146 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Grenoble and who, as will be remembered, was a prisoner of war in the 

 Tower of London from 1704 until set free by the Treaty of Utrecht 

 in 1713. 



Two bishop's candlesticks complete this inventory of purely 

 ecclesiastical silver. 



Included among the purely domestic objects are a number of 

 silver spoons and forks of different patterns and dates, mostly of the 

 eighteenth century, and of French and French-Canadian workmanship 

 and a small spoon by the same unknown maker as the above Spanish 

 censer. 



The only piece of English silver observed by the writer was a 

 small mug by a London silversmith of the year 1809-10. 



In the history of silversmithing, none of the objects in this historic 

 hospital surpass, or indeed equal in interest the examples of Canadian 

 craftsmanship. Two were wrought in the city of Quebec by Laurent 

 Amyot — a cocoanut cup* mounted in plain silver and a plain beaker, 

 while two other pieces were made at Montreal by a silversmith whose 

 initials are R.C., whom it is hoped to identify in course of time. This 

 Montreal silversmith's pieces are a charming little plain teapot, of 

 sufficient holding capacity for a cup of tea, and a plain spoon, engraved 

 with a crest, an arm holding a dagger. 



Returning to an account of the treasures of the Ursuline Convent, 

 they include three examples of French silver of the 18th century, 

 namely, a spoon and fork which belonged to Louis D'Aillebout, the 

 third French Governor of Quebec or his wife, Barbara, and which are 

 engraved with a shield of arms; and an eciielle and cover. To these 

 may be added a piece of Canadian-wrought silver, namely, a chalice 

 in the French style, by François Ranvoyzé. 



The two pieces which aroused most interest were, however, the 

 French spoon and fork which belonged to Esther Wheelwright, whose 

 remarkable career, well-known as it is, is worthy of repetition here. 

 At the age of seven she was borne away to the forest by one of the 

 Abenakis tribe of Indians from her home at Wells in Maine, whither 

 her father, John Wheelwright, had been banished for his religious 

 opinions from Boston, Massachussetts. In the forest camp of these 

 Indians, little Esther was discovered a year or two afterwards by 

 Father Bigot, a Roman Catholic missionary, well-beloved by the 

 tribe. After her release in 1708 by the efforts of the Marquis of 

 Vaudreuil, who placed her with his daughter in this convent until an 

 opportunity occurred to restore her to her parents at their home 700 

 miles distant. The familiar story of her final admission to the vows 

 of religion and of her long life of sixty-six years in this religious com- 

 munity need not be repeated here. 



