New-York daily tribune., 1843-08-30
THE TRIBUNE.
Letter from Quebec-Aspect OF the City
its w aIls. Hotels. DC.
Correspondence Of The Tribune.
ALBIov Ho1EL.

ALBIov HoTEL,
QrEsEc, August Is, lS!3.
QUEBEC should be visited, not like an Amen
can CITY, for its business or beauty, but Ike the
oldest cities OF the old world, for its curiosltes
and the memories connected with It's name. In
many respects it IS said to resemble the old por-
tions Of London and Paris. Its streets are very
narrow and very crooked; its buildings are al! OF
stone and few Of them more than two stores
in bight; in the meaner sections the houses are
yery low and the roofs very high, resemoiine
sornerybat in this particular the old Dutch houses
along the Mohawk, although from the pavement
IN the caves is rarely more than ten or twelve
feet There is not the slightest regularity in the
arrangement of the streets, which cross each
other at all possible angles and twist themselves
together very much like those Of Boston and
still more ike fsherman's box of angle worms.
None OF them are level, for the city is built upon
a hill In the better portions OF the city, how
ever, they are all well paved, mostly Of stone,
though the payenents newly laid down are nearly
all of wood. The sidewalks are narrow, and in
the cross streets hardly wide enough to allow two
to walk abreast. The public buildings are large
and have an appearance of rooniness in marked
contrast with the dwellings in the city. A large
proportion OF the people to be met in the streets
are Frenchmen, generally poor and often dirty
and repulsiye. There is, however, great deal
of genteel and refined society here, though little
of it is visible to those who are merely travelling
through. The City Market is in an open space,
something like your Chatham Square near the
old Soldiers barracks Here the people from the
country drive in their carts, from which, or tenn
porary stands erected in the Streets they sell their
vegetables, &C. How they dispose of their mer-
cilandise in rainy weather l had no opportunity
of observing.-There is general cab stand, or
rather caleche stand on one side of this square,
which is filed with vehicles, and their drivers as
lazy, though far less impertinent, than those
around your Park. Few cabs proper, however,
are to be seen in the city. Carriages for two or
four horses, are plentiful, and now and then
square cab NAV be met. But the vehicle in most
common use is the calcche 1t differs little from
what we call : gig or Sulky, though it has a seat
for two, and in front one for driver, who rests
his feet upon the carriage fills. Many of them
are provided with boot and then they are not
unlike regular chase, except that the springs
are shorter and the motion somewhat less easy.
These are to be seen every where throughout the
city. Dogs are here used beasts Of burden TO
a much greater extent than | have ever seen
elsewhere. We could scarcely walk through d
street without meeting one or more Of these es-
one and sometimes two of these
animals being regularly harnessed to little four
wheeled wagon and thus drawing loads of wood,
III ,Sc {ar boro tbnIr
strength. They worked faithfully, patiently and
always in obedience to the word OF their master
On reaching the wharf in the morning did
not awake until most Of the passengers had left
the boat The carriages of course had left and
/ wended my way into the city on foot On
leaving the wharf, you find yourself among
collection of small, mean houses, which are built
upon narrow strip Of ground at the foot of
lofty, overhanging preciplce. The city is built
upon sharp point of land formed by the juno
ton at an acute angle of the st. Charles and ST.
Lawrence rivers. The cape ITSELF as it tapproaches
the point, becomes more and more elevated,
though on the land side the rise is gradual, until
the extremity is reached, and then it is amazingly
high and steep. AT the base Of the precipice
very narrow strip of land extends completely
around the cape; and on this is built what Is
called the Lower City. 1t is dirty and uncom-
Portable, and the travellers first care is to find his
way through and out of it. Passing across it,
you soon come to a narrow paved street which
leads you up steep hill for little distance, then
turns, and still rising conducts still farther and
thus by succession of windngs, which are alb
solutcly necessary 10 ascend the hill with ease,
bring you to Prescott Gate, which gives access to
the Upper City. To an American walled city
is novelty, and he Is surprised to find his way
thus barred by thick wall with embrasures
above and mounted cannon, leveling themselves
from various commanding points so as complete
ly to sweep the streets, and staring him full in
the face Carriages pass by narrow gateway
through the wall; iootmen climb steep STAIR
case at either side, and thus find themselves IN
the Upper City. We wended our way TO PAlNEs
Hotel, the largest and best in the city; but we
had slept too long. and now found ourselves pun
ished therefor by being told that the house was
full AS the next best resource, we made our
way to the ALBION HorEI, where VIC found very
fair accommodations. The great majority OF
strangers in the city during the Summer are
Americans, who vis,; the city out of curiosity
and on the morning of our arrival there mus,
have been at least SO or 60 of this class 1t is
quite common, reaching Quebec IN the morning,
to spend the day In actively examining its curl.
ositieS and then return the next night BY the
same boat. Several OF our fellow travellers did
50; but 1t is making too much haste for comfort,
and we preferred to takcit somewhat more at our
leisure.
The Albion Hotel is rather over the brow OF
the HIll, III Paacc-street near Palace Gate, and
looks toward the land side of the city and so ovc
the ST. Charles river to Lo.ette and the othc.
villages beyond. On going into the bar.room
was somewhat surprised 70 see hanging In tht
most conspicuous part OF the room a picture rep
rcSentng D!ogcncs, stout, ragged but intellect
ual figure with has lantern upon the ground, hold
ing in his hand and gazing intently upon u tint
portait of DANIeI. WEBSTER. The likeness wa: