-iSS ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



As a preliminaiy, it occurred to ine to look up tlio Roman Catholic 

 pai-ish tliureh rci^i.ster of Quebec, eon.siderod so justly a rclial>le and 

 accurate record of marriages, births and deaths since the foundation of 

 the colony. 



I therein read of the burial of a French Canadian, by name Louis 

 Yallerand, on the 1st January, 1770; the said Vallcrand was killed at the 

 cngai,'ement at Quebec the day previous, viz., the 31st December, 1775. 



"Le premier janvier 177<^, par nous, vicaire de Québec, soussigné, a 

 été inhumé dans le cimetière de la Sainte-Famille le corps de Louis Yal- 

 lerand, tué dans l'attaque livrée le trente et un décembre, âgé de vingt-cinq 

 ans environ. Ont été présents Pierre-André Spénard, François Sasseviilo 

 et plusieurs autres. 



" (Signé) Lefebvre, Ptre.'' 



This entry alone, as Dr. Dionne observes, suffices to overturn Dr. 

 Kingsford's theory. 



In order to abridge the array of authorities which can be put forth 

 on the task before me I shall, with Dr. Dionne's permission, confino 

 myself to quote the leading authorities contained in his able dissertation, 

 in addition to my own. 



The doctor, after alluding to the accounts of the banquets com- 

 memorating the repulse of Montgomery and Arnold, to be found in the 

 columns of the old " Quebec Gazette," 1776, 1779, etc., says : " The ' Quebec 

 Herald ' of the 14th January, 1790, mentions the annual banquet as fol- 

 lows : 'Thursday last, being the 31st December, the Veterans held their 

 annual dinner.' " He quotes an extract of a letter written six da3's after 

 the engagement by General Wooster to Colonel Warner, both distinguished 

 officers of the Continental army. 



" With the greatest distress of mind," writes the general, " I now sit 

 down to irfform j'ou of the event of an unfortunate attack made upon 

 Quebec between the hours of four and six of the morning of the 31st 

 December last." 



Then comes a passage taken from the journal of an English officer 

 present at the siege, and inserted in W. Smith's " History of Canada," as 

 follows: "31.st December, Mr. Montgomery, with 900 of the best men, 

 attacked Près-de- Ville, and Arnold, with 700 chosen fellows, attacked at 

 Sault-au-Matelot." 



We have next the statement of an eye-witness, one who saw all that 

 took place before, pending and after the assault of December, 1775, viz., 

 an extract of a pastoral letter from no less a ]iersonage than the Roman 

 Catholic bishop of Quebec, Monseigneur Briand. It is dated 29th Decem- 

 ber, 177G. This dignitary takes occasion to i-ecall the memorable engage- 

 ment, as a subject for congratulation, to his flock. *'What," says his 

 lordship, "are our feelings on the happy and glorious event of the 31st 

 December, 1775." 



