Montreal's first record dates from 1535, when Jacques Cartier ascended the Saint Lawrence and found an Indian village named Hochelaga at the foot of the mountain, a name still preserved in a portion of the modern city. It was inhabited by the liochelaga or Beaver Indians, active traders, who traversed the Saint Lawrence from their district to Ottawa. When Champlain vis ited the spot in 1603 the Indian town had van ished. as the result of a war between the Hurons and the Iroquois; and here he established, eight years later, a trading post. in 1642 Paul de Chomedy, Sieur the Maisonneuve, for 'La Com pagnie de MontrAiI; founded the 'Ville Marie-de Montr6a1' on romantic ideas of religion and patriotism. The town was engaged in struggles with the Iroquois for many years. and in 1665 the Marquis de Tracy arrived from France with the famous Carig,nan-Salieres Regiment, which broke the power of the red men. In 1672 the town became the centre of the fur trade and the starting point for military and exploring ex peditions, from which it became known as the 'Mother of Cities.' With Indian massacres and warfare, and strife between the religions and civil authorities, Montreal soon acquired a ro mantic history. In 1700 the British took the
town. and their entry marked a new era. In 1775-76 it was occupied by the Continental forces, but the citizens resented Franklin's incitement to revolt against British rule. In 1844 it was made the seat of the Canadian Government, but it lost the honor after the riot of 1849. when the Parlia ment buildings were destroyed by the mob. The British garrison was removed in 1870. In 1901 a great lire devastated four acres of the commer cial portion of the city. the Board of Trade build ing constituting the chief loss. The damage was estimated at $4,000,000.
With its suburbs, Montreal's population num bered, in 1891, 220.181; in 1901, 266.826, half being French, the rest of Irish. English, and Scot tish descent. Three-fourths of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics, and the city is the seat of both Roman and Anglican bishops.
Consult : Sandham. Filly Marie: or, 81Jetelles of Montreal Past and Present I Montreal, 1870) ; 5faclenimn. Jiontreol and ,'one of the Makers Thereof (ib., 1893) ; and the authorities referred to under CANADA.