tU IliO 4)Srj4 .^r.-^ /3^S VISIT OF THR i •^ 1^ 1^ 55 5Xl (»<}ntiS.A,*-?J / '■ I ■• - i#,.- .. \ # QUEBEC — — Doo]) lined by nature as for proud defence 'Tis (ylianipliiin'.s town exUMids ;i lif)Sless hand ; The British eiisiofu crests lier ritiKiel, And, as it Ihitters on tlie breeze, bespeaks Tlie wiir-stftincd annals t)f two hundred years Writ goKlen on the tVinj^^e of natiiro's smile. Si) much has been written and published in connection witli our town audits history that it seems t<> bo alm(»st uiniecessary for a conunittee such as ours ia do more tluin merely to refer our distinguislied visitors to tlie many sources from which information may be drawn. Actint,', however, at the suggestion of some cf the members of the Association, we have prepared the following brief notes to be of s(U'vice as a kind of preliminary introduction to some of the natural and historical beauties of one of the oldest cities in North America. The annals of Quebec city form the key-stone of Cana- dian liistory. It has fittingly been called the Ancient Capital of Canada and the (iibraltar of the New World, and stands as a centre of attraction to the traveller as much from the historical memories which seem to float in the air of its narrow streets, as from the varied scenery which sur- rounds its site. The first imi)ression made upon the mind of a passenger on board one of the Ocean steamers as it passes the inner face of the Island of Orleans, is not likely to be forgotten. Indeed the scene which bursts upon his gaze is the finest view of the city and its surroundings 1 t # ^ that can be ()l)taine(l from any stand-point. " The majua- tic appt'ai'ance of Capu Diamond and the fortifications, tlie cupolas and minarets like; tliose of an eastern city, l»hi/in^' and sparklinf^ in the? sun, the h>veliness of the panorama, tlu' nolthi basin bkt* a sheet of jiurest silver, in wiiicli miglit ri«le with safety a hundred sail of the line, the graceful meandering of the river St, Cliarles, the numerous village spires on t-ither side of the St. Lawrence, the fertile fields dotted with innumerable cottages, the abode of a rich and moral peasantry, the distant falls of Montmorency- the l>ai'k-like scenery of J*oint Levi,— the beauteous Isle of Orleans, and more distant still the frowning Cai)e Tour- mente and the lofty range of purple mountains — all these form the grouping of a picture which, witliout exaggeration, is scarcely to be surpassed in any part of the world," — Tlio lioautoous shrine of nature gay f'L't;to()ned With wootilarid grandeur, — where tlie sold May drink a draught Ironi sununer's ripjilirig bloom, That's shed troni mountain, phiin, and sinuous stream Like sweet ambrosial odour mortalized. Tlie following facts illustrate the above picture : — The Island of Orleans, which the reader is supposed to be passing, is a fav()urite resort for Quebecers in sum- mer time. It is twenty miles long and live nules In-oad. The building near the j)ictures(|ue wharf is the Island Hotel, and higher up, on sloping ground, stands the church and spire of St. Petronille de Beaidieu. In sunnuer there is a regular ferry conununication l)etween the Island and (^uel)ec. The Indians called tlie Island Miniyo. It was explored by Jaccpies Cartier in Ib'Ab, who, finding grape vines growing upon it, gave it the name of Isle .>i Bacchus. A year afterwards, it received its present name in honour of de Valois, Duke of Orleans and son of Francis I. In 1()57, it was occupied by si.v hundred Huron Indians. In 1()(>1, it ^vas overrun by the Iroipiois, when a number of Huron settlers were murdered. Before the capture of Quebec l>y Wolfe, it is said to liave been peopled ))" two thousand people. Wolfe's S(ddiers landed at St. Laurent, on the south shore, and eventually took possession of the whole Island. The parishes are St. Pierre, Ste. Famille, St. Francois, St. Jean, St. Laurent and Ste. Petronillc. _t i The Laurentides, or, as tlioy have been called, tho Laurentian Hills, f(trni tho higlilandH ti> the rit^ht. Th<'y are ]»art of the Laurentian System, orij^inally deseribed by Sir NN'illiani Loi^an. They cunsiHt <>f hurnbh'iidie an-backetl peak in the distance, a miniature (jf IJen Lomond, is in tin; ri'i^don of Jac(iues Cartier River and its lake district, while behind the Falls of Montmorenc}- are the Laval hei^dits, which, in a continuous range, run towards Cape Tourmento. Point I^vi, which stands to the left, was named afti-r oneof the first Viceroys of Canada. It once comprised tht! town of Levi and two Villages — Lauzon and I'ienville ami tho parishes of St. Joseph and St. David. The town has a ])opulation of fourteen thousand, and possesses a college au his ([uarters at first, and his example was followed by .Arnold in 1775. Hound the church of St. Josei)h, standing beyond the present graving dock, ( Jeneral Monckton had some lively encounters with the FVeiich ; and tho same church, it is said, was converte