282 September 1749. 



the whole year, which the people on board 

 brought with them, or which they impofed 

 upon them as new. The ladies in Canada, 

 and efpecially at Montreal^ are very ready 

 to laugh at any blunders ftrangers make in 

 fpeaking ; but they are very excufable. 

 People laugh at what appears uncommon 

 and ridiculous. In Canada nobody ever 

 hears the French language fpoken by any 

 but Frenchmen ; for ftrangers feldom come 

 thither ; and the Indians are naturally too 

 proud to learn French, but oblige the French 

 to learn their language. From hence it 

 naturally follows, that the nice Canada la-* 

 dies cannot hear any thing uncommon with- 

 out laughing at it. One of the firft quef- 

 tions they propofe to a ftranger is, whether 

 he is married ? The next, how he likes the 

 ladies in the country j and whether he 

 thinks them handibmer than thofe of his 

 own country ? And the third,, whether he 

 will take one home with him ? There are 

 forne differences between the ladies of Que- 

 bec^ and thofe of Montreal ; thofe of the 

 laft place feemed to be generally hand- 

 forner than thofe of the former. Their 

 behaviour likewife feemed to me to be 

 fomewhat too free at Quebec y and of a 

 more becoming modefty at Montreal* The 

 ladies at Quebec, efpecially the unmarried 

 ones, are not very induilrious. A girl of 



eighteen 



