MONTREAL AND QUEBEC.
A tour from the West to the East which did not include a visit to the chief cities of Canada would be indeed incomplete. Hence, in the arrangement of summer excursions, the River St. Lawrence comprising a part of the trip, it is both easy and natural to embrace these points of interest.
Montreal is the metropolis of British North America. Its situation, both from a scenic and commercial point of view, renders it attractive to the tourist and prosperous as a business center. Its location is on an island in the St. Lawrence, at the base of Mt. Royal, which gives the city its name. The view of the city from the river, with the mountain in the background is beautiful and impressive, and when this is supplemented by the grand picture exhibited from the summit of the mountain, with the river and the Victoria Bridge in the distance, the observer is ready to exclaim, “Beautiful for situation!”
On arriving in Montreal, whether by boat or rail, the traveler is impressed with the idea that the entire population must indulge in riding, so numerous are the hackmen, or carters, as they are called, to be seen at every hotel, depot and landing. Their easy one or two-horse carriages are at your service for long or short trips, and their prices are very reasonable, being regulated by law. The fare from point to point within the city is twenty-five cents for one or two passengers, and fifty cents for three or four, although the usual custom of the driver is to charge twenty-five cents for each passenger, and collect it if he can. If you go outside the city limits, make a bargain in advance. In fact, there is safety in giving this rule a general application wherever you need the services of a hackman, and thereby always avoiding contention in settlement.
CITY OF MONTREAL, FROM THE RIVER.