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The Scot in New France (1535-1880)


the protection of that Irish saint, O’Toole. If I mistake not, Mr. Bellerose, the member for Laval, can trace back his pedigree to our friend Jack Hussey, from Dublin.

Thus also we find Jean Baptiste Reil, married at Isle du Pads, on the 21st January, 1704; he is surnamed "Sansouci," which we may translate either "careless" or "De’il may care" as we please; this " Reil" is described in the Register as having been a native of St. Peter’s Parish, in the City of Limerick, in Ireland; from the closeness of the dates, 1698 and 1704, from the singular nick-name (sansouci) he bore with his comrades, and from the consonance, "Riel" and Rielly, I should be inclined to think that our Isle du Pads friend was Jack Rielly, the de’il-may-care, all the way from Limerick, and that he must have taken and given some hard knocks under Sarsfield. This "Riel" or Rielly, as he should be called, is the direct ancestor of "Louis Riel" of Red River fame; and this fact may serve to account for the close friendship subsisting between Riel and O’Donohoe."—(O’Farrell’s Address, 1872.)

It only remains to our antiquarian confrere to present Senator Bellerose and Louis Riel, with a shamrock on each St. Patrick’s Day, so that they may not forget their newly fledged nationality.

Another of Cartier’s companions rejoices in the name of "Michel Herué," this mightily sounds in our ears like Michael Harvey, one of the Murray Bay Harveys, of Major Nairn; amidst these now silent and shadowy discoverers of 1535, several names impress us as not being French. None remained in Canada, except those whom scurvy or accidental death struck down in their ice-bound quarters at Stadaconé,—opposite to where our city now stands.

Did any, and if so, how many hail from the Highlands or Lowlands of "auld Scotia "? Would you be surprised to find, in the days of Champlain, a full fledged Scot—an extensive landed proprietor—the father of a large family?

Who has not heard of the King’s St. Lawerence pilot— Abraham Martin dit l’Ecossais? "Abraham Martin alias


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