Isidore Bédard, author of the following spirited lines, was born in Quebec, in 1806, and died in Paris on 14 April, 1833. He was the son of the Hon. Pierre Bédard, founder of "Le Canadien" newspaper, who was afterwards appointed Judge for the district of Three Rivers. Isidore early began to write short poems, published in "Le Canadien," which attracted much notice. For a short time he represented the county of Saguenay in the Provincial Parliament. His early death was deeply regretted. 1829. HYMNE NATIONALE. (From Huston's Répertoire National. Vol. 1, p. 182. Sol canadien, terre chérie ! Par des braves tu fus peuplé ; Ils cherchaient loin de leur patrie, Nos pères sortis de la France Et leurs enfants de leur vaillance, Qu'elles sont belles nos campagnes! Respecte la main protectrice Si d'Albion la main chérie "Mufti" (Mr. H. J. Morgan) has communicated to the Ottawa Citizen some interesting particulars of a lady recently deceased-the Hon. Mrs. Robert Bruce-who took a prominent place in Montreal and Quebec society forty years ago. She was the wife of Col. Bruce, of the Grenadier Guards, brother of Lord Elgin, whose military secretary and principal A.D.C. he was. She lived in Canada from 1848 to 1854, making many friends by her cheerful and winning ways. After her husband's death, in 1862, she was appointed by Her Majesty to an important position in the Royal household, and remained on duty there until her death. J. P. E. A TRIP FROM NEW BRUNSWICK TO QUEBEC. In the Monthly Magazine; or, British Register, published in London, March 1st, 1808, is the following "brief account of a very unusual tour": "Last winter I received orders from our Colonel to proceed to Canada upon urgent business. On the 12th of March I set out from this place on snowshoes, à la sauvage, with a knapsack on my back. I was attended by a stout private of our regiment, a guide, and a large dog, who drew a small sledge loaded with provisions, blankets and other necessaries. The weather was extremely cold, and the snow in general three and four feet deep. Our route lay about N. W. for one hundred and fifty miles up the river St. John. The usual method is to travel on the ice, but unfortunately it was broken up or dangerous, so that we were forced to strike into the woods, and force our way through wilds untrod by human feet. We reached the "Grand Falls" in six days (150 miles), marching from sunrise to sunset. The fatigue baffles all description; walking on snowshoes, encumbered with a knapsack, through thick woods, up and down steep hills. "We contrived to get into a house every night except one, when we encamped in the snow. This is a curious way of spending the night. We halt in a convenient place, and immediately set to work, one cutting down trees, and preparing fuel for the night, whilst another digs out the snow with his snowshoe, so as to form a pit, on one side of which a large fire is made, opposite to which we lie down on a couch of spruce boughs, wrapped up as well as we can, with the pleasure of being almost roasted on one side, frozen on the other, and stifled with smoke. "At the Grand Falls is a small military post, where we keep a few men. Here I remained one night. On the 18th, having dismissed my guide and procured a horse, I set out with my attendant, and travelled 35 miles through a small French settlement, and that night slept at the last house in New Brunswick. On the 19th we marched all day in a snow storm, and encamped at night. "20th. Proceeded across a lake, on the bank of which we encamped. "21st. Entered on the Grand Portage, or land, which separates the lake from the St. Lawrence; encamped as usual. "22nd. Proceeded at dawn of day, and marching almost without any halt until five o'clock P. M., we reached a house about 110 miles below Quebec. During the last four days we had not even a trace of human beings, except sometimes the track of an Indian snowshoe. I was almost knocked up with fatigue, having travelled in this manner upwards of 300 miles in eleven days. "On the 23rd I hired a sledge and set out for Quebec, which place I reached in two days; rested three days, and proceeded to Montreal, 190 miles higher, where I remained until the 5th of May. "Being determined to take a new route home, I set out as soon as the rivers were freed of the ice, and proceeding south about 27 miles to Fort St. John, on the river Chambly, embarked in a sloop, and sailing with a fine wind up Lake Champlain, reached the south end of it in less than twentyfour hours, a run of 150 miles. I landed, and proceeded 70 miles to a fine thriving town on Hudson's river. I went to Albany, six miles below, where I embarked on board a sloop, and in four days landed at New York, 165 miles. Here I embarked in a coaster for St. John, New Brunswick, which place I reached after a boisterous passage of five days. Two days more brought me here, which concluded a curious tour, having made a circuit of nearly 1700 miles. "My limits will not allow me to attempt a description of places. I shall merely remark that Canada is a very fine country, and the banks of the noble river St. Lawrence thickly settled. Montreal is a large thriving town, being the headquarters of the great Fur Company, and the dépot between Europe and the extensive country of Upper Canada. We have now very pleasant weather at Frederictown. Two nights ago we had a sharp frost, and to-day the thermometer is at 84 in the shade. On the 23rd of January last the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer stood at 36 below zero at sunrise. With all this variation, the climate is remarkably healthy. "New Brunswick, Fredericton, June 19th, 1807." SOCIETIES. The Society for Historical Studies and the Society of Canadian Literature have continued their joint meetings throughout the season, and much interest has been shown. On 18th March, Mr. John Popham read a paper on Isabella Valency Crawford; the evening of the 1st of April was devoted to the reading and discussion of Historical Notes and Queries, when a number of questions on knotty points of Canadian history were submitted; and on 15th inst., Rev. Mr. Cruchet favored the societies with a paper on Garneau, the Historian." 66 Two more meetings will be held, the first of which to be on the 29th inst., when Mr. John Reade will give a paper on "Chief Justice Lafontaine," to be followed, on 13th May, by a paper from Mr. Horace T. Martin on "Sir William Logan." |