Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-09-26

tipped of at one end with very dingy
little bronze statue of the sweet Mother
Queen, perched on a very narrow, very
dingy and very cheap-looking granite
pedestal. The guide books admonish you
to visit the Victoria Statue, and Of course
you do, mindful en- route that you come
from plain Democratic land not given to
much statue, and that glimpse of royal
ty itself done up in bronze, in the metropo-
lis of Her Majesty's Western DominiOns,
must be an impressive and memorable sight
10 American eyes. And you are impressed
with the prodigious capacity of Canada for
being parsimOnious. Why, hundreds upon
hundreds Of our towns have done better in
soldiers monuments than the chief city of
Canada has for its Sovereign.
Montreal is an
ISLAND CITY,
built upon an island over 30 miles long and
10 miles wide, in the River st. Lawrence.
The city has noble water front and fine
system of docks. The warehouses, mark
cts and stores along the water front are
mostly fine buildings, built of dark grey
stone, which lights up handsomely in the
sunlight, making the view of the city from
the south bank of the river a striking and
beautiful picture. For TWO or theee miles
the wharves and buildings line the broad
eddying river, and back of them the
ground rises steadily, street after street,
till almost the whole city comes into view,
while derectly behind, rise tie green and
wooded slopes Of Mont Royal, making a
splendid background seen far or seen near.
Montreal is credited with deriving its
name from this mountain, the name Of
Mont Royal being easily corrupted into
Montreal. From the summit of the
mountain opens out one OF the finest views
ever saw. At our very feet lay the city
nesting directly under the shadow of the
mountain, and reaching thence, with its
numerous converts and cathedrals, down
to the waters edge. Of to the right the
white waves of the Lachine Rapids gleam-
ed in the morning sunlight; in front the
great spans of the famous Victoria Bridge;
beyond, the country spread out like map
for miles and miles, till the weary stretch
Of sight rested against the dim blue out
lines of the Green Mountains, and through
this glorious picture, like band Of molten
silver, wound the stately course of the
broad St. Lawrence, till, in the far, far
northeast it met the horizons outmost
rim, and the sky came down to kiss its
glistenIng waves.
This inspiring picture is one of the two
things in Montreal that are well worth see
ing. The other is the great
NoTRE DANE CATHEDRAL,
the largest church edifce in the Western
World. Architecturally the Notre Dame
is grand and impressive. Standing be-
meath the organ loft you look upward oyer
hundred feet to the blue vaulted roof,
studded and spsngled with golden stars,
and following the immense sweep of vision
along between the double tiers of massive
galleries, supported by great masonry col
umns, the vista closes against the chaneel,
whose elaborate and massy designs Of wood
and marble cover the entire width Of the
church and extend upward, with spire and
turret and canopy, to the very roof.
SAYast as this great piece Of art is, every
part is carved and moulded with exquisite
taste, while through all its breadth of de-
sign runs the st.perfeet harmony OF part
and completeness of detail. Upmore than
half its extreme height is a great marble,
representing Our Saviour erowning the
Virgin Mary. 1t rests upon a heavy and
richly carved projection and is canopied
by another, whose triple spires, also carved
and richly ornamented, reach to theextreme
peak of the roof. Below, and to the right,
is another large marble of the High Priest
at the altar; to the left another showing
the Ark of the Covenant guarded by an
angel; and still further below is another
large marble of the Crnelfxion, with the
women weeping at the foot of the cross,
fanked by Abraham offering Isaac on the
one side and our Saviour blessing the
Sacrament upon the other. All these
marble figures are heroic size, and each
group is supported upon, and canopied by,
massive mouldings and pinnicles and re-
lieved by reeesses Of elegant carving and
color. On either side of the chancel, high
above the priests heads, are three inches
in which are set stutues of the Apostles,
the faces of St. John and st. Luke being
strikingly beautiful.
Notre Dame Cathedral will hold $1,000
people, of whom 10000 can be comfortably
seated. 1t has choir of 500 voices COIL
posed exclusively of boys and men, led by
an organ that requires six men to blow.
1t has eleven bells, requiring twenty-seven
men to ring them. The large bell weigh
ing over twelve tons il swung only by the
united strength of twelve men. and then
peals out its clear notes so that they are
heard at a distance Of thirty miles. The
delicate little clapper Of this bell weighs
$50 pounds, and the inside of the bell is
so large that our party Of four, standing
upright around the clapper, occupied less
than one-third the space.
Tourists visiting Montreal would do well
when laying out their time to allow plenty
for this Cathedral. We "did it" in true
American style, allowing ourselves barely
time to get general idea Of its magnifi-
cence and scarcely any for the enjoyment
of detail. Half day would be too short |
for thoroughly satisfactory visit to the
interior and towers, and we were whirled |
away in less than an hour.
Two things more set down to the cred
it of Montreal. The first is the Windsor
Hotel, which is one Of the finest houses in
America, and of which doubt if our
Eastern States can produce an equal. The |
other, and by far the more remarkable and |
praiseworlhy object is
RESPECTFUL HACKMAN.
BE dawned upon US Immediately on our
arrival, and served us faithfully and well
till we shook the dust of the Dominion of
our Oxford ties. Matthew was an Irish
man, with an honest but not over hand
some face, who kept his word Ikea gentle
man, opened his treasures Of knowledge |
ILL. Il, ,anhor,o.o onolosr;zoJ %, tbo ...l |