I06 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



1. " The knowledge of English is increasing among the French 

 Canadians of these two cities ; it is almost general in the case of men 

 and children. 



2. Its use is more extended, owing to the growing importance 

 of business interests and the increase of population. 



3. The French Canadians do not make greater use of it in their 

 intercourse with one another. 



4. The language is more carefully taught in educational insti- 

 tutions." 



To the second question : " Do the working classes mix many 

 English words and expressions with their French?", the reply was: 

 " Yes, a great number. All nautical terms from Ottawa to Gaspe' 

 are English, and English, or Anglicised French, is used in the lum- 

 bering operations. Nearly all the terms used in factories and in the 

 various trades are English. The number of Anglicisms is legion, 

 even in the press and among members of the bar." 



My last request was for information about literature bearing 

 upon the subject. M. Lusignan gave the names of several works, 

 but stated that they were out of print and not easily obtained. He 

 informed me, however, that M. L. Frechette is preparing a work on 

 the French of Canada, but that it would be some years before it is 

 completed. 



I next wrote to Mr. Robert Sellar, editor of the Huntingdon 

 Gleaner, and his reply is all the more valuable when the fact is 

 taken into consideration that, not being a French-Canadian, race 

 prejudice cannot possibly bias his views. He stated that to the 

 best of his knowledge " English has no leavening influence upon 

 French as written in the Province of Quebec ; that French writers 

 give point to what they say by occasionally quoting an English 

 phrase or maxim ; and that in writing upon mechanical or business 

 subjects they frequently use English words." He gave an instance, 

 clipped from a French Canadian paper, which I will quote: "La 

 police de toutes les villes voisines fut immddiatement avertie, et on 

 espere reprendre 1' e'vade vu qu'il porte une marque difficile a cacher ; 

 un black eye des mieux conditionnes que Mackie lui fit en le 

 capturant." 



Mr. Sellar further stated : " The habitants have incorporated 

 many English words in their vocabulary for the reason that the 

 English term is shorter than its equivalent in French." I asked him 



