He Is Now An Aged Man, And His
Countenance Tells Of The "Love Which Looks Kindly, And The Wisdom Which
Looks Soberly, On All Things."
CHAPTER XIII.
The House of Commons - Canadian gallantry - The constitution - Mr. Hincks -
The ex-rebel - Parties and leaders - A street-row - Repeated disappointments
- The "habitans" - Their houses and their virtues - A stationary people -
Progress and its effects - Montmorenci - The natural staircase - The Indian
summer - Lorette - The old people - Beauties of Quebec - The John Munn - Fear
and its consequences - A gloomy journey.
One of the sights of Quebec - to me decidedly the most interesting one - was
the House of Assembly. The Legislature were burned out of their house at
Montreal, and more recently out of a very handsome one at Quebec - it is to
be hoped this august body will be more fortunate at Toronto, the present
place of meeting. The temporary place of sitting at Quebec seemed to me
perfectly adapted for the purposes of hearing, seeing, and speaking.
It is a spacious apartment, with deep galleries, which hold about five
hundred, round it, which were to Quebec what the Opera and the club-houses
are to London. In fact, these galleries were crowded every night; and
certainly, when I was there, fully one half of their occupants were
ladies, who could see and be seen. The presence of ladies may have an
effect in preventing the use of very intemperate language; and though it
is maliciously said that some of the younger members speak more for the
galleries than the house, and though some gallant individual may
occasionally step up stairs to restore a truant handkerchief or boa to the
fair owner, the distractions caused by their presence are very
inconsiderable, and the arrangements for their comfort are a great
reflection upon the miserable latticed hole to which lady listeners are
condemned in the English House of Commons.
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