GENERAL MONTCALM ON HORSE FLESH. 



A graphic and novel portraiture of Montcalm and 

 Levis (1) is revealed in their correspondence, published 

 by that industrious searcher of the past, Abbe H. R. 

 Casgrain, F. R. S. C. These hitherto unpublished letters 

 exchanged between the two G-enerals, during the last 

 lustre of the French regime in Canada, entirely corro- 

 borate and complete the spicy narrative of the unknown 

 hand who wrote the " Memoires sur les affaires du 

 Canada, 1749-60 " ; one of the publications of the 

 Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. 



The scarcity of food noticeable in 1755 — through 

 war, bad harvests and plundering public officials-— 

 ended in a famine in 1757-8. The Commissary Doreil 

 wrote on the 28th February, 1758 : " The people are 

 dying of hunger. The refugees from Acadia, for the 

 last four months, live on horse flesh and dry cod fish, 

 without bread ; more than three hundred of them have 



died. Horse flesh is quoted at six sols per lb Half 



a pound of bread is the daily ration of the soldier ; his 

 weekly ration consists of three lbs. of beef — 3 lbs. of 

 horse flesh — two lbs. of peas and three lbs. of codfish. 

 Since 1st April, the famine being on the increase, the 



people are restricted to two oz. of bread " Dussieux 



adds that during this time, the carnaval, until Ash- 

 Wednesday, was taken up at the Intendant Bigot's 

 with gambling at a fearful rate " un jeu a faire trembler 

 les plus determines joueurs," Bigot losing at cards more 

 than 200,000 livres. 



(1) " Guerre du Canada," 1756-1760. " Montcalm et Levis," 

 par l'abbe H. K. Casgrain. Quebec : L. J. Demers and Frere. 

 1891. 



