Le courrier du livre, 1 janvier 1899, Janvier

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales Québec Le Courrier du Livre Page(s) manquante(s) ou non-numérisée(s) Veuillez vous informer auprès du personnel de BAnQ en utilisant le formulaire de référence à distance, qui se trouve en ligne : https://www.banq.qc.ca/formulaires/formulaire reference/index.html ou par téléphone 1-800-363-9028 A SONG WRITTEN THE 1ST JANUARY, 1776, THE DAY AFTER THE ATTACK OF QUEBEC BY THE REBELS (1).TUNE KILLYCRANKY I While (f) Whitehead sings each New-Year’s Ode As stupid as the last, Sir, Be mine the Talk to change the Mode And sing the Year that’s past, Sir.Inspir’d by (*) Sack still let him write, And court vile Adulation, While I can scribble and can fight I envy not his Station.II Come then, my Muse, record the Day, A Day we’ll aye remember, Our Fears were banish’d far away The last Day of December : A Rebel Rout by Arnold led Thought to surprise our City, But soon the dastard Scoundrel fled He fled—and more the Pity.Ill Yet blame we not what Fate ordains ’Tis our’s to pray and hope, Sir, That Heav’n,*in justice to his Sins, Reserves him for a Rope, Sir.(I) From the Quebec Gazette, August 2.’, 1776.(f) Paul Whitehead Esq ; Poet Lauréat.(*) A Butt of Sack in Ins yearly Perquisite.Le Courrier du Livre, Vol.Ill, No 33 284 LE COURRIER DU LIVRE Ye poor deluded Wretches say What Motives urg’d you on so, From House and Home thus far to stray Thro’ Ways almost unknown too.IV Great Pity ’twas ye did not see The Congress meant to mock ye ; How could ye meanly stoop to be Commanded by a Jockey ?’Tis not a Name creates Respect, And spite of Hancock's Will, Sir, Arnold a Col’nel at Quebec Is a Horse-Jockey still, Sir.Y In either View the Villain place This Truth I’ll boldly venture, To mankind he’s a foul disgrace, As such then — Caveat Emptor.Then come, my Friends, the Strain repeat, And still this Day remember While ev’ry Year we’ll celebrate The last Day of December.Note___We reprint this curious piece of poetry, not for its intrinsic value, hut to give an idea of the spirits which animated the Loyalists of the time.Who will give us the name of the author of that song which written to he sing on the tune of Killy cranky? LE COURRIER DU LIVRE 285 THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM The prevalent anxiety in regard to .the future of the Plains of Abraham has been admirably voiced by the Literary and Historical Society, which, at a recent meeting, adopted the following resolutions : 1.That the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec views with deep concern, the period in a near future, when the ninety-nine years lease of the Plains of Abraham, to the Dominion Government, will expire, lest the same should be divided and sold in building lots, as calculated to yield the proprietors a larger return than derived from the present lease.2.That such an untoward event would obliterate this sacred and famous site, deprive the citizens of Quebec of the prestige the historic battle-field, moistened by the blood of the two heroic leaders, Wolfe and Montcalm, leuds the Ancient Capital, and do away with one of Quebec’s most attractive scenes for visitors from every land.3.That a copy of the above be duly forwarded to the Government of this Dominion, to the Government of this Province, to the leading Historical Societies of Canada, asking for their co-operation, and to the English and French Press of this Province.Soon after the interference of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, the following resolution was adopted by the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa, of which Lady Laurier is Plonorary President : That, whereas it is, in the opinion of this Society, a matter of national importance that the Plains of Abraham shall be preserved unaltered, this Society protests against any disposal of them which shall not maintain these historical grounds intact, in the interests of loyal and patriotic generations to come.” 286 LE COURRIER DU LIVRE It has been suggested that the Plains of Abraham should he turned out into an international park.Dr.J.M.Harper, of Quebec, has set forth that proposition lately in the Toronto Mail and Empire.“ The moving of the waters, he says, which has drawn the attention of Canadians to the possible disaster of having the Plains of Abraham submerged in the present progressiveness of the city of Quebec has much or little in it as a public movement, according to the standpoint from which it may be viewed.If the intersecting of a portion of the famous battlefield (which has for so many years somewhat erroneously taken to itself the name of Plains of Abraham) with streets and building lots, and the paraphernalia of country residences, is to be taken as a serious disaster, then such a disaster has already befallen the Plains of Abraham, since much of the grounds where the shock of the battle and the final root took place has already been intersected with streets and partly built upon.And as far as calling such an extension of the city of Quebec a desecration, there may he much more serious desecrations than that in some of the gatherings at present tolerated on the grounds referred to, and about which there never has been a word said by clergyman or historian.But disaster or no disaster, desecration or no desecration, any enterprise that vould lead to the adornment of this portion of the Ancient Capital in commemoration of the great quarrel between Great Britain and France —in commemoration of the peace that had for its object the blending of French and English-Canadians into one people, one federation, one nation—cannot but be worthy of commendation.“ An effort was made some years ago to adorn as a city park the large field go long known as the Plains of Abraham, but the undertaking failed to mature, possibly on account of the expense involved ; and, as I have said in writing elsewhere about this matter, unless a wider scope be given to any future enterprise in this direction, it is more than likely that nothing will again come of it.In the hope that something will be done, and that immediately, I would suggest that * LE COURRIER DU LIVRE 287 instead of making the little bit of the Plains of Abraham that has so long usurped a name that rightly belongs to the plateau from the city walls to Wolfe’s cove—instead of making this so-called Plains of Abraham a city park, I would suggest an international park be arranged for, extending from the Citadel to the steep where Wolfe gained footing on the great area whereon the long continuing quarrel between the two greatest powers in Europe at the time was to be fought out.Part of this territory, the finest in the world for such a purpose, has already been surveyed by Mr.Taché, the Deputy Minister of Crown Lands, and as far as the plans prepared by that gentleman indicate, there can be no difficulty in starting from the cove fields and extending the great international work along the river, even beyond the field now known as the Plains of Abraham.Such a park would form the finest international undertaking of the kind ever seen, and the reason for doing something in this direction seems to be imminent.“ Indeed, the time is a fitting one, historically speaking, for the inauguration of any movement that would tend to the unifying of the sympathies between Great Britain, the United States, and Canada, and such a magnificent tribute to the spirit of the times as that I have suggested would become a permanent peace token—a consummation, possibly, of the labours of the Washington International Commission, whose negotiations were first and auspiciously opened at Quebec last summer.And when I urge this, as an international movement, I feel that there is not likely to be any difficulty in enlisting the sympathies and pecuniary assistance in favour of the scheme from our brethren the people of the United States, for their fellow-countryman General Richard Montgomery, lnet the death which no true soldier ever refuses to meet, near by at the foot of the rock on which the Citadel stands.A desire to build a monument to Montgomery has already been expressed by several Americans who have visited the scene of his death, and I have no doubt that subscription lists opened in London, England, and Montreal or Toronto, to meet the expense of laying out the proposed park, would be readily supplemented by one 288 LE COURRIER DU LIVRE opened in Washington or ISTew York.As I have already-said, this is a season of international peace-offering and unifying forbearance between two of the greatest nations in the world, and the new international park at Quebec might be made a happily-conceived emblem of peace in its commemoration of the disasters of war.” This proposition should meet with the approval of all interested.JOURNAL OF COL.RUDOLPHUS RITZEMA AUGUST 8-1775 TO MARCH 30-1776 (From the original in the Collection of the New York Historical Society) (Continued) November ye 1st.— Our Gun & Mortar Battery on this side was opened, consisting of four 12 Pounders & six Royals which together with the four Gun Battery on the East side kept up an incessant Eire on the Fort all Day, which did great Execution & knocked every Thing in the Fort to Shatters.—In the Evening General Montgomery sent a Flagg to the Fort with a Letter to Major Preston by one of the Prisoners taken by Colonel Warner informing him of Carleton’s Defeat & that he had now no longer Reason to flatter himself with Relief from that Quarter, & that therefore to prevent the further Effusion of Blood which a needless & obstinate Defence would cause, especially as we had LE COURRIER DU LIVRE been informed by Deserters of the Scanty State of Provisions in the Garrison, he demanded a Surrender of the Fort,—The Mayor in Return to the General’s Message, sent Capt.Stewart of the 26th with a Drum into our Camp, that the General should have an Answer to his Letter in the Morning —that in the mean Time Hostilities should’cease on both Sides.November ye '2nd.—Capt Stewart of the 26th and Capt Williams of the Royal Train came about Eight o’Clock in the Morning into our Camp with an Answer from Major Preston to General Montgomery’s Letter demanding to wait four Days to see whether no Relief would come to them in that Time, if not, that then they would make Proposals for a Surrender—To this the General replied that from the advanced Season, &c he could not give the Time required & that the Garrison mast immediately surrender Prisoners of War, otherwise, if any fatal Consequences should ensue from their obstinacy that they must charge themselves with it— The General also referred them for the Truth of Carleton’s Defeat to another Prisoner on Board of our Sloop—& informed them that whenever they choose to recommence Hostilities they should give the Signal by tiring a Cannon without ball.« At îsToon the same Gentlemen returned to our Camp with the Articles of Capitulation, some of which were agreed to & others rejected or amended, the sum of which was that the Garrison should march out of the Fort with the Honours of War, lay down their Arms on the Plain South of the Fort and be Prisoners of War, the Warlike Stores &c to belong to the Continent—& that Possession of the Fort should be given to Morrow morning at 8 o’Clock—this was agreed by the Garrison and accepted of. 290 LE COURRIER DU LIVRE November ye 3rd.—Detachments from all the Corps in the Army under the Command of Major Dimond took Possession of the Fort—& the Prisoners embarked in Batteaux for Ticonderoga—The 7th & 26th Regiment with about 50 Canadian Volunteers made Prisonners amounting in the whole to about* 700 Mem, two Schooners & a large number of Batteaux & Indian Canoes with a Great Quantity of Warlike Stores & a good Park of Artillery, among which is 14 Brass Field Pieces & 2 Brass 24 Pounders, 2 Brass Howitzers & 20 Mortars &c.November ye 5th.—Marched from St.Johns to Laprairie— —here the Army remained till November ye 11th.—When general Montgomery with Waterbury’s the Second & Fourth Regiment of Yorkers crossed the River St.Lawrence to Isle St Paul.November ye 13th.—The General with a Detachment of the Army entered into Montreal—there was no Resistance made—General Carleton with his Soldiers, Scotch Emigrants, and French Tories, having made his Escape the Night before on Board of Eleven Vessels, with Intention to reach Quebec.November ye 14^.—Our Regiment came into Montreal.This Week the General employed in new modelling the Army & in permitting such as were desirous of returning to their Homes lo do it—most of the New England Men embraced the Opportunity—a few under the Command of General Wooster only remaining—The Yorkers in general resolved to see an End of the Campaign.Also employed in new & warm cloathing the Men who are to remain.—The General received several Expresses from Col.Arnold that he had invested Quebec — That the Enemy had burnt the Suburbs of St Johns—That the City was in an ill State to make a long Defence. LE COURRIER DU LIVRE 291 November ye 19th.—An Express from Col Easton at the Sorrel where he had erected an Eight Gun Battery, that he had obliged Governor Carleton with his Vessels to retire up the River.November ye 2Oth.—Carleton made his Escape in the Night down the River—The same Day the Fleet surrendered to us on the Terms granted to the Garrison of St.Johns—Among the Prisoners are General Prescott, Major Campbell, St Luke La Corne, Capts Frazier & Anstruther, Tom Gambol & Major Hughes with 500 Soldiers & Canadians — The Enemy destroyed the Powder on board the Vessels—there were an immense Quantity of Stores on Board the Vessels.November ye 22nd.—Prescott with his Officers & men, landed from on Board the Vessels without the market Gate & laid down their Arms—& were immediately sent across the River to Lapraire in order to proceed to New England.November ye 28th.—The six months for which the men of our Regiment were enlisted being nearly expired, agreable to general orders they were enlisted anew to the 15th of April next, General Montgomery appointed me full Colonel of the Regiment.—General Montgomery embarked for Quebec : He took with him, on Board the Gaspee Sloops of war and the Mary Schooner, Part of Capt Lamb’s Artillery Company—Cheesman’s & Weisenf'els’ Companies of my Regiment—one Company of the second & two of the third Regiment.He also took with him four field Pieces & six mortars; the Cannon, mortars, Shells, Shot & Powder were to meet him at the Sorrel from Chamblee—just before the General embarked he informed me that I was to remain at Montreal at the Request of General Wooster to assist him in the Duty of the Garrison. I 292 LE COURRIER DU LIVRE December ye lsh—Major Zedwitz with Mott’s, Yarick’s