16 THROUGH CANADA 



The altitude commands a magnificent outlook 

 far as the Laurentian Hills and until the great St. 

 Lawrence River becomes a mere ribbon streak on a 

 forest plain. Thickly wooded islands, beautiful in 

 their summer foliage, come into view. Of these, 

 Orleans is conspicuous, the " Island of Bacchus," as 

 Cartier named it, owing to the rich bunches of grapes 

 that he discovered on its clustering vines. Clear 

 spaces torn from the heart of the forest show their 

 victories in green pastures and cultivated farms, 

 still golden with the harvest of the ungathered grain. 



Objects, rich in historic association, cluster round 

 Quebec, which tell of heroism and tragedy, oft- 

 repeated stories which cut deep into the emotions 

 alike of French and English pride. The Plains of 

 Abraham, where Wolfe and Montcalm waged the 

 final battle that secured British rule in Canada, are in 

 the vicinity. The site of the ancient St. Louis Gate, 

 through which the French army, discomfited and 

 broken, retreated, and Cape Diamond, marking the 

 spot where Montgomery fell, have interesting and 

 pathetic associations. Below the citadel, in scattered 

 and irregular formation, extends the Lower Town. 

 The Church of Notre-Dame des Victoires, erected on 

 the Place du March^, goes back to 1688. It is reared 

 on the spot where Champlain built his fort. The 

 crude pencil of the discoverer has left on record a 

 sketch of the primitive fortification. It comprised a 

 wooden structure of three buildings for himself and 



