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The journey from
Quebec to Montreal may be made by three different routes:—(1) By the
Canadian Pacific Railway along the north shore of the St. Lawrence;
(2) by the Grand Trunk Railway on the other side of the river; and
(3) by the very fine saloon boats passing between the two cities.
Saloon passengers on the ocean liners also have the privilege of
going up in them to Montreal.
There is very
little difference in the journey by the two railways. The distance
is much the same, and there is little difference in the scenery on
the two sides of the river, but the country on the south shore is
perhaps the older settled part of the Province. Everywhere may be
seen the long narrow farms of the inhabitants, and here and there
the villages, in which the churches are always conspicuous objects.
The style of farming adopted by tho French-Canadians is not of a
very high class, but immense improvement has been witnessed in the
last few years. This result is largely attributable to the efforts
of the Agricultural Department, and to the formation of agricultural
societies and clubs, to which the clergy have given every
encouragement. The dairying industry has made rapid strides in the
last decade, and cheese factories and creameries are now to be found
in every part of the Province. In fact, the export of agricultural
produce is now the most important part of the trade of Quebec, and
is still growing. Not only butter and cheese, but pork, bacon, eggs,
and hay, are now sent away in large quantities, and the cattle
shipments have also expanded. The principal town along the north
shore is Throe Rivers, at the mouth of the River St. Maurice, the
head of the tideway of the St. Lawrence. It has some manufactures,
is the headquarters of an important lumbering business, and its
inhabitants number about 9,000. By the Grand Trunk line there is
nothing special to note either in the way of scenery or of towns,
but there are innumerable villages, and the railway passes through a
part of the Eastern townships—the English speaking part of the
Province. Gradually, however, the English settlers are removing from
the district, and their places are being taken by French-Canadians.
The journey by river is perhaps more comfortable than the others, as
the boats are good both in their commissariat and in their
accommodation, but as they travel by night they do not afford much
opportunity of viewing tho scenery excepting in the long summer
days, when the evening goes far into the night and the morning sun
rises early. By the ocean steamers the trip is made chiefly in the
daylight, and is therefore very enjoyable. It is not so very long
ago that the river between Quebec and Montreal was limited to
vessels of 11-feet draught, but, owing to the enterprise of
Montreal, aided by the Provincial and Dominion Governments, as
mentioned in a former letter, the largest steamers can now moor
alongside the five miles of wharves in that city.
Montreal is the
commercial metropolis of Canada, and boasts of a population of
250,000. The inhabitants consist of French and English-speaking
Canadians in about equal proportions, but the trade is largely in
the hands of the latter. As a city, it has made wonderful strides in
the last ten years. It is not long ago since it seemed to be a
typical colonial city, with fine buildings alongside very inferior
ones, and indifferent roads and “ side-walks.” But things have
changed rapidly, and it now has all the solidity and stability of a
large English town. In fact, it may safely be said that there is no
town in the United Kingdom, with double its population, that has so
many fine buildings, residential and commercial; and its electric
tramway system is most convenient in every way. Then, again, the
roads are good, although the tram lines rather interfere with the
other traffic, and the side-walks are very much better than they
used to be. Altogether, Montreal has a very prosperous look, and no
wonder its citizens are proud of it, although they have had to pay
for the improvements to which we have referred. There are any number
of fine churches of various denominations in the city—it has,
indeed, been called the city of churches. If we remember rightly, it
was Mark Twain who said that one could not throw a brick in Montreal
without hitting a church window. Let us hope that its worthy
citizens profit by their surroundings in this respect. Everyone has
heard of the Montreal educational institutions, which are both
numerous and of high class—the McGill University having a world-wide
reputation. There are several hospitals, among them being the
General Hospital, and the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, the latter
erected and endowed by the generosity of Lord Mount-Stephen and Sir
Donald Smith.
The site of
Montreal is a beautiful one in every way. It fronts the River St.
Lawrence, and the leading streets range in terraces up the gentle
slope which starts from the river-side, and culminates in what is
known as the “Mountain.” This elevation is about 800 feet high, and
houses are to be found probably about half-way up. The upper part of
the Mountain is covered with trees of various kinds, and in summer
is a beautiful sight; but it is in the autumn that it is at its
best, as the different colours of the foliage form a picturesque
background to the city, which must be seen to be realised. The view
from the top of the Mountain are both extensive and grand, and
hardly a visitor goes to Montreal without spending some hours there. |
