QUEBEC. The capital of the Province of Quebec, and the oldest city in Canada, in latitude 46° 48' N.. longitude 71° 12' \V., ISO miles north eastof Montrea1,430 miles north-northeast of New York (Nap: Quebec, E 4). Quebec is situated on a promontory called Cape Diamond. named from the prevalence of quartz, and formed by the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Saint Charles rivers. lts picturesque position. and the fact that its historical sites have never been de faced and altered, make it one of the moat roman tic and interesting towns in North America. It resembles a medireval European town rather than a city in the New World, and, owing to its im pregnable aspect, has been termed the Gibraltar of America. Grouped on and below the rocky, precipitous bluff, with its low. irregular build ings and river craft at the base, it presents a quaint appearance. The city is divided into an upper and a lower town. Access to the former, perched high on the precipitous eminence, is obtained by several flights of narrow steps, an elevator, and a steep and winding street. The portion of the upper town near which lie the suburbs of Saint John and Saint Louis is surrounded by a mas sive wall, but several of the fortifications have been destroyed. Three gates have been re moved. the two remaining being Saint Louis and Kent Gate. The summit of Cape Dia mond is crowned by a citadel, covering forty acres, at a height of 333 feet above the level or the river, dating in its present form from 1823, and garriooned by Canadian militia. The upper town contains the principal residences, churches, buildings, public walks and gardens. and shops. One of its most interesting points is the Dufferin Terrace, a promenade, 1400 feet long and 200 feet above the river, opened in 1879 and affording a fine view. This was constructed on the site of the residence of the early French governors, the Chateau Saint Louis, destroyed by fire in 1834. In the Governor's garden, overlooking the Saint Lawrence River, stands a monument to the mem ory of Wolfe and Montcalm, and on the Saint Faye Road an iron pillar surmounted by a bronze statue commemorates the battle of Saint Fo•e, fought on that site.
Quebec's chief attractions are: the Parliament aml departmental buildings: the court-house, eus tom-house, and city hall; the Nasonic hall; the Basilica, formerly the cathedral, with specimens of several of the greatest painters; the Seminary of Quebec; the Laval University, deriving its name from the first Bishop of Quebec, and well equipped with a library, museum, a picture gal lery, and scientific apparatus—the largest edu cational Roman Catholic institution in Canada; and the Ursnline Convent, where Montealin is buried. Quebec has the 'Hotel Dieu Convent and Hospital ; Slorrin College (Presbyterian). called after its founder and connected with McGill University of Montreal: and the Marine Hos pital. There are many educational institutions, several public libraries, and a literary and his torical society, founded at :Morrill College in 1824, which possesses valuable records and his torical manuscripts.
The lower town is the seat of commerce, and much rock has been cut to construct its narrow, irregular streets. Near it are the districts of Saint Boa and Saint Sauveu•. containing many manufactories. The chief industry is the ship ping of lumber brought in rafts and colleeted into coves which extend for six miles above the town. The principal manufactures and exports are leather, iron castings, boots, shoes, furs, grain, cattle, musical instruments, cutlery, machinery, nails, india-rubber goods, rope, and steel. Quebec early achieved a reputation for ship-building, and the Royal William, one of the first vessels to cross the Atlantic by means of steam alone, was built here in 1831. The rocks and wharves extend three miles from the mouth of the Saint Charles, where the spacious Louise Basin is inclosed by the Louise Embankment, which forms a fine river-front promenade.