IN MEMORIAM BERNARD MOSES Honorable A. B. ROUTHIER /.'..'./ ;i.5 1 jut; -^ I iUii iJ^i i of Quebec MONTREAL^: THB MoNTREAIy PRINTIKG & PUULISUINO Co.V 42, Jacques Cartier Square 1904 • « ■* • • • >» ' ' 4 « QUEBKC SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN Founder of Quebec. QUEBEC A QUAINT MEDI.-EVAL FRENCH CITY IN AMERICA AT THE DAWN OF THE XX^i^ CENTURY ITS TOPOGRAPHY, HISTORY, LEGENDS AND HISTORICAL TREASURES AND SURROUNDINGS A . B . \ R O l^ T H I E R Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec. Doctor of Literature. Doctor of Law and Professor of International Law in Laval Universitv. French Canadian Emblems, the Beaver and Maple Leat. iN MS?-^ORIAM /,:)Hm '' Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year nineteen hundred and four, by the Sir Joshua Reynold's Art Publishing Co., of Montreal, at the Department of Agriculture. DEDICATION 4 <'.= ^"5^(>^— To Her Excclloicy the Coimtess oj Minto. Lady Minto, You have often express- ed to nie in the beautiful French language which you speak so well, your admiration for our old and picturesque cit}-. From your terrace on the lofty citadel, 3'ou have often looked down on its incomparable beaut}'', whilst at the same time 3'ou contemplated its delightful historical associa- tions. Your womanly taste and your artistic sensibilit}' have caused 3'ou to become deeply attached to old Quebec, from which I conclude that you will appreciate a volume which endeavors to describe the rugged old rock bound object of your admiration and attachment. I humbly ask you, Lady Minto, to accept the dedication of this book, and to permit your portrait to adorn it. Accept, Your Excellenc}', ni}- respectful homage, and the assurance of my sincere devotedness. Government House, Ottawa. To THE Honorable M. Routhier, Judge of the Superior Court, and Court of the Vice- Admiralty, Quebec. Your Honor, It is with pleasure that I accept the dedication of a book, which will cause me to know better, and more fully appreciate the good old City of Quebec. I w^ould wish each year to reside still longer within its walls, for I have learned to love and admire this beautiful city. I love it for its picturesque surroundings, its essentially French character, and its glorious historical traditions. Accept, Your Honor, the expression of my sincere respect. J 3 J t 3 J 1 ^^M?^ INTRODUCTION. HOULD Canada ever produce a poet, who would give to the world a na- tional epic, Quebec might well be chosen as the scene of its narrative. Everything connected with the old City, its site, its history, traditions, are all ready for poetic crystalization ; and this ideal Cit}' made sacred by the blood of its great men, would be rendered doubly so, through the genius of poetry. The work would not be difficult ; the outline has already been largely- sketched in our history. Would it not be easy to transform into demi-gods, the heroes of our wars ? Need we . invent names and deeds, as Homer and Virgil were obliged to do, in their immortal works ? Certainly not, for our national poet would find in our archives the names and exploits of our heroes ; he would find them inscribed on our monuments and on our edifices, and deeply engraved in the hearts of our people. Nor would the marvellous or supernatural element be wanting ; for he might easily trace in his poem the hand of Divine Providence, slowly but surely, leading a nation to its destiny. In no other history, perhaps, in no other country, has the finger of God been more visible ; while the incom- parable beauty of nature on this blessed soil of Quebec, renders C C * *^ « <" C rC C C C C • 2 INTRODUCTION. God more present than elsewhere. In a word, it is the sum- mary of the national epic of the Canadian French. O Quebec ! What great and touching recollections does the mention of thy name awake in our souls ! What glorious ray& shine forth in the luminous halo which crowns th}' brow I What endearing shadows play around thee, and stand out in majestic proportions in the mirages of our past ! Quebec is for all lovers of the ideal, a casket of precious stones ; a shrine of historical relics, which if approached by sacrilegious hands, would call forth from all sides, a cry of protest. It is a gallery of paintings, whose pictures bear the mark of the Divine Artist, surpassing in beaut}^ the works of all landscape painters of the world. Quebec is to the French Canadian what Mecca is to the Mussulman, Jerusalem to the Jew, Rome to the Italian, and Paris to the native of France. It is the French Canadian national monument, preserved in a block of indestructible granite. Formerly the capital of a French colony, to-day the capital of an English Province, in the future an independent or colonial city, Quebec has been, is, and will be, by its character^ its language and its blood, the France of America. It is an offshoot of France cultivated by Albion, on American soil, the vitality of which shall survive the primitive forests, whose grateful foliage throws a shadow over the Lau- rentian hills. And still harmony prevails, notwithstanding the antinomy of the foundation, and the antithesis of expression of English France and French New England. An original and charming city, the most interesting of the new world, — with the exception, perhaps, of Mexico, — Quebec is cosmopolitan and attracts to its shores the tourists of the world b}' the contrast and diversity of its views and its beauty. It has a touch of the New York Summer; of the Winter of St. Petersburg, and throughout the year, it reminds us of some beautiful city of France, transplanted to British soil. INTRODUCTION 3 Being an inland city, and bordering on the coast, Quebec is at the same time maritime, commercial, industrial and military peopled by the aristocracy, as well as the working class ; a sea-port frequented by the fleets of the world ; a fortress enclosing a cit}^ of churches, monasteries, schools, colleges, great edifices and public places. In attempting to describe Quebec, we compare it with the most picturesque cities of the world : Edinburgh, Gibraltar, Algiers, Naples and Constantinople. Yet all these cities, differing as they do, one from the other, resemble Quebec only in certain points ; and all considered, they are inferior to it as regards picturesque and natural beauty, — excepting perhaps, Constantinople, which the writer has not seen. The Citadel of Gibraltar is higher and more formidable, but in other respects, the superiority of Quebec is incontestable. The castle of Edinburgh is not unlike our own fortress ; but it is much less elevated, less picturesque, and has not the St. Lawrence bathing its base, and encircling it as a girdle. Viewed from the sea, Algiers is a city of dreams, dazzling with light and colour, and its Kasbah adorns it like a brilliant crown ; but if Quebec has not the same eclat, nor the same richness of coloring, this deficiency is certainly made up by the variety of its views, the beauty and grandeur of its surroundings, and the diversity of its perspective. Naples may be more favorably compared with Quebec, and, beheld from the sea, or from the castle of St. Elmo, it calls forth the admiration of all lovers of beauty. Each city has its own particular beauty ; yet the writer prefers Quebec as seen from Point Levis, the Isle of Orleans, and Charlesbourg ; and the panorama which presents itself to the eye from the height of the Citadel and Dufferin Terrace, is in all respects, more livel}-, varied and interesting. From whatever point of view we consider it, the character- istic feature of Quebec is its picturesque beauty. But its situation is such, that it is impossible to take it in wholl}- at a glance. No artist could paint it in a single picture ; and a 4 INTRODUCTION. series of them would fill a gallery of the picturesque, under all its forms ; yet it would still be an incomplete picture of this remarkable city. In order full}^ to appreciate the beauty of Quebec, and the variety of its aspects, it is indispensable that we should make a tour of it, — not once onl}-, but several times. The tourist should approach it from the East and the West, b}^ land and by water, from the North and from the- South ; he should leave it, and return to it, now by one entrance, again by another ; he should traverse its streets, sometimes driving, but espe- cially on foot, stopping at the corners, glancing at the cross streets, for all are as so many doors opening on new perspectives, some on the country, others across the river ; here, over the suburbs, or the wharves ; there, over the valleys and surrounding mountains. He should take in the environs, by boat, by rail, or driving ; at night, as well as by day. He should visit the ramparts, on account of the views which they present, and the Citadel, which is a marvel, the public edifices also, as well as the hospitals, the churches, the convents, and the University. He must linger near the old walls, and make them speak, — stroll through the public places, the gardens, and DufTerin Terrace. Here, above all, his archaeological or sentimental promenade should begin and end ; this spot is most favorable for him, who loves to soar in the regions of poetry and inspiration, dreaming of the great recollections which are ever associated with this ancient cit3^ Here, the tourist is captivated by the unknown charm, wafted on the air by the evening breezes. This enchantment is irresistible, and the longer he remains in Quebec, the more it grows. He who has known and loved Quebec, never forgets it. The characters of the old city become engraved in his memory, as print on paper. Nothing can efface these impressions, and they remain so distinct, that he could never confound them with those of any other city. INTRODUCTION. 5 To relate its dramatic liistor}-, and its legends ; to speak of its misfortunes and its grandeur, to paint the beauty and charm of its picturesque nature ; to make those places speak which have existed for three centuries ; to interrogate the stones of its monuments and of its ruins, — such is the work which has been confided to the writer, and which he under- takes with love, admiration and enthusiasm. /r" "'vM-^ ^tn&,e \y.^J'^ ^rnm-s. ¥ ' '% X.. PICTURESQUE QUEBEC ITS INCOMPARABLE SITE. " Natura forlis .... et pulclira.'' ERY rarely do we find that the picturesque is the work of Art alone ; in this particular form of beauty, nature is the great artist. Without compass, chisel or brush, she builds, carves and paints, at ever}^ step, marvellous works of beaut}'. In order that a citv which is the work of man, should strike the imagination of the artist, nature must come to its aid, and give to it, waters to bathe its shores, mountains and elevations to serve as a fitting background. Cities built on the borders of the sea, b^^ a river, or great lake, — or at least on a prominent elevation, can alone be termed picturesque. A mountain is to a city what a pedestal is to a statue ; it is necessar}^ for the setting of the picture. Great waters serve it as a mirror ; they purif}-, irrigate, and give to it life, movement, and a vast variety of aspects. lO PICTUREvSOUE QUEBEC. A O v. Take away the sea from Naples, or the Bosphoriis from Constantinople ; level the hills, over which rise the cupolas and domes of Rome, and those cities will be despoiled of their artistic appearance. The Thames and the Seine are not rivers of great extent ; and yet without them London and Paris would be shorn of much of their beauty. The citv of Quebec is in this respect, the spoilt child of nature, — built upon a promontory, which is at the same time, a moun- tain and a peninsula. Encircled almost entirely by the noblest river in the world, and by the humblest of its tributaries, this superb pro- montory serves as a pedestal to Quebec, having for its boundaries on the south, east and north-east, the River St. Lawrence ; on the north and the north-east, the river St. Charles. This last named stream is not one of great dimensions ; 3'et it does its best to please us ; coming down from the summit of the Laurentian Mountains, it gracefull}' feels its wa\^ through woods and prairies, until its fresh salubrious waters reach the city which it loves. The St. Lawrence, on the other hand, is an admirable work of nature, — a marvel of grandeur and of beauty. In its onward course to the sea, passing b}^ ■the city of Champlain, it turns towards this charming spot, as though it would linger to caress it still longer, — as though it would extend its arms to embrace it, seeming to regret its ■J ITS INCOMPARABLE vSlTE II separation ; and, if the travellers who glide over its surface, could understand the language of this king of mighty waters, they would probably hear it say : " Behold, my well beloved city, the most beautiful jewel of ni}' crown ! " One would often imagine that it is at rest ; 3'et nothing is so livel}', so varied in its movements, as this inexhaustible outlet of the great waters of the West ; it is ever advancing to the Ocean, where it is completely engulfed, even as man and his works are swallowed up by death. Marching onward unceasingly, its waves pass, — sink and disappear, but are replaced by others which impel them. This noble river is the ornament, the charm, and the great attraction of the picturesque city of Quebec. It surrounds it like a girdle, it fertilizes, nourishes and purifies it, bringing to it wealth and the admiration of all countries. So immense is it, that in a part of its course, we call it the sea, so powerful, that when a chain of rocks bars its route, it bounds like the Niagara, or breaks forth into tumultuous rapids, the roaring of which can be heard from immense distances. Anon it is wild, and plays in the midst of solitar}^ forests, mountains, and on uninhabited shores. We might almost imagine that it dreams of those far distant ages, when the Indians alone ploughed its waters in their light canoes. Again it smiles at civilization, becomes the motor power of industr}^ and commerce, and the principal factor of the pros- perity' of great cities. Active and indefatigable, it employs its strength in the service of man, and bears on its surface the wealth of nature and the products of human industry ; yet it will not permit us to reduce it to slavery, or to stay it in its passage. It wishes to be free, hastening onward untiringly to the end of its course. Adverse winds have struggled against it, but their only effect has been to make it break forth in rapturous song, expressing its triumph in marvellous stanzas. Old as the world, young as the springtide, it dates back to 12 PICTURESQUE QUEBEC. prehistoric epochs, bearing in its memory the days when the first sons of Adam lived on its coasts, and pagan races adored the sun. To-day it lavishes its wealth on Christian people^ who gather on its shores. It brings to Quebec the wealth of the East and the West. It transports to other countries the products of Canadian fields and forests, and bears along, with the ebb and flow of its deep waters, the rich and the poor, seeking other lands. But this charm- ing river is not the (mly attractive point in the pictu- resque beaut}- of Quebec. It has also its mountain, its rocks towering one above the other, h a r m o n i o u s 1 y grouped, through whose castellated sk}' lines, sunshine and shadows play in fantastic forms at dawn and in the twilight. This lofty pro- montory is also, for the City of Champlain, a na- tural fortress, — a marvellous ram- part, beyond the power of man to construct, — sink- ing deeply beneath Inscription showing the spot were Montgomery fell, on the 31st Deeember 1775. ITS INCOMPARABLE SITE the river, and sloping upward to the height of a hundred feet. It is not only remarkable for its formidable dimensions, but also for its artistic appearance, and forms a worthy pedestal for the beautiful city that lies peacefully on its bosom. As an observatory, its site is without an equal, and it is unrivalled in its ever-changing perspectives. So striking are the features of this natural outport guarding the entrance of the St. Lawrence that, as we stand on its summit, watching this noble river flowing at its feet, our thoughts are raised to the Eternal and unchanging God, who wisely directs the movements of nature. From the South, where the enemy would naturally approach, it is cut perpendicularly, and rises like a Chinese wall. Montgomery paid with his life, the daring attempt he made to scale its heights. On the North side, it gradually becomes low^er, forming as it were, the most extensive and regular of amphitheatres having, for its arena, the river St. Charles and its pleasant valley, and for its horizon another amphitheatre still more colossal and elevated, the Laurentide hills. As we scale its heights, the horizon grows under our eyes, and offers to us at each step, new objects for our admiration. At every turn, we discover new beauties. Perspective succeeds perspective in a train of dazzling and majestic gradations ; The University Batterv. 14 PICTURESQUE QUEBEC. and contemplating the grandeur of the spectacle, together with the variet}^ of its aspects, we are at a loss which to admire most. The superb chain of the Laurentides away in the North, the graceful Isle of Orleans, with its wood-clad hills on the East, the high promontories of Levis on the South, and finally the rock of Quebec, at the base of which the great St. Lawrence, with its tributary the St. Charles, murmur and sparkle, — all form a majestic panorama, whose giant-like proportions stand out silhouetted against the sky. Certainly, this coliseum of nature is a magnificent work, and the man who laid there the foundations of a city, had within him a love for the grand and the beautiful. In no part of America, would he have been able to find a more picturesque site, or one more in harmony with his designs ; for the great Champlain was not a man of hap- hazard, and it was not by mere accident that he founded our city. The plan he had in view, was to make of it, what it is to-day : a maritime city, that is, a sea-port, and a powerful fortress, impregnable before an enemy, and a site of unsur- passable natural beaut}'. Our city proclaims itself by its coat of arms, as well as its motto : " natura fortis," and the writer would add : " et pulchra ; " for nature has made it beautiful, as well as powerful. It is a curious fact, that the inhabitants of cities, built on loft}^ places, or on the sea-shore, are proud of these advantages, Jerusalem, Rome and Paris have only hills, but the inhabi- tants of these cities have dignified them with the name of mountains. Take, for instance, London extolling the Thames, Bordeaux the Garonne, or Marseilles the Rhone. How reasonable would be the pride of those cities, if they had the River St. Lawrence, or Cape Diamond. Man's taste for mountain heights, finds its origin in God Himself, who showed his preference for them. David calls them the foot-stool of the Lord ; and almost in every case, it ITS INCOMPARABLE SITE. 1 5 was from their summits that He manifested Himself to the world. To prove this, it will suffice to mention the names of Sinai, Horeb, Thabor, Calvary and Olivet. We have, therefore, good reason to proclaim the site of Quebec incomparable. The mountain, on which this city is built, the rivers which bathe it, the promontories of the South with their high cliffs, the Isle of Orleans, with its graceful hills, its woods and its villages, and all that varied outline of the North, with its chain of mountains, its range of white houses and fertile valleys, reaching even to the borders of the rivers, form together a work of picturesque beauty. Jerusalem has been surnamed the Holy land ; Rome, the Eternal City, and Naples the Beautiful. We may call Quebec, the Picturesque City. II ARRIVAL AT QUEBEC. We may enter Quebec b}- land or b}^ water, by rail, or boat and the aspect of the city differs very much, according to the way we reach it. Approaching it by the river, it strikes us as being enveloped in a certain mystery, somewhat wild and uncouth, but full of grandeur. Loft}' undulating cliffs, covered with sombre woods, profoundly enclose our majestic river. Between these two giant-like ramparts of verdure, the boat glides rapidly. Silently and solemnly, as to a sacred place. All the passengers are on the deck of the steamer, eagerly scanning with curious eyes, the city they are approaching, but as yet we have not reached it, and promontories succeed promontories, more and more rugged and wild, enveloped in forests, unin- habited and sombre. Finally houses are presented to our view, in the calm and shady recesses along the shore. Points of land project into i6 PICTURESQUE QUEBEC. r I* nv ^' the water as though to arrest the giant in its course ; but as it narrows, the riv^er becomes more rapid. Villages squatted at the feet of the cliffs and perched on projecting headlands, invite to repose. Steeples of churches may be seen tow^ering over the waters, wdiose placid surface reflects as a mirror, those long graceful iv sentinels pointing to heaven. Here is St. Felix of Cap- Rouge, concealed in a solitary recess, between two promontories clothed in sombre colors .... There is Siller}- proud and erect on its Cape of Slate, and doing centry duty at the gates of Quebec. To the right a procession of steeples lines the flanks of the hill; Saint-Romuald, Saint-David de I'Aube- riviere, Notre-Dame and Saint-Joseph ; it would ap- pear as though the two promontories of Quebec and of Levis joined to- gether in the distance and quite closed the horizon. But the river, in its al- mighty and powerful flow^ laughs at these obstacles and if it appears to conceal itself before the high rocks of Levis, it is but to twine around Cape Diamond and to amorously clasp the City of Champlain in its deep waters. To the left, the promontory suddenly becomes steep and no CliLirch of Saint-Colombus, at Sillery. ARRIVAL AT QUEBEC. 17 signs of vegetation are visible. The bare rock stands out at a height of nearly five hundred feet and assumes quite a wild and primitive appearance. Its denuded flanks full of crevices and ravines, look like petrifications of antediluvian monsters upon whose backs are seen colossal bones. At the foot a single row of poor and crumbling houses, lines the rotting wharves whose worn out foundations drag in the river as would a fringe in tatters. At the summit are haughty bastions, massive wall.: and the months of guns. Convent i>{ Jesus-Mary, at Sillciy. Is that Quebec ? No. The City is so situated, that coming from the west it is reached without being seen. Wait a moment. The boat is about to round this Cyclopean Cape and yon will then behold a most picturesque corner of the cit}'. See, there are wharves which stretch out in succession at the foot of the steep perpendicular bank ; there are vessels seen on the widened horizon ; there are markets, stores, shops and large warehouses ; it is a portion of the commercial and maritime city. Now raise your eyes and see how grand the scenery suddenly becomes. It is as though some m\\sterious magician 1 8 PICTURESQUE QUEBEC. had b}- his wand, caused this fairy-like transformation, and each revolution of the boat's paddle-wheel causes new splen- dours to be unveiled to your vision. Gradually the promontory subsides and upon its verdant declivities the cit}^ presently appears. Gaze up there and admire that row of stone pillars sur- mounted by an iron railing and elegant kiosks ; that is Dufferin terrace which is about thirteen hundred feet long, it is suspended two hundred feet above your head, and promenaders lean over its railing to witness 3'our arrival. Contemplate that chateau, the architecture of which is of the middle ages, boldly perched on the edge of the cragged rock, above lower town and the suburbs, and see the staggering height of its turrets, towers and steeples ; that is the Chateau Frontenac. Near by is a garden full of huge trees and through this mass of foliage can be seen an obelisk of stone. Further on, behind a curtain of great elm and poplar trees, long buildings crowned with cupolas appear ; these are Laval University and the Quebec Seminary. And there, on a level with the river, is the Custom House, watching over the port from the height of its harmonious vaults and bathing in the waters its handsome Corinthian colonnade. But it would appear as though the boat was about to pass on without stopping at Quebec. That is because the tide is going down and in order to make up to the wharf and thereby face the swift current which bears her on, she must go far out of her course. The view then becomes more extensive, and soon do you see the larger buildings of Upper town : the two cathedrals English and French, with their lofty steeples, the Court House with its majestic portico, the Cit}- Hall, the roof only of which is in view, and the Parliament Buildings, with their liigh towers proudly projecting on the distant horizon, in the midst of a group of churches, the steeples of which alone are visible. i. Ik- Ciladel viewed iruiii the Port. The Terrace and lo\ver To^vn viewed from the Citadel. ARRIVAL AT QUEBEC. 21 Before 3'ou, the Isle of Orleans sets forth its harmoiiions curves between the two arms of the river in which it is clasped. To the right the cliffs of Levis and their pretty villas claim your attention and seem to say : " Give us at least a glance as you pass by ! " To the left the shores of Beaupre smile upon you, the Montmorency Fall Waves its white robe and calls you, and further north are green mountains and gentle undu- lations ; valleys are open to your view displaying their smiling villages, with white houses dotting the green meadows and the uneven beach, while the edges of the river are lined with points, creeks and steeples. This is the ideal picture with which Quebec will greet you if you reach it from the west by boat. But should you reach it from the east your first glimpse of our picturesque city may perhaps appear to you still more seductive as 3'ou will then view it suddenly and entireh'. No doubt you have visited museums or basilicas in which some celebrated painting was kept carefull}- concealed b}- a curtain. That is no doubt the most beautiful, most uncommon and most valuable of the whole collection and your emotion is but natural when you are waiting for the keeper of the museum or the sexton, to remove the veil which conceals from your view the famous master-piece. Well ! this is the kind of emotion which greets the arrival of Europeans in Quebec, as they get within a very short distance of the famous city. Point Levis veils it for a long time from their view. But the psychologic moment at last comes when this thick veil is suddenly raised and the enchanting scene is then presented to view with all its picturesque beautv. If it be morning it glitters and stands out with admirably pure lines and colors. If it be at the close of day the setting sun throws upon the front of the scene, a ray of light, and shades of the azure skies, intermingled with flashes of gold, serve but to enhance its beauty. Towards the end of May 1884, one Saturday night at about six o'clock, I was returning from Europe on board the Parisian 22 PICTURESQUE QUEBEC. and never shall I forget the fairy-like scene which greeted my fond and admiring gaze. The panorama was an ideal one, assnming a regnlar form, and displa\'ed from the luminous water}- surface to the vaulted azure skies, upon which were expand- ed, as a huge adorn- m e n t the stone, copper and slate projections of our Monumental City. It had the ap- pearance of a poem in stone, written in cuneiform type and embossed upon the faint pink evening glimmers. It was a mountain of build- i n g s in varied shapes from which were seen project- ing porticoes, facades, colonnades, steeples, towers, conical shaped roofings, steep pi- nions and domes, the whole crowned by the old fortress whence floated the British ensign at a height of five hun- dred feet. Slowly the steamer was making way through the deep waters of our port, the most beautiful in the world, leaving bright flashes on her track. Behind, Levis appeared as though Montmorency Falls. ARRIVAL AT QUEBEC. 23 on fire owing to the reflection of the sun's rays from the windows of the houses. Forward the shores were lined with wharves to which were moored steamboats and sail boats ; large warehouses and factories were also in sight. The high funnels of vessels, red, yellow, black or striped in various colors intermingled with masts and riggings, and in the air floated flags of all nations. The sight was one never to be forgotten. AIouiit;iiii Hill. But to land on the wharf at Quebec is not all. It is not a city like others which you can suddenly penetrate. One must ascend its heights or scale its walls. Metaphorically speaking, the tourist must arduously conquer it and reach it b}^ stages. But in stopping at each landing, and looking around, the sights which he beholds amply reward him. And upon reaching the summit he proudly exclaims : " At last I have conquered it, that proud and mighty city." Truly, but his own conquest has also taken place. Supposing the tourist arrives from Montreal, Levis, or from 24 PICTURESQUE QUEBEC the lower ports by boat, and that he wishes to treat himself to the pleasure of climbing up on foot through the mass of suspended gardens, terraces, esplanades, bastions and towers which he saw from the river. On leaving the wharf, he sees before him an inaccessible rock, straight cut and of about one hundred and fifty to two hun- dred feet in height, and surmounted by a wall and a kiosk upon which some solitar}- dreamer is musing. Oh ! how he longs to reach that point ! How beautiful t h e scenery must be from such an elevation ! But how^ to get there ? A road to the left ; it is Mountain Hill. And the tourist walks on while his body is for- cibly bent owing to the steepness of the land. He however w ishes to see, and Little Chainplain street and Under-the-Fort street. ARRIVAL AT QUEBEC 25 after a hundred steps or so he raises his head. Before him is a shop of humble appearance, from the roof of which is suspended a scout turret and a hand bearing the inscription " Look here and up there." Here is a huge iron staircase having the appearance of an immense funnel which descends into a tubular shaped street known as Champlain street. Above, a corner of the terrace and the upper stories of the Chateau Frontenac are in view. This is the first stop and after casting an admiring glance on his surroundings the tourist resumes his upward march to the right, passing by a series of houses built against each other and having the appearance of a colossal staircase. See, there is a suspended garden where urchins are yelling at play. It is on a slope and looks as though it would tumble down the hill. But no, its foundation is so solid that it serves as a support for a second suspended garden. The tourist continues his up hill walk, but stops again and wonders what to do next. Will he take a rest among the flowers and trees of the garden, will he go on following the steep round with many windings as though it were an enormous spiral ? Or will he climb that other iron staircase on his left, in order to get sooner to his journey's end ? If he be young, sprightly and in haste, he will rush for the cast iron steps, and after having reached the top, if he wishes for another staircase to shorten his road, he will find two or three of them to the left, which will lead him to the terrace. " At last ! I have reached the extreme summit," will he inwardly say, transported with admiration, and expanding his lungs at the sight of the marvellous spectacle which will be presented to his view. But no, this is not the extreme summit, more steps to mount will bring him in view of another garden in rear of the Chateau Frontenac ; and finally another staircase, the last but not the least, as it has upwards of a hundred steps, will bear him to the crest of the glacis, above which still stands the citadel. That is where he will be rewarded for the pains he has taken, and we can readily predict that he will forget all fatigue and 26 PICTURESQUE QUEBEC. Stand enraptured, finding but these words to express liis delight : " Oh ! how beautiful ! Oh ! how beautiful ! " He will then indeed have before him a sight, quite unique, and of wonderful magnificence and beauty. Select the most polished genius amongst artists, and ask him for a painting comprising the greatest beauties both natural and artificial, and every strain of his imagination will fail to produce anything so vastly enchanting. Below, at the foot of a steep declivity, which it would make one giddy to look at, the river Saint Lawrence proudly flows and upon the surface of its deep waters are seen rays of light and deep shadows. In looking at it you are fascinated as by an abyss, of which you are tremblingly measuring the depth. Perhaps for years past has it been this tourist's dream to visit Quebec and he is now awe-stricken at its fascinating beauty, now that he may gaze upon it to his heart's content. Will he be undeceived ? On the contrary-, he will exclaim : " It is still more beautiful than I should ever have fancied." He seeks comparisons, and if he has seen Constantinople, he will be enraptured with Quebec which will aw^aken in him all his memories and enthusiasm. Levis will remind him of Scutari, and the river Saint LawTence, of the Bosphorus. " I am at Stamboul," he will imagine, "on the point of the Serail, and that river called Saint Charles, with the northern arm of the Saint Lawrence, is the Golden Horn." No doubt the villages on the shores of Beaupre, have not the appearance of large cities such as Galata and Pera, and Levis has not such proportions as Scutari. But the Cape of Quebec is much loftier and more picturesque than the point upon which Constantinople is built, and the heights of Levis present a much bolder and imj)osing appearance than the hillocks of Scutari. No doubt the wonderful basin formed by the two arms of the Saint Lawrence and Saint Charles, is not as rich in light and color as the confluent of the Golden Horn and the Bos- phorus ; the picture which they present, together with the Isle of Orleans, Levis, Quebec and the shores of Beaupre, is dull D'AUTEUIL STREET. THE ESPLANADE. CITADEL HILL. ABRAHAM HILL- ARRIVAL AT QUEBEC. 29 and stern, as compared to the Oriental cities clothed in white, pnrple and gold. But its style of beauty is singular, it astonishes the beholder and is beyond all description. No doubt, Constantinople as seen from the Golden Horn or from Pera with its bright monuments surmounted by pink cupolas, its numbers of ivory minarets, its series of kiosks, its, clumps of cypress and turpentine trees, its denticulated walls, and its gardens, presents a more original and dazzling appear- ance than Quebec. But the irresistible seduction of the Ottoman capital is soon replaced by the most complete disen- chantment ; when one has entered the city, and has sauntered around for a few hours, he is disgusted. At Quebec it is quite the reverse, the more you see of it and the more you study it in its minutest details, the more you admire it. Every step, every street corner, discloses new beauties to you, and unexpected, original and picturesque scenes are met with. Quebec lacks, wdiat is seen in Constantinople, that is, the disorder of an Asiatic encampment or of a caravansary with its myriads of unwashed people and its ill shaped hovels, that ruin the most beautiful sights. The capital of our Province is built for centuries, with symmetry, with order, and with such harmony as to make of it an architectural synthesis perpetuating its history- and allowing one to foretell its future destiny. This will strike tourists when they see Quebec from the heights of the glacis. From that point they will view the whole city and port with its marvellous surroundings and their vision will be extended as far even as the wooded slopes of the Laurentian Mountains, and they will then be bound to admit that never did the}- behold a more picturesque or more admirable sight. Ill QUEBEC AT NIGHT One evening last summer I reached Quebec, by the Lake St. John Railway, shortly before ten o'clock and I was so charmed with the view by night that I wish to describe it, in order to better demonstrate the many beauties which meet the eye of tourists upon reaching our city. When night comes, every body knows what takes place in the gay world where people are supposed to be amused, though in reality they are very often bored. The great ladies arra}^ themselves in their richest gowns, for dinners, theatres or balls. They are clothed in silks and laces, and precious stones sparkle in their hair, on their necks, bosoms and ears. Well ! in summer Quebec assumes the appearance of these grand ladies and at night really presents a most admirable view, when the incandescent rays of Montmorency's electric sun fall upon the city. Thousands of luminous clusters hover above it. Scintillating stars crown its head and encircle its neck, as though with a tiara of diamonds, and its massive walls appear as if inlaid with carbuncles of dazzling brilliancy. It is no longer a warlike city but the city of light, the astral city, with its constellations so grouped as to present the picture in all its proud beauty. They are arrayed one above the other and spread out in parallel lines upon the architectural amphitheatre, they rise in clusters from the shores of the river, up to the mountain top, as processions of vestals bearing the sacred fire. It is a fairy-like illumination, as artistic as an operatic display^ and as broad as a part of the starlit heavens. No other city can boast of such wonderful stellar effects. Corning out from the Laurentian woods, in a dark night, and suddenly viewing this wonderful array of constellations, QUEBEC AT NIGHT. 31 1 • 'f'^- / 1 It'**..-. • 1 r LjH h1