An Enterprise Of Almost
Sublime Nature; Very Great, If It Can Succeed.
The cliffs all beset to
his left hand; Montcalm, in person, guarding Quebec with his main
strength.
Wolfe silently descends; mind made up; thoughts hushed quiet into one
great thought; in the ripple of the perpetual waters, under the grim
cliffs and the eternal stars. Conversing, with his people, he was
heard to recite some passages of Gray's Elegy, lately come out
to those parts; of which, says an ear-witness, he expressed his
admiration in an enthusiastic degree: 'Ah, these are tones of the
Eternal Melodies, are not they? A man might thank heaven had he such a
gift; almost as we might for succeeding here, gentlemen!'
Next morning (Thursday, 13th September, 1759), Wolfe, with his 5.000,
is found to have scrambled up some woody neck in the height, which was
not quite precipitous; has trailed one cannon with him, the seamen
busy bringing up another; and by ten of the clock, stands ranked (just
somewhat in the Frederick way, though on a small scale); ready at all
points for Montcalm, but refusing to be over-ready. Montcalm on first
hearing of him, had made haste: Oui, je les vois ou ils ne doivent
pas etre; je vais les ecraser (to smash them)!" said he, by way of
keeping his people in heart. And he marches up beautifully skilful,
neglecting none of his advantages. His numerous Canadian
sharpshooters, preliminary Indians in the bushes, with a provoking
fire. 'Steady!' orders Wolfe; 'from you, not one shot till they are
within thirty yards!' And Montcalm, volleying and advancing, can get
no response, more than from Druidic stones; till at thirty yards, the
stones become vocal - and continued so at a dreadful rate; and in a
space of seventeen minutes, have blown Montcalm's regulars, and their
second in command, and their third into ruin and destruction. In about
seven minutes more the army was done 'English falling on with bayonet,
Highlanders with claymore'; fierce pursuit, rout total - and Quebec and
Canada as good as finished. The thing is yet well known to every
Englishman; and how Wolfe himself died in it, his beautiful death."
ELM GROVE.
Elm Grove, until recently owned, though not inhabited, by the Marquise de
Bassano, will be familiar to many, from having been the residence during
the summer of 1878, of His Holiness the Pope's Apostolic Ablegate - Bishop
Conroy.
This eminent prelate, prematurely struck down by death at Newfoundland, in
the midst of his mission of peace and good will to all men spent many
busy, let us hope pleasant, hours in this cool retreat.
The plantation of elms from which this seat takes its name, together with
other trees, conceals the dwelling so entirely from the road, that unless
by entering the grounds no idea can be formed of their beauty and extent;
amidst the group of trees there is one of lordly dimensions, in the centre
of the garden. The new dwelling at Elm Grove is a stately, substantial
structure; its internal arrangement and heating apparatus, indicate
comfort and that bien-etre for which Quebec homes are proverbial. A
winding, well-wooded approach leads up to the house from the porter's
lodge and main road. From the upper windows an extensive view of
Charlesbourg, Lorette, Beauport, Point Levi and surrounding parishes may
be obtained.
Elm Grove, owned for many years by John Saxton Campbell, Esq., was
purchased in 1856 by J. K. Boswell, Esq., who resided there for nearly
twenty years. John Burstall, Esquire, late of Kirk Ella, has within a few
months acquired it from Madame la Marquise de Bassano, and it bids fair
ere long to take its place among the first and best kept country seats in
the environs of the city.
THORNHILL.
".....let us pierce into the midnight depth
Of yonder grove, of wildest, largest growth,
That, forming high in air a woodland quire,
Nods o'er the mount beneath"
There is a peculiar feature noticeable about Quebec country seats which
speaks volumes for their attractiveness as healthy and pleasant retreats;
not only have they been at all times sought after by wealthy and permanent
residents, Canadian born, but also by men of European birth, holding for
the time being the highest position in the country, both under the French
and under the English monarchs. Thus the celebrated Intendant Talon was
the first owner of Belmont; Intendant Bigot had his luxurious chateau at
Charlesbourg; Attorney General Ruette D'Auteuil used, near two centuries
back, to spend his summer months at Sillery, where, later on, Bishop
Dosquet, a French ecclesiastic, had his pretty villa at Samos (Woodfield).
Vaudreuil was also a Canadian land-owner. Later on Governor Murray
purchased extensively on the St. Foy road, amongst others, Belmont and the
"Sans Bruit" farm, Governor Haldimand must have his lodge at Montmorenci
Falls, subsequently occupied by the father of our august Queen; Hector
Theophilus Cramahe (afterwards Lieut.-Governor), in 1762, had his estate -
some 500 acres of cornfield and meadows - at Cap Rouge, now Meadowbank,
owned by Lt.-Col. Chs. Andrew Shears. The Prime Minister of Canada, in
1854, and a late Governor of British Guiana, Sir Francis Hincks, following
in the footsteps of Sir Dominick Daly, must needs locate himself on the
St. Lewis road, and in order to be close to his chief, the late Earl of
Elgin, then residing at Spencer Wood, the Premier selected and purchased
Thornhill, across the road, one of the most picturesque country seats in
the neighbourhood. You barely, as you pass, catch a glimpse of its
outlines as it rests under tall, cone-like firs on the summit of a
hillock, to which access is had through a handsomely laid out circuitous
approach between two hills. An extensive fruit and vegetable garden lies
to the east of the house; a hawthorn hedge dotted here and there with some
graceful young maple and birch trees, fringes the roadside; a thorn
shrubbery of luxuriant growth encircles the plantation of evergreens along
the side of the mound which slopes down to the road, furnishing a splendid
croquet lawn.
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