The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-08-23
An INTERESTING TRIP
The Editor and Family on Their De-
lightful Vacation With National
Editorial Association.


viewed from the steamers deck while
travelling over the grand st. Lawrence
and picturesque Saguenay rivers, and
will now attempt to describe briefly
some of the sights which we saw during
our brief stay at the quaint old city of
Quebec.
Arriving at Quebec on our return
from the Saguenay river trip at Soclock
in the morning, we were informed that
we would have to make the most of our
time in Quebec, as the entire Earty was
to leave at 1:30 that afternoon for trip
to Montmorency Falls and st. Anne de
Beaupre, and the local committee advis-
ed us to take a carriage if we wanted to
see the city, so the entire party scram-
bled into carriages, or rather cabs and
caleches, the latter vehicle peculiar
to Quebec, being heavy two wheeled
cart with carriage top. The streets
of Quebec are so narrow and steep that
two horse vehicles are not used, there
being but one two horse carriage in the
entire city, everything being single
rigs. We were fortunate in securing as
our driver native of Quebec, who had
lived in the city for more than thirty
years, but had spent few years in the
United States, and could talk good Eng
lish, but some we're not so fortunate and
having French drivers they could not
understand what he tried to tell them
about the various points of interest
which they were driven to. We were
first driven along the river bank under
the frowning walls of Dufferin Terrace
and Citadel where the bronze tablet fast
ened in the solid rock wall marks the
place where Gen. Montgomery met his
death at the head of storming party on
Dec. 81, 1775. We then start on long
drive to reach the citadel, stopping at
various points of interest. We stop and
enter the Basilica, one of the fine
church edifices of Quebec, which is
built on the site of the ancient church
of Notre Dame de la Recouvrance,
erected in 1888 by Samuel de Chaplain,
to commemorate the restoration of the
colony by Britain. Within this ancient
church was inferred the remains of
Laval, perhaps the most historical figure
in the annals of New France, Frontenac,
and many other of her worthless. The
Basilica is beautifully finished and dec
Grated, and contains many valuable
paintings, the Christ of the Cathedral
by Van Dyke, and the Ecstasy of ST..
Paul by Carlo Maratti. Some of the
pictures were brought to Canada from
France during the revolution. The
square opposite, where the new city
hall has been erected, is the site of the
old Jesuit college. There is interest
even in the site of this old building, for
it was the oldest college in America,
dating from the year 1886. Within it's
walls the martyrs Lalemant, Brebreuf
and Vigont taught, and Pere Marquette
drew his plans that led to the estab-
lishment of christianity on the Missis-
sippi. Adjoining the Basilica is the
Archbishop's Palace, and it is indeed a
palace.
We are at once impressed with the
greatness of the church, as the visitor
cannot help but notice that the church
is most powerful here. In Quebec
there are no free public schools, the
church controlling all the schools, the
nuns being the teachers, and they own
millions and millions of dollars worth
OF property, scattered all over the city
The Ursuline Convent, ON Garden street
is beautiful building, situated in a
garden of seven acres, and owes its
origin to the religious zeal of Nine dc
la Peltrie and Mere Marie de IIncarna.
tion, two remarkable women, whose
devotion has formed themes for poets
and historians. The date of the earli.
est foundation was l641, and of the
present 1886. Montcalm is buried in
the chapel. The Hotel-Dieu, or Hospi-
tai of the Precious Blood, was founded
in 1853, by a niece of Cardinal Richie
lieu During the seventeenth century
it played an important part in the
religious life of the French colony.
Attached to the convent is the chapel
which contains the bones of Father La
Tenant and the skull of Father Jean de
Brebeuf.
A place that is especially attractive
to visitors from the United States is
No. AZ st. Louis street. In it were de-
posted the remains of Brigadier-Gen-
eral Montgomery, on the 31st of Decem-
Der, 1775. The quaint old church of
Notre-Dame des VICTORIES, erected in
1888, is another interesting place.
Erected in 1858 it is associated with
several warlike events, the memorable
repulse of Sir William Phipps' attack
on Quebec, on Oct. 16, 1890, and the
providential escape of the town from
surrender to Sir Hovenden Walkers