— 338 — 



New England is brought in floats or rafts on the river 

 near those parts and near the Lake St. Pierre, which 

 falls into the great river St. Lawrence." 



The French had built (1) ships at Quebec nearly a 

 century before Kalm's visit. Colbert had authorized 

 the Intendant Talon to offer bounties ; a ship was on 

 the stocks in 1667. Doubtless, when Kalm left Quebec 

 in the fall of 1749, the ship-rights were actively 

 engaged on the hull of the King's ship " L'Orignal," (2) 

 which, in October of 1750, broke her back on being 

 launched at Diamond Harbor. Shipbuilding, however, 

 was doubtless checked by the instructions sent out by 

 the French Court, and seems to have had but a preca- 

 rious existence under British rule until 1800. When 

 Kalm visited Quebec, in 1749, it was the seaport of all 

 Canada : " There were thirteen great and small vessels 

 in the harbour, and they expected more." In our day,, 

 we have seen thirteen hundred square-rigged vessels 

 registered as the arrivals of the year ! 



What a charming picture Herr Kalm draws of the 

 Governor-General of New France — the Marquis de 

 La Galissonniere. This nobleman, by his " surprising 



(1) See appendix, verbo " Ship-building at Quebec under 

 French Domination." 



(2) The Abeille, a small literary journal, published within 

 the walls of the Seminary of Quebec, under date of 19th 

 January, 1878, contains extracts from the 3rd Volume of the 

 Journal des J6suites. One of these extracts runs thus : 

 "October, 1750, King's ship "L'Orignal," built at Quebec, 

 was lost in launching at Cape Diamond." 



We likewise read in the first Volume of Smith's History of 

 Canada, page 224: " Oct. (1750) This year, a ship of the line, 

 a seventy-four, was built at Quebec, but was lost, having 

 broken her back in getting off the stocks at Cape Diamond." 



The last timbers of this old wreck were removed from the 

 river channel in November, 1879, by Captain Giguere's 

 (Government) Lifting Barge. Many fragments have been con- 

 verted into walking sticks and toys of various designs. A 

 selection of these well preserved Canadian oak planks has 

 been presented to, and graciously accepted by, H. E. H. 

 Princess Louise, to pannel a room in her English home. 



