24 TRANSACTIONS. 19OI-2 



Canadian fiction. 1 



During the past few years a number of new historical 

 romances have been written and published by Canadian 

 writers, but it will not be possible to do more than touch 

 upon them in the briefest possible way. 



" The False Chavalier/' 2 by W. D. Lighthall, of Mont- 

 real, is a very readable romance of New France ; and the way 

 in which it came to be written is almost as romantic as the 

 story itself. It appears that a bundle of ancient papers was 

 accidentally discovered in an old minor-house in the 

 Province of Quebec, and these, coming into Mr. L'ghthalPs 

 hands, were worked into the present fascinating story. 



Another Montreal novelist is Mr, William McLennan, 

 whose first book, '' Spanish John," ^ had a somewhat similar 

 origin to that of Mr. Lighthall. " Spanish John " is a tale 

 of the days when the Young Pretender was making a last 

 desperate effort to regain the throne of his fathers. The 

 scene is laid partly in Scotland and partly on the Continent. 

 Mr. McLennan's second book, '' Span O' Life," ^ written in 

 conjunctic^n with Miss Jean N. Mcllwrahh of Haniillon, 

 Ontario, is placed in that romantic period of Canadian his- 

 tory surrounding the final conflict between France and Eng- 

 land for the mastery of the New World. The story givt-s a 

 vivid and convincing picture of the time, and covers both the 

 Louisbourg Seige and also the final Seige of Quebec. ^ 



Miss Blanche Lucile McDonell, of Montreal, brought out 

 in 1898 a romance of French Canada entitled " Diane of 

 Ville-Marie." The scene is laid in Montreal in the days when 

 Frontenac was Governor of New France, and the gigantic and 



1. Mr. Roberts has completed a nevp^ historical novel entitled 

 "Barbara, Ladd," the scene of which is placed in the same picturesque 

 province by the sea. 



2. 1889. 



3. New York, 1898. 



4. New York, 1899. 



5. Miss Mcllwraith has since brought out a novel of her own, " The 

 Curious Career of Roderick Campbell," Boston, 1901. This is an his- 

 torical novel, of the days before the Conquest of Quebec. 



