QUEBEC, a city of North America, and the capital of the province of Lower Canada, is situated on a high point of land on the N. W. side of the St. Lawrence, at the confluence of the river St. Charles, and at the distance of about 320 miles from the Atlantic. The river is here contracted by a point of land on the op posite side, to the breadth of three-fourths of a mile, but afterwards expands to the width of five or six mites, The name Quebec denotes in the Algonquin lan guage this contraction. The basin, which is the name given to the wide part of the river before the town, is capable of floating 100 ships of the line.
Quebec is divided into the Upper and Lower towns. The former stands upon limestone rock on the side of Cape Diamond; and the lower town, which is built close to the river and round the bottom of the point. or ground gained from the sea, is 15 feet lower than the upper one, and is separated from it by a line of steep rocks.
The streets of Quebec are, from the nature of its situation, very uneven and irregular. All of them are well paved, and their breadths vary from 24 to 32 feet. St. Louis Street is reckoned the finest part of the town, and contains many handsome houses of modern aspect. The greater proportion of the houses in Quebec are built with stone.
Among the public buildings of Quebec the castle of St. Louis is the principal one. It is a handsome stone edifice, standing on the summit of the rock, and on the margin of a precipice about 200 feet high. From the gallery which suIrounds the solid wall of masonry which supports the building, there is an extensive view of great interest. The castle is three stories in height, and is 162 feet in length, and 45 in breadth.
The court-house, which is 136 feet long, and 44 broad, is a large modern building of stone, situated in St Louis Street. The cathedral of the Protestant church, though simple in its ornaments, is deemed one of the handsomest edifices in the city. It is 136 feet long and 75 broad, and stands near the court house. Its spire, which is high, is covered with tin, like several of the houses. The cathedral of the Catholics, which is opposite to the market-place, is a spacious and massy bonding of stone. about 216 feet long and 108 broad. The new jail, which is an elegant edifice of fine free stone, about 160 feet long and 68 broad, cost t 15,000, and was completed in 1814. In the artillery barracks,
which are a new building, about 527 feet long and 40 broad, there is an armory, storehouses, and work shops, besides quarters for the artillery soldiers. The armory contains small arms, &c. for 20,0,10 men, which are always ready for use. The Ursuline con vent is a good building, and its church is richly and.
beautifully ornamented. Besides these buildings, there is the Scots church, the Lower town church, the se minary, the union hotel, built in 1803, near the castle, and the hospital general, one of the largest of the houses, which is in the suburbs, without the walls.
The fortifications of Quebec have been long cele brated for their strength. Towards the river, nature has given it ample protection, and, where the rock is accessible, very slight walls form a sufficient defence. The principal battery, which commands the basin, is mounted with twenty-two 24 pounders, and two French 36 pounders, and two large iron mortars. This bat tery is flanked by another of six guns, which commands the passes from the Lower town. From the great bat tery proceeds a line of defences past the Hope and Palace gates, and joining the Coteau du Palais.
The principal exports from Quebec are grain, flour, timber, lumber, ashes, &c. and the imports consist of all the articles manufactured in Europe. The annual value of the exports and imports, is calculated at about one million sterling.
The climate of Quebec is intensely cold, especially in the winter. The mean temperature is so low as 41° 74 Fahrenheit. The mean temperature of summer is 68°, and that of winter 14° 18. The river is not always frozen over; but in ,inter large masses of ice, floating up and down with the tide, considerably impede the navigation.
The scenery exhibited from various parts of the Upper town of Quebec, is represented by Mr. Weld, as surpassing in grandeur, beauty, and diversity, any thing that he has seen either in America, or in any other part of the globe.
The population of Quebec has been recently esti mated at 18,000. West long. 71° 5' 29", and North lat. 46° 48' 38". See AarEatrea, and CANADA, Weld's 7ravels in Canada, vol. i.; Gray's ?iccount of Ca nada, &c.; and Marshall's Life of Washington, vol. i. &c.