GROUND PLAN OF THE SEMINARY OF MONTREAL
SEMINARY OF MONTREAL
Residence seigneuriale and curiate of the Gentleman of the Seminary. The erection of this residence dates from 1684. The principal side of the building faces partly on Notre Dame Street and Place d'Armes Square. It is ornamented by a clock (supposed to be the oldest in North America), which is regulated by a chronometer and kept perfect time. The building measures 178 feet front by 84 in depth.
In the meantime the Sulpicians administered the island as its seigneurs, though their duties as judges were gradually being undertaken by the king's officers. By order of the king, March 15, 1693, "Royal Justice" was established; a "juge royal" was appointed in the person of Jean Baptiste Migeon de Branssat, the nominee of the seminary, and chosen as a mark of respect to the seigneurs. Four procureurs postulants with minor officers were also appointed by the king to administer justice but there was still reserved to the seigneurs within their enclosures of the seminary and the St. Gabriel Farm the privileges of haute, moyenne et basse justice. Nine years later this decree was explained by an order of July, 1714, as not meant to take away basse justice from the ecclesiastics in the Isle of Montreal; in addition it explained that in future they shall have the same privilege in the newly established Côte St. Sulpice, the Iles Courcelles and their other dependencies. This was to allow the ecclesiastical seigneurs to create inferior judges for the recovery of debts, cens and rentes, fines, lods and ventes, and all the other rights and duties of feudal seigneurs, apart from the rights relinquished as above noted.
The market place was busy and prosperous. Owing to the great number of skins, the king, by a declaration of May 21, 1696, determined to limit the number of permissions to trade with the Indians and gave order to have delinquents condemned to the galleys. The number of beaver skins now being taken to France exceeded the demand and to avoid too large a quantity of inferior skins being sent, he gave orders that skins should not be sold outside of the public market. About this time, there was a general recall of officers, soldiers and coureurs de bois, and a great desire to concentrate the people in the chief settlements and to encourage the Indians to bring their peltries to Montreal.
The market place no doubt saw some strange sights. About 1695, in the official record sent home to France, "Relation of the most remarkable things," in that year, we are told that Frontenac once invited a band of Ottawas who came to trade at Montreal to roast an Iroquois "newly caught by the soldiers," but as they had hamstrung him to prevent his escape he bled to death before the torture began. Next spring Callières abandoned four Iroquois to be burned by the soldiers, habitants and Indian allies, in reprisal for the similar fate that befell two of the Sault Indians at Michillimackinac. (Callières to the minister, October 20, 1696.) This now seems cruel, but at the time it appeared necessary to thus impress the Iroquois with "the fear of the Lord." It was done all over the country and thought righteous. La Motte-Cardillac, writing on August 5, 1695, says: "If any more prisoners are brought me, I promise you that their fate will be no sweeter."