( iyi ) 



hours, and much more commodioufly than in the 

 belt poft-chaife in the world. 



I lay the firft night at Point e aux T rembles^ feven 

 leagues from the capital, from whence I fet out at 

 eleven at night. This is one of the better fort of 

 parifhes in this country. The church is large and 

 well-built, and the inhabitants are in very good cir- 

 cumftances. In feveral the ancient planters are 

 richer than the lords of the manors, the reafon of 

 which is this : Canada was only a vaft foreft when 

 the French firft fettled in it. Thofe to whom lord- 

 fhips were given, were not proper perfons to culti- 

 vate them themfelves. They were officers, gentle- 

 men, or communities, who had not funds furricient 

 to procure and maintain the neceftary number of 

 workmen upon them. It was therefore neceflary to 

 fettle and plant them with inhabitants, who, before 

 they could raife what was fufficient to maintain them, 

 were obliged to labour hard, and even to lay out 

 all the advances of money. Thus they held of the 

 lords -at a very (lender quit-rent, fo that with fines of 

 alienation, which were here very final!, and what 

 is called the Droit du moulin & Metairie^ a lord- 

 fiiip of two leagues in front, and of an unlimited 

 depth, yields no great revenue in a country fo thin- 

 ly peopled, and with fo little inland trade. 



This was no doubt one reafon, which induced 

 the late King Lewis XIV. to permit all noblemen 

 and gentlemen, fettled in Canada, to exercife com- 

 - merce as well by fea as land, without queftion, in- 

 terruption, or derogating from their quality and 

 rights. Thefe are the terms of the arret, pafifed by 

 the council on the ioth of March, 1685. More- 

 over, there are in this country, no lordfhips, even 

 amongft thofe which give titles, who have right of 



pa- 



