IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V /. / / ^^ 4> w. / 1.0 I.I 1.25 IM ilM itt IIIII2.2 iiiM ,111 1.4 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation ^^ o ^9) S^ #^ 6^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. )4S80 (716) 872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical IVIicroreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques 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 checked below. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6tA 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 m^thode normale de filmage sont indiqu6s ci-dessous. D D D D D D n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagde Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurde et/ou pellicul6e Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes g^ographiques 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 Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents I I Coloured pages/ D Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagdes I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurdes et/ou pellicul6es Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d^color^es, tachet^es ou piqu^es □ Pages detached/ Pages d^tach^es □ Showthrough/ Transparence □ Quality of print varies/ Quality indgale de I'impression □ Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplcmentaire D D Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La reliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion !e long de la marge int6rieure 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 ajout^es lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmdes. D D 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 d nouveau de fapon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. D Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppldmentaires; 0This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqud ci-dessous. IPX 14X 18X 22X I I I I I I I I I lYI I I I I 26X 30X 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X lils ju difier ine age The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the geiierosity of: National Library of 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. L'exemplaire film^ fut reproduit grace d la gdndrositd de: Bibliothdque nationale du Canada Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettetd de l'exemplaire film§, 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 imprim^e 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- TIIMUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END '), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole ^^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent etre film^s d des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour etre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est filmd 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 m^thode. rata >elure. H 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 c\n C H i>-^T^ r^ 1535-1642 f HISTORICAL SKETCH OF MONTREAL: THE STORY OF ITS FOUNDATION. EXTRAC'I' I'ROM A COl'IOUS AKIICl.E WKITIICN KXl'RKSSI.Y lUR l.'oVKI.U's lIAZK ITtER AND llISl'ORY (IF (.AN All A. Next Year (i8(;2) Americans of (jvery name will be commemorating, as is most meet, the discovery of this western hemis|)here by Columbus, four hundred years before. In the same year the people of Montreal will also be celebrating the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of their city by De Maisonneuve. But its anlicpiity ought not really to be bounded by that formal act. Even if we pass over the fact that Champlain had actually, ii,. 161 1, begun the work of clearing and building on the very point that De Maisonneuve subseciuently selected for his fortress and habitation — giving it the very name, F/acc A'ojui/e, which it bore long afterwards, — it must not be forgotten that Montreal is one of the rare instances of a European city having been superim[)osed upon an Indian town. More than a hundred years before De Maisonneuve, with the solemn rites of the Church, consecrated to the Virgin Mother the cai)ital of his colony, a fortified l?ourij^a(/e stood at the base of the trappoan hill, from which Montreal receives its name. How long it had occui)ied that position of pre-eminence we can only conjecture. But the fact, that in the early part of the sixteenth century it was the strong dwelling-place of an apparently thriving community, shows that its admirable natural advantages had been recognized even by the rude predecessors of its civilized inhabitants. The sight that greeted the eyes of the hardy mariner of St. Malo and his brave com- panions was an augury of the greatness and prosperity of Montreal in days to come, when the din of strife should have been succeeded by the sounds of manifold industry. It was a ha[)py instinct which im[)elled the children of the forest to make a strong- hold of Hochelagn. For security, for shelter, for convenience of rendezvous, no point could present better facilities, so that its choice by those rude warriors and hunters was an unconscious forecast of its remoter and grander destinies. By patient, far-seeing nature those destinies had, indeed, been marked out in the very dawn of time. The slow pre[)aration for fulfilment began when the primeval germ of the con- tinent rose, bleak and lifeless, above the archa;an sea. By the unhurrying action of mighty tbrces, below and above, its foundations liad been laid deep and solid. The throes of the volcano raised aloft its mountain bulwark. True father of waters, the yet nameless St. Lawrence, first born of American rivers, had indicated it as the entrepot of mighty nations ere yet the Mississippi Valley had emerged from the primal ocean. Evidently, therefore, the history of Montreal embraces three successive periods, — the Aboriginal, the French, and the British. The first of these divisions, though it admits of voluminous treatment, involving, as it necessarily does, a question of the utmost value to ethnologists, is mainly interesting to the general reader for its association with Jaccjues Cartier. The story of that explorer's visit to Hochelaga has been told by many writers, and is familiar to every Canadian school boy. He was born at St. Malo, in Brittany, in the year 1500. In 1534 he first crossed the Atlantic, the route being already frequented by Bas(iue and Breton fishermen, and, having entered / ^ \ 1 s Hisforicdl Sketch of Montreal : t the Gulf, named the Baie dcs Chaleurs, maclc acquaintanr.e with the natives of our coast land, and set up across with a French escutcheon ; he returned to France with a couple of Indians, who afterwards served hini as interi)r(*ters. Next year (1535) he again entered our great water-way, to which he gave the name which it has ever since been proud to bear. His s(|uadron consisted of La Grande Ifermine (from :oo to 120 tons burden), which he commanded in person; La Petite Hcnnine (of 60 tons), in command of Mace Jalobert, Cartier's brother-in-law ; and the Emcr- illon (of 40 tons), in charge of Guillaume Le Dreton. Accompanying the leader of the expedition were several persons of note, members of noble families, such as ('laude de Pontbriand, son of the Seigneur de Montreuil, and cup bearer to the Dauphin ; Charles de la Pommeraye and Jehan Poullet ; die names of the crews have also been preserved in the archives of St. Malo. The total enumeration comprises 74 names. Reaching Stadacona (Quebec), Cartier was cordially received by Donnacona, the chief of the tribes which had their head([uarters at that place. IJut when it was perceived that the strangers pur[)osed advancing still further up the river, all kinds of dissuasive arguments were employed to deter the daring explorer from such an attempt. The chiefs, finding their oratorical powers unavailing, had recourse (says the record) to a ruse, by which, if possible, to arouse the superstitious fears of the adventurers. Cartier, however, was not to be diverted from his course ; on the 17th of September he began the arduous ascent, and on the 2nd of October he reached the site of Canada's future metroi)olis. What ensued may be fitly described in the ancient mariner's own language as urned into English by the Rev. Richard Hakluyt: — " The captaine the next day very earely in the morning, liaving attired liinisclfe, caused all his com- pany to be set in order to go to see the towne and haljitation of those people, and a certaine mountaine that is neere the citie ; willi whom went also the gentlemen and twenty mariners, leaving the rest to keepe and looke to our Ijoates : we tooko with us tliree men of Ilochekiga to bring us to the place. * In order that the French reader, or the English reader, who is a student of the French lanjjiiage and literature, may have an opportunity of contrasting Jacques Cartier's speech with tlie modern tongue, an extract from the original of the passage quoted is here appended ; — Le lendemain au plus matin, le Capitaine s'accoustra, et fist mettre'ses gens en ordre pour aller voir la ville et demeurance du dit peuple, et une montagne qui est jacente a la dite ville, ou allt;rent avecque le dit Capitaine les gentils-hommes, et vingt mariniers, et laissa le parsus pour la garde des barques, et prit troishommes de la dite ville de Ilochelaga pour les mener et conduire au dit lieu. Et nous ei=tans en chemin, le trouvasmes aussi baltu qu'il soit possible de voir, en la plus belle terre et nieilleure plaine : des chenes aussi beaux qu'il y en ait en for^t de France, sous lesquels estoit toute la terre couverte de glands. Et nous, ayant fait environ une lieu et demie, (*) trouvasmes sur le chemin I'un des principaux de la dite ville de Ilochelaga, avecque plusieurs personnes, lequel nous fist signe qu'il so falloit reposer au dit lieu pr^s un feu qu'ils avoient fait au dit chemin. Et lors commen9a le dit Seigneur jl faire un sermon et preschement, comme ci-devant est dit etre leur coutume de faire joye et connoissance, en faisant ceUii Seigneur ch^re au dit Capitaine et sa compagnie ; lequel Capi- taine lui donna une couple de baches et une couple de couteaux, avec une Croix et remembrance du Crucifix qu'il lui fist baiser, et lui [)endit au col : de quoi il rendit graces au dit Capitaine. Ce fait, marchames plus outre, et environ demie lieue de 1^ commenijames a trouver les terres labour^es, et belles grandes campagnes pleines de bl6 de leurs terres, qui est comme mil le Bresil, aussi gros ou plus que pois, (f) duquel lis vivent, ainsi que nous faisons de froment. Et au parmi d'icelles cam- pagnes est situ6e et assise la dite ville de Ilochelaga, (J) pr6s et joignante une montagne qui est a I'entour d'icelle, bien labouree et fort fertile : de dessus laquelle on voit fort loin. Nous nommasmes icelle montagne le Mont Royal. ;t r (*) Cc qui fait voir, que Quarticr aurait pris terre au-dossous du Courant de Ste. Marie- (t) Bleu d'Inde. (t ItloiUrcal, 7 1 The. Story of itfi Foundation. 1 r All along as we went we found the way as well beaten and frequented as can be, the fairest and best country that possibly can be scene, full of as goodly great okes as are in any wood in France, under which the ground was all covered over with faire akornes. After we had gone about league and a half we met by the way one of the chiefest lords of the citie, accompanied with many moe, who so sooneas ho sawe us beckned and made signes upon us, that we must rest in that [dace where they had a great lire, and so we did. Tlien the said lord began to make a long discourse, even as we have saide above, they are accustomed to doe in signe of mirth and friendship, shewing our captaine and all his company a joyful countenance and goo. Legardeur de Repenligny, Guillaumc Boissier, Bernard Berte, Pierre Laforest, Henri , Cesar Lcger, Jean Caron, Leonard Lucot dit Barbeau, Jacques Haudebert, Jean Masse, Mathurin Serrurier, Jean Btc. Damien, Jacques Boni, Jean Philippcs, Pierre Didier, Pierre Quesnel, Julien Pothier, Bellanger, Louis Gode, Louis d'Ailleboust and Barbe de BouUogne, his wife, Mile. Philippine de Boullogne, Catherine I^ezeau, Jean Mattemalle, Pierre P>igot, Guillaume Lebeau, M. David de la Touze, Fathers Joseph hnbert Duperron, Ambroise Davoust and Gabriel Dreuillettes. The dwellings of the little community were clustered together, the whole settlement being surrounded by palisades of wood and stone. The whole group of habita- tions was known as the F'ort and Chateau of Ville Marie. The scene with which the first new comers made acquaintance in the season of luxuriant vegetation was one of exceeding beauty. Away behind rose Mount Royal, clad in budding verdure, while past the little fortress village swept the grand St. Lawrence — both in their names recalling the visit of Jacques Cartier, as St. Helen's recalls Champlain (whose wife's name it bears) and St. Paul's does honor to De Maisonneuve himself. But the beauty of their surroundings could not make the pioneers forget the lurking peril of the thick forest that almost encircl 1 them. It was not, however, from that source that the first ordeal through which they were called to pass had its origin. Against the raids of the Iroquois all due precau- tions had been taken, but there was another foe against whose encroachments no thought of defence had as yet occurred to the settlers. " In the month of i:)ecember, 1642," writes Abbe Faillon in his HUtoire de la Colonic Fran(aise, "an unforeseen event that overtook the pious colonists increased their confidence in the divine good- nesi>. Nor, if we judge by the results which followed, can we help thinking that God . y v\ The atorij of 'tis Fotmdat'uni. only jjcnnitted il in order to give them ;i fresh mark of His fatherly care. When M. de Maisonneuve selected the Place Royale as the site of the fort of \'ille Marie, the locality, as already mentioned, seemed to offer many advanta{j;es. iUit, not having yet resided in the country, he did not foresee that the River St. Lawrence, notwith- standing its breadth, which is some three-quarters of a league at that point, might leave its bed and inundate the neighboring grounds. In the month of December, in the same year, 1642, it overllowed its banks to an extraordinary degree, and in a few moments covered all the environs of the I'ort. At last as the Hood augmented more and more, everyone retired within that jjlace of safety and hal recourse to prayer to turn aside so disastrous a visitation. The little stream on the bank of which the Fort had been built had already begun to overflow, when M. de Mai- sonneuve, moved by a lively sentiment of Hiith and trust, conceived the design of planting a cross on die bank of the river, so that it might please God to keep it within its bounds, if it were for His glory, or that He might make known His will, if He wished to be served in some other part of the island, in case the lately erected habitation should be overwhelmed by the waters. He declared his purpose to the Jesuit Fathers, who api)roved of it, and also made it publicly known to the colonists, who, aware of the ])urity of his intentions, were of one heart with him as to the religious act which he had determined on. He accordingly set \\\) the cross, at the same time making a solemn promise to God to carry another cross to the summit of the mountain if his prayer should be heard. Ikit it was God's will to )Hirify the faith of those zealous colonists as He had formerly perfected Abraham by the trials to which He exposed him. The waters still rose, rolling in great waves, till they had filled up the ditches of the Fort, ai)proaching even to the threshold, and menacing with their fury the buildings in which were stored the munitions of war and the provisions for the subsistence of the colony. Nevertheless, alarming diough the spectacle was, none murmured at the dispensation, which they accepted without fear and even without disquietude, though it was midwinter, even the day of the Lord's Nativity. M. de Maisonneuve was especially courageous, hoping that in good time his prayer would be heard. And that is just what hai)i)ened, for the waters, having lingered a vhile at the gate of the Fort, without passing further, gradually retired, and thus freed the colony from the threatened daifger." M. de Maisonneuve, in his gratitude at so signal a deliverance, was not forgetful of his vow. Workmen were employed to clear a path up the mountain, while the great cross was being hewed into shape, and on the 6th of January (Epiphany), 1643, all being in readiness, the cross was solemnly blessed, and the i)rocession set out on its journey up the mountain. M. de Maisonneuve bore the cross himself, though it was of no light weight and though the road was rough. An altar was duly erected on the mountain, and Mr. Duperron celebrated mass, Madame de la Peltrie being the first to communicate. For long afterwards the cross was the destination of pious pilgrimages. So ended the first Montreal flood of which history has pre- served the record. The Iroquois, whose notice the settlers had happily escaped during the first few months, no sooner saw what was taking place, than they put forth all their ingenuity and malice in their efforts to undo the work and to exterminate the workers. Some Algonquins, having slain an Iroquois, sought refuge within the walls of the Fort from the tribesmen who undertook to avenge his death. The pursuers saw the 8 nidorical Sketch of Montreal: fugitives enter the gates, but not being numerous enough to assail the colony, they contented themselves with a stealthy examinalion of the defences against their return in stronger force. It was not long till the murdered Iro([uois was more than avenged. In June, 1643, sixty Hurons, proceeding from their country with letters from the Jesuit Fathers, came upon u band of Inxpiois near the place now well known as Lachine, to whom, in order to secure immunity for themselves, they treacherously suggested an attack on Ville Marie. The Irotjuois accepted the advice, and detailed forty of their number, all picked warriors, to carry out the raid. It so happened that just then six Frenchmen were engaged in building at some distance from the I'ort, and these, l)y a feigned retreat, were decoyed into the hands of the enemy. Three met their fate on the spot. The other three were taken prisoners. As no dan- ger had been api)rehended to these workmen — the scene of their labors being only about two hundred feet from the l<'ort itself, — ^it was not till they failed U) make their ap[)earance at the usual hour for their return that any anxiety was felt for their safety. The fears of the governor and his companions were soon realized. Tiie lifeless body of Guillaume Hoissier, bearing the marks of fierce struggle and triumphant savage ferocity, was a silent but eUxjuent witness of Ville Marie's initial tragedy. Sadly and reverently the remains of the dead i)ioneer were borne back within the precincts of the town, and on the same day were solemnly laid to rest in a small enclosure set ajjart for a burying-ground, ad confluxuin mag/ii ct parvi Jliiminis.^ A few days later, the bodies of two of his companions, Bernard IJerte and Pierre Laforest, generally called rAuvergnat, were discovered in the bush. Of the three taken prisoners, one escaped ; the others were tortured and burned by the Iro(piois. After that display of savage enmity the hostile Indians seldom ceased infesting Ville- Marie. Meanwhile, M. de Maisonneuve ke[)t on the defensive. The consciousness that on his prudence and judgment the safety of the infant colony depended made him careful not to provoke an encounter with the savages. Again and again he resisted the demands of the bolder spirits of his small garrison, sensible of the fearful risks of their situation, should the Iroquois determine to assail the colony en masse. Fear- less on his own account, he had not dreamed that his policy of self-restraint would incur the imputation of lack of courage. But when, after the loss of five of their number, the colonists became more and more importunate in their appeals to him to lead them against the foe, it began to dawn upon him that his motives were liable to be misunderstood, and that the only way to convince the impatient of the wisdom of his course was to give them, under his own leadership, an opportunity of testing their exuberant bravery. Hitherto, his plans for the protection of the settlement had been adaiirably devised. Those whose duties made it necessary that they should pass daily beyond the environs of the Fort had been drilled to set out and return at the sound of the bell, so as to guard against surprise from the Indians who were wont to conceal themselves in the underwood. Another effective source of protection consisted in a number of well-trained dogs, whose instinct enabled them to scent the Iroquois. i * This first cemetery, a small triangular area of the extremity of Fointe a Callieres, was used until 1654, when that of the IIotel-Dieu succeeded it. The reflection that the spot was devoted to such a purpose, and that it received the dust and ashes of Viile-Marie's first dead, is another added to the many -jjt claims which this earliest nucleus of their city has upon the people of Montreal. The Story oj its FouiuhUion. •r Every morning regularly, these sagacious animals, headed by a bitch of rare endow- ments, well-named IMot, formed themselves into a patrol anil made a reconnoitring tour all over the town. Pilot was a veritable martinet, ami allowed no skulking or lagging on the part of her canine brigade. Her own young siic trained to be genuine dogs of war, administering discipline, when they disobeyed orders, by cuffs and bites, and never forgetting to punish in due time those who misbehaved while on duty. On perceiving any traces of the Iroquois, she turned back promptly and made straight for the Fort, uttering her warning bay to intimate that danger was nigh. IJut even the soldierly qualities of Pilot, and the faithful services that she rendered, only made the malcontents more dissatistied, as they saw the honors of war icirried off by a dog. To no purpose De Maisonneuve counselled delay, representing that ihey were far too few to expoije themselves to the multitude of the enemy, by whom a loss that to them would be destruction would hardly be felt. .\t last the governor received a hint that his protective policy had been misconstrued, and though to such a man any insinua- tion of cowardice could in itself have seemed merely worthy of contem[)t, it was of the utmost im[)ortance that no doubt on such a subject should impair his inlluence with his people. He resolved, therefore, to set the (juestion finally at rest by leading his ardent militia forth against the foe. The 30th of March, 1644, was a day that the colonists had cause to remember long afterwards, for it was then that the champions of Montreal had their first serious brush with the Irotpiois. The scene, as tradition has placed it before us, stands out in such salient contrast to the Montreal of to-day that it is not easy to conjure up the picture. The whole stage on which the drama was enacted, Fort, town, bush, combatants on both sides, lay well within the limits of the present city, and even of its business portion. The dogs howled their deep notes of alarm, the soldiers tlew to their arms, every looi)hole in the little fortress was manned, and every adit covered with the guns. There stood the governor, cool and tranquil as ever, giving his directions for the defence. But suddenly his countenance seemed to change, the exultant radiance of the warrior overs[)read it, the statesman was transformed into the soldier. "Yes," he replied to those who clamored for battle, ** I shall lead you to the fray myself." It was near the close of winter, but the snow was still deep; walking was difficult, and the supply of snow-shoes was defective, but De Maisonneuve marshalled his men and made the best of what equipment he had. Leaving M. d'Ailleboust (who had arrived some time before) in command of the Fort, M. de Maisonneuve marched out with a company of thirty men against, as we are told, from eighty to two hundred Iroquois. The latter, seeing the French issue forth, separated into three bands and lay in wait to receive them. The Montrealers soon suffered from their ignorance of woodcraft and lack of experience of Indian warfare. M. de Maisonneuve's chief trouble was to prevent them ex[)osing themselves to the sweeping fire of the savages, by which three were killed and many wounded. At last he got them under cover, and they retaliated so vigorously that in a short time their ammunition was all spent. Nothing then could save them but a skilful retreat. The only path of safety was the traineau road that had been levelled to cart timber for the hospital, and thither M. de Maisonneuve directed his imperilled company. Once there, locomotion would be comparatively easy, as snow-shoes would no longer be required. In their actual position they were, as an old writer quaintly says, like ill- furnished infantry against well-mounted dragoons. The soldiers obeyed those instruc- tions readily enough — too readily, indeed, for their withdrawal was much more preci- 10 Historical Sketch of Montreal: T pitate than their commander desired, and than became men who had burned so long to meet the Iroquois face to face. The consequence was that the cool, courageous governor was soon left alone in the presence of the blood-thirsty savages. Armed wi:.h two ])islols, he kept facing the foe and at the same time retreating. That he was in deadly peril, he knew, had the lro([U()is aimed only at taking his life. But, as the leader of the French nation, they wished to have the satisfaction of taking him alive, carrying him home in triumj)]!, and torturing him. They made way for their own chief that he might have the distinction of such a capture, and the savage had almost effected his purpose, when M. de Maisonneuve turned and fired. The first shot missed, a second was more successful, and the third laid the pursuer dead, and gave the governor time to escape. For the savages, dreading lest reinforcements arriving should wrest the cor|)se from their possession, gave themselves up to the task of rescuing it, and no longer troubled themselves with M. de Maisonneuve. Meanwhile, the more hasty llight of his men liad very nearly ended in a wliolesale disaster. For, marking the speed with which they made for the Fort, the guards thought they were Indians, and prepared to deal with them as such. One soldier, with more dis[)atch than judgment, attempted to discharge a canon that covered the traineau road, to the imminent jeopardy of the approaching fugitives who looked for a very different reception. Happily dampness prevented the fuse igniting ; otherwise a most deplorable catastrophe would have closed that eventful day. One inifjortant result of that first engagement was that thereafter the cautious policy of M. de Mai- sonneuve was never called in question. A great historian has well said, in connection with this event, that " Samuel de Champlain and Chomedy de Maisonneuve are among the names that shine with a fair and honest lustre on the infancy of nations," As the area of habitation enlarged, fresh means of protection were constantly required. Like the Israelites of old, they held their building implements in one hand, their weapons of warfare in the other. Already in 1643 the limits of the F'ort were found too narrow to accommodate the garrison an.d the settlers. A hospital and attached chapel were then erected, and surrounded with walls, pierced by loopholes, and strong enough to resist the attacks of the savages, which were renewed every spring. The tillers of the soil were constant objects of violence or treachery. In 1648, a now redoubt was constructed to the south of the fort, which was to serve as a mill and post of observation. In 165 1, M. de Maisonneuve marked out a common for the grazing of cattle, an arpent broad and forty arpents long, extending along the river, where we now find Commissioners and Common streets, the latter, i-ne de la Commune^ preserving the record of the event. The area in question was gradually resumed into the domain of the state, to be built upon as the needs of the citizens and the re([uirements of the harbor demanded. In 1652, Lambert Closse, lieutenant of De Maisonneuve, with certain followers, exterminated a band of Iroquois not far from the foot of the present McGill street, and repulsed another band at Point St. Charles, where a redoubt had been built. From that date the erection of houses advanced rapidly. In 1654, Sister Bour- geois, the founder of the Congregation, again ?ei. up on the mountain the cross which had been destroyed, whether by frost or by tiie Iroquois. At the same time a new cemetery was marked out, where the Flaee d' Amies is to-day. In 1656, the corner stone of a large church vvns laid near the cemetery, and a redoubt was built at the f The Stortj of its Foundation. 11 corner of Notre Dame and St. Denis streets, to protect the workmen on the Coteau St. Louis, the name of which is still preserved in St. Louis street and ward. In 1657, Sister lioiirgeois commenced building i!ie church of Notre Dame de Honsecours, and in tlie following year M. de NLiisonneuve gave her the ground to build a school, which was taken [lossession of on the 30th of April, the day of St. Catherine of Sienna. It was also in the year 1657 that the fust Sulpicians arrivecL They were lodged in the hospital buildings. At the same time a new redoubt was erected at the extremity of St. Louis Coteau, where Dalhousie s(piare now is. Later, it was augmented and furnished with bastions and intrenchments, and v/as called the In 1659, there were forty well built houses, isolated from each other, with thick walls and loo[)-holes, but close enough for defence in case of attack. I5y this lime the bastions of the early Fort had suffered so much from the spring ice and Hoods as to be practically of little use. The Fort itself served still as a residence tor the governor. Three new redoubts were built in this year — Hiat of Ste. Marie, at the foot of the current which bears that name ; that of St. Crahriel, so called by Abbe Queylus in honor of his patron saint; and, thirdly, to the north, in the .St. Lawrence suburbs, another still, given by M. de Maisonneuve to his lieutenant, Lambert Closse, which stood where the Montreal General Hospital now stands. Each of these redoubts had crenelated walls for the defence of the workmen's lodges and the buildings attached to them. Closse himself left the Fort and went to live with the men in the redoubt which he had built, from which i)oint of vantage he was able to guard all the northern part of the city. A letter from M. d'Argenson describes the city as it was in those early and trymg years: "I must," that gentleman writes, "give you some account of Montreal, of which place so much noise is made, although it is in itself but a small concern. I speak of what I know, as I was there this spring, and can assure you that if I were a painter I would not take long to depict it. Montreal is an island, rather difficult to land on, even in a boat, on account of the great currents of the St. Lawrence, espe- cially at about a league down the' river. There is a port where the boats'land, but it is falling in ruins. They have begun a redoubt and a mill on an advantageous rising ground, for the defence of the habitation. There are about forty houses, almost all in sight of each other, and, in that res[)ect, well situated for defence." In 1660, Mademoiselle Mance asked M. de Maisonneuve for permission to build a stone barn of sixty by thirty feet in the interior of the fort, io guard the crops. At this time the Iroquois were very formidable, making frequent raids, as if they had resolved on the extermination of the French. Nevertheless, so watchful was the governor and so well-laid were his plans, that very few of the fixrmers fell victims to their attacks. Considerable progress had already been made in the establishment of Domaincs and seigneuries around the city, which also served as vanguards for its defence. On the River St. Pierre was a fief of three hundred arpents, granted to Major Dui)uy (whose family is still represented in the country). It was he who took Major Ciosse's place in the task of defence at the St. Lambert mill. The conccssion- naire had to erect a redoubt and workmen's buildings on his land. Several fiefs were also distributed on the left bank of the St. Lawrence — that' of Lachine to La .Salle; that of Gentilly, of the Courselles islands and the Bay d'Urfe, so called from Abb6 d'Urfi^, the missionary there. Towards the Lake of Two Mountains was the fief of 12 llifitoricai Sketch of Montreal : Boisbriant, and, returning by llie north, other fiefs granted to different officers. Finally, on the River Des Prairies, there were two fiefs named after Messieurs de Corion and dc Merely given to those officers for the protection of the island on that side, and to i)revent the savages that came by L'Assomption River from landing. In succeeding years both sides of the river became occupied. M. de Laubia, of the de Broglie regiment, obtained two leagues of front and depth on Lake St. Peter ; his sergeant, Labadie, the neighboring district; and Sieur de Moras, the island at the mouth of Nicolet River. M. de Normanville was given land nearer Montreal. Seigneuries were constituted at La Valtrie, de Repentigny, de Berthelot, as rewards to officers in the employ of Government. That was to fortify the north side. On the south, defence was still more needed on account of the Iroquois, who were constantly descending the Richelieu to attack Quebec, Montreal and- Three Rivers. Large concessions for that purpose were made to M. de Berthier, captain in the Carignan regiment — the land opi)osite the Richelieu, which still bears his name, being the por- tion allotted to him; while to M. du Pas was granted the island still so called. To M. de Sorel was conceded all the land on both sides of the Richelieu for two leagues in depth; the rest of the river land being given to Messieurs St. Ours — one a captain, the other an ensign of the Carignan regiment. M. de Chambly received the fort of St. Louis and all the lands adjacent, and lands were also given to Messieurs de Contre- cceur, de Varennes, de Boisbriant, Boucher de Boucherville, etc M. Charles Le Moyne received lands situated between the Seigneurie of M. de Boucher and the Seigneurie of La Prairie, granted to the Jesuit Fatliers. The name of Longueuil was given it from the name of a seigneurie near Dieppe. Beyond La Prairie he obtained a large grant which he called Chateauguay, a name which it still bears. All these fiefs were settled by soldiers belonging to the companies of the officers who obtained them, and became the nuclei of tcnvns and villages of importance, such as Sorel, Chambly, Berthier, St. Ours, Contrecoeur, Vercheres, La Valtrie, Varennes, Boucherville, Longueuil, La Prairie, Chateauguay, etc. Meanwhile, as the surrounding country was being thus partitioned, and what was virtually a chain of garrisons was being established for its defence, it became necessary to draw up a plan of the city itself, for the guidance of those erecting build- ings. The delicate task fell to M. DoUier de Casson, superior of the Seminary of St. Sulpice. 1l\\q proce s-verbal, dnwwn up in 1672, gives the following particulars: — In the first place, M. Dollier de Casson traced through the centre of Villc Marie a long main street, to which he gave the name of Notre Dame, in honor of the blessed patroness of the city. Parallel thereto he drew a line, to which he gave the name of St. James street, in honor of the Rev. Jacques Olier, with whom the idea of the colony originated. On the other side of Notre Dame, and close to the river, stretched St. Paul street, so named from the founder Paul Chomedy de Maisonneuve. At right angles to these three principal streets extended several others — St. Peter, in honor of the Prince of the Apostles, and as a compliment to M. de Fancamp, one of the found- ers ; St. F>angois, in honor of the patron saint of M. Dollier de Casson himself; and St. Joseph, in honor of the pious husband of the Virgin Mary. St. Lambert was the fourth of these transverse streets, and so called after Captain Lambert Closse, already mentioned, lieulenantofM.de Maisonneuve, who was slain in an encounter with the Iroquois. Another was called St. Gabriel, in remembrance of M. Gabriel de Queylus and M. Gabriel Souart. his successor. The street called St. lean Baotiste. which I > 4 ' . Montreal : 1642-1891. 13 t « probably dates from about the same time, was at once a mark of reverence to Canada's great patron and an indication of esteem toward the ilkistrious Colbert who did so much for the colony. Another of those early streets was named St. Charles in con- sideration of M. Charles Le Moyne, who had rendered distinguished services to the colony, and had his residence on the site of the })resent Bonsecours market. The city was thus for the most part an elevated plateau, in the shape of a parallel- ogram of about a mile and a half long, and about a-third of a mile in breadth . On the one side it had the river ; while the rest was almost encircled by a deep natural entrenchment, through which flowed a stream, that emptied itself into the St. Law- rence, and was susceptible, if necessary, of enlargement for defensive purposes. This stream had its course in part where Craig street is to-day. J Montreal: 164 2-1 891. The Fort constructed by M. de Maisonneuve was mainly of wood. Not far from it stood the first mill used by the colonists. As the population increased, new structures became necessary, and before the close of the 17th century the city between Craig street and the river had taken the form which is still largely preserved. Dalhousie square is the site of the new mill and battery erected about 1682. Early in the 1 8th century it was deemed advisable to fortify the city by the traditional plan of circumvallation, and 300,000 livres were granted for the purpose by the King of France — arrangements being, however, made for the gradual payment of half the amount by the Seigneurs (the Seminary) and inhabitants. In the report which he forwarded to France in 1717, M. Chausscgros de Lery, to whom the task had been entrusted, described Montreal as a city of three-quarters of a league in circumference, but without any proper protection, the old enclosure being in a ruinous condition. His recommendation was to erect such a wall as would be capable of resisting English artillery. The revetment must be at least three feet thick, and a ditch would also be necessary. He began the work on the Lachine Gate, as being the side most exposed to attack. Though a start had been made with this system of fortifications before the close of 1717, nothing of much importance was effected until 1721. After that date, notwithstanding occasional interruptions from various causes, the work of strengthening the city was persevered in until it was a /aif accompli. Fortification lane is an extant memorial of the Montreal of the great wars of the i8th century. Although the testimony of travellers and the opinion of experts leave the una- voidable impression that Montreal, as fortified by Chaussegros de Lery's plans, was a city of considerable strength, its defences proved of little avail in the hour of trial. On the 8th of September, 1760, it passed quietly into the hands of the British, and a few years later English merchants were doing business within its limits as though it had never changed its allegiance. The hundred and eighteen years that elapsed between the arrival of De Maison- neuve and the capitulation of the city to General Amherst, were in many ways event- ful. About half this period might be assigned as the heroic age of Montreal. It comprises the early struggles with the insidious Iroquois, the story of Dollard's dev tion, of the dreadful massacre of Lachine, of the inception of those daring enter- prises of exploration which were ultimately to find their diverse goals in the Pacific, 14 Montreal: 1042-1801. the (iiilf of Mexico and the Arctic Ocean. Tlien, loo, were initiated tliose great reUgious, educational and cliaritable projects, tlie memory of which is cherished in many i hallowed spot wiihin and without the line of the ancient walls. 'I'hen, too, was begun the crusade against intem()erance among the Indians and ihit tralfic which made them fiends, while zeahnis priests were striving to make them Christians. It was also the age of the coiireurs des bois, the bushrangers, whose e.\|)loits are so romantic to read about, though they caused sorrow to many a home and were the object of many a weighty censure from the Church. By the close of the lylh century a marked change l)egan to be observable in the social, industrial and commercial conditions of" the ^ity. 'J'he system of government was already established and justice was regularly administered. While Colbert was in power, earnest efforts had been made to promote colonization, agriculture, manufac- tures and commerce, and although in 1701 the entire population, even including Acadia, did not reach 20,000 souls, so many outposts had been occui)ied that the possibilities of development were obvious to the far-seeing statesman. Iron-works, tanneries, shipbuilding, and other industries had been started, and there was a con- siderable trade with the Mother Country and the W^est Indies. Montreal had a share in this various progress — small, indeed, compared with its relative rank as a centre of business in later generations, but still sufficient to indicate what, under favorable circumstances, it was destined to become. The erection of the improved fortifications, the nature and extent of which have just been outlined, show to what degree the authorities had recognized its advan- tages. Though Quebec, in point of population, and as the m-HroiJolis and chief garrison of the colony, as well as from its readier access to visitors from Europe, took precedence during the whole period of French rule, and for a considerable time after the Cession, thi' situation of Montreal clearly pointed it out as the great entrepot between the East and West. In that sense, the naming of Lachine (China) was one of those unconscious prophecies which are sometimes met with in the jjages of history. At the time of its occupation by the British forces it contained thirty-two streets and four lanes. Notre Dame street was then the aristocratic quarter. The parish church marked its centre. The Court house and civic offices were nearly opposite the Seminary, at the corner of St.Frangois Xavier street. The Jesuits' establishment was nearly on the site of the present Court house. The old Bonsecours Church, which had been burned in 1754, had not yet been replaced by the new one erected in I771-73. The KecoUet church, with the adjoining monastery and garden, was con- spicuous in the area between Lemoine and Notre Dame streets, — the intervening RecoUet street bearing witness to' the fact. The citadel stood on Dalhousie square. Not far off a portion of M. de Lery's walls remained standing until i88r, when it was removed to make room for the Canadian Pacific Railway Station. The Chateau de Ramezay, now occupied by Laval University, is one of the most remarkable relics of old Montreal. It was built as long ago as 1704, and was long the centre of fashion and ofticial distinction under the ancien regime. It is also noteworthy as havmg sheltered Benjamin Frraiklin, Samuel Chase and Charles Carroll of CarroUtown, when these celebrated men came here as emissaries from Congress to allure the Canadians from their allegiance to King George. Montreal owes its present architectural splendor very largely to devastating fires. Roth before and after the canitulation, it was often the scene of holocausts that Montreal: 1642-1891. 16 attracted attention in Europe as well as on this Continent. In 1765 a great part of it fell a prey to the flames, owing to the greed and carelessness of one Livingston. Jonas Hanway, the philanthropist, headed a subscription in England for the relief of the sufferers. A more handsome and flourishing city rose above the ruins of the destroyed buildings. Tiirce years later, another fire swept away a hundred houses, and before the new liijime had lasted for a quarter of a century, tiie appearance of Mont- real had been materially transformed. The year 177 4 is a critical year in the history of Canada and of ail North America. It worked the inception of a new era — that of the Quebec Act, which assured to the King's new subjects the f.ee exercise of their religion and the practice of their civil law, and also created a legislative council, it had hardly gone into force when Montreal was occupied by the invading army of Congress. On the i2thof November, 1775, the citizens saw the alien foe ai)proaching their gates, and as no resistance was possible, Montgomery and his troops were admitted on the following day. On the departure of that offlcer for Quebec, where he was repulsed and met his death, Wooster, who had been left in comuiand at Montreal, subjected the inhabitants to vexatious petty tyrannies, from which they were glad to be delivered in the ensuing summer. The presence of tiie Americans in the city had one important result — the foundation of a newspaper, the Montreal Gazette, which still flourishes after a hundred and twelve years of existence. The idea originated with Joseph Fleury de Mesplet, whom Franklin had brought with him to serve as an intermediary with the French Canadians, and who, when his master's mission failed, cast in his lot with the people whom he could not convert. The American Revolution had grave conse- quences in which Montreal shared to some extent. It caused an influx of many thousands of loyalists, who, having lost home and property in their native land, were given an asylum in Canada, to which their advent brought a material increase of population. Most of them settled in Western Canada and the Maritime Provinces, but a considerable proportion chose the Quebec and Montreal districts for their per- manent residence. In 1791 the province of Quebec was divided by the Constitutional Act into Upper and Lower Canada, each with its own legislature. In the following year the bounds of the city underwent considerable enlarge- ment. In population it had already taken precedence of all other cities in Canada. Beyond the walls towards the mo' ntain there was a considerable number of villas, witii spacious gardens and orchards. The seigneurs and other gentry had capacious stone-built houses, and how well the merchant princes of tiiosedays lived and fared we know from abundant testimony of travellers. Some of the wealthiest of them were Nor'- Westers. " Our dinner," writes a guest of one of these magnates, " was excellent, served in sumptuous style. We had soup, salmon, roast beef and mutton, geese, ducks, and pigeons, plum pudding, pies and tarts, biscuits and butter, brought from the Grand Portage at the head of Lake Superior, several kinds of English cheese, and a dessert of various kinds of foreign and domestic fruit. Our liquors were London porter, bottled cider, strong ale, Madeira, port, claret and Champagne wines." The same writer refers to his host's ** extensive and well-managed garden, in winch were not only to be seen all the plants usually found in gardens here, but many exotics. Those of milder climates are preserved in a green house. Peach and other fruit trees are protected from the rigor of winter by a wall." Belonging to the same establishment was " a» aviary well stocked, as also deer, rabbits and other animals tamed, with many curiosities in and about the house, which render it an interesting place to an ~\-' 16 Montreal: 1G42-1891. inquisitive mind." Of the prospect from the mountain he writes that it is " exceed- ingly picturesque and grand," and that " hixuriant and well cultivated fields extend to the city." Testimony of this kind to the social habits of well-to-do people in Montreal a hundred years ago could be multiplied from the works of travellers. Nor are we without indications of other phases of life at that period. In 1783 a lottery was established for the purpose of raising money to build a new gaol — the tickets being sold for 46s. 8d., and the prizes ranging from .£8 5s. to £4. The magistrates issu<;d strict injunctions for keeping the streets in order. Every householder had to keep "free from filth, mud, dirt, rubbish, straw or hay " one-half of the street opposi*^^ his own house. The '^ cleanings " were to be deposited on the beach. Stray pigs could be kept by the finder, if no one turned up to claim them in twenty-four hours, and, on mak- ing himself known, the owner had to pay a fine of ids. For a stray horse the penalty was 5s. The carters were obliged to keep the markets clean. The regulations for vehicles, slaughter-houses, side-walks, etc., were equally strict. Keepers of inns and taverns had to light the streets. Every one entering the town in a sleigh had to carry a shovel with him to level the cahots at any distance within three leagues of the city limits. The rates for cabs and ferry-boats were fixed with much precision No carter was allowed to plead a prior engagement, but had to go with the person who first asked him, under a penalty of twenty shillings. Opportunities for intellectual improvement were not wanting. Montreal had a public Hbrary before the iSth century came to an end, and some of the books that formed part of it may still be seen in the Eraser Institute. Reference has already been made to the extensive fires which, at successive epochs, swept so much of old Montreal out of existence, and thus furnished an oppor- tunity of building a better class of houses on the devastated areas. On the 26th of January, 181 9, a great fire broke out in a store-house of pork belonging to Mr. D. W. Eager, and situated near the site of the present Custom house. When the fire brigade (then a volunteer body) arrived on the spot, the flames had gained the mastery of the upper part of the building, and all efforts to save it were paralyzed for want of water. It was impossible to break the thick ice on the river in time to be of any service, and so, though there was a multitude of willing helpers on the spot, they could render no effectual aid. Just then the happy thought occurred to Mr. Corse to attack the destroyer with snowballs. No sooner said than done. In five minutes a perfect fusillade from hundreds of brawny arms had smothered the fire with snow, which, melting, extinguished the flames. In that way some 800 barrels of pork were saved from premature and profitless consumption. Already steps had been taken to remedy the great inconvenience consequent on a deficient supply of water, and in April, 1 80 1, an act was passed by the Legislature, constituting Joseph Frobisher and others a company, which bore the name of " Proprietors of the Montreal Water Works." It was the starting point of the grand organization which still bears that name. As has already been mentioned, it was not long after the foundation of the city that attention was called, in a very practical manner, to its liability to devastating floods. But although from time to time the city suffered materially from this source, it was not until recently that decisive and effective Drotective measures were determined Montreal: I(}42-18i'!. xceed- jxtend of obstructions to navigation in Lake St. Peter channel. Witli these developments the commercial growth of Montreal has been intimately associated. No city in the world has proved more alive to all the great advances in every department of com- merce consequent on the application of steam to the movement of vessels. The first attempt to utilize the discovery on our great central waterway was made in 1809 by the late Hon. John Molson. More than forty years intervened between that exper- iment and the establishment of a line of steamship.s to effect regular communication with Europe. <^nce this latter enterprise was fairly launched, the progress ar^hieved was remarkable, and to-day Montreal's great ocean lines are among the finest, best equipped and most tK'.Liworthy in the world. Still more signal has been the extension of Montreal's opportunities for intercourse by means of railways with the rest of the world. Only those who can recall the day of small things, and can follow stage by stage in their memories the successive triumphs of the last half century, can realize what in this direction have been the gains of Montreal. The opening of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic road in 1851, for a distance of less than a hundred miles, was deemed an event of sufficient importance to justify the rejoicings of the entire community. In 1891, there is no point from the Eastern to the Western ocean, or from the sub-arctic north to the Gulf of Mexico, with which the city is not in com- munication, while mercantile fleets have placed it in comparative proximity to the very " ends of the earth." In solidity and beauty, in all that makes a great business centre an enjoyable dwelling-place, Montreal has at the same time been making wel- come progress. The cemeteries, which were once within the city limits, are now some miles] ;beyond it, and are laid out with a skill and taste which rob them of all but the tenderest associations. In their stead, gardens and squares afford pleasure grounds and breathing spaces to the inhabitants, while the Island and Mountain Parks are among the most deservedly admired of such attractive areas on this continent. At this moment a scheme of street enlargement and multifarious improvement is in course of being carried out, which, when completed, will make Montreal second, for architectural splendor and broad, well paved thoroughfares, to no city ir. the world. The suburbs are gradually embracing the most picturesque and desirable portions of the island, within a circuit of from five to seven miles, and ultimately, doubtless, the entire insular domain for which, in olden times, the Superiors of Saint Sulpice ren- dered homage, will be conterminous with the city. To attempt, in this brief survey, to describe any of Montreal's great edifices would be vain, as to comprehend them all would be impossible, and to particularize a few Where so many are deserving of praise would be invidious. The Roman Catholic institutions of the city would require a volume rather than a sketch for worthy treatment, while the later Protestant churches, colleges, schools and houses of charity would demand no less attention. Notre Dame, Our Lady of Lourdes, the Grey Nuns' Convent, St. Peter's, the Seminary, the Hotel-Dieu, the Gesu, among the former, and the Anglican Cathedral, St. James the Apostle, St. Paul's, St. James Methodist Church, McGill College, the Mackay Institute for Deaf-Mutes, and the General Hospital, among the latter, are among the edifices which will repay inspection. Mention has already been made of the Bonsecours Church. As holding the same venerable repute among Protestant places of worship, the St. Gabriel Street (Kirk of Scotland) church (now disused ,for congregational purposes) ought not to be for- gotten. The history of oid St. Gabriel, by the Rev. Robert Campbell, is, moreover, 18 Monlreal : 1G42-18!)!. a thesaurus of manifold information, touching the early religious and social history of the English-speaking section of the population. The records of education in Montreal coyer nearly a quarter of a millennium ; the history of public instruction, as u department of state administration, is, however, confined within half a century. It has been a time of progress in which all the inhabitants have shared, and a visit to the handsome school buildings erected by the Roman Catholic and Protestant Commissioiiers, as well as to the Normal Schools (Jacques Cartier and McGill) for the training of teachers, not to speak of special uistitutions (as the Ecole Poly- technique, etc.), will show that Montreal does not in this phase of development lag behind the other great cities of the world. There is one cluster of buildings to wliich the eye of the stranger on his way round or up the mountain is sure to be attracted, — those which were erected in view of a regular annual exhibition. For a number of years, while its facilities were much less perfect than they are to-day for such a i)urpose, Montreal had its yearly industrial and agricultural fair. Through whatever cause or causes the interruption occurred, it is to be hoped that the efforts recently made to revive this important institution will prove successful. More especially is it to be hoped that the year 1892, in which Montreal will have completd a quarter of a millennium of history as habitation of civilized people, will not be allowed to pass without worthy recognition. The Government of Montreal has undergone frequent changes. Under the Old Regime it was placed in charge of governors, some of whom asserted, if they did not succeed in exercising, a certain independence. The following is a list of these functionaries from 1642 to the close of French rule : — Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve. Etienne Pezard, Sieur de La Touche. Zachaiie Diipuis. Dominique de Lamothe, Sieur de T.uciere et de Saint-Paul. Sieur de la Fredi6re. Frangois-Marie Perrot. ■ F. X. Tarien de la Naudiere. Sieur de la Perade. Henault de Rivaux. Louis Hector de Calli^res. Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil. Claude de Ramezay. Charles LeMoyne, 1st Baron de Longueuil. Jean Bouillet de la Chassaigne. Dubois Berthelot, Chevalier de Beaucourt. J. B. Roch de Ramezay, Charles LeMoyne, 3rd Baron de Longueuil. Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, brother of the Governor-General.* The system of local governors was continued for some years after the establish- ment of British rule, Brigadier-General Gage being appointed by His Excellency, General Murray, as first English governor of Montreal and the surrounding district. He was succeeded by Col. Burton. In 1764, Civil Government succeeded to the Regime Militaire, and Courts of Justice were established to sit regularly. The trial of the persons accused of attempting to assassinate Mr. Thomas Walker, one of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the Montreal District, in December of that year, the documents of which have been preserved am )ng our archives, lets in considerable light on the political and social condition of Montreal at that early period of British administration. From lists prepared by Governor Murray, registers of births, marriages and deaths by AngHcan clergymen, the names of jurors and signers of i^ '>■( ■♦ From HUtoire Populaire de Montr ial. '^o ;ar, ble ish ;hs, of Moiitrtal: 1642-1891. 19 n petitions and other sources of knowledge, it is evident that soon after the capitulation of the city there must have been a considerable influx of British subjects from the other colonies and from the Mother Country. In these documents, moreover, arc found the names of several perse who were destined to rise to positions of influence in later years. Karly numbers of the (Quebec aiul Montreal Gazettes convey a good deal of interesting information, regarding the course (jf events from the inception of Civil Governineni till ilu- division of the province into Upper and Lower Canada. * From the year 1796 to the year 1833, t'lt- municipal iffairs of Montreal were administered by Justices of the Peace sitting in special sessions for tliat purpose. In 1832 the city was incorporatetl (ist William IV., chaj). 59), and to that end was divided into eight wards : Kast, \Vcst. St. Ann, St. Joseph, St. Antoine, St. Lawrence, St. Louis and St. Mary. 'I'he tirst meeting of the Corporation was hcid on the 5th of June, 1833. ^^ that occasion Jacques Viger, H^squire, was elected mayor, an office which he continued to hold until the new incorporation of 1840. The Corporation of 1840 was appointed by the (Governor-General for a term which was to e\i)ire in December, 1S42. Their successors were to be elected by the people. From 1840 till i85„', the mayors were (witii the exception of the Hon. Mr. McGill in 1840J chosen by theCouncil. By the Act 14 and 15 Vic, cap. 128, passed on the 31st of August, 1851, the election of the city's chief magistrate was committed to the citizens. The following tal>l<: gives the names of Montreal's mayors during the last half century : — By whom By whom Year. .Miiyur. appointeil or eleclpd. Vear. M.iyor. :i)ipointe(l or eli'Ctc 1883. Jacques Vigbk, (Jity Council. 1856. HiiNRY Starm s. Hy the People. 1840. Hon. Pktf.u Mi (iii.i, i;<>venior-< leneral. 1858. C S. RODIEH, 1849. E. K. Kai;ri:, i« 1885. H. BBAlKiRANU, '• •' 1850. K. R. I'abre, (1 1:^87. Hon. J, J. C AiiBcriT II ^i 1851. Hon. Chaki.ks Wilson 1S80. Jak.uks ('.rrnibk. a ti 1854. WoM-UFi) Nklsun, I'.y llle I'diplc, * For ihiu full miuI ;lltt•^e^tilli; >iaieiii«-iu thank-; ;m- iluc to Mi. Chaki.i.s Clai kmuvi^i;, Ciiy Clerk. i . M I I ',' ' I •;,'■'■'' ' I ', I I : 1 ly. ■i-f'j I . '''■■•.. I ; ; ■ ■■•■Jil . ■ ■ . ' •■ ■ < ' : ;|. . -u W