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| Note: | Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries. See https://archive.org/details/montrealunderthe02atheuoft Project Gutenberg has the other volume of this work. Volume I: see http://www.gutenberg.org/files/47809/47809-h/47809-h.htm |
MONTREAL1535-1914UNDER BRITISH RULE1760-1914
ByWILLIAM HENRY ATHERTON, Ph. D.
Qui manet in patria et patriam cognoscere temnit Is mihi non civis, sed peregrinus erit
VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANYMONTREAL VANCOUVER CHICAGO1914
PREFACE
The history of “Montreal Under British Rule” is the “Tale of TwoCities”, of a dual civilization with two main racial origins, twomentalities, two main languages, and two main religions. It isthe story of two dominant races growing up side by side under thesame flag, jealously preserving their identities, at some timesmistrusting one another, but on the whole living in marvelousharmony though not always in unison, except on certain welldefined common grounds of devotion to Canada and the Empire, andof the desire of maintaining the noble traditions and the steadyprogress of their city.
Montreal of today is a cosmopolitan city, but it ispreponderatingly French-Canadian in its population. This factmakes it necessary to give especial attention to the history oftwo-thirds of the people. There has, therefore, been an effort inthese pages, while recognizing this, to respect the rights of theminority, and open-handed justice has been observed.
The position of a dispassionate onlooker has been taken as faras possible in the narration of the domestic struggles in theupbuilding of the city through the crucial turnstiles of Canadianhistory under British rule—the Interregnum, the establishmentof civil government, the Quebec act, the Constitutional act,the Union, and the Confederation. This attitude of equipoise,while disappointing to partisans, has been justified if it helpsto present an unbiased account of different periods of historyand serves to maintain the city’s motto of “Concordia Salus”—adoctrine which has been upheld throughout this work. Tout savoirc’est tout pardonner.
Charles Dickens in his visit to Montreal in 1842 observed thatit was a “heart-burning town.” There is no need to renew theoccasion for such a title in the city of today.
It only re