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A day or two can be
passed very pleasantly in Quebec, and the surrounding district.
There is scarcely a foot which is not historic ground, and is not
consecrated by well-established fact or tradition to the memory of
deeds of heroism, of instances of undying piety and faith, from the
scene of Champlain’s landing in the lower town, to found his infant
colony, to the world-renowned Plains of Abraham above, where Wolfe
died to gain, and Montcalm shed his blood in a vain endeavour to
save, the half of a continent. The ordinary tourist will find his
stay in the Gibraltar of America far too brief to enable him to
“take in” all the attractions of the city and its environs, its many
historic localities, its churches and convents, its University, with
its valuable collection of old paintings, and well-equipped library
and museum, and the many beautiful drives and excursions by rail and
steamboat to the Falls of Montmorency, Lorette, La Bonne Ste. Anne,
Levis, New Liverpool, St. Joseph, and the Island of Orleans.
Quebec stands at
the natural head of ocean navigation, but, thanks to the energy and
enterprise of the Montrealers, assisted as they have been by the
Government, a channel with 27½ feet of water has been made to that
city, and the largest ocean-going vessels can now moor alongside the
streets of Montreal. This has led to much of the Atlantic trade
going beyond Quebec; but all the facilities for an immense business
exist, and there is splendid railway accommodation for distribution
purposes. There are immense docks, with abundant sidings, and
railway lines, modern cranes, warehouses, and a dry dock; and it is
disappointing to see that all these advantages remain dormant and
unutilised. Quebeckers are, however, expecting great things from the
new fast service, the terminus of which will, they hope, be their
own city. If this is brought about, it will do much to revive the
fallen commercial glories of the place.
Visitors to Quebec
should not depart without making the trip down the Saguenay.
Formerly to do this it was necessary to take the steamer to
Chicoutimi, and return the same way. By the construction of the Lake
St. John Railway and its extensions it is now possible to go by
railway from Quebec to Chicoutimi (calling at Roberval), taking the
steamer at that place for Quebec —a very pleasant and entertaining
round trip. For a part of the way the line to Roberval runs through
a fairly settled country, dotted with the neat homesteads of the
French-Canadians, who appear to be a thriving, contented, and happy
community. Village after village is passed; and then the track
commences to ascend the Laurentian range of mountains, the Canadian
Adirondacks, through picturesque scenery, hilly and wooded, with any
number of torrents and streams and lakes, all said to swarm with
fish. In fact, it is a sportsman’s Paradise. Fishing and sporting
clubs have their club-houses at various noted places, and many a
happy week is spent there by the fagged citizens of Quebec,
Montreal, and even of American cities. Just before reaching Chambord
Junction, the changing place for Roberval, the country opens out
again, patches of cultivation are seen, and the grand Lake of St.
John comes into view. Roberval is only a short distance away, and
its most comfortable summer hotel is largely patronised from June to
October. It occupies a splendid position on the shores of the lake,
with grand views of the lake and of the surrounding country. "Very
pleasant excursions may be made from Roberval, especially for those
who want to angle for the lively Ounaniche—a kind of land-locked
salmon, a fish which gives great sport. There are also many drives
and rides, one of the most delightful being that to the Falls of the
Ouiatchouan, the outlet of Lake Bouchette. The waters leap over a
rocky precipice to near the level of the lake, not far from its
south-western angle. The falls are 230 feet in height, and form a
grand picture, the water being lashed into foam against the
projecting rocks. North of Roberval, along the main roads, there is
a good deal of settlement, and the country appears to be developing.
Barley, oats, and hay seem to be the leading crops, but a large
number of cattle are raised, and the dairy industry is
extending—cheese factories and creameries being seen along the
highways here and there. There is a quaintness about these villages
and the people which requires to bo seen to be appreciated.
All along the
railway, from Roberval to Chicoutimi, the country is of the same
character. About four miles before reaching the town, the first view
of the River of Death, as Bayard Taylor calls the Saguenay, is
obtained, and it lies 300 feet below the line. Three miles further
on, the train crosses a bridge 60 feet high, over a picturesque
ravine, through which the Chicoutimi River rushes on its way to join
the Saguenay. The trip down the river to Tadousac—68 miles —is not
easy to describe. It is difficult to find words to express in any
adequate way the grandeur of the scene. Professor Roberts says:—“The
Saguenay can hardly be called a river. It is rather a stupendous
chasm, from one to two and a-half miles in width, doubtless of
earthquake origin, cleft for 65 miles through the high Laurentian
plateau. Its walls are an almost unbroken line of naked cliffs of
syenite and gneiss. Its depth is many hundred feet greater than that
of the St. Lawrence; indeed, if the St. Lawrence were drained dry,
all the fleets of the world might float in the abyss of the
Saguenay, and yet find anchorage in only a few places.” The Indian
name of the river is Pitchitonichez, but as to how it is pronounced
the reader must form his own conclusion. Everybody has heard of Ha!
Ha! Bay, and Capes Trinity and Eternity. From Cape Eternity to
Tadousac the scenery is of the most sublime grandeur. The river is
just sufficiently winding and indented with bays to cause a new
panorama of splendour to open out as each immense cape is rounded.
From Tadousac to Quebec we are on the familiar St. Lawrence again. |
