[Pour saisir le contexte complet, voir l’avant dernier billet]

En1844, le missionnaire mormon, Jesse Wentworth Crosby (1820-1893), a séjourné dans les « British provinces of Canada », à savoir le Nouveau-Brunswick et la Nouvelle-Écosse. Pour s’y rendre, il a parcouru la vallée du Saint-Laurent. Voici le récit de ses trois jours passés à Québec.

Arrived in Quebec at 9 :00 A.M., June 7th, and put up at Meriams Hotel. We proceeded to examine the city; the lower town is situated along the water’s edge under a high bluff on which is situated what is called the Upper Town. Besides these, there are three suburbs, entirely French. The Upper Town is surrounded by a wall of twenty or thirty feet in thickness. We passed through Prescott gate; obtained a pass from the commanding officer, and attended by a soldier entered the citadel. It contains military stores, etc.—six thousand stands of arms, three thousand barrels of powder, and provisions for seven years. One thousand five hundred troops are stationed here. The walls are mounted with thirty-two pounders, etc. not only around the citadel, but around the entire Upper Town; two hundred and fifty heavy pieces on the walls, besides hundreds of heavy cannon and scores, if not hundreds, of cords of shot or balls and bombs of all kinds in the citadel ready for use. Magazines, batteries, etc., all numbered in regular order. This fortress is to all appearances impregnable.

After spending some hours in our search, we passed out through a strong gateway. Next we examined the old French ruins, then we proceeded to the Plains of Abraham. The clash of arms; the groans of the dying has long since ceased, all was silence. The roar of cannon, the crack of musketry no longer fill the plains with blood and carnage; here fell two brave warriors, Wolfe and Montcalm. I seated myself beside a monument bearing this inscription: “Here died brave Wolfe.” We passed over the battle ground and descended the bluff where Wolfe and his men ascended, dragging their cannon after them. All was silent and lonely.

June 8^th, Spent the day in reviewing the citadel and all military works and public buildings.

June 9^th; Being Sunday, attended Catholic Services in the afternoon; thousands of Catholics were assembled, and formed a grand procession displaying much pomp and show. The procession commences their march from the church which was adorned in the greatest splendor. The sanctuary with its images tinged with gold was lighted up with hundreds of wax candles. The priests, some in gilded garment, others in robes of white, were preceeded by boys dressed in white, some with pots of incense, others with baskets of flowers to strew the streets,; then followed the Altar, the Ark of the Covenant, then the Bishop and long train. Smoke issued from the pots and the Altar, as they passed. The streets were adorned with bushes and flowers and filled with thousands of people. We visited two churches in Montreal and two in Quebec. They were all built in similar style, in a very grand and extravagant manner; especially the Sanctuary—thirty or forty feet high, twenty broad, forming a concave front in the middle, standing a the height of twelve feet, the Virgin Mary with the Infant in her arm. Next above is Jesus on a cross; on either side around about stand the Twelve Apostles, while above all, on the top of the Sanctuary stands God on a ball, representing the earth as his footstool, holding a scepter in his hand. The whole front is regularly arranged with candles. When lit up, the whole appears like a mass of gold.

Quebec is a large city but meanly built; quite populous, wealth and poverty, pride and misery abound there. From three to five hundred square rigged vessels were lying in port; the aspect is rather gloomy. Cabs and calashes are in use instead of four wheeled carriages; plenty of dog teams may be seen running to and from through the streets.