src="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@48774@48774-h@images@p0012b.jpg" alt="" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}img"/>

Riviere Ste. Anne

The Vikings are believed to have had a fishing station at Gaspé in the tenth century, and it is almost certain that in the few following centuries Norman and Basque fishermen sailed up and down the waters of the St. Lawrence.

But early history, although interesting to those who would know something of the land in which they sojourn, is only a background for the natural beauty and other material features of the provinces. Beginning, therefore, with Quebec,—which although ocean-swept and geographically maritime, is not one of the Maritime Provinces,—and proceeding east, a brief survey is now made of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia inclusive of Cape Breton.

The Province of Quebec is highly diversified and mountainous, and full of ever-changing pictures of great beauty. Its eastern borders are famed for their fine highland scenery, picturesque lakes and romantic glens. In many parts the scenery is majestic, with everything on a grand scale; and the mountains, woods, lakes, rivers, precipices and waterfalls all combine to make the country one of the grandest in the world. Canada’s beautiful Mediterranean, the noble St. Lawrence, traverses the province from south-west to north-east, and receives as tributaries the great rivers Ottawa, Richelieu, St. Maurice and the Saguenay, as well as a multitude of other rivers of considerable size.

“What river is this?”.....asked Cartier of his Indian pilot, when first he sailed over the broad expanse of the St. Lawrence. With impressive dignity came the reply, “A river that has no end.” How apt this conception was is apparent when we remember that in its widest sense—for the great lakes are but river beds of the Ice Age—the St. Lawrence system is over 2200 miles long.

It is interesting to remember that all the early navigators sailed up the St. Lawrence with the hope of thus reaching China and the Indies. It was this quest for a direct western seaway to the Orient that led to the discovery of the North American continent. Indeed, in Roman times and many centuries before the Norse discovery of a thousand years ago, Iberian shipping, bound west, is believed to have reached the St. Lawrence as far as Tadousac and the Saguenay River. All of these daring navigators believed that the Western shores reached by them were the bold headlands of the Asiatic continent.

The value of Cabot’s discovery of the Western continent in early days—or the niggardly character of the ‘royal’ Henry—may be inferred from the following entry in the expenditure account, for the year 1497, still to be seen in the British Museum: “August 10th........To hyme that founde the new Isle........£10.”

The great Champlain, in his search for a western waterway to China, penetrated as far as the lake in the State of New York that now bears his name.

There is such a wealth of scenic beauty in the Province of Quebec, and such a delightful, old-time life is found in its many quaint villages, that a tour in any part of the province is full of very pleasant surprises. Without much imagination you may believe you are in a province of Old France. Thoreau, the naturalist, thought it appeared as old as Normandy itself, enabling him to realize much that he had heard of Europe and the Middle Ages. When you leave the United States you travel in company with the saints, for the names of villages such as St. Fereol, Ste. Anne, The Guardian Angel, and of mountains such as Belange and St. Hyacinthe are all along your route. The names “reel with the intoxication of poetry”—Chambly, Longueuil, Pointe aux Trembles, Bartholomy, etc. Like Thoreau you will “dream of Provence and the Troubadours.”

The beauties of Tadousac, and the grandeur of the “Dread Saguenay, where eagles soar”—will be of deep interest to all who reach Rivière du Loup on the opposite shore by Intercolonial Railway, and who cross over on the steamships of the Trans-St. Laurent Company.

There are few places in the world where such a delightful trip of two-and-a-half hours can be taken across a great waterway. Probably the best view of the whole north shore is that seen from here. The blue water, the gorgeous clouds, the great mountain ranges and the ‘tang’ of the sea air will ever be remembered.

Picturesque Tadousac,—with its delightful life—the tremendous chasms of the Saguenay, the majestic capes, the noble mountain stream of the Chicoutimi, the great lake of St. John, and the perpendicular cliffs and roaring rapids of the Marguerite; all show nature in her grandest aspect.

All along the south shore of the St. Lawrence are numerous pleasant summer resorts; and from Rivière Ouelle Junction on the Intercolonial Railway the train may be taken to the riverside wharf from whence the steamship Champlain makes a pleasant trip to the trio of splendid resorts on the north shore: Murray Bay with its sublime Alpine scenery, rugged Cap à l’Aigle, and charming St. Irénée.

And then Quebec, the old-world city, the capital of the province, the historic centre of Canada and all America, the city of Wolfe and Montcalm! Surely the thought of her glories brings a flush of pride to the faces of French and British alike. No city in all America is more famous than this.

Seen from the river, Quebec is noble, grand, and superb. Its cupolas, minarets, steeples and battlements give it the appearance of an Oriental city. Some find here a resemblance to Angoulême, Innspruck and Edinburgh; and the surrounding scenery has been likened to the unsurpassed views of the Bosphorus. The whole prospect of mountain, river and citadel-capped city cannot be surpassed in any part of the world.

The great interest excited by a near approach to the old capital is heightened as one steps ashore, thrilled by the novelty and beauty of all the surroundings. It is a city of striking contrasts; and full of the