266 VILLEMARIE. [1643. 



watched the St. Lawrence, and its arrival filled 

 the colonists with joy. D'Ailleboust was a skilful 

 soldier, specially versed in the arts of fortification ; 

 and, under his direction, the frail palisades which 

 formed thek sole defence were replaced by solid 

 ramparts and bastions of earth. He brought news 

 that the "unknown benefactress," as a certain gen- 

 erous member of the Association of Montreal was 

 called, in ignorance of her name, had given funds, 

 to the amount, as afterwards appeared, of forty- two 

 thousand livres, for the building of a hospital at 

 Villemarie.^ The source of the gift was kept se- 

 cret, from a religious motive ; but it soon became 

 known that it proceeded from Madame de Bul- 

 lion, a lady whose rank and wealth were exceeded 

 only by her devotion. It is true that the hospital 

 was not wanted, as no one was sick at Villemarie, 

 and one or two chambers would have sufficed for 

 every prospective necessity; but it will be remem- 

 bered that the colony had been established in order 

 that a hospital might be built, and Madame de 

 Bullion would not hear to any other application 

 of her money. ^ Instead, therefore, of tilling the 

 land to supply their own pressing needs, all the 

 laborers of the settlement were set at this pious, 

 though superfluous, task.^ There was no room in 



1 Archives da Seniinaire de Villemarie, cited by Faillon, I. 466. The 

 amount of the gift was not declared until the next year. 



2 Mademoiselle Mar.ce wrote to her, to urge that the money should be 

 devoted to the Huron :nission ; but she absolutely refused. — Dollier de 

 Casson, MS. 



3 Journal des Sup^rieurs des Jesuites, MS. 



The hospital was sixty feet long and twenty -four feet wide, with a 

 kitchen, a chamber for Mademoiselle Mauce, others for servants, and two 



