Picturesque Quebec : a sequel to Quebec past and present

by Sir J. M. Le Moine

Nor has Mr. de Gaspé, the author of the "Canadians of Old," thought it beneath his pen to indite an able disquisition on its origin, brimful of wealth for our antiquaries and a great deal more practical in its bearings than even Jonathan Oldbuck's great Essay on Castrametation. A Three Rivers antiquarian had attempted to establish that it was Ives Cholette who had been the sculptor of the statue in question, but our old friend (through the church registers—and through ancient and irrefutable records) showed it could neither be Ives Cholette, aged, in 1771, 10 years, nor his younger brother Hyacinthe, aged then but 8 years, who had designed this great work of art, but Cholette of another ilk. [345]

In these halycon days of old Quebec, free from municipal taxes, Fenian scares and labor strikes, when the practical joker [346] and mauvais sujets, bent on a lark, would occasionally take possession, after night-fall, of some of the chief city thoroughfares, and organize a masquerade, battering unmercifully with their heavy lanterns. Captain Pinguet's hommes de guêt,—the night patrol—long before Lord Durham's blue-coated "peelers" were thought of, the historic statue would disappear sometimes for days together; and after having headed a noisy procession, decorated with bonnet rouge and one of those antique camloteen cloaks which our forefathers used to rejoice in, it would be found in the morning grotesquely propped up, either in the centre of the old Upper Town market, or in the old Picote cemetery in Couillard street [347], in that fanciful costume (a three-storied sombrero, with eye-glass and dudeen) which rendered so piquant some of the former vignettes on the Union Bank notes. I can yet recall as one of the most stirring memories of my childhood, the concern, nay, vexation, of Quebecers generally when the "General" was missing on the 16th July, 1838, from his sacred niche in Palace street, and was subsequently triumphantly replaced by the grateful citizens,—rejuvenated, repainted, revarnished, with the best materials Halifax could furnish, the "General" having been brought there by the youngsters of the "Inconstant" frigate, Captain Pring, from Quebec. It would appear the roystering middies, having sacrificed copiously to the rosy god, after rising from a masonic dinner in the Albion Hotel, in Palace street, had noticed the "General" by the pale moonlight, looking very seedy, and considering that a sea voyage would set him up, had carried him on board. The General was driven down in a calèche by Colvin of St. Louis street—a carter—through Palace Gate, standing erect; the sentry presenting arms, as if he were saluting the officer of the night. He was safely introduced through a port-hole, the seaman of the watch, shaking his head knowingly, saying—"One of our swells pretty tight, I guess." From Halifax "General Wolfe" sailed for Bermuda—thence to Portsmouth, at both of which places he was jauntily set up as a signboard; a short time after he was re-shipped to Halifax, packed in a box, with his extended arm sawn off lying by his side. Fearing, however, the anger of the Quebec authorities, the "General" was painted afresh and returned by the "Unicorn" steamer, "Cape Douglas," which plied between the Lower Ports,—with the "Inconstants'" best regards to their Quebec friends, and best wishes for the General's health and safety.

The following extract from the journal of the venerable Jas. Thompson, the last survivor of Wolfe's army, who expired at the ripe age of 98 years—in 1830, throws light on this matter. This anecdote was reduced to writing, and by request forwarded by him to His Excellency the Earl of Dalhousie, through his A.D.C. and brother Col. Ramsay. "We had a loyal fellow in Quebec, one George Hipps, a butcher, who owned that house at the corner of Palace and John streets, still called 'Wolfe's Corner,' and as it happened to have a niche, probably for the figure of a saint, [348] he was very anxious to fill it up, and he thought he could have nothing better than a statue of General Wolfe; but he did not know how to set about getting one. At last he found out two French sculptors, who were brothers—of the name of Cholette, and asked me if I thought I could direct them how to make a likeness of the General in wood. I said I would, at all events, undertake it, and accordingly the Cholettes tried to imitate several sketches I gave them; but they made but a poor job of it after all; for the front face is no likeness at all, and the profile is all that they could hit upon. The body gives but a poor idea of the General, who was tall and straight as a rush. So that after my best endeavors to describe his person, and I knew it well, for which purpose I attended every day at their workshop which was in that house in St. Louis street where the Misses Napier are now (1828) residing, [349] and which is somewhat retired from the line of the street, the shop itself being on the projecting wing—I say that we made but a poor "General Wolfe" of it. It has been several times—the house being only one storey high—pulled down by mischievous persons and broken, and as often repaired by the several owners of the house; and, much to their credit be it spoken, it still keeps its ground, and I hope it will do so until the monument is finished. [350]

"I suppose that the original parts of the statue must be as rotten as a pear and would be mouldered away if it was not for their being kept so bedaubed with paint."

Note.—Officers of H.B.M. frigate "Inconstant," Capt. Pring: 1st Lieut. Hope; Lieutenants and other officers,—Sinclair, Erskine, Curtis, Connolly, Dunbar, McCreight, Sharpe, Stevens, Hankey, Shore, Barnard, West, Tonge, Prevost, Amphlett, Haggard, Tottenham, Maxfield, Paget, Kerr, Herbert, Jones, Montgomery. Mr. James was purser. L. de Tessier Prevost is now high in command, having distinguished himself in the Indian seas, capturing pirates: West and others are admirals, (1870).

[See page 197.]

2 Sept, 1796. VENTE D'UNE NEGRESSE PAR FRANCIS BELLET A TH. LEE

Pardevant le Notaire Public en la Province du Bas Canada, résidant à St- Denis sur la rivière et comté Richelieu, soussigné et témoins enfin nommés, fut présent Messire Louis Payet prêtre, Curé de la paroisse de St- Antoine au nord de la rivière Richelieu, lequel a constitué pour son procureur spécial M. François Bellet, capitaine de bâtiment, résidant en la ville de Québec, pour vendre pour et au nom du dit constituant et à son plus grand avantage qu'il pourra faire, une négresse d'environ trente et une années, appelée Rose, appartenant au dit constituant par achat devant M. J. Pierre Gautier, notaire à Montréal, en date du mois mars 1795, dont il s'oblige remettre l'expédition si besoin est à la première Réquisition, pour le prix et somme que le dit procureur en trouvera du reçu donner toute quittance valable et raisonable, approuvant d'avance comme alors, tout ce que ce dit procureur aura fait concernant la dite vente, ce fut ainsi fait et passé à St-Denis, étude du notaire soussigné, l'an mil sept cent quatre-vingt seize le deux de septembre avant midi présence des Srs. Charles Gariépy et Jean-Baptiste Gosselin au dit lieu, témoins à ce appellé, qui ont signé avec Messire Louis Payet et notaire soussigné, ainsi signé Charles Gariépy, Jean-Bte. Gosselin, L. Payet, Chs. Michaud Nre. Pc. à la minute des présentes demeurée en la Garde et possession du dit notaire soussigné.

CHS. MICHAUD.
Nre. Pc.

Par devant les notaires publics en la province du Bas Canada résidens à
Québec soussignés.