462 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



■walls where buildings have been destroyed by 

 fire, give the city an" unthrifty and dilapidated 

 appearance. The streets and sidewalks are nar- 

 row, and there are few shade trees to temper the 

 solar rays or the parching radiation from the 

 heated stones. The commerce of the city is in- 

 considerable, though the quay or single wharf 

 extending all along the easterly side of the city,! 

 presents at certain seasons quite a lively appear-! 

 ance of business. The prevailing religion isi 

 Catholic, so that there are numerous nunneries, 

 convents and churches belonging to that sect.] 

 The Great Cathedral, with its bell weighing more: 

 than twelve tons, and its turrets 250 feet high, is j 

 always open, where its votaries assemble, bow 

 and cross themselves, and utter their Ave Marias 

 with all seeming fervor and unction. A thou- 

 sand things constantly indicate that I am not 

 among rmj people — the language, dress, coins, 

 implements of industry, the presence of sol- 

 diery, the carriages, and especially the carts and 

 vehicles used for conveying loads. Last evening 

 I was wondering how they could place a hogs- 

 head of molasses on one of their drays, but, while 

 leaning over the iron railing on the quay this 

 morning, the mystery was solved. This dray is 

 made of two pieces of timber, each perhaps fifteen 

 feet long, six inches wide and three thick ; these 

 are set edgewise about eighteen inches apart, on 

 a pair of common horse cart wheels ; the shafts 

 are long and slender, and attached to the end of 

 those pieces next to the horse by a round iron 

 bar which forms a hinge. In preparing to load 

 a hogshead of molasses the hind end of the long 

 pieces is depressed so as to touch the ground. 

 One end of a rope is then made fast forward and 

 brought back under the cask. Another dray is 

 then backed up, the rope attached to it and the 

 horse started. Li this way the hogshead is rolled 

 to the centre, or over the axle-tree, is then canted 

 round endwise, and is ready to be driven off". In 

 unloading, the dray is tipped up as in loading 

 and the cask slid off". This operation required the 

 aid of six men and two horses to load each cask. 

 Only one cask Avas placed upon each dray. 



There is another class of the population that I 

 have not mentioned — that is, Indians. How nu- 

 merous they are I have not learned. The women 

 and girls frequent the hotels to sell their bead 

 work ; one of them touches my shoulder now to 

 call my attention from writing to her basket of 

 wares. They are generally tolerably well clad, 

 and are modest, but not graceful in form or mo- 

 tion. It will not be long before these sons and 

 daughters of the forest will be lost amid the oth- 

 er races that are rapidly whelming over them. 



Some of the places of interest to which the 

 attention of the traveller is called in this city are 

 the French cathedral, the Bonsecours and St. 



Ann's Market, the Grey and Hotel Dieu Nun- 

 neries, the Convent of the Sisters of the Sacred 

 Heart, the Academy of the Sisters of the Congre- 

 gation of Notre l)ame, the Theatre Royal, 

 Champ de Mars, &c. In one of the public squares 

 stands a dilapidated monument to Nelson, Eng- 

 land's great naval hero, who received a fatal 

 shot at the battle of Trafalgar. The Lachine ca- 

 nal is a fine work, but the Great Victoria Tubu- 

 lar Bridge, across the St. Lawrence River, one 

 mile and three- quarters in length, is the crowning 

 work of art and science combined, ])erhaps of 

 this or any other country. I had the pleasure of 

 walking through nearly a mile's length of the 

 tube that is now finished. The tubes are 22 feet 

 high and 16 feet wide, giving room for two 

 tracks. Every part of the bridge is iron, resting 

 upon piers constructed of a marble stone brought 

 20 miles from the interior. One of the spans 

 between the piers is 330 feet in length, and the 

 top of the tube is 82 feet from the water ! There 

 is nothing whatever to support this but where it 

 rests upon the pier at each end, and then its own 

 sustaining power. The engineers and builders 

 of this stupendous work are Messrs. A. M. Ross 

 and Robert Stephenson, of England. It is esti- 

 mated to cost $7,000,000. 



The citizens of Montreal ought to be a very 

 pious and exemplary people, for they are sur- 

 rounded by the names of saints, at least. Almost 

 everything bears the name of some patron saint 

 — the river, churches, convents, nunneries, char- 

 itable institutions, streets, lanes and markets. 

 St. Michael, St. Paul, St. Patrick and St. Ann, 

 with others, more than I ever supposed were 

 contained in the calendar, are emblazoned pretty 

 much everywhere except on the lampposts and 

 paving stones ! I have just been through the 

 principal markets, and find them well supplied 

 with meats and vegetables. 



In closing my letter, it aff'ords me pleasure to 

 acknowledge my obligations to the Presid nt and 

 members of the Board of Agriculture for kind 

 attentions to our little party ''from the States," 

 including Joel Nourse, Esq., of Boston, and 

 the Hon. F. Holbrook, of Yt-rmont, and to give 

 their names and address permanent record in 

 your columns as follows ; 



J. 0. A. Sturgeon, President Terrebonne. 



E. J DeGlois, Vice Prehident Qntbec. 



John Vule Chainbly. 



Major Campbell St. Hi e ire. 



J. C. TaOue Quebtc. 



P. E. DosTALER Berthi-r, E. H. 



B. PoMEor Compton. 



R. N. Watts Drummondville. 



J. Peerault, Secretary Board Agriculture. 



T. Chaoron, Assistant Secretary. 



I also found pleasure in meeting an old ac- 

 quaintance, the Hon. VVm. McDougal, M. P. P., 

 and former editor of the Farmers^ Journal, at 

 Toronto, and in becoming acquainted with .T^MES 



