PROVINCE OP QUEBEC

" 17th June 1884.— 47thyear of the reign of Her Majesty Victoria I., Queen of England.

*^ The Honorable Théodore Robitaille, Member of Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province ot Québec.

The Honorable John J. Eoss, Prime Minister and Commissioner of Public Works.

Eugène Taché, architect.

P. Gauvreau and J. B. Derome, archîtects of the building and directors of Public Works.

A. Chablebois, builder."

The Prime Minister ihen deposited in this cavity a photograph likeness of His Hunor the LieutenantrGovernoi', and some ixther articles. The Mayor put in the city dîjrectpry for thé current year.

His Honor the Lieutenant-Governor and the Prime Minister, one with a trowel, the other with a haramer, laid the corner stone, and the Governor declared it ofEcially laid.

However, it will not be finally laid,until Saturday next. It is intended to place in it ail the Québec newspapers containing aji account of the ceremony and varions other articles and documents connected therewith.

The ceremony ended with a most remarkable address delivered by His Honor -the

IN QtJiBEC 96

Liéutenant-GoT«rhor, and which- we hâve much plejÉsùre m prînting.

" GOVERKMENT HOUSE,

'^ Québec. 17th June, 1884.

^' Mr. Premier,

Ladies and Gentlemen :

"The action we havé just perfowa'ed in solemnly laying the corner stoné of this, our new Parliament Building, is of great importance. The Province of Québec has once more asserted its autonomy byits' officiai représentative.

"In fact, what is this building whose érection we hâve just solemnized ? It is the Législative Building, in which the représentatives of our Province \^ill delibcTate and legislate in its name and for it.

" In it the most important measures relative to its prosperity, its stability and its gtande^ur will be brbUght up.

" In it the problems of its future will be discussed and resolved. There, ail the dearest interests, from a social and religions point of view, will be protected. And its own children will préside over its destin ies.

" They will be the représentatives chosen by it, entrusted with its confidence, who will labor to make laws for it and to maintain its government. In a word, this Législative Building will be the sanctuary of our provincial autonomy.

^'Provincial autonomy, gentlemen, is a very great thing, a very precîous prérogative of which we cannot be too jealous.

It is our safeguard and our palladium. It is a good thing that there isa central government at Ottawa, powerful and respected, which groups the scattered forces together, which serves as a bond between the provinces of the Canadian Confédération, which gives an impetus to great undertakîngs, which encourages industry, trade and navigation, which has the necessary strength, prestige and resources to worthily repre-

ÎÎJ^ QtTE^EC '97

sent our coiintry in the concert of nutions ; but, besides this central power, it is good also that there should be a local power, which, acting in a more liihited sphère, should, if I may so express myself, hâve a more intimate jurisdiction and exert its watchfulness and cohtrol over the éléments consfituting ihe basis of our social ordèr — property; civil laws, municipal organissatibn, éducation, etc. This autonomy has' been fully seeured to us by the Confédération ^ Act which has con secrated thé principle of government decentralization.

^^ The Province of Québec, more *than any other, should adhère to this tutelary prineiple, and it does so.

'*'0f course, as it has been stated, it> would be more convenient and less costly to hâve but one government and one administration.

But, if it be true that we would hâve less to pay, we would also be less masters at home and less in a position to control our family affairs. Our Province has' felt' this and has spared nbthing to assure the per-

petuity of its local institutions. It has generously made the necessary sacrifices to that end, and the érection of the buildings now occupied by the public departraents and the new Législative Building are a manifest proof of it.

^^ To those who inay hereafter ask whether the Province of Québec is attached to its institutions and to its provincial autonomy we may reply :

^* Go and see the public buildings it has erected in its capital, and you will find that it intends to préserve that self-govemment which it has conquered after a centurj'^ of struggles and combats.

" I was therefore right in saying that the laying of the cornerstone of our Législative Building is an important event for

us.

" I hope that this building will ever see

practical measures elaborated ; that the

assemblies held there will be inspired by

national traditions; that love of country

will never cease to be their incentive and

guide, and tliat respect for justice and right will préside at their délibérations. Finally, I trust that ail the laws they will enact will hâve for their resuit the happiness, prosperity and glory of our beloved province."

The following is the list of the articles deposited in the corner stone of the Législative Building :

1. A métal plate, with inscription, deposited by His Honor the Lieutenant-Governor.

2. A métal crucifix and a photograph of the Lieutenant-Governor, with autograph, deposited by the Honorable Prime Minister.

3. A directory of the city of Québec, deposited by the Mayor of Québec.

Mr. Eugène Taché, the architect of the building, also deposited a statuette of St.

Joseph in the cavity of the stone.

(From the " Evénkmbxt " of the 2l8t June, 1884.)

^ Copies of each of the Firench and.Eû^î glisb newspapers containing an account of the laying of the corner ston^ of the new Législative Building were deposited in thftt stone at noon to-day, in the présence of- Mr. S. LeSage, Assistant-Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Public Works, and of Mr. Ernest Gagnon, Secretary of the same department. Then an enorinous stone, lifted by a powerfuL crâne, was laid on that containing the newsp^ipers and other articles deposited during the ceremony of làst Tùesday. Mr. Pageau, architect, directèd the opération."

INTERNAL DECORATIONS

On en ter in g the first vestibule of the main entrance of the Législative Building, one observes on the right hand side,- carved in the Ohio sandstone, with which the wallb of the vestibule are faced, the escutcheon of the Marquis of Lorne, with the Norman bark of the House of Argyle and the motto :

IN QUEBEa 101:/

Neohliviscaria. Below are the dates 18 78^ 1883f 4ndicating|thô term of the Marquis, of. Lox:flô,asr Governor-Genejfal of Canada.

Tofthe left are carved the arm» of-tha^ Maïqjiiisiof LansdQwne, late Governor-Ga^:

nerftUr^withLthe motto : Virtate n&n verbisy an d> th0 dates! 1 883-1888.

Close by, to the left of the door l^adiiig to ths inuer vestibule,, are the arms of ihe Honorabler Théodore Robitaille, ex-Liieute-.

nant-Govemor of the Province, whase.

charaçteKistic^emblem is a dove with aa oliv:e ,branch in its beak, and the motto :

A cid 4>ucerk Beloiw are the figures 1879-

As,^ pendant to the latter blasonry, on, thô^rîgbt) .thatof the Honorable Louis. Ro* drigue, M^sson^ ex-Lieutenant -Goyernory

witll his :emblem, a head of a wuiged lion, an^i the . motto : Dieu aydani^ is carved in the sandstone faewig. Below it are thé figuras 1884-1887.

Thê Mkrquis of Lorne and the Mrfrqais of Lansdéwiae,Mn Kobi taille and Mr. Mftsson

102 GOyERXMENT BUILDINGS

were successively, the former, Governors- General of Canada, and the latter Lieutenant-Governors' of the Province of Québec during the érection of that part of the Government Buildings known as the Législative Building. We hâve seen above that this was commenced in 1883 and completed at the end of the year 1886.

The black walnut wainscoting of the vestibules, ground floor and first and second stories of the Législative Buildings are ornaniented with chiseled and gilt arabesques, coats of arms and inscriptions of extreemely remarkable taste and science.

It is hîstory written in heraldic language.

On the ground floor are the arms and names of personages belonging to the first period of North American and Canadian history :

Verazzani, Sébastian Cabot, de la Roche, de Caen, Roberval, Pontgravé, Poutrincourt, de Monts, Léry, de Chastes, Pontchartrain, Chateaufort, the Marchioness de Guercheville, Lauzon, Courcelles, Hocquart, Denonville, Bégon, Duquesne, thé Duchesse d'Ai-

guillon, Madame de la Peltrie, Marie Guyart de r In carnation.

On a cartouche at the foot of the main staircase in the vestibule, traced out in gold, is a sun lighting up the world, with the motto : Nec plurilms impar, and the inscription : *^ Louis XIV." Facing it, and on another cartouche, are engraved the arms and the name of Colbert. ^

In the story above, and in similar positions, are the arms of George III of England and of his minister, William Pitt.

The visitor ascends a flight of stairs and history advances a century. With consummate art, the gilt arabesques run along the panels of the ramps and landing-places to the first and then to the second story, multiplying their varied and graceful designs and surrounding the coats of arms of personages belonging for the most part to a more récent period : St. Valier, Pontbriand, Beauharnois, La Galissonnière, La Jon-

1. Colbert's motto was : " Pro Rege sœptj pro patria semper ; " " For King often, for Country ever."

104 GOVERliraENT BUILDINGS

quière, Longueuil, Coùlon de ' Villierg ; Ramezay, Townshend, Amherst, Qaesitfel, Valliôres, Scwell, Stuart, Panet^'Baby/Taschereau^Bédard,de Léry, Lbtbinîèré; 'Parent, Nelson, Lanaudière, BoucherVille, -Vîgfer, Cuvillier, St. Ours, BoTirdB.ges, -Plésîris, Mountain, Blanchet, Laforce, ^ Larlîg«e, Bourget, Rollette, Dambourgès, ©tfeheiittay, deGaspé, etc.

On the highest landing place of 'theinain Btaircase, amîdst an abundaitce ' bf |^tms, picked ont în gold on the pantels bf H.he wftinseoting, shines ibe niônôgrtsra *'bP'the Society of Jésus and the niâmes of ]l6meMof the' Jesuit mîssionàries who havé^Wâtêfèd

• wHh their blôod ^nd fértilifced by 'ttoir martyMom the wil of Catifida ahdoi^fN^9#th America, Tvhîch, from that^ tîme,Nbè«iiïie Christian soil : Jogues, Eaîetnaht, Rrftele,

* Buteux, Garnier.

To the right are the nam«s of 'thé ^'first historians of New France :' Sagatd,* Lfescarbot, Ducreux, Charlevoix ; to the left~ are thoBe of modem historians : Garneau,'' Ferland, Christie, Bouchette.

m ^ t u ^ Il ,, i.i^ i:,m'Wz:wttmtmmwfia miiiimmmmm^i»im~mamt^0'iummamÊg-^mim'it~Tïïrwrmii»^^r<r'yi

The panels of the ramps also bear, traced out in gold and surrounded by arabesques, the naine of " Lomé," wîth the arms and motto of the House of Argyle and of England ; the name of ^* Lansdowne," with the arms of the Flahaut, the arms of the Chatellerault, and the motto Sola nohilitas virtiis, as well as the names, arms and mottoes of our first Lieutenant-Governors.

The carving and tracings, in gold on black walnut, of the monumental doors of the Législative Council and Législative Assembly Chambers, as well as of the thrones of the Speakers of both Houses, are ^ the admiration of ail visitors.

The figures '' 1792," the date of the advent of constitution al government inaugurating the parliamentary System in Canada, and the figures " 1867," the date of Confédération, are traced in gold on the two leaves of the great doors of both Houses, amidst most élégant palms. '

The Législative Council and Législative Assembly Chambers are of the same dimen-

sîons : sîxty-seven feet long, fifty féBt wide and ihirty-three feet hîgh.

' Each Chamber is lîghten up by two hundred electric lamps attached to the cëîling in the shape of a parallelogram.

Thô letter "C" (Canada), surroundedby wreaths of oak leaves raoulded in plaster, serves as ornament and crown the sraaller entrance doors of both Houses.

The ceilings and cross-walls are arrajiged to receive frescoes or other wall paintings. ^ The arms of England and or Old Fmnce with angels as supporters, figure in the many plaster décorations of thèse vast rooms.

1. Mr. Eugène Hamel has' made sketches for the Government of two great historical pièces whicb wiU doubtless be painted later on the walls of the .-Législative Building. The same artist has painted most of the portraits of the Speakers of the Législative Oouncîl and Législative Assembly which hâve been placed in. the Chamber^ and in their vestibules : those of the Hon. Messrs. de Boucherville, Ross, LeMaire, de la Bruère, Fortin, Blanchetj^ Tailion, Beaubien, Turcotte, Wiirtele, Mar43hand. ^Thé^portraitof Hon. Mr. Leblanc has been painted by. Mi^*. ^inlnCbarles, and that of Hon. Mr. Starnes, by Mr. Aléxander.

m' QUÉBEC 107

' Bere and there în ne verrai other partions x>f the building are î^lacfed :

The arras of England : " Quarterèdr' first 'tiiid fonrth gules- whh threè leopatds or, one above the x>ther,""WTthHhe ïriottô ^^ Dieu et mon droit. '^

"The arms of Scotland : ^^Or,. in base a ' lion gules surroundëd by à double tréssure flory arid cou n ter' flory of," wîth thé motto *^l^ènio me impuné lacessifj^

The arras of Ireland : ^^ Azuré with a harp or," and the motto " Erm go Bragh''

And the arms of the old kingdom of

" France, the country from which came the

ancestors of raost of the inhabitants of ,the

Province of Québec : *^ Azuré with tkree

<^Jlefar»^4y8 or "< s»d vtlie rprar^ory '^MMont-

' Jpyè Saini'Denyê.^' ^

1. Montr Joye was the niuue of .tlie.Cai>loffin,gia& banner ; âaint-Denys waB;the. ofune of.rtha C&pati&ncon^suoxne. The. baiiner of.the Carlo vifigûins was giyen. foyvPope A4rian I. to Charl^iuagne. on ih& hiïl in\^Bom9 Dalled Mons Qaudii (Mpunt eïiayyf iwhenoe ti^.aftmftMonicJ'oye was given t0 iiha<t. banaer.

The arms of Old France in the décoration of the Le|^-

A Canadian author, writing of the buildings which form the object of this study, says : -

" Our historial or architectural monuments are very humble and petty compared with those of European cities. From an artistical point of view they hâve comparatively buta limited value. But it is otherwise with our Législative Building — the Panthéon of French Canada — which would be an ornament even to the finest cities of France and Italy.

" There is I know not what of strength and grâce in this building which charms

lative Building hâve no political meaning. Canadians of French origin were definitively separated from their old mother country by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The officiai and political ties, which nnited them to the country of their ancestors were then severed and the first French republic, the first empire, the restoration, the second republic, the second empire and the third republic occupy no place in their history. When Frenchmen and Englishmen from beyond the sea observe hère the arms of Old France, they may find the explanation of this species of anachronîsm in the motto of the Province of Québec "Je me souviens." There is no other.

^ï^<S&mÈc M)9

àiid 'Câj)tîvYites the eye. 1?èUt'rcK)f, so incich fifdmiî^èdby "Princesse Louise a^d ■ -which -Tecalls that ôfthe Toilerie», ^- tiiat elega^t and Bîujestîcal campanil^,rthose ipuvilions wheré the lilies are iscatter^d with a lavish

iàaîîd, resemble laothimg' tobe seen else-

v.where on ©ur^AraèTtcansaoil.

^^ Ail this^ arehitecttire is'- trulyrFren«h ; rwith, in addition, a pe€ulîari€kM»Qter of its otrn in >^lïich tbe= Isesaruéd, original, rtiis- -tiîîgiiisbed and very^ Càfiâdian-; fuersotoliliiy of tbe: architectpMr. :• Eugène i Ta^é^^ iimiiifestsdtself/'

The masonry work of the threé sides of the building facing on Grande Allécy St.

i Augustin and St. Julia streets was commeneed in 1877. They were interrupted in the autumn, then resi>medin the spring of 1878. The figure " 1878," on the fore-front

i >in ihe centre of tb eimée-ùtbmg'i6h^c^i^'iAnée^

1. It waft io the dôme of the central pATiHon facing "Êrrande J^Uée that . thi» allusion waffr made. /Fhe rrooft of the main building was fouilt only^ raftev the departure* of the artist princess.

indicates the year when the stone bearîng that figure was laid there and not the year when the work was cominenced.

Above the figure is the monogram of Her Majesty the Queen of England, "V. R/*, carved in stone, surrounded by a crown of oak leaves and ornamented with rays. To the right and left are the letters *^ D " and " L " surrounded by laurel branches, standing for the names of the Earl of DuflFerin and the Marquis of Lorne, who were successively Governors of Canada while this side was being buîlt. The letter " D " is 8urmounted by an earUs coronet, and the letter ** L *' by that of a marquis.

The entrance on this side facing Grande Allée, with its lonic pilasters and its ornaments of such pure taste is one of the best détails of the whole building. It is a charraing épisode in this fine poern. ^

J. Chevalier Falardeau was never tired of contemplating the side facing on Grande Allée. ** It is an admirable palace/' he would say, "which would be an ornament in the finest of our Italian cities." The main front of the building was not built then (1882).

Panoplies placed above this door, to the right and left, contaîn, carved in relief, the arms of the first two Lieutenant-Governors of the Province under Confédération : Sir Narcisse Fortunat Belleau and Honorable René Edouard Caron.

Each of thèse coats of arms bears its cbaracteristic emblem as a crest.

Sir N. F. Belleau's escutcheon is surmounted by an owl ; the motto is Je veille.

Mr. Caron's escutcheon is surniounted by a Jleur-de-lisy and the motto is Suaviter iri modo, fortiier in re. Each escutcheon bears a knight's helmet.

On the side facing St. Augustin street are similar panoplies in the piers of the first story. The one on the right of the doorway, bears the arms of Mr. Caron' s successor, Hon. Luc Letellier de St. Just, with a knight's helmet and surmounted by a hand as a crest. The motto is Hœc manus ob patriam. In the other panoply (to the left of the entrance) were carved, in 1895, the arms of Sir Adolphe Chapleau, the

112 r QOVERNMENI BU^LDINQS

presdut . Lieuteoant-GQveraor. of tbe.Pro-t vincQ of .Qii.ebecu * Tliese arins are as £ollow8 1

of ^he 8am#|Qne in^bief, theotlier in points .. and^tbree lion^'v heads^ ^able^ erased ^and-, langued gules. In aurtoidi i\i^ Mxa» of thev Province -- of Québec : Or^ on a fesa gules charged with a lion « j>(i««i«<, yt^or Ami,- or^. and two fleurs-de-lis azuré >in.-chief, and a. sprig of three maple leaves slipped în vert."

The, eseutcheonohfUBTiïa Jknight's - heknei^ anéia»^a cr^at^i three aDujpJe leay^spvert^, } '

The armsof the Honorable *Afcga8téRéà4* A^gejESy. sixth XieuteimntrGovemor of' the^ Province of iQuei^c ,under Confedesution^ .,

1. In heraldry, as every one knows, colors are indicated on stone, marble, bronzé and wood by hatches traced according to conventtonal rules. Thus, rod <gule8) is repre80iit«d> by ^ veriic»! * lîne» .; blue . (azure> by hoi^iz^nts^lv Unes f green (vert) by diagonal Unes from right to deft ; purpl*^ by diagonal lines from left to rlght ; black (sable) by horizontal ànd Vertiéal liries crossed ; gold (or> îs repre^nted by dot»^f silver <Mfpapt) by the?ab9eiiQe ofàli: hatches or incrustation (a plftin ^rpund)^

^ — - ^ — -.->»i»w—- TT-f?^ »j*M j.t ■ -",,1.1 ,<j^j I ^iwLiKiiwymi^ip«».rnri|-i||irTiiya

IN QUEBEC lia-

have^ been carved, in 1896, in oneof fth^h panopUes of the side facingSt. Julia str^^ife . They are as follows : " Quarteredôaltierwi§e^:: first and fourth azuré with a star, argeat^ second and third, or, with a rose gules slîpj^,< in vert ; in surtoui gules a chernb's heîidiç winged, wîth the same for cresfc»" * The motto is : Par droicts chemina.

The three latéral faces of which we hâve spoken hâve each a central pavillon proi jeoting froin the gênerai Une, surmounted? .

by an attic serving as a base for a lar^Qfour-sided cupola, pierced with former winr dows on the outer side and on the side faci n g the yard. The transverse bays of thçso cupolas are flanked by chiinneys whose r proportions and élégant forms embellish, the cupolas themselves.

The entrances of tûe central pavilionsr of the latéral faces above mentioned are, ornamented with a portico of the lonic

1. Mr. Angers' ancestors used to sign their name "Angest" (little angel), hence the cherub^s head in the centre of the shield*

order with pilasters imbedded in the rustic quoins of the ground floor. The architect has very happily introduced national emblems in them ; thus the freize of the entablature of this portico is ornainented with a lion passant between iwo fleur s-d^-ly s and the key of the archivolt bears three maple leaves slipped, whieh make up the variou s constituents of the arms of our Province.

The panels of the arched doors of thèse entrances are ornamented with boughs and laurels.

At each angle of the square formed by the building, a pavilion, projecting centrally, supports on one side a raised roof on which are fleurs-de-lisy and, on the other side, a stone dormer artistically carved containing a monumental clock.

Escutcheons of Deschambault stone, on which the arms of the Province are carved, and surmounted by ihe Royal Crown, stand on the top of the dormers containing the clock-faces. Each of thèse escutcheons has, as supports two enormous beavers sitting

erect, which gives an original and national character to this ornamentation which is quite conforraable to heraldic and classic rules.

The four pavilions at the angles of the building, each contain an entrance of limited proportions with lonic pilasters, consols, cornice and cartouche, on which the Provincial arms are carved.

Two large arched gateways in the forefront of the side facing St. Julia street, give access to the courtyard. The panels of thèse gateways are ornamented with crowns of oak leaves.

The entrance in the central pavilion on Grande Allée leads to the offices of the Lieutenant-Governor and the various public departments.

At the top of the large dormer in the front of the cupola of this pavilion is a flag-staf on which the British flag is hoisted whenever the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province cornes to his office, and which remains hoisted as long as Her Majesty's représentative is in the building.

For some years past, the doors of the sides facing on St. Julia and St. Augustin streets hâve not been used, in order to watch more strictly the entrance and departure of persons having access to the offices or other parts of the building.

The Provincial Police are charged with the guarding of the building and its approaches. They hâve spécial quarters in the basement on the side facing St. Julia Street. Signais to the constables on duty « are given by electric wires.

Materials and Construction — Total Cost OF THE Buildings and Grounds.

The Government Buildings are built of incombustible materials with the exception

^ of the roof, whose frame-work isof wood as well as the roof itself. The latter is cover-

î ed over with galvanized iron with ornaments of hammered zinc as already stated.

*The green sandstone used in the base-

'- ment was taken from the Le vis quarries.

The stone of the facings of the outer walls

came from the Deschambault quarries, that of the facing of the walls of the court-yard cornes partly from a quarry at Murray Bay and partly from a quarry at Terrebonne.

The iron beams and other métal work used in the floors and the tiles of the flooring came from Belgium.

The apparatus for heating with hot water throughout the building up to the attics was put in by the firm of Mitchell, of Monreal.

The elevators of the Législative Council and Législative Assembly are on the Otis System, whîch is an ingénions application of Armstrong's hydraulic lift.

The bell, clocks and dials in the campanile and angle pavillons were put in by Mr. Cyrille Duquet of Québec.

It would take too long to give thenames of ail the artisans and workmen to whom the contractors confided the exécution of the difficult portions of the work. We may, however, mention -Mr. Vincent and Mr.

Cédrat, stone car vers, who, from Mr. Ta-

ehé's drawings, performed their task with remarkable success ; Messrs. Gingras & Frère, who made the staircases, and Mr. A.

Barbeau w ho did the gavanized iron and zinô work of the roof.

The wood-carving was done by Mr. Berlinguet, jnr., M. L. Moisan and Mr. J. B.

Côté.

' Thé total cost of the Government House, that is of tue Législative and Departméntal Buildings, including the amountspaid forthe construction of the fountain and the granité wall around the grounds and the purchase of the " cricket field/' the old skating rink and part of St. Eustache Street, the levelling and embellishing of the grounds, the cost of the statues on the main front and fountain, etc., etc., is $1,669,249.16 (one million, six hundred and sixty-nine thousand two hundred and forty-nine dollars and sixteen cents).

Two accidents hâve increased the cost of

the building, viz : Istly, the destruction by

* fire of the old Parliament Building, near

the archbishop's palace, which occured on the 19th April, 1883, necessitating the expense of temporary quarters in the building under construction for the following session of the Législature ; and 2ndly, the double dynamite explosion caused by criminal hands, on the 11 th October, 1884, and which necessitated the rebuilding of a portion of the édifice.