The Henson Journals

[153]

Friday, July 30th, 1909.

Quebec:–

A brilliant morning after the rain. Our last day in America must be a bright one. The lesson for the day (Proverbs xxiii.10) has an ill–omened description of marine travel: "Thou shalt be (he is apostrophizing the drunkard) as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast". The second lesson (Acts xxviii.17) is relevant to my sitation in another way, for it contains the account of St Paul's arrival in Rome to stand his trial for heresy, & describes the uninterrupted preaching of the Gospel which was permitted him in his Roman prison.

We packed our bags, & arranged that they should meet us at the steamer. Then we chartered a carriage & were driven to the citadel. Here we had a young soldier told off to act as our guide. He was intelligent but handicapped by a stutter. The view over the river from the ramparts is extraordinarily fine. He showed us with much pride the diminutive cannon captured at Bunker's Hill. From the citadel we drove to the Plains of Abraham, now happily secured for the public. It is a delightful place. At the entrance is an obelisk marking the place where Wolfe died. We descended the cliff to 'Wolfe's cove', the scene of the landing of the troops. We lunched with Mrs McPherson, & saw her very beautiful garden. Then we [154] went to the harbour, & embarked on the C.P.R. steamer, 'The Empress of Ireland'. Mr Price, our host of yesterday afternoon, came to bid us farewell, bringing for me the latest Report of the Forest Preservation, of which he is chairman, & for Ella a large bouquet of flowers from his garden. We parted with many fair speeches of mutual regard.

Mr Macpherson said last night that the French language had practically ceased to be spoken in the debates of the Dominion Parliament. A French speech was not listened to. Even the Premier never attempted his own tongue in that assembly.

Conversation turned on the salmon, of which the newspapers report that immense numbers have come up the Fraser River in British Columbia. These are 'sock–eyed' salmon, & teste Mr Macpherson will not take the fly. The appearances & disappearances of wild creatures are very amazing. No mystery but only abundance of tragedy invests the destruction of the buffalo or bison. [It is reported that the wood–buffalo of Canada are being rapidly killed out by the wolves, who hunt scientifically.] But the vanishing of the carrier pigeon from Canada is mysterious in the highest degree. Mr Price says that he can remember these birds existing in great numbers, but now never meets with them. Older settlers have described to him the innumerable flocks of pigeons, darkening the air in their passing for hours together. Max Dennistoun had similar information from the Peterborough district. Now they have all perished. The salmon have [155] disappeared from many of the eastern rivers. The sawdust of the lumber men is said to be one cause: & other pollution of rivers has worked in the same direction. Countless numbers still appear in the western rivers.

We have been steaming down the St. Lawrence under a bright sun. The river is beautiful, & the banks mostly backed by low mountains, at the base of which rise numerous villages generally conspicuous by their church spires, give a pleasing impression.

At dinner we found our places appointed at the Captain's table: the Captain himself, however, did not appear. Mr Price gave us a good account of him, & he paid me the civility of sending his copy of the 'Times' to my cabin with his compliments. The other guests at our table do not look very interesting, & so far we have not got beyond the barest conventionalities.

After dinner we walked on the deck for some while, held by the strange beauty of the scene. The mountains had a dark purple colour, standing out severely against a deep orange–tinted sky, from which the latest glow of the sun was slowly fading; one brilliant star gleamed from the heavens as it were a sentinel seraph on duty set. The full moon from a clear sky poured a flood of silver light, which lay across the waters as it were a festival pathway for the Eternal. Once inside, we soon grew sleepy, & retired to bed.

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