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blockaded Quebec, the 1st January, 1776, sixteen 

 years later, when, stark, stiff and frozen, the corpse of 

 Brigadier-General Eichard Montgomery, borne by a 

 military escort through the street of the city, was 

 deposited in G-obert's house, on St. Louis street, and 

 the besieged were making arrangements to bury their 

 own and the enemy's dead. 



* * 



Another commendable custom peculiar to New Year's 

 Day was La QuSte de V Enfant- Je'sus, — the collection 

 for the Infant Jesus ; for years it obtained in the coun- 

 try parts of the Province of Quebec, though it is now 

 obsolete, or nearly so. It was managed by the parish 

 priest, driven round by the senior church warden, or by 

 the beadle. The gifts gathered were distributed among 

 the poor. 



In this benevolent, Christian-like excursion amidst 

 the E. C. parishioners, strange to say, had been merged 

 the hoary, druidical institution of La Ignole'e, which, 

 though described elsewhere, warrants us in adding a 

 few remarks. " Christianity, " says Mr. J. C. Tache, 

 in accepting this druidical usage, had sanctified it by 

 charity, just as it had allowed the Menhirs to subsist, 

 by crowning them with a cross. " 'Tis probable those 

 singular lines : 



" Nous prendrons la fille ainee, 

 Nous y ferons chauffer les pieds. " 



were a veiled allusion to the human sacrifices which 

 marked the ancient Gallic rites. It recalls the song of 

 Yelleda, in the Martyrs of Chateaubriand : " Teutates 

 " requires blood... on the first day of the century... his 

 " voice has been heard in the druidical oaks ! " 



This traditional custom of running the ignoUe was 

 kept up in the city and district of Montreal, until about 



17 



