IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 Hi 125 vmr 2.2 1^ lis IIIIIM iiiiiM U IIIIII.6 % /] 4 ^;j // om -^ V iV \\ <^ ♦> * o^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical IVIicroreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below. D D n Coloured covers/ Couvertures de couleur Coloured maps/ Cartes g6ographiques en couleur Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d6color6es, tachetdes ou piqu6es Tight binding (may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin)/ Reliure serri (peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge int^rieure) L'Institut a microfilm^ le meiileur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Certains difauts susceptibles de nuire A la quality de la reproduction sont not6s ci-dessous. D D D D Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Coloured plates/ Planches en couleur Show through/ Transparence Pages damaged/ Pages endommagdes Th( poi of filr Th coi or api Th filr ins Mi in up bo fol D Additional comments/ Commentaires suppl6mentaires Bibliographic Notes / Notes bibliographiques D D Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents D Pagination incorrect/ Erreurs de pagination Pages missing/ Des pages manquent D Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque D IVIaps missing/ Des cartes gdographiques manquent D D Plates missing/ Des planches manquent Additional comments/ Commentaires suppldmentaires The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition at de la nettet6 de rexemplaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol —*> (meaning CONTINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparaftra sur la der- nlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". The original copy was borrowed from, and filmed with, the kind consent of the following institution: National Library of Canada L'dxemplaire film6 fut reproduit grfice A la g6n6rosit6 de I'dtablissement prdteur suivant : Bibliothdque nationale du Canada Maps or plates too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour dtre reproduites en un seul clichd sont filmdes d partir de I'angle sup6rieure gauche, de gauche A droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre la mithode : 12 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 I as ^ RIOGKAFHICAL SKETCH OF SmN.F.BELLEAU FK<'M " M> JOIKNAI.," 1- ( >K i )( | ( >i;l- K', 1X94 BY HENRY FRY (>/ Siveetsburg, late oj (Quebec QUEBKC: : (iKM KAI, I'KIMI.NC; OFFKJK OFA. (JOTK t!v: (Si). 1S94 I ^^^^^,'^'% ^L ■'■■■'■ . ■ ^^^^^^^^H^^HP^^^^iiK' 1 ^^^^^^^^'"^ H ^B ilik'^^^l ^H H B r BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OP Sir N. F. BELLEAU PROM " HOME JOURNAL," FOR OCTOBER, 1894 BY HENRY FRY 0/ Sweetsburg, late of Quebec QUEBEC : General Printing Office of A. COTI^ & Co. 1894 ••• \ I Sir N. F. BELLEAU g DISTINGUISHED French Cana- dian, whose kindly face has been familiar in the streets of Quebec for more than three-fourths of a century, passed peacefully away, full of years and honors, on Friday, the 14th Sep- I < I tember, 1894, in the person of Sir RsfGisse: Woriunoii ©effeiQia, K. C. M. G. His second name was fully justified, by his singularly fortunate career. For though he was not a statesman, nor a financier, nor a man of marked ability or of wide culture, yet by his high character and genial nature, he attained to some of the highest posi- tions open to British subjects in Ca- nada, and filled them with honor and distinction. The son of a Sainte - Foi farmer, Gabriel Belleau, by Marie de Kotscha Hamel, his wife, Narcisse was born at Quebec, on the 20th October, 1808, and was thus in his 86th yean Educated at the Quebec Seminary, he was called to the bar of Lower Canada, in 1832, where he enjoyed a lucrative practice and was elected ddtonniei^ of the district of Quebec, in 1857 and 1858, and was made Q. C. in 1854. In 1847, he was elected as an alder- man of the City, and, in 1850, became Mayor, holding that office for 4 years, during which the Quebec Water- works were built, bringing fresh water from Lake Saint-Charles. In commemora- tion of the event, his portrait was painted and placed in the City hall, where it may still be seen. He was also, for a time. President of the projected North Shore Railway. In 1849, he was elected a director of the Quebec Bank, was re-elected for a period of no less than 44 years, retiring only in 1893. In the same year, he entered the field of politics, contesting unsuccess- fully the seat for Portneuf, in the Ca- nadian House of Assembly, against the late Antoine-Juchereau Duchesnay. In October, I852, however, he was called by Royal Mandamus to the Legislative Council of Canada, and on the 26th November, 1857, '*^^s elected Speaker, the duties of which office he continued to discharge until the ist of August, 1858, when, on the accession of the Brown- Dorion administration to power, he retired. Six days after- 1 wards, on the resignation of this short- lived Government, he was re-installed in his former office, which he held un- til the 20th March, 1862. On the 2 7th of the same month, he was ap- pointed Minister of Agriculture, which position he held until the 20th May following, when the Cartier-Macdonald Government was defeated, and retired. While holding the office of Speaker, the Prince of Wales visited Canada, and, on the 15th August, i860, M' Belleau read the Address of the Le- gislative Council to His Royal High- ness. After reading his reply, the Prince, on behalf of the Queen, knighted M' Belleau, & from that time, he was always spoken of as " Sir Narcisse." In 1865, Sir Etienne- Pascal Tach6, the Premier of the coalition Govern- ment, died ; and the Government was seriously embarassed in selecting a successor. As the two parties in the Government could not agree, Sir Nar- tisse was eventually chosen as a com- promise, he being looked upon as an impartial and non partisan man. The Confederation of the Provinces into the Great Dominion occurred on the ist July, 1867, when Sir Narcisse was appointed first Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Quebec, an office which he filled for five years with credit and dignity, and, on the completion of his term, declined a seat in the Senate, living thereafter a quiet, unostenta- tious life, respected by all. In 1879, in the presence of the Marquis of Lome and the Princess Louise, he was created K. C. M. G. Sir Narcisse could never get over his early economical habits and, althouo-h he had the magnificent domain of Spencer Wood at his disposal, while T .ieutenant-Governor, he preferred to reside in his unpretentious house in Saint-Louis street. He thus amassed a considerable fortune, variously estim- ated at from $200,000 to $300,000, and proving what has been so often observed, that fortune oftener results from what a man spends, than from what he earns. In 1835, he married Marie- Reine- m 10 Josephte, daughter of the late Louis Gauvreau, who was formerly a member of the Legislative Assembly. She died some lo years ago, childless, and Sir Narcisse has left his fortune to his nephew, M' A. G. Belleau. I first met Sir Narcisse when con- ducting the opposition to a bill in the Legislative Council, empowering the Quebec Harbor Commissioners to im- pose a tax upon shipping, about 1863, but, in December, 1864, I accepted a seat at the board of the Quebec Bank, and sat with him there for nearly 1 3 years. On his appointment as Lieutenant- Governor, in 1867, he arrived from Montreal in the steamboat, and a great II crowd awaited him on the wharf. I was among the crowd and Sir Narcisse selected the late Abraham Hamel, as representing the French, and myself as representing the English, to escort him to his hotel. Shortly after, I was elected President of the Board of Trade, and re-elected for 3 years, so it happened that Sir Narcisse looked upon me as a representative English merchant, and bestowed on me repeated acts of kind- ness, which I can never forget. I often dined with him at the Stadacona Club, Sainte-Anne street, and on one occa- sion at Spencer Wood, where I met Prince Arthur, the Governor General (lord Lisgar), General McNeill and the Dominion Cabinet. Always digni- m 12 fied and extremely courteous, there was one feature of his character which I always admired. He persisted in looking on the bright side of human nature, refused to believe in the pos- sibility of any man doing wrong, until convinced by the clearest evidence. He will long be remembered as a kind- hearted, genial specimen of the old French Canadian regime, which, while not displaying the energy or force of the Anglo-Canadian, had many fine qualities which will be looked for in vain amongst the great majority of the modern ** go-ahead trading class. " Sweetsburg, 30th September, 1894.