The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-13
PLAINS OF ABRAHAM.
Historic Battlefield May Be Cut
Up for Lots.
Scene OF the Battle of tho Mighty and
History of the Ground.

battlefield OF the Plains OF ABRAHAM VIII
disappear from view and become trans
informed to an outlying suburb of the
city Of Quebec, says the Montreal star.
The owners of the property have already
had It surveyed and divided into building
lots, made to face upon nine projected
streets. They count upon ready sale Of
the land In question. because the con-
ssruotion Of the electric railway brings
the street cars to the very margin of the
property. The corporation Of the city Of
Quebec Is unable, under its charter to
take any action to preserve the battlefield
in It's present shape. for IL Is situated al
together without the limits Of the ancient
city. Municipality, the Plains form part
of the parish Of Quebec, which is governed
by village council headed BY Mayor
william Lee. Almost ninety mine years
ago, on the LIST OF Nay. 1902, the Imperial
War Department took means to preserve
the historic grounds intact for close upon
@ century Of time, BY leasing them from
the Ursuline Nuns. for period of ninety
nine years. Il IL the approaching expiry
Of this lease that affords the Sisters Of the
Ursuline Convent the opportunity of
throwing the site of wolfe's and Mont
calm's glorious exploits upon the market
for building lots, They owned the prop
erty long before It was sanctified by the
blood OF heroes 1t has been In their pos
session for over two centuries Nor is 1t
the only relic Of the battle of the strong
that the good Sisters own. Under glass
case in the parlor of their convent, In an
excellent state Of preservation, Is the skull
Of General MontoaIm. The balance of his
mortal remains lie at rest beneath the
chapel of their institution, and above
them Ia marble bearing he elegant in
scription prepared for the purpose at the
instance OF the French Academy In bonn
harding the city, previous to his landing
below the Heights of Abraham, Wolfe's
auxiliarias had dug the grave of the
French com mAnder, by means of she'll
that ploughed an excavation In the chapel
of the Ursulines.
SOLD TO THE NUNS.
The title deeds to the Plains Of Abraham
show that they were sold to the Nuns on
the list July, 1867, by the hei-s Of Abra-
ham Martin. and that at that time they
contained thirty two arpents, or acres, in
superfcies.
The departure from Canada of Eng
lands relocated legions in 1871, amongst
other voids, left waste, untenanted and
been for close upon a century reserved
as their parade and exercising ground on
review days The military authorities,
always so careful in keeping its fences
in repair, handed it over to the Domin
ion, which made no provision for the
purpose On the 9th March, 1878, the
Dominion Government leased 1t to the
corporation of the city of Quebec for ten
years of the lease under which 1t was held
from tho religious Ladies' Of the Ursuli mes
of Quebec provided the corporation as
sumed the conditions OF the lease, in
volving an annual rental of two hundred
dollars. The extensive confiagration OF
1875, which laid waste one half OF st.
Louis suburbs, and the consequent I'M
poverishsd state of the municipal finances
prevented the civil authorities from vot-
ing any money to maintain In proper
order the fences of the Plains. Decay,
ruin and disorder were fast settling down
upon the place, when mum Der OF the
citizens Of Quebec spontaneously came to
the rescue
Almost ever since 1882 horse races have
been held on the Plains In the fail of the
year. Before the formation Of the Quebec
Turf Club these 90 uestrian contests were
conducted by officers of the garrison
Lord William Lennox, son of the Duke of
Richmond, who Was Gov sr nor General OF
Canada, frequently drove his own horses
in these races, and Frederick Tolfrey. in
his "SpoItsmen in Canada, says that in
1917, Quebec was redolent of EPSON |;
the Plains of Abraham Wed with the
surrey Downs; and gallops and sweats
were more thought of than morning drills
and evening parades. Expectatio n, an
ticipation. excitation, trepidation, ct
omne quod exit in alton were the order of
the day, until the day came round in due
order to test the relative qualities of the
contending quadrupeds Even the pro-
verbially apathetic and phlegmat ic Yam
KEGS were pretty considerably Illustrated,
and the eager throngs who fiocked to the
course told how great was the interest
felt for the spo TT we had provided for all
classes"
HISTORICAL SPOTS.
The details OF the two battles that have
made the Plains of Abraham for ever
famous are known to every Canadian
school boy. The thick fight between the
opposing forces of Wolfe and Montcalm
upon the still open portion of
the Plains now used as race course,
where the British struggled hard ere they
carried the little height, then held it by
the defending force, upon which the gaol
is now erected. All along the Grande
A Ice as far as No. 2 Martello tower, the
British met with a more or less stubborn
Then the enemy fled in wild
confusion before them. Every one knows
the story of the fall OF the her ole Wolfe.
fatally wounded, in the hour Of victory
upon the site of the monument since
erected to his memory. The well from
" hich draught of water was drawn to
cool his dying lips was but recently filled
in.
Amongst the many brilliant military
fetes OF a later date which were witnessed
upon tho Ilains, DIR. Henry. in his
Events in Military Life" tells OF
brigade day in September 1886, under the
direction of Lieutenant.G General Sir John
C0lborne. Three regiments OF the gar'i-
son turned out-the First Foot. or Royals,
the Goth and the 10th. The review ct
tracted large number Of spectators. and
the gifted author, who It may be rem I'm
berd was one of the military surgeons
present at the autopsy on the remains of
Napoleon Bonaparte at st. Helena, tells
us that LAS the town was full of Amerl-