7 2 IRON AND STEEL. 



Christopher Pelisier formed a company which obtained a concession 

 from Governor Carleton for the working of the forges for 16 years, 

 at an annual rental of "^25 lawful money of our said province of 

 Quebec." An indication of the relations so soon established between 

 the French and English people of Canada is furnished by the names 

 of this company which embraced, Christopher Pelisier, Alexandre 

 Dumas, Thos. Dunn, Benjamin Price, Colin Drummond, Dumas 

 St. Martin, George Alsopp, James Johnston and Brooke Watson. 

 When this lease expired Conrad Gugy took the works at the annual 

 rental of ^"17 15 s. sterling. Various persons conducted the busi- 

 ness down to 1 80 1, when another firm took it at ^85 sterling, which 

 rental was reduced in 18 10 to ^50 currency. 



In 181 5 a visitor wrote: "The foundry itself is replete with 

 convenience for carrying on an extensive concern ; furnaces, forges, 

 casting houses, workshops, etc., with the dwelling houses and other 

 buildings, have quite the appearance of a tolerably large village. 

 The articles manufactured consist of stoves of all descriptions that 

 are used throughout the Provinces, large caldrons or kettles, that 

 are used for making potashes, machinery for mills, with cast or 

 wrought iron-work of all dimensions. There are likewise large quan- 

 tities of pig and bar iron exported. The number of men employed 

 is from 250 to 300. 



The ownership remained in the Government till 1846. In the 

 year named the property was sold to Henry Stuart, who seriously 

 embarrassed himself by large and ill advised expenditures. He then 

 rented it, and it subsequently fell into the hands of Andrew Stuart 

 and John Porter, of Quebec, who worked on a limited scale till 1859, 

 when the fires were extinguished. 



The only information, later than that in the narrative which I 

 have been able to get is contained in a report to Parliament made in 

 March, 1879, which says : " The St. Maurice Forges. — Owned 

 by F. McDougall & Son, Three Rivers ; using a bog ore ; making a 

 very fine iron with charcoal fuel. The first furnace was erected in 

 1737. Still running with same fuel ; capacity four tons. 



