Picturesque Quebec : a sequel to Quebec past and present Part 4

"'Now meet in groups the philosophic band, Not in the porch, like those of ancient Greece, But where the best Madeira is at hand From thought the younger students to release

"'For Hoyle's disciples hold it as a rule That youth for knowledge should full dearly pay, Wherefore to make young cubs the fitter tool Presuming sense by Lethean drafts they slay.

"'With all the fury of a tempest torn, With execrations horrible to hear, By all the wrath of disappointment borne, The cards, their garments, hair, the losers tear.'

"The winner's unfeeling composure is described in another verse, and

"'Now dissipation reigns in varied forms Now riot in the bowl the senses steeps, Whilst nature's child, secure from pa.s.sion's storms, With tranquil mind in sweet oblivion sleeps.'

"It is to be hoped, for the honour of the ladies and gentlemen of old Quebec, that 'Asmodeus' was under the malign influence of envy, hatred and all uncharitableness when he wrote those cynical verses. If he wrote the truth we cannot be too thankful that the Chloes and Cleoras are dead and buried.

"Who was Miss Hannah MacCulloch? She _was_ a young lady once; and, if we may believe her panegyrist, was a beauty in her day. The acrostic in her honor is anonymous, and occasion is taken in the course of it to almost mention some other young ladies by the way of making a climax of her charms. The poet seems to have been inspired by indignation at the insinuations of 'Asmodeus,' for he begins thus.

"'Muses, how oft does Satire's vengeful gall Invoke your powers to aid its bitter sting,'

and then he prefers his own claims to the favor of the Nine

"'Sure you will rather listen to my call, Since beauty and Quebec's fair nymphs I sing'

"It seems his pet.i.tion was heard, for he forthwith begins his laudation:

"'Henceforth Diana in Miss S--ps--n see, As n.o.ble and majestic is her air, Nor can fair Venus, W--lc--s, vie with thee, Nor all her heavenly charms with thine compare.

"'Around the B--ch--rs Juno's glory plays, Her power and charms in them attract our praise Minerva, who with beauty's queen did vie And patronized all the finer arts, Crowned the McN--ls with her divinity, Crowned them the queens of beauty and of hearts.

"'Unto fair F--m--n now I turn my song, Lovely in all she says, in all she does, Lo! to her toilet see each G.o.ddess throng, One cannot all, but each a charm bestows Could all these beauties in one female be, _Her_ whom I sing would be the lovely she.'

"This effusion provoked more criticism than many a book of poetry is subjected to nowadays, and the censors were in their turn criticized by others. Montreal even took part in this literary tournament. But we are left in the dark as to its effect on the spirits, tempers or destinies of Miss MacCulloch and her sister belles.

"It would seem that the author was a young clerk or merchant of Quebec, as one of the critics spitefully tells him not to desert his shop. The ladies themselves do not escape, one writer suggesting that they are coquettish enough already without making them more so. The Montreal correspondent is warned off as an intruder, and told that he had better have saved his ninepence of postage money. Just imagine this silly acrostic furnis.h.i.+ng gossip for Quebec and matter for the _Gazette_ for two months!

"As another note of the state of society at that time may be mentioned occasional advertis.e.m.e.nts for the sale of negro lads and wenches, or of rewards for the recovery and restoration of missing ones. Slavery was not abolished in Lower Canada till 1803. In Upper Canada, as a separate province, it hardly ever existed. Did the manumitted blacks remain in Canada after their liberation, or did they seek a more congenial climate?

"For education there does not seem to have been any public provision, but private schools for both s.e.xes were numerous. These were probably expensive, so that the poorer cla.s.ses were virtually debarred from the advantages of learning. The instruction of Catholic children was in the hands of the clergy, and it may be that in some of the conventual schools a certain number were admitted free of expense or at reduced rates. It would appear that some of the young ladies were sent to English boarding-schools, if we may judge by advertis.e.m.e.nts in which the advantages of these inst.i.tutions are set forth.

"A Miss or Mrs. Agnes Galbraith not only taught school, but also carried on the millinery business, to which she informs the public that she had served a regular apprentices.h.i.+p, besides having been 'a governess for several years to a genteel boarding-school.'

"The princ.i.p.al of a boys' school who resided at Three Rivers 'respectfully begs leave to remark that he means to presume no further than he is perfectly able to perform, and build his hope of encouragement on no other foundation than his a.s.siduity to merit it.'

His 'course' is nevertheless a pretty full one, including English, French, Latin, Greek, writing in a natural and easy style after the best precedents; arithmetic, vulgar and decimal; geography, with use of the globes; geometry, navigation with all the _late modern_ improvements; algebra, and every other useful and ornamental branch of mathematical learning. Some of the other male teachers write in a similar strain of their qualifications."

"It may be inferred, then, that the wealthier cla.s.ses of Canada in those days had much the same advantages of culture as their friends in England. Intercourse with the mother country was much more general and frequent than might be imagined, and, no doubt, many young gentlemen, after a preliminary training at a colonial academy, were sent home to enter some of the English public schools or universities. From the higher ranks downwards education varied till it reached the 'ma.s.ses,'

with whom its index was a cipher. There is no reason to suppose, however, that the population of Canada, taken as a whole, was less cultivated during the last forty years of the eighteenth century than that of any European nation during the same period. From the consideration of education, one naturally pa.s.ses to that of crime.

Thefts were frequent, and sometimes committed on a large scale. The punishment was whipping at a cart-tail through the streets of the city--the culprits themselves being whipped and whipsters in turn.

a.s.sault, stealing in private houses, and highway robbery were punished with death. The expiation for manslaughter was being branded in the hand which did the deed. Desertion was very frequent, especially among the Hessians and Brunswickers then stationed in Canada. In some cases they were promised pardon if they returned to their regiments, but woe to them if they returned against their will! Towards the end of the year 1783 'Gustavus Leight, a German doctor, confined for felony, broke out of His Majesty's jail at Quebec.' He was '25 years of age, about 5 feet high.' We are not told whether or not he was captured as the advertis.e.m.e.nt is continued to the end of the year, but if he did not change his dress he could not have succeeded in baffling very long the keen eye of a detective, for "he had on, when he made his escape, a brown coat, red plush waistcoat, white stockings and c.o.c.k'd hat.' If such a gentleman made his appearance in the streets of any Canadian city to-day, he would certainly be requested to 'move on,' or asked to 'explain his motives.' One thing is certain, that prisoners for felony in the year 1783 had not to submit to any arbitrary sumptuary arrangement--at least in the Quebec _gaol_ (as it is always spelled in the _Gazette_, perhaps because it is the goal of evildoers).

"The general state of society in Montreal, as well as in Three Rivers, St. Johns, L'a.s.somption, Terrebonne, Sorel and the other towns and villages in existence at the period which we are considering was, in all probability, very like that of Quebec--the last-mentioned place having, of course, a certain prestige as the capital.

"It would be futile to attempt to give an accurate picture of the appearance of Montreal or Quebec at that distant date, and a description pretending to accuracy would not be possible without the collation of more ancient records than are easily obtainable by one person. The names of some of the streets, as Notre Dame, St. Paul and St. Antoine in Montreal, and St. John's, Fabrique, St. Peter and others in Quebec, are still unchanged. Villages near these towns, such as Ste. Foye, Beauport, Charlesbourg, Sault aux Recollets, St. Denis, Ste. Therese, etc., are also frequently mentioned in the old _Gazettes_. Detroit and Niagara were places of considerable importance, and St. Johns, Chambly, Berthier, L'a.s.somption, L'Acadie and other places were much more influential communities in comparison with the population of the country than they are to-day. The authorities at Quebec and Montreal were not wanting in endeavors to keep these cities clean, to judge, at least, by the published 'regulations for the police.' Every householder was obliged to put the Scotch proverbs in force, and keep clean and 'free from filth, mud, dirt, rubbish straw or hay' one-half of the street opposite his own house The 'cleanings' were to be deposited on the beach, as they still are in portions of Montreal and Quebec which border on the river.

Treasure-trove in the shape of stray hogs could be kept by the finder twenty-four hours after the event, if no claim had been made in the meantime, and if the owner declared himself in person or through the bellman, he had to pay 10s. before he could have his pork restored.

Five s.h.i.+llings was the penalty for a stray horse. The regulations for vehicles, slaughter-houses, sidewalks, markets, etc., were equally strict. Among other duties, the carters had to keep the markets clean.

The keepers of taverns, inns and coffee-houses had to light the streets. Every one entering the town in a sleigh had to carry a shovel with him for the purpose of levelling _cahots_ which interrupted his progress, 'at any distance within three leagues of the town.' The rates of cabs and ferry-boats are fixed with much precision. No carter was allowed to plead a prior engagement, but was to go 'with the person who first demanded him, under a penalty of twenty s.h.i.+llings.'

The rate of speed was also regulated, and boys were not allowed to drive.

"Constant reference is made to the walls and gates of Montreal as well as Quebec, and there is reason to believe the smaller towns were similarly fortified. Beyond the walls, however, there was a considerable population, and many of the military officers, Government officials and merchants had villas without the city. The area in Montreal which lies between Craig, St. Antoine and Sherbrooke streets was studded with country-houses with large gardens and orchards attached. The seigneurs and other gentry had also fine, capacious stone-built residences, which much enhanced the charm of the rural scenery. Some of the estates of those days were of almost immense extent. The Kings of France thought nothing of granting a whole province, and, even in British times, there were gentlemen whose acres would have superimposed an English county. The extraordinary donation of James I. of a large portion of North America to Sir William Alexander was not long since brought before the public by the claims of his descendants. Large tracts of land were given away by Louis XIII., Louis XIV. and other French kings, by Oliver Cromwell and the Stuarts, and the same extravagant system of entailing unmanageable wealth on companies and individuals was continued after the conquest.

"It would be interesting to know what was the kind of literary fare on which the intellect of Canada subsisted in those days. It cannot be supposed that the people spent all their time in business and social pleasure. There must have been readers as well as cariolers and dancers, and the literature of England and France was by no means scanty. Great writers on every subject have flourished since that time, but some of the greatest that ever lived, some of those whose productions are still read with the highest pleasure, were the offspring of the two centuries which preceded the conquest. No one will be surprised to find, then, that in the year 1783, a circulating library in Quebec numbered nearly 2,000 volumes. Nor is the enquirer left in the dark as to its probable contents. In the Quebec _Gazette_ of the 4th of December, a list of books is given which 'remained unsold at M. Jacques Perrault's, very elegantly bound'--and books were bound substantially as well as elegantly in those days. In this list are found 'Johnson's Dictionary,' then regarded as one of the wonders of the literary world, 'Chesterfield's Letters,' long the _vade-mec.u.m_ of every young gentleman beginning life, and which, even in our own days (and perhaps still), were frequently bound along with spelling and reading books, the 'Pilgrim's Progress', which it is not necessary to characterize, Young's 'Night Thoughts,' the 'Spectator and 'Guardian,' Rapin's 'English History,' 'Cook's Voyages,' Rousseau's 'Eloise,' 'Telemaque,' 'Histoire Chinoise,'

'Esprit des Croissades,' 'Lettres de Fernand Cortes,' 'Histoire Ancienne' par Rollin, 'Grammaire Anglaise et Francaise,'

'Dictionnaire par l'Academie,' 'Dictionnaire de Commerce,' 'Dictionary of the Arts and Sciences,' 'Smith's Housewife,' 'The Devil on Sticks,'

'Voltaire's Essay on Universal History,' 'Dictionnaire de Cuisine' and several others on various subjects, 'Oeuvres de Rabelais,' 'American Gazetteer,' etc. These, it will be remembered, had remained unsold, but among the sold there must have been copies of the same.

"It is, according to our notions of to-day, a meagre collection, but, no doubt, many families possessed good libraries, brought with them from over the sea, and the bookseller may not have kept a large stock at one time. It was the custom for merchants to sell off all their overlying goods before they went or sent to Europe for a reinforcement.

"The following books were advertised as 'missing:'--Langhorn's Plutarch, 1st vol., Thomson's Works, 4th vol., Gordon's 'Universal Accountant,' 1st vol.; and Gray's Hudibras, 2nd vol. For each one of them there is offered a reward of _two dollars_! Reading was expensive recreation in those times.

"The reader, perhaps, has seen, or, it may be, possesses one of those old libraries, of which the general public occasionally have a glimpse at auction rooms, composed of standard authors, and beautifully and solidly bound, which had adorned the studies of the fathers of our country. They contain all that was best in the French and English literature of the last century--history, poetry, divinity, _belles lettres_, science and art. From these may be gathered what were the tastes, the culture and the thought of the Canadians of the last century.

"Music and painting were cultivated--the former being, as now, a necessary part of female education. Of a festival given by the young ladies of a place called _La Cote_, near Quebec, in 1764, it is promised in the programme that "the orchestra and symphony will be composed of instruments of all kinds." It may interest some ladies to know that among the dances at the same entertainment are mentioned 'l'Harlequinade,' 'La Chinoise,' and 'La Matelote Hollandaise'--some relation, perhaps, to the 'Sailor's Hornpipe.'

"The settlement in Canada of the United Empire Loyalists, after the peace of September, 1783, by which the independence of the revolted colonies was recognized, must have had a considerable influence on Canadian society, and more than atoned for sufferings inflicted on the colony during the progress of the war. Repeated efforts had been made by the Americans to engage the affections of the Canadians. Among those whom Congress had appointed commissioners to treat with the Canadian people on this subject was the renowned Dr. Benjamin Franklin, whose visit to this country was not the most successful portion of his career. Although in some instances there was a manifestation of disaffection to the British Government, the great bulk of the population remained unmistakably loyal. In the Quebec _Gazette_ of October 23rd, 1783, is found the Act of Parliament pa.s.sed in favour of the Loyalists, in which the 25th day of March, 1784, is fixed as the limit of the period during which claims for relief or compensation for the loss of property should be received.

How many availed themselves of the provisions of this act it is not easy to say, but the whole number of persons dispossessed of their estates and forced to seek another home in consequence of their continued allegiance, is set down at from 25,000 to 30,000. Of these, the great majority took up their abodes in the Canadas, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, while a few went to the West Indies, and others returned to England. The biographies of some of these Loyalist settlers in British North America would be full of interest and instruction. But records of family movements and vicissitudes are very rarely kept--most rarely in those cases in which adventures are most frequent and the course of events most changeful. I have, however, seen accounts of the early settlements in the Eastern Towns.h.i.+ps, P.

Q., and in different portions of Ontario, which were full of the romance of faith, of courage, and of perseverance."

THE ST. LOUIS HOTEL

A sketch of this fas.h.i.+onable thoroughfare--St. Louis street--the headquarters of the judiciary, barristers, politicians, etc., would be incomplete without a mention of the chief trysting-place of travellers and tourists for the last thirty years--the leading hostelry of Quebec. St.

Louis Hotel is made up of two or more private dwellings joined together.

That on the corner of Haldimand and St. Louis streets formerly was owned as a residence by the late Edward Burroughs, Esq., P. S. C. Next to it stood, in 1837, Schluep's Hotel--the Globe Hotel--kept by a German, and where the military swells in 1837-8-9 and our jolly curlers used to have _recherche_ dinners or their frugal "beef and greens" and fixings. In 1848, Mr. Burroughs' house was rented to one Robert Bambrick, who subsequently opened a second-cla.s.s hotel at the corner of Ste. Anne and Garden streets, on the spot on which the Queen's printer, the late Mr.

George Desbarats, built a stately office for the printing of the _Canada Gazette_--subsequently sold on the removal of the Government to Ottawa --now the Russell House. The _Globe_ Hotel belonged to the late B. C.

A. Gugy, Esq. It was purchased by the late Messrs Lelievre & Angers, barristers, connected with two or three adjacent tenements, and rented, about 1852, to Messrs. Azro and Willis Russell (represented now by the Russell Hotel Company) for the St. Louis Hotel. Connected by a door through the wall with the Music Hall, it is a notable landmark in St.

Louis street and an object of considerable interest to city cabmen as well, during the season of tourists. Its dining saloon, on the second flow, has witnessed many bountiful repasts, to celebrate social, military, political or literary events, none better remembered than that of the 17th of November, 1880, when the _elite_ of Quebec crowded in unusual numbers-- about one hundred and eighty citizens, English and French--to do honour, by a public banquet, to the laureate of the French Academy, M. Louis Honore Frechette, [30] to celebrate his receiving in August last, in Paris, from the _Academie Francaise_, the unprecedented distinction, for a colonist, of the _Grand Prix Monthyon_ (2,000 livres) for the excellence of his poetry.

Subjoined will be found the names of some of those present, also, extracts from a few of the addresses delivered. We regret much that want of s.p.a.ce precludes us from adding more of the eloquent speeches delivered, because they throw light for English readers on the high degree of culture French literature has attained at Quebec. All, we are sure, will rejoice with us that, for the cause of letters, M. Frechette was timely rescued from the quagmire of political warfare and hustings promises.

_THE FReCHETTE DINNER, NOVEMBER 17, 1880._

"Mr. L. H. Frechette, the laureate of the French Academy, was last night the recipient of marks of honor and esteem, in the shape of a magnificent banquet given him at the St. Louis Hotel, by the citizens of Quebec and vicinity. The tables were laid in the large dining hall of the St. Louis Hotel, which was handsomely decorated for the occasion. The walls were partially covered with French and English flags, and wreaths of evergreen surrounded all the windows. Behind the Chairman, on a bracket, was an excellent bust of the Canadian poet, having on either side paintings of scenes in Mr. Frechette's drama, 'Papineau,' by Mr. E. W. Sewell, Levis.

"Over 125 gentlemen sat down to the banquet, amongs-whom we noticed-- The Honorable Judge Henri T. Taschereau, M. Lefaivre, Consul of France, Count de Premio-Real, Consul-General of Spain, the Baron Bols, Consul-General of Belgium, Major Wa.s.son, Consul of the United States, M. Thors, Hon. W. Laurier, Hon. I. Thibaudeau, Hon. C. A. P.

Pelletier, C.M.G. Hon. D. A. Ross, M.P.P., Achille Larue, N.P., Charles Langelier, M.P.P., Hon. H. G. Joly, M.P.P., Hon. F. Langelier, M.P.P., Hon. Arthur Turcotte, Speaker of the a.s.sembly, Dr. Rinfret, M.P.P, P. B. Casgrain, N.P., James Dunbar, Esq., Q.C., Nazaire Turcotte, Dr. Colin Sewell, Oscar Dunn, C. Antil, B. Bedard, G. T.

Davie, G. Pare, Henri Delagrave, W. E. Brunet, E. W Sewell, F. X.

Lemieux, Faucher de St. Maurice, F. M. Dechene, G. E. T. Rinfret, O.

L. Richardson, Louis Bilodeau, Oscar Lanctot, N. Leva.s.seur, George Stewart, jr., Edward Thomas, D. Chambers, F. G. Gautier, Paul de Cazes, R. J. Bradley, D. J. Montambault, T. G.o.dfroy Papineau, N.P., Montreal, De La Broquerie Tache, C. Ma.s.siah, James M. LeMoine, President Literary and Historical Society, W. J. Wyatt, Alphonse Pouliot, Dr. L. LaRue, Colonel Rhodes, Dr. Pourtier, C. Duquet, V.

Belanger, Charles Langlois, W. C. Languedoc, Alfred White, Peter McEwan, George Henry Powell, A. P. Beaulieu, Alfred Lemieux, Elie Lachance, Richard L. Suffur, Lieut.-Col. Turnbull, H. M. Price, R. St.

B. Young, G. R. White, Captain Gzowski, J. U. Laird, Chariot, Fitzpatrick, E. Swindell, E. J. Hale, Cecil Fraser, Aug. Stuart, C. V.