The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-09-14
THE DAILY DISPATCH
LETTERS FROM FE NoRTH.
QuEnEc, September 9Th 1s

QuEBEc, September 9Th, 1859.
Ihave never visited more interesting city
than QuEBEc. Every Thing about it is strange
to the eye, and novel in every respect to q
citizen of the United States. Every where
else the traveller, after he quits the Southern
States, meets with towns looking so fresh and
modern with green venetian blinds and daz-
cling white paint that you would not feel sur.
prised to walk over an untenanted field in the
evening and find thriving village upon it
the next morning.
But in QUEBEC all is different Here near.
ly every house gives evidence of extreme
antiquity, byits moss covered roof, crumbline
chimneys andr0tting door and window frames
From the windows of my chamber, can see
| a score or two of solid stone edifices. look;pg
weather stained and worn with the wear Of
centuries, even the massive stone steps cnt
deep by the footsteps of know not how
many buried generations of French and Eng
lish occupants.
QUEBEC, if you were to stumble upon such
city in any portion of Europe, would strike
you as strange and remarkable place, with
| its crooked narrow streets, singular architec
ture, and wonderful Notifications.
| Independent of its interesting historical as.
L
sition and the beauty of its surrounding scene
ry, it is a city where you would like to spend
many days. Here, of all other places upon
| the continent of North America, the people
| suffer the inconvenience of the most remark
able extremes and vicissitudes of wealth
er. Their summers are like those of Italy,
their winters cold as those of Siberia
| This morning l walked through their market
| and found green peas raspberries, early
flowers, and the apples that we call in Nir-
| ginia, MAY APPLES" exposed for sale in eve
~ stall. "A few hours since saw in a mag
| nifcent garden, several varieties of cherries
just ripening, and apricots not yet ripe, whilst
strange as it may appear | find ruta bagas and
white turnips larger than they are in Virginia
| at this time.
| The stores exhibit every variety of heavy
fur clothing for the winter, indeed all that a
gentleman proposing tour to Siberia could
desire, whilst at this time the weather is in
supportably hot. l called at a shop this
morning to look at gloves large heavy and
| warm enough to keep your hands comforta-
i BILE if the thermometer stood thirty degrees
beloN zero, whilst the obsequious and eager
little French salesman complained of the
warmth of the weather, although he was clad
in the hghtest of summer clothing. 1t was
amusing to see the little fellow perspiring
with heat, and diving into deep chests and
boxes after otter and seal skin gloves and
overcoats. For an American city, l again
say that QUEBEC is queer place. A mill
tary town, containing about forty thousand
inha ahitants most compactly and perma-
nertly built-stone its sole material-enviz
| roned as to its most important parts by walls
| and Yates, and defended by numerous can
| on-4garrisoned by troops having the arms,
the costumes, the music, the discipline of
Eurobe-foreign in language, features and
origin, from most of those whom they are
sent 10 defend-founded upon rock and in
its highest parts, overlooking great extent
OF cdantry, between three and four hundred
nileS from the ocean, in the midst of great
Continent, and yet displaying fleets of foreign
/ MERCHANTMEN in its fine capacious bay, and
showing all the hustle of crowded seaport
tOwn-its streets narrow, populous and wind
ing up and down, almost mountainous decli
vities-situated i'll the latitude of the finest
partsof Europe-exbibiting in its environs
the beauty of an European capitol-and yet
| in winter, smarting with the cold of Russia-
| governed by people of different language
| and hab bits from the mass of the population,
| opposed in religion, and yet leaving that po-
pulahon without taxes, and, in the full enjoy
menfof every privilege, civil and religious
Suchare the prominent features which strike
a str$nger in the old city of QUEBEC.
| The first movement of every stranger aftDr
he reaches QUEBEC, and has enjoyed an ex-
| cellent breakfast at SWORDS HoTEL,. is to-
wards that famous Citadel which is second
| onlyato Gibraltar in natural and artificial
| strength. A citizen of the United States can
not visit this impregnable fertilization with
out feelings of sadness. Memory brings back,
| in vivid colors, the recollections of that in
auspicious night, when the American forces
attacking the lower town, on the South and
North, met with fearful repulse. The lapse
of npre than half a century will not deaden
| the pang with which he reads the tablet mark
ing the spot where the young and gallant
MONTGOMERY fell victim to the purest pat
riotism and chivalry that ever enobled hui
man being. He thinks, too, that on that
eventful night amid the frosts and SHOWS of
q siberian winter, the daring and courage of
BENEDICT ARNOLD was as honorable as his
subsequent treachery was infamous.
| There is a great deal of ludicrous ceremony
necessary in getting into the citadel. There
exists, perhaps, with the British government,
an erroneous apprehension that the Ameri-
| cans contemplate, one of these days, taking
| Quebec before the officers in command be-
come aware of the fact. Hence a formal per-
init from pompous official, THE Town MA
JoR. That individual regarding the regula-
| ton as very unnecessary form, saves him
self world of trouble by issuing blank per-
Inlts TO the hotel keepers, to be filled with
| lhe names OF their guests. But the SentlnelS
and other subordinates are more particular,
and possess less authority in such matters-
Hence, when you arrive at the main entrance
OF the Citadel, one of Her Majestys red lob
sters brings his musket to present, chal-
lenges You, and solicits an inspection of the
permit. You hand it to him, he wheels
around like an automaton shell-fish, walks
five steps, touches his hat to another and SUI
perior non commissioned lobster, with sandy
whiskers and sword, who solemnly takes the
permit, and after another touching of the
hat, hands it over to third gentleman in red,
who again inspects it, and makes record of
your name.
Whilst this ceremony is going on, you have
probably entered the CITADEL, and taken
birds glance of its cannon and bomb
shell and strong points. can conceive of
nothing stronger than this famous fortifca-
ton. 1t crowns arocky eminence FIVE hun
dred feet above the level of the river and
commands view of the country for many
miles around The huge guns of the Citadel
could be brought TO bear upon an advancing
enemy approaching either by land or water.
Inc resources of the science of fortifieation
were exhausted in the construction of this
citadel. FRENCH and ENGLISH engineering
skill are recognized every where in the ar
rangement of the inner and outer works.
1 Preparatiaus haya haan avary whera yna da