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natural and eflential to it : but the truth is, that the fpirit 

 alone contains the flavour and excellence of the brandy, and 

 it might as well be reduced to half its bulk for exportation, 

 and fent over in the ftate of alcohol, and then lowered 

 with common water to the proof ftrength. 



The French ufe no art in colouring their troig-cinque, 

 any more than their common proof-brandy, nor do they 

 add any thing to give them an additional flavour ; the 

 thing which they principally value themfelves vipon, both 

 in regard to brandies and wines, being to make them per- 

 feftly natural ; fo that all the colour we find in their 

 brandies, is acquired from the calk, and the time they are 

 left in it. This is often twelve or eighteen months, fome- 

 times two or three years ; in this time they acquire a brown 

 colour, and lofe their acrid tafte. 



The greateft adulteration of brandies is in England : the 

 French have no temptation to do it, they having no cheaper 

 fpirit, fince the prohibition of molafles in their country. 

 The Dutch are in the fame condition, having no molafies- 

 fpirit, and only a very coarfe and naufeous fugar-fpirit, 

 and a yet worfe malt-fpirit of their own manufafture ; 

 a fingle gallon of which would fpoil a whole piece of 

 brandy. The French brandy alfo paying no duty in Hol- 

 land, is as cheap, or nearly fo there as in France itfelf. 

 The duties being high upon brandy in England, it is greatly 

 adulterated, and that with all J^orts of fpirts ; as malt, 

 molafTcs, cyder, and fugar fpirits ; and when this is done in 

 a dexterous and fparing manner, the cheat is not eafdy 

 detefted. Shaw's Effay on Diftillery. 



Trois Maries, Les, in Geography, a town of France, in 

 the department of the Mouths of the Rhone, by the in- 

 habitants of the country held a facred place, as having been, 

 according to tradition, the refidence of the three Maries, 

 and Lazarus after our Saviour's crucifixion ; 15 miles S. 

 of Aries. 



Trois Rivieres, Les, a town of the ifland of Martinico. 



Trois Rivieres, a town of Canada, on the river St. Law- 

 rence, lying nearly midway between Quebec and Montreal, and 

 fo called from three rivers, into which the river St. Maurice 

 is divided by two iflands, whofe ftreams unite about a 

 quarter of a mile below the town, and afterwards fall into 

 the great river of St. Lawrence. It was formerly the 

 capital of the French government in New France, and 

 mucli reforted to by feveral nations which come down 

 tlwfe rivers to it, and trade in various forts of furs. 

 The town contains about 250 or 300 houfes, and ranks 

 as the third town, in refpeft of fize, in the provinces. It 

 is one of the oldefl; fettlemcnts in the country, and its 

 founder, it is faid, calculated upon its becoming in a (hort 

 time a city of great extent. It has hitherto, however, in- 

 creafed but very (lowly in fize, nor can it be expedled to 

 improve much, at leaft until the country bordering upon 

 the river St. Maurice becomes fettled. The bank of iron- 

 ore in its vicinity, which promifed opulence, is nearly ex- 

 haufted. The fur-trade alfo, from which great benefit was 

 expefted, is now almoft wholly transferred to Quebec and 

 Montreal ; and it is merely the fmall quantity of furs brought 

 down the St. Maurice, and fome of the northern rivers 

 that fall into the St. Lawrence, nearer to the town of 

 Trois Rivi&-es than to Quebec or Montreal, that is fhipped 

 there. Thefe furs are laden on board the Montreal (hips, 

 which flop oppofite to the town as they go down the river. 

 The flreets of Trois Rivieres are narrow, and the houfes 

 in general fmall and indifferent, many of them being built 

 of wood. In the town are two churches, an Englifh 

 Epifcopalian, and a large Roman Catholic parilh-church, 



10 



formerly ferved by the RecoUets, or Francifcan friars, but 

 the order is now extinft in Trois Rivieres. The old monaf j 

 tery of the order is deferted, aii the houfes near it lie 

 uninhabited. The college or rri^iaftery of the Jefuits, a 

 large old ftone-building in the fame neighbourhood, has 

 been converted into a gaol. The only religious order at 

 prefent exifting in the town is that of St. Urfula, the fifter- 

 hood of which is as numerous ae the convent can well 

 allow. This was founded by M. de St. Vallier, bilhop of 

 Quebec, in the year 1677 • ^^e building is fpacious, and 

 fituated near that formerly belonging to the Recollets ; and 

 annexed to it under the fame roof is an hofpital, .ctended 

 by the nuns, and containing about twelve or fourte- beds, 

 for the convenience of patients, who are well accomr; dated. 

 The fillers of this convent are particularly diftingu i'hed for 

 their curious work made of the bark of the birch-tree, and 

 of which they manufaAure pocket-books, work-bafkets, 

 dreifing-boxes, &c. which they embroider with elk-hair, 

 dyed of the mod briUiant colours. They alfo make models 

 of the Indian canoes, and various warlike implements ufed 

 by the Indians. Almoft all the birch-bark canoes in ufe 

 on the St. Lawrence and Utawa rivers, and on the nearer 

 lakes, are manufaftured in Trois Rivieres, and its vicinity, 

 by Indians. Thefe canoes are conftrufted very neatly, and 

 on the water they appear very beautiful. The canoes are 

 fo light, that two men can eafily carry on their (houlders 

 one that is capable of containing fix people. Their fize 

 varies, fome being fufficient for only one perfon, and others 

 capable of accommodating any number as far as twenty. 

 They are navigated with paddles, and move with furprifiiig 

 velocity. The country in the vicinity of Trois Rivieres 

 has been reprefented by fome French travellers as wonder- 

 fully fertile, and as one of the mofl agreeable parts of 

 Canada ; but, according to Mr. Weld (Travels through 

 Lower Canada, vol. ii. ) it is totally the reverfe. It is a 

 level ban-en traft, and fo fandy, that in walking along many 

 of the ftreets of the town, and the roads in the neighbour- 

 hood, you fink into the land at every ftep above the ankles. 

 The air alfo fwarms with mufquitoes, indicating the low 

 damp fituation of the place ; 44 miles W.S.W. of Quebec. 

 N. lat. 46^ 23'. W. long. 72° 20'. 



Trois Rivieres, a bay on the E. coaft of the ifland of 

 St. John, in the gulf of St. Lawrence. — Alfo, a river of 

 St. Domingo, formed by tlie union of three ftreams, and 

 running into the fea on the N. coaft of the ifland, near 

 Port Paix. 



TROISSEREUX, a town of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Oife ; 4 miles N.W. of Beauvais. 



TROITZ, or Troit-skoe Monajlr, that is. The Convent 

 of the Holy Trinity, a convent of RufTia, which is fo large, as 

 at a little diftance to have the appearance of a fmall town ; 

 and, like many convents in this country, is ftrongly fortified, 

 according to the ancient mode of defence, being iurrounded 

 with high brick walls, ftrengthened with battlements and 

 towers. Befide the convent or habitation for the monks, 

 the walls inclofe an imperial palace, and nine churches, con- 

 ftrufted by different fovereigns. The convent is a large 

 range of building encircling a court, and is far too fpacious 

 for the prefent inhabitants. It formerly contained 300 

 monks, together with a proportionate number of ftudeuts ; 

 and was the richell ecclefiaftical foundation in RufTia. Tiie 

 fraternity po(refred confiderable eilates, upon which were 

 at leaft 100,000 peafants : thefe eftates, as well as all the 

 other church-lands, being now annexed to the crown, the 

 members receive fmall penfions. With their revenues their 

 number has been greatlv diminifhed, and they fcarcely 



amount 



