THE QUEEN'S HIGHWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 69, 23 March 1887, Page 3

THE QUEEN'S HIGHWAY.

FItOM PACIFIC TO ATLANTIC.

BY STUART CUMBERLAND.

[Special Correspondence to Auckland

Stab.]

FECM OTTAWA TO MONTrJAi. TUe train eervi:e between Ottawa nnd Montreal ia a very good one, arid the dis>tanca of 120 miloa is got ovor in 3 hours and

42 minutes,

Montreal ia at present tho eastern torminal of the Canadian Pacific Railway, although it has a connection to Quebec, whore it joins tho Inter-Colonial lino which runs diroct to Halifax, on tho Atlantic. Montreal is tho biggest city in the Dominion, and it has a population of 180,000, having lonpr sinco outstripped Quebec, the ancient capital. Montreal is entered from tho west by way of Itochelaga, where, in tho days long sinco gono by, thero originally stood a famous Indian settlement.

Montreal is second only to Quebec in historic importance, and I regrot that space will not permit of my making moro than a brief montion of tho chiof historical incidents in counestion therewith.

.EARLY COLONISATION OF CANADA,

Jacques Cartior, a nativo of St. JMalo, was undoubtedly tlio discoverer of Canada proper, although tho Cnbots and Jai-pard Cortoroal had, somo 40 years before, navi gated tho coasts of Newfoundland, Labrador and Qudaon's Straita.

Cartior followed Vorrozzani, tho Florentine, who, in 1524, had boon Font out by Francis I. of Franco. This monavcU was moat anxious to establish a footing on this newly discovered continent, and his famous cnying will ocho through tho pages of history f.r nil time- "Shall the kings of Spain and I'ortugal divido an Amotiea between thorn?" ho oxcluimed. "Faugh, I would liko to ceo the clause in Father Adam's will bequeathing that vast inheritance to them."

Vemiz/.ini's annexations were tho chief groundsoftholongand bloody conflict which later on was waged between Great Britain and Franco for tho possession of this mafjniticont ompiro boyond tlio se.i=, and tlio maritime supremacy that went with it. Carticr'» first expedition took pinco in 1034, and ho discovered on Ihut occasion (lie mighty river which ho afterwards named thoSt. Liwronce, Tho natives assured him that no man hud ever tracod tho river to its stmrco, but (liv season being well advanced ho doomed it prudent to go no furtlior thon, leaving further exploration until another summer. Tho following yoar ho was despatched with threo finer vessels, tho largoit of which was 120 tons (t,ho two vosbolh of tho previous expedition did not exsocc) (iO tons burthen), in which ho was commissioned to " form settlements in the country, and open traffic with tho native tribes." At Stadaconn, now Quebec, ho inado tho friendship of Doniuicona, the pro.it, Algonquin chief, who mq<!o him n state visit, uccompanied by f>oo followora in 12 huge canoes. At this plaen ho decided to winter, but, boing anxious to oxploro tho river, ho to >k to his boat*, and having panned the sandbars of Lake St. Poter, he, on October 2nd, ]!i.'!o, reached tho populous Indian town of H.ichelngn, nestling under tlio wooded heights (which nro still tho glory and prido of tho city) which ho loyally called Mont Royal. In tho course of timo this has been Anglicised into Montreal. Cartier stayed atSt.idacona till tho following spring, whan ho returned to France, taking with him, inoro by forco than per-suas-i in. the King Ponnacoivi and nine of his chiefs as living trophies of Ma expedition.

After remaining five year.' in Europe, Cirtier returned to tho St. Lawrence in company with tho Sieurdo Robieval, whom tho French monarch had created Lieutenant Governor and Vicoroyof his nowly-acquired possession*. The early efforts of the French to colonise thesa region-' wore, however, fruitless, principally on account of the attitude nf tho native?, who, from a frank friendliness, had boon rendered severely hostile through the trcnehory of tho explorers with rospect to Domvicona and his warrior?, who never returned from their enforced sojourn in Franco.

Half n century later tamo Samuol co Champlain, and ho, having founded a stronghold at Quebec, advanced his explorations of tho St. Lawrence beyond Montreal. Hi.-> was an extraordinary life of irlventuro, and, as ono of his biographers put it, " A noblo sou), whoeo character was moro liko that of a knight orrant of medieval romance than that of a practical soldier of the nineteenth century." Afterwards cimo prie«ts of the Jesuit and Rocollut orders, and tho barbarous cruelties they suffered at tho hanrle of the Indians are frosh in tho memory of tho French Canadians to this clay. Theso priest? were undoubtedly ths original foundersof civilisation in tbo far West.

It was not till tho spring of 1642 that tho foundations of Montreal, tho futuro commercial metropolis of Canado, wero laid by Montmagny, with all tho pioua pomp and churchly ceremonial poasiblo amidst such primitive purroundings. Ono hundred uml eighteen year.) later (he city, atter c:;----porirncitig tho varying fortunes of war, finally surrendered i!?o!f, midor do Vandronil, to tho combined armiea of Ainhersr, Haviland. and Murray. With this surrender tho English conquest of Canada was completed, Wol.'o bavins;, un the 13th September of the previous year, won Quebec, or tho iiold" of Abraham All that wan then left of tho nvignificjnt empira dreamed of by Francif, and fostered by succeeding monarolie, were tho two little fog-bpgirted inland* pffNcwfoundhnd oallod St. Piorro and Miqueton. Beyond these unprofitable rocU?, Franco hue to this day no possessions on Hip American continent.

THE CITY OF MONTREAL.

Montreal i» a city of churches, and tho air is nearly always rilled with the chimo of bolli. Tha tinoflfc ot tho sieved buildings is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame, tho two towora of which are conspicuous for a long distance. Montreal is a very Catholic place, there boing in addition to tho French Canadians many Irish professing Romanism. Tho finest of thopub'i? buildings is tho Windsor Hotel, which i« not; only the beat houee of ontortainment in Canada, but, in my opinion — and I have tried all tho principal ones—tho beet on tho Continent. A • * f "ißain" beiaurv fro.Ti tho mountain which Cartior named oan bo had of tho whole city and the St. Lawrence. How different i» tho view now to what it was in tho French navigator's time, when taking in the same view from tho eolf-Famo mount, which, although cut into by carriage drives and footpaths, i? jn°t as attractive us it was three hundred and fifty years ag.i, when Cartior, in a audden burst of enthusiasm, named it after tho French King, his muster. Whon Cartiar looked there woro nothing but forests bordering on tho St. Liwrence, save hero and there where tho Indians had cultivated patches of tho soil. Hochelaga at that time roproeentod what has sinco become Montreal, and it was a town of pome sine, fortitiud and encircled by wooden palisades. Tholndi?n3- a tribo of A Igor quins living there, wero, as far ns I can gather, a good way advanced in civilisation. They cultivated tho land, built huts of some comfort, and manufacture! articloa which required considerable mechanical s~ill. They were the most poli»hed of tho aborigines, and second only in warlike prowes3 to the bloodthirsty Iroquois. Tho Algonquins were the allies of tho French, who united tho armorial boariDgs ot" the tribo-an evergreen oak-with the " Lilies of franca " on their banners.

' Tho Iroquois were the allies of the EDgHeli, Champlain have unwisely incurred their hatred by espousing the part of the Algonquins ngainst them whilst governor of Quebec. Tlio French suffered severely for this; for tho latter woro not only etrongor but they were absolutely rolentle?e, and markcrt their sense of tho wrong done them by :apino and massacre ; a;id on one occasion they crossed tho river during a severo thunderstorm, when the inhabitants were unprepared for thorn, and butchered every man, woman, and child who came within their reach. Louis XIV. was especially enraged against the Iroquois, and he instructed M, de La Barre, the governor, as follows: — "As it. concerns the good of my service to diminish as much as possible the number of the Iroquois, and aa the savnges, who are stout and robust, will parve, moreover, with advantage in ray galleys, I wish you to do everything in your power to make a great mimber of them prisoners oi war,-and that you will h?.vo them shipped by every opportunity which will offer for

their remova

When Muiitren.! capitulated i» 1780 to the English, city was described as " of an oblonn form, surrounded by a wall flanked with eleven redoubts, a ditch about eight feet deep, and of proportional width, bat dry, and a fort and citadel.'1 The British rule was welcomed by the inhabitant?, as it accorded them perfect liberty of thought and action. In fact, the

famous French statesman, Papinean, said, in doQning the feoling of the French as to the results of the ce'nquest •—" From that dily tho reign of law succeedod to tllat of violenco ; from that day the treasures, the armies and navies of Great Britain were mustered to afford us an invincible protection agaitut external danger; from that day tho better part of hor laws became ours, vy'iilo our religion, property, and tho lawa by which they were governed reranined unaltered." ... , During tho war of 1812, tho United States armies mado throe unaucceaful attempts to capture Montreal, meeting with defeat on each occasion, tho French and tho British fighting side by side in the common defenco of tbeir homos.

Montreal has prospered wonderfully will-i confederation of the provinces, and aho is now ono of tho wealthiest cities of hor sizo on tho American Continent. Splendidly situated on tho Sb. Lawrenco, with a direct outlet to tho soa, and with fully half the continent contributory to her coffer?, Montreal hue a magnillcent future before her. Thoro is nothing of mushroom growth about Montreal; everything is staid, solid, and even old-faehionod. It is not so quaint or so thoroughly French as Quebec, but it is sufficiently quaint to afford a striking contrast to any of tho oldor cities of North America. Ita principal streets aro long and narrow, with short, side streets cutting into them. Tho shops have a French daintiness about them, romiodine ono of French town? beyond, tlio sea. Tho woman aro, for tho most part, nattily dressed ; their complexions are oxcellent and their figures perfect. They are Fronch in everj thing—dress, walk, looks, and sprightlinoee. The men folk aro, as a rule, undersized and somewhat mean looking ; but tho upper classea are very dignified nnd stately, with tho manners of tho tiuio of Louis Quatorzg, and their language ia the French of that poriod. Tho relations botweon tho two □ationaUtiaa are, in both business and social muttors, friendly but not cordial. Tho French aro us two to one compared with tho British, and they have almost Iho entire control of municipal and local Parliamentary afTiirs ; so that althorgh tho Jattor wove tho conquerors, the former aro now virtually the rulers. Moreover, tho feeling with respect to British rulo has been considerably modilied since Papiuoin's timo; and at tho present moment they havo a strong fooling of resentment toward Sir John Macdonald's government for hanging Louis Kiel. They have mado tho matter a raco question and it will go hard with Sir John at tho noxt election in consequence. Tho French Canadians are v diliicult people to rule. Thoy are, ns t understand if, not contont with complete religious liberty and tho retenion of their own forms of legal procoduro, but they want to hava a controlling interest in tho Government nf tho entire country, entirely forgetting that, although tho system of representation is bnncd upon Quebec province, newer provinces with fast ii.creating populations aro springing up, and that thry will not long countenance this injurious dictation in affairs political. Sir John h:m (.leered the Parliamentary barque clear of shipwrecks whero a less tkillcd statesman might have run it upon the rocks of raco strife. Breakers are looming n he'id, and unices the Katmcks moderate their cle rounds 1 fail to toe how thoy aro to bo avoided The French nnd British havo pulled well together in tho past, and it is sincerely to bo hoped thatwitha little more give and (;iko on both *idoe, thoy will continue in tho future to put shoulder to shoulder in tho cenoral ambition to build up tho Dominion.

THE CLIMATE OF MONTREAL

In summer Montreal ii tho mrst delightful placo imaginable, with its cool shady squares and, in tho newer parts, its treebordered avenuos. What a dear old place is Notre Diiino • stroot, and tho Place d'Armea Squaro in front of Notro Dame Cathedral, with the silver-tongued bells sending forth a tweet g!ad potl In winter Montreal is exceptionally attraetivo with its gignntic ico pa'aee, and its exhilarating sleigh drives. I navo been in Montreal in spring, summorand winter, and I loved it right, well on each occasion. It i.j a place to love ond to remember always Thousands of Americana como both winter and summer to Montreal and Quebec, Ihe latter especinlly being their Mecca, for they h'tvo nothing so ancient, so historic, or so goiieially interesting in a>l Yankoelanci. Aa a port, Montreal,"with its natural ndvan taires of lake and river communication, will advance* with tho growth of tho Northwest, and in course of liino will provo a farmidnbJn rival to New Yak itself. Tho river channel between Montreal and Quebec hns b'jon so much improved that vessels of any draught can now como up tho St. Lawroaca to Montreal; and in emnmer tlio Allan steamers (plying across tho Atlantic) moka it their terminua. Thcro are alto rivor .steamers running daily in tho Fummer ni.iniha between Montreal nnd (Junboc.

The Urand Trunk has a direct line of rail bstweon Quebec ami Mont.eal, landingpaseei.^crs at Point l.ovis, oppositotho Quebec citadel, from whence tho Intercolonial trains rp.ko their departure for Halifix Tho Canadian Pacific connects with Quebec and tho Intercolonial by means of a iino they havo recetitly taken over, cilicd tho North Shore. So, on arriving nt Montreal after making tbo trip across ihs liritisii portion <.f North America, pas-en-pcrs cm, if they wi=h it, rail from there direct to Europe, or proceed to Now York, or continue on tho iron highway through British territory for clo?o upon another thousand miles until Halifax is reached, trhere they can tako a vessel for Liverpool via St. .John'e, Newfoundland. This latter route I elected to take.