My Mother Was Gifted With A Remarkable Memory, And
Recollected Well Having Herself Seen Captain Nelson, When In 1782,
He Commanded At Quebec The Sloop-Of-War Albemarle.
"He was erect,
stern of aspect and wore, as was then customary, the queue
or pigtail," she often repeated.
Her idea of the Quebec young lady
to whom he had taken such a violent fancy, was that her name was
Woolsey - an aunt or elder sister, perhaps, of the late John W.
Woolsey, Esq., President for some years of the Quebec Bank, who
died in 1852, at a very advanced age. According to her, it was a
Mr. Davidson who prevented the imprudent marriage contemplated.
As to the doings of the press gangs in the Lower Town and suburbs,
I can speak from what I saw more than once. Impressing seamen
lasted at Quebec from 1807, until after the battle of Waterloo.
The terror these sea-faring gentlemen created was great. I
remember a fine young fellow who refused to surrender, being shot
through the back with a holster pistol and dying of the wound,
this was in 1807. I can name the following as being seized by
press gangs * * * * * Soon ruses were resorted to by the gay
fellows who wandered after night fall in quest of amusement in the
highways and byways. Her Majesty's soldiers were, of course,
exempt of being impressed into the naval service; so, that our
roving city youths would either borrow coats, or get some made,
similar to the soldiers', to elude the press gang. These ruses
were, however, soon stopped, the press gang, having secured the
services of two city constables, Rosa and - - - , who could spot
every city youth and point out the counterfeits.
R. URQUHART.
Quebec, 1st August, 1876.
Parallel with St. Peter street, runs Notre Dame street, which leads us to
the little Church of the Lower Town, named Notre Dame de la Victoire, in
remembrance of the victory achieved in 1690 over Sir William Phipps. This
church was, at a later period, called "Notre Dame des Victoires," in
commemoration of the dispersion by a storm of Admiral Walker's squadron,
in 1711. Bishop Laval had projected the erection of this modest little
church, but the building of it was performed in 1688, under the auspices
of his successor, Bishop St. Vallier, out of funds provided by the Lower
Town ladies. The corner of these streets (St. Peter and Sous-le-Fort
streets) is probably the site of the "Abitation," close to the walks and
garden plots where Champlain cultivated roses and carnations, about the
year 1615.
Fronting the Church of "Notre Dame des Victoires," and on the site now
occupied as Blanchard's Hotel, the ladies of the Ursulines, in 1639, found
a refuge in a humble residence, a sort of shop or store, owned at that
period by the Sieur Juchereau des Chatelets, at the foot of the path
(sentier), leading up to the mountain (foot of Mountain street), and
where the then Governor, M. de Montmagny, as is related, sent them their
first Quebec meal.
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