The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-01-19
Quebec Is Like a
TranspIanted City
1t Is French Town Set Down Amidst
American Surroundings.
SHRINE OF ST. ANNE BEAUPRE
hundreds of Discarded Clutches and
Canes Attest It's Efficacy as Rcstorcr
Of Suspended muscular Powers.
Adieu to Ancient Quebec.
Special Correspondence of The Tribune

river IS st. CrOiX, where are located the
Marine hospiatl. French Catholic
church. a Congregational church. and
several shoe factories. Quebec is called
the Lynn of Canada" for its numerous
shoe manufactures.
Nine miles distant is the Indian vii
lage Lorette, where dwell the last rem
nants of the Huron tribe. They num-
Der now sixty families; 1886 souls all
told-l43 males and 1873 females. This
powerful tribe once comprised over 30
900 souls. This Huron village Is a sub
ject OF interest to all curious travellers,
as there are scarcely any among them
Of pure Indian blood. They have inter-
married largely with their French
neighbors, but the Indian features and
habits still predomnate.
This reservation is governed by the
customs of two centuries ago; no white
man being allowed, until recently. to
settle within the sacred precincts of the
Huron reserve. They are a quiet and
religious people. they worship in their
own church Catholic)-a quaint build
ing of two centuries ago. The men
hunt and fish, and the women make
bead-work and moccasins, and the boys
earn pennies by deXtrous archery. One
writer says 'They are the remnants
of lost people, harmless weavers of
baskets and sewers OF moccasins, the
Huron blood fast bleaching out of
Them There Is a pretty waterfall in the
village, and mile further back is the
reservoir formed by damming back the
St Charles river, which provides Que
L., I, Nl. a
tourist may here take q canoe and
paddle up Lake st. Charles. one of those
lovely sheets of inland water, within
easy driving distance of Quebec.
An Enjoyable Drive.
The drive from Quebec to Montmo-
renci Falls, through the long drawn
out village of BEAUFORT, Is perhaps
the most delightful, notably on ac-
count of the magnificent scenery of
mountain, plain and river and the
quaintness of the buildings along the
road, but more than all for the historic
associations which have consecrated
every foot of the way.
This place was founded in 1894, and
all along its plains was some of the
heaviest fighting of the war Of conquest
Of Canada, especially between the
French and English IN 1853, when the
latter under Wolfe We're defeated with
heavy loss. On this drive the charac-
teristics of French Canada will be ap-
parent to the least observant.
Passing over Dorchester bridge, which
crosses the river St. Charles, We reach
this end of the struggling village. which
contains about 800 "habitants.' 1t is
a hilly road, but the Canadian horse
lays back his ears, makes dash at
every hill and trots up and down with
no semblance of Il break on the wheels.
| often at a breal-neck pace.
This is a typical French Canadian vii
| lage of a single street, say about three
miles long. II is lined with a continu-
| Gus succession of quaint, solid, white
washed stone houses, fronted by small
garden patches. The houses are placed
at an angle with the street in order to
| face the south. Every house juts out
| little beyond its neighbor in its de-
sire seemingly to dodge the east wind,
which is the prevailing wind here in
winter.
From each roof, which is very steep,
| and huge chimneys. These homes bear
evidence of antiquity, and the commo-
dious church, with its tall and graceful
| twin spires, which can be seen for Il
great distance around, reminds the Wis
| itor that here the ancient faith Is held
with q simplicity and devotion unsur
passed by any sect in any part of the
| world.
To Famous Shrine.
Along the way Is the roadside cross,
pointing the weary pilgrim the way
to the shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre,
some fifteen miles distant, which for
$50 years has been the Mecca of devout
| pilgrims seeking restoration of health
where 1t Is claimed wonderful miracles
have been wrought; the huge tiers OF
| crutchcs and canes, trusses and splints.
! left by the cured, give mute testimony
of the efficacy of the Saints interven-
| .on in their behalf. We were reliably
informed that over so, 600 pilgrims visit
ed this holy shrine last year, many
| walking the entire distance from Que
bee as a penance, or in the perform
ance of VOWS. on the road Is the Beau
| port insane asylum, several large flour
ing mills and lumber yards.
Quaint French Farms.
An object of curiosity to the tourist
are the French farms. They are mar
row stripped domains. sometimes but .
| few yards (seemlngly) wide and half
mile or more long, extending in long.
narrow strips behind the houses, far
| back into the country. The country
along Is bristllng with stone and rail
| fences. "The early French King In
1864 forbade the colonist making any
more clearlngs except one next to an
other" but in l7i5 he was obliged to
order that the farms should be not less
than one and one-half arpen;s wide"
Distances here are measured by ar
ponts and leagues. An arpent is an
acre and one quarter. THE arpent AZ
a lincal measure equals 1SO French, or
l9l English feet, or about 800 yards by q
! little over a mile" A French league Is
three miles. Another chara acterlstic
mode of measuring distances is by the
number of pipes to be smoked in trav-
erslng 1t.
These narrow domains arose from the
social character of the people, who
Were thus brought close together from
their need of concentration as a de-
fense against the Indians, and also from
the subdivision of estates by Inherit
ance.
These farms are noticeable features
of the landscape, the entire distance
from Quebec to Montreal south. A great
want, however, in the surroundings ot
most French farms Is foliage for practi-
cal use as well as to beautlfy. The once
grand prlmeval forest, even the second
growth that succeeds it, has been ruth
lessly cut away till the landscape in
many localities, especially between Que
bee and Montreal, is painfully bare, the
houses are exposed to THE keen north
wind and the cattle have no shelter
from the sun and storm.