[En route to Quebec—Wednesday, 3 July 1867]
We were up at 4 this morning. Already the boat was approaching Quebec. The silver spires in the distance glimmered star-like, then the grim fortress came in view, then the whole city minareted with silver shone in the glory of the superb morning. We leaped ashore at five oclock and walked about the town. The market-place was already swept looking fresh with flowers, radishes and all green things. We went into the Cathedral and sat down. The priest was performing service at the altar but in perfect silence, the women with market baskets or packages of work were there before us and were not disturbed by our entrance and the whole was solemn, prayerful, inspiring.
Coming from the Cathedral we walked in and out of the old walls, saw the quaint houses and servants sprinkling the wooden walks with things like this [here appears a sketch of a cylindrical container with a handle] of most primitive construction and at length somewhat tired went to breakfast (a capital one) at the St. Louis Hotel.
This left us just time to return to the boat where Mr Hale and I fell into a long talk. He talked of the incapacity of our Cambridge faculty for correcting abuses, of the incapacity of the president (Hill) and well known sorrowful facts in connection with the university—of J.R. Lowell & the rupture which time and separation had made in their friendship (another! is it not strange! It is as if an army of saints were ready to turn round and embrace Lowell if he were not standing reluctant and unconfused) of Wasson and his essays etc. while we skirted past the falls of Montmorenic [sic] and other lovely spots.
At length we drew apart. J. to take a nap. E.E.H. to think or write. Mr K. to rest. I to jot these notes.
Wednesday morning ten o’clock. Just preparing to leave [for] Ha-Ha bay! We arose at six to find the steamer just arriving—shores looking white and bleak, vegetation scanty, people looking stunted and speaking french patois. We breakfasted while boys brought us wild strawberries and went ashore. The houses were for the most part poor peasant huts though there was one “Maison Pension” one questionable looking “Hotel et Bains.” But there was a huge church nearly completed with a vestry (all one building) about 180 feet in length. We sat on a stony cleft while Mr Hale descended to a reach of stony shore where the tide had gone out to speak to two peasant women who were washing hair which they spin with certain cloth they make. Next we went into the little school which keeps during 10 months of the year even in this forsaken looking place and where they have 70 pupils. All around the school-house was an enclosure of stunted grass and below the wide Saguenay. It was time for school to begin and the good-faced teacher asked us in. She and her sister lived in the little place together, their apartments adjoining the school room. Apparently they could not speak one word of English, nor understand two. We heard the lessons begin. The text book was “Les Devoirs d’un Chretien” and each one read a short sentence in french. On the black board was written in fair round letters a copy to the effect that the French were a polite and dedicated peoples and rich strangers came from all countries to learn of their manners and bon ton. Mr Hale remarked he supposed they fancied that was what we had come to learn here, though anything more primitive or further removed from what we considered education could scarcely be conceived. The teacher & her sister told me Quebec was their native city and there they liked to pass their vacations—they would like to know how to speak English, it was “très incommode” not to be able to do so.
We had a strange experience yesterday watching the noisy embarkation and disembarking of french & english to landing quarters. It was night when we came to Tadoussac—the watering-place at the mouth of the Saguenay. Anything more bleak and rocky with knees of white quartz granite sticking up through the poor soil. It had been very cold all the afternoon tho’ I am sure it must have been warmer on shore but the winds blew from Labrador for us. At Tadoussac the mosquitoes were rampant but nevertheless we walked through the deep sandy road to see why people came there. It certainly was not what we should call an attractive watering-place but it was very curious—one of oldest & smallest of Jesuit churches stood on the site of the very first ever built here but now a large hotel stands near at hand. We walked till dark over a picturesque gorge and sat overlooking the St. Lawrence & the Saguenay both running swiftly and silently on. There was scarcely a sound except an occasional foot fall on the plank walk which runs every where, the roads being too bad to walk upon.
We found our boat was badly managed and finding the opposition like at the place changed immediately—had a comfortable night and awoke at Ha-Ha.
Today Wednesday we are sailing back between noble savage heights and deep waters.
