thoughts  and 
affections  often  go  back  o'er  the  ocean  to  the 
old  land,  we  should  remember  that  all  national- 
ities represented  in  our  common  citizenship 
are  here  to  help  in  building  a  great  nation 
whose  people  shall  be  all  Canadians.  This 
glorious  structure  will  be  erected  some  day, 
*and  will  have  a  marvellous  effect  in  diffusing 
peace  and  plenty,  truth  and  freedom,  religion 
and  piety,  o'er  the  whole  western  world  ;  and 
will  more  than  repay  to  Europe  the  blessings 
brought  to  this  continent  by  Columbus,  Cartier, 
Champlain  and  Wolfe  ;  and  will  help  to  reju- 
venate the  effete  nations  of  the  Orient  by 
sending  across  the  placid  bosom  of  the  broad 


AND   OTHER    SKETCHES  89 

Pacific  the  truer  religion  and  the  more  vigo- 
rous civilization  of  our  beloved  Canada.  It  is 
said  that  guilds  of  working  masons  in  the 
middle  ages  had  certain  marks  by  which  the 
works  of  each  were  distinguished  from  those 
of  all  the  others  ;  whilst  the  works  of  all 
united  reared  those  magnificent  structures 
which  are  the  glory  of  the  old  lands,  and  bear 
witness  alike  to  the  religion  and  the  genius  of 
their  architects.  So  it  is  now  with  English- 
men, Frenchmen,  Irishmen,  and  Scotchmen 
in  Canada.  They  are  all  uniting  in  the  work 
of  building  up  a  great,  free  and  Christian 
nation,  which  shall  be  essentially  Canadian. 
This  glorious  structure  will  bear  the  marks  of 
many  nationalities,  but  the  ambition  of  each 
should  be  to  see  to  it  that  the  marks  which 
shall  characterize  that  portion  of  the  work 
done  by  the  sons  of  their  own  nationality  and 
their  descendants,  shall  occupy  an  honoured 
place  in  the  national  edifice. 

From  this  paper  politics  are  rigidly  ex- 
cluded ;  and  without  entering  their  domain 
one  may  remark  that  anxious  care  and  patient 
attention  are  due  from  every  inhabitant  of  our 
land   to   all   those    acts   of    our   L<egislatures 


90  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

which  bear  upon  our  civil,  religious,  moral 
and  educational  institutions  and  projects — in 
short,  all  acts  relating  to  the  social,  civil,  and 
religious  prosperity,  of  what  is  manifestly 
destined  to  become  a  great  nation. 


YI 
THE  LURE  OF  THE  WEST. 

He  who  first  said,  ''  The  thnes  change,  and 
we  change  with  them,"  may  have  supposed 
that  even  then  one  order  of  things  followed 
another  in  quick  succeSvSion.  But  still,  in  his 
time,  the  years  were  indeed  "  slow-footed," 
and  the  same  is  true  in  his  country  to-day  ;  nor 
could  he  have  had  any  idea,  even  the  most 
remote,  of  the  marvellous  rapidity  with  which 
changes  take  place  in  these  days  of  steam  and 
electricity,  and  in  a  world  which  was  then 
unknown — the  discovery  of  which  was  destined 
to  mark  one  of  the  most  important  epochs  in 
the  world's  history.  Perhaps  no  more  startling 
illustration  of  this  progress  can  be  found  any- 
where than  in  our  Canadian  West,  where  the 
transformations  which  have  taken  place  in, 
say,  the  last  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  are, 
in  their  own  way,  much  more  marvellous  than 
the  wonders  produced  by  the  Jinns  of  Aladdin; 


02  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

and  which  can  be  fully  appreciated  by  onl>- 
those  brave  and  daring  pioneers  who,  a  gene- 
ration or  so  ago,  ventured  into  the  then  almost 
unbroken  wilderness  to  make  new  homes  for 
themselves  and  their  children,  and  to  intro- 
duce and  establish  there  those  benefits  and 
advantages  which  are  found  in  every  land 
that  acknowledges  the  beneficent  sway  of 
Britain. 

Some  years  ago  the  writer  crossed  the  con- 
tinent to  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  very  recently 
he  returned  from  a  visit  to  Manitoba  and  the 
Territories.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  he  was 
more  than  surprised,  almost  more  than  amazed, 
at  the  wondrous  metamorphosis  which  the 
country  had  undergone  in  the  meantime  ;  and 
it  struck  him  during  his  visit  that  some  light 
or  cursory  account  of  what  he  saw,  written  by 
one  who  is  in  no  way  interested  in  either  the 
refined  art  of  the  land  grabber  or  the  modest 
and  veracious  employment  of  the  land  agent, 
might  be  of  interest  to  eastern  Canadians  and 
to  others.     Hence  the  following  article. 

These  jottings  of  travel  would  be  still  more 
incomplete  than  if  no  mention  were  made  of 
a  route  which  must  be  delightful  to  the  tourist, 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  93 

viz :  By  the  Grand  Trunk,  the  Northern  Navig- 
ation Company  and  the  Canadian  Northern  Ry. 
It  goes  without  saying  that  more  beautiful 
scenery  than  this  route  affords  could  not  be 
desired.  Now  penetrating  into  the  ''forest 
primeval  ' ' ,  now  running  through  a  country 
bearing  indications  of  comparatively  recent 
settlement,  now  through  lands  in  the  highCvSt 
state  of  cultivation,  now  along  the  banks  of  a 
majestic  river,  now  rounding  the  base  of  some 
picturesque  hill  or  lofty  mountain,  now  by 
some  placid  lake,  and  ever  and  anon  revealing 
to  the  e3^e  some  prospect  of  charming  hQanty. 
A  few  hours  journey  westward  from  the 
ancient  capital  brings  one  to  Canada's  metro- 
polis, the  mighty  city  of  Montreal  with  its 
picturesque  mountain,  its  great  architectural 
marvel  the  Victoria  Bridge,  its  extensive  docks 
and  immense  shipping,  its  crowding  of  river 
and  ocean  craft,  *'  whose  rising  masts  an  end- 
less prospect  yields."  To  say  nothing  of  its 
other  manifold  resources  the  shipping  interests 
of  Montreal  well  entitle  it  to  the  proud  desig- 
nation of  a  mighty  city.  Owing  to  the  careful 
outlay  of  almost  fabulous  sums  of  money,  and 
the  steadily  increasing  volume  of  its  trade  the 


94  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

metropolitan  city  is  rapidly  becoming  one  of 
the  handsomest,  as  it  is  undeniably  the  busiest 
of  Canadian  cities.  Of  course,  everyone  has 
seen,  or  heard  of  or  read  of  her  great  educa- 
tional buildings,  her  historic  McGill  and  other 
colleges  and  schools  ;  her  stately  churches, 
her  handsome  public  edifices  and  artistic  monu- 
ments, the  palatial  residences  of  her  millionaire 
business  men  and  others,  the  number  of  which 
is  constantly  increasing.  Now  other  improve- 
ments, on  a  stupendous  scale,  are  being  under- 
taken, and  others  are  soon  to  be  commenced. 
The  private  residences  have,  to  be  sure,  been 
erected  according  to  the  designs  and  under 
the  supervision  of  the  best  architects  available 
and  have  been  decorated  and  furnished  with  a 
taste  which  in  many  instances  leaves  nothing 
to  be  desired.  Well,  it  saves  one  from  certain 
apprehensions  to  know  that,  as  also  in  the 
case  of  Federal  Capital,  public  works  now  in 
contemplation  are  to  be  carried  out  under  the 
direction  of  a  commission  of  what  may  be 
called  architectural  experts  or  a  municipal  art 
society. 

The   city's   park   system   is   recognized   as 
one    of  the    finest    in    America,    and    these 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  05 

beautiful  places  of  public  resort  are  frequented 
daily  by  people  on  foot,  on  horse  back,  in 
carriages  of  both  the  horse  and  horseless  va- 
riety, and  what  gorgeous  equipages  are  dis- 
played on  all  the  fashionable  thoroughfares  of 
our  Canadian  metropoHs  ;  one  could  almost 
fancy  one's  self  suddenly  transported  to  some 
aristocratic  resort  in  London,  or  Paris — Hyde 
Park,  say,  or  the  Bois  de  Boulogne. 

The  theatre  and  opera  thrive  in  Montreal 
as  in  only  one  other  city  in  Canada,  and  that 
other  city  is  intensely  music-loving  Toronto. 
Such  artists  as  Nordica,  Melba,  Plangon,  the 
deReszkes,  Terry,  Irving  and  others,  who 
might  be  mentioned  in  this  list,  meeting  there 
an  unqualified  success. 

From  Montreal  to  Toronto  in  six  hours  ! 
What  a  revolution  there  has  been  in  the  rail- 
way train  service  of  Canada  in  the  past  decade, 
since  a  time  when  a  whole  day  was  spent  in 
making  the  journey  between  these  two  metro- 
politan cities  ;  then  it  was  a  trying  ordeal, 
whereas  now  it  is  often  enough  a  pleasant  ex- 
perience. There  is  some  of  the  choicest  scenery 
in  Canada  skirting  the  borders  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence   river   and   Lake   Ontario.     There   are 


96  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

glimpses  of  the  Thousand  Islands  and  the  swift 
current  of  the  rapids.  The  land  is  undulating, 
and  we  sweep  past  hill  and  valley,  river  and 
dale,  woodland  and  field.  There  is  the  rich- 
ness of  summer  abroad  ;  the  meadows  are 
bright  with  bloom,  and  the  foliage  is  refresh- 
ingly green.  This  is  the  old  and  cultured 
farming  land  of  Ontario.  There  are  evidences 
of  wealth  and  taste  everywhere,  and  the  fields 
are  covered  with  luxuriant  crops.  Several 
stopping-places  of  interest  are  the  cities  of 
Belleville,  Brockville,  Kingston — the  ancient 
capital  of  Upper  Canada, — and  the  towns  of 
Port  Hope,  Cobourg, Whitby,  etc.  Glimpses  of 
prosperity  are  revealed  at  each  successive 
stage  in  the  journey.  In  the  early  evening 
we  are  set  down  at  Ontario's  capital,  the 
''  Queen  City  of  the  West." 

The  precipitous  and  otherwise  quaint  beauty 
of  the  "  Ancient  Capital,"  and  the  modern ness 
and  unrelieved  levelness  of  the  capital  of 
Ontario,  form  a  striking  contrast,  but  the  latter 
is  none  the  less  singularly  qualified  for  one 
and  all  of  its  several  distinguishing  titles,  such 
as  the  "  Athens  of  Canada,  "  the  Classic 
Capital  of  the  Banner  Province,  "    and  still 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHEvS.  97 

another  which  we  have  cited  in  the  foregoing 
paragraph.  Toronto  has  quite  appreciated  the 
true  nature  of  civic  beauty  a  thing  which  is 
too  Httle  understood  in  the  present  day.  From 
an  educational  point  she  is  an  acknowledged 
leader.  What  with  her  great  University,  a 
notable  and  beautiful  building  ;  her  Trinity 
College,  her  Victoria,  Knox,  St.  Andrew's,  St. 
Michael's,  Upper  Canada,  and  several  other 
Colleges  and  innumerable  schools,  the  city  has 
centered  within  her  gates  the  chief  educational 
institutions  of  the  Province,  and  all  these  halls 
of  learning  are  thriving,  are  crowded  with 
earnest  and  enthusiastic  young  men  and  wo- 
men, and  are  taught  by  devoted  and  pro- 
gressive teachers  and  professors,  and  by  doctors 
of  high  degree  from  the  institutions  of  older 
lands. 

No  city  in  Canada,  and,  one  might  add  with 
safety,  in  America,  possesses  more  delight- 
ful surroundings  than  does  this  city  by  Lake 
Ontario  ;  as  the  Bishop  of  London  has  recently 
described  it,  '*  Toronto  is  one  of  the  fairest 
cities  of  the  world." 

In  search  of  continuous  picturesqueness  we 
have  adopted  the  route  leading  through  the 


98  IN   OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

rich  farming  district  lying  between  the  two 
Lakes,  Ontario  and  Huron,  on  our  w^ay  to  the 
City  and  Port  of  Sarnia,  there  to  embark  on 
the  Huronic,  one  of  the  Northern  Navigation 
Coy's  steamers  for  the  Upper  Lakes. 

What  wuth  the  splendid  sunshine  of  this 
memorable  summer  of  1906,  the  superb  sky, 
the  pure  and  exhilarating  atmosphere,  the 
comfortable  and  luxurious  appointments  of  a 
good  ship,  its  swift  and  smooth  motion  as  she 
glided  over  the  waters  of  the  lake  from  which 
she  derives  her  name,  the  graceful  flights  of 
seagulls  which,  (with  their  somewhat  strident 
calls  to  each  other) ,  accompanied  the  ship  for 
many  miles,  the  gorgeous  golden  and  crimson 
hues  of  sunset,  the  pleasant  hour  on  deck  or 
in  the  smoking  room  before  turning  in  for  the 
night — all  these  were  a  delightful  experience 
of  the  journey  from  Canada's  Ancient  Capital. 
It  would  be  strange  indeed  if  the  writer  did 
not  find  himself  compelled  to  believe  that  his 
fellow  men  were  not  all  rascals,  and  that  after 
all,  this  old  earth  of  ours  may  be — as  some 
one  has  said  it  is  "  the  best  of  all  w^orlds. ' ' 

Early  on  the  second  day  out  from  Sarnia 
we  found  the  scenic  beauty  of  the  River  Ste. 


THE    MAIN    DOOR  OF   TORONTO    UNIVERSITY. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  99 

Mary  unfolding  itself  to  our  delighted  gaze, 
and  by  noon  we  were  contemplating  the  won- 
ders of  the  Canadian  "  Soo  " — its  immense 
water-power,  its  great  ship  canal,  its  Titanic 
pulp  and  mineral  industries,  its  massive  docks, 
and  its  extensive  shipping.  As  we  venture 
to  speculate  on  the  future  which  lies  before  it 
we  find  no  great  stretch  of  imagination  ne- 
cessary to  enable  us  to  see  much  of  the  output 
of  this  great  centre  of  industry  taken  by  rail 
and  river  to  some  point  on  James's  Bay  and 
thence  transported  across  the  Atlantic  to  some 
of  the  old  lands  of  Europe,  and  there  afford- 
ing to  the  skilled  artizans  an  occular  demons- 
tration that  Canada  can  send  out  mechanical 
productions  as  well  made  and  highly  finished 
as  those  from  any  other  country  in  the  world. 
Lake  Superior  with  its  bold  headlands,  its 
conspicuous  capes,  its  peaceful  bays,  its  numer- 
ous islets  is  beautiful  at  many  points,  pictur- 
esque at  others,  and  at  others  it  approaches  the 
sublime.  To  us  the  most  interesting  feature  of 
this  inland  sea  (the  largest  body  of  fresh  water 
in  the  world)  is  Port  Arthur,  with  its  magnifi- 
cent harbour,  in  which  all  the  fleets  of  the  world 
might  safely  lie  at  anchor.    The  site  on  which 


100  IX   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

the  town  is  built  rises  gradually  to  a  consider- 
able height  from  the  shore  of  the  beautiful 
bay,  thus  affording  charming  situations  for 
private  residences,  an  advantage  of  which 
many  of  the  more  prosperous  citizens  have 
already  availed  themselves  ;  and  thus  it  is 
that,  looked  at  from  the  vessel's  deck,  the 
houses  seem  to  rise  on  terrace  after  terrace 
until  the  eye  reaches  the  summit.  What  with 
its  many  handsome  dwellings,  the  pellucid 
waters  of  the  bay,  the  clear  atlosphere,  the 
magnificent  headlands,  the  place  presented  on 
the  day  of  our  visit  a  picture  which  can  never 
be  forgotten.  It  may  be — who  knows  ?  that 
some  time  in  the  now  dim  and  distant  future 
a  Canadian  Hume  or  Gibbon,  Macauley  or 
Freeman,  will  leave  for  posterity  an  account 
of  the  ancient  terraced  city  of  Port  Arthur, 
even  has  Herodotus  and  others  have  sent  down 
to  us  accounts  of  other  cities  that  flourished 
when  the  world  was  still  almost  in  its  infancy. 
Meantime,  however,  not  less  than  a  quarter  of 
million  of  dollars  is  being  spent  on  the  docks, 
which  will  be  second  to  none  on  the  lakes  ; 
and,  significent  fact,  what  will  be  known  as 
the  French  River  Canal,  with  a  depth  of  twenty 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  101 

feet,  has  lately  been  reported  as  quite  prac- 
ticable. Hence,  with  the  possibilities  of  trade 
and  commerce  which  are  thus  brought  into 
view,  we  may  hope  that  long  before  Macauley's 
New  Zealander,  having  from  lyondon  Bridge, 
sketched  the  ruins  of  St.  Paul's,  sails  up  Lake 
Superior  to  perform  a  similar  charitable  work 
for  Port  Arthur,  the  town  will  have  done 
something  to  promote  the  material  prosperity 
of  the  world.  It  may  be  mentioned,  by  the 
way,  that  Port  Arthur  is  the  only  town  on  the 
American  Continent  which  owns  and  operates 
all  its  utilities,  and  there  is  a  popular  demand 
for  similar  municipal  ownership  throughout 
the  Canadian  West. 

A  few  miles  south-west,  on  the  River  Kama- 
nistaqua,  is  an  embryo  city,  Fort  William, 
which  is  so  near  its  neighbor,  Port  Arthur, 
that  is  may  be  said  the  two  are  practically  one. 
The  former  gives  evidence  of  such  business 
potentialities  as,  when  developed,  must  make 
it  a  place  of  great  importance.  Even  now 
the  amount  of  shipping  and  of  rail  trans- 
portation which  one  sees  there  on  every  hand 
would  be  creditable  to  a  place  of  twice  its 
population.     Doubtless,    this   is,    to   a   great 


102  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

extent,  due  to  the  fact  that  here  are  the  im- 
mense workshops  and  the  huge  elevators  of 
the  Canadian  Pacific  railway,  whilst  it  is  here 
also  that  passengers  and  freight  are  trans- 
ferred to  and  fro  the  Canadian  West  by  the 
commodious  steamers  of  the  Northern  Navig- 
ation Company,  and  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Steamship  Company. 

We  are  still  in  the  *  *  banner  province  ' '  of 
the  Dominion,  for  the  vast  country  to  the 
north  and  west  of  lyake  Nipissing  and  the 
French  River  is  known  as  "New"  or  "Greater 
Ontario."  This  seems  to  be  an  admirable 
field  for  colonization  ;  and  under  the  prudent 
and  enegetic  administration  of  the  Ontario 
Lands,  Forests  and  Mines  Department,  it 
cannot  be  doubted  that  settlers  will  flock  in 
here  in  even  greater  numbers  than  in  the  past, 
and  the  development  of  its  practically  inex- 
haustible resources  will  still  be  more  rapid. 

With  regard  to  the  climate  of  this  part  of 
Canada,  the  Director  of  the  Dominion  Meteor- 
logical  Service,  declares  that  there  is  nothing 
in  the  climatic  conditions  to  prevent  the  whole 
great    district    from   the    height   of   land  to 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  103 

James's  Bay  from  being  a  good  agricultural 
country. 

It  has  been  pointed  out  that  while  Euro- 
peans thought  Canada  was  a  northern  country, 
Ottawa  is  further  south  than  Venice,  that 
Toronto  is  five  hundred  and  fifty  miles  south 
of  London,  England,  and  Winnipeg  about 
one  hundred  miles  south.  The  mildest  win- 
ters in  Canada  are  attributed  to  Southern 
Alberta.  All  Canada  is  favoured  with  more 
sunshine  than  any  portion  of  Great  Britain, 
Germany,  Holland,  or  Northern  France  ;  the 
summer  percentage  of  Canada  is  said  to  be 
between  53%  and  59%,  while  southermost 
England  is  generally  between  35  and  45%. 
The  salient  feature  of  Canada's  climate  is  not 
the  cold  of  winter  but  rather  the  perfection 
of  summer  and  autumn. 

Of  the  many  districts  into  which  New 
Ontario  is  divided  that  of  Rainy  River  is  most 
northerly  and  westerly  ;  and  its  most  im- 
portant town,  Rat  Portage — now  known  by 
the  more  euphonic  name  of  Kenora,  is  situated 
on  the  main  line  of  the  two  great  railways 
already  mentioned.  It  may  surprise  some 
people  to  learn  that  this  one  district  alone  is 


104  IN  OLD   QUEBKC  ; 

about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  length, 
and  has  an  average  width  of  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty, so  that  it  contains  scarcely 
less  than  thirty  thousand  square  miles.  It  is 
something  to  be  proud  of  that,  whilst  New 
Ontario  was  a  few  years  ago  almost  entirely 
unsettled,  having  but  a  very  sparse  population 
in  only  a  few  districts,  the  foundations  of 
several  prosperous  cities  have  since  been  laid 
whose  inhabitants  number  from  one  thousand 
to  ten  thousand.  Surely  this  indicates  that 
there  will  yet  be  an  *  *  Empire  west  and  north 
of  Lake  Superior,"  with  water  power  un- 
limited, with  forests  so  extensive  that  one 
would  say  they  can  never  be  exhausted,  with 
mineral  resources  on  such  a  gigantic  scale 
that  the  old  mines  of  Cornwall  and  the  Cas- 
siterites  were  but  pigmies  in  comparison  both 
as  to  the  amount  and  the  variety  of  their 
products,  and  with  an  agricultural  area  so 
extensive  and  so  fertile  as  to  warrant  us  in 
predicting  that  it  will  yet  supply  teeming 
plenty  to  many  millions  of  industrious  and 
prosperous  inhabitants.  Even  now,  as  the 
train  speeds  along,   one  catches  glimpses  of 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  105 

many  a  settler's  comfortable  home,  and  many 
a  clearing  in  the  "  forest  primeval." 

When  beginning  this  paper  our  intention 
was  to  give  simply  some  account  of  what  we 
saw  in  Manitoba,  confining  our  observations 
to  a  description  of  the  province  as  it  is  to-day, 
and  to  what  it  was  when  the  now  fine  city  of 
Winnipeg  was  but  in  embryo  as  Fort  Garry. 
But  our  trip  was  so  delightful  and  so  sugges- 
tive that  we  have  lingered  over  it  until  we 
have  already  written  quite  enough  for  a  single 
article — that  is  for  an  article  that  one  expects 
to  be  read — and  have  not  yet  said  a  word 
about  Manitoba  itself.  No  room  is  now  left 
for  drawing  such  a  contrast  as  we  had  intended ; 
and  yet  it  would  not  be  seemly  if  this  paper 
were  ended  without  something  being  written 
about  the  great  agricultural  province  to  the 
immediate  west  of  us,  into  which  there  is 
ever  pouring  thousands  of  settlers  of  various 
nationalities,  and  where  hosts  of  laborers  annu- 
ally wend  their  way  to  gather  in  an  abundant 
harvest.  Since  these  lines  were  penned,  through- 
out the  west  two  harvests  are  over  and  the 
threshing  finished,  and  it  is  extremely  grati- 
fying to  learn  that  the  yield  of  both  years  has 


106  IS  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

been  phenomenal,  the  minimum  of  wheat 
being  about  twenty-five  bushels  to  an  acre, 
while  in  many  localities  each  acre  has  produced 
more  than  forty  bushels. 

At  Edrans,  a  little  town  in  the  Western  part 
of  the  province,  w^e  spent  several  days  very 
pleasantly  ;  and  none  the  less,  though  in 
another  sense,  did  we  enjoy  some  little  excur- 
sions into  the  surrounding  country.  From 
here  to  Carberry.  and  on  to  Brandon,  the  land 
is  rolling  prairie,  but  quite  level  from  Winni- 
peg to  this  point.  As  one  gazed  over  the  va.st 
expanse,  and  breathed  in  the  freshness  and 
freedom  of  the  west,  and  felt  relieved  for  the 
time  from  the  more  conventional  life  of  the 
older  provinces,  and  became  more  exhilarated 
with  the  bright  clear  air  of  Manitoba — then 
indeed  did  one  realize  that  coming  out  here 
from  the  modern  city  life  of  old  Canada  w^as 
something  like  turning  to  the  Percy  Ballads 
after  wearisome  attempts  to  comprehend  the 
sonnets  of  Rossetti.  Almost  unconsciously  one 
finds  oneself  thinking  of  Br>'ant's  poem, 
'*  The  Prairies,"  and  repeating  to  oneself  : 

*•  These  were  the  gardens  of  the  desert, 
•        ♦        *        So  they  stretch 


' 

I^^B^^^^ii  ^H 

i 

i 

1 

11 -:  ^V" 

AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  107 

In  airy  undulations  far  away, 

As  if  the  ocean,  in  his  gentle  swell, 

Stood  still,  with  all  his  rounded  billows  fixed 

And  motionless  forever." 

Here  and  there  in  this  part  of  Manitoba  the 
prospect  is  somewhat  diversified  with  what 
may  be  called  islands  of  clustering  trees,  and 
the  sod  is  covered  with  wild  flowers  of  almost 
infinite  variety.  Here  we  see,  in  all  their 
modest  beauty,  black-eyed,  brown-eyed,  and 
yellow-eyed  "  susans  "  and  countless  other 
charming  blossoms,  somewhat  resen^bling 
what  we  in  the  east  call  the  corn  flower  ;  and 
an  immense  profusion  of  wild  roses,  many 
hued,  from  the  delicate  pink  to  the  brilliant 
damask  ;  aye,  and  many  another  besides. 

Coming,  as  we  do,  from  the  city  founded  by 
Champlain  nearly  three  hundred  years  ago, 
the  moment  we  reach  the  almost  brand  new 
capital  of  Manitoba  we  are  at  once  struck 
with  the  difference  between  it  and  Quebec  ; 
and  we  miss  the  striking  surroundings  of  the 
old  city,  its  commanding  situation,  its  effective 
fortifications,  and  its  historic  buildings.  But, 
still  Winnipeg  can  boast  of  many  delightful 
walks  and  drives  in  its  immediative  neighbor- 


108  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

hood,  its  parks  have  many  natural  and  arti- 
ficial beauty  spots,  and  its  public  buildings 
are  commodious  and  handsome.  Then,  too, 
across  the  Red  River  and  the  Assinaboia  stands 
old  fashioned  St.  Boniface,  where  we  hear  the 
language  so  familiar  to  our  ears  in  the  Pro- 
vince of  Quebec,  and  spoken  by  people  of  the 
same  race.  Here,  too,  in  Winnipeg,  are  St. 
John's,  Manitoba  and  Wesley  Colleges,  which 
with  the  University  of  Manitoba,  are  doing 
such  good  work  for  the  higher  education  of 
the  people  of  the  Prairie  Province. 

However,  the  great  advantage  which  Win- 
nipeg possesses  is  its  situation  as  a  commercial 
centre,  which  is  perhaps  unsurpassed  in  the 
Dominion  ;  and,  consequently  its  growth  in 
the  past  few  years  has  been  simply  pheno- 
menal, and  its  material  advancement  during 
the  past  twelve  months  has  been  more  marked 
than  that  of  any  other  year  in  its  history. 
That  the  citizens  have  the  fullest  confidence 
in  its  future  progress  as  an  emporium  for  the 
illimitable  country  surrounding  it  is  evidenced 
by  the  large  number  of  substantial  buildings 
now  in  course  of  erection.  Amongst  the  finest  of 
them  is  that  of  the  Union  Bank  of  Canada,  an 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  109 

institution  whose  head  office  is  in  the  city  of 
Quebec,  a  magnificent  structure  in  a  central 
situation;  and  by  the  way  the  Union  hasbranches 
in  all  the  principal  cities  and  towns  of  the  West. 
The  Winnipeg  building  is  ten  stories  in  height, 
and  from  its  roof  one  has  an  almost  bewilder- 
ing view  of  the  whole  city,  and  of  the  prairies 
which  encompass  it,  as  they  stretch  out  in  all 
directions  to  the  far  distant  horizon.  As  is 
usual  in  all  cities  with  very  bright  prospects. 
Winnipeg  seems  at  present  to  be  overcrowded 
with  business  ventures.  Some  of  them,  one 
would  say,  must  end  in  failure  ;  but  others, 
those  investments  made  by  men  able  to  tide 
over  certain  financial  difficulties  which  are 
morally  certain  to  arise  now  and  then  until 
the  stream  of  immigration  is  sufficiently  great 
to  justify  the  outlay,  must  eventually  bring  in 
a  rich  return.  At  present  the  indications  are 
decidedly  in  favor  of  an  early  settlement  of 
the  West  in  general  and  of  Manitoba  in  par- 
ticular. The  building  of  the  Grand  Trunk 
Pacific,  the  continuation  of  the  Canadian 
Northern,  the  many  extensions  of  the  Cana- 
dian Pacific,  together  with  other  consider- 
ations, are  unmistakable   signs    of  the  rapid 


110  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

settlement  and  development  of  the  province  ; 
so  that  it  requires  neither  the  eye  of  the  seer 
nor  the  pen  of  the  prophet  to  foretell  that  the 
time  is  rapidly  approaching  when  Winnipeg 
will  become  to  Western  Canada,  as  a  distri- 
buting centre,  what  Chicago  is  to  the  Western 
States.  And  so  with  earnest  aspirations  for  its 
welfare,  we  bid  Winnipeg  farewell — Winnipeg 
with  its  salubrious  summer  and  invigorating 
winter,  its  fine  public  buildings  and  handsome 
private  residences,  its  busy,  active,  cheerful, 
prosperous  and  hospitable  citizens. 

One  sees  enough  in  the  embryo  cities  of  the 
Canadian  West  to  dissuade  him  from  an3^thing 
like  prophecy.  The  barren  prairie,  touched  by 
the  wand  of  enterprise  springs  at  once  into 
newness  of  life  :  a  community  goes  on  from 
strength  to  strength  until  its  friends  become 
surprised  with  unexpected  triumphs,  the  tra- 
vellers amazed  at  the  increase  of  population, 
and  the  residents  charmed  with  the  prospect 
of  still  greater  things.  Between  Dauphin  and 
Edmonton  there  are  about  eighty  towns  and 
villages  varj^ing  in  size  from  fifty  to  two 
hundred  inhabitants,  each  with  a  definite 
motive  for  existence,   and  each  feeling  a  due 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  Ill 

sense  of  the  important  place  it  occupies  in  the 
development  of  the  country.  All  of  them  are 
enterprising  and  progressive,  and  each  of  them 
looks  forward  to  the  possibility  of  becoming 
a  large  city  in  the  not  distant  future.  Their 
present  need  only  be  judged  by  a  comparivSon 
with  the  conditions  which  prevailed  before  the 
railways  went  through.  Close  and  compact 
settlements  have  been  spread  over  hundreds 
of  miles  which  were  given  over  to  the  birds 
and  the  beasts.  In  fess  than  three  years  a  new^ 
country  has  been  built  up,  thriving  towns  and 
prosperous  farms  occupying  the  places  where 
solitude  reigned,  and  *'  the  wind  came  down  to 
the  grass  and  flowers  to  join  in  complaint  that 
so  much  beauty  was  born  to  blush  unseen." 

Edmonton,  the  capital  of  Alberta,  is  a  bril- 
liant exemple  of  what  the  advent  of  a  railway 
does  for  an  ambitious  but  handicapped  com- 
munity. Up  to  1905  it  had  no  direct  rail  com- 
munication. The  Canadian  Northern  now 
has  its  western  terminus  in  the  centre  of  this 
formidable  city,  which  has  fourteen  banks  -— 
sure  evidence  of  the  magnitude  of  its  business. 

Without  water  the  lands  in  some  parts  of  the 
Territories  are  in  a  measure  valueless,  as  the 


112  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

crops  are  liable  to  burn  up  in  a  dry  season.  With 
water  they  are  surprisingly  fertile.  The  intro- 
duction of  a  thorough  system  of  irrigation 
has,  however,  raised  the  farmer  above  the 
fear  of  dry  weather,  and  fabulous  crops  spring 
from  the  strong  soil  which,  when  dry,  appears 
to  be  more  or  less  barren.  The  water  is  taken 
from  swift-flowing  streams  by  throwing  out 
wing-dams,  and  is  conducted  along  the  distant 
banks  until  it  is  very  much  higher  than  the 
river  from  which  it  is  taken.  The  current 
seems  to  be  climbing  around  the  elevated 
banks,  and  so  strong  is  the  deception  that 
one  can  hardly  believe  it  is  not  actually 
running  up  hill.  Every  year, it  is  said, increases 
the  rainfall  in  these  regions,  and  it  is  predicted 
they  will  soon  be  situated  in  the  rain  belt  and 
bountifully  supplied  with  water  from  the 
clouds.  The  cost  of  the  irrigation  is  not  ex- 
cessive and  the  farmer  has  the  option  of  either 
a  perpetual  water  right  or  one  renewable  an- 
nually. 

The  scenery  of  the  Canadian  "  Rockies  " 
affords  greater  variety,  perhaps,  than  any  other 
part  of  the  American  Continent.  How  im- 
pressive  the  western  sunshine,   sifting  itself 


AND  OTIIKR  SKETCHES.  113 

down  these  mighty  ravines  and  hollows,  and 
tinting  the  far  off  summits  with  aerial  light. 
One  could  not  but  deem  that  the  bard  of 
**  Thanatopsis  "  had  well  applied  to  these 
majestic  hills  those  happy  lines  wherein  he 
apostrophises  the  famous  heights  of  Europe  : 

"  Your  peaks  are  beautiful,  ye  Appenines 

In  the  soft  light  of  your  serenest  skies. 

From  the  broad  highland   region,   dark  with  pines. 

Fair  as  the  hills  of  Paradise,  ye  rise.  " 

The  Statement  seems  almost  incredible  that 
heavily  laden  trains  now  run  daily  across 
regions  which  were  largely  unknown  and 
unexplored  a  quarter  of  century  ago.  The 
Canadian  Pacific  Railway  has  for  several  years 
traversed  regions  which  w^ere  known  then  to 
none  but  the  wandering  Indian  or  the  solitary 
trapper.  I  he  other  side  of  the  continent  can 
now  be  reached  daily  in  a  parlour  car.  For 
majesty  of  scenery  and  for  marvels  of  engineer- 
ing skill  this  rail  route  is,  perhaps,  unrivalled. 
The  highest  point  attained  by  the  railway  in 
this  route  is  said  to  be  a  mile  above  sea  level. 
The  views  gained  along  this  journey  rival  the 
gleaming  splendour  of  Chamounix  and  Mont 
Blanc.     The  resemblance  is  that  of  a  tumul- 


114  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

tuous  yet  regular  sea  of  rocky  billows  suddenly 
arrested  and  petrified.  Peak  after  peak  rears 
its  bold,  bare  crest  above  the  timber  line. 

Two  hours  from  Banff  the  train  crosses 
•*  the  Great  Divide,"  which  is  the  backbone  of 
the  continent — the  highest  point  reached  ])y 
the  railway — which  is  over  five  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea  level.  Many  lofty  peaks,  how- 
ever, rise  from  five  thousand  feet  to  seven 
thousand  feet  above  this  altitude.  Mount 
Stephen  towers  ten  thousand  feet  above  sea 
level.  The  Selkirks  follow  the  Rockies,— 
Mount  Donald,  an  acute  pyramid  of  naked 
rock,  and  other  sentinel  mountains,  all  of 
them  thousands  of  feet  above  ns,  stand  out 
here  and  there  like  the  Matterhorn  or  Mont 
Blanc.  Stretching  away  and  beneath  on  every 
side  is  an  endless  series  of  peaks  dwarfed  by 
contrast  and  yet  ranging  thousands  of  feet  in 
height. 

At  this  altitude  the  silence  is  broken  only 
by  the  laboured  throbs  of  the  locomotive  and 
the  steady  rotation  of  the  carriage  wheels. 
Birds  are  rarely  seen,  though  sometimes  an 
eagle  may  be  discerned  poised  in  the  air  or 
pursuing  his  majestic  flight.  Nearing  the  coast 


i 


I 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  115 

the  view  becomes  wider  and  more  general. 
Several  high  snow-capped  mountains  rear 
their  stately  crests  towards  the  sky.  Here  one 
sees  the  cloud- like  cone  of  Mount  Baker, 
singularly  impressive  ;  in  another  direction, 
Mount  Hood,  and  Mount  St.  Helens,  seven 
thousand  feet  in  height  ;  Mount  Shasta,  and 
at  a  vastly  greater  altitude,  magnificent  Mount 
Tacoma.  The  sy metrical  form  of  Mount  Hood, 
which  stands  forth  in  the  proudest  majesty,  is 
an  object  almost  invariably  in  view  in  the  pro- 
spects in  and  about  the  cities  of  Vancouver 
and  Victoria.  Another  of  the  conspicuous 
objects  in  the  mountain  scenery  is  Mount 
Tacoma,  towering  nearly  fifteen  thousand  feet, 
crowned  with  perpetual  snow,  and  a  pow^erful 
field  glass  brings  in  plain  view  a  massive 
glacier  resting  thousands  of  feet  above  green 
plains  and  human  habitations.  The  scenery 
en  route  from  Vancouver  to  Victoria  is  at  all 
points  very  picturesque.  The  shores  of  the 
Straits  are  beautifully  rounded  and  are  clothed 
to  the  water's  edge  with  magnificent  forests. 
There  are  many  bold  headlands,  and  apparently 
only  a  few  miles  away  rise  the  glittering  snow 
clad  summits  of  some  of  the  great  peaks.  The 


IK)  IN  OLD   QUEBHC  ; 

irregular  shores  reveal  at  every  stage  iu  the 
cruise  a  new  picture.  The  scenery  here  pos- 
sesses some  of  the  charms  of  the  Italian  Lakes. 
or  of  the  Mediteranean.  The  approach  to  the 
Island  of  Vancouver,  in  the  early  morning  is 
a  superb  view.  On  one  hand  unfolding  the 
drapery  of  the  morning  mist,  rise  the  blue 
glistening  snow-capped  heights  of  the  Olympic 
range  of  mountains  ;  in  the  south — the  crown- 
ing glory  of  all,  is  the  snow-white  dome  of 
Mount  Tacoma.  The  picturesque  island  of 
Vancouver  is  straight  ahead,  and  we  are 
approaching  its  southern  extremity,  which 
was  the  original  abode  of  the  early  settlers  on 
the  Island  of  Vancouver,  and  is  now  the  site 
of  the  cosmopolitan  city  of  Victoria,  the  capital 
of  British  Columbia.  The  city  is  situated  on 
Victoria  Arm,  which  is  the  name  given  to  an 
inland  bay,  and  which  is  an  excellent  harbour 
in  all  seasons.  The  Arm  is  about  four  miles 
in  length  and  its  shores  are  not  wanting  in 
picturesqueness,  and  many  charming  nooks 
present  themselves.  We  are  not  sufficiently 
skilled  as  a  botanist  to  enter  scientifically  into 
a  description  of  the  flora  of  the  country,  and 
give  the  names  of  the  plants,  flowers,  shrubs, 


I 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  117 

and  trees  which  abound  in  many  parts  of  the 
Island  of  Vancouver  ;  suffice  it  to  sa3'%  that 
wild  flowers,  beautiful  and  fragrant,  abound, 
also  berries  and  many  varieties  of  trees,  among 
which  are  the  arbutus,  or  California  manazita, 
the  elder  the  maple,  and  many  others.  The 
government  buildings,  including  Government 
House  so  recently  occupied  by  a  distinguished 
son  of  Quebec.  Sir  Henry  Joly  de  Lotbiniere, 
P.  C.  K.  C.  M.  G.,  as  Lieutenant  Governor  of 
the  Province,  are  of  great  architectural  beauty, 
and  the  grounds  by  which  they  are  surrounded 
are  handsomely  laid  out,  well  kept,  and  planted 
with  trees  and  shrubbery,  which  lend  a  pleas- 
ing effect  to  the  distinctive  character  of  the 
buildings.  On  the  spacious  lawn  a  handsome 
granite  shaft  naturally  arrests  the  eye  of  the 
visitor.  The  inscription  informs  him  that  it  is 
erected  in  memory  of  Sir  James  Douglas,  K. 
C.  B.  the  first  Governor  and  Commander-in 
Chief  of  the  Province,  from  1851  to  1864. 

Another  of  British  Columbia's  prominent 
towns  in  that  of  New  Westminster  situated 
on  the  mainland.  The  site  is  particularly 
beautiful  and  attractive  being  on  the  north 
bank   of   the   Fraser   river   and  about  fifteen 


118  IX   OLD   QUEBEC  : 

miles  from  its  mouth.  We  doubt  if  there  is 
an  other  place  on  the  continent  where  nature 
has  done  more  to  aid  the  architect  or  offer 
inducements  to  the  wealthy  to  make  a  home. 
On  the  Pacific  coast  there  are  several  in- 
stances of  the  most  rapid  rise  of  cities  known  to 
the  world  ;  some  of  thCvSe  have  proved  permanent 
and  profitable  places  of  investment,  while  others 
have  dwindled  into  insignificance  or  become 
altogether  unknown.  It  requires  no  prophetic 
gift  to  predict  the  future  greatness  of  Van- 
couver and  its  continued  important  relation 
to  the  commerce  and  traffic  of  the  world.  Its 
geographical  position  has  secured  to  it  the  final 
terminus  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway, 
with  steamship  communication  with  the  Orient, 
and  nature  has  been  so  bountiful  in  her  gifts 
as  to  supply  every  thing  necessary  or  desirable 
to  render  it  at  once  a  pleasant  and  profitable 
place  at  which  to  reside  and  engage  in  busi- 
ness. Vancouver  possesses  a  mild  and  agree- 
able climate,  grand  and  enchanting  scenery, 
and  a  splendid  natural  harbour.  So  much  has 
been  said  and  written,  and  so  much  that  should 
l)e  taken  cum  grano  salts,  that  the  writer  feels 
some   hesitation   in   giving  such   matter    as, 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  119 

while  it  contains  only  plain  and  very  visible 
truth,  must  needs  be  in  a  great  measure 
repetition,  and  to  those  who  read  without  see- 
ing, like  exaggeration.  Figures,  have  however, 
the  reputation  of  being  truthful.  First  as  to 
the  matter  of  distances,  an  important  thing 
in  connection  with  any  great  thoroughfare 
either  of  travel  or  commerce.  Yokohama  to 
San  Francisco  in  nautical  miles, is  4,791;  Yoko- 
hama to  Vancouver,  is  4,259  miles..  The  differ- 
ence, when  the  ocean  route  taken  by  vessels 
is  considered,  is  still  further  increased,  and 
may  be  estimated  from  500  to  700  nautical 
miles.  From  San  Francisco  to  New- York  is 
put  down  at  3,208  miles  ;  from  Vancouver  to 
New- York  at  3,288  miles,  via  Montreal.  From 
San  Francisco  to  Boston, 3, 304  miles;  from  Van- 
couver to  Boston  via  Montreal,  3,245  miles. 
From  New- York  to  Liverpool  the  distance  in 
nautical  miles  is  3,040  ;  from  Montreal  to 
Liverpool,  in  nautical  miles,  2,790.  It  does  not 
require  any  amount  of  mental  arithmetic  to 
form  a  conclusion  from  the  above,  as  to  which 
is  the  shortest  route,  for  trade,  traffic,  or  travel. 
We  are  living  in  too  fast  an  age  for  a  difference 
of  a  thousand  miles  to  be  treated  with  any- 


120  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

thing  but  the  greatest  respect.  To-day  there 
are  great  ocean  steamers  running  to  Vancouver 
from  China  and  Japan,  unloading  their  cargoes 
on  magnificent  docks  and  then  these  cargoes 
are  transferred  to  warehouses  and  trains  of 
freight  cars.  The  fine  harbour  there  has  a 
forest  of  masts  over  which  float  the  flags  of 
many  nationahties.  These  are  magnificent 
facts  for  Canadians  to  be  proud  of.  Vancouver 
has  long  since  received  her  guest  ;  has  greeted 
with  becoming  welcome  the  herald  which  has 
proclaimed  that  the  Pacific  Slope  and  the 
Atlantic  coast  have  united  themselves  with  a 
band  of  steel  over  British  Canadian  territory. 
The  area  of  Canada's  habitable  territory  is 
being  rapidly  widened  by  enterprise,  capital 
and  railways.  The  Yukon,  the  Mackenzie, 
and  the  Abbitibi  sections  of  our  country  will 
doubtless  some  day  become  permanently  popul- 
ated and  will  prove  valuable  additions  to  our 
magnificent  heritage.  Even  in  these  northerly 
regions  various  kinds  of  grain  once  supposed 
to  belong  to  more  southerly  parts  of  Canada 
have  been  grown  with  success  ;  and  skill  and 
diligence  alone  are  required  to  make  them  pro- 
fitable sources  of  our  national  revenue. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  121 

No  really  thoughtful  person  can  spend  even 
a  few  weeks  in  the  Canadian  West  without 
being  impressed  with  the  idea  that  a  sentiment 
is  steadily  growing  amongst  the  people  to  the 
effect  that  the  Dominion  will  soon  have  out- 
grown colonialism,  and  that  the  time  is  coming 
when  she  will  not  be  regarded  as  unduly  am- 
bitious should  she  aspire  to  the  status  of 
nationhood  within  or  without  the  empire, — 
with  all  its  great  advantages  and  with  all  its 
solemn  responsibilities.  The  feeling  of  loyalty 
to  Britain  is  indeed  deep,  strong,  and  enthus- 
iastic ;  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  under- 
stand in  what  really  essential  element  of 
independence  Canada  is  lacking  to-da}^  -  so  far, 
that  is,  as  a  country  can  be  independent  whilst 
it  remains  a  part  of  a  kingdom  or  empire.  Still, 
however,  it  is  becoming  more  evident  every 
day  that  the  Dominion  has  within  itself  all 
the  latent  potentiality  of  national  greatness, 
and  that  there  is  no  good  reason  apparent  why 
it  may  not  yet  be  the  leading  power  on  the 
American  continent.  But  this  matter  will  not, 
must  not,  be  forced,  and  we  rest  content  in 
the  belief  that  (so  long  as  we  do  our  duty  as 
a  people)  if  national  independence  be  best  for 


122  IN   OLD   QURBEC  : 

US  it  will  be  given  to  us,  at  the  right  time  and 
in  the  right  way.  Moreover,  when  it  does 
come  we  hope  to  see  it  not  in  trying  to  raise 
ourselves  at  the  expense  of  others,  not  in 
trying  to  build  up  our  own  nation  on  the  ruins 
of  another,  but  in  entering  upon  a  healthy 
rivalry  with  all  civilized  peoples  as  to  which 
can  do  the  most  towards  ushering  in  the  era 
which  England's  seer  of  the  last  century  fore- 
saw when  he  sang  : 

"Till  the   war-drums  throbb'd   no   longer,   and   the 

battleflags  were  furl'd 
In   the   Parliament  of  men,    the    Federation   of   the 

world." 


Yll 

THE  ETHICS  OF  WAR. 

One  charming  mid-summer's  day,  several 
years  ago,  the  writer  had  the  exceptional 
pleasure  of  witnessing  a  picturesque  series  of 
military  evolutions  on  Quebec's  historic  battle- 
field, the  Plains  of  Abraham, which,  by  the  way, 
— owing  mainly  to  the  active  initiative  set  by 
Lord  Grey, — are  about  to  be  converted  into  a 
national  memorial  park.  From  an  elevated 
spot  were  to  be  seen  troops  of  prancing,  restless 
cavalry,  and  long  lines  of  artillery,  the  bright 
sunlight  bearing  down  upon  the  sleek,  shining 
coats  of  the  horses,  and  dazzling  coruscations 
glist  from  the  burnished  arms  and  accoutre- 
ments of  their  riders.  Converging  from  several 
quarters,  various  regiments,  some  clad  in  bright 
scarlet  others  in  dark  blue  or  green  uniforms, 
were  moving  towards  the  brigade  ground  to 
participate  in  their  morning  exercises.  At  the 
distance  of  our  view,   and  without  seriously 


124  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

thinking  upon  the  subject,  it  was  difficult  to 
decide  which  most  to  admire — the  sombre- 
garbed,  ominous  and  practical  looking  "Rifles", 
or  the  gay  and  spirited-looking  "  Infantry." 
Borne  on  the  wings  of  a  delightful  breeze  the 
strains  of  more  than  half  a  score  of  carefully 
trained  bands  reached  the  ear,  producing 
sensations  "  felt  in  the  blood  and  felt  along 
the  heart," — imparting  to  all  not  totally 
inert  and  pulseless,  a  sense  of  new  and  invi- 
gorated Hfe.  Only  the  fewest  in  this  country 
can  have  been  privileged  to  listen  to  the 
terrific  and  heart-arousing  music,  with  full 
orchestral  accompaniment,  of  Handel's  **  Gird 
on  Thy  vSword, ' '  but  feelings  probably  not  much 
inferior  to  those  inspired  by  the  recital  of 
this  mighty  composition  arose  even  then  within 
the  breasts  of  the  assembled  thousands,  an- 
nouncing once  again  that  stern  defiance,  that 
indomitable  pluck,  that  pith  and  valour  within 
the  British  heart,  to  which  history  bears 
indubitable  testimony  through  all  ages.  Every 
wise  man  yearns  that  the  day  when  the  grim 
contests  of  war  must  be  enacted,  ma}^  be  long, 
long  delayed  ;  but  while  the  fervent  Christian 
prayer  of  "Give  p>eace  in  our  time,  O,  Lord," 


Z  T. 

:  z 


>  - 

O  I 

U  O 

z  -^ 

<  . 

>  H 


id 

■:    ^ 
O 


M 

i 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  1  25 

should  be  the  guiding  principle  of  action,  it  is 
certain  that  no  country  is  wisely  governed  that 
allows  itself  to  repose  in  fancied  security  with- 
out the  means  of  repelling  invasion  by  a 
foreigner  or  promptly  stamping  out  rebellion. 
The  completest  victory  is  not  that  w^hich 
entirely  avoids  a  contest  but  that  which  leaves 
the  least  evidence  of  struggle. 

Not  unnaturally  associated  with  the  simula- 
tion of  warfare  just  mentioned,  and  with  the 
memories  awakened  of  the  bravery  and  chivalry 
of  both  French  and  English  in  the  great  deed  of 
arms  performed  on  these  historic  Plains  nearly 
a  century  and  a  half  ago,  was  the  thought  of 
the  justification  of  actual  contests  at  arms  ; 
and  data  that  had  recently  been  afforded  by 
no  less  a  qualified  authority  than  the  Duke  of 
Connaught,  on  the  subject  of  the  great  advance 
in  the  moral  and  intellectual  training  of 
"  Tommy  Atkins  ",  in  the  old  land,  and  his 
abstemption  from  crime  and  disorderly  conduct 
while  on  active  service, — suggested  doubts 
whether  war  itself  has  necessarily  those  bruta- 
lising  tendencies  which  are  popularly  attributed 
to  its  process,  even  by  those  who  by  no  means 
coincide   in   the   extreme   doctrine  that  it  is 


126  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

never  justifiable  except  as  a  measure  of  im- 
mediate defence.  Such  doubts  have  at  times 
since  been  considerably  strengthened  by  a 
perusal  of  letters  written  by  soldiers  from  the 
seat  of  war  to  their  homes,  in  which  it  would 
be  difficult  to  say  whether  a  brave  endurance 
of  discomfort,  an  heroic  exultation  in  danger 
faced  and  overcome,  or  a  kindly  flow  of  home 
affections,  were  the  most  striking  charac- 
teristics. 

That  which  calls  forth  in  those  engaged  in 
it,  endurance,  sagacity,  promptness  in  resource, 
presence,  of  mind,  self  control,  and  contempt 
of  death,  which  knits  together  officers  and 
men  by  the  strongest  ties  of  mutual  respect 
and  admiration,  by  the  sense  of  dangers  shared 
and  services  rendered,  and  by  the  tenderness 
and  sympathy  elicited  towards  the  sick  and 
wounded,  can  hardly  be  in  itself  the  wholly 
evil  thing  which  popular  opinion  is  accus- 
tomed in  our  day  to  regard  it,  unless  we  are 
prepared  to  adopt  the  epicurean  sentiment 
which  would  make  comfort  the  chief  good  and 
pain 

*'  The  something  in  this  world  amiss, 
To  be  unriddled  by  and  bye.** 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  127 

True,  these  facts  do  not  prove  that  war  is 
not  in  itself  and  evil  ;  and,  unquestionably,  if 
men  were  perfect  war  would  cease.  But  the 
question  really  is,  whether  men  beijig  what 
they  are,  v/ars  are  not  among  the  modes  of 
human  activity  by  which  man's  spirit  is  trained 
to  perfection  and  the  ancient  throne  of  wTong 
and  sensuality,  of  weakness  and  cowardice, 
even  of  mere  brute  worship,  made  to  totter  to 
its  fall.  Unlike  the  conflict  man  wages  with 
nature,  in  war  he  stands  opposed  to  his  fellow- 
men,  and  its  immediate  object  is  the  destruc- 
tion of  human  life  and  the  works  of  human 
industry.  But  if  the  operations  of  Providence 
on  nature  be  our  guide  in  this  matter,  it  is 
not  thence  that  we  can  draw  the  moral  that 
evil  is  to  be  encountered  and  good  sought  onh' 
on  condition  of  not  destroying  the  lives  and 
works  of  men.  We  humbly  trust,  and  we  are 
learning  slowly  to  perceive  that  the  pestilence 
that  walketh  by  noon-day  and  smiteth  the 
thousands  in  our  cities,  is  sent  on  a  mission 
of  healing,  sent  expressly  to  slothful  and  care- 
less men,  whose  neglect  of  the  laws  of  health 
is  entailing  incessant  loss  of  life  and  deteriora- 
tion of  human  and  bodily  powers.  The  plague 


128  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

smiteth  fiercely,  but  with  a  passing  blow  ;  if 
we  learn  our  lesson  its  good  effects  last  forever. 
Men  are  fallible  and  God  is  all- wise, it  may  be 
answered,  and  men  must  not  imitate  the  awful 
agencies  of  their  Maker,  because  they  cannot 
be  sure  they  will  use  them  aright.  To  which 
we  reply  that  man  must  act  by  the  best  light 
he  has,  and  that  powers  given  him  are  lawfully 
used  if  used  with  a  righteous  purpose  :  and 
that  when  other  means  of  suppressing  wrong 
have  been  tried  in  vain,  we  have  no  alternative 
but  to  let  wrong  prevail,  or  to  meet  and  conquer 
it  by  armed  force.  This  appears  to  be  a  con- 
clusive argument  against  banishing  war  from 
amongst  the  legitimate  means  of  resisting  evil. 
Mere  destruction  is  no  more  the  real  and 
ultimate  object  of  war  than  it  is  of  the  Arctic 
expedition,  the  exploration  of  Africa,  or  other 
noble  enterprises  in  which  life  is  risked.  The 
real  object  of  all  justifiable  war  is  to  secure 
the  triumph  of  what  is  assumed  to  be  right, 
where  human  diplomacy  has  failed  to  apply 
the  agency  of  the  law,  and  that  combined  force 
of  all  against  one,  which  is  the  strength  of 
the  law.  Nor  could  the  theorists  who  condemn 
war,  irrespective  of  its  cause  or  motive,  find  it 


AND   OTHER    SKETCHES  129 

easy  either  to  "justify  the  ways  of  God  to 
man,"  or  to  approve  of  any  of  those  enterprises 
in  which  life  is  staked  against  success,  for 
surely  men  are  bound  to  regard  their  own  lives 
as  sacred  no  less  than  those  of  others.  How, 
too,  will  they  justify  capital  punishment,  or 
any  punishment,  that  inflicts  bodily  pain  and 
injures  health  ?  Even  the  ordinary  social 
mechanism,  if  strictly  probed,  the  common 
occupations  of  men,  the  s^^stems  of  labor  that 
accumulate  wealth  at  the  expense  of  the  health 
and  vigor  of  the  laborer,  would  scarcely  stand 
the  consistent  application  of  the  peace  theory. 
Upon  the  whole,  it  would  appear,  looking 
into  these  considerations,  that  the  common 
sentiment  about  war  needs  some  revision. 
Men  naturall}^  abhor  blood  and  wounds,  pains 
and  mutilated  limbs,  and  regard  with  instinc- 
tive awe  the  departure  of  the  spirit  from  its 
home  of  flesh — an  awe  that  is  vastly  deepened 
when  such  separation  is  sudden  and  violent- 
May  such  abhorrence  never  be  less  ;  may  such 
awe  never  cease  to  guard  with  its  mysterious 
sanctity  the  sacred  life  of  man.  But  if  man  is 
sent  into  the  world  not  to  eat,  sleep  and  enjoy 
the  banquet  of  the  senses,  but  to  vanquish  the 


130  IN   OLD   QUKBEC  ; 

evil  that  is  iu  himself,  aud  iii  the  world  ;  if 
no  effort,  no  sacrifice  of  comfort  and  happiness 
is  too  great  to  only  accomplish  the  end  of  his 
existence  ;  if  we  honor  by  universal  acclaim 
the  man  who  for  right  and  truth  exposes  his 
own  life,  by  what  logic  does  that  become  evil 
in  a  nation,  which  in  the  individual  is  honour 
and  virtue  ?  We  must  meet  and  conquer  evil 
in  the  form  it  happens  to  take,  and  if  one  of 
these  forms  be  an  armed  host  working  wrong 
either  by  its  own  spontaneous  impulse,  or  at 
the  bidding  of  a  master,  what  new  law  comes 
into  operation  whereby  we  are  prevented  from 
exposing  our  lives  in  this  conflict  as  right- 
eously as  we  expose  them  in  conflict  with  the 
winds  and  waters  in  our  search  after  scientific 
truth  or  for  the  produce  of  distant  lands  to 
minister  to  our  needs  and  luxuries  ? 

It  seems  to  come  to  this,  that  war  is  among 
the  various  agencies  by  which  man's  will  has 
to  meet  and  conquer  evil  ;  aud  that  like  all 
those  agencies  it  may  be  either  a  noble  dis- 
cipline or  a  degrading  or  brutalizing  excite- 
ment of  the  passions.  Which  it  will  be,  in 
any  case,  depends  much  upon  the  motives  of 
the  nation  which  urges  it,    and  on  the  general 


i 


i. 


A'/ 


/,    / 


//..,/  /I,//:,/ 


SOME   OF   THE    MONUMENTS   OF   QUEBEC. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  131 

tone  of  morality  among  its  people.  If  a  nation 
holds  national  power  as  a  trust,  and  if  its 
duties  towards  its  own  people  have  not  been 
miserably  neglected,  war  becomes  in  the  hands 
of  such  a  nation  a  divine  instrument  of  justice, 
and  the  men  who  carry  it  on  are  sublimed 
into  the  conscious  ministers  of  eternal  right. 

Only  a  thoroughly  materialistic  misinterpre- 
tation of  Christianity,  a  general  epicureanism 
of  habit,  and  confused  notions  about  what 
determines  the  eternal  w^ell- being  of  man, 
could  ever  have  led  to  such  monstrous  doctrines 
as  those  propounded  by  Peace  fanatics  in 
reference  to  recent  wars.  We  turn  from  such 
theories  to  the  facts,  and  find  war  looking  all 
that  is  noblest  and  most  manly  in  a  nation, 
making  heroes  of  peasants  and  of  idlers,  hush- 
ing the  mean  jar  of  faction,  except  among  the 
basest  of  mankind,  and  stirring  in  the  uni- 
versal heart  of  a  people  a  strange,  delightful 
sense  of  brotherhood  and  unity.  And,  if 
startled  by  such  results  from  what  we  are 
taught  to  consider  an  unmixed  evil,  we  begin 
anew  to  examine  the  Peace  theories  promul- 
gated to  this  day  in  Europe  and  America, 
they  resolve  themselves  into  principles,  which, 


132  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

if  duly  carried  out,  would  deliver  over  man  to 
the  domiuion  of  evil,  would  postpone  every 
noble  motive  and  high  principle  to  a  supreme 
love  of  life  that  would  no  longer  be  divine, 
because  divorced  from  the  idea  of  good,  and 
would  soon  end  in  making  men  the  slaves  of 
circumstances,  and  the  bondsmen  of  the  brutes 
of  the  forest.  Surely  the  old  Pagans  had  a 
nobler  ideal  than  this  of  our  modern  quietists. 
If  manhood,  virtus,  was  then  too  exclusively 
seen  in  the  strong  arm  and  brave  heart,  at 
least  these  are  the  ground  of  all  other  excel- 
lencies in  man  ;  and  a  good  Christian  can  no 
more  be  a  coward  and  a  materialist  than  he 
can  be  a  drunkard  and  a  thief.  Women  retain 
their  instinctive  sense  of  the  truth  of  this 
matter,  and  we  hold  that  the  qualities  in  man 
which  a  true  w^oman  admires  are  those  which 
God  and  nature  intended  him  to  have. 

War  has  its  horrors,  so  have  railways  and 
every  noble  and  useful  enterprise,  just  because 
such  enterprises  are  a  new  conflict  with  evil, 
and  evil  fighteth  a  hard  fight,  and  exacts  toils, 
and  groans,  and  blood  before  it  quits  its  hold. 
But  to  redeem  the  world  from  evil  is  man's 
mission  here,  and  never  is  evil  more  gloriously 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  133 

defeated  than  when  armed  nations  rise  in- 
dignant against  incarnate  wrong  that  has 
gathered  head,  sweep  away  the  obstacles  to 
the  world '6  progress,  and  demean  themselves 
the  while  as  consecrated  servants  of  life  and 
truth. 


VIII 
THE  CHARMS  OF  BERMUDA. 

A  glance  at  the  map  shows  that  the  Ber- 
muda Islands  lie  southward  and  eastward  of 
the  Gulf  Stream,  and  that  they  are  intersected 
by  the  thirty-second  parallel  of  North  latitude 
and  the  sixty-fourth  meridian  of  West  longi- 
tude. There  is  more  than  the  romance  of  the 
tropics  and  the  seductive  lure  of  perpetual 
summer  about  the  Bermudas,  and  the  West 
India  Islands  generally,  which  lift  not  only 
"  their  fronded  palms  in  air  "  but  the  cross 
of  St.  George  as  well.  There  is  trade,  which 
Canada  might  easily  cultivate.  The  enterprise 
of  the  Quebec  Steamship  Company,  and  of  the 
Pickford  &  Black  S.S.  Company,  of  Halifax  N. 
S.,  has  brought  these  islands  w^ithin  easy  access 
to  Canadians,  and  traffic  has  steadily  increased 
between  these  several  parts  of  the  empire  the 
past  few  years.  One  writer,  a  resident  of 
Jamaica,  urges  that  a  capital  trade   ought  to 


HAMILTON,    BERMUDA. 


'■-^^^^^^S^IBIBH^BBPp^B^^^^ 

■ 

•-^s-te^'*'-        w,^ 

r;  :.■   .^r^      •      ,^,^;--«^^ 

PORT    ARTHUR,    ONTARIO 
ON   THE  LINE  OF  THE  CANADIAH'NORTHERN  RAILWAY 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  135 

be  built  up  with  Canada.  ' '  The  Island  has 
products  which  the  Dominion  is  prepared  to 
take,"  he  observes,  "and  the  Dominion  has 
products  which  Jamaica  is  continually  in  need 
of,  such,  for  instance,  as  flour,  timber  and 
fish."  A  similar  thing  may  be  said  of  the 
Bahamas,  those  "  islands  of  the  blessed,"  and 
also  of  the  "  still  vexed  Bermoothes,"  in 
which  the  writer  is  most  concerned  in  his 
present  sketch. 

All  lovers  of  Shakespeare  will  remember 
that  the  Bermudas  are,  in  part,  the  scene  of 
the  Tempest,  that  drama  of  which,  (with 
Midsummer's  Night's  Dream),  Warburton 
says,  "  Sir  John  Suckling  and  Milton  catched 
the  brightest  fire  of  their  imagination  from 
these  two  plays  ;  which  shows  fantastically 
indeed  in  The  Goblms,  but  much  more  nobly 
and  serenely  in  7 he  Mask  at  Ludlow  Castle.''' 
In  the  second  scene  of  the  first  act  Ariel  says 
to  Prospero  : 

"  Safely  in  harbour 

Is  the  king's  ship  ;  in  the  deep  nook  where  once 
Thou  call'dst  me  up  at  midnight  to  fetch  dew 
From  the  still-vex'd  Bermoothes. 

The  islands  are  said  to  number  one  for  every 


136  IN   OLD   QUEBKC  ; 

day  in  the  year  ;  and  yet  their  combined  area 
is  not  more  than  twenty  square  miles,  being 
about  an  eighth  as  large  as  the  Isle  of  Wight. 
They  rest  on  a  foundation  of  coral,  which  has 
been  raised  by  the  industrious  coral  producing 
zoophites  on  the  edges  of  a  submerged  crater 
which  countless  ages  ago  appeared  above  the 
surface  of  the  Atlantic,  and  eventuall}^  disap- 
peared beneath  its  waves.  So  translucent  is 
the  water  around  the  islands,  that,  from  the 
summit  of  a  hill  near  the  shore  and  quite  fort}" 
feet  high,  the  spectator  may  clearly  see  lovely 
shells  and  seaweed  lying  in  the  bottom  fully 
twenty  feet  beneath  the  surface.  Though  so 
near  the  tropics,  the  climate  is  free  from 
extremes  of  heat  and  cold,  the  thermometer 
seldom  registering  lower  than  65  degrees  in 
winter,  or  higher  than  85  degrees  in  summer. 
The  equable  temperature  is  chiefly  due  to  the 
complete  isolation  of  the  islands,  which  are  at 
least  six  hundred  miles  from  the  mainland,  so 
that  they  ever  enjoy  the  benefits  of  salubrious 
sea  breezes,  blow  they  from  what  quarter 
soever. 

The  productions  of  the  tropics  flourish  in 
the  islands  not  because  the  heat  is  intense,  but 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  X3T 

because  they  are  never  exposed  to  frost,  winter 
being  pratically  unknown.  Here  are  found 
the  graceful  bamboo,  the  cocoa  palm,  the 
palmetti,  the  mangrove,  the  gru-gru  palm, 
the  orange,  the  lemon,  the  banana,  etc.,  and 
yet  not  a  poisonous  plant  can  be  found 
throughout  the  whole  group. 

In  the  woods  the  blue  bird  on  the  wing 
seems  like  a  bit  of  deep  azure  sky  of  Italy 
endowed  with  life,  whilst  the  crimson  gros-bec 
flying  amongst  trees  lights  up  the  scene  as 
with  an  ambient  flame.  In  the  placid  bays 
fish,  unknown  to  colder  waters,  disport  them- 
selves, a  wonderful  variety  of  brilliant  tints — 
pink,  rose-colour,  white,  blue,  orange,  emerald, 
yellow,  and  ruby.  The  full  list  of  Bermudian 
fishes  recordered  by  various  authors  to  date 
reaches  nearly  three  hundred  varieties,  chiefly 
members  of  the  West  Indian  fauna.  The 
angel  fish,  (so  called  from  its  wing-like  fins 
and  quaintly  human-looking  face),  with  its 
scales  of  brown  and  white,  gills  of  deep  blue, 
and  other  parts  blue  and  yellow,  is  one  of  the 
most  curious  as  well  as  most  beautiful  of  them 
all. 

A  native  of  Erin  would  find  himself  per- 


138  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

fectly  at  home  in  the  Bermudas,  for  reptiles 
are  unknown  and  potatoes  are  abundant  ; 
whilst  the  Welsh-man  and  the  Spaniard  would 
be  equally  happy  amid  a  profusion  of  leeks, 
onions,  and  garlic.  No  wonder,  then,  that 
one  of  the  islands  is  called  Ireland,  and  that 
another  rejoices  in  the  name  of  St.  David, 
w^hilst  Spanish  Point  reminds  one  of  Spain's 
naval  prowess,  in  days  long  past, gone, perhaps, 
forever. 

The  scenery  atones  for  a  good  deal  of  the 
physical  discomfort  which  many  people  experi- 
•ence  in  the  short  sea  voyage  between  New 
Tork,  or  Halifax  and  the  Islands.  Always 
you  have  the  atmosphere  and  surroundings  of 
mountain  and  sea.  The  green  cedar-mantled 
hills  are  crowned  by  excellent  roads  that 
present  delightful  views.  You  are  impressed 
with  the  immensity  of  the  Atlantic  and  the 
complete  isolation  of  the  islands.  The  scenery 
may  not  be  sublime,  but  it  is  certainly  pictur- 
esque, and  in  many  places  romantic.  One  of 
the  favorite  resorts  is  ' '  Fairy  Land ' '  ;  and 
well  does  it  deserve  its  name,  for  it  is  a  spot 
of  bewitching  beauty.  Over  roads  formed  of 
coral,  and  so   porous  as  to  absorb   the   rain 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  189 

almost  as  soon  as  it  falls  from  the  clouds,  one 
may  drive  for  miles  between  rows  of  lofty 
cedars,  or  hedges  of  gigantic  oleanders,  or 
rocks  thirty  feet  in  height,  and  densely  covered 
with  luxuriant  vines  which  bear  the  most 
brilliant  of  gorgeous  flowers,  whilst  here  and 
there  the  eye  is  charmed  with  fields  of  magni- 
ficent roses  and  sweet  Easter  lillies.  Indeed 
the  cultivation  of  these  lillies  for  export  may 
be  said  to  be  one  of  the  industries  of  the  native 
population.  In  March  and  April  the  oleander 
is  one  glory  of  blossom  and  colour ;  the  hybis- 
cus  is  gay  with  bloom,  and  the  graceful 
**  Pride  of  India,"  tree  bears  its  delicates 
lavender  tinted  foliage.  On  the  shores  the 
long  Atlantic  rollers,  blue  as  torquoise,  come 
charging  in,  their  crests  of  spray  running 
along  their  length  until  the  waves  are  broken 
in  white  ruin  on  the  rocks.  Delightful  excur- 
sions may  be  made  to  some  bold  promontory, 
or  expansive  bay,  or  natural  bridge,  or  to  one 
of  those  numerous  caves  which  are  amongst 
the  most  remarkable  of  the  phenomena  of  the 
Bermudas.  Into  some  of  these  one  descends 
by  steps  cut  out  of  a  living  rock  ;  into  others 
you  are  rowed  by  a  boatman.     Here  you  find 


140  IN  OLD  QURBKC  ; 

a  miniature  lake  with  its  strange  finny  inha- 
bitants. Then  you  see  exquisite  stalactites 
depending  from  roof  and  sides.  Here  you 
behold  immense  stalagmites  rising  from  the 
floor,  and  now  the  ear  is  charmed  with  the 
mellifluous  music  made  by  the  drops  of  water 
as  they  fall  from  the  marvellously  sculptured 
vault  above  into  the  emerald  waters  beneath. 
This  is  not  the  place  to  enter  into  the  natural 
history  of  the  wondrous  formation  found  in 
these  caves  ;  but  one  of  them,  a  stalagmite,  is 
so  remarkable  that  it  must  not  be  passed 
over  in  silence.  Geologists  tell  us  that  it  must 
have  taken  six  hundred  thousand  years  to 
attain  its  present  dimensions,  and  their  cal- 
culations are  based  upon  observations  which 
have  been  carried  on  for  nearly  fifty  years. 
This  stupendous  stalagmite  is  now  in  the 
Museum  of  Edinburgh. 

The  natives  of  the  Islands  are  a  mixed  race — 
the  result  of  a  commingling  of  American-In- 
dians; Negroes,  Spaniards,  Portuguese,  and 
heaven  knows  what  besides.  They  are  honest 
and  industrious,  clean  and  neat,  dress  in  good 
taste,  are  uniformly  polite  and  very  religious, 
if  one   may  judge  from  their  attendance  at 


I 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  141 

public  worship.  Indeed  almost  everyone  goes 
to  church  in  the  Bermudas,  and  that  man  must 
indeed  be  very  fastidious  who  cannot  find  some 
sort  of  worship  to  suit  him,  be  he  Catholic  or 
identified  with  some  of  the  numerous  dissent- 
ing bodies. 

We  remember  that  the  services  at  the 
great  Anglican  Cathedral,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  Queen  of  Festivals — Easter  Sunday, 
were  singularly  beautiful.  The  vast  edifice 
was  filled  with  a  congregation  which,  while 
very  fashionable,  was  also  very  reverent. 
Indeed  it  would  be  difiicult  for  even  an  avowed 
Agnostic  to  attend  such  a  service  without 
feeling  the  spirit  of  religious  devotion  steal 
into  his  heart  and  pervade  his  whole  being. 
What  with  the  white  rays  of  the  sun  becoming 
changed  into  "  the  dim  religious  light  "  as  it 
filtered  through  the  richly  coloured  windows, 
the  solemn  shadows  cast  by  the  massive 
columns  which  support  the  arches  of  the 
aisles,  the  profusion  of  native  grown  lillies  in 
the  chancel,  the  tones  of  the  splendid  organ 
echoing  from  the  vaulted  roof  and  finding 
their  way  into  every  dim  recess  until  the  whole 
beautiful  building    was  filled  with  melody  ; 


142  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

the  dignified  procession  of  white- robed  chor- 
isters and  clergy  to  their  stalls  in  the  chancel, 
the  penitential  accents  of  the  great  congre- 
gation in  humble  confession,  the  authoritive 
tones  of  the  priest  in  the  declaration  of  abso- 
lution, the  joyous  and  triumphant  Easter 
anthem,  the  magnificent  renderings  of  the  Te 
Deum  and  Benedictus,  and  above  all  the  solemn 
celebration  of  the  Eucharistic  Mysteries,  one 
could  not  but  feel  he  was  in  the  immediate 
presence  of  his  Maker. 

Besides  the  natives  the  inhabitants  are  chief- 
ly British,  belonging  to  the  army  and  navy 
for,  except  Gibralter,  Bermuda  is  the  strongest 
fortress  in  England's  possessions,  being  the 
strategic  centre  of  the  North  American  and 
West  India  station.  It  is  the  rendezvous  of 
the  Atlantic  squadron,  and  on  the  east  of 
Ireland  Island  there  is  a  splendid  bay,  more 
than  ten  miles  from  the  open  sea,  in  which 
the  whole  British  fleet  could  ride  safely  at 
anchor  whilst  the  most  terrific  storms  are 
raging  outside.  It  is  needless  to  say  that 
there  are  many  extensive  arsenals  on  the 
Islands,  and  that  every  point  of  importance  is 
protected  by  tower  or  battery. 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  143 

One  is  rather  surprised  to  learn  that  news- 
papers have  been  published  in  Bermuda  for 
more  than  a  century  ;  but  one  is  not  so  sur- 
prised to  find  some  very  fair  libraries. 
There  are  well  conducted  Government  schools 
for  children  in  general,  and  admirable  private 
schools  for  those  who  can  afford  them.  In 
the  larger  towns  there  are  three  mail  deli- 
veries daily,  and  two  in  the  smaller  places.  It 
will  readily  be  seen,  then,  that  Bermuda  is  an 
ideal  place  for  visitors,  especially  those  who 
need  rest  and  recuperation. 

Hence  it  is  that  facilities  for  going  there 
have  been  marvelously  improved  during  the 
last  twenty  years.  Then  a  small  steamer  made 
the  voyage  once  in  three  weeks  ;  now  the 
Quebec  Steamship  Company  supply  a  weekly 
service.  Then  there  was  a  disagreeable  journey 
of  five  days  ;  now  a  fairly  pleasant  trip  of 
about  forty-eight  hours  from  New- York. 
Then,  except  for  visits  of  the  little  steamer, 
one  was  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the  world  ; 
now  there  is  telegraphic  communication  every- 
where. What  a  contrast  between  the  Ber- 
mudas which  were  the  haunts  of  pirates  two 
hundred  years  ago  and  the  Bermudas  as  they 


144  IN  OLD  QUEBHC  ; 

are   now,   under  the   benign   sway   of   Great 
Britain. 

From  the  beginning  of  November  to  the 
middle  of  April  there  is  a  constant  stream  of 
visitors  from  Canada  and  the  United  States. 
Some  come  for  rest,  some  follow  the  sun,  as 
Europeans  fly  to  the  Riviera  and  Italy.  The 
climate  is  ideal,  and  the  only  fault  that  one 
can  lind  with  these  lovely  islands — these 
■emeralds  set  in  coral,  and  ever  laved  by  the 
delicate,  opalescent  waters — the  balmiest  and 
brightest  of  seas  in  the  broad  Atlantic  ;  this 
climate  of  surpassing  softness,  —  is  that,  when 
he  is  once  there,  the  unique  and  varied  charms 
of  the  place  so  grow  on  him,  make  themselves 
so  dear  to  him,  become  so  seductive  and 
enchanting,  that  he  longs  to  stay  among  these 
*  *  bowers  of  Ariel  ' '  forever. 


IX 

THE  COMPANIONSHIP  OF  BOOKS. 

"  The  books  are  left, — consider  it ; 

That  day  that  sees  a  friendship  flit, 

Like  butterfly  to  blooms  more  bright ; 

Or  care,  the  gray  moth,  wings  by  night, 

Whenever  lamps  of  joy  are  lit. 

Though  love  goes  by  with  grace  and  w^it, 

Unwooed,  uuheld  by  man's  poor  might, 

Not  comfortless  shall  be  my  plight 

For  books  are  left. 

Though  in  the  inn  of  life  I  sit. 

Last  of  my  friends  mine  host  to  quit. 

Not  all  of  loneliness  shall  blight, 

I  may  not  be  deserted  quite, 

While  still,  oh,  comrades  exquisite. 

My  books  are  left." 

We  are  not  apt  at  first  sight  to  appreciate 
the  powerful  influence  of  the  society  we  keep 
for  good  or  evil  upon  our  conduct  through 
life.  There  is  a  constant  process  of  assimila- 
tion going  on  between  associates,  some  meeting 
half  way  in  the  multitude  of  thought  and  dis- 


146  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

position,  and  others  gained  over  entirely  to 
the  mental  habits  of  their  fellows.  The  pro- 
cess frequently  appears  in  the  external  customs- 
of  individuals  ;  and  the  gait  and  gestures  are 
completely  assumed,  and  nothing  is  wanted 
to  complete  the  transcript  but  the  mere/<r/- 
sonyiel.  In  action,  manner,  and  even  thought > 
the  youth  are  faithful  copyists  of  their  seniors 
or  companions  ;  their  language  and  habits 
become  entirely  the  same,  whether  correct  or 
otherwise,  whether  good  or  bad.  The  old  are 
not  exempt  from  the  same  influence  ;  it  per- 
vades society,  all  conditions  and  phases  of  life. 
Hence  the  great  importance  of  choosing  proper 
companions.  One  of  the  ancients  said,  "  a 
pleasant  companion  on  the  road  is  better  than 
a  coach  ;  "  and  an  apocryphal  writer,  "  a 
faithful  friend  is  the  medicine  of  life.  "  These 
maxims  hold  equally  good  in  the  books  we 
should  read  as  in  the  companions  we  should 
associate  with.  Books  have  a  decided  advantage 
over  friends  in  the  constancy  of  their  affection, 
and  the  correctness  of  the  information  they 
impart.  Langford  beautifully  points  this  virtue 
in  books  : — "  Books,"  he  says  "  are  friends, 
and  what  friends  they  are.  Their  love  is  deep' 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  147 

and  unchanging  ;  their  patience  inexhaustible  ; 
their  gentleness  perennial  ;  their  forbearance 
unbounded  ;  and  their  sympathy  without 
selfishness.  Strong  as  man,  and  tender  as 
women,  they  welcome  you  in  every  mood,  and 
never  turn  from  you  in  distress. ' '  Another 
writer  eloquently  says  : — 

*  *  Books  help  me  out  of  the  vacancy  and 
despair  of  a  frivolous  mind,  out|of  the  tangle 
and  confusion  of  a  Society  that  is  busied  in 
bric-a-brac,  out  of  the  meanness  of  unfeeling 
mockery  and  the  heaviness  of  incessant  mirth, 
into  a  loftier  and  serener  region,  where  through 
the  clear  air  of  serious  thoughts  I  learn  to 
look  soberly  and  bravely  upon  the  mingled 
misery  and  splendor  of  human  existence,  and 
then  go  down  with  a  cheerful  courage  to  play 
a  man's  part  in  the  life  which  Christ  has  for- 
ever ennobled  by  His  Divine  Presence." 

When  the  majority  of  those  who  once 
appeared  to  take  an  interest  in  our  welfare 
have  disappeared  ;  when  novelty  has  lost  its 
charm  ;  public  opinion  veered  to  another  point; 
or  the  clouds  of  adversity  spread  their  ungain- 
ly mantle  around  our  hapless  heads,  and  en- 
velope us  in  their  dark  embraces  ;  and  when 


148  IN  OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

we  "  grapple  to  our  souls,  as  if  with  hooks  of 
steel,  those  friends  we  have  and  their  adoption 
tried  ;  "  when,  in  short,  our  once  sunshine 
friends  turn  from  us  or  insult  us,  we  may 
invariably  hold  sweet  and  profitable  concourse 
with  our  constant  and  unchanged  friends,  our 
books — a  concourse  that  leaves  us  better  and 
wiser  than  before.  They  change  not  ;  no 
frown  comes  over  their  countenance  ;  in  morn- 
ing, noon,  and  night,  in  adversity  as  well  as 
prosperity,  our  books  are  ever  the  same.  They 
exhibit  not  the  curled  lip  of  disdain  at  our 
humble  condition  ;  they  knit  not  the  super- 
cilious brow  at  our  seeking  their  society  ;  no, 
they  show  us  the  same  condescension  and 
readiness,  and  impart  their  salutary  instruc- 
tions under  all  circumstances,  and  ask  not 
whether  we  can  trace  our  pedigree  to  Julius 
Caesar,  or  whether  our  "  ancient  but  ignoble 
blood  has  crept  through  scoundrels  ever  since 
the  flood."  From  books  we  derive  all  species 
of  knowledge,  from  the  pen  of  those  whose 
position  in  society  would  preclude  our  access 
to  them  ;  we  learn  the  manners  and  habits  of 
their  lives,  as  well  as  if  we  had  personal  in- 
spection  of   them — In   fact,    we  take  note  of 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  149 

them  better  than  they  themselves,  without 
incurring  the  drudgery  or  the  knick-knacks  of 
etiquette,  or  perhaps  becoming  tainted  with 
the  vices  which,  in  many  instances,  are  the 
inheritance  of  those  who  move  with  the  pomp 
and  majesty  of  a  high  estate.  Through  books 
we  can  hold  communion  with  the  greatest  and 
best  of  every  age  of  the  world — the  philo- 
sophers, moralists,  and  muses  of  ancient  and 
modern  times  ;  we  can  from  them  gather  what 
the  various  conditions  of  life  were  at  the 
different  periods  of  the  world's  history,  and 
then  trace  the  various  shades  of  progress, 
mental  and  material ;  the  convulsion  of  nations, 
their  infancy,  growth  and  decay, — their 
schemes  of  ambition  and  policy,  and  their 
seeds  of  dissolution  ;  namely,  the  results  of 
depravity  and  wickedness  of  human  nature. 
From  the  rude  attempts  of  the  ancients  we 
can  trace  the  great  perfection  of  art  and 
science  in  our  own  day.  In  books  we  possess 
the  best  stores  of  knowledge,  accumulated 
through  all  ages,  ready  at  our  hands  ;  and  if 
we  do  not  profit  by  past  experience,  and  the 
excellent  lesson  it  teaches,  our  fault  must  be 
egregious,  our  minds  obtuse,   and  our  respon- 


150  IN  OLD  QUEBEC  ; 

sibility  immense.  In  the  present  age,  thanks 
to  Lawrence  Foster  and  Doctor  Faust, the  noble 
art  of  printing  has  placed  within  the  reach 
of  the  most  ordinary  mortal,  what  four  cen- 
turies ago,  all  the  wealth  of  the  world  could 
not  supply.  The  works  of  the  ancient  sages 
of  the  East,  which  had  previously  been  locked 
up  in  the  cloisters  of  the  learned  few,  are  now 
scattered  in  countless  numbers,  far  and  wide, 
over  the  civilized  world.  The  numberless 
works  of  modern  times  find  easy  access  to  the 
millions  through  the  same  source,  and  with 
eager  avidity  meet  with  multitudes  of  readers 
ready  to  grasp  them  whenever  issued  from 
the  press.  Had  Job  lived  in  the  present  day 
it  is  more  than  probable  that  the  special  desire 
of  his  heart — that  his  enemy  should  write  a 
book,  would  have  been  more  than  gratified, 
for  in  the  making  of  books  there  is  no  end. 
The  magic  power  of  steam  yoked  to  locomo- 
tion, on  sea  and  land,  the  wonderful  electric 
current,  the  telegraph  and  telephone,  and  the 
production  of  typography,  have  merged  the 
civilized  world  into  one  gigantic  community — 
have  converged  the  remotest  quarters  of  the 
globe   into   close    neighborhood,    so   that   all 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  151 

events  transpiring  from  the  merest  gossip  to 
the  most  engrossing  topics  are  known  in  every 
nook  and  corner  in  the  space  of  a  few  hours. 
It  is  through  the  medium  of  books  and  the 
periodical  press  that  we  are  made  famiHar 
with  the  character  and  nature  of  various  other 
books  and  periodicals,  their  merits  and  de- 
merits. The  Standard  Reviews,  the  *'  police 
of  literature,"  as  they  are  aptly  styled,  after 
severely  testing  works  of  high  pretensions, 
and  passing  them  through  the  alembic  of 
truth  and  experience,  commend  to  us  the 
worthy  and  scourge  out  of  existence  those 
that  are  found  wanting,  and  thus  protect  us 
from  imposition  and  expense  at  the  hands  of 
literary  quacks  and  nondescripts.  The  news- 
paper press,  the  Pasquins  and  Punches  of  our 
times,  expose  by  solid  reason,  admonition  and 
vigilance,  or  by  the  *'  shafts  of  satire  "  which 
penetrate  the  thickest  skin,  the  sinister 
motives  of  individuals,  and  the  enormities  of 
parties  and  factions,  the  wrong-doing  of  politi- 
cal potentates,  and  their  high-handed  injustice 
and  through  their  faithful  vigilance,  serve  to 
stifle  extravagance  in  the  bud.  .  From  books 
and  current   literature   people   learn   how  to 


152  IN   OLD   QUEBEC  ; 

govern  themselves,  and  how  they  ought  to  be 
governed  ;  the  duties  they  owe  to  themselves 
and  their  rulers  ;  the  privileges  they  enjoy 
as  the  denizens  of  free  and  untrammelled  in- 
stitutions ;  and  how  to  appreciate  their  condi- 
tion as  well  as  better  them  ;  how  to  assert 
their  rights  as  free  and  enlightened  citizens 
and  how  to  secure  them.  By  this  medium  is 
spread  all  species  of  useful  information  :  they 
apprize  us  of  the  blessings  which  they  them- 
selves contribute  to  promote  ;  of  the  misery  of 
tyranny  and  misrule, — its  ravages  over  soul 
and  body  ;  of  the  melancholy  condition  of 
those  nations  who  do  not  enjoy  the  liberty  or 
privilege  of  possessing  the  invaluable  means 
of  enlightenment.  In  books  our  stores  of 
knowledge  are  inexhaustible.  We  can  turn  at 
will  to  the  rich  treasures  of  literature,  science 
and  art,  or  to  the  varied  beauties  and  inspira- 
tions of  courtly  poets  of  various  ages,  consti- 
tutions and  climes.  The  importance  of  the 
newspaper  press,  even  for  the  diffusion  of 
knowledge,  and  the  creation  of  a  taste  for 
reading  in  a  family  ;  not  to  speak  of  the  in- 
fusion of  independent  feelings  of  political 
rights  and  privileges,  is  incalculable,  and  more 


AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  153 

than  people  in  general  are  apt  to  imagine.  A 
good  authority  estimates  a  respectable  news- 
paper in  a  family,  for  a  year,  as  equivalent  to 
a  quarter's  schooling  under  the  best  tuition  ; 
and  as  sarcastic  Junius  justly  observed  : — 
"  Let  it  be  impressed  upon  your  minds,  let  it 
be  instilled  into  your  children,  that  the  public 
press  is  the  palladium  of  your  civil  and  reli- 
gious liberty." 


INDEX 


A 

Abitibi 120 

Alberta Ill 

Ancient  Capital  of  Canada 98 

Assinaboia  ...    , 108 

Auz  Otardes    ...  29,  30 

B 

Bahamas,  the 135 

Baie  St  Paul    27 

Banff 114 

Beaupr^,  Ste  Anne  de 34  to  36 

Beaupr^,  seignory  of 45 

Beauport,  church 50 

'*        shore 50 

lake   50 

Bermudas,  the  134  to  140 

Bishop  of  London   97 

Books,  the  Companionship  of    145 

Brandon,  Man 106 

British  Columbia  72,  75,  116 

Bryant's,  "The  Prairies" 106 

C 

Canada,  my  Country 64 

Canada,  resources  and  territory 72  to  75 


1 ')! »  INDEX — conihiued 

Canadian  loyalty  71,121 

climate 47,  T'i,  1(»J,  K'.: 

Canadinn  West iH,  l(i2.  1  K",  iL'l 

"         Independence    1-1 

Pacific  Railway 84,  102,  109,  11.;,  lis 

Northern  Railway.  <):;.  InJ,  1(>9,  111,  118,  118 

Pacific  S.S.  Co 102 

Population 102  to  103 

Cap  a  I'Aigle 27 

Cape  Diamond 68 

Caps  Ste  Anne,  and  Tourmente 51 

Carberry,  Man 106 

Cartier,  Jacques 18,  19,  41,  42,  <i(),  (i7,  (-S.  (,9,  88 

Champlain,  Samuel  de  . .   18,  41,  58,  60,  07 

**  Lake 

"  Street  

Chateau  Frontenac 

Chateau  St.  Louis  

Chicoutimi 

China 

Cobalt 

Columbus 

Connaught,  Duke  of 

Cove  fields,  the 


I)ai3])liiii 

De  la  Roque 

Divide,  the  Great 

Doiij^las,  Sir  James 

Dufferin,  Lord     G"),  50 


(>S,  .ss,  l(i7 

♦is 

io.  2o 

60,  61 

58 

'  27 

120 

75 

66 

125 

5s 

110 

42 

114 

117 

.  aT.  5^,  (i.; 

INDEX — co7itimted 


157 


Dufferin  Terrace , 21,  55,  56,  59,  63 

Durham,  Lord ...    .  57 

Durham  Terrace 58 

E 

Eastern  Townships  39,  57 

Easter , 141 

Edrans,  Man 106 

Edmonton 110,111 

Emerald  Isle,  Bard  of 48 

Erin,  son  of 52,138 

Ethics  of  War 123 

F 

Federal  Capital 94 

France 12,  14,  42 

French  Canadians 59 

French  Canadians,  loyalty  of 45,  71 

French  River 100,  102 

Fort  William 101 

G 

Gibralter  of  North  America 63,  66 

Government  buildings,  B.  C 117 

Grand  Discharge 30 

Grand  Trunk  Pacific   109 

Grand  Trunk  Railway 93 

Great  Britain ...  81,  144 

Great  Lakes 72 

Grey,  Lord 123 

Gulf  Stream 134 


158  INDEX — continued 

H 


Ha  !Ha  !  Bay 

Halifax,  N.  S 

Handel's  **  Gird  on  thy  Sword  " 

Hanover,  House  of 

Hochelaga 

Hudson's  Bay 

Huronic  S.S 

Huron  Indians 

Huron,  Lake 


Indian  Lorette. 

Irrigation 

Irish  Exodus  . 
Irish  Canadian. 
Island  of  Jesus 
Isle  of  Wight . . 


Jamaica 

James's  Bay  .    

Japan 

Jesuit  Order 

Joly  de  Lotbiniere,  Sir  Henri. 


K 


Kenora 

Kent,  Duke  of. 
Kent  House  . . 


27,32 

134,  138 

124 

32 

19 

72 

98 

33 

68,  98 

33 

111,  112 

55,  57 

68 

11,45 

136 

135 

72 

120 

42,44 

117 

103 

37 

37,39 

INDEX — continued  159 

King  Edward 37 

Kingston,  Ont 96 

L 

Lake  Beauport 33 

Lake  Nipissing 68 

Lake  St.  Charles 33 

Lake  St.  John 11,  12,  27,  28,  31,  32 

Lake  St.  Joseph 11,  12,  32 

Lake  Superior 99,  104 

La  Tuque  30 

Laurentians,  the 51,  59 

Laval,  Mgr  de 44 

Laval  University 20 

Le  Chien  d'Or 24 

LeMoine,  Sir  James 5 

Les  Eboulements . ,  27 

Levis,  Que 59 

Liverpool  119 

M 

Mackenzie  District 120 

Magdalen  Islands 11 

Magog  River,  Que  39 

Manicouagan 29,  30 

Manitoba  and  Territories 92,  105 

Maritime  Provinces 75 

Montcalm .24,  41,  48,  70 

Montmorency .  23,  36,  37,  46,  119 

Montreal 67,  78,  93,  95,  119 

Montgomery,  General 24,  25 

Mount  Donald 114 


1  GO  I NDEX — contimied 

Mo 

McGee,  Thomas  D'Arcy (>s 

McGill  University 94 

N 

Natural  Steps 23,  38 

New  Kngland 39 

New  France 19 

New  Ontario  102,  104 

New  Westminster 117 

Newspapers  and  Press 152 

Northern  Navigation  Company  93,  98,  102 

O 
Ontario  Department  of  Lands,  Forests  and 

Mines 107 

Ontario,  Lake 98 

Ontario,  Province 68,  76,  73,  104 

Orleans,  Duke  of 42 

Orleans  Island 40,  41,  42,  43,  44,  47,  59 

Ouiatchouan  Falls 27 

Ottawa 103 

Ouananiche,  the 31 

P 

Patriotism 27,  89 

Pickford  &  Black  S.S.  Co 134 

Plains  of  Abraham i^,  2 1 ,  4(>,  70,  123,  125 

Port  Arthur .  99  to  101 

Q 

Quebec,  Agriculture 76 

Battlefields 123 


i-i^-D^EX— continued  161 

' '        Churches  and  buildings 20  to  22 

*•        Fortifications 15,82 

founded 66,107 

'•        Harbour 78,22 

'•        historical  g 

*'        Mineral  resources    , 75 

' '       mixed  population ....  16,  17 

"       picturesque. ...  10,  11, 14,  22,  23,  24,  66,  67,  68 
"        Province,  water  powers,  forest  and 

pulp  industries  28  to  30 

'•       Seminary 44 

"       S.S.  Company 134,143 

"        topographical  nomenclature 11,  12 

R 

Rainey  River  District ....  103 

"Rockies",  the  Canadian      Ill  to  115 

8 

Saguenay, the. 24,  26,  31 

Samia,  Ont 98 

Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Ont 99 

Selkirks,  the  114 

Shawinigan  Falls 31 

Sherbrooke,  Que . .    . 

Sheriden,  Richard  Brinsley 56 

St.  Boniface,  Man 108 

St.  Charles  river,  Que 11,32 

St.  George 134 

St.  Hyacinthe,  Qvl6 39 

St.  Johns    7S 


162  iJJBiS:X'-confin7(ed 

St.  Lawrence  river 14,  80 

St.  Mattliews'  church 24 

St  Maurice  river 11 

Ste.  Anne  de  Beaupr^,  Que 34  to  36 

T 

Territories,  the , 112 

Thanatopsis,  Bard  of.. 113 

Thousand  Islands,  the 96 

Toronto,  City  of 95,  96,  97,  103 

Toronto  University,  Colleges,  etc 97 

Treaty  of  Paris ...  IG 

U 

Union  Bank  of  Canada 108,  109 

U.  E.  Loyalists 16 

V 

Vancouver,  B.  C 115  to  120 

Victoria,  B.  C 115  to  117 

Victoria  Bridge 93 

W 

West  Indies..    ...  137,142 

Winnipeg 103,  106,  107,  108,  109,  110 

Wolfe  and  Montcalm .    . .    14,  41,  45,  70 

Y 

Yokohama 119 

Yukon,  the 126 


Sper^th'"fl  the  doctor  orders  at... 
^v® 

WILLIS'   PHA-RMACg 

4»  St  Sohn  St.,   Quebec. 

Phone  499- 


of  Canada 

Original  Charter  1854 

GENERAL   BANKING   BUSINESS 
TRANSACTED. 

Savings  Department  at  all 
'  /Jf  anches. 

HEAD  OFFICE. 

8,   King  Street   west, 

TORONTO,  Ont, 

Branches  in  Toronto 

open   from   7"  to  9  o'clock   every 
Saturday  night. 

78  CHURCH  STREET 
OlEEN  WEST  cor.  BATHIRST 
BLOOR  WEST  c»r.  BATHURST 


London,      Winnipeg,      St  Thomas,      Walkerville,      Fernic,  B.  C, 

Sandwich,         Alliston,         Cannington,         Melbourne. 

Tecumseh,       Belle  River,        Ilderton,        Lawrence  Station, 

Thorndalc. 

FoKEicN  A<;knts 

The  National  Bank  of  Scotland.        The  National  Park  Bank.  N.  Y. 

The  Merchants  Loan  and  Trust  G)mpany,  Chicago. 

The  Home  Savings  Bank,  Detroit. 


ESXABLISH  E:D     1865 


UNION  BANK  OF  CANADA 

HEIAD     office:,     QUEIBEIC, 


H  EAD    OF, 

President 
Viee-P  resident 
General  Manager 


Hon.  John  Sharpn 
Wm.  Price,  Esq 
G,  H.  Balfour 


Capital  authorized 
$4,000,000 

Capital  Paid-up 
$3,182,830 

Rest 
$1 .700.000 

Total  Assets, 

Nov.  30th  1907 

$29,746,440. 


WINNIPEG     BUIUOING 

One  hundred  and  thirty-six  Branches  in  Canada. 


THE    WINDSOR 


OTTAWA,  Ont. 


This   is   the   most 

centrally   situated, 

of  the  Capital's 

Good  Hotels 

J 


RATES 


$3.00 

GRIMES,    Proprieitor, 
OTTANA/A,   ONT. 


LaCieCHS  a.  paouet 

LIMITEE 

Manufacturers 
and  JOBBERS  of 

...  SAW  MILL  .  .  . 
and     PLANING     MILL 

MACHINERY 
and  MILL    SUPPLIES. 

Nos  2  and  4,  St.  Joseph  Street,  ■    -    -    QliEBEC,  Que. 


immm0m:i:ti*mmmmm» 


ALL    PARTS   NUMBERED  and   INTERCHANGEABLE. 
NO  ROYALTY,  SOLD  OUTRIGHT. 


We  manufacture  the  tollowing^  machines  , 

THE  STANDARD  SCREW,  sole  fastening  machine, 

THE  HORN  PEQGINa  MACHINE, 

THE  UNIVERSAL  SLUGGINQ  MACHINE, 

THE  LOOSE  NAILING  MACHINE, 

THE  LIGHTNING  HEELING  MACHINE, 

THE  DOUBLE  HEAD  TACKING  MACHINE, 

The  CANADIAN  SHOE  MACHINERY  CO.,  Ltd 
304-308,  St.  Joseph  Street,  Quebec. 

ERNEST  CARON,  Managing-Director. 

Prices  and  conditions  of  sale<  given  on  demand. 


"Red  Cross" 

c/.  Ed.  DUBE 
Cor.  St.  JoHn  and  Palace  Streets. 

Everything  in  the  drug  business  i^  Prescriptions  a  specialty. 

PHONE  842  CUT    PRICES 

THE  OLD  RELIABLE  JEWELRY  STORE  OF 


•    •    • 


at  .  ,  . 


E.  JACOT, 

cl28,  ST.  JOSEPH  SX, 


+Hes  full  line  ofSouvenIrs  and  other  Goods  Up  to  date. 

PROTEAU  &  CARIGNAM 

— !--»-   BREWERS  -*—i^~ 

BEER  and  PORTER 


^    F I R  ST     QUALITY 

263-271,  St.  Paul  Street, 

QUEBEC,  Canada. 
Rhone  8S3 


Holt,  Renfrew  &  Co. 


FURRIERS 

To  Her  Majesty  Queen  Alexandra 
and  to  H.  R.  H.  the  Prince  of  Wales 

Quebec  and  Toronto 


Limited 


^^ 


WISITORS  should  not  leave 
Quebec  without  seeing  Holt, 
Renfrew  &  Go's  Magnificent 
Display  of  Furs  and  Fur  Gar- 
ments, which  will  be  shown 
with  pleasure  and  without  soli- 
citation to  purchase* 


c 


A  FRESH  WATER  SEA  VOYAGE 

(1500  niles  on  the  Great  Lakes) 

On.  the  Magnificent  steamers  of 

The  Northern  Navigation  Co. 

SARNIA,  Ont. 


TO 


Sault  Stc.  Marie,  Port  Arthur 
Fort  William  and  Duluth. 

THAT  GEORGIAN  BAY  TRIP, 

30,000  Islands, 

North  Shore, 

Sault  Ste.  Marie, 
Mackinac  Island. 

AHRAGTIVE  TOURS  at  LOW  PRICES,  -  Service  Unexcelled. 

TICKETS  SOLD  TO  AND  FROM  ALL  POINTS  EAST  and  WEST. 

Close  connection  made  with  railways  at  terminal 
ports. 

Full  information  and  literature  can  ])e  obtained  from 
all  railway  ticket  agents  or 

C.  H.  NICHOLSON, 

TuFno  Kiiuan, 

SARNIA.  ONT. 


till  HOUSE  o£^- 
HIGH  GRADE   FURS 


FURS  of  every  description,  many  our 
own  and  much  appreciated  Ladies*  and 
Gentlemen's  furs  and  fur  lined  Coats, 
Seal,  Persian  Lamb,  Broad  tail,  Caricule, 
natural  and  dyed  Poney.  Fur  Caps  and 
Gloves,  Robes,  Mounted  Rugs,  Automobile 
accessories. 

Indian  Curiosities*  Esquimaux  Dolls, 
Alaska  chip  work. 

Lowest  prices  our  Motto  ♦ . . 
*  QUICK  SALES,  SMALL  PROFITS  '* 

All  are  heartily  invited  to  visit  our  attrac- 
tive establishment  of  many  historical  asso- 
ciations. 

Satisfaction  guaranteed.  Goods  may  be 
ordered  and  delivered  within  24  hours. 

Furs  remodelled  and  made  to  look  new. 

FRED  H.  BENDER 

14— ANN   STREET,- 14 

(Opposite  Chateau  Prontenac) 


BOSWELL  3c  BKO. 


Limited 


ALE  and  PORTER 

BREWERS 


90-118,  St.  ValierSt,  Quebec. 

■■  Telephone  397 


LA  PROVINCE  DE  QUEBEC 

(CANADA) 

f  TEIIIIES  A  VENDRE  |  | 

BRILLANT  AVENIR  pour  les 

COLONS  et  les  INDUSTRIELS 


Pour  renseignements  plus  precis 
sur  la  valeur  des  tcrres  ct  des  bois, 
dcmandez  un  exemplaire  du  ..   .. 

**  GUIDE  DU  COLON  " 

au  Dcpartcmcnt  des  Terres  et  des 
Forets*       ^        j^j^        ^ 


^hQ  QUEEN^^  HOTEL 


rOROIVXO,  Orxt. 


400  ROOMS 

1 20  ot  them  en  suite 

with   bath ; 

long  distance  telephone 

in  every  room  ; 

elegantly  furnished 

throughout ; 

cuisine  and  service  ot 

the  highest  order  of 

excellence. 


Pleasantly  situated 

near  the  Lake  and 

beautifully   shaded  ; 

it  is  cool, 
quiet  and  homelike. 


McGAW  &  WINNETT,  Proprietors. 


>*Drink- 


_     ^ K  REPLlICA    OF    CHAMRACNEZ 

_;^ %^W\QWV<  RECOMMENDED  FOR  0OUT>n>RHEUMATISI 

gcUARANTEEPhA^nMiTLlME  FRUIT  JUICE  And  CiTRME  OF  LiTHIA": 


The  BEST  SUBSTITUTE  for  Alcohol 

If  you  try  a  split  bottle  of  LIMLTTH  A  occasionally 
you  will  find  it  will  replace  the  crave  for  alcohoL 

M.  TIMMONS  &  SON 

. QUEBEC,  Que. 


Sole  Patentees  and 
Manufacturers 


The  SIX  RAILWAYS  ?Ee 

CANADIAN  NORTHERN   SYSTEM 

traverse  the  most  attractive  country  in  the  Province  of 
Nova  Scotia,  Quebec,  Ontario,  Manitoba,  Saskatchewan 
and  Alberta. 

In  Quebec,  they  are  the  only  land-wise  commnnication 
between  Montreal,  Quebec  and  the  Saguenay. 

In  Ontario,  they  have  stations  on  the  Muskoka  Lakes  ; 
have  opened  up  the  northern  hinterland  of  the  Georgian 
Bay,  and  follow  the  ancient  Dawson  Route  from  Thunder 
Bay  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods. 

In  the  Western  Provinces,  the  Canadian  Northern  bisects 
the  best  wheat  country,  from  Winnipeg  to  Edmonton  ;  and 
taps  the  forests  which  come  down  to  the  Saskatchewan 
River  at  Prince  Albert. 

The  Halifax  and  South  Western  serves  the  Ocean  Shore 
of  Nova  Scotia  from  Halifax  to  Yarmouth;  and  the  In- 
verness Railway  opens  up  the  Coast  of  Cape  Breton  on  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  side. 

Information  for  the  sum  merer,  the  settler  and  the  manu- 
facturer, furnished  by  the  Central  Information  Bureau, 
Head  Office,   CANADIAN  NORTHERN  BUILDING,  TORONTO. 

Merchants 


and 


A.  TOUSSAINT  Ko.  ,„,_  „, 

^WXIVKS    and  XvIQUOJRiS 

WHOLESALE    ONLY 
Manufacturers  of  ...   . 

ST.  NAZAIRE  amp  CANADIAM  WIHES. 

Ag;eats  for  the  Celebrated  Cog:nac>  Gin  Melchers  of  Schiedam^ 

Manufactured  by  MOINARD  &  SONS, 

CLARETS  and  SAUTERNES,    DUCLOS  &  FRERE,  Bordeaux, 

VICHY  WATER,  from  Bravy,  Vichy, 

SPANISH  WINES,  OPORTO  WINES, 

TURIN  WINES. 

Sole  General  Agents  for  the     VIN     DES     CARMES 

194,  ST.  PAUL  STREET,  194 

QUBBBC,  Que. 


MONTMORENCY  FALLS. 

iHiSTf .  ANNE  DE  6EAUPRE 

{Reached  from  Quebec  by 

THE  QUEBEC  RAILWAY,  LIGHT  &  POWER  CO'Y. 

Illustrated    pamphlets    free  to  any 
address,  apply  to  the  Superintendent. 


QUEBEC,   Canada. 


ED.  A.  EVANS,  J.  A.  EVERELL, 

Gen.  Manager  and  Ch.  Eng.  Superintendent. 


Wm.  VINCENT 


MERCHANT  -  TAILOR 


Direct    Importer    of. 


ENGLISH  and  SCOTCH  WOOLLENS 


117— St.  John  Street,— 117 

QUEBEC,  Que. 


THE     UNDERWOOD 


PERFgCT  A  COBPLETl 

VISIBLE  WRITINQ 

TYPE  CLEANED 

IJSTANTANCOUSLY 

TUBULAR   DEVICE 
SCLIDITY       RAPIDITY 


are  the  main  Features  of  the  superiority  of  the 

XJISTDERAVOOD 

TYPEWRITER 

CLEMENT  (SL  CLEMENT 

J.  R.  CHALOULT,  Manager.  69.   St.    PctCF  StrCCt. 

Phones  14-22  -  1534 


Founded  In  18T6 


Telephone  222^ 


Clias.  VEZINA 

COMRACTING  PLUMBER,  ELECTRICIAN,  TINSMITH  and  ROOFER 

Specialty:    Installation   of  Electric   Apparatus,  Steam,   Hot  Air  and 

Hot  Water  Heating     J^     Kitchen  and  Passage  Stoves  of  all  kinds. 

Asphalt  and  Rubber  Roofing  Material. 

District  of  Quebec  general  agent  of  the  Brantford  Roofing  Company, 
of  Brantford,  Ont. 


119-123,    Bridge  Street, 

OUBRKC,  Que. 


"BrettonWoods 

WrilTE  MOUNTAINS.  lH 


The  Mount 
Pleasant 


The  Mount 
Washington 


AT  RRETTON  WOODS,  N.  H, 
la  the  heart  of  t lie  White  Mountains. 

The  most  a* tractive  as  well  as  the  most  convenient  centre  from  which  to  visit 
all  the  famovis  features  of  the  White  Hills.     The  start  for  the  ascent  ot 

MOUNT     WASHINGTON 

by  the  Cog  Railway  is  made  from  the  hotel  grounds,  and  the  famous 

Observation  Qav  Ride  Tlirough   Crawford  Notch 

s  taken  morning'  and  afternoon.    In  earh'  summer  and  late  fall,  tourii  g 
parties  will  be  cared  tor  at  the  "  Bretton  Arms  " 

Train    leaving  Quebec    7.45  A.  IVi.   has  through 
cars,  arriving  Bretton  Woods  at  4.46  P.  IVI. 

Post,  Telegraph,  Telephone,   Ticket  and  Express  Offices  in  the  Hotel  Office. 

ANDERSON    &    PRICE,    Managers. 

Address  BRETTON  WOODS.  N.  H. 
.Mso  of  Bretton  Hall,  New  York,  the  OnnonJ,  in  Florida,   and  Bretton    Inn 
at  Ormond   Beach. 


F.  X.  DROLET 

MECHANICAL  ENGINEER  and  CONSTRUCTOR 

ST.  JOSEPH  Street,  -  QUEBEC. 

WIr  and  Rotary  Pumps,     «     Torcc  Pumps.      •     Rcscnjoir  Pumps. 
Pumps  for  Aqueducts,  Fire  Pumps, 
^^^^^Hand  Pumps. r:^^^ 

Our  plant  is  of  the  newest  and  most   perfect.     We  make  a  specialty 


SPECIALTIES 


of  marine  engines  and  machinery. 


^,^>P^.^0^ 


HOTEL  EMPIRE 

Broadway  and  63d  St. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

In  the    Very  Centre  of  Everything 
Worth  While. 

Rooms,  with  Detached  Bath, 
♦1.50  per  day  up 

Rooms,  with  Private  Bath, 
S2.00  per  day  up 

Suite-,  with  Private  Bath, 
$3.50  per  day  up 
Elevated    Railway    and    Subway 

Stations  two  iniQutea'    walk   troin 

our  (l'>or. 

A  fine  library  of  choice  iHeratnre 

for  the  exclusive  use  of  our  guests. 

Send  PosUl  for  free  Guide  of  N.  Y. 

W.  JOHNSON  QUINN.  Prop. 


Go  ^  C.  MO^^ACBi 

GROCERS  and  WINE   MERCHANTS 

QUEBEC,  CITY -. 


; 


For  Tourists' 
Fishermens' 


-^ 

^ 

^ 


«sl/«   «X»  ,«X«   ♦J/*   »X«   'J/«   »J/« 


1 


*^-*- 


Supplies. 

^*"  T*  "T*   "T*  "T*  "T*  •T*  "^T^'^Tv 

Corner  of  ANN  and  GARDEN  Sts, 


Old 
Establislicd, 
j     Tlioroughly 

1  "■■■■ 


Reliable. 


••T**      i-T*      •TN«      •'Ts*      •'T»»      •>T^    '•'•VC* 

Opposite  the 
English  Cathedral. 


Under  the  distinguished  patronage  of  His  Excellency 

the  Gooernor  General  and  many  former  Gooernors 

of  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 


Also  under  the  distinguished  patronage  of 

H.R.H.Princess  Louise,        ^         H.  E.  Lady  Berby, 
H.  E.  Lady  Aberdeen  and  h.  E.  Lady  Mlnto. 


TAILOR  and  HABERDASHER 

D.  MORGAN 

QUEBEC. 


Tj-sVov^'i-v^.vjtv  ■viatAiii--:-' . . 


T)  :s  ffi  i  I li 

.'  HARD  HOTEL  BLAMCHARD 

id  i  I   liii   IIS 
?  i  i  Sffiffil   i  I 


PLAN,  AMERICAN 
»5d,  EUROPEAN. 


Rooms   and    Board 

from  $1.50  to  $2.50 
^  •  Rooms  •  • 
from  $0.50  to  $2.00 


BLA/NCHA-RD    HOTEL 

/.    CLOUTIHR.    Proprietor. 

NQTRE-DAM  E  Square,   Quebec 

Near  the  wharf  of  the  Richelieu  &  Ontario  Navig-ation  Co    and  all  the 
Railway  Terminals. 

H.  BEAUTEY 

WINE  MERCHANT 
and  GROCER 

Fresh  Canned  Goods. 

HEADQUARTERS 

FOR  FISHERMEN'S 

SUPPLIES. 

A  specialty  made 
of  Fine  French 

COFFEE 


22.  Fabrique  Street. 

tm         QUEBEC. 
Phona  1116. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  bcx)k  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


26"W65WQ 


RbC'D  LP 


MAY  1  ^  '65  -4  PM 


^l^ 


rz 


:^3aS8i 


RF.C'P 


OfcCS -'05-10 


^QiKH  DD^ 


m 


m 


LD21A-«0m-3/65 
(F2386sl0)476B 


General  Library 

Uniyersity  of  California 

Berkeley 


r 


y^