Chapter III: The "ancient Capital." (4)

"I really do think there is no luxury equal to that of lying before a
good fire on a good spruce bed, after a good supper, and a hard moose
chase in a fine clear frosty moonlit starry night. But to enter into
the spirit of this, you must understand what a moose chase is: the man
himself runs the moose down by pursuing the track. Your success in
killing depends on the number of people you have to pursue and relieve
one another in going first (which is the fatiguing part of snow-
shoeing), and on the depth and hardness of the snow, for when the snow
is hard and has a crust, the moose cannot get on, as it cuts his legs,
and then he stops to make battle. But when the snow is soft, though it
be above his belly, he will go on three, four or five days, for then
the man cannot get on so fast, as the snow is heavy and he only gets
his game by perseverance--an Indian never gives him up." Then follows
a most graphic description of a hunt--closing with the death of the
noble quarry.

"Pray," continues Lord Edward, "write to uncle Richmond, I would write
if there was time, but I have only time to fill up this."

Tom Moore adds, that the plan of Lord Edward's route through the woods
was forwarded from Quebec to the Duke of Richmond, by Mr. Hamilton
Moore, in a letter dated Quebec, May 22nd, 1789, this letter closes
with the following:--"Lord Edward has met with the esteem and
admiration of all here."

In a subsequent epistle to Mr. Ogilvie, his step-father, dated
"Quebec, 12th April, 1789," Lord Edward mentions the death of the
Lieut.-Governor of Quebec (Major Patrick Bellew). "It is a place of
£1,600 a year, and I think would do well for Charles. The day before
he died I was in treaty for his Lieut.-Colonelcy in the 44th
Regiment."

Later, on 4th May, 1789, he writes from Montreal, and speaks
gratefully of the open-handed hospitality extended to him, and of the
kind lady friends he met at Quebec. (Page 67.)

Alas! generous youth, what foul fiend, three year later, inspired you, with Tom Paine as your adviser, to herd at Paris with the regicide crew, and howl the "_Carmagnole_" and "_Çà Ira_," with the hideous monsters who revelled in blood under the holy name of liberty?

Again, one follows the patriotic Irish nobleman, in 1793, plighting his faith to a lovely and noble bride, Pamela Sims, the youthful daughter of the Duke of Orleans, by Madame de Genlis.

A few short years and the ghastly phantom of death, in a dismal prison, in the dearly loved land of his birth, spreads a pall over what might have been to his unfortunate country, a career full of honour. Alas! brave, noble Edward! Poor, pretty little Pamela, alas!

The Castle had its sunshine and its shadows. Many still survive to tell of an impressive, and gloomy pageant. On the 4th September, 1819, previous to their transfer to the chancel of the Anglican Cathedral, were exposed in state in the Château, the mortal remains of the late Governor-General, His Grace Charles Gordon Lennox, Duke of Richmond, Lennox and Aubigny, who, on the 28th August, 1819, had died of hydrophobia.

The revolving wheel of time ushers in, with his successor, other actors, and other scenes. One likes to recall the presence there of a graceful and noble Chatelaine, his daughter, Lady Sarah Lennox, the devoted wife of the administrator of the Government of Lower Canada, Sir Peregrine Maitland, "a tall, grave officer, says Dr. Scadding, always in military undress, his countenance ever wearing a mingled expression of sadness and benevolence, like that which one may observe on the face of the predecessor of Louis Philippe, Charles the Tenth," whose current portraits recall, not badly, the whole head and figure of this early Governor of Upper Canada.

"In an outline representation which we (Dr. Scadding) accidentally
possessed, of a panorama of the battle of Waterloo, on exhibition in
London, the 1st Foot Guards were conspicuously to be seen, led on by
'Major General Sir Peregrine Maitland.'" [38]

With persons of wider knowledge, Sir Peregrine was invested With
further associations. Besides being the royal representative in these
parts, he was the son-in-law of Charles Gordon Lennox, fourth Duke of
Richmond, a name that stirred chivalrous feelings in early Canadians
of both Provinces; for the Duke had come to Canada as Governor-in-
Chief, with a grand reputation acquired as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland,
and great benefits were expected, and probably would have been
realized, from his administration, had it been of long continuance.
But he had been suddenly removed by an excruciating death. Whilst on a
tour of inspection in the Upper Province, he had been fatally attacked
by hydrophobia, occasioned by the bite of a pet fox. The injury had
been received at Sorel; its terrible effects were fatally experienced
at a place near the Ottawa river called Richmond.

Some of the prestige of the deceased Duke continued to adhere to Sir
Peregrine Maitland, for he had married the Duke's daughter, a graceful
and elegant woman, who was always at his side here (York, now
Toronto), and at Stanford Cottage across the lake. She bore a name not
unfamiliar in the domestic annals of George III., who once, it is
said, was enamored of a beautiful Lady Sarah Lennox, grandmother, as
we suppose, or some other near relative of the Lady Sarah Lennox here
before us. However, conversationists whispered about (in confidence)
something supposed to be unknown to the general public, that the match
between Sir Peregrine and Lady Sarah had been effected in spite of the
Duke. The report was that there had been an elopement, and it was
naturally supposed that the party of the sterner sex bad been the most
active agent in the affair. To say the truth, however, in this
instance it was the lady who precipitated matters. The affair occurred
at Paris, soon after the Waterloo campaign. The Duke's final
determination against Sir Peregrine's proposals having been announced,
the daughter suddenly withdrew from the father's roof, and fled to the
lodgings of Sir Peregrine, who instantly retired to other quarters.
The upshot of the whole thing, at once romantic and unromantic,
included a marriage and a reconciliation, and eventually a Lieutenant-
Governorship for the son-in-law, under the Governorship-in-Chief of
the father, both despatched together to undertake the discharge of
vice-regal functions in a distant colony. At the time of his marriage
with Lady Sarah Lennox, Sir Peregrine had been for some ten years a
widower. [39] After the death of the Duke of Richmond, Sir Peregrine
became administrator, for a time of the general government of British
North America.

One of the Duke of Richmond's sons was lost in the ill-fated steamer _President_ in 1840. In December, 1824, Sir Peregrine revisited Quebec with Sir Francis Burton, Lieutenant-Governor, in the _Swiftsure_, steamer escorting some very distinguished tourists. A periodical notices the arrivals at the old Château as follows:--

"Sir Peregrine is accompanied by Lord Arthur Lennox, Mr. Maitland,
Colonels Foster, Lightfoot, Coffin and Talbot, with the Hon. E. G.
Stanley (from 1851 to 1869 Earl of Derby), grandson of Earl Derby, M.
P. for Stockbridge; John E. Denison, Esq., (subsequently Speaker of
the House of Commons), M. P. for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and James S.
Wortley, Esq. (afterwards Lord Wharncliffe), M. P. for Bossiney in
Cornwall. The three latter gentlemen are upon a tour in this country
from England, and we are happy to learn, that they have expressed
themselves as being highly gratified with all they have hitherto seen
in Canada."--(_Canadian Review_, 1824.)

Quebecers will be pleased to learn that the name of Sir Peregrine Maitland is pleasantly preserved by means of Maitland Scholarships in a grammar school for natives at Madras, and by a Maitland Prize in the University of Cambridge. Sir Peregrine, as patron of education, opened an era of progress which his successors Lords Elgin, Dufferin and Lorne have continued in a most munificent manner.

A curious glimpse of high life at Quebec, in the good old days of Lord Dalhousie, is furnished in a letter addressed to _Delta_, of Blackwood's Magazine, by John Galt, the novelist, the respected father of our gifted statesman, Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt. [40]

The talented author of the "_Annals of the Parish_," after expatiating on the dangers he had that day incurred in crossing over from Levis to Quebec in a canoe, among the ice-floes, thus alludes to the winter amusements:--

QUEBEC, 22nd February, 1827.

MY DEAR SIR,--I am under very great obligations to you. A copy of the
"Laird" having come to the castle from the New York publishers, Lady
Dalhousie lent it to me. * * * I am much pleased with Quebec. It is at
present filled with Highland regiments, in which I have many
acquaintances and the hospitality of the other inhabitants is also
unbounded, for the winter suspends all business, and pleasure is
conducted as if it were business. The amateurs have a theatre, and I
wrote a piece for them, in which a Londoner, a Glasgow merchant, an
Irish girl, a Yankee family and a Highlander were introduced. It was
adapted entirely to the place, and in quiz of a very agreeable custom
--of everybody calling on strangers. Dr. Dunlop performed the
Highlander beyond anything I ever saw on the regular stage. The whole
went off with more laughter than anything I have ever seen, for the
jokes being local and personal (supplied by upwards of thirty
contributors), every one told with the utmost effect."

"This farce, says Delta, composed at Quebec by J. Galt, and performed
there before the Earl of Dalhousie (then Governor-General), was named
"The Visitors, or a Trip to Quebec," and was meant as a good humoured
satire on some of the particular usages of the place. An American
family figured as the visitors, and the piece opened with a scene in
an hôtel, when a waiter brings in a tea-tray loaded with cards of
callers, and the explanation of the initials having had reference to
people, many of whom were present at the performance, tended much to
make the thing pass off with great éclat. It seems that a custom
prevails there to a punctilious extent, of all the inhabitants of a
certain grade calling upon strangers and leaving their cards.

"This flash of harmless lightning, however, assumed somewhat of a
malignant glare when seen from the United States. The drift of the
performance was, it seems, hideously misrepresented by some of the
newspapers, and it was said that Mr. Galt had ungratefully ridiculed
the Americans, notwithstanding the distinction and hospitality with
which they had received him. It thus came to pass that he promised,
when next in New York, to write another farce, in which liberty as
great should be taken with his own countrymen. "An Aunt in Virginia"
was the product of this promise, and with the alterations mentioned
and a change of scene from New York to London, it was published under
the name of "Scotch and Yankees.""

A volume would not suffice to detail the brilliant receptions, gay routs, _levees_, state balls given at the Castle during Lord Dorchester's administration--the lively discussions--the formal protests originating out of points of precedence, burning _questions de jupons_ between the touchy magnates of the old and those of the new _regime_. Whether la Baronne de St. Laurent would be admitted there or not? Whether a de Longueuil's or a de Lanaudière's place was on the right of Lady Maria, the charming consort of His Excellency Lord Dorchester--a daughter of the great English Earl of Effingham? Whether dancing ought to cease when their Lordships the Bishops entered, and made their bow to the representative of royalty? Unfortunately Quebec had then no Court Journal, so that following generations will have but faint ideas of all the witchery, the stunning head-dresses, the _décolletées_, high-waisted robes of their stately grandmothers, whirled round in the giddy waltz by whiskered, épauletted cavaliers, or else courtesying in the demure _menuet de la cour_.

In August, 1796, when Isaac Weld, Jr., visited Quebec, he describes the old part of the château as chiefly taken up with the public offices, all the apartments in it, says he, "are small and ill-contrived; but in the new part (Haldimand Castle) which stands in front of the other, facing the square (the ring), they are spacious and tolerably well furnished, but none of them can be called elegant. This part is inhabited by the Governor's family. * * * * Every evening during summer, when the weather is fine, one of the regiments of the garrison parades in the open place before the château, and the band plays for an hour or two, at which time the place becomes the resort of numbers of the most genteel people of the town, and has a very gay appearance." (_Weld's Travels through the States of North America in_ 1795-6-7, vol. 1, p. 351)

In 1807, when the deadly duel between England and Imperial France was at its height, Great Britain sent New France as her Viceroy, a military Governor, equally remarkable for the sternness of his rule and for his love of display, hence the name of "Little King Craig," awarded to Sir James Craig. To meet his requirements the House of Assembly voted in 1808, a sum of £7,000 to repair the Château St. Louis. Sir James took up his quarters in the interim, in Castle Haldimand. The Château St. Louis received an additional story and was much enlarged. In 1812 an additional sum of £7,980 19s 4d was voted to cover the deficit in the repairs. Little King Craig inhabited Château St. Louis during the winters of 1809-10-11, occupying Spencer Wood during the summer months. The _Château_ stables were subsequently converted into a riding school, afterwards into a theatre, where the exhibition of Harrison's Diorama caused the awful tragedy of 12th June, 1846. [41] The Earl of Durham, in 1838, struck with the commanding position of this site, had the charred ruins of the old Château removed and erected a lofty platform which soon was called after him "Durham Terrace."

In 1851-2-3-4, Haldimand Castle was repaired at a cost of $13,718.42. In 1854, Hon. Jean Chabot, member for Quebec and Commissioner of Public Works, had Durham Terrace much enlarged; the adjoining walls were repaired at an expense of $4,209.92. More expenditure was incurred in 1857. When the Laval Normal School was installed there, Bishop Langevin, then Principal, had the wing erected where the chapel stands. The vaulted room used as a kitchen for the Laval Normal School, was an old powder magazine; it is the most ancient portion of the building. The present Castle was, by Order in Council of 14th February, 1871, transferred by the Dominion authorities to the Government of the Province of Quebec, together with Durham Terrace, the Sewell Mansion, facing the Esplanade (Lieutenant- Governor's office), also, the site and buildings of the Parliament House, on Mountain Hill.

The extension of this lofty and beautiful Terrace, suggested to the City Council by the City Engineer in his report of 1872, necessarily formed a leading feature in the splendid scheme of city improvements, originated by the Earl of Dufferin, with the assistance of Mr. Lynn, an eminent Irish engineer, and of our City Engineer, le Chevalier Baillairge. An appeal was made by a true and powerful friend to Quebec (Lord Dufferin) to our gracious Sovereign, who contributed munificently from her private purse, for the erection of the new gate, called after her late father, the Duke of Kent--Kent Gate, in remembrance of his long sojourn (1791-4) in this city. Large sums were also granted by the Dominion, it is thought, chiefly through the powerful influence of Lord Dufferin, seconded by Sir H. L. Langevin; an appeal was also made for help to the City Council and not in vain; it responded by a vote of $7,500.

The front wall was built at the expense of the Dominion Government, and occupies part of the site of the old battery, erected on that portion of the château garden granted to Major Samuel Holland in 1766.

The length of Dufferin Terrace is 1420 feet, and it is 182 feet above the level of the St. Lawrence. It forms part of the city fortifications. The site can be resumed by the Commander of the Forces (the Governor-General) whenever he may deem it expedient for objects within the scope of his military authority.

Durham Terrace, increased to four times its size, now forms a link in the Dufferin plans of city embellishment, of which the corner stone was laid by the Earl of Dufferin on the 18th October, 1878, and was authentically recognized as "Dufferin Terrace" in April and May, 1879, in the official records of the City Council; several iron plates were inserted in the flooring with the inscription, "_Dufferin Terrace, H. Hatch, contractor, C. Baillairge, engineer._" But a famous name of the past, which many loved to connect with this spot--that of Louis de Buade, Count de Frontenac, was not forgotten. The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, on the 18th April, 1879, presented to the City Council a petition, asking among other things, that one of the handsome kiosks on the Terrace should bear the name of Frontenac; their prayer was granted, and by a resolution moved on 9th May, 1879, by Mr. P. Johnson, C.C., and seconded by Alderman Rhéaume, the five kiosks of Dufferin Terrace were named _Victoria, Louise, Lorne, Frontenac, Plessis_.

It is the site of the present Normal School, adjacent to this historic spot, which has been selected for the palatial hotel in contemplation.

LAYING OF CORNER STONE OF DUFFERIN TERRACE

"The laying of the corner stone of Dufferin Terrace took place the
same day (18th Oct., 1878) as that of the two city gates, the St.
Louis and the Kent Gate. The ceremony was performed in the presence of
thousands. His Worship the Mayor (R. Chambers) received His Excellency
the Earl of Dufferin, and with him were present many of the Aldermen
and Councillors, with the City Engineer and contractors, the members
of the Judiciary, Consul-General of Spain, Consuls of France, Belgium
and the United States, Dean Stanley, of London, England; Mrs.
Stevenson, sister to the Countess of Dufferin, Messrs. Russell
Stevenson, R. R. Dobell, Simon Peters, Dr. Marsden, Jas. Motz, many
ex-Aldermen and ex-Councillors, Alexander Woods, Chairman of the
Harbour Commission, W. S. Desbarats, W. G. Sheppard, Wm. White, Very
Revd. H. Hamel, His Lordship Judge Taschereau, late of the Supreme
Court, Hon. Judge H. Taschereau, Judge of the Superior Court, &c.

"A handsome trowel and mallet were handed to His Excellency the
manufacture of Mr. Cyrille Duquet. On the face of the trowel a
splendid likeness of the Governor-General was embossed, and an
appropriate inscription was engraved thereon. On the plate of the
foundation stone the inscription reads as follows:--"Dufferin
Terrace, laid by His Excellency the Earl of Dufferin, Governor-General
of the Dominion of Canada, on the 18th day of October, 1878, in
presence of the Dominion and city authorities and dignitaries, and an
immense concourse of people from all parts of Canada, also His Honor
Luc Letellier de St. Just, Lieut.-Governor of the Province of Quebec,
R. Chambers, Esq., Mayor of the city of Quebec. City Aldermen--Hon.
John Hearn, Patrick Henchey, Louis Bourget, R. F. Rinfret, Francois
Gingras, J. P. Rhéaume, Germain Guay, F. O. Vallerand, Esqs. City
Councillors--Onésime Beaubien, Andrew Hatch, Guillaume Bouchard, F. X.
Langevin, Jean Docile Brosseau, Francis McLaughlin, John C. Burns,
William McWilliam, William Convey, J. F. Peachy, John Delaney, F. W.
Roy, Peter Johnston, Willis Russell, Charles Brochu, Richard Turner,
Esqs. City Clerk--L. A. Cannon, Esq. City Treasurer--C. J. L.
Lafrance, Esq. City Accountant--M. F. Walsh, Esq. City Legal Adviser--
L. G. Baillairge, Esq. City Notary--A. G. Tourangeau, Esq. Owen
Murphy, Esq., ex-Mayor; Chas. Baillairge, Chevalier, City Engineer."
In the leaden box, placed within the stone, were laid mementoes of the
occasion, similar to those placed in the proper receptacle in the
stone laid in the morning at St. Louis Gate, with the addition of
beautifully executed portraits of Lord and Lady Dufferin, from the
studio of Messrs. Ellison & Co.

"His Excellency having given the _coup de grâce_ to the foundation
stone with the silver mallet, the proceedings were closed."--
(_Morning Chronicle_, 19th Oct., 1878.)

The new city gate erected on the site of the old St. Louis Gate, instead of being called Dufferin Grate, as it had been contemplated, was allowed to retain its time-honored name, St. Louis Gate; the public of Quebec, however, were resolved that some conspicuous monument should recall to Quebecers the fragrant memory of its benefactor, Lord Dufferin; on the visit in June, 1879, of His Excellency Lord Lorne and H.R.H. the Princess Louise, a request was made on them by the citizens, through their chief executive officer, the Mayor of Quebec (R. Chambers), to name and open to the public our world-famous Terrace. On the 9th June, 1879, our distinguished visitors performed this auspicious ceremony in presence of thousands, and in the following words confirmed the name previously entered in the Corporation records:--

_INAUGURATION OF DUFFERIN TERRACE, 9th JUNE, 1879._

"According to notice previously given, the inauguration of Dufferin
Terrace occurred at half-past two o'clock in the afternoon. When that
hour arrived a mass of people variously estimated at from eight to
fifteen thousand, but probably containing about ten thousand, occupied
the Terrace. The appearance from an elevated place of this sea of
humanity was indeed wonderful. The band pavilion in the centre of the
garden had been reserved for the Viceregal party, and was covered in
carpet and scarlet cloth, with two chairs of state. The entrance to
the pavilion was kept by the City Police, while "B" Battery furnished
the band and guard of honour, and played the National Anthem as the
distinguished party arrived on the field.

The Mayor and members of the City Council had previously walked in a
body to the pavilion from the City Hall, and now His Worship conducted
His Excellency and Her Royal Highness to the dais, and addressing
himself to the Governor-General, said:--

"MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY.--On behalf of the Corporation and
citizens of Quebec, permit me to thank Your Excellency for acceding to
our request that you would be pleased to open in person this public
promenade, and also Her Royal Highness for graciously honouring us by
her presence.

"The corner stone of this structure was laid by Your Excellency's
predecessor, the Earl of Dufferin (18th Oct., 1878).

"It will be gratifying to the noble Lord to learn that the work in
which he took so lively an interest has been inaugurated by Your
Excellency, and that the ceremony was graced by the presence of Her
Royal Highness the Princess Louise.

"I have, therefore, respectfully to request that Your Excellency may
be pleased to give the name which the Terrace is henceforth to bear,
and to signify if it is the pleasure of Your Excellency that it be
opened to the public."

His Excellency replied:--"I am happy to accede to your request to
signify that this Terrace shall be called after your late Governor-
General, Dufferin, and that it is now open to the public."

Rounds of applause followed His Excellency's remarks, and loud cheers
were given for the Earl of Dufferin, Her Royal Highness and His
Excellency." (_Morning Chronicle_, 10th June, 1879.)

Parallel with Ste. Anne street, and terminated by Dauphin street, a tortuous, rugged little lane, now known as St. Andrew's street, leads past St Andrew's schoolhouse, to the chief entrance of the Presbyterian house of worship; a church opened at the beginning of the century, repaired and rendered quite handsome a few years ago, but much damaged by fire on the 30th April, 1881. In connection with the erection of this structure, a document was recently exhumed from the archives of the Literary and Historical Society, which throws much light on an important section of the former population of the city. It is a memorial to His Majesty George III., signed at Quebec on the 5th October, 1802, by the Rev. Dr Sparks' congregation and by himself. The first incumbent of St. Andrew's Church-- commenced in 1809, and opened for worship on the 30th November, 1810--was the Reverend Doctor Alexander Sparks, who had landed at Quebec in 1780, became tutor in the family of Colonel Henry Caldwell at Belmont, St. Foye road, and who died suddenly in Quebec, on the 7th March, 1819. Dr. Sparks had succeeded to the Rev. George Henry, a military chaplain at the time of the conquest; the first Presbyterian minister, we are told, who officiated in the Province, and who died on the 6th July, 1795, aged 86 years.

One hundred and forty-eight signatures are affixed to this dusty document of 1802.

A carefully prepared petition--it seems--to the King, asking for a site in Quebec whereon to build a church--and suggesting that the lot occupied by the Jesuits' Church, and where until 1878, stood the Upper Town, market shambles, be granted to the petitioners, they being without a church, and having to trust to the good will of the government for the use, on Sundays, of a room in the Jesuits Barracks, as a place of worship. [42]

_Signatures to Memorial addressed to George III., asking for land in
Quebec to build a Presbyterian Church_:--

Alex. Sparks, Minister, A. Ferguson,
Jas. Thompson, Jr., Robert Eglison,
Fred. Grant, Robt. Cairns,
Jno. Greenshields, William A. Thompson,
Chas. G. Stewart, Wm. McWhirter,
James Sinclair, John McDonald,
John Urquhart, John Auld,
William Morrin, Bridget Young,
Jno. Eifland, Jno. Shaw,
John Barlie, Charles Hunter,
Geo. McGregor, Geo. Black,
Wm. Holmes, W. G. Hall,
James Ward, J. Gray,
Jno. Purss, F. Leslie,
Ann Watt, Robt. Wood,
J. Brydon, Lewis Harper,
Jno. Frazer, Mary Boyle,
James Somerville, A. Anderson,
J. A. Thompson, John Anderson,
Wm. Hall, Robt. Ross,
Wm. Thompson, Sr., Wm. Fraser,
D. Monroe, Wm. Hay,
J. Blackwood, Wm. McKay,
M. Lymburner, Robt. Harrower,
Francis Hunter, James Tulloch,
W. Rouburgh, Samuel Brown,
John McCord, Isaac Johnstone,
J. G. Hanna, Peter Leitch,
J. McNider, Henry Baldwin,
Adam Lymburner, Daniel Forbes,
Jno. Lynd, William Jaffray,
Peter Stuart, J. Hendry,
William Grant, John Thompson,
J. A. Todd, George Smith,
John Mure, Wm. Reed,
John Patterson, Alexander Harper,
John Crawford, Robert Marshall,
John Hewison, William White,
David Douglas, Thomas White,
George Wilde, John Taylor,
Fred. Petry, Adam Reid,
James Ross, James Irvine,
David Stewart, John Munro,
John Yule, Alexander Munn,
Angus McIntyre, Alexander Rea,
John Mackie, James Elmslie,
John Purss. Johnston, Charles Smith,
Wm. Thompson, Jr., Ebenezer Baird,
Con. Adamson, Lawrence Kidd,
Geo. Morrison, James McCallum,
Jno. Goudie, John Burn,
G. Sinclair, Joanna George,
Walter Carruthers, Maya Darling,
Wm. Petrie, William Lindsay,
John Ross, Janet Smith,
Wm. McKenzie, William Smith,
Thos. Saul, Henrietta Sewell,
J. Ross, Jr., Jane Sewell,
Ann Rose, C. W. Grant,
James Mitchell, Robert Ritchie,
Geo. King, George Pyke,
Alex. Thompson, Joseph Stilson,
James Orkney, Henry Hunt,
J. Neilson, George Thompson,
Daniel Fraser,
Quebec, 5th October, 1802.

Some of these signatures are suggestive. The most notable is probably that of old Adam Lymburner, the cleverest of the three Lymburners, all merchants at Quebec in 1775. [43] Adam, according to the historian Garneau, was more distinguished for his forensic abilities and knowledge of constitutional law, than for his robust allegiance to the Hanoverian succession at Quebec, when Colonel Benedict Arnold and his New Englanders so rudely knocked at our gates for admission in 1775.

According to Garneau and other historians, in the autumn of that memorable year, when the fate of British Canada hung as if by a thread, Adam Lymburner, more prudent than loyal, retired from the sorely beset fortress to Charlesbourg, possibly to Château Bigot, a shooting box then known as the "Hermitage," to meditate on the mutability of human affairs. Later on, however, in the exciting times of 1791, Adam Lymburner was deputed by the colony to England to suggest amendment's to the project of the constitution to be promulgated by the home authorities. His able speech may be met with in the pages of the _Canadian Review_, published at Montreal in 1826. This St Peter street magnate attained four score and ten years, and died at Russell Square, London, on the 10th January, 1836.

Another signature recalls days of strife and alarm: that of sturdy old Hugh McQuarters, the brave artillery sergeant who, at _Près-de-Ville_ on that momentous 31st December, 1775, applied the match to the cannon which consigned to a snowy shroud Brigadier-General Richard Montgomery, his two _aides_, McPherson and Cheeseman, and his brave, but doomed followers, some eleven in all; the rest having sought safety in flight. By this record, it appears Sergeant McQuarters had also a son, in 1802, one of Dr Sparks' congregation. Old Hugh McQuarters lived in Champlain street, and closed his career there in 1812.

Another autograph, that of James Thompson, one of Wolfe's comrades--"a big giant," as our old friend, the late Judge Henry Black, who knew him well, used to style him, awakens many memories of the past. Sergeant James Thompson, of Fraser's Highlanders, at Louisbourg in 1758, and at Quebec in 1759, came from Tain, Scotland, to Canada, as a volunteer to accompany a friend-Capt. David Baillie, of the 78th. His athletic frame, courage, integrity and intelligence, during the seventy-two years of his Canadian career, brought him employment, honour, trust and attention from every Governor of the colony from 1759 to 1830, the period of his death, he was then aged 98 years. At the battle of the Plains of Abraham, James Thompson, as hospital sergeant, was intrusted with the landing, at Point Levi, of the wounded, who were crossed over in boats; he tells us of his carrying some of the wounded from the crossing at Levi, up the hill, all the way to the church at St. Joseph, converted into an hospital, and distant three miles from the present ferry, a "big giant" alone could have been equal to such a task. In 1775, Sergeant Thompson, as overseer of Government works, was charged with erecting the palisades, fascines and other primitive contrivances to keep out Brother Jonathan, who had not yet learned the use of Parrot or Gatling guns and torpedoes. Later on, we find the sturdy Highlander an object of curiosity to strangers visiting Quebec --full of siege anecdotes and reminiscences--a welcome guest at the Château in the days of the Earl of Dalhousie. In 1827, as senior Mason, he was called on by His Excellency to give the three mystic taps with the mallet, when the corner stone of the Wolfe and Montcalm monument was laid, in the presence of Captain Young of the 79th Highlanders, and a great concourse of citizens. About New Year's day, 1776, Mr. Thompson became possessed of Gen. Montgomery's sword; it has since passed to his grandson, James Thompson Harrower. Mr. James Thompson left several sons, some of whose signatures are affixed to the document before us. John Gawler was Judge for the District of Gaspé from 1828 to 1865; George received a commission in the Royal Artillery; a third was Deputy Commissary General James Thompson, who died in this city in 1869.

Old James Thompson expired in 1830, at the family mansion, St. Ursule street, now occupied by his grandson, Mr. James Thompson Harrower.

When we name John Greenshields, D. Munro (the partner of the Hon. Matthew Bell), J. Blackwood, Matthew Lymburner, Peter Stuart, William Grant, John Mure, John McNider, J. G. Hanna, John Crawford, David Stewart (the David Stewart of "Astoria" described by Washington Irving?) James Orkney, Robert Wood, Alexander Munn, James McCallum, Thomas White, Fred. Petrie, Robert Ritchie, we recall many leading merchants in St. Peter street, Notre Dame street and the old _Cul-de-Sac_.

"Ebenezer Baird," we take to have been the progenitor of a well-remembered Quebec Barrister, James E. Baird, Esq., the patron of our city member, Jacques Malouin, Esquire.

George Pyke, a Halifax barrister, had settled here. He rose to occupy a seat on the judicial bench.

Robert Harrower, was doubtless the father of Messrs. Robert, David and Charles Harrower, of Trois Saumons, County of L'Islet. Honorable James Irvine, in 1818, a member of the Legislative Council, was the grandfather of the Hon. G. Irvine, of this city. The Hon. John Jones Ross, the present Speaker of the Legislative Council, Quebec, traces back to the "James Ross" of 1802, and the Hon. David Alex. Ross claims for his sire that sturdy Volunteer of 1759, under Wolfe, "John Ross," who made a little fortune; he resided at the house he purchased in 1765, near Palace Gate within. He held a commission as a Captain in the British Militia in 1775, under Colonel Le Maitre; we can recollect his scarlet uniform which he wore in 1775, also worn in 1875, by his grandson, our worthy friend, Hon. D. A. Ross, at the ball of the Centenary of the repulse of Brigadier- General Richard Montgomery, 31st December, 1775. He had three sons, David was Solicitor-General at Quebec; John was a lawyer also, and Prothonotary at Quebec (the signer of the memorial of 1802); the third died young; of three daughters, one was married to the Rev. Doctor Sparks, already mentioned; a second was married to Mr. James Mitchell, A.C.G., and the third to an army surgeon. John Ross, Sr., died at an advanced age. Charles Grey Stewart, our Comptroller of Customs died in 1854; he was the father of Messrs. McLean, Charles, Alexander, Robert and John Stewart, of Mrs. William Price, of Mrs. William Phillips, of the Misses Ann and Eleanor Stewart.

"Joanna George" the mother of an aged contemporary, Miss Elizabeth George, and of [44] Miss Agnes George, the widow of the late Arch. Campbell, Esq., N.P., and grandmother of the present President of the St. Andrew's Society, W. Darling Campbell, died about 1830.

"Maya Darling" was another daughter, and wife of Capt. Darling. "John Burn," also one of the signers of the Memorial, and who afterwards settled in Upper Canada, was the son of "Joanna George" by another marriage; the eccentric and clever Quebec merchant, Mr. James George, was another son. He was the first who suggested in 1822, a plan of the St. Charles River Docks--the first who took up the subject of rendering the St. Lawrence Rapids navigable higher than Montreal. The idea seemed so impracticable, and what was still worse, so new, that the far-seeing Mr. George, was at the time branded as _non compos_! and still for years the "Spartan," "Passport," "Champion" and other steamers have safely ran these rapids daily every season!

James George had also suggested the practicability of Wooden Railways or Tramways, with horses as locomotive power, forty years before the Civil Engineer Hulburt built the Gosford Wooden Railway, with steam as locomotive power.

"William Grant, of St. Roch's, after whom Grant street was called, was member for the Upper Town of Quebec, during our two first Parliaments, from 17th December, 1792, to 29th May, 1800, and from 9th January, 1805, to period of his death at St. Roch in 1805. An enterprising and important personage was the Hon. Wm. Grant, the Receiver General of the Province in 1770. He had married the widow of the third Baron de Longueuil.

"John Mure" represented the County of York (Vaudreuil) in three Parliaments, from 9th January, 1805, to 26th February, 1810, and was member for the Upper Town of Quebec, from 1810 to 1814. A man of intelligence, he also, though a Presbyterian, became a benefactor to the R. C. Church, having, in 1812, given to the R. C. parishioners of St. Roch's, a site whereon to erect their church in that thriving suburb.

"John Blackwood" also represented the Upper Town in two Parliaments, from 9th April, 1809, to 20th February, 1810.

"Jane Sewell" was the wife of Stephen Sewell, Solicitor-General of Lower Canada, brother to Chief Justice Sewell.

"Henrietta Sewell," one of the signers, survived ten years her husband, the late Jonathan Sewell, Chief Justice for Lower Canada, who died in Quebec in 1839. Chief Justice Sewell left a numerous progeny. [45]

"William Lindsay" was the father of the late William Burns Lindsay, for years Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, and of our venerable fellow-citizen, Errol Boyd Lindsay, Esq., Notary Public, now more than four score years of age; he seems to have taken his surname from Capt. Errol Boyd, in 1798, commander of the well remembered Quebec and Montreal trader, the "Dunlop."

"William Smith," one of the last among the signers of the memorial, the brother of Henrietta Smith, wife of Chief Justice Sewell, was the Hon. William Smith, Clerk of the Legislative Council, and who, in 1815, published his _History of Canada_, in two volumes, a standard work; he was a descendant of the Hon. William Smith, a noted U. E. Loyalist, who wrote the history of the State of New York, and landed at Quebec, 23rd October, 1786. As a reward for his loyalty he had been made Chief Justice of Lower Canada, 1st September, 1785; he died at Quebec, 6th December, 1793.

The names of six signers of the _Memorial to the King_, appear on the list of the jury empanelled to try, in 1797, before Chief Justice Osgood, David McLane for high treason, viz.: John Blackwood, John Crawford, David Munro, John Mure, James Irvine, James Orkney. George Pyke was the Counsel named _ex officio_, together with M. Franklin, to defend the misguided Yankee.

The Jury stood thus;--

John Blackwood, James Irvine,
John Crawford, James Orkney,
John Painter, James Watson Goddard,
David Monro, Henry Cull,
John Mure, Robert Morrogh,
John Jones, George Symes.

Parloir street, well leavened with lawyers, leads to the _parloir_ of the Ursulines. Here resided the late Judge de Bonne, at the dawn of the present century. The locality is alive with memories of this venerable seat of education, and with saintly and heroic traditions of Madame de la Peltrie, Mère de l'Incarnation--Montcalm. "There exists," says the Abbé Casgrain, "in the Ursuline Nunnery, a small picture, which portrays a touching tradition of the early days of Canada: a painting executed by a Canadian artist, from old etchings, preserved in the monastery. * * The canvas represents the forest primeval, which mantled the promontory of Quebec, at the birth of the Colony. In the centre of the picture may be seen, amidst the maples and tall pines, the first monastery, founded in 1641 by Madame de la Peltrie. On its front stands forth in perspective the dwelling which the founder had erected for her own use, three years later on. The area comprised between these two edifices, is occupied by a clearing, surrounded by a palisade, whereon are seen grazing a flock of sheep. On the left side of the picture a broad avenue leads through the forest:--the _Grand Allée_--later on St. Louis street, which leads to the village of Sillery. Two horsemen, habited à la Louis XIV, meet on this avenue, the one Monsieur d'Ailleboust, the Governor of the Colony, the other is Monsieur DuPlessis Bochard, the Governor of Three Rivers. In the midst of their interview, they are interrupted by an Indian Chief, who offers them a beaver skin. A few steps from her residence, Madame de la Peltrie is standing close to another Indian Chief, who, with head inclined, seems in the attitude of listening to her in the most respectful manner, whilst she, dignified and composed, is expounding to him the sacred truths of faith. This scene presents an admirable contrast, with another taking place close by; an Indian warrior is seen giving, imperiously, his orders to a squaw,--his wife mayhap--but who, from her downcast and humble look, seems more like his slave. A short distance from this group, a missionary, (Father Jérôme Lalemant) after visiting some wigwams, erected around the house of Madame de la Peltrie, is threading a narrow path leading to the depths of the forest. The most attractive feature about the painting is a group of young children, listening attentively to the teachings of a nun, seated on the right, under the shade of an ash tree. The impression created by this antique painting, is the more delightful and vivid, because on turning one's gaze, at present, from the picture, to the interior of the cloister, may still be seen the hoary head of an old ash tree, under which tradition shows us the venerable _Mother de l'Incarnation_, catechising the Indian children and teaching the young girls of the colony." [46] After more than two centuries of existence, the old ash tree succumbed lately to a storm.

Laval, Attorney-General Ruette D'Auteuil, Louis de Buade, Ste. Hélène () seem to come back to life in the ancient streets of the same name, whilst Frontenac, Iberville, Piedmont, are brought to one's recollection, in the modern thoroughfares. The old Scotch pilot, Abraham Martin, (who according to the _Jesuits' Journal_, might have been a bit of a scamp, although a church chorister, but who does not appear to have been tried for his peccadiloes,) owned a domain of thirty-two acres of land in St. John's suburbs, which were bounded towards the north, by the hill which now bears his name (_La Côte d'Abraham_.)

Mythology has exacted a tribute on a strip of ground in the St. Louis suburbs. The chief of the pagan Olympus boasts of his lane, "Jupiter street," so called after a celebrated inn, Jupiter's Inn, on account of a full sized statue of the master of Olympus which stood formerly over the main entrance. In the beginning of the century, a mineral spring, of wondrous virtue, attracted to this neighbourhood, those of our _bon vivants_ whose livers were out of order. Its efficacy is now a thing of the past!

That dear old street,--St. George street formerly,--now called after the first settler of the Upper Town in 1617, _Louis Hébert_, by the erection of the lofty Medical College and Laval University, for us has been shorn of its name--its sunshine--its glory, since the home [47] of our youth, at the east end, has passed into strange hands. It is now _Hébert_ street, by order of the City council.

Opposite to the antique and still stately dwelling, lately owned by Jos. Shehyn, M.P.P., is a house formerly tenanted by Mr. J. Dyke. In the beginning of this century it was occupied by an old countryman, remarkable, if not for deep scientific attainments, at least for shrewd common sense and great success in life--Mr. P. Paterson, the proprietor of the extensive mills at Montmorency--now owned by the estate of the late George Benson Hall, his son-in-law.

Peter Paterson, about 1790, left Whitby, England, to seek his fortune in Canada. His skill as a ship builder--his integrity of character and business habits, pointed him out as a fit agent--later on as a partner in a wealthy Baltic firm of London merchants who still have representatives in the colony. At the time of Napoleon's continental blockade, the English Government, seeing that the Baltic was closed for the supply of timber for the navy, gave out a large contract to Messrs. Henry and John Usborne--of London--for masts and oak. Usborne & Co., employed Mr. P. Paterson to dress and ship this timber. A timber limit license, of portentous import, authorizing the cutting of oak and masts for the navy in all British North America, was issued. Under authority of this license, Mr. Paterson partly denuded the shores of Lake Champlain as well as the Thousand Islands, of their fine oak. Mr. Paterson was the first to float oak in rafts to Quebec. He built a large mill at Montmorency, having exchanged his St. George street house for the mill site at Montmorency. His mills have since attained to great importance.

In the rear of (St. George--now) Hébert street loom out the lofty walls of the Laval University, which received its Royal Charter in 1852. [48]

_THE LAVAL UNIVERSITY._

The main edifice is 298 feet in length, five stories high; a plain, massive structure of cut-stone, much improved in appearance since the addition, in 1876, of the present superstructure, which relieves the unbroken monotony of its form. The work is a great ornament not only to the immense building itself, but to the city. The task of designing the superstructure was entrusted to the taste and talent of J. F. Peachy, architect. The superstructure is in the French mansard roof style, with handsome cupolas on the east and west ends, surmounted with flag-staffs and weather vanes. In the centre towers a dome far above all, surmounted by a gilt-iron cross in the modern Grecian style--the upright shaft and arms being formed at four right angles. The crown ornaments on the centre top and ends of the arms are all of wrought iron and weigh about 700 lbs. The base is strongly braced and bolted to an oak shaft, secured to the truss work of the dome so firmly as to resist the fiercest gale of wind or any other powerful strain. It is 11 feet six inches in height and the arms are 7 feet six inches across. Mr. Philip Whitty, iron worker and, machinist, of St. James street, was the builder of this cross, and its handsome design and solidity reflect credit upon his taste and workmanship. We believe that it is intended to have a picture gallery in the superstructure under the central dome. The entire roof is strongly trussed and braced with iron bolts. This portion of the work was done under the superintendence of Mr. Marcou. We understand that it is also the intention to erect two balconies on the eastern end, fronting the St. Lawrence--these balconies to be supported by Corinthian columns. From the base to the present superstructure, the building was originally 80 feet high; it now stands 202 feet high from the base to the top of the cross on the central dome.

In 1880, another important addition, involving a heavy outlay, was
planned. A lofty wing, 265 feet in length has been added to this
imposing pile of buildings; it covers a large area in the seminary
garden and connects on each story with the main structure, from which
it stands out at right angles. Both buildings are intended to form but
one, and seen from Levi or from the River St. Lawrence, it looks like
an extension of the Laval University itself. The edifice is fireproof,
its internal division walls are of brick, its rafters of iron; the
floors are brick lined with deals as a preventive against dampness.
The iron rafters were wrought at Lodelinsart, near Charleroi, Belgium;
they weigh 400 tons, and cost laid down 1-1/2 cent per lb.

The basement and the ceiling of the first flat are vaulted over. The
refectory takes up a whole wing of the first story. The masonry of the
upper corridors rests on eighteen cast iron columns, weighing 3,000
lbs. each. The ceiling of the refectory is exceedingly strong and
handsome; every story, in fact, is vaulted from top to bottom.

A corridor eight feet wide and two hundred and sixty-five feet long,
intersects the centre of each story. All the vestibules, corridors and
passages are paved with ceramic square blocks brought from Belgium.

The most notable part of the structure is the main staircase, entirely
of iron and stone; it contains 120 steps 8 feet long, 16 feet broad, 5
inches high, each step hewn out of a single block. The iron material
weighs about 37,000 lbs. There is also another flight of steps made of
iron. A hydraulic elevator in the centre of the building will provide
an easy access to every story.

The roofed galleries, eight feet wide, attached to each story on the
front, present promenades and views unrivaled in the city looking
towards Levi and the Island of Orleans. On a large stone or the
loftiest part of the front wall, over the window, is inscribed--
_Conditum_, 1880.

The arch of the entrance to the Court House burnt in 1872, which, it
was said, had formed part of the old Récollet Church, destroyed by
fire on 6th Sept., 1796, has been used to build the arch of the porch
which leads from the seminary garden to the farm-yard in rear. There
are 230 windows in this new wing which has a mansard roof. It is
computed that 4,000,000 bricks have been employed in the masonry. The
architect is J. F. Peachy.

_STAFF OF THE LAVAL UNIVERSITY IN 1881._

Rector, Revd. Ed. Méthot,--Superior of Quebec Seminary.
Professor of Commercial and Maritime Law,--Hon. Napoleon
Casault, J.S.C.
Professor of Civil Procedure,--Hon. Ulric J. Tessier, J.Q.B.
Professor of Civil Law, etc.,--Hon. Chas. Thos. A. Langelier.
Professor of Roman Law,--Hon. Ed. James Flynn.
Professor of Commercial Law,--Hon. Richard Alleyn, J.S.C.
Secretary,--Thos. Chase Casgrain, Barrister.
Professor of Internal Pathology,--Dr. Jas. Arthur Sewell, M.D.
Professor of External Pathology,--Dr. J. E. Landry, M.D.
Professor of Toxicology, etc.,--Dr. Alfred Jackson, M.D.
Professor of Descriptive Anatomy,--Dr. Eusèbe Lemieux, M.D.
Professor of Medical Jurisprudence,--Dr. H. A. LaRue, M.D.
Professor of General Pathology,--Dr. Simard, M.D.
Professor of Materia Medica, etc.,--Dr. Chas. Verge, M.D.
Professor of Practical Anatomy, etc.,--Dr. Laurent Cattelier, M.D.
Professor of Clinical--Children's Diseases,--Dr. Arthur Vallée, M.D.
Professor of Clinical--Old People's Diseases,--Dr. Michael Ahern, M.D.
Professor of Comparative Zoology, Anatomy and Physiology,--Dr. L. J.
A. Simard, M.D.
Professor of Political Economy,--Hon. C. T. A. Langelier.
Professor of Physical Science,--Rev. Mr. Laflamme.
Professor of French Literature,--Rev. Ed. Méthot.
Professor of Greek Literature,--Rev. L. Baudet.
Professor of Mineralogy,--Rev. J. C. Laflamme.
Professor of Natural Law,--Mgr. Beng. Paquet.
Professor of Dogmatic Theology,--Rev. L. H. Paquet.
Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Rev. L. N. Begin.

On the conspicuous site where stands the unpretending brick structure known as our present House of Parliament, (which succeeded to the handsome cut stone edifice destroyed by fire in 1864) one might, in 1660, have seen the dwelling of a man of note, Ruette d'Auteuil. D'Auteuil became subsequently Attorney General and had lively times with that sturdy old ruler, Count de Frontenac. Ruette d'Auteuil had sold the lot for $600 (3,000 livres de 20 sols) to Major Provost, who resold it, with the two story stone house thereon erected, for $3,000, to Bishop de St. Vallier. The latter having bequeathed it to his ecclesiastical successor, Bishop Panet ceded it in the year 1830 to the Provincial Government for an annual ground rent of £1,000--this rent is continued to the Archbishop by the Provincial Government of Quebec. No one now cares to enquire how Bishop Panet made such an excellent bargain, though a cause is assigned.

Palace Street was thus denominated from its leading direct from the Upper Town to the Intendant's Palace--latterly the King's woodyard. In earlier days it went by the name of _Rue des Pauvres_, [49] (Street of the Poor,) from its intersecting the domain of the _Hôtel Dieu_, whose revenues were devoted to the maintenance of the poor sheltered behind its massive old walls. Close by, on Fabrique street, Bishop de St. Vallier had founded _le Bureau des Pauvres_, where the beggars of Quebec (a thriving class to this day) received alms, in order to deter them from begging in the country round the city. The success which crowned this humble retreat of the mendicant led the philanthropic Bishop to found the General Hospital in the Seigneurie de Notre Dame des Anges, beyond St. Roch. He received there nuns of the Convents of the Ursulines and of the Hôtel Dieu and gave them the administration of the newly founded establishment, where, moreover, he at a more recent date resided as almoner of the poor.

At the western corner of Palace and St. John streets, has stood since 1771, a well known landmark erected to replace the statue of Saint John the Baptist, which had, under the French _régime_, adorned the corner house. After the surrender of Quebec to the British forces, the owners of the house, fearing the outer barbarians might be wanting in respect to the saint's effigy, sent it to the General Hospital, where it stood over the principal entrance until a few years back. They replaced it by a wooden statue of General Wolfe, sculptured by the Brothers Cholette, at the request of George Hipps, a loyal butcher. The peregrinations of this historic relic, in 1838, from Quebec to Halifax--from Halifax to Bermuda, thence to Portsmouth, and finally to its old niche at Wolfe's corner, St. John Street, whilst they afforded much sport to the middies of H. M. Ship _Inconstant_, who visited our port that summer and carried away the General, were the subject of several newspaper paragraphs in prose and verse.

Finally, the safe return of the "General" with a brand new coat of paint and varnish in a deal box, consigned to His Worship, the Mayor of Quebec sent by unknown hands, was made an occasion of rejoicing to every friend of the British hero whom Quebec contained, and they were not few.

Some of the actors of this practical joke, staunch upholders of Britannia's sovereignty of the sea, now pace the quarter deck, t'is said, proud and stern admirals.