commence to speak English fairly
well. Away from the St. Lawrence, however, and the path of the
tourists, the French Canadians remain, relatively speaking, untouched
by English customs.

{439}

_Nos institutions, notre langue, et nos lois_ has been the key-note of
French Canadian politics for over a century. At the present time the
records and statutes of the Dominion are always given in the two
languages, and the same is true of all motions put by the Speaker.
Though the reports of the debates appear daily in French, English
prevails in the House of Commons and in the Senate. The French
Canadians are forced to speak the language of the majority, and it is
some evidence of the culture of their leading public men, that many
among them--notably Sir Wilfrid, the eloquent leader of the Liberals,
and first French Canadian premier since 1867--are able to express
themselves in English with a freedom and elegance which no
English-speaking member can pretend to equal in French. In the
legislature of the province of Quebec, French has almost excluded
English, though the records are given in the two languages. In the
supreme court of the Dominion the arguments may be in French, and the
two Quebec judges give their decisions in their own tongue.

The people of French Canada are very devout Roman Catholics. The
numerous churches, colleges, and convents of the country attest the
power and wealth of the Church, and the desire of the French Canadians
to glorify and perpetuate it by every means in their power. The whole
land is practically parcelled out among the saints, as far as the
nomenclature of the settlements and villages is concerned. The
favourite saint appears to be Ste. Anne, whose name appears constantly
on the banks {440} of the St. Lawrence. We have Ste. Anne de la
Perade, Ste. Anne de la Pocatiere, and many others. We all remember
the verse of Moore's boat song:

"Faintly as tolls the evening chime,
Our voices keep tune and our oars keep time,
Soon as the woods on shore look dim,
We 'll sing at St. Anne's our parting hymn."

This village, situated at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa
rivers, is generally known as Ste. Anne de Bellevue, and still retains
some of the characteristics of a French Canadian village,
notwithstanding its close neighbourhood to the English-speaking
settlements of Ontario. Jesuits, Sulpicians, and Recollets have done
much to mould the thought and control the p