[149] On The Summit Of The Plateau, Formerly Known As Buttes- A-Nepveu, And Facing Mr. John Roche's Stately Mansion, Hon.

P. Garneau and M. Bilodeau have constructed handsome terraces of cut-stone dwellings. We are now in the Grande Allee - the forest avenue, which two hundred years ago led to Sillery Wood.

On turning and looking back as you approach Bleak House, you have an excellent view of the Citadel, and of the old French works which extend beyond it, to the extremity of the Cape, overlooking l'Anse de Meres. A little beyond Bleak-House, at the top of what is generally known as Perrault's Hill, stands the Perrault [150] homestead, dating back to 1820, l'Asyle Champetre - now tastefully renovated and owned by Henry Dinning, Esq. The roof and facade of a Chalet Suisse would much enhance its appearance. The adjoining range of heights, occupied by the Martello Towers, the Garneau and Bilodeau Terraces, &c., were called the Buttes-a-Nepveu, after one of their first French owners. "It was here that Murray took his stand on the morning of April 28th, 1760, to resist the advance of Levis, and here commenced the hardest-fought, the bloodiest action of the war, which terminated in the defeat of Murray, and his retreat within the city". The Martello Towers are bomb-proof, they were four [151] in number, and formed a chain of forts extending along the ridge from the St. Lawrence to the River St. Charles. The fact that this ridge commanded the city, unfortunately induced Murray to leave it and attempt to fortify the heights, in which he was only partially successful, owing to the frost being still in the ground.

The British Government were made aware of the fact, and seeing that from the improved artillery the city was now fully commanded from the heights, which are about seven hundred yards distant, decided to build the Towers. Arrangements were accordingly made by Col. Brock, then commanding the troops in Canada. In 1806 the necessary materials were collected, and in the following year their construction commenced. They were not, however, completed till 1812. The original estimate for the four was L8,000, but before completion the Imperial Government had expended nearly L12,000. They are not all of the same size, but, like all Martello Towers, they are circular and bomb-proof. The exposed sides are thirteen feet thick and gradually diminish like the horns of the crescent moon, to seven feet in the centre of the side next the city walls. The first or lower story contains tanks, store-rooms and magazine; the second has cells for the garrison, with port-holes for two guns. On the top there used to be one 68-pounder carronade, two 24 and two 9-pounders.

A party of Arnold's soldiers ascended these heights in November, 1775, and advanced quite close to the city walls, shouting defiance at the little garrison. A few shots soon dispersed the invaders, who retraced their steps to Wolfe's Cove. At the Buttes-a-Nepveu great criminals were formerly executed. Here, La Corriveau, the St. Vallier Lafarge, met her deserved fate, in 1763, after being tried by one of Governor Murray's Courts-martial for murdering her husband. After death she was hung in chains, or rather in a solid iron cage, at the fork of four roads, at Levi, close to the spot where the Temperance Monument has since been built. The loathsome form of the murderess caused more than one shudder amongst the peaceable peasantry of Levi, until some brave young men one dark night, cut down the horrid cage, and hid it deep under ground, next to the cemetery at Levi, where, close to a century afterwards, it was dug up and sold to Barnum's agent for his museum.

Sergeant Jas. Thompson describes in his diary, under date 18th Nov., 1782, another memorable execution:

"This day two fellows were executed for the murder and robbery of Capt. Stead, Commander of one of the Treasury Brigs, on the evening of the 31st Dec., 1779, between the Upper and Lower Town. The criminals went through Port St. Louis, about 11 o'clock, at a slow and doleful pace, to the place where justice had allotted them to suffer the most ignominious death. It is astonishing to see what a crowd of people followed the tragic scene. Even our people on the works (Cape Diamond) prayed Capt. Twiss for leave to follow the hard-hearted crowd." It was this Capt. Twiss who subsequently furnished the plan and built a temporary citadel in 1793.

In 1793, we have also, recorded in history, another doleful procession of red-coats, the Quebec Garrison accompanying to the same place of execution as a mess-mate (Draper), a soldier of the Fusileers, then commanded by the young Duke of Kent, who, after pronouncing the sentence of death, as commander, over the trembling culprit kneeling on his coffin, as son and representative of the Sovereign, exercised the Royal prerogative of mercy and pardoned poor Draper.

Look down Perrault's hill towards the south. There stands, with a few shrubs and trees in the foreground, the Military Home - where infirm soldiers, their widows and children, could find a refuge. It has recently been purchased and converted into the "Female Orphan Asylum." It forms the eastern boundary of a large expanse of verdure and trees, reaching the summit of the lot originally intended by the Seminary of Quebec for a Botanical Garden; subsequently it was contemplated to build their new seminary there to afford the boys abundance of fresh air. Alas! Other counsels prevailed.

Its western boundary is a road leading to the new District Jail - a stone structure of great strength, surmounted with a diminutive tower, admirably adapted, one would imagine, for astronomical pursuits. From its glistening cupola, Commander Ashe's Provincial Observatory is. visible to the east.

I was forgetting to notice the substantial building, dating from 1855 - the Ladies' Home. The Protestant Ladies of Quebec have here, at no small expense and trouble, raised a useful asylum, where the aged and infirm may find shelter.

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