s 8 JOHN M. HARPEE ON THE 



whicli lay neglected, and which, when collected and arranged, would tend to lead to the 

 better appreciation of Canadian history. The foremost object of the Society, as the pamphlet 

 proceeds to say, was to discover and preserve the earliest traces of events in the country, 

 to arrange all documents pertaining to these events, and to encourage and recompense 

 all who assisted in the undertaking. 



In this praiseworthy proposal to recover, translate, and publish the original records of 

 Canadian history, it may be interesting to our liltérateurs to take note that the Societjr did 

 not propose to make literary research a mere labour of love. Men were to receive some 

 recompense for their labours, a doctrine, which, notwithstanding the good example of the 

 Quebec Literary and Historical Society, has not made much practical progress in our 

 midst. Literary men have yet to take the will for the deed when they look to Canadian 

 publishers for support. Our last literary venture of payment by results, the Canadian 

 Monthly, has but lately failed financially, perhaps to be followed by similar failures 

 for many years to come. And in face of such a fact, there is surely some credit due to the 

 Society that coutiuiied, in the face of many difficulties, to reward its most zealous workers 

 as far as its funds permitted. These funds, chiefly derived from members' subscriptions, 

 were originally augmented by a grant of foiir hundred dollars from the public treasury 

 during the period of Lord Dalhousie's rule in Canada, and this amount, with further sums 

 drawn from time to time from the Government, enabled the Council to offer prizes for 

 essays and to hold gatherings with a view to literary and scientific jn-ogress. 



A copy of the first volume of the Transactions, which did not appear in print till the 

 year 1829,. is lying before me as I write ; but, before I dip into its quaint productions to 

 see what the Society was about in the early days of its inception, it may be worth our 

 while to try to catch a glimpse of Canadian literature previous to the time of this 

 volume's appearance. 



In 1824, the city of Quebec had less than half of its present population, while 

 that of the whole of Canada was little over half a million ; and while it is known 

 that, beyond the somewhat stormy arena of politics, very few books of any moment had 

 been published, it is not difficult to find the cause of such a state of affairs. At that time 

 men had to work hard for a living, just as hard as many men now labour to acquire 

 more wealth than they require. They knew little of a higher culture and mental refine- 

 ment. Struggling with difficulties which we can hardly realize, they had neither time 

 nor inclination to foster the literary spirit in themselves or in others. Beyond attending 

 chïirch on Sundays, or taking part in the ordinary parish meetings, their highest intellec- 

 tual excitement was to listen at election times to the vote-begging logic of some politi- 

 cian on the canvass, or to read the local newspaper, whose editor, in all likelihood, was 

 accustomed to view every current event through the prism of faction. And yet, in spite of 

 all this, the literary spirit showed signs of germination, just as to-daif it shows signs of no 

 ignoble development. When the founders of the Quebec Society declared in their pros- 

 pectus that such an association as theirs would raise Canada in the moral and intellectual 

 scale of nations, they must have had some evidence before them that a national spirit was 

 beginning to show signs of growth in the community. " It will cherish our noblest feel- 

 ings of honour and patriotism by showing that, the more men become acquainted with the 

 history of their country, the more they prize both their country and themselves," is a form 

 of speech that must have had more than theory behind its utterance. In a word, the 



