Twenty-Seven Years in Canada West | Page 5

and we could hear the
howling of the wolves at night, to me a new and dismal sound. The
aurora borealis was particularly splendid, for the air was clear and
frosty.
On the 10th of May we stood for the Island of Bic, and took on board a
pilot. He was a handsome young man, a French-Canadian, under whose
guidance we made the place, but we were becalmed before it for the
whole forenoon.
The beauty of the scenery atoned, however, for the delay. Nothing,
indeed, could surpass it in my eyes, which had then only been
accustomed to the highly-cultivated and richly-wooded tracts in Suffolk
and Norfolk, and therefore dwelt with wonder and delight upon the
picturesque shores and lofty heights that crowned the noble St.

Lawrence.
The wind changing in our favour, carried us swiftly up the stream,
which was still thirty-six miles in breadth, though distant 280 miles
from the Gulf. We passed Green Island and the Kamouraska Island, and
Goose and Crane Islands. These beautiful islets, which stud the broad
bosom of the St. Lawrence, are evidently of volcanic origin. That of
Kamouraska displays vast masses of granite, which rise in the form of
conical hills, one of which attains the height of five hundred feet. The
same features are discernible in the Penguins, and even the strata about
Quebec still indicate the same mysterious agency.* [* "Encyclopaedia
of Geography," p. 1304.]
Our progress through the river continually presented the new continent
in an attractive point of view. The shores were dotted with farmhouses
and adorned with fine gardens and orchards, while lovely islands,
covered with lofty trees, rose from the river and delighted the eye. I
thought Canada then and I have never changed my opinion since the
most beautiful country in the world.
On the 13th of May we passed the Island of Orleans, which we no
sooner rounded than the Falls of Montmorenci burst upon my sight. I
was unprepared for the scene, which I contemplated in silent
astonishment. No words written down by the man, at this distance of
time, can describe the vivid feelings of the boy. I have since beheld the
mighty cataracts of Niagara, so finely described by its Indian name,
"The Thunder of Waters;" but I concur in the general opinion, that if
those of Niagara are more stupendous, the Falls of Montmorenci are
more beautiful and picturesque.
Quebec soon came in view, with its strong fortress crowning the
imposing height of Cape Diamond. No one can look upon the old
capital of Canada without remembering that the most gallant British
soldier of the age fell in the battle that added the colony to the other
dependencies of the English crown.
I remembered, too, with some pleasure, that the paternal dining-room
contained a looking-glass one of the fine old Venetian plates, framed
with ebony, which had once formed a part of the General's personal
property. It had been for two centuries in his family, but had since
become a valued heirloom in mine. His manly features must often have
been reflected on its brilliant surface, and that circumstance, which had

formerly endeared it to his aged mother, had made it prized by mine.
We have also a bureau, very complete, but evidently constructed more
for use than ornament, which might have once contained the papers of
this distinguished soldier, while the book-case, to which it was annexed,
had probably held his little library. His cruet-stand, which looks as if it
had been made in the patriarchal times, is still in use at Reydon Hall.
The reader must pardon this digression, since distinguished worth and
valour give an interest even to trivial objects.
Quebec consists of two towns, the Upper and Lower, and is adorned
with a cathedral, whose metallic roof glitters in the sun like a vast
diamond. Indeed, the tin-roofs of the churches and public buildings
give this city a splendid look on a bright sunshiny day, testifying,
moreover, to the dryness of the air. Captain Stoddart took me all over
this curious city, and kindly introduced me to one of the partners of a
great mercantile house, who invited us both to dinner. We regaled
ourselves on smelts, fillet of veal, and old English roast beef, to which
hospitable meal we did ample justice, not forgetting to pledge our
absent friends in bumpers of excellent wine.
The inhabitants of Quebec are very kind to strangers, and are a fine
race of people. French is spoken here not, however, very purely, being
a patois as old as the time of Henry IV. of France, when this part of
Canada was first colonized; but English is generally understood by the
mercantile classes.
This city is visited, at intervals, with slight shocks of earthquake.* [*
Lyell's "Elements of Geology."] Nothing serious