Nature has lavished all her grandest elements to form this astonishing panorama.  There frowns the cloud-capped mountain, and below, the cataract foams and thunders; wood, and rock, and river combine to lend their aid in making the picture perfect, and worthy of its Divine Originator.

The precipitous bank upon which the city lies piled, reflected in the still deep waters at its base, greatly enhances the romantic beauty of the situation.  The mellow and serene glow of the autumnal day harmonised so perfectly with the solemn grandeur of the scene around me, and sank so silently and deeply into my soul, that my spirit fell prostrate before it, and I melted involuntarily into tears.  Yes, regardless of the eager crowds around me, I leant upon the side of the vessel and cried like a child—­not tears of sorrow, but a gush from the heart of pure and unalloyed delight.  I heard not the many voices murmuring in my ears—­I saw not the anxious beings that thronged our narrow deck—­my soul at that moment was alone with God.  The shadow of His glory rested visibly on the stupendous objects that composed that magnificent scene; words are perfectly inadequate to describe the impression it made upon my mind—­the emotions it produced.  The only homage I was capable of offering at such a shrine was tears—­tears the most heartfelt and sincere that ever flowed from human eyes.  I never before felt so overpoweringly my own insignificance, and the boundless might and majesty of the Eternal.

Canadians, rejoice in your beautiful city!  Rejoice and be worthy of her—­for few, very few, of the sons of men can point to such a spot as Quebec—­and exclaim, “She is ours!—­God gave her to us, in her beauty and strength!—­We will live for her glory—­we will die to defend her liberty and rights—­to raise her majestic brow high above the nations!”

Look at the situation of Quebec!—­the city founded on the rock that proudly holds the height of the hill.  The queen sitting enthroned above the waters, that curb their swiftness and their strength to kiss and fawn around her lovely feet.

Canadians!—­as long as you remain true to yourselves and her, what foreign invader could ever dare to plant a hostile flag upon that rock-defended height, or set his foot upon a fortress rendered impregnable by the hand of Nature?  United in friendship, loyalty, and love, what wonders may you not achieve? to what an enormous altitude of wealth and importance may you not arrive?  Look at the St. Lawrence, that king of streams, that great artery flowing from the heart of the world, through the length and breadth of the land, carrying wealth and fertility in its course, and transporting from town to town along its beautiful shores the riches and produce of a thousand distant climes.  What elements of future greatness and prosperity encircle you on every side!  Never yield up these solid advantages to become an humble dependent on the great republic—­wait patiently, loyally, lovingly, upon the illustrious parent from whom you sprang, and by whom you have been fostered into life and political importance; in the fulness of time she will proclaim your childhood past, and bid you stand up in your own strength, a free Canadian people!