THE MONUMENT AT SILLERY
" Most Canadian readers wili remember the discovery made some time ago in the ruins of the old church at Sillery, Québec, of the romains of the first missionnary to Canada, Rev. Ennemond Masse, S.
J. Over a year ago it was determined that a munumient should be erected on the spot to perpetuate his memory, amd on Monday the 26th June, this patriotiic intention was carried to fruition. Nowiths- •tarnding the unpueasant statte of the weather, many of the most
L'HON. P. J. 0. CIIAUVEAU.
Premier ministre, qui prononça le discours de ciconstanoa, en français, à l'inauguration du monument du Père Massé.
promirent citizens of Québec were présent, along with a very large gathanng of the public. The very Rev. vicar General C. F. Cazeau, opened the proceedings with an éloquent iamd impresisive addresis, givng much information as to the early struggles of the first Jesuit missionaries!, and especiatty of thèse of Father Masse, who was the pioiieer of ail, under the patronage of the pious and! noble Chevalier Noël Rruillart de Sii'lery, aftetr whom, the place ,where was erected the first church in Canadia, the church of St. Michel was named. It was in th-p ruiins of this ancient fane that the lemains of Père Mas?e were found. and thanks to the learned rescarches of the Abbes Caisgrain and Laverdière.
the identification was placed L-'vond
dispute by historical facts. The circumstanoe, so full of patriotic recollectioiusi, inspired the people with the noble design of erecting a monument ta psrpetuate the memory of the first Christian Missionary to Canada, anid now a plain but élégant structure, about twenty feet high, has been erected on the very spot where his remains were found. Itl is of eut atone, with four marbïe tablets surmounted by a marble cross. One of the tablets bears the followirg inscription :
" The Inhabitants of Sillery Hâve erected this monument
To the Memory of
Père Ennemond Masse, S. J.,
First Missionary in Canada,
Buried in 1646.
In the Church of Saint Michel
On the Domain of
Saint Joseph of SiBery."
On another table t is inscribed :
" The Church of St. Michel,
Which formerly stood on this Spot,
Was built by
The Commander of Sillery,
Founder in 1637 of the
St-Joseph Domain."
After the learned and interesting adiaress oî the very ±tev. vicar Uenerai Oazeau, repue te with hi&torical faots and patriotic sentiment, Mr. Do bedl, wiio résides in tJie iLjeighbouinood, and has nobiy seconded the efforts of those engaged in getting up the monument, came forward anid! delivered anable speech, in which he sketched briefly the life of JS[oel Bruillart de Sillery, who was born ini France in 1577, and after a brillant earear entered a religions orner and devoted alï, his vast possessions to the church. He was descended. from a noble family of Savoy, and as he
had been marked out as a Chevalier de Malte, he was sent when eighteen years of âge to the island to complète his éducation. After an absence of twelve years he returned to Paris, was admitted to coufrt, and soon got into favour. Marie de M'ed-icis honoured him with the tiWB of Chevalier, and he verved as Ambassador a,t the court of Spain and afterwards at that of Eoîrie.
" He it is> who is mentioned in the inscription as " Commander of Sillery." According to McMullen's History of Canada, they (the religions) origaniised a mission at Sillery, four miles above Québec (oity)j for the conversion of the Indians, and where Bruillart de Sillery, once the magnificent Ambassador of Marie de Medicis, and who sequently asisumed the* friiar's cowl, built a fortt^ a church, and dwellings for the natives."
It was in this church, eight yeiars after ite construction, that the romains of Farther Miaisse were deposited. Bruillart die Sillery died in Paris in 1640 having devoted the* later part of his life and the wkole of hiisi fortune to the cause of religions. The trials and the triumphs of Fâcher Masse were such as may be imagined among the barbarous Indlians. His career, even before1 he devoted hirnself to the conversion of the Hurons, seems to hâve' been an eventful one ; a succession of hardishippj borne with singular cheerfulness and Christian fortitudè.
It was his lot to hâve been cast into prison, to hâve been captureid by pirates, to hâve been compelled to subsistt for two months at ai time on accorns and such roots ai?i he could gather in the forest such were amongs the incidente of hisJ life among the Indians at Sillery, and! who, 234 years ago, was called
to the rewiafrd of his laboursi. It isi honourable to the people of Québec that ail clasyes should havei unitedf to perpétua te his memory.
Such monuments inspire the spirit of patriotism, 'and while reminding us of the brevity of man's life, they show us also tbat his good deeds not only " fellow him," but lîve behind him for the édification and émulation of his fellowman. Among those who took part in the pToceedings wasi the premier of the Provinces, Hon. Mr.
Chauveau. who in an éloquent speech alludted, among other thingis;, to the Protestants of the Province.
AU the speakers paid a high tribute to the Abbes Laverdière and Casgrain, to whose patient and leaned reseiarchej the public was indebted' for the dliscovery of Père Maisise' romains, and' with whom the idea of the monument originated."
Depuis quelques années1, l'hon.
M. Dobell a fait l'acquisition d'une partie die l'Anise de Sillery, sur 1er quel est situé le monument et la vieille maison des Pères Jésuites (1) lesquels sont entretenus par le propriétaire avec soin ert orgueil qui fait beaucoup d'honneur aux catholiques'. Nous devons, à l'honorable M. Dobell beaucoup de gratitude pour cette délicate attention.
L'honorable Richard Reid Dobell eist né à Liverpool, Angleterre, le 27 janvier 1836, fils de Georges Dobell. Vint à Québec en 1857, marié à Mlle Elizabeth Macpherson, fille de sir David Macpherson, de Toronto.
Elu député pour Québec-Ouest pux élections frénérales d> 1896. et le 13 juillet 1896, il fut i.upelé à faire partie du nouveau ministère
(1) Hr.bités en 1901 par un M. P.
Murphy.
L'hon. RICHARD REID DOBELL
Qui prononça le discours en anglais à I inauguration du monument du Père Massé et dn Commandeur de Sillery.
L'Anse de Sillery où est située la vieille maison dès Jésuites et le monument du Père Massé et du Commandeur de Sillery.
de l'honorable M. Laurier. M. Dobell a son manoir princier à quelques pas du monument du P. Massév sous le nom de Beauvoir.
M. Henri Lemesurier, donateur du terrain du monument.
M. Lemesurier est né à Saint- Denis, Rivière Richelieu, le 21 octobre 1817. Il est mort à Québec le 8 janvier 1871. Il était marié à Mlle Stewart, fille de l'hon. John Stewart. ancien maître de la Maison de la Trinité de Québec et ancien propriétaire de Marchmont,
M. HENRY LEMESURIER.
dont les Dames Ursulines viennent de faire l'acquisition* Il était fils de M. Henri Lelrnesuriei^ ancien maître de la Maison de la Trinité, moirt à Québec le 24 mai 1861 et de Julia Guérout, de Saint-Denis.
Elle était canadienne-française, elle est morte à Québec le 19 décembre 1869, âgée de 76 ans. Mme Lemesurier, née Stewart, demeure à Toronto, elle est âgée 'de plus de 80 ans.
M. l'abbé Charles Honoré Laverdière, découvreur des restes du R.
P. Massé.
M. Laverdière est né a a Château- Richer, le 28 octobre 1826, fils de Charles Laverdière et de Théotiste Caucbon ; ordonné à Québec le 3 août 1851 ; prêtre du Séminaire de Québec, et bibliothécaire de l'Université Laval, décédé le 11 mars 1873. M. Laverdière s'est beaucoup occupé de l'Histoire du Canada, dit Mgr Tanguay. " La première oeuvre remarquable qu'il a publiée est la nouvelle édition de la Relation des Jésuites, terminée en 1858, et accompagnée d'une table précieuse.
Il a ensuite publié le second volume du cours d'Histoie de M. Fer-
L'ABBE LAVERDIERE.
Découvreur dés restes du Pète Massé,
land et les Oeuvres de Champlain, un abrégé d'Histoire du Canada à l'usage des maisons d'éducation.
Outre ces travaux historiques nous lui devons encorei un recueil de Cantiques, un chansonnier des Collèges, les Chants liturgiques à l'usage dés églises, etc.
