IX. The houfe of the intendant, a pub- 

 lic building, whofe lize makes it fit for a 

 palace. It is covered with tin, and ftands 

 in a fecond lower town, fituated fouth- 

 ward upon the river St. Charles. It has a 

 large and fine garden on its north fide. In 

 this houfe all the deliberations concerning 

 this province, are held ; and the gentlemen 

 who have the management of the police 

 and the civil povv'er meet here, and the in- 

 tendant generally prefides. In affairs of 

 great confequence the governor-general is 

 likewife here. On one fide of this houfe 

 is the ftore-houfe of the crown, and on the 

 other the prifon. 



Most of the houfes in ^lebec are built 

 of ftone, and in the upper city they are 

 generally but one ftory high, the public 

 buildings excepted. I faw a few wooden 

 houfes in the town, but they mufi; not be 

 rebuilt when decayed. The houfes and 

 churches in the city are not built of bricks, 

 but the black lime-flates of w^hich the 

 mountain confifts, whereon ^lebec fiands. 

 When thefe lime-flates are broke at a good 

 depth in the mountain, they look very corn- 

 pad: at firft, and appear to have no fliivers, 

 or lamellce, at all ; but after being expofed 

 a while to the air, they feparate into thin 

 leaves. Thefe flates are foft, and eafily 

 G 4 cut ; 



