Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1866-09-05

To the Editors Of the Wing:
The following extracts from the letter of friend,
who has been travelling in Canada, may prove as
interesting to your readers as they have to me;
MONTREAL, Canada East, Aug 90 1866.
"From Niagara Falls we went by rail up the Nj
agara river "a very dangerous road projects in
some places on very high precipices over the river)
to Lewiston, where the Niagara empties into Lake
Ontario. There we had fine view of Brooks mon
ument, which stands on the Canada side. There we
crossed the lake to Toronto which seen from the
river is rather an imposing city. The University,
the Cathedral and the Church of the Holy Trinity
are the principal buildings. Kingston, at the en-
trance to the ST. Lawrence, is fine, wellbuilt city,
and is strongly fortified. There are several large
forts around the bay and city. There is nothing
strikes person from the United States SO forcbly
as the great prevalence of stone buildings in these
Canadian cities, a brick or wooden building being
as rare here as a stone building is in New York or
in the South
The entrance to the st. Lawrence river is very
Justly notec for the Thousand Islands" For sew
eral miles the river is studded full of Islands, from
the size of small speck to that of some miles in
length and of every possible shape, size and heghth
The variety is indeed entrancing the small rock
with perhaps a single shrub, showing the industry
and earnesness of nature not only to cothe but even
to ornament her refractory little ones and then the
large fertile island with cultivated fields, brows-
ing cattle apple orchards and the neat white resi-
dence of the civilized Indian, sometimes of the
white man. Then the Rapids o, how exciting,
how grand, how furious! Two such exceedingly
different spectaces could hardly be witnessed else
where in one day, as may be seen in those most
beautiful islands lying in such sweet ropose the
broad bosom of the mighty st. Lawrence and i'm
medately afterwards those furious sudden, terrible,
dashing, magnificent Rapids.
Then just before you enter the harbor of Mon
treal, you pass under that most noble and substan-
tial structure the Victoria Bridge made of solid
masonry, with tremendoug abutments built of huge
stones that rise out of the water ike so many i'm
possibilities and are crowded with magnificent
arches At Montreal did not stop, but proceeded
on TO Quebeck, as l intended to remain sometime in
Montreal on my return. Quebeck is most inter-
esting city, replete with historic incidents and an
cient buildings 1t is curiously divided into the up
per and lower towns the upper town being on q
very high rock, and only accessible side
This is the only walled city that have since
left dear old " Londonderry +" in Ireland. The Cit
adel, which stands Cape Diamond" (the high
est part of this rock is place or fort of mos
amazing strength. never even imagined anything
so well constructed but Gibraltar is said to be SUI
perior The Place De- Aymes is an interesting
square. surrounded with fine buildings of the mos
ancient architecture and approved orders. Herr
the Corinthian the Doric and the Gothic vie will
each other in their claims on the attention of thu
curious The Governors garden is beautiful arc
full of interest. Here stands the monument which
commemorate the heroic struggle of Wolfe ano
Montcalm, sadly marking the spot on those bloody
heights where Wolfe, one of the noblest of heroes
fell-where mighty victory won, and wher'
Montcalm splendid though vanquished officer
died in battle. The old citizens of Quebec ar,
amongst the most polite and courteous people
have ever met Indeed, accustomed as l am to the
blunt, abrupt, business-like manners of New York
I was astonished at their attention and considera
ton. The houses although of the finest style, arr
quaint and curious, and strike a modern mind a.
altogether out Of date-as the development Of minds
based on ideas originating in a different Species
The streets so narrow, the houses so broad and
solid, the fronts close and the whole giving The
idea of perfect compactness as if every house wa!
built for defence
Returning to Montreal, / spent yesterday, tn,
Lords Day. in that city. 1 went from church t.
church all day. The Roman Catholic far exceed
in splendor all the Protestant churches here 1 d.
not remember ever having seen more magnifcen
church than that attached to the College of the Jes
uits The music in all the Papist Churches is yer,
fine. The Cathedral Epscopal) which is just nov
finished, is the only Protestant Church which make
any pretensions to architectural grandeur suficien
to compare with the Popish Churches; but even it j