travels in North America. 75 



They are poor, yet their Poverty does not appear in thci^ 

 Hall ; which is large, and well furnilhed with Beds and othe^* 

 Furniture ; nor in their Church, which is fine and well adorn'dî 

 ' nor in their Houfe, which is well built, neat and convenient : 

 But they have but a poor Maintenance, though they are all inde- 

 fatigably employed in the Inftru45lion of Youth, and in the Carç 

 of the Sick. 



The Hofpital General owes its Foundation to a private Per- 

 fon, named Charron^ who affociated himfelf with many pious 

 Perfons, not only for this good Work, but alfo to furnifh thjC 

 Country Farifties with School-Maflers, who Ihould inftruél the 

 Boys, as the Sifters of the Congregation do the Girls : But the 

 Society was foon diffolved : Some left it for other Affairs, and 

 fome through Ficklenefs ; fo that the Sieur Charron was left- 

 alone. However, he was not difcouraged ; he emptied his 

 own Purfe, and found Means to open thofe of fome powerful 

 Perfons : He built a Houfe, and procured a Number of School* 

 Mafters, and Perfons to attend the Hofpital. The Public took 

 a Pleafure to affift and give Authority to a Man who fpared nei- 

 ther his own Subftance, nor his Pains, and whom \nothing could 

 difcourage. In fhort, before his Death, which happened in 

 17 19, he had the Comfort to fee his Projeél out of all Danger of 

 failing, at leaft with Refpedl to the Hofpital General. The 

 Houfe is fine, and the Church very pretty. The School- 

 Mafters are not yet well eftabliflied in the Pariflies ; and the 

 .Order they have received from Court, forbidding them to wear 

 an uniform Habit, or to engage themfelves by Vows, may hin- 

 der their Eftabliftiment. 



Between the liland of Montreal and the Continent on the 

 Of the Hand of ^^^^^ Side, there is ahother liland about 

 Tcfus ami the Ri Leagues long, and two Leagues over : 



^uer des'^Prai/ies^" ^^^^ named the Ifland of Montmagny^ 

 (of the Meadows') ^^^^ Name of a Governor General of 

 ' Canada : It was afterwards granted to thç 

 JefuitSy who called it the Ifland of Jefus ; and it has preferved 

 this laft Name, though it has pafTed from the Hands of the Je-- 

 fuits to Meffieurs of the Seminary of ^ebecy who have begun 

 to place fome Inhabitants here ; and as the Lands are good, 

 there is Room to hope that the whole Ifland will foon be cleared. 

 The Channel which feparaies the two Iflands, is called the Ri- 



The Fall of the "^^^"^'{^'7^'^^^^ becaufe it runs 



Recollets m the Midft of fine Meadows. Its Courfe is 



' ^ * impeded towards the Middle by a Torrent 



which they call the Recofefs Fall, in Memory of one of that Or- 

 der, who was drcv/ned here. The Ecclefiailiçs of the Seminary 



h 7. . ^£ 



