Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1872-08-06
QUEBEC, G. E.,
July goth, 1872.

DEAR SPECTATOR: Without crowding my
letter with ''notes by the wayside," reaching
this place on the morning of the Goth, my at
tention was attracted to lines of carriages ca
lashes and buck-wagons going In the direction
Of Beaufort. 1t was st. AIMS day, and St.
AIMS Spring is % miles north of town, with
er each year hundreds of afflicted pilgrims go
to have their ills miraculously cured. It is a
general superstition, and the saving clause by
which faith in the pilgrimage is maintained
is that three annual visits never fail to cure and
that it is particularly beneficial to those aflct-
ed with sore eyes.
| In explanation Of the preceding paragraph,
the most common vehicle here is the calash, a
two wheeled buggy. The buck wagon is pecul-
lar to Canada. 1t has four wheels and its length
is that OF an ordinary plantation wagon. With
out springs, the hind and front axles are unit
ed by broad springy board, about the centre of
which the seat is placed. | have not enjoyed
the luxury Of drive in one of these quaint
vehicles, but it is. said to surpass the calash in
ease and safety; the calash seating two persons
and the driver, and upsetting at the slightest
provocation.
| A drive around Quebec is full Of interest, as
matter of course 1t is the only walled town
in America. 1t was founded in 1909, and the
| buildings being of stone, many of them have
stood for 200 years. Lower Quebec stands to-
| day almost as it stood in the time of the old
French war. The first place to which the
stranger is driven, is the falls of Montnorenci,
nine miles north of Quebec. The 'Morenci
empties into the st Lawrence, not In one i'm
mense volume as Niagara, but in beautiful
threads falling distance of 24O feet. The
plains Of Abraham lie southeast of the town be-
| tween the st. Charles and the ST. Lawrence
| An appropriate monument marks the spot
where, in 1859, Wolfe fell after having gained
the battle which gave Canada to Great Britain.
Here, two, Montgomery was killed. and in the
chapel of the Ursuline Convent is the grave of
Montcalm. To military man, the Citadel is
| study of great interest, and on the opposite
side of the river, at Point Lewis, Notifications
| are In progress OF construction more stupendous
even than those which surround Quebec.
The trip to the Saguenay is one of which no
one can draw true pen-picture. 1t is styled
1.-THE most romantic river in the world" and
surely it would be furthest from the mind of an
amateur traveller to call its title in question:
Leaving Quebec on the morning of the 9th, to
Caconna, distance Of 100 miles, the scenery
of the Lower st. Lawrence is unsurpassed on
| the north, mountainous, on the south, beau
| tiful and fertile country, with villages forming
long rows of white houses running for miles
along the bank. Caconna is the most aristro-
cratic summer resort In Canada, and many visit
it from the States. But the water is rather
cold for sea-bathing, and the amusements are
| dancing, bull and horse racing At this
| point the St. Lawrence is 20 miles wide, and
crossing to Tadousac, another summer resort,
where the temperature is continually from ten to
fifteen degrees below that of Montreal, we begin
the voyage up the Saguenay, 60 miles to Ha !!
Ha Bay, and Is miles further on to Chicutim,
the head of navigation, where [ realized my
/ 1oa1o If md onJF Oh IL, r.,
in all that region no word of English is spoken
the inhabitants being entirely French, so
primitive that was told 'the oldest inhabit-
ant had never seen ten dollar bill, railroad,
or the city of Quebec. They live In the most
primitive manner, and, in winter, owing to the
extreme cold, lie in their one story stone houses
and play checkers by the week.
But to speak of the Saguenay, imagine your
North mountain shorn Of all veDdure with huge
rocks jutting out over the surface; then place
in your mind similar mountain along side,
base to base, and fill the space between half
full of water and you have picture of the
Saguenay. Its depth is from 1000 to 1000 feet,
and in many places it is supposed to far exceed
that. Cape Trinity is a solid rock rising out of
the water to the height of 1900 feet, and it is
half mile around the Cape; and at the foot
of the cape, five feet from the waters edge, the
depth is 1000 feet by actual soundings. Cape
Eternity is 1900 feet high; but there being
struggling mountain verdure over it, it does not
present the appalling appearance of Cape Trim
, ity.
This being Nomination Day in Quebec, and
as it may interest political readers to know how
an election is carried on without caucus and
without convention, | will turn to things poll
teal. The last election for members Of Parlia.
ment 1.-THE Canadian Parliament) was in 1867
| borc ho;pr olootoH for fiun tbc
elections are now taking place all over Canada,
each borough fixing its own day for nomination,
: I will illustrate the naodus by this district
J Quebec Center, and the election will be sharp
| ly contested. The returning officer fixed upon
II O clock to-day at Durham Terrace, as the
time and place for the nomination. The con
testants are Mr.. Couchon, the ministerial can.
didate, and Mr.. Ross, the opposition. A Cou.
chon committee was formed with a room at the
: st. Louis Hotel, and Ross committee was
formed having their headquarters at the hote
where l am writing, the Stadacona. So the
work of bringing these candidates forward ha;
been going on for several weeks. Soon after II
o'clock, Mr. Ross sailed forth from the Stada-
coma and marched to Durham Terrace, follow.
J ed By six or eight hundred of the opposition
There, on the Terrace, which is the evening
promenade for the city, but in comparison with
the evening Dromenades in American cities re-
sembling more the deck Of ship, yet com
, manding fine view of Lower Quebec, the st.
, Lawrence and Point Levis-there On Durham
Terrace was a veritable hustings, looking fol
all the world like an apple and cider stand at a
camp-meeting, and the intended opposition
!, candidate and several members of his commit
tee took their places on the hustings. His fol
lowers gathered in dense crowd around this
board coop, hurrahing enthusiastically for Ross
In about 20 minutes, the ministerial candidate
came on from the st. Louis marching at the
head of an enthusiastic procession numbering
certainly in the neighborhood of 1000. The
Rossites made lane Ia their ranks for Couchon
to reach the stand, and the two parties mingine
together, such unearthly yelling at an election
without fghting) even [, an American, had
never heard before, and with one wild confu-
sion of yells, ''Hurrah for Ross and ''Hurrah
for Couchon'' the time was consumed until the
firing Of cannon or the Terrace announced the
hour for the nomination. Then all became
silent. The returning officer read the order au-
thorzing the nomination. member Of the
Ross Committee nominated Mr.. Ross, which
was followed by loud and long hurrahs. Then
member of the Couchon Committee nominal
ed Mr.. Couehon, which was received in man
ner equally vociferous. Then, there being two
nominations. SO strongly supported, an election
was demanded, and with more wild cheering,
Mr. Ross and his supporters marched away,
and in ten minutes, Mr.. Couchon and his
ministerial party left the Terrace for their head
quarters. The Returning officer will designate
day, within week from the day of nomina-
ton for the election to be held. The merit OF
this method must lie in the fact that where one