Montreal. 281 



at ^uebeCy but feldom go to Montreal. The 

 ladies of this laft place are accufed by the 

 French of partaking too much of the pride 

 of the Indians* and of being much want- 

 ing in French good breeding. What I 

 have mentioned above of their dreffing 

 their head too affiduoufly, is the cafe with 

 all the ladies throughout Canada. Their 

 hair is always curled, even when they are 

 at home in a dirty jacket, and fhort coarfe 

 petticoat, that does not reach to the mid- 

 dle of their legs. On thofe days when 

 they pay or receive vifits, they drefs fogayly, 

 that one is almofl induced to think their 

 parents poffefled the greatefl dignities in 

 the ftate. The Frenchmen, who confidered 

 things in their true light, complained very 

 much that a great part of the ladies in Ca- 

 nada had got into the pernicious cuftom of 

 taking too much care of their drefs, and 

 fquandering all their fortunes, and more, 

 upon it, inftead of fparing fomething for 

 future times. They are no lefs attentive 

 to have the neweft fafliions and they laugh 

 at each other, when they are not drefled to 

 each other's fancy. But what they get as 

 new fafliions, are grown old, and laid afide 

 in France ; for the (hips coming but once 

 every year from thence, the people in GJ- 

 nada coniider that as the new famion for 



the 



