IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-S) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 ^m iiM 
 
 " IIM IIIIIZ2 
 
 IM ^ 
 
 2.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 
 
 ^ 6" — 
 
 
 ► 
 
 
 <^ 
 
 w 
 
 'a 
 
 % 
 
 % 
 
 
 '^r 
 
 o 
 
 7 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY. 14580 
 
 (716) 873-4503 
 
CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHIVI/ICIVIH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions 
 
 Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 
 
 1980 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiqurs 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checlted below. 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 D 
 
 Covers damaged/ 
 Couverture endommagde 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 
 I I Couverture restaur^e et/ou pellicul6e 
 
 □ Cover title missing/ 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 □ Coloured maps/ 
 Cartes gdographiques en couleur 
 
 □ Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 D 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Reli6 avec d'autres documents 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 La reliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge intdrieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes 
 tors d'une rnstauration apparaissent dans le texte, 
 mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas 6t6 filmdes. 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Commentaires suppldmentaires; 
 
 L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la mithode normale de filmage 
 sont indiqu6s ci-dessous. 
 
 □ Coloured pages/ 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 □ Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommag^es 
 
 I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 
 -/ 
 
 D 
 
 Pages restaurdes et/ou pellicul6es 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 Pages d6color6es, tachetdes ou piqudes 
 
 □ Pages detached/ 
 Pages ddtach^es 
 
 Showthrough/ 
 Transparence 
 
 I I Quality of print varies/ 
 
 Qualitd indgale de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary material/ 
 Comprend du matdriel supplementaire 
 
 Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partiellement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., ont 6X6 film^es 6 nouveau de fapon 6 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 □ 
 
 10X 
 
 This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiqud ci-dessous. 
 
 14X 
 
 18X 
 
 22X 
 
 26X 
 
 30X 
 
 / 
 
 12X 
 
 16X 
 
 20X 
 
 24X 
 
 28X 
 
 32X 
 
The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks 
 to the generosity of: 
 
 National Library of Canada 
 
 L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grdce A la 
 gdnirositd de: 
 
 Bibliothdque nationale du Canada 
 
 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 et 
 de la nettet6 de l'exemplaire film6, et en 
 conformity avec les conditions du contrat de 
 filmage. 
 
 Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed 
 beginning with the front cover and ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All 
 other original copies are filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, and ending on the last page with a printed 
 or illustrated impression. 
 
 Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en 
 papier est imprimde sont film6s en commengant 
 par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la 
 dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second 
 plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires 
 originaux sont filmds en commenpant par la 
 premidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par 
 la dernidre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 The last recorded frame on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol ^^> (meaning "CON- 
 TINUED "), or the symbol V (meaning "END "), 
 whichever applies. 
 
 Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la 
 dernidre image de chaque microfiche, selon le 
 cas: le symbole — ^' signifie "A SUIVRE", le 
 symbole V signifie "FIN". 
 
 Maps, pli;*e$. charts, etc., may be filmed at 
 different ducfion ratios. Those too large to be 
 entirely inclu;*'»a /i ona exposure are filmed 
 beginning in the 'ppev left hand corner, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many frames as 
 required. The following diagrams illustrate the 
 method: 
 
 Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre 
 film6s & des taux de reduction diffdrents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre 
 reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film6 d partir 
 de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, 
 et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre 
 d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants 
 illustrent la mdthode. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 t 2 3 
 
 4 5 6 
 

 in 
 'VI 
 
 ' i 
 
 A 
 
 •h 
 s 
 
 
 ,1, 
 
 J 
 
 i^ 
 ^ 
 
 '^i^* 
 
 H 
 
 'V 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^-R A 
 
A ^>^i^<i^'^l/^^^4/>^i/Mi>**. .1- ^t. iy V. > ^ If ^. .»^ ^ 1? *!*. Js? :>rS, 
 
 1R* ti T^ >'■ '^■"' t» '^ >- >>> >> > 'S*' 1?^ > ^f' 
 
 I') 
 
 VJ) 
 
 
 H^ 
 
 
 ■r 
 
 •1 
 
 *\ 
 
 'VI) 
 
 ■/ 
 
 •V 
 ,\ 
 
 -^ 
 
 
 A 
 
 f 
 
 It 
 
 I 
 
 y* 
 
 y. 
 f 
 
 A. HOOK FOU TOLUlIfc*T8 
 
 MAPLE 
 
 L II A V E S 
 
 CANADIAN HlsrORV— LITERATURE— SPORT 
 
 
 QUEHEC 
 PHINTEI) UY AUGUSTIN COTti A C' 
 
 1873 
 
 
 
 IV 
 
 
 
 
 If 
 
 V 
 
 'd /c 
 
 V 
 
 iA 
 
 ^-^ 'W -^ f -i* -^1*^ ^'-H *^>. ^•h-'i T' '^•>i^ '«'«« 'i-J^ ''^■•>* •''*>•> -s'-r^ •■« > ^,!S^ 
 
'!*'"^.-¥ 
 
 ' i-' 
 
 l^ 
 
 ■■•? f,; jf^f -^ '^ -■^. 
 
 -^ ^i M ^ .if .4 ,», ^/ .w < ^ 
 
 Si* 
 
 A' 
 
 i 
 
 V 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 f 
 
 // :f 
 
 ^1. 
 
 ■^ i;^' 
 
 
 * I ■• 
 
<^ 
 
 1 
 
 If 
 
 
 vf^: 
 
 -•a 
 
 *^i 
 
 
MAPLE 
 
 LEAVES 
 
 CANADIAN rtlSTORY-LITERATURE— SPORT 
 
 NEW SERIES 
 
 " Like a virgin goddess In a primeval world, Canada 
 still walks In unconscious beauty fiinong her golden 
 woods and along the margin of her trackless streams, 
 catcliing but broken glances of her radiant majesty, 
 as mirrored on tholr surface, and scarcely dreams 
 as yet of the glorious future awaiting her in the 
 Olympus of nations. "-(i>Vo»» Lobd DurFKKiN'ii 
 apeach at Bel/tut, lUhJum, 1872.) 
 
 By J. M. LeMoine 
 
 AUTHOR OF "l'aLBUM DU TOURISTE. 
 
 QUEBEC 
 PRINTED BY AUGUSTIN COTft 4 C» 
 
 WTO 
 
 \7^ 
 

 291287 
 
 
 Spi 
 
'mity 
 1873, 
 
 TO HER EXCELLENCY • 
 
 THE COUNTESS OF DUFFERIN 
 
 " THESE SKETCHES" 
 
 ARE, KY PKRMISSION, MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED 
 
 BT TBI 
 
 AUTHOR 
 
 Spekcer Qranqk, 
 
 SlUery, aoth Sept, 187& 
 
f ^ 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 In offering to our patrons, a new seriew of Papers 
 on Canadian History, Literature and Sport, a few 
 explanatory remarl^s may not be out of place. 
 
 It wan in 18G3, that for the first time, appeared in 
 book form, the several Canadian sketches, previously 
 published in the Canadian Reviews and Magazines, 
 under the emblematical name of Maple Leaves. 
 
 Their success led to the perpetration of a second 
 volume in 1864— descriptive of our battle fields. A. 
 third Series followed in 1860, depicting the environs 
 of Quebec. 
 
 Since the latter date, no other series was published. 
 It is now proposed to collect in the present volume, 
 some of the best sketches and detached Papers of the 
 author, contributed since 1865, to the various Cana- 
 dian periodicals, and also to reprint with them four 
 or five of the most popular papers of the preceeding 
 Se)ie8f now out of print. 
 
VI 
 
 It ia unnecessary here to enlarge on the aim anH 
 contents of the volume : the title of th wo" 
 cates that sufficiently. '"^'" 
 
 Should the author succeed in amusing and instruct- 
 ng the general reader-let it be ever so little-his 
 task IS accomplished, ample his reward. 
 
 Spencer Grange, ^"^ Author. 
 
 SiLLERY, 20lh Sept., 1873. 
 
and 
 indi- 
 
 ruct- 
 -his 
 
 R. 
 
 D'lEEETILLE. 
 
 THE CID OF NE"W FRANCE. 
 
 1642- 1706. 
 
 We purpose sketching here biitfly, a Canadian worthy, 
 viho once tilled the two hemispheres with the gloiy of his 
 name — the naval hero d'lhervilhi: LeMoine d'Iberville who 
 triumphantly hoie the banner of France, from Hudson Hay to 
 the Mexican Gulf, at the cK>seof the seventeenth century. At 
 the period in (|ueslioii, Quehc^c was the key to the extensive 
 transatlantic possessions of Louis the Great ; it was the fulc- 
 rum which moved the vast military power that so ellectually 
 kept in check the Eniilish Provinces beyond its border. On 
 the loftiest peak of Cape Dinmond, floated a royal banner, 
 "Nvhose lord could trace his lineage beyond the crusades, 
 beyond Charlemagne, up to the fourth century. From the 
 stalely council-chambers of the Chateau St. Louis, issued those 
 dread(Hl decrees which presaged war or peace; from the shores 
 of the St. Lawrence to the fertile valley of Ohio, or the green 
 banks of (he Mississipi. The capital of the French King in 
 New^ Franci! was indecnl animpoitantcily in those days, filled 
 with a warlike race, which needed not consciiption to push its 
 squadrons across the border, whose martial ardor was dimned 
 neither by arctic cold nor by tropica! heats. A most resolute 
 nobleman held his courlalthe Od^'aw 5/. Louis — Count de 
 Frontenac. Never did the Gibraltar of America appear so 
 imiwsing as when the lion-hearted de Frontenac, in 1090, 
 
 it 
 it 
 
2 
 
 D inERVILLE. 
 
 warned off so summarily Sir William Pliipp?, who, in tho name 
 of King \S1iliam 111, lliroatcned, unless (he place surrcndod 
 within an hour, to bombard it with his powerful fleet, which 
 lay moored in view of its battlements. The Count's reply 
 to the British Admiral has been preserved in history. (1 ) There 
 were, also, brave men amongst the garrison ready to make 
 good the warlike answer of their valiant commander. 
 
 Foremost amongst the defenders of Quebec was dlberville, 
 oneof deLongueil's (2) illustrious brothers. To Montreal is due 
 the honor of having given birth, in 1042, to this sludry sea- 
 captain — one of eight brothers destined to shed lustre on the 
 French aims, by land and by sea, for more than half a centuiy. 
 IVIberville may be counted the representative man of de 
 Fronlenac's glorious administration. More fortunate than 
 other Canadian worthies, whose merit has been sedulously 
 ignored in the mother country, under French and under 
 English rule, d'lberville's fame was proclaimed far and wide, 
 all over Europe ; national vanity prompting the French, if 
 they even did feel inclined to drop the colonist, to remember 
 the great sea-captain who, in so many instances, had humbled 
 the old foe. Our own historians have minutely described the 
 feats of d'Iberville ; some, however, may say these accounts are 
 too flattering, and liable to be doubted. Let us then, borrow 
 the text of reliable foreign writers of the present day. Pierre 
 Margry, for many years and still in charge of the French 
 Archives de la Marine, in Paris, in his researches on the part 
 taken by the early travellers from Normandy in discovering and 
 colonizing the valley of the Ohio and the Mississippi, sets forth 
 
 (1) •' I do not, " said de Frontonao, " acknowledge King WiHiam ; I weU 
 know that the Prince of Orange is an usurper, who has violated the most sacred 
 rights of blood and religion. I will answer your master by the mouth of my 
 cannon." To this Phipps replied by sending a tremendous broadside into tho 
 town. But de Frontenao did answer by the mouth of his cannon ; and his reply 
 was found so much to the point that, notwithstanding the advantage gained 
 under Major Walley's detachment, lauded at Beauport, Phipps, on the 11th Oc- 
 tober, set sail at night for Boston, where ho arrived on the 10th November 
 following, mtJius nine ships wrecked in a storm. 
 
 (2) On a recent visit to Montreal, the writer had the pleasure of seeing in the 
 late Jacques Vigor's Album, a good drawing of the ruins of Baron de LongueU'a 
 manor at Longueuil ; lot us hope it will yet figure in the ANTIQUARIAN. 
 
well 
 sacred 
 of my 
 nto tho 
 reply 
 ained 
 th Oe- 
 ember 
 
 in the 
 lueil's 
 
 THE CID OF NEW FRANCE. 3 
 
 most ably the doings of d'Ibcrville and his brothers. There 
 is also, amongst other books, a beautifully illustrated work, 
 « Les Navigateurs Franoais par Leon Guerin, » in which an 
 ample sketch of the celebrated Monlrealer is contained. As 
 this account, written in France, is new to most of our readers, 
 we will attempt to render it in English for their information. 
 
 « At the time, w says L. Guerin, « when Louis de Biiade, 
 Count de Frontenac, was administering so gloriously New 
 France, eight Canadian brothers, whose ancestors came from 
 Rouen, in Normandy;, were vieing to excel one another in feats 
 on land and on the sea — equally at home on both elements — 
 ever ready, brave, active, venturesome, under the impulse of 
 national honor. They rendered the country (France) services 
 the more honorable and meritorious that they fought far away 
 from the eye of the court, with little prospect of obtaining the 
 great rewards they might merit, and which they did not obtain 
 in the proportion due to them. 
 
 « These eight brothers, whom it would be proper to call 
 eight heroes, were d'Iberville, de Saintellelene, deMarieourt, 
 de Longueuil, de Serigny, de Chateauguay, and the two de 
 Bienville. The second, d'Iberville, was one of the greatest 
 and most skilful sea-captains France has ever had. Margry 
 calls him « une especc de Jean BartCanadienw , the historian, 
 Ferland, awards him, the title of « Le Cid du Canada.)) 
 
 The company which had then recently been formed in con- 
 nection with Hudson's Bay having applied to King Louis XIV, 
 to be protected against the usurpation of the English of Fort 
 Bourbon, — called by them Fort Nelson, — a decree of the 20th 
 May, 1683, vested in it, the property of the river Ste. Therese; 
 without delay an expedition, commanded by the Marquis 
 d'Enonville, Governor General of New France in the absence 
 of Frontenac, was fitted out to repel the English during the 
 short but glorious peace of Nimeguen. D'Iberville, Sainte 
 Helene, and Maricourt went the year following under the Che- 
 valier de Troyes, a captain of infantry, serving at Quebec, and 
 chief of the expedition, to capture the Forts Monsipi, Rupert, 
 Kichichouami, which the English had built on the Bay. They 
 left Montreal by land in March, 1685, drawing their canoes 
 
DIBERVILLE. 
 
 and supplies over the snow and swamps, the roads being 
 nearly impassable. They travelled thus until the 20lh June, 
 enduring hardships and fatigue almost intolerable wilh a 
 courage and spirit of which Canadians only are able, and the 
 party, eighty-two strong, arrived at Monsipi, at the southern 
 extremity of Hudson Bay, at that part since called James' Bay. 
 "Without losing a moment, preparations were made to attack 
 the Fort — a square redoubt surrounded by palisades sixteen or 
 seventeen feet high, and flanked by four bastions, on the top 
 of a moimd, thirty yards from the edge of the river. A guard 
 was left in charge of the canoes ; two merely were drawn, 
 loaded with provisions, shovels, pics, gabions, and a battering- 
 ram. D'Iberville and de Sainte Helene made the assault on one 
 side, whilst the Chevalier de Troyes and Maricourt attacked 
 the other, and were battering in the main entrance of the Fort 
 with the ram. Followed by five or six men, they scaled the 
 palisade, opened a door which looked on the forest, and 
 reached, in order to destroy it, an outer door of a redoubt, 
 built in the centre of the Fort ; at the same time, the Chevalier 
 de Troyes rushed into the interior of the redoubt, whilstd'Iber- 
 ville and de Sainte Hclene, and their followers kept up a brisk 
 fire on all the apertures. An Englishman having rashly replied, 
 declining all offers of quarter, de Sainte Helene shot him dead 
 at the gun he was pointing towards the French. Soon the ram 
 was brought to bear against the door of the redoubt, but as the 
 door was still held up by one hinge, an Englishman from the 
 interior closed it, leaving all in darkness. D'Iberville might 
 have considered his case desperate, but, retaining his pre- 
 sence of mind, he kept striking even in the darkness, and 
 hearing some one decending a stair-case, he fired at him at 
 random. In the meantime, the ram had re-commenced bat- 
 tering in the door. It fell and allowed free ingress to the 
 French who hurried to the assistance of d'Iberville. The 
 English, having scarcely had time to dress — (the attack was 
 at midnight) — so sudden had been the assault, asked for 
 quarter. It was granted, and the Fort handed to the French, 
 he victorious party then, following the sea-shore, took 
 ,«.«; direction of Fort Rupert, situated forty leagues further 
 
THE cm OF NEW FRANCE. 
 
 on ; whilst a suitable boat, accompanied them, mounted 
 with two guns taken at Fort Monsipi. After five days 
 marching, the party arrived during the night of the 1st 
 of July, before Fort Rupert, of which de Sainte Helone made 
 a reconnoissance, favored by night. The English had an 
 armed vessel there to protect it. D'Ibervillc and his brother 
 Maricouil, aided by nine men in two bark canoes, were entrusted 
 with the boarding service. The enemy being taken unaware, 
 the boarding party noiselessly and at leisure got on board, and 
 stumbled over the man of the watch fast asleep in his hamac. 
 He received a blow just as he was preparing to alarm the crew ; 
 d'Ibervillc, striking the deck as is customary when it is 
 intended to give the alarm to those on ship-board, split open 
 the head of the first man who attempted to venture on deck. The 
 next sailor shared the same fate, and they then attacked the 
 cabin with axes, until diberville considered that his party 
 was numerous enough to hold out against all comers. The 
 vessel once captured, he gave quarter. Amongst the prisoners 
 was the Governor of Hudson Bay. "Whilst this sea-fight 
 was going on under the lead of Iberville, the Chevalior de 
 Troves was beating in by force the door of the Fort, and en- 
 tering in with drawn cutlass. Grenades were used, causing 
 dreadful havoc amongst the besieged. A redoubt, which had 
 been also built atMonsipi, in the centre of the Fort, after having 
 been battered with a ram, was on the eve o: being blown up 
 with powder, when the enemy, seeing that no hope remained 
 sued for mercy. All the prisoners were then placed on board 
 of a sloop which was aground at some distance from the Fort ; 
 as it would have required more men than could be spared 
 to garrison the place, the palisades were destroyed and the 
 Fort blown up. Diberville and de Sainte Ilelene remained 
 there, however, a few days. The en|j;lish armed- ship was 
 sent to Monsipi, and was soon followed by the lugger, which 
 had been repaired. The Chevalier de Troyes, who had re- 
 turned to Monsipi, was desirous to close the campaign by the 
 capture of Fort Kichichouami. None, however, knew exactly 
 the geographical position of this English Fort, and the roads 
 were impassable ; these obstacles were insufficient to stop 
 
 i 
 
* 
 
 6 
 
 D IBERVILLE. 
 
 the Canadians. It was necessary to carry the canoes when 
 the tide did not answer, or when ice or points of land, inter- 
 fered. The parly had been for a long time (ravelling in this 
 manner, wiliiout having the means of knowing whether they 
 would reach the object of their search, when the report of 
 eight guns suddenly broke on their ears. Kichichouami 
 must be close by, and some festivity going on there. On de 
 Sainle llelcne, devolved the task of reconnoitring the position 
 of the Fort. D'Iberville had had much trouble to ponolrate 
 through the ice with the prize, containing the flags of the 
 English company. He entered the river without accident* 
 and, during the night, landed ten guns. After some useless 
 proposals to the governor of the place, the ginis were placed 
 in positic.i, and aimed at the very room he occupied. A masked 
 battery on a wooden height, got up such a cannonade that 
 more than forty discharges took place in an hour and a quarter, 
 riddling the enemy's work Soon melancholy voices issued 
 from the subterranean passages, sueingforquarler. No English- 
 man had shown himself to strike the flag, and soon alter the 
 Fort capitulated, de Sainle Ilelene entered it. D'Iberville 
 removed on board of his prize the governor and his suite to 
 the Island of Charleston, to wail for English ships, in conform- 
 ity with the terms of the surrender. The remainder of the 
 English were sent to Monsipi. The Clh August following, the 
 Chevalier de Troyes returned to Montreal to enjoy his success ; 
 d'Iberville, who had left his brother Maricourt in charge 
 at Iludiion Bay, arrived at Montreal two months after. 
 
 « War re-commenced in Europe, and spread to America. DT- 
 berville was, by deFrontenac, re-appointed naval commander 
 in New France, and specially intrusted with guarding Hudson 
 Bay. Two English men-of-war had appeared before Fort 
 Kichichouami, whose name he had altered to that of Fort 
 Sainte Anue, and where he commanded in person. He cajv 
 tured them, and conducted triumphantly the largest to Quebec, 
 whilst his Lieutenant, La Ferle, was making a prisoner of the 
 English (loveinor of Fort New Haven, who had been sent from 
 London by the Company to proclaim William III, who pre- 
 tended he was sole proprietor of Hudson Bay. D'Iberville 
 
THE CID OP KEW FRANCE. 
 
 iilc 
 
 relumed at the commencement of the following year, 1690, 
 in [hti s\\\[i Sainte Anne, togclher with the ship Annes de la 
 Compagnie, Capt. llonavonlure Denis, with the view of expel- 
 ling the English from Forts New Haven and Nelson, which 
 they still occupied. He anchored, on the 241 h September, 
 close to the river Sainle Therese, and came ashore wilh ten 
 men, intending to make a few prisoners and find out the stale 
 of the Fort. A sentry saw him, and the English instantly 
 despatched a vessel of 30 guns to intercept the retreat (»f the 
 French, but without success. D'lberville got on boai'd of his 
 boat, made his way in spite of pursuit to his vessel, and made 
 sail. The fall of the tide having caused the English vessel to 
 get aground on some rocks, the French commander, in order 
 to mislead the enemy, steered as if he intenled to leave the 
 Bay ; but altering his course, he came to the Kouachaouy 
 river, and there found a ship, the Saint fran^ois, com- 
 marided by Maricourt. The two brothers left for New Haven, 
 an English Fort, situated thirty leagues from Foit Nelson. 
 The English then found themselves under the nectissily of 
 burning it down and breaking it up. D'lberville, however, 
 secured a quantity of provisions and fuis, which he conveyed 
 to Fort Saiule Anne. He wintered there with his ship, the 
 Sainte Anne, whilst Maricourt, with the Saint Fran[oifi, 
 sought winter-quarters at Rupert, after having relieved Fort 
 Monsipi. The ship Annes de la Compa</nie was anchorod 
 at Charleston Island. D'lberville was on his way to Quebec in 
 October, 1090, when his brother de Longu;.'uil sent him word 
 at Coudres Island, in the St. Lawrence, that an English lleet 
 was laying siege to the capital of Canada. The forces being 
 unequal, he determined to sail for France, laden with English 
 spoils ; bi>' previously to leaving, he despatched a boat to do 
 Fronteuac to inform him of the success of his expedition to 
 the north. At this period, several of d'Iberville's brothers 
 were keeping up the honour of the family by valiantly defend- 
 ing Canada. All New France was in a blaze. The English hud 
 excited the Iroquois tribes to rise, as well as other Indian tril)es 
 who had recently been allies of France. They were helping 
 tliem to attack the west of Canada by Montreal, whilst a lleet 
 
8 
 
 DIDERVILLE. 
 
 at Qufibcc, under (Sir) William Pliipps, Ihrcalenod the east- 
 ern section. Fortunately, there had recently been re-appointed 
 Governor-General in New Fiance, a chief gifted with all the 
 attributes of a great man, firmness which ensures command, 
 with kindliness which inspires love. De Fronlenac was'great, 
 generous, magnificent like a king. lie was at Quebec, the 
 worlliy representative of what Louis XIV was at Versailles. 
 A word, a glance of his eye. electrified Ihe Canadians, always 
 ready to fight. lie was the love and delight of New France, 
 the terror of the Iroquois, the father of the tribes who were 
 allies of the French. His activity was only equalled by his 
 courage. After having pacified the country round Montreal, and 
 slain a considerable number of the Iroquois, he had sent three 
 detachments to attack the English of New York. De Sainte 
 Ilelene, in company with his relative, deMartigny, and leading , 
 a party of French and Indians, two hundred and ten in num- 
 ber, alter a tramp of twenty-three days, through snow and 
 ice,— sometimes wading in water up to their knees, — had 
 arrived at Fort Corlard, which they captured, after slaying the 
 whole garrison. Marligiiy had been wounded twice during 
 this expedition. Another captain, named de Portneuf, had 
 compelled Fort Kaskebe to capitulate ; and a third, called 
 Hertel, alter a march just as fatiguing as that of de Sainte 
 Ilelene, had taken possession of Fort Semenlals, in Acadia. 
 At the same time, Fronlenac had undertaken prodigious works 
 to fortify Quebec, which, though thickly peopled, had no for- 
 tifications which it could depend on. He had dispersed, with- 
 out striking a blow, an army of English and Iroquois, who 
 were advancing from Lake St. Sacrament, and had been 
 enabled to devote himself entirely to the defence of his capital. 
 The fortifications which de Fronlenac had built began at his 
 palace (1) and then ascended towards the upper town, which 
 tliey surrounded, and ended at the brink of a mountain at a 
 spot called Cape Diamond. The openings where there were no 
 gales were barricaded with timber and puncheons filled with 
 stones and surrounded with earth. The avenue from the 
 
 (1) Where the Queen's wood-yard now stands. 
 
TIIE CID OF NEW FRANCE. 
 
 9» 
 
 lower lo the upper town was intersected by three entronch- 
 menls, made with punclieons and bags of earth. Numerous' 
 batteries had been, mounted. The Nxholc soon presented a 
 respeclable system of defenses. » 
 
 We shall pass over the incidents of the gloi'ious siege of 
 1690, related by us elsewhere (I). D'Ibcrville was intnisledby 
 gov*;rnment with a small fleet, and hoisted his flag on the 
 Pelican. His mission was to harass the English wherever 
 he could meet them. lie obtained some important successes ; 
 but the spot where fortune seemed always to favor him was 
 Hudson Bay, where the English had re-captured Fort Nelson. 
 He look a signal revenge by the capture of the place, in 1696, 
 for the death of his brother Chateauguay, killed in 1694 whilst 
 defending it. He also had the satisfaction of securing as a 
 prize the English frigate, the Hudson Bay. But his own 
 vessel, the Pelican, was nearly in a sinking stale. Having 
 manned his prize with a portion of the crew of the Pelican^ 
 he was preparing to attack the enemy when, in a furious storm, 
 and notwithstanding his skill as a mariner, both vessels were 
 driven ashore. Nothing daunted, the brave commander, 
 having waited for the arrival of some other vessel of his fleet, 
 succeeded in capturing, a second lime, Fort Nelson, which 
 gave France, for several years, the possession of the northern 
 part of North America. 
 
 Peace being signed at Ryswick, d'Iberville took advantage 
 of it lo press on his government to resume the project of dis- 
 covering the mouth of the Mississipi. He sought as a compa- 
 nion the brave Chaleau Morand, worthy nephew of the great 
 Tourville. Both sailed from Rochfort in October, 1698, with 
 two ships. They anchored at St. Domingo ; and having left 
 that place on the 1st December, they came in sight, on the 
 27 Ih January, 1699, of Florida. They sailed as close lo the 
 land as prudence would allow, and sent one of their officers 
 to hold parley with the inhabitants. That officer, on return- 
 uig, staled that the ships were Ihen opposite to a bay called 
 Pensacola, where three hundred Spanish had recently settled 
 
 (1) See Second aeries of Maple Leaves. 
 
iO 
 
 D IBERVILLE. 
 
 in anticipalion of French selllcrs. On (he 31st Janunry, 
 d'lberville, whose ship had outsailed the oilier to reconnoitre 
 the coast, anchored at the south-east of the enslern point of 
 the nv(M' Mobih;, which runs parallel with the Mississipi. On 
 the 2n(l February, he landed on an island close to it, and four 
 leagues round. It had then a harbor tolerably commodious, 
 which has since been obstructed by sand. D'lberville called 
 it iMassacre Island, from having noticed towards the south- 
 west point, a large quantity of human heads and bones. From 
 Massacre Island, whose name was soon to be changed to that 
 of Dauphin Island, the great mariner crossed over to the main 
 land, and having discovered the river Pascagoula, he left it, in 
 company with his young brother de Dienville, Ihc-n an ensign, 
 and lorly-eight men, in two long boats, carrying provisions 
 for twenty days, to find Uie Mississipi, of which the aborigines 
 had made mention to him under the name of the Malbouehia, 
 and the Spaniards, under that of the Palisade river. He entered 
 the mouth of the river on the 2nd March. In prosecuting his 
 discovery, d'lberville arrived at the village of the Dayagoulas, 
 composed of seven hundred huts, amongst which could be 
 distinguished the temple of these savages, filled with smoked 
 furs, olfered to propitiate their fantastic gods. The French 
 discoverer ascended as high as the Oumas, w here he began seri- 
 ously to doubt whether it was the Mississipi. However, a 
 letter, found by an Indian chief in a tree, handed to his 
 brother de Dienville, soon dispelled all doubts on this point. 
 It was dated April, 1083, and bore this address : — « To mon- 
 sieur de la Sale, Gouverneur de la Louisiane, de la part du 
 Chevalier de Tonli. » Tonti had, in his fruitless search of La 
 Sale, deposited this letter in the hollow of a tree. D'lberville, 
 re-assured, then sojourned in the Day of Diloxi, situated bet- 
 ween the Mississipi and Mobile rivers ; built a fort there, where 
 he left de Dienville as his lieutenant, and then returned to 
 France in January. On the 8th January, 1700, d'lberville 
 returned to Diloxi. In 170G, he got together a small squadron 
 and attacked the English island of Nevis, and captured it. On 
 the 9th July, 1700, this successful sea-captain died at Havana, 
 whilst commanding the vessel Le Juste. The eldest of the 
 
THE CID OF NEW FRANCE. 
 
 11 
 
 brotliors, dc Bienville, lind been killoil in an nltnck on a fort. 
 Mnricoiirt, an ensign, ^vas burnt to death in u house with forty 
 I'lviich, in 1704, by the Iroquois. Dc Seiigny and Ihi; second of 
 the do llieiiville brothers, died whilst coinnmiiding vessels. Do 
 Loiigiieuil, the eldest brother, di(!d in 1718, Ciovcrnor of Mon- 
 treal. In 1722, when the East India Company laid the found- 
 ation of New Orleans, on the banks of the Mississipi, to be the 
 centre and capital of Louisiana, it was a son of de Chaleau- 
 guay who was second in command iu this vast country which 
 had originated so many bright dreams. After serving at Mar- 
 tinif|uo, he was Governor of (luyanna. The Treaty of Utrecht, 
 in 1713, had deprived the French of Hudson Day, Newfound- 
 laud, and Acadia. To compensate this loss, they immediately 
 set about to colonize Cape Dreton, called He lloyale, \>!iero 
 they founded Fort Dauphin, I'ort Toulouse, Ntrika, ajul chiefly 
 Louisbourg, and her arsenal. De Cliateauguay, junior, was 
 called, — from 17ia to 1717, when he died — to defend this 
 key to Canada, and did so successfully. 
 
 « Thus, )) concludes Guerin, « from the Gulf of St. Lawrence 
 to that of Mexico, from equinoctial France to New France, 
 continued to shine with undimmed splendour, probably Uio 
 most glorious family which ever existed in the French colo- 
 nics. » 
 
 D'lberville had thus closed at Havana his brilliant career, 
 after gatheiing laurels at Quebec, on the frozen shores of 
 Hudson's Day, on the coast of Acadia, in the Mississipi, at 
 New Oileans, and in the West Indies. Pierre Margry is then 
 justified in describing the illustrious Montreaier as « Uno 
 espece de Jean Dart Canadien. » Mr. Morgan has ably sum- 
 med up dTbcrville's career in his work intituled ctCELLBii.vTED 
 Canadians. » 
 
BOLLARD DES ORMEAUX. 
 
 THE CANADIAN LEONIDAS. 
 
 1660. 
 
 The memories of brave deeds — of sacrifice of self for the 
 general good ; instances of extraordinary endurance for some 
 noble end, >vhilst they chullcnge the admiration of the 
 palriolic or the reflective man, afford wholesome teachings for 
 all. In placing them before the eye of un enlightened public, 
 no apology is needed. 
 
 The wave of time, for twenty-three centuries, has rolled 
 over the feat of the champions of Thermopylw : has the deed 
 lost aught of its fragrance ? My friend I My fellow-toiler, all is 
 not hollow — a sham — a lie here below ! 
 
 The lion-hearted crusader, Richard of England — the Suisse 
 patriot Tell — the Maid of Orleans, or she of Saragossa, will be 
 remembered with respect, nay with veneration, so long as brave 
 men, so long as heroic women shall endure — beacons from 
 above lighting up this dismal vale of sorrow — heaven born, 
 lasting witnesses to some of the noblest instincts the Deity has 
 implanted in the human breast. 
 
 Elsewhere, we took pleasure to state, with a feeling not 
 unmingled with pride, that the early history of our own 
 country exhibited several of these traits, which men delight to 
 honor. Let us now unveil in a few words, the career of a 
 youthful Canadian hero, as yet but little known to fame. 
 
 Fellow countrymen, keep fresh his memory ! 
 
 To our mind, the whole story of the chivalrous commander 
 of the Montreal garrison in 1660, whose name prefixes this 
 sketch, reads more like one of those thrilling romances pecu- 
 liar to the era of the crusades, than anything else we know of 
 in Canadian annals. 
 
14 
 
 DOLLARD DES ORMEAl'X. 
 
 Tlioufih llic records of beleaguered cili;'S occasionally depicl. 
 cases of despairing bul dauntless men rushing to certain death 
 to snatch trembling mothers, chaste wives — tender infants from 
 the edge of the s>vord, we seldom read of a youth coolly and 
 premeditativcly — without the spur of imminent danger — 
 cheerfully resigning all which makes life attractive : position, 
 nay existence itself, sacrificing all to a mere sense of duty. 
 Nor are we called on here, to comlemplate a mere ti-ansienl, 
 impulsive act of devotion suggested by exti'aordinary peril, or 
 the olTspring of high wrought feeling. It is a rarer spectacle 
 which awaits us : it is the relleclion of mature age in youth ; 
 the earnest young christian, who, ere he steps forth of his own 
 accord, towards that mysterious land of shadows, beyond the 
 grave, deliberativcly settles all his sublunary affairs, solemnly 
 makes his peace with his creator and his fellow-men, and then 
 quietly and with much afore thought, at the head of compa- 
 nions as intrepid, as devoted as himself, binds himself and them 
 by a fearful vow, such as in his opinion, tlie welfare of his 
 country requires — « not to take, nor grant, any quarter.)) All 
 this and more do we find in the act of the youthful commander of 
 the Montreal garrison in IGGO — Dollard des Ormeaux. Though 
 noted by Ferland, it is specially to the abbe Faillon (1 ), we are 
 indebted for acquainting us so minutely with the history of the 
 gallant youth, aged then twenty-live years^ whose name still 
 clings to the street, he once inhabited (2). The elaborate His- 
 toircde la Colonie Fran^'aise en Canada, or rather the history of 
 
 (1) IfUtoirc de la Colonie Fran<;iilsc en Amdrtquc. Vol. IIj P. 
 
 (2) " Docs any ono whoso business docs not call him daily along St. James 
 street, know whore Dollard street is ? And of those who do know that it is bounded 
 atone end by the \Vitncs8 oQico, and at the other by a saloon, how many know after 
 whom it is called, if after any ono at all ? Most people think it is a misprint for 
 Dollar. Such is fame. A dirty narrow lane, frequented by gaming newsboys, 
 and an entry in the parish register of/lOGO are all that remain to remind us of 
 Adam Dollard, siour DesOrmeaus, better known as Daulac. 
 
 Tho early history of Montreal is as full of romance, of suffering, and of heroio 
 achievement as the most sensational could desire. Those deeds aro far better 
 authenticated, too, than the legends of the Drachonfols, or tho talcs of prowess of 
 tho Crusaders. Only it is not the thing to weep or thrill over the achievements of 
 a handful of emigrants who, two hundred years ago, were scalped and massacred 
 and burned alived within gunshot of St. Catharine street. We reserve such tri- 
 butes fur the woes of the oreatious of Miss Braddou or Mrs. Henry Wood. (Allid.) 
 
TlIE CANADIAN IE0NIDA3. 
 
 15 
 
 of 
 io 
 
 d 
 
 i- 
 
 ) 
 
 tlio colt^bralcd order of 5»//)j"cj>»»s, in Canada, to which Iho learn- 
 ed alhe belongs, is cerlainly a historical monument of which 
 ]\Ionlreal may well he proud : the ahhe Faillon has compiled 
 the details he luruishes about Doli.aud i>es Ormeaix, from the 
 liislory ol Montreal by Dollieu de Casson ; Lcs Icltres dc la 
 Mere (le r Incarnation; from the Relatione iles Jmiites and from 
 the Iti'gialrea dea baptvmes, mariagvs el si'pnllures, for ICOO. 
 
 It is not (hen a romance >vhich is here presenb'd to the 
 reader, but a plain, unvarnished tale of christian heroism, of 
 Avhich Montreal was once, the theatre. 
 
 In order to understand thoroughly, the precarious footing of 
 French Colonists at Montreal in ICOO, it is necessary to fami- 
 liarize one self, with its liis history, since its foundation in 
 1012, and for several years later on. 
 
 The annalist can note year after year the struggles, some- 
 times the bloody defeats, oft' the merciless revenge sutTered or 
 inllicted, by the pent-up, despairing colonists : the blood 
 thirsty Iroquois had vowed to exterminate the last of the pale 
 faccn who came from beyond the sea ; they very nearly succeed- 
 ed. A constant slale of warfare — ambushes by day — midnight 
 raids : such were the ever-recurring incidents which marked 
 the existence of the sparce population. At page 123 of the 
 second volume of the history, the Abbe tells how the alarmed 
 residents scaicely ever left the Fort unarmed, not even on the 
 Sabbath, to attend to their devotions. 
 
 On Sunday, the 18th May, 1051, four colonists were sur- 
 prised between the Fort and Pointc St. Charles, on their re- 
 turn from the morning service. Overwhelmed by the savages, 
 they took refuge in a rude redoubt, and commenced liring so 
 briskly on their pursuers that the crack of their muskets at- 
 tracted the notice of the people of the Fort. Out ran a stout- 
 hearted fellow, named Urbain Tessier dit Lavigne to their 
 relief ; and although sixty shots were aimed at him from the 
 distance, he escaped them all. M. de Maisonneuve, the Gov- 
 ernor, immediately sent reinforcements to the besieged, and 
 after a sharp skirmish, in which thirty savages bit the dust, 
 the rest retired to the shades of the forest. Some years pre- 
 viously, directions had been issued that no man should leave 
 
16 
 
 DOLLARD DEB ORMEAI'X. 
 
 the Fort singly, and that those tilling the soil should return 
 «ach day in a body, well-armed, within its wails, at the sound 
 of the bell. Various were the artifices employed, says Dollier 
 de Casson, to abate the Iroquois nuisance. The Governor 
 soon saw that the days of his colonists were numbered, if 
 these savage beasts of prey were allowed to roam any longer 
 round Ihe settlement. They must be got rid of. The inhabi- 
 tant of Bengal beats the jungle for tigers and lions ; Ihe 
 French colonists must beat up the thickets and woods round 
 Montreal for foes as merciless — the skulking Iroquois. Mastilfs 
 were brought out from the mother-country, and battues organ- 
 ized. These sagacious animals were broken in to hunt for 
 the savages, and Father Lalemanl tells of a remarkable mas- 
 tiff slut, called ((Pilot,)) who, in 1647, used to load to the 
 woods a litter of fierce pups, and took a ramble each morning 
 in the under-brush, scouring carefully every bush round the 
 Fort ; if she noticed any of her whelps shirking his work, she 
 would worry and bite him. It was wondei ful, says the same 
 writer, to witness her return from the hunt, baying fiercely 
 when she had discovered a marauding savage, to proclaim the 
 presence of danger. Nor could you have said of her, what 
 Coleridge wrote of Sir Leoline's dog : 
 
 A toothless mast iir, which 
 
 From her kennel beneath the rock 
 Maketh answer to the clock 
 Four for the quarters, and twelve for the hour I 
 Ever and aye, by shine and shower 
 Sixteen short howls, not over loud ; 
 
 History tells of the ardor of the Montreal NImrods of that 
 day, to bag the big game, and how often they used to go to 
 Governor deMaisonneuve asking him beseechinj^ly, (( Shall we 
 then never be allowed to go and hunt our foes ? » You read 
 next the animated description of one of these hunts, or fights ; 
 a party, headed by the Governor himself, and by M. D'Aille- 
 boust, against the Iroquois. The unfortunate but spirited 
 colonists barely escaped annihilation in this skirmish, and it 
 did seem at one time likely that the scalp of M. de Maison- 
 neuve would shortly grace the belt of a famous chief, bent on 
 
IHE CANADIAN LEONIDAS. 
 
 17 
 
 lil 
 In 
 
 capturing his fleet Excellency. However, when escape 
 appeared hopeless, brave de Maisonnciive drew a pistol on his 
 pursner, and fired ; it flashed in Uk; pan, and the colony was 
 nearly lost ; but, recovering himself, he drew another pistol, 
 and shot the red-skin dead : and the colony was saved. 
 
 In those days the country round Montreal certainly swarmed 
 with this sort of game ; its Nimrods were just as spirited as 
 those of the present day : the dogs, of sure scent, and the 
 quarry, wary and wild, amidst imp(MiPtral)le forests. Times 
 are changed now ; elegant villas, fragrant conservatoiies, 
 landscape gardens, adorn the green slopes of the Royal Mount, 
 which once resounded to the war whoop or expiring groan of 
 the lithe savage. Peaceably inclined are the royal snccessois 
 of this warlike M. de Maisonneuve : on his hunting grounds 
 now stands the great metropolis of Canadian trade. They 
 were fiery hunters, the men oi IGGO, spreading with their 
 mastiffs amidst the thickets, peihaps to the joyful notes of the 
 French horn, or carolling a hunting-song: 
 
 II passe, il passe, le clairon du Roi, in»;s lanios. 
 
 These sturdy Nimrods, subjects of the Grand Monarque, 
 are replaced by a milder race. Out of the same thickets, on 
 a fine September morning, two centuries later, you may have 
 seen equally spirited dogs issue with a band of gaily dressed 
 and well-mounted sportsmen ; Messrs. Davidson, Alloway, 
 Lorn McDougall, Thorne, Rimmer, Crawford ct alii. Rut fear 
 them not ; you might with impunity confront them in lull 
 Indian dress, and wearing as man [dumes in your hat as the 
 proudest Iroquois chief ever bore. You are perfectly safe, 
 unless taken for a fox. 
 
 Sporting readfT, f"rgive our digression. We have told you 
 of the scenes of blood with which our lathers were so familiar. 
 Their fiery disposition had grt»wn with danger ; on the 
 authority of Abbe Faillon, we can say that even the sav- 
 ages were impressed with awe when dealing with them ; 
 the Iroquois cadet was gravely told to beware of these 
 men whom they called « des diables, » nor to presume to 
 
 attack them, unless well prepared for a fight. 
 
 2 
 
18 
 
 DOLLARD DES ORMEAtX. 
 
 The savages were increasing each year in numbers and 
 audacity. In the year 1658 and 1659, they had been cons- 
 piring secretly. About a thousand of them had resolved, by 
 a coup de main, to strike terror at the same time at Montreal 
 and at Quebec, of which latter place M. d'Ailleboust, the 
 Governor was to be beheaded. Some inkling of the dark 
 deeds in contemplation had spread amongst the helpless and 
 sparce populalion of the valley of the St. Lawrence. Those 
 residing under the cannons of Fort St. Louis, at Quebec, were 
 safe ; but what hope was there for the unfortunate peasant 
 outside of Quebec ? The dismay had become very great ; 
 public prayers had been otfered in the churches. Nor was 
 the excitement in the Montreal district at all less. Unless 
 Providence specially interposed, the colony was threatened 
 with utter ruin. 
 
 These reflections had occured to every colonist. None had 
 pondered over them more earnestly than the young Com- 
 mander of the Montreal garrison, Bollard desOrmeaux, called 
 by some historians Daulac. Though of French origin, he was 
 intimately acquainted with Indian waifare, and came to the 
 conclusion that a blow struck at the proper time might disor- 
 ganize the machinations of the enemy, and gain delay until 
 the reinforcements arrived from France; He thought that an 
 ambush might be planed ; that a small party of good marks- 
 meuj such as Montreal then could provide, in a very short 
 time might, by taking advantage of the ground, slay so many 
 of the enemy, that a precipitate flight would take place, 
 before the Montreal Indians could join their forces to those of 
 the Quebec and Three Rivers settlements. The plan, though 
 it savored a little of desperation, when the number of com- 
 batants on both sides were compared, had much to recommend 
 il. By the latter end of May, 1660, Bollard had succeeded in 
 working up the enthusiasm of the Montreal youth to the same 
 pitch as his own. Sixteen promised to follow where their 
 commander would lead, provided the Governor of the colony, 
 M. de Maisonneuve, approved of the expedition. One, how- 
 ever, reconsidered his determination, and did not go. The 
 remainder made their wills, received the last rites of the 
 
THE CANADIAN LEONID AS. 
 
 19 
 
 church, and took, in presence of the altar, a vow to fight until 
 death or victory crowned their career, without sueing for, or 
 granting, any quarter. 
 
 Several other colonists, such as Major Lambert Closse, Picot6 
 de Beleslre, Charles LeMoyne, also olfered their services for 
 this important expedition. They, however, were of opinion 
 it might be delayed until the corn-fields were sowed ; but to 
 a mind constituted like Dollard's, delay was impossible, and 
 the miraculous escape from death of these three latter brave 
 and indispensable men showed, as the Abb^ Faillon remarks, 
 that the hand of Providence was there. Montreal could not 
 have afforded to lose such colonists. Had the spirited com- 
 mander deferred the departure of the expedition, as he was 
 requested to do, the 500 Iroquois, who had ensconced them- 
 selves at the islands of the River Richelieu, would have had 
 time to be joined by the 500 savages who were coming down 
 the Ottawa, and the blow would have fallen on Three Rivers 
 and Quebec. The brave warriors launched their canoes on 
 the waters of the great river. They met the enemy sooner 
 than they expected, and seem to have closed with them at the 
 He St. Paul, close to Montreal. The first encounter took place 
 on the 19lh April, 1660, the Europeans having the better of 
 the fight, but losing three of their party, viz., Nicholas Duval, 
 Blaise Juillet dit d'Avignon, and Mathurin Soulard, — the two 
 latter having been drowned in the attack. The savages took 
 to the woods, leaving behind an excellent canoe, which Bol- 
 lard subsequently put to good use. 
 
 This brilliant hand-to-hand fight produced a good effect at 
 Montreal, and the recusant colonists who had left Bollard at 
 the beginning, returned to fight under him. They were 
 detained eight days at the end of the Island of Montreal, at a 
 rapid which they had to cross. They crossed, however, and 
 on the 1st May, they were at the foot of the Long Sau/f, on the 
 Ottawa, eight or ten leagues higher than the Isle of Montreal, 
 and lower down than the Sault de la Chaudiire. Bollard there 
 discovered a small fort, which the Algonquins, the fall preced- 
 ing, had built with pickets. There they decided to make a 
 stand. They were then reinforced by four Algonquin and 
 
20 
 
 DOLLARD DES ORMEAUX. 
 
 forty Huron Indians, the flower of the tribe, who had marched 
 up from Quebec during the winter, intending to attack the 
 Iroquois when returning from their hunting grounds. These 
 wairiors had obtained a written authority from M. de Maison- 
 iieuve, Governor, to take part in the campaign, unwilling 
 though he was to grant it. Nor had they long to wail for the 
 returning Iroquois canoes. The French strengthened as 
 much as possible their pallisades, with earth and branches, 
 and valiantly repulsed the first assault. The Iroquois' ferocity 
 increase with each repulse. Their numbers allowed them to 
 invest closely the rude fort, to burn the canoes of the French 
 and to prepare torches to burn the fort ; but, finding all 
 their plans frustrated, they sent a deputation to the 500 Iro- 
 quois camped on the Richelieu. 
 
 But there was, inside of the fort, an insidious enemy, more 
 to be feared than the blood-thirsty Iroquois. The water failed, 
 and thirst soon troubled the beleaguered Montrealers. By 
 dint of boring, they came to a small gush of muddy water, in- 
 sufficient to alley their thirst. They had, under the fire of 
 these insurgents, to go and fetch water from the river close 
 by. The Iroquois, seeing their straits, look occasion to re- 
 mind the Ilurons of the uselessness of their defence, and that, 
 unless they surrendered, they would be so closely invested, 
 that they would die of thirst and hunger. These savages 
 decided to surrender in a body. All did, except their cou- 
 rageous chief, Anahonlaha, who, on seeing their determina- 
 tion, seized a pistol, and atlemped to shoot his nephew, who 
 was amongst the fugitives. The fort contained in all, Ana- 
 honlaha, the four Algonquins and their chief, and the Fi'ench. 
 Soon the four hundred Iroquois arrived from the Richelieu 
 encampment, and during three days a new attack was made 
 every hour, but unsuccessfully. The enemy then tried to fell 
 some large trees, in order that, by their fall, they might in- 
 commode the daunlless garrison. Some prodigies of valor at 
 last induced the Iroquois to believe that the garrison must be 
 more numerous than they had been led to credit ; they delibe- 
 rated whether it would not be better to raise the siege ; and 
 a detachment having come closer than usual to the redoubt, 
 
THE CANADIAN lEOMDAS. 
 
 2i 
 
 the garrison received tliem with such a iniirderons fire, that 
 they were again completely routed. On the eighth day, the 
 Iroquois were meditating their departure ; but, on being as- 
 sured that the fort only contained seventeen French and six 
 Indians, they thought that, should they, with their overwhel- 
 ming nambers, give up the contest, it would reflect eternal 
 shame on their character as warriors. They then resolved 
 to die to the last man, at the foot of the fort, or conquer. 
 
 Accordingly, in advancing, they took to cutting junks of 
 wood, which they carried in front of their bodies — a rude 
 species of helmet, ball-proof. The French muskets, well- 
 aimed, mowed them down by the dozen ; but numbers re- 
 placed the fallen warriors, bent on escalading the redoubt ; 
 and Bollard saw that in a few minutes the sword and the axe 
 must be his last resort, before the close of an unequal con- 
 test, the issue of which could not be much longer doubtful : 
 so, loading to the muzzle a large blunderbuss, and retaining in 
 his hand the fusee, he attempted to let this instrument of des- 
 truction fall in the midst of the carnage, hoping that, by its 
 sudden explosion, it might terrify the enemy. As bad luck 
 would have it, the branch of a tree intervening, it fell inside 
 of the redoubt, and spread death amongst the exhausted gar- 
 rison. The enemy, taking courage from this incident, charged 
 afresh. Dollard received his death-blow, but despair firing 
 the expiring elTort of the remainder, all seemed doleimined 
 to sell dearly their lives ; and with the sword or axe, each 
 man flinging himself in the melee, struck unceasingly, until 
 he fell. The Iroquois, collecting their courage for a final 
 assault, rushed on, and, bursting open the door of the redoubt, 
 crowded in, when the few survivors, plying well and fatally 
 their hunting-knives, were massacred to the last man. Euro- 
 peans, and their Indian allies, all behaved nobly. 
 
 The news of the carnage was taken to Montreal by some of 
 the Ilurons who had surrendered in the beginning. The num- 
 bers of dead Iroquois left on the battle-field, and the severe 
 lesson they thus received, made them return hcstily to their 
 own country. 
 Thus fought and perished seventeen of the bravest men of 
 
22 
 
 DOLLARD DES ORMEAVX. 
 
 Montreal, in 1660, as the Abb^ Faillon correctly remarks, 
 without that incentive to heroism, the hope of immortalising one- 
 self, which spurred on the Grecian or Roman warrior in his 
 career of glory. They could count on no poets, no historians, to 
 commemorate the brave deed ! The devotion of the Christian* 
 the spirit of the soldier, alone animated these French colonists, 
 it was by mere chance that their glorious end was made 
 known to their fellow-colonists. 
 
 The parish Register of the Roman Catholic Church of Ville- 
 Marie (Montreal), furnishes the names and ages of these 
 seventeen heroes, as follows ; — 
 
 Adam Bollard (sieur des Ormeaux), aged 25 years ; Jacques 
 Brassier, aged 25 years ; Jean Tavernier dit la Hocheliere, 
 aged 28 years ; Nicholas Tillemot, aged 25 years ; Laurent 
 Hebert dit la Riviere, aged 27 years ; Aloni6 de Lestres, aged 
 31 years ; Nicolas Gosselin, aged 25 years ; Robert Juree, 
 aged 24 years ; Jacques Boisseau dit Cognac, aged 23 years ; 
 Louis Martin, aged 21 years ; Christophe Auger dit Desjardin, 
 aged 26 years ; Etienne Robin dit Desforges, 27 years ; Jean 
 Valets, aged 27 years ; Rene Doussin, soldiers, aged 30 years ; 
 Jean Lecomte, aged 25 years ; Simon Grenet, aged 25 years ; 
 Francois Crusson dit Pilote, aged 24 years ; Anahonlaha, Hu- 
 ron chief ; Metiwemeg, Algonquin chief ; and then their fol- 
 lowers, &c. : Nicholas Duval, Mathurin Soulard, and Blaise 
 Juillet, who died in the first skirmish near Montreal. 
 
DE BREB(EUF AND LALEMANT. 
 
 THE SHORES OF LAKE SIMCOE. 
 
 (1649. 
 
 
 I sing the raen who left their home. 
 Amidst barbarian hordes to roam, 
 Who land and ocean crossed,— 
 Led by a load star, marked on high 
 By Faith's unseen, all-seeing eye — 
 To seek and save the lost ; 
 Whereer' the curse on Adam spread. 
 To call his offspring from the dead. 
 
 (MONTOOHEBT.) 
 
 The Indian missions, (1) which formerly existed in the 
 neighborhood of Lake Simcoe, will be ever memorable, as 
 furnishing to the historian the materials for one of the most 
 thrilling pages of the early history of the colony : indeed, it 
 may be safely asserted, that nowhere on this continent has 
 christian heroism shone with brighter lustre. The reader is 
 doubtless aware that many of our early missionaries have 
 sealed their faith with their blood. Foremost in this devoted 
 band, stand out two men, distinguished alike by birth and by 
 the extraordinary amount of physical suffering which precede(| 
 their death. 
 
 Let us place before the reader a truthful sketch of these two 
 Christian heroes, whose fate, as Canadians, as Christians, and 
 as men, is equally creditable to Canada, to Christianity and to 
 manhood. Let us watch them leaving behind t1ie gaieties of 
 
 (1) According to recent researches, the St. Ignnce mission would have been in 
 the township of Medonte ; the St. Louis mission in the township of Tay. Until 
 recently, there existed ruins of the St. Mary mission, on the banks of the ilivor 
 Wye. The present village of Coldwator must be in the vicinity of these ancient 
 Huron missions. All these localities, according to Mr. Devin's map of 1859, must 
 be included in the county of Simooe. 
 
 See Bressani, page 304, for several interesting details about Nicholas Viel — 
 Jean De Brebceuf — Anne do Noue — Antoine Daniel — Chs. Garnier — Isaac Jo- 
 gae6 — B^n^ Menard — No^fl Chabanel— Gabriel Lalemant. 
 
24 
 
 DE DREBOEDP AND LALEMANT. 
 
 Parisian lifo, tho nltribnlcs of birlli, the advantages of science 
 ami nit'iilal culliire, in orilor lo tlivo lliroiigh the pathless forest 
 in (luiisl of the red man of the woods, — the bearers of a joyous 
 messagt', — with iirivalion and siin\;ring as a certainly before 
 thim, find generally a horrible death as the crowning reward : 
 perchance, the speclablt; of self-sacrifice may slill awaken an 
 echo, even in an age in whit h seilishness and th(; almighty 
 dollar, seem to lule siipriime. 
 
 (iabriel Lahmianl was born in Paris ; some of Ihx; members 
 of his family had allained eminence at the French bar; he 
 Inmself, had discharged for several years the duties of a pro- 
 fessor of languages. Of a delicate frame, he had attained his 
 Ihirly-ninlh year when he landed in Canada. 
 
 His colleague, Jean De llnibceuf, on Iho other hand >vas a 
 person of most commanding mien, endowed wilji colossal 
 strength and untiring endurance. Like the brave Dr. Kane in 
 our own day, ho was not long before discovering that no truer 
 way existed to secure the respect of the savage hordes he had 
 to deal with, than by impressing them with an idea of physical 
 superiority. With this object in view, he never hesitated 
 when a portage oecured, to carry, unassisted, the travelling 
 canoe heavily laden, accomplishing also, with ease, a variety 
 of other feats indicative of extraordinary muscular strength : 
 the llurons would look with awe on the blackrobed giant. 
 Himself a man of education and literary taste, hewas the uncle 
 of the poe' De Drebceuf, who versified in French Lncian's 
 poem of Pliarsalia : it has also been staled that from his family 
 sprung the English house of Arundel. 
 
 In 1048, these two men undertook the spiritual charge of 
 the five missions or residencies in the Huron country, on 
 IMatchedache Pay, near Lake Simcoe : these five settlements 
 were but a few miles apart from each other. A deadly hatred 
 at that lime existed between the Hurons and Iroquois or five 
 nations. In the fall of 1618, a thousand Iroquois warriors, 
 \>ell provided with fire-arms, procured chiefly at the Dutch 
 settlements, resolved to exterminate entirely the Hurons: they 
 accordingly spent the winter hunting in the woods, stealthily 
 diaw ing nearer and nearer to their foes ; they thus advanced. 
 
THE SHORES OF TARE SfMCOE. 
 
 2r> 
 
 unporcftivnd, some three Inindrod miles. On the ICth March, 
 1049, they had arrived in the neighborhood of the St. I^naco 
 selllonicnt, which they roconnoilred during the night timt\ A 
 deep lavine protected throe sides of the residency, the fourth 
 side being surrounded with a pahsade fifteen or sixteen feet 
 high. At one point uk)ne the place was accessible, and Ihcro 
 at the break of day the attack commenced. Operations had 
 proceeded so noiselessly, that th(^ place was in possession of 
 the en«;my before the garrison had time properly to provide 
 lor its defence : this was owing to the few warriors left in 
 charge, the bulk having gone up on a distant hunt and war 
 expedition. The assailants lost but ten men : mostly all the 
 inmates were scalped, these were the best off ; horrible tor- 
 tures awaited those whose lives were spared. The attack 
 having taken place at night, the only survivors who escaped 
 were three llurons, who made their way over the snow to the 
 next residency in a state bordering on complete nudity. The 
 tidings they brought created the utmost consternation : close 
 on their heels the blood thirsty Mohawk followed, hurrying on 
 before the enemy could prepare : they arrived at the next 
 settlement, the St. Louis residency, about sunrise : the 
 women and children had barely the time to quit, ere theysur- 
 I'oiinded it. Kighly stout llurons rushed to the palisades to 
 conquer or die. They actually succeeded in repelling two 
 attacks and in killing thirty of the foe, but overpowering num- 
 bers prevailed. With axes the besiegers cut down the slakes 
 or palisades, rushed through the breach. An indiscri- 
 minate slaughter look place inside. Fire was then set to the 
 fort, and the smoke and flames soon warned the inhabitants 
 of the third settlement, — the St. Mary's residency — distant 
 but Ihiee miles, that the Iroquois were butchering their com- 
 rades. Some few had fled from the St. Louis furl, in which 
 Lalem;mt and De Drebceuf were located : they were not the 
 men to fly from death. De Brebajufs herculean form might be 
 seen close to the breach, admonishing the fallen warriors how 
 to die, and encouraging them in their last moments. Duthwere 
 seized and marched prisoners to the St. Ignace settlement. 
 Scouts were immediately sent out to ascertain whether the St. 
 
.. .«...«JO.-V* 
 
 26 
 
 DE DREBOEUP AND LALEMANT. 
 
 Mary's sottlcmcnt could stand an assault. On their report 
 a war council decided on attacking it the next day ; amongst, 
 the inmates of this fort were some Europeans, who where 
 determined to sell dearly their lives. The Ilurons then num- 
 bering ab(^ut two hundred, had to retreat for shelter into what 
 remained or the St. Louis settlement. Several engagements 
 followed, and fmally the Iroquois remained in possession of 
 the Held of battle, having lost about one hundred of their 
 bravest men. 
 
 The Indians, who had got possession of Fort St. Ignaee, 
 hurried to prepare the two missionaries to undergo the usual 
 tortures reserved to prisoners. De Brebocuf had previously 
 staled, on his arrival in the colony, that he expected to be soon 
 put to death, nor was he long kept in suspense ere he saw 
 his prophecy verified. 
 
 A large Ore was lit, and an iron caldron placed over it ; the 
 prisoners were then stripped and tied to a post erected near 
 each fire ; they were first beaten with sticks ; then a necklace 
 was made of war-axes heated in (he fire, and this was applied 
 roiind their neck. Bark thongs were also tied round Ihem, on 
 which rosin and pitch was smeared, and then set on fire. In 
 derision of the holy rites of Christian baptism, the savages 
 then poured boiling water on their heads. Amidst these hor- 
 rible sufferings, Lalemant would raise his eyes towards heaven, 
 asking strength and courage to endure Ihem. De Breboeuf 
 seemed like a rock, perfectly insensible to pain ; occasionally 
 he moved his lips in prayer ; — this so Incensed his execu- 
 tioners that they cut off his lips and nose, and thrust a red 
 hoi iron down his throat. Firm and resigned, the Christian 
 giant, of a whole head taller than his torturers, would look 
 down on them ; even in his agony, he seemed to command to 
 his executioners. The implacable savages then unbound Lale- 
 manl, much younger and more delicate than De Breboeuf ; he 
 threw himself or fell immediately, at the feet of his intrepid 
 colleacue, praying earnestly to the Almighty for help. He 
 was then brought back and tied to his post, covered over with 
 birck bark, and soon became a mass of living flame : the 
 smell of blood awakening the ferocity of these cannibals, they, 
 
TBI SHORES or LAKE SIMCOB. 
 
 17 
 
 >vilhout wailing till his flesh was baked, cut out with thoir 
 hunting knives largo slices out of Ihc fleshy part of his arms 
 and legs ; then, amidst horrible yells, they devoured greedily 
 the reeking repast. They then substituted burning cools for 
 pupils in his eye sockets. De Dreboeuf s sulTerings lasted threo 
 hours ; his heart was extracted after death and eaten. Lale- 
 mant was less fortunate ; life was not extinct till next day ; a 
 savage more humane than the rest, put an end to his existence 
 by cleaving open his skull w ith his tomahawk ; at the departure 
 of the ennemy, the mutilated and charred remains of (he two 
 missionaries were found, and christian burial given to them on 
 the 21st March, 1649. 
 
 De Drebccuf's skull was taken to Quebec : his family sent 
 out from France a silver case, in which it was placed, and it 
 remained in the Jesuits^ College (now the Jesuits' Barrack, 
 Upper Town Market place), until the last of the order, Father 
 Jean Joseph Gasot, of Suiss descent, whodied in 1800, presented 
 it a short time before his dealh^ to the Religious Ladies of the 
 Hotel-Dieu Nunnery, where it can be seen to this day. Amongst 
 the numerous witnesses of the Gospel put to death by the 
 Indian tribes of Canada, none fell more heroically than De 
 Drebceuf and Lalemant. (1) 
 
 (1) Vide, in Canrer'a Tr&vels in America, in 1728, page 340, a remarltable 
 instance of cruelty. 
 
 See Breggani's Mii»ion» de» Jlauifcs dans la Nouvella France, from page 309 
 to page 319, for gome curious and instructive data relative to tlio peregrinations 
 of those unlucky Hurons — once a powerful race amongst savages. After the 
 brealcing up of the settlement hereinbefore described, on Lake Simcoe in 1649, we 
 find them, located under the very guns of the ChiUeauSt, Louis, in 1658 ; knoobed 
 about from post to pillow — tracked, persecuted and hunted by their impla- 
 cable foes. In 1667, they founded four miles and a half from Quebec, the mission 
 of Notre-Dame de Foye, since corrupted into Village de Ste. Fox. On the 29th 
 December, 1693, they left the spot, for Ancienne Lorette, thus named from the Caia 
 Sancta of Loretto in I taly. Several years later on, they moved to the village called 
 Jeune Lorette, whore their descendants still survive. 
 
:j«^ 
 
 1 
 
THE BELL OF SAINT-REGIS. 
 
 FACT AND FICTION. 
 
 Let US lell of the peregrinations of the Bell of St. Regis, 
 and see how some very airy fictions have become incorpo- 
 rated wilh solid hisloncal facts. 
 
 We shall not do our readers the injustice to suppose that 
 any one of them is not minutely conversant wilh all the parli- 
 culars of the great Lachine massacre, perpetrated by the 
 Iroquois (the allies of the New Englanders), on the ^olh April, 
 1689, a few miles only from the centre of the spot where now 
 stands the proud city of Mount Royal The scalping, burning, 
 and disembowelling of soir.e 200 men, women, and children, 
 and the entire conflagration of their once happy homes, during 
 profound peace, ant without a moment of warning, was cer- 
 tainly a deed calcula.jd to call down on the Indian tribes the 
 Ilcrceslretribution, especially when it became known that these 
 hideous b>tcheiies where to have been repeated at Quebec and 
 at Three Rivers, to please their New England allies ; a con- 
 summation which a merciful Providence alone averted. Ma- 
 rauding excursions on both sides of the border were then, the 
 order of the day. One of the most remarkable expeditions of 
 these times was that of Roiivillo, undertaken shortly after the 
 English had ravaged, by fire and sword, the country of the Abe- 
 naquis Indians. M. de Vaudreuil sent, during the winter of 
 1704, two hundred and fifty men, under the command of Hertel 
 de Rouville, who, followed by his lour brolheis, bade fair to 
 replace his brave father, then too stricken in years to share 
 the dangers of such a service. The expedition ascended Lake 
 Champlain, and, by way of Onion river, soon struck Con- 
 necticut river, which it followed over the ice until it reached 
 the habitation nearest to the Canadian border, Deerfield. This 
 plac(? was surrounded by some outer works of defence, which 
 the snow covered, and Governor Dudley had placed there about 
 
30 
 
 THE BELL OF ST. REGIS. 
 
 twenty soldiers to assist the inhabitants in defending them- 
 selves. Uouville invested the place, unperceived, during the 
 night of the 29lh February. Guards had been patrolling the 
 streets during that night, but had retired to rest towards 
 morning. Two hours before day-break, the French and their 
 Indian allies, not hearing any stir, scaled the walls, and, des- 
 cending into the settlement, surprised the inhabitants, rapped 
 in sleep. Little resistance was offered. Forty-seven persons 
 were slaughtered ; a large number of prisoners taken, and the 
 settlement given to the flames. A few moments after sunrise, 
 Rouville was retracing his steps towards the Canadian frontier, 
 taking with him one hundred and twelve prisoners. Pursuit 
 was organized against the spoilers, but without success. Rou- 
 ville escaped, with the loss of three Frenchmen and some 
 savages, but he himself was wounded. The party was twenty- 
 five days returning ; their provisions were merely the wild 
 animals they killed in the cha?e. The Rev. Mr. Williams, 
 Pastor of Deerfield, and his daughter, were amongst the pri- 
 soners brought to Canada. Several of the young girls were 
 place in the Ursuline Convent at Quebec, and at Throe Rivers. 
 Miss. Eunice Williams, daughter to the Pastor of Deerfield, 
 having subsequently married a christianized Iroquois, settled 
 at Sault St. Louis. (1) Such, the outline, fournished us by 
 historians, of this memorable Canadian raid. Cut there are 
 some unwritten particulars of interest handed down to us, by 
 tradition, for instance : the peregrinations of the Bell of 
 St. Regis, or rather of Sault St. Louis. We find this incident 
 alluded to, in a correspondence, in the Erie Despatch, dated 
 « Massena Springs, 24th July, 1865 : » — « St. Regis contains 
 a small Catholic Church, on the Canadian side of the line, 
 built about the year 1700. When completed, the priest in- 
 formed the Indians that a bell was highly important to their 
 worship, and they were ordered to collect fuuds sufficient to 
 purchase one. They obeyed, and the money was sent to France 
 for the purpose. The French and English were then at war. 
 The bell was shipped, but the vessel that conveyed it, fell into 
 the hands of the English, and was taken to Salem in 1703. 
 
 (1) Ferland's HiBtory of Cftudft. 
 
FACT AND FICTION. 
 
 31 
 
 i 
 
 The bell was purchased for a small church at Deerfielil, on the 
 Connecticut river, the pastor of which was the Rev. Mr. 
 Williams. The priest of St. Regis heard of the destination of 
 his bell, and, as the Governor ot Canada was about to send an 
 expedition against the colonies of New England, he exhorted 
 the Indians to accompany it, and get possession of Ihe bell. » 
 The particulars of Ihe Rouville expedition are then given in the 
 Erie Despatch. « The only house left standing at Deerfield was 
 thatofCapt. Seldon, which Ihe assailants themselves occu- 
 pied after securing the prisoners. It was still standing near the 
 centre of the village, in 1850. The bell was conveyed through 
 the forest to Lake Champlain, to a spot were Burlington now 
 stands, and there they buried itwith the benedictions of Father 
 Nicholas, the priest of St. Regis, who accompanied them. 
 Thus far they had carried it by means of poles, upon their 
 shoulders. They hastened home, and returned in early spring, 
 with horse and sledge, to convey the sacred bell to its desti- 
 nation, r The Indians of the village had never heard the sound 
 of a bell, and powerful was the impression on their minds, 
 when its deep tones, louder and louder, broke the silence of 
 the forest as it approached the village at e^ening, suspended 
 upon a cross-piece of timber, and rung continually by the 
 delighted carriers. It was hung in a frame tower, separate 
 from the church, with solemn ceremonies. Some years after it 
 was removed to the tower of the church. The old bell was 
 cracked by some means, and last year it was sent to Troy, 
 N. Y., and Ihe material re-cast into the new one which they 
 now have. » 
 
 To an inquiry, addressed by me to the Rev. R. C. clergy- 
 man of St. Regis anent the bell, in order to reply to a ques- 
 tion submitted by a member of the Historical Society of 
 Massachusetts (Mr. Davis), I have received the following 
 courteous answer : — 
 
 « Saint-Regis, nth Nov., 1867. 
 
 « J. M. LeMoine, Esq., Quebec. 
 
 « Sin, — The history of the aforesaid bell iscorrect, with the 
 exception that it was brought back by the Indians of Sault St. 
 
32 
 
 THE DELL OP ST. REGIS. 
 
 Louis, for which mission il was destined, and not lo SI. Uegrs. 
 Saull St. Louis is a >iliage situate on the s-hore opposite to 
 Luchine. The version in favor of St. Uegis was propagated in 
 the United Slates by a young lady who wrote a legend, in 
 \erse, on this famous bell. I have forgotten the name of the 
 writer. The best proof Ihat it could not be St. Uegis is, that 
 St. Regis was founded in 1759 by a Jesuit, >\ilh a paily of 
 Indians from Sauil St. Louis ; and tliat in 1704 it was but a 
 wilderness were the Indians came to bunt ; so that this bell 
 was conveyed lo its place of destination, Sault St. Louis — 
 now known as Caughna^^aga, which is a corruption furKakna- 
 v>aka, \Nhich means « Th(! Rapids » — about 55 years belore 
 the first settlements at St. Regis. 
 
 « Yours truly, » 
 
 « (Signed) 
 
 Frs. 
 
 Marcolx, Ptre. » 
 
 The pnblicalion of these details brought to the front, a 
 Portland Antiquarian of note — Hon. Geo. N. Davis, who whilst 
 on a visit to Quebec in 1869, honored me with a call and sub- 
 sequently investigated the story of the mysterious Rell ; the 
 result of his investigation, as communicated to the Historical 
 Society of Massachusetts, of which he was a members runs 
 thus : 
 
 THE SATNT-UKGIS BELL. 
 
 On the 29th of February, 1703 — 4, the town of Deerfield, in Massachusetts, was 
 sacked and burned by a jjarty of two hundred French and one hundred and forty- 
 two Indians, under Major Hertel do Rouville, and one hundred and twelve men, 
 women, and children wore carried into cajitivity, including the Rev. John Wil- 
 liams, and his wife and children. A full account of this ruid is given by Iloyt, in 
 his book on " Indian Wars, " published in firecnficld in 1824. In that book, as 
 I believe, appeared the first printed statement in relation to what has been sinco 
 commonly known as the story of the " Boll of St. Regis. " That story has sinco 
 been the basis of many publications in poetry and proso, and has invariably been 
 led by my own inquiries as to its authenticity. 
 
 Hoyt, who is a perfectly honest and truthful historian, states that Eunice, a 
 daughter of the Rev. John Williams, never returned from her captivity, but 
 married an Indian ; and he adds that " recently one of the great grandsons of Mr. 
 Williams, under the name of Eleazor Williams, has been educated by his friends 
 in New England, and is now employed as a missionary to the Indiana at Qroen 
 Bay, on Lake Michigan. " Hoyt goes on to.say as follows ; — 
 
 "In a recent visit to Montreal and Quebec, Mr. Williams made some osertiona 
 to seoure doouments relative to his anoeiton, partioalarly on bis graadmothet'4 
 
FACT AND FICTION. 
 
 33 
 
 Bide. ... Ho found a Bible, which was the property of his great grandfather, the 
 Rev. John Williams, in which is the date of purchase with his name; also the 
 journal of Major Rouville, kept on the expedition against Doerfield in 1704, in 
 which he frequently mentions John Williams as ' an obstinate horetiok. ' From 
 the journal, it appears that Rouvillo's French troops suffered extremely from a 
 want of provisions on the march to Deerfiold, and wore in a mutinous state when 
 they arrived before the place; but were kept to their duty by the Indians, who, 
 from their greater facility in procuring game in the woods, and superior hardiness, 
 were faithful to the commander. Mr. Williams has also procured the journal of 
 the commanding officer on the expedition against Schenectady, in 1690. These 
 journals were obtained at one of the principal convents, where copies were re- 
 quired to be deposited on the return of the commanders of parties, as well as 
 with the government. Mr. Williams states that when Deerfield was destroyed, tho 
 Indians took a small church bell, which is now hanging in an Indian church in 
 St. Regis. It was conveyed on a sledge as far as Lake Champlain, and buried, 
 and was subsequently taken up, and conveyed to Canada. Mr. William's father 
 and other Indians at St. Regis, are well acquainted with the facts relating to the 
 bell, as well as the destruction of Deerfield. " 
 
 Uoyt adds in a note, " Communicated by Col. Elihu Hoyt, who recently con- 
 versed with Mr. Williams. " 
 
 It will be observed that Hoyt, born in Deerfield, and always residing there, 
 does not suggest the existence of any tradition or record in Dectield, bearing upon 
 this subjeoc ; nor does he appear to have seen the journals spoken of by Eleazer 
 Williams. 
 
 The evidence, traditional or documentary, existing in Deerfield in relation to 
 the matter, is fully and fairly stated in a letter dated Feb. 21, 1870, addressed to 
 me by Mr. George Sheldon, of Deerfield, who has devoted much time to the inves- 
 tigation of the history of Deerfield, and whose statements are worthy of full credit. 
 He writes as follows : — 
 
 " This romantic legend, so often repeated, has at length come to be accepted 
 by most people as an historic fact. As a student of the early history of my native 
 town, the bell story has become to me a subject of intense interest. In the course 
 of my investigation, from a firm believer I became an utter sceptic, but at pre- 
 sent am all out to sea. If there exists any satisfactory evidence anywhere, it 
 would seem it must be lodged in the old convents or churches in Canada. In ac- 
 cordance with your desire, I will give some of the reasons fur the lack of faith 
 which is in me. . . . While not one particle of evidence has been found (by me, 
 at least) to support the statement of Mr. Williams, on the other hand nothing 
 better than negative evidence has been found to disprove it ; but there is a good 
 deal of that. The town records, covering a period of twenty years before the 
 event, are complete, but give not the slightest hint that there was ever a bell ia 
 town. Town and parish where then one. In the ' Redeemed Captive, ' a minute 
 narrative of the events of the assault, the march to Canada, and of the captivity, 
 and the repository of many reflections on the conditions of his church and people, 
 Mr. Williams gives us no hint that a bell over summoned his flock to wership. 
 His son Stephen has left us another account of the same events, entering into par- 
 ticulars, even more minutely than his father, and it seems almost impossible that 
 the bell from his father's church could have been conveyed by the party either on 
 poles or men's shoulders, or drawn upon a sledge, without so attracting hin 
 hoyish notice as to leave some trace upon his Journal ; but we get no hint from 
 him, though be was carried to St. LouiB, aod lived there long enough to learn the 
 language. 
 
34 
 
 THE DELL OF ST. REGIS. 
 
 " Aaron Denio, who was born in Canada of parents captured by Rouvillo at 
 Dcerficld in 1704, was a very prominent man, and lived to a good old ago in the 
 town of flroenfield. Many stories are told of him to this day, but none of them 
 convey the faintest tone of a bell. Much is known and told of the Kellogg boys 
 and girls, who grew to be men and women amongst the Caughnawagas, and who 
 figure largely in the history of this part of the colony as ofScers and interpreters, 
 but not tho faintest tinklo of the bell can wo wring from them. There lives in this 
 town a bright, smart woman of eighty-eight years, with an astonishing memory, 
 who tolls many stories of her grandmother, who was born loss than thirty years 
 after the massacre, and whom she remembers perfectly ; but not the faintest 
 murmur of the bell is heard in them all. 
 
 " The church, at Deorfield, was square, with a four-sided roof, from the centre 
 of which sprung the centre belfry, which must have been fully exposed in every 
 direction ; at a distance of about eight rods stood the house of Benoni Stebbins, 
 which was successfully defended to the last by a party of sharpshooters, and 
 several Indians and at least one Frenchman were killed by their fire. A party in 
 the belfry, it would seem, must be at their mercy. A service of such a peculiar 
 nature, in the face of such imminent danger, could hardly have been accomplished 
 without leaving some mark on the traditions of the times, but none have been 
 discovered as yet. The field of inquiry, in this region, seems to be about ex- 
 hausted ; and I earnestly hope that some interested antiquarian, qualified for the 
 ■work, will unearth those musty records, which are said to be deposited in convents 
 or churches in Canada, and set the matter at rest, one way or the other. " 
 
 In further illustration of the diSicalties which the attacking party would have 
 found in carrying away an article so cumbrous as a bell, I annex a copy of a 
 petition, of which the original is to be seen in the Massachusetts Archives, with 
 the legislative order indorsed on the original paper. 
 
 To his Excellency the Governor togfther with the Hon, Council and Representatives 
 met in the Great and General Assembly at Boston, May 31, 1704, 
 
 The humble petition of Jonathan Wells and Ebenezer Wright in the behalfo of 
 the company who encountered the French and Indians at Deerfield, Feb. 29, 
 1704, sheweth : 
 
 1«(. That we, understanding the extremity of the poor people at Deerfield, 
 made all possible haste to their relicfe, that we might deliver the remnant that 
 Were left, and doe spoil on the enemy. 
 
 idly. That, beingjoyned with a small number of the inhabitants and garrison 
 aouldiors, we forced the enemy out of town, leaving a great part of their plunder 
 behinde them, and pursuing them about a mile and an halfe, did great execu- 
 tion upon thorn. We saw at the time many dead bodies, and we and others did 
 afterwards see the manifest prints on the snow, where other dead bodies were 
 drawn to a hole in the river. 
 
 Zdly. That the enemy being reinforced by a great number of fresh men, we 
 were overpowered, and necessitated to run to the fort ; and, in our flight, nine of 
 the company were slain, and some others wounded ; and some of U8 lost our 
 npper garments which we had put off before in the pursuit. 
 
 itUy. That the action was over, and the enemy withdrawn about fourscore rodi 
 from the fort, before any of our neighbours came into the fort. 
 
 Wherefore we doe humbly supplicate the Hon. Assembly, that according to 
 their wonted justice and bounty, they would consider the service we have done in 
 preserving many lives and much estate, and making a spoil on the enemy, the 
 haizard that we run, the losses ve sustained, the afflicted condition of luoh M 
 
FACT AND FICTION. 
 
 35 
 
 hftvo lost near relations in this encounter, nnd bestow upon us some proportion- 
 able recoinpenco, that wo and others may be inpounigcd upon such <ci"i»?ion» to 
 be forward and active to repell the enemy, and resi'iic siioh as shall bo in dis- 
 tresso, though with the utmost peril of our lives, and ^our pctitionora shall 
 
 pray, ic. 
 
 Jonathan AVkm,9, 
 
 Ebknkzkh Wkfcjht, 
 
 In the name of the resU 
 
 In the House of Representatives. Read a first time, June 2, 1704. 
 In the Ilfinie of Representntivei, June 8, 1704. 
 
 In answer to the petition on the other side, — 
 
 Retiohed, That the losses of the petitioners be made good, and paid out of the 
 pnbliok Treasury to such as sustained them, according to their account herewith 
 exhibited, amounting to the sum of thirty-four pounds and seventeen shillings. 
 
 That the sum of five pounds bo paids to each of the widows of those slain, 
 mentioned in the list annexed, being four in number. 
 
 And, although but one scalp of Indians slain by them is recovered, yet, for 
 their encouragement, that the sum of sixty pounds be allowed and paid to the 
 petitioners, whoso names are contained in the said list annexed as surviving, for 
 scalp-money, to be equally divided amongst theui, together with all plunder 
 whereof they give account. 
 
 James Converbr, Speuker 
 
 Sent up for concurrence, June 9, 1704. 
 
 In Council. 
 
 Read and passed in concurrence. 
 
 Isaac Addington, Secretary. 
 
 In following up this inquiry, it seemed important next to ascertain what evid- 
 ence of the truth or falsehood of the story could be found at St. Regis. No long 
 investigation was needed there, as it appears that St. Regis did not exist in 
 1704, nor till some half century afterwards. Rev. F. Marcoux, now resident priest, 
 at St. Regis, fixes it in 1759. Rev. B. F. De Costa, in an article on the St, Regis 
 bell, in the " Galaxy " for January, 1870, fixes it in 1770. And Dr F. B. Hough, 
 in his history of St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties, states that the Indians 
 from St, Louis settled there in 1760, and that their priest, Anthony Gordon, then 
 gave it the name of St. Regis, 
 
 That these dates are not precisely correct, may be inferred from a letter which 
 is to be found in the Massachusetts Archives, which seems to be a translation 
 from an original letter by one T. R. Billiard. This le'ter, to which my attention 
 was first called by Mr, Sheldon, seems to fix the settlement of St. Regis as early 
 as 1754, 
 
 To Monseigneur the Keeper of the Seals, Minuter of the Marine. 
 
 MoNSKiGNEUB, — The Iroquois Indians of the P»lls of St, Louis, nenr Montreal, 
 in Canada, are of the Iroquois Agniers (Mohawks), who formerly left their coun- 
 try to come and settle along the river St. Lawrence. Those of them that remained 
 in the place of their nativity presently cme under the dominion (if the English, 
 being in the neighborhood of Albany, while the others became the allies of the 
 
^a 
 
 THE DELL OF ST. REGIS. 
 
 Fronoh. Ar the people of the two villages are relations, we hare seen from time 
 to time of those that were settled round Albany reunito with their brethren of 
 the Fall of St. Levis. Mens. Duque8ne,<>ovornor-Qeneral of Canada, who por- 
 oeirod their inclinations, has always treated thorn with great icindnoss, and has 
 privately engaged them to come and settle near hiui, knowing well, by expe- 
 rience in the last war, that they were the only Indians to be feared on the side of 
 Fort St. Frederic and Lake Champlain. 
 
 A great number of them are determined in consequence of this, and it is im- 
 possible the rest should stand out a grout while. In the moan time, the village of 
 the Fall of St. Louis being very numerous, is too much crowded ; and, moreover, 
 the quality of the land not permitting them to push out further there because of 
 the marshy places that are throughout, several families of the Fall of St. Louis, 
 with a great number of Iroquois Agniors, have desire to make a now settlement 
 tn a place where the land was more fertile : in the first place, for the convenience 
 of life ; and, next, to be out of the way of drunkenness, to which the nearness of 
 Mountroyal exposed them ; and the readiness of the French to sell them brandy, 
 notwithstanding the severe prohibitions of the Oenerals. Agreably to this pro- 
 jection, they have made choice of a place in the King's territories, situated 
 towards ths south at the entrance of Lake St. Francis, half-way between the 
 mission of the Falls of St. Louis and that of ths Presentation. As this place ap- 
 pears to have all the properties for making a solid and advantageous settlement 
 for the Indians, I came here with them ; and it is actually the mission which I 
 have now the charge of, under the title of St. Regis. But as the Agniers desire 
 to have the peaceable possession of said territory, I take the liberty to ask in their 
 name, — 
 
 Ist, That they have granted to them the property of the territory lying south, 
 at the entrance of Lake St. Francis, between two rivers ; one to the north-east, 
 called Nigenteiagoo ; the other south-west, called Nigentsiagd ; being in flront 
 six leagues, comprising the two rivers, together with the islands thnt lie towards 
 the shore, for the said Indians to hold so long as their village shall there subsist, 
 upon condition that if the mission is dissolved, the said hands shall to the King. 
 
 2nd, That the Jesuites missionaries be authorized under the title of feoffees in 
 trust to make the partition of said land among the Indians, and amicably decide 
 any controversies that may hereafter ensue relating to this matter ; and to ma- 
 nifest that the said missionaries in no wise seek their own interest in this, they 
 desire it may be expressly prohibited both now and hereafter to make any grant 
 to the French, as likewise to reserve for themselves, the missionaries, in said 
 place any land for ploughing ; and then the distance of the French will take 
 away from the Indians the opportunity of copying their faults, and ruining them- 
 selves with strong drink. 
 
 3rd, That you would please to favor the good dispositions of the Oovernor- 
 
 General by giving orders that they may have some assistance in this settlement, 
 
 advantageous, at the same time, to the interest of religion and the good of tha 
 
 colony. 
 
 P. R. BiLLiABD, Juuit*, 
 
 Miuionary to the Iroquois of the Mietion of St. Regie, 
 
 St. Regis, Dee. 7, 1754. 
 
 Under date of " St. Regis, lat April, 1870, " Rer. F. Maroonz favors me with 
 information ai follows :— 
 
 " I will further add the tradition on the testimony of the most ancient inha- 
 bitants of this place, of whom some are almost contemporary with th« foundation 
 
FACT AND FICTION, 
 
 37 
 
 Iwith 
 
 Lha- 
 Ition 
 
 •of thoir villngo in ]7fiO, . . . that from 1760 down to 1835, there have boon but 
 
 two bells in 8t. Kc)»i» ; ono came from the Catholic Chiirrh of Fort Frontenne 
 (now KiD;,'-(o;i, Ontario), and was given to thorn, at thoir roquost, by ono of tho 
 first governrrs of Quebo •, after tho conquest ; tho other wn» purchased lit Albany 
 in 1802. Tln'S" two bolls, having been erackod, were carried to Troy, N.-Y., in 
 1S'<5, and re-cast into a single boll. This is the tradition of St. Regis. " 
 
 It lias nioru recently boon stated, however, that the tradition, though untrue a« 
 to St. Ucjxis, is in fact true of a boll which is hanging in St. Louis (now Caugh- 
 •nawaga), a )placo situated on tho south 8i<le of the St. Lawrence, and about nine 
 miles above Montreal. In Hough's " Hii>tory of St. Lawrence and Franklin 
 Counties, " i>ublishod in 1853, tho statement is luado as follows : — 
 
 " While on a visit to Caughnawnga in October, 1852, tho author found in the 
 village a dircc! and consistent tradition of tho boll, which is still used in their 
 church ; and among tho records in the hands of tho priest, a manuscript, in tho 
 French InuL^uapo, of which wo shnll give a translation. The bell is a small ono, 
 and once jiosscssed an inscription, which has been effiioed. The legend purports 
 to hiive been found some tiftoon years since in an old English publication, and is 
 regarded by tiiu prie?t of the missiiin. Rev. .Joseph Mnrcoux, who has for many 
 years resided there, as, in the main points, reliable. " 
 
 Tho Rev. Francis Marcoux, of St. Regis, has also expressed his full belief in 
 tho existence and authenticity of the tradition as applied to the bell of St. Louis. 
 
 I am fully assured that tho negative evidence wliich 1 have produced is suffi- 
 cient to show that the tradition, if ever it existed, could have had no foundation 
 in trutli ; and I have a.'- yet not discovered any precise and detailed evidence of 
 the existence of this stoiy before tho preparation of lloyt's book, nearly fifty years 
 ago. 
 
 Tho " legend, " of which i'r. Hough gives a translation, is calculated to cause 
 doubt rnlhor than belief. It does not profess to be founded on tradition, but is 
 said to have been tal<on, some fifteen years before 1854, from an old English 
 book ; and Hoyt's book is the only one we know of, from which its leading facts 
 could have been taken. This " legend " describes the St. L ns Indians, living 
 nine miles from the church bells of .Montreal, as having never heard the sound of 
 a bell, and getting their first idea of its tones from the account of their priest, and 
 going out in procession to wreathe it with flowers, and overcome with rapture in 
 hearing it for tho first time. It seems to bo simply a magazine story, in which a 
 few well-known historical facts are decked with the orcnments of fiction. 
 
 Strong circumstances of suspicion attach to the story as first jiublished by lloyt. 
 As publlslied, it purported to ooin« from Rev. Eleazer Williams, who, at the time 
 of the publication, was a clergyman in good standing, wlmso statements of fact 
 •would be likely to be received wilh iuijilicit belief. There were, without doubt, 
 certain defects and improbabilities in the story as he told it. Ho ppoke of obtain- 
 ing liouvillc's journal, and another of the same kind, " from ono of the jirincipal 
 Convents, were copies were required to be dcjiosited on tlie return of the com- 
 mander of parties. " I am iufonned by gentlemen accustomed to investigations 
 among Canadians records, (I) that they know of no convent where manuscripts of 
 ■that description were recjuired to be deposited, or can now bo found, lie says that 
 Do llouville, in his journal, describes Rev. John Williams as an "obstinate 
 herctick. " As Do llouville himself is described by Abb(5 Ferland (following 
 
 (1) One of these gentlemen is Mr. J. M. Le Moine, of Quebec, who has given 
 great attention to the early history of the Dominion, and to whoso intelligent 
 Jciudncss I am much indebted. 
 
38 
 
 THE BELL OF ST. REGIS. 
 
 Cliark'voix) ns a ITitgiicn'it, tt is not probable that ho would haro usod this par- 
 
 ticiiliir term of rsj rmith. (I) 
 
 The ftilililional (nvt tliiit Williams fixed upon an inijjosHiblo lonile for tho 
 
 rueting-placo of the boll, raisojt a titrung Huspiclun that hu invonti.'d tho nholc 
 
 story. 
 
 All that is known of Mr. Williams goes to confirm this guspifion. lie could not 
 
 resist any ti"in]ptiition to mystify tho i)iil)lic. At ono time ho cnmo to a distin- 
 giiichcd iintiiiiiary, now living in Now-Ymk, and told him that tho |irie.-t's house 
 in Cauglinawiiga had bnoii left fur somh; tinio untenanted, had boon blown down by 
 a tom)io.*t, and that ho had then disoovorod, in a recess thus revealed in a chim- 
 rcy, a number of Indian nirtniisi.^ri|)ls, which ho had taken away with him to 
 Green Hay in Michigan. Imiiiiry was immediately instituted, audit was ascor- 
 taincd that tho house had neither been left untenant"d nor been blown down, and 
 that tho whole story was lictitiiHis. lu ISj.'i, very general attention was ex'jited 
 by two articles published in " Putniim's .Magazine, " asserting his claims to bo 
 considered the son of Louis XVI. of France. In ono of those j)aiicrs ajipearcd his 
 account of an interview with tlio I'rinco do Joinvilto, in which tho jirince wa» 
 represented as making him larf^o pecuniary (jflers if ho would sij^n an instrument 
 releasing his <'laim to the throne of France. To this proposition, a<'ciprding to his 
 own statement, ho returned an irutignnnt refusal. This statement, being' brought 
 to tho notice of tho princo, was publicly contradicted by him as " a work of tho 
 imagination, " and " a speculation upon public credulity. " 
 
 Nothing, then, seems to mo more likely than that Williams invented tho alleged 
 tradition of the Docrfield or .St. Kegis bell ; but, howcrer originati'd, it seems 
 quite clear to mo that the truth of the story is not sustained by tho evidence now 
 
 (1) Since the above was written, iiowcvcr, I learn that a communication by Mr. 
 Fnuclicr dc St. Miiurice bus a|ipc!ircil in a Canadian paper, in which it is claimed 
 that tho Do llouvilles wore, in fact, Catholics. 
 
THE BAKON 0¥ LOXiJUElL 
 
 " Tho naraos and nioraorics of gront nion nro thu Jowory of a nation. They ar« 
 the salt of the earth, in death as well a.« in life. WliMt thuy did once, their do8- 
 ooudauts have still and always a right to do after thorn. " — Dlarkicood. 
 
 Faciiif,' Villo Mane, (I) on Ihc spol on \vliich now stands the 
 Lonf?ueil II. C, templo of AVorship, Uicre existed some two 
 hundred years au;o, a piivalo individual's homestead to wit • 
 « a Fort supported by four strong towers of stone and mason- 
 ry, with a guard house, several large dwellings, a fine church, 
 with a farm yard, a dovecot and a large retinue of servants, 
 horses and equipages all within the area of such Fort. » This 
 is a show of aflluence and strength rather unusual for a Cana- 
 dian peasant of those rude titries. 
 
 It is not the dwelling and belongings of a peasant, but (he 
 secure and magnificent abode of a Montreal grandee — one of 
 the bravest men of the period — one in fact, whose devotion to 
 his country, and prowess in war have caused to be styled by 
 old writers, the « Macuabeus of Montheal. » 
 
 Nor is the fame of this fii;hling colonist confined to Canada ; 
 the trumpet tongue of renown has proclaimed it on the 
 distant banks of the Seine ; an edict will go forth from the 
 Gra/u/il/onar^uc, transforming his loyal subject into a baron, 
 and his Fort and its massive stone towers, into a Baronial 
 Castle. Hence, the title of Baron of Longueil, conferred by 
 Louis XIV on Charles Le Moyne. Hence, the origin of the 
 curious ruins, which the famous antiquary Mr. Viger, 
 scanned more than once, and which the building of the 
 Longueil church has since ol)literated. 
 
 The Canada of the past, had then its nobles ? Yea, but it 
 was a nobility of merit only. 
 
 A young barrister, snatched too soon from fame and friends^ 
 thus embodied in verse, Canada's motto : 
 
 (1) Montreal's first name was Ville Marie. 
 
40 
 
 THE BARON OF LONGUEIL. 
 
 " 8ur ootto torro oncor sauvngo 
 Ii<'s vii'iix lilrps sonl iiicnrirnis ; 
 La nohli!PHi» est dans lo courage, . 
 Duns lo8 taluiils, iluus los vcrliis. " 
 
 F. H. ANf.Ens. 
 
 "We nro coiitc-iit to aceopi lliis niullo. 
 
 True nubility slinll consist, for iis, in coiirngo, lakMit and 
 virtue ; such, wt; consider liie ^eiiuini' guinea's stamp ; the 
 rest, is all plated ware, which odcc tarnished by ui - 
 worthy sentimmls, not all the blue blood of all the Howards 
 shall rescue from contempt No, not even th(! profound 
 peace and sense of security (Mijoyed I'oi' a century under the 
 arm of a mighty and free powisr, in these evcntlul times; 
 not even the gratitude towards a strong prol(!ctor sliall make 
 us willingly kneel to a title unreeomjnended by merit or by vir- 
 tue ; and s!ill Canada is essentially monarchical. 
 
 For a long time tocome, no coininunily of feeling shall exist 
 between our republican neighbors and the majority of the 
 inhabitants of Lower Canada, alien in lace, religion and lan- 
 guage. Strong iuleresl however, on our pari and repeated 
 taunts from the mother conntry. nny induct; ns Ihi! weaker 
 party to cast our lot with the stronger, our mighly neighbors. 
 
 On one point, tln! Latin and tlu; Teuton of Canada East do 
 seem lo understand oneimolher thoroughly, \iz., in their esti- 
 mate of monarchical ideas. They respecl the sovereign, they 
 honor his chief men, the no!ile> — not men of [il(>asure such as 
 those with whom Louis XV, surrounded his throne and 
 oppressed his subjects, but honorable men such as Victoria 
 and the Kngllsh people are proud of; men well represented by 
 that aristocracy (tf merit u specially charged to peipetuate 
 traditions of chivalry and honor, » whose door Is open to the 
 peopl(», as the highest recognition of popular merit ; whose 
 worth is testified to, by IheKnglishas well as by the French ; who 
 are eulogized in lolly terms by men of commanding intellect, 
 such asMonti'squleu. .Montalemberl, Guizot, Chateaubriand (1). 
 
 (1) " The nobility of Great Britain is the finest modern society since the Ro- 
 man Patriciate, " said ths illustrious Chateaubriand. His vast rescarchoi, 
 his presence at the English court as French ambassador in 1822, had gireu him 
 Ample opportunity of judgi'ig. 
 
CANADIA?i NOBILITY. 
 
 41 
 
 Iflby 
 
 jale 
 
 the 
 
 lose 
 
 l^vlio 
 
 iCt, 
 
 1(1). 
 
 Ro- 
 him 
 
 Merit is (lion the toudi-slono wiiichon trinl, wiiing from llicso 
 bi'illianl writiMs llio uii(|iialiihMl piuise llicy beslowud on lliu 
 nobility of uld Eni^land. 
 
 Lot us see whether we can apply this test to one of the 
 okb.'st and most iionon^d names in our own history — we mean 
 that of tlie Haron do Loii;;noil. 
 
 In lornuM' times, too, we had bloody wai's to wage ; merci- 
 less I'oL's existed on our frontiers ; the soil th.-n found gene- 
 I'ous and l)i'ave soidiijrs to defend it . men who went forlh 
 cachday with their lives in their hands, ready to shed the 
 last drop of blood for all Ihey held dear : their homes, their 
 wiv(!s, lh(!ir children, lias the stout race ul other days dege- 
 nerated, j^rown callous to what ils God, its honor, its country 
 may conimaud in the hour of need ? ^Ve should hope not. We 
 said the IJaronMe Lonj^ueil. 
 
 \Mio was the Baron do Longueil ? Willi your porniission, 
 kind reader, lei us peruse together the royal patent erecting 
 the seijiiiiory of Longueil into a barony : it i ■ to be found in 
 the Register of the pioceediugs of llie SU| rior Council ot 
 Quebec, letter!}, page 131, and runs thus : 
 
 « Louis, by the Grace of God, Kingof I'lauce and Navarro, to 
 all present, Greeting : It being an attribute ofourgreatness and of 
 our justice to reward those whose courag(i and merit led them to 
 perfoiui great deeds, and taking into coiisideiali(Hi the services 
 which have been rendertjd lousby the lal(i Charles LeMoyne, (i) 
 Ksipiire, Seigneur of Longueil, who left France in 1640 to 
 reside in Canada, where his valour and fidelity were so often 
 
 This estimate does not quite agree with that of the author of " Ropro- 
 gentative .Men, " R.W. Einorson : " Twenty thousiind tiiievos landed at Ilnstings. 
 These founders of the House of Lords were greedy and ferocious dragoons, 
 sons of greedy and ferocious pirates. Tliey were aU alilco ; they took 
 everything thoy could carry. They hurned, harried, violated, tortured and 
 kiUod, until everything English was brought to the verge of ruin. Such, 
 however, is the illusion of antiquity and wealth, that decent and dignified men 
 now existing, boast their descent from those petty thieves, who showed afar justor 
 conviction of their own merits, by assuming for their types, the swine, goat, jackal^ 
 leopard, wolf, and snake, which they severally resembled. 
 
 " It took many generations to trim, and comb, and perfume the first boat-load of 
 Norse pirates into royal highnesses and most noble knights of the garter ; but 
 every spark of ornament dates back to the Norse boat." — Enr/lUlt Traitt. 
 
 (1) He was nephew to the celebrated Surgeon Adrien Duchesno. 
 
42 
 
 THE BAnON OF LONGUEIL. 
 
 £J 
 
 conspicuous in the wars against the Iroquois, that onr go- 
 vernors and lieulouanl-goVL'rnors in tliat country emjtloyod 
 him constantly in ovory military expedition, and in every 
 negocialion or trcaly of peace, of all which duties he acquitted 
 himself to their entire satisfaction; — that after him, Charles 
 LeMoyne, Esquire, his eldest son, desirous of imitating the 
 example of his father, bore arms from his youth, cither in 
 France, where he served as a lieutenant in the Regiment de 
 St. Laurent, or else as captain of a naval detachment in 
 Canada sinc(; 16S7, where he had an arm shot oO" by the 
 Iroquois when figliling near Lachine, in ^^hich combat seven 
 of his brothers were also engaged ; — that Jacques LeMoynede 
 Ste. Ilelene. his brother, for his gallnitry, was made a captain 
 of a naval d( achment in a colonial corps, {I ) and afterwards fell 
 at the siege of Quebec, in ICO'V leading on with his elder 
 brother, Charles Le Moyne, the Canadians against Phipps, 
 when; his brother was also wound;'d ; that another brother, 
 Pierre Le Moyne dlberville, captain of a sloop of N^ar, served 
 on land and on sea, and captured Tort Corlard in Hudson's 
 Bay, and still commands a frigates ; that Joseph Le Moyne de 
 Bienville, was commissioned an ensign in the said naval de- 
 tachment, and was killed by the Iroquois in the attack on the 
 place called Uepentigny ; that Louis Le Moyne de Chaleau- 
 guay, when acting as lieutenant to his brother, dlberville^ 
 also fell in the taking of Fort Bourbon, in the Hudson's Bay ; 
 that Paul Le Moyne de ]\Iaricourt is an ensign in the navy, and 
 captain ot a company in the naval detachment, acting in the 
 capacity of ensign to his brother d'lberville ; that, in carrying 
 out our inteidions for settling Canada, the said Charles Le 
 Moyne, the eldest son, has spent large sums in establishing 
 inhabitants on the domain and seigniory of Longueil, which 
 comprises about two leagues in breadth on the St. Lawrence, 
 and three leagues and a half in depth, the whole held from us 
 with haute, moycnne et basse justice, wherein he is now striving 
 to establish three parishes, and uhereal, in order to protect 
 the residents in limes of war, he has had erected at his own 
 
 (1) Trnufies de hi marine and troupen de lu cnlnnie, meant the sauio : tUo Frciich 
 Minister uf Marino liad charge of both Departments. 
 
CAlSADIAPf NOr.ILITT. 
 
 43 
 
 Le 
 
 ling 
 
 us 
 ring 
 
 L'ci 
 
 Iwn 
 
 luch 
 
 'I 
 
 cosi, a fort snpportfrd by four strong towers of ston" and ma- 
 sonry. ^vilh a guard house, several large dwellings, a fine 
 clnircli, bearing all the insignia of nobility ; a spacious farm 
 yard, in which there is a barn, a stable, a sheep pen, a dove 
 «ot, and other biiiltlings, all of which are wilfiin thearea of the 
 snid fort ; next to which stands a haual mill, a fine brewery 
 of masonry, togolher with a large retinue of servants, hoises 
 and cqiiipnges, the cost of which buildings amount to some 
 GO^OOO livres ; so much so that this si'igniory is one of the 
 most valuable of the \%hole country, and the only one fortified 
 and built up in this way ; tliat this bas powerfully contributed 
 to protect the inhabitants of Ibe neigbboring seigniories ; that 
 this estate, on account of the extensive land clearings and 
 work done and to be done on it, is of great value, on which 
 thirty workmen are employed ; that the said Charles Le 
 ]\b)yne is now in a position to hold a noble rank on account of 
 bis virtueand merit: For which consideralioiis we have thought 
 it due to our sense of justice to assign not only a title of Inuior 
 to the estate and seigniory of Longiieil, but also to confer on 
 its owner a proof of an honorable distinction which will pass 
 to posterity, and which may appear to the children of tliesaid 
 Charles Le >b)yne a reason and inducement to follow in their 
 father's footsteps : For tb' - . causes, of our special grace, full 
 power and royal auth'^i'*), we Ijave created, erected, raised 
 and decorated, ahtl do create, erect, raise and decorate, by 
 till! present patent, signed by our own hand, the said estate 
 and seigniory of Lonj;ueil, situate in oiu' coinitry of Canada, 
 into the name, titlt; and dignity of a barony ; the same to bo 
 P' acefully aiid fully enjoyed by the said Sieur Charles Le 
 Moyne, his diildren and heirs, and the descendants of the 
 same, born in legitimati^ wedlock, ln'ld undisr our crown, and 
 sidijtset to fealty {fni et liommage avec (h'no)nl>rctnen() according 
 to the laws of our kingilom ami the custom of I'aris in force in 
 C mada, together with the name, title and dignity of a baron ; 
 — it is our pleasure he shall designate and qualify himself 
 baron in all deeds, judgmeiUs, &c. ; that he shall enjoy the 
 right of arms, heraldry, hon(us, prerogatives, rank, preced- 
 ence in lime of war, in meetings of the nobility, &., hkc the 
 
44 
 
 THE BARON OF LONGUEIL. 
 
 other barons of our kingdom — that the vassals, arricr«ras.saMx, 
 and olhoi's depending of Iho said scigiiiury uf Loiigueil, noble- 
 ment et en roture, shall acknoN>ledgo the said Cliarh'sLcMoyne, 
 his heirs, assigns, as barons, and pay them the ordinary feudal 
 homage, which said lilies, &e., it is our pleasure, shall l)e 
 inserted in pioccjedings and sentences, had or rendered by 
 
 courts of .justice, without, however, Ihe said vassals being held 
 
 to perform any greater homage than lliey are now liable to 
 
 This deed to be enregistered in Canada, and the said Charles 
 Le Moyne, his children and assigns, to be maintained in full 
 and peaceful enjoyment of the rights herein conferred. 
 
 « Thus done at Versailles, the 27th January, 1700, in the 
 fiftieth year of our reign. 
 
 « (Signed), 
 
 Louis. » 
 
 We have here a royal patent, convoying in unmistakable 
 terms on the Great Louis' loyal and brave Canadian subject 
 and his heu's, rights, titles, prerogalives, vast enough to make 
 €ven the mouth of a Spanish grandee water. 11 is a little less 
 comprehensive than the text of the parchment creating Nova 
 Scotia knights, but that is all. 
 
 The claims of the Longueil family to the peaceable enjoy- 
 ment of their honors are set forth so lucidly in the following 
 document, that we shall insert the manuscript in full ; — it 
 was written in Paris by an accomplished English gentleman, 
 M. Falconer. 
 
 t Wlicn I was in Canada, in 1842, a newspaper in Montreal, contained 
 some weekly abuse of the Baron Grant do Longueil, on account of liis 
 assuming the lillo of Baron do Longueil. It appeared tome to be some- 
 what remarkable that a paper which very freely abused people for being 
 republicans, and a[recte<I a wonderful reverenco for mnnarcliial institu- 
 tions, should make the possession of monarchial honors, in a country 
 professedly governed by monarchial institutions, the ground of frequent 
 personal abuse, and was certainly a very inconsiderate line of conduct. 
 
 « But it was in fact the more blameable, as the possession of that honor 
 by Baron de Longueil is connected with some histerical events in which 
 every Cana<Iian ought to feel a pride, as being part of the history of his 
 country. 
 
 1 1 can of cours-^ only give a short note of the family of Longueil. 
 
 • In the early settlement of Canada, one of the most distinguished men 
 an the service of Government was Charles Le Moyno ; he was in the war 
 
CANADIAN NOBILITY. 
 
 45 
 
 ming 
 
 Itaincd 
 of his 
 sonie- 
 I being 
 isUlii- 
 buntry 
 [([uent 
 lot. 
 1011 or 
 .'hich 
 Df hia 
 
 men 
 war 
 
 with the Iroquois, and contributed very materially to the pacification of 
 the country aud the defence of the frontier. He had eleven sons and two 
 daughters ; the names of the sons were — 
 
 I 1st. Sieur Charles Le Moyne, Baron de Longueil. Ho was Lieutenant 
 du roi de la ville et gouvernement de Montreal. He was killed at Saratoga, 
 in a severe action. 
 
 I 2nd. Sieur Jacques Le Moyne do Sainte-Helf ne, bom 16th April, 1659, 
 borrowed his surname from the island opposite Montreal, which was, until 
 lately, part of the property of the family. He fell at the siege of Quebec, in 
 1690, aged 31 years and was hurried in the Hotel-Dieu at Quebec. 
 
 ( 3rd. Pierre Le Moyne d'lberviUe, who was born at Montreal, in tG62, 
 was the third son. He made his first voyage to sea at fourteen years of 
 age. In 16S6, ho was in an expedition to Hudson's Bay, under Sieur de 
 Troves. In the same year the Marquis de Denonville made him com- 
 mander of a fort, established in this expedition, and for his conduct in 
 this post he received the thanks of the Governor of Canada. In 16'JO, with 
 his brother, De Sainte-Helene, he attacked some Iroquois village, and pre- 
 vented the attack of some Indians on Lachine and La Chenaye. He was 
 made captain of a frigate in 1692— his instructions being dated 11th April 
 of the same year. In 1694 he made an attack on B^ort Bourbon, where his 
 brother, De Chateauguay, was killed — but the fort was taken. On the2l3t 
 October, 1695, M. de Pontchartrain w^ote to him a letter of commenda- 
 tion. In 1696 he carried troops to Acadia. He visited France in 1698. He 
 left it with three vessels, in order to make a settlement in the Mississii)pi ; 
 he was the first person of European origin who entered the Mississippi 
 from the sea ; ho ascended the river nearly one hundred leagues, esta- 
 blished a garrison, and returned to France m 1699; in consequence of 
 this success, he was decorated with the cross of the order of Saint Louis. 
 In 1699 he was again sent to the Mississippi ; his instructions were dated 
 22nd Septempber of the same year, and directed him to make a survey of 
 the country and endeavor to discover mines ; this voyage was successful, 
 and he returned to France in 1700, and was again sent to the Mississippi 
 in 1701, his instructions being dated August 27th, of that year; he return- 
 ed to France in 1702, and was made ' Capitaine de vaisseau. ' On July 
 5th, 1706, he again sailed for the Mississippi, charged with a most iuiiior- 
 tant command ; but in 1706, on July 9th, this most distinguished dis- 
 coverer and navigator died at Havannah He was born at Montreal, and 
 obtained an immortal reputation in the two worlds. 
 
 t 4. Paul Lo Moyne de Marecourt, capilaine d'une compagnie ds la 
 marine. He died from exhaustion and fatigue in an expedition against 
 the Iroquois (t). 
 
 (1) We read in Batekin't picture of Quebec, page 139, that " Sir William 
 Phipp'a flag was shot away by a French officer named Marioourt, and having 
 been picked up by some Canadians, was hung up as a trophy in the Cathedral 
 Church, where it probably remained until the capture in 1759. " 
 
 The piolting up of it, led to an interesting swimming feet, performed in view of 
 the City of Quebee, most graphically described by our Dovelist Marmette, in his 
 norel, " Fbamoou oi BiMTtLLi. " 
 
46 
 
 Tnr .URON OF LONGUEIL. 
 
 < 5th. Joseph Le Moyne de Serigny, who served with his brother, 
 D'lberville, in all his naval expeditions; we subsequently lind iiim hold- 
 ing a lieutenant's commission in the navy at Rochelort. (lJic<l Governor 
 of Rochefurt in 1734.) 
 
 I 6lh. Francois Le Moyne de Bienville, officier de la marine. The Iro- 
 quois surrounded a house in which he ami forty others were located, and, 
 setting lire to it, all except one perished in the (lames, in 1G91 ; died aged 25 
 yt-ars. 
 
 « 7th. Louis Le Moyne de Chateauguay, o^c/rr dela marine. lie was 
 killed by the English in 1G94, at Fort Bourbon — ul'ierwards called by the 
 English Fort Nelson. 
 
 « 8th. Gabriel Le Moyne d'Assigny— died of yellow fever in St. Domin- 
 go, where he had been left by his brother, D'lberville, 1701. 
 
 • 9lh. Antoine Le Moyne, died young. 
 
 I lOlh. Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, ' Knight of the Ordt^r of 
 St. Louis,' whose name is still remembered with honor among the jieople 
 of New Orleans ; he was, with his brother, a founder of that city, and 
 Lieutenant du Roi a la Louinane, in the Government of the Colony. (Died 
 in Paris, in 1768, at the ripe age of 87 years.) 
 
 I llth. Antoine Le Moyne de Chateauguay, second of the name, Capi- 
 tainc d'une compagnie de la Marine a la Louisianc. He married Dame 
 Marie Jeanne Emilie des Fredaille*. 
 
 « Such are the names of eleven sons ; ten of whom honorably, and with 
 distinction, served in the government of their country, receiving in the 
 new coloni-'s the honors and rewards of the King, who made no distinc- 
 tion between the born Canadian and the Europt^an. 
 
 I There were two daughters, sisters of the above ; the eldest married 
 Sieur de Noyan, a naval officer, and the second, Sieur de hi Chassagi.e. 
 
 I In a memorial of M. de Bienville, dated New Orleans, January 25th, 
 1723, after setting forth his services, he describes himself as Chevalier of 
 Ihe order of St. Louis, and Commander General of the Province of Louis- 
 ianna ; he states in it, that of eleven brothers, only four were then surviv- 
 ing : Baron de Longueil, himself Bienville, Serigny and Chateauguay, 
 and that they had all received the cross of Knights of St. Louis. 
 
 « The patent creating ihe Seigniory of Longueil into a barony is dated 
 19th May, 1699. It relates that the late Charles Le Moyne, Seigneur of 
 Longueil, emigrated from France to Canada in 1640, and had highly dis- 
 tinguished himself upon many occasions — tliat his son, Charles LeMoyne, 
 had borne arms from an early age, and thai Jacques Le Moyne de Sainte 
 Ilelene, was killed by the English at the head of his company when Que- 
 bec was attacked, by Sir William Phipps, (the ancestor of Constantino, 
 Henry Phipps, the late Viscount of Normanby), on which occasion, the 
 said Charles Lo Moyne, leading on the Canadians, was also wounded. It 
 also names with honor D'lberville, Do Bienville, De Chateauguay, De Ma- 
 ricourt. The patent then slates that on account of the services rendered 
 by the family, Louis XIV, had determined to give to the Seigniory of 
 Longueil, as well as to the said Charles Le Moyne himself, a title of honor, 
 in order that an honorable distinction should pass to posterity, and be an 
 
CANADIAN NOBILITY. 
 
 47 
 
 arried 
 
 '25111, 
 ior of 
 ouis- 
 rviv- 
 uay, 
 
 [lated 
 Lr of 
 dis- 
 
 [lyne, 
 lie 
 
 i)iie- 
 ino, 
 the 
 It 
 I Ma- 
 rred 
 
 |y o*" 
 
 lor, 
 an 
 
 object of emulation to his children to follow the example which had been 
 sot to Ihcm. It therefore created and erected the Seigniory of Loiigueil 
 into a barony, to be enjoyed by the said Charles Le Moyno, his children 
 and successors, el ayanl cause, and that tliey should enjoy the honors, 
 rank and precedence in the assembly of nobles, as are .enjoyed by other 
 barons of the kingdom of France. 
 
 • This patent is remarkable therefore for creating a territorial barony — 
 that is, whosoever possesses Longueil, eillior male or female, is entitled to 
 the title and distinction of a baron of the kingdom of France. 1 had 
 some doubt if it was so, but submitted the case to a very eminent lawyer, 
 at Paris, who assured me that there can be no dispute on the subject. 
 
 I There was another barony erected in Canada in 1671, in favor of Mr. 
 Talon, the Inte:idant of the Province : it was called ' La Terre des Islets, ' 
 which I believe is at this time owned by some religious community. How- 
 ever, I have pointed out above, the title which, under a monarchy, this 
 family has to dislinction in Canada. 
 
 • The cession of Canada by France to England made no change in the 
 legal right to hold honors, and a title to honors is as much a legal right 
 as a title to an estate. 
 
 < No person by the cession was deprived of any legal right. At Mal- 
 ta, the titles of honor are respected, and the Queen recognizes them, in the 
 commissions issued in her name in Malta. Whatever right French noble- 
 men had in Canada under the French government, continues at this time ; 
 in this instance the honor is greater than most titled European families 
 can boast of. 
 
 I It is not, however, as a family matter I regard it. I wish you to 
 remark that it was a Canadian who discovered the Mississipi from the sea, 
 (La Salle having failed in this, though he reached the sea sailing down the 
 Missis<:ipi), and also that the first and most celebrated Governor General 
 of Louisiana was a French Canadian. " 
 
 We Ihink he 
 
 who origin- 
 
 Here, ends M. Falconer's ably written paper, 
 has made out a case for an old Norman house, 
 ally descended from the Count of Salagne, en Biscaije, and 
 who enlisted on the side of Charles Yll, in 1428, This count 
 married Marguerite de la Tremouille, daughter of the Count 
 de Guines, and Grand Chambellan de France, one of the old- 
 est families of the Kingdom. Whether or not a fair case has 
 been made out, we must now leave to our readers to decide, 
 and we are willing also to accept for the house of Longueil (1) 
 the motto : 
 
 (1) The Baron de Longueil was succeeded by his son Charles, born 18th Octo- 
 ber, 1657. He served quite young in the army, when he distinguished himself, 
 and died Governor of Montreal, I7th of January, 1755 — he was the fatjier of up- 
 wards of flfte«D children. Th« third Baron of Longueil was Charles Jacquea 
 
48 
 
 TIIE BARON OF LONGUEIL. 
 
 " Sur cette terre encor sauvage 
 Les vioux litres sont inconiius ; 
 La noblesse est clans le courage, 
 Duns les talents, dans les vertus. 
 
 Le Moyne, born at the Castio of Longueil, 26th July, 1724— ho commanded the 
 troopa at tho battle of Monongahela, 5th July, 1755. He was also made Cheva- 
 lier de St. Louis and Qovcrnor of Montreal, and died whilst serving under Baron 
 Dioskau, as the Marquis of Vaudreuil states in one of his dispatches, the 8th 
 September, 1755, ut 'dl years of age, the victim of Indian treachery on the bor- 
 ders of Lake George. His widow was re-married by special license, at Montreal, 
 on the 11th September, 1770, to the Hon. William Uraut, Iloceivor-Goneral of 
 tho Province of Canada ; there was no issue from this second marriage, and on 
 tho death of the third buron the barony reverted to his only daughter, Mario 
 Charles Josephte Le Moyne de Longueil, who assumed the title of baroness after 
 tho death of her mother, who expired on the 25th February, 1782, at the age of 
 85 years. She was married in Quebec, on the 7th May, 1781, to Captain David 
 Alexander Grant, of the 94th, by the Rev. D. Francis de Monmoulin, chaplain to 
 tho forces. Capt. Grant was a nephew ef the Honorable William Grant; his son, 
 tho Honorable Charles William Grant, was fourth baron, a member of the 
 Legislative Council of Canada, and seigneur of the barony of Longueil. He as- 
 sumed the title of Baron of Longueil on the death of his mother, which event oo- 
 oured on tho 17th February, 1841. lie married Miss N. CoQin,u daughter of Admiral 
 Sir Isaac CoOin, and died at his residence, Alwing House, at Kingston, 5th July, 
 1848, aged 68. His remains irore transferred for burial in his barony. The fifth 
 baron who assumed the title married in 1849, a southern lady, and now resides at 
 Alwing House, at Kingston. The house of Longueil is connected by marriage 
 with the Baby, Do Beaujou, Le Moines, De Montenach, Delanaudi^ro, De 
 Gasp6, Delegorgendi5re, and several other old families in Canada. 
 
 " The race of Le Moyne de Longueil which bad ceased to exist in Canada, still 
 survives in France, in the descendants of the two sons of the Governor of Roche- 
 fort : Jean-IIonord and Henri-Honor6 ; one of the grand sons, Amdd6 Honord- 
 Ferdinand-Marie Le Moyne de Serigny, expired within the walls of his castle at 
 Luret in 1843. Two other grand sons of this hero still survive : Pierre -Auguste 
 Le Moyne, the Laird of a chateau in Perigord ; Joseph-Louis-Auguste, at La 
 Rochelle, an other member of this illustrious family, distinguished himself in tho 
 French expedition to Algiers in 1830. Charles Le Moyne de Longueil had two 
 daughters, Catherine Jeanne, who became the spouse of Pierre Payen, seigneur 
 de Noyan, eapitaine dana le dipartement de la Marine, and Marie-Anne who was 
 united in wedlock on the 28th October, 1699 to M. Bouillet de la Chassagne, 
 Governor of Montreal, Chs. Le Moyne, appears to have been closely related to 
 Jean Le Moyne, the ancestor of the Le Moyne family of Quebec " (and of Chateau- 
 Richer.) (^HiHoirt dea Ur»ulinu de Quibec.) 
 
THE HEROINE OF VERCHERES. 
 
 Whouver glancos over the early annals of Canada, will be 
 struck with the romantic incidents which at every turn open 
 on the view : feats of endurance — of cool braver y ; christian 
 heroism, in its grandest phases ; acts of savage treachery, of 
 the darkest dye ; deeds cf blood and Indian revenge most 
 appalling ; adventurous escapes by forest, land, and flood, 
 which would furnish material for filly most fascinating ro- 
 mances. No greater error ever was than that of believing that 
 few reliable records exist of the primitive times of Canada. 
 Had we not the diaries of Jacques Carlier ; the Routier of Jean 
 Alphonse deXainlonge; the Fo»/agfes of Champlain, Charlevoix, 
 Du Creux, Bressani, Sagard, Hennepin, LaPotherie, &c., we 
 still would have the Relations^ and that admirable Journal of 
 the Jesuits, written up, day by day, for so many years, conlaining 
 such a minute record of every event which transpired in New 
 France. The Jesuits /ouma/ and the Relations are likely to 
 remain the fountain-head not only of early Canadian history but 
 frequently of American History. One can readdy enter intothe 
 meaning of one of our late Governors, the Earl of Elgin, who, 
 in one of his despatches to the Home GovenimenI, in speaking 
 of the early days of the colony, described them as « the heroic 
 times of Canada ; » the expression was as eloquent as it was 
 beautiful. There is but little doubt Ihalourdesccndanlswillbe 
 just as familiar with the beauties of Canadian history, as the 
 great bulk of the present generation are ignorant of ihem. The 
 gradual diffusion of knowledge ; the spirit of research and im- 
 provement to which everything tends in the Dominion, mark 
 that period a-* not very far dislant. DIberville, Mile. De 
 Vercheres, Latour, Dollard des Ormeaux, Lambcsrt Closse, may 
 yet, some day or other, under the magic wand of a Canadian 
 Scott, be invested with a halo of glory as bright as that which 
 surrounds, in the eyes of Scotia's sons, a Flora Mclvor, a 
 Jeaimie Deans, a Claverhouse, or a « Bonny Dundee. » 
 
50 
 
 THE HEROINE OF VERCIliRES. 
 
 However in order to fully undorslaml the motives wliioli 
 prompted the acts of our respected French and English ances- 
 tors, the reader must conslanliy have before him the hostile 
 doings and revolutions in the old vsorUI. But more on this 
 theme hereafter. 
 
 Let us present to the readers view, one of the graceful fi- 
 gures while marked one of the proudest epochs of Canadian 
 history, the era of Frontcnac. 
 
 It will be remenbered that the Marquis of Tracy, in 1C63, 
 was escorted to Canada by one of the crack French corps of 
 the day — the regiment of Carignan. Four companies (some 
 600 men) were shortly after disbanded in New France : the 
 officers and privates were induced, by land grants and provi- 
 sions, horses, and other marks of royal favour, to marry and 
 settle in the new world. One of the officers, M. de Ver- 
 cheres, obtained in 1672, on the St. Lawrence, where now 
 stands the parish of Yerchtires, a land grant of one league in 
 depth, by one league in length. The following year, his do- 
 main received the accession of Ik a la PrUne and lie Longne, 
 which he had connected by another grant of one league iii 
 length. There, did the French officer build his dwelling, a kind 
 of fort, in accordance with the custom of the day, to protect 
 him against the attacks of the Iroquois. « These forts, » says 
 Charlevoix, «were merely extensive enclosures, surrounded 
 by palisades and redoubts. The church and the house of the 
 seigneur were within the enclosure, which was sufficiently 
 large to admit, on an emergency, the women, children, and 
 the farm cattle. One or two sentries mounted guard day and 
 night ; and with small field pieces, kept in check the skulking 
 enemy, warning the settlers to prepare, and hasten to the 
 rescue. These precautions were sufficient to prevent attack, » 
 —not in all cases, however, as we shall soon see. 
 
 Taking advantage of the absence of M. de Verchferes, the 
 h'oquois drew stealthily round the fort, and set to climbing 
 Over the palisades ; on hearing which, Marie Magdeleine 
 de Verch^res, the youthful daughter of the laird seized a 
 gun and fired it off. Alarmed, the marauders slunk away ; 
 but finding they were not pursued, they soon returned and 
 
THE HEROINC OF VEIlCnfcllES. 
 
 51 
 
 says 
 
 [►unded 
 
 of the 
 
 iienlly 
 
 in, and 
 
 ly and 
 
 Lulking 
 
 jlo llie 
 
 |lack, y 
 
 3S, the 
 ^mbing 
 leleine 
 lized a 
 laway ; 
 ]d and 
 
 spent two days, hopelessly wandering round the fort with- 
 out daring lo enter, as, ever and anon, a bullet would strike 
 some of them down, at each attempt they niadtj to escalade 
 the wall. What increased their suprise, they could detect in- 
 side no living creature, except a woman ; but this female was 
 so intrepid, so active, so ubiquitous, that she seemed to be 
 everywhere at once. She never ceased to use her unerring 
 fire-arms until the enemy had entirely disappeared. The 
 dauntless defender of fort Vereh^res, wasM'lle de Verch^res : 
 the brave deed was done in 1690. 
 
 Two years subsequently, the Iroquois, having returned in 
 larger force, had chosen the moment when the settlers were 
 engaged in the fields with their duties of husbandry, to pounce 
 on them, bind them with ropes, and secure them. M'lle Ver- 
 cheres, then aged nearly fourteen, was sauntering on the 
 banks of the river. Noticing one of the savages aiming at her, 
 she eluded his murderous intent by rushing towards the fort 
 at the top of her speed ; but, for swiftness of foot the savage 
 was a match for her, notwithstanding that terror added wings 
 to her flight, and with tomahawk upraised, he gradually closed 
 on her as they were nearing the fort. Another bound, however, 
 and she would be beyond his grip ; he sprang and caught the 
 kerchief which covered her throat seizing it from behind. Is 
 it then all up with our resolute child ? — quick as thought, and 
 while the exulting savage raises his hand to strike the fatal blow, 
 the young heroine tears asunder the knot, which retained her 
 garment, and bounding like a gazelle within the fort, closes it 
 instanter on her relentless pursuer, who retains as an only 
 trophy the French girl's kerchief. 
 
 To ARMS ! TO ARMS ! instantly resounds within the fort ; and 
 without paying any attentions to the groans of the women, 
 who see from the fort their husbands carried away prisoners, 
 she rushed to the bastion where stood the sentry, seizes a 
 musket and a soldier's hat, and causes a great clatter of guns 
 to be made, so as to make believe that the place is well de- 
 fended by soldiers. She next loads a small field piece, and 
 not having at hand a wad, uses a towel for that purpose, and 
 fires off the piece on the ennemy. This unexpected assault 
 
»s 
 
 THE HEROINE OF VERCUERES. 
 
 inspired terror to the Indians, who saw their warriors, one 
 after Ihe other, struck down. Armed and disguised, and 
 having but one solditir with her, she never ceased firing. Pre- 
 seiilly the alarm reached the neighbourhood of Montreal, when 
 an intrepid officer, the Chevalier de Grisasi, brother of the 
 Marquis de Grisasi, then Governor of Three Rivers, rushed to 
 Verchcres, at the head of a chosen band of men ; but the sa- 
 vages had made good (heir retreat with their prisonners. After 
 a three days' pursuit, the Chevalier found them with their 
 captives securely entrenched in a wood on , the borders of 
 Lake Ghamplain. 
 
 The French officer prepared for action, and after a mostbloody 
 encounter the redskins were utterly routed^-cut topiece8,except 
 those who escaped ; but the prisoners were released. The whole of 
 New France resounded with the fame of M'lle Verch6res's cou- 
 rage ; she was awarded the name of the « Heroine of Ver- 
 ch^res, » a title which posterity has ratified. 
 
 Another rare instance of courage on her part crowned her 
 exploits, and was also the means of '^settling her in life. A 
 French commander, M. de Lanaudi^re de la Perade, was 
 pursuing the Iroquois in the neighbourhood, some historians 
 say, of the river Richelieu, other say of the river St. Anne, 
 when there sprang unexpectedly out of the underbrush my- 
 riads of these implacable enemies, who rushed on M. de la 
 Perade unawares. He was just on the point of falling a victim 
 in this ambuscade, when M'lle de Yerch^res, seizing a musket 
 and heading some resolute men, rushed on the enemy, and 
 succeeded in rescuing the brave officer. She had indeed made 
 a conquest^ or rather became the conquest of M. dela Perade, 
 whose life she had thus saved. Henceforward, the heroine 
 of Yerch6res shall be known by the name of Madame de La- 
 naudi^re de la Perade, her husband a wealthy ^et^neur. Some 
 years later, the fame of her daring acts reached the French 
 king, Louis XIY, who instructed the Marquis of Beauharnais, 
 the Governor of Canada, to obtain from herself a written report 
 of her brave deeds. Her statement closes with most noble 
 sentiments, denoting not only a lofty soul, but expressed 
 
THE HEROINE OF VERCnfeRES. gg 
 
 Auf CTrat i^ |.!r„^ tSn « "" "■« ^'- Of 
 
 She is one of the ancestor, of .h! J """"''^^'''• 
 
 duslrie near Montreal .l!ii ' '"' ^'^'»"'""' <'<> i'fn- 
 
 forefathers fort^ ^ """, ^"'l'''':'',''" '"'"""aiero, «.ho^ 
 
 11.0 battle-fields of Calt '" '''"""' '" "'^ ^"""'o <«• on 
 
 Mdlle Verch6res' carer c«l.ii,ii. 
 seni™enls«hichinspit;,;e "T"'' T''"'' "' "'« 
 
M.\JOR HUBERT STOBO, H) 
 
 1727-I7«0 
 
 i I\KVIE\V. 
 
 Anna, Virumque. 
 
 On Hk' 3i'(l of .Inly, A. 1)., 17o'k oiU! luiiulnHl and sivlccH 
 yoais iiiii). Iliiit is, in lIj(3oi;-'lilli Nciirol" IlKislnm^lolM'lwoen llie 
 Kni^lLsli iiiiel French in liu! N(!\v World, lwt» lidshiiics and \>i'\- 
 sontjrs (»r wiii' mi^lil Ikinc been seen su^l•u^\lully niari-hin;,' 
 towaids llic fialos of Furl IJii Ui"'>i'<'. vxlioro now sUinds llie 
 lluivin;,' Aniurican cily ul" rillslmig. Not all Hk; genius of 
 Colonel Goorgi; Wasliin^lon. Itja(liii,u on his a sell-willed and 
 nii|i()vei'iialilt' » Yiij^inians, jiad siil'lieed lo save llie English 
 forces beleaguered in Fori .Nei-c^sily. Terms of siiirender were 
 proposed by Ih'' French, and readily accept d by the disheart- 
 ened liritish. On thai inemorabh; .'Ird tl July, 1754, the 
 English garrison Avilhdrew fi(»ni the basin of Ihe Ohio, and 
 lIuMi, in the eloqncnl language of IJancrolt, « In llie ^^llole 
 valltjy of the Mississippi lo its head >piingsin Uk^ Allegliani(!s, 
 110 standard floaled but that of l"ran(('. » Tlic-e weie glorious 
 limes, indeed, for lh(! Honrbuu Hii(!s ; tliijy weie not lo last 
 forevei". 
 
 (laplain Jocob Yan Ihaam, a Dulchnian, >vas one of the 
 hostages ; Caplain Uoberl Slobo, a Si'dtchiiian, a favorite of 
 (loveriior Dinwiddle, of Virginia, and lirst captain of a Vir- 
 ginian regiment just raised, was the other. To reviewing 
 succiii' 'v the chequered career of the lalt(!r, as disclosed to 
 us in I Memoirs before us, \\e shall lor the present conlini! 
 our A. 
 
 (1) ; noire of Major Robert Stobo, of the Virginia Regiment — by a Con- 
 rtoniporu _>■ — 92 Pages — Pittsburgh, ISii. 
 
5G 
 
 MAJOR ROBERT STOBO. 
 
 llobcrl Slobo vas born at Glasgow, A. D., 1727. His father, 
 Williani Slobo, was a cilizcii ul nolo and a sncpisslul Glasgow 
 morcbant. Of a dolicalo constilitioii, young Stubo, at an iiarly 
 a.^o, we are told by bis biographer, betrayed a turn for arms, 
 « cmployinii his play-hoiirs at school in drum-beating, iniisler- 
 jiig and exercising his comrades wi'h great ah'rtness, » — a not 
 unappropriatf prelude to the warlike and hair-breadth adven- 
 tint's which awaited th(» dauntless captain on the green banks 
 of the Ohio, and those of the Si. Lawnnice at Quebec. 
 
 The mode of campaigning df this Virginian officer was not 
 without its altriiction. He started with a retinue of « ten 
 servants, » wliom he had transformed into soldiers, « kept an 
 open table in the wilderness, which was plentifully supplied 
 with the game which the woods alTorded, » such, no doubt, 
 as wild turkeys, prairie hens and grouse, with occasion;dly 
 the tail (da beaver, or tid bits qf red deer venison. He was 
 provided at « bis first setting out with a wt'.ole bull ofMadeira 
 wine. » 
 
 With sni'h a larder, such a cellar, who would not occa- 
 sionally like to go campaigning as the captain of a Virginian 
 
 regiment. 
 
 " In th(! zeazon of the year ' 
 
 The forc(! to which tlie famed Georgi; Washington had to 
 capilidale at the Great Meadows, not far from the Appalachian 
 Moiinlaius, on the 3rd July, 1754, was a large party of French- 
 Canadians and harbai ians. As there are no French mentioned, 
 acc<uding to the Memoirs, wt; are free to undeistaud that the 
 I'ri'nch coiislituled the w barhniians. » The parly, however, 
 was commanded by Coulon l)e Villiers,a captain, in the French 
 King's troops. It was for the performance of the articles of 
 this capitulation that Van llrnaui an<l StoUo, were delivered to 
 the French Commander as hostages. 'Ibis reveise induced 
 Captain St(d)o to present 'he lit;utenanl uf his company with 
 bis sword, as be bad then no fmlber use for it ; be begged he 
 woidd not spare it vvhtMi opportunity oflered to draw it in be- 
 half of his country ; and which, notvvilhstanding that gentle- 
 man fell with tlie unfortunate General Braddock, was restored 
 
 i 
 
A HOSTAGE OF FORT NECESSITY. 
 
 57 
 
 to 
 
 nan 
 
 ^ch- 
 
 Icd; 
 
 Ithe 
 
 ^er, 
 
 ich 
 
 of 
 
 to 
 
 2cd 
 
 lilh 
 
 Ihe 
 
 )e- 
 
 1(3- 
 
 [cd 
 
 to its pristine owner long after he Iiad escaped from Quebec, 
 when detained there as a prisouL-r, the biographer adu^, « and 
 the Major (Slobo) now wears it with singular esteem. » 
 Whether it be of Damascus steel, or an Andrea Ferrara, (1) 
 the history of this famous blade, traced from the surrender of 
 Fort Necessity, through the sickening horrors of the Fort 
 William Henry massacre in 1757, back to England, then at 
 Loiiisboiirg, and, finally, during Wolfe's campaign at Quebec, 
 when it was, according loKnox, restored to its lawful owner, — 
 its history, we say, might adorn a tale. 
 
 .We have to view our hero, now a hostage of war, in a tdtally 
 diiferent light. The gay, generous, convivial Captain, sur- 
 rounded with veterans and friends, dining on wild turkey, ve- 
 nison, and Madeira, with possibly partridges and claret cup for 
 supper, is(!clipsed t'/Uoio; his biographer exhibits instead a gaimt 
 form « in a dungeon, lying on a bag of straw, with a morsel of 
 bread and a pan of cold water by his side, — the cold earthen 
 floor for his table. No cheerfid friend to pledge him in a glass 
 or other guest came there, except a mouse ran past his meagre 
 fare. » This « running mouse » wc take, however, to have 
 becm introduced by Stobo's quaint biographer and friend as a 
 meretricious ornament. A « hungry rat » we woidd not object 
 to, as niling to compli'lt; the tableau of dungeon horrors ; inan 
 emergency, it might be made, failing other viands, to nibble 
 at the prisoner's nether extremities. lU; this as it may, we 
 shall not quarrel with Stoho or his biogiapher, about that 
 « nuining mouse, » provided it is not allo\\ed to run any 
 more. 
 
 It is curious to watch next llic process ofroasoniiig by which 
 the biographer atlenipts to justify the manner in which his 
 heio — an hostage and a [msowt'v pa )ole(l « to go and come as 
 he pleased all about the country » — after spying out the 
 nakedness of the laiul, sets to communicate inlelligence to the 
 enemy, « deeming himself entirely absolved from all obliga- 
 
 (1) Colonel John Sowcll, late of the 4!lth, and who served under his old 
 Colonel, the gallant Brock, at Queenstown, in 1812, has tola us that ho had seen 
 a nuiiibor of English swords of the era of the coiinue.st, which were all Andrea 
 Perruras. 
 
58 
 
 MAJOR ROBERT STOBO. 
 
 lions of honor. » "We thus find him preparing « a plan of Fort 
 lUi Ouesno Willi all ils approaches, » which he succeeded in 
 hnviiiLT sccrelly conveyed lo Gcuijie Wasliinylon. The Irnin of 
 reasoning lent by ihe considerale biographer lo his prisoner, 
 would have gladderu'd Ihe heart of an Escobar or a Torqne- 
 mada. This plan and the letters, having fallen with General 
 Braddock's papers into the hands ol the French, will hereafter 
 rise in judgment against Ihe paroled prisoner. « Soon, » the 
 writer observes, « the French removed their hostages from 
 one fort lo another, through Ihe whole chain of them, from 
 Fort Du Qifisne down lo Qnebec, which is distant about three 
 hundred leagues with the advantagi^ lo hinisell", that he had 
 liberty to go and come as he pli-ased, all about the country. 
 At first he was at a great loss from his not knowing the French 
 tongue, to acquire which was his first study, in which iiursuit 
 he was gen(>rally assisted by the ladies, » who took great 
 ]»leasMre in hearing him aga'n a child, and learning to pro- 
 nounce his syllables. « His manner was still open, free and 
 easy, which gained him ready access into all their com|iany.» 
 11 would appear even, that a reunion was consideied 
 incomplete, without the handsome Captain, « in whose 
 appearance there was sonietliing veiy engaging; he had a 
 dark brown conijilexion, a penetrating eye, an aquiline nose, 
 round face, a good cheerful countenance, a very genteel per- 
 son, rather slender than robust, and giacefnl in his whole 
 deportment. » Amongst the delicate attentions of his amiable 
 jailt'i's, one notes the honor bestdwcd on him, when instalbid 
 an Indian chief. The ceremony of iiistnllalicm was more 
 painful than picturesque. 11 was pe> i'ormed with some sharp 
 fish-bones, dipped in a liquid w''- i leaves a blackness under 
 Uie skin which nt'ver wears ofi', « ap|)lied on the leg above the 
 garter, in form something like a diadem. » We are unfortu- 
 nately left in the dark as to whether this handsome Scot, in 
 order to display with advantage! his insignia as a Knight of the 
 fJarter, took to wearing Kilts or not. In order tocarryontmore 
 efiectually his plans, he set to studying Fiench most earnestly. 
 Ihil an untoward event threatened lo cut short his adventu- 
 rous careei'. The French (Jovermnenl having obtained posses- 
 
A HOSTAGE OF FORT NECESSITY. 
 
 59 
 
 sion 6T the letters and plans, Stobo had secretly conveyed to 
 the enemy, issued a memorial, describinj; Stobo, as a spy in 
 Fort Du Quesne, who had commiinicaled valuable information 
 to the British authorities. Upon this discovery, Stobo was com- 
 mitted a close prisoner nt Uncboc, and hardly used, we are 
 told. His dungeon is most dismal and dark, but by degrees his 
 eyesight became so sharp he could discern a « running 
 mouse » on the floor. It is to be hopi.'d this is the last of these 
 running mice. 
 
 These credentials against him were remitted to Paris 
 by the very first opportunity, and the next year, a 
 commission was sent out to Vaudreuil, the (iovernor of 
 Canada, to try the prisoner for his life. Some time, in 17oG, he 
 effected his escape from prison. A n^ward of 0,000 livres 
 having been olfered for hisre-caplure,di'adoralive, thousands 
 scoured the woods for him ; he was soon replaced in his 
 confinement — a most dismal dungeon, from which on the 28th 
 November, he was dragged bcfon; the M;u(]uis of Vaudreuil. As 
 president of the court-mai tial, lh(^ Marquis sentenced him to 
 death for violating the law of nations by breach of faith and 
 treasonable practices against the govermnent which held him 
 as a ho-tage ; the Governor referred to F/ance to havethesen- 
 tence confirmed ; the hapless prisoner with his arms well 
 tightened down with conls, by \\ay of consoling himsidf, used 
 to say, that he hoped the day woiilil come whcm he could 
 twist otf the noses of those who caused him such disgrace. 
 His motto however was : lortuna favct fortilnii ; so he had soon 
 contrived a plan of escape, which instead of landing him in 
 Virginia, took him only to the Falls of MoiilnKtnMicv, where he 
 was re-arrested on the 3rd May, 17o7, and recoiiveyed to 
 his prison. His new misfortune is bewailed by his biographer 
 in alfecting language. The evil day however cannot last 
 forever. There were then in Quebec, — there are still, ladies 
 with marriageable daughters. Let us allow Stobo's words to 
 speak out : 
 
 « There dwelt, by lucky fate, in this strong capital, a lady 
 fair, of chaste renown, of manners sweet, and gentle soul. » 
 
 This lady fair thus addressed the proud Canadian Viceroy : 
 
m 
 
 MAJOR ROBERT STOBO. 
 
 — « Mighty Cousin, our good Canadian Court most sure" were 
 right when Ihoy condt.Mniied this haughty prisoner to lose his 
 forfeited life to our Grant Monarch, (Louis XIV) whose great 
 benevolence gives peace to mankind, his mighty arms give 
 empire to the world. » 
 
 Now, dear reader, shall we confess it ? wo have grave, very 
 grave doubts that the court cliaimcrs, in Bigot's frolicsome 
 days at Quebec, pleaded the cause of distressed cavaliers, in 
 such « hifalutiu » accents. 
 
 Be this as it may, Stobo, then very weak and ill by close 
 confinement, was allowed to take up his quarters on the ram- 
 parts with the « sweet hostess and her yet sweeter daughters. » 
 Amongst the English prisoners of Quebec, there was a Lieu- 
 tenant Steveftson, of Roger's Rangers, and one Clark, a 
 Scotchman, from Leilh, a ship-carpenter by trade, with his wife 
 and two small children ; he, to improve his prospects, had be- 
 come a Roman Catholic. A plan of escape between them was 
 agreed on, and carried out on 1st May, 1759. Major Stobo 
 met the fugitives under a wind-mill, probably the old wind- 
 mill on the grounds of the Goueral Hospital Convent. Having 
 stolen a birch canoe, the party paddled it all night, and, after 
 incredible fatigue and danger, they passed Isle aux Coudres, 
 Kamouraska, and landed below this spot, shooting twoliidians 
 in self-defence, whom Clark buried after having scalped them, 
 saying to the Major : « Good sir, by your permission, these 
 same two scalps, when I come to New-York, will sell for 
 twenty-four good pounds : with this I'll be right merry, and 
 my wife right beau. » They then murdered the Indian's faith- 
 ful dog, because he howled, and buiied him with his masters. 
 It was shortly after this that they met tho laird of the Kamou- 
 raska Isles, le Chevalier de la Dui'an ' /e,whosaid thatthebest 
 Canadian blood ran in his veins, and that he was of kin with 
 the mighty Due de Miiapoix. Had the mighty Duke, however, 
 at that moment seen his Canadian cousin steering the fuuroared 
 boat, loaded with wheat, ' he might have felt but a very quali- 
 fied admiration for the majesty of his demeanor and his 
 nautical savoir (aire Stobo took possession of the Chevalier's 
 piimace, and made the haughty laird, mlms volens^ row him 
 
A HOSTAGE OF PORT NECESSITY. 
 
 di 
 
 ired 
 
 iali- 
 
 his 
 
 ;r's 
 
 lini 
 
 with the rest of the crew, telling him to row away, and that, 
 had the great Louis himself been in the boat at that moment, 
 it would be hie fate to row a British subject thus. « At these 
 last mighty words, » says the Memoirs, « a stern resolution 
 sat upon his countenance, which the Canadian beheld and 
 with reluctance, temporized. » After a series of adventures, 
 and dangers of every kind, the fugitives succeeded in captur- 
 ing a French boat. Next, Ihey surprised a French sloop, and, 
 after a most hazardous voyage, they finally, in their prize, 
 landed at Louisbourg to the general amazemeut. Stobo missed 
 the English fleet ; but took passage two days after, in a vessel 
 leaving for Quebec, where he safely arrived to tender his ser- 
 vices to the immortal Wolfe, who gladly, availed himself of 
 them. According to the Memoirs, Stobo, used daily to set out 
 to reconnoitre with Wolfe ; in this patriotic duly, whilst 
 standing with Wolfe on the deck of a frigate, opposite the Falls 
 of Montmorency, some French shots were nigh carrying away 
 his decorated and gartered legs. 
 
 We next find the Major on the 21st July, 1759, (1) piloting 
 the expedition sent to Deschambault to seize, as prisoners, the 
 Quebec ladies who had taken refuge there during the bom- 
 bardment — « Mesdames Duchesnayand Decharnay ; Mile. Couil- 
 lard ; the Joly, Mailhiot and Magnan families. » Next day in 
 the afternoon, ks belles captives, who had been treated with 
 every species of respect, were put on shore and released at 
 Diamond Harbour. The English admiral, full of gallantry, 
 ordered the bombardment of the city to be suspended, in order 
 to alford the Quebec ladies time to seek places of safety. 
 
 Stobo next points out the spot, at Sillery, where Wolfe 
 landed, and soon after was sent with despatches, via the St. 
 Lawrence, to General Amherst ; but, during the trip, the 
 vessel was overhauled and taken by a French privateer, the 
 despatches having been previously consigned to the deep. 
 Slobo might have swung at the yard-arm in this new predica- 
 ment, had his French valet divulged his identity with the spy 
 of Fort Du Quesne ; but fortune again stepped in to preserve 
 
 (1) See Journal du Si4ge d« Quibee, 1750 ; J. Q. Panet : p. 16. 
 
ilrstfaS 
 
 62 
 
 MAJOR ROBERT SipDO. 
 
 the adventurous Scot. There were already too many prisoners 
 on board of the French privateer. A day's provisions is allowed 
 the English vessel, which soon landed Slobo at Halifax, from 
 whence he joined General Amherst, « many a league across the 
 country. » « He served under Amherst on his Lake Champlain 
 expedition, and there he finished the campaign; which ended, 
 he begs to go to Wi'liarasburgh, the then capital of Virginia. » 
 
 It seems singular that no command of any importance ap- 
 pears to have been given to the brave Captain ; but, possibly, 
 the part played by the Major when under parole at Fort Du 
 Quesne, was weighed by the Imperial authorities. There cer- 
 tainly seems to be a dash of the Benedict Arnold in this trans- 
 action. However, Stobo was publicly thanked by a Committee 
 of the Assembly of Virginia, and was allowed his arrears of pay 
 for the time of his captivity. On the 30th April, 1756, he had 
 also been presented by the Assembly of Virginia with £300, 
 in consideration of his services to the country and his sufferings 
 in his confinement as a hostage in Quebec. On the 19th No- 
 vember, 1759, he was presented with £1,000 as « a reward 
 for his zeal to his country and the recompense for the great 
 hardships he has suffered during his confinement in the 
 enemy's country. » On the ISth February, 1760, Major Stobo 
 embarked from New York for England on board the packet 
 with Colonel West and several other gentlemen. One would 
 imagine that he had exhausted the vicissitudes of fortune. Not 
 so. A French privateer boards them in the midst of the En- 
 glish channel. The Major again consigns to the deep his 
 letters, all except one, which he forgot, in the pocket of his 
 coat, under the arm pit. This escaped the general catastrophe ; 
 and will again restore him to notoriety ; it is from General 
 A. Monckton to Mr. Pitt. The passengers of the packet were 
 assessed £2,500 to be allowed theii liberty, and Stobo had 
 to pay £125 towards the relief fund. The despatch forgotten 
 in his coat, on delivery to the great Pitt, brought back a letter 
 from Pitt to Amherst. With this testimonial, Stobo sailed for 
 New York, 24th April, 1760, to rejoin the army engaged in 
 the invasion of Canada ; here end the Memoirs. 
 
 Though Stobo's conduct at Fort du Quesne and at Quebec, 
 
A HOSTAGE OF FORT NECESSITY. 
 
 63 
 
 can never bo dcfcmded nor palliated, all will agree that lie 
 exhibited during his eventful career, most indomitable forti- 
 tude, a boundless ingenuity, and great devotion to his country 
 —the whole crowned with final success. 
 
 « It has been suggested, » say, the Memoirs « that Major 
 Stoho was Smollet's original for Captain Lismahago, in the 
 adventures of Humphrey Clinker. It isknown by a letter from 
 David Hume to Smollet, that Stobo was a friend of the latter 
 author, and his ren^arkable adventures may have suggested 
 that character. If so ; the copy is a great exaggeration. » 
 
 The Memoirs of 3Iajor Robert Stobo, printed at Pittsburgh 
 in 1854, were taken from the copy in the British Museum, 
 chiefly through the instrumentality of Mr. James McHenry, an 
 enterprising Liverpool merchant. Mr. James McHenry is a son 
 of Dr. McHenry, the Novelist and Poet, formerly of Pittsburgh. 
 
 Robert Stobo is a name which must find its place in our 
 annals. 
 
 What a hero, for a Canadian Novel I 
 
'mmm'^mmmmmmimm 
 
CADIEUX, THE OLD VOTAGEUR 
 
 'f,iii;) J 
 
 Utawa's tido I this trembling moon 
 Shall see U8 float over thy surges soon. 
 Saint of this green isle I hear our prayers, 
 Oh I grant us cool heavens and favouring airs. 
 Blow, breezes, blow, the stream runs fast, 
 The Rapids are near, and tho daylight's past. 
 
 int., r,i ■Moo*-'- 
 
 Every country has its legends, its wild stories of love or 
 revenge ; Its traditional accounts of heroes ; of battles won or 
 lost ; of brave men saved from certain death by some unac- 
 countable superhuman agency ; of wicked ones summarily 
 punished. Poets, chroniclers, and historians mould these me- 
 mories into more or less attractive form, throw light or shade 
 on the picture, as suits them ; surround it with the halo of 
 genius, or leave it a dreary record of the past. It were strange, 
 indeed, if our own inland seas, (1) ourwild lakes, our romantic 
 forests — which for centuries resounded with the tread or 
 echoed the warwhoop of the innumerable Indian tribes bent on 
 exterminating one another, and equally hostile to the white 
 man — rshould be an exception to the general rule. There 
 is indeed an ample harvest awaiting the future Walter Scotts, 
 the Washington Irvihgs, or the Coopers, whom Canada may 
 
 produce. 
 
 •I'-fuiil mi Jtitil ^u rttioi ,!'.w)\n-.\tiH i'i KVhW.nii'x 
 
 (1) Lake Superior according to U. S. Surveys is 367 miles in extreme length ; 
 gieatest breath, 159 miles ; me$xx depth, 1,000 feet ; elevation above sea level, 627 
 feet; area, 10,665 miles. 
 
 Lake Michigan : extreme length, 860 miles ; extreme breath, 108 miles ; mean 
 depth, iK)0 fe<i ; elevation, 587 feet ; area, ^,676 miles. 
 
 Lak^ ^UI|on ;; ex^eme length, 201 miles ; extreiAe brj^atl^i ^58| miles ; mean 
 depth, 300 feet: elevation, 574 feet; area, 6,67^ miles. 
 
 Lake Erie : bxtiriBi^e length', 249 miles ; extreme breath, 81 miles ;' mean depth, 
 200 ;feet ; elievntUn 450 f^et ; area^ '^,850 miles. ■ .■■ ' 
 
 La>lfe Ontario : extreme length, ^QO; utiles; extzems breath,. 6<6 miles; moaa 
 depth, 500 feet ; eievation 260 feet ; area, 098 miles. 
 
 Total length of the five Lakes : 1,350 miles— total area, 28,863 miles. 
 
 5 
 
66 
 
 CADIEL'X, THE OLD VOYAGEUR. 
 
 AVe shall in this paper select for our Ihcme, one of those 
 ancient trudilions, carefully collated, and divested of many 
 of its marvellous episodes. 
 
 Amongst the numerous songs yihkh old Voyageurs and 
 Northwesters were in the habit of singing a few years ago, after 
 the toil of the day was over, and when the aroma of the weed 
 rose in circles round the camp-fire, few had a wider range of 
 celebrity than one generally known as the a Gcmplainte de 
 Cadieux ; » it portrayed in simple but vivid language the sin- 
 gular fate of an educated and roving Frenchman, of which 
 class the Baron dc Saint Castin is the truest type ; Cadieux was 
 his name ; the banks of the Ottawa River, close to Portage du 
 Fort, the theatre of his exploits and unhappy end. But I fancy 
 I hear an inqiiisive lady friend ask : « "Who was Cadieux ? 
 "What brought him out to Canada ? "Was it to escape a leltre de 
 cachet, or was he a blase Court roii(4, or a disappointed lover, 
 seeking oblivion or concealment in the fastness of a Cana- 
 dian forest, like the old Hermit of the Island of St. Barnab^, 
 of whom you have given us so glowing an account?)) Lady 
 fair, I cannot say ; I can only translate for you, the history of 
 the solitary tomb, which you can visit any day you like, near 
 Porlaop. du Fort, as Dr. Tache has related it. 
 
 Evidently, Cadieux must have united to bravery, and to a ro- 
 mantic mind, a poetical genius : he finds his place amongst 
 that resolute band of intelligent pioneers, the Marsollets, Mar- 
 gueries, Hertels ; the Coutures, the Nicolets, &c., who were 
 sometiines employed by government, sometimes by the mis- 
 sionaries, to interpret the various Indian dialects. Dr. Tache, 
 to whom we are indebted for the narrative of Cadieux in his 
 Forestiers et Voyageurs, tells us that he himself had fre- 
 quently, in the course of his travels in Iha back-woods of 
 Canada, heard detached stanzas of this mysterious wail of 
 suffering and death ; until recently, the singular tradition, 
 as embodied in poetry, had, as a whole, coostanlly eluddd his 
 grasp. Nor was he alone in his efforts to rescue it from obli- 
 vion ; an indefatigable searcher of the past, the vene- 
 rable Abi)^ Ferland, had diligently set to work, making enquiry 
 in every quarter, writing even to the Red River settlements for 
 
 2 
 
C\D1EUX, TOE OLD VOYAGEUR. 
 
 67 
 
 inroimalion. To llie ploasing author of Les Foretiliers et 
 Voyayeurs, was reserved the salisfaclion ofgiaphically record- 
 ing lli(! old Iradilion. Audubon liiniself, when he discovered 
 Ihe nia^iiilicenl eagle to which he gave the name of IheBmitOF 
 Washington, did not experience keener pleasure than Dr. 
 Tache on receiving from the lips of his old Indian guide Mo- 
 rache, Ihe whole complaiute or song of (ladieiix. 
 
 « In ascending, » says he, « the great River Ottawa, one 
 has to stop at the rock of the high mountain, situate in the 
 middle of the portage of the seven falls at the foot of the 
 island of the Grand Calumet : it is there that lies Cadieux's 
 tomb, surrounded to this day by a wooden railing. Each time 
 th(; (liuupany's canoes pass the little rock, an old Voyageur 
 relates to his younger companions the fate of the brave inter- 
 preter. 
 
 « Cadieux was a roving interpreter, who had married a 
 young Algonquin girl : he generally spent the summer hunt- 
 ing, and in winter he purchased furs for the traders. 
 After a winter thus passed by Cadieux at the portage, where 
 he and the other families had their wigwams, it had been 
 decided in May, to wail for other Indian tribes who had furs 
 for sale, and then all were to come down to Montreal. Profound 
 peace existed in the settlement, when one day a young Indian, 
 who had been roaming about, close to the rapids lower down 
 than Ihe portage, rushed back out of breath and shouted like a 
 death kneli amongst the alfrighted occupants of the huts : 
 Nattaoue ! Nattaoue I ! The Iroquois ' the Iroquois I ! 
 ' « There was in reality at that moment, lower than the rapids 
 of the Seven Falls, a parly of Iroquois warriors, waiting to 
 pounce upon the canoes, one which generally descended at that 
 season loaded with skins. One chance only of escape remained : 
 to risk running the canoes through the rapids — a hopeless pro- 
 ject, though it had ever been considered. Nor was this all ; it 
 would be necessary to station some parlies in the woods in 
 order, by firing, to draw off the attention of the Iroquois from 
 the desperate attempt which would be made to shoot through 
 the rapids and prevent pursuit. Cadieux, being the ablest and 
 most resolute of the tribe, choose a yyung Algonquin wariior 
 
■i 
 
 ^ 
 
 08 
 
 CADIEUX, THE OLD VOYAGlPAn. 
 
 to s(>con<l liim in lliis perilous survive : il >vns soUIimI Ifiat 
 once llio inlcrproUM' and his comrade should have sui;cecded 
 to inveigh; Ihe Iroquois in (he woods, lliey would try u eir- 
 cuilous route, and alleinpt to join their own friends who were 
 to send after them, should they he too lon^ absent. 
 
 « I'reparalions having been nmde for a slarl,il>\ as settled that 
 C.adieiix and the Alj^'onquin wariior, well armed, should ad- 
 vatico towards the Iroquois encampment, and that Ihcsi^n for 
 the eanoesto break cover and venture on their learfid race, would 
 ))e the (iring of their guns. Soon the report of a fire-arm was 
 heard in the dfslance ; it was followed by three or four others 
 in ()nick succession ; on went the frail birch canoes, amidst 
 the foam and rocks, skimming like s(>a birds, over the boiling 
 caldron ; it was a race for dear life, Iht; extraordinary and 
 superhuman skill of the red skins alone, under Provid(!nce, 
 saving them from death in a thousand forms. 
 
 « ' 1 saw nothing during our passage over the rapids, ' said 
 Cadieux's wife, a pious \Aomen, ' but the form of a tall lady in 
 uhilc hovering over the canoes and showing us the way. ' 
 They had invoked Sainte Anne, the patron saint of the mariner. 
 
 « The canoes escaped and safely arrived at the Lake of Two 
 Mountains ; but Cadieux and his devoted follower — what had 
 become of them ? This was ascertained some time after by 
 the party sent to their rescue, and from the Iroquois them- 
 selves. 
 
 « Cadieux had quietly watched for the Iroquoisattheporfa^e, 
 placing himself about an acre from his colleague, allowing the 
 Iroquois scouts to penetrate to the centre of the portage, 
 he wailed until he heard the death yell of one of them, shot by 
 his helpmate, and then marking his victim fired with unerring 
 aim : the war whoop resounds, and the Iroquois fancying that 
 they are attacked by a large parly of warriors, separate and 
 chai ge in .difi^tirent directions. 11 is supposed that the young 
 Algonquin fell here in attempting to pin Cadieux^ as was 
 agreed on. For tbiee days the blood-thirsty aborigines scoured 
 the woods to find out traces of the encampment, never think- 
 ing for a moment that the enemy had been fool-hardy enough 
 to attempt descending through the rapids. For three days and 
 
CADUXX, THR OLD VOYAGEUR. 
 
 CO 
 
 llircenij^lils Ihcy senrdicd forCadioiix — ; llicse wnro sleepless 
 mollis for llic uhitc mail! Mnl'lli'd, llioy relnct'd llioir s(('ih 
 and rctiirjicd to llicif canoes. Si'\(>ral (I;iys liad elapsed, and 
 as iiu tidings of C.adieiix eaine, a party ^^il^ ioiined and >eiit to 
 his reliel' ; traees of the Iroquttis were tiiiniij'takrable, and in- 
 dications also of llio presniee of (!adi(Mix in llio vieinily. At, 
 the Portn<jc des Sept Chulea. Iliey not'ced a small luit of bran- 
 dies >vliieli, appnretilly, liad l)ren abandoned; tliey passiul 
 on, alter (!\aniining il and eoiiliniied llieir route, tb'iikin^' that 
 perbaps Cadieiix might have b'cn eom])elIed to aseond the 
 Ottawa and take refuse with lln; Indians of the island. Two 
 days later — it was the tiiirleeMlli alter the skitniisb — they 
 notiet'd, with surprise, on their relnry, on repassing what had 
 provionsly appeared to them an abamloniied hiit,a smalleross. 
 It stood, on iIk! snrl'aee, at the head of ji IVe«.hly made grave ; 
 in it, was deposited the corpse, still Iresli of (ladienx, half 
 covered with green branches. Ills hands were claspi'd over 
 his chest, on wliicli rented a large slKii't of biicli bark. The 
 general opinion was, on reading the writing seril)bled on the 
 bark) and from other ijltendant ciii'iimstanees, that (xbaiis- 
 tion, hiing(!r, and anxiety had jirodnced on the nnroilnnat;' 
 interpreter that kind of mental Hbcialion or hallneinalion 
 which tlie French (lanadian^ call, la folie des hois ; one of its 
 pecnliarilie>, being the piopensity its viclims have of walking 
 in thew'(K)ds, imiiitentionally in a circle witbonl making any 
 progress, Cadieux had, imdiably lived on wild fruit, never 
 daring to light a lire, for fear of betraying bis place of con- 
 cealmtMil to bis merciless foes. lie bad iiiown weakt r daily ; 
 when the relief parly had passed the li il two days pre\ioiislN, 
 he had, il would seem, recognized tliein as friends, but lb ; 
 :sudden joy at the [trospect of a speedy deliverance was so 
 ^real that he fell to the earth speeeliless and iiia;iitnale ; that 
 when they passed him, seeing llie last lio|ie \iinish,and feeliim 
 his strength fail, he bud scribbled bis adieux to the livin. and 
 then prepared his last resting place ; this done, and the 
 cross erected, he laid himself down to sleep the long 
 «limiber covering his body as best he could with spruce 
 houghs. Cadieux was a Voyageur, a poet, and a waiiior. 
 
70 
 
 CADIEIX, THi: OLD VOVAGfXK, 
 
 ^^IlJ(l Ii(! Lad wiiUon Oil lilt,' biicli Itaik \mis liis dir^e, lifs 
 I'lnuM'cal cliaimt. Hofoio lyiii^ hinisclf down lo rosi, li(!,\v!iost^ 
 Miui^iiialioii liad for so loii^', revelled in naluro's grand scenery, 
 and who eoi'.ld write .so/t/y.s /"o?' ro^fif/t'f/r.s, reeling' a Kitnrn of 
 the sacred tire, emhodied in verse Ids own dii'^e, 
 
 « This lay, by its siini)licilv. is very alliaeiive; it is much in 
 th > slyl(M)f the old Norman «Lameiils » iiiiiiorlediiilhecolony 
 by tin; lirsl settlers, wilh a dash of for.'s'i life superadded. Th(^ 
 (lyin)4 hard addresses himself lo th(( ohjeds which snrroiind 
 him, tel|i:.g them, of his rrgrel for (|iii!tiiii; ; fe ; Iheii, phy- 
 sical |iain wiiiif^s from liiin a pman of anguish >vhich is. 
 fodowed by a sori'owfiil Ihonglit ai the loss of those iieaiest 
 and dearest to bis heart. Anon, he expresses liisap|)i(di-'nsion 
 on wilii'ssing smo'.e rise near bis hut pni far dislau! — theij, 
 l(!lls of lh(? int(!n ■(! joy be experiiiiced on ivco^ni.dng 'he 
 ieatiip. s of frieiids in the party sent out to r(!sc,ue him — of his 
 shout oil! Avliere lie is — and of Uienans which 
 
 ly 
 
 I' 
 
 «i 
 
 ieir linal de[)artnre »;ost him. Cadi(Mi\ n'xl sees a wolf and a 
 rav(m prowling ronnd his emaciated frame ; the ardor of the 
 bimler and of t.lie backwoodsman tires bis eye for a S(H'ond. 
 lie threatens lo sbool one ; lo the other, hi; cries avaiint ! go 
 and feast on the bodies of the Iroqinds 1 have slain near by. 
 II • then chai'ges tfu; song sj)arrow (f.e l\ossigno!) to coiivev 
 bis adieiix lo bis wife anil bis ' well-belowd children, nnaliy 
 winds lip by an invocation lo the Virgin Mary The pieci; of 
 bark on which (ladieiix's (b'alh-son,; was wrilfen was brought 
 l»y the itdief parly lo the post of the l.al.e of Two Moiiiilains. 
 The' Voijajctm have set il lo a plainti\(' melody, well suited 
 to a lay intended lo portray the arduous lite of u bunler and 
 Indian warrioi. ll runs thus : — 
 
 Tctit roolicr ilc i;i Hniile i'i(inli7;^ne, 
 ,hi vioiiH liiiir 'km oetto i-iiiiiiiii^iH; ! 
 
 All 1 (loux {■■oliofi, cnteiul 
 
 (!Z luos stmims 
 
 1' 
 Ell liiiigui.ssnnt, je vai.-f bii;iiU>t iiioiuir. 
 
 Pctits oiacaiiA, vosi iluucos lutrinunios, 
 QutiticI rolls rhnntoz, nu; ntthielient ?l Inrie r 
 Ah 1 i^i j'avai:? doti alios coniine voiia, 
 Jo s'rais houruux uvaut (jiril I'ut deus juura t 
 
CADIEIX, THE OLD VOYAGEIR. 
 
 Soul en cos boi&, que j'ai cu do soucia ! 
 Ponsant toujoiirs i\ mos si chors amis ; 
 Je demandais : 1161a8 1 sont-ils noyds 7 
 Leg Iroquois los auraiont-ils tuds 7 
 
 Un de ees jorrs quo m'6tant (Eloign*?, 
 
 En revenant jo vis uno fuiiirt- ; 
 
 Jo mo suia dit : •• All 1 grand Diou qu'cst coci 7 
 
 Leg Iroquois m'ont-ils jiris mon logis 7 " 
 
 Jo me suis mis un pou i I'ombassado, 
 Afin do voir si o'<?tait embusoado ; 
 Alors jo vis trois visages fran(;ais, 
 M'out mis lo ciBur d'uno trup grando joio 1 
 
 Mos gonoux pliont, ma t'aiblo voix s'arrSf.e ; 
 
 Jetombo Helaa ! h, partir ils s'aitpprOtont 
 
 Jo rcsto foul Pas un qui mo oonsolo, 
 
 Quand la mort vicnt par un si grand ddsolo ! 
 
 Un l(,u|> hurlant viont prt^s do macabano, 
 Voir si inon fou L'avait plus de boucano ; 
 Jp lui ai dit : Reliro-toi d'ioi ; 
 Car, par ma foi, jo porcerai ton liabit ! 
 
 Un noir corboau, volant h I'aventuro, 
 Viont so porcher tout pri^s do ma iuiture ; 
 Jo lui ai dit : Marigour de ohairo humaino, 
 Va-t'oa chorcLer autre viande quo luienno ; 
 
 Va-t'en l,\-bas, dans oca boisetniarais. 
 Til trouvcrao plusicurs corps Iroquuis : 
 Tu trouvoias. dcs ohairj, auasi dos os ; 
 Va-t'en plus loin, laisso-iaoi on ropos I 
 
 Rossignolet, va dire H ma inaitrcssc, (1) 
 A mos onfaiits qu'un adieu je lour laisse. 
 Quo j'ai gat'le iiion amour et mn fui, 
 Et d':'sormaia i'aiit rouoncer a moi ! 
 
 Cost done ici ({uo lo mond' m'abandonne, 
 Mais j'ai scours en vous, Siiiivour do.-- Immmes ! 
 TrOs-Sainte Viorgo, all ! in'Mbandonncz pas, 
 rermettez-moi d"iiiOurir cutro vos htn^ 1 
 
 7i 
 
 (1) Thig word, in old Canadian songs, is used for wife or betrothed. 
 
^tf'li. 
 
 'I Vii.. ■ .;., . ■ .1,. 
 
I I 
 
 • A SELECT TEA PARTY AT THE GENERAL HOSPITAL ' ' 
 
 CONVENT IN 1759. 
 
 j, ' 
 
 Tea-drinking in modeialion is condueivo to lieallii ; who 
 daro gain-say ? To some il is exhilarating — to others calm- 
 ing in its efiecfs. Nay, according to Waller — it upes to inspi- 
 ration, the portals of the soul : 
 
 '. I , The mind's friend, lea, dons our fancy aid, ' 
 
 ; Hepress those vapours whicli oui Ljad juvade. , ,, 
 
 U counteracts the ctTects of alcohol — prevcnis gout and (1) 
 calculus. What a hiessing thou art, cele>lial heverage of the 
 celestials, taken at all limes : as Gay has it :— ■ 
 
 ■ . , - , ,.^ ' , - 
 
 , ,,| , At noon (Iho lady's nialin hour) ,r ,, 
 
 I s\]) tea's delicious llowr. i . 
 
 Nor is tea-drinking, as some incorrigihlc topers basely pre- 
 tend, necessarily associated in one's mind with scandal — 
 vinegar-faced old crones — spinsters of an nnceilain age. 
 
 Prelty Peg Woffinglon, mixing for Garrick and Dr. Jolmson 
 a cup of the celestial beverage, does not, in the least d(!gree, 
 appear before the mind's eye as a « scandal-munger. » « I re- 
 member, )) says the old buHcr, « drinking tea v.ilh him 
 (Garrick) long ago, when Peg WoHinglitn made it, ;ind '■'^. 
 gi iimbled at her for making il loo sti'oiig. » 
 
 « In IGGO, )) writes old Pcpys, » I did send for a cup of lea 
 (a china drink) of which I had never drank before. » Seven 
 years later, the h(Mi) had found its wiiy into his own house. 
 ((Home, and then; lind my wife making of lea, a drink for 
 her cold and delhixions. » Good Mrs. P( pys serving up her 
 
 (1) That ExeoUont, nnd 'iy aU Phj'sioians nppri'Ved China Drink naUed by 
 the ('hineiins Tcha, by other nations Tay alids Teo, iH uohl (it llie ,SultuneiiH Jlead, 
 Cojihee IIouw, iu Swcetinr/'a routs, by t'.ie lloi/dl Kjnhnn'j- Londmi. 
 
 (^Mcrcui-iwi Politicus, .September 30th, 1C68.) 
 
74 
 
 A SELECT TEA PARTY 
 
 frst « dish » of Bohoa — there is a subject for a painter ! But 
 let us hie from the busy banks of the Thames and attend one 
 of the first lea-parlies, of which we have a record, on the 
 banks of the St. Lawrence ; if. we do not hear much about 
 tea, we shall at least mix wilh several of the elite of 
 the period. Follow Capl. John Knox, then, into the spa- 
 cious refectory of the General Hospital Convent, on the 11th 
 October, 1759. This is an eventful, very eventful year, for all 
 Canada — nay, for North Ameiica in general. The worthy 
 British ollicer, you know, holds an important command, 
 in the victorious army — ; he has devoted two quartos 
 to chronicle his North American campaigns ; in which, reader, 
 you will find details ample and true, of thai momentous era of 
 our history. 
 
 The General Hospital Convent was founded as an hospital for 
 the sick, by Bishop St. Valier, in 1690. The grounds on which 
 this ancient pile is situate cover an extensive area on the shores 
 of the meandering St. Charles, about two milesfrom the city of 
 Oiiebec, in a westerly direction. They belonged to the Uecollet 
 Fathers, who exchanged them for a lot, in the Upper Town, 
 of Quebec, in 1690 ; whereon they built a church and monas- 
 tery : both these buildings were utterly destroyed by fire in 
 1796. Their site is now occupied by the English cathedral and 
 the Place d' Amies, or ring. The French king had, previous to 
 1759, endowed this institution with ^ bounteous salary for the 
 support of physicians, surgeons, directors, clerks, stewards, 
 inspectors, as also officers o'" the troops labouring under any 
 infirmity. The mother abbess, that year, was Mere Sainte 
 Claude, the fiery and haughty sisl(!r of Chevalier de Ramsey, 
 during the siege, commander and governor of Quebec. Mere 
 Sainte Claude, though a humble and devoted nun, could not 
 forget the noble blood which coursed in her veins. Her par- 
 tiality to the French, during their fallen fortunes, called forth 
 about that period the wrath of General Muriay, the English 
 governor of the city. The testy general, in a fit of temper, in 
 order to rebuke elfectually her interference in mundane mat- 
 ters, vowed he would confer on her the first vacant sergeant's 
 commission and put her on active duty, for which her stature, 
 
AT THE GENERAL HOSPITAL CONVENT. 
 
 75 
 
 par- 
 Ifoith 
 fcilish 
 in 
 Imat- 
 uit's 
 lure, 
 
 bearing and martial laslcs, in liis opinion, eminently fittetllier. 
 Crowded with the sick and the dying (1) (hiring the summer of 
 1759. The General Hospital was a great place of rendez-vous 
 for the high officials of Qnebec — civil, military, and ecclesias- 
 tical. It stood nearly in a line with the bridge of boats, over 
 the St. Charles, with which Montcalm communicated with the 
 city and with his camp and army, at lieauporl. 
 
 TIkho is something eminently touching, shall I say, dra- 
 matic, in the simple words in which the nun, who wrote the 
 siege narraliv(», chronicles the arrival of the English guard, 
 during that « night which greatly added to our fears, » when 
 these delicate, unprotected women « prostrated themselves at 
 the foot of the altar to implore Divine n ercy. » 
 
 « The consternation which prevailed was suddenly inter- 
 rupted by loud and repeated knocks at our doors. Two young 
 nuns who were carrying broth to the sick, unavoidably hap- 
 pened to be near when the door was opened. The palor and 
 fright which overcame them touched the offlcer; he prevented 
 the guard from entering ; he demanded (he superiors and 
 desired them to assure us of protection : he said that part of 
 the English army would return and take possession of the 
 house, apprehending tha' our army (the French), which was 
 not distant, might return and attack them in their entrench- 
 ments. » This was, no doubt, the Captain and guard which 
 Brigadier Towushend had posted there on the 14th of Sep- 
 tember, 1759. |,,,^;, :t:.uJi)iv 
 
 Thu (leueial Ilospitai was also the theatre during the strug- 
 gle, of Bishop Pontbriand's devoted and incessant ministra- 
 tions to the sick and dying. The Bishop, with his chapter, had 
 retired early in the summer of 17o0, to Charlesbourg, opposite 
 Quebec. We shall now allow gallant Captain John Knox to tell 
 
 (1) Wc were in the midst of the dead and the dying, who were brought to us 
 by hundreds, many of them our close connections ; it was necessary to smother 
 our grief to relieve them. Loaded with the inmates of three convents, and all the 
 inhabitants of the neighbouring suburbs, which the approach of the enemy 
 cau.-^ed to fly in this direction, you may judge of our terror and confusion. The 
 enemy, master of the field, and within a few paces of our house, exposed to the 
 fury of the soldiers, we had reason to dreaii the worst. 
 
 (iVi •' ative of the Siege of 1759, iy a Nun of the General Hospital, Quebec.) 
 
76 
 
 A. SELECT TEA PARTY 
 
 how matters went on at the General Hospital, on the 161h 
 October, and how h« enjoyed the sel(3ct lea-party ho alleiidi'd 
 there. « 1 was sent on a week's eoniniand, this diiy. to llie 
 convent of the Augiislines, or General lIos|iital ; n»y orders 
 were ' to prevent soldiers and others from phindering or ma- 
 rauding in tlial neighbourhood ; to protect the house, with all 
 its inhabitants, gardens, and enclosures from insult ; to 
 examine all persons that arrive fiom the countiy ; to give im- 
 mediate notice to the garrison, if any number of m(!n should 
 appear in arms, either by detaching a sergeant, or firing three 
 distinct muskets ; ' and if not instantly answered, must be re- 
 peated, nor to suffer any luggage, horse or cart loaded to 
 depart the hospital without a positive order or passport ; to 
 s(!ize all fire-arms, ammunition, or whatever may be useful to 
 the enemy, which may happen to be in the environs of the 
 guard, and finally to gtani i)ermits to surgeons, mates or 
 domestics belonging to the convent, when they are nec(;ssi- 
 tated to pass towards the town on their lawful occasions.)) (1) 
 1 lived there, at Ihe French king's table, with an agrceabli!, 
 polite society of officers, directors and commissaries ; some of 
 the gentlemen were nuirried, and their ladies honoured us 
 with their company ; they were generally choerlul, except 
 whcui we discoursed upon th(! late revolution, and the aHairs 
 of the campaign ; then they seemingly gave way to grief ut- 
 tered by profound sighs, and followed by an man Dicuf The 
 officers soon perceived that though I did not express myself 
 with great facility in their laugu.ige, I perfectly understood 
 them, and therefore they agreed to conveis(i in Latin ; which, 
 though far from being consistent with their boasted politessc, 
 did not affect me so as to be oireud(!d ; for I was more upon 
 an equality with them in that tongue, especially as they spoke 
 it with less fiuency than their ovmi. They generally coueluded 
 with some rapturous sentences, delivered Ihealrically, such 
 as : 
 
 Per mare, per terras, per lot discrimina re'riim 
 Nos palriamftifjiniiis, Jios diilcia linquimus ana : 
 
 — at length, after racking my memoiy for a distich, or a line 
 
 (1} Knox's Journal, Vol, II., p. 171. 
 
AT THE GENERAL HOSPITAL CONVENT. 
 
 77 
 
 applicable to the times, I interrupted them with this citation 
 from Virgile : 
 
 Melibiv, Deus nobis hxc otia fecit .' 
 
 which so surprised Iht^m, ihat, having stared at each other 
 for some moments, one of them approached me and 
 asked if I couhl speak Latin. Thus ended the Latin 
 speeches. We dined every day between eleven and twelve, 
 and afterwards were respectfully served with a cup of laced 
 cofl'ee ; our dinners were generally inditlerent, but our sup- 
 pers (what they call grand repas, or best meal) were plentiful 
 and elegant. I was at a loss the lirst day, as every person was 
 obliged to use his own knife, and wine, there being only a 
 spoon and a four-pronged fork laid with each napkin and 
 plnle ; however, in the evening my servant attended me with 
 some excellent port, a goblet, knife and fork ; the latter being 
 ditTcnMit from theirs, particularly the knives' being round, and 
 not sliarp-poiuted, together with the superior strength of my 
 wine (which they by no means disliked) to their poor sour 
 stuff, afforded us a copious subject for agreeable conversation, 
 with variety of opinions aud remarks upon the different cus- 
 toms of countries. Each person here produces an ordinary 
 clasped knife from his pocket which serves him for every use ; 
 when they have dined or supped, they wipo. and return 
 it : the one 1 had, before I was provided with my own, was 
 lent me by the Frenchman who stood at my chair, and it gave 
 my meat a strong flavour of tobacco. * * * • xhe 
 hour for supper was between six and seven in the evening. As 
 we dined so early, I gave myself no trouble about breakfast ; 
 but after being there two or three days, one of the nuns deli- 
 vered me a polite billet from Madame St. Claude, the Mother- 
 abbess, requesting my company to partake of an English break- 
 fast as she called it, to which the bearer added : « If you are 
 ready, sir, I will do myself the honour to show you the way. » 
 I instantly followed my conduclBess to a spacious apartment, 
 where I found the lady with several of the sisters employed at 
 needle-work. A table was placed in the middle of the room, 
 on "which stood two large silver coffee-pots, one quart and 
 one-pint mug, a plentiful loaf of bread, a plate of butler and a 
 
78 
 
 A SELECT TE\ PARTY. 
 
 knife ; on another plate, lay five or six slicos of bread, not 
 less than an inch thick each and half the circumferenciTof the 
 loaf, covered with a profusion ol hulter. Upon my entering.^ I 
 paid my compliments to the eldest of the ladies (in m\w\\ I 
 happened to be right, she being the Ciouvcrnantt') and then to 
 the others ; two chairs were immediately set to the table and 
 Madame St. Claude desiring I would take my place, we both 
 sat down. She then pointed to the coffiM'-nots telling me one 
 contained tea, the other milk ; but, perceiving it was not to 
 my taste, for the tea was black as ink, she assured me there 
 was half a pint in the pot, and it had been well boiled with 
 the water. I told her that it was rather too good for me, and 
 that I should make a goi.d repast of bread itnd milk. Hereupon 
 I was not a little incommoded with apologies, and 1 remember 
 she observes, ' thai they arc not accustomed to such diet, for 
 that they never drink tea, except in cases of iiulisposition, to 
 work as an emetic, when it is always boiled in water to render 
 it as strong as possible.' •****! ftn-ed exceedingly 
 well upon the other provision that was made for me, and spent 
 nearly two hours most agreeably in « the society of this an- 
 cient lady and her virginal sistei-s. » 
 
 • All this at Quebec, on the 1 1 th of October, 1 759. ' 
 
 :'),■ • \,.. 
 
 m\\\'.)"i hivv. tkijiT 7'jdl Jj*i(j<]n- 
 
 -T./r jMWo {n\ tili/f i»*.i»i/n'!(j «frw I ;noS'»d .tiofi. 1 \\ 
 
 5'Vf:y Ji Imn .-lind;* nn hi Iiool;^ o(|« nv,m\'nv.n'\ - ift /(f <\u\ \(\:A 
 nii'f * * * * .i;.'«'»fi<iHl 1m MHiMin ,;i 
 
 hA .iitJirt/'MHlt ai f)n/Mr? bun x(3 n;t'j//l'tc! : ii;Oti 
 
 ; r^r.Un.'ul liiodr, ;.l(|fi(y!? ntt 1fu*<{in 'j/r.j? i .\: .•;.;,(>(..'/ 
 
 -ii'il) ^jjim ruli h» 'Miy't ,> ■ ' -ill -JO o//l !.n;ui) „iiif.i I'lJIij Jiiu 
 -'I'uiiol'. 'Jfil ,.'il*ifi;r> ''•■ ''"•'■' ■* \'>\VsA ftjiJi'C] r/'uu h')'!!)/ 
 
 vi»3 U'l'f 11 >> : b'jhiw! -iMfr.'sd odj ibid'J? .••.! ,Ji li;)fl(.'; •MVr'.hi', Jriol 
 « .'{G7^'>dJ i»(j{ #/'»d>! ol luouod i>dj ll'.t','{m ob'iii// I .'li^ Mnvn 
 ^Jfiomhuqri >f(t()i->6<{« jj i\i n<{i-i\'M,him> nn bM//ollot yJiiwUK.ui I 
 Jfil'Tf «t'{''t'> ^T'l-:i^ '■ 'iii'il f tn'jil// 
 
 .tuuoi ■ ^ ■ -il 
 
 
 
If, 
 
 .: 1. ,.: , 1 1 1 : 1 
 
 THE LOST OF THE " AUGUSTE- " 
 
 j^iii '(lii iHii 
 
 iWjU i>. 
 
 FRENCH REFUGEES, r 
 
 
 
 It was on the 22nd February, 1762 ; night's silent shades 
 had long since closed round the grist mill of S(. Jean Port 
 Joly, County of L'Islet ; the clock had just struck nine, when 
 a tall man, in tattered garments, walked in and begged for a 
 night's rest. Captain d'Uaherville, as he was wont lodo, when 
 unoccupied, was sealed in a corner of the room, his head 
 depressed, evidently a prey to sombre thoughts. It requires 
 considerable resolution to reconcile with poverty he, who was 
 previously cradled in ease and luxury, especially when a 
 numerous family depends on that man ; still greater courage 
 is needed to bear up with fate when mistortune cfnnot be 
 traced to improvidence, expensive habits, prodigality, bad 
 conduct, but is simply the result of unconlrolable events. The 
 man whose folly cau "s his own downfall, whilst smarting 
 under remorse, if he is reflective, soon discovers the expe- 
 diency of speedily submitting to circumstances. 
 
 Captain d'Haberville felt no remorse ; in the solitude of his 
 heart, he would occasionally repeat to himself : « I cannot 
 think 1 deserved sucb " heavy blow. heaven ! grant me 
 strength ; give me ;uruge, since it has plca.sed you to smite 
 me down, w .'■ ,"!i ? \i"r'^ 'M^'h- '■r^^'Vi^ Ir- ,( i<t '■■•; ■ -ir 
 
 The voice of the stranger had caused the captain a thrilling 
 emotion. Why ? he did not know. Pausing a second, he 
 said : 
 
 « My friend, you are welcome to stay here over night ; you 
 will also have your supper. My miller will provide you with a 
 resting place in the mill. » 
 
 « Thanks, » replied the stranger, a but I am very ex- 
 haqsted ; pray, give me a glass of spirits. » 
 
80 
 
 THE LOST OF THE AUGl'STE. 
 
 D'llnbcrvillc, feeling little inclined to divide with the 
 unknown the scanty supply of brandy he kept on the pre- 
 mises, in case of sickness, said he had none. 
 
 « If you only knew who I am, d'llaberville, » listlessly re- 
 joined the stranger, « you would give me the lust drop of 
 brandy you have in^our house. » 
 
 The captain fell indignant at being thus familiarly addressed 
 by a mere vagrant ; still there was something in the man's 
 
 accent which convulsed him with emotion, and the 
 
 indignant 
 
 rebuke ready to escape, died on his lips. 
 
 At this moment Blanche, his daughter, entering the room, 
 with a lighted candle, the whole family were struck with unut- 
 terable horror ; motionless, there stood in their presence a 
 veritable skeleton, in height a giant, a hideous giant, whose 
 bones seemed ready to burst through the skin. An emaciated 
 countenance ; bloodless veins, from whence vampires seemed 
 to have sucked the stream of life ; leaden pal(? eyes, like 
 those of Banquo's ghost, without speculation, such was what 
 remained of the Chevalier LaCorne de Saint Luc, one of the 
 richest and most distinguished men in the colony, under 
 French rule. One moment more and Captain d'Haberville flew 
 into his arms. 
 
 « What, you here, my dear De Saint Luc ; why, the sightof 
 my bitterest foe would cause me less horror ! Sp6ak, speak, I 
 beseech you. Tell us how our relatives, our dear friends have 
 exchanged the deck of the Auguste for the insatiable deep, 
 whilst you, the sole survivor, are now here to announce the 
 harrowing tale. » 
 
 The unbroken silence of De Saint Luc, his downcast, sor- 
 rowful countenance, revealed more than words could utter. 
 
 « Accursed, then, be the tyrant » (1), roared out d'Haber- 
 
 (1) We give above a thrilling chapter of the '' Canadians of old. " 
 Not the least interesting patt of Mr. DeGaspd's work are the notes. " I 
 have, " says he, " attempted in this book to portray the misfortunes which the 
 conquest brought on the greater portion of the Canadian nohleste, whose descen- 
 dants, now forgotten, languish un the very soil whioh was once defended and 
 soaked with the blood of their ancestors. Let those who say they were deficient in 
 ability or energy, remember that their education and habits having been totally 
 mUitary, it was not easy to exchange them for new oocupatioM. 
 
PRENcn REFUGEES. 
 
 81 
 
 leep, 
 the 
 
 sor- 
 ir. 
 Iber- 
 
 viHo, » accuisfid bo Ihu man who, tliroiigh hatred of the 
 French, has been the means of wilfully consigning to a watery 
 grave so many brave hearts, by compelling them to depart in 
 the most stormy season of the year, in an old, unseaworthy 
 vessel. )) 
 
 « Instead of vonling curses on your enemies, » said do 
 Saint Luc, in a harsh tone, « thank heaven, thatGeneral Murray 
 has granted you and yours^ a reprieve of two years to dispose 
 of your properly and to relurn to France. » 
 
 The Chevalier then related all thai had happened since the 
 Augusle had sailed from Quebec, on the 15lh October ; how, 
 afler a succession of storms, shipwreck, on the 15th Novem- 
 ber, had finally consigned to the depths of the ocean, the 
 passengers and the crew, except six sailors ; how, the seven 
 survivors had to dig graves for the unfortunate exiles, on the 
 shores of Cape Briton, where the ship was stranded, — in all 
 one hundred and fourteen corpses ; how, in the depth of 
 winter, half clad and starving, he had travelled some sixteen 
 hundred miles on snowshoes, afler successively tiring out 
 several Indian guides. 
 
 The reader will have recognized in this extract a translation 
 of a passage from that charming volume, I,eSi4ncie«sCanarf»en5, 
 published, in 1863, by our respected townsman, P. A. DeGaspe, 
 Esq., Seigneur of SI. Jean Port Joly : himself, not a bad per- 
 sonification of the courteous, well-bred, feudal dignitary of 
 former times. The loss of the ship which was conveying back 
 to Fiance, the expatriated Canadians, and the melancholy 
 death of so many distinguished inhabitants, whom Governor 
 Murray, it is said, had compelled to sail in the Auguste, natu- 
 rally created considerable excitement amongst the friends and 
 relatives of the victims, and contributed powerfully to render 
 
 "I 
 
 the 
 
 Iscen- 
 
 and 
 
 But in 
 
 btaUy 
 
 " The old families who remained in Canada after the conquest, used to say 
 that General James Murray, through hatred of the French, had insisted on their 
 iminoJiate expulsion ; that he had them put on board of an old condemned 
 vessel, and that before they sailed ho was constantly repeating, with an oath, " It 
 is impossible to distinguish the victors from the vanquished when you see theso 
 damned Frenchmen pass, wearing their uniforms and swords. " Such was the 
 tradition in my youth. Uappily, these times are far away and forgotten. " — 
 (P. A. DeQ.) 
 
' 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 '■'> ^ -fe ^^ 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 IIM IIM 
 
 mil 2 2 
 
 1^ = 
 
 tiAo mil 2.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 1.25 1.4 1.6 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 6" 
 
 ► 
 
 # 
 
 c^J 
 
 r^/^ 
 
 '-;' 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 33 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
" 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
82 
 
 THE LOST OF THE AUGUSTE. 
 
 the English governor, odious to the colonists. Amongst the 
 victims, were Madame de Mcziere, — a grand aunt of Mr. l)e 
 Gaspe, and a daughter of the Baron de Longueil — ; she perished 
 with her child. 
 
 Mr. DoGaspo also furnishes a lively account of the interview 
 of the Chevalier de la Corne with the governor^of the colony, 
 in the Chateau St. Louis. (1) How Governor Murray was 
 
 (1) The compilers of JTawl-ln'a Picture of Quebec, the lato gifted Andrew 
 Stuart and tlie late Dr. J. C. Fisher, thus graphically describe the Chateau St. 
 Louis : — " Few circumstances of discussion and enquiry are more interesting 
 than the history and fate of ancient buildings, especially if we direct our atten- 
 tion to the fortunes and vicissitudes of those who wore cnnnectcd witli them. The 
 temper, genius and pursuits of an historical era are frequently delineated in the 
 features of remarkable edifices : nor can any one contemplate them without ex- 
 periencing juiiosity concerning those who first formed the plan, and aff-jrwards 
 created and tenanted the structure. These observations apply particularly to the 
 Bubjeot of this chapter. 
 
 The history of the ancient Castle of St. Lewis, or Fort of Quebec, for above two 
 centuries, the seat of government in the province, affords subjects of great and 
 Btirring interest during its several periods. The hall of the old Fort, during the 
 weakness of the colony, was often a scene of terror and despair at the inroads of 
 the persevering and ferocious Iroquois ; who, having passed or overthrown all the 
 outposts, more than once threatened the fort itself, and massacred some friendly 
 Indians within sight of its walls. There, too, in intervals of peace, were laid 
 those benevolent plans for the religious instruction and conver:jion of the 
 savages, which at one time distinguished the policy of the ancient Qovernors. At 
 a later era, when, undei the protection of the French Kings, the Province had 
 acquired the rudiments of military strength and power, the Castle of St. Lewis 
 was remarkable as having been the site whence the French Governors exorcised 
 an immense sovereignty, extending from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, along the 
 ahoroB of that noble river, its magnificent lakes, — and down the course of the 
 Mississippi, to its outlet at New Orleans. The banner which first streamed from the 
 battlements of Quebec, was displayed from a chain of forts, which protected the 
 Battlements throughout this vast extent of country : keeping the English Colonies 
 in constant alarm, and securing the fidelity of the Indian nations. During this 
 period, the council chamber of the castle was the scene of many a midnight 
 vigil, — many a long deliberation and deep-laid project,— to free the continent 
 from the intmsion of the ancient rival of France, and assert throughout, the su- 
 premacy of the Oallio lily. At another era, subsequent to the surrender of 
 Quebec to the British arms, and until the recognition of the independance of the 
 United States, the extent of empire, of the government of which the Castle of 
 Quebec was the principal seat, comprehended the whole American continent, 
 north of Mexico I It is astonishing to reflect for a moment, to how Bmall, and, as 
 to Bice, comparatively insignificant an island in the Atlantic ocean, thiB gigantic 
 territory was once subject I 
 
 Here also was rendered to the representative of the French King, with all its 
 ancient forms, the fealty and homage of the noblesse, and military retainers, who 
 held poBBesBions in the province under the Crown— a feudal ceremony, Buitod to 
 
igst the 
 Mr. l)e 
 )crished 
 
 jtcrvicw 
 
 colony, 
 
 'ay was 
 
 d Andrew 
 iftteaii St. 
 interesting 
 our uttcn- 
 ;hom. The 
 ated in the 
 fithout cx- 
 afHrwards 
 larly to the 
 
 : above two 
 great and 
 during the 
 I inroads of 
 rown all the 
 le friendly 
 were laid 
 ion of the 
 ernors. At 
 ivinoe had 
 St. Lewis 
 exercised 
 along the 
 se of the 
 d from the 
 itected the 
 Ih Colonies 
 luring this 
 midnight 
 continent 
 the su- 
 'ender of 
 loe of the 
 Castle of 
 |oontinent, 
 ., and, as 
 gigantio 
 
 all iU 
 len, who 
 luitod to 
 
 FHEMII hllt'.F.ES. 
 
 83 
 
 niovod lo pily by IIk; siulit [)i\ S.iinl Luc's omaciatod form piv- 
 
 sciilfd. How li« gtadiitlly safi iifd lowaids tlio porlioii of llio 
 
 o/(/ HoWcss*^ VNliirl/ rcinaiui'd in tin* I'oiiiiliy, and cvoiiliiaily 
 
 Ixcanie llii' Iricnd of Ilic cliivalicr. This inlorvicw of 1)(! Saint 
 
 Liu; (I) and Capliiin dllidjervili.' is not an iinii;;inary occni- 
 
 Vi'iiM : it rctractis whiil n-ally did lake place bclwcen .Mr. 1).^ 
 
 (iaspc's grandlallicM', l;^naci! Aid) Ml D.Gaspe, at one limn a 
 
 c'aplain in till' Innili iiiivy, and IIk^ (iKJvaliiT, as relaled lo 
 
 Mr. Dc'diispe, some filly years iv^o, Ity his aniil, Madame IJailiy 
 
 de Messein, >\lio was ahonl liftecn years of H'^a when Ihis 
 
 oeenred. 
 
 We are llnis hronghl face lo face >Nilli those fieri'e S|!iri!s vt 
 
 \h{i amieumjime, who, like Ihe Sewells, ()gdens, Smilhs, 
 
 Robinsons, Jarvisscs, and other Uniled Empire Loyalists, 
 
 laler on, had preferred renoinicinj^^ fortune, posilion, and 
 
 early times, which imposed a real and giibftaiitiiil obligation nn thnso who per- 
 formed it, not to be vinliitoJ without rorfeiture ami dishnnor. The King of (Jreat 
 Britain having 8U"i ■-. .1 ^il to the riglits of the Frcni-h ctown, this ceremony is still 
 (in 1S34) maintained. 
 
 Fealty and homage is loi. jrcd at this day by the Seigniors to the (Jovornor, as 
 the representative of the Sovereign ii. tl»o following furm ; His Kzcellcucy being 
 in full dress and seated in a state cliair, eiirroiiDiIed by his statf, and Hitended by 
 the Attorney General, tlin Seignior, in an evuning dress and wearing a swonl, is 
 introduced into bis proserico by the Inspector (Jencral of the lloyal Domain and 
 Clerk of the Land Koll, and having delivered up his sword, and kneeling up>in 
 one knee before the Governor, plaeen his right hand between bi», and repeats tlie 
 ancient oath of fidelity ; after wliii-b a solemn act is drawn up in a register, kept 
 for tliat purpose, whit-h is signed by the Governor and Seignior, and countcrsignud 
 by the proper officers. 
 
 In England, it is also still performed by the Peers at the coronation of our 
 Kings, in Westminster Abbey, although the ceremony is much curtailed of its 
 former impressive observances. 
 
 The (.'astio of St. Lewis was in early times rather a strong hold of defence, than 
 an embellished ornament of royalty. Seated on a tremendous precipice, — 
 On a rock wIio.kc haughty brow 
 Frown'd o'er St. Lawrences foaming tide — 
 and looking defiance to the utmost boldness of the assailant, nature lent her aid 
 to the security of the position. The cliff im which it stood rises nearly two hundred 
 feet in perpendicular height above the river. The Castle thus commanded on 
 every side a most extensive prospect, and until the occupation of the higher 
 ground to tiie south-west, afterwords called Cape Diamond, mn£t have been the 
 principal object among the buildings of the city. 
 
 (I) We follow in history and in old memoirs the subsequent career of the Che- 
 valier de la Corne, and find him serving under General Bufgoyne. There is a 
 spirited letter still extant of the Chevalier to the General, in wbiob he tells him 
 hard truthsr.which will appear elsewhere. 
 
84 
 
 THE LOST OP THE AlCl'STE. 
 
 IVionds, to accepting a foreign yoke. It would be ciirions (o 
 follow up the destinies of the Canadiiin exiles : some, impli- 
 cated in the Bigot frauds, returned to the mother country, to rot 
 in the Bastile ; others, such as the DeLerys, culled laurels and 
 titles in the wn»'s of the Republic and of the first Empire (1) 
 Possibly some of their grandchildren, now counts or barons 
 under the new regime, (1863) enjoy the distinguished honor of 
 an entree to the cerde imperial, together with the privilege of 
 mingling «£n Salambo, » in the mazy wallz under the approving 
 eye and bewitching smile of llie Grandes Dames de la Cour, whilst 
 others again remained in the colony and are now allii.'d by 
 marriage to some of England's best blood. (2) 
 
 (1) Some formed part of the distin;;uishcd Canadians who, on the 8th Juno, 1775, 
 ofTored their serrices to Major Preston, at Montreal, tc take and hold Fort St. 
 John, from the Americans, andeffoctuaUy did so, on the 10th June, placing it into, 
 the hands of a detachment of the 7th Reg. or Royal Fusileers, under Capt. 
 Kineer. They were the Chevalier de Belestre, d« Longueil, de Lotbinit^re, do 
 Rouville, de Bouchorrille, de la Corne, de Labrudre, de St. Ours, Perthuis, Her- 
 Tieux, Gamelin, de Montigny, d'EschambauU and others. For this serrice, Oeneral 
 Carleton publicly thanked them. In September of the same year, this party, with 
 the assistance of a number of Quebec and Three Rirers Tolunteers, viz : Messrs. 
 de Montesson, Duchosnay, de Rigouville, de Salaberry, de Tonancour, Beaubien, 
 Demusseau, Moquin, Lamarque, Faucher and others, started for St. Johns, near 
 Montreal, to relieve a detachment of the 7th and 26th regiments, then in chargv 
 of the fort, and who expected a siege, but Hfter being beleaguered, the fort !>ur- 
 rendered on 2nd November to General Montgomery. The Canadians and the 
 •oldiers were carried away prisoners of war — Cungiess refusing to exchange the 
 Canadians, " they being too muck nttnchtd to the Emjlith yovernment and too in" 
 /luentitd in their own country. " Two, Messrii. Deuiontesdon and de Rigouville, 
 died prisoners of war ; de la Corne, Perthtiis and Cenubien, had been killed dur- 
 ing the siege; da Lotbini^re bad an arm shot off; de Salaberry was twice 
 wounded. 
 
 " Amongst those who garrissoned Fort St. John, was the unfortunate but 
 brave Major Andr£, of the 26tb or Cameronian Re^'imeut. " Tbe fort waa 
 besieiged by a strong American force, under the gallant General Montgomeryr 
 and during November of 1775, Preston defended himself vigorously, amid 
 severe snow storm8,till he was compelled to capitulate, but upon honourable terras, " 
 nearly 700 men surrendered ; but they were allowed their baggage and effects, 
 tbe officers to retain their swords, the arms of the soldiers to be put in arm-chests 
 and restored to them when the troubles were over. Andr^, with all the other pri- 
 soners, was sent up the Lakes by the way of Tioonderoga inland ; but be boob 
 after effected an exchange, though Major Preston would seem to have returned 
 homo. He was subsequently hanged as a spy, by orders of Washington's Court 
 Marshal at Tappan, in the State of New York, on the 2nd Oct., 1780, when only 
 in his twenty-ninth year. " (Army and Navy, Review for Feby. 1804, p. 33.) 
 
 (2) " A Montreal, le 26 aoftt 1863, demoiselle Mari«-Charlott« Lennox, fille d« 
 feu John Lennox, <oayer, major du premier bataillon da 60mt regiment de S» 
 
TRENCU nEFl'GEES. 
 
 8$ 
 
 led* 
 
 W(; arc not, howevor, prepartMl lo assert whelhcr llio d()- 
 [iiuliiri' of lliesfi prou«l arisloerals, tainted by the impure ox- 
 li.ilnlio.is of liiu French coiirl of the day, to whom Magna 
 (!h.'ii la and the institutions of a free people were unknown — 
 we are no{, we repeat, ready to say whether their vohinlary 
 <;\ile was not a hli.'ssiuf? instead <tf a loss, to the country. For 
 the Soke of the family lionor, we hope and trust our ancestors 
 were all they are ciack(!d up. (I) 
 
 Let i^s thank that old hand which has seen seventy-eight 
 summe's and \>hi<h, its owner says, « must soon be colder 
 even than Canada's winters, » for having assisted in thus 
 raising the veil on times little known, and graphically deli- 
 neated the doings and sayings of the Mun ays, (2) the Carletons, 
 
 MaJo8t<$, et dc dame Maric-Magueritc la Cornc de Chapt de Saint-Luc, sun 
 4<]iou8e. Cette ilcinoisello etail, coiniuo rinJiquent cog nuins, d'uno origino ex- 
 trfimemeut di8tingu<-e, tiiiit du cote patcrnel par Icquel die se rattachait h In 
 noblciise anglaisu, que dii ouK? dcsa mtsre qui dusuoudait dcs moillcnres fauiiikd 
 do la noblesso ciinadienno-franfaise. 
 
 Le . Major Lennox, sou p^re, t-lait en effct flls de Lord Alexander Lennox ot 
 Comte LeuDox et de Jlarche, et Ic8 families histuriqucs de Boucher de Bouchcr- 
 villc, de L.ipcrrivre, de Contropceur, de Lavaltric, de Lanaudi6re, etc., dtaicnt 
 led nlli^'-oii do iM. la Corue de<-hapt de Saint-Lue, I'ancfitre inaternel do Mile. 
 Lfinox. Devi'iiui' ve'ivc, Madame Lennox, dont le souvenir n'egt pin encore perdu 
 dans la boirnc f)«MM>''t<'- do Montri'al vl de tout le Canada, t^pousa en secondos nocog 
 fell M- lo {'•omiuanclf.ur Jaoqut-.s Vi;ier, )>rcinier Maire de .\:ontr(5al, et si bien 
 e(rnnu dun? la littiT: (ire panaflienne cotiiiiie arcli<>ologHc. " 
 
 II est cxtrOiiiemoit p*^iiiblo pour n<iuR d'avoir k cnregister la perte do 
 qiiolquo rejtiton de "fF noblos rnmlllex <}iii ont jet6 tant dc gloire sur nutre jmys, 
 <:t qui font iiiijourd'hui la riche«^e ue iwtre histnire. 
 
 {('ourn'er du Cnntid'i, 23 aoOt 1863.) 
 
 (1) Mr. Scnccal, ('iio of tlie crntributors to the f!<;viic f^nntidiennr, writes as followe 
 to .Mr. F. X. (iarni'iiii, of liucbiMi .• — In a loilor which M. lo Comte de Mr-nta- 
 k'liibert did inc the hotH'r to write nic on the subject of tiie lleowe Cnwidienne, 
 the fdllowiiijf pn.-Fin^(( occurs : " I wiis inirtici.laily iHruck with a work entitled 
 I'm t'oticlii^inn <{" Hi>'i'ii)f,\)y Mr. (»aiiir;iu. I tihiill willinply say with that 
 patriiili'.' writtcr " U'f tlio Ciiniiiliiin.s I'c fiitbful to thcmiiclvcs! " and I shall add ; 
 Let tticiu CMiiMitc ilico'..'^clv(;.s t'> r the foimiation, by the fortune of war, from the 
 in(!thur-o<Min tiy, v.itb ilic K'lln'tit 11 tiii't thi.s fi'iniration pave them rights and 
 lilicrtics which Kr:nii'e t new lo.t In w to praet'oo. to preseivc, nor to regret. " 
 
 (^'J.) I.* (iicre Mil liduic iurtcctiraoy in tlie opinion here conveyed of the conduct 
 and ciriracter of Uiip iilicr (Jiiieral .Mniray ? 1 1 is possible that, like many others, 
 • In- (iciicia! uiay, on hi.-' arrival in ». aiiacla, have been misled in judging of the 
 }'reu'.!h t'anadians : but tlic State fa|i<vs he addressed to the imperial authorities 
 in 1 76(5, show wliat a favi'i'.'-.tili.' opiui(>n he thun entertained of the fidelity and 
 tiouor of tbc Cunailian ui'lirvie. 
 
 Air Du lu luinu llim^<.'.':' in hi.s Journal states that on his arrivlDg at Quebec 
 
8G 
 
 Tin: LOST OF THE AlJGl'STE. 
 
 the Ilnldiinniuls, as well ns llioso (»f ll»o <lo Lmniid'orps, \ho 
 lii roiiies, llio Habye, the LoiigiiiMls, tlio Diiiiiorcs, &c., may 
 
 " Le (Jonural Murray nonsy ro^iit nvei toiito 1ft politosso itnaj^iiiiiblo ; il n'opargna 
 ri"n poiir nous reiidro la trarcrs(''o a.jr(''ablo; nous IViinos emiibli'"* Ue jiri)iiios«cs ot 
 
 (I'l'iri't!' ilo 8a jinrt jc jirdpnsai an (ii'nf'Tal .Mijnay ilo luiicr iin batimont pour 
 
 moll jirojtro ctmiple, co qu'il mo ret'iuii piir un iinitif dn gi-rK'Tdcitt'. " 
 
 TIk'sc DatinnnI untipatbios, which (Vc.tiinatt'ly aro fii.-<t ili'Siippi.Mriii)?, fcriiifrly 
 manifustoil tlii'in.-xilvei', .xometiinos very ludifiini^ly. In thu ftor!!iy (!:iy.s of tbo 
 N'.i!(!ty-lwo lle^olutioiii', wbrn tliL' (•!• niicnt loa'iiT if the ('(uutiK'ii:' of ('ana Ui' 
 L-iuis Jii.-ii![)h I'apinoaii, was ni^'iMy (! :riioil Ii.imo !ii triumph to his hotol, un tho 
 shouMors (if an enthusiastic crowil, there wt.-ro also in piirliairieiit Muri'liildi'iis 
 and Larwills, inen of iiri;|inal view.-, but bettor a ^ijuiiintod with tlio ])lougli orlho 
 anvil thiiii with tlio aiiioiiitii'S of .^i.fi.il intcri'onv.'p, and ever ro;id.y to f id) cy them- 
 selves [iliohieil. It is related that an M V. ]'., imiMi'd Beaudoin, hiivini; re-eivop 
 a car<l to a Chateau ball, inado it bis liusiiioss to attend ; tlie cveiiin;» wiii' sultry, 
 and ice-cream in corresponding,' deinaiid. Tho rustic l('gi>lator, whoso palate had 
 never coino in contact with the frij^'id delicacy, soon camp to tho conclusion' that 
 Tiliat every one apkeil for, niupt be very V siraldc. '• Waiter, "said he, " «yo(oW<'7 
 moi, eumiiinit (ifiilrr.-iiiv^ <■". i'-e-vrime ' " " Yes sir, " replied laecjcey ; and 
 instanter, tho (.'aniulian Solon was provided with an am] lo plate of ice-creatn, 
 from whiih lie transferred to his unsuspecting jiulnte a larjjo spoonful. 15ut, 
 horror I liis tijelli imiucdiately chattered IVnui i!old, as if iio had a fit of agno. 
 lioiling over with pntrictio riii^c, ho roared to tlio scaled waiter, " Pexdnril f 
 «i c'eut 4i( }>nnr vn Aif/'iiii, In I'lniniin fuit rhmiflcr ! " •' You aboininablo 
 raical ! bad you intended this for an Knt^li.'-iininn, you wiuild have taken tho 
 cliill oiri" Tho company from Jlis E.xcellency dowi. wards, were convulsed 
 with lau^^hter. 
 
 .Some of my readers may not ho conversant with tho origin of the pictiire?qu» 
 Fren'di oxjirossic^n, respeotin,^ lloirstbcij umlcrdone. " I)u Ixruf qui beuii/e ri:eoie, " 
 tlio following may throw lij^'it on it. Tho ancestor of n respected Senator, 
 Mr. IJadelart, was ono day dining at the Cli;\toftii St. Louis. His birth and educa- 
 tion, were such that ho could not b.liav« otherwise than like n polite rrenrhman. 
 
 Whetiior His Kxcellency wished t') enjoy a quiet joke, or whether he wanted ti> 
 treat his guest to tho most juicy tid-bit on the di.-h, he h:id set a.-i le for >ii iitucnr, 
 a slice of very rum beef — which lie waruily recoumieuded. " Mdnjezilunc ; nmrnjiz 
 done, mon uini" said llis K.xecUeucy, r',:ii f.ryiii\-. " 
 
 Monsieur liadclart, who appears to have been but one degree less polite Iban 
 the jiolitost man in Lower Canada, the late .Jiid^o A.N. .Morin, who on leaving tho 
 bench ono sunny day, is said tu h:ivo b"gged tho jKirdou (d' the Chief Justice, his 
 collea'^ue,/oc fiavinij Irodiieii dti hii ihinidon-, replied. " Oui, nui, milord," le Ixruf 
 est tX(jHii : c'eut un jtlat de roi. II fnlt hmiinur <'u Ciiiin<l«, ct il enlrc luisiiiUr," 
 and then bending towards bis neighbor with a ])ained expression of counteuuneo, 
 ho groaned, then whispered in his car. 11 i'!u<ile tnron; I 
 
 The following humourous oocurrenoo dates fronj tliat pastoral perioii 
 previous to the insurrection of IS'57-S. Let us hear Mr. H. Fabro : " Thirty odd 
 years ago, when Parliament sat during tho summer, the (Jiilf members came up 
 to Quebec in schooners, and lodged in tho'u all through tho sossicni. At about 
 tho same period, a truineaw loaded with trunks and parcels arrived at tho 
 Parliament Uuuse, one fine day, just prcviuis tu thu ujiening of tho session. 
 
FRENCH REFUUEES. 
 
 87 
 
 it bo sparerl some limo longer, and fiiniisli us with more of 
 those hle-hke sketches of « Ancient Canadians. » 
 
 {Written in 18C3.) 
 
 and from it dosconded a stout countryman and hia wife, who carefully examined 
 the twonty-four winduws of the buildings, and finally decided to rap at the door, 
 which wiia immediately opened by onu uf the moa?ongcra. The countryman therc- 
 ii|)(pn presented his compliments, stated that he was the (iieiM))er elect for the county 
 uf Berthier; that ho had come with his wife to take his seat; and that he had brought 
 hid winter's |)ruvisiona with him. Ho was consequently fully provided, but only 
 wanted a cooking stove, and hoped that there would be one in his room. The mes- 
 senger immediately saw through the primitive simplicity of his visitor, and gra- 
 dually " drew him " out. He ascertained that the member for Berthier expected 
 to find a room already prepared for him in the Parliament House, in which he and 
 his wife C(mld live throughout the winter, and subsist upon the provisions ho had 
 brough*. from his native village. The messenger grinned, you may bo certain, and 
 was finally forced to avow that there was no bed-rooms in the Parliament House 
 for inombers. " The monibor for Berthier " thereupon gave his horse a smart 
 lai-h with the whi]) and indignantly and forever, turned his back upon the Legis- 
 lative Halls of the Province. " 
 
 To which let us add : «t non vero, e bene trovato. 
 
1 
 
 r 
 
 M 
 
 11 
 
 Ol 
 
 m 
 di 
 in 
 th 
 
 ou 
 
'• LE CIIIEN IVOR. " 
 
 THE HISTORY OF AN OLD HOUSE. 
 
 Jo suis iin chion qui rnnge I'os, 
 En lo rongpanl jo prends mon mpos, 
 Un jour vieridra (\\n nVsl pas veiiu, 
 yue jo murdrai qui ni'diu-a mordu. 
 
 1736. 
 
 On the site, wore now looms oiil so majt'slically thu glider- 
 ing new Post Officu, stood in 1871, an antiquated and massive 
 stone structure ; a capacious building of an unpretending, 
 nay au austere style of architecture, used since 1845 as the 
 city Post Office. \l did not in the remotest degree remind you 
 of a palace, but seemed eminently adapted for a Haunted 
 House. The legendary ivy which had mantled round it from 
 its birth, with the lapse of lime had overshadowed its walls 
 \vith a most luxuriant growth. 
 
 Siruclures, hoary with years, gel to assume a grave, an 
 impressive aspect ; in their old walls, possibly may nestle the 
 germ of more than one curious legend. Somt of them aie rith 
 in that peculiar attraction — I he halo of mystery, the echo of a 
 ftu'gotten past. 
 
 To their ruins, the shadowy duslofagns adhtjres; thatdust, 
 when disturbed, resembles in some shape, the destiny of 
 things human. What detaches ilstilf reverts to mystery, and 
 oblivion ; dissolves ilscll' inlo impalpable air. 
 
 Undoubtedly, the house <if the (luldcn Dog was one of llie 
 most rcmarkabli! of the many historical houses of Quebec. The 
 dissimilarity of the periods it recalled ; the events which had 
 marked the now distant era of French Dominion, as well as 
 the painful and dark memories surviving, of (France) one of 
 our former mother-countiies : all conlributed to lend to llie 
 
90 
 
 LE ClIIKN U on. 
 
 hoiistf of lh<» (Joldi'ii Doij, a ctTliiinpicliircsqiin firnco. lis ViTv 
 sill! Mils liisloririil. II slnod «iii IIm! iiorlhiin jini'linn of tli(> 
 (iraiith' Plan or llspkimuk ihi Fort. [\w s(nilli\v('>t('ni pnrl of 
 >vliit'li iio>v coiihliliilcs IIk; J'lave ilAnnes or liitig. Tlio direct 
 Mliicli il liiKMl — Hiiitdi? stri'il — look its iiiuiic IVoin Imius tie 
 JiiiaJe, llii! slunly old Count dL\Froiiltna«', \>lio in l(j!U), in- 
 hnl>il('(! IIk; iidjoinmu Taslh; St. Louis, fnr in\;iy IVuin coiirl 
 iiili-i^ut!s. Sfaiidiil liiid :isso(-inl*>d Ids iianii', in youth with one 
 ol llinpcci'lcsslicfuilics ol tlii! riiMuli t^oiiit, Mi>daini'd(! Mon- 
 t<!S|ian^ auii Irs old a,ui>, willi ditsi-ilion on hclialf nf his pi'oud, 
 licailli'ssaiid hi'aiilifid spouse, Anncdi^ la (iran^c-Triniioii ! (1) 
 On lh(! (irnmh' Phtce, in l(>."»S, tlio I'liW doouK^l Ihnons, >vlio 
 had cscapi'd lin! drcadrul h.itcln.'ry ol" UI'iO, on L;d\(i Siinciic, 
 Jiad aski-d andi>l)taiiu>d, \v\\\{\ toi-ncainp. solhattli(!f.'inis<d' lluf 
 Toil should prolccl Ihcin a|:aiiist IIk; loniahawk of Ihcir mw- 
 tiliissloL's — the lro(|uois. TIumj cann'M di'rd of blood ofrinieii 
 laler dale. Tht; assassination of IMiililu'rl hy do llcpfHiIigny ; it 
 carries us also bark lo lln; cpocli \\\\{\\\ our foro-falhcns flour- 
 islicd under the lily-spangird banner of the Jiourbons. It 
 opened out vistas, as well suited to the pen of the novelist, as 
 Ihey were prei,'nanl of research for the antupiarian. The 
 ronianee, as composed by Augiiste Soulard, t!S(juin;, aiul pub- 
 lished in the lirperloirc yallonal, was a graceful and fanciful 
 
 (1) Curious stories according to Saint Simon, Mar^ry, &o., oiroulntod in France, 
 m.^iiffltiiif^ a lim'ii'in ol'tlio Count, ivlu-n yi'Uiig «'itli tiio Itnyal fuv jrito, Minlaiuodo 
 MontoSj i>n, when slie wns known as Mdllc. do Murtcinnrt. 1 e Frtiitinae was 
 sent out to Canada ; in exile, some s^aid, a:< thu Freiudi King did not Ul<o to bavo 
 near !iim, a successful rival in love. Louis XIV bo it iciucinlicicd, was not only 
 le linml M'ln'if'iw; hut iit one time, was coiLxitk-riMl tho hiiiidsoini':?t man in 
 Franco. Was it surprisinj; ho should be viiin of his lnoks and io'i'if* /■"•/unci / 
 The Countess do Frontcnac, had refused to nceonii)any her liege Lord, who braved 
 out his destiny in sombre granJeur, ut tlie ChAtuau St. Louis, iiniil death released 
 him in 1008. " His body was cnterrcd in the Kccollet Church near the riaee 
 d'Aniws ; on the Cth Sept., 17it6, this buililing became the jirey of fire and some 
 of tilt! leaden coffins of the great folks it contained, having been molted by the flames, 
 in one, within a small leaden box, was found, the heart of the Count. According to 
 a tradition, snys Fri'^ro Louis, tho proud Countess, refused to receive this he;irt, 
 which was sent to her in Franco, after her husband's deatti saying : that she did 
 not wish to own dead, u heart which when alive belonged to an other. It was 
 consequently sent back to Canada, and jilacod in tho Count's ooffin. (^AObi 
 Camjrain.) 
 
TIIK IlISTOnY OF AM OLl» HOISK. 
 
 91 
 
 rlTiis"nn (I) This willy nmrislor cut oIVm) pri'iiiiiliircly in llic 
 jii'vtl.iy of liis success, cspt'i^iiijly as a litlnutcur, slill lives 
 a^ii't'ahjy in llii! mcinory ol' liisro/z/h'/vs. Tlicrt' arc lew uii- 
 at (|iia'iih'(l willi li's «r>i"r/<'//f, vliihl liis ciilic, Mr. .laciiiirs 
 Vi^er, lius (xliiljik'il rcniaikiiblc acumen aiul a deep uc- 
 
 (1) Wo itlmll innrnly givo tlio oonulusion : 
 
 Nli'i'lii.s Jin(|iiiii i"iiilil>ui't, wnx a ijiicln-c iiionliiint, soinoli. w f.r otlmr ho liii'l 
 iniviiru'l till' (li»|ilr:i.'<ui'i' ut' tin- Inlciilnit IJijjiit, |U'iliii|i» for rtlM^iii}; to aid liiiii 
 iu hi.'' iM.M'iiliit'.iiii.- and oxtnrtloiis. Thu Iiili'ii<liiiit, in i.rilcr t<> iitiiiny I'liilibcrt, 
 
 h it Mlluto I tr 
 
 111 n, ill) 1 orlurod n FriMV'lj lioutiMiint liv ii.ti 
 
 V 
 
 1<")^ ird','!ir, ■-ioiir du 11 •)) Miti;^i)y, to .|iiiirti)r on tlii; (i.H'l)uo inon-liiinf. Thi< 
 
 in''eni^('(l M. I'liililivit very inni'h, iind wli 
 
 the liuutcniint iit(ei>i|iU'd tu onU' 
 
 thi) hiiiifo with fho "idor, I'liililuTt iliji'i'tccl, tinyln^ lio wmiM Iiutc i)!<> crdor ro- 
 c'llli '1, III wliii'li do Kejiontiijiiy rL|plit'd, •' \c.ii urn ii ("lA. " A hlmv trnni ii w.ilK- 
 iii^' .-ti'!;, wiw tlio :in-»vor. Tho oflii-cr tliun dri w lii.i mvuiJ, und iriflicl<'d mi hi.* 
 ('].|niii(.'iit II wiriiiiij, i.t" uhitdi lie died in tlin 'Jlst Jiiniiiiry, I'H. Tlio di'inlly 
 thrn.^t i.* sii|»|nisod tu Iiutm hiu^ii given on tht- Vfry etvyn nf Iho ( Iiicn iJ'Or l>uild- 
 in^;, whiih ho (ii-uu|iied. bn llcionti^jny, in ouioi tu oludo a I'liii.intil priiiiocutii ii, 
 csiMiiud iViitii "iui'lii'.', and retiiod ill Ni)Va Sdtia, tlion milled AmJir, whtro ho 
 njijiliod to Lonis XV for his (larJun. Lt'tters cf n-jiriovo and ]iiirdun woic sent 
 out friiiii I'uriH, and do Kt'|u;iiti^iiy rctiiinfd tu t^m-hfo in \'H'.i with tlioso lottin;', 
 in ord r tu moot any ii]i|,u»itii n whiidi tiit.' widuw Thilihcrt iiii;;ht uiKc, wiion ho 
 thuiild ajiply tu tlio Sii|i.'iiur Coiinoil of the oulony tu havo thoin n'j.'i.-tt'rcd, Mrs. 
 I'hiliboit having bcc-n indcimiillcd hy ]iccnniary cuniiicnsati"n fur the losx i.f hoi" 
 Lufhaud, did nut (j|ipoiio thu ri');istratiun <d'l)o Kcin'iitijjiiy'ii Ittttrf of indemnity. 
 The Frcni'h lieutenant remained in the coli iiy, and liiid been |prorriutod to a 
 capliiiiic)' in ITCiO, nt tho time i\hen ho wa.i .forvin^ under the (.'lii'\ alur do I.i'vi.". 
 Everytliihjr seemed to I're.f.i^.i to de l!e|ientiuiiy furKctfiili.e.'i.« of tlio |oi!-t, and a 
 piuinisini; futiiro : every one .•'oeniod tu li:ivp furgutteii I'hilibert'ji iintitnoly end, 
 a!i i huw liio family's re.-iiortid riiii.'f hml bei.ii eut ulf in Iho )iiinio of niaiihuu.l, 
 and it.i I ru8|ie;t.-j bli/hfed ln!('vi;r, liy tlie ilM.'-tiirdly aetuf oiuj uf tho In'eiid;int'.< 
 miiiiuiis. AH .-ooMied Vi h..ve fM>;i tten llieso tiietj' ; all, favo one" jierson, and thi« 
 w:!.'* a yuiin^ man wliu had juft .■■■een tweiity-threo funimer.'f ; his uaino was 
 J'iorro .\ii'liulM-i I'hilibert. i^oveio in his d" riieiinipr, stod:i ii.< and reserved in hi.s 
 habit.«, yoiinj;f I'hilibert hnd ^ruwn i:)i tu nuinhuud, tho eliief Hiipjii'rt and n n.^u- 
 latiun iif hid wiiluwed mctlior. At tiiiics, several hud remaiked in his an.stcro but 
 bOiiitifiil f.ioo, a .luMibro exjirc^-iun, wlii'di wuiild iinmodiately niult into a siib- 
 d.iol sadness, tho real oauso of whii'h few ."eemed to an.spcet. IJeluved, a.- ho 
 certainly was, by all who knew him, it was a mournful day for tho forlorn widi-w, 
 when, fullowed by soiuo friends, she oseorted hor oldest sun to tho Lower Town 
 wharf, on his way to old Franco to obtain a coaimissiou in the army. AVhother ho 
 Buoeoeded or not, does not ajijiear. 
 
 Ten months after his departure, Madame Philibert one morning received a 
 letter ; it caino from Europo. On breaking the seal, the lint words which mot her 
 eye were, as follows :— 
 
 " My Dearest Mother, — Wo are avenged ; my father's murderer is no more. " 
 Tho two had met at Pondichorry, in the East Indies. De Repcntigny had fallea 
 under a sword wound which youug Philibort kud iullictod on hiui iu a duel. 
 
LE CIIIEN DOR. 
 
 qiiniiitnncc y,\[)\ dotes : tlin only point woriliy of rcmnik, is 
 thai the urave nilic appenrs to have taken the novel for his- 
 tory aiul crilised i( accordingly. (1) 
 
 As apiiears liy the corner stone recently found at the Chien 
 d'Or, it was Nicholas .lacquin IMiiliherl who cans -d this house 
 to bo erected, tin; 2()lli Aiignst, 17.'jii. This corner stone i- a 
 lingular relic. IJiider the dale 17:t.'> can Im; see (he two capital 
 letters V and H ; the space between the li^lters is taken up with 
 a (ireek or a St. Andrews cross, engraved in the stone and 
 colored in red. 
 
 On the stone was fonnd a lead plate with the following 
 inscription : 
 
 MCOLAS lAOVIX 
 
 DIT IMIILinKU 
 
 M'AlUSKLK2oAUYST 
 
 173j. 
 
 There were traces of the inipn;ssion of coins on the lead, 
 bill these coins have not hecn found : either the masons en- 
 {^iiged in the laying o(' llu; sloni; abstracted them, or some of 
 those later since, en,uagod in repairing or altering tlx^ building 
 may have done so. The lead plate, with the corner stone, are 
 now de|)osiied in the office of Mr. 1'. (iaiivrcan, Inspector of 
 I'nbliv. \Vorks, I'arliament Ilonse. On the stone wlujre the 
 date — 173G — stands, under the insciiplion of the Golden Dog, 
 can be seen traces of letters, with a ciMnent adiiereing, imi- 
 tating thegrey colour of the stone. It has been found impos- 
 sible to reunite and reform the inscription, wliicli nuisl 
 originally have been placed (»n this stone. According to Mr. .1. 
 Viger, the 21sl of January, 1748, Nicholas Jaccinin dit IMiili- 
 berl quarrelled wilh Pierre Lcgardenr, Sieur de Rcpenligny, 
 respecting a mililary ordeV billetting him on I'hil bcrl. From 
 words came blows, and de Repentigny wounded bis adversary 
 mortally. 
 
 (1) Thoro wcro also apparent traces of fire, on the walls wbon tUc^- were re- 
 cently removed. 
 
THE HISTORY OF AN OLD IIOUSK. 
 
 n 
 
 load, 
 «;n- 
 
 In those fli^liliiig dnys of nilv«;nti]rcs aiul duels, when du(>dft 
 ofwor, niidai'ily or Vidoiir, made or uiiinado men, the blood 
 of n ftjllow-ciealure wns easily atoned for, especially if Ihe 
 traiisuressur bnro a iiublu name and stood well at Court. 
 
 I)e HepiMili'n'ny reeeivcul the year f(dlowing a |Mirdon from 
 Kini,' Louis XV, and ri>lurn(>d from Acadia, >vhi(her he bad 
 rrlired. Pliilibeil biH'ore dyiii^ bad forgiven his murderer. 
 The iiami! of this same Pierre Legardeur. 8ieur de Ucpentigny 
 occurs amongst those officers serving under (dievalier de Levi, 
 al the batlle of St. Foye, on 28th April, 1760. In Uawkint 
 Jlislorical Picture of Quebec, published in 1834, occurs a plau- 
 sible (ixplanalion of Ihe enigmatical verses inscribed on the 
 stone hasso-relievo of the Chien d'Or. Mj. fiegon, Intcndant in 
 New Fnniee, formerly a merchant in Bordeaux, had arrived in 
 Quebec in 1712. Philibiut quarrelled with him touching some 
 claims which he had preferred against Government. Failing to 
 make them good, Philibert caused the following words to b<j 
 engraved ovi^r the front of his residence, beneath the likeness 
 of a Dou G.NAWiNu a Bone : 
 
 Je Svis Vn Cliien Qvl Honge Lo, 
 en le rongeanl Je prend monRepo», 
 Vn terns vieiidni qv' n'est pas venv, 
 qve je morderay (|vi m'avra inordv. 
 173G. 
 
 bni 
 
 The artist, says Mr. Iluot, who carved this dog was not a 
 master in the art. We can safely pronounce him anything but 
 n Praxitiles. Possibly he might have experienced surprise, had 
 it then b;en predicted to him that his work would descend to 
 posterity. The dog in the attitude of gnawing his bone, seems 
 to have much loo placid a countenance. Philibert more than 
 lik«Hy found the emblematic chitn much deficient in sullen 
 fierceness, when the sculptor had given him the finishing 
 touch. 
 
 If we are lo credit some vague traditions, it was Philibert'9 
 w idow, Marie Anne Guerin, the wife he had wedded on the 2.3rd 
 Nov., 1733 — who caused the sculptured stone and inscription 
 to be affixed to the front of the house. 
 
94 
 
 LE cii;en d or. 
 
 Sonin fanciful writor«liavo gone sliil furlhorand hnvo staled 
 that a son of IMiilibi.Tl had gone to Kiirupt; to tight a diKd willi 
 liis father's mnrderer and that lie had been killed hy di 
 Uepenlijiiiy. II any siieh dtnd took place, ileoiild nolhavt; heen 
 prior to 17(iO, since at that date de Uepenlii:ny \\us still in 
 New Trance. 
 
 It s(U!ms impossible to unearth the truth, frnin und(!r these 
 old tra(lili('ns. Here rests a store most ample of nuUerials for 
 the ntiv 'list. 
 
 Time lends to legendary lore, a most fragrant aroma, spreads 
 flowers over tombs and gleams of poetry over common- place 
 things long since forgotten. Alexandre Humas who wcaved a 
 beautiful romance about the Tower of Nesle, could have found 
 hertj the groundwork for an exciting tale, whei-ein that war- 
 like period — the eighteenth century — with its dark deeds of 
 blood and revenge, woidd have stood out in bold reliif. If, on 
 one hand, I'iiilibert is a viitim whi(;h moves us to pity ; on the 
 olher.itsi'ems incomprehensible that deUi'pentiguy should have 
 drawn his sword about such an insignificant (piaind. Was it 
 merely an ordinaiy instance of soldieilike brutality ? Was it a 
 deed of personal revenge, or els.', was de Uep.'iUigny mei-ely 
 the instrument, the sycophant ot a niighliiu- man ? What eviu* 
 we choose to suppose, that drop of blood, lights up wilh 
 sinister glare, tlie gloom of years which oversliadows the old 
 structure. So much for romance. 
 
 From 1775 to 1800, the Chien d'Or went under the name of 
 ((Freemason's Hall. » In 1775, Widow I'renlice, whose late 
 husband, Miles Prentice was of the iMasoiiic crafi, and a ser- 
 geant in Wtdfe's army, kept there a cidcbrated Viif've House, 
 frequented by the swells of the period. This is the same Miles 
 Prentice who, as Prevost Marshal, was charged wilh arresting 
 that dauntless agitator, the Huguenot DuCalvet, who patrioti- 
 cally claimed for his fellow subjects the whole of the privileges 
 of British subjects. Ducalvel was confined in a cell in the 
 Recollet Convent, then used asa prison for jiolilical ofl'endeis 
 — (the Recollet Convent, burnt in 1706, stood partly where 
 the English Cathedral, built in 1804, now stands ) Miles 
 I'renlice had either a daughter or a niece of wondrous bcauly, 
 
THE HISTORY OF AN OLD HOUSE. 
 
 9o 
 
 and in lli(! bloom of youth. TIk; immortal Nelson, tlien tlio 
 youthful Commanilor of llio .IZ/'cmrtr/c, a friuato of 20 guns, 
 couvcyod somo merchanlnuMi ti» ijut Ixrc in 1782, and was ono 
 of the habitues of I'renlice's Hotel. He was so smitten \\illi the 
 Quebec « muftiu, -» that he olfered her marriage, and (innly 
 declared he would leavothe service rather than be separated 
 from his charmer. 
 
 Read in Sonthey, (I) and Lamartine's Biographies of the 
 Naval Hero, the liveiv concern experienced by his Qucbi'c fi i(Mid 
 A. Davidson, (some say Lymburnei), when .\ 'Ison made 
 known his rash resolve. 
 
 Had love prevailed, and marriage followed, wi!h a n^iire- 
 menl from Ihe navy, would Nelson's destiny have been the 
 same ? Would he have inmiortalised his nami^ at Aboukirand 
 Trafalgar? Would he have been known to succeeding ages as 
 the bulwark of England on the ocean ? Would Napoleon's 
 supremacy on land have extended to the sea ? — for Hie most 
 trivial incident makes or unmakes great men. 
 
 We read in Ihe old numbers of the Quebec Gazette^ and 
 later on, in 1700, in the Quebec Herald, (2) with what zest 
 our patriotic fathers, the Yolimtc^er and Militia oflicers of 177o, 
 used to celebrate each year the glorious anniversary of 31st 
 Dec, 1775, when a handful of Drilish and French Canadians 
 with a few regulars repulsed Arnold alSault-au-Matelot street, 
 and Montgomery at Pres do Ville. They styled themselves the 
 
 (1) Robert Southey thns describes this cnrioiis incident in the Hfe of his hero: 
 " At Quebec, Nelson became acquainted with Alexamler Davidson, by whoso 
 interference bo was prevented from making whiit woiilj be caUed an iinprmlent 
 marriage. The Albemarle was about to leave the stittion, her captain had taken 
 leave of friends, and was gone down the river to the place of anchorage, when 
 the next morning, as Davidson was walking on the beacli, to his surprise he saw 
 Nelson coming back in his boat. U]ion inquiring flie cause of his re-appearance, 
 Nelson took his arm, to walk towards the town, and told him he found it utterly 
 impossible to leave Quebec without again seeing the woman whose society had 
 contributed so much to his happiness there, and offering her his hand. ' If 
 you do, said his friends, your utter ruin must follow. ' ' Then, let it follow ' cried 
 Nelson, ' for I am resolved to do it ' — ' and I, ' replied Davidson, • am resolved 
 you shall not. ' Nelson, however, upon this occasion was less resolute than his 
 friend, and suffered himself to bo led back to the boat. — (,Li/« of' Lord Nelnon, by 
 Rob. SoHthey L. L. D.) 
 
 (2) Knox's Journal, vol. 11, p. 149. 
 
90 LE CHIEN DOR. 
 
 « 
 
 Veterans' and hold Ihoir annual dinner at the Merchants 
 Coffee House. We are inclined to believe Prentice's Hotel, 
 where Nelson and Montgomery had lounged, had also 
 amongst its habitues, its fair share of veteran and military swells 
 of the period. 
 
 Our ol<l friend Mr. DeGasp6 used to tell of a most singular 
 suicide which took place in a room on the lirst story of the 
 venerable Hall. A highly respectable and well-to-do merchant 
 of Three Rivers of the name of Bndeau, spending a few days in 
 the city, had put up at the Chien d'Or. Whether it was during 
 those gloomy November days — that season specially set aside 
 by Englishmen to cut their throats — we cannot say. One 
 morning the Trifluvian was found stone dead, hung by the 
 neck to a large nail affixed to the wall ; — 
 
 And there he hung till he was dead, 
 
 As any nail in town, 
 For, though distress had cut him up ; 
 
 It could not cut him down. 
 
 The ominous nail, when the building was recenllypulled down, 
 was saved as a relic and is still in the possession of W. Sheppard, 
 esquire. Post Office Inspector. The true cause of his death re- 
 mains to this day unexplained. Here, resided also at the 
 beginning of the century, Henry Blackstone, Coroner of 
 Quebec, the talented son of that great english jurist, Sir Wil- 
 liam Blackstone. 
 
 Subsequently, we find the old house occupied as an auction- 
 mart, next as a place of worship ; afterwards, rented for the 
 office of the Mercury newspaper and by the Quebec Provident 
 and Savings Bank. Dr. Marsden and Dr. Rees, both held sur- 
 geries there. The Mechanic Institute, had their rooms in the 
 second flat, whilst the basement, was used as a Confectioner's 
 stand, by Henry Eaton, the son of the celebrated pedestrian. 
 It had formed part of the Pozer estate, and the old mil- 
 lionaire, George Pozer, having resolved not to comply 
 with the new municipal regulations and remove the stone 
 steps which encroached on the street, stood protracted litiga- 
 tion on this point ; he spent six months, attending (he sittings of 
 
THE BISTORT OF AM OLD HOUSE. 
 
 97 
 
 lion- 
 the 
 
 Ident 
 
 Isur- 
 
 thc 
 
 ler's 
 
 pan. 
 
 Imil- 
 iply 
 lone 
 
 Mga- 
 zsof 
 
 Parliament, in Kingston, to seek Legislative redress ; there, he 
 caught the cold which eventually carried him ofT-— but his 
 valued steps were doomed ; they were removed. 
 
 In 1853, Government purchased it, for £4,000 from Geo. 
 Alford, esquire, for a Post Office. Over the chief entrance, 
 as of yore, we still see the mysterious golden dog crunching 
 his bone, just over the bust uf the founder of the city, Samuel 
 de Champlain, and the busy crowd flowing daily past, to or 
 from Mountain Hill, continues to gaze inquiringly at the 
 emblematical dog, just as Captain John Knox, (1) gazed and 
 wondered, at the inscription when, on the 18lh September, 
 1759, de Ramsey's capitulation opened the city gates to British 
 valor. Who will solve the mystery of the Golden Dog ? 
 
 (I) Thursday last being the Slst of December, the Vetkbans held their annual 
 dinner at the Merchant's Coffee House, all of whom that health would permit 
 were present, to the number of about 30. Songs, toasts, &o., of course. Informa- 
 tion likewise adds, the worthy veterans have established themselves as a 
 ■ooiety ; the officers appointed, we learn, are four stewards and a secretary ; and 
 that they conclude in future to meet twice a year. — Qutbe* Herald, 4th January, 
 1790. 
 
TIDBITS OF FEUDAL CUSTOMS AND RIGHTS- 
 
 (WritUninlStZ.) 
 
 Amongst the innumerable feudal burthens and medieval 
 cobwebs which time or legislation have successively swept 
 away in European communities, Ihere existed a lordly privi- 
 lege satyrised by Sterne, and of rather doubtful propriety. 
 Traces of it were to be (ound, not only, in the realms of good 
 Kings Evenus and Malcolm, in Scotlaud, and in the Welsh 
 Chronicles, but also in France, Germany, England, Italy, Bel- 
 gium, &c. It was one of those rights which one would be more 
 apt to look for under the heading of Droits IlonorifqueSf than 
 under that, of Z)rot/s Utiles.' French writers designate it as 
 Droit lie Jambage, Prelibation, &c., and as I do not care to be 
 too explicit in describing it, it will suffice to say that it had for 
 its object, as many pretend, to conler on the lord of the 
 manor the same eights which some royal I olharios in France 
 claimed in those marriagi' contracts « oule Roi a signe. » No 
 data havft v«'| lieen found wlierebv to establish that it ever 
 oxisloti \ho c<ilony : Ihe chiinces are, that had its introduc- 
 tion ';i 11 place, 'he Canadian Seigneur would have fared as 
 baJi. a ^thosti I'i 'dcnoiilestj nobles, who, for a like attempt 
 w»M'i', acC' rdinu loGuyol, (1) summarily hooted out of the 
 Kingdom. (2) That this liiiht — high prerogative, if you prefer 
 — which might have suited old King Solomon, appears in 
 
 (1) Quyot goes on to gay that in times gone by, the clergy claimed an indem- 
 nity for commuting this feudal custom. Despeisses also mentions a singular case. 
 If we accept their authority, how thankful we must feel to know that feudalism 
 is dead and buried for ever. What a scandal it would be through the cirilised 
 world, if even the bare possibility could exist that the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
 for instance, might claim so many " fat capons " at Michaelmas for refusing to 
 arail himself of such aright t 
 
 (3) See Bo<ithiu8. Seotorum Hutorim, George Buoannaa ; Rtrum SeotUorum 
 Bittoria, 
 
100 
 
 TlD-BiTS OF FEUDAL 
 
 charters and grants, there can be no doubt : and although we 
 do not see that the Seigniorial Tenure Commissioners paid 
 much attention to it, \shen they recently sifted the matter, 
 taking in consideration the manner in which existing rights 
 have been dealt with, we may make ourselves quite easy that, 
 if it did exist, the $800,000 provided in the budget of 1862, to 
 indemnify seigniorial rights will be properly applied and dis- 
 tributed. 
 
 This right, it has been pretended, is inserted in the land 
 patent of the representatives of a very illustrious Canadian 
 house ; I rumly believe, however, that never, even in his pal- 
 miest dpys, did this Seigneur think of availing himself of it. 
 Anomalous as the right may appear, was it a whit less intoler- 
 able than several of the manifold exactions which (1) free-born 
 
 (1) I can searolj forbear a gmile when I hear the word mentioned, from its 
 being connected with a very ludiorous recent inoident. A aporting gentleman 
 owning the fishing limits of the Jacques Cartier river, in order to secure efficient 
 preeorvation of the inmates, imported an English game-keeper. The sturdy old 
 Saxon rejoiced in the name of John Crisp. Mr. Crisp was indeed a character 
 tie was a hard hitter, a pugnacious soul, — the type of the sturdy race which 
 the Norman dulte had mercilessly crushed under his iron heel at Hastings : John 
 camo in this country with the feelings not of an equal, but of a conqueror, and 
 concluded that as such, he would be exposed to the ill will and vengeance of the 
 discendants of Frenchmen ; he depicted to himself, the peaceful habitant, as a 
 Mood-thirsty savage, the sworn enemy to his race. Distended with english preju- 
 tlicet), nothing in Canada was as it ought to be. Even the ale was poisonous : 
 lie vowed that without bis usual supply of London Stout, he would pine and die. 
 
 Squire Crisp had to be watched each week. Mr. Crisp, to use his exprestiion 
 would " cook the gonge Saturday and drink the grovy on Sunday " — which meant 
 that he made himself very drunk at his Saturday dinner and carried the spree over 
 the Sunday. His disordered imagination gave way to dispondency and tinally to 
 dilerium tremens. One thing however he took kindly to, that was the wine of th* 
 rountry, 50, 0. P. Whiskey. One of his hallucinations, was that Canada being an 
 old Norman Colony, and the Norman race in the ascendant, a Saxon must neces- 
 sarily be oppressed. 
 
 The absence of " London Stout " so depressed the spirit of John, that he bad 
 to resort to the toine of the country, to keep them up, but all in vain ; he unstrung 
 his nerves and, under incipient d...t..., he once rose in the middle of the night 
 nnd discharged his fowling piece, at two gate posts near his dwelling, swearing 
 
 horribly at thorn, and calling them " D d French Canadians. " At last he 
 
 became quite dangerous, and his loyalty to the Queen was one morning abruptly 
 interrupted by one of his English masters, with the help of some habitant clap- 
 ping handcuffs on him, and picketing him for an hour before his tent, with a rope, 
 iiiitil he could be removed. His imprecations then became sublime. " To think, " 
 he would exclaim, " of a free-born Briton, picketed before a tent, with manaclei 
 
CUSTOMS IND BIGHTS. 
 
 101 
 
 presiiion 
 meant 
 
 free over 
 
 jnally to 
 of th* 
 
 ^eing an 
 neces- 
 
 he 
 
 had 
 
 [Strung 
 
 night 
 
 earing 
 
 ast ho 
 
 Tuptly 
 
 olap- 
 
 rope, 
 
 ink," 
 
 aolei 
 
 Britons quietly endured at home, and abroad in their colonies, 
 where they imported their institutions ? Take Massachusetts 
 and the other New England states, for instances ; whatwould 
 a citizen of the model republic now say, were it attempted to 
 resuscitate the ancient order of things ? What would be the 
 feelings of a Nova Scotian, were his legislators to revive the 
 tenure under which were originally granted the broad acres on 
 w hich he prides himself to-day 7 On the other hand, what a 
 glorious field for law-suits, what green pasturage for Chancery 
 lawyers the revival of these old land charters would open ! 
 Why ! it would be a perfect California for us, gentlemen of the 
 long robe. 
 
 I shall now submit in a condensed form, an extract from an 
 English royal charter ; it is a most dainty tid-bit, which I can 
 commend to the admirers of legal lore. Every one has heard 
 of Nova Scotia knights ; indeed, if I am well informed, we 
 have one at present (1863) within the precincts of this city, 
 (Sir J. D. H. Hay. 4) Few are aware of the marvellous array ot 
 rights and privileges contained in the charter creating them, 
 granted in 1621 by James I. of England, and confirmed and 
 re-enacted by Charles I., in 1625, in favor of Sir William 
 Alexander de Menntrie, subsequently made Earl of Sterling. 
 This precious document, written in Latin, covers twenty-four 
 quarto pag^s. Afler enumeratinn the titles of the earl's lands 
 in Nova Sc(»tiii. &;c., it descends into the most minutes parti- 
 culars concerning the rights vested in him over his vassulsand 
 tenants in his extensive domain, which comprised Nova 
 Scotia, New Brunswick, Cape Breton, St. John, Newfoundland, 
 and even the Gaspe district. This royaf grant divided Nova 
 Scotia int3 one hundred and fifty fiefs or seigniories, and con- 
 ferred on the mighty chieftain (who, by the bye, was also a 
 
 on hii arms, like a felon, in a Canadian wilderness. " Colonial habits did not suit 
 Mr. John Crisp, and after a short time, the Atlantic steamer re-conreyed him to 
 the land of the free. 
 
 (4) Sir James D. Hamilton Hay, for many years an attache of the Adjutant- 
 General's branch of the Militin Department, died 30th July in the 73rd year of 
 his age. He will be succeeded is the baronetcy by his son, Mr. H. C. Hay, of Uie 
 Customs Department. 
 
 iOUatea Timet, Ju'y, 1873.) 
 
102 
 
 TID-BITS OP FEUDAL 
 
 poet) tho power to knight any one who would become the pur- 
 chaser of any of his lots, which he valued each at two hundred 
 pounds sterling. How pleasant it must have been for the land 
 speculator, on signing his deed of sale, to have the auspicious 
 words tingling in his ears : « Rise, Sir N. Fortunatus, » &c., 
 or other words to I he same effect. It has often been my lot to 
 hear intelligent Dritons commiserate most feelingly on the 
 intolerable hardships which French charters imposed on the 
 benighted French Canadians, but I have not yet had the good 
 fortune to light on a French land patent embodying a greater 
 number of exactions, restrictions and privileges in favor of 
 the lord of the manor than the following charter, sanctioned 
 by two English monarchs : — 
 
 « We also grant the possession of houses, buildings erected 
 and to be erected, gardens, valleys, woods, swamps, roads, 
 cross roads, ponds, streams, meadows, pasture lands, mills, 
 the exclusive right to t^riml corn, liic shooting of birds and 
 Aviid animals, Hie rijiht to jisli, the right to tmf and turf lands, 
 coal and coal pits, lahbils and war-ruiis, do^s and dovo rots, 
 workshops, forges, heaths, wlieal fields, forests, merchantable 
 timber, small trees, qiiarrii's, limestone, courts of justice and 
 their di'pendencies, tin* right lo remit sentences, the rifiht ot 
 ri'eeiviog g'fis in marriagi'S, (he ri^ihl to cM'ect gallows and 
 gibltels. IIk! right of cul de fosse. Ilic riiilil ol fninchc court, of 
 snknvn nf sak. of thole, of Ihaic, of .|'an,i;tlii f, of oxlhnn?- 
 t' I'. , il of ou'wark. of . avi. of u\' k of veiiysoiie, of p I ai d 
 
 i.'i r 
 
 ;:. .ln,.s, )) &(■ . &r.. &i'. i iio l-or.i liavo iMcrcy on III ■ ] 
 ..-sal Ol t; iiiinl who liail lo ('t»!iii)lv v. !l!i all !h -sc exfu ; en ! 
 i; tniis! liavti b ;t'n doubilMJ lo him wlielh'r hi soul a- >\ ii a-. 
 his liody did not l)elon.; to the carl, his omnipol -nl master. 
 
 So much for English charters. I shall now, in order lo 
 illustrate one of iht; pecul ar institutions of tho country, and 
 for the benefit of non-legal readers, insert, as a sample, a 
 donation entrevifs, in plain English, a deed of annuity, which 
 I shall translate from a city paper, the Courrier du Canada. 
 This form of donation was formerly and is still used by some 
 
 (1) This reminds one of the prerogatives of the Baron of Bradwardine. 
 
CUSTOMS AND BIGHTS. 
 
 103 
 
 •t, or 
 
 ll a! <l 
 
 ;w, !• 
 
 |r|) ! 
 ii a.^ 
 
 |r. 
 
 |r lo 
 I and 
 ., a 
 liich 
 tda. 
 )me 
 
 country notaries. It is unnecessary to remark what a fruitful 
 source of litigation its contradictory stipulations must have 
 furnished. 
 
 Before giving this legal gem, I shall, as aprelimlnary, relate 
 in a few words what occurred to a wealthy Englishman who 
 had acquired a large tract of land in the country parts of 
 Canada, and who wanted more. Nothing was requisite to round 
 off his estate but a small farm, owned by a very ancient Cana- 
 dian lady ; sell, she would not; but she agreed lo dispossess 
 herself if her rich neighbour would allow hor an annuity of 
 about £50 ; (his amount was not to be paid in money ; it 
 was to be represented by the ordinary condilionsofu</ona/i'on 
 entre vifs, the preparing of which was left to the village notary, 
 (1) as is usual in such cases. When the French document was 
 read, John Hull could make neither head nor tail of it, and 
 instructed the notary to hav(! a literal translation made ; it 
 was not quite Addisonian English, but it could be understood ; 
 the choleric Englishman restrained himsolf until the notary 
 
 (1) The Boston Pott, notices a castom as existing in Canada, of which oer- 
 taiul; little is over heard, if it does exist: 
 
 UUNNIXO TUE lOXOLEK. 
 
 Canada is the refuge of French antiquities driven from their native land by a 
 relentless and radical civilization, among which, is the custom of " running the 
 Ignoloe, " whicli originated twonty-fivo hundred years ago. Though this cere- 
 mony, whicli is druidical, would haidly be expedited to wear so well in a land that 
 ])rofcsse8 to be Christian, it nevertheless was this year as sacredly observed 
 among the French Canadians of the rural districts as two hundred years ago. Only 
 a few years since it was allowed in Montreal, but the late influx of outside in- 
 fluence has smothered it there. Freya, the wife of Odin, the Saxon Qod, made all 
 things swear not to harm Balder, the Sun, except the mistletoe, a plant so dimi- 
 nutive that she didn't think it worth noticing. Lake, god of evil, found out his 
 weak point, however, and tearing up the mistletoe gave it to Oder, the blind god, 
 who with it fatally pierced Balder. That was the fable, and it was to prevent 
 Lake from slaying Balder that the Druids solemnly sought the oak trees and 
 gathered the mistletoe fromtheir boughs with the Joyous cry, " Auguil'anneufl" 
 of which " La Ignoloe " or " Guillannee is a corruption, meaning the mistletoe— 
 the New Tear. A company of young men now meet and serenade every house 
 with a fanfaronade of tin horns and horse-fiddles. After greeting the host and 
 hostess, the singers and instrumentalists beg a piece of ham with tail attached, 
 called a " chignee, " threatening in the event of a refusal, to take the oldest child 
 of the family to the forest and roast it under the oak tree, where the dove and 
 cuekoo sing. Drnidism was introduced into Gaul seven hundred years befor* the 
 birth of Christ, and its still vigorous rites show tiiat » heftthen plaoi may flourisii 
 in.Christian soil. 
 
104 
 
 TUHBITS or ntlDAL 
 
 public arrived at that stipulation in the deed, whereby the 
 donee (the Englishman) was required to « bind himself to 
 harness the donor's (the old lady*s) horse and drive her to the 
 parish church, » when, quietly rising from his chair, he col- 
 lared the notary and kicked him out. 
 
 All OLD FRENCH DONATION. 
 
 « Amongst other thingfi, the donor reserves for his use, an 
 immortal horse, a cow which will never die, a ewe which 
 renews herself forever, at the will of the donor; twenty 
 minots of royal and merchantable wheat, good measure, made 
 into fluur, together with the bran, to be deposited in the garret 
 of the donor and nowhere else ; a reasonable (1) pig weighing 
 200 lbs., without legs or head, but with its fat, and if any 
 should be wanting, it shall be taken from another reasonable 
 pig of the donee, where the fat is the thickest and where there 
 are no bones ; also 15 lbs. of herbs sailed, at proper season, 
 and placed in a suitable cask ; also each year the young of the 
 cow and of the ewe, whether they have any young or not. The 
 horse, cow and ewe will be renewed when it is necessary, ac- 
 cording to the wish and will of the donor, expressed or not 
 expressed. The donee will wait at all times on the donor, in 
 sickness and in health, whether the donor asks him to do so 
 or not ; will go and fetch the priest and the physician in 
 extremis — will drive them back, even should the donor die. 
 The horse will be harnessed becomingly to a suitable vehicle 
 with cushions and furs, in winter as well as in summer ; the 
 donee will be bound lu drive the donur to church on Sundays ; 
 the donor shall also have a quarterof beef, or cow meat which 
 the donee will kill himelf, also a dead lamb, with its depend- 
 encies, just as if it were alive. The donor also reserves a bed ; 
 but when he dies, he leaves the enjoyment thereof to the 
 donee who will be bound to keep it neat and clean. » The 
 
 (I) " Un eoehon raiionnable. " Very warm diseusaions used to tnane between 
 donor and donee ; one inaisted on » fat pig ; the other reiolutely reaiated the in- 
 troduction of thia clauae, from the great expense and trouble to fatten the grunter ; 
 the notai7 would then propoae, by way of eompromiie, to ina ert a ** naaonable 
 
Ct'STUMS AiND lUGIIlS. 105 
 
 plirascology of French Donations has been modernized, >vo 
 subjoin an in^lance in point. (I) 
 
 (1) FIERI FACIAS. 
 
 Circuit Court — Dintrict o/ Juliette, 
 
 DiiUiot of Juliotto, to wit 
 
 Mo. 820. 
 
 : I piKUUK VENNE, faimtT of tlio parish of St. 
 ) ' .Tii'viiics, in tlu- coniity (if .Nri>t\tna!iii, in the dis- 
 trict of Joliottrj. I'laintilT ; vn. EIISEIJK nKAUCiCAMP, farmor, of tho parish of 
 St. A!u.\id, (llatriut afuruBuid, L>ofuiidiint, and iMossrs. Gudin ic UoatwUon, pluin- 
 tifl'd attoruuyd. 
 
 A f:irin sitiintn and ticino; in tho jiarisli of St. Alexis aforesaid, contiiining thrno 
 arpent" and a lialf in front by twonty-two arponts in depth ; boiuidcd in front liy 
 tho liiif IJayoiil, in roar by I'laoido I'inault, on ono nido by tioloraon Chaput, and 
 on the cither I>y Ihu heirs uf the lato Luui:j Kiupol — with a huuso, barn aud othur 
 iMiil linjrs tliiii'iin erected. 
 
 Said farm being 8ii))joct to tho clauses, conditions and charges horeinaftor 
 montiiinod, in faviir of Dame Mario Anno Bour^^ooif;, widow of tho into Jusepli 
 Loaiiclianip, in his life tiiiio, I'linuer (if tho ]lHli^h of St. Alu.\id uforodaid, tiiu 
 aniiuiil and life rent, j/vnniun rlnjiri:, oaeli ye.ir, i-oiupused of what follows : Toii 
 bushels (if w!icat, V.\i: Iialfof a fit pi;,', said half n, it to weigh loss than ahiindrod 
 pound.', with tlio lard (/'">i'i'), a lamb .'it her ehoioo out of tlio purchaijer'ii liook 
 OTury year, a cow at tho choice of tlio said Daiuo Mario Auuo liourgoois, thu lirat 
 thiit til ill have calvod, to bo returned when sho runn dry, and to be kept during 
 tho winter and pastured by tho purcliaser, replaced by another in tho event of her 
 death, sickness or illness such as to deprive the said Damo Mario Anno Bourgeois 
 of tho bcnollt of her ; a half bushel of good peas for soup ; four pounds of rice, 
 three pounds of tea, twelve pounds of candles to tho said Danio Mario Anno 
 Bourgeois, a half pound ground popper, a(iuartor of a pound of cinnamon and of 
 allspice, a half pound of .toda, four jtouuds uf spring wool, as long as the said Dame 
 Marie Anno Bourgeois, will bo able to work thu same hor«olf, six ells of home- 
 mado linen, eight buahols of good sound potntoes fit to oat ; fifteen cords of cord- 
 wood, good ar 1 sound, whereof five coi Js must bo of hard wood and ton cords of 
 soft wood, split and put into tho said Dame Mario Anno Bourgeois house, as re- 
 quired by hor, tlroo loads of dry wood for tho oven, split into smalt pio<?69, a 
 horse harncssod and uiharnossod, with suitable vehicles for tho diiferont seasons 
 of tho year, with robes and ouiihions sufflciont, .and oven to havo hor driven by a 
 prudent porson when she may dosiro, and to gn wherever sho may feel inoliuod 
 and to take with h( r whomsoever alio may wi.<h to hrini^ ;twonty-fivo pound'' if 
 maple sugar, a gallon of good mnplo syrup, seven and a half pounds of buttor, 
 six pounds of Canadian poap, throo chickonH, six di^ou of og,:^,:, throo quarters 
 of a Inishel (jJiuKJ/) of fait ; a good jloak of suitable atulT, woll linod, a printed 
 calico drcfcd, a oobourg dross at hor choice, two pairs of calfskin bootJ, every 
 year, two pocket handkorehiofs a year, a bonnet ai tjroi dc xV*/-'' "f, two mnnlUri, 
 two aprons, two woollen nock handkerchiefs, ono cotton nock handkoroliief every 
 year, muslin caps (^cnlines de mallemoUii) every year, two cotton chemises. 
 
 The said articles to bo of suitablo quality and delivered to tho said D^mo 
 Marie Anno Bourgeois, as demanded and required by her, tho said rent payable at 
 Michaelmas, of every year, and at the dead of tho said Dame Mario Anno Bour- 
 geois, tho said rent iliall be entirely extinct and amortized ; and the arrears 
 
106 
 
 TID-DITS OP FEUDU CUSTOMS ANn illCnTS. 
 
 As I do not wliish the reader to be carried away with the 
 crrunoous idoa of the French Canadian notaries have the mo- 
 nopoly of bad grammar and luubarons pliroseology, I shall 
 close this hasty sketch with n curious but Hlteral quotation 
 from ii lii^h En^lisli authority on the Law of Contracts ; il>viil 
 serve to illiistrule what extraordinary gibl)erish the learned 
 ancestors of Englishmen used to convey their ideas in, and 
 exceeds in quaintnoss the clauses of a Donation enlre vifs. (t) 
 
 « Si jeo vend chivall (jue ad null oculus, la null action gisi, 
 autcrment lou il ad un counterfeit, fau et bright eye ! » This 
 being interpreted, means : « If I sell a horse that has lost un 
 eye, no action lies against me for so doing ; but if 1 sell him 
 with a false and counterfeit eye, then an action lielh. » 
 
 thoroof shall belong to tho laid parohasor without hii being held to account 
 therefor to any porson. 
 
 To bo sold, subjoot ai aforof aid, at tho oburoh door of the parish of St. Alexii, 
 district aforesaid, on WEDNESDAY, tho TWENTIETH ciay of PEBRUAUY, at 
 ELEVEN o'clock in tho forenoon. Tho laid writ returnable on the twenty-fourth 
 day of February next. 
 
 B. n. LEPROnON, 
 BhuriiT's OfCce, ShorifT. 
 
 Jolietto, 16th October, 1871. 
 
 (Quebec Offieinl Gatctte), 2l8t October, 1871. 
 
 (1) Southorne vs. Howe, Addison on Contracts ; American Edition, page 54, 
 tho note. 
 
 It would take nso too long to show how, under this apparently inoongruoui 
 tenns, a groat deal of sound meaning was conveyed. 
 
Ih tho 
 c mo- 
 [ shall 
 olation 
 ; iUvill 
 learned 
 n, and 
 
 )n gisl, 
 » This 
 
 lost an 
 
 cU him 
 
 ,0 account 
 
 St. Alexia, 
 .UAllY, at 
 Bnty-louttb 
 
 :oN, 
 
 Sheriff. 
 
 page 64, 
 noongruoua 
 
 "LE DKOIT DE (H(Ex\OUILLA(IE,» 
 
 AND OTllEll ItlGlITS. 
 
 (WrUlenin 1863.) 
 
 " £t lo dit Siour, on aa quality do gontilhommo, a ddolar6 no aavuir algner. " 
 
 In nolinj; (liemnrchof civihsalioninlhis, ouryoiingcoimlry, 
 Iho palriol and lh»< historian, amidst some causes of re{,'rot, 
 will find more tlinn one subject of loRilimate pride. Canada, it 
 cainiot he denied, in the race of progress, op(;n to all nations has 
 in more cases than one, a«siimed a proud place, over some very 
 boastful communities of the Old and the proudest of the Now 
 World. 
 
 Long beforiH 829, at Ihe time when an Important por- 
 lion of the subjeels of Britain, as Roman Catholics, wero 
 gro.ming under disabilities and penal statutes, an Iri>hman 
 in Canada might be a man and a citizen, though he had the 
 misfortune of bi-'ing a U. C. The laws of Canada made no 
 (liffercnce. 
 
 Thus again, the Colony had poaceiibly obliterated as early 
 as 1803, the foul stain of dome^jlic slavery — ; it took sixty 
 years more, for ourerdiglilened neighbors amidst scene of blood 
 and fratricidal war to stamp out from their free constiluliun 
 this plague spot. 
 
 Thus agaii!, ill 1832, a Canadian Parliament had decreed 
 that a Jew was a man and a citizen, not only as a financier but 
 civilly — this latter fact, all the hoary wisdom of Great Britain 
 had not until lately, been able to discover ; and a Jew was a 
 pariah in the Council Chamber of the nation — though he might 
 be a Lord Mayor of London. 
 
 The early PYonch, and afterwards the early English, allowed 
 lis true, to grow on the trecofournationality, branches, which 
 Nvitli lime assumed proportions altogether too vast and which 
 
LE DROIT DE fiRENOT'ILLAGE 
 
 cast a (Inrksomo shade all around : the Feudal Tenure and the 
 Clergy Reserves. 
 
 The good-sense of Hie people guided by wise polilical leaders 
 such as Lal'onlnine, Rnldwin. Drnmmondj rid the country of 
 this incubus iu I8;)i. 
 
 Let :is not, however, be looswcepinginourcondemnalionof 
 the Seigniorial Tenure. Tlionii:h bnrlhcnsome to s country fully 
 developed, some of its obligations were highly beneficial to a 
 sparsely popnlated country — a poor community such as that of 
 New France, at its birth. Who else, amongst (he poor 
 pciasantry, but the sei(]neur, \ho. Laird, could have built the 
 banal mill for the parish? 
 
 This obligation was quite in favor of the ceniHairc. 
 
 Some of these rights, which came in the country with the 
 Gallic Lily were curious in their rise ; curious, in Heir fall. 
 
 We are led to thi' present inrpiiry by the perusal of a cle- 
 verly written book, compiled by Louis Vciiillot, ex-r Jlarlenr 
 of the r/H'j'f/'.s, a Paris newspaper I'oeiMitly suppressed liy 
 Napoh'on 111, Hie elect of thirty-two millionsof freemen, either 
 b(!causu his people were not sufllcien'ily advpjieed to have a 
 fi'ee press, or that a free pi-ess was a malum per sc. 
 
 But says llu^ clilitarian praclicallv, what have we in 
 Canada to do with Louis Yeu'llo! "r his liook ? N(»t!iing. cei- 
 triinly, nn.tre than this : il cout;<i::s, o\<'r aiul e.l»o\e, a most 
 inl(!resting conli'oxeisy wa^ed 1)\ iiie eliani|'ion ol tlie nllra- 
 moutane parly in Krnnce and the Inle Ailiu'uey (omi'^'tiI ami 
 present Pre-idenl of the Tour de Cassation, Mr Dupii;, on this 
 occasion, the nio:ilii-piee(! of tiie Fiiuieji Lilieral parly — a new 
 conlirmalion of an opinion IVer[iieully set forili lieri\ vi/, : Ificit 
 the feudal Teiiiiye, in //.s luilde.^t form only, uas inliudnccd into 
 Canada, although France, England and (ierniany for centuries 
 groau(!d undtu" it, in its most obnoxious lealuies. 
 
 According to Veuillot those r.'udal barons, whom we depict 
 to ourselv(!s so intent on (»|»pres>ing and so r<'ady lor Irivi.d 
 olTences, to roast and (piarter their nntoi'lu'iate serfs, were in 
 very many cases the very reverse of cruel ; nay, soiui; were 
 humane and considerate to a d(!uree. lie tells of some being 
 quite satisfied with the gift of a pig, a goose, a sheep, for the 
 
AND OTHER RIGUT8. 
 
 109 
 
 right to pasture the whole flock on the domain of the landlord ; 
 sometimes their eccentric humors betrayed Ihem into strange 
 fancies, lie shows us a seigneur in France, to whose manor 
 the peasantry drove each year, in a vehicle drawn by four 
 horses, a lark ; in another locality, an egg was substituted. 
 We are also told that at Bouloj^iu; the rieiiediclinu monks of 
 Saint Prtculus exiiited fruni lliusi; who had lease-hold pro- 
 perly under lluMn, the slea,n uf a boiled capun ; the operation 
 was perfurmed Ihus : on a (ixed day in each year, the tenant 
 drew near the table of the seigneur, bearing theboilcd chicken 
 between two dishes, when I'le upper dish was removed to 
 allow the fumes to escape ; this done he would remove the 
 dish and the chicken. (1) lie had accpiilted Ids feudal service. 
 
 (1) Wo find several in.itnncos of toniirci' oq'inlly sin(:;nlar in England: — " A. 
 farm at J3rookhou?o, in Iiang.'ott, in the parish of Poniston, and couiity of York, 
 pays yearly to (lodtVcy Uosvillc, Edij., a sno\ ball iUjUiidsummur auJ a rod roBO 
 at Christmas. " 
 
 William do Albomarlo Iiold.i tho manner of Iioston " by tho porvico of finding 
 for his lord tho kiu;.;, two arrows and a loaf of o'lt broad, when ho should hunt in 
 tho forest of Dartmore. 
 
 Solomon Attot'uld licld land at Ucporland nnd Atborton, in tho ('()unty of Kent, 
 upon condition " thiit as often as our lord tho king would ero?!) tho son, tho said 
 Solomon and heirs outflit to yo with him to hold his head on tho sea if it was 
 needful. " 
 
 John roinpos h:id thi" mnnor of lMnohiii,L;lield j^ivou hira by King Edward Til, 
 for tho sorvioo of turninj; iho pit iit his t-oroniitiun. " 
 
 tieollVy Fiui.ilmnd io'ia .«i.\ty ikmcs of land in Wiiij^liold, in the; county of 
 Sull'ilk, by tlu; toivico "l' i)aying to our lord tho Uinj; tfr,, ii'hilv dn-f,, yearly. 
 
 J('lir' do l{o''h"? iiojd-- till,' miiuor of W'iiiterslow, in V/i'tshire, by tho sorvioo 
 that when tlio UiuL,' siiouid abide nt Olnrondon, ho should j^o into tho butlory of 
 tho iviug"s Palaco there, and draw out of wiiii.t vessel ho chooses, as uiuch Hvino 
 as sli./ulJ bu iicedfil f.r aiakiu^ <t jilu-iu,- .,/ d<in-t, whieh h.) slij;il.l uiako ac tho 
 kin;;'s exjieufc : and tliat ho sliouM serve tlio kincj with a eup, and should havo 
 tho vesool wheuoo he to(.k tho wine, with nil tho wine then in it, together with 
 tho cup whenc > the king sauulu drink tlio clartL. 
 
 The town if Yarnioutli i^, by r'larter, bj'.uid to .-(uul tho shcrilT of Xorwiek a 
 hundred Jicvrhii/i, which uro to bo Iiaked in t>i-cntij-jour picf or pnt'uK, and deli- 
 vered to the lord of tiie manor of 15ast Onrlto-;, wlio ]■> to oiuivey thorn to tho kini^. 
 
 At tho coronation of James II., the lord of the manor of lleydoii, in Essex, 
 claimed to hold the hwiin and cirer to tlie Icing by virtue of one moiety, and tho 
 towrl by virtue of tho other moiety of tho same manner, whenovor tho kinf]f washed 
 before dinner, but the claim was allowed only as to the towel. 
 
 Sir Walter Scott gives tho following anoodoto relative to James V. of ?fotlnnd : 
 "Another adventure, which had nearly cost James his lifo, is said to havo 
 taken place at tho village of Cramond, near Edinburgh, where ho had rendered 
 his addrcasos acceptable to a pretty girl of the Io»v..>r iunk. I'our or five peraons. 
 
110 
 
 LE DROIT DE GRENOUILLAGE 
 
 Now we do not uish to spoak ill of Benedictine or any oilier 
 monks, but we do slate, without fear of contradiction, even 
 by M. Veuillol, that at that remote period there existed many 
 abbes, whose appetite was not salislied merely from inhahng 
 the steam of a boiled chick(!n. 
 
 Some of these feudal land owners, however, were right good 
 fellows. It is recoided that before the year 1450, the peasan- 
 try of Vaulx, ill Normandy, residing within live miles of the 
 Abbey of the; Holy Trinity of Caen, were annually treated, on 
 the fete of the Holy Trinity, to a substantial repast within the 
 walls of the monastery The carte de cuisine stood thus: 
 « They wijii; (list to wash their hands (not altogether a super- 
 lluous preliminary fui- laboring men) ; then all sat down, a 
 cloth was spread before tlicm ; to each, was served out, a 
 sniall loaf of biead weighing from twenty to twenty-two 
 ounces, a square piece of pork six inches long, after which 
 came a slice of grilled ham {une rihelelle de lart routy sur h 
 gfrci/), a paiiikin of bread and milk, and cider and ceivoesie 
 ad libitum during a four hour's silting. With such royal cheer 
 and such considerate masters, it is not at all surprising to hear 
 
 whi'thor relations or Ifiveri! of hi? rtiistroRS is uncertain, bosot the disfjuised mo- 
 narcli, as ho returned from his rcndez-vous. iS^ituraMy giilliint, and an admirable 
 niiidtor cf liit: weajjon, the liin}^ took ]iost on t!io higli and narrow bridge i vor the 
 Almoud rivnr, nnd (k'fendcd liiti'?clf brnvoi.v with liis sword. A (iRisant, who was 
 thrashing in a ncighborinGf bnrn, come out upon the noise, iind whether moved by 
 comiiassi.in or )iy natural gallantly, took tliu weaker side, and laid about with 
 liifi llail So effeotiially, as to dirjjersc tlic a?:>ailiiiita, well llirai-Led, even aeeor<ling 
 to the letter. lie then i-nndiii'tcd the king into hifj barn, where his giie?treqiirptcd 
 a basin and towel, to remove the stains of the broil. Tliis bcin;^ procured with 
 diflieulty, James employed hini.-;elf in learning wliat was the sunimit I'f the deli- 
 verer's earthly wishes, and found tliat they were bounded by the desire of posses- 
 sing, in property, the fiirm of Bracheail, iijion wliiidi he l.'iboured as a bondsman. 
 The lands ehanoed to belong to the crown, and James directed him to conio to the 
 Palace of IIolly-Rood, and enquire for the gooiloman (i.e. farmer) ofBallangeich, 
 a name by which he wns known in his excursions, iuid which answered to II 
 /i'mil'ictnii i)( Unxoun Alraschild. lie presented liiniself accordingly, and found 
 with due astoni.-bment tliat he had saved his monarch's life, and that ho was to 
 be gratified with a crown-cli.u'tcr of tiio lands of Braeliead, under tho sorvico of 
 presenting an ewer, b:isin, and towel, for the king to wash his hands, when ho 
 shall ha])]ien to pass the Bridge of Cramond. In 1822, wlien (loorgo IV, came to 
 Hcotlnnd, the descendant of this John Ilowison of Braekcad, wlio still j)03sosse3 
 tho estate which was given to his ancestors, apjioarcd at a soloniu festival, and 
 otr^'rod his ?Tnj'"ity water from a silver ewer. " This gave rise to the old song 
 " \Ve'iI g!i,o nao niair a roving. " 
 
AND OTHER RIGHTS. 
 
 lil 
 
 n 
 
 |nd 
 to 
 lof 
 Iho 
 Ito 
 
 lid 
 
 PS 
 
 a king of Franco — Louis X. — in 1315, after publishing odicis 
 to libnralo his siihjccls from Ihe fouilnl sorvitudo, complain 
 that fjomo of his pooph', hoing /// advised, preferred to remain 
 as Ihey were, to Ix^coming fre(>. A Icnniod writer, D(disio, from 
 these and other inslanees, concludes that several of the customs 
 which now appear to us as the most obnoxious, were th(; very 
 ones which in tli(! teud.il limis were considered Ihe lighlcst, 
 astheir performance was attonded with no trouble. And lo 
 this class bidontred Ihe f mniis Droit de (irenouiltage, lh(( sub- 
 ject of Messrs. I)u in and Michtlel's irreverent mirth. These 
 writers had perversciv I'urbisJKid up some old worm eaten 
 charters on whose aulhoritv they tax(Ml the landed aristocracy 
 of the middh; ages with Ixuii;,' in Ihe habit of compelling Iheir 
 serfs to turn out on the wedding night of l!i(! lord of IIk; manor, 
 to beat the frog ponds, in order thai his lordship's rest on such 
 an auspicious occasion, juight not be disturbed by the noisy 
 croakiiigs of the frogs ; and wliiit was worse in the eyes of 
 Veuillot, c{;rtain jolly I'riais, su(;li as the Ahbe de Luxeuil and 
 the Abbe de I'riim, stood also charged with having re([iiired 
 the perfurmaiice of this sardauapaliun service, not of course 
 on their wedding iiigiil, [Un- none hut bad xil)l>cs marri(id in 
 those times), but whenever they resideil in t'leir domains, as 
 the following lines showijd : — 
 
 « Pa I I'a ! raiiioUe, I'a I (silence, frogs, silence ') 
 « Voici monsieur I'abbe (jut! Dieu ga. (Near you rests, mon- 
 sieur I'abbe, whom may heaven watch over.) » 
 
 Not only were the peasanlscompelled to beat the frog ponds, 
 but during the operation in order to keep themselves awake, 
 they were expected lo croak out (in asubdiiedvoice, we should 
 imagine) this cabalistic lormida. The performance of the 
 croaking service was confined to those vassals whose land had 
 on that ciuidilion been freed I'roui terciludc. A large poriitui 
 of th(! volume before us is taken up in discussing this custom, 
 of which few instances can be fu:;iid ; amongst others, tho 
 case of a drowsy (lerman empei'or is addiictjd, who having to 
 sojourn over night in the village of Kreinsenn, was threateuijd 
 with being kept awake by the concerts of frogs ; fortunately 
 for his llighniiss, the peasantry mustered in lime and com- 
 
112 
 
 LE DROIT DF, GRENOtllLLAGE 
 
 pclbd A.ristophanes ; noisy horoos to knock under, on whicli 
 Ihe mighty emperor freed his considerate vassals. Although 
 it is said that at one time it was considered a special seigniorial 
 privil ge for a haronia! ben;Mlict to sleep soundly on his wed- 
 ding night, nothing exists to sliuw that this is the real cause 
 why Mynheer Deutchman had so higldy prized his uninter- 
 rupted nap ; the probahiliLy is that lie felt lired after travelling 
 and wanted more than « forty winks. » (1) 
 
 Mr. VeuilJot thinks that this Droit de Grenouillage was not 
 a whit more humiliating than the obligation the ordinary sei- 
 gnior was under, to poor out drink for his superior, and his 
 superior did not consider himself degraded for havini to hold 
 the shirt of his royal mnst(T when dressing. Counts and barons 
 stood protracted law suits to enlorce their rights to do homage 
 to those above them, and th(^se slr'gglerl as hard to get rid of 
 an homage too expensiv<^ for them to keep up. When the 
 Count of Cahors, who was also a bishop, approached his chief 
 city, the I^aron of Cessac was wont to precede him to a certain 
 spot, indicated in old titles, where he was bound to meet 
 him. Once there, ho would dismount, and having saluted 
 tlie prelate with bis hat oif, his right leg bare and wearing a 
 slipper^ he would take the bishop's mule by the bridle and 
 
 (1) I'ity it is, tho Broit de (rrenauiUaije should bo obsolots, cspociiiUy in such 
 a locality us Lako Boauport, where bull-t'iogs of fabulous size occasiouullyiuaiio 
 tho night slcoplops with their l(i<>min<is. The reader is roiniudod not to confound 
 those plethoric individuals with t'.ic ore inarj pipirg frog, rnna pipieni, whoso 
 shrill stiucak ooa'cs about the iJlst of Juno of oaoh year, and who caused tho 
 cockney's uiistako : ' My dear parients, " wrote young hopeful to his relatives, 
 in Cockneydoni, tho <l!iy after his arrival in Quoboo, " Canada is a strange plaeo : 
 tho country is swarming with papists. Gentleman loavo, on thoir residoncos out 
 of the city, a great deal of fine lire and furniture wood uncut. There is one pecu- 
 liarity which struck mo : tho bird.s are not nuniorons, but somo h;ive a singularly 
 loud song, and sing all night. Of this class is t';o Canadian nightingitlo, who.so 
 shrill note kept mo awake all last night. I hopo, however, to got accustomed to it 
 in time. I am spending a day or two ut a place called Lako Beuuport. Youj. 
 dutiful 3on. " 
 
 Tho most grotisquo French jja/ow, I over heard was uttered on tho OaspC- coast 
 where Jersymen miiFt congregate : " Cimmnnm, cev ^m me haiUcr cte hr{o(h<; 
 que vlil, " onoc was adressod to mo by a dashing young fisherman, asking mo for 
 the loan of a pocket knife — The veriest London clipper of /ii, could not boat that 
 I thought — " I would like to know if a h and a ho and a har and a hvn doos not 
 spell orsc. I am blowed what does." 
 
AND OTHER RIGHTS. 
 
 113 
 
 in such 
 Uy luaKO 
 lunfound 
 whoso 
 ised the 
 olativos, 
 c place : 
 icos out 
 pccii- 
 ;iilarly 
 whoso 
 i>cd to it 
 Youj- 
 
 |p<? coast 
 lirioch'i 
 mo for 
 Lit that 
 loos not 
 
 thus lead it towards the cathedral, from thence to the epis- 
 copal palace, where he would wait on the hishopduriiig dinner 
 time ; this performed he would retire, taking wilh Itim llit^ 
 hishop's mide and silver plale. This ceremony took place as 
 late as 1004, fur the Bishop Etienne de Poppiaii ; it rusulUul 
 in a law suit, which was adjudicated on by the paiiianicnl of 
 Toulouse. The complaint prefei rtul by llic Haron de (lessae 
 was that the silver plale used on this occasion was notsuitabh! 
 to the status of the parlies concerned, nor in acconiaiici! wilh 
 the terms of his charter. The court condemned tlio count to 
 provide the baron with a gilt set of silver plate, or else its legi- 
 timate value tt dire d'e.vperls, due regard b(iiiig had to the 
 quality of the individuals and to the graiideui' of the occasion. 
 The experts decided that the value of the plate was 3,12!{ 
 livres. Etienne de Poppian's siu'.cessor, Pierre de llabcil, tried 
 to enter the city in 1627 uilhout notifying the Uaroii de 
 Cessac ; the latter sununoued him ; the bishop pleaded that 
 he was not liable ; that it was optional with the seignior to 
 require the presence of his vassal at any ceremony whalevei' ; 
 thalthe attendance herein alluded to, was particidarly lunnbling 
 for the vassal, lor which reason he had dispiuisi'd hiu) with il. 
 The Baron de Cessac replied that il was a special prerogaliv > 
 of his to be allowed to attend on the count on his entry in his 
 chief town, quoting various old Uoman customs and Latin 
 texts in support of his position. The bishop lost his suil in Ilia!, 
 court and in the Court of Appeals, and by decree [ornH) of 
 the lOlh July, lOHO, th(^ baron was maintained in his clin- 
 ished homage toward the count Mr. Veuillot having show it 
 pretty conclusively that all feudal rights and ser\ices \ver(; iidi 
 necessarily oppressive and odious, discusses wilh his usn;! 
 eloquence another feudal custom, which, if well aulheuticahui, 
 is undoubtedly one of the gravest charges against tlii; moraiiiy 
 of those times. This custom is known lo ohl Ereiich wiiteis 
 as the />rot7 (/« Jambage; the apologist of the middle ag 
 calls it simply Droit du Seigneur ; he simimons to his aid n 
 his erudition, all his ingenuity, to explain clV the arrets ai I 
 
 9 
 
 cs 
 II 
 
114 
 
 LE DROIT DE GRENOUILLAGE. 
 
 passages invoked by Messrs. Dupin and Miclielet, with 
 what degree of success the reader ef his book can judge for 
 himself. 
 
 Want of space compells us, albeit reluctantly, to adjourn 
 this inquiry into the institutions of limes gone by. We may 
 again le vert to it hereafter, but before concluding, we must, 
 on the authority of Mr. Veuillot, and \ve do so with pleasure, 
 deny I ho correctness of a charge frequently made respecting 
 the pmnnanship of our ancestors, as embodied in the words 
 piefacing this sketch, and said to be found at the end of 
 several old deeds and charleiti : — « Le dil Sieur, en saqualite 
 (le genlilhomme, a declare ne savoir signer. » A careful 
 examination of many thousand deeds and charters enabled 
 him to assert Iho contrary, most positively. 
 
 Since writing the foregoing, a friend has placed inonrhands 
 lli(^ l)nng(3nl and elaborate reply which Mr. Veuillot's book 
 has elicited from a Frencli savant, under the heading, uRefu- 
 lalion du Livrc de M. Veuillot sur le Droit du Seigneur. Par 
 Jules Delpit)) (1), a most wonderful repository of feudal lore. 
 
 In such a fiery controversy as the one raging between the 
 two writers, and on which we merely look as disinterested 
 outsiders, it would be prcsomptuous for us to decide who is 
 right. Veuillot, as a pamphlet writer, a publicist, and the or- 
 igan ol what is ilenominaled the clerical party in France, is 
 iir.iloubledly a great name — a tower of strength to his party. 
 On the ollK'r hand, the confident tone, biting irony, and formi- 
 dabi(3 array ofermlition, law quotations, old charters, arrets, 
 produced by his adversary, challenge enquiry and investiga- 
 tion. Jules Delpit asserts positively that the Droit du Seiyncur, 
 in itswoist acceptation, existed in several European kingdoms, 
 (pioles seventy-two instances. We are quite satisfied, in ap- 
 ]iroucl)ing this subject, which to us, is of no actual moment, to 
 inscribe over both combatants — 
 
 Non noitrum inter voa tantaf componcre lites. 
 
 (1) Jules Dolpit, t'is said, is tho no»t deplume, under vthieh tho celebrated Mr. 
 Duiiiu, with tho aid of a very learuod broUior, replies to Mr. VeuiUot. 
 
A REPRESENTATIVE MAN. 
 
 1758. • 
 
 M. Luc DE CiLiPT DE LA CORNE SaINT-LuC. 
 
 If there be an era in the primitive times of Canada, in which 
 the mailial spirit of its inhabitants shone forth more brighlly 
 than al others, of a verity it is that war-like period which im- 
 mediately precluded Ihi; cession of the conntry by the ImtucIi 
 Crown, known to our historians as the « Seven years' war. » 
 No where in the nnnals of Ihe past, did the Canadian militia 
 and vohjuteers exhibit [,Tcatcr endurance, — morepeisevciance, 
 — more stout and successful resistance on many a hard-fo!!'j;l!t 
 battle field. Though after all, it must have ninttorcd lilllo 
 what the French commanders did achieve, having at their dis- 
 posal merely a handful of regulars, aided by the new militia of 
 the country and their Indian allies. France also had in those 
 days itsGoIdwin Smiths : the colony was voted a bore ; and 
 niggardly reinforcements sent out when the whim of \ho mo- 
 ment prompted — perhaps, not at all. Pitt had vowed to plant 
 the flag of England on the summit ofCapeOiamoiid. Agigfintic 
 army for those times, 50,000 men — including legnlars. New 
 England militia and savages — were to invade Canada at Unci! 
 points : the St. Lawrence, — the lakes, — Ihe interior, under 
 the guidance of Wolfe, Amherst, Ilaviland, .lolmstou. 
 
 Ardent admirers of Gen(>ral Levi, the victor of Murray, have 
 ventured to assert thai had this general, who bad never sullei- 
 ed defeat, been present al the lirst battle of tlui Plains df 
 Abraham, the fule of the colony would have been dilVenMil ; 
 however great the military genius of the hero of St. Foy may 
 have been, and none are more ready than ourselves to render 
 itdue hommagc, at best, he could in the face of the over- 
 whelming forces sent m(M"ely have retarded the fall. At th(^ time 
 to which we allude (1758), with much larger armies in the Held, 
 a new system of warfare had, lo a certain extent, superseded 
 
ilG 
 
 A REPRESENTATIVE MAN. 
 
 thooUl desultory moilo of altack ; the midnight raid and 
 murderous assnult of former limes — witli Indian allies as 
 guides and sliarp-slioolers — still continued for both comba- 
 tants to be a military necessity in bush fighting ; but the largo 
 armies of Knropi'ans, to \\liom iiie savagiss acted as pionetTs 
 and aiixiliarit.'s, in a measure sei ved as a cli'ck on the atro- 
 cious and peculiar system of fifiliting of the latter, although a 
 memorable exception to the ml" occured in the Fort (Jeoige 
 tragedy ; this outrage, however, was chiefly traceable lo the 
 elfects of the ardent spirits purloined by the redskins from the 
 iMiglisli camp. Could wt^ r(>asonably hold European com- 
 mamlers — Kiiglish as well as French — responsible for the 
 nameless horrors perpetrated on our soil by their Indian allies, 
 one would be inclined to believt; our European forefathers had 
 left their humanity at home lo v.d the :-avage on our shoi'es. 
 Take for insiauee the great Laei.iiie massacre. On the 2;itli 
 Apiil, KiSl), diu-ing a proloimd peace, I.'JOO savages stealthily 
 siirroimd, before day-break, tlii; ha!)itatious at Lachine, nine 
 miles from .Montreal ; the u!isus[ieeling inmates are soon 
 secunnl, slaiiglii(!i'ed, in a fi.'w minutes a Itu'id conflagration 
 alone marks tlu! spot where once stood a smiling, ha|»py 
 villr.ge ; men, wouKin and children are sacrilled indiscrimi- 
 nately. SoiU'-. are burnt ; others, disend)owell"d ; mothers 
 made to roast their live infants over the lire and to luin the 
 si)it ; every when;, groans, lorlines, despair. Two hundred 
 victims butchered in cold blood, all this accomplished in less 
 than an hour, wlls pousserent, dil C.iiarlevoix, la fiu-eur meme 
 a (les exces d(»nl, on ne les avail pascru capables. llsouvraient 
 le seiii (les fennnes enceintes, poiu' arraclier le fruit qu'elles 
 portaient ; ils mirent des enfanls Ions vivanis a la broche el 
 contraigiiirent les nieres d(! les tourner pour les faiie rotir. 
 llsinventerenl quanlites d'autres snpplices inoui'sct deux cents 
 jieisfumes de lout age el de lout se.ve perircnt aiiisi en moins 
 d'liiie heure dans les plus aflreux lourments. » 
 
 These scenes, Charlevoix relates, W(;re repeated within 
 one league of the city ; only when these infuriated demons 
 v.ere satiated with lunnan goie, did they retire with two 
 hundred prisoners whom they allerwurds burnt. The island 
 
M. DE LA CORNE SAINT-LUC. 
 
 117 
 
 of Montreal romninod in their possession until Ihn fall following. 
 In October, an Indian ally of the French, whom they had tor- 
 tured and mutilated, oscaiK'd and apprised the French that the 
 Indians intended reliiriiiiig in the winter to haveart>p:'lillo!i of 
 th(!sc sickening horrors at the town of Three Iliviirs, after which 
 Quohec was to be visited on Ihii same (M'raiid ; Ihat, wlien tiKsy 
 would have extirpated Ihe Fr.iiich settlers lo the last man, 
 they would meet in the following spring an English fleet at 
 Quebec, (no doubt Pliipps' ships which did appear before 
 Quebec in October, 1000.) Providence frustrated !heir dire 
 designs. OfcoiU'se, such doings were not conlined to the allies 
 of the New-Englanders. The savages in leaguewitlilhe French 
 carried fire and the sword amidst the peaccifu' dwellers of the 
 adjoiningEnglish provinces ; SehMiectady as wolj as Lachiue 
 has its bloody records.. Oui' early liislory teems with such in- 
 cidents. Happily Ihe extension of the colony in I7'i'', ajid Ihe 
 rapidly -increasing power of Ihe whiles were calculated to rendtir 
 lh(!sc scen(!s less frequi-nt. 
 
 Apart from Ihe several Furopeancommauders who acquired 
 fame during the seven vtsirs' war, some of the settlers or 
 habitants (1) of Canada became famous in bailie. It is one of 
 the most remarkable soldiers of lliat day we purpose sket- 
 ching heie — Morts. Luc de la C.orue Sainl-Luc, previously 
 Introduced lo our notice in Mr. DiHIaspc's book. The Cana- 
 dians of Old, and in the Maple Leaves, as one of Ihe few sur- 
 vivors in the shipwreck of thi! Auijnste, in 1701, on its voyage 
 to France with tlu; French refug(!es. The careei' of de la Corue 
 also commends ilself to our atlenlion from its analogy to that 
 of other Canadians of lal(M' days : lie loughl as bravely under 
 the Hag of St. George, when it liecami; that of his coimlry, as 
 he had done previously when the lily-spangled banner of the 
 French monarch waivcid over Ihe houK! of his youlli. Ueing no 
 Utopian, la Corne cheerfully accepted the new regime under 
 which his hilherto distracted country was destined lo enjoy 
 peace, liberty and progress. IJeing a man of rank, talent and 
 
 (1) Ihhitrintii : horo is a word whoso moaning has boon singularly porvortoJ. 
 Hfilntant meant forinorly tho permanent settler, who eiiino to hnhiier lo pny, in 
 contradistinction to tho military and oivil functionaries who wore transient. The 
 riohoflt merchant might bo a habitant : that is, a permanent resident. 
 
118 
 
 A BEPRESENTATIVE MAN. 
 
 courage, high civil and military honors were soon wilhin his 
 roach. We purpose in this paper viewing the Chevalier do 
 la Cornc as a type of Iho Canadians of Old, the representative 
 mail of that thrilling era of 1758 — Carillon and its glories — 
 ^vh(Ml every Canadian peasant was a soldier, the stirring times of 
 1 759 wh(Mi octogenarians flodvcd to the loved standard of France 
 and hoys hogged to he allowed to shoulder the musket, when 
 the parishes were so diaiiied of their able-hodied men that 
 the duties of husbandry devolved entirely on the icomen and 
 children. History makes mention of two la Cornes. Do la Come 
 La Culombiore, who commanded in Acadia, and foui:ht with 
 success against tlie Eiiglidi in 1756 ; he retnrncd to France at 
 Iho lime of the conquest and became the friend and com- 
 panion of the famous naval commander, de SufTron, in his sea 
 voyages. The oHkm', the subject of this notice, la Corne de 
 Saint-Luo, « a Chevalier de Saitit Louis, » Avas a most inllu- 
 cntial personage both amongst Iho Canadians and amongst the 
 Indian tribes, under French and niidor English rule ; one of 
 his fnsl ftjats was the capture (if Fort Chnlon in 1717. He also, 
 at the head of the Canadians and Indians, distinguished him- 
 self at the battle of Carillon (Ticondoroga), in 1758, >Nhere 
 Abercrombie was defeated by Montcalm and Levis ; la Corne 
 captured from the English general one hundred and fifty wag- 
 gons of war stores. Allei- st i\ ing through the hard-fought 
 engagements of the catupa^gn, we find him subscfpKjnIly at 
 the llatlle of the Plains of Abraham ; we Ihenco follow him to 
 Montreal, and sec him under rieneral Levis at the head of his 
 old friends, the Canadians and the Indians; in April following 
 he was wounded at Murray's defeat on the St. Foye heights, 
 and took a promininil part in the last victory of the French in 
 Canada ; a bailie which permilled them, on leaving the coun- 
 try, to shake haiuls with their bravo antagonists, the English. 
 (1) In 1761, he decided to return with his brother, his children 
 
 (1) How singular tiro tho fortunes of war ! Wolfo, Amherst, and povcral other 
 English oflicors, who, under the " butcher " Cumberlnnd and under Ligonier had 
 boon disastrously defeated by Marshal Saxe, at Fontcnoy and Laufeldt, met on 
 tho Plains of Abraham their old rivals, ivith Scotch Jacobites figliting on both 
 side*. A few months later and the second battle of tho Plains — a brilliant though 
 bootless victory — again asserted the martial qualities of the French legions. 
 
M. DE L\ CORNE SAINT-LUC. 
 
 110 
 
 Jicrc 
 
 and nophfiws to France, and, havin,!:; plenty of ready money 
 (some j£6,000), lie was on the ove of purchasing a vessel at 
 Quebec, in Sijptember of that year foi* that purpose, when the 
 generosity of (li-neral Murray made this unnecessary, and the 
 /lu^u^/e was fitted up at (iovcninioiit expense. In this ill> 
 starred ship, la (loini^ and one hundred and twenty of the chiff 
 persons hi the colony, includiuj; several ladies, officers and 
 soldiers, sailed on the I7lh Dctober, 1701. The ehiivalier has 
 left an inlereslin^' Journal Kejtt by himself, of the appalling 
 disaster which befoU the Auyuale (tn tlu; coast of Cape Hrelon, 
 where the ship was stranded on Ihi; lijth November, 1701. 
 This narrative (1), which has recciillv Ixu'ii published, is 
 alfecting from its Iruthl'tilncss and simplicity ; no boasting, no 
 flourishes of rhclorie in this short record of death and human 
 sull'ering. On reading of tlii3 seven survivyis,— out of one 
 hundred and twenty-one suuls, — slowly wending their way 
 over the fog and snow-clad sea shore of Isle lioyale, occa- 
 sionally one droppingdown benumbed, fatigued andexhausled, 
 to sleep the long sleep of death, one is reminded of another 
 gallant band who nearly a century later on, a few degrees 
 closer to tin; pole, could Ix; seen equally forlorn ; they loo 
 dropped down and died as they walked along the ice-clad 
 strand ; « soim^. were buried and some were not, » as the old 
 Esquimaux woniiin slated to McClinluck's parly — the latter 
 band was Sir Jolmb'rankiin's devoted but despairing followers. 
 We shall condense la Coriio's narrative of the shipwreck. The 
 ship sli lick on the loth November ; la ( oriie and his six sur- 
 viving comp;iiiiou«, including the captain, were washed ashore 
 in a boat, more dead than alive ; the 10th was employed in 
 digging graves ; none of his children, none of the ladies had 
 been saved ; the young, the fair, the highborn strewing in 
 hideous confusion a rock-bounJ coast amidst fragments of the 
 wreck, — in all one hundred and fourteen corpses. Such were 
 the dismal objects which met the gaze of la Corne and of his 
 fellow-sulferers on the morning of the lOlh November. Amidst 
 the roar of the sea and of the tempest, the last rites were per- 
 
 (1) Journal du Naufrago do I'AutjnHe par M. Luc do la Corno Saint-Luc on 
 1781— COt<S et Cie., Qu6beo. 
 
 |8. 
 
i20 
 
 k REPRESENTATIVE MAN. 
 
 formed by Iho sorrowing pnroni , and on the 17lli, with a 
 fooling common to all llioy hurriod from aspotinwliichcvory- 
 tliing romindod Ihoin of duatli, « plurima mortis imago, » and 
 took to Iho woods, not knowing whoro they wore ; ontiiolTth 
 a snow slonn addod to their niisory ; threo of tho parly horc 
 gavo out through fatigue, Itul la Cornc, who all along appciirs 
 as tho leading spirit, urgod (horn on, and with sucecss ; on tho 
 25th, hisJournal mentions, as a godsend, thediscovery of some 
 deserted hnis ; — in them, they found two dead men ; on tho 
 20lh two more of the parly gave out, and wore nHuctantly 
 left behind with some provisions. Twelve inches of snow had 
 fallen that day. 
 
 On the 3r(l December, after a tedious tramp through the 
 forest, not knowing where lh(;y were, they struck on the sea 
 coast and discovered an old Ixtal, uns(;aworlhy ; th(i captain 
 of the Augvste set to work to caulk her, and matters seemed 
 likely to assume a more hopeful aspoct, when a fresh snow- 
 storm nearly eauscMl the deslruetion of tli(5 whole parly. «Our 
 provisions rumiing short, » adds la Come, « we had to live on 
 wild berries and sea-weed. On llic 4lh, the storm having 
 abated, we found our boat imbedtul in lh(! snow, but when wo 
 came to launch her, our captain, who until then had held out, 
 declared he could uo no further on account of the pains and 
 ulcers he labored under ; the three others mostly as bad, sided 
 with him, and being alonc^ 1 was compelled, although sulfer- 
 ing much less, to remain with them, I did not like to deserl 
 them, and we trustcid to Providi^nce, when two Indians made 
 their appearance. Our men liaileil thinn with loiid cries and 
 lamentations ; in which I could calch the words ' have mercy 
 on us. ' I was then smoking, a quiet sptu'lator of this sorrowfid 
 scene. Our men mentioned my name, and llie Indians greeted 
 me warmly. I had on several occasions rendered service to 
 these tribes. T learned thai \\\) were ninety miles from Louis- 
 bourg (Cap Breton), They told me they were ready to conduct 
 me to St. Pierre. I had our men crossed over a river which 
 was there, and I left with the Indians, for their wig-wani about 
 three league- distant. They gave me dried meat, and on the 
 5th, I returned to my friends. » 
 
M. DE LA CORNE SAINT-LL'C. 
 
 121 
 
 n we 
 I out, 
 and 
 sidod 
 ilV(T- 
 csort 
 nndo 
 iuid 
 LTcy 
 wful 
 etod 
 e to 
 ouis- 
 idiicl 
 hich 
 hout 
 In the 
 
 Tlionco, we follow the liardy adventurer to Saint Pierre, to 
 Labrador Hay, and linally W(> lind him, in spite of all reuion- 
 lianee, starting; in a birch eanoe, in that inclement season, 
 with two young men whom Ik; had templed to this fool-hardy 
 enterprise, by olTering them twenty-live lonis d'or ; they 
 afterwards landed at Cheda-iJoncton, and after encountering 
 great privation, fatigue, and divers perilous adventures, he 
 arrived at Tort C.umbeiland, formerly Tort lleausejour, when 
 after a short rest he continued his journey on foot, having worn 
 out his strength and his snow shoes. The Temiscouata portage 
 brought him subsequently to the lower parishes, then lo 
 Kamouraska ; and the night he spent at (he Manor of Saint Jean- 
 J'ort-.Ioly is graphically described in the Canailiaits ofiUd. lie 
 arrived at Quebec, on the 2;{rd b'ebruary, laid an .iccount of 
 his shipwreck bid'orc (ieneral Miuray, and left for Montreal to 
 see (Ieneral fJage. This iron-framed man closes his.lournal by 
 staling that the fatigues, dangers and starvation he was ex- 
 posed to, were very greal — that the circuitous road he follow<!d 
 led him lo i)elievc he must have walked at least lO.'iO miles in 
 the severest season in the year, and unprovided with any suc- 
 cour. (( I used to see my guides and companions, Ihe Indians 
 and Acadians, giving out after eight days' marching, and often, 
 less. During all this time, I enjoyed excellent heallh, had no 
 dread of the consequences, and foilunalely withstood this 
 excessive fatigue ; had I had giudcs as vigorous as wiyself, I 
 would have saved one hundred and thirty pounds which it 
 cost me, and I would have arrived earlier.)) (ieneral Jell'. 
 Amherst, then at New-Voik, wrote to the chevalier a feiding 
 letter, dated 28th March, 1702, condoling with him on this 
 melancholy shipwreck.,,,, 
 
 We have no hesitation in saying that this feat of human en- 
 durance, this journeying during a Canadian wilder through 
 forests, — over bays in a frail bark canoe and over a wilderness 
 of snow on snow shoes, close on seventeen hundred miles, is 
 almost without a parallel in modern times, and that we would be 
 very unwilling to accept it as true, were it less authcnlicaUy 
 recorded . 
 
 The loss of family and friends, as previously stated, seems 
 
 10 
 
122 
 
 A REPnESENTATlVE MAM. 
 
 to have changed entirely the future plans of the chevalier ; ho 
 bid adieu to La Belle France, and made up his mind to live in 
 Canada, — a British subject. We fail for a few years to traco 
 clearly v/hal occupations were followedby this singularly hardy 
 man ; probably, with his compeers, the Rocheblave, Do 
 Rouvillc, St. Ours, Dcschambault, De Belestre, De Lotbini^re, 
 lie look part in politics. At the arrival of General Burgoyne, 
 laCoriie again, although close on seventy years of age, headed 
 the militia and the Indian tribes, which Sir Guy Garleton sent 
 to assist the newly arrived general. La Come was present at 
 several engagements during the war of independence, and 
 probably would have rendered important services to the En- 
 glish general, but Burgoyne neither understood, nor took any 
 pains, to understand the character of his Indian allies. Matters 
 went on tolerably well, so long as the English commander met 
 with success, but with reverses, discontent got to such a pitch 
 in a short time, that the Indian tribes and the small number 
 of Canadians, soon absolutely refused to be led on by a general 
 about as fit to handle this arm of the service as Baron 
 Dicskcan under French Rule, had shown himself twenty years 
 before. The disgraceful capitulation of the English army at 
 Saratoga to General Gates, was the crowning feat. In vain Bur- 
 goyne (1), on his return to England, and from his seat in 
 Parliament, supported by a host of powerful friends, tried to 
 irxplain oif the shame he had brought on his brave army, by 
 accusing others ; his violent, artful charges called forth a 
 spirited letter from theChcvalier de la Come, which appeared at 
 
 (1) John Burgoyne, an English general officer and dramatist, connected with 
 this country in the former capacity, was tho natural son of Lord Bingley, and en- 
 tered early in the army. In 1762 he commanded a force sent into Portugal for the 
 defence of that kingdom against the Spaniards. He also distinguished himself in 
 the first American war by the taking of Ticondoroga, but was at last obliged to 
 surrondor with his army to General Gates at Saratoga. For this act he was much 
 consurod and condemned by all the English people. He was elected into tho En- 
 glish Parliament for Preston, in Lancashire, but refusing to return to America 
 jtursuant to his convention, was ignorainiously dismissed the sonrice. He en- 
 deavored to exonerate himself, but without avail, in some pamphlets he published 
 ill defence of his conduct. As an author, he is more distinguished for his three 
 (li amas of the Afaid of the Oak*, Bon Ton, and The Heirees, aU in the line of what 
 is usually called genteel comedy, they forming light and pleuing specimens. 
 {^[»rgan's Celebrated Canadian*.) 
 
M. DE LA CORNE SAINT-LUC. 
 
 123 
 
 the time in the English papers ; it being, doubtless, new to 
 many English readers, a translation of this letter may prove 
 acceptable : — 
 
 with 
 id on- 
 or the 
 If in 
 d to 
 much 
 e En- 
 erica 
 en- 
 ished 
 three 
 what 
 nens. 
 
 LE CHEVALIER DE SAINT.-LUC TO GENERAL BURGOTNE. 
 
 Quebec, 23rd October, 1778. 
 
 <( Sir — ^I cannot say whether this letter will reach you ; if it 
 should, it is written to express my surprise at your lack of 
 memory, concerning myself and also concerning my compa- 
 nions-in-arms, the Canadians and the Indians. 
 
 « I am at a loss to guess your motive, unless it be to bury 
 my name, with your cwn, in obscurity — an achievement 
 beyond your power. I was known long before you had attained 
 the position which furnished you the opportunity of ruining 
 one of the finest armies which my country ever saw. 
 
 « You say, sir, that I was unable to afford you any informa- 
 tion. I am glad you shoidd be the means of informing the 
 public that you never sought advice from me. Allow me, 
 however, to tell yi ' that I have served under general officers 
 who honored me y>Ah their confidence ; men worthy of the 
 position, — able to maintain their dignity, — distinguished by 
 their abi'ities. 
 
 <( You also charge me withhaving withdrawn from the army. 
 You will permit me to inform you, sir, that those who, like 
 myself, left it, did not, more than you, dread the perils of 
 war. Fifty years' service will dispose of this charge. You, sir, 
 better than any, know who made me leave the army ; it was 
 yourself. 
 
 « The 16th August, 1777, the day of the Bennington affair, 
 you sent m(i, through Major Campbell, an order to hold my- 
 self in readiness to start on the morning of the 17th with the 
 Canadians and Indians, ahead of General Eraser's brigade, to 
 post ourselves at Stillwater. But that same day M. de Laiiau- 
 di6re (1) informed you of the defeat of Lieut.-Col. Baiun's 
 detachment, and of that of Lieut.-Col. Breyman, who had 
 
 (1) Luo de La Come was with Ouy Carleton and de la Naudiiro in the abip 
 coming down to Quebec, io Nov. 1776, the Oatp4.—iSanguintt.) 
 
124 
 
 \ IIEI'IIESEMATIVE MAN. 
 
 advanced to support the lallcr. lie apprised you llial these two 
 delacliments had lost at least seven hundred men. You ap- 
 peared to put little faith in his slateniculs, and you told nie the 
 loss did not amount to one hundred and fifty men, although 
 the real figure, showed that the first report was exact. Counter 
 orders were then issued to the wholearmy which iiad intended 
 to march on that day, and the next day we were made to cross 
 North River, and, with General Fraser's brigade, to camp at 
 lialtenkill. The Indians, startled by your grand manceuvres, to 
 which they were not accustomed, had noticed that you had 
 sent no force either to collect the remnants of the corps dis- 
 l»ersed at Bennington (some of whom, to my knowledge, 
 returned to your camp \i\'e days after), or to succour the 
 wounded, of which a portion were dying. This conduct of 
 yours, sir, did not convey a very high idea of the care you 
 would lake of those who might fight under you. The indifier- 
 ♦Mice you exhibited to the fate of the Indians concerned in the 
 IJennington encounter, to the extent of one hundred and 
 fifty, had disgusted them very much ; a good number of them 
 had fallen there, together with the irgreat chief, and out of the 
 sixty-one Canadians, forty-one only had escaped. 
 
 « bear in mind, sir, so that you may not form an erroneous 
 opinion of this matter, what passed in council, when you re- 
 
 presented our loss 
 
 as trilling. 
 
 I told you, on behalf of the 
 
 Indians, whose interpreter you had made me, that they were 
 very deserving. They said many things which it would have 
 been useless to repeat ; amongst others'^ that they wished to 
 speak their sentiments to you in plain terms. I warned you of 
 what would be the final result. Finally, sir, their discontent 
 became such that they left on the spot, although you refused 
 to allow them provisions, shoes and an interpreter. 
 
 Two days subsequently, you had seen yourerror ; Brigadier 
 Fraser had anticipated what would be the consequences of 
 your acts towards the Indians. You then sent for me, and I 
 had the honor to meet vou in the tent of the brigadier, when 
 you asked me to return to Canada, the bearer of despatches to 
 General Carleton, to induce His Excellency to treat the Indians 
 kindly and send them back to you. I did so, and I would have 
 
M. m Lit COUXK SAINT-LLC. 
 
 125 
 
 oncous 
 oil re- 
 of Uio 
 were 
 have 
 led to 
 you of 
 ontent 
 efiised 
 
 rojoined (he army, 11" the communication had not hecu cut olT. 
 After lliat, of what use could I have hecn, I, whom you liad 
 represented as good for nothing, and as one of the Indians who 
 had left the army. Ah I sir, having ceased to he a general, do 
 not at least cease to he a gentleman ! On the latter point, I am 
 your equal. You hear the rank of a general, and I may not he 
 your equal in talent, hut I am your equal in birth, and claim to 
 he treated as a gentleman. 
 
 « He that as it may, sir, notwithstanding my advanced age 
 (07 years), I am ready to cross the sea to justify myself before 
 the King, my master, and before my country, of the unfounded 
 charges you have heaped on me, but I am quite indilTerent as 
 to what you, personally, may think of me. » 
 
 A Legislative Councillor of Canada, in 1784, we find this 
 sturdy old soldier at the ripe age of 74, equally ready in camp 
 and in council, — manfully battling for the rights of his country- 
 men to enjoy all the privileges of Ihilish subjects, and siding 
 against the old family compact, — remonstrating loudly hut 
 respectfully, and holding forth in the resolutions he proposed, 
 in favor of the constitution of 1771. When the stern old llonian 
 died does not appear ; he seems to have attained a very great 
 
 age. 
 
 hi a measure, arc we not justified in saying of him what Cla- 
 rendon wrote of Hampden, « Ihat he was of an industry and a 
 vigilance not to be tired on tor wearied by th(» most laborious, 
 and of parts not to imposed on by the most subtle and sharp, — 
 of a personal coinage e(pKd to his best parts. » ? 
 
 ligadier 
 
 Ices of 
 
 and I 
 
 when 
 
 ches to 
 
 Indians 
 
 Id have 
 
1 
 
 I 
 
 r 
 
 S 
 
 Ji 
 
 ([ 
 
 hi 
 
 F] 
 
 ba 
 
 be 
 
 els 
 
 pa 
 
 lod 
 
 Jiii< 
 
 all 
 
 rea 
 
 tclli 
 
 Can 
 
 com 
 
 tot] 
 
 (») 
 
U. E. LOYAIISTS. 
 
 ((Outline OP A FEW CONSPICUOUS!, e. loyalists, who fled to nova 
 
 SCOTIA AND UPPER CANADA AFTER THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION ( 1 783) , 
 
 WITH PERSONAL REMINISCENCES OF EARLY SETTLERS. » — Parlia- 
 mentary Manuscripts collected by Geo. Coventry, Esq. 
 {Revieiced in 1864.) 
 
 The foregoing is a subject about which, I am lolh to say, tlie 
 bulk of the French Canadians, notwithstanding their know- 
 ledge of Canadian history, know very little ; in fact, those 
 who have the courage to be candid, will promptly admit that 
 in their minds a haze of uncertainty has hovered for a long 
 lime over the exact meaning of the word (( U. £. Loyalist, » 
 nor do they clearly understand what is meant by (( Nova 
 Scotia Knights. » They can readily tell you how many trips 
 Jacques Cartier or Champlain made to New France; of the 
 thrashing General Levi gave General Murray on the Sic. Foye 
 heights, in 1760 ; of the harrowing tale of the shipwrecked 
 French refugees on Cape Breton in 1761 ; of the arbitrai7 
 banishment of the Acadians ; but be cautious how you parade 
 before their eyes the mystic combii^tion (( U. E. Loyalists ; » 
 else, many will fancy you are attempting to enlist their symr 
 pathy in favor of some new Masonic order, mayhap an Orange 
 lodge, or perchance some secret political organization, possibly 
 like the Knights of the Golden Circle, or the D. M. D. (1) With 
 all due deference to their historical lore, I see no cogent 
 reason why the 10,000 English refugees who, Mr. Coventry 
 tells us, (( were the founders of the present prosperity of Upper 
 Canada, » should be more ignored in the annals of this, our 
 common country, than were the French refugees who returned 
 to the parent state a century back. At their removal, honors 
 
 (1) Dafenderi of the Monro* Dootrine. 
 
128 
 
 U. E. LOYALISTS. 
 
 >vcrc lavished on both classes by their respective sovereigns, 
 uiul several of them have left their mark in history. 
 
 Before proceeding further in this inquiry, let us award our 
 meed of praise to the enlightened statesmen who have hcen 
 instrumental in rescuing from oblivion the memories of the 
 biave and honoiable men who, at the close of the American 
 revolutionary sliuggle, made the western portion of Canada 
 their home. To the late Hon. William Hamilton Merritt and 
 to the Hon. James Morris, the descendants of these worthies 
 owe a debt of gratitude for having procured the support and 
 sanction of the legislature to the measures they devised in 
 order to compile the important parliamentary papers and ma- 
 nuscripts now styled « The Simcoe Papers and Manuscripts 
 relating to the U. E. Loyalists ; » and if I should venture to say 
 that what has been collected can only be considered as a first 
 instalment, it is not with the view of disparaging the labours of 
 Mr. Coventry, the gentlemen employed by Parliament to trans- 
 criber these doGuments. Far from that, I merely wish to record 
 my opinion, that compared to the rich mines of historical facts 
 and data procured at government expense in France, in the Uni- 
 ted States and elsewhere, relating chiefly to Lower Canada, the 
 Coventry Manuscripts appear but the forerunners of a compre- 
 hensive compilation necessary for a full history of thai pro- 
 gressive western portion of the Canadas. Any one viewing what 
 material the Archiven de la (iuerre, the Archives de la Marine, 
 the Albany State Documents, the parish Registers of Lower 
 Omada, and the old censuMables of France have furnished to 
 Mr. Faribault, Mr. (larneau, Mr. Bibaud, Mr. Tauguay and 
 others, for the history of Lower Canada, will confess that our 
 portion of the country has been dealt with most liberally. It is 
 not every day, be it remembered, that a Lower Canadian is 
 warranted in saying that Lower Canada has in one respect had 
 a larger portion of the loaves and fishes than its sister pro- 
 vince I 
 
 To prevent disappointment, let us, at the onset stale, forthe 
 benefit of the 20,000 descendants of the famous 10,000 
 « loundcrs of western piosperity, » that it is not in this short 
 sketch, penned by a French Canadian in a leisure hour, that 
 
BRITISH REFUGEES. 
 
 129 
 
 they are to look for the whole pedigree and domestic history of 
 their worthy grandfathers. 
 
 Should the nephews of U. E. Loyalists be a<! kindly treated 
 by the government of Ihe day, when Canada will be received as 
 a Sovereign State^ in the great Republic, some time about the 
 year 1964, as their fathers were by the house of Hanover in 
 the last century, they will, indeed, be accounted a fortunate 
 race. 
 
 Let us now hear Mr. Coventry, without adopting all his 
 conclusions : 
 
 « Upper Canada may be said to have been founded by 
 American Loyalists, who were driven from their country al the 
 Revolutionary War. The whole country was a wilderness, as 
 the French, who were the previous occupiers, had taken no 
 pains to clear or colonize it. (1) 'Tis true that at Detroit, where 
 they had a fort, they induced a few individuals to settle around, 
 and also on the Canadian shore, the descendants of whom re- 
 main there to the present day. After the Britishflag triumphed, 
 they remained unmolested, as well as those who chose to re- 
 main in the Lower Province. 
 
 « The great work, therefore, of subduing the forests and of 
 bringing the rich tracts of land under cultivation, was left to the 
 indomitable courage, energy, and perseverance of the settlers, 
 protected and encouraged by the mother country. 
 
 « The principal object of the line of division of Canada, as 
 established by Mr. Pitt's Act, was to place them, as a body, by 
 themselves, and to allow them to b« governed by laws more 
 congenial than those which were deemed requisite for the 
 French, on the St. Lawrence. 
 
 « This decision arose from the tenor of the Treaty of Capi- 
 tulation at Montreal, which was on so liberal a scale that when 
 finally ratified at Fontainebleau, the French (the Canadians, 
 Mr. Coventry means) were to enjoy, unmolested, their own 
 
 (1) It is only necessary to refer to the chronicles of the past to ascertain 
 whether or not the French took pains to colonize Few France. — J. M, L. 
 
 " If, says Warren, the French did not take particular pains to colonize Canada, 
 they did not however by legislative enactment declare the cultivation of the soil 
 a felony, as the English did in New-Found-Land. From M. H. Warren's Lecture 
 on the Fitheriee, p. 8. 
 
 11 
 
130 
 
 U. E. LOYALISTS. 
 
 rc'liiiion, thoir own Invs, Ihoir civil rights, to retire when they 
 ploasi'd, iind to dispose of Iheir estates to Drilish siihjeels. 
 
 « Of course they came under the general rules laid downhy 
 the Ihitish riOvciiinnMit and (jovernor ; nor were Ihoy entitled 
 to j^raiils of land, which were so freely given to Loyalists and 
 soldiers who had so biavely fou;;ht under the British flag. 
 They continued to pursue Iht'ir old-fashioned way of living, 
 and for many years gave uo political trouble. 
 
 « Previous to Mr. Pitt's Act coming into operation in 1791, 
 many lar^^e grants of land were madej but the names of the 
 parlies were not registered in the Crown Laud Department, nor 
 were the locations known, as it frequently happened that such 
 grants were sold and not taken up until many years alterwards. 
 Const qucntly our information is very meagre relative lo the 
 pr()gr(!ss of the colony w hilst under military rule. 
 
 '( Thei'o were no oflicial siu'veys of lands until 1792, when 
 about 20,000 acies weie surveyed in York, Scarboro' and 
 Cramahe. Old settlers, from the taking of Foil Niagara in 
 1759 to tlic above jieriod, located where they pleased, with 
 the grant of « Land Warrants, » which held good in after years 
 by proof of posses^itui and clearance. 
 
 « Some of the old settlers in the Niagara district have told 
 mo that the property they now hold has not been registered to 
 this day ; — they hold possession by prescriptive right, having 
 b(MMi on their farms for upwards of eighty years. 
 
 « As our enquiry is confini^d to Upper Canada, we need not 
 vnW.v upon the surveys of the Lower Province ; suflice it to 
 say, that alter the Treaty of Fontainebleau, in 1703, the 
 Crown was desirous to establish the boundary of the Roman 
 Catholic grants. Consequently 5,000 acres were awarded to 
 the Seminary Domain, and the outskirts of the city of Quebec 
 parcelled out to the British settlers who remained with the 
 government. Up to the year 1780, about 80,000 acres were 
 surveyed by order of the British governors, part of which the 
 govtirnmeiit retained, and the remainder was given to the 
 military. The rise and progress of a newly-settled country is 
 at all times an interesting topic. Nothing atfords so much en- 
 tertaining information lo young people as the adventures of 
 
BRITISn REFUGEES. 
 
 vs\ 
 
 Robinson Criisoo, Uio rosult of l)e Foe's friiilfiil imagiiiiilion : 
 and Ihfi pleasing picture of Paul and Virginia, by Rernadin de 
 St. Pierre, in the Mauritius, will bnhandiMl down to succeeding 
 generations ; the result, however, of such nlopean lives is of 
 no practical use to families in the present organized state of 
 society. 
 
 « Settlers in a Canadian wilderness had to l)ear the j)urlhen 
 and heat of the day ; had to exist by the sweat of their brow ; 
 to nndergo wonderful privations and to pass through realities 
 which would scarcely be credited in a work of llction. Still a 
 century has passtid and proved the truth of the assertions of 
 Macaulay, that the British Colonies have beconKs far niiglitier 
 and wealthier than the realms which Corlez and Pizarro had 
 added to the dominions of Charles the Fifth. 
 
 a The history of the country, therefore, during the last 
 century, is eminently the history of physical, of moral and 
 intellectual improvement. 
 
 « The history of the settlers ; the progress of agriculture, of 
 horticulture, of the useful and ornamental ; the change in the 
 habits and manners of the people ; the exchange of the spin- 
 ning wheel for imported finery ; the daily luxury and comforts 
 of the inhabitants, coiilrasted with the privations of their an- 
 cestors, will all form subjects of interesting moment in the 
 results of our inquiries. 
 
 « The people having their daily duties to perform, with h 
 constant succession of work from sunrise to sunset, were cut 
 off from all intercourse with th(! world, and for months together 
 never saw a white man's footstep ajound their dwellings. A 
 solitary Indian occasionally crossed their grounds with whom 
 they traded for skins and deer. They might almost lilerallybe 
 said to have existed in aslate ofnnture ; old associations were 
 their thoughts and the reflection thai they were laying the 
 foundation of prosperity for their children. The IJible they 
 carried with them, formed their principal solace and consola- 
 tion ; and their endeavors were blessed. The superstition so 
 characteristic of the aborigines seemed to form no pari of 
 their existence. Their minds were constantly occupied with 
 some useful work ; as the shades of evening drew around 
 
132 
 
 U. E. LOYALISTS. 
 
 them, they retired, and in such sound sleep that a monarch 
 would have envied. At that period, there was but one road 
 through the country ; a sort uf militai y highway leading from 
 Toronto to Montreal, and an Indian path leading to Fenetan- 
 guishine, where a fort was erected and garrisoned by a few 
 soldiers. Between these two points, messages were sent back- 
 wards and forwards with unerring certainty by Indian guides, 
 similar to David's and Solomon's running footmen. 
 
 « There was no money except that which Government dis- 
 p:>nsed for the pay of the troops. 
 
 « Those who were fortunate enough to have located in the 
 vicinity of an encampment, or a fort, were liberally paid for 
 their produce, and the cash was speedily put avvay in an old 
 stocking, or locked up for posterity to gloat the eye upon. 
 
 « Thieves were unknown, and crime of any description was 
 a rare occurrence. 
 
 « The (juvernment was as liberal as the most fastidious could 
 desire. It gave them land, tools, materials fur building, 
 the means of subsisting for two or three years, and to each ot 
 their children, as they became of age, two hundred acres of 
 land. Families at the present day speak with pride, pleasure 
 and thankfulness of the liberality of the British Government in 
 alTording them assistance in the wilderness ; they continued 
 staunch and loyal to their sovereign, ever ready in any emer- 
 gency to preserve untarnished the honor of the country. 
 ' Thank God, I am a true BritOxN ' was instilled into their mind 
 from infiincy. Intimately connected with the rise and progress 
 of Upper Canada, there is an important class of settlers who 
 demands our especial attention. I allude to the U. E. Loyalists. 
 
 « Those extraordinary men underwent the severest trials 
 and privations for their determined loyalty to the House of 
 Uanover. 
 
 « No one can have the slightest conception of the misery 
 that civil war entails until after the perusal of Mr. Sabine's 
 History ; every refined cruelty of which the human mind is 
 susceptible was practised on those upholders of the cause of a 
 liuiiled monarchy. 
 
 « Doubtless, retaliation was, in a measure, the order of the 
 
BRITISH REFUGEES. 
 
 133 
 
 Igress 
 who 
 
 [lists. 
 
 trials 
 te of 
 
 [sery 
 line's 
 Id is 
 of a 
 
 llie 
 
 day ; so that scenes were daily witnessed as Imirowing to a 
 plilanlliropist as during the reign of terror in France, under 
 Robespierre and Danton. 
 
 « The lives tliat were saerificod during the seven years' 
 struggle for iudiipendence, can never be ascertained ; so that, 
 rather than prolong the war, and to spare the further efTusion 
 of blood, the Minister adopted the humane principle of com- 
 pleting a treaty that was by no means satisfactory to the 
 greater portion of enlightened politicians. 
 
 (( Those who are interested in the history of nations, should 
 by all means, obtain Mr. Sabine's useful and interesting work; 
 hut as it is now scarce, I shall subjoin a few notices of ex- 
 traordinary characters who figure intlie revolutionary struggle, 
 who afterwards took refuge in Canada and Nova Scotia, 
 who acted as pioneers in clearing the wildei nt'ss, and by per- 
 severance and industry reared families whose descendants 
 have since shone consiiicious lu the annals of the country. As 
 Upper Canada had few actual settlers previous to the termina- 
 tion of American hostilities, nor any accommodation for the 
 reception of refugees, we have to trace the stream of loyalists 
 who made their escape to the shores of New Brunswick and 
 Nova Scotia, were they arrived in British ships by thousands, 
 and afterwards branched out in divers directions, as Ih' y ob- 
 tained grants of land in various sections of the colony. 
 
 « Some few came over by way of Niagara, under the aus- 
 pices of Sir William John^on, and afterwards under the admi- 
 nistration of General Simcoe. Their history is extiemely inte- 
 resting, shewing the wonderful vicissitudes of human life, and 
 may as beacons, help on those grumblers of the present day, 
 who have not the same manliness, fortitude and presence of 
 mind to meet the casualities incidental to the changes that at 
 limes, take place under every form of government. 
 
 « The loyalists oflicers, at the close of the war, retired on 
 half-pay. 
 
 « This stipend they received during life, and they also re- 
 ceived grants of land according to their rank. 
 
 « Many were appointed to responsible and lucrative civil 
 offices, and some even administered the Government of the 
 
134 
 
 U. E. LOYALISTS. 
 
 colony in which they resided : General Simcoo, for inslnnco, 
 who commanded liie Queon^B Rangers in the Revohiliotiary 
 war. Nolhing in the history of ihose extraordinary men is so 
 remarkable ns th(!ir longevity. Several lived to enjoy their pay 
 for upwards of half a centnry ; so eonnnon among them 
 were the ages of eighty and eighty-five, ninety and even ninety- 
 five, that the saying became proverbial — ' Loyalist half-pay 
 officers never die. ' So courteous and liberal was the British 
 Government, that even after the death of those old officers, 
 many widows and orphans were recipients of various sums, 
 amounting to between i;20,000 and £30,000 per annum, (aye 
 and as much as jESO.OOO.) 
 
 « We have previously remarked that those who arc curious 
 to know the fate of from 7,000 to 10,000 loyalists should con- 
 sult Mr. Sabine's valuable work. \ ^'\\ 
 
 « In our selection we shall notice a few conspicuous fami- 
 liei who fled from the States at a very early period of Upper 
 Canadian history. » 
 
 It is with those prefatory remarks that Mr. Coventry ushers 
 in the bright galaxy of loyal men whose allegiance to the House 
 of Hanover was so substantially (1) rewarded, whose orphans 
 and widows, received as much as je30,000 per annum from the 
 British Exchequer. Good olden time, Mr. Coventry ! Happy 
 age that was 1 Let us not, however, dwell on the sunny pic- 
 ture too long, lest it should call forth an invidious comparison 
 between the treatment experienced by Governor Simcoe's and 
 Sir William Johnston's fi lends, and that meted out to the pa- 
 triotic reformers of abuses, in 1838-9, in Eastern and in 
 Western Canada. They, too, Avere the sons of men who had 
 stood up for Britain's flag in 1775 and 1812 ; but wlet the dead 
 past bury its dead. » The U. E. Loyalists were brave, let us 
 honor them ; they sacrificed their comforts, their worldly 
 means, to the shrine of consistency, and consistency is a jewel ; 
 let us cherish their memory ! 
 
 (1) The wealth and ^['osition of the colonists, who sacrificed their possessions 
 in the Republican States, to adhere to the monarchy, may be estimated by the 
 fact, that claims for the logs of property were allowed, by the Imperial Govern- 
 ment, to 3,000 heads of families — the total of whose indemnity (apart from land 
 grants) reached to about (en miUiont iterling I (Adolphut Hiat. of England, Vol. 
 Ill, p. 629.) 
 
RUtTlflll REFUGEES. 
 
 135 
 
 But how shall wo bncomingly recoiiiil the odyssny of Ihoir 
 siiHorings in llie wilds of Wostorn Cnnndn ? How shall wo 
 depict their valor ill war? Let Chrysler's Farm, let Lundy's 
 Lane, lelQiieenslonlleiK^hls; (I) let the battle fields of 1812-13- 
 14 unfold (heir honored banners. 
 
 ^sessions 
 by tho 
 I Qovern- 
 rom land 
 \nd, Vol. 
 
 The Coventry Mannscj-ipls contain sketches of the following 
 U. E. Loyalists and early settlers of Upper Canada : 
 
 The Smiths, Gambles, Andersons, .Tones, Lynians, Robin- 
 sons, Ilaldwins, Sir Jumes McCaulay, Hon. John Wilson, John 
 Strachan, Capl. James IJitlrick, Roger Rates, Mrs. White, 
 Joseph Branl, Thomas Horner, Hon. M. DeBoncherville, (2) 
 Hon. John Stewart, Hon. W. Morris, Mohawk Chief Marlin, 
 Hon. Samuel Crone, Nicholas Rrowse, Jacob DeWitt, Hon. 
 George Crookshank, Sir Josejih Brook, Hon. James Crooks, 
 George Brouse, M.P.P. ; Dr. Schoelield, Ibm. John Molson, 
 Hon. John lAIcDonald, Thomas Mcrritt, Jacob Bowman, Hon. 
 Henry Rutlan, Hon. John Elmsley, Chief Just,, ; Hon. Peter 
 Russell, Administrator ; Hon. Henry AllcocK, Chief Justice ; 
 W. Weeks, M.l'.P. ; John While, Attorney-General ; Mrs. 
 Secord, of Chippewa ; Col Clark, Port Dalhousie ; Hon. W. 
 Hamilton Merrilt ; Philemon Wright, the pioneer of the 
 Ottawa ; Rev. John Stuarf, Fronlenac ; Tecumseh ; Mis. 
 Clench, of Niagara ; Mrs. John Gibson, of Grantham ; John 
 Kilburn ; James Richardson, of Glover Hill ; also a stalement 
 of the sufferings of the clergy at the American revolution. » 
 These papers seem particularly interesting. 
 
 Out of such a rich casket of historical gems, who will dare 
 to select '? Here is a lively sketch of an Indian warrior, Te- 
 cumseh — the genuine product of an American forest : as such 
 eminently fitted for the Maple Leaves. Here again arc trails of 
 devotion and disinterestedness, scraps of family history, feats 
 of personal prowes^', incidents of the battlefield ; how shall I 
 
 (1) Accounts of these battles will be found in tho Third Series of " Maple 
 Leaves," published in 1864. 
 
 (2) Hon. Mr. DoBoucherville is a lineal descendant of the old Gorernor of 
 Three Rivers, and founder of the village of DoBoucherville. 
 
136 
 
 U. E. LOYALISTS. 
 
 
 crowd them in tlio narrow limits of this record of Canadian 
 wortii and Canadian gallantry ? Yes, how ? I acknowledge the 
 idea distresses me much ; enough at any rate for to day. But 
 hefore closing, listen to the quaint gossip of a very worthy and 
 ancient dame of some seventy-nine summers, Mrs. \S'hite. (1) 
 « The Bay of Quinte was covered with ducks, of which we 
 could obtain any quantity from the Indians. As to fish, they 
 could be had by fishing with a scoup. I have often speared 
 large salmon with a pitch fork. » « Now and then provisions 
 ran very scanty ; ;>e fared no belter than Frenchmen, there 
 being plenty of bullfrogs .» 
 
 Good gracious ! to think that after all the U. E. Loy- 
 alists were — veritable frog-eaters ! « Ealing bullfrogs a sumi)- 
 tuf s fare ! » Oh, Mrs. WMiite ! Mrs. White ! However, 
 there was just as excellent a reason for eating bullfrogs 
 in Upper Canada in 1/88, as there was for eating horse 
 flesh (2) in Lower Canada some thirty years previously : there 
 was nothing else to eat. (3) Let us continue. «This,» says Mrs. 
 
 (1) Reminiscences of Mrs. White, of White's Mills, near Cobourg. 
 
 (2) Montcalm had had 1500 horses slaughtered for the inhabitants of Canada 
 in 1758. 
 
 (3) Dr. Canniff, of Toronto, in an interesting work furnishes details, on the 
 settlement of Upper Canada, fully corroborating what is here stated : 
 
 " Sometimes, says ho, the grain was crushed with an axe upon a flat stone. 
 Many prepared a wooden mortar, by cutting a block of suitable length, about 
 four feet, out of the trunk of a large tree, oak or maple. Sometimes it was the 
 stump of a tree. In this, a cavity was formed, generally by heating a piece of 
 iron, and placing it upon the end. In some quarters, a cannon ball from the 
 garr'.;-on was used. By placing this, red hot, upon the wood, a hollow of sufficient 
 dep^h could bo made. These mortars, sometimes called ' Hominy Blocks ' and 
 sometimes ' Plumping Mills, ' varied in size ; sometimes holding only a few 
 quarts, sometimes a bushel, or even more. The pestle or pounder, was made of 
 the hardest wood, six or eight feet long, and eight inches in diameter at the bot- 
 tom end ; the top, sufficiently small to be spanned by the hand. The pestle was 
 sometimes called the stamper ; and the stump or block, with the pestle, was 
 called the stump-mortar. Generally, it was by tbo unaided hand that the grinding 
 was done ; but after a time, a sweep pole was arranged, similar to a well pole, 
 and a hard weighty substance being attached to the pole, much less strength was 
 required to crush the grain ; at the same time, a large quantity could be at once 
 done. The work was generally done by two men. The grain thus pounded was 
 generally Indian Corn, and occasionally wild rice. To crush wheat required much 
 more labour, and a small mortar. The bran was separated from the flour by a 
 horse hair siere, one of which generally served a whole community, as they were 
 posieiicid only by a few. This rude method continued for many yeaii, especially 
 
BBITISU nEFUGKF.8. 
 
 137 
 
 )gS 
 
 Canada 
 on the 
 
 "White, « was the time of the famine, 1 think, in 1788 ; ue wore 
 obliged to dig up our seed potatoes, after planung them, to eat. 
 "We never llioiight of these privations, but were always happy 
 
 in thoje township remote from tho flouring mill!". Frequently, an indiridunl 
 would possess an old mortar that would be uRed by a whole neighborhood. Mr. 
 Diamond, of Belleville, a native of Fredericksburg, remember?, who* a boy, to 
 have accompanied hia fiilher ' to mill. ' Tho mill w,is ono of these larger mortars, 
 which would contain a bushel of grain when bein^ ground, but which would hold, 
 even measure, two bushels. The grain was crushed by a sweep with a weight 
 attach ad, of ten or twelve pounds. 
 
 " Tho year of the famine is spoken of sometimes as the ' sonroo year, ' some- 
 times as the ' hungry year, ' or tho ' hard summer. ' The extrosio distress seems 
 to have commenced in the year 1787. With some, it lasted a part of a year ; with 
 others a year, and with others upwards of a year. The height of tho distress was 
 during the spring and early summer of 1788. But plenty to all, did not come till 
 the summer of 1789. The writer has in his possession accounts of many instances 
 of extreme suffering, during the famine, and for years after, through tho ton 
 townships. A few will here bo given, as briefly as may h» possible. 
 
 " One, who settled in the sixth township (who was subsequently a member of 
 Parliament for twenty yoars), with wife and children, endured great suffering. 
 Their flour being exhausted, he sent money to Quobeo for some more flour, but his 
 money was sent back ; there was none to be had. Tho wife tried, as an oxperi- 
 mont, to make bread outof some wheat bran, which was bought at a dollar a 
 bushel. She failed to make bread, but It was oaten as a stir-about. Upon thisi 
 with Indian Cabbage, or ' Cale, ' ' a plant with a large leaf, ' also wild potatoes 
 or ground nuts, the family lived for many a week. In the spring they procured 
 some potatoes to plant, but the potato eye alone was planted, tho other portion 
 being reserved for food. One of tho daughters, in her extreme hunger, digged <ip 
 for days some of the potatoo rir-i and ate it. One day, her father caught her at it, 
 and seized hold of her arm *v ^ anish her, for forgetting the requirements of tho 
 future, but ho found h--. r ins so emaciated that his heart melted in pity f(,r the 
 starving child. 0*'..erR used to eat a plant called buttor-nut, and another pipf- 
 weod. Chil'^.on would steal out at night with stolen potatoes, and roast them at 
 tiie burning log heap, and consider them a great treat. One individual has loft 
 tho record that she used to allay tho pangs of hunger by eating a littlo salt. But 
 the majority of the settlers had no salt ; and game and fish, when it could bo 
 caught, was eaten without that condiment. Even at a later date, salt was a scarce 
 and dear ar :clo, as tho following will show : — • Sydney, 20th November, 17S'2 — 
 Received from Mr. John Ferguson, ono barrel of salt, for which I am to jiay nine 
 dollars. ' (Signed), John German. Often when fish or game was caught, it was 
 forthwith roasted without waiting to go home to havo it dressed. As spring ad- 
 vanced, and the buds of the trees began to swell, they were gathered and eaton. 
 Roots were digged out of the ground ; tho bark of certain trees was stripped off 
 and oonsumod as food. One family lived for a fortnight on beech leaves. Every- 
 thing that was supposed to bo capable of alleviating tho pangs of hunger, whether 
 it yielded nutriment or not, was unhesitatingly used ; and in the fifth township 
 some were killed by eating poisonous roots. Beef bones were, in one neighbour- 
 hood, not only boiled and boiled again, but actually carried from house to house, 
 to give a little taste to boiled bran, until there remained no taste in tho boiling 
 water. In the fourth township, upon the sunny side of a hill, was an early field of 
 
 12 
 
138 
 
 U. E. LOYALISTS. 
 
 and cheerful. No uiisetlled minds; no polilicalstrifenbout church 
 government, or squabling municipal councils. We left every- 
 thing to our failliful Governor (1). 1 liave ollen heard my father 
 
 grain, and to this thoy oamo, from far and near, to eat the milk-like heads of 
 grain, go soon as thoy had sulTioiently grown, which were boiled and oaten. The 
 daughter of tho mau who owned the field, gladly gave to all, still remains with us, 
 then she was in the freshness of her girlhood ; now, she is in tho autumn of a 
 green old age, neni-Iy a hundred. She remembers to have seen them cutting the 
 young succulent grain, to use hor own words, ' as thick as stumps. ' This young 
 grain was a common dish, all alon^ the Bay, until it became lipo. One family 
 lived several months solely oa boiled oats. One day, a man oame to tho 
 door of a house in Adolphustown, with a bag, and a piece of ' oalamink, ' to ex- 
 change for Sour. But tho Hour was low, and the future doubtful, and none could 
 bo spared. Tho man turned away with tears of anguish rolling dowu his face. 
 The kind woman gave him a few pounds of flour ; he begged to be allowed to 
 add some bran lying on tho floor, which was permitted, and he went his way. 
 
 (1) " Let us do justice to tho momory of a really groat man; that first Go- 
 vernor (Simcoe) was no mere soldier. While his military designs entitled him to 
 rank with Wolfo and Brook, as the preserver of Canada to the Crown of ^roat 
 Britain, his largo views of civil policy went far beyond all the men — civilians by 
 profession — who have been entrusted with tho supremo direction of affairs in this 
 country. I was glad to see that at the great pioneer festival held at London a fow 
 weeks ftgii, the name of General Simeoe was not forgotten, for it is a name that 
 must always remain inscribed on tho corner stone of the historj' of Western 
 Canada. I do not know a more interesting or instructive picture of any Canadian 
 Governor, not even that which Peter Kalm gave, in 1745, of the renowned Marquis 
 de la tiallissoniure, than is given by tho Duke de la llochefoucault Liencourt, of 
 Lieut-Governor 8imcoe, in his travels in North America in the year 1795. The 
 French Duke found Upper Canada ' a new country, or rather, ' he says, ' a coun- 
 try about to be formed ; ' and the Governor, ' a man of independent fortune, ' 
 whose only incitement to accept tho office was the hope of thereby rendering a 
 great service to his native land. ' Governor Simcoe, ' he says, ' was of opinion 
 that not only would Upper Canada be found quite able to sustain all her own in- 
 habitants, but that she might become a granary to England ' — a statesmen's hope 
 which has been fully realized 1 De la llochefoucault describes an incident of his 
 rule, which came under his own notice. ' Wo met, ' he says (speaking of an ox- 
 onrsion he made with tho Governor beyond Niagara), ' an American family, who, 
 with some oxen, cows and sheep, were coming to Canada. ' ' We oome, said they 
 to the Governor ' — whom they did not know — ' to see whether he will give uy 
 land. ' ' Aye, aye, ' the Governor replied, ' you have.tiredof the Federal govern- 
 ment ; you like no longer to have so many kings, you wish again for your old 
 father : ' (it is thus the Governor calls the British monarch when he speaks with 
 Americans) ; ' you are perfectly right ; come along, w« love such good royalists 
 as you are ; we will give you land. ' Such, sir, was the spirit of the founder of 
 Upper Canada — such was the beneticient policy which breathed into that soulless 
 wilderness, the breath of life : and lo ! your country became a living spirit. 
 ' Come along ! we like such good royalists as you are ; we will give you land 1 ' 
 This was the policy of Governor Simeoa, three-quarters of a century ago — a 
 policy which rebuku and puts to shame the narrow, illusory and vexatious quao- 
 
 
BRITISH REFUGEES. 
 
 139 
 
 and my mother say that they had no cause of complaint in any 
 shape, and were always thankful to the Government for its 
 kind assistance in the hour of need. Of an evening, my father 
 would make shoes of deer skin for the children, and my mother, 
 make home-spun dressess. We had no doctors, no lawyers, no 
 slate clergy. We had prayers at home, and put our trust in 
 Providence. An old woman in the next clearance was chief 
 physician to the surrounding country, as it gradiiallysettled. A 
 tree fell one day and hurt mother's hack very much ; we sent 
 for the old woman, who came, steeped some wheal, made lye 
 and applied it very hot in a flannel ; in a very short time she 
 was as well as ever. Flax was cultivated in those halcyon 
 days. One year we grew 700 cwl. ; we spun and wove il into 
 wearing apparel and table linen. It lasted a long time. A handy 
 fellow came along and made us our ehuniber looms, so that we 
 might work away. We had no occasion tor imported liniMy ; 
 — if wo had, we could not have procured any. As the girls 
 grew up and seUlers came round, a wedding occasionally took 
 place. There was but one minister, a Presbyterian, nained 
 Hoberl McDonald, a kind, warin-h{;arled man, who came on 
 horseback through the woods from Kingston, and when Ijesaw 
 smoke from a house he straight made up to the residence, 
 where he was always welcome. He had a mosl powerful voice ; 
 when he became excited, he could be heard a mile off. All 
 who were inclined lo marry, he splic(!d, with many a kind 
 word to the young folks — , « thai they were sure lo prosper by 
 industry and perseverance. » lie married Mr. While and my- 
 self. 
 
 M When the other girls would smirk and look pleasanl at 
 him, and think him a great benelaelor, he would chuck them 
 under the chin and say — , 'I will soon be your turn. ' » 
 
 Further on Mrs. While speaks of sleamboals and railroads, 
 with much greater respect, however, than the late Mr. Mar- 
 childon, M.P.P.. and winds up Ihis picture of a Canadian 
 Arcadia, by saying — aGiveme the spinning wheel days, when 
 
 kcry which obstructs tho aetUemeut of our remaining land at this moment, and 
 atauds sentry for bnrbariam in the Nortb-Wetit. " — lion. T. B. McQoe's Lttter to 
 br. Parker, in 1863. 
 
140 
 
 t. E. LOYALISTS. 
 
 girls were proud to wear a home-spun dress of Iheir own spin- 
 ning and wtiaving, not dreaming of high-heeled boots, (hin 
 shoes, hoops and urinoline, and salt-cellar bonnets. » 
 We shall add : Grecian Bcnds—Saratosa waterfalls and 
 
 Chignons 
 
 THE « V. E. » LOYALISTS. 
 
 " A Volunteer " writes (^'fhe Morning Chronicle) as follows, viz :— 
 " Among the many communications which hare graced your journal, and for 
 which we ax^ indebted to the facile pen of our respected townsman, J. M. Le 
 Muino, there are few who possess so great an interest for us Anglo-Saxons, born 
 on the soil, as the subject matter of Mr. LeMoine's letter of yesterday. Our 
 fathers, through good and through evil report, stood Urm in their allegiance to 
 the British flag, and shed their blood in many a well -fought field. Is there no 
 history of the Provincial corps, raised in the different revolted states, which fought 
 by the side of the British regulars ? Are there no returns on file in the War 
 Ofnco, showing when and were these dilTerent corps were raised ; how they were 
 commanded and ofhcered, and what battles they fought 7 What otBcers survived 
 tho war, and chose Lower Cauadiv as their homo ? Have wo no Napier, to write in 
 full the history of tho U. E. Loyalists. ? 
 
 r ,/ •",■ 
 
FRASEK'S HIGHUNDERS 
 
 BEFORE QUEBEC IN 1759. 
 
 The reUirn to Quebec, on the 21st July, 1867, of the cele- 
 brated 78lli — who were so lavish of their blood in securing 
 the supremacy of TJritain in North America, during the war of 
 1759, must necessarily evoke from the past many memoiies. 
 A short sketch of the career of the corps during those fijihting 
 times, is likely, we believe, to possess interest not only for the 
 Regl. itself, but also for the public at large. The 78th, origi- 
 nally formed in 1757 (1) was disbanded (1764) after the 
 
 (1) List of oQlcors of Fruser's IlighlauJoN, commissions dated, 5th January, 
 1767 : 
 
 Lieut.-Col. Commandant. — Honorable Simon Fraser, died Lioutonant-Gonoral 
 in 1782. 
 
 Majors.— Jamos Clcphano ; John Campbell, of Dunoon, afterwards Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Commanding the Campbell Highlanders in Germany. 
 
 Captains.— John MacPherson, brother of Clunio ; John Campbell, of Balli- 
 more ; Simon Fraser, of Inverlochy, killed on the Heights of Abraham in 1759 ; 
 Donald Alacdonald, brother of Olanronald, killed at Sillery 1760 ; John Alao- 
 dunell, of Lochgarry, afterwards Licutenant-Coluuci of the 7Cth, or Macdonald's' 
 Kegiment, died in 1789, Colonel ; Alexander Cameron, of Dungallon ; Thomas 
 Ross, of Culrossie, killed on the Heights of Abraham ; Alexander B'rasor, of 
 Culduthol ; Sir Henry Suton, of Aborcorn, Baronet ; James Fraser, of Belladrum ; 
 Simon Fraser, Cniitain- LienleiKint, died a Lioutonant-General in 1812. 
 
 Lieutenants. — Alexander MacLeod, Hugh Cameron, Ronald Macdonald, of Kop- 
 poch ; Charles Macdoncll, of Glengarry, killed at St. John's; Roderick Mao- 
 neill, of Bara, killed on the Heights of Abraham ; William Miiedouoll; Archibald 
 Campbell, son of Glenlyon ; John Fraser, of Balnain ; Hector Macdonald, 
 brother to Boisdale, killed in 1759 ; Allan Stewart, son of Innernaheill ; John 
 Fraser ; Alexander Macdonell, son of Burri^dalc, killed on the Heights of Abra- 
 ham ; Alexander Fraser, killed at Louisbuur; ; Alexander Campbell, of Aross . 
 John Douglass ; John Nairn ; Arthur Rose, of the family of Kilravoch ; Alexander 
 Fraser ; John Macdonell, of Leeks, died at Berwick, 1818 ; Cosmo Gordon, killed 
 at Sillery in 1760 ; David Baillie, killed at Louisbourg ; Charles Stewart, son of 
 Colonel John Roy Stewart ; Eweu Cameron, of the family of Glonevis ; Allan 
 Cameron ; John Cuthbert, killed at Louisbourg ; Simon Fraser, Archibald Mac- 
 alistur, of the family of Loup ; Jamos Murray, killed at Louisbourg; Donald 
 Cameron, son of Fassafearn, died on half pay, 1817. 
 Euijiguiii : JohnChisholm ; John Fraser, of Krrogie ; Simon Fraser; James Mao- 
 
142 
 
 FMSER S HIGHLANDERS 
 
 capture of Quebec, several of its officers obtaining grants of 
 large tracts of country, Seigniories, owned to this day by 
 their descendants; — Agreat portion of the soldiers intermarry cd 
 and settled permanently in the colony. The countless clan of 
 Eraser's all over the Province, retraces back to that source. 
 The Warrens, McNicolls, Nairns, Campbells, Macdonalds, 
 llarveys, MacLeans, Blackburns, MacNeils, Camerons, of 
 Murray Bay, Isle aux Coudres, Riviere du Loup, Monlmagny, 
 have also to go back to Eraser's Highlanders for their progeni- 
 tors. The regiment was again raised in Scolland, to meet the 
 exigencies of the American rebellion, in 1778, by the restored 
 Earl of Seaforth, from his estates, in gratitude for the favors 
 conferred upon him by his Sovereign. About a thousand men 
 were then enlisted in Uosshire, from among the MacKenzios 
 and the Macraes, and the latter clansmen formed so large a 
 portion of the corps thai it became known, by their name. 
 There is a singular story told respecting the enrolment of the 
 regimcjnt, illustrative of the wild independence of these moun- 
 taineers. It is called the « AlTair of the wild Macraws. » 
 Want of space prevents its insertion. This line body of 
 men were again disbanded, we are told, after the close of 
 Napoleon the I's, great continental wars. It had served with 
 distinction in many part of the world, notably in India, in 1781. 
 lias it not also won imperishable laurels during the late India 
 mutiny, (1838) under the gallant Havelock at Cawnpore and 
 elsewhere ? Its colors bear glorious names. Let us, however, 
 Tiislrict our review of the doings of the regiment to its feats on 
 Canadian soil. The following is collated from the most reliable 
 historical sources, for the period in question : 
 
 « About ten 5 ears after the battle of Culloden, which termi- 
 nated the unlucky rising of 1745, Mr. Pitt, observing with a 
 liberal and statesmanlike eye, the spirit of loyally towards 
 those who placed confidence in them, which was the distin- 
 
 kenzie ; Malcolm Frasor, nfterwards Captain 84th Regiment, or Royal Emigrants ; 
 Donald MaoneiU, Henry Monro ; Hugh Fra^er, afterwards Captain 84th Kegt. ; 
 Alexander Gie^orson, Ardtornish ; James Henderson ; Robert Monzios ; John 
 Campbell. 
 
 Chaplain, Reverend Robert MaoPeraon; Adjutant, Hugh Fraser; Quater* 
 master, John Fraser { Surgeon, John MoLean. 
 
BEFORE QUEBEC IN 1759. 
 
 143 
 
 giiishing charncloristic of the Highland clans, resolved to 
 employ them in (he fort!i|in service of Great Britain, under Iho 
 command of oflicers chosen from the most esteemed Scotish 
 families, lie knew the chiefs could be depended upon where 
 their faith was engaged ; and he was aware of the devotion 
 with which the clansman followed the fortunes of his chief- 
 tain. The experiment succeeded to the fullest extent ; Mr. 
 Pitt had the merit of drawing into the British service a 
 hardy and intrepid race of men who served the Crown with 
 fidelity — who fought with valor, and who conquered for En- 
 gland in every part of the world. Following nplhisenlightened 
 policy in 1757, the Honorable Simon Fraser, who had himself 
 been engaged in the lebellion, and whose father, Lord Loval, 
 had been beheaded for high treason, on Tower Hill, was ap- 
 pointed Lieutenant Colonel Commandant of a Battalion, to be 
 raised upon the forfeited estates of his own family, then vested 
 in the Crown. Without estate, money, or influence, beyond 
 the hereditary attachment of his clan, the Master of Lovat 
 found himself in a few weeks at the head of eight hundred 
 men, entirely recruited by himself. His kinsmen, oflicers of 
 the regiment and the gentlemen of the country around, added 
 seven hundred more. The battalion was thus formed of 
 thirteen companies of one hundred and five men each, num- 
 bering in all one thousand four hundred and sixty men,includ- 
 iug sixty-five sergeants, and thirty pipers and drummers — a 
 splendid body of men, who afterwards carried the military 
 r<!putation of the nation to the hightest pitch. In all their 
 movements they were attended by their chaplain, the Reverend 
 Robert MacPherson, who was called by them CaipalMor, from 
 his large stature. They wore the full Highland dress, with 
 musket and broadsword. Many of the soldiers added, at their 
 own expense, the dirk, and the purse of Otter's skin. The 
 bonnet was raised or cocked on one side, with a slight bend 
 inclining down to the right ear, over which were suspended 
 two or more black feathers. Eagle's or Hawk's feathers were 
 worn by the officers. During six years in North America, 
 Fraser's Highlanders continued to wear the kilt both winter 
 and summer. They, in fact, refused to wear any other dress, 
 
144 
 
 FRASER S HIGHLANDERS 
 
 and these men were more healthy tlian other regiments whicii 
 wore l)reeches and warm clothing. » 
 
 During the winter of 1759-00, a portion of Eraser's lligh- 
 hmders were quartered in the Ursiilines Convent. Whether 
 tlie ahsence of breeches, on the brawney mountaineers was in 
 the eyes of llie good ladles a breach of decorum, or whethiT 
 christian charity impelled them to clothe the naked — especially 
 dining the Janujiry frosts, is hard to determine at the present 
 time : certain it is, that the Nuns generously begged of 
 Governor Muiray, to be allowed to provide raiment for the 
 barelegged sons of Caledonia. 
 
 It is a singular fact that Scotchmen were, during this war, 
 occupying high offices in (1) both armies. General Levi's aide- 
 de-camp was the Chevalier Johnstone. The French had also a 
 Scotch officer in charge of one of the Sillery outposts, of the 
 name of Douglass. 
 
 Fraser's Highlanders higlily distinguished themselves at llic 
 capture of Louisbourg, in 1758 ; at the bailie of Montmorency, 
 31st July, 1759; and that, of St. Foye or Sillery, 281 h April, 
 1760 ; a fitting tribute was rendered lo their bravery on this 
 occasion by the eloquentMr. P. Chauvean, at the inauguration, 
 in 1855, of the statue of Dellona, sent out by Prince Napoleon 
 lo crown the monument of the celebrated ballle-field. 
 
 At the batlhi ol the Plains, the loss of Frascr's Highlanders 
 amounted to three officers, one sergeant, and fourteen rank 
 and file, killed; ten officers, seven sergeants, and one hundred 
 and thirty-one rank and file, wounded. The disproportion in 
 the number of the killed to that of the wounded must be as- 
 cribed to the irregular and unsteady fire of the enemy, which 
 was put a stop to, on the charge of the British. Of the conduct 
 of the Regiment on that eventful 13th Siipt., an eye witness, 
 Malcolm Fraser, then a Lieutenant in this corps, has left an 
 excellent (2) narrative. From which we give the following 
 extracts : « After pursuing the French to the very gates of the 
 
 (1) Several of the Highlanders enlisted to fight the French in America, in 
 order to retaliate for the want of succour sent them by Franco, in 1745. 
 
 (2) Manuscripts published under the auspices of the Litrrart and Histo- 
 BICAL SociKTY of Queboo, in 1867-8. 
 
BEFORE QUEBEC IN 1759. 
 
 145 
 
 war. 
 
 inders 
 rank 
 id red 
 
 ion in 
 as- 
 
 Ivliich 
 iducl 
 hess, 
 |t an 
 |\ving 
 
 in 
 
 lISTO- 
 
 town, onr Regiment was ordu'red to form, fronting the town on 
 the ground whenjon the French fornn-d lir>l ; at this time, the 
 rest of thi! army came vip in good ordi^r. (ItMieral Miinay 
 havitig thim put himsi'Ifal the head of <»ur Regiment, ordered 
 them !o fidi to the left and march Ihrongh the bu'-^h of wood 
 towards the fitmeral Hospital, where they 2")l a great gun or 
 two to play npon us from the town, which, however, did no 
 damage, but we had a few men killed and officers wounded by 
 some skulking fellows, with small arms, from the bushes and 
 behind the houses in the suburbs of Si. Louis and St. John. » 
 We shall interrupt this quotation of Lieutenant Phraser's 
 journal, to insert some details, very recently furnished to 
 us, by our respected townsman, .lohn Fraser, esquire, whose 
 memory is still excellent, despite advancing years. « In my 
 youth, » says Mr. Fraser, « 1 boarded with a very aged mili- 
 tiaman, who had fought at the balile of the Plains ; his name 
 was Joseph Trahn. In 1759, Trahan was aged eighteen years. 
 Frequently has this old gossip talked to me about the incidents 
 of the fight. « I can well recollect, old Ti'ahan used to say, 
 how Monlcalm looked before the engagement. He was riding 
 a dark or black horse in front of our lines, bearing his sword 
 high in the air, in the attitude of encouraging the men to do 
 their duty. He wore a uniform with large sleeves, and the 
 one covering the arm he held in the air, had fallen back, dis- 
 closing the white linen of his risband. When he was wounded, 
 a rumor spread that he was kitl>'d ; a panic ensued, and the 
 soldiers rushed promiscuously trom the Buttes a Nepveu (near 
 whereWie AsyleChampetre, — nowMr.Dinning's house— stands), 
 towards the Cdteau Sainte Genevieve, thence towards the St. 
 Chailes, over the meadow (on which St. Roch has since been 
 built.) I can remember the Scotch Highlanders flying wildly 
 after us, with streaming plaids, bonnets and large swords — 
 like so many infuriated demons, over the brow of the hill. 
 In their course, was a wood, in which we had some Indians 
 and sharpshooters, who bowled over the Sauvages (TEcosse 
 in fine style. Their partly naked bodies fell on their face, 
 and their kilts in disorder left exposed a portion of their 
 
 thighs, at which our fugitives on passing by, would make 
 
 13 
 
146 
 
 FR\SER's HIGHLANDERS 
 
 Iiingcs with Ihoir swords, cutting large slices out of the 
 flcsliicst portion of their persons. 1 was amoniisl the fugi- 
 tives and received in th(» calf of the leg a sp inl bullet, which 
 stretched me to the ground. I Ihuughl it was all over with 
 me ; but presently, 1 rose; up, and continued to run towards 
 the General llospitiil, in order to gain the Beaiiporl camp over 
 the brid^'e of boats. On my way, 1 came to a bake house, in 
 which the baker that day had baked an ovenful of bread. 
 Some of the exhausted fugitives asked him for food, which he 
 refused, wlnin in a lilof ra;;e at such hearllessuess, one of them 
 lopped olT his head with his sword. The bjnody head was 
 then deposited on Ih", top of the pile of bread Hunger getting 
 the belter of me, 1 helped myself to a ktaf all sm;iared with 
 gore, and with my pocket-knife removing thecrust, I gree.lily 
 devotireu Am crumb. This was in Ihe afternoon, and the s;ni 
 was dcsceudifig iii the West. » 
 
 Such arc ''"'ails furnished by old Trahan to Mr. John Fraser. 
 Let us now resume Ihethreail of Lieutimanl Malcolm Fraser's 
 narrativ(i wliere we left it off. « After marching a shoit way 
 Ihrouuh the bushes, Brigadier Murray thought proper to order 
 ns to return again to the high road leading from Porte St. 
 Louis, to Ihelleightsof Abraham, where the battle was fought, 
 and al'tcu- niiU'ching till we got clear of the bushes, we were 
 ordered to turn to the right, and go along the edge of them 
 tov\ards the bank, at the descent between us and the General 
 Hospital, under which we understood there was a body of the 
 enemy who, no sooner saw us, that they began firing on us 
 from the bushes and from the bank ; we soon dislodged 
 them from the bushes, and from thence, kept firing for about a 
 quarb^r of au hour on those under cover of the bank ; but as 
 they exceeded us greatly in numbers, they killed and wounded 
 a great many of our men, killed two olficers, which obliged 
 us to retire a little, and form again, when the 58th Regiment 
 with the 2ud Batialion of Royal Americans having come up to 
 our assistance, all three making about five hundred men, ad- 
 vanced against the enemy and drove them first down to the 
 great meadow between the Hospital and town, and afterwards, 
 over the River Saint Charles. It was at this lime and while in 
 
BEFORE QUEBEC IN 1759: 
 
 \M 
 
 on lis 
 lodged 
 liboul a 
 I but as 
 Lindcd 
 Obliged 
 kimutit 
 up to 
 (n, ad- 
 lo the 
 krards, 
 lile in 
 
 the bushes that our UegimenlsutTured most : Lieuteimnt Utxit'- 
 rick McNeill of Hana, and Alexander McDoiiell, and .lolin 
 McDonell, and John MePhorsoii, volunteer, with many ol' oui- 
 men, were killed before we were reinfoiced ; and (!a|ilain 
 Thomas Iloss having gone down with about one hundred men 
 of the 3rd Regiment lo the meadow, alter the enemy, when 
 they were out of reach, ordered me up to desire those on the 
 
 md 
 
 tin 
 
 height would wail till he would come i _ 
 
 I did, but before Mr. Ross could gel up, he unfurtu aloly was 
 
 mortally wounded in the body, by a cannon b'lll from th(; 
 
 hulks, in the mouth of the River Saint Charles, of which he died 
 
 in great torment, butwilh great resolution, in about two hours 
 
 after. 
 
 « We had, of our Regiment three oflieers killed and ten 
 wounded, one of whom Captain Simon Fmser, afterwards 
 died. Lieutenant Archibald Campbell was thought to have 
 been mortally wounded, but to the surprise of most |>eo|)le, 
 recovered; Captain John MeDonell, thro', both things ; Lieut. 
 Ronald McDonell, Ihro' till! knee ; Lieutenant xVlexandi^r Camp- 
 bell, thro' the leg ; Lieutenant Douglas, thro' the arm, who died 
 of this wound soon afttjrwards ; Ensign Gregerson, Ensign 
 McKenzie and Lieutenant Alexander Eraser, all slightly ; I 
 received a contusion in the right shoulder or rather bieast, 
 before the action became general, which pained me a good 
 deal, but it did not disable me from my duty then or after- 
 wards. 
 
 « The detachment of our RegimtMit consisted, at our march- 
 ing from Point Levi, of six hundred men, besides commissicm- 
 ed and non commissioned ol'licers ; but of these, two olTiecrs 
 and about sixty men were hifl on board for want (d' boats, and 
 an olficer and about thirty men left at the landing place : bo- 
 sides a few left sick on board, so that we had about live hun- 
 dred men in the action. We sulVered in men and tl'iiciirs 
 more than any three Regiments in the field. We were com- 
 manded by Captain John Campbell ; the Colonel and Captain 
 McPherson having been unfortunately wounded on the 25th 
 July, of which they were not yet fully recovered. 
 
 tt We remained encamped till the — October, when the army 
 
148 
 
 FRASEU K IIIGIIL4NDERS 
 
 marched into (own, which is to bo our quarters for the win- 
 ter ; most of the houses are deslroyccJ, and we have hut a 
 very dismal prospect for se\en or eiyhl monlhs, as fresh pro- 
 visions arc very scarce, and every other tiling exorbitantly 
 dear. » 
 
 The record of Eraser's Highlanders at the battle of SI. Foye, 
 generally callod in old manuscripts the l)attle of Sillery Wood, 
 is not without its interest, altho' the fight ended in a signal 
 reverse. The Scotch sutTered fearfully in comparison with 
 their numbers. 
 
 « We had, » again says Lieut. Malcolm Fraser, « about sixty 
 ki'ied and twenty wounded, and of thirty-nine officers, Cap- 
 tain Donald McDonald who commanded th(; volunteer company 
 of the army, and Lieutenant Cosmo Gordon who commanded 
 the light inlanlry company of our regiment, were both killed 
 in the (ield ; Lieutenant Hector McDonald and Ensign Malcolm 
 Fraser died of their wounds, all very much regretted by every 
 one who knew them. 
 
 « We had twenty-three more officers wounded, of this num- 
 ber was Colonel Fraser, who commanded the left wing of the 
 army, and it was with great pleasure we observed his behaviour 
 during the action, when he gave his orders with great coolness 
 and deliberation. He was touched at two ditferent times ; 
 the fii'st took him in the right breast, but having his cartouche 
 box slung, it luckily struck against the tar ol it and did not 
 penetrate tho', olherways, it must infallibly have done his busi- 
 ness. The second, he got in the retreat, but striking against 
 the cue of his hair, he received no other damage than a still- 
 ness in his neck for some days. Here I cannot help observing 
 that if any unlucky accident had befallen our Colonel, ' 
 his regiment must have sulfered an irreparable los> ,il i 
 think 1 can, without any partiality say, it would have biiun a 
 loss to his country. His behaviour tliis winter in particular 
 to his regirienl has been such, as to make him not only 
 esteemed by Ihem but by (he Garrison in general. Captain 
 Alexander Fraser of our regiment, was wounded in the right 
 temple, and thought very dangerously, the rest are mostly flesh 
 wounds. I received a musket ball in the right groin, which 
 
BEFORE OVEBEC IN 1759. 
 
 149 
 
 was thouf^ht dnngorons for three or four days, as Iho boll was 
 supposed to be lodged, but whether it hns wrought out in walk- 
 ing into town, or did not pen(>trate fur (enough at tirsl to lodge, 
 or is still in, I cannot say, but in twenty days 1 was entirely 
 cured, and (he wound which was at first but small was entirely 
 closed lip. » 
 
 On that unlucky occasion, (28th April, 1760,) the pic- 
 turesque locality now occupied by the smiling country seats of 
 our successful merchants on the Sle. Foy road, wore a very 
 dilTerenl aspect ; fields strewed with corpses — bloody pools 
 on all sides met the eye. The sava^^es, coming out from the 
 bushes where they had been lurking during the combat, set to 
 their old work of scalping, if we are to credit Lieutenant iVial- 
 colm Fraser's nanative : 
 
 « It appears, says he, the allowed the savages to scalp all 
 the killed and most part of the wounded, as we found a great 
 many scalps in the bushes. 
 
 (( I have been since informed by Lieutenant McGregor, of 
 our regiment, who was left on the field wounded, and narrow- 
 ly escaped being killed, having received two stabs of a bayonet 
 from two French regulars, that he saw the savages murdering 
 the wounded and scalping them on all sides, and expected 
 every momiMit to share the same fate, but was saved by a 
 French officer, who luckily spoke a little English.)) 
 
 Scalping was not, however, confined to the Indians; thus on 
 referrin;^ to Lieutenant Malcolm Fraser's M. S. S., we find the 
 British on the 23rd July, 1759, indulging in a little scalping at 
 St. Joachim. In this instance Lieutenant Richard Montgo- 
 mery, then serving in the 17lh regiment, in Western Canada, 
 is made to bear through a mistake of our historians, the res- 
 ponsibility of the acts of a barbarous namesake. Captain Alex- 
 ander Montgomery, of Ihe 43rd. « There were, says Malcolm 
 Fraser, several of the enemy killed and wounded and a few 
 prisone' - taken, all of whom the barbarous Caplain Montgo- 
 mery, o commanded us, ordered to be butchered in a most 
 inhup and cruel manner ; particularly two, who 1 sent pri- 
 sons V a sergeant, after giving Ihem quarter, and engaging 
 that tl y should not be killed, were one shot, and the other 
 
150 
 
 FR4SEIIS HIGULANDERS 
 
 knocked down with a tomahawk (a little hatchet) and both 
 scalped in my absence, by the rascally sergeant neglecting to 
 acquaint Montgomery that I wanted Ihem saved, as he, Mont- 
 gomery, pretended when I (jneslioned him abont il, but even 
 that, was no excuse for such an unparalleled piece of barbarity. 
 However, as the allair ronid not be remedied, I was obliged to 
 let it drop. After this skirmish, we set abont burning the 
 houses with great success, setting all in flames (ill we came to 
 the church of St. Anne's, wh(3re we put up for the night, and 
 were joined by Captain Ross, with about one hundred and 
 twenty men of his company. » Captain J. Knox, in his journal, 
 and others, mention so many cases of scalping amongst the 
 British, that il was apparently as much an institution amongst 
 "Wolfe's soldiery as in the opposite camp. 
 
 With these deeds of blood and devastation on their escut- 
 cheon, it is not at all surprising if during the war of the cession 
 of Canada, tht; French and Ciuiadians should have formed 
 such exagerated notions of the ferocity of Wolfe's soldiers ; 
 as for the Uighlandeis, they were popularly known as Les 
 Petiles Jupes, on account of their kills, which they wore all 
 winter ; they also were called Les Sauvayes tVJUcosse. 
 
 The following was one of the most acciedited opinions 
 amongst the Canadian peasantry in 1759 ; — cdhe Iligldaiideis 
 neither would give nor take, quarter : they were so nimble, 
 that no man could catch them, so nobody could escape tht^m 
 — no one had a chance against their broad-swords — with the 
 ferocity natural to savages^ they made no prisoners, and spared 
 neither man, woman, nor child. » 
 
 As previously stated, tin; Highlanders on b' ing disbanded, 
 settled largely in Canada and Nova Scotia, nor were these loyal 
 men recreant to the call of duty, when the invader threatened 
 their adopted country ; thus in 1775, they huriied under the 
 standard of one of their old officers, Lieut. -Col. McLean, and 
 formed a new regiment, the 84lli, or Royal Emigrants. They 
 had in 1759, materially helped to comjuer Canada ; sixteen 
 years later, they and the Canadian militia niosl materially 
 helped to save it, for tin; Crown of England, and successfully 
 repelled Benedict At nold and his coadjutor, Richard Montgo- 
 
BEFORE QUEBEC IN 1759. 
 
 151 
 
 Hgo- 
 
 mcry, who, in 1759, had valiantly done battle for England, in 
 the 17lh Rc},'im(Mit. 
 
 We havo been allowed to clip a few pages from the diary of 
 an aged Qiiebec(!r — Deputy Commissary (Jeneral Thompson, 
 whose respected father had served in the Highland Regiment 
 until it was disbanded. Mr. Thompson's journal bears every 
 impress of truth. 
 
 MEMOIRS REGARDING FRASER's niGlH.ANDERS 78tII BOSS-SHlRE BUFFS. 
 
 Colonel Simon Fraser was authorised to raise a corps for 
 special service. They were recruited in the town of Tain, 
 Ross-shire, Scotland, in tlio short period of four days, and 
 they nrmbered upwards of fourteen hundred strong. My late 
 father joined as a volunteer in order to accompany a particular 
 friend of his company, Lieutenant Das id Railie, and who was 
 killed at the landing at Louisbonrg ; these particulars, my 
 father used to ndate as follows : 
 
 ((The bo it in which our company was embarked, was towed 
 by a second boat under the command of a naval officer. The 
 French batteries firing grape and musket-balls from great guns. 
 Lieut(Miant Railie sal opposite to me, in the; stem sheets of the 
 boat ; observing that he leaned his head on the shoulder of 
 the man who sat next to him, 1 imagined thai he did so in or- 
 der to shelter himself from the enemy's shot ; but he was 
 dead ! The shot came so thick, that had it been any other des- 
 cription of troops they must have gone to the bottom, but the 
 Highlanders stopped the shot-holes with their plaids, and thus 
 kept the boat from filling. The shot coming so thick from the 
 French batteries, decided the naval officer to cut the painter 
 loose, and thus leave us as a mark for the French to fire at. 
 Numbers were killed at the landing. A rel-hot shot came in 
 at the stern of our boat, and killed and woimded several. It 
 passed under my « hams, » and scorched me to that degree 
 that it was near twelve months belore I quite recovered from 
 its effects. It tore away the sword-hilt of the officer who was 
 sealed on my left, and carried it into the thigh of the man who 
 was at the helm, and the shot itself stuck fast in the sternpost 
 of the boat. After the landing, the balls were collected, and 
 
152 
 
 FRASER S HIGHLANDERS 
 
 measure upwards of a quart. When formed into line of bat- 
 tle, one of Eraser's HiglilamlerSj Neil McLeod, seeing the 
 French outside of their forlificaiions. he Ihrew down his fuzee, 
 and, drawing his broadsword, he left the ranks, in a direction 
 towards the French, when his Captain ordered him back. 
 What, said McLeod, am I to stand here, and sec there those 
 rascals of French, and not try and bring away a prisoner ?» 
 He went forward, and was followed by th;; giealer part of the 
 regiment. I overheard Colonel Carleton, Quarler-Mastcr-Gene- 
 ral,to say: « I expected nothing less of those Highlanders, they 
 are a set of rebels. » However, they all soon returned, each 
 having a French prisoner, whom he held by the « sknff » of 
 the neck, and some of the Grenadiers brought in two. It 
 afterwards appeared that the French mistook the Highlanders, 
 owing to their peculiar styh of dress, for savages. They 
 committed the same act of insubordination on the Plains of 
 Abraham, the 13th September, 1759 After the first discharge 
 on the part of the French, they chased them with their broad- 
 swords up to Saint Louis and Saint John's Gates, and down the 
 bank, opposite the Hospital General ; one poor fellow had his 
 left cheek severed from his head, by the cut of a broadsword, 
 and it was hanging on his shoulder, suspended by the skin. 
 The wounded were carried down the bank at Wolfe's Cove, 
 embarked in boats, and taken across the river, to Poinle Levis 
 Church, (Saint Joseph,) which was converted into a temporary 
 hospital. 
 
 To return to Louisbourg ; it was entirely subdued, the for- 
 tifications blown up, and the garrison dispersed. They were 
 many women and their children who claimed the protection of 
 the British Army, thei: .nisbands being prisoners of war. A 
 Doctor Lejuste, of the French Army, with an Indian as guide, 
 left Louisbourg immediately after its capture, and traversed 
 the intervening forest, to Quebec. He, it was, who brought 
 the first news of the capture of Louisbourg. 
 
 He settled in Quebec, and was our family physician. He 
 had two sons and a daughter ; both the son> were price's, the 
 elder, Cur^ of Beuuport. The daughter wa£ married to Judge 
 
BEFORE QUEBEC IN 1759. 
 
 153 
 
 le for- 
 were 
 lion of 
 Ir. A 
 jiiide, 
 irersed 
 I'ought 
 
 He 
 
 |s, the 
 ludge 
 
 Bedard, of Three Rivers. » Thus much from my father's 
 journal. I will state the following from my recollections : 
 
 Of the Regiment of Fraser's Highlanders, who remained in 
 O'iebec, afterthe conquest, were only the following individuals 
 of which I have a knowledge : 
 
 Lieut. John Nairn, who obtained a grant of land at La Mal- 
 baie ; several of the men of the regiment engaged with him, 
 and many of their descendants still retain their primitive 
 names, but they all speak French. A son of Colonel Nairn 
 was C;iptain in the 49lh Regiment, and was killed at the battle 
 of Chrysler's Farm. II th November, 1813. 
 
 Lieutenant William Frasvr, who obtained a grant of land, 
 at Murray Bay, on the opposite side of the River Murray. Ho 
 had two sons, William and John Malcolm ; at the decease ot 
 William, who married Miss Mathilda Duberger, and not having 
 any family, the property passed into the hands of John Mal- 
 colm, who is since dead. The seigniory is now in possession 
 of his two daughters, the eldest, the wife of Captain (now 
 Lieut.-Col.) J. Reeves, late of 79th Cameronian Highlanders; 
 the other, the wife of Major Heigham, of the 17th Foot. 
 
 There was a grant of a third Seigniory soon after the con- 
 quest of Quebec, at La Beance, and these three were the oidy 
 grants under the seigniorial tenure. I forgot the name ot this 
 officer. All subsequent grants of Crown Lands have been in 
 free and common soccage. 
 
 Sergeant Hugh McKay, who kept a store immediately out- 
 side (ff Palace Gate, but which, with all those beneath the 
 rock, extending as far as Hope (jate, were purchased by the 
 military government, afi<'r the great fires of 1845, as being 
 too near the fortifications, and were demolished. He held th(i 
 first situation of Sergeant-at-Arms of the first House of Assem- 
 bly. He had a family of twenty-two children, two only of 
 wh©m were boys, and both studied medicine, and went to the 
 East Indies. One of tht» girls was married to Mr. John Bent- 
 ley, organist of the English Cathedral ; one, to a Sergeant of 
 Artillery ; all the rest, dii'd unmarried. 
 
 John McLeody who kept an hotel opposite the Esplanade, at 
 that time the only house along thai line. He had no family. 
 
 14 
 
\u 
 
 FRASEA S HIGHLANDERS 
 
 Sergeant James Sinclair, who settled on a farm immediately 
 on the north side of Scott's bri Ige, lliver Saint Charles. He 
 had a son and daughter. His daughter was married to Major 
 Hope of the 26th, or Cami3ronian Highlanders ; she who was 
 mother of « litllo Jemmie Hope, » who received the (irst 
 riidimiMits of his education at Mr. John Fraser's school, in 
 Garden street. He left Quebec with the regiment, and returned 
 to Canada with the rank of Brigadicr-Goneral. In 1837, he 
 had coirimand '»f the Monln'al District. On his coining over to 
 Chambly with his Aide-de Camp, to inspect the garrison, he 
 recognised me. 
 
 Lieut. Colonel Denny, of the 71st Highlanders., having no- 
 ticed lh;il the General and myself were acciuaintiid, I was 
 invited to diue at the Regimental Mess, in order to meet him, 
 th(! General. Mr. Sinclair's son enlisted in the Battalion of Royal 
 Canadian Volunteers, under command of Lieut. -Colonel De 
 Longiieil, aud was made sergeant. Mr. Sinclair was commis- 
 sioned in the then British Militia. He died in the house of Mr. 
 Samson, butchei', (now the Livery Stables in Sainle Aune 
 street,) at an advanced age. At his funeral, the IVev. Dr. 
 Alexander Sparks oflicialed. 
 
 Lauchlin Smith — Who kept a store just outside of Palace 
 Gate, next to Hugh McKay. He accumulated wealth, and be- 
 came proprietor of the Seigniory of Sainle Anne, below Que- 
 bec. He had two daughters, who were educated at Mr. John 
 Fraser's school. After Mr. Smith's decease, the girls married 
 two French Canadians. 1 snppo^e the Seigniorie to be still 
 in the hands of their descendants. 
 
 John Ross — "Who kept a store in the house nearest Palace 
 Gale, with n. He became wealthy, and was a commissioned 
 officer in the British Mililii inder Colonel Lemailre. He had 
 three sons : David was Sollicilor-General at Montreal ; John 
 \\a< a lawyer also, and Proihouotary at Quebec , the third, 
 died young. Of three daughters, one was married to the Rev, 
 Alexander Sparks ; a second was married to Mr. James Mit- 
 chell, merchant, and the third to an Army Surgeon. Mr. Ross 
 died at a very advanced age. He is the ancestor of David A 
 Kosb, Ebq., Barrister, of this city. 
 
BEFORE QUEBEC IN 1759. 
 
 Da 
 
 [iiately 
 i. He 
 I Major 
 10 was 
 e lirst 
 ool, in 
 Uurned 
 i37, he 
 over to 
 ison, he 
 
 !ng no- 
 
 I was 
 ;el him, 
 Df Royal 
 lonel De 
 comniis- 
 
 -ti of Mr. 
 lie Aline 
 IVev. Dr. 
 
 f Palace 
 and be- 
 low Qiie- 
 »Ir. John 
 married 
 be slill 
 
 It Palace 
 lissioiied 
 He had 
 
 II ; John 
 third, 
 
 the Rov, 
 js Mil- 
 llr. Ross 
 iavid A 
 
 John Frascr— He received a severe sabre cut on the foro 
 head in the battle of the Plains of Abraham, the 13lh Sep- 
 tember, 1759, and from exhaustion, he had sal himself iloun 
 on Ihe grass, leaning his back against th(i fence. A Fr<inch 
 Military Surgeon, seeing that the Fremh troops were giving 
 way, directed his steps towards the rear, where he met John 
 Fraser, his wound bleeding profusely. The doclor immediately 
 dressed his wound, and aftiTwards gave himself up lo John 
 Fraser as a prisoner of war ; and at the same time delivering 
 up lo him all his arms, which consisted merely of a 1 0( ket 
 pistol, double barrelled, handsomely mounted in silver, and 
 having his initials on the butt, P. B., (Philippe Badelard.) 
 John Fraser and the doctor, ultimately became great friends, 
 and were near neighbors ; the former, being proprietor of that 
 house and premises olf Garden street, where Mr. Hnrligan, 
 painter, now resides, and the laller, being owner of the house 
 next to that of Mr. Charles Panel (Doctor Badelard's grandson), 
 in Saint Louis street, and both lots adjoining each other in rear. 
 Here, Mr. John Fraser opened the first English school in Que- 
 bec. The venerable Miss Napier, who laught their A B C's to 
 the majority of !he Quebec young ladies, during half a century, 
 was one of old Mr. Fraser's pupils. But, lo return tollie history 
 of the Pistol, Mr. Fraser returned it to its proper owner. In 
 the years 1810-11,1 became the tenant of Bernard Panel, 
 Doctor Badelard's grandson. Judge Panel having married the 
 Doctor's only daughter. Bernard and myself were intimate 
 friends. He made me a present of his grandfather's pistol, 
 the pistol in question. I had it in my possession 47 years, 
 when, on the 13lh of September, 1859, the (me hundredth 
 anniversary of the capture of Quebec, I made a restitution of 
 it, to a descendant of the Doctors, in the person of Mr. John 
 Panel, coroner of Quebec, and son of Bernard. Both Doctor 
 Badelard and Mr. John Fraser lived to a very advanced age, 
 and ever maintained the strictest friendship for each other. 
 Doctor Badelard was a person of gentlemanly aspect ; he con- 
 stantly wore a sword, as was customary with the bourgeoisie 
 (te Paris. 
 
 Miles Prentice — He occupied for many y<!ars the house then 
 
i56 
 
 FRASER S HIGHLANDERS 
 
 known as « Le Chien d'or, » as also Freemason's Hall, as an 
 hotel, where he died. Mrs. Prentice continued the business 
 for some years. His son, Samuel Walter, obtained a commis- 
 sion in the army. A niece of Mrs. Prentice's, Frances Coo- 
 per, was my father's second wife and my mother. Mrs. Pren- 
 tice idlimately came to resid(! in our family residence, Sainte- 
 IJrsule street, where she died, in 1792. 
 
 Miles Pn^nlice was the Provost Marshal mentioned by Du 
 Culvet, as beiny the person who in 1780arresled this haughty, 
 clever and inllu(Mitial agitator, consigning him to the custody 
 of Father DuBerey, Superior of the Franciscan Friars, in Que- 
 bec, in the cells of the Recollot Colhjge. 
 
 This old pile which slood on the site on which the English 
 Cathedral and Court Hoiis;; have since been erected, was consu- 
 med by fire on the 6th September, 1796. The fire being in full 
 view from the windows of sergeant Fraser's school, in Garden 
 street, as the late G. B. Faribault, a school-boy of Fraser's, in 
 1796, used to take pleasure to relate in after life ; right well 
 did he remember the day, he used to say, as the boys in conse- 
 quence of the turmoil, demanded and obtained, a holiday. Mr. De 
 Gaspe, in his Memoirs, has most graphically depicted this con- 
 flagration which had originated at Judge Monk's house in Saint 
 Lewis street, (now the officers' barracks) ; he, too, was an eye 
 witness. A most comely person was Mrs, Miles Prentice ; 
 her daughter, endowed with marvellous beauty. The brave 
 Nelson, very nigh fell a victim to her charms, in 1786, when 
 [he Albemarle, sloop of war which he commanded, was in port. 
 So violently was the youthful hero smitten, with the divine 
 phiz of this Canadian Helen, that having resolved to marry 
 her, he had made up his mind to say adieu to the service, re- 
 nounce his command, fortune, glory, nay, Westminster Abbey. 
 This infatuation was frustrated by mere chance ; his trusty 
 friend, Alex. Davidson (a Quebecer lawyer, we believe), in- 
 terfered, says his biographer Southey. Another version attri- 
 butes to old Lymburner, a Saint Peter street magnate, the 
 credit of having saved the young commander for the bright 
 career Providence had in store for him. It appears it was 
 necessary to use violence to tear the enamored son of Neptune 
 
^ BEFORE QUEBEC IN 1759. 
 
 157 
 
 from the blaiidisliments of his fair enslaver. The officers and 
 crew of the Albemarle came on shore, instigated by Davidson or 
 Lymbiirner, and conveyed him, on board, forcibly. A most 
 efleeliial way, il must be aihnilled, of enforcing English 
 parental advice on precocious hopefidls n inclined lo marry in 
 the colony. » 
 
 The land lady of the «Chien d'Orw also claims her corner 
 in the domain of Canadian history. Was it not her, who was 
 appealed to on the 2iid January, 1776, lo identify the sliffened 
 and froztMi corpse found thai morning, imbedded with those of 
 Maepherson, Cheosoman, Wisaides. andolhersinasnowdriflat 
 Pres-de-Ville? Thai corpse, good reader, was that of a brave 
 though misguided spirit ; it had during life for forty long 
 years been the earlhly tenement of a being to whom kindli- 
 ness of manner, devotion to a cause and indomitable courage 
 have assigned a niche in the history of his adopted country. 
 11 was the inanimate form of Brigadier Richard Montgomery, 
 laid low by a shot tired by a French CanaJian (Chabot,) and 
 aimed by Englishmen, John Coffm and Captain liarnsfare. 
 Montgomery, a Lieutenant in Ihe 17lh Fool, in 1 759, had visiled 
 Quebec, alter its capture, though probably not during the siege, 
 and been a frequent visitor at the wChien d'Or, » the rendez- 
 vous of our jovial ancestors, Let us revert lo Mr. Thompson's 
 statement. 
 
 Saunders Simpson — He was Provost Marshal in Wolfe's 
 army, at Ihe alfairs of Louisbourg, Quebec and Montreal, and 
 cousin of my father's. He resided in that house the nearest 
 to Saint Louis Gale, outside, which has not undergone any 
 external alteration since I was a boy. 
 
 Volunteer James Thompson — Yuiiinleered his services in 
 Eraser's Highlanders, in the view to accompany a particular 
 friend of his, Lieutenant David IJaillie, the facts being 
 already detailed. After the capitulation of Montreal, in 1760, 
 he received from General Murray, the appointment of Overseer 
 of military works, lor the garrison of Quebec, which he held 
 until his decease, in 1830, a period of 69 years. It was m 
 his capacity of master mason, and his having been the last 
 survivor of Wolfe's army, in his 9olh year, that he was called 
 
158 
 
 Fn\f!ER S HIGHLANDERS 
 
 upon by the Earl of Dalhonsie to lay the chiof corner stone of 
 Uie Monument erected in the Government Garden, to the 
 memory of Wolfe and Montcalm. I witnessed the imposing 
 ceremony. 
 
 My father, then in his 96th year, expressed his desire to 
 a^'ain see the monument. I accompanied him. After viewing 
 it for some time, he returned to his residence in Ste. Urside 
 street, much exhausted from the exertion, and the effects pro- 
 duced on his mind by the scene he had jusl \vilnessed. He 
 died in his 98th year, and was buried with military honours, 
 during the command of L'eut. General Sir .lames Kempt. He 
 was twice married. Of the second marriafjie, there were nine 
 children; six attained to maturity, and Ihnje died in infancy. 
 Myself, the oldest, as also three brothers and two sisters, all 
 obtained the rudiments of our education at the school of Mr. 
 John Fraser, already named. I joined the Commissariat in 
 1798, have attained to the rank of Deputy Commissary. 
 
 The appointment of Judge of the Superior Court, District of 
 Gasp6, was conferred upon my brother John, by the Earl of 
 Dalhousie, in 1828 ; he is now in his 80th year Brother Wil- 
 liam was an Assistant Commissary General. My youngest 
 brother, George, obtained a Commission in the Royal Artillery, 
 under the patronage of my father's good friend. His Royal 
 Highness Edward, Duke ol Kent. Immediately on appoint- 
 ment, he was onleied on the Walcheren expedition, under 
 command of His Royal Highness the Duke of York. He died 
 in 1817. 
 
 ? 
 
CANADIAN NAMES AND SUKNAMES. 
 
 A Contributor to Blackwood for Nov. 1862, under the head- 
 ing « The Scot in France, » reviewing Mr. Francisquc Michel's 
 book, « Les Ecossais en France, » graphically delineates the 
 honorable part played some centuries back in the affairs of 
 France, by Scotchmen. The learned critic, amongst other 
 things, successfully traces to their origin several modern 
 French names, and clearly demonstrates, after divesting 
 them of the trnnsmogi ifications of time and language, 
 that many of these names formerly belonged to brawny, 
 six feet Scotchmen, whom little Johnny Crapaiid, out of spite, 
 had christened on account of their aldermanic appetites and 
 the devastations by them perpetrated in the Vineyards of 
 sunny France « wine bags » ; in fact, the same favored class 
 which we, moderns, on the undoubted authority of Judge Jonas 
 Barrington, would pronounce « Twelve bottle men,)) — select 
 individuals scarcely ever heard of in these degenerate teetotal 
 times, and of which class, Marechal de Saxe, Mdlle Lecou- 
 vreur's friend, was in the last century a pretty fair represent- 
 ative. Might it not also be worth our while to examine into 
 some of the ludicrous changes to which, in our own country, 
 some old names have been subjected ? 
 
 Every one knew that iNormandy and Brittany had furnished 
 the chief portion of the earliest settlers of our soil ; the exact 
 proportion in which this emigration took place cannot at pre- 
 sent be a subject of debate, now that we have in piinl the 
 Abbe Ferland's laborious rest^arches. We accordingly find, 
 in the appendix to the first volume of his « Cours d'Hisloirc 
 du Canada, » a list and address of all the French who settled 
 in Lower Canada, from the year 1615 to 1648. No one, per- 
 haps, except a searching student of the Abbe's school, would 
 have taken the trouble to trace the pedigree of all the families 
 ill Canada ; on this subject, it is not too much to say, that the 
 veteran historiuii is u living cyclopedia. It is true, lie had 
 
160 
 
 CANADIAN NAMES AND SURNAMES. 
 
 ample sources of information at eommam), liaving had access 
 to the wRogislor of Marriages, Births and Burials of the Roman 
 Catholic Cathedral at Quebec, » and these took him, uninter- 
 ruptedly, as far back as 1040, in >>hich year they wore des- 
 troyed by fire, and restored from memory ; he could also con- 
 sult the ample details of the several census tables, compiled 
 by order of the French government, yet in manuscript in our 
 public libraries. 
 
 It is really singular to notice what a large portion of settlers 
 came from Normandy to New France. Almost all the educated 
 Frenchmen, such as Messrs. Rameau, Ampere, De Puibusque, 
 Aubry, Fenouillcl and others who have visited Canada, have 
 been struck with the resemblance between the customs, man- 
 ners and language of the French Canadian peasantry of this 
 day, and those of the; peasantry of Brittany and Normandy. 
 All of them admitted that, as a general rule, our habitants 
 spoke better French than the same class in the coimtry parts 
 of France. Of course, it is not pretended that even the edu- 
 cated in this country could compare for purity of accent with 
 Parisians, who alone claim the right to speak pure French. 
 Parisian writers, on this point, have promulgated canons which 
 SO' m rather absolute. It is asserted, for instance, that the 
 nicely of the Parisian ear is such, that even a Parisian writer 
 who removes for four years from his native city to the pro- 
 vinces, is liable to be detected when he writes. This is going 
 far, and reminds one of the huckster-woman of Athens, who, 
 by his accent, detected Theophrastes as not being Attic born, 
 though for twenty-five years, he had lived in Athens. 
 
 When Mr. Rameau was in Quebec, I took occasion to ask 
 him what he thought ol our besl writers. « Sir, » said he, «let 
 me relate to you what occurred to me in Paris last winter. I 
 was acquainted with Canadian literature before 1 came here, 
 and in order to test the correctness of my own opinion, I as- 
 sembled some literary friends and told them that I intended 
 reading them a chapter out of two new books which they had 
 never seen befere ; they assented ; this done, and replacing 
 the books in my book-case, I requested them to tell me can- 
 didly where they could have been written. * Why, in Paris, 
 
CANADIAN NAMES AND SURNAMES. 
 
 161 
 
 where else ? ' lliey replied ; ' none but Parisians could write 
 such French. ' « Well, j;en(lenien, » said I, « you arc much 
 mislaken, these books were written on the banks of the Saint 
 Lawrence, at Quoboc. Flieiine Parent and the Abbe Forlund 
 are the wiilers. » My friends could scarcely credit mc;. I feel 
 pleased in recording this incident, because such a circumstaiico 
 does honor to the country. It also alTuids me particular pleasure 
 to notice this fact, bi.'cause it bears effectually on a stupid asser- 
 tion not altogether uncommon, viz : That French Cauadiuus 
 speak nothing but patois ; if the whole truth were known, 
 it would be manif<»st that our peasantry talk (1) better French 
 than does one half of the rural population of France ; in fact, 
 it is not rare to find the French peasantry of one department 
 scarcely able to understand the idiom of the corresponding 
 class, in another department. Seveial causes may be ad- 
 duced explanatory of this singular feature ; the first settlers in 
 Canada had left Fnince about the time when literature was at 
 its zenith, and when the language was singularly beautiful. 
 Whatever success may have been achieved in literature by 
 modern France, no writer since the great revolution, has sur- 
 passed Corneille, Racine, Boileau, Voltaire orSevigii^, in each 
 of their specific departments ; the language of the peasantry 
 in New France has remained what it was two hundred years 
 ago ; it may not be purer, but it is just as pure. If, on the 
 one hand the French eUjment in Canada has escaped the dis- 
 organizing influence of the revolutionary era (2) of '89, on 
 
 (1) In connection with this fact, it appears that the French Canadians have 
 alone, retained in their original purity, the simple old Norman songs which their 
 ancestors brought into the country ; that these same popular ballads have bocomo 
 so altered in France by time, that a request has been sent out to Canada to havo 
 them collected in their original purity. An eloquent professor of the Laval 
 University (Dr. Larue) has turned his attention to the subject. (Since this wna 
 written, Dr. L. has faithfully redeemed his promise. — See Foyer Canadietx for Nov., 
 1863.) 
 
 (2) Our Canadian ancestors had long since realised the difference which 
 english rule had made in their situation, when their beloved and eloquent pastor. 
 Bishop Plessis, in 17U4, from the pulpit of the same French Cathedral, which now 
 faces the Upper Town Market place in Quebec, publicly, and in the name of his 
 flock, thanked Almighty Qod that the colony was English, and therefore would 
 be free from the horrors enacted in the French colonies of the day ; that there 
 were no human butchers in Canada, to slaughter nobles, priests, women and 
 
 15 
 
162 
 
 CAWAPIAN NAMES AND SmNAMES. 
 
 Ihfi othor hnnd, il Iins rocijlvcd Ihn Infusion of no nnw blood ; 
 tho rnco is oswMilinlly consiMvalivt', too much po, porhaps, 
 according to nolionsol'thd lOlh century ; still, ns thocomponLMit 
 pnrl of n gn-nl nationiility, wlio can complain of its boinf? too 
 cohnsivi» ; who, on looking' across llic lino, and viewing demo- 
 cracy with all its disso'vin;; elements, who wonid not prefer at 
 least one million of staunch conservalivo people, who, under 
 proper tn-almcnl, would und(!rslaiid loyalty to their sovereign, 
 ns the Vendeens did, to a (lod-forsakeii people, worshipping 
 no other deily than tlie almighty dollar, as exhibited in their 
 Daily Press? 
 
 Hut this is wandering nwny from the subject which h^nds 
 this sketch ; revenons a nnsmoutom. 
 
 There is, in this country, a spice of drollery about some 
 transformations of (I) names worthy of nolo. These rpieer 
 
 ehildren. — (Soo tho Funeral oration of Bishop Brinnd, pronounced on tho 27th 
 June, 171*4, by Monsoignour Plcsfis. — Clirintie'n JlUtttrj/ of Caiuidn, vol. I, pp. 
 .356-7.) Cniild ho hnvo then furusccn what happunod Louisiana Inter on, ho might 
 again have expro.'sod his thankfulne.ss, that Canada did not bolon^j to France — 
 nlse it might hnvo boon included in the deed of sale and bargain executed 
 between Naj)oleon the Groat, and the occupant of tho White House in 1805. 
 Verily, colonists nro considered small fry by rulers of empires. 
 
 Our people were again, in forcible tonus, reminded of the superiority of English 
 over Frunch institutions, when civil and religious liberty is at stake. Who has 
 forgotten Revd. Dr. Cahill's eloquent appeal 1 " Threo Bishops," said ho, " cannot 
 dine together in Paris without tho porinission of the police ; no now place of wor- 
 ship can bo opened, without tho consent of government. Why was tho charitable 
 society, the fit. Vincent dc Paul, broken up ? Why were Protestant chapels sum- 
 marily closed by the Pcjlioo and the congregations diipersod ? — Why is tho press 
 muzzled ? Yes, why ? Thnnk your stars, " said tho talented lecturer, " that you 
 live here under tho British flag ! " 
 
 See Ohampfloury's letter to Dr. Laruo, Foifer Canadien 1864, Appendix, 
 
 (1) I have exhibited in the Album du Touristi;, several names as originating 
 in some physical deformity, or else in some virtue or fault, of tho owner. 
 
 " Lebol, Lejusto, Legros, Lebon, Lodoux, Letondre, Lamoureux, Jolicoeur, 
 Logrand, Ledroit, Losage, Leclorc, Leborgne, Vadeboncoeur, Bontemps, Vieu- 
 temps, Boneau, Bellchumeur, Belleavanco, Bellerivo, Beaurivage, Bonnochoso, 
 Beauregard, Beausoleil, Sanspiti^, Sansoucis, Sansfafon, Sanschagrin, Sans- 
 quartier, Labontd, Lavertu, Lajoio, Lajeunesse, Ladouceur, Lalibert^, Lade- 
 bauche, Lavigueur, Laioroe, Lachaine, Laponsde, Lachanco, L'heureux, Lnmu- 
 ■ique. " 
 
 This latter cognomen will loom out grander still, with its adjunct — Portutjait : 
 dit Lamusique. 
 
 Some French names have a martial ring : " Taille-fer, Tranche-montagne " : 
 you think yourself back to the middle ages. 
 
CANADIAN NA.MKS AND SURNAMES. 
 
 163 
 
 blood ; 
 lorliaps, 
 nponont 
 oiuj; too 
 ^ domo- 
 ii'(.'f(!r at 
 ), mulor 
 voroign, 
 shipping 
 
 in tlvMi" 
 
 h hf'nds 
 
 III some, 
 sc qijijti' 
 
 n tho 27th 
 vol. I, jip. 
 n, ho might 
 o Frnnoe — 
 a executed 
 10 in 1805. 
 
 of English 
 Who has 
 10, " cannot 
 laoo of wor- 
 charitablo 
 ipels gum- 
 la the press 
 that you 
 
 priginating 
 
 Jolicoeur, 
 
 hps, Vieu- 
 
 lonnochoso, 
 
 |rin, Sans- 
 
 t16, Lade- 
 
 [ix, Lnmu- 
 
 '*oftu<jait : 
 
 Intagno " : 
 
 cliangtis du not necessarily imply nbjcct ignorance In the doss 
 uhich adopts them. We may have in this country liack- 
 Nvoodsmen(l) excessively stupid ond ignorant, but whero 
 
 Several years ago, a young Italian on his arrival from Rome, settled in Qucboo. 
 Ho was known as " Audiverti dit Uomain. " The name 8ooined too lunj;. The flrst 
 half was dropped, ho was called Komain. A son having established himself in 
 Toronto, the English oar required than an " e " be added to his foreign name 
 and it beoumo, and has continued to this day Romaine. 
 
 Colors, Flowers, Fruits, Woods, also furnished a fair allowance : Leblanc, Le- 
 noir, Lebruu, Logris, Loroux ; Laflour, Lespervonchos, Laroso, Laviolotte, Jas- 
 min, Laframboise, Lofraisior, (Frasor) ; Oois, Orosbois, Doii<Joli, Uoisvert, Jio'is- 
 brilliant; Dupin, Dutrenible, Dufresne, DuchuHue. 
 
 Titles or dignities, are converted into family names: Leroy or Roy, I'uo or 
 Leduc, Marquis, Cuinto or Lecomte, Baron or Lebaron, Chevalier or Lechovalior, 
 Kundchal, Eouyer or Leouyer, Pago or Lopago. 
 
 Owners of Castles will identify thomsolvoa with them ; Chateaufurt, Chateau- 
 vert, Chateaubriand, Chatcaiinouf, Chatoaurouge. 
 
 Objects met daily, will furnish a large contingent : Larue, Lapierre, Lafon- 
 taine, Latremouille, Lnuhapello, L'oiaoau, Lerossignol, Letourneau, Lolievre, 
 Lamontiigno, Lavalido, Larivii'ic, Lngriinge. 
 
 Let us pass to the nauies of Provinces. Normandy, Provence, Oascony, I'rit- 
 tany, Lorraine, Picardy, Anjoci, Poitevin, tho Basque country, will be represented 
 by very familiar names : Normiin, Provencal, LeGascon, LeBroton, Lorain or 
 Laurin, Picard, Angevin, Poitevin, LcBusquo. 
 
 The native of Tours, Lillo, Blois and Lyons, responds to his name, when called 
 Toui'uiigoau, Lillois, Doblois, Lyonnnis. Sometimes the appellation will be gene- 
 ralized : thus Abrnhiim Martin, will have dit I'EcoasaiH ; Jean Salsrien, will have 
 his adjunct also, dit I'AnijInin, 
 
 Then there are sonorous names for Counties, borrowed from Indian dialects, re- 
 calling the virgin forest : Pontiac, Ottawa, Ilochelaga, Kamouraska, Ui- 
 mouski, Cacouna ; just like our wild euphonious names for individuals — Poca- 
 hontiis, Captain Smith's dovotod friund : Tuscarora ; Mincha I ha 1 (_Ltiughing 
 Wuteri.) 
 
 Sometimes names are curiously transformed: thus Bois Brule is pawned off on 
 us as Bob Ridley. — 
 
 Oh 1 Bob Ridley oh ! 
 Oh 1 Bob Ridley oh ! 
 In Cap Chat or Cap Chntto, would there be a Shaw in tho case, a relative of 
 that dreadful attorney, immortalized on stuno : — 
 
 " Here lies 
 
 John Shaw, 
 
 Attorney at law, 
 
 When he died, 
 
 The devil cried, 
 
 ' Give us your paw 
 
 John Shaw, 
 Attorney at law. ' " 
 (1) " Baokwoodmon, " A worthy but eccentric missionary, once enlivened a 
 stirring appeal he was making to the synin"''''/ and purse of a Quebec church 
 
i64 
 
 CANADIAN NAMES AND SUBNAMES 
 
 (except within the precincts of a lunatic asylum) would you 
 find even a brat of a boy who would give thosame reply which 
 the free-born Briton gave to Lord Ashley, one of the commis- 
 sioners appointed to enquire into the condition of the working 
 classes in England, (1) « that all he knew about God was, that 
 he had often heard Uk; workmen say, God damn ! » We say we 
 thank Provid 'ucc for this, for whatever other colonial draw- 
 backs we may labor under, and they may be numerous, we 
 are spared the spectacle of extreme social degradation side 
 
 ;( 
 
 meeting with the fullowing anecdote, illusf.ra^ive of the multitudinous hurdships, 
 he had ox])eri8nced in tht uourso of his evangelizing duties in the backwoods of 
 Canada. His text was " Alan want? but little here below, nor wants that little 
 long. '■ The holy man was very long and slender in the legs. " It was once 
 my fate, " said he, " to put up lor the night in a log shanty, the dwelling of the 
 headman in the mission ; the bud did indeod i<cem short, '^ut being a deal one, 
 nailed to thj floor, it had to remain whore ii was ; I only became fully awaro 
 that eithe' I was too long, or that it was too short for my humble self, when after 
 extingu'f iiing my caudle, I tried to extend my weary limbs j m^ feet, I found, 
 struck tl.e window, which was nearly smashed by the operation. In despair, I got 
 up, and after cogitating a short time, I came to the conclusion that no other 
 alternative existed but to remove the obstruction by opening the window, through 
 which, when lying down, my feet protruded some eighteen inches. I felt it ivasnot 
 a peculiarly clerical position for the pastor to be seen by the flock, but what else 
 could I do. I slept soundly from fatigue, but awoke early, feeling a great weight 
 on my feet; on raising my head to see what it was, I found, that the patriarch 
 of the farm yard, a very large turkey cock, had made roosters of my nether ex- 
 tremities. " lie of course carried his point. 
 
 This reminds one of the Vermont parson, the Rev. Zeb. Twitchel, a 
 methodist preacher in Vermont, most noted, for shrewd and laughable sayings. 
 In the pulpit he maintained a suitable gravity of manner and expression, but out 
 of the pulpit, he overflowed vfilh fun. Occasionally he would, if emergency seemed 
 to require, intrrduoo something queer in a .sermon, for the sake of arousing the 
 flagging attention of his hearers. Soeing once that his audience were getting 
 sleepy, ho paused in his discourse and discoursed as follows : — " Br.ithreu, you 
 bavn't any idea of Iho iiUlferings of our missionaries in the new settlements, on ac- 
 count of the mosquitoes, in some of these regions, being enormous. A great many 
 of Ihcm would weigh a pound, anil they will get on logs and bark when the mis- 
 Bionarios are going past.'' \iy this time all ears and eyes where open, and he proceed- 
 ed to finish his discourse. The next day one of his hearers called him to account 
 for telling lies in the pulpit. " Therenevor was amosqaitoo that weighed a pound," 
 he said. "But I didn't say ouo of them would weigh a pou.id, I said a (Teat 
 many, and I think, a million of them would. " " Butj-ou said, they barked at the 
 missiunarios. " " No, no, bro'.her, I said they would get on logs and bark. " 
 
 (1) The recent census of Scotland reveals the humiliating fact that more than 
 one per cent of all the families in SjcotJand were found last year (1807) living in 
 single rooms, which had not a window, and that thirty •live per cent of all tho 
 familins, or Uiore than one- third, wore living in one room. 
 
CANADIAN NAMES AND SURNAMES. 
 
 165 
 
 tchel, a 
 
 sayings. 
 
 , but out 
 
 y seemed 
 
 using the 
 
 getting 
 
 iireu, you 
 
 ts, on ao- 
 
 eat many 
 
 the mis- 
 
 prooeed- 
 
 account 
 
 [I pound," 
 
 a jjeat 
 
 cd at the 
 
 k. " 
 
 loro than 
 lis'iiig in 
 i all tUo 
 
 by side willi fabulous weallh. Now to the point. Did you ever, 
 my dear reader, know from vvlionce the lirsl Know-Nolhiiig 
 hailed ? Perhaps you will meet me with the common-place 
 reply, cui bono ? Is not Know-Nolhini^ism dead and bnried ? 
 True, I reply ; so is the builder of the pyramids dead, (or at 
 least, unless he can beat old Melhusaleh, he ought lo be), and 
 still the enquiry about the originator, has been going on for 
 a long lime, and is hkely to continue, although for any prac- 
 tical purpose, tin; origin of the Pyraminds or of Know- 
 Nothingism is of the same moment. Well, I assert clearly and 
 most emphatically, that the first Know-Nothing, nominally de- 
 signat(!d as such, lived al Cacouna, some seventy years ago. 
 Now for the proof. Abotil the end of the last century, an En- 
 glish vessel was stranded in the fall of the year, at Bic ; the 
 crew had lost (everything, and as in those nhsys the country 
 below Quebec wos thinly populated, they had to travel upwards 
 on foot. Along the road Ihiiv obtained their food by begging it 
 from the Ficnch Casiadian peasantry, and of course, various 
 questions were put lo them, as to who l\n\y were, where they 
 came Irom, where they were going ? This constant ques- 
 tioning became troublesome to the honest tars, who knew 
 naught of the language ol' Louis XIV. The llrst eflorl lliey 
 made was to attempt to say that they could not undersland 
 the question put, and in a very few days, thie slereolyp^d 
 reply to all enqu iries, w as « J'en scais rien. » « / don't know. » 
 One of Ihem was rather a good-looking fellow, and not being 
 accustomed to snow-shoes, he got the malderaquelle. and had 
 to stay behind : a weallhy Canadian peasant look pity on him^ 
 and admitted him under his lios|)itaV)le roof. Jack was not long 
 befoi'e falling a victim lo the tender passion ; and M llle. 
 Josephle, the daughter of the h;in-^e, havinu sluewn him some 
 nindtuiss in his forlorn slate, the gallant liiiton could do 
 nothing short of laying his heart al her feel. 
 
 " Amour, tu pordis Troie ! " 
 
 as old Lafontainc said is table of the cocks and hens ; but for 
 Jack, the efleel was diametrically opposite ; it was his salva- 
 tion, the dawn of a bright future. It was, however, love under 
 difliculUes in the beginning. To the fail- one's enquiries, the 
 
166 
 
 CANADIAN NAMKS AND SURNAMES. 
 
 intorminable reply was rolurned. « J'en s^ais rien. » Mdlle. 
 Josephte soo'i began to lancy Ihnl the words sounded musi- 
 cally in her ears ; — she faceliously christened her Saxon 
 friend J'ensfats rien, and soon the cure of the parish was called 
 on, to pronounce the magical «Conjungo vos)) over Mademoi- 
 selle and the English sailor. The union of (he Norman and 
 the Saxon, >\hich seven hundred years before, was a daily 
 occurence on the banks of Thames, was re-celebrated on the 
 bank of the Si. Lawrence, and with the same happy results. 
 In the course of time, English Jack became the respected 
 paterfamilias of a patriarchal circle of small «Scaisriens, » 
 genuine Jean Uaptislesin every respect, except that Ihey were 
 handsomer than the rest of the children of the parisli. An 
 addition to the family name soon took place, and to «J'en scais 
 rien, » was affixed Uie words dit r Anglais, [alias the Enylish- 
 man.) It is a common practice amongst the French Canadians 
 to have this addition, for inslanee : Talbot dit (I(!rvais ; San- 
 souci dit L'Eveille ; Hhiis dit Lafrand)oise. To this day there 
 is a large progeny of wS^aisrien dit I'Anglais)) in the parish 
 of Cacouna. Now, reader, if 1 have made out my case, I pi'ay 
 for a verdict, for, verily, this is the lirst mention of a Know- 
 Nothing, I find in history. 
 
 There is a very worthy N. P., on the Island of Orleans, a 
 descendant of an Englishman or Scotchman, who^a name was 
 Richard somebody, but his heir has never been able to clear 
 up the point ; and still a family name he must have, by hook 
 or by crook ; so the Rielnid was made into Dick, and Mon- 
 sieur le Notaire Jean Dick, son of Joseph Aniable Richard 
 Dick, is now known all over the island, and executes deeds 
 und(!r that and no olher name. I do not believe that he under- 
 stands or speaks English . 
 
 A locality near this city, Ihc village on the Si. Lewis Road, 
 which the Hon, Wm. Shepherd, formerly of Woodlield, laid 
 out, has undergone several strange appellations. 
 
 It was, of course, intend(!d to be named Shepherdville; 
 it did at one time bear that name, under which several 
 know is still ; a number of Kiench Canadians having r.etlled 
 there, considered that as there was no saint in the calendar 
 
CANADIAN NAMES AND SURNAMES. 
 
 107 
 
 [oad, 
 laid 
 
 hailing under the name of Saint Shepherd, it uas not right to 
 give such a name to tlic I'aiish ; however, on finding out that 
 the palish was nol cnnonii'ally eroded hy the bishop, they 
 cons(3nted to leave Ihe original name, if it were only translated 
 into French, and Slieph(Md meaning Beiger, why they would 
 put up, — iiiilil ;< saint was chosen, — with BergervilJe : this 
 was considered however^ such a concession to nnglificaiion, 
 that the knowing ones suspected that had not the Hon. AVil- 
 h'am's ground rent agent interfered, holding over non-paying 
 malcontents the fear of sundry writs of ejectment, the Saxon 
 name woulii have been swept away and blotted out for ever. 
 Matters were going on smoothly until a numberof Irish, hav- 
 ing also elected domicile in Rergerville, were much shocked 
 at the liberty the French Canadian tenants had taken, in 
 daring to re-christen Ihe settlement; they were of opinion 
 that as a considerable portion of Ihe residents would not bo 
 out of place in St. (iiles, in London, it might be more suitable 
 to call Ihe place Reggarville (1), and not liergorville; and just 
 as parly denoujinaliuns have been in Fngland in time of yore, 
 by-words for strife between the rival houses of York and Lan- 
 caster, so it has been on Ihe estate of the lion. William, on 
 the Saint Louis Road, near Qnebec ! 
 
 In October last (1862), TomEverell, an octogenarian (ireen- 
 wich pilot, died al Cape Rouge, near Quebec. Tom was well 
 known all around ; he had many years before, married into a 
 French Canadian family, andgrad ually lost his family name of 
 Evercll ; he was called by llu! peasanti'v « Tom, le pere Tom. » 
 He left several numberof children ; they are all now called 
 Toms : Norbert Tom, Gisorge Tom, Ilcnrietle Tom. Jean lUe. 
 Tom. As a comptMis.ition to this loss cf nationality in his 
 offspring, a glorious distinilion was niiule for Ins clues! son, 
 in which primogeniture shines Corth ; of the whole family, h(; 
 alone, is allowed to bear the family palronomicas a christian 
 
 ille; 
 
 vera I 
 
 Itled 
 
 lidar 
 
 (1) Odd names seem fashinnablo in thi? viUago ; there is one family coraprifed 
 of nthletic boys ; some aro very hard cn^eg ; one, when drunli, combines the 
 vices of aU the re?t; ho is singularly vicious, just a sliado bettor than a high- 
 
 wayman ; he goes by the mime of i^ji-und Pirf. ; why ? i. jcver have bren able 
 
 to find out. Possibly ,it may be from his VieinK supposed to unite the viooi" of 
 throe generations I 
 
168 
 
 CANADIAN NAMES AND SURNAMES. 
 
 name ; Norborl is not called Tom or Thomas Evcrell, but is 
 recognised, as Evkrei.l Tom. 
 
 In looking over English periodicals, 1 find Ihiif the Irnnsfor- 
 malion ol names is nol. m(>rely coiirnied lo Scotchmen in 
 France, or lo Englishmen in Canndn, but also lo Englishmen 
 in their own country. The Conihill Magazine, wilh which I 
 shall close, Ihiis holds forth : — 
 
 « Surnames are by no means fully established in some parts 
 of England. In the colliery distiicts, particularly, hereditary 
 designations seem to be the exception rather than the rule. A. 
 correspondent of Knight's Qualerly Mayazine say* : that cler- 
 ^ymon in Stallordshire have been known lo send home a wed- 
 ding party in despair, after a vain essay to gain from lh(^ bride 
 and bridegroom, a sound by way of name.' Every man in 
 these colliery fields, it seems, bears a personal sobri()uel, 
 descriptive of some peculiarity, but scarcely any person has 
 a family name either known lo himself or others. A story is 
 told of an attorney's clerk who was professionally employed 
 lo serve a process on one of those oddly -named persons, 
 M hose supposed real name was entered in the instniment 
 with legal accniaey The clerk, after a great deal of inquiry 
 as to the whiMcabouts of the party, was about to abandon the 
 search as hopeless, when ayoun^ woman, who had witnessed 
 his labors, kindly volunteered to assist him. ' Oy say, Bulhjcd,' 
 cried she, to Ihe first person they met, ' does thee know a mon 
 named Adom (Jreen? The bull-head was shaken in token of 
 ignorance. They Ihen came lo another man. ^ Loy-a-hed, 
 dostlhce?' Loy-a-bed could not answer either. Stumpij, 
 (a man with a woodiMi leg), Cownkin, Spindleshanks, Cockeye, 
 and Pigtail were successively consulted, but to no purpose. 
 At length, however, having had conversation with several 
 friiMuls, the damsel's eye suddenly brightened, and slapping 
 one of her neighbors on the shoulder, she exclaimed — ' Dash 
 my wig! whoy, he means moy feylherl ' Then returning to the 
 asl(mished clerk, she criiul — ' Vou shoul'n ax'd for Ode Black- 
 bird!' So it appeared that the old miner's name, though he 
 
CANADIAN NAMES AND SURNAMES. 
 
 169 
 
 was a man of f-uhstance, and had legal battles to fight, was 
 not known, even to his own daughter.)) (9) 
 
 lapping 
 1' Dash 
 J io the 
 iBlack- 
 iigh he 
 
 (9) A very slight inveptigntion hns already produced a lift of patronymics 
 which throw all Thnckory's ideal (mes, grotesq^ue and clover as many are, into hope- 
 less distance. In proof whereof, a correspondent of the London Titnrs states that 
 a friend of his made the following curious selection of surnames from the wills in 
 the Prerogative Court is Doctor's Commons : — Asse, Bub, Belly, Boots, Cripple, 
 Cheese, Cockless, Dunce, Dam, Drinkmilke, Def, Fleshman ; Fatt, Ginger, Goose, 
 Beaste, Bearhead, Bungler, Bugg, Buggy, Bones, Cheeke, Clod, Codd, Demon, 
 Fiend, Funcke, Froggo, Ghost, Gready, Uag, Humpe, Holdwator, Headache ; Jelly, 
 Idle, Knoebone, Kidney ; Licie, Lame, Lazy, Leakey ; Maypole, Mule, Monkey, 
 Milksip, jMudd, Mug, Phisike, Pighead, Pot, Poker, Poopy, Prigge, Pigg, Punch, 
 Proverb. Quicklove, Quash, Radish, Rurape, Rawbone, Rottengoose, Swette, 
 Shish, Sprat, Squibb, Sponge, Stubborne, Swine, Shave, Shrimps, Shirt, Skim, 
 Squalsh, Silly, Shoe, Smelt, Skull, Spattull, Shadow, Snaggs, Spittle ; Toato, 
 Taylecoate I Villian, Vittols, Vile ; Whale. 
 
 All nature seems to have been ransacked for the purpose of producing even the 
 abovelist, which is no doubt, only a small sample of that which s»rae further inves- 
 tigation might have produced. Earth and water throw in their ridiculous contri- 
 butions in the names of Asse, Goose, Beast and Gold ; and the mysteries of the 
 unknown world are represented by a Shadow and a Ghost. And Demon, Fiend, 
 uud Ilagg, find also their nominal representatives on this upper earth. The ideal 
 is, however, by no means alone drawn on, for wo find, in a auspicious juxtaposi- 
 tion — Jugs, Punch, Headache — This combination, it must be conceded, is rational 
 enough. 
 
 The History op Canadian Geographical Names. 
 
 {ByJohi Iteade.) 
 
 " Colonists have, moreover, in all times been accustomed to call their new 
 homes after the scenes whore their early years were spent. Of this mode of no- 
 menclature, we have numerous instances in the settlements made by the Greeks 
 and Romans, as well as in the colonics of England and other modern Euroj)can 
 nations. The name, in such cases, was a tender bond of union with the mother 
 country, besides possessing a considerable historical value. 
 
 In many cases, a place took the name of its discoverer, as Hudson's Bay, Van- 
 couver's Island; in others, it was called after some event or personage of which 
 the day and month of its discovery bore record; as tlie St Lawrence, first seen on 
 the 9th day of August ; the St. John's river. New Brunswick, discovered on the 
 24th of June; or, it was named from the weather, or some other transitory cir- 
 cumstance impressing the discoverers on fiist seeing it, as Cape of Storms, Baio 
 des Chalours; or from some sovereign or other groat personage directing thepa»ty 
 of exploration ; or, in honor of some person of distinction wholly unconnected with 
 it — as Virginia, Baltimore, Quoun Charlotte's Island, Rupert's Land. The na- 
 tural configuration or the first object which attracted observation, or some aoni- 
 modity evidently abundant, or some obviously marked characteristic, were also 
 frequently productive of names, as Bay Ronde, Cap Cod, Mosquito Bar, Mariposa 
 (California "Butterfly "), Pearl Island, Serpent's Mouth, Tierra del Feugo (land 
 of fire— .'canic), Blue Mountains, Isle of Desolation, Isle of Bacchus (the Isle 
 of Orleni.a, first so called from its vine productiveness), Puntas Arenas (Sandy 
 
170 
 
 CANADIAN NAMES AND SIRNAMES. 
 
 Point), Florida &a. Biblical, classical or fancy names have also been frequently 
 oin[iI(iyo(l, ai Salom, Goshen, Utica, Syracuse, Amaranth, Avalon. 
 
 In nono of tliuso cases, is tlioro wanting* an interest, if not a benefit, in arriving 
 at a linowledgo of tlie circumstances which caused or the motives, which led to 
 the adojition of a name. We need mal^e no apology, therefore, for siiondiu); a 
 while in seeking the origin of some of our Canadian guogra|iliical or topograjihioal 
 names, espouially tlioso which contain the record of our early history, 
 
 Tlio names of jjlaoes in Canada may be generally divided into throe classes' 
 marking three stages in the hi.story of the country — the aboriginal, the Frencii 
 and the Biitish, In treating of the subject, however, it will not be necessary to 
 adhere rigidly to this division, nor, indeed, would such a mode of treatment bo 
 historically correct, as French names have been given under British rule, and 
 Indian names under the ii'jime of buth France and England. 
 
 Canada, for instance, was not used in its present signification till the yonr 
 ]fi(57; neither was Ontario, nor Manitoba. If Canada be an aboriginal wnr'i and 
 mean, as sumo would have us believe "a collcctiim of huts'" — iKMliiipai the des- 
 criptive name of Stadacona or old lloehclaga,— it leads us back to the very beg- 
 inning of our historj', to tlie earliest attemjits at Eunniean ooluuizatioii in tliis 
 part of the continent. Tliere surely must have been some good reason for ]irc- 
 ferring Quebec to such a grandly musical name as Stadac( na. It is a pity that 
 neither the latter, nor llnchelaga was brought into honorable service when a now 
 designation was required for the old Province of Lower Canada. " Kepeo " or 
 " Quebec " is said to mean a " strait" in the Algonc^uin dialect, and it may be 
 thdt Carkier choose lo retain it as indicating the narrowing (jf the river opposite 
 Stadacona. It was betiveen the Island of Orleans and the Beauport shore that 
 the great navigator had his first interview with the Chief Donnacona, who cnine 
 with twelve canoes of eight men each to wish liim welcome. The village of Sta- 
 dacona covered the site of the suburbs of St. Koch's and in part, of St. John's, 
 and, perhaj)?, as the forts which formed the nucleus of Quebec were some (;is- 
 tance from it, the latter name came to be adopted by the French settlers ; and 
 when the city was formally founded in 1608, although Stadavona had then disap- 
 peared, the rival name was so identified with the new-comers that it easily' pre- 
 vailed. However that bo, it is certain that the name of Quebec has won its 
 share of renown. In the minds of strangers, it is the tyjiical city of Canada. 
 
 Wo still preserve the name of the Iroquois, and r'uoriatiuns of which they were 
 composed— the Oneidas, Tuscaroras, Onondagas, .^enecas and Cnyugas; also, of 
 the ttawas, Chippowas and Missassaugas, the Fries and the Ilurons, the Min- 
 gans, Nipissings and tribes. In Manitoulin, we have enshrined the iiiumory of 
 their primitive faith in the (treat Spirit. In Gaspd (Lands End's), Mackinaw 
 (Great Turtle), Ontario (Beautiful), Saskatchewan (Swift Current), and many 
 uihor names of rivers, lakes and localities are condensed their exact or figuriitive 
 descriptions of external nature. AVith the exception, however, of the names of 
 Brant ('fyondinaga), Tocumseth and Poniiac which are preserved, the Indians 
 names of places possess littlo known historical importance. To the philologist, 
 they present a large and interesting field for research and comparison. 
 
 The Indian name, " Baccalaos " (cod-fish) would seem to have boon given to a 
 part, if not the whole, of the Island of Ne^^' •midland, at the date of its discovery 
 by John Cabot. In a corrupted form, it is still given to a small island (Bacaliou) 
 otf the extremity of the peninsula between Conception and Trinity Bays. The 
 navigator above mentioned called the Island of Newfi)undland "Prima Vista" 
 as being the land first seen by him. For the same reason it was called Kew- 
 
CANADIAN NAMES AND SURNAMES. 
 
 Mi 
 
 frequently 
 
 n arriving 
 liich led to 
 gpoiidinf; u, 
 (igrajihieul 
 
 rec classes' 
 :hc Froncli 
 oeosBiiry to 
 eatiDont bo 
 h rule, imJ 
 
 1 the y j!ir 
 111 wor'i iinJ 
 iji* tlio iks- 
 vtry lip;^- 
 itiipii in this 
 r-Miu Cur [iro- 
 ,s a pity tliat 
 wlu'ii a ni:w 
 ' Ktiiec" <ir 
 id it, iiKiy 1)0 
 ivor (ijijiiisilo 
 t sliDVu ttiat 
 a, wlu> oamo 
 lago I if Sta- 
 f St. John's, 
 ro Fomo i!is- 
 ttlers ; and 
 tlicn disap- 
 It easily pro- 
 las won ita 
 iiiiada. 
 h they vrcro 
 lis ; also, of 
 IS, the Min- 
 ■liifniory of 
 Maclvinaw 
 , and many 
 • figuriitive 
 e names of 
 ho Indians 
 hiliilogist, 
 
 given to a 
 |s discovery 
 5acaliou) 
 Says. The 
 Ima Vista" 
 lalled New- 
 
 foundland, and it was also named St. John's, from having been discovered 
 on the 24th of June, the festival of John the Baptist. In a manuscript of 
 the time of Ilonri VII. in the British Museum, it is mentioned as the " New 
 Isle." There are traditions of sottlonicnts made by Icelanders or Norwegians in 
 the tenth and following centuries, and by thorn it is said-to have been designated 
 " llelluland." 
 
 Conception Bay received its jiroscnt name from Qaspar Cortercal. Besides the 
 Cafaots — John and Sebasti.in — the Cortereals and Verazznni, Jaenues Cnrtior, Sir 
 ilumpliri-y Oilbert, Martin t'robi.slior and Sir Francis Drake took a greater or less 
 interest in its early colonization. Carlier's jircsence is still recorded in the name 
 " Bonavista " (fine view), which his delight with the scenery induvjed hiin to give 
 to the portion of the island which bears that name. Sir Walter llaloigh also had 
 a shiire in tlie scheme of settlement, the niaragoiiiont of which was undertaken 
 by iii.s step-brotlier, Gilbert. He v <is obliged, through illness, to return, after 
 the little squadron had set .sail, and Gilbert wa.s drowned off the Azores on the 
 homeward Voyage. Tlie city of St. John's recoids the eventful day when the 
 coast of Newfoundland was first seen by John Cabot. 
 
 The name of the first French viceroy of Canada sursives in a little village or 
 parish in the County of ( liicoiitimi. Tlio Sieur de Koberval received his commis- 
 sion as early as the year 15 Id. It wa.s at St. John's, Tsewioundland, that he and 
 Cartier met, while the latter was returning to Franco. In 1549, lie and his brother 
 and their whole ileet wore lust on tlieir way to Caiiiida. 
 
 If there were any danger of Canadians forgetting Champlain, tliey would still 
 be reminded of him in tlie county ajnd lake which bear hi»i name. The River 
 Richelieu, which carries tlio superfluous waters (if Lake Champlain to the St. 
 Lawrence, was known to liim as the river of the Iroquois. In the contests bet- 
 ween the French and the savages, the country watered by this river was long the 
 chosen ri.-aili'z-niian of both combattants. M. do M"iitiii,igiiy, who succeeded 
 Champlain, after a brief interval, called it tlio Richelieu, after the distinguished 
 ecclesiastic and statesman of that name. It subsequently re •eived tho names 
 of Sorel and Chambly, fioiii two ofiioors of the Carignan Iteginieiit, but these 
 names were afterwards given to forts, iiiid that of llichelicu respired. The forts 
 in question were res])ectively Fort Richelieu anil Fort St. Louis, now Sorel and 
 Chambly. The Chevalier .Moiitmagiiy was (as far as the Indians are concernci) 
 the eponymous govciiiur of Canada, for it was liy an Iinlian tnuslatiun of his 
 name, "Onontio " or " (ircat .Mountain," lUul .ill his successors were designated 
 by tie native tribes. 
 
 Iberville, a county in the province of Quebec, recalls the name of a distinguish- 
 ed -Montrealer, Pierre LeMoyne D'Ibervilla, a famous naval olficer in the reign of 
 Louis XIV. He laid the foundation of a colony in Louisian.i, and his bnither 
 founded the city of New Orleans. The county and town of Joliette preserve the 
 name of another distinguished Canadian, a (juebecquoi*, Louis Joliette, who wa.-f 
 chosen by Frontenac to accompany Father Marquette in his exploration of the 
 Mississippi. As a reward for liis .service.", he received a grant of the island of 
 Anticosti, a metathesis for the Indian Natiscoti, and was made hydrcgraplmr to 
 the king. The Due de Montmorency has left his name in a county and in tho 
 beautiful and celebrated river and falls near Quebec. lie was the friend of Cham- 
 plain ; for opposition to the go-crnnicnt of Richelieu, ho was executed in l(i.i2, at 
 the age of thirty-seven. Frontenac, Vaudrouil and Boauharnois, three of tho most 
 able and energetic of tho French Governors of Canada, are also honored in the 
 names of Canadian counties, as are also Bishop Laval, Generals .Montcalm and 
 De Lovif, Cardinal Richelieu, Charlevoix and other celebrities nf the old rOjimt. 
 
172 
 
 CANADIAN NAMES AND SURNAMES. 
 
 In Carloton County and Carleton PI loe wo celebrate Sir Guy Carleton, as in 
 Dorchester wo cominoinorate the titular reward of his well-used talents. In 
 Cramahe, Northumberland Co., wo hjnor his sometiino succosaor, and General 
 Ilaldimand, Governor Hamilton, Governor IIopo, General Presoot, Sir G. Drum- 
 mond. Sir J. C. Shorbroolio, the Duko of Richmond, the Earl of Dalhousie, Sir 
 James Kempt, Lords Aylmor, Qosford, Durham and Sydenham are all, more or 
 less, localized in the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The glories of the horoio 
 Brocl{ are suggested by Broclcville. Wo have the history of Parliamentary ropro- 
 Bontdtion in Upper Canada in the name of Lake Simcoe ; for the first Parliament 
 of that Province was opened at Newark, or Niagara, by Lieut. -Governor John G. 
 Simcoe, on the I7th of SepCember, 1792; in tho counties of Elgin and Bruce and 
 the village of Kincardine ; in the latter wo record the important administration 
 of Lord Elgin, forgetting, it is to bo hoped, its bitter associations. Sir Charles 
 Bagot has a county named after him, Sir Edmund Head a township, and Sir 
 Francis Bond Head a village. 
 
 Halifax was so named in honor of Lord Halifax, who, at tho time of its settle- 
 ment by Lord Cornwallis, in 1749, was President of the Board of Trade and Plan- 
 tations. Annapolis (forti.?Hy Port Royal) was so called by General Nicholson, 
 who took it from the French in the reign of Queen Anno. Cape Breton tells us 
 that its early settlers were chiefly from Brittanny. Louisbourg was called after 
 tho French King, Louis XIV, in whose reign it was founded. Princo Edward's 
 Island was named after the Duke of Kent, father of tho Quoon Victoria, its for- 
 mer namo having been St. John's. A less successful change was that of Sorel 
 into William Henry, after the sailor princo William IV. The origin of Nova 
 Scotia is manifest. Now Brunswick was so called in compliment to the new lino 
 inaugurated by George I. 
 
 The name of tho first Governor of New Brunswick is preserved in Carleton, 
 County of Kent, and Saumarez.. Blissvillo and Blissfield, Harvey, Manners, and 
 Sutton, recall other gubernatorial names. 
 
 Indian names, of a longuage different from any found in Ontario or Quebec, 
 perhaps, Micmac, abound in the Maritime Provinces. Restigouche, which forms, 
 in part, the boundary between New-Brunswick ana Quebec, is said to moan 
 •' finger and thumb," a name given from the supposed resemblance of the river 
 and its tributaries to an open hand. In the beginning of its course (for 150 miles 
 or so) the St. John's is called the Wallooshtook, or "Long River." The Bay of 
 Fundy is a corruption of the French " Fond do la Baio " which is found on old 
 maps. The old namo of Liverpool, N. S., was Rossignol; it was so called after a 
 French adventurer of that name, and has no association, as one might suppose, 
 with nightingale. 
 
 In Middlesex County, Ontario, wo discover an obvious scheme of adopting a 
 eonsistent English nomenclature. Wo have London, Westminster, St. Pauls, tho 
 Thames; but such a plan can hardly ever succeed. New settlers bring with 
 thom new associations, and the old charm is broken. 
 
 In the County of Hastings, Ontario, we have a repertory of history, litteraturo, 
 •cionoo and tradition, in Tudor, Elzevir, Wollaston, HcrschLl, Farady and Madoc, 
 while Limerick, Carlow, Mayo, Dungannon and Cashel have the full flavor of tho 
 "Emerald Isle." Ameliasburg, Sophiasburg and Marysburg, all in tho county 
 of Prince Edward, seem like a family group. Orangeville, Luther and Molanc- 
 thon indicate the i)olitical or religious bias of tho sponsors. Lutterworth recalls 
 Wickliffo. Blenheim, Trafalgar, St. Vincent, Waterloo and Sebastopool in On- 
 tarioi and Tewkesbury, Inkerman and Alma in Quebec, remind us of famous 
 
ton, as in 
 tents. In 
 1 Oeneral 
 G. Drum- 
 lousie, Sir 
 ll, more or 
 the horoio 
 ury rojiro- 
 •arliamont 
 or John G. 
 Bruoo and 
 inistration 
 Sir Charles 
 ip, and Sir 
 
 f its settle- 
 and Plan- 
 Nicliolson, 
 ;on tolls us 
 sailed after 
 5 Edward's 
 ria, its for- 
 lat of Sorcl 
 ^in of Nora 
 be new line 
 
 in Carleton, 
 mners, and 
 
 or Quebec, 
 
 icli forms, 
 
 to mean 
 
 |of tho river 
 
 150 miles 
 
 |The Bay of 
 
 und on old 
 
 led after a 
 
 ,t suppose, 
 
 [adopting a 
 1 Pauls, tho 
 [bring with 
 
 littoraturo, 
 Ind Madoc, 
 lavor of tho 
 (tho county 
 Id Melanc- 
 rth recalls 
 lool in On- 
 of famous 
 
 CANADIAN NAMES AND SURNAMES. 
 
 173 
 
 victories. Thers is a solemn n^arch of heroes and poets, philanthropista and 
 statesmen, discoverers and martyrs in Milton, Keppel, Collingwood, Wellington, 
 Nelson, Albomarlo, Hampden, Haloigh, Palmerston, Pitt, Raglan, Russell, Ilar- 
 voy, Franklin, Wilberfon o, Stephenson, Macaulay and Burleigh, all Upper Ca- 
 nada names, and in Chath.\m, Arundel, Newton, Uavelook, Canrobert, and others 
 in Quebec. 
 
 London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg, New Edimburg, New Glasgow, 
 Dunduo, Dumfries, Derry, Enniskillen, Southampton, Scarborough, and innumer- 
 able other trans-atlantic names found throughout the Dominion, are convincing 
 proofs either of patriotic atTection or want of originality. Wo sometimes see this 
 latter quality running wild in such extravagances as Flos, Vespra, Artemisia, 
 Euphrasia, Eutopia, Aurora, Asphodel. 
 
 Occasionally a name, such as " Indian," as applied to the American aborigines, 
 or Lachino (China), gives a key to tho motives of early exploring entreprise. 
 Such names as Isle Verto, Isle-aux-Qrues, Ilo-aux-Noix, Pointo-aux-Tremblos, 
 are valuable as giving an opjiortunity of comparing the present condition of the 
 places to which they refer to what it was in the past. 
 
 In tho names of streets, halls, institutes, and associations, their is ample scope 
 for historical enquiry. A good deal might be made of tho street names of Mon- 
 treal alone, quite enough to make a separate pajier. The same may be said of 
 Quebec, Toronto, Halifax and tho other ancient cities of tho Dominion. Into this 
 part of tho subject, however, wo cannot enter now. It may sut&co if wo have in- 
 dicated the way what is likely to prove an interesting and valuable field of his- 
 torical research. 
 
 Probably but for the practice, early begun and still, to some extent, continued 
 in Lower Canada, of giving Saints' names to places, we should have preserved in 
 our local names much more of tho history of the country. The Province of Quebec 
 is a perfect hagiology. The calendar and Acta Sunctorum seem to have been 
 ransacked by our devout i)redecessors, and not even the most obscure result of 
 oannouization has escaped this forced service. The origin of this custom is found 
 in the fsriuation of paii^hos by the Church first established here, the authorities 
 of which, very naturally, pui them under the protection of their saints, martyrs and 
 confessors. But even these nam's, apart from the opportunity which they afford 
 for the study of early and nudioival ecclesiastical biography, have also an 
 historical value, for they tell us of the character and aims of those who had most 
 to do with the early settlement of this Province. 
 
 Vfe must now bring this littl" sketch to a close. Its ohief object has been to 
 Buov to what extent tho tea-' ag or study of history and geography may be com- 
 bined in a very simpl r. This method of instruction is not unknown in 
 schijols whore ancient . Hory and ancient geography are taught. It might bo 
 made equally interesting with regard to the modern and especially in colonies 
 like our own, where tho names can bo generally traced to their origin. A single 
 name, such as Judea, Athens, Cornwall, Montreal, Florida, might thus be made 
 tho thetue for an instructive lecture, which would also be valuable in more ways 
 than that of merely conveying information, by training the mind in analytic and 
 inductive thought. {From New Dominion Monthly.^ 
 
THE GRAVE OF GARNEAU. 
 
 TUE UISTORIiN. 
 
 Under the shade of lofty pines, close to the famed battle-fields 
 of the past, in view of his native city, now rests all that re- 
 mains to us of a noble minded retiring man of letters. There 
 lies a true son of Canada, though the influence of his writings 
 was fi'lt far beyond the limits of his country. From the muse 
 of history did he receive his inspirations, — by her, his name 
 will bo inscribed in the temple of fame with those of Pres- 
 colt, Bancroft, Parknian, Jared Sparks, Sargent, and other 
 kindred spirits of the land of Ihe West. Like them, Garneau, 
 will continue to light up the path of literature, teaching love 
 of country, marking out the path of duly to generations still 
 unborn. 
 
 Our author was eminently fitted for the task of historian. 
 A lover of labour, painstaking to excess, born with a mind 
 remarkable for its enquiring turn, of a breadth and liberality 
 of views rarely to be found, the historian of Canada was withal 
 so retiring that he uniformly refused tempting olTers made him 
 to take part in the politics of the country. We will pass over 
 the early part of his career, marked like the rest of his life, 
 by concientiousness and the strictest integrity. 
 
 It was in 1840 that Mr. Garneau, after having contributed 
 several light poetical effusions to the literature of Canada, 
 some of which grace the pages of Huston's Repertoire Natio- 
 nal, began in earnest his great work. The three years he had 
 spent in England, France and Italy had afforded him unques- 
 tionable facilities by searching the public archives— in Paris, 
 especially — to collect materials, new and reliable for the his- 
 tory of the Colony. Later on, he went to Albany to study the 
 contents of the valuable state papers which Dr. O'Callaghan, 
 of Canadian celebrity, had been charged by the State of New 
 

 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-S) 
 
 
 '^%^^^. 
 
 
 A 
 
 MA 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 
 <i- ll^ 
 
 2.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 U ill 1.6 
 
 V] 
 
 <^ 
 
 /i 
 
 ^ 
 
 .% 
 
 
 '^y 
 
 / 
 
 .». ^ N 
 
 y 
 
 /^ 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY. M580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 iV 
 
 f 
 
 .s^^^ 
 
 Lv 
 
 
 6^ 
 
 a 
 
 <fc 
 

 SLtf 
 
 % 
 
176 
 
 THE GRAVE OF GARNEAU, 
 
 York to compile, with the permission of King Louis Philippe, 
 
 in the French archives. 
 
 • 
 
 Several men of abiHty, since this country became an English 
 colony, have devoted themselves to write its history. The 
 first by order of date, was Wm. Smith, son of the celebrated 
 U. E. Loyalist, and historian of Ihe Province of New York. 
 His history, in two volumes, appeared in 1815. We may also 
 mention the narrative of Mr. Bibaud and Cours d'Histoire du 
 Canada of the late Abbe Ferland, the political history of Ro- 
 bert Christie, and a most elaborate work now in process of 
 publication in Paris, Hisloire de la Colonie FranQaise en Ame- 
 rique by the Abb6 Faillon, late of Montreal, also McMullen's 
 History of Canada. 
 
 These writers are entitled to our gratitude for the time, 
 research and capital expended by them in revealing lo us the 
 primitive as Lord Elgin called them, Iho heroic limes of Canada ; 
 but lo none of them has been awarded by a grateful country 
 the lille of National Historian. This dislinclion was reserved 
 to the late Mr. Garneau, though there are many disputed points 
 treated by this distinguishod man on which subsequent writers 
 will throw new light. One of the most honoural)le, the most 
 pleasing testimonials conveyed before his death to the late 
 historian is contained in the few following lines of a letter ad- 
 dressed to him by Commander de Belveze, Capt. of the French 
 frigate Capricieuse^ sent to Quebec by the French Emperor in 
 1855, to establish commercial intercourse with Canada : — 
 (( It is mainly to your book, Sir, that I owe the honour of being 
 this day in Canada. ***** it forms the chief basis of the 
 official report I am preparing for the French Government on 
 the commercial resources of your fine country.)) In thus 
 saying that the literary labours of Mr. Garneau obtained recog- 
 nition not only in America, but also in Europe, we are merely 
 reminding the reader that several eminent French and Ameri- 
 can historians, by the copious extracts they made from them 
 showed the value they set on the Canadian writer as a truth- 
 ful narrator of events. Foremost, let us mention the Abbe 
 
THE HISTORIAN. 
 
 177 
 
 recog- 
 icrely 
 imeri- 
 
 them 
 Itruth- 
 
 Abbe 
 
 Ferland (1), Bancroft (2), Parkman (3), Sargent (4), O'Callag- 
 han (5), Rameaii (6), Diissieux (7), and last, though not least, 
 the learned and voluminous French historian Henri Martin (8), 
 whose noble sentiments we regret to have to forego through 
 want of space. 
 
 The singular veneration in which Mr. Garneau's memory is 
 hold, can only be an enigma to those who, unversod in the 
 language in which his works are written, or acquainted with 
 them merely through the travestie and the truncated English 
 version recently published, cannot therefore understand the 
 hold which he had taken of the popular mind amongst French 
 Canadians. No lines written by him will convey a better idea 
 of the spirit which animated him, than the concluding reflec- 
 tions of the third volume of the Histoire du Canada, written 
 in 1849, and though subsequent events and especially the 
 Confederation of the British Provinces and the supremacy con- 
 ferred thereby, on the French race, in the Province of Qut^bec, 
 may alter is h-nrlng with regard to the other races, Mr. Gar- 
 neau^s sentime. t iese.ve still to be echoed amongst his fellow 
 countrymen. Mr. Garreau, a French-Canadian, does not of 
 course forget the proud race from which he sprung ; though 
 hailing from the Bourbons, he is unlike them ; he has learned 
 something, he has learned to appreciate the wisdom of the 
 English constitution ; he calls on his countrymen to shape 
 their conduct on English precedents, English parliamentary 
 usages. Hark to his stirring appeal ; listen to the sentences 
 of this believer in monarchy, at a time like the present when 
 the elect of the people, our leading statesmen, are striving to 
 perpetuate monarchical institutions amongst us. 
 
 «Our pen has written the history of some French emigrants 
 landed at the most northern part of North America, there to 
 build up the destinies of their offspring. Like leaves detached 
 from their parent tree, the winds have blown them to a new 
 
 (1) Coun d'Hiatoire du Canada. (2) History of the United Statei. (3) His- 
 tory of the oonspiraoy of Pontiao. (4) The History of an expedition against 
 Fort Dnqnesne in 1765, under Mi^or-Oeneral Braddook. (5) Histoiy of New 
 Ketherland. (6) La France anx Colonies. (7) Le Canada sons la domination 
 Fran^aise. (8) Histoire de France. 
 
 17 
 
178 
 
 THE QBAVB OF GABNEiU, 
 
 world, to be tossed about by a thousand storms ; the baneful 
 breath of barbarism, — the scourge of mercantile greed, — the 
 tempest caused by a crumbling monarchy — the storm of 
 foreign subjugation. Scarcely a few thousand souls, when 
 this last disaster befel them, they ought now not lo be too 
 bitter, against their ancient mother country, since the loss of 
 this noble colony was one of the decisive causes of the (French) 
 revolution ; the world knows what dire vengeance^ this 
 polished and proud nation sought at the hand of ail those con- 
 nected directly or indirectly with the Ministry who abandoned 
 Canada to its fate in the hour of danger. 
 
 « Notwithstanding Canada's past trials, a few hundred 
 French colonists, (we fear being guilty of exaggeration in saying 
 a few thousand), had reached, at ''^e era of the conquest, to 
 tho figure of 60,000, a population small in numbers fur an 
 European State. To-day (in 1849), after ninety years, these 
 figures have reached 700,000, and the tree has branched out 
 of its own accord and without external help — strong in its faith 
 — strong in its nationality. 
 
 a During one hundred and fifty years this small community 
 has done battle against the New England colonies, thirty or 
 forty times more numerous, without receding a step, and the 
 pages of this volume show what its conduct has been on the 
 battle field. 
 
 Though neither affluent nor rich, this people has proved that 
 it still retains something of the great nation who gave it birth. 
 Ever since the cession (1763), without listening to the captious 
 arguments of the would be sages, to the dicta of those writers 
 who obtain the ear of men in large cities, the nation has built 
 its politics on self-preservation, the only true basis of national 
 policy. She ha^ concentrated herself in herself ; she has ral- 
 lied all her children round her, fearing to drop a usage, a 
 thought, nay, shall we even say a prejudice, venerable by age, 
 io spite of the scoffs of neighbours. 
 
 « The result has been that down to the present day the 
 nation has preserved its faith, its language ; nay, more, a foot- 
 hold for England in America in 1775 and 1812. This result, 
 though pernicious it may appear to the extension of the Ame- 
 
TBI niSTOBIAIf. 
 
 170 
 
 rican Republic, has not been Accompanied with Uie ieqaence 
 it might have entailed. The banner of monarchy, floating on 
 Cape Diamond at Quebec, has compelled the young republic to 
 be grave, to act with prudence, to expand gradually, and not 
 to rush headlong like a fiery steed in the desert. The resiult, 
 we say, has been that the United States have become great^ 
 a living example to the whole world. 
 
 « The Canadians are to-day an agricultural people, living in 
 a severe climate. Theirs are not the elegant and luxurious 
 wa s of the men of Southern climes ; theirs is not that idiom 
 —the offspring of a light, inexhniistible nature, unknown in 
 the high latitudes of the globe. But they have in their charac- 
 ter, earnestness and perseverance. They have shown it since 
 they are in America, and we are convinced that whoever will 
 read the history of this people, in a spirit of justice and good 
 faith, will confess it has shown itself worthy of the two great 
 nations to whose destinies it has been or is still linked. Nor 
 could it have been otherwise without being recreant to its ori- 
 gin. Hailing from Normandy, from Briltanny, from Touraine, 
 and from Poitou, the race descends from those who marched 
 behind William the Conqueror, and who striking subsequently 
 deep roots in England, helped to make of that small island one 
 of the greatest amongst nations. The race comes from that 
 France w.iich heads European civilization since the fall of the 
 Roman Empire — that country who, in her bright or in her 
 dark days, is always respected ; who, under her Charlemagne, 
 as well as under her Napoleon, dared to challenge in fight, eo- 
 alescod Europe ; but chiefly has the race sprung from that 
 Vendee of Normandy, of Britlanny, of Anjou, whose un- 
 bounded devolioiis to the objects of her roynl or religious 
 sympathy will ever command respect ; whose admirable cou- 
 rage will ever wreath in glory the flag which it has raised 
 admidst the French revolution. 
 
 « Let the French-Canadians be true to themselves; let them 
 be prudent and persevering ; let them turn a deaf ear to the 
 dazzling novelties of social or political theories. They are not 
 strong enough to venture alone and carve out for themselves 
 a new course. They can acquire fresh liberty sufficiently in 
 
180 
 
 THE GRiVE OF GARNEAU, 
 
 their sphere. For us, a portion of our strength comes from 
 our traditions : let us depart from them, but slowly. We will 
 find in the annals of the metropolis; in the history of England, 
 good examples to follow. If England should be great to day, 
 she too has had to encounter awful storms, foreign conquest 
 to overcome, religious wars to subdue, and a thousand other 
 troubles. Without pretending to a similar destiny, wisdom 
 and union amongst us will soften many trials, and, in awake- 
 ning interest towards us, they will render our cause more holy 
 in the eyes of nations. » 
 
 ^1 
 
 ADDRESS OF THE HON. P. J. 0. OHAUVEAU. 
 [From the Quebec Gazette, Friday, September 27th, 1867.] 
 
 On Sunday afternoon, the 15th instant, the translation of 
 the remains of the late Mr. Garnuau, from the private vault, in 
 the Belmont Cemetery, Ste. Foye, near Quebec, where they 
 had been deposited last winter, to the recently finished tomb 
 provided for them by public subscription, took place, in con- 
 formity with the public notice given by the acting President of 
 the Committee, J. M. LeMoine, Esquire. The concourse 
 of persons present must have exceeded 3,000, amongst 
 whom were many leading citizens, Judges, Barristers, and 
 others. The burial service was chaunted by the Rev. Messire 
 Auclair, Cure of Quebec, and the ceremony was inaugurated 
 under the auspices of the Lieul.-Governor of Quebec, who 
 was present with his stafi and with several members of his 
 Cabinet. The religious portion of the ceremony being over, 
 the Premier, the Honorable P. J. 0. Chauveau, standing un- 
 covered at the head of the tomb, gave utterance in French to 
 the following eloquent oration, on the career of his old and 
 true friend, the gifted historian of Canada. Everything seemed 
 favorable to the fulfilment of the peculiar duty devolving on 
 the honorable speaker. The beauty of the surrounding woods, 
 blazoning with the bright hues of September ; the pensive 
 quietness of the Sabbath, amidst the many quiet tombs ; the 
 historical memories clustered round this old battle-field of 
 
TBE HISTORIAN. 
 
 ISl 
 
 ss from 
 ^e will 
 (igland, 
 to day, 
 )nq(iest 
 d other 
 wisdom 
 awake- 
 )re holy 
 
 1 
 
 lation of 
 irault, in 
 BFc they 
 ed tomb 
 I in con- 
 ident of 
 ncourse 
 imongst 
 rs, and 
 Messire 
 gurated 
 }c, who 
 s of his 
 ig over, 
 ing un- 
 ench to 
 )ld and 
 seemed 
 ing on 
 woods, 
 pensive 
 s ; the 
 iGeld of 
 
 1760, so graphically described in the works of both Mr. Gar^ 
 neau and Mr. Chaiiveau, and on which now stands the new 
 cemetery of Belmont ; the sweet, though mournful office, of a 
 man of letters delegated by his countrymen to honour, in a 
 departed friend, another man of letters — a good citizen — a 
 true patriot : every object combined to prepare the heart for 
 soft emotions. Mr. Chauveau's beautiful discourse has been 
 rendered in elegant English by a young barrister of this 
 city, John O'Farrell, Esquire, for whom such a task was 
 in verity, a labour of love. (It was delivered m presence of 
 Sir N. F. Belleau, then recently named Lieutenant-Governor 
 for the Province of Quebec.) 
 
 « Your Excellency and Gentlemen, — We are gathered 
 around the grave of a friend, a compatriot, a writer whom 
 any country might well be proud of, — a man, in fine, wholly 
 devoted to our own beautiful Canada. In bidding a last farewell 
 to his remains, we are, it seems, but fulfilling a pious duty, 
 not to ourselves alone, but to the country at large. 
 
 « A beautiful and patriotic thought it was, the execution of 
 which even before you had attained the fiist dignity of our 
 new Province, it was your happy lot to preside over, — that of 
 nursing the fame of one, who, of all things, gave his foremost 
 thoughts, to the glory of his country. 
 
 « The name of Frangois-Xavier Garneau is known wither- 
 soever the name of Canada has reached ; his fame is 
 inseparable from the fame of our country : it, therefore, 
 would have been a very regretful event, if the man, who had 
 raised for our native land its most splendid monument, had no 
 urn on that soil whose beauties he, the poet, erstwhile sang, 
 and whose heroes, he, the historian, gave to fame. 
 
 « Whether as poet, traveller or historian, Fran<?ois-Xavicr 
 Garneau was alike a man of initiative courage, heroic perseve- 
 rance, indomitable will, disinterestedness and sacrifice of self. 
 One fixed idea, or better still, a great mission to be accom- 
 plished had seized possession of his soul ; to that mission, he 
 gave up heart, mind, wealth, health, all in fine. That great 
 task, his work, was a national monument to be raised, com- 
 
182 
 
 THE GBAVB Of 6AMBAU, 
 
 pleter], retouched, and embellished when completed ; there^ 
 in his eyes, his whole life centred. 
 
 « At that work, Gentlemen, he toiled beneath the midnight 
 lamp, without, however, encroaching on his other, morehumble, 
 labors. In him, were united, so to speak, two natures, the 
 one, given tohumble, yetgraveand dirficult occupations follow- 
 ed for a livelihood, the other devoted to Fatherland, Letters, 
 the Muses aid History ; and, as a rare incident even among 
 the rarest, these two natures were, in some sort, derived the 
 one from the other, and almost without extraneous aid. Pos- 
 sessed of the most simple rudiments only of primary instruc- 
 tion, he acquired, preserved and perfected, both that practical 
 knowledge required of the bank- clerk, the notary and the 
 municipal officer, and that literary and philosophic training, 
 which goes to make up the thinker and the writer. What greater 
 example can there be of the power of the will of man ? What 
 more beautiful lesson, what greater teaching can be bequeathed 
 to the youth of our country ? It was not given to Mr. Garneau, 
 though he ardently desired it, to follow a collegiate course of 
 study, and yet, how many are there, who, even with that 
 poweiful aid, have uiiderlaken and accomplished a task the 
 like of his? Undoubtedly, his was a rare ability, a rare genius; 
 but, is there not reason to fear, that many intellects, as great 
 as his, sustained even by the great powers derived from a 
 regular education procured at will, have been lost to society 
 by that listlessness, that cowardly subserviency to the vulgar 
 passions so frequent and so brimful of devastation around us ? 
 
 « In that respect, the work your Excellency has been pleased to 
 preside over, is not only a good deed ; it is a beautiful example. 
 To youth, we would say: « Canada, like other countries, 
 « begins to appreciate works of intellect, and soon, let us 
 (chope, as our own historian in one of his eloquent pages 
 « has said : A time tcill comey when full justice shall he 
 « dealt out to those toho may have made sacrifices for the most 
 a beautiful of the causes tchich can engross the attention of 
 « society. » 
 
 a Meanwliile, let us not require each one to undertake so 
 
TBI mSTORUM. 
 
 183 
 
 there, 
 
 idnighl 
 umble, 
 es, the 
 follow- 
 jetters, 
 among 
 ved the 
 . Pos- 
 nslruc- 
 raclical 
 ind the 
 raining, 
 t greater 
 I ? What 
 ueathed 
 iarneau, 
 ourse of 
 ith that 
 ask the 
 genius; 
 s great 
 from a 
 society 
 vulgar 
 ndus? 
 
 iased to 
 (ample, 
 mtries, 
 
 let us 
 
 pages 
 
 ihall he 
 
 \e most 
 lion of 
 
 lake so 
 
 great a work ; let us merely say to all : mDo him but justice, 
 by reading and meditating on his admirable,book. 
 
 « You will there be told of the birth and growth of that new 
 nation, which, step by step, advances towards her allotted 
 place at the banquet of humanity. There you may witness 
 Cartier planting the lily-covered cross, by the margin of the 
 river which flows, beyond there, at our feet ; you will also 
 see there a horde of bleeding phantoms, those wandering 
 tribes, whose destiny it was to yield their place to us. There, 
 you may look on Champlain pitching his tent beneath those 
 trees, some of which but lately sheltered parts of that great 
 historic city we have just left behind us, — Laval casting in 
 Iheso precincts that precious sued since ripened into so many 
 benefits for us. — Mary of the Incarnation and her companions 
 chaunting, amidst their youthful neophytes, their canticles 
 beneath the double and awe-inspiring vault of a primitive 
 forest and a beautiful Canadian sky, — Maisonneuve and his 
 brave comrades founding, in the heart of (he Iroquois country, 
 that prodigious colony of Montreal, — Mdlle Mance and Sister 
 Bourgeois penetrating with equal intrepidity into those inhos- 
 pitable regions, — Frontenac, at length, inspiiing the savage 
 hordes with terror, and repelling with undaunted courage the 
 fleet of Admiral Phipps. Then, you will see glide past you, 
 that long train of French gentlemen and peasants, who were 
 our sires, those hardy pioneers ever ready to exchange the hoe 
 and plough for the sword and guq, those gay and brave adven- 
 turers, donning Indian garb and customs among the Indians, 
 gliding like them in their rapid skiffs, and viuing with them in 
 skill and courage ; those intrepid missionaries, those heroic 
 martyrs, those pious women, and also those h<>roines, (hose 
 Joans-of-Arc of our history, the de Verch^res and the Dru- 
 courts. You will hear the recital of all those great expeditions 
 of our forefathers ; Lasalle and Joliette discovering the Mis- 
 sissipi ; Bienville, at the other extremity of this continent, 
 founding New Orleans ; Rouville and his followers sacking 
 New England ; Nicolet and La Yeyranderie discovering the 
 vast regions of the West ; De Beaujeu falling with Braddock 
 on the batlle-fleld of the Monongahela, just as it was reserved 
 
184 
 
 THB GRAVE OP OARNEAU, 
 
 for WoKc and Montcnlm to perish, ot a later day, beneath our 
 ramparts ; Ibni'villo, b«)aring aloft our victorious standard from 
 Mexico to Hudson's Bay ; — and you may well exclaim : « This 
 « whole continent has been but one vast theatre on which our 
 « sires* exploits have bei^n performed ! » And then, — after 
 those lengthened struggles, those ever recurring wars, that long 
 series of trials of every kind, famines, epidemics, fires, mas- 
 sacres, ill-administration, insufflcient immigration, assistance 
 no sooner promised than refused, reverses born with patience, 
 but of an occurence too frequent for the honor of France and 
 the success of the colony, — the momentous day shall come, 
 that day of the final agony, the last catastrophe, when New 
 France, exhausted in men, provisions and munitions, invaded 
 on every side, by sea and land, by armies and fleets, ever van- 
 quished, ever re-appearing, shall extend her arms in vain for 
 a succouring hand from Old France ; then it is, that, soaring 
 with his subject, the Historian shall well recount lo you the 
 last misfortunes and the last triumphs of that old white flag, 
 with the golden lilies, on the bank of the St. Lawrence. He 
 will relate to you the courageous efforts of the Acadians, strugg- 
 ling to the very last hour, and finally dispersed over this con- 
 tinent ; he will shew you Louisbourg, that Quebec of the Gulf, 
 resisting nobly against the superior forces of Wolfe, and even- 
 tually succumbing, the victim of an error kindred with that 
 which caused the fall of our fortress ; then Montcalm con- 
 quering so gloriously with an inferior force, first at Carillon, 
 and once again, but a few weeks only before the taking of 
 Quebec, upon those tall cliffs of Beauport, where Levis, Juche- 
 reau and Bourlamarque so well seconded his bravery. And, 
 finally, after that great battle, where the two heroes, the Briton 
 and the Gaul, fell together, when Quebec, battered by cannon, 
 shall be but one vast ruin, he will tell you, with legitimate 
 pride, of the last triumph of the French and of our ancestors, 
 that last victory won by the Chevalier de L^vis over General 
 Murray, on the very ground we tread, that final tahleau of the 
 conquest, and which he was the first to bring out in high re- 
 lief and dedicate to posterity. 
 « Bowing respectfully, as did our sires, to the decrees of 
 
TUB UISTORIAN. 
 
 185 
 
 i>ath our 
 ird from 
 : ((This 
 hich our 
 I, — after 
 that long 
 es, mas- 
 ssistanco 
 patience, 
 ance and 
 11 come, 
 len New 
 invaded 
 jver van- 
 I vain for 
 ,, soaring 
 you the 
 hitc flag, 
 nee. He 
 |s, strugg- 
 lis con- 
 he Gulf, 
 nd even- 
 vilh that 
 m con- 
 arillon, 
 aking of 
 Juche- 
 And, 
 e Briton 
 cannon, 
 gitlmate 
 ceslors. 
 General 
 u of the 
 igh re- 
 
 srees of 
 
 Providence, he will once more resume with courage, almost 
 with serenity, the recital of anoth(>r struggle, less hioody, hut 
 not less interesting. He will exhibit to you Murray and Car- 
 Icton following that noble advice of Virgil, u Parcere mbjectis 
 et debellare superbot, » recognizing the merits of the vanquished 
 and protecting them against ignoble porsccutors — England 
 often halting between the coimscis of partiality and (hose of 
 justice ; Dambourges and the Canadians saving Quebec in 
 1775 ; Salaberry driving Hampton back in 1814, at the close 
 of that long tyranny of Craig ; the fidelity of our countrymen 
 placed beyond suspicion ; that great Bishop, I'lessis, teaching 
 the victors to respect the rights of religion, and saying to the 
 Civil Power : « Thus fur shall thou go, and no farther ! w 
 finally, the constitutional liberties granted in 1791, slowly 
 developing themselves despite the efloils of an oligarchy. With 
 what tenderness, not unmixed with veneration, has he not 
 sculptured those grand figures of that parliamentary struggle : 
 DeLotbini^re, Panet, Bedard, Taschereau, the two Papineaus, 
 the two Stuarts, Neilson, Vallieres, Viger, Bourdages, Lalon- 
 taine, Morin, and those other defenders of our liberties ? 
 
 « Then coming to new catastrophes, at the close of another 
 rule, with what patriotic fervor has he not related the sanguin- 
 ary denouement of that resistance, at the close of which the 
 true British constitution was granted us^ though under circums- 
 tances so replete with diftlcully and even danger to us? Hence 
 it isj that, in reference to the epoch in which we live, what 
 looks of anxiety and jealous fears for our nationality he cast 
 upon our future / 
 
 ((That magnificent work, in which, to borrow from his 
 elegant biographer an expression that struck me, « a patriotic 
 shiver runs through its every page, » soars, in its first volumis 
 more especially, almost to the level of the highest inspiration. 
 A fact easily explained : our History is worthy of an epos, and 
 our first Historian was a poet above all things. 
 
 «Yes, he was a poet ; and the poet it was who impelled the 
 traveller, created the Historian. The poet it was, who, dream- 
 ing of other skies, of other shores than those he had admired 
 
 so much, felt smitten with the desire of travelling through 
 
 18 
 
186 
 
 THE r.RAVE OF CARfltAU, 
 
 America, nnd or soeing o portion of that old Europe which was 
 (hen so far away from u.^. A glance at the interesting narra- 
 tive h(; has given us of his lrnv(>lH, siifdces to assure one that 
 h<! viewed \«i(li a noble jeolousy the glory of the two great 
 nations (o which the inhal)ilants of Canndn owe their existence, 
 and that, while he was not, unmindful of our past and of our 
 future, he admired their monuments, and said within himself: 
 
 «< If I may not, as has \M\i\\ dune here, engrave on brass the 
 combats of our ancestors, still may I inscribe them on the 
 page of History ! » The literary and patriotic aspirations which 
 he ninjady felt, became so many realities, in presence of the 
 great men, of the great deiMls of the old woild ; the love, 
 tempered with fear, that hi; fell for his country — that love, 
 mellowed by sadness, shrouded in dark misgivings, received a 
 fresh impulse from hearing Nemcewiecz sing the woes of 
 Poland, and 0'Cunn(3ll thund r ni^aiust the wrongs of Ireland. 
 
 « His work was not writltMi, as many olliors have been, to 
 gratify a passing whim, or to build up a reputation ora fortune. 
 It was a great imdiM'taking, the ntliabilitalion of a whole race, 
 in its o\Mi eyes, and in the eyes of other races. He sought, 
 above all, to obliterate the insulting terms of « conquered 
 race » and « vanquis^lied people. » He aimed at shewing I hit, 
 considering th(^eireunistances of the struggle, our defeat was 
 morally equivalent to a victory. Men of other races, destined 
 to inhabit with us this vast and magnificent country, shall one 
 day thank him for having placed truth in the fullest light : for 
 having removed unjust prejudices, for having made us their 
 equals in our eyes and in theirs, and for having, by Ihatmeans, 
 given one pledge the more for (hat harmony so essential to the 
 fulfilment of our common destiny. 
 
 a Bound in ties of friendship with able and patriotic writers, 
 who had preceded him, with untiring seekers, friendly to our 
 history and its antiquities, he planted with them the roots of 
 O'tr budding literature. Soon he found himself surrounded by 
 competitors, and even by rivals. To him, nevertheless, belongs 
 the merit of initiative, the crown of the first triumph. 
 
 « At the expense of his vigils and of his health, of his rest, 
 of that wealth which he might have amassed so readily, he 
 
TUK UIHTORIAN. 
 
 187 
 
 which was 
 ng narra- 
 
 onu that 
 
 two great 
 
 existence, 
 
 nd uf our 
 
 II himself: 
 
 brass the 
 
 m on the 
 
 ions which 
 
 ice of the 
 
 the love, 
 
 that love, 
 
 received a 
 
 ) woes of 
 
 f Ireland. 
 
 ! heen, to 
 
 a fortune. 
 
 Iiolo race, 
 
 sought, 
 
 conquered 
 
 wing Ihit, 
 
 ("feat was 
 
 , destined 
 
 shall one 
 
 ight : for 
 
 us (heir 
 lalmeans, 
 dial to the 
 
 ic writers, 
 lly to our 
 roots of 
 unded by 
 s, belongs 
 
 > 
 
 his rest, 
 ladily, he 
 
 bequeathed to us very great things ; not the leust of which are 
 our self-respect, our exalted love of country, and faith in our 
 destiny. Assuredly, we had given him but liltitt in return, had 
 our gratitude been limited to this monument, so simple and 
 withal so touching, (hough still so insufflcient, and had not a 
 grander, a more benidiful, and imperishable monument been 
 raised to him in (he memory of a whole people. 
 
 « Wo bewail the death of great men ; but for (hem, more than 
 for others, is it not well that this miserable life, with all its 
 reverses, its acts of injustice, and its, at least, apparent ca- 
 prices, should one day have an end ? For, on that day, be;;ins 
 the period of a great reparation. 
 
 « Their glory ascends on high ; higher and liigh(T it rises, 
 like unto those marvellous edifices which the Iravoller sees 
 overtopping cilies, as he leaves them, and lo«es sight of all 
 that surrounds them. 
 
 « Succeeding generalions learn theirnames, and repeat them 
 with air«>c(ion ; and. of all the (urmoil, the ambidous views, 
 the pre(entions and the intrigues of socie(y, (he only thing thai 
 remains is a few modestand calmreputalioiis, as much thought 
 of after death as they wore neglecled during life. 
 
 « But such is human justice ; posteiily has its caprices, its 
 forgetfulness, its unjust disdain. At times, in the memory of 
 nations, as in (hat of individuals, an Egyptian darkness reigns. 
 Times breathes his mists on the vast ocean of ages, and rolls 
 ulong the surface the dark and impenetrable fog of forget- 
 fulness. *************** 
 
 « Alas ! Gentlemen, if a voice of higher authority, if a mi- 
 nister of religion were now addressing you, he would lell you 
 of another immortality, as high above all human glory as 
 Ueaven is above Earth ! 
 
 « "We may not, it is true, diveinto the mysteries of that other 
 hfe ; but faith has taught us, that our voices may yet reach 
 there, that prayer does not ascend in vain to Heaven, borne 
 fhither on the incense that ha^ just mingled with the tears we 
 have shed over the grave of a friend, that the strong tieswhich 
 bind humanity in one are not severed by death. Thatadmirable 
 
r 
 
 188 
 
 THE GRAVE OF GARNEAU, 
 
 trilogy of the Ciiurch militant, the Church suffering and the 
 Church triumphant, which, were it not a dogma, might yet 
 have been the most beautiful of philosophical conceptions, and 
 which, by linking in, one world with another, dispels dark 
 terror and sh(>ds upon the dreadful transition the mild light of 
 iiope, kindind by faith and kept alive by charity. 
 
 « Our friend was ^'ood, retiring, upright, and devoted ; his, 
 was a christian death ; hence may we, with confidence, ad- 
 dress to him, in that other and belter country, our fond fare- 
 well. 
 
 a Adieu, my friend, adieu, in the name, firstly, of our pro- 
 tracted friendship, in memory ofthose dear gossipings wherein 
 you loved so much to dwell upon the future of our own dear 
 Canada ! Adieu and thanks ! Thanks for the fine sentiments 
 you have caused to germinate within onr souls, thanks for the 
 good you have done onr youth ; thanks for your great, your 
 sublime examples ! 
 
 « Adieu, in the name of that family to whom you bequeath 
 so beautiful a name ; adieu, in the name of those you loved so 
 well ! 
 
 « Adieu, in the name of your country. Enjoy in peace, 
 enjoy your two-fold immortality. In the midst of those great 
 destini( s now expanding before her, Canada shall not forget 
 you ; the rival races which surrounded you, shall learn from 
 youi- works to love our ancestors, and will claim a share of 
 our glorious inheritance. 
 
 « Rest, then I Happen what may to our country, our beloved 
 nationality shall never deplore the want of defenders. Thus 
 much we promise you, in the name of this youth, this reflective 
 assembly grouped around your tomb. And then. Heaven is no 
 prison ! This homage, paid to your memory, reaches you ; 
 does it not ? Of those beautiful sentiments which you have 
 sown, you will behold the germination, the expansion and the 
 development. From the heights of immortality you shall soar, 
 beneficent spirit, above our nationality. For, thanks to holy 
 prayer, already have you been, or soon you will be, greeted 
 above there by your sire, that good old Canadian, who, 
 
THE HISTORIAN. 
 
 189 
 
 and the 
 light yet 
 ions, and 
 els dark 
 [| light of 
 
 ed ; his, 
 nee, ad- 
 nd fare- 
 
 our pro- 
 i wherein 
 wn dear 
 iiitimenls 
 ks for the 
 lat, your 
 
 bequeath 
 loved so 
 
 n peace, 
 se great 
 )t forget 
 rn from 
 hare of 
 
 beloved 
 Thus 
 eflective 
 en is no 
 s you ; 
 Du have 
 and the 
 ill soar, 
 to holy 
 greeted 
 , who, 
 
 with his handy {{) shaking from age, yourself have told us, 
 pointed out to you the scene of the last exploits of our sires ; by 
 that father who gave you the example of courage and of indus- 
 try ; by that mother so good to you, so discreet, so virtuous ; 
 by that Mother of all Catholics, that other mother of ours, her, 
 whose name was ever rising to your lips during the trials of 
 your cruel malady ; by all those Canadian heroes whose deeds 
 you bi'ought to light. You never knew any other than the holy 
 joys of home, the austere pleasures of study, the peaceful 
 triumphs of literature ; your happiness and your glory should 
 be proportioned to your sacrifices 
 
 « Here your remains shall rest, beneath this tomb, on this 
 battle-field, which you made famous, and nigh unto that other 
 monument, which you had the joy of seeing raised to our 
 heroes amidst those great works of the Creator, which you 
 knew so well how to appreciate. Those lofly pines around 
 shall, in honor of you, preserve their dark verdure, and 
 our winter birds (2), the subject of one of your poetic effusions, 
 will flock above your tomb and gracefully warble there. 
 Those wandering lights of our (3) northern sky, that have also 
 been noted in your song, shall group themselves above you in 
 crowns of many colors. The remains of the heroes who sur- 
 round you, shall mayhap start at the vicinity of yours ; the 
 last aborigines (4), whose plaintive wailings you reproduced, 
 shall wander around this precinct ; you shall, no doubt, hear 
 strange sounds, and again you will say, as, in your harmonious 
 verses, you once said — 
 
 " Perfide illusion au pied de la colline, 
 C'esl Vacier du fauchcur ! " 
 
 This gathering, filled with religious emotion, shall pass 
 away ; silence shall reign here ; night shall fall ; but, for 
 you, silence and night shall never be with our souls ! 
 
 Farewell, once more ! Farewell ! 
 
 (1) In aUusion to the naval engagement between the Englinh and French 
 frigates, in May, 1760, opposite to St. Augustin, and witnessed by Mr. Qarneau's 
 grandfather, a native of that parish. — (Eu. Q. Q.) 
 
 (2) Ze» Oiteaux Blanct : 
 
 (3) h'Hivtr; (4) Lt Dernier Uuron, (For these pieoes, see Reptrtoir* 
 National.') 
 
a 
 
CANADIAN HOMES. 
 
 We have many little Edtai, 
 
 Scattered up and down our dalei ; 
 We're a hundred prettjr hamleti, 
 
 Nestling in our fruitful ralet | 
 Here the sunlight lores to linger, 
 
 And the summer winds to blow ; 
 Here the rosy spring in April 
 
 Leapetb, laughing from the snow. 
 
 (bt bkh bbooki.) 
 
 In the detached papers which constitute the Maple Leaves, 
 it has been our aim, amongst other things, to place before the 
 render the early history of Canada, with its peculiar institu- 
 tions in a light, readable form — ever and anon delineating 
 men and events under their representative aspect — as types 
 and exponents of epochs. Luc de la Corne St. Luc, redolent 
 of the memories of Carillon, was exhibited as the stalwart 
 defender of the soil — true to his country under the rule of the 
 Bourbons, not deserting it when foreign conquest inaugurated 
 a new regime ; on the contrary, taking an active part in poli- 
 tics, and in war, under General Burgoynein 1776. The youthful 
 and self-sacrificing Commander, Dollard des Ormeaux, shone 
 forth in his true colours in 1660 — a verilable Leonidas — the 
 bulwark of Canada against Indian ferocity. 
 
 D'lberville, the Cid of New France, becomingly typefied the 
 proud era when lion-hearted Frontenac, reigning in solitary 
 grandeur at the ChAteau St. Louis, warned off summarily 
 Admiral Phipps and all such invaders. BreboeufandLalemant, 
 wending calmly their steps through trackless forests, to cull 
 the laurels of martyrdom on the fertile banks of Lake Simcoe, 
 fittingly portrayed that epoch of religious enthusiasm and 
 ascetic devotion which characteiized the seventeenth century 
 in some of the French Colonies. Representative men to be 
 found everywhere in our writings. Following on the same 
 course, we purpose here depicting the home surroundings and 
 
192 
 
 CANADIAN HOMES. 
 
 aspirations of a progressive descendant of one of the oldest 
 feudal houses of Canada — one who traces back to the four- 
 teenth century, as calculated to open out unexplored vistas in 
 the history of the Colony. 
 
 POINTE PLATON. 
 
 One balmy afternoon in September, \ 868, found me cosily 
 seated next to a friend, Fred. 0. * * * * * , on the 
 upper deck of the little steamer Etoile, en route for Pointe 
 Platon, thirty-six miles higher up than Quebec. Rapidly indeed 
 did steam, wind and tide waft us past the numerous ships in 
 the harbour, amongst which loomed out several men-of-war ; 
 first, the French Corvette D'Estrees, next H. B. M. Paddle 
 Steamer ^aracou(tt, commanded by courteous Captain Beavan, 
 (1) the screw gunboat P^iYome/, the majestic Con^ifance, Capt. 
 Bourgoyne (2) and last, the pondeious (Iron-clad) Royal Alfred, 
 Admiral Sir Rodney Miindy — « li itons amongst minnows. » 
 On we shot, under the overhanging crags of Cape Diamond, 
 close to the mossy heights of dear old SilKjry, just then don- 
 ning their gorgeous russet suit of autumn. Soon we reached the 
 entrance of the Cap Rouge river, taking in at one glance the Cap 
 Rouge Dock Company's solitary piers — and calling on memory 
 to unveil the works of the pass — huts, forts, towers, earth- 
 works, such as crowned Charlesbourg Royal in those by-gone 
 days when the intrepid St. Malo Mariner wintered there 
 in 1340-41. This name his fellow contryman, Roberval 
 changed eighteen months afterwards, in 1542, into France 
 Roy, in honour of his sovereign, Frances I. How graphically 
 are these same localities described in Cartier and Jean Al- 
 phonse's quaint narratives wrilfeu more than throe centuries 
 ago ! One can recognize, to this day. Cap Rouge and St. Au- 
 gustin, by the luxuriant wild wines which cluster on the shores, 
 and the undulating green meadows and serpentine stream 
 « which windeth to the north, » without forgetting the forests 
 
 (1) Since dead. 
 
 (3) Cape Finisterre reeently law the sturdy commander of the iU fated turret 
 ■hip, OiPTAiir, disappear with 600 brave men under the bilows of the Baj of 
 Biaoay. 
 
POIKTE PI.ATON HOUSE. 
 
 103 
 
 of oaks and pines which line the top of Cap Roiii^c, where 
 stands « RedcIyfTe, » the seat of Joseph B. Forsyth, Esq., and 
 founded by Henry Atkinson, Esq., about 1820. 
 
 In a few minutes, we are abreast of the little pointe at Saint 
 Augustin, where sank the ill stared f^leamer Montreal, on the 
 26lh June, 1857, a seething mass of flames, consigning to a 
 watery grave some two hundred human beings, whose groans 
 of anguish and despair, before taking the fatal plimge, the. 
 survivors will long remember. Nor must we forget as we steam 
 past, to salute Saint Aus^ustin, the parish which gave birth to the 
 ancestors of ihct historian of Canada, F. X. Garneau. Further 
 up a few miles, Pointe aux Trembles nestles close to the river's 
 edge, reflecting its shining church spire far across the blue 
 waters of the St. Lawrence. From this identical spot in April, 
 1760, an exciting spectacle was witnessed by the grand father 
 of our historian, from his cottage windows, — the unequal con- 
 test of the French Frigate L Alatanle, commanded by Capt. 
 de Yauclain, against the English men-of-war sent to destroy 
 and sink the French ships. 
 
 Next, stands in bold relief at the entrance of the river 
 Jacques Carlier, the blulT, whereon had been erected in 1759, 
 a large, solid earthwork, or fort, now completely destroyed, 
 in which Levi's jaded squadrons, after their hurried flight from 
 the camp at Beauport, rested their wearied limbs, on the 14th 
 of September of that eventful year — dispirited but unsubdued 
 braveSy longing to be led again against the traditional enemy, 
 and scenting in the dislance the splendid victory, which awaited 
 them on the Saint Foye heights, on the 28th April following. A 
 very few aci'es to the east of this Cape, and uncovering at each 
 tide, we noticed a well known land mark, la rorhed Jacques 
 Carlier, on which Baquevilh; de la Potherie's boat was stranded 
 in 1698, and whereon according to him and to Charlevoix, 
 Jacques Cartier himself came nigh finding a watery grave, 
 though other historians and Jacques Cartier's own narrative, 
 are silent as to this latter circumstanc(^ 
 
 On we sped on the bosom of the famed river, until the pic- 
 turesque horse-shoe projection, Pointe Platon was in view : 
 
 loud sounds the steam whistle, and the Etoife hugs closelv 
 
 10 
 
194 
 
 CANADIAN HOMES. 
 
 Iho wharf. Three hundred and thirty-four years ago, from 
 this time (1869) day for day, another craft carrying the desti- 
 ni(?s of New France, VEmwillon^ Jacques Cartier, Commander 
 of 40 tons burthen, was spreading her while wings to the 
 breeze, opposite this same point, then known as Achelacy. Gap- 
 tain the Right Honourable Admiral Cartier, as a Cockney ex- 
 quisite once persisted in styling him, tell us in his Diary (pag<) 
 40) that he was here met by a grand Seigneur du pays, who 
 by dint of « words, signs and ceremonies » slrived to inform 
 him that the river higher up was dangerous on account of rocks 
 and rapids. 
 
 It was our friend's good fortune and our own to be welcomed 
 rn/.obya grand Seigneur du pays, who neither bywords, signs, 
 nor ceremonies, cautioned us ai,'ninst ntlempting the rapids or 
 rocks of the Richelieu, (as our voyago of discovery, unlike 
 Jacques Cartier's, was not to extend further) but on the con- 
 trary made us welcome to his hospitable manor, and for the 
 night and ensuing day, there did we sojourn. 
 
 POINTE PLATON HOUSE. 
 
 The time was, when the Province of Quebec could count 
 many old manors, whose loop-holed and massive stone walls 
 had been designed as much to protect their inmates against 
 maraudering Indians, as they helped to furnish warm lodgings 
 during January frosts, or cool letreats pending July's tropical 
 heats. Of this class was the old manor house of Beauport (a 
 portion of which is still standing south of Col. Gugy's residence). 
 When recently sold, it was remarked that for two hundred 
 years, it had been in the occupation of the warlike race of the 
 Duchesnays. Cap Sante, Ste. Marie, Beauce, Montmagny, 
 have also their old seignioral hails, but they cannot without 
 repairs hold out very long against all-devouring time. Probably 
 the most extensive structure of this kind was that of the Baron 
 of Longueil — at Longueil. 
 
 On reference to history we find that it comprised a dwelling, 
 armed tower, bakery, brewery, &c. ; all these old piles were 
 located less with an eye to the picturesque, than for the safety 
 of the seignior in times of war, and war was the order of the 
 
POIHTB PLATON HOUSE. 
 
 195 
 
 day in that remote period, and for the general convenience of 
 the cmsitaires in their intercourse with the Lord of the Manor. 
 Pointe Piaton House does not belong to that age. It is a mo- 
 dern structure : the site having been selected by I he respected 
 father of its present occupant solely for its natural beauty : 
 some six hundred acres of corn fields, with here and there 
 groves of maple, oak and fir. Properly speaking, it lies 
 beyond the limits of the populous seigniory of Lotbinii^re, 
 owned by its occupant. Three cultivated plateaux descend 
 from the heights of land to the level of the St. Lawrence ; on 
 the centre one, stands Pointe Plutun House — a commodious, 
 airy dwelling — in a H form, looking towards the St. Lawrence. 
 It is surrounded by ample double verandahs, with maple leaves 
 neatly carved or fretted iu the wood work. In rear, and hid 
 by young firs, pine and mnple trees, stand the billiard-room, 
 out-houses, stables, giainaries in which are stored flax, hemp, 
 and tobacco ; the cultivation of which the proprietor has taken 
 much pains to introduce amongst the farmers — the specimens 
 of each exhibited to uf were of marvellous size. In front of 
 the house, is a sloping lawn, intersected with flower-beds, and 
 crowned, directly in front of the dwelling, with a terraced flower 
 garden separated from the lawn by an embankment, surround- 
 ed by an evergreen hedge, with an inner zone of sweet briar. 
 ' A perfect warren of tame rabbits, some erect on their hind 
 legs are trying to nibble with their pink lips, the buds of 
 the forest trees — others, sunning themselves on the lawn or 
 gambolling under the bushes give a peculiarly animated ap- 
 pearance to this portion of the domain ; adjoining, is the or- 
 chard, fruit and vegetable garden ; also a new vinery, which 
 bids fair to furnish shortly its annual tribute of ambrosial 
 fruit ; the whole skirled by a tiny lake, fed by some unseen 
 perennial springs ; in the centre, a diminutive green islet oflers 
 a refuge to yonder quacking squad of Aylesbury ducks, now 
 convoyed round the lake by a pair of snow white Bremen 
 geese. A wire fence shuts out from the « romping hopefuls » 
 of the chateau, all access to this sheet of water which finds its 
 outlet in the hill skirting the garden. From the house veran- 
 dah a most extensive landscape unfolds on all sides. To the 
 
wm 
 
 196 
 
 CANAOliUI HOMES. 
 
 eastf the vast Bay of St. Croix, expands in a graceful curve,— 
 once a dreaded locality to raftsmen, in their downward course, 
 on the timber cribs, in the dark days when steamers lent 
 them not their aid. To the west, the Parish of Cap Sante set- 
 tles down to the water's edge ; next, you see Portneuf and its 
 spacious temple of R. C. worship, the massive pile overshad- 
 owing the many surrounding roofs — like a mother watching over 
 the welfare of her young. Six miles further to the east, another 
 sprightly village, Pointe aux TrembleSy shoots up its glit- 
 tering spire. In the full blaze of the setting sun, to the 
 west of the dwelling, sits a small rustic bower with a flag- 
 staff, crowning a blufl' or pointe, known as Pointe a PapineaUy 
 it having been a favourite resort of the Nestor of our states- 
 man, Hon. Louis Joseph Papiiieau, when formerly he made 
 his annual visit to Pointe Platon House, in the days of the 
 father of the present possessor. 
 
 In our thousand and one rambles over mountain and glen, 
 many a gorgeous panorama has been unveiled to our dazzled 
 gaze, in this our sweet land of Canada. 
 
 Tea : oft have we been pleased 
 To roam at large among onpeopled glens 
 And Monntainoui retirements, only trod 
 By devious footsteps : regions consecrate 
 To oldest time 1 and reckless of the storm 
 That keeps the raven quiet on her nest. 
 
 Some spots in their hidden beauty seemed exactly as if they 
 had just left the mould ot omnipotence; fresh in their perennial 
 youth and majesty ; the hand of man had altered nor defiled 
 them. Others bore in every lineament the impress of human 
 ingenuity, cultivated taste, wealth and embellishment. The 
 first, in (heir solitary grandeur, we liked to view, like altars, 
 which the great being had erected for his especial glory ; which 
 we could approach occasionally, and with reverence. The others 
 embosomed in rustic loveliness, associated with human joys and 
 sorrows, pregnant with family memories, health producing 
 health restoring, appeared to us as the natural abodes of men, 
 far from the pestilential breath of the crowded city ; these 
 sanctuaries we never could tire of seeing. We felt the better 
 
POINTE HLATON HOUSE. 
 
 107 
 
 frum viewing them — from dwelling in their midst. Our visit to 
 Poinle Platoii House was too much mingled with the latter 
 thoughts, for us to be entirely silent on this score. 
 
 Thus, on a lovely September afternoon, a fe«ir hours berore 
 sun set, we stood musing on the spot once rendered sacred by 
 the presence of our great Parliamentary Orator, Louis Joseph 
 Papineau ; at our feet, the wide., azure waters, canUeum marty 
 laving softly the foot of the cape, glorified by the oblique rays 
 of the departing orb of day — many miles of molten gold. More 
 than three centuries ago, a white peniionned bark was haply 
 doubling at the same hour this same promontory. What 
 then, were the thoughts — what the utterings of its historic 
 crew ? Were they pondering in their minds the mysterious 
 meaning of the saiutiition which had greeted them : A-ca-nada — 
 There is nothing^ here ? Or were their youthful voices making 
 the welkin ring with amorous ditties in honour of their beloved 
 King and master, Francis the I, the royal lover of the beautiful 
 Diana of Poitiers ? We looked in vain, in our reverie, for the 
 Emerillon, of other days : aught could we see, except the black 
 hull of a Montreal deal bateau, whose lusty sailors wereshout- 
 ing like Stentors, as they purchased the anchor, to lake ad- 
 vantage of the rising tide : 
 
 C'est la Belle Frsii{oi8e de Longu6 1 
 
 Towards the land, our eye followed the successive p/aWtu? 
 which close in with the beach ; here and there, green meadows, 
 or fields shorn of their waving harvest ; to the east, the model 
 barn of the seigneur, which farmers from the neighbouring 
 counties came to look at, and wonder ; the last p/a(eau fringed 
 with lofty forest trees, as a back-ground to the scene. Presently 
 our eye caught sight of a horseman cantering in the direction 
 of the manor. It was the seigneur, whom his trusty black steed 
 Corbeau, was carrying homeward from his daily tour of inspec- 
 tion of the farm, where extensive subsoil drainage was being 
 carried on . A few strides more and the Laird is welcomed 
 home, by la Chatelaine and all the n young ho|iefuIs. » 
 
 Had all the ancient Canadian seigneurs lavished as much 
 money on the promotion of agriculture, for the benefit of the 
 
198 
 
 aMADlAM BOMU. 
 
 centitairetf few indood, would have been the urfiy hardy enough 
 to ask the interference of tho Legislature against feudal bur- 
 thens. The Laird of Lotbini^re, though young in years, hos 
 already represented the county in the Canadian Commons, for 
 several Parliaments : a two-fold mandate has been intrusted 
 to him since Confederation. He is a member of the Local and 
 Dominion Parliaments, Chairman of the Donrd of Agriculture 
 for the Province of Quebec, &c. But enough has been said to 
 exhibit progress in agriculture, and socinliy, as it now stands 
 atLotbini6reand Pointe Plalon ; nay, a great deal too much 
 has been uttered for the retiring tastes of its worthy Seigneur. 
 
 Henri Gustavo Joly, by his mother, Julie dc Lolbini6re, is a 
 lineal descendant of one of the proudest, wealthiest, and most 
 distinguished Canadian houses, that of Chartier de Lotbini^re. 
 Let us open tho voluminous (i) compilation oflheAbb^ Daniel, a 
 French ecclesiastic, now residing in Montreal. « This 
 family, » says the learned Abbi^, ((connected with the (French) 
 families of Chateaubriand, La Rochefoucauld, Polignac, Mont- 
 fort, De Vaudrcuil, Dos Meloises, Soulanges, Duchesnay, as 
 represented amongst us by the Harwood and Joly, is one of 
 the most ancient and most illustrious. » 
 
 Its head on the soil of Canada was Louis Thcantre Chartier 
 de Lolbini6re, whose first French ancestor by name was 
 Philippe Chartier. ((Recovcur General dos Compl(;s)) in i374. 
 One of his sons became Bishop of Paris — Alain, the fourth 
 son, was the most illustrious of all. He was Secretary of Slat(i 
 to Louis VI, who granted him titles of nobility. His extraor- 
 dinary eloquence struck so forcibly Margaret of Scotland, the 
 Queen of Louis XL, that she publicly showed him tokens of her 
 
 esteem One of his sons, Clement, married a wealthy heiress 
 
 of Dritanny in France, Mile, de Chaleaubourg. To him is traced 
 the name of Lotbini^re in his family. Having purchased an 
 estate in Maine, called Bini^res, which he wished to dislin- 
 ,guish from another which he owned in Dyonnais, called 
 Bignii^res, he added the world Lot to the name, which was that 
 of a species of fish found in the ponds of the Chateau, and 
 
 (1) EusiBR SiviOAL, MoKTBIAi., 180T.— ifMlotr* dea OratuUs Famillea Frati' 
 (a*««« ({m Canada. 
 
POINTE PLATON B0U8I. 
 
 iOO 
 
 ' enough 
 IdI bur- 
 lars, has 
 ions, for 
 ntrusted 
 lOcal and 
 riculture 
 1 said to 
 w stands 
 loo much 
 Seigneur. 
 ii6rc, is a 
 and most 
 Qtbini^re. 
 ^Daniel, a 
 . « This 
 B (French) 
 lac, Moiil- 
 esnay, as 
 is one of 
 
 Charlier 
 lame was 
 h in 1374. 
 ihe fourth 
 ■y of Stale 
 extraor- 
 land, tlic 
 ,ens of her 
 |hy heiress 
 is traced 
 ;hased an 
 to distin- 
 iis, called 
 ;h was that 
 teau, and 
 
 made it Lotbini6re. A few years subsequently, this domain wai 
 erected into a Darony. Clement de Lolbini^re died in 1560, 
 aged 104 yoars ; one of his daughters married Joseph de 
 Chateaubriand, an ancestor of the illustrious author of the 
 « G^ie du CKrisdanisme. » He liil't three sons, of whom Alain, 
 who after entering the army and subsequently studying for the 
 bar, became the great grand-fathor of the founder of the Lol- 
 bini6re familyin Canada. 
 
 Passing over a portion of the family records, we find in 
 Canada, about 1650, Theantre do Lotbinii^re. The date of the 
 concussion of his seigniory is 3rd Nov., 1672. His ability soon 
 brought him into notice, and, ho, was made a LieuteMnt' 
 General el Criminel de la Prevoste de Quebec. » It was in 
 1685, that his son Rdne Chnrtier de Lotbini^re obtained the 
 grant of the seigniory « sur la riviijro du Chesne, » at Lotbi- 
 ni6ro, which is still in the possession of the family. This old 
 feudal nabob died at Quebec, 5th May^ 1710, leaving to his 
 son, Eustache Chnrtier dcLolbinifsro, extensive territorial pos- 
 sessions. We next llnd in order of date, as his successor, Mi- 
 chel Eustache Gaspard de Lotbini^re, a distinguished officer 
 of Engineers, who was intrusted with the building of Fort 
 Carillon (Ticonderoga). He distinguished himself at the memo- 
 rable battle of Carillon, whore (Jeneral Abercromby with some 
 sixteen thousand men was repulsed by Montcalm at the head of 
 less than one-fourth of that number. His services procured him 
 a title of « Chevalier de St. Louis, » and he was made a Mar- 
 quis. When these honours were pouring on him, he was the 
 possessor of some most valuable seigniories on Lake Champlain, 
 named Allainville. After the conquest, he acquired the seig- 
 niories of Rignud, Vaudreuil and Lotbini^re, in the district of 
 Montreal. He was, however, unjustly dispossessed by the 
 Anieiicnn Government, of his seigniories on Lake Champlain, 
 and notwithstanding repeated demands, his claim has remain- 
 ed in abeyance to this day. He died in 1799. 
 
 Eustache Gasiard Michel Charlier de Lotbini6re inherited 
 from his father the estates of Vaudreuil, Rigaud and Lotbi- 
 ni6re, as likewise the title of Marquis, which, however, he 
 never assumed. He took an active part in favour of the 
 
S0(> 
 
 CANADIAN HOMEI 
 
 nritishin 1775, and in 1793, snccoodod to Mr. Panel, in the 
 Canadian CommonH, as Speaker of Ihot Mouse. Ho died in 
 his seiKniory in 1821 ; — his lady, gonerally known as the 
 Marquise de Loll)iiii6ro, expired in 1834, leaving to transmit 
 the old family name, vshich had seen thirteen generations, no 
 sons, but three daughters. The eldest married in 1825, the 
 Hon. Hobert Unwin Harwood, a member of the Legislative 
 Council. The second, the beautiful Charlotte de Lotbini6re, 
 became thespouseuf, and married in 1821 Williom Bingham, the 
 weollhy son of Mr. Dingham, of Philadelphia, a senator, 
 whose daughter married Lord Ashburton. Mr. Bingham left 
 two sons, who died young, and three daughters. Mdlle. Louise, 
 the eldest, married Count Abncr Brian de Bois Gilbert, a des- 
 cendant of the famous family of Brian de Bois Gilbert, the 
 renowned Templar immortalized by Sir Walter, in Ivanhoe. 
 The second married Count de Douay ; Mdlle. Georgiane, the 
 youngest, wos united to Count Raoul d^Epresmenil. They all 
 three reside, in France. 
 
 The youngest daughter of the Marquise, Julie de Lotbini^re, 
 an aunt of the three young ladies just mentioned, married in 
 1830 a French gentleman, Gustavo .Toly, who died in France 
 in 1866. He was the father of Henri Gustavo Joly, the present 
 seignior of Lolbini^re, and member of Parliament for both 
 Houses, whilst his younger brother, Rdmond, a British officer, 
 fell at the siege of Lucknow, in India. 
 
 We have not hesitated in entering into these genealogical 
 details, which may appear of secondary importance to some 
 of our readers, but whicli must find their place in these sket- 
 ches of Canadian Homes, as their subject, in this instance, is 
 intimately associated with the early history of Canada. 
 
 iWritten in 1869.) 
 
Bt, in the 
 n died in 
 n as the 
 transmit 
 itions, no 
 1825, tiic 
 legislative 
 olbini6ie, 
 ighnm.tho 
 I senator, 
 igham left 
 i;. Louise, 
 jrt, a des- 
 ilbert, the 
 n Ivanhoe. 
 ;iane, the 
 They all 
 
 iOtbini^re, 
 carried in 
 in France 
 e present 
 for both 
 ish officer, 
 
 |ncalogical 
 to some 
 lese sket- 
 itance, is 
 
 THE BIRDS OF CANADA- " 
 
 A POPULAR LECTURE FOR THE TOUAO — 1866. 
 
 {Revised. ) 
 
 Mr. President. My yoimg frionds : I shall (o-nighl briefly 
 dir^^ut yournltention to a study, which no doubt to the majority 
 of yon here present has proved ever fince your boyhood an 
 unfailing source of plcnsure, and which, 1 have no hesitation in 
 saying, will afford increased gratification the more it is followed. 
 No season of the year appeared to mo more propitious for bring- 
 ing under your notic»» the feathered race, than tin; period of 
 the spring migration — those; lovely April mornings, when 
 our gardLMis, our fiolds, our forests, resound with th(! soft 
 melody of hundreds of winged choristers. Natural history, 
 in all its branches, has ever been reckoned a most attractive 
 subject ; it is, however, a study so comprehensive, that I find 
 myself to-night under the necessity to take up one department 
 alone : let it then be the most interesting. 
 
 We shall spend a social hour, and hold confab with the 
 frionds of your youth and of mine — the Birds : nor need you 
 doubt me, when I tell you that it is not in the spirit of exact 
 science, nor with the pedantry of a professor, but nther with 
 the freedom of an old acquaintance, that 1 shall to-niglil intro- 
 duce to you some of the denizens of the woods, some minstrels 
 of the grove — so correctly styled « the accredited and authen- 
 ticated poets of nature. » Do not, then, expect a set discourse 
 on ornithology. Stray jottings — rambles amongst birds and 
 books — that is all I can promise you at present. 
 
 * The substance of this paper was delivered as a leotnre, for the benefit of the 
 pupils of the Quebec High School and other public institutions, and for the 
 object of making known the contents of the Museum of the Literary and His- 
 torical Society. The lecturer, known by his French work, " Let Oiienux du 
 Canada, " also furnished several specimens from his own museum, at Spencer 
 Orange. The lecture applies to the birds of the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. 
 
 20 
 
202 
 
 OUR EARLY FRIENDS. 
 
 That, branch of zoology which treats of birds is denominated 
 ornithology, from two Greek words— opviOo?, a bird, and 
 ^0705, a discourse — a discourse on birds, the history of birds. 
 It is beyond a doubt, that this department of the animal king- 
 dom attracted the attention of mankind in the remotest ages : 
 several birds, as yon are aware, are indicated by name and 
 their peculiarities alluded to, in Holy Writ. Mention is fre- 
 quently made in the earliest and best of books, the Bible, of 
 the soaring eagU , the dismal raven, the tiny sparrow, the 
 grave- looking owl. the migratory stork. The care taken of 
 the prophet Elijah by our sable and far-seeing friend the raven 
 you all remember reading of. This reminds me I am indebted 
 to my neighbor, Colomd Rh' des, for this splendid specimen of 
 the raven, shot last winter whilst cariboo-hunting back of St. 
 Paul's Bay. Like the poet Montgomery's friend in captivity, 
 who rejoiced in the name of Ralp. 
 
 He is a raven grim, in black and blue, 
 As arch a knave as o'er you knew. 
 
 Of that incorrigible corn stealer, the Crow (1), I have little 
 to tell that you do not already know. Though the bulk of the 
 tribe migrate southward in October, some few — the invalides 
 and octogenarians perhaps — attempt occasionally to brave out 
 the winter, in Canada East. I can remember a large barn, on 
 the pointe, at St. Thomas, countv of Monlmagny, in which the 
 proprietor, Mr. William Patlon, an old friend of mine, now no 
 more — used to sloie a great deal of wheat. Through some 
 
 (I) Henry Ward Beeoher says of crows : — " Aside from the special ques- 
 tion of profit and loss, we have a warm side toward the orow; he is ao much 
 like one of ourselves. Ho is lazy, and that is human ; he takes advantage 
 of those weaker than himself, and that is mankind ; he is sly, and hides for to- 
 morrow what he can't eat to-day, showing a real human providence ; he learns 
 tricks much faster than he does useful things, showing a true boy-nature ; he 
 likes his own colour best, and loves to hoar his voice, which are eminent traits of 
 humanity ; he will never work when he can get another to work for him, genuine 
 human trait ; he eats whatever he can get his claws upon, and is less mischievous 
 with a belly full than when hungry, and that is like man ; ho is at war with all 
 living things except his own kind, and with them ho has nothing to do. No wonder, 
 then, that men despise crows ; they are too much like men. Take off their wings, 
 and put them in breeches, crows would make fair average meti. Give men wings, 
 and reduce their smartness a little, and many of them would be good vnough to 
 be crows." 
 
THE BIRDS. 
 
 ominated 
 ird, and 
 of birds, 
 nal kins- 
 3:*t ages : 
 ame and 
 ti is fre- 
 Bible, of 
 TOW, the 
 taken of 
 he raven 
 indebted 
 cimen of 
 ck of St. 
 aptivity, 
 
 203 
 
 ave little 
 Ik of the 
 nvalides 
 rave out 
 barn, on 
 ^hich the 
 now no 
 jh some 
 
 loial ques- 
 ig ao much 
 advantage 
 las for to- 
 he learns 
 lature ; he 
 it traits of 
 1, genuine 
 ischievoug 
 ^r with all 
 If wonder, 
 leir wings, 
 nen wings, 
 enough to 
 
 flaws in the foundation, for several winters, a number of crows 
 "sed to enter and feed on the contents of the gra, arv 
 farmers might forgive the crows-though I dont-were they 
 to confine Iheir depredations to murdering young robins ami 
 other insectivorous b.rdsand robbing sparroJs and thr'Ls^^^ 
 their eggs, but what they do not forgive is the havoc these earJv 
 rising, watchful thieves commit amidst their indian corn and 
 -heat lields. Right well did our lamented friend Ta" 
 McGee, sing of that bird who told his beads : 
 
 " In penance for his past misdeeds. 
 
 Upon the top I see. 
 
 II 
 
 Telling his beads from night till morn 
 
 -ing alas and woe is me I 
 
 In penance for stealing the Abbot's corn. 
 High on the hollow tree. 
 
 Sin is a load upon the breast. 
 
 And it nightly breaks the Raven's rest 
 High on the hollow tree. 
 
 '"/''-' '- ' III 
 
 The Raven pray'd the winter thro'. 
 
 Sing alas and woe is me. 
 The hail, it fell, the winds, they blew. 
 
 High on the hollow tree. 
 Until the spring came forth again. 
 
 And the Abbot's men to sow their grain 
 f , Around the Hollow tree. 
 
 IV 
 
 Alas, alas, for earthly vows. 
 
 Sing altts and woe is rae 
 Whether they're made by men or crows, 
 
 High ou the hollow tree. 
 The Raven swoop'd upon the seed, 
 And met his death in the very deed 
 
 Beneath his hollow tree. 
 (.The Peniunthaven-Cauadian Ballad,, ma.) 
 
 The crow is to be found in every part of the globe ; a crow 
 and a Scotchman, you know, are ubiquitous. I have mvself 
 made some amusing experiments on the haired entertained bv 
 eiows, to owls. Few school boys there are, unacquainted with 
 the noisy proceedings, attending crow .veddings or the mobbing 
 
!£04 
 
 OUR EARLY FRIENDS, 
 
 of an owl by Irate crows. You can read In my Omithohgie du 
 Canada, ati account of a trial made by me at Spencer Grange, 
 in iHQ\, by means of a stuffed owl. 
 
 The Raven, whom you might be tempted to consider the 
 crow's big brother, is much more rare, more solitary in his 
 haunts than Mr. Jack Corby. It occurs more frequently in the 
 Niagara District and Lower St. Lawrence, than round Quebec. 
 Its hoarse croak occasionally startles the echoes on the north 
 shore of thi; St. Lawrence ; possibly, this may account for its 
 vernacular name amongst the French Canadian peasantry 
 « Corbeau de Mer. » 
 
 The late John Nairn, seigneur of Murray Bay, used to relate 
 the amusement he experienced on witnessing the alarm, caused 
 by sounds amid air, to a party of English genlhjmen, who were 
 travelling by land with him, when overtaken by the dusk of 
 evening, amidst the sublime crags of La Passe des Monts, which 
 at a height of fifteen hundred feet, overshadow the mountain 
 path, in the Saguenay district. 
 
 Those hoarse, hollow noises or groans, were emitted by 
 ravens, hovering in thB air, at a great height, unseen, close 
 to their nests located in these crags, and which sounded most un- 
 earthly from below. Lower down than Murray Bay, at a spot 
 called La Baie deS Hochers, on an inaccessible peak about one 
 hundred and lifly feet high, the ravens have a nest ; this rock 
 overhangs the St. Lawrence ; the foot of man never scanned 
 it. It is stated that these birds have built there for more than 
 two hundred years ; that the early missionaries of Canada had 
 noted the fact. 
 
 Alexander Wilson, the naturalist, says that where there are 
 many ravens iliere are lew crows and vice versa ; his sojourn on 
 the banks of Lakes Erie and Ontario furnished him many proofs 
 of the fact. Ravens are found in xNorway, (ireeidand, at Kam- 
 chatka — even in Siberia. Lewis and Clarke noticed some on 
 the 17lh December, 1804, during their memorable voyage — 
 whilst the temperature was 45 below 0. White ravens have, 
 t'is said, been s(;eu in Ireland ! 1 The country also produces 
 Banshees ? an other rarety. 
 
 I will close these details about ravens with the anecdote of 
 
THE BIBDS. 
 
 ao5 
 
 dote of 
 
 that Roman raven presented to Augustus aner the battle of 
 Actium : « After this memorable battle, several ravoiis were 
 sent to Augustus, each repeating ihc words « Ave Cajsar, Vic- 
 tor, Imperalor ; all hail to you Caesar, victorious emperor. » 
 Augustus purchased them. A poor shoemaker, attra'ted by the 
 price offered, set to work to teach a raven; he had to repeat 
 these words, but as the bird made but slow progress, he was in 
 the habit of winding up his lesson with the words « All my pains 
 will go for naught. » At last the raven managed to repeat the 
 complimentary address intended lor the prince, so that the 
 owner hastened to place himself on the passage of the emperor, 
 and got him to compliment Augustus in the usual language , 
 but Augustus turned short and said, «I have enough of such 
 courtiers as you in my palace, » when the bird added: aAll 
 my pains will go for naught ; » this so amused the victorious 
 Ce^^ar, that he paid even a higher price for the shoemaker's 
 raven. » 
 
 The dove and the raven were both honoured with important 
 missions by that distinguished and most successful navigator 
 Capl. Noah. You know how much the ibis was petted, nay 
 honoured, in Egypt : the white ibis was embalmed and made 
 a God of, after death. The stork was sung by Herodotus, — the 
 swan by Virgil and by a host of other poets. Aristophanes, 
 some twenty-three hundred years ago, celebrated not only the 
 croaking of frogs, but also the melody of birds. 
 
 It was, however, reserved to one ot the loftiest minds of 
 antiquity, Aristotle of Stagyra, to furnish the world with the 
 earliest methodical information on zoology. This great man 
 was the first to observe andattempt to explain the organization 
 of animated nature. His tieatise, irepi^wov Icxopia?, will ever 
 be regarded as one of the masterpieces of antiquity. The gene- 
 ration of animals, their habits, their organs, the mechanism of 
 their functions, their resemblances and differences are thorfin 
 discussed with astonishing clearness and sagacity. Aristotle 
 may be reckoned as having established a solid basis for 
 Natural History ; and his principal divisions of the animal 
 kingdom are so well founded, that almost all of them are still 
 substantially admitted. In arranging facts, he carefully goes 
 back to causes from general results. 
 
206 
 
 OUR EARLY FRIENDS, 
 
 We next come to the Roman, Pliny the Elder, born A. D. 
 23, who died, as you may have read, in the year 79 of our 
 era, from Ihe noxious fumes of Vesuvius during llie oiupliun 
 which, it is said, destroyed Herculanoum. Having the charge 
 of a Roman fleet, he had, in attempting to succour some of the 
 unfortunate inhabitants, ventured too near the scene of th(! 
 calamity : he expired during the following night. I presume 
 some of you have perused the very interesting letter recording 
 the event, written by IMiny the Younger, the nephew and 
 adopted son of the Roman naturalist. 
 
 As a laborious, but not always reliable, compiler, you have 
 heard of Aldrovandus, born about 1535. I said not always 
 reliable : to illustrate this latter point, I shall now quote from 
 the Isl vol. Canadian Naturalist, an extract purporting to 
 describe one of our most beautiful winter visitors, the Bohemian 
 Chatterer, or Waxwing : a specimen is also in the museum of 
 the Literary and Historical Society. I was fortunate enough to 
 snare three very fine birds of this species in January, 1864 — 
 often have others been seen since, round my house, at Spencer 
 Grange, i kept them all winter in my aviary ; they soon 
 became so bloated, so uncommonly portly, from good eating, 
 that they were struck down by apoplexy, and one after an 
 other, died. I need not tell you the sorrow such a catastrophe 
 brought to my family circle. (1) 
 
 « That the Bohemian Chatterer was known to the ancients 
 there can be little doubt ; a great deal of obscurity pre- 
 vails as to the names by which it was distinguished. Some 
 have taken it to be the Incendiaria avis of Pliny (bookx., c. 13), 
 the inauspicious bird, on account of which appearance, Rome 
 more than once underwent lustration, but more especially in 
 the consulship of L. Cassius and C. Marius, when the appari- 
 tion of a great owl {Bubo) was added to the horrors of the year. 
 Others have supposed that it was the bird of the Hercynian 
 forest (book x., c. 47), whose feathers shone in the night like 
 fire. Aldrovandus, who collected the opinions on this point, 
 has taken some pains to show that it could be neither the one, 
 
 (1) Cuadiaa Ifuturalist and Oaologiit, I., p. 467. 
 
THE BIRDS. 
 
 207 
 
 pre- 
 
 Some 
 
 C.13), 
 
 Rome 
 
 ially in 
 
 jppari- 
 
 eyear. 
 
 cynian 
 
 ht like 
 
 point, 
 
 leone. 
 
 nor the other. Tho worthy Italian gravely assures his readers, 
 that its feathc'ps do not shine in the night ; for he says he kept 
 one nlivc for Ihre j months, and ol)S(M'ved it at all hours 
 {' qudvisnoctis hord contemplalm sum'). It is by no means 
 improbable that this bird was tho gnaphalos of Aristotle (Hist, 
 anim., book ix., e. 16.) 
 
 « The geographical range of the Bohemian Chatterer is ex- 
 tensive, comprehending a great portion of the arctic world. It 
 appears generally in flocks, and a fatality was at one lime 
 believed to accompany their movements. Thus, Aldrovandus 
 observes thai large flights of them appeared in February, 1530, 
 when Charles V. >\as crowned at Bologna ; and again in 1551, 
 when theysjiread through the duchies of Modena, Piacenza, 
 and other Italian districts, carefully avoiding thai of Ferrara, 
 which was afterwards convulsed by an earthquake. In 1552, 
 according loGesner, they visited the banks of the Rhine, near 
 Mentz, in such myriads that they darkened the air. In 1571, 
 troops of them were seen flying about the north of Italy, in the 
 month of December, when the Ferrnrese earthquake, accord- 
 ing to Aldrovandus, look place, and the rivers overflowed 
 their banks. 
 
 « Necker, in hi-; memoir on the birds of Geneva, observes 
 Ihat from the beginning of this century only two cons'derable 
 flights have been seen in that canton : one in January, 1807, 
 and the other in 1814. when they were very numerous, and. 
 having spent the winter there, took their depa'ture in March. 
 In the first of those years they were scattered over a consider- 
 able part of Europe, and early in January were seen near 
 Kdimburgh. Savi observes that they are not seen in Tuscany, 
 except in severe winters, and that the years 1806 and 1807 
 were remaikable for the number of them which entered Pied- 
 mont, especially the valleys of Lanzo and Suza. » , 
 
 I could dilate at length on the history of this mys- 
 terious stranger, who appears to have so startled antiquity. 
 Here is the ominous individual ; see how silky his plumage ! 
 mark the lovely wax-like lips of his wings ! this is no doubt 
 the portion which was supposed to shine at night. Be careful, 
 however, not to confound him with the Cedar or Cherry Bird 
 
208 
 
 OUR EARLT FRIENDS, 
 
 —our Slimmer visitor : he resembles him much in plumage, 
 but is twice his size. 
 
 Nor should we omit the names of Redi, Swammcrdam, 
 Willoughby, John Ray, and especially of Francis Bacon, 
 amongst the laborious tillers of the soil of Natural History. 
 
 Next to Aristotle and Pliny, ranks the great botanist and 
 naturalist Linnaeus, who devoted a lifetime to reforming and 
 rearranging the history of all natural productions, and lived 
 to see his method triumphant and almost universally received. 
 Nor was he a mere nomenclator ; his vast genius led him to 
 take the most elevated views of nature. He penetrated with 
 a glance into causes which were the least obvious on the 
 surface. Order, precision, clearness, exactitude of descrip- 
 tion and accurate knowledge of relations in detail distinguish 
 his works. He it was who sent to America, to Quebec, the 
 eccentric Peter Kalm : every guide-book reminds you of the 
 amusing account Kalm wrote of Quebec and Montreal society 
 in 1749 ; what a fine fellow Count de la Gallissoniere, the 
 Governor Gf^neral in those days, appeared to the Swedish tra- 
 veller. How our respected grandmothers chatted, frolicked, 
 romped, dressed, danced ; — how well he n-lated all he saw, 
 and somethings he did not see. We are led next to consider 
 the brilliant career of a French naturalist, an elegant writer 
 and profound philosopher. Count Buflbn. Possessed of a vast 
 fortune, moving in the highest circles of a nation famous for 
 its refinement and learning, Buffon, during a half century, 
 from his chateau of Montbard, promulgated his canons to the 
 scientific world : he t"lls us he spent forty years in his study, 
 peifectJng and rounding the sentences of his immortal works ; 
 but, when bearing in mind the life-like sketches of birds writ- 
 ten by Buflbn's successors and contradictors, the writers of 
 the new school, such as Alexander Wdson, Audubon, Chas. 
 Buonaparte, Baird, one is inclined to regret that the sedentary 
 philosopher should have spent so much time indoors describing 
 his favourites, instead of ransacking the forests, the fields, the 
 seashore, 
 
 " The murmuring streams, their banks and braes " 
 
 to see for himself, like Audubon and Wilson, how God's 
 creatures lived, loved, sang and died. 
 
THE BIRDS. 
 
 209 
 
 God's 
 
 No doubt, my young frionds, you would like to have some 
 details of the career of the two celebrated naturalists just 
 mentioned, especially as their fame is identified x^ith the name 
 of America ; both, as you may know, visited On''bec. Alexan- 
 der Wilson, the author of American Ornithology, was born 
 in 1766, at Paisley, in Scotland. At the early a^rtvof thirteen, 
 he was indentured as a weaver to his brother-in-law, William 
 Duncan. His parents were peasants. A few years after we 
 fmd him acting as a pedlar : dealing in camhrics, ?otton, 
 calico by day ; poetry and natural history, by r.ight His rest- 
 less mind, poetic lerrperament and poverty induced him lo 
 seek fortune in a then new and attractive arena, the United 
 States, where he landed on the 14th July, 1794. In 179.S, he 
 again took to the pack, and next became a teacher shortly 
 after. In 1802, he accepted a situation as tutor in a semi- 
 nary, near Philadelphia. There he became acquainted with 
 Mr. William Bartram, the naturalist and botanist, who encou- 
 raged him, and lent him the works of Catesby and Edwards 
 on Ornithology. Space prevents ma from following the ardent 
 admirer of birds through his rural peregrinations. There is 
 an interesting episode in his life connected with the refusal of 
 President Jefterson to second the efforts of the aspiring natu- 
 ralist. He died in 1813, aged 47, from the effects of a cold 
 caught whilst pursuing some rare bird, having had to swim a 
 river in order not to lose sight of it. Although progress has 
 been made in American ornithology since the days of Alexan- 
 der Wilson, his treatise, as far as it goes, serves yet as a text- 
 book to naturalists of every nation. 
 
 How can I becomingly sketch the adventurous existence of 
 the Prince of American naturalists, John James Audubon? 
 Who can do justice to the memory of this noble-minded son 
 
 science, whose great work, The Biuds of America, is likely 
 .0 remain in succeeding' ages — a permanent monument of the 
 highest order of genius, celebrating the wonders of nature, in 
 the denizens of the air and songsters of the grove ? 
 
 John James Audubon saw dayliulit for the first time, in 
 Louisiana, in 1782 : he was of French extraction, and was 
 sent to Paris to complete his studies. It was there, he learned 
 
 21 
 
210 
 
 OUR EARLY FRIENDS, 
 
 (he art of drawing from (he celebrated paintor David. On his 
 return to America, at tho age of eighteitii, he lived with his 
 fiilhcr, near Philadelphia, on a beautiful estate surrounded by 
 parks, lawns and gardens. He soon had to give himself up to 
 commercial pursuits; with that object in view, he started for 
 Kentucky. » The whole of his books teem with the vivid des- 
 criptions of his forest wanderings. In 1810, he met, for 
 Ihe first time, his great rival, Aloxandur Wilson. In 1811, 
 Audubon said good-bye to the cash-book and ledger, and, gim 
 and sketch-book in hand, he dived into the depths of the 
 American forests in quest of knowledge and materials to 
 achieve his great undertaking. In 1814, he was favoured with 
 an inlroducliou to Ihii C(3lebrat(;.l prince of C;»iii:io, Charles L'l- 
 cien Buonaparte, a close relative of the present (1866) French 
 Emperor and author of most valuable treatis(!S on American 
 birds ; some of which you will lind on our shelves. After visit- 
 ing the Stales in all dirtu;tions, Audubon sailed lor Paris, Lou- 
 don and lulimburg. His drawings of American birds had al- 
 ready attracted abroad, considrable attention. In England, he 
 soon became acquainted with several men of note in literature : 
 Professors Sedgwick, Whewell, Henslow, Dr. Thackeray, Dr. 
 Buckland, IJr. Kidd ; in Paris, Baron Cuvier, Swainson, 
 (ieofl'roy St. Hilaire, his son Isidore ; — D'Orbigny, Lesson, 
 and other savants showed him marked attention. The sove- 
 reigns of England and France patronised the enthusiastic 
 disciple of BiitTon, heading with their names the subscription 
 list to his great work. I wish, my young friends, I could gra- 
 tify your desire, and follow step by step this wonderful man in 
 his oinithological rambles through the length and breath of 
 this green land : this day, you might be ascending with him 
 one of the bayous of Florida, to watch the habits of the scar- 
 let flamingo, and next month, scaning the |)rairies of Kentucky 
 to catch the Wild Turkey on her nest ; 'he season following 
 might find you toiling up the rugged and barren uplands of 
 Labrador — a locality so desolat«', so rocky, so inhospitable 
 that, to use the words of the late abb<5 Feiiand, « there is not 
 enough of soil to bury decently the unfortunate traveller who 
 may perchance die there. » Audubon visited Quebec in \S\'l, 
 
TUB BIRDS. 
 
 211 
 
 . On his 
 with his 
 unded by 
 ?elf up to 
 larled for 
 ivid des- 
 mot, for 
 In 1811, 
 and, gun 
 IS of thu 
 terials to 
 Lired wilh 
 irlos Lii- 
 5) French 
 Amnricaii 
 fler visil- 
 iris, Lon- 
 Js had al- 
 iglanii, ho 
 iterature : 
 Loray, Dr. 
 iwainson, 
 Lesson, 
 10 sove- 
 lusiastic 
 kscription 
 ould gra- 
 ma n in 
 realh of 
 wilh him 
 he scar- 
 entucky 
 ollowing 
 )lands of 
 ospitabio 
 re is not 
 llor who 
 in 18i-i, 
 
 residing several wt^ks with a Mr. Marten, in St. Peter street, 
 an excellent taxidermist and a great admirer of the feathered 
 race,; on his departure, Audubon requested him to ac- 
 cept, as a token of reni(^mbranee, a copy of his magnilicent 
 work on (he Birds of this Continent. There are yet several 
 amongst us who can recall to mind the dignified, courteous, 
 while-haired old gentleman, with black, pieicingeyes^ eminent- 
 ly handsome in person — one of nature's true nobienKui. Spen- 
 cer Wood in those diiys belonged to Ihe lale Hemy Alkinson, 
 a warm friend of the gifted naturalist Many tlie strolls did the 
 latter enjoy at Spencer Wood, listening, under the umbrageous 
 pines and old red oakSj to the flute- like warble of th(! Veery 
 and melullic notes of the Hermit Thrush. His steps occasionally 
 wandered.Iamproudtosay, over that portion of the estate which 
 has since passed to me ; the shady avenue consecrated by the 
 presence of this man of genius, is i!ow known to my children 
 under the name of u Audubon Avenue.)) These memories, 
 which to some may a|)pear commonplace, I recall with un- 
 feigned pleasure ; and whilst there, and listening to the liai- 
 liingeis of spring, or poring over Audubon's works, I am 
 reminded that lht>re once breathed and stood the possessor of 
 one of the most honoured names in natural science — a noble- 
 minded fellow-man — whose glory and whose fame are inse- 
 parable from that of Norlh America. Audubon spent more than 
 twenty yeius completing his superb drawings and compiling 
 the Biography of the Birds and Animals of America ; he sank 
 to rest in 18o2, aged seventy years, in the full blaze of his 
 glory. 
 
 Next to Wilson and Audubon, in Ihe field of Natural 
 History, I shall point out to you a name widely respected in 
 America, and well received in Europe — Professor S. K. 
 Baird, of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington ; he is spe- 
 cially known lo us as the chief compiler of the celebrated 9th 
 vol. of the Reports of that Inslitutiun, which elaborate book 
 you have now before you ; he was ably seconded in this 
 laborious undertaking by Mr. Geo. Lawrence, of New York, 
 and Dr. John Gassin, of Philadelphia. Dr. Cassin is also the 
 author, amongst other publications, of a most gorgeously illus- 
 
212 
 
 OUR EARLY FRI£^Dg, 
 
 trat«!d work on some new Western birds, niso forming part of 
 Iho library of this Society. 
 
 Ill Wilson's Ornithology, published in 1814, we (Ind men- 
 tioned 284 sp(!cies. Bitnapaite, in 183H, had described 471. 
 Auiliiboii, wriling in 1844, brought up the list lo 506. Kuird's 
 Report, which appeared in 1858, enlarged the number to 738, 
 of which more than SOU species are lo be fonnd in Canada, 
 either as accidental visitors or sedentary species. The Smith- 
 sonian report divides the birds into six orders, viz : — 
 
 I. Baptores Birds of Prey. 
 
 11, Scansores Climbing Birds. 
 
 III. Insessores Perching « 
 
 IV. Itasores Dusting « 
 
 V. Grallatores Wading « 
 
 VI. Natatores Web-footed « 
 
 Kach of these orders might comprise as follows :— 1st. order, 
 .36 ; II. 18 ; III. 120 ; IV. 15 ; V. 42 ; VI. 69. Canada, not 
 embracing all the varieties of climate and temperature which 
 th(! American Union does, cannot be expected to unite all the 
 varieties of birds to be found in the United Stales. The 
 Cimadian Fauna is nevertheless very beautiful and varied in 
 its features, including a numerous collection of birds of prey. 
 Th'> web-looted order are well represented here. The Wood- 
 peitker f.imily comprises some brilliantly habited individuals. 
 But the most numerous and varied in plumage, are the Perchers 
 or singing birds. Alex. Wilson spoke eloquently and tridy, 
 when he said, « The ornithology of the United States exhibits 
 a rich display of the most splendid colors ; from the green, 
 silky, gold-bospang!ed down of the minute humming bird, 
 scarce three inches in extent, lo the black coppery wings of 
 the gloomy condor, of sixteen feet, who sometimes visits our 
 northern regions ; a numerous and powerful band of songsters, 
 who, for sweetness, variety, and melody, are surpassed by 
 no country on earth ; an everchanging scene of migration 
 from torrid to temperate, and from northern to southern re- 
 gions, in quest of suitable season^ food and climates, and such 
 
iig part or 
 
 ind mon- 
 bed 471. 
 [). Buird's 
 iv to 738, 
 Canada, 
 hu Srnilh- 
 
 ey. 
 irds. 
 
 (( 
 
 n 
 
 a 
 
 d(( 
 
 1st. order, 
 
 nadO; not 
 
 ire which 
 
 e all the 
 
 es. The 
 
 varied in 
 
 of prey. 
 
 le Wootl- 
 
 ividuals. 
 
 ei'chers 
 
 d truly, 
 
 exhibits 
 
 green, 
 
 ig bird, 
 
 wings of 
 
 isits our 
 
 )ngslers, 
 
 ssed by 
 
 ligration 
 
 lern re- 
 
 md such 
 
 tul; birds. 
 
 ii3 
 
 on amazing diversity in habit, economy, form, disposition and 
 laculties,so unifuimly h(M'edi(ary in each species, and so com- 
 pli'lely adiM|iiale to Iheir peculiar wauls and convenience, as 
 to overwhelm us with asionishmenl at the power, wisdom, 
 and bemdiciMice of the Creator. 
 
 « In proportion as we bteonie acrpiaiuted with these parti- 
 culars, our visists to, and residence in the country, become 
 more and more agreeable. Formerly, on such occa^^ions, we 
 found ourselves in solitude, or, willi respect to the feathered 
 tribes, as it were in a strange couiili y, who"'e the; manners, 
 laiijiuajie, and face of all were either totally overlooked, or 
 utterly unknown to us ; now, we lliul ourselves amuiig inter- 
 esting ami well-known neighboins and ac(|uaintances, and, in 
 the notes of every songster, recognize with satisfaction the 
 voice of an old liiend and companion. A study thus tending 
 to multiply our enjoyments at so cheap a rate, and to lead us, 
 by such pleai^iiug gradations, to the contemplation and worship 
 of the Great First Cause, the Father and Pi'eserver of all, can 
 neither be idle nor useless, but is worthy of rational beings, 
 and doubtless, agreeable lo ihe Deity. » 
 
 (The lecturer, by means of the diagiam of a bird draw n on 
 a large board then explained the dilVerenl portions : Primaries. 
 Secondaries, Terliaries, Scapulars, Rhump feathers, Auriailurs, 
 Tarsi, Tibia, Iris, Mirror, Total lemjth, Alar extent, and a 
 variety of other technical terms.) 
 
 Linna3us, in his Systema Satune, divides the class of birds 
 into six orders. IMumenbach makes nine orders ; Cuvier, — 
 six ; Vieillot, five ; Vigois, five ; Timiminck, in his Manuel 
 d'Ornithologie, sixteen ; Agassiz and (lould, in a n.'cenl work, 
 recognize only four orders. Classiliealion is without tloubl, 
 one of the most important portions of Urnilhology. A new light 
 has dawned on this science, since the learned researches of 
 Dr. Thos. Itrewer, of Boston, and other American and Euro- 
 pean savants who have applied oology lo the classiliealion of 
 species ; thus, severd rare hawks, in diderent plumage, have 
 been recognized by Iheir eggs. The eggs of owls, instead of 
 being elliptical, like those of the generality of birds, are spher- 
 ical. Eggs are also idenlilied by their markings, — lines, — spots. 
 
u\ 
 
 OUR BAHLt rRlENDS, 
 
 stripes,— or by the absence of them, like the eggs of some of 
 the thrushes. Collecting \iilil birds' eggs has bi;camo quite a 
 trade. ScicntiOu institutions in Rurope have given as much us 
 £15 stg for a rare e^g (1). Several Canadian inslitulion<i have 
 recently added to thoir mu^seums collections of bird's eggs : 
 the Literary and Historical Society, the Natural History Society 
 of Montreal, the Sulpician seminary of that city, the Laval 
 University, and the Normal Schools, in Quebec and Montreal. 
 The conlribulions of friends in this, as in the departmetil of 
 birds, have induced me to add a collection of eggs to my spe- 
 cimens. 
 
 Before we examine the contents of the collection laid before 
 us, let me point out to you one particular respecting the 
 birds of prey : the female in general is nearly one-third larger 
 than the male, and ditTerence of age causes such changes in 
 the plumage, that considerable uncertainty still exists in iden- 
 tifying the Rapaces. 
 
 The vastncss of the subject now before us is such that I am 
 compelled to confess how rashly 1 would have acted had 1 pro- 
 mised you a discourse on the ornithology of Canada. It would 
 require, at least, a dozen of lectures to place the topic before 
 you in a becoming manner. 1 shall, therefore, content myself 
 with familiarising you with some of the specimens belonging 
 to our museum. Let us select a few out of each order. 
 
 Here is the King of Birds — a fair specimen of the Bald 
 Eagle. Oh 1 you proud, overbearing robber, on Ihe watch at 
 noon-day for some industrious Osprey, hurrying to her moun- 
 tain home, with a lively trout in her beak ; or else, quoth 
 Audubon, keeping with your male a sharp look out for an un- 
 suspecting swan, a fat goose, or a dainty canvass-back. Did 
 our shrewd, far-seeing neighbours, really intend to foreshadow 
 the career of the Republic founded by Washington and Frank- 
 lin, when they chose as their national symbol such an over- 
 bearing, grasping bully ? 
 
 The Bald Kagle is more abundant in Western than in Eastern 
 Canada. The shores of Burlington Bay and the Falls of Niagara 
 are amongs his favourite haunts. Itis there, he cait be seen in his 
 
 (1) The egg of tba Qreat Ank. 
 
THE BIRDS. 
 
 215 
 
 Raid 
 ilch at 
 Imuun- 
 quotli 
 ^n II n- 
 Did 
 liadow 
 'lank- 
 over- 
 
 islern 
 
 iagara 
 
 in his 
 
 nalivograndiMir, cl« cling in vast spirals over the seof hing walors. 
 Th(5 fiolilen Eajjjo, another l)eaiilifiil8|H!oic8( I), is very common 
 round Quebec. Of his ferocity, spirit of rnpino, find boldness, 
 you have heard : — of litlle chihiren mysteriously disappearing 
 from their happy liomes, and of their bleached bones being 
 found years after in an eajile's eyrie, hi^h on the loftiest ledge 
 of the neighbouring mountain. Science has awarded to this 
 fine bird Ihe cognomen of « Aquila Caitadimia,n and Mere 
 not llial our Dominion professes lo have honesty as its basis, 
 and were it not for the sanguinary instincts of the Canadian 
 
 (1) Hark to McGilviiay's Dkbokiptioh. 
 
 " Having Kfoended to the dummit of one of the lofty raoantatni in the ForMt of 
 Harria in Roarch uf plants, I stood to admire the glorious loene that pretentad 
 itRelf, and enjoy the mof>t intense of uli dolii^hts — that of eommuninn in the wil- 
 derness with the God of the Universe. I was on a narrow lodge of rooki, covered 
 with the iSileno acaiilis whoso lovely pink blossoms woro itrewn around ; on one 
 aide was n rouKy slope, the rusort of tho ptarmigan; on the other, a rugged proci- 
 pioe, in the orevioes of which hud sprung up luxuriant tufti of Rhodiola ronea. 
 Before mo, in the we^it, was the Rini^gy island of Scarp; toward the south, 
 stretched the rugged coast-line of Harris, margoned on the headlands with a lina 
 of white-foara ; and, away to the dim horizon, spread out the vast expanse of ths 
 Atlantic Ocean, with the lovely Isles of St. Kilda on its extreme verge. The sun, 
 descending in the clear sky, threw a glistening path of light over the waters, 
 and tinged the Ocean haze with purple. Suddenly there arose over the Atlantic a 
 mass of light, thin vapour, which approached with a gentle breeze, rolling and 
 spreading around and exhibiting the most beautiful ohana^es of tint. 
 
 When I had gazed until tho fading light reminded me that my home for the 
 night was four miles distant, I approached the edge of the precipice, and bent 
 over it, when, from the distance of a few yards beneath, a Qolden Eagle launched 
 forth into the air. The scene, already sublime, was by Ihe flight of the eagle 
 rendered still more so, and, as I gazed upon the huge bird sailing steadily away 
 beneath my feet, while the now dense masses of cloud rolled majestically over 
 head, I exclaimed aloud " Beautiful 1 " Tho great God of heaven and earth, 
 myself, his perverse but adoring subject and the eagle, his beautiful but anen- 
 during creature, were all in the universe of my imagination. Scenes like these 
 niiglit soften the obdurate, elevate the grovelling, convince the self-willed and 
 unbelieving, and blond with universal nature the spirits that had breathed the 
 chilling atmosphere of settishness. Verily, it is good fur one to asoend a lofty 
 mountain ; but he must go alone, and of if he be there in the solemn stillness of 
 midnight, ay I have been, he will descend a better and a wiser man. Beautiful 
 truly it is, to see the eagle sweeping aloft the hill side, sailing from one moun- 
 tain to an other, or i-uaring aloft in its circling flight until it seems to float in the 
 regions of the then white cirri, like the inhabitant of an other world looking down 
 upon our rebel earth, as if desirous to visit it, but afraid to come within its con- 
 taminating influence, and not in its distant flight alone is the Golden Eagle a 
 beautiful object ; viewed at hand it cannot fail to inspire admiration, but then 
 you muit see it seated on some pinnacle of ite native rooks. " {Itapaeiout Bird» 
 •f Grtat Britain, MeQUtray, Page 90.) 
 
216 
 
 OUR EARLY FRIENDS, 
 
 Kaple, one would moslly wish him to take the place of lh(i 
 Beaver, the lloso, the Thistle and the Shamrock, as (he em- 
 blem of our nascent ompire. A pair of these noble birds pur- 
 chased by me recently, were kept in capture at Spencer Grange, 
 when I sent the follow ing to the Quebec Mercury : 
 
 « One by one, the cherished traditions of our rosy boyhood 
 vanish. Audubon, Bull'on and \Yilson had let us to believe 
 that the king of birds, the royal ea^le, was a species of morose 
 baron, living amidsl inaccessible fastnesses, on innocent lamb- 
 kins, leverets, and tender chickiiis ; occasionally varying his 
 diet, by making a repast on some stray infant, carried away 
 holtis bolus, whilst ils negligent nurse, perchance, had beau 
 seeking, wandered round the corner. The fujrce marauder sel- 
 dom or ever visited the haunts of man, except for mischief. 
 The loftiest mountain had ils eagle — one only ; at most, a pair 
 — averaging in age one hundred years or so. To catch a live 
 eagle was a species ot impossibility ; in fact, if you saw one 
 alive, once during your lifetime, you might consider yourself 
 fortunate. 
 
 « The (Joldeu or Canadian Eagle, Aquila Canadensis, is a 
 beautiful variety. As slated, many of the dreams of our boy- 
 hood, are disproved by the following fact. Eagles seem to be 
 as common as barnyard fowls at Baie St. Paul, on the Lower 
 St. Lawrence : they are frequently shot, and within a week, a 
 pair were trapped under a crockery crale with a figure four trap 
 baited with a clucking h(!U and her chickens. Their appetite was 
 not proof against while meat. Ilonci; Iheirfa!!. These marauders 
 had already paid a flying visit to tht; farmyard and abstracted 
 a large goose, in spite of the heart rending cries of th(; guard- 
 ian of the flock — ii snow-white gand r, more majestic in gait 
 than the Mayor of any of our opulent cities. The female eagle, 
 since her capture, laid an egg on her way up from St. Paul's 
 Bay : unfortunately this prized specimen for oologists was 
 ciushed and destroyed. These noble birds were presented to 
 me ; and mayhap I shall have a treat denied to the greatest 
 naturalists — xcitnessim; eagles breeding in captivity. I will take 
 care to advise the readers oH\w Mercuiy, of th' birth of the 
 first chick, should such an auspicious evetit crown the connu- 
 bial bliss of (be royal couple. » 
 
TUE BIRDS. 
 
 217 
 
 \ of lh(i 
 the ein- 
 rds pur- 
 Grange, 
 
 boyhood 
 behove 
 I' morose 
 nt lamb- 
 rying his 
 i3d away 
 lad beau 
 iider sel- 
 niscbief. 
 >\, a pair 
 ;h a live 
 saw one 
 yourself 
 
 isis, is a 
 
 oiir boy- 
 
 !m lo be 
 
 le Lowor 
 
 week, a 
 
 bur trap 
 
 elite was 
 
 raiiders 
 
 traded 
 
 ijuard- 
 
 c in gail 
 
 eagle, 
 . Paul's 
 sis was 
 e II led to 
 grealesl 
 vill take 
 
 1 of the 
 cnniiu- 
 
 These eagles were kept thirteen months ; it afforded 
 me ample opportunity to study their habits in eapti- 
 vily. They did not however breed, but I made more than one 
 experiment, as to their capacity of enduring cold and hunger 
 which much astonished me. Ever patient, cheerful ; robust, 
 in excellent temper at all times, they seemed indeed, unlike 
 any other member of the feathered tribe — Uight well is the eagle 
 called the «King of Birds.)) Fearing some accident might befall 
 my children who were frequently moving round their coop, I 
 ceeded them to C^nt. Rook of the 53rd Foot, who took them to 
 England ; since when, I learn, they have figured in the pages 
 of the Field Newspaper. 
 
 Shall we quit the Eagle tribe, without directing your notice 
 to that majestic Eagle which Audubon discovered whilst as- 
 cending the Mississippi in 1814 ; his attention having been 
 directed to it by the pilot of the boat — a Canadian. This 
 powerful bird, a specimen of which, he shot subsequently in 
 Kentucky, measured 4o inches by 1 22 — that is, fiom lip to tip of 
 wing, ten feet, and three feet seven inches from the end of 
 the head lo the tremity of the tail. But one specimen, as 
 yet, exists in the American collections — that, in the museum of 
 the Natural History Society of Philadelphia. It is well lo stale 
 that tills gigantic bird which Audubon honored with Uie name 
 of Bird of Washington, has much exercised naturalists ; some, 
 protesting that it was merely an overgrown individual of the 
 Golden Eagle, whilst others, asserted that the scuteUw on his 
 larsi denoted a distinct species. 
 
 At least twenty varieties of the Hawk family visit our Inli- 
 tudes ; here, is the delic.itely spotted Goskawk, identical with 
 the European species : the breast is of a lovely ash colour, 
 with peucilled markings ; there is I he Rough-lciigod Buz- 
 zard ; next, the Marsh Hawk, whom 1 am sure, on viewing 
 this specimen, you all recognize as that unwelcome prowler 
 who made you miss by his swoop, such a shot, on the Chateau 
 Richer, Crane Island, Sorel, Deschambault or Sle. Clair mar- 
 shes, at some period or other of your sporting career ; there is 
 another species with large I'xpanse of wing, — the Broad- 
 winged Hawkj not so large as the Goshawk, and of pluniagi! 
 
 22 
 
218 
 
 OUR EABLT FRIENDS, 
 
 less bright ; then comes the Sharp-shinned ; next, the Pigeon 
 Hawk ; lastly, the little Sparrow Ha^^k, with its elegant 
 cinnamon-coloured back and black bands on its tail. Admire 
 this keen sporlsnaaii, the great Duck Hawk — BuWet-headed 
 Hawk, as some style him — who is none else than the Noble 
 Peregrine Falcon of the days of chivalry ; a tolerably common 
 bird in Canada West ; he can strike his quarry a mid air with 
 his breast bone, so as to cause immediate death. The limits 
 of my discourse prevent me from quoting, for your benefit, 
 the elegant and truthful descriptions of the Peregrine and his 
 fearless compeers, as sketched by Audubon. Shall we leave 
 this fierce band of day-robbers, and investigate the doings of 
 those formidable midnight raiders, the Owls ? 
 
 " T'it the middle of night by the oastle olook, 
 And the owls have wakened the crowing eook : 
 Tu-whit I— Tu-whoo ! 
 
 See how grave, how omniscient they look, with their rolling, 
 shining, yellow eyes, their velvety plumage and their warm fur- 
 leggings, impervious to cold the most intense ! There he sits, on 
 his perch, — the dignified patriarch of the whole tribe : the Great 
 Cinereous Owl. Look at him well ; he is not, mind you, an every- 
 day visitor by any means — thelargestof the owls ; in size, he 
 even exceeds that white and fierce marauder, the Snowy 
 Owl — the Great Northern Hunter, as he is aptly styled. As 
 you know, he is frequently shot in the surrounding country 
 during the winter months. How often on a bright, cold 
 January day, have 1 noticed him skimming mageslically over 
 the vast ice (ields, battures, as they are call d which skirt the 
 Saint Lawrence, at St. Thomas, county of Montmagny ! Nature 
 has wonderfully adapted these birds to the climates they in- 
 habit. Th'-y hunt by day as well as by night, and, in the soft 
 moonlight, you can scarcely hear the muffled sound of their 
 winged paddles, when pursuing hares or other small animals. Of 
 the ferocity of the Snowy Ow I, unquestionable proofs exists. The 
 attack of a Snowy Owl, rendered desperate through hunger, 
 on a Roman Catholic Missionary, is amusingly related in a 
 Journal of Travel, on the Labrador coast. The Reverend Padrd 
 
THE BIRDS. 
 
 219 
 
 ^e Pigeon 
 s elegant 
 Admire 
 jt-headed 
 the Noble 
 y common 
 d air with 
 rhe limi's 
 ir benefit, 
 le and his 
 1 we leave 
 doings of 
 
 leir rolling, 
 r warm fur- 
 i he sits, on 
 c : the Great 
 J, an every - 
 in size, he 
 the Snowy 
 ityled. As 
 ng country 
 right, cold 
 ically over 
 Ich skirt the 
 ny! Nature 
 les they in- 
 in the soft 
 id of their 
 animals. Of 
 exists. The 
 gh hunger, 
 ilati'd in a 
 Tend Padre 
 
 was so astounded at the daring of the bird of Minerva, that 
 he sought his safety in flight. Of the Virginian, or Great 
 Horned Owl, there are, according to Baird, five varieties — 
 Atlanticus, Magellanicus, Pacificus, Arclicus, Virginianus. 
 Atlanlicus and Virginianus alone visit Canada. This bird is 
 often caught in the steel traps baited for foxes ; the ferocious 
 attitude and indomitable courage he exhibits, when approa- 
 ched by dog or man, is wonderful to behold ; he snaps his 
 powerful beak, rolls his bright eyes, and erects his feathers — 
 the very emblem of concentrated rage. I have not heard of 
 any successful elTort to domesticate the Great Horned Owl. 
 The Barn Owl, highly valued in some countries as a destroyer 
 of rats and mice, does not inhabit Canada. You remember I 
 am sure, the lines in the Fable of the Butterfly who went to 
 consult her lawyer. 
 
 Ivy barn was tho Chambers of CounoiUor Owl, 
 And instantly thither he flies. 
 At study he found the learned fowl, 
 His face half hid by his hooded cowl, 
 
 He winked, and blinked and looked very wise. 
 
 I have now placed before you in a row, according to their 
 size, the Owls which visit us ; mark the gradation from the 
 Great Cinereous, the size of a large Turkey, to the little 
 Saw Whet, a sweetly pretty, tiny fellow, not much bigger 
 than a Snow Bunting. What an interesting group of wiseacres 
 they all seem ? Legislative or City Councillors in conclave ! 
 
 You see in the Museum of our Society some fair represen- 
 tatives of the web-footed Order of Birds. 
 
 First amongst them, conspicuous for the brilliancy of his 
 plumage, note the Wood or Summer Duck, A}ias Sponsa ; 
 $ponsa means a bride, from the gay colours of the individual 
 probably. Here is the Mallard, the Dusky Duck, the Gadwall, 
 the American Widgeon, the Green-winged Teal, the Blue- 
 winged Teal, the Shoveller, the Canvass-back, the Redhead, 
 the Scaup, the Ruddy, the Pied, the Velvet, the Surf 
 Duck, the Scoter, the Eider, the King Eider, the Golden- 
 eye, the Harlequin, the Long-tailed, the Tufted, the Red- 
 breasted Merganser, the Hooded Mergansei, and tlie 
 
220 
 
 OUR EARLY FRIENDS, 
 
 Gooscander. "What a noble-looking fellow the great Diver 
 seQms, with his speckled robe of white and black ? But 
 amongst this splendid array of water-fowl, as I previously 
 said, the handsomest is the Wood Duck, who builds in 
 trees at Sorel, Lake Erie, and other places : he is, indeed, 
 of the whole tribe facile princeps. Those feathered, slim 
 gentry mounted on stilts, you lecognize as pertaining to the 
 tribe of the Waders : the Bittern you all have seen ; many of 
 yon may not have viewed, the large Blue Heron, oft mistaken for 
 a Crane. Doubtless you number amongs your acquaintances 
 as well, the curious and handsome species called the Night 
 Heron from its nocturnal habits. It is a very comely bird and 
 the long feathers on its head, will at once attracts your notice : 
 Wilson has as it were, photographed this bird. There are a few 
 heronries in Canada ; one exists on Nuns Island near Montreal. 
 Have you ever observed how those long leathers, which grow 
 out of the back of his head, tit in one another as in a 
 groove ? 
 
 For this pretty lillle species, called the Least Bittern, I am 
 indebted to a Kingston friend. 
 
 You can read, in Charlevoix and Governor Boucher, that 
 two species of Cranes visit Canada — the White and the 
 Brown Crane : Linn»us and Temminck have christened one 
 of the species, Grm Canadensis ; and still the Crane is a West- 
 ern species, and ought not to sojourn often in our Arctic latitudes 
 except when it migrates from Florida to the Arctic wilds, for 
 the incubation of its eggs and rearing of its young. An Island, 
 once dear to sportsmen, thirty- six miles lower than Quebec, 
 bears the name of Crane Island. You have not forgotten the 
 mention Horace makes of the migrating Crane — Gruem ad- 
 venam. And shall I relate to you the nice story Herodotus tells 
 of the manner in which the death of Ibycus, the poet^ was 
 avenged by a flock of Cranes ? You will then understand why 
 the muse-loving Greeks had such a veneration for Cranes : — 
 « The lyric, Ibycus of Rhegium, went to dispute at the 
 Olympic Games the prize of poetry : he came on foot, with no 
 other companion than his lyre, from which he occasionally 
 drew a few soul-stirring notes. At the close of his journey, 
 
 i 
 
 ? 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 
THE BIRDS. 
 
 221 
 
 eat Diver 
 Qck ? But 
 »reviousIy 
 builds in 
 , indeed, 
 red, slim 
 g to the 
 many of 
 5taken for 
 aintances 
 he Night 
 bird and 
 ir notice: 
 are a few 
 Montreal, 
 lich grow 
 as in a 
 
 jrn, I am 
 
 ler, that 
 and the 
 aned one 
 ; a West- 
 latitudes 
 Ids, for 
 I Island, 
 Quebec, 
 ten the 
 em ad- 
 us tells 
 t^ was 
 lid why 
 nes : — 
 at the 
 ith no 
 ionally 
 urney, 
 
 I 
 
 ! 
 
 musing, he lost his away in the forest. Two men rushed out 
 of a wood and struck him. The poet fell to the earth, and cast 
 an expiring glance towards the setting sun. At that awful mo- 
 ment, he saw a flock of Cranes sailing past : * Winged tra- 
 vellers, ' said he, in an expiring breath, ' behold me ! — make 
 known the assassins of Ibycus I ' The brigands laughed at 
 these words, stripped their victim and disappeared. 
 
 « The next day, the games began at Olympia : no Ibycus 
 appeared. The people murmured at the absence of the Bard; 
 — his rivals commenced to sing. At Ihat moment a man ar- 
 rived in hot haste bearing a broken lyre, all bloody, and pro- 
 nouncing the name of Ibycus. It was the bard's lyre, found 
 thai morning close to the corpse of the poet. A loud and deep 
 wail was then heard in the amphitheatre : the people deplored 
 the premature end of the young favourite of the muses ; but 
 the multitude is as easily moved to sorrow as it is to forget ; 
 the games proceeded — the memory of Ibycus fading away. 
 Night was closing in and would soon interrupt the amusements 
 of the crowd, when a flock of Cranes flew over the arena ; their 
 loud notes attracted general attention : two of the crowd, in a 
 conspicuous spot, repeated to one another, in a jocular way. 
 * There go the Cranes of Ibycus ! ' This singular remark was 
 overheard by others : the sarcastic tone in which it was ut- 
 tered, the repulsive appearance of the utterers, the sudden 
 and mysterious death of the poet, all conspired to create sus- 
 picion. Jhe murderers were arrested — questioned separately 
 —confessed their crime, and were then and there executed ; 
 so that the avenging mission cunlided by the dying poet to the 
 feathered strangers was faithfully and speedily discharged. » 
 
 By long and cmlinued efforts on behalf of some enlightened 
 friends of agriculture, the indisciiniinute slaughter of insecti- 
 vorous birds in the spring and summer has been eflectually 
 slopped. You may not be hung for killing or capturing in 
 Canada, a Robin or a Tomlil in the spring, but you make 
 yourself liable thereby, to ten days of jail. 
 
 I like the old English and French custom of opening the 
 
222 
 
 OVn EARLT FRIENDS, 
 
 game season by rejoicings and eclat. Why should not Saint 
 Hubert, the patron suint of sportsmen, have a day sacred to 
 him in America as well as in Europe ? 
 
 It is gratifying to see that if our powerful and progressive 
 neighbours have so many things to be proud of, there is one 
 Canadian institution which (hey envy us ; that is, our Legis- 
 lation for the protection of Fish and Game. Mr. Roosevelt 
 (son of Judge Roosevelt), in his interesting book on the Salmon 
 rivers of Canada, « The Game Fish of the North, » testifies to 
 that fact repeatedly. Though as a sop to American amour 
 propre^ he concludes by insinuating that it is aboutthe only sign 
 of progress to be found u in those benighted regions known as 
 the British Provinces, » as he humourously styles them. We 
 \\\\\ allow him, unchallenged, to enjoy his illusions on this as 
 on other Canadian topics, for, as a clever writer has it, « Are 
 not illusions the best part of youth ? » and Mr. Roosevelt is 
 young. 
 
 With all the protection the law could lend to game during 
 th;3 period of incubation, I dare not however, think it 
 possible to restore to the shores of the St. Lawrence the 
 myriads of ducks, geese, and swans, which are mentioned by 
 Ih ) old writers, such as the Jissuits, in their Relations, Governor 
 Bouclier, in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux, des Animaux, 
 et rfes Poissons du Canada, wiitten at Three Rivers in 1663 — 
 for the special information of the Grands Seigneurs of the Court 
 of Louis XIV., his friends. The account of the game met by 
 the Jesuits on the Crane and Goose Island beaches in 1632 (5) 
 apponrs so marvellous as to be mostly beyond belief. The very 
 bene !i facing this city, near the Rifle range at Beauport, took 
 its nime, La Canardiere, from the legions of ducks, Canarrfs, 
 frciiiienting it. It is within my recollection that a Crane Island 
 Chasseur counted he had had but poor shooting if he had 
 bagged less than one hundred Outardes (Wild Geese) in a 
 season : now fifty are accounted a good bag. 
 
 You are aware that the most numerous order of birds by far 
 is that of the Passeres. It would require a great many lectures 
 
 (6) Sco Matiotu^Vbn Le Jeune. 
 
THE BIRDS. 
 
 223 
 
 not Saint 
 sacred to 
 
 progressive 
 ere is one 
 our Legis- 
 Roosevelt 
 the Salmon 
 testifies to 
 3an amour 
 le only sign 
 i known as 
 them. We 
 on this as 
 5 it, « Are 
 oosevelt is 
 
 me during 
 
 , think it 
 
 vrence the 
 
 ntioned by 
 
 Governor 
 
 Animaux, 
 
 in 1663— 
 
 the Court 
 
 16 met by 
 
 1632 (5) 
 
 The very 
 
 lort, took 
 
 Canards, 
 
 ne Island 
 
 he had 
 
 3se) in a 
 
 rds by far 
 lectures 
 
 to initiate you into their habits a I history. Let me conse- 
 quently direct your atti-ntion merely to those now before you, 
 wearing th(» gaudiest uniforms : there, you will remark the 
 brightest of Canadian birds, the Scarlet Tanagor, or Summer 
 Red Bird ; how gracefully his black wings do fit on the sur- 
 rounding red ! Hot weather alone attracts him over the Cana- 
 dian border from the scented magnolia groves of Louisiana and 
 Florida. The peasant lad, meeting him in our own green woods, 
 in ecstacy at such a display of sphjudour, hurries home to tell 
 his mother that he has at last seen « Le Rot dts Oiseaux, » for 
 such is the glorious cognomen the Summer Red Bird during 
 his July visits, enjoys amongst the French Cf«nadian peasantry. 
 What a stylish fellow, this Louisiana Piper seems, with his 
 bright purple manlle and red Phrygian Cap ! He does indeed 
 sport his purple robe, like a true Pi iiice of the Church of Rome. 
 Lord Baltimore's feathered friend the Oriole assumed, so says 
 Wilson, the name of his Maryland patron — the French call him 
 le Baltimore : the Americans, the Balliinore Oriole — Why not 
 call the gaudy Cardinal — aMerodeorcnAntonelli? TheCardinal 
 visits the southern districts of Ontario — I have had the good 
 fortune to capture a magnificent Cock Bird in my garden in 
 August 1870, and kept him more than two years. His song on 
 an April morning was delighfid ; some violent, storm must have 
 blown him across our border, as hi; was certainly extra-limital 
 and for us Quebecers, a foreigner : not tlh) less welcome for 
 all that. 
 
 That graceful individual with a cinnamon-coloured back and 
 wings, a white breast and long rounded tail feathers tipped 
 with white outwardly, is the Cuckoo ; his shrill note K-K-K- 
 Kow-ow-Kow-Kow-ow, is occasionally heard in hed;.;<)s round the 
 city. Unlike his European congener, his habits as a juirent are 
 unimpeachable ; you never catch h'm depositing cjigs in other 
 birds' nests, — waifs at olh(;r in lividuals' doors ; this 
 shabby, unnatural practice may suH his Cockney Cousin, or 
 our Cow-pen bird ; but our elegant. Cuckoo is loo excellent 
 a gentleman, too kind-hearted a fellow, to desert his ofispring. 
 We have two Cuckoos in Canada — the Yellow-bill jd and the 
 Black-billed. 
 
224 
 
 OUR EARLY PRiLNDS, 
 
 An American writer thus describes him : — 
 
 « The cuckoo is one of the most solitary birds of ourfuresls, 
 and is strangely tame and quiut, appearing equally untouched 
 by joy or grief, tear or anger. Something remote seems ever 
 weighing upon his mind. His note or call is as (»f one lost or 
 wandering, and to the farmer, is prophetic of rain. Amid the 
 general joy and the sweet assurance of spring, I love to listen 
 to the strange clairvoyant call. Heard a quarter of a mile away, 
 from out the depths of the forest, there is something pecidiaily 
 weird and monkish about it. Wordsworth's lines upon the 
 European species apply equally well to ours : » 
 
 blithe new-comer I I have heard, 
 
 I hear thee and rejoice : 
 
 ouokoo 1 shall I call thee bird ? 
 
 Or but a wandering voice ? 
 
 While I am lying on the grass, 
 
 Thy loud note smites my ear 1 
 
 From hill to hill it seems to pass, 
 
 At once far off and near I 
 
 Thrice wolcomo, darling of tho spring ! 
 
 Even yet thou art to me 
 
 No bird, but an invisible thing, 
 
 A voice, a mystery. 
 
 Next to him, you notice a bird encased in a sleek, lustrous, 
 black uniform, with gold and crimson shoulder-straps^ a veri- 
 table rifleman amon^^sl the feathered tribe ; that is the Red- 
 winged Starling : is he not a jaunty, military-looking son of 
 song ? sporting epaulettes, he ought to stand well with the 
 ladies. Doubtless his name of Field Officer, is due to the ad- 
 miration, by of some old dowager, of his gaudy uniform. There 
 sits Robin Redbreast ; you have read, my young friends, of the 
 touching legend, explanatory of the blood red line, on the 
 breast of the English Robin : why, should it not be applied to 
 our Canadian favorite, « the bird of the ruddy breast, towards 
 whom the children of every Canadian house yearn with na- 
 tural love.» 
 
 «. It was on the day, when the Lord Jesus Christ felt his pain 
 upon the bitter cross of wood, that a small and tender bird, 
 which had hovered awhile around, drew nigh about the 
 
TUE BIRDS. 
 
 22o 
 
 our forests, 
 untouched 
 leems ever 
 ne lost or 
 , Amid the 
 m to listen 
 mile away, 
 gpeeidiarly 
 s upon the 
 
 [, lustrous, 
 pSy a veri- 
 the Red- 
 ing son of 
 with the 
 the ad- 
 rm. There 
 nds, of the 
 ne, on the 
 applied to 
 , towards 
 with na- 
 
 t his pain 
 
 ider bird, 
 
 bout the 
 
 seventh hour, and nestled upon the wreath of Syrian thorns 
 And when the gentle creature of the air beheld these cruel 
 spikes, the thirty and three which pierced that bleeding brow, 
 she was moved with grief and compnssion, and the piety of 
 birds ; and she sought to turn aside, if btit one of those thorns, 
 with hi»r fluttering wings and lifted feel ! U was in vain I She 
 did but rend her own soft breast, until blood flowed over her 
 feathers from the wound ? Then said a voice from among th.i 
 angels ' Thou has done well, sweet daughter of the boughs ! 
 Yes, and I bring thee, tidings of reward. Henceforth, from this 
 very hour, and because of this deed of thine, it shall be that 
 in many a land thy race and kind shall bearupon their bosoms 
 the hue and banner of thy faithfid blood ; and the children of 
 every house shall yearn with a natural love towards the birds 
 of the ruddy breast, and shall greet their presence with a voice 
 of thanksgiving I » 
 
 What strange anecdotes I could tell you about him, my 
 familiar friend, who returns each spring to nestle in a bushy 
 evertireen under my library window, notwithstanding several 
 murderous raids made in the vicinity, at day break by Jack 
 Corby, or in the dead of night, by some marauderiiig grimal- 
 kin, when, unfortunately for my feathered neighbour, the 
 trusty guardian of the grounds, my St. Bernard Wolf, is 
 wrapped in balmy sleep? You can fancy what a lively memory 
 birds retain of the spots in which protection has been ex- 
 tended to them, when I tell you that for several years past, 
 I have protected the birds building on my property, and that 
 they have multiplied astonishingly and, each spring pun( tunlly 
 returned. 
 
 Thereare this year, upwards of forty nests of birds round m.' ; 
 one palm tree, next to my library window, contains the nests 
 of no less than two pairs of Chipping Buntings, that friendly 
 little fellow who comes on the very house-steps to pick up 
 crumbs. Close to it, stands a small soft maple tree : a pair of 
 Black-cap Titmice have been industriously scooping a 
 hole out of the heart of the tree for a week. From the hab'ts 
 of this bird, which, 1 presume, is better known to yo«i under 
 the name of Chickadee, none do I prefer to see, building about 
 
 23 
 
226 
 
 OUn EARLY FRIE.NDS, 
 
 my garden : llio (iiiantiiy of insncis it dostroys in catering for 
 ils yoiin^, is really prudi^'io-is. About hvo acres from this 
 spot, another fiimily of C.lrcKadees seem intent on applying for 
 a loealion tickel. Wilson's Snow Bird breeds amongst th(! 
 grass, and is as careful about hilling the cradh of his children 
 as the Song Sparrow, llobins', Redstarts, and Yellow Birds' 
 nests are in course of construction all over I he premises : the 
 angle of a siniclure used as a snow-slide, has been taken pos- 
 session of, by a pair of Robms for two seasons in succession. 
 Allow me lo introduce to you a brave, indomitable fellow — the 
 King Bird (Tyrant fly-catcher) ; Ihe peasantry call him Tri-tri, 
 from his rapid, fpierulous note ; schoolboys known him as the 
 Crow-beater. Observe Ihe little orange tuft of feathers in the 
 centre of his top-knot. Next to him you notice a bird with a 
 beak notched like a Falcon : take my' word for it, that is a 
 sanguinary villain. Naturalists call him « The Shrike, » or 
 Butcher Bird, from the remorseless manner in which he deals 
 with small birds, whom he im|)ales on thorns and tears lo 
 pieces ; I wonder how he can rest at night after such enorm- 
 ities. Fie, fie ! Mr. Shrike, you are a vile fellow ! — as vile 
 nearly as a schoolboy who robs birds'-nesls. Dare not, I pray, 
 show your face on my premises I That grey, rough-coat(Ml 
 bird is a Canada Jay ; the lumberers and woodmen, who spy 
 him in winter rummaging round their camp for scraps of pork, 
 call him Whiskey Jack : he is addicted to pilfering ; so say 
 his enemies. 
 
 There, is a bird whom all of you recognize, the Kingfisher 
 — ladled Kingfisher, — on account of the rust-coloured badge 
 encircling his throat and breast. To heathen mythology he is 
 known as Ceryle Alcyone. Alcyone was the daughter of 
 j^iolus : being a perfect model of conjugal lldelity, she was 
 rewarded, at her death, by being metamoijiliosed into a bird, 
 and the heathen god, her father, whom I shicwdly suspect to 
 have been in Itjague with the clerk of the weather, arranged 
 matters so, that in midsummer, a succession of so many calms, 
 halcydoma, took place that our expert fish- catcher could build 
 her nest on the heaving bosom of the ocean, and rear her 
 young undisturbed. 
 
THE BIRDS. 
 
 227 
 
 Qtcring for 
 * from this 
 pplying for 
 moiigsl l,h(! 
 lis c'liildroii 
 How Birds' 
 misos : llio 
 taken pos- 
 succession. 
 fidlow — tho 
 lim Tri-tri, 
 I liim as the 
 hers in the 
 bird with a 
 it, that is a 
 (hriko, » or 
 ich he deals 
 ind tears to 
 mh enonn- 
 kV ! — as vile 
 not, 1 pray, 
 )Ugii-coaled 
 'n, >vhu spy 
 ips of pork, 
 ig ; so say 
 
 I Kingfisher 
 iired badge 
 iulo{^y he is 
 augbler of 
 she was 
 nto a bird, 
 suspect to 
 arranged 
 ny cahns, 
 ould build 
 d rear her 
 
 
 " Perq\u ditt plaeidot hihemo tempore tepttm, 
 lacuhat Ilulcyone pendentibun aquore ntdi». " 
 
 Ovid. Met. lib. XI. 
 
 This was, to say the least, a great privilege. Hence the 
 origin of halcyon days — days of peace and prolonged security. 
 1 can guarantee this fact, on the faith of heathen mythology ! 
 
 One of the most musical groups amongst our native birds is 
 the Thrushes : some six or seven varieties ar*; now display(!d 
 before you. First, tlus llobin, or Migratory Thrusli ; next, the 
 Catbird, an excentric mimic, whom you can easily distinguish 
 from the rest by his ash colour and catlike note ; then, that 
 beautiful variely, the Golden crowned Thrush ; tho Hermit 
 Thrush, which is attracted to the cool shad(!s of damp woods, 
 where he can, imdistiirbed, go and bathe at sunrise and sunset 
 ill some secluded, cool, purling stream, — how oft have 1 wat- 
 ched him I One of the sweetest song birds of Western Canada is 
 the Brown Thrush, or Thrasher : here is a good specimen. 
 You will notice how much longer his tail is than that of the 
 Hermit Thrush ortiolden-crowned Thrush. The Wood-Thrush, 
 I have not seen in our Province ; and 1 am inclined to helieve 
 the sweet songster who, amongst the Canadian peasantry, is 
 known as « La Flute » — the llnle — from its metallic notes re- 
 sembling the double-tongueing of the German flute, is Wilson's 
 Thrush, whilst its congener the Hermit Thrusli, is known to the 
 French countrylad as «Le Hautbois. » The Thrush family in 
 Canada open for young naturalists, a wide field of enquiry. 
 
 That litth; group of long-winged individuals, you of course 
 recognise as Ihe Swallows, of which live spi^cies visit Canada. 
 The first, supposed to be the rea' harbinger of spring and hot 
 weather, circles over our heads, with its crescent wings, for t!ie 
 first time each year, about the 23rd of April. The Black Chimney 
 Swallow, or Swift, who dives perpendicularly down our 
 chimneys to build its nest, forms part and parcel of every 
 Canadian rural home. As we never see him build elsewhere 
 than in chimneys, will Darwin tell us, where he did build 
 before the invention of chimneys ? You can add that to the 
 other hard problems with which your painstaking teachers 
 try your ingenuity. There is the Purple Martin — a larger 
 
' 
 
 228 
 
 OUB KAHI.T rhlENDS, 
 
 species : (?ach doy, in Jinn;, when I pass down llie Uppor 
 Tuwn niarkct-plncc>, and notice the gairulons crowd of Martens 
 twittering round the northern eaves of tiiu old Jesuit Barracks, 
 I ask myself whether they arc all tlie grand children of those 
 Purple Martens whose ancestors, Alexand(!r Wilson saw, in the 
 beginning of llie ciMitury (1813), » in great nu i, at 
 Quebec; » (1) for the memory of locality is great in .vallows 
 as well as in other birds. 
 
 That broad-mouthed, long winged, short-legged, dark bird 
 squatting on the ground, with white badges on its wings, is 
 the Night llnwk, or Goat Suiker, Caprimulgus. You, no doubt, 
 are aware why he is so persistently calle I (loat Sucker by 
 naturalists ; it is because he nevijr in his life sucked a Goal — 
 never dreamed of it. It is one of those outrageous fabrica- 
 tions invented, by ignorance^ to filch a poor bird of his good 
 name, and fame, and which took root only because it 
 was oFt repeated. In the days of Olaiis Magnus, Bishop of 
 
 (I) Another man of note, Just dead, visited Quebec about 1824, oentrio 
 
 naturalist, Ciiarles Waterton, the digcovorer of the WouruU jioi»< author 
 
 of several works most amusingly and instructively written. CharKs Waterton 
 humorously said that the principal blessings the House of Hanover had con- 
 ferred on the English people wore the suppression of Popery, the creation of the 
 national debt, and the introduction of tiio brown, or Hanoverian, rat. Do not be 
 surprised if the passage of his bouk, relating to Quebec, should contain some- 
 thing eccentric also : — "They are making tremendous fortiHoations at Quebec. 
 It will bo the Gibraltar of the now world. When one considers its distance from 
 Europe, and takes u view of its powerful and enterprising neighbour, Virgil's re- 
 mark at once rushes into the mind, — 
 
 " Si(^ vo» non vobi» nidi/icatU aveii," 
 
 " I left Montreal with regret. I had the good fortune to be introduced to the 
 Professors of the College. These fathers are a very learned and worthy set of 
 gentlemen; and on uiy taking leave of them I felt a heaviness at heart, in re- 
 flecting that I had no mure time to cultivate their acquaintance. In all the way 
 from Buffalo to Quebec, I only met with one bug ; and I cannot even swear that 
 it belougod to the United States. In going down the St. Lawrence, in the steam- 
 boat, I felt something crossing over my neck; and on laying hold of it with my 
 finger and thumb, it turned out to be a little half-grown, ill-conditioned bug. 
 Now, whether it were going from the American to the Canadian side, or from the 
 Canada to the American, and had taken the advantage of my shoulders to ferry 
 itself across, I could not tell. Be this as it may, I thought of my Uncle Toby 
 and the fly ; and so, in lieu of placing it upon the deck, and then putting my 
 thumb-nail vertically upon it, I quietly chucked it amongst some baggage that 
 was close by, and reoommended it to get ashore by the first opportunity." — Water- 
 ton'$ Wanderingt, p. 223. 
 
the Uppor 
 of Mortens 
 t Rnrracks, 
 an or those 
 saw, in the 
 1 ;, at 
 n . .vallows 
 
 I, dark bird 
 s wings, is 
 , no doubt, 
 Sucker by 
 id a Goat — 
 (US fubrica- 
 of bio good 
 because it 
 , Bisiiop of 
 
 1, oentrio 
 
 ( author 
 
 arks Watorton 
 lovor had oon- 
 croution of the 
 at. Do not be 
 contain gome- 
 ma at Quebec, 
 distance from 
 ir, Virgil's ro- 
 
 [roduced to the 
 
 worthy set of 
 
 ^t heart, in re- 
 
 [n aU the way 
 
 [on swear that 
 
 in the steam- 
 
 of it with my 
 
 |ditioned bug. 
 
 i, or from the 
 
 Iders to ferry 
 
 Uncle Toby 
 
 putting my 
 
 >aggage that 
 
 ity."— If a<er- 
 
 TIIE BIRDS. 
 
 229 
 
 IJpsal, in Sweden, few dored to doubt but (hat Swallows, 
 instead of going to Senegal and the Gold coast to spend theii' 
 Christmas and Easter holidays, dived before winter into the 
 bosom of Lukes, and hybernated under the ice till spring, with 
 no gayer companions than a few meditative trout or gudgeon. 
 This was another absurd theory, but which had many great 
 names to prop it up. The Revd. Gilbert White, in his History 
 ofSelborne, a nicer book than which you could not read, elo- 
 quently demonstrated how impossible it was such a thing 
 could take place. 
 
 You recognize at one glance that little fairy — dipped in a 
 sunbeam, begemmed with opals, rubys,anc living sapphires — 
 the Ruby-throated Humming Bird. One species only frequents 
 our climes, though it constitutes a numerous family in South 
 America and in the West Indies. How oft in the dewy morn 
 have you not noticed the little sylph, ecstatic with delight, 
 hovering over the honeysuckle and bright geranium blossoms, 
 and inserting in their expanded corrollas his forked tongue in 
 search of insects and honey. Need I dwell at length on all his 
 loveliness, his incomparable beauty, when you can refer to 
 the glowing descriptions whicli luw great masters, Audubon and 
 Rufibn, have lt.'ft — A udubon's especially. In spite of his finished 
 elegance of diction, the sedentary philosopher, BuiTon, must 
 yield the palm to the naturalist who studied God's creatures 
 on the mountains, prairies, sea shores, plains, fields and forests 
 of our continent. 
 
 I now hold in my hand a most gorgeously-habited little 
 songster, who pays us an occasional visit in July. His azure 
 mantle has bestowed on him the name of Indigo Bird. BulTon 
 calls him «Le Ministre,)) probably because he was, like the 
 French Ministers of Stale, robed in blue : our own Cabinet 
 Ministers, as you know, on the recent visit of the Prince of 
 Wales, chose blue for their yrande tenue officielle. Never shall 
 I forget one bright July morning walking in my garden, shortly 
 after sunrise. In the centre there stood an old apple tree, 
 bearing buds, pink and white, and green leaves ; close to it my 
 children had grown a very large sunflower ; its corolla was 
 then lovingly expanding to the orb of day, whose rays streamed 
 
^ 
 
 230 
 
 OUR EARLY FRIENDS, 
 
 '.'?'- .i^' 
 
 through the overhanging canopy of |(lew-spangled blossoms. 
 In the fork of the apple tree a pair of Robins had bnild their 
 clay-cemented nest, in which, protected by soft hay, rested the 
 tokens of love, four emeralds of pure sea-green, whilst the 
 male Robin was carolling forth his morning hymn from the 
 loftiest branch of a neighbouring red oak. I was in the act of 
 advancing towards it and peering in the nest, when my eye was 
 arrested by the dazzling colours of an azure bird nestling 
 in the sunshine on the saffron leaves of the sunflower. The 
 brightness of the spectacle before me was such, its contrasts 
 so striking, that I paused in mute astonishment at so much 
 splendour. Was it a realm of dream-land spread out before 
 me — a vision painted by a fairy ! It was, my young IViends, 
 only the Indigo Bird of Canada, in his full nuptial plumage, 
 iieen amidst the bright but every-day spectacle of a Canadian 
 landscape. 
 
 What a charming musician, the Vireo or Red-eyed Fly- 
 c.'.lcher, during his protracted stay from May to September? 
 scarcely visible to the naked eye, amidst the jTeen boughs of a 
 lofty oak or elm, he warbles forth his love ditty from sunrise to 
 sunset? How eagerly 1 watched, this spring, for the return 
 from the South of the Sweet, Sweet Canada bird, the while- 
 throated SpaiTow — whose clear, shrill clarion resounds even 
 in the depth of night ! How is it, he did not accompany this 
 spring his congener, the Song Spairow — the Jiossignol — whose 
 simple but soft melody is so dear to a Canadian heart. 
 
 Have any of you ever noticed the Redstart darting, like an 
 arrow, after the small flies, then relighting on the twig, uttering 
 i.is shrill, increasing note, very similar to that of that pretty 
 sii 'mer Yellow bird, also one of the fly-catchers, as you are 
 aware — a family most numerous, and if not generally gil'led 
 with song, at least wearing a very bright livery. The Redstart, 
 the male bird, is easily known by his glcssy black plumage ; 
 when he is flying, he discloses the under portions of his wings, 
 which appear of bright maize. The female is more an olive 
 hue, and does not resemble at all her mate : they breed all 
 round Quebec, and stop here about three months. It is need- 
 l(;ss for me to furnish you wilh a very lenghty description of 
 
THE BiHbS. 
 
 231 
 
 blossoms, 
 build their 
 , rested Iho 
 whilst the 
 11 from the 
 I the act of 
 my eyo was 
 ^d nestling 
 wer. The 
 s contrasts 
 at so much 
 out before 
 iig friends, 
 
 plumage, 
 ) Canadian 
 
 -eyed Fly- 
 eptember? 
 )oughs of a 
 sunrise to 
 he return 
 he while- 
 mds even 
 |)any this 
 / — whose 
 
 1^, like an 
 ., uttering 
 |at pretty 
 you are 
 ly gifted 
 ledstart, 
 luniagc ; 
 Is wings, 
 Ian olive 
 [reed all 
 lis need- 
 >tion of 
 
 the Blue Jay : you are all acquainled vilh his cerulean plumage ; 
 his harsh not, especially before .ain, is familiar to every 
 country school boy. 
 
 1 must not, how(»ver, forget lo point out to you that gorgeously 
 dressed individual, wearing black and orange badges : that 
 is the Baltimore Oriole. He visits chiefly the Montreal dislric!, 
 and Western Canada. Black and orange, did 1 say? why that 
 was the official livery of a great English landownei- of Mary- 
 land, in the days when democracy amongst our neighbours 
 was not. We have il on the authority of Catesby and Alexander 
 Wilson, high authorities, as you know, thit this showy July 
 visitor took its name fioni Lord Baltimore, on whose estates 
 a great inimbor of Urioles were lo be seen. It is satisfactoi'y 
 to iind that, even in llemocratic America, the English aristo- 
 cracy is becomingly represented not only at the White House, 
 but also in the corn fields and green woods of the great Re- 
 public. The Jiallimore Oriole is a tolerably good musician. 
 You can see how brillunl are the colours of these Canada birds 
 now exhibited lo you ! 
 
 1 think you will all agree with ni.', in saying that no country 
 can furnished a group of brighter onos Ihan those now exposed 
 to view, and composed of Canadian birds only : — the fJolden- 
 winged Woodpecker, or Rain Fowl ; Bbie -lay ; Field Officer ; 
 Maryland Yellov '.noat; Wax Wing; Indigo Bird ; Cocrulean 
 Warbler, B'^b'-throated Humming Bird; Scarlet Tanagcr ; 
 Baltirnure Oriole ; Meadow Lark ; Pine tiros beak ; Cardinal 
 Grosbeak ; Rosebreasled Grosbeak and Towhe Bunting. 
 
 As for song, we may safely assert, with fue saint! Alexander 
 Wilson (7) that the fauna of America can compete with that 
 
 (7) " The opinion, says Wilson, which sogcnerally prevails in I'ln gland, that tho 
 music of the groves and woods of Amorioii is far inferior to that of lOurope, I, who 
 have a thousand times listened to both, cannot admit to be conoer. We cannot, 
 with fairness, draw a comparison between tho depth of the forest in America, and 
 the cultivated fields of Englands ; becans« it is a well-known ficf, that singing 
 birds seldom visit the former in any country. But let the latter i)tace be compared 
 with the like situations in the Vnitcd States, and tho superiority of song, I am 
 perfectly persuaded, would justly belong to t!ie Western contiin'nt. The few of 
 our song birds that have visited Europe extort admiration from tho best judges. 
 ' The notes of the cardinal grosbeak, ' says Latham, ' are almu.'<t equal so these 
 of the nightingale. ' Yet these notes, clear and excellent as they ure, are far 
 
232 
 
 OUR EARLY FRIENDS, THE BIRDS. 
 
 of Europe : true, we have not the Skylark, nor the Blackbird ; 
 and our Robin, although very similar to the later in note and 
 habits, is still his inferior ; but we have the Wood Thrush, 
 with its double-tongued flute notes, Wilson's Thrush, the 
 Brown Thrush, the gingling, roystering Bobolink, the Cana- 
 dian Goldfinch, whose warble reminds you of the Canary. Nor 
 are we far wrong in assorting that the far-famed European 
 Nightingale has met with a worthy rival in the American Mock- 
 ing Birds, whose extraordinary musical powers have been so 
 graphically delineated by the great Audubon. 
 
 My young friends, — I was thinking of introducing you into 
 the very sanctum of Natural History, and the advanced hour of 
 the evening compels me to leave you merely at the threshold. 
 If it should so please you, we may, at some future day, resume 
 the investigation of this subject. I thank you for your long and 
 constant attention. Au revoir I J. M. LeMoine. 
 
 inferior to those of the wood thrush ; and even to those of the brown thrush, or 
 thrasher. Our inimitable mocking bird is also aolinowledged, by themselves, to 
 be fully equal to the song of the nightingale in its whole compass. Yet these are 
 not one tenth of the number of our singing birds. Could these people be trans- 
 ported to the borders of our woods and settlements, in the month of May, about 
 half an hour before sunrise, such a ravishing concert would greet their ear as they 
 have no conception of. " — American Ornithology, vol. u., p. 275. 
 
le Blackbird; 
 in note and 
 ►od Thrush, 
 Thrush, the 
 . the Cana- 
 ^anary. Nor 
 i European 
 *rican Mock- 
 ve been so 
 
 THE BIRDS OF CANADA. 
 
 ARRANGED BY J. M. LrMOINE, 
 Aecording to clarification and nomenclature of the Smithsonian Institution. 
 
 b/tli^nSZt ll^sT '''"' ^"*'°^"' "^^"'^'^ ^'""'-" ^''^' ^"^''«^«^ 
 
 g you into 
 iced hour of 
 threshold, 
 lay, resume 
 •ur long and 
 LeIVIoine, 
 
 Tn thrush, or 
 hemselrea, to 
 Yet these are 
 Jle be trans- 
 ' May, about 
 sir ear as thej 
 
 ORDER I. — BIBDS OP PRRT. 
 
 Turkey Buzzard, 
 Duck Hawk, 
 Pigeon Hawk, 
 Jer Falcon, 
 Sparrow Hawk, 
 Goshawk, 
 Cooper's Hawk, 
 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 
 Swainson's Hawk, 
 Baird's Bazzard, 
 Brown, or Canada Hawk, 
 Red-tailed Hawk, 
 Western Red -tail, 
 Red-Shouldered Hawk, 
 Broad-winged Hawk, 
 Sharp-winged Hawk, 
 Rough-legged Hawk, 
 Black Hawk, 
 
 1. 
 5. 
 7. 
 
 11. 
 
 13. 
 
 14. 
 
 15. 
 
 17. 
 
 18. 
 
 19. 
 
 21. 
 23. 
 24. 
 25. 
 27. 
 38. 
 30. 
 31. 
 
 Marsh Hawk, 
 
 Golden Eagle ; Ring taUed 
 
 Northern Sea Eagle, 
 
 Gray Soa Eagle, 
 
 Bald Eagle, 
 
 Fish Hawk, 
 
 Great Horned Owl, 
 
 Mottled Owl, 
 
 Long-eared Owl, 
 
 Short-eared Owl, 
 iGreat Gray Owl, 
 
 Barred Owl, 
 Sparrow Owl, 
 
 (1) Kirtland'B Owl, 
 Saw-whet Owl, 
 Snowy Owl, 
 Hawk Owl, 
 
 Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 69. 
 
 Black-billed Cuckoo. 70. 
 
 Hairy Woodpecker, 74I 
 
 Downy Woodpecker, 76. 
 
 Three-toed Woodpecker, 82. 
 
 Banded three-toed Woodpecker, 83. 
 
 ORDER It. — CLJIIBKR8 
 
 Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, 
 Black AVoodpecker, 
 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 
 Red-headed Woodpecker, 
 Yellow-shafted Flicker, 
 
 OBDKR III.— PERCHKRS. 
 
 Ruby throated Humming Bird, 101. 
 
 Chimney Swallow, 109 
 
 Chuck-Will's Widow, m.' 
 
 Whip-poor-will, 112 
 
 Night Hawk, 114^ 
 
 Belted King-flsher, 117' 
 
 King Bird ; Bee Bird, 124. 
 
 Pewee, 135, 
 
 Olive-sided Flycatcher, 137. 
 
 Wood Pewee, 139. 
 
 j Traill's Flycatcher, 
 Least Flycatcher, 
 Green-crested Flycatcher, 
 I'ellow- bellied Flycatcher (1^. 
 lAVood Thrush, 
 Hermit Thrush, 
 Wilson's Thrush, 
 Olive-backed Thrush 
 'Robin, 
 I Varied Thrush, 
 
 38. 
 Eaglo, 39. 
 40. 
 42. 
 43. 
 44. 
 48. 
 49. 
 tl. 
 53. 
 63. 
 64. 
 65. 
 56. 
 67. 
 61. 
 
 85. 
 90. 
 91. 
 
 94. 
 
 y7. 
 
 140. 
 141. 
 143. 
 144. 
 148. 
 149. 
 151. 
 
 16;?. 
 
 156. 
 156. 
 
 (1) Thw rare Owl. lost sight of for fifty years in the fauna of the United States 
 .8 mentioned by Professor Arch. Hall, of Montreal -there is one specimen in the' 
 Mmeum of Natural History, of Montreal ; Thomas Mcllwraith. Esq., of Hamiltor. 
 owM one. and I have had the good fortune to capture one alive, which is still 
 (1M4) ID mj poiitnion. 
 
 U 
 
234 
 
 THE BIBDS OF CAN.VDA. 
 
 (1) Sto-j <;hfct, 
 Blur xiird, 
 
 Ruby-crowned WroD, 
 (JoMcn crested Wren, 
 Cunur Golden Crest, 
 Tit-lark, 
 
 Long-billed Creeper, 
 Prothonotary Warbler, 
 Maryland Yellow-throat, 
 Mourning Warbler, 
 Connecticut Warbler, 
 Kentucky Warbler, 
 Onldon-winged Warbler, 
 Nashville Warbler, 
 Goldon-orowned Thrush, 
 Water Thrush, 
 
 Blank-throated Blue Warbler, 
 Yellow-rump Warbler, 
 Blaokburnian AVarblnr, 
 Bay-broasted Warbler, 
 Pine-creeping Warbler, 
 Chestnut-sided Warbler, 
 Blue Warbler, 
 Black Poll Warbler, 
 Yellow Warbler, 
 Black and Yellow Warbler, 
 Cape May Warbler, 
 Yellow Kod Poll, 
 Hooded Warbler, 
 Small-headed Flycatcher, 
 Green Black Cap Flycatcher, 
 Canada Flycatcher, 
 Redstart, 
 Scarlet Tanager, 
 Summer Rod Bird, 
 Barn Swallow, 
 Cliff Swallow, 
 White-bellied Swallow, 
 Bank Swallow, 
 Purple Martin, 
 
 (2) Wax Wing, 
 Cedar Bird, 
 Great Northern Shrike, 
 Whito-rumpod Shrike, 
 Red-eyed I<lycatoher, 
 Yellow-green Vireo, 
 Warbling Vireo, 
 Blue headed Flycatcher, 
 Yellow-throated Vireo, 
 
 AVild Pigeon, 
 Common Dove, 
 Wild Turkey, 
 Spruce Partridge, 
 Prairie lion. 
 
 167. 
 
 158. 
 
 161. 
 
 1«1. 
 
 163. 
 
 165. 
 
 167«. 
 
 169. 
 
 170. 
 
 172. 
 
 174. 
 
 175. 
 
 181. 
 
 183. 
 
 186. 
 
 187. 
 
 193. 
 
 194. 
 
 196. 
 
 197. 
 
 198. 
 
 200. 
 
 201. 
 
 202. 
 
 203. 
 
 204. 
 
 206. 
 
 208. 
 
 211. 
 
 212. 
 
 213. 
 
 214. 
 
 217. 
 
 220. 
 
 221. 
 
 225. 
 
 226. 
 
 227. 
 
 229. 
 
 231. 
 
 232. 
 
 233. 
 
 236. 
 
 238. 
 
 240. 
 
 241. 
 
 245. 
 
 260. 
 
 252. 
 
 IWIDKR IV. — 
 
 448. 
 451. 
 457. 
 460. 
 464. 
 
 I Cat Bird, 264. 
 
 j Brown Thrufh, 261. 
 
 Long-billed .Marsh Wren, 268. 
 
 House M'ren, 270. 
 
 Wood Wren, 272. 
 
 Winter Wren, 273. 
 
 American Creeper, 276. 
 
 Red-bellied Nuthatch, 279. 
 
 Black-ca]> Titmouse, 290. 
 
 Iludsonian Titmouse, 296. 
 
 Sky Lark, 302. 
 
 Blue Grosbeak, 303. 
 
 Pine Grosbeak, 304. 
 
 Purple Finch, 305. 
 
 Yellow Bird, 313. 
 
 Pino Finch, 317. 
 
 Rod Crossbill, 318. 
 
 White-winged Crossbill, 319. 
 
 Lesser Red Poll, 320. 
 
 .Mealy Hod Poll (?), 321. 
 
 Snow Bunting, 325. 
 
 Lapland Longspur, 326. 
 
 Grass Finchy, 337. 
 
 White-crowned Sparrow, 345. 
 
 White-throated Sparrow, 349. 
 
 Black Snow Bird, 354. 
 
 Tree Sparrow, 357. 
 
 Field Sparrow, 358. 
 
 Chipping Sparrow, 359. 
 
 Song Spariow, 363. 
 
 Swamp Sparrow, 369. 
 
 Fox-colored Sparrow, 374. 
 
 Black-throated Buniing, 378. 
 
 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 380. 
 
 Indigo Bird, 387. 
 
 (3) Cardinal, 390. 
 
 Boblink; Reed Bird, 399. 
 
 Cow Bird, 400. 
 
 Red-winged Blackbird, 401. 
 
 .Meadow Lark, 406. 
 
 Orchard Oriole, 414. 
 
 Baltimore Oriole, 415. 
 
 Rusty Blackbird, 417. 
 
 Crow Blackbird, 421. 
 
 American Raven, 423. 
 
 Common Crow, 426. 
 
 .Magpie, 432. 
 
 Blue Jay, 434. 
 
 Canada Jay, 443, 
 
 GAI.r.IXACKOtS. 
 
 I Ruffed Grouse, 465. 
 
 Rock Grouse, 468. 
 
 American Ptarmig.in, 470. 
 
 Partridge; Quail, 471. 
 
 t: 
 
 ' 
 
 (1) I insert the stonochat and the blue grosbeak on the authority of Mr. 
 William Couper, of this city, — who was presented with a specimen of each, shot 
 in Canada— Several warblers and Flycatchers found in Ontario, do not reach 
 Quebec. 
 
 (2) Care ought to be taken not to confound this bird with its small summer 
 iiongener — the cherry or cedar bud — the wax -wing is altogether a winter visitor. 
 
 (3) A most brilliant specimen was trapped by me, in my garden, at Spencer 
 Grunge, August, 1869. 
 
THE BIRDS OF CANADA. 
 
 235 
 
 154. 
 
 361. 
 
 208. 
 
 270. 
 
 373. 
 
 373. 
 
 375. 
 
 879. 
 
 290. 
 
 290. 
 
 302. 
 
 303. 
 
 304. 
 
 305. 
 
 313. 
 
 317. 
 
 318. 
 
 319. 
 
 320. 
 
 321. 
 
 325. 
 
 326. 
 
 337. 
 
 345. 
 
 349. 
 
 354. 
 
 357. 
 
 358. 
 
 369. 
 
 363. 
 
 369. 
 
 374. 
 
 378. 
 
 380. 
 
 387. 
 
 390. 
 
 399. 
 
 400. 
 
 401. 
 
 406. 
 
 414. 
 
 415. 
 
 417. 
 
 421. 
 
 423. 
 
 426. 
 
 433. 
 
 465. 
 468. 
 470. 
 471. 
 
 ty of Mr. 
 each, shot 
 not reach 
 
 I summer 
 »r visitor. 
 It Spencer 
 
 Sand-hill Crane (7). 
 White Heron. 
 Great Blue Heron. 
 Least Bittern, 
 Bittern; Stalce Driver, 
 Green Heron, 
 Night Heron, 
 
 (1) Glossy Ibis, 
 <}oIden Plover, 
 Kill-deer, 
 Wilson's Plover, 
 Semipalmated Plover; Ring 
 
 yQTf 
 Piping Plover, 
 Black-bellied Plover, 
 Turnstone, 
 
 (2) American Avoset, 
 Northern f halarope, 
 American Woodcock, 
 English Snipe, 
 Red- breasted Snipe, 
 Gray-back ; Knot, 
 
 American Swa-j, 
 Trumpeter Swan, 
 Snow Goose, 
 
 White-fronted Goose (?), 
 Brown-fronted Goose, 
 Canada Goose, 
 White-cheeked Goose, 
 Hutohin's Goose, 
 Brant, 
 Mallard, 
 Black Duck, 
 Sprig-tail; Pin -tail, 
 Green-winged Teal, 
 Blue-winged Teal, 
 Read-breasted Teal, 
 Shoveller, 
 Gadwall, 
 Baldpate, 
 Summer Duck, 
 Greater Black-head, 
 Little Black-head, 
 Ring-ueekod Duck, 
 Red-head, 
 Canvas-back, 
 
 OKDEB V. — WADRRS. 
 
 PIo- 
 
 '•79. 
 486. 
 487. 
 491. 
 492. 
 493. 
 495. 
 500. 
 503. 
 504. 
 506. 
 
 507. 
 508. 
 510. 
 515. 
 617. 
 520. 
 522. 
 523. 
 524. 
 526. 
 
 ORDKK VI, 
 561 a 
 
 562. 
 
 563. 
 
 565. 
 
 566. 
 
 567. 
 
 668. 
 
 569. 
 
 570. 
 
 676. 
 
 677. 
 
 578. 
 
 679. 
 
 681. 
 
 582. 
 
 683. 
 
 58-1. 
 
 585. 
 
 587. 
 
 588. 
 
 589. 
 
 590. 
 
 591. 
 
 592. 
 
 Jack Snipe, 
 'Least Sandpiper, 
 iSanderling, 
 
 Semipalmated Sandpiper. 
 jWillet, *^^ 
 
 iTell-tale; Stone Snipe 
 ! Yellow Legs, 
 jSolitary Sandpiper, 
 : Spotted Sandpiper, 
 Field Plover, 
 .Buff-broa.sted Sandpiper, 
 Marbled Godwit, 
 Hudson Godwit, 
 Long-billed Curlew, 
 lludsonian Curlew, 
 Esquimaux Curlew, 
 Clapper Rail, 
 Virginia Hail, ; 
 Yellow Rail, ' 
 Coot, 
 Florida Gallinule, 
 
 i — PAI.MATED. 
 
 Golden Eye, 
 
 Barrow's Golden Eye, 
 
 Butter Ball, 
 
 Harlequin Duck, 
 
 South Southerly, 
 (Labrador Duck, 
 'Velvet Duck, 
 ISurf Duck, 
 Scoter, 
 Eider Duck, 
 King Eider, 
 Ruddy Duck, 
 Black-masked Duck, 
 Sheldrake, 
 
 Red-breasted Merganser, 
 Hooded Jlorganser, 
 Smew, 
 
 (5) American Pelican, 
 Brown Pelican, 
 Gannet, 
 
 Cumuioii Cormorant, 
 Double -crested Cormorant 
 (1) Leach's Petrel (?), 
 Wilson's Petrol, 
 
 531. 
 532. 
 634. 
 
 535. 
 
 637. 
 
 639. 
 
 640. 
 
 641. 
 
 643. 
 
 545. 
 
 646. 
 
 547. 
 
 548. 
 
 549, 
 
 550. 
 
 551. 
 
 553. 
 
 564. 
 
 557. 
 
 559. 
 
 560. 
 
 593. 
 
 594. 
 
 595. 
 
 596. 
 
 697. 
 
 600. 
 
 601. 
 
 602. 
 
 604. 
 
 606. 
 
 608. 
 
 609. 
 
 610. 
 
 611. 
 
 612. 
 
 613. 
 
 614. 
 
 615. 
 
 616. 
 
 617. 
 
 620. 
 
 02;i. 
 
 642. 
 
 644. 
 
 to whom I am also indebted for a^ JS^'n'dVltg "b u ' .n .l' "' '''"'''"' 
 
 under Ite 6th C ^864 ''u L'''';'"" .^'"7''-'' •"' "'""i''"'". '" a btter to n.e 
 pelicans^- ^' ' "'"' ''^^"''^'-■•^ '''« '^-^^nt appearance of a tlock of 
 
 J. M. LeMoine. Esq.. Quebec, C. E. Hamilton, Ma, m, 186 1 
 
 Saturday morning the gunners were early astir, and tinding thVpeUcaM'^itHI 
 
236 
 
 THE BIIIDS OP CAN AM. 
 
 Mother Gary's Chicken, 
 
 645. 
 
 Marsh Tern, 
 
 % 
 
 Greater Shearwater, 
 
 647. 
 
 Caspian Tern, 
 Sooty Tern, 
 
 Sooty Shearwater, 
 
 648. 
 
 088. 
 
 Mauk'a Shearwater, 
 
 640. 
 
 Wilson's Tern, 
 
 489. 
 
 Dusky Shearwater, 
 
 650. 
 
 Arctic Tern, 
 
 m. 
 
 Cinereoui Petrel, 
 
 6ai. 
 
 Roseate Tern, 
 
 69S. 
 
 Pomarine Skua, 
 
 663. 
 
 Least Tern, 
 
 094. 
 
 Arctic Skua, 
 
 654. 
 
 Loon, 
 
 098. 
 
 Olauoous Winged Gull, 
 
 657. 
 
 Red-throated Diver, 
 
 TOl. 
 
 White-winged Oull. 
 
 658. 
 
 Red-necked Grebe, 
 
 rot. 
 
 Great Black -backed Gull, 
 
 660. 
 
 Crested Grelu, 
 
 703. 
 
 Herring Gull, 
 
 661. 
 
 Homed Grebe, 
 
 ro0. 
 
 King-billed Gull, 
 
 664. 
 
 Great Auk, 
 
 no. 
 
 Laughing Gull, 
 
 667. 
 
 Razor-billed Auk, 
 
 ni. 
 
 Franklin's Rosy Gull, 
 
 668. 
 
 Arctic Puffin, 
 
 m. 
 
 Bonaparte's Gull, 
 
 670. 
 
 Least Auk, 
 
 TJ3. 
 
 Kittiwake Gull, 
 
 672. 
 
 Black Guillemot, 
 
 no. 
 
 Ivory Gull, 
 
 676. 
 
 Foolish Guillemot, 
 
 739. 
 
 Swallow-tailed Gull, 
 
 679. 
 
 Murre, 
 
 780. 
 
 Fork-tailed Gull, 
 
 680. 
 
 Sea Dove, (1) 
 
 788. 
 
 there, started in pursuit, the birds seemed unwilling to rise from the water, but 
 not at all disposed to admit of a close inspection, and so vigorously did they ply 
 their large and powerful paddles that though the wind was high and fair, it was 
 only after a chase of about two miles that the skiff's got sufficiently near to risk a 
 long shot, which crippled two of the number ; one was wing- broken and could not 
 rise, another, though evidently hit, kept sailing round still rising, till on making 
 a sudden turn against the wind to join his companions, the fractured pinion gave 
 way, and he fell from a great height into the water, where he was soon secured. 
 The remainder of the flock returned in the evening, and were seen for two or three 
 days afterwards evidently seeking their companions, but were extremely wary and 
 could not again be approached within gunshot. About fifteen years ago a small 
 flock spent a day or two about the bay, and one was shot, which is all I have 
 heard of being observed here, though there is no doubt that like other migratory 
 birds which breed in the fur countries, they must pass this way every spring and 
 fall, the probable reason why we do not see them oitoner is that when migrating 
 they fly at an immense height, and may perform the whole journey without stop- 
 page. The individuals procured were both males in adult plumage ; one is now 
 etuff'ed and in my possession, the skin of the other has been sent to England. 
 
 On the 25th of April, while paddling along the bay shore, I observed some 
 strange looking birds sitting on a submerged stump about 100 yards from shore 
 opposite a point of woods which runs out into the bay ; creeping on under shadow 
 of the trees, I found the group consisted of five cormorants, three large and 
 brownish in color, and two smaller and darker. I watched them for some time, 
 their motions wore graceful in the extreme, as they sat pruning their plumage, 
 their long slender necks curving in every conceivable direction, while every now 
 and then one of the number would dart off into the water and presently return 
 with a fish, which was swallowed with no ceremony save turning the head down- 
 wards. At length they seemed aware of my proximity, and that the distance 
 vas diminishing. I was anxious to secure one of each kind, and just as they got 
 up made use of the meansi in my power to accomplish that object, but was only 
 partially successful, as the larger of the two, though evidently struck by the 
 shot, managed to get away, the other was a fine specimen, and agrees in every 
 particular with Professor Baird's description of the Florida cormorant, though I 
 would scarcely have expected to find that bird so far north. It may be that being 
 in company with the larger species which breeds in the north, they have been led 
 away from their usual haunts. 
 
 Regarding the glossy Ibis, I may mention that a pair of these birds were shot 
 here in 1857, and are now in my possession. I have a specimen of Kirtland's owl, 
 and have also obtained recently a fine specimen of the great cinereous owl. 
 
 (I) Nos. Ill, 163, 493, 508, 562, 568, 582, 610, 616, 623, 647, 649, 650, 651, 
 657, 067, 668, 679, 682, 088, 690, 692, 694, 703, 710, 729, are inserted on the au- 
 thority of Dr. A. Ross, of Toronto. (See liirda of Crtnada, by Ross, Toronto, 1872.) 
 
ffSl. 
 
 683. 
 
 «88. 
 
 «89. 
 
 000. 
 
 692. 
 
 694. 
 
 698. 
 
 701. 
 
 702. 
 
 703. 
 
 706. 
 
 710. 
 
 711. 
 
 716. 
 
 723. 
 
 726. 
 
 729. 
 
 730. 
 
 738. 
 
 the waUr, but 
 r did they plj 
 id fair, it was 
 ' near to risk a 
 I and oould not 
 till on making 
 id pinion gave 
 
 soon secured, 
 for two or three 
 imely wary and 
 '8 ago a small 
 1 is all I hare 
 her migratory 
 spring and 
 len migrating 
 
 without stop- 
 one is now 
 
 England. 
 
 bserved some 
 from shore 
 under shadow 
 large and 
 some time, 
 eir plumage, 
 le every now 
 ently return 
 head down- 
 the distance 
 as they got 
 ut was only 
 ruck by the 
 BBS in every 
 t, though I 
 that being 
 ave been led 
 
 ds were shot 
 Hand's owl, 
 s owl. 
 
 9, 650, 651, 
 on the au- 
 onto, 1872.) 
 
 FIN AND FEATHER IN CANADA, d, 
 
 1863. 
 
 " The shootings in Breadalbane and Athole are leased at the following rents; 
 Blair— Athole, £3,485 ; Fortingall, £1,934 ; Legierait, £674 ; Moulin, £670 ; 
 Little Dunherld, £1,432 ; Dull, 984 ; Weem, £207 ; Kenmore, £300 ; Killin, 
 £984 } Balquhidder, £785. iMaharajah Dhuleep Singh has sublet the shootings 
 of Auchlyne and Suic, for which he paid £750, and has taken the moors of 
 OrandtuUy, where he will shoot this season. " — (Late English Papers — 1863.) 
 
 Shooting in the wilds or Canada, does not much resemble 
 flushing pheasants or partridges or starting hares in the woody 
 old parks of Britain, or popping over black game in the perfu- 
 med heather of a scotch moor. 
 
 Undoubtedly, one of the chief pleasures of the English 
 sportsman lies in beating up systematically, with his steady 
 well trained dogs, the game preserves, wether wood, stubble, 
 swamp or moor, each year when September brings about 
 its long looked for treat. In fact, to the English Nimrod, the 
 savoir (aire of his pointer, his hound or setter, of noble descent 
 afl'ords unmitigated pleasure ; in Canada, dogs, even the 
 most valuable, except in snipe, cock, grouse and duck shoot- 
 ing, would be often useless — not unfreqiienlly, a bore. Of the 
 many thousand deer shot in Canada from 1793 to 1801, and 
 from an authentic lletiirn (2) now before us, we find, that by 
 this Return the skins of the 169,811 deers, who found their 
 way across the Atlantic, probably not two were hunted with 
 dogs. 
 
 In collecting together some facts relating to the finned and 
 feathered game of Canada, we thought we could not do belter 
 than preface this short sketch with accurate data and figures, 
 exhibiting what the killing of a few deer, hares, grouse and 
 
 (1) Reprinted from the London " Canadian News, " with corrections. 
 
 (2) The following statement of the " avsraga number of peltries cleared at the 
 Custom Ilouse, Quebec, for England, for nine years, from 1793 to 1801 inclusive, 
 with a calculation of the duties paid thereon on their landing in England," will, 
 doubtless, be read with interest. It bears the evidence of having been compiled 
 many years ago; and that the figures given below do not cover the whole of the 
 nine years, but are only an average for each year is further proved by the endor- 
 Bement of the amount of duty paid " annually." 
 
 It is almost startling to read of 169,811 deer skins being shipped 'each year ; 
 
238 
 
 FIN AND FEATHER IN CANADA. 
 
 pheasants annually costs some of the sporting gentry of Bri- 
 tain ; indeed, we know of a recent instance, in which three 
 rich young sportsmen of llie « land o'cakes » purchased for 
 £600, the right to shoot on some of the moors of Scotland, 
 and actually brought home two brace of grouse, each ; expen- 
 sive sport, was it not ? 
 
 What hecatombs of deer, what pyramids of wild turkey, 
 what hampers of snipe, quail, ducks, grouse and pruie h(ins, 
 we would now ask, the rental of a Scotch shooling range, such, 
 for instance, as Blair Alhole, viz., <£3,485, would procure to a 
 score of Canadian Nimrods ? Why, to use a metaphor, which 
 some may consider as savouring of the Yankee war telegrams of 
 1863, a ship a trifle smaller than the Great Eastern, might be 
 freighted with the proceeds of such a gigantic hattue I 
 
 When we read of Lord Dufferin's (1) pic-nic to Iceland, in 
 
 
 but aoine of the other figures giren below are little less remarkable. Our readers 
 will remember that the rate and amount of duty are in sterling money : 
 Numhtr. Duty. 
 
 137,548 beaTer skins Id each £ 573 2 
 
 38,638 martins 55s for 40 or ]8 4Jdeaoh 2656 7 
 
 18,349 otters Is 5d each 
 
 11,329 minks 16s 6d for 40.. 
 
 5,483 fishers Is 4jd each. 
 
 10,141 foxes 4jd each 
 
 19,386 bears 5s 7d each 
 
 169,811 deer 2d each 
 
 144,439 raccoons ISs 9d for 100... 
 
 12,200 casco and oppossum oats Ud per 100.... 
 943 elks 4d each 
 
 1298 14 
 
 223 13 
 
 399 6 
 
 190 2 
 
 5303 13 
 
 6,886 wolves 
 
 778 wolverines Ss 6d each. 
 
 819 oarcajoux 48 5d each. 
 
 219 badgers 7d each 
 
 '.1,130 kitts lis per 100. 
 
 1,<)78 seals 2d each 
 
 2,835 squirrels and hares lid per 120. 
 
 57,151 muskrata.. 
 2 buffaloes... 
 1 tiger 
 
 1415 
 
 993 
 
 67 
 
 14 
 
 .6s 4deaoh 2189 
 
 136 
 
 143 
 
 6 
 
 50 
 
 16 
 
 1 
 
 .13a 9d for 100 392 
 
 4 
 3 
 5 
 
 6 
 2 
 
 10 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 9 
 3 
 8 
 
 1 10 
 11 3 
 
 2 9 
 
 £16,071 15 4 
 {Ottaicn Timti) —Morning Chronicle, 9th April, 1869. 
 
 (1) Singularly enough, this invitation extended by me ten years ago (when 
 this sketch was written) in the name of Canadian sportsman, the noble Earl 
 has lived to accept, though, in a aense and for an object very different. May ho tlou> 
 
FIN AND FEATBER IN CANADA. 
 
 236 
 
 try of Brl- 
 ;hich three 
 cliased for 
 ' Scotland, 
 'h ; expen- 
 
 ild turkey, 
 praie hons, 
 ange, such, 
 )rocnrc to a 
 ihor, which 
 telegrams of 
 n, might be 
 ue/ 
 Iceland, in 
 
 le. Our readers 
 [oney : 
 
 .£ 573 
 
 . 2656 
 
 . 1298 
 
 223 
 
 3a9 
 
 ,. 1«0 
 
 ,. 5303 
 
 .. 1415 
 
 .. «93 
 
 67 
 
 14 
 
 „ 2189 
 
 136 
 
 143 
 
 6 
 
 50 
 
 16 
 
 I 
 
 392 
 
 2 4 
 
 7 3 
 
 14 5 
 
 13 6 
 
 5 2 
 
 2 10 
 
 13 
 
 1 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 9 
 3 
 8 
 
 1 10 
 11 3 
 
 2 9 
 
 £16,071 15 4 
 April, 1869. 
 
 |ar8 ago (when 
 
 Ihe noble Earl 
 
 it. May hu Uou- 
 
 the Foam, to v.iiness, among other things, an eruption 
 of Mount Hecia ; vhen we hear of an enterprising young En- 
 glislimaii having recently sailed for fireenlnnd to practice rifle- 
 shooting on walrussos, we naturally wonder why more of the 
 Vimturesome spirits amongst our transatlantic friends do not 
 tear themselves away, even for a few months, from London 
 fogs, which according to Sidney Smith, make one feel like « on 
 a flne day looking up a chimney, on a dull one, looking down» 
 to recruit and breath our bracing air. How is it that so few, 
 comparatively speaking, come to enjoy the scenei y and bright 
 summer skies of Canada ? ^ 
 
 « Our Laurentines, with their thousand streams and dark pine, 
 fir and beach woods have few rivals in the world for sylvan 
 beauty. The heights are sharp and bold ; the torrents are 
 fo.imy, and wreathed into curling waterfalls. You see below 
 tops of woods and forests that resemble bandlels of shrubbery 
 and great rivers that seem ribbons of silver. You notice around 
 you climbing heights, in all the sullenness of undisturbed na- 
 ture — rich with every tree that grows and echoing the shrill 
 sounds of myriads of wild birds. Interesting to the tourist 
 and lover of the beauties of nature, it is doubly so to the 
 sportsman and disciple of Isaac Walton, as the whole country 
 seems to be Nature's rich preserve for game of all sorts, and 
 the waters of the many streams that empty into the St. Law- 
 rence, teem with trout and salmon. » 
 
 With what zest the enterprising and eccentric Britons 
 could undertake a ramble with rod and gun in hand, over our 
 majestic chain of mountains from Niagara to Labrador, 
 choosing as rallying points, whereat to compare notes and 
 discuss politics, old port and sandwiches, the summit of Cape 
 Eternity, in the Saguenay district, the peak of Cape Tourmente, 
 and the Cave of the Winds under the great cataracic, after 
 ransacking for fish and game the fifteen hundred intervening 
 miles of coast ! We fancy that the atmosphere of those airy 
 
 riah and fill an ample bag on the Western Prairies, or even the shores of Hudson's 
 Bay, should the shooting on the St. Claire Marshes or at Lanoachire prove in- 
 sufficient I may the shade of the Great St. Hubert, the patron of all Nimrods, 
 borer over, to protect him against marsh feaver, ague and rhumatism ? 
 
240 
 
 FIN AND FEATHER IN CANADA. 
 
 positions is as brisk as that of Bon-Mnc-Dui or (laini-gorum, 
 and that the divers incidents of travel and sport which would 
 be therein combined, ought elTectualiy to (lis|iel ennui and res- 
 tore their spirits for, as the author of Childe Harold truly 
 says: 
 
 " There is a ploasure in the pathleia wood, 
 There is a rapture on the lonely shore, 
 There is society where none intrudes 
 By the deep sea, and music^in its roar." 
 
 If this were insufficient to rouse them, a smart trudge to 
 the shores of the frozen ocean might be added ; our disting- 
 
 uished travellers would shoot, on the route, 
 
 ptarmigan, 
 
 blue 
 
 or sooty foxes, arctic hares, polar bears and the musk ox after 
 camping on the shores of Ihe Copper Mine and the Great Slave 
 Lake ; the parly on its return, might now and again lunch at 
 the Hudson Bay posts, in the absence of belter fare, on pem- 
 mican, whale or walrus steaks — and who can say, whether 
 combining with amusement, the cause of humanity, they 
 might not be fortunate enough to elicit further tidings of the 
 fate of Sir John Franklin's gallant band? This attractive pro- 
 gramme, however, we merely display to tempt the most 
 enterprising among the English sporting world ; as for us 
 natives^ we fiml abundance of fish and game without venturing 
 so far. 
 
 Volumes have been written to make known the inexhaustible 
 mineral, agricultural, industrial and commercial wealth of this 
 colony, but little etlbrts have yet been used to place on record 
 the noble game, the inexhaustible treasures of wholesome 
 food which a kind Providence has ^tored in the streams, in 
 the rivers, in the forests of this magnificent country, for the 
 benefit, for the daily use, of the million as well as of the mil- 
 lionaire. Few — some, through interested motives, have sup- 
 pressed the fact — few have published to the world, that Canada, 
 without the stringent game laws of England, without scarcely 
 any expense, but with the mere consent of the people and the 
 fosteringcare of Ihe government, can be made nearly what it was 
 formerly — one of the most favored localities on the earth for 
 game — yea, a veritable Canaan— a land of promise — abound- 
 
FIN AND FEATHER IN CANADA. 
 
 241 
 
 irii-gorum, 
 \\\c\\ would 
 ui and res- 
 irold truly 
 
 •t trudge to 
 )ur disting- 
 ligan, blue 
 sk ox aft(T 
 ireat Slave 
 ill lunch at 
 
 e, on pem- 
 
 f, whether 
 mity, they 
 ings of the 
 pctivo pro- 
 
 the most 
 as for us 
 venturing 
 
 ixhaustible 
 ilth of this 
 
 on record 
 Ivholesome 
 [reams, in 
 
 ', for the 
 ►f the mil- 
 |have sup- 
 it Canada, 
 scarcely 
 le and the 
 ^hatitwas 
 
 earth for 
 
 -abound- 
 
 ing with the «milk and honoy)) of amusement for all those 
 who rejoice in the manly and exhilaraling pleasures of Ihe 
 chase. 
 
 It is true that for two centuries back the people have slruj^glcd 
 hard to extirpat(t (I) its fish and gnm>', and that, had the 
 advice of the sportsmen not been heard in time, (?vei y estuary 
 in the piovince would have been depleted ; lh(! forests, 
 the sea shores, the whole country, instead of harboring quan- 
 tities of luscious game, myriads of insect-devouring birds, 
 would soon hav(» beconit; a kind of howling wilderness. Much 
 harm has undoubtedly been done ; but the curing of the evil 
 is fortunately still within our reach (2). Having noticed else- 
 where the glorious results which have crowned the protective 
 policy of successive administrations towards (3) fl^haIld game, 
 we shall now confine ourselves merely lo mentioning suc- 
 cinctly the chief hunting grounds in the province. 
 
 Old writers, one and all, have spoken with astonishmenl, 
 nay, with rapture, of the abundance and vaiieties of Ihe sea 
 fowl and birds frequcmling the shores of th(» St. Lawrence, 
 and we all know how thousands of the aboriginal races for 
 
 (1) One of the greatest enormities perpetrated by the Indian, is the extinction 
 in eastern, and in the greater portion of western Canada, of the wapiti or Cana- 
 dian stag, the noblest «f the ypocies, which roamed through our mountains— as 
 large as a horse, with round, sharp antlers five feet high. It is now abundant in 
 the western prairies and the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, from tlie Sfitli 
 or 57th parallel of north latitude to Texas In the Hudson Bay territories, ac- 
 cording to Sir John Richardson, its eastern limit is a lino drawn from the south 
 end of Lake Winnepeg to the Saskatchewan, in the 103rd degree of longitude, 
 thence till it strikes the Elk river, in the Tilth degree. 
 
 (2) The increasing and successful efforts of the Quebec and Montreal Fish and 
 Game Protection Clubs must necessarily be a source of pleasure to the many 
 patriotic sportsmen interested in the eauso of its preservation. Amongst many 
 siealous members, one above others, in my opinion, deserves a passing word of 
 encouragement, for his UNtiring efforts and energy — poachers, hucksters, pot- 
 hunters ; every species of obstructive, have in vain tried to put him down 
 — I mean F. W. Austin, Esq., for several years Secretary to the Quebec Fish and 
 Game Protection Club. 1863. — (Alas, since these pages were written the angel of 
 health has deserted our active secretary — For his fireside, the calamity is great ; 
 for the unprotected game, it is greater still. 1873.) 
 
 (3) With this object was written my small volume; " L«' Pechene» du Cn- 
 nndn." 
 
 25 
 
2i2 
 
 PIN AND FEATIIEU IN CANADA. 
 
 conliii'ios siihsjstnd oxclusivcly on th(; produce of the ohasO) 
 llii-Mii<^rhi)iil tht) boiitidlnss fontsts of Cnnnda (1). 
 
 Tlio .Icsiiils, ^ifMicrnlly ncnirnln in Ihoir stalemnnts, in dos- 
 crihin;^', in 1062, llif; Mini Rocks, at Ihe onlrnnco of the gulf, 
 say thai a boat rnifilil )>o easily loaded with O'^^^b of (ho sea 
 fowl, >vh() biild on lli(;s(> desolate islands, and that so iiu- 
 nKM'oiis an; lli>>y, that Iniinan bi'inj^s aseendin;^ these rocks are 
 ill dan,^e^ of biting pntstraled to the f^round by the flapping of 
 the wings of these feathert'd denizens. 
 
 (1) To illustrate the onorinoiifl qiinntity of j^^ame in the north of Canada, and 
 in tlio IIiidsDn Bay territory, I cannot ilo l)otfor than subjoin the following extract 
 from a valuable paper roiul boforo the Montreal Natural Ilictory Society, by Ooo- 
 Barniitun, Esi{., of the Hudson's Uay Company, in l.SKl. A long ronidenoe in that 
 territory, and a patient investijjation of the game it contains, renders Mr. Barn- 
 ton's statements particularly valuable. 
 
 " It is very dlQioult, " says ho, " to form anything like an aoourato idea of the 
 varioti«H of goeso that have Just been passed in review, viz: the Canada grey 
 goose, the lessor grey gooso, the Brant goose, the snow goose, and the white 
 fronted goose. Of the ([uantity shot at particular jjoints where they become an 
 article of provisions, we may arrive at u wide but^till a better estimate. Hoventoou 
 to twenty thousand geese are sometimes killed by the Albany Indians in the au- 
 tumn or fall of the year, and ten thousand or more in the spring, making a total 
 
 for these coast Crees alone of at least .30,000 
 
 Not speaking so certainly of other natives, I would place the Moose 
 
 Indians as killing at all seasons 10,000 
 
 Rupert's River natives K,000 
 
 Eastmain and to the north, including Esquimaux 6,000 
 
 The Severn coast I sannot compute as yielding loss than 10,000 
 
 The York Factory and Churchill Indians, with Gsquimaux beyond, must 
 
 dispose of 10,000 
 
 Making a total of geese killed on the coast, of 74,000 
 
 As many geese must die wounded, and others are got hold of by the foxes and 
 wolverines, wo may snfely allow the total loss to the floiks while running the 
 fiery gauntlet as equivalent to 80,000. I was at one time inoliiv' ' ' ' it 
 
 two-thirds of this number was, or might bo, the proportion fiv ml, 
 
 but it is probably nearer three-fourths, and we ham thu- >•>• in- 
 
 bers brought down from the newly-fledged flocks, n .ird . the 
 
 bay. I have lately been informed by an old and riencr i .ter, .it he 
 
 believes that for every goose that is killed, above nty tuns; leave the bay 
 without scaith, as although there is sometimes deatructioo dii ' among some lots 
 that approach the gun, and that feed in quarters frequent.d b, 'mnters, yet innu- 
 merable families of them alight on remote and quiet fouding grounds, remain 
 there unmolested, and take wing when the cold sets in, with their numbers intaot. 
 I must allow the correctness of this remark, and the deduction to be drawn from 
 it is, that 1,200,000 geese leave their breeding grounds by the Hudson's Bay line 
 of march for the gonial south. Of the numbers to the westward along the arctic 
 
FIN AND FEATIIKR iN CANADA' 
 
 243 
 
 the chase, 
 
 lis, in dos- 
 [)f the gulf, 
 of the sea 
 hal so iiu- 
 ?o roi'ks are 
 flapping of 
 
 of Canada, and 
 )llowingoxtrBot 
 Society, by Uoo. 
 urtidenoe in that 
 iidoM Mr. Barn- 
 
 arato iJoa of tho 
 ho Canada giey 
 and tho white 
 hoy bocoino an 
 mato. Soveutoon 
 Hans in tho au- 
 making a total 
 
 , 30,000 
 
 Mooso 
 
 10,000 
 
 H.ono 
 
 6,000 
 
 10,000 
 
 d, must 
 
 10,000 
 
 74,000 
 
 the foxes and 
 lie runninp the 
 it 
 int. 
 iin- 
 ird : ,• the 
 ter, .il he 
 leave tho bay 
 jinng some lots 
 iters, yet innu- 
 uunds, remain 
 umbers intact. 
 drswn from 
 son's Bay line 
 ng the arctic 
 
 We subjoin two extracts from tlio ReJaliuns Jes Jesuites^ in 
 their own quaint French. (1) 
 
 Although eng-stoalors (a bad set, by I ho by, whose opera- 
 tions Audubon proptM'ly stigmatises) h:iV(!con>iderably Ihinnod 
 their numbi^rs, Dr. Hryaiil, who, in 1800, mado an ornithologi- 
 
 cal 
 
 l- 
 
 vey of Ihi'se islands, whom I had IIk; picasnrt; of jnec 
 ing, found them still tonanlfd by largo numbers of ganiiets, 
 puflins, guillemots, anks and killiwakes. In lhi> fall of tliu year the 
 shores of the St. Lawrenco literally swarm with ducks, leal 
 and other sea fowl. We have ourselves counted thousands 
 busy gobbling up the shell -lisli, barnacles aiul sea weed which 
 cling to the shelving rocks round IMateau and llonaventiire 
 islands, at (laspe. We have watched the gaunel, the herring- 
 gull, the cormorant, hovering in clouds over Perce Uuck, on 
 whose verdant summit they build and liud au as}lum secure 
 from their great destroyer, man; whilst their discordant voices 
 are heard above the roar of the surf, miles away. We have 
 seen their young shot for food by hundreds in the month of 
 August. 
 It is not an uncommon thing in the tall of the year for the 
 
 coast, that wend their way to thoir winter quarters straight across the continent, 
 we can form but a very vague opinion, but computing it at two-thirds or more of 
 the quantity supposed to leave the eastern part of tho arctic coast, we cannot 
 have less than two millions of goose, composing the numerous battalions which 
 pass over tho continent botwooii tho Atlantic and the Rocky Mountains, borne 
 aloft generally like tho scud, and as swiftly hastened on, by tho force of tho 
 boreal blast. 
 
 " I ought to observe that the Brant geese, Jierniclu Hrenta, aro not included in 
 the above estimate. Thoy nro pretty iiuinorous on tho Atlantic coast, but aro quite 
 neglected by tho Indians in general of Hudson's Bay. " 
 
 (1) *' A I'ontr^'o do co golfo (do St. Luuront) nous viuies deux rochors, I'un 
 rond, I'autre quarr<;. Vous dirioz que Diou les a jdantCs tiu milieu des caux 
 comme doux colombiors pour sorvir do lioux do rctraito aux oiseaux qui s'y reti- 
 rent en si grande quantitt^, qu'on marcho dossus ; ot si I'on no so ticnt bien forme 
 ils g'^l^vent en si grande quantitd qu'ils renvorsont les porsonnes ; on en rapporto 
 des chaloupes ou das pctits bateaux tous |)loin9 quand lo tumps poniiot qu'un les 
 abordo. Les Fran^ais les ont nommds les lies aux Oisoaux. " (^Itelation des 
 J^axiiten. he Pfire Paul Le joune.) 
 
 " L'Isle aux Coudres et I'Islo aux Dies mdritent d'dtre nommdes en passant. 
 La premiere est souvent remplio dV'laus qui s'y rencontrent; la seconde est peu- 
 plde on son temps d'uno multitude d'oios, d'outardes, dont Vile qui eat plute et 
 charyie d'herbe comme une prairie en jjarait loute couverle. Lea lieux circonvoiiina 
 relentiiient inceaaumment dti eria de ct* oistaux, " 
 
244 
 
 FIN AND FEATHER IN CANADA. 
 
 fiaspe fishermen to kill as many as twenty sea fowl, at one shot, 
 in the air holes among the ice, down which the hungry birds 
 crowd to feed. Where is the Canadian sportsman who would 
 not give the world for a week on the Mille Vachos shoals in 
 September ? Were is the fowler who has not heard of the 
 sport which Jupiter river, on Anticosli, affords, over and 
 above the chance of putting an occasional bullet through one 
 of the many bears attracted to the sea shore for their morning 
 meal of kelp and seaweed, in the absence of green oats and 
 young mutton, their favorite provender? It would bo unfair, 
 however, to lead sportsmen to believe that one has to go as 
 far as Anticosti to get a crack at « Bruin, » when there are 
 instances on record of snipe shooters killing bears on the 
 beaches close to Quebec, Let us mention one recent occur- 
 rence. A sporting member of the Quebec bar (1), whom the 
 summer vacation had seduced away from the Pandects and 
 lilackslone, to the swampy Chateau Richer flats, wasbaggingas 
 usual, a few dozen snipe before breakfast. On firing his first 
 shot, he heard a rustling in some tall rushes, and out stepped 
 leisurely a — snipe ? no, a bear. Sympathy for a fellow 
 sportsman ought to have saved Bruin's life. Not so ; his pre- 
 sence on the swamp was construed by the disciple of St. Hu- 
 bert into a clear case of trespass. Nothing could be more 
 inconvenant^ one will admit, than for a bear to take possession 
 of the fi'eding grounds of teal and snipe. Qu'allait-il [aire 
 dans cette galore ? A heavy charge at close quarters, and 
 Bruin's spirit was wafted to where all good bears go. 
 
 What clouds of sand pipers, curlew and plover, September 
 brings forth from their brei'diug pUuies, in the bairen wilds of 
 Labrador, the secluded lakes and solitary islands of the 
 north, up to the frozen occean ! Look, friend, look at that 
 dense vapor hovering over that long sand bar, La Batture 
 aux Alouettes, a breast of Tadousac. From afar, you might 
 take it for a cloud of hail or rain ; but wail a minute, until the 
 sun's rays light up the picture. Now, see the snowy breast of 
 myriads of chubby lillle northern strangers, the ring plovers ; 
 
 .1 
 
 (I) Richard PeaUand, Esquire. 
 
FIN AND LEATHER IN CANADA. 
 
 245 
 
 I, at one shot, 
 liungry birds 
 n who would 
 PS shoals in 
 loard of the 
 Is, over and 
 through one 
 heir morning 
 sen oats and 
 d be unfair, 
 lias to go as 
 en there are 
 bi>ars on the 
 •ecent occur- 
 ), whom the 
 Pandects and 
 bvas bagging as 
 ring his first 
 1 out stepped 
 for a fellow 
 so ; his pre- 
 eof St. Uu- 
 uld be more 
 ie possession 
 illait-il (aire 
 iiarters, and 
 
 go- 
 
 ', September 
 
 iren wilds of 
 ands of the 
 ook at that 
 La Balture 
 ', you might 
 ite, until the 
 ,vy breast of 
 
 ing plovers ; 
 
 i 
 
 look out for them as they s( tile by thousands, on the sand ; 
 now is your time. Enfilade their serried ranks, fire low ; 
 bang ' One shot suflices, you have one hundred victims ; to 
 fire again would only cause imnecessary carnage. Father Point, 
 lower down than Rimouski, during strong easterly winds, 
 affords capital sport. Canada geese. Brent geese and ducks 
 are perpetually hovering over the extreme end of the point : 
 the fov\ler carefully concealed, pours a deadly volley into the 
 flock, and his faithful Newfoundland dog springs into the surf 
 and fetches out the dead and wounded birds. You can either 
 continue to beat the shore or cross over witii us to Seal Rocks, 
 opposite the Traverse, a delightful small game preserve, so 
 bountifully slocked with ducks, teal and plover, that a club of 
 chasseurs of St. Jean l*orl Joly have leased it from government. 
 A rare thing in Canada for natives to pay for the privilege to 
 shoot game; it is so plentiful everywhere. "We are now at 
 Crane Island. Quantum mutata ab Hid ! Night shooting has 
 eifectually scared the ducks from their resting places. Of 
 swans. Lord Dalhousie seems to have had the last. As 
 to cranes, two only have been seen of late years. This 
 wary stilted stranger, Gruem advcnam^ can only be an acci- 
 dental visitor, as its range is considerably more to the west. 
 How often have we seen ils solitary figure looming up at low 
 tide, far beyond the range of a gun ? Where is the time when 
 a Crane Island chasseur thought he had had a poor season if he 
 had bugged less than one hundred oulardes (Canada geese), 
 togelliei with a few dozen snow-geese ? wary in the extreme, 
 are those noisy swamp-feeders, who during the summer months, 
 wing every alternate day their wedgelike llight from the St. 
 Joachim beaches, to the Crane Island flato, where they con- 
 gregate at low water mark, some 3,000, feeding beyond a rifle's 
 range. We know of a hunting ground not one hundred miles 
 from Quebec, in which the protection of game is strikingly 
 exemplilied. None but the proprietors have access to this pre- 
 serve, in which outardes, \\'\\i\ geese, and ducks assemble in 
 astonishing nnilliludes. Recently two men shot fifty wild geese 
 theie in two days. The place is a source of revenue to its 
 
S46 
 
 FIN AND FFATUER IN CANADA. 
 
 owners, and those birds, which are not sent to market, are 
 sailed and preserved for the farm servants' daily use. 
 
 It would be impossible for us, in this short sketch, to name 
 all the localities where game is to be had in Canada. The two 
 shores of the St. Lawrence, from (iaspe to the upper lakes, 
 and the larger number of the tributaries of the graat river, 
 especially in the Ottawa district, are our chief shooting grounds 
 — some seven or eight hundred leagues— plenty of elbow-room, 
 as you may see. The Chateau Richer swamp, in spite of the 
 indiscriminate slaughter of birds, still furnishes some 3,000 or 
 4,000 snjpe per season. The Bijou marsh, formerly an excel- 
 lent hunting ground, undi'r the St. Foy heights, is from cons- 
 tant shooting, pretty well destroyed at present for game pur- 
 poses. What a splendid game preserve the Bijou would become 
 in the hands of a sporting millionaire ! Woodcock are still nu- 
 merous at C6te-a-Bonhomme, near Charlesboiirg, at La Bale 
 du Febvre, Les Salines, and in fifty othei- places. Wild pigeon 
 shooting, especially in western Canada, yields an abundant 
 return. This bird still resorts to the Niagara district in such 
 quantities that Audubon's graphic description of the flights of 
 wild pigeons in Kentucky ceases to appear overdrawn. Until 
 1854, there existed in the woods back of Chaleaiigiiay, at a place 
 called the Fire Points, a pigeon roost ; the deviislalion caused 
 by this countless host in the wheat fields became very great, 
 but in presence of the incessant attacks of man, a general pi- 
 geon stampede took place ; the roost is now deserted. 
 
 Grouse shooting, which in Canada commences on the 20lh 
 August, aflords also some amusements. Grouse and partridge 
 are shot and snared in Canada, the (I ) Hon. Grantley F. Berkley 
 to the country notwithr landing — not poisoned with strychnine. 
 
 (I) We find in the London Times of the 18th September, 1863, in a letter 
 ■ubsoribed Grantley F. Berkely, valuable (?) information respecting the Canadian 
 partridge, and the mode of capturing it : — " The Amorioans, " says thin learned 
 Nimrod, " are profoundly ignorant of the way to ihoot winged game in any quan- 
 tities, or to take them alive, &nd it is not unlikely they have adopted strychnine 
 as a mothod of death. " He, further on, explains why they poison the birds they 
 intend for food, viz., for " the love of the almighty dollar, whiob makes men not 
 over nice in the means they take to get it. " Mr. Grantley F. B.'s peouliar insa" 
 nity li becoming chronio— In Canada we should try the cold water cure. 
 
market, are 
 use. 
 
 tch, to name 
 ida. The two 
 upper lakes, 
 J groat river, 
 oting grounds 
 'elbow-room, 
 I spiU; of the 
 ome 3,000 or 
 iriy an excel- 
 is from cons- 
 Dr game pur- 
 vould become 
 k are still iiu- 
 ;, at La Baic 
 Wild pigeon 
 an abundant 
 istrict in such 
 the flights of 
 hawn. Until 
 lay, at a place 
 tation caused 
 very great, 
 general pi- 
 tod. 
 
 M the 20Lh 
 d partridge 
 l»/ F. Berkley 
 strychnine. 
 
 p3, in a letter 
 |g the Canadian 
 |.ys tliia learned 
 
 I in any quan- 
 
 |ted stryclinino 
 
 fie birds they 
 
 lakes men not 
 
 I peculiar insa- 
 
 ' cure. 
 
 FIN AND FEATHIER LN CAt«ADA. 
 
 247 
 
 A great falling off is certainly now i»!)servable in the number 
 of birds, in consequence of the wanluii slaying of the old ones 
 in the breeding season ; but dive into the interior about forty 
 miles, at the time when the maple tree is docked with tints of 
 unsurpassing loveliness, and the let us hear from you. We re- 
 member, one balmy September morning, beating for grouse in 
 the wooded slopes of the Chateau Richer mountain, just at the 
 hour when the rising sun was pouring forth floods of golden 
 light. Never before had we seen our hardwood trees more 
 gorgeously decorated- The bright red, green maroon, and the 
 orange-colored leaves sparkling willi dew-d;ops, and bathed 
 in autumnal sunshine, recalled to our mind Tasso's descrip- 
 tion of Armida's enchanted forest. 11 might have been appro- 
 priately compared to a huge flower-garden in full bloom. Oui* 
 reverie was briskly interrupted by the whirring sound of a 
 grouse, flushed from its cover bj oui' dog. 
 
 Grouse is not the only game whi.li you meet in the woods 
 during a September ranibh; ; perhaps you may be lucky enough 
 to have a shot at the bird royal, the goiden eagle, or his pilfering 
 compeer the bald eagh', soaring high above your head amongst 
 the crags. Do not be alarmed if, in crossing a mountain gorge, 
 the hoarse croak of the raven shoult; calch vour ear. And if, 
 perchance, camped for the night on tht! mountain brow in a 
 deserted sugar-hut, you hear the horrible hooting of the great 
 horned owl, fear nothing ; it is not the evil one. Wait unlil the 
 nocturnal ma'auder lights on the large tree noxtloyonrresting 
 place, and, by th..' light of the mooii, your Maiiton will suon 
 add to your museum, if \oii have such a fancy, one of the 
 noblest and fiercest birds of th<: (Canadian fauna. 
 
 if there should be anything of the Jules Gerard or IheGordoii 
 Gumming in your composition, and you have a liiuikeiing for 
 larger game, without beingable to g(!l lo theHoely >lonntains, 
 go and ask thai Charle bourg peasant in the maikri place the 
 particulars of the raid N\hich bears have recently made in his 
 oat-field, after dt-ciniatiug his flock. Go in quest of th(; sheep- 
 slayer ; your guide will take you uhere bruin ;;:id her cubs 
 hold their nightly rev(!ls. Take care not lo miss your intended 
 victim ; if you do, or oidy wound her, she won't miss you. 
 
248 
 
 FIN AND FEATHER IN CANADA. 
 
 When yoii are tired of shooting bears, Canada geese, ducks, 
 snipe, woodcock, pigeon and {grouse, lake the train for the 
 western prairies and plains, and eight or ten days will bring 
 you to where countless hcids of buffalo browse ; a subject 
 upon which the Prince of Wales, our late governor general, Lord 
 MonckjLord Mulgrave, and the other governors of British pro- 
 vinces, from their recent visit, are now in a position to speak 
 ex-cathedra. You can occasiona ly vary your spoit by 
 looking after wild turkeys and prairie hens (1), reserving deer 
 and carioou hunting for the winti^r season, but when you 
 get there, with Mr. Russell's (2) fate b(?fore your eyes, do not 
 desecrate the Sabbath. Before we part, let me give you a so- 
 lemn piece of advice. By the mighty shades of Hawker, by the 
 ramrod of the great Saint Hubert, I adjure you not to waste 
 powder and shot in the neighborhood of large cities ! Spring 
 shooting and pot-hunters have for the most part extirpated the 
 game in such localititjs. Go to Sorel, Deschambault. Kamou- 
 raska, Mille-Vaches, Lancaster, Long Point on Lake Erie, for 
 ducks ; to Chateau llicher,[Grondines, St. Pierre-les-Becquets, 
 for snipe ; beat C6te-a-Boidiomme, the whole rang« of heights 
 from Charlesbourg to the Jacques Cartier liver, for woodcock ; 
 
 but if you wish for sport in earnest, go to western Canada, to 
 the Saint Clair marshes, (3) where you will And swans, geese, 
 
 (1) Prairik Chickkns were never known to be so abundant in Iowa as the 
 present season. In Buchanan and Blackhawk counties they can be killed with 
 stones and clubs, and hunting them with guns is next to no sport at all. So plenty 
 are they that the farmers importune hunters to try their luck on their grounds, 
 and in some instances they have manifested a willingness to pay for the killing. 
 
 {Quebec Mercury, 22nd August, 1863.) 
 
 (2) My Diary— North and South, Page 202. 
 
 (3) We read in the Tore '; ^ Leader, of November, 1860 : — " Captain Strachan 
 and Mr. Kennedy returned KoC evening from a fortnight's shooting in the St. 
 Clair marshes, where they had excellent sport, bagging, to the two guns, two 
 swans, three snipe, five wild goese, and 570 ducks, — black, mallard and grey 
 duoks— weight 1,860 lbs. " 
 
 " Cols. Rhodes and Boll, of this city, returned to town recently, from a hunting 
 «xoursion in the woods north of Quebec. During their trip they met with a run of 
 good sport, having killed ten caribous, four lynxes, a porcupine, and a largo num- 
 ber of white partridges, hares, kc. Such an amount of game brought down by 
 two guns must be considered a decidedly good hntme. We understand that one of 
 
a geese, ducks, 
 e train for the 
 Jays will bring 
 se ; a subject 
 [>r general. Lord 
 s of Brilishpro- 
 silion to speak 
 our spoil by 
 reserving deer 
 but when you 
 ur eyes, do not 
 jitive you a so- 
 EFawkor, by the 
 not to waste 
 lilies ! Spring 
 t extirpated the 
 Jault. Kamou- 
 Lake Erie, for 
 3-les-Becquets, 
 ing« of heights 
 for woodcock ; 
 3rn Canada, to 
 1 sw ans, geese, 
 
 nt in Iowa as the 
 m be killed with 
 rt at all. So plenty 
 on their grounds, 
 ly for the killing. 
 I August, 1863.) 
 
 ^ 
 
 ( 
 
 PIN AND FEATHER IN CANADA. 249 
 
 congiegaled. Kely for success on good dogs, a fnislv "iiJde -i 
 
 the large caribous has been obtained by several of11n«r, „f ,u 
 
 purpose of being sent to England "~LZ aI J ''"' ^'"■"'"° ^"^ '•>« 
 
 1862. J^nglftnd. -Quebec Mormng Chronicle, 2yth December. 
 
 Y^k^'y" « r;F " '""'"^ ^"' 'J""" ^"^ ^'^'PP-' f-™ Chicago to New 
 
 ing. three rods ^^ ^S::^ z^rsii^r r"';!"^'^^"^ •""^"- 
 
 aee we ffht ll tn 17 ii>,, j , "iou.,, viz. ..la salmon: aver- 
 
 Ihe Essex Record says that " Bob Renanl^r.n " „.„i . .. . 
 
 ...... o„ ..ighb^r. d h I ;i« ibf ; T" """'"•'' """'"• "•° ""«'" 
 
 «« ..... C.P.. i=^.b.:r.rM,;r:;r;.; :;:„™;„:r:;;:r.".''' 
 
 Captain Straohan 
 loting in the St. 
 e two guns, two 
 nallard and grey 
 
 ly, from a hunting 
 met with a run of 
 and a largo num- 
 •rought down by 
 rstand that one of 
 
 It 
 
THE QUEBEC VOLUNTEERS 
 
 1837. 
 
 A CHRISTMAS SKETCH. 
 
 There are unquestionably many pages of our history — some 
 pregnant with especial interest — yet unwritten. Of the latter, 
 may he reckoned those, recording the great civil commotion 
 inaugurated by Louis Joseph Papineau, in Eastern Canada, 
 and by William Lyon Mackenzie, in the western section of the 
 Dominion. (1) 
 
 Despite the rancorous feelings engendered at the time, by 
 this social upliea\ing, the day <>annot be far distant when the 
 memories of this fratricidal strife will have lost much of their 
 bitterness ; nay, such nnlooked for, such momentous events, 
 have crowded on us, since that warlike period, that an utter 
 revulsion of fueling, in many eases, has been the result. 
 
 The sundering of the colonial tie, for attempting which, the 
 « Patriots » of 1 837 were gibetled by the score, when not 
 exiled or plunged in dungeons, seems of late years to have 
 been considered by many Imperial statesmen, but a question 
 of lime or expediency. In 1837, he who sat in slate in Iho 
 Chateau St. Lo.i s, in the name of Majesty, had very decided 
 views on the doctrine of colonial independence. His Majesty 
 William IV's Attorney-General, Charles Ogden, held it to 
 mean a hempen collar. Duquette, DeLorimier, Narbonne, Ilin- 
 delang, and twenty others, found it so, to their cost ; still 
 
 (1) The New York Commercial Advertiter thui notices the arrival of the cele- 
 brated agitator. " New York, March 10th, (1838), Lion op thk North. We are 
 enabled to state, positively, unequivocally and categorically, that the Cincin- 
 natus — the Robert Bruce, the Brutus-and-Cassius, the Hampden- and-Sidney, of 
 Canada, nay, the personification of Minrrva and the Qoddess of Liberty them- 
 selves, is now in this city, in the illustrious person of William Lton Mackenzir I 
 He was at the Exchange reading-room yesterday, looking over tha papers witbn» 
 mere preteniiou than though he were * common man. " 
 
252 
 
 THE QUEBEC VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 ban^ly a goneration has passed when good Queen Vie, know- 
 ingly makes a belted knight of the most prominent champion 
 of independence : Sir A. T. Gall : Temporamutanlur. 
 
 Without pretending to anything elaborate, let ns collect from 
 the lips of a few surviving actors of this strange drama, some 
 lid-bits of information and gossip anent the stirring volunteer 
 days of 37-38, prefacingour sketch with some general remarks, 
 calculated to make it more intelligible toour enquiring nephews. 
 
 We can ourselves well remember the lime, when tolheexci- 
 ted vision of a Quebecer of British descent, all that was vile.un- 
 principled, treasonableand wicked might be summed up in the 
 one word, <( Papineau, » Then, indeed, the eloquent leader of 
 the Canadian Commons, could, like the great agitator, O'Connell, 
 have boasted that he was u the best abused man » in the 
 country. A superlatively loyal French song of the period, after 
 enumerating the calamities of every hue, which could be 
 chni'ged to the arch-agitator, without forgetting cholera-morbus, 
 earthquakes and the potatoe rot, concluded each stanza with 
 the well remembered words : « Cest la faute a Papineau. » 
 
 A dreaded monster was he, this same Louis Joseph, in the 
 eyes of superlatively loyal men, such, for instance, as Bob 
 Synies, one of His Britannic Majesty'^ zealous justices of the 
 
 Peace, ain and for the district of Quebec,)) in the year of 
 
 fuss and alarm, 1837. 
 
 But peace to Louis Joseph's ashes ! may they continue to 
 rest where some loving hands have placed them on the 24lh 
 Sept., 1871, at MoulcBello, his own btMiulifiil scat, on the 
 greiju banks of the Ottawa. Peace to his memory ! he is now 
 before a higher tribunal, to answer for his deeds in the llesh. 
 
 If one reflects how fully England has since granted the 
 demands oskiid lor, by the misguided « Patriots » of 1837, as 
 set firth in lht!ir « Declaration of Independence,)) \iz : 
 « abolition of the seigniorial dues (though we must denounce 
 the mode by which it was to be brought about in 1837); secu- 
 larization of the Clergy Reserves; abolition ofimprisonmentfor 
 debt, except in extreme cases ; freedom of the Press ; trial by 
 Jury, in an extended form ; the use of both languages in public 
 affairs ; the control of the Provincial Revenue and Tariff ; 
 
 I 
 
n Vic, know- 
 ont champion 
 lantur. 
 
 lis colltici from 
 drama, some 
 ring volunteer 
 neralremarksy 
 iring nephews, 
 len tolheexci- 
 alwasvile.un- 
 imed up in the 
 luent leader of 
 lor, O'Connell, 
 man» in the 
 le period, after 
 hich could be 
 lolera-morbus, 
 zh stanza with 
 Papineau. » 
 Joseph, in the 
 ance, as Bob 
 iistices of the 
 le year of 
 
 Y continue to 
 on the 24th 
 seal, on the 
 ! he is now 
 in llu! tlesh. 
 granted the 
 » of 1837, as 
 once, » \iz : 
 list denounce 
 1837); sccu- 
 risonmentfor 
 re^s ; trial by 
 ages in public 
 and Tariff; 
 
 A CHRISTMAS SKETCH. 
 
 253 
 
 abolition of sentence of death, except in cases of murder, » it 
 seems strange, that it should have specially fallen to the lot of 
 French Canadians to fight to the death, for the possession of 
 reforms and ch inges, many of them so peculiarly British in 
 their ring, ami to achieve which they incurred such a liberal 
 allowance of hanging and outlawry. Was the real issue ever 
 before the eyes of the British Canadian in 1837 ? We opine 
 not. 
 
 To return to Bob Symes. Who then was this incomparable Ma- 
 gistrate, this dauntless, ever watchful defender of the Hano- 
 verian succession and citadel of Quebec ? Has he too been 
 knighted for services rendered in this fair portion of Victoria's 
 realms ? 
 
 Rcho pauses for a reply. Bob, for under no other cognomen 
 were his praises weekly sung in Mr. Aubin's witty Journal, 
 Le Fantasque, Bob was the pink of civic virtue — a perfect 
 pundit in constitutional law — the impersonificalion of loyalty. 
 Robert Syrres discoursed of treason while awake, to dream of 
 it, in the silent hours of night. Each Monday morning, said 
 Mr. Aubin, Bob had at his fingers end the whole ramification 
 of some deep hiid plot to murder His Majesty's lieges. He 
 denounced rebels the last Ihing before going to bed ; it was his 
 first thought on waking. Bob would shake hands with his fellow- 
 citizens impressively, and Icll Ihem each morning to be thank- 
 ful that so far they had not yet been shot, or piked, or hung ; 
 that with the helping iiand of Alty. -General O^den and Ihe 
 Volunteers, thi.y might yet escape Ihe devil and Papineau, so 
 said Mr. Aubin. It was iiispiriling to witness the sight ; it 
 did one's heart good to see bow hiightly in every bosom 
 burned the sacred lire of patriotism. Far bo it from our mind, 
 however to impugn the motives which prompted Mr. Symes, 
 acts : on more occasions than one, nid he evince exquisite purely 
 in his judicial conduct, blended with a buldog courage, which 
 no danger could appal ; witness, the services he rendered at 
 the (irosse Isle quarantine, during the revolting horrors of ship 
 feaver, in 4847. Another trail yet, ere we dismiss this well re- 
 membered, over zealous Justice. Bob had several points of re- 
 temblance with the noted Judge Esgrove, of Scotch fame; both 
 
254 
 
 TUB QUEBEC VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 had refractory tailors to deal with, but Jolin Teed, of Quebec, 
 was a « patriot, » whereas he, of Edimburgh, was a male- 
 factor ; in this, the heroes of the bodkin widely differed. 
 Had Teed risen in arms, which ho did not, and injured the 
 body or uniform of any of Her Majesty's Forces, Bob Symes 
 would more than likely have selected some impressive sen- 
 timents, like the ermined sage of Edimburg is reported, by 
 Coburn, to have used on passing sentence on the Edimburg 
 Tailor, for having stabbed a British soldier, « and not only did 
 you murder him, but you did thrust, — or push, — or pierce, — 
 or project, — or propel the le-thal weapon through the belly 
 band of his breeches, which were His Majesty's. » 
 
 The Canadian Badamanlhus could be (piiie as impressive, 
 when he delivered his dreaded rulings, from that Bench now 
 occupied by Mr. Justice Doiicet. He had at timesa picturesque 
 way of giving to the prisoner, the usual jobation. More than 
 one practitioner of the Police Court may possibly yet remember, 
 the case of the two sailors, who refused to join their ship 
 ready for sea, on the ground that she was not sea-worthy. 
 The salts had most foi bidding countenances ; to this Bob 
 Symes seemed fully alive. Throwing himself back in his seat, 
 ul mos, he uttered majestically, the following : « Go on board, 
 my men. Go on board, wilhoul fear, I tell you. You are evi- 
 dently born to be hanged and never cun be drowned. (I) 
 
 The Quebec and Three River districts, at the voice of their 
 leaders^ political, and religious, seceded at an early date from 
 
 (1) In a situation of eminent danger, from drowning, it was once my fate, to 
 witness the calm and self reliance of the dauntless Magistrate and to ponder in 
 my mind, whether it prooeded from stoutness of heart or from the belief, that 
 like the two teamen, he too " was not born to be drowned. " 
 
 It happened on the l&th Maroh, 1851 ; the St. Lawrence had frozen over before 
 the city, in what appeared a solid sheet of glare ice. Hundreds were crossing over 
 to Levis ; I, with the rest. All at once, we became painfully aware, that the whole 
 ioe was on the move with the ebb, and that unless we reached the shore, a fair 
 chance of perishing amidst the thin ice lay before us. 
 
 To reach the Napoleon wharf, we had to cross, one by one, over a belt of ice, 
 whose wavy, yielding motion made one's hair stand on end. Bob Symes, said he 
 would go first. " I could hotforbear recalling to my neighbor his previous saying, 
 adding. " Evidently, he thinlcs he is not born to be drowned. " All of us escaped, 
 more or lets, with a cold bath, except one poor fellow — David Bisset— who after 
 nasy itragglei, tank, to riie no more. 
 
id, of Quebec, 
 was a male- 
 dely differed. 
 J injured the 
 1, Bob Symes 
 ipressive sen- 
 ; reported, by 
 the Edimburg 
 id not only did 
 —or pierce, — 
 jgh the belly 
 
 IS impressive, 
 liat Bench now 
 sapicluresque 
 I. More than 
 yet remember, 
 oin their ship 
 >l sea-worthy. 
 
 ; to this Bob 
 
 ck in his seat, 
 
 K Go on board, 
 
 You are evi- 
 
 ivned. (1) 
 
 voice of Iheir 
 riy date from 
 
 I once my fate, to 
 land to ponder in 
 the belief, that 
 
 Ifruzen over before 
 
 rere crossing over 
 
 ^re, that the whole 
 
 the shore, a fair 
 
 ^er a belt of ico, 
 
 Synies, laid he 
 
 previous saying, 
 
 U of U8 escaped, 
 
 isset— who after 
 
 A CHRISTMAS SKVTCH. 
 
 255 
 
 the armeti resistance, inaugurated mthout armsf (1) by the 
 Montreal district in the Richelieu valley. 
 
 In the counties of Champlain, Portnenf, Dorchester, meet- 
 ings were held in November and December, 1837, expressive 
 of loyalty, though advocating reforms by constitutional means; 
 there had, however, been « agitation meetings, » in Belle- 
 chasse; at St. Thomas ; at the St. Paul's Market, St. Roch's 
 Church door,|Glacis School House, in the city of Quebec, — for- 
 tunately of no real importance. In this, did the Quebec district 
 show its good sense. ^ 
 
 The frenzy of loyalty and martial preparations, in the city 
 itself, had si areoly cool reason on its side. The wildest 
 rumours were freely circulated. The hatreds and national 
 jealousies of the period had amplescope. More than one alarm- 
 ing canard originated amongst the frequenters of a fashionable 
 segar store in St. John slreot, kept by one Peter Delcourl, or 
 in Schleiip's hotel ; — presto, tin; Police was dispatched to 
 search for concealed arms, cannon, gimpowder. However, 
 these ebullitions sprang in many cases from one of the purest 
 of sentiments : patriotism, civic virtue, as such deserving of 
 all praise. Though the French Canadians, as a people, were 
 true to one another, and refused to enlist, there were several 
 offers of service, in the Quebec district, from that class ; of 
 which, Government declined to avail itself. 
 
 Political discontent was not confined to one nationality. 
 Amongst the most noted « Rebs » there were several, not 
 bearing French Canadian names. In the district of Montreal ; 
 Robert Nelson, Wolfred Nelson, E. B. O'Callaghan, T. S. 
 Brown, Hindenlang, Girod (2), Wm. Hay Scott, &c.. Dr. 
 Newcomb. 
 
 About the 1st November, intelligence was received of the 
 arrest and rescue of political prisoners ; and news of the 
 shooting of Loyal Canadians, by the Insurgents, on the 5th of 
 
 (1) We say vithout armt, advisedly. Some patriots in their ardor, turned out 
 with pitchforks. In one instance, a wooden cannon was sent forth, encircled with 
 strong iron hoops, says Christie ; marbles, were found in the pockets of the slain 
 patriots, to be used instead of leaden bullets. 
 
 (2) Amaury Qirod, a Swiss, the General of the northern army, four days after 
 the affair at St. Eustache, blew his brains out with a pistol on the 18th Pecember> 
 1837, at Pointe>auz-Trembles, below Montreal. 
 
256 
 
 THE QUEBEC V01UNTEF.B8. 
 
 the sami) month. The excilnmnnt this caused was aiigmentnd 
 by an official report of (he murder, on 2nd and Srd Nov., of 
 Lieut. Weir, (!) 32nd llt'gt. and defeat of Col. Gore at St. Denis, 
 by Ihe insurgent loader Nelson. These deplnrable events pro- 
 duced immodiato and cnergetie action, to organize a system of 
 def(;nce. On tin; 27lh of November, 1837(2), Civil Secretary, S. 
 Wiilcotl, by Iftllor dated « St, Ltiwis (laslle » addressed on be- 
 half of Iho Earl of (losford, to Hon. J. M. Kraser, Wm. Price, 
 J. B. Forsyth, W. H. JenVry, T,. II Parke, .las. (i. Koss, M. Ste- 
 venson, Robert Shaw, and other miMi of note, who had at a 
 public meetingat the Quebec Exchnnge, offered their services, to 
 serve as Volunl(»ers, in order to supply the abseneo of the re- 
 gulars who were ordered to Montreal, graciously accepted their 
 offer. Volunteering, Drill and Parade duties were soon begun in 
 real earnest. Though the sinew of war, had to be provided out 
 of raw militia, there were a good many though bits of fighting 
 stuff remaining, — Peninsidar officers, — some of (Jenl. Brock's 
 veterans and regulars ; enough in fact, to levcn the whole mass. 
 The Earl of Gosford had selected a most popular head : Lt. 
 Col. Honorable .las. Hope, of the Coldstream Guards, son of 
 Major General Hope, who was severely wounded and taken 
 prisoner at a sortie from Dayonne, at the close of the Peninsu- 
 lar war ; he subsequently became Earl of Hopctoun, to which 
 title his son succeeded. « A finer man or bettor soldier, I 
 never met, says Lt. Col. Wiley, » then the active major of Bri- 
 gade, of the Volunteer Force. In 1839, a dinner was given 
 him, by his ofllcers, which went ofF with great eclat ; for 
 those were festive days too, those Volunteer limes of 1837-8-9. 
 Such was the good feeling between the regulars and the 
 citizen-soldiers, that when Brigade Major Wiley, appointed 
 adjudant to the 1st. Provincial Hegt, had to raise men for 
 frontier service with its head quarters at Philipsburg, and 
 having succeeded out of the « dijecta membra » of the dis- 
 banded Volunteers, to procure in 48 hours 200 recruits, he 
 was kindly given by the officers of the Guards, the use of their 
 
 (1) Atty.-Qeneral Ogden, had Capt. Frangois Jalbcrt, indicted for the murder 
 of Lioat. Weir, at the Montreal assizes of Sept., 1839; the jury composed of 9 French 
 Canadians and 3 old countrymen acquitted him. {See Chri»ue'» History, vol. V, 
 pp. 10 and 291.) 
 
 (2) See ChriitW* HUtorj/, vol. V, p. m. 
 
as nngmentod 
 Srd Nov., of 
 root St. Donis, 
 le events pro- 
 Z(5 a system of 
 I S(;crelnry, S. 
 Iressed on be- 
 r, Wm. Price, 
 . Ross, M.SIe- 
 who had at n 
 leir services, to 
 Rtice of I he re- 
 r accepted their 
 1 soon begun in 
 )e provided out 
 bits of ri;j;hting 
 fiJenl. Brock's 
 he whole mass, 
 niar head : Lt. 
 Guards, son of 
 ded and taken 
 the Peninsu- 
 oun, to which 
 tor soldier, I 
 e major of Bii- 
 ner was given 
 •eat eclat ; for 
 Bs of 1837-8-9. 
 ulars and the 
 ey, appointed 
 raise men for 
 lipsburg, and 
 ;» of the dis- 
 )0 recruits, he 
 he use of their 
 
 ted for the murder 
 mposedofQFrenoh 
 ■«•» Hiilory, vol. V, 
 
 A CIUU8TM4S SKETCH. 
 
 257 
 
 splendid drum and Hfc corps, to play him and the men under 
 his command, to the steamer. Capt. (now LI. Col.) JolinSewcll, 
 late ot the 49th (dcnl. Druck's Ue^t,) was appointed with Uk^ 
 rank of Major, to take command of the Volunteer lle^l. Infan- 
 try. This active and iiitelliKenl oflicer, sncceiMlcd, so well in 
 imparting military knowledge to his corpx, which had been 
 incorporated in a Uatallioii, that in the month of l)i>cend)er 
 1837, the Qiiisbec Garrison being reduced to one compiiny of 
 Royal Artillery, this Batallion was placed in charge of that 
 important post, the citadel of Quebec. Conspicuous amonj^st 
 the Volunteers, was our old fellow townsmen Henry LeMesn- 
 rier, for many years one of the magnates of St. Peter slie(!l, and 
 married into a distinguished French Canadian family (to Miss 
 Guerout). Mr. LeMestirier, by his standing, genial disposition 
 and military experience, was a valuable addition (o the force. 
 Born in Guernsey in 1791, he was son of Commissary GeniM'al 
 Ilaviland LeMesurier; had entered the English army in 181 1 ; 
 served under the Duke of Wellington, in the Peninsular cam- 
 paign ; was present at the battle of Salamanca, and, when 
 bearing the colors of the 47th Regiment, his right arm was 
 carried away by a round shot, when he joined the Commissa- 
 riat; served during the war in Canada in 1812, retired on 
 half pay in 1818, and died in 1861 a Lieut. -Colonel of Militia. 
 Our worthy old friend Major Temple, late of the loth, was, 
 in 1837, an active commander of the Queen's Own Infantry. 
 Other veterans had also offered their services, viz., Lieut. - 
 Colonel Charles Campbell, late of the 99lh, (recently dead). In 
 1837, the Volunteers were gazetted as follows : 
 
 QVMF.O LIOHT 1.NFANTRT. 
 
 Major John SeweU, commanding. 
 
 lit. Company : Captain, J. S. CampbeU; Lieut., Thorn. Froste; Ensign, Paul 
 Lepper. 
 
 2nd. Company : Captain A. Simpson; Lieut., H. Sharpies ; Ensign, E. II. David- 
 ion. 
 
 Srd. Company, (rifles) : Captain, (Hon.) John Young; Lieut., Hy. J. Noad ; En- 
 sign, W. Paterion. 
 
 4th. Company: Captain, Jas. Qillespie; Lieut., W. K. Baird; Ensign, John 
 Martyn. 
 
 5th. Company: Captain, Henry LeMesurier; Lieut., Andrew McGill; Ensign, Alec. 
 Bell. Adjutant of the five oompanies. Ensign (now Lt.-Col.) Thomas Wiley; 
 Surgeon, Geo. M< Douglas. 
 
 27 
 
258 
 
 THE QtJEBEC VOLUNiEEM. 
 
 Uniform. — Company No, 1 .• White blanket ftoek toat, with blu« band, blu* »io«rf- 
 f/er ttrapt, blur, cuffs, blue breeehet, dark cap, fiat and fur band. 
 
 Uniform.— Com^jonie* No. 2, 3, and 5, blue coat, buff breechei. No. 4, Company, 
 lehile blanket coat, green faeinge, blue breechei, blue cap and light band, 
 
 LUYAL QUKREC ARTIKICKBB OK PAUCH-A-BALLAUOHH. 
 
 Captain, John C. Nixon; Liout., James Thornton ; Ensign, Riohard Freemam. 
 Uniform.— VTA »<« blanket coat, red tank, green hultone, — green fneinge, and green 
 teame ; high cap leilh green top /tilling over, blue breechei, red itripe, 
 
 QUERN'a OWN UOHT INPANTRT. 
 
 Major, Henry TempU; Lieut., Fred. Wyse; Ensign, William Clarke. 
 Uniform. — White blanket coat with band of blue, red facing*, blue breechei, red 
 itripe, higl cap, 
 
 ENGINRKR RIFLK CORPS. 
 
 Major, Goorgo H. Vincent Whitmore (Lieut. Royal Eigineers), commanding 
 the two companies and the koyal Aitificers. 
 Ist Company: Ist Captain, Henry M. Blailclook; 2nd Captain, Francis AVyatti 
 
 l9t. Lieutenant, Charles Jas. Ciarke ; 2nd Lieutenant, Fred. W. Blaikl^ck. 
 nd Con pany : 1st Captain, Frederick Hacker; 2nd Captain, John Phillips: Ist. 
 Lir.Jtonant, Georgo Brown; 2nd Lieutenant, Edward J. . letciier; Adjudant 
 ill the two companies and of the Royal Arti6«ers, William Soott. 
 niforni. — While, hlnnketfroi'k eo«t, red ihordder itrnpi, collar and cuffi blue, 
 ap blue, with red band, breechei blue and red itripe, 
 
 ring's rnd voldktrkrs. 
 
 Captain, William Pentland; Lieut., C. Pentland ; Ensign, J»B. Farley. 
 
 ROTAt. QURBKC VOLU.NTKRK ARTILLKBT. 
 
 Ist Company : 1st Captain, William Burns Lindsay ; 3nd Captain, Oeorge Des- 
 baratR, (acting paymaster) ; 1st. Lieut., W. D. Dupont and H. II. Wickstead ; 
 2nd Lieutenant, McCireger Pink. 
 
 2nd Company : Ist Captain, Edward H. Bowon; 2nd Captain, John Blaok; Ist 
 Lieutenant, Simeon Le!i£vre ; acting qunrter-m aster, John Pantt; 2nd Lieu> 
 tenant, II. LeMesurier. 
 
 3rd Company : Is^ Captain, W. K. McCord; 3nd Captain, Andrew Stuart, lit 
 Lieutenant, Isaac R. Eokart; Acting Adjudant, A. J. Maxham ; 2nd Lieute- 
 nant, E. J. C^. Hooper; Paymaster, Capt. £. Dupont; Quartei -master, Jas. 
 Motz ; Surgeon, Jas. A. Sewell, M. D. 
 Uniform: Identical with that of Boyal Artillery. 
 
 ROTAL QUEBKG VOLCMTEBBa. 
 
 Colonel James Bai^d (60th Regiment) commanding ; Major, William A. Hale. 
 Ist Company : Capt., A. Campbell ; Lieutenant, Charles C. Sheppard. 
 2nd Company : Captain, J. Dyde ; Lieutenant, W. A. Cuppa,i;e ; Ensign, Autoine 
 
 Viinfolscn. 
 3rd Company: Captain, W, Power: Lieutenant, Joseph P. Bradley; Ensign' 
 
 Charles Alleyn. 
 4th Company : Captain, J. G. Irvine ; Lieutenant, E. S. Montitambert ; Ensign, 
 
 Colin Bruce. 
 5th Company: Captain, T. W.Lloyd: Lieutenant, Hanry'Ball ; Ensign, Thomas 
 
 A. Cary. 
 
To. 4, Company, 
 ind. 
 
 hard Fraemaa. 
 >»</«, and green 
 
 larke. 
 
 R« bretehe*, red 
 
 ), commanding 
 
 I'ranois Wyattj 
 iV. Blaikluck. 
 a PhilUps .• iBt. 
 iier; Adjudant 
 >tt. 
 and eufft blue, 
 
 arley. 
 
 George Dei- 
 I. Wiokatead ; 
 
 BUok; Ist 
 let; 3nd Lieu- 
 
 Stuari,, lit 
 ; 2nd Liente- 
 -matter, Jas. 
 
 tm A. Hale. 
 
 d. 
 
 
 eign, 
 
 Aatoine 
 
 ey; 
 
 Eniign* 
 
 ert; 
 
 Eniign, 
 
 ign, 
 
 Tiiomae 
 
 A CHRISTMAS SKETCH. 
 
 259 
 
 0th or (1) Highland Company, (Megantic) ; Captain, Arch. McKillop; Lieut., 
 
 P. McKillop ; Eniign ; John O. Ciapham. 
 7th Company: Captain, J. P. O'Meara; Lieutenant, J. H. Kirby; Ensign, Ed. 
 
 a. Cannon. 
 8th Company, (Qaeen'i Peti) ; Captain, William Rayside; Lieutenant, A. C. 
 Bucanan; Eniign, Walter Douglai; Paymaster, William Kemble; Adju- 
 dant, Thomas Hamilton. 
 Uniform : Companiei No, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7, 2i/uc looee coat, with red colUir, 
 blue bruchtt, higk/ftr cap reith long ear*. 
 Highland Company uniform.* Rob Roy Tartan Treioi, Scotch bonnet, dark' /rock 
 
 CviOt. 
 
 The 8lh Company of Quun'i Pete wore long blue pea Jacleett, blue breeches ; a round 
 fur cap with long ear*, and red woollen eravat ; their armi were : hone pUtolt, broad 
 eutlaeie* and a carronade. 
 
 qVIBIC TOLVN'TKEH CATAtRT. 
 
 Captain: Darid Burnet; Lieutenant (Judge), Rob. H. Gardner ; Cornet, J. 
 Bell ; sixty troopers. 
 
 The writer of this sketch, though very young at the time, 
 can well recollect an episode of the great insurniclion. It look 
 place at St. Thomes, where resided, one of the most energetic 
 « sympathizers » of those days. Dr. (since Si: E. P. Tache, 
 aide-de-camp to the Queen). Evidently, in 1837, Dr. Tache 
 had not the slightest inkling that our heloved sovereign would 
 knight him and make of him, one of her aide-de-camp ; his 
 denunciations of British rule, or more pioperly misrule, were 
 loud and deep. He and the County Member Lelourneau,(Iapt. Tetu 
 and others, had been the chief originatois of the enthusiaslic 
 fete champitre^ given to the great agitator, Papincan, solemn- 
 ized with spe(;ches, cannnon and cavalry at the this de Boulogne, 
 at St. Thomas, on Saint Jean Bapliste day, 1837. Thnii;.'li an 
 ardent patriot, Dr. Tache, the respected village physician, was 
 one of the warmest personal friends of an iiiieompromising itld 
 Loyalist, a near and dear ndalive of mine, Hk; Inlo Daniel 
 McPherson, J. P., of St. Thomas. Each day the eloquent 
 uoctor stepped over lotreal professionally or to enliven his octo- 
 genarian friend, Mr. McPherson, wilh items of news. My youth- 
 ful fancy had never yet witnessed the spectacle of the butiiing 
 eloquence and patriotic ardor with which Dr. Tache, nanaled 
 the heroic death of youngDr.Chenier, at St. Eustaehc. who he 
 said had died « comme un heros digne de la Grece antique. » 
 
 (1) This fine company, b*d boen, we believe, mainly raised through the instru- 
 vie«talitiy of the County momber, J. U. (,'lapham^. 
 
260 
 
 THE QUEBEC VOLUWTEBBS. 
 
 One of llie commanders of the Volimteers, Caplain John 
 Sewoll, had been commissioned to lakesleps to walchoverllie 
 safety of the (1) 42nd Regt., broughi from Halifax to Quebec, 
 in the depth of winter ; the numbed Britishers were packed 
 two by two, with a driver in front, in little low sledges ; the 
 temperature was very severe. They halted at St. Thomas for 
 their dinner, and our house being considered a peculiary loyal 
 one, a bevy of stalwart sergeants, its inmates, anxious to get as 
 close to the (ire as possible, sat me, yoringster as I was, on 
 their knee, scaring me with their dreadful threats as to what 
 
 they would do to the «b dy rebels. » whilst some of their 
 
 officers in the parlor were bountifully provided with bread, 
 cheese and porter by the kind old Scotchman, their host. 
 
 Neither sliiill I forget how easy it would have been, had there 
 been any wRebsw abroad, to secrete themselves in the narrow, 
 woody defdes of Cap St. Ignace, where there wasa savane Ihree 
 miles long, and shoot down the helpless and frost bitten soldiers, 
 who would have been struck i)y the bullets before seeing theen- 
 emy. But there was no intention to rise; nothing existed beyond 
 a patriotic fervor, either in the breast of Dr. Tache or any one 
 else. The Doctor however was subjected, toamostuupleasani do- 
 miciliary visit, — a search for firearms and a cannon? supposed 
 to be hidden underhis winter supply of potatoes, in the cellar of 
 his capacious dwelling. The police did find a pair of duelling pis- 
 tols, — for in those days, the doctor was not a man to be withou-t 
 this very indispensible article of agentlenan's wardrobe, — and 
 a small camion ; but this « Mons. Megg » (2) was only six in- 
 ches in length and belonged, it was satisfactorily established, 
 
 (1) "This regiment had received a few hours' notice to start for Canada; and, in 
 winter vehicles, proceeded to their destination, the first division crossing at Point 
 Levi on the 28tli December. It was an interesting sight to witness the longstrii g 
 of fli.riole* iia thoy came over the hiU of the opposite ^ide of the River St. Law- 
 rence ; and thtm the crossing over, amidst the floating ice, in wooden canoes, with 
 tlag.« gaily flying at the stern — the landing at Quebec — the weary and weather- 
 buatfn soldiers as fhey quietly fell into the ranks, and answered to the roll-call, 
 marching with military precision up Mountain hill to their quarters for a brief 
 rest, preparatory to proceeding to the seat of war." (J. V. Pierce.) 
 
 I 2) The iSt. ThomaK ])iece of ordnance had not, lil<e its prototy|)e of Edinbro' 
 in 174,'), sung by Scott, the honor of removal by the Government to the Tower of 
 111 iiui,n or Citadel of Quebec. This was probably owing to the circumstance that 
 it^did not " crack " like the Big ijoctoh gun.—" ijeout mous uieggA orack»f««t." 
 
A CHRISTMAS SKETCH. 
 
 261 
 
 iplain John 
 Ich over Ibe 
 to Quoboc, 
 are packed 
 ledges ; the 
 Thomas for 
 uliary loyal 
 us to get as 
 I was, on 
 as to what 
 me of their 
 vith bread, 
 r host. 
 I, had there 
 the narrow, 
 avane three 
 en soldiers, 
 leingtheen- 
 >ted beyond 
 or any one 
 leasaiildo- 
 I? supposed 
 he cellar of 
 elling pis- 
 be wilhoU't 
 be, — and 
 ily six iii- 
 lablished, 
 
 lada ; and, in 
 bing at Point 
 pu iongstrii ^ 
 irer St. Law- 
 I canoes, with 
 Ind weather- 
 Llie rull-call, 
 Is for a brief 
 
 of Edinbro' 
 Ihe Tower of 
 listanoe that 
 Irackaivot." 
 
 to the Dr's. juvenile son — the present worthy Assistant Com- 
 missioner of Crown Lands. Alas I Bob Symes and you, loyal 
 Thomas Ainslie Youn;,% you were at fault here ! 
 
 A Rifleman of 1837 (J. V. Pierce) thus describes the 
 Volunteers : 
 
 « The regular troops stationed at this garrison consisted of a 
 few regiments of the line, among whom the gallant 32nd. They 
 were immediately ordered to proceed to that portion of Lower 
 Canada where hostilities had alnsady commenced, leaving the 
 strong fortress of Quebec in charge and to thedefence of a volun- 
 teer force. The militia organization was, as might be expected 
 at that time, very incomplete and iniifficienl ; the roll on paper 
 certainly looked very formidable with a long array of co- 
 lonels, majors, captains, lieutenants and ensigns, but their 
 knowledge of military discipline, tactics and drill, were 
 thoroughly imperfect and useless. No training or muster of 
 militia had taken place for several years, many of the men 
 having never handled a musket. 
 
 When it was decided to withdraw the troops from the garri- 
 son, the old country poilion of the community were eniolled 
 into companies, and quite a martial spirit prevailed. The first 
 paid corps raised, consisted of laborers, mechanics and trades- 
 men, chiefly Irish, and were called the 
 
 PORK-EATEBS, 
 
 forming a regiment of about 000 strong; able, resolute fellows, 
 who, on being eqiiip|)ed, at first presented a motley, awk- 
 ward squad. After a period of thorough drilling by the non- 
 commissioned officers of the rciruiars, and snbjeclion to strict 
 military discipline, they became efficient, and, before many 
 months (dapsed, presented a very soldier-like appearance 
 going through their evolutions almost as well as the regul'^rs, 
 and, had occasion required, would have proved a formidable 
 body tor an enemy to encounter. Coloin'l Irvine had command 
 of this regiment ; Coloiud Hope, of the Grenadier (iiiaids. 
 was the Commander-in-Chic^f of the uarrisin. A fine cavalry 
 corps of well-mounted and active young volunteers, under 
 Major Burnet, also served during this peiiod. 
 
262 
 
 THE QUEBEC VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 The next corps was a unique body of men called (he 
 
 queen's pets, 
 
 comprising the seamen and seafaring men who happened lo be in 
 the port of Qnobec, and were enrolled under the command of Cap- 
 tain Rayside, a veteran naval officer, well known as one of the 
 captains, of the Montreal and Quebec steamers, and afterwards 
 as harbor- master of the port. Their uniform consisted of blue 
 pea-jackets and trowsers, equipped with pistols, cutlasses, and 
 a small carronade. Had they been called into action, either 
 for land or water warfare, they would have proved a determined, 
 brave and useful means of defence. Their services were fre- 
 quently brought into requisition ; hunting up concealed arms, 
 amunition and disaffected parties, accompanied by Robert 
 Symes, an active and zealous magistrate. The Queen's Pets 
 became, for a long time, quite a household word. 
 The next arm of defence was composed of 
 
 the volunteer artillery, 
 
 a fine set of men, officered like the infantry by young 
 merchants and professional men, who, after being instructed 
 by the regulars, acquired groat proficiency, particularly in the 
 art of gunnery, and handled the canon around the battlement 
 walls in a most creditable manner, forming an important 
 branch of the service for garrison duty. 
 
 citizen volunteers. 
 
 This corps was made up of Nos I , t, 3, 4 and 5 companies ; 
 they were unpaid soldiers, furnishing their own uniforms — a 
 blanket frock-coat, with caps and leggins of the same material, 
 with red, blue, green and yellow facings. Each company was 
 dislinguished by some peculiar cognomen, one of which was 
 famous as the faugh-a-Ballaghs. iNo 3 Rifles was considered 
 a crack corps of youn^' merchants and clerks, of which the 
 wriler(Mi'. Pierce) wasafidlprivale. This company wasofficered 
 by Captain, now Hon. John Young ; Henry J. Noad, Lieutenant ; 
 and William Paterson, Ensign. They acquired great proficien- 
 cy in drill, especially that pertaining to i ifie movements and 
 skirmishing. The members of this company now living (alas ! 
 
A CttRtSTMAS SKETCH. 
 
 263 
 
 dthe 
 
 med lo be in 
 nandofCap- 
 s one of the 
 I afterwards 
 stcd of blue 
 [lasses, and 
 lion, either 
 lelermined, 
 !s were fre- 
 ^aled arms, 
 by Robert 
 leen's Pets 
 
 by young 
 instructed 
 arly in the 
 battlement 
 important 
 
 ^mpanies ; 
 iforms — a 
 
 material, 
 ipany was 
 
 liich was 
 on-iden.'d 
 vhich the 
 5 officered 
 
 iitenanl ; 
 jrofi'jien- 
 ents and 
 
 ug (alas ! 
 
 how few !) still entertain a pleasant regard and happy remem- 
 brance of their gentlemanly and eflicient iiislruclor, Mr., now 
 Colonel Wiley. 
 
 THE POT-BELLIES 
 
 SVerc composed of Lower-town merchants of the elder class, 
 who turned out manfully on this occasion, and subjected them- 
 selves to the drill and discipline of a soldier's life with becom- 
 ing alacrity and good-will. It was cheering lo witness their 
 portly figures as they marched up to the Citadel armory, and 
 received their accoutrements of black leather belts and car- 
 touch box, with 20 rounds of ball cartridge, and a flint lock 
 « Brown-bess. » And oh ! the drilling ! « Maik time » — « Form 
 fours » — M Eyes right » — « Left » — « Front » — « Dress » — 
 such puffing and blowing excited many a good-humored joke 
 and smile as they moved about their heavy corporations at the 
 word of command. The unpaid volunteius were under the 
 command of Colonel John Sewell. 
 
 GARRISON DUTIES. 
 
 To garrison the fortress of Quebec would require a force of 
 several thousand soldiers. Those who have visited the Citadel 
 and traversed the walls of battlements, and entered through 
 the ponderous gates, can form some idea of the vigilance re- 
 quired to guard the several points around the city. But the 
 present mode of warftire has completely changed the style of 
 fortifications of forcner days, the strong forts on the heights of 
 Point Levi, now (1809) nearly completed, being considered as 
 a more efficient means of defence. 
 
 THE GUARD ROOM 
 
 to the soldier is a place replete with many an interesting re- 
 miniscence, and proves a most wel<;ume resoit to the weary 
 sentry, after walking for hours his lonely round. Here it was 
 that we ussemHed lo receive the orders of the day, and lo be 
 told off to our several duties, some to the Citadel, some to the 
 gates, and other parts of the garrison. Those who have passed 
 fo and fro as sentry in the Citadel in winter, when the thermo- 
 meter trt'irks 32 degrees below zero, can call to mind the soli- 
 
264 
 
 THE QU£BE<: VOLINTBERS. 
 
 tary hours before being relieved — the officer of the day com- 
 ing slealthily along — I he challenge : « Who goes Ihere ? » 
 « Rounds. » « What rounds ? » « Grand rounds, n « Stand, 
 grand roundoand give the countersign. » « Pass, grand rounds, m 
 « All right ! » To relieve the monotony of our duties, our com- 
 panions in arms would gather round and discuss the topics of 
 the day, or some subject would come up for interesting and 
 animated debate : song and storytelling continuing far into the 
 night, till, becoming weary, we turn in, on the soft side of the 
 planks of our bunks, and sink into a profound slumber, till 
 aroused by the beating of the reveille. 
 
 INCIDENTS. 
 
 Business was generally suspended, and rumors of various 
 kinds were rife concerning the Patriots, both in Upper and 
 Lower Canada, which kept all on the c^ni v»r« for the la!est in- 
 telligence. No lightning then flashed the news over the telej^raph 
 wires every minute, as if the events occuring thousands of 
 miles away were within sight and hearing distance ; no rail- 
 way to transport troops in a lew hours to the remolosl scene 
 of action.)) There was no lack of jollity (!) hoW' ver. 
 
 Dinners wen* the orderof the day. On th(i 2 1 st Februai y. 1 838, 
 the 0M«*«c(ra3«ffe, describes a grand entertainment at Schluep's 
 Globe Hotel, St. Louis street. The officers of the Quebec 
 
 (1) St. Andrew's Dinxkb— Nov. 1837. " 
 
 Tha Quebec Gazette of lit. Beo., 1837, sot8 aside a corner of its fyle, amidst 
 the general " clang of arms and wars, and ruiuurs of war, " wiiicb enlivened the 
 streets of old Quebec on the 1st Dec , 1837, to luako mention of a jolly St. 
 Andrew's Dinner, under the Preiidency of the eloquent late Andrew Stuart and 
 Hon. F. W. Primrose, Vice-President. " Among the songs which enlivened the 
 hilarity of the evening, after the regular toast?, was the following which was 
 sung by Mr. Campbell, Notary, (the late Archibald Campbell), and received 
 with universal applause, and encored. " 
 
 ORIGINAL .SONG, 
 
 At lung by Archibald Campbell, Esq., at St, Andrew'* Dinner, 
 AiB : " Scott loha Hat. " 
 
 Men of Sootia's blood or land, 
 No longer let u« idly stand, 
 Our " origin " while traitors brand 
 A« " foreign " here. 
 
 We scorn to wear a coward mask : 
 And when the yell' w Gaul shall ask 
 Our claim, t'will be a welcome task 
 To bid him li'ar. 
 
A CUUISTMAS SRETOII. 
 
 265 
 
 (lay com- 
 Ihen; ? » 
 » « Stand, 
 Jrounds4» 
 f our com- 
 e topics of 
 ssting and 
 ar into the 
 ?i(ie of the 
 iinber, till 
 
 )f various 
 Ipper and 
 ! latest in- 
 tele^rapli 
 usaiids of 
 ; no rail- 
 esl scene 
 r. 
 
 ryJ838, 
 Schliiep's 
 Quebec 
 
 yle, amidst 
 livened the 
 ft jolly St. 
 Stuart and 
 ivened the 
 w hi oil wa» 
 d reoeived 
 
 ik: 
 all ask 
 task 
 
 Light Infantry, presided by I lie Commander of the Corps, 
 Major (now Lt. -Col.) John Sewell : several di^liiiguished guests 
 attend(?d. 
 
 On the Isl March, it was the turn of th;! Quebec Royal Volun- 
 teers to meet convivialiy at the fashionable hotel of the day, 
 The Globe, St. Louis street. Major Wm. Hale presided. Loyal 
 toasts were drank to the Queen ; Sir John Colborne — Col. 
 Vt'ethorall ami Ihe heroes of St. Charles—the guests of the 
 t;v(!ning — Cols. Baird of 6Glh~Col. Grierson loth. — Capt. 
 McKillop — Major Ruxton 34lh. Lt. Col. John Sewell, Major 
 Temple, Capl. (Hon.) John Young, Lt. A.J Maxhani, Euirign Chs. 
 Allcyn, Capl. Thos. W. Lloyd, Lieut. E. S. Monlizamberl, Dr. 
 Jas. A, Sewell, Quarler Master Jns. Mntz, H. IL Wicksteiul, 
 Capt. (Judge) Andrew Stuart, Ensign Rich. Freeman, Ensign 
 (Lt. Col.) Wiley and a few others still survive to tell of the jolly 
 times, &c. 
 
 The line band of the 66th. Regt. att(!nded. 
 
 " On the crest of Abram's heights, 
 
 " Victorious in a thousand fights, 
 
 " The Scottish broad-sword won our 
 
 [rights 
 " Wi' fatal sweep. 
 
 " By gallant hearts those rights, were 
 
 [giiin'd, 
 " By gallant hearts shall be maitain'd, 
 E'en tho' our dearest blood be drain'd 
 " Those rights to keep. " 
 
 Then when the Gaul shall ask again, 
 Who called us here across the Main ? 
 Each Scot shall answer, bold and plain, 
 " Wolfe sent me here 1 " 
 
 Be men like those the hero brought. 
 With their best blood tho land was 
 
 [bought ; 
 And fighting as your fathers fought, 
 Keep it or die ! 
 
 The QiEBEC Curling Clib— IS.'JS. 
 
 " The annual match between the married men and bachelor? of the Quebec 
 Curling Club was played on the Ist of March, tor " beef and greens, " when tho 
 following was the result of the game : 
 
 Married men, 17 ; Bachelors, 31. 
 
 The following gentlemen wore players : 
 
 Married men — .Messrs. R. H. (Jairdner, William Patt<iii, L. T. .McPherson, Wil- 
 liam Phillips and John Dyde. Baclielors — Messrs .James (iillospie, John P. 
 Anderson, George Gillespie, James Burns and Thomas Hamilton. 
 
 The dinner of " beef and greens " with some other good things, took place on 
 Saturday last, at tho Globe. Several guests wore invited to partake of the hos- 
 pitality of the Club, and the evening was spent in a very pleasant manner. " 
 
 (Quebec Oaxeiir, 12th March, IS.'^S.) 
 
 28 
 
266 
 
 THE QUEBEC VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 ESCAPE OP GENEPAL TIIELLER AND COL. DODGE FROM 
 THE CITADEL. 
 
 The sympathy of the people in the United Slates with the 
 Patriots was very extensive ; and no doubt, in many instances, 
 really sincere. Their own struggles for freedom and indepen- 
 dence ever burning fresh in their minds, naturally leading them 
 to entertain perhaps, exaggerated notions and mistaken views 
 of the « situation » of their neighbors, caused some prominent 
 parlies to aid and sympathize with the Patriots ; men, arms 
 and money were furnished, to some extent : but want of con- 
 cert, and the partial interference of the United States troops, 
 frustrated their designs and operations. Among those who 
 look an active part in assisting the patriots were General Thel- 
 ler and Col. Dodge, both professional men, who were taken 
 prisoners on the Detroit frontier, and brought down to Quebec, 
 and lodged in the Citadel, under sentence of transportation. 
 By some means, communication was kept up frequently during 
 their incarceration with French Canadian and Irish Patriots in 
 the city. The Grenadier Guards occupied the citadijl barracks, 
 and the friends of the prisoners having conveyed to them some 
 bottles of beer or porter strongly drugged, the sentry was in- 
 duced to partake so freely that he fell into a profound sleep, 
 and they walked quietly out of the place of their confinement 
 to the bastion tower, on a dark tempestuous night. Cutting off 
 the ropes of the flag-staff, they (with three others : Partridge, 
 Parker and Culver) let themselves down on the glacis below ; 
 but, owing to some mistake of preconcerted plans, they found 
 themselves alone, without a guide or direction of any kind, in 
 a strange city ; and after wandering about for some lime, met 
 a French-! anadian on his way to work, by whom they were 
 taken to the suburbs of St. Roch for concealment. In the 
 mean time the alarm had been given, and the guard ransacked 
 the city in every direction, the gates of the city being closed, 
 and every person scrutinized as they passed through the wicket ; 
 but the vigilance of the friends of the Yankees managed to 
 protect them from discovery. In the meantime, horses saddled 
 nd bridled were conveyed by the ferry-boat to Point Levi, 
 
A CHRISTMAS SKETCH. 
 
 2«7 
 
 FROM 
 
 es with tho 
 
 y instaiicesi 
 
 lid indepcn- 
 
 Bading Ihem 
 
 lak(Mi viuws 
 
 3 promiiiGiit 
 
 men, arms 
 
 ant of con- 
 
 ites troops, 
 
 those who 
 
 neral Thel- 
 
 were taken 
 
 to Quebec, 
 
 jsportation. 
 
 inlly during 
 
 Patriots in 
 
 il l)arraeks, 
 
 them some 
 
 try was in- 
 
 nd sleep, 
 
 )nrinement 
 
 Cutting otT 
 
 'arlridge, 
 
 is below ; 
 
 ley found 
 
 ly kind, in 
 
 lime, met 
 
 hey were 
 
 In the 
 
 ransacked 
 
 ig closed, 
 
 le wicket ; 
 
 anaged to 
 
 !S saddled 
 
 )ini Levi, 
 
 ready for their escape ; and after remaining for sevt^ral days 
 in concealmeiil at Quebec, they crossed over the river in a 
 small boat, and guided to the place of rendez-vous, jumped 
 into the sadles, and riding with great speed, reached the 1Init(>d 
 Stales in safely. (Parker, Partridge and Culver were re-cap- 
 tured.) 
 
 AN ALARM. 
 
 By a preconcerted plan it was arranged that should any sus- 
 picious demonstrations be made by the Patriots during the 
 nighl-time, the sentinel on duty was to discharge his musket, 
 two discharges of cannon would follow from the Citadel, 
 and one from the artillery barracks at Palace-gale, being the 
 signal for the troops to meet at the rendez-vous in front of the 
 Parliament buildings. 
 
 Having retired to bed one night at my own dwelling, with 
 ray accoutrements and « Brown Bess » placed near my b(Ml- 
 side, I was aroused at early dawn by the booming of cannon ; 
 and, hastily donning my uniform, and taking my gun with fixed 
 bayonet, proceeded to the appointed rendez-vous, where the 
 volunteer troops were assembled ready for action. Scouts 
 having reiurued from a look-out, reported the cause of the 
 alarm. » 
 
 All, however, w ire not, on that memorable night, like our 
 friend the rifleman J. V. P., enjoying that « sweet restorer, 
 balmy sleep, » when the ominous guns sounded. Some were 
 most merrily « '-iiiping the lighl fantastic lot5,» amidst floods 
 
 of light a ..auty, under the hospitable roof of , 
 
 enjoying wildly, « the ball of the season.)) 
 
 " There was a sound of revelry by night, 
 
 And Canada's capital had gather'd then 
 
 Her beauty and her ohivalry, and bright 
 
 The lamps shone o'er fair woomen and brave men ; 
 
 A thousand hearts beat happily; and when 
 
 Music arose with its voluptuous swell. 
 
 Soft eyes look'd love to eyes which spake again, 
 
 And all went merry as a marriage bell ; 
 
 But hush 1 hark 1 a deep sound strikes like a riling knell ? 
 
 Did ye not hear it 7 No; t'was but the wind 
 
 Or the car rattling o'er the stony street ; 
 
268 
 
 THE gUEBKC VOLUNTEKRS. 
 
 On wUb the danoe t let Joy be unoonflned ; 
 
 No tleep till morn when youth and plenBuro moot. 
 
 To ohaae the glowing Hours with (lying feet 
 
 But, hark I — that heavy sound breatcs in once more, 
 
 As if the clouds its echo would repeat; 
 
 And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before! 
 
 Arm ! arm I it is — it is — the cannon's opening roar. 
 
 II was iiol quite u the cannon's oponing roar» but the pre- 
 concorled three shots the signal of i rising. The horizon 
 nppenrt'd all around in a blaze of light. The glare of the con- 
 flagration seen from afar, proved to be merely the blaze of a 
 large fire, lit at dawn of day to singe a large pig — killed the 
 day before — 'n the yard of the Ilotel-Diou, near Palace Gate. 
 
 The morning was hazy, with a light sp ow falling, and the 
 sentinel had mistaken the reflection of the blaze for a signal of 
 general rising of tht; Patriots. 
 
 There were more than one droll incident of this bloodless 
 campaign. 
 
 During the winter of 1838, a leading merchant of St. Peter 
 street, Henry Atkinson, Esquire, when not at his beautiful resi" 
 deuce at Spencer Wood, occasionally gave recherche dinners to 
 his ...ercanlile friends, in some very cosy rooms he owned, 
 adjoining his office in St. James street — occupied now by the 
 Inland Revenue Ofliccs. Surrounded by many choice spirits, he 
 had nearly got through all the loyal toasts of the period, no heel 
 taps iheti; happening to look towards his wharf, he fancied he 
 saw a light, round the bright pine deals. Fearing incendiarism, 
 he rushed out noiselessly, in his dress coal, merely taking his 
 cap, but was promptly-seized, by a Volunteer sentry, a brawny 
 Scolcliman who spoke with many b-r-r-rs, and thrust him 
 unceremoniously in his sentry box, despite his protestations of 
 loyalty. 
 
 The night was cold and the Laird of Spencer Wood, besee- 
 ched his remorseless custodian, to allow him to go on parole, 
 to his office and get his groat coal, else, he would certainly 
 ugct his death of cold » but stern patriotism and love of disci- 
 pline prevailed. — Mr. Atkinson seeing his case hopeless, pulled 
 out a valuable gold Repealer and placing itin the hand of the grim 
 Volunteer, said « Keep this watch until 1 return, wont this do ? » 
 
 » 
 
A «:niUSTMAS SKKTOII. 
 
 im 
 
 ut the prn- 
 lie horizon 
 of the con- 
 I bhize of a 
 —killed I he 
 aince Gate. 
 ig, and the 
 ' a signal of 
 
 is bloodless 
 
 Qf SI. Peter 
 
 auliful resl- 
 
 e dinners to 
 
 he owned, 
 
 low by the 
 
 spirits, he 
 
 iod, no heel 
 
 fancied he 
 
 endiarism, 
 
 taking his 
 
 a brawny 
 
 hnist him 
 
 lations of 
 
 od, besoe- 
 )n parole, 
 certainly 
 ol'disci- 
 3ss, pulled 
 jf the grim 
 thisdo?)) 
 
 « No, said the nncomiptible son of Mars. » Do yon want to br- 
 r-ribe mo? and in tlic S(!ntry box he kept his prisoner, until 
 released. 
 
 Every nationality came in for its share of notice on behalf 
 of the Loyal Volunteers. 
 
 A well remembered old country merchant, then a beardless 
 lad, recently landed from the land o'cakes, had been spending 
 the evening, at a friend's house, on the Remparts. On his 
 return he had to p;iss a sentry. Robert Symes had predicted 
 an undoubl;>d rising on that night. Sentries were ordered to 
 challenge indiscriminately friend or foe. The yo'ith, uncons- 
 cious of the general alarm, was merrily tripping homeward, 
 when a stentorian voice rang in his car « Who goes there?)) 
 « A friend)) was the hurried reply. « Give the countersign)) 
 was the rejoinder ; the youth alarmed had scarcely time 
 to gasp «I am Wee Wullie Ross, fra' Aberdeen, )) when Wee 
 Wullie, was cabined, cribbed and contincd in the guard 
 house, until morning, fully expecting in his alarm, to be mur- 
 dered, at each change of sentry : Canada was then such a 
 dreadful country. 
 
 On the night of the Hotel Dieu scare, Mr. P — P — , a French 
 Canadian merchant, whose dwelling was close to the House of 
 Parliament, the rende::-vous o{ tlu! Volunteers, incase of alarm, 
 heard thu uproar. Fearing tha' in the general melee, likely 
 to ensue, his throat might be cut, should he be taken for 
 a Tory, he had only time to rush to the Parliament House in 
 light marching order as to unmentionables, but weaiing a 
 portentous looking, Rutl'alo fur coal, with a double-barrelled 
 fowling-piece, minus the ramrod, protruding from beneath the 
 skirts ; a sentry had been placed near the door of the R. C. 
 Presbytere who hailing her Majesty's portly subject, called on 
 him in English « Give the countersign, » while Monsieur res- 
 ponded in most I'mphatic French « Sacre countersign ; ,le ne 
 le connais pas, jo snis loyal » When Her Majesty's volunleer 
 opening the porch door of the preshylere said : « Walk in thi'n, 
 in my sentry-box, » and Monsieur had to do as he was bid. 
 though the sentry was a well-known lower town merch.uil and 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 5* 
 
 /. 
 
 M/ 
 
 
 A 
 
 
 «? 
 
 :/. 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 lil 1^ 
 
 IM 
 
 - iitt 2.2 
 • 1^ ^ 
 
 .; m |||M 
 
 
 u 
 
 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 873-4503 
 
 fV 
 
 V 
 
 ^ 
 
 :\ 
 
 ss^^ 
 
 \ 
 
 "% 
 
 .V 
 
 
 6^ 
 
 <^ 
 
 ?^^> 
 
 -^>. 
 
 r^^^ 
 
A. 
 
 7¥ 
 
 <y 
 
 c> 
 
 A 
 
270 
 
 TBI QUEBEC VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 V 
 
 friend of his ; he was released, however, with whole bones, an 
 hour later. 
 
 Such were amidst undisguised alarm some of the humourous 
 incidents of our thrilling Volunteer days of 1837- 3S. Such the 
 Christmas Sketch offered to the patrons of Maple Leaves, on 
 this joyful Eve, by their old acquaintance. 
 
 Spencsb Grange, 
 Christmas Eve, 1872. 
 
le bones, an 
 
 humourous 
 i. Suchlhe 
 Leaves, on 
 
 OUR NATIONALITY. 
 
 ITS COMPONENT PARTS. 
 
 {Written \S%9.) 
 
 " We hare itrangety nnited together all the original element! of the Brit- 
 ish race. We have the Celt, with hii traditions of " good Ring Arthur " from 
 whom, through her ancient British anoeston Her Oractoui ^iajesty may elsidi 
 descent ; we have the Saxon or Teutonic element, and in Quebec we have a race 
 that hare come from Normandy and Brittany, the one the land of the Northerner 
 or Normans, and the other inhabited by a Celtic race, cherishing the ancient 
 British traditions of King Arthur and his twelve oompanioDS. The Norman 
 French of Quebec may well feel proud when they remember that they can claim 
 what no other portion of the Empire can assert— that they are govern by a mo- 
 narch of their own race, who holds her sceptre as the heir of Rollo, the norman 
 •■km-Itiiitr who first led their ancestors forth from the forests of the North to the 
 -•!»»•,« of Normandy. " — " The men of the North and their place »n Hietory," A 
 Lee. :re by .R. O, Haliburton, F. S. A. 
 
 Tracing the origin of the various nationalities who inhabit 
 British America, — fixing the exactepoch, — descr'bing the true 
 causes of their migration from their European homes to 
 Western soil, — determining the precise proportion in which 
 each element enters into the formation of (he composite popu- 
 lation of the Dominion, — this, indeed, would be a theme re- 
 plete with interest ; on which, at some future period, one 
 hopes to see the genius of some of our leading writers exercise 
 itself. Many eloquent pages would this study, viewed in its 
 muUifarioiis phases, furnish for philosophical investigations. 
 Nor would it be foreign to enquire whether the various types 
 of the Caucasian race, to be found in the new world, are really 
 undergoing the extraordinary transformation which some 
 savants pretend. GeofTrol St. Hilaire, Edwards, Smith, Car- 
 penter, certainly hold on these points opinions startling in the 
 extreme, and calculated, if founded, to make one feel at times 
 quite nervous and uncomfortable.' M. A. Quatrefages, a member 
 of the Institul de France, in a remarkab'e book, edited in Paris 
 
272 
 
 OIH NATIONALITY. 
 
 in 1861, LVnite del'Esp^ce Uumaine^ asserts that the airurihis 
 continent produces in time stran;,'e modi float ions in the striio 
 tiirc of man. The human body, especially the neck, elongates 
 — the oleagenous tissues diminish ; the eye is more sunk in its 
 orbit, &c., Smith and Carpii;iter are of opinion Ihat the Euro- 
 pean left to himself on American soil, will in process of years, 
 change to the aboriginal savage, so that eventually the true 
 Yankee will become a full blooded Huron, a fierce Mohawk, or 
 a blubberloving Esquimaux, according to his habitat. Did we, 
 men of th( New Dominion, by reason of our superior monar- 
 chial institutions or better descent, cherish the fond delusion 
 that we might perchance escape this formidable though \LVVk~ 
 dual, process of de-ategration. Abbe Brasseur de Bonrbourg, a 
 high European authority, rudely dispels it. Nay, his utterances 
 are so positive, that at the very time we imlite these lines, an 
 occasional, a grave doubt, now and again, hovers over our 
 mind, list we should already in our tastes, be something of a 
 Huron or a Mohawk. In our dark moods, we take to thinking 
 our great grand-children, or their childrcMi, may turn out scalp 
 hunters. As no hypothesis is too far fetched for a European 
 savant, doubtless, erf long, we will be told that the exact 
 epoch, when, it can be pnignoslicated this m'^tamorphosis will 
 be complete, is settled on undisputable grounds. As Tom 
 Hood's « Last man » is expected to flourish in the year 2001 , 
 would it then be premature to fix the year 1970 for the time 
 when the progressive native of the Empire Stale, which claims 
 to lead on all points — will take to carrying tomahawks, first as 
 a substitute for a black thorn or a revolver, and next as his 
 natural weapon of attack ? It may not be unreasonable to infer 
 that, thirty years after, the next generation will think it dero- 
 gatory to close up a social gathering without the war-dance ; 
 the European press will, about that time, probably, teem with 
 accounts of Yankee, pardon Indian, f.'rocity in New-York ; such 
 as white men from beyond the seas, being scalped for pre- 
 suming to enter, without permission, the precincts of Man- 
 hattan for purposes of barter. Still how much work yet to be 
 done by enterprising Jonathan, ere this comes to pass : the 
 conquest or annexation of England ; the dismemberment of 
 
theairofthis 
 ill lliH slnif- 
 ck, elongatos 
 irosiink inils 
 latlhe Euro- 
 ;ess of years, 
 illy Ihe true 
 ! Mohawk, or 
 lat. Did we, 
 jrior inonar- 
 ond delusion 
 though ^'ra- 
 Boiirbourg, a 
 lis ullerances 
 ese lines, an 
 ers over our 
 melhing of a 
 e lo thinking 
 turn out scalp 
 a European 
 ml the exact 
 lorphosis will 
 Is. As Tom 
 c year 2001 , 
 or the time 
 which claims 
 lawks, first as 
 next as his 
 nable lo infer 
 hink it dero- 
 war-dance ; 
 y, teem with 
 v-York ; such 
 ped for pre- 
 cts of Man- 
 ork yet to be 
 pass r the 
 mbermcnt of 
 
 ITS (COMPONENT PARTS. 
 
 273 
 
 France, of Italy, of Germany, &c., not to mention a variety of 
 minor changes in the map of the globe ! I ! 
 
 Yerily, our respect for savants, great though it be, does not 
 permit us to accept (his new theory of races, except sous bene- 
 fice d'inventaire. The old maxim is much more to our fancy. 
 
 Non animan, sed ooelum mutant qui trans mare earrnnt. 
 
 Our brethren of « Dear Old England, » as our French Cana- 
 dian lender, Sir George E. Cartier quaintly calls her, — can 
 breath in peace for a time — a long (»ne possibly, as this dire- 
 ful consummation will likely be coeval with the conquest of 
 England and dispersion of the Dritishers by the Maories, when 
 Macaulay's New Zealander will stand on Blackfriars bridge, 
 surveying complacently the ruins of London, and trying by 
 dint of a native interpreter to decipher Milton's Paradise Lost. 
 The next transformation might be the conquest of Europe by 
 Cossacks, who will soon after cross over to wrest America from 
 th(! Mohawks of Manhattan ! ! ! 
 
 But let us revert to the history of the races of the New Domi- 
 nion, as we find them at present and examine their component 
 parts. This disquisition brought to a successful issue, would 
 involve deep research ; nor are we sure that all the historical 
 dala required are readily accessible. Possibly, an abler hand 
 than ours may weave into one harmonious whole, the silky webs 
 now floating about, to many unnoticed. May this soon be ! 
 Until the task be completed, we ipay be allowed to oiTer a few 
 desultory thoughts, which have occurred to us in the course of 
 our readings. 
 
 For the Province of Quebec, the chief fountains of such 
 ethnological knowledge appears to us to be : — 1st. The census 
 tables under French and English dominion. 2nd. The regis- 
 ters of marriages, baptisms, and burials of the diflercnt 
 churches (and students of history must ever feel grateful to the 
 Notes already published on this subject by the late Abbe Fer- 
 land, and by the Bishop of Rimouski, when Pastor of Beau- 
 port). 3rd. The biographical dictionary of the families who 
 emigrated from 1600 to 1700, the fruit of the long and patient 
 researches of the Abb^ Tanguay, made in Canada and in 
 
 29 
 
274 
 
 OUR NATIONALITY. 
 
 France ; a work now in press. Amongst many striking 
 fealiires, one will be apparent to all, — the preponderance of 
 the military element in the population of the colony. Very 
 diflerent, indeed, was the status of our early settlers, when 
 compared to that of those who settled in other French colonies, 
 or in some of the English ones. Canada never had to build up 
 her fortunes on the success in after life of ex- convicts, ex- 
 garrolers, or ex-ticket-of-leave-men. Hardy farmers, indus- 
 trious mechanics, officers, soldiers, adventurous fishermen 
 landed in crowds on the shores of a country reported to contain 
 something more than fertile fields ; yea mineral wealth in 
 exhaustless quantities. The ftrst nobles of the French realm 
 vied with one another in finding men and treasure to build up 
 this New France, whose future so flattered the vanity of their 
 great monarch. High-born women, such as the Duchesses de 
 Bouillon, D'Aiguillon, and Madame de La Peltrie, undertook to 
 providu virtuous young girls to go and seek their fortunes and 
 husbands in this favored land. It is astonishing to see with 
 what soliicitude the morals of these emigrants were watched 
 over before they left France, until they landed in Canada. In 
 some cases, the slightest indiscretion caused them to be sent 
 back to were they came from. This is a very different version, 
 let it be remembered, to that circulated by Baron Lahontan ; 
 it is nevertheless a true one. (1) Retired officers, manyFrench 
 gentlemen of ancient lineage, but unable to maintain their 
 families in the extravagant spFendour which obtainnd at Court, 
 asked for grants of lands in Canada. The progeny of some of 
 those — our seigneurs — exist amongst us to this day. At that 
 period, none but gentlemen could obtain commissions in the 
 French army ; it required Court influence to procure these ap- 
 pointments. 
 
 (1) Father Le Jeune says, in the " Rdatton for 1A.36. " Maintenant noua 
 voyoDS tous les ans aborder bon nombre de tr^s honorables personnes, qui se vien> 
 nentjetor dang nog grands bois, oomme dans le sein de la paix, pour rivre iol 
 avec plus de pi^t^, plus de franchise et plus de libertd." 
 
 The historian Ferland quotes, as a striking proof of the purity of morals in the 
 colony, the fact gleaned from the register of the R. C. Church, at Quebec, that 
 outof 674 children baptized at Quebec, from 1621 to 1661, ona only appears to 
 have been illegitimate. 
 
ITS COMPONENT PABTS. 
 
 275 
 
 any striking 
 mderance of 
 olony. Very 
 Itlers, when 
 nch colonies, 
 [1 to build lip 
 jonvicls, ex- 
 mers, indus- 
 js fishermen 
 (ed to contain 
 al wealth in 
 'rench realm 
 e to build up 
 mity of their 
 Duchesses de 
 , undertook to 
 fortunes and 
 to see with 
 vere watched 
 1 Canada. In 
 m to be sent 
 jreut version, 
 n Lahontan ; 
 many French 
 laintain their 
 ined al Court, 
 y of some of 
 ay. At that 
 sions in the 
 cure these ap- 
 
 Maintenant noui 
 >nne8, qui le vien- 
 X, pour Tivre loi 
 
 y of morals in the 
 at Quebec, that 
 only appeaii to 
 
 Canada was singularly fortunate, both under French and 
 under English rule, in the class of settlers attracted to it. 
 Under the latter, polUical persecution deposited on its shores, 
 the cream of the population of other countries. The war of 
 Independence in the New England provinces brought over our 
 border crowds of the most educated, influential and refined 
 men ; their descendants exercice a powerful influence amongst 
 us to this day. 
 
 The historian Ferland has devoted the first fifteen pages of 
 the second volume of his excellent work to vindicate his cotin- 
 trymcn from the aspersions which some ignorant writers, such 
 as (1) Lebeau and (2) Lahontan, had attempted to fasten on 
 them. The antecedents of the early settlers of St. Christo- 
 pher, one of the West Indies, may have been doubtful ; but, 
 on reference to history, nothing of the kind can be imputed to 
 New France (3) From 1621 to 1641, the emigration came 
 plenlil'ully from Perche, Normandy, Ileaiice, He de France, 
 Saint Onge, Poitou and le Pays d'Aunis. The Ilu::u(?nols were 
 not encouraged to settle, for fear of religious strife. 
 
 The Company of Rouen, and that of M. de Monts, which 
 had preceded it were under the control of merchants and 
 traders, who resided chiefly in Normandy. It is, then, not 
 surprising that they selected [hew employes at Rouen, al Dieppe, 
 at Cherbourg, at Fecamp and al Ilonfleur. These employes 
 became familiarized wilh the counlry ; and when England re- 
 turned it to France in 1632, and France appeared inclined to 
 keep it, they enticed over to Caniida their friends and relatives, 
 who occasionally sailed for Ameriea wilh their whole families. 
 It was from Dieppe that Champlain, after his return from Eng- 
 land, where he had been carried a prisoner by the English, 
 sailed in 1633, with a parly of ol'llcers, missionaries and colon- 
 ists. These pioneers had doubtless been taken from Normandy 
 and the Pays de Caux, 
 
 In 1634, arrived Robert Gifiard, the first seigneur of Beau- 
 
 (1) Aventurei et VoyageB au Canada— 1727. 
 
 (2) NouT«auz voyages de M. le Baron Lahontan dani I'Am^rique Septentrio* 
 nale. 
 
 (3) FerlMtd'i Court d'Hiitoirc da Canada, Vol. I, p. 274. 
 
276 
 
 Otm ffATlOlfALITT. 
 
 port, and a great sportsman, accompanied by his wife, children 
 and seven other large families. They were fioon followed by 
 others Trom Perche, who took lands in the Cdle de Beattpri 
 (Beauport, Ange-Gardien, &c.) 
 
 Two important ramilies landed from France in 1636— named 
 Le Gardeur and Le Nouf. All the families who arrived before 
 1642 clustered round Quebec, except some few who removed 
 to Three Uivers, to lake advantage of the abundance of game 
 (fish and fur) in the neighborhood of Lake St. Peter. 
 
 The first lands cleared and conceded at Quebec^ were the 
 Coteau Sle. Genevieve (SI. John's subuibs) the <^liores of the 
 river St Charles ; the seigneurie Notre Dame dn Anges, west 
 of G. H. Parke's, on the Charlesbourg road ; the little village 
 of Fargy, at Beauport : the fiefs St. Michel and Sillery, near 
 Quebec. Champlain had noticed, long before this date, the 
 beautiful, natinul meadows of Cape Tourmenfe. and had placed 
 herdsmen to look after the cattle in the paslura;ge. Some people 
 settled there in 1633 ; in 1636, Governor Monlmagny and 
 Father Te Jeune found some French families there, which the 
 missionaries visited several times every year. Father Le Jeune 
 — whom we may call one of our most demoted missionaries — 
 stales why the place is named Beauprif « car la prairies y sont 
 belles el grandes et hien unies. » 
 
 After 1640, the stream of French emi^nts increased. 
 From 1641 to 1655, several inhabitants of Brittany came 
 over. The registers of the Quebec Cathedral $how a number 
 of persons emigrating from Paris ; many girls taken from the 
 royal charitable institutions. ((Several of them, » says Revd. 
 Mr. Ferland, « were orphans, whose parenL« had died poor 
 whilst in the King's service ; some were the daii|hti&rs of French 
 army officers ; one, for certain, was the child of a former 
 Governor of Nancy. » About 1660, the children bom in the 
 country began to count in the population ; hot emigration 
 continued, composed, as Mr. Rameau (1) obserres, « of an 
 importation of French peasants, peaceable, laborioos and well 
 
 (I) FerUnd's Coura d'Hiitoir* da Cmuu!*, YoL JLtf.§,1. 
 
ITS COMPOIfINT PARTS. 
 
 277 
 
 rifef children 
 I followed by 
 ede Beaupri 
 
 (S36— named 
 irrived before 
 Kho removed 
 ance of game 
 rler. 
 
 lec, were the 
 !^bo^es of the 
 t AngeSj west 
 ilillle village 
 1 Sillery, near 
 Ibis date, the 
 nd had placed 
 , Some people 
 »nlmagny and 
 ^re, ikhieh the 
 liber Le Jeune 
 Dii>»ionaries — 
 ftrairies y $ont 
 
 its increased. 
 kiltany came 
 low a number 
 ikenfrom the 
 « says Hevd. 
 lad died poor 
 lers of French 
 1 of a former 
 en bom in the 
 at emigration 
 erfes, « of an 
 rioQs and well 
 
 trained under their feudal seigneurs » (1). In 1663, the famous 
 regiment of Carignan, commanded by Col. de Sallieres accom- 
 panied the Marquis of Tracy. A couple of centuries later, in 
 1838, we read of one of the English noblesse, the magnificent 
 Earl of Durham, obtaining from his royal mistress the distin- 
 guished favor of bringing out, as a suitable escort, her house- 
 hold troops, the Coldstream (iuards ; but, beyond carrying 
 away in legitimate wedlock, some of our city belles, we do not 
 find the population of Canada afTecled by their sojourn. Not so 
 with the Carignan regiment, four companies of which were 
 disbanded shortly after their arrival in Canada. This splendid 
 corps of warriors, with laurels fresh from European battlefields, 
 (2) seems to have been victimized en masse, by the Quebec 
 fair. Every Josette had a military Joe ; the officers made fierce 
 love to the daughters of ihe seigneurs, of the Procureur du Rot, 
 of the eonseillers du Conseil Superieur, &c., &c. ; whilst their 
 gallant men vowed undying attachment to the « black-eyed 
 
 (1) " Lea premiers Canadiena, semblent dtre en quelque fa^on, la population 
 d'un oanton frangais transplants en Am6rique ; le fends dominant fut toujour! 
 une importation de paysans fran^ais, paisiblea, laborieux, rSguIidrement organi- 
 §6» 80U8 leuia aeigneura, avec I'aide et I'encoaragement do gouvemement. " 
 
 Lea campagnea canadiennea ont toute la ruatioitS de nos payaana, moina la bru- 
 talitd de leur mat6rialiame (A. Rameau,— Revue Canadienne, p. 287 — 1873.) 
 
 It aeema atranges that, in our day, one should still have to reply to such unmi- 
 tigated nonaenae aa to the vigour of the French Canadiana, aa haa been more 
 than ouce written of late yeara, by intelligent Europeans. The fecondity of the 
 race aurpaaaea all bounds. If we had not the atanding fact, that the French 
 Canadian race, from 06,000 at the time of the conqneat, has developped itaelf into 
 nearly one million and a half, and that, by shear inhuront vitality, aa it haa had 
 until 1870, acaroely any accession whatever from Franco by emigration, the convic- 
 tion would be thruatonua more than once by incidents in the surrounding parishes. 
 A public journal in April last, called attention to the celebration of no less than 
 fourteen golden weddings at L'Assomption, at once ; a peasant round Quebec, 
 had his thirtieth child christened only a few days since, and twenty-six living 
 brothera and aistera following the procession. Families of twenty children are not 
 uncommon in the parishes. French olement in Dominion by last census ia 1,082,040. 
 
 The T£tu, of Montmagny, at a family gathering, recently sat down to table 
 eighteen grown up aona and daughtera, to celebrate the golden wedding of their 
 reapected parenta. The Premier of the Province of Quebec, Honorable Oedeon 
 Ouimet ia the twenty-aixth ohild in hia family. How doea thia look compared to 
 New York familiea— where barrenneaa aeema to be the leading feature ? Ih« duty 
 of peopling the Northern Statea, aome aay, now devolves on English, Irish, QermMi 
 and French mothers. 
 
 (2) The battle of St. Gothard, in Hunguy, Ac. 
 
i7b 
 
 Ulii NATIONALITY. 
 
 Susans » of their own class. The natiirui resull, a not uticom- 
 moil one, wa^, that ere many seasons were over, the curi 
 and his vicairen were kept busy as could be, christening the 
 numerous young Carignans, whom the next census would 
 claim. (1) The sons of Mars spread over the country : some 
 became the sires of most patriarchal families, and rose to be 
 Governors — witness Daron Saint Caslin, in Acadia ; others 
 obtainedgrantsof soigiiorics. and built torts at Ste. Theresa, 
 at Chanibly, at Sorel, — such, Col. de Sallieres, Captains de 
 Chambly and de Sorel. Capt. Du Ciue married mademoiselle 
 Moyen, of Goose Island, (county of Monlmagiiy,) whose sea- 
 girl home had been burned and relatives tortured by the Iro- 
 quois in 1653; whilst others, either returned to France, or 
 made love-matches or marriages de convenance with Canadian 
 hein;sses, viz. : Capts. Saint Ours, De Uerthier, DeContrecceur, 
 La Yaltrie, De Meloises, Tarieu De la Perade, De la Fouille, 
 Maximin, Lohiau, Petit, Rougemoni, Traversy, De la Molte, 
 La Combe, De Vercheres, &c. Several of the domains owned 
 by these military swells arc yel in the possession of their des- 
 cendants. 
 
 To trace step by step the career of the issue of Ihc^se 
 stalwart colonists, would lake ns much furlherlhan the limits 
 of these historical jottings will permit. A compendious work, 
 of Slime six hundred pages, by Abbe Daniel, a French eccle- 
 
 (l) *' The beneficial manner in which this infusion of superior blood, operated 
 on the education and domestic manners uf the colonists, previously devoted to the 
 humblest occupations of trade, may be easily imagined. Liberal tastes were en- 
 oourngcd, sentiments of honor and generosity pervaded the highest rank in society, 
 the infliienco of which was speedily felt through every class of the inhabitants. 
 
 ".Measures were adopted to infuse a more liberal spirit in the colony, to raise 
 the 4unlity and character of the settlors, and to give a higher tone to society. 
 The King (Louis XIV) took a most judicious method to accomplish this. lie 
 resolved to confer upon tho Oovernment a degree of comparative splendor, worthy 
 of the groat nation of which it was a dependency. In 1604, he sent out to Quebec 
 the most brilliant emigration that had ever sailed from France for the New World. 
 It consisted of a Viceroy, a Qovernor- General, an latendant and other necessary 
 officers of the civil Ouvernment, the regiment de Carignan, commanded by Colo« 
 nel do Salliires, end officered by sixty or seventy French gentleman, mostof whom 
 were connected with the no6/e««e. Many of these gentlemen lottled in the Pro- 
 vince, and, having obtained conoeisioni of the waste lands, beoame the Mo6/e*M 
 of the colony, and wore the ancestors of the be^t French ftmiliei of the present 
 i%y."—Ha\rkin*' Netr llittorieal Pictur* of Qutbec. 
 
tT8 COMPONENT l',VRT8. 
 
 iV,) 
 
 a not uiicom- 
 ver, Ihe euri 
 hrislcning the 
 census vroiihl 
 miilry: some 
 nd rose to bo 
 ladia ; others 
 Stft. Therese, 
 , Captuins de 
 mademoiselle 
 (T,) whose J^ea- 
 ed by the Iro- 
 lo France, or 
 jvith Canadian 
 )eContrec(£tir, 
 De la Fouille, 
 De la Molte, 
 omains owned 
 u of their des- 
 
 »suo of those 
 lan the limits 
 endious work, 
 Kiench eccle- 
 
 or blood, operated 
 ii8ly deroted to the 
 ral tastes were en- 
 est rank in society, 
 the inhabitants, 
 he colony, to raise 
 )r tone to society, 
 omplish this. He 
 e splendor, worthy 
 sent out to Quebec 
 for the New World, 
 nd other necessary 
 ■nmanded by Colo- 
 ttnen, most of whom 
 lettled in the Pro- 
 ■oame the nobltt** 
 iei of the present 
 
 siaslic of the Siilpician Seminary of Montreal, contains a mass 
 of malerial, on these families which, some day or other, may 
 be wrought into shape. (1) 
 
 Fathers Le Clercq and Charlevoix testify in glowing terms to 
 Ihe morality, frugality, bodily slrenth, and courage of the first 
 settlers. 
 
 «As to bravery,)) adds M. Aubert, (2) «even, if as French- 
 men, it was not theirs by birthright, themoileof dealingwhich 
 in warfare they have to employ towards the Iroquois and other 
 savages, who generally roast alive their prisoners, with incre- 
 dible tortures, compels th(> Freiioli to look on death, in battle, 
 as prel'eiable to being capluieil alive ; they, therefore, fij,'hl 
 like desptM'ate men, and with very great indifference to life.)) 
 
 That our French ancestors were brave, hardy, devoted to 
 their adopted country, and moral in thitir conduct, history 
 abundantly proves ; that they considered themselves of goodly 
 slock and ancient descent, seems beyond a doubt; that their 
 proud monarch, Louis XIV., thought the same, abundantly 
 appears, by his own assertion, that « New France contained 
 more of the best blood of Old France than all the other numer- 
 ous French colonies of the day put together.)) 
 
 No less strenuous efforts were then being made as well, in 
 the neighboring English colonies, to obtain colonists and colonis- 
 ing malerial .History tells how matters were managed, a little 
 south of Quebec. In 1620, piociiring a « colonial » wife in Vir- 
 ginia, was attended with some cost. Ninety « slips of woman 
 kind» to use the words of «good M- Oldbuck,)) all u young 
 and respectable)) delivered at Jamestown, were worth each 
 100 lbs. tobacco at 3s. perlhs.=toS60. Later on however, 
 first class articles being scarce, a « young and respectable )) 
 En Jilish lassie was quoted at 150 lbs. tabacco, — tobacco was 
 then the current coin in the colony. (3) 
 
 (1) Histoire des Prinoipales Families Franfaises da Canada. Montreal: Eusibo 
 .S^ndcal; 18«3. 
 
 (2) M6moire par M. Aabert. 
 
 (3) Un deii moyens adopt^s pour augraenter la population (de la Virginie) fftt 
 d'y envoyer une eargaison de fliles, jeunes et honnltes, destindes 4 6pouser das 
 planteurs ; elles furent d^barqu^es 4 Jamestown au nombre de quatre-vingt-diz. 
 La eoropagnie fixa le priz de ohaeune k cent liTres de tabao ; or le tabac qui 
 
280 
 
 OUR NATIONALITY. 
 
 We regret that this portion of our subject should come to a 
 close ^ivithout having an opportunity or referring to the census 
 tablos kept under French rule in Canada, and which are now 
 to bo found in the ParliamiMitary Library, at Ottawa. 
 
 The arbitrary and inhuman dispersion of the peaceable Aca- 
 dians, by the English, in Cape Breton in 1755, brought over 
 to the colony number of refugees, whose descendants, to this 
 day, flourish in every corner of Canada : A Hard's, Landry's, Cor- 
 mier's, Dugas, LeBlanc's, Arseneaux, Boudreault's.TlieMagda- 
 Icine Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and some western 
 counties of this Province, found in them industrious, athletic 
 colonists, just as friendly to there English masters as might be 
 expected. One county « Acadie, » was called after them. Mr. 
 Dugas, a member of our Legislative Assembly, is of Acadian 
 descent. His foie-falhers were transported to Boston ; their 
 children were adopted by some austere Protestant family, 
 whoso language and creed became their own : the third or 
 faurth generation having emigrated to Canada, the head married 
 an Irish R. C. wife : their descendants are now R. C, their 
 language, French. 
 
 The proscribed race, from 30,000 souls at the time of its 
 dispersion, has grown to about 110,000 disseminated all over 
 Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Cape Breton, Prince Edward 
 Island, New Foundland, Labrador. New Brunswick is however 
 its chief location, where it is of count, m the political arena. 
 
 In the first portion of this sketch, it was staled that the mili- 
 tary element occupied a prominent position in the component 
 parts of our nationality. Let us then, at one bound, overleap 
 a century, and see what is going on in 1764, when Lord 
 Lovatts celebrated 78th Regiment, ((Eraser's Highlanders,)) 
 were disbandeo. These 78th men spread over the length 
 and breadth of the land Some attracted, no doubt, by the 
 name, settled in (New Scotland), (1) Nova Scotia ; some re- 
 sult u monnaie oourante de la Virginio, valait trois ohelina la Urre; deiorte 
 qn'une fenime vendue sur lea Ueuz, oofitait k I'aoheteur une somme de quinze 
 lottU. BienMtle nombre de fiUes ayant consid^rablement diminu6, il faUut aug- 
 menter le prix et le porter h, cent oinquante Hvres de tabao. 
 
 (C'our* d'Uiitoirt du Canada, Ferland Vol. 1, P. 193. 
 (1) It !■ stated that in Nota Scotia alone Uiere are at present more than 9,000 
 Fraieia. 
 
ITS COMPONENT PAHTS. 
 
 281 
 
 jI(1 come to a 
 to the cenouB 
 Mch are now 
 awa. 
 
 leaceable Aca- 
 brought over 
 dants, to this 
 Landry's, Cor- 
 s.TheMagda- 
 some western 
 IrioMS, athletic 
 !rs as might bo 
 ler them. Mr. 
 is of Acadian 
 Boston ; their 
 Bstant Tamily, 
 ; the third or 
 e head married 
 w R. C, their 
 
 le time of its 
 inoted all over 
 riiice Edward 
 ick is however 
 itical arena, 
 that the mili- 
 he component 
 lid, overleap 
 when Lord 
 lighlanders,)) 
 T the length 
 ioubt, by the 
 some re- 
 la llvre ; de lorte 
 Isomme de quinxe 
 lu6, n fallut aug- 
 
 ToM, P. 193. 
 more than 9,000 
 
 mninod in the pnrishps round Qiftboc. Tht; Frnscr (Ian nlon;?, 
 wilh its olfshonls nt Murray Itny, Krasprvilh', SI. Marc, 
 St. Andre, St. Thomas, IhMumioiil, Oiioluc, Munlrciil, Nova 
 Scolia, &(\, has attainnd to siH'h dimt^nsions that an enter- 
 prising,' d(!scnndanl, the; Hon. Jtthn Krasor de Ilcrry, L. C, 
 thoujjht seriously ol' roconslrueling the clan Inst winter — 
 tarlans, claymore, phillbe^, kilts, and nil, — January IVosis to 
 the contrary notwithstandin;,'. Several of Wolfe's followers had 
 also become Canadian lnndliold(!rs, viz., (Jenerol .lames Murray, 
 the distinguished owner of Belmont, on the SI. Foy Road, 
 Quebet!, — wliich on his return to England, passed over by 
 purchas(! to one of his officers, Col. Ileiu'y Caldwell, who bi*- 
 camo the founder of a Canadian family of note, and was llie 
 father of Sir John Caldwell. Another of (Jen. Wolfe's oITicjus, 
 Major Samuel Hollninl, purchased an ndjeinin;; domain of some 
 Ihree hundred acres, which to this day is known as Holland's 
 Farm ; whilst another again. Major Moses llazi'ii, scjllhul al SI. 
 .John's, near Montreal, and joined Brigadicr-deu. Monlgoim ry 
 in his unsuccessful all((mpt lo coiupier Canada in 1775. In 
 1762, we also fiud Meadow Bank (1) on the St. Louis Uoad, 
 near Onebec, owned by lion. Hector Theopliilus Crainahe, 
 afterwards Lieut. -Governor. 
 
 The idea pervading (ho minds of Ihese distinguished men 
 seems lohavo been, that those bcauliful sites selected by lliem 
 would incr;>ase rapidly in value, by the introduction of Biitisii 
 rule in Canadii, and become, in lime, mines of ^^callll, or 
 happy homes for Ihi'ir children. But British rule, with British 
 freedt)m left out, did but little, either for Canadian soil or 
 Canadians, durin.' the dark poriod wliicli began in 17o9 and 
 closed in 1841, About this time. Lord Sydenham, a uiost 
 astute politician and ruler, wi!h the view of nnglifying (he 
 French Canadians, united the Lower to the l.pper l*roviuc(! 
 hoping by the prepouderauee of the Knglish element in both 
 Provinces, to swamp and kill out that nationality ichich icouUI 
 not die. The new constitution had a most seductive name, 
 « Self-Government. » It was readily accepted by LafontaiiiL' 
 
 (1) The country seat of John Porter, Esq. 
 
 30 
 
282 
 
 OUR NATIONALITY. 
 
 and Baldwin, as it conlainod by implication, with some evil, 
 a principle of life, "quality to all races. 
 
 Emigralion from France mostly ceased from 1759 to 1841, 
 Oiie-lialf of the French families of distinction, who could sell 
 their lands, left the colony in 1760-1-2 (1), rather than live 
 under British rule ; though several again returned to Canada 
 from France about 1783 ; one of our respected French fami- 
 lies, that of Col. Dambourges (2), for instance, emigiated to 
 this country after the couqtiest. The emigration however, was 
 in the main, British (until, we may say, the year 1810) — of 
 men of means often ; sometimes, of men of superior education. 
 
 The closing of the Baltic to english ships during Napoleon's 
 continental wars, by creating a demand for Canada's valuable 
 woods, opened up new fields of enterprise. Canadian oak and 
 pine became so sought after that several english merchants es- 
 tablished themselves at Quebec about 1810. Thus in that very 
 year, one week after the death of the noted Col. Henry Cald- 
 well, assistant Quarter Master to General Wolfe, arrived at 
 Quebec, William Price, Esq., the respected Laird of Wolfe's 
 Field — better known fiom his extensive Inmbereslablishmeuts 
 and mills in the Lower St. Lawrence and in the Saguenay 
 district, as The Kiny of the Saguenay : several other large 
 Canadian timber fiims trace to that period, their origin. To 
 the fust Napoleon's continental blocade and closing of the 
 Baltic, we owe our immense lumber exportation business — 
 which for Quebec for half a century had become so vast as to 
 overshadow all other commercial or manufacturing enterprises. 
 Surrounded with water powers — with oneof the finest ports in 
 the world, treqiiented animally by some fifteen hundred ocean 
 ships and steamers ; teeming with a operatives, as yet remu- 
 nerated by low wages (3), Quebec has in herself, the 
 
 (1) Another migration to France, of the educated and wealthy class, took 
 place in 1763. on the conclusion of the Treaty of Paris, (10th February, 1763), 
 which ceeded Canada to England, 
 
 (2) Dambourges' heroic conduct in repelling with Capt. Nairn, the attack of 
 Arnold's soldiers, at Sault-au-Matelot street, Quebec, 31st Dec, 1775 — merited 
 for him more than empty compliments ; as braro as DeSalaberry, his heroism was 
 as ill quitod. 
 
 (3) What was true in 1869, is getting less so erery day ; combinations to coerce 
 
ilh some evil, 
 
 759 to 1841, 
 ^'1)0 could sell 
 or than live 
 !(1 to Canada 
 French fami- 
 emigialed to 
 lowever, was 
 ar 18 10)— of 
 i)r ediicalion. 
 
 ; Napoleon's 
 
 la's valuable 
 
 dian oak and 
 
 icrchanls cs- 
 
 5 in that very 
 
 Henry Cald- 
 
 I, arrived at 
 
 d of Wolf(!'s 
 
 tablishmenls 
 
 he Saguenay 
 
 olher large 
 
 origin. To 
 
 )sing of the 
 
 business — 
 
 so vast as lo 
 
 enterprises. 
 
 inest ports in 
 
 ndred ocean 
 
 as yet remu- 
 
 berself, the 
 
 thy cUsB, took 
 ebrtiary, 1763), 
 
 I, the attack of 
 , 1775 — merited 
 , his heroism was 
 
 lations to coerce 
 
 ITS C0MP0Ni:.M PARTS. 
 
 283 
 
 means of becoming as great, as prosperous by her manufac- 
 tures, as she can expect to be by the export of the wealth 
 of her forests — that is, whenever her Rip Van Winkle capilalists 
 wake up and national dissensions sink to sleep. 
 
 A most noticeable element of prosperity and refinement, 
 was added to our population by the war of Independence, — 
 the United Empire Loyalists. Some 10,0G0 staunch adherents 
 to the House of Hanover, came across our border, or pene- 
 trated by ship to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Though 
 "Western Canada benefitted (he most by the exodus from the 
 late Brilish Provinces, Eastern Canada came in for her good 
 share. These brave men had sacrificed fortune and position to 
 consistency, and their allegiance to King George ; and King 
 George, as a good and paternal sovereign, indemnified them 
 by pensions, land grants, honors, and emoluments, tolhebest 
 of the ability of the English exchequer. Of such were the 
 Ogdens, Holts, Sowells, Smiths, GaiibK's, Andersons, Jones, 
 Robinsons, Baldwins, Sir James McCanley, Hon. John Wilson, 
 John Slrachan, Captain James Dellrick, Roger Bates, Joseph 
 Brant, Hon. John Stewart, Hon. Samuel Ciane, Hon. George 
 Croukshank, Sir Joseph Brook, Hon. James Crooks, Dr. 
 Schofield, Hon. John McDonald, Thomas Merrilt, Hon. Heniy 
 Rultan, Hon. John Elmesley, Chief Justice ; Hon. Hector 
 Russ! II, Administrator ; Hon. Henry Allcock, Chief Justice ; 
 John WMiite, Ally. G.'neral ; Mrs. Secord ; Colonel Clark, 
 Hon. W. H. Merritt, and Philemon Wright ; all sons or des- 
 cendants or connections of the gloriniis 10,000, who were 
 aptly enough, vX one time, denominated by Upper Canadians, 
 « The Founders of Western prosperity. » To follow them in 
 their after fortunes, and desciibe tlieir brilliant careers, would 
 lake us beyond the scope of this paper. 
 
 The French Revolution was the means of providing Western 
 Canada with a goodly alloNNance oi nohU'sseilevuillesou€he{\). 
 
 capital, some with, some without Charts of Incorporati »n, are rapidly driving 
 away from our shores, some of our time honored sources of wealth, our shipping. 
 la the statesman born, who wiU dare grapple with this formidable evil ? 
 
 (1) A curious fact has just been brought to light through the researches of a To- 
 ronto antiquarian, leading to believe that later on, an unsuspected element of refi- 
 
284 
 
 OUn NATIONALITY. 
 
 We next have lo note an appreciable increase to our popula- 
 tion, by the intermarriages ol the oflicers and men of the De 
 
 nomont — no loss than a fair sprinkling of the French nohleme, had once its place, 
 in v'liat at ono time appeared as a city thoroughly British in its foundation. 
 
 In the December (1872) number of the Canadian Journal of Science, edited at 
 Toronto, there appeared a very interesting paper by the Revd. Dr. Soadding, on 
 ('anadian local history. Under the heading " Toronto of Old, " page 451, we are 
 apprised of the settiemout at York (Toronto), of a tolerably numerous colony of 
 French officers, whom the prospect of the guillotine, sent over in quick haste, from 
 sunny Frunc.e, to the »<hore8 ii{ la pei-jide Alltimi. The uncleared lots in Canada award- 
 ed by the British Government to this fragment of French noblcHse, as they were styled 
 — several in number, on Yonge street, appear in an old map of 1798, bracketed 
 and marked "French Royalists," by order of his Honor the President, Peter 
 Russell." The names of the grantees arc Michel Saigeon; Francois Reneaux ; 
 Julien le Bugle; Rene Aug., Comte de ("halus ; Aiiibroiso de Farcy; Quetton St. 
 (leorge; Jean Louis, Vicomto de Chalus; Auguslin Boiton; Le Comte de Puisayo; 
 LcChevalier do Marscuil; Pierre Letourneaux ; Jean Furon j these well known 
 and in several cases, illustrious names take one back to Normandy and Brittunny. 
 
 Le Comte de Puisaye quoted in the Hiitoire den Girondim — by Lamartino, and 
 by Thiers, in the Jlixtoire de la Rivolution t'rniiraiae, ended his days in England, 
 near London, in 1827. Quetton St. (Jeorge is an ancestor of well known and 
 respected Toronto Wine Importer. Doubtless, the great Edmund Burke had in 
 view this colony of French nobles when he alluded to the "considerable emigra- 
 tion from France, who quitting that voluptuous climate and that seductive Cir- 
 eiiiin libci-t;;, have taken refuge in the frozen regions, and under the British 
 despotism of Cai.ada." — " British despotism" is, of course, ironically said and 
 means, in reality, British constitutional freedom." 
 
 " The officers, says Dr. Scadding, styled Comte and Vicomto de Chalus derived 
 their title from the veritable domain and castle of Chains, in Normandy, asso- 
 ciated in the minds of all young readers of English history, with the death of 
 Richard, Cueur de Lion. Jean Louis de Chalus, whose name appears on numbers 
 54 and 55 in Markham and on other lots was a Major General in the Royal Army 
 of Brittanny. At the' balls given by the Governor and others at (Toronto) 
 York, the jewels of Madame la Comtesse created a great sensation, wholly sur- 
 passing everything of the kind that bad hitherto been seen by the ladies of upper 
 Canada. Ambroise de Farcy had also the rank of General. Augustin Boiton 
 was a Lieutenant-Colonel. The Comte de Puisaye # # # 
 
 figures conspicuously in the contemporary accounts of the Royalists struggle 
 against the Convention. He himself published, in London, in 1803, five octavo vo- 
 lumes of memoirs, justificatory of his proceedings in that contest. Carlylo quaintly 
 tells of the Count's adventure in Brittanny on the 16th July, 1793, when, to escape 
 the Mountain National Forces " he was roused from his warm bed in the Castle 
 of Brecourt and had to gallop without boots." * * * " De 
 
 Lamartine describes how, prior to the repulse at Chateau Brecourt, M. de Puisaye 
 had passed a whole year concealed in a cavern in the midst of the forest of Brit- 
 tany, where, by his manoeuvres and correspondence, he kindled the fire of revolt 
 against the Republic."— Dr. Scadding.) 
 
 At the present moment (June 1873), Canada is receiving instalment No. 2 of 
 Fnnch ltef\ujee», fleeing before Prussian despotism, from the soft climate of Alsace 
 and Lorraine to " British constitutional freedom on the banks of the St. Lawrence. 
 
 stead of selecting muddy little York of 1798, dear to Govoruor Simcoe and 
 
,0 our popiila- 
 loii of the De 
 
 ad once its place, 
 8 foundation. 
 Science, edited at 
 . Dr. Scadding, on 
 
 ptigo 451, we are 
 umorous colony of 
 quick hasto, from 
 I in Canada award- 
 as they were styled 
 >f 17U8, bracketed 
 I President, Peter 
 ^ran(oi8 Ileneaux ; 
 ^arcy; Quetton St. 
 Jomte do Puisaye ; 
 
 these well known 
 idy and Brittanny. 
 by Lainartino, and 
 8 days in England, 
 ■ well known and 
 lund Burke had in 
 nsiderable emigra- 
 thut seductive Cir- 
 
 under the British 
 •onically said and 
 
 do Chalus derived 
 1 Normandy, asso- 
 with the death of 
 ppears on numbers 
 in the lloyal Army 
 lors at (Toronto) 
 Isation, wholly sur- 
 ;ho ladies of upper 
 Augustin Boiton 
 
 * * 
 
 .oyalista struggle 
 
 03, five octavo vo- 
 
 |t. Carlylc quaintly 
 
 3, when, to escape 
 
 bed in the Castle 
 
 * " De 
 
 |urt, M. de Puisaye 
 
 the forest of Brit- 
 
 d the fire of revolt 
 
 Lstalment No. 2 of 
 t climate of Alsace 
 J the St. Lawrence, 
 loruor Siincoe and 
 
 ITS COMPONENT PARTS. 
 
 285 
 
 Walteville and Meiiroii Swiss Regiments (1), disbanded in 
 Canada, after the war of 1812. The descendants of the De 
 Monlenachs, Lahrueres, Diifresnes, D'Orsonnens, Genands and 
 others, are amongst us to this day. 
 
 To statists, suc!i as our Auditor-General, and his able assis- 
 tants, we shall leave the congenial lask of (ixiiig, with the cen- 
 sus tables before them, th(i exact ratio of the foreign element, 
 settling of late years in our midst ; prominent among which 
 must of course appear lh(! Gcllic nwo., whose pndilic nature 
 does not seem to siiifer in tin; leasl IVom lis ptfrcnnia! griev- 
 ances (2) ; and next Ihi' canny Scot, willi whom in the great 
 race uf uonlly weallh f 'W iiid.jid can kicp pace. 
 
 Some, however, of the best and l'ain!>l ol our populalion, 
 ami we say it with a fceliig akin lo icgivl, we are liiible to 
 lose, and do lose, by causes beyimil Ihe conlrol of legislalors ; 
 >ve allude lo thai not inconsiilerable poriion which annually 
 carries to other climes its youth, its freshness, its iclinement 
 owing to that nnaccoinitable and perverse haiikiM ing of Itiiiish 
 officers to rub (lanada of her bii^hlesl gems, — her f.iir daugh- 
 ters. Does this iKjcessaiiiy prove thai tlic beauty, manners, 
 and accomplishments of the colonial las are superior to those 
 of her English sister ; or, is Ihe Ganadian IJeJle cliiefly sought 
 for in marriage, as being a species of « forbidden fruit, » labotid 
 by IJelgravian mammas, whose « hopefuls » are serving in 
 the colonies ? Quien sabe ? 
 
 The author of « Ilocludaga, » Major Eliut Warburlon thus 
 testified to this fact. 
 
 President Russcl — the genial preserve of another colony of Refugees essentially 
 British, the 11, E. LoynliitH— they aro instnllinfj thoir household gods amidst tlio 
 wooded vales and pasture? green, trodden by the feet of a kindred race, near Qiicbco, 
 May their fortunes prosper more than those of the Yongo street nobility of 17981 
 
 (1) These regiments, we thiuK, bad been formed in England froiii French olli- 
 cers and soldiers detained as prisoners of war, and who had betni granted their 
 liberty, on agreeing to serve against all the enemies of lOngland, cxoopt thfir own 
 country — France. On the breaking out of the war of 1812, they were sent out to 
 tight the armies of the United States. 
 
 (2) An ingenious barrister, John O'FarrcU, Esq., in a humorous address, 
 road before the St. Patrick f<ocicty, in Montreal, loth January, 1S72, has called 
 attention to its presence on Canadian ?(>il about 1758. Should his novel theory 
 hold water, one would be led to believe that ./mn /?";i(i»fc is not a Johnny Cra- 
 paud after all, but has a right to consider Brian Boru as one of his ancestors 
 and luay, on the 24th June, associate the shamrock with the Maple Leaf. 
 
286 
 
 OUR NATIONALITY. 
 
 « The officers of Ihe army show themselves very sensible 
 to the uttractions of the daughters of Canada, great numbers 
 marry in this country ; no less than four of one regiment have 
 been made happy at Quebec within a year of the present time. 
 The fair conquerors thus exercice a gentle retaliation on the 
 descendants of those who overcame Iheir lore fathers. Nearly 
 all the English Merchants also have married in this counlry ; 
 and, from what I perceive, those who slill remain bachelors 
 are very likely soon to follow their exemples. » Hocuelaga, 
 page 100. 
 
 Capt. R. L. Dashwood, of Ihe XV Regl., in his simple but in- 
 teresling skntch of Ciinada sporls, intituled : « Cleptoquorgan 
 or Life by thu: camp fire, » thus alludes to this phase of 
 Colonial Life : « The withdrawal of troops from Upper and 
 Lower Canada will i-ause an unprecedented fall in the ma- 
 trimonial market of those « sections » The loss of so many 
 bachelois in the shape of the officers of the army will be 
 seriously felt. Canada has proved more fatal to celebacy 
 than any other country where troops are stationed, including 
 even England ***** The reason is, the propin- 
 quity and opportunity that is alforded where people are congre- 
 gated in a small pace, and where long absence from home ofien 
 « makes the heart grow fonder)) of some one else. » Page 2il. 
 
 Having, as we hope, fulfilled the promise made at the incep- 
 tion of this paper, of furnishing for abler pens a few hints 
 and suggestions, to be hereafter enlarged on, we shall close the 
 subject with a tabular statement compiled especially for us, by 
 a youthful lady friend, with a penchant for ethnological studies, 
 — under the heading Military Marriages in Canada of late 
 years ; it helps to prove some of our propositions, and shows 
 statistically to what an alarming extent the union sentiment, 
 to use an Americanism of the late wai', prevailed in the 
 Canadas. 
 
 Let us hope this wholesale immolation of Colonels, Majors, 
 Captains and Subs on (he altar of hymen had nothing to do 
 with the removal of ih; British Troops fiom Quebec ! ! ! 
 
 Here goes this precioi s document which we fear, is very 
 imperfect : 
 
very sensible 
 great numbers 
 
 regiment have 
 Q present time, 
 aliation on the 
 ithers. Nearly 
 1 Ihis connlry ; 
 nain bachelors 
 
 » HOGllELAGA; 
 
 simple bill in- 
 Cleptoquorgan 
 this phase of 
 om Upper and 
 all in the ma- 
 )ss of so many 
 
 army will be 
 i\ to celebacy 
 )ne(l, including 
 is, the propin- 
 ple are congre- 
 om home ofien 
 \e. » Page 2il. 
 le at (he incep- 
 is a few hints 
 
 shall close Ihe 
 iaily for us, by 
 logical studies, 
 Canada of late 
 ns, and shows 
 ion sentiment, 
 availed in the 
 
 lonels, Majors, 
 nothing to do 
 
 ebec ! ! ! 
 fear, is very 
 
 ITS COMPONENT PARTS. 
 
 BRITISH OFFICERS WHO HAVE HECENTLY MARRIED 
 IN CANADA. 
 
 {Prepared 'n 1869— flft-ifrf in 1873.) 
 
 287 
 
 Hljlc Briijadt. 
 
 Earlof Errol Mi-g Gore. 
 
 tth UwifHrn. 
 
 Col. White Miss DeMontenack. 
 
 Major Campbell " Duchesnay. 
 
 13(A Huntara, 
 
 Capt. Clarke Miss Roge. 
 
 Capt. Joyce " Austen. 
 
 Liout. Miles " Esten. 
 
 Dr. Milburn " Allan. 
 
 Rot/al ArtiV'ii). 
 
 Col. Shakspear Miss I'nnet. 
 
 " Pipon " Ashworth. 
 
 " FitzGerald " LeMoine. 
 
 " CliflFord " LoMesurier. 
 
 " Walker Mrs. Bull. 
 
 " Uaiiltain Miss Goidou. 
 
 Capt. Noble " Campbell. 
 
 " De WintoD.... " Riiwson. 
 
 Dr. Duff " Sewell. 
 
 Dr. Mcintosh " Wood. 
 
 Capt Brackonbury.. " Campbell. 
 
 Lieut. Irwin " Hamilton. 
 
 " A. W. White " Young. 
 
 " Appleby " MacOonald. 
 
 " Saiidilands .. " Stevenson. 
 
 " Brown " Kirpatrick. 
 
 Capt. Uotham " Halo. 
 
 " Turner " Gzowski. 
 
 " Sandham «• Mar'i Gzowski. 
 
 Col, Mackay " Wt /d. 
 
 Royal Engineem, 
 
 Col. Gallwey Miss M'Dougall. 
 
 " Brown " Hunt. 
 
 " Ford " Kacoy. 
 
 " White " Gibson. 
 
 " Boatson " Gordon. 
 
 " Murray .- " Fisher. 
 
 Capt. Noble...' " Lunn. 
 
 Ca; t. JJe Montmo- 
 rency " Motz. 
 
 Capt. Mann " Giddes. 
 
 " Burnaby " Felton. 
 
 Lieut. Carlisle " Phillips. 
 
 " Savage " Joly. 
 
 " Turner " Sprague. 
 
 Grenadier Guurdti. 
 
 Lord Abingor Miss MacGruder. 
 
 Capt. Herbert " LeMoine. 
 
 Dr. Girdwood " Blackwell. 
 
 Goldntream Guardn. 
 
 Oapt. Clayton Miss Wood. 
 
 " Kirkland " Patorson. 
 
 lit Royalt. 
 Capt. Davenport.. ..Miss Sewell. 
 " McNicol " Wood. 
 
 Tth RoyiiJ Futileert, 
 Capt. \\\ Pryce Brown.Miss Prior. 
 
 Lieut. Winter " gowell. 
 
 Wi\Re(j{ment. 
 Capt Straiibenzoe.Miss Cartwright 
 
 " Terry " Taylor. 
 
 \&th Ref/imenl, 
 Lieut.-Col. Nash.. .Miss Nanton. 
 Major Temple ... . " Sewell. 
 
 " Eden " Caldwell. 
 
 16f/t Rer/tmettt. 
 Major Lucas Miss McKenzie. 
 
 Baker " 
 
 Capt. Carter " 
 
 " Lea " 
 
 " Piatt " 
 
 Dr. Ferguson.. " 
 
 Lieut. Kane " 
 
 I7th Reyhnent. 
 Capt, Hoigham Miss Frascr 
 
 Cunningham. 
 LeMesurier. 
 
 Alloway. 
 Howard. 
 Alloway. 
 Coursol. 
 
 Jeffery. 
 
 Burstall. 
 
 Webster. 
 
 Kroighoff. 
 
 Mutz. 
 
 Stevenson. 
 
 Webber " 
 
 Ultorson " 
 
 " Parker " 
 
 Lieut. Burnett " 
 
 " Lees " 
 
 " Torre Mrs 
 
 " Harris Miss Motz. 
 
 " Pre.»grave.... " Day. 
 
 2:ird Royal Welsh FuHleert. 
 
 Capt. Hopton Miss Vaughan. 
 
 Lieut. Benyon •< Allan. 
 
 " Rowley « HoUis. 
 
 2bth Borderem. 
 
 Capt. Smythe Miss Perrault. 
 
 Dr. Gribben " Allan 
 
 Lieut. Lees •• Mn.\ham. 
 
 26M Ret/iment. 
 
 Col. Crespigny Miss Buchanan. 
 
 29/A Rei/iment. 
 
 Col. Middleton Miss Doucet. 
 
 Capt. Phipps " Goddes. 
 
 iiOth Regiment, 
 Col. Atoherley .... Miss Heward. 
 
 Capt. Moorson " 
 
 " Birch " 
 
 Dr. Paxton <• 
 
 " Hooper <« 
 
 Capt. Clarkson " 
 
 " Glasscott " 
 
 " Nagle " 
 
 Lieut. Fleuiming... " 
 " Charlewood .. " 
 
 32nd Regiment. 
 
 Dr. M. Healcy Migg Smith. 
 
 39fA Regiment. 
 Capt. Dixon Misg Antrobug 
 
 McCutcheon. 
 
 Vass. 
 
 Murray. 
 
 Dalkin. 
 
 Coxwell. 
 
 Cayley. 
 
 Bell. 
 
 Sewell. 
 
 Poston. 
 
288 
 
 OUR NATIONALITY. 
 
 Capt. Hawtayno ....Miss IIoAley. 
 
 " Tryon " McLood. 
 
 Linut. Osborne Smith. Misn Smith. 
 
 " Iluaro Mil's Snott. 
 
 ■{7th Ileiiiiiicnt, 
 Liout.-Col. Villiors.Miss Shanloy. 
 Capt. Larltoii " .Siivage. 
 
 " Bercltloy " Dixon. 
 
 Dr, Jamioson " Cartwright. 
 
 Lt. de J. Prevost... " Dow. 
 
 Ens. Dixon " MoMiirray. 
 
 53rrf Regiment. 
 
 Capt. Brown iMiss Dowar. 
 
 Lieut. Hitchcock... " Ferguson. 
 
 &ith Rer/iment. 
 Capt. Lake Miss Phillips. 
 
 " Thomson " Boxor. 
 
 mh Ri/les. 
 Capt. LoBrcton Miss (leorgo. 
 
 " Hamilton " Willan. 
 
 " Travors " Johnson. 
 
 " Anderson " Starnes. 
 
 " Worsoley " Sieotte. 
 
 " Crosby " Thompson. 
 
 Lieut. Mitchell [nnos " Starnos. 
 6rt//( Reiiiment. 
 
 Col. Dames Miss Komble. 
 
 Capt. Sorooold " Duval. 
 
 Capt. Torrens " Price. 
 
 Lieut. Oodby " DosFossds. 
 
 Dr. Henry " Omldos. 
 
 Lieut. Cunninf<hain " Robertson. 
 ()8'/( R'"iimeiit. 
 
 Col. Rhodes Miss Dunn. 
 
 Capt. Diirnforil " .'^cweil. 
 
 Capt. Biirli'W " Hcxer. 
 
 Lieut. Blown " Stevenson. 
 
 6'J//t Rejiment. 
 Capt. Clarke 
 
 " Thorpe Miss JefiFery. 
 
 Lieut, llouifs 
 
 Lieut. Glondonwyn. Miss M. C. H. A. 
 Cliiiuveau. (I) 
 Tilt Roll i me lit. 
 
 Major Denny Mi.-s Richardson. 
 
 Capt. {jrott " .stiivncr. 
 
 " Realy " llinoks 
 
 " E. Anirobns, A. D. C. " Brohaut 
 TAid Rifjimeiit. 
 Lieut. Fitz(}"r:iM..\iiss Hamilton. 
 
 T\lh Umjlmr.iit. 
 
 Capt. Austin ... ..Miss Hall. 
 
 Tnth HliihliiinlirH. 
 Capt. Colin .McKonzie.Miss Falkenberg. 
 
 Fraser Mifs l)upont. 
 
 79(7* Cameron Iliijhlaaderg. 
 Col. Butt Miss 8ewoll. 
 
 Major Robs " Lindsay. 
 
 Capt. t;umiMings...Mis3 ('oxworthy. 
 
 " Reeve " Frascr. 
 
 %'dth Rfifimenf. 
 
 Lieut. Isaaos Miss Cartwright. 
 
 {I'.iril Sutherliinil lliiihliindcrt. 
 
 Lieut. Elliot Miss Wood. 
 
 100M Reijimrnt. 
 
 Capt. Herring Miss L. Bell. 
 
 Lieut. Latouche " Bouchetto. 
 
 RlJIle Rrifjnde. 
 
 Capt. Glynn Miss Dowar. 
 
 " Kingscoto " Stuart. 
 
 " Dalzel " Harris. 
 
 " Swaino " Reynolds. 
 
 Lieut. .Swann " Price. 
 
 " Dillon " Stanton. 
 
 Dr. Hunt " Jeffery. 
 
 " AValters " (Jeddes. 
 
 Canadian Rijllet. 
 
 Col. Moffatt Miss Buchanan. 
 
 " Walker " Yule. 
 
 Major Bernard " Kingsmill. 
 
 Capt. Gibson " (Jibb. 
 
 Dunn " Gibb. 
 
 " Clark " Howard. 
 
 Rotjal N'lv;/, 
 Sir J. Westphall ...Mrs Gore. 
 Commander Ashe. ..Miss Percy. 
 
 Capt. Orlebar " Halo. 
 
 " Bayfield •' Wright. 
 
 Lieut. Story " Murray. 
 
 .Mr. Kni„'ht " Poctter. 
 
 ('iii»miHHiir'i(tt Department. 
 Dop. - Com. Ccx- 
 
 w rthy ...Miss Ooddard. 
 
 I)(>p -('(I'll. Webb.. " Brndshaw. 
 Coui -Gon. Weir.... " Stayner. 
 Sir Fiaudiilph RiMith '' Taschoreau. 
 Dep. - Com. - den. 
 
 Kouth " Hall. 
 
 Di-{). - Com. - Gen. 
 
 Loonco Kouth " Pardey. 
 
 Assi,<t.-Dop.-Com.- 
 
 Gun. Price " AVatson. 
 
 Sfaff. 
 
 Col. Pritchard .Miss Be Montenach. 
 
 Mvdleal .N>"jf. 
 
 Dr, Woodman Miss Stevenson. 
 
 " lla-ket " Uniacke. 
 
 " Henry " Geddes. 
 
 " Blathorwick.... " White. 
 Oi'dnancf. 
 
 .Major Holwell Miss Gibson. 
 
 Lieut. Bligh " Whale. 
 
 NoTK. — One glance will suffice to show how many names have been omitted in 
 the above. 
 
 (I) Ere six weeks wore over, the cypress had replaced the orange blossoms on 
 this fair younj; brow. Mrs. Glondonwyn, wedded at Quebec, in October, died at 
 Boruuida. on the 17th Dec, 1871, agod 19. An oxqviisitely sculptured group, 
 " Faith, Hope and Charity," by the London artist Marshall Wood, now comme- 
 morates in Carara marble under the silent oaves of the TJrsulines Chapel, at 
 Quebec, the early demise of throe of the Hon. P. J. 0. Cbauveau'a daughters. 
 Alas for human happiness I 
 
" Lindsay. 
 *l'»3 Coxworthv, 
 
 ." Praser. 
 '/iment, 
 
 —Miss Cartwright. 
 '« IliUhlniidcrt, 
 
 l'»s h. Bell. 
 
 " Bouchotto. 
 ''igncle, 
 liss Dowar. 
 " Stuart. 
 " Harris. 
 " RoynoldlB. 
 '' Price. 
 
 'Stanton. 
 ' Jeffery. 
 ' <}oddes. 
 Rijilei,. 
 
 ss Buchanan. 
 
 '■ Yulo. 
 
 ' Kingsmill, 
 
 Oibb. 
 
 Oibb. 
 
 Howard. 
 
 Gore, 
 s Percy. 
 Halo. 
 Wright. 
 Murray. 
 Pocttor. 
 
 'J'arfment, 
 
 Goddard. 
 fJrMd.shaw. 
 St'tyner. 
 Taschoreaii. 
 
 Hall. 
 
 Pardey. 
 
 IVatson. 
 
 f 
 
 Montenach. 
 
 'torenson. 
 ^niacko. 
 eddes. 
 rhite. 
 
 ibson. 
 hale. 
 
 9n omitted in 
 
 I blossoms on 
 ;obor, died at 
 tiired group, 
 now oommo' 
 ! Chapel, at 
 8 daughters. 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 Introduction 
 
 DIberville— Tho Cid of New France . 
 
 Dollard des Orraeaux— The Canadian Leonidas J3 
 
 l)e Brebaiuf A Laiemant n-j 
 
 The Roll oCSainl-Rpgis— Fact.\: Fiction 29 
 
 The Baron of Loiigueil 
 
 The Heroine of Vercheres 
 
 49 
 
 Major Stobo 
 
 bo 
 
 Cadieux, the Old Voyageur r-r 
 
 A select Tea Party at Quebec in 1759 -3 
 
 Tho lost of the 1 Aiiguste 1— French Refugees 79 
 
 The History of an Old House— Le Chicn d'Or. gg 
 
 Tid-Bits of Feudal Customs on 
 
 « Le Droit do GrenouiIla?ei 
 
 ° 107 
 
 Luc de hiCoriie Saint-Luc— A representative Man 115 
 
 TheU. E. Loyalists-British Refugees ,07 
 
 Frat^er's Highlanders before Qutdjec, in 1759 141 
 
 C.inadian Names i<; Surnames ,5g 
 
 The Oruvo ofGarneau, the Historian |~- 
 
 Cuiadian Homes 
 
 Our E.irly Friends, tho Birds ' oqj 
 
 Synopsis of Canadian Birds ..^„ 
 
 Fin A Feather ^ 
 
 The Quebec Volunteers, 1837-38 251 
 
 Our Nationality, ils component parts 071 
 
 List of Bristish O.ljcers recently marrieil in Canada 2S7 
 
I 
 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 The Leoknoary Lore of the Lower St. Lawrrnck (1 vol. in 3'2) 1862 
 
 Maple Leaves, (IslSeries) (1 vol. in-8*) 1863 
 
 I I (2nd Series) (t vol. in*8») 1864 
 
 I I (3rd Series) (1 vol. in-8'') 1865 
 
 The Tourist's Note Book (t vol. in-64) (by Co8moj)olite) 1870 
 
 The Sword of Brioadieh Gk.nehai, Montgomery, (A Memoir) 
 
 il vol.in-64) 1870 
 
 Jottings from Canadian History (Stewart's Quarlfrly) 1871 
 
 Trifles from my Port-folio (New Dominion Muntlily) 1872 
 
 MAPLE LEAVES (New Series) 1873 
 
 FRENCH. 
 
 L'Ornithologie »u Canada (2 vols. in>8°) 1860 
 
 Les P^cheries du Canada (1 vol. in-8<>) 1863 
 
 La M^moire DE Montcalm VENGEE (1 vol. in-32) i805 
 
 L'Alrum Canaoien 1870 
 
 L'Aldum DU Tourists (1 vol.in-8<>) 1872 
 
R. 
 
 in3'2) 1862 
 
 1863 
 
 1864 
 
 18G5 
 
 1870 
 
 ir) 
 
 I vol.in-64) 1870 
 
 1871 
 
 1872 
 
 1873 
 
 . 1860 
 
 i863 
 
 1805 
 
 1870 
 
 1872