University of Virginia Library

69. Winter Amusements in Canada
BY A GERMAN OFFICER (1777)

You ask, have we had plenty of amusement this winter? I answer, right good! You see, there are a number of seigneurs and curés in our neighborhood,[186] and with their help and that of our officers in the vicinity we have been enabled to have a convivial, sociable, happy, and at times a "high old time"! Our seigneur at St. Anne is a passably rich man. The cures, also, are not to be despised. They are good royalists, and, being the possessors of good livings, are able to furnish dinners for twenty persons.

On Dec. 31st there was a great festival at Quebec; that day being celebrated as the first anniversary of the deliverance of Quebec, on which occasion the rebels lost their great leader, General Montgomery. At 9 o'clock in the morning, a thanksgiving service was held in the Cathedral, at which Monseigneur, the Bishop, officiated.

Eight unfortunate Canadians who had sided with the rebels were present, with ropes about their necks,

and were forced to do penance before all in the church, and crave pardon of their God, Church and King. At to o'clock, the civic and military authorities, as well as all visiting and resident gentlemen, whether Canadian or English, assembled at the Government House. All the resident gentlemen of Quebec, in accordance with their rank as officers of the militia, wore green suits with straw facings, waistcoats, knee breeches, and silver epaulettes upon their shoulders.

In the evening, at six, the entire company started for the large English hotel, where over ninety-four ladies and two hundred gentlemen were already assembled in the great hall. The ladies were seated on rows of raised benches. A concert was at once begun, during which an English ode, written in honor of the festival, was sung. During the music, tickets were distributed to those of both sexes who desired to dance. Every gentleman received a ticket for a certain lady, with whom he was obliged to dance the entire evening.

During these dances, some distinction is made between the rank of the gentlemen and the ladies. Strangers, however, receive preference. Every couple goes through the minuet alone, and the ladies call off the name of the minuet to be danced. At large balls this custom becomes very tiresome. English dances are performed with two couples. All kinds of refreshments were served; and notwithstanding that the place was somewhat confined, no spectator was incommoded. The streets in front of the hotel were alive with people. At midnight a regular supper was served at a number of tables. It is true that the eatables were all cold; but delicacies and pastry could be had in superabundance.

At 2 o'clock dancing was again renewed, and lasted until broad daylight. All the English, and the French officers of militia at Quebec gave these fetes, which must easily have cost five thousand dollars.

On Jan. 20th, Major-General von Riedesel celebrated the birthday of her Majesty the Queen at Three Rivers. We covered the distance (7 English miles) in four hours, in a cariole, and dined at a table laid for forty covers. Many healths were drunk, while in front of the house, a small cannon was roaring!

A ball was given in the afternoon and evening, at which thirty-seven ladies were present. These remained to supper, and were waited on by their cavaliers. The charms of Demoiselle Tonnancour were greatly heightened by her jewels; still, poor Demoiselle Ruelle, in her faded calico gown, was preferred by many, on account both of her natural and sweet charms, and the beauty of her voice. Know, my dear sir, that the Canadian beauties sing Italian and French songs.

On the 5th of February, seven couples were married in the church at St. Anne. On this August occasion, Major von Ehrenkrook led to the altar a squaw who was to marry an Indian. This post of honor can only be filled when the intended brides have no fathers to give them away—their escorts, in such a case, taking the place of the latter. We dined with the cure, and were entertained at the houses of the different brides.

As our musicians were in Quebec, and village musicians are unknown here, we were obliged to dance to the humming of the tra-la-la of a Canadian minuet. We also had to endure the bawling of songs sung from stentorian lungs.

On account of our services to the brides, in giving them away, etc., we are considered by the good people of St. Anne as one of themselves; for, from the old grandmamma of seventy to the young maiden of fifteen to seventeen years, they all offer us their mouths to be kissed whenever they meet us. This is the Canadian greeting between relatives and intimate friends; more formal acquaintances offer merely their hands. This custom prevails not only among the well-to-do, but among the lower classes; and is one of the rights of friendship.

I have not heard from you for so long a time that I think your pen must be frozen. Therefore let me tell you something about Canadian snow. One of the cursed disagreeable things to be met with in Canada is the prevalence of fierce winds.

They rise generally every third day, and last about twelve hours. They cause the snow to drift from place to place, and gradually to fill up all the holes and pits until they are level with the rest of the land. The effect of this is to make the surrounding country look very pretty, but it is none the less dangerous to travel without taking proper precautions; otherwise one may tumble into one of these holes and break his limbs, or a horse and sleigh may fall into one and the horse remain buried alive for several weeks.

In order to find the way, young pine-trees are stuck up on each side of the road, twenty feet apart; and in this artificial alley one can drive with safety. One can scarcely imagine how these roads are changed, either by the weather or the force of circumstances; and each time a road is shifted it is abounded and the trees pulled up. The roads across the ice on the St. Lawrence River

are staked out in a similar manner; and whenever a traveller meets with a weak spot in the ice, he is obliged to stop and mark the place. In fact, travelling in Canada is peculiar; for to-day the road may lead over a hill, and to-morrow over a river. Pedestrians, however, can skim over the snow like hares by means of snow-shoes, which they bind under their feet. In using them, one must take a long stride, at the same time trailing his feet on a slant.