a town of East Canada, the chief seaport and strongest military position in British North America, on a rocky promontory at the confluence of the rivers St Lawrence and St Charles, 170 miles below Montreal, and 556 N. by E. of New York. The country in which it stands is much admired for the boldness and sublimity of its scenery; the left bank of the St Lawrence is lined for some distance above the town with an elevated strip of Quebec, table land, on the extremity of which the town is built. The citadel, which occupies the highest point, has an elevation of 350 feet above the river,—the declivity being steep on the S.E. side, but more gradual towards the N. and W., where the ground slopes towards the St Charles. It is on the latter side that Quebec is built,—the upper town on an elevated slope, about 100 feet below the citadel, and terminating in steep cliffs 200 feet high; while the lower town occupies the narrow strip of land between these cliffs and the river. To the west there are two large suburbs,—that of St Roche occupying the lower plain, which here expands to a greater width; and that of St John, on the same level as the upper town. To the S.W. of the latter are the plains of Abraham. The citadel, which covers an area of 40 acres, is considered almost impregnable, being defended for the most of its circuit by steep precipices; and in other places by strong and skilfully-constructed fortifications, consisting of a moat, covered way, and glacis. There are in the citadel barracks, magazines, and a large armory. The upper town is encircled by a wall, which is mounted with heavy ordnance, and entered by five gates. The approach to the upper from the lower town is commanded by well-placed cannons in the citadel. On the plains of Abraham, outside of the suburb of St John, there are four Martello towers, extending across the ridge, which defend the city from attack in this direction. The houses in Quebec are in general two or three storeys in height, built of stone or brick, and roofed with shingles or tin plates, so as to present a singular and antique appearance. The lower town, owing to the confined and uneven ground on which it is built, is very irregular, with short, narrow, and crooked streets; but in the upper town, and especially in the suburbs, there is more regularity,—the streets are broad, straight, well paved, and clean. There are many public buildings, some of which are large and handsome. The Parliament buildings, formerly the episcopal palace, is a large edifice in the Ionic style, surmounted by a dome. The Roman Catholic cathedral of Notre Dame is an irregular building of great size, with a tower and spire, and it contains many fine old paintings. There is also a Protestant cathedral, a plain edifice in the Roman style. The Roman Catholic Church has six other places of worship; the Church of England, five; the Established and the Free Church of Scotland, the French Protestants, the Congregationalists, Wesleyans, and Baptists, one each. The public buildings in general are more remarkable for their substantial character than for any great elegance. Among the ornaments of the town, the most interesting are those which commemorate the celebrated victory by which Quebec came into the possession of the British. A monument to General Wolfe, consisting of a column 40 feet high, stands on the plains of Abraham; a smaller pillar marks the place where he fell; and inside the town there is an obelisk, 65 feet in height, in honour of Wolfe and his adversary Montcalm, who both died in the battle, and lie buried on the field. Laval university derives its name from the first Roman Catholic bishop of Canada, who founded in 1663 an institution, called the Quebec Seminary, for the education of priests. When the British gained possession of Canada this was made a general college; and having risen considerably in importance, was in 1832 erected by royal charter into a university. The buildings are only partially finished, and none but the faculties of law and medicine are yet in operation. The university has 12 professors, 36 students, and a library of 5200 volumes. The collegiate department comprises the institution as it was before being made a university, and includes the grand seminary for the study of theology, and the minor seminary for literature and philosophy. Quebec has also a normal school, and several literary and scientific institutions. The benevolent institutions include the Hotel Dieu, a nunnery and hospital; a lunatic asylum; military, marine, general, and orphan hospitals, &c. Though not very remarkable as a manufacturing town, various branches of industry are carried on at Quebec: soap, candles, tobacco, beer, and brandy are made here; but ship-building is the employment that occupies the greater number of operatives in the town. The number of vessels annually built and equipped is from 30 to 40, and the tonnage 1000 or 2000. The harbour of Quebec is very good. It is protected towards the N.E. by the island of Orleans, on either side of which there is an approach. Vessels of the largest size can lie in the middle of the stream, where there is excellent anchorage; and smaller ones come alongside the wharves which line the water's edge. The water here is fresh, but yet the tide has 18 feet at springs. The chief article of export from Quebec is timber, which is floated down the river from the basin of the Ottawa and the north shore of Lake Ontario, and is laid up in coves extending along the river for 6 miles above the town. From these coves the timber is floated out to the ships in the harbour. Quebec is the principal emporium of the export trade between Canada and Great Britain; while the imports, on the other hand, are generally conveyed directly up to Montreal, which in that respect is much superior. The number, tonnage, and crews of the vessels entered and cleared at Quebec for several years is as follows:

| Year | Entered | Cleared | |------|---------|---------| | | No. | Tons | Crews | No. | Tons | Crews | | 1845 | 1489 | 576,541 | 20,912 | 1409 | 484,540 | | | 1848 | 1188 | 452,436 | 16,423 | 1194 | 457,430 | | | 1851 | 1305 | 533,821 | 17,553 | 1394 | 586,093 | | | 1854 | 1416 | 618,926 | 20,301 | 1558 | 693,588 | 22,166 | | 1856 | 990 | 462,083 | 14,783 | 1058 | 495,857 | 15,651 |

The quantity of timber conveyed to the town and exported in 1854, was as follows:

| Supply | Export | |--------|--------| | Feet | Feet | | Oak | 2,176,071 | 1,333,920 | | Elm | 1,927,855 | 1,463,600 | | Ash | 221,446 | 106,160 | | Birch | 45,052 | 51,180 | | Tamarack | 2,610,753 | 78,560 | | White pine | 10,645,006 | 19,612,320 | | Red pine | 3,755,848 | 2,000,000 |

Total: 30,425,047

The total value of exports in 1856 was £2,048,299, of imports £071,598, and of import duty received £92,477.

Quebec has been several times devastated by terrible fires, the last of which occurred in 1845; but it is now guarded against this danger by a copious supply of water from Lake St Charles, which can be thrown by its own pressure over the highest edifices. The city is governed by a mayor and twenty-four councillors, and returns three members to the legislative assembly. It was founded by the French in 1608, and fortified in 1690. It remained in their hands till 1759, when, in consequence of the victory of Wolfe, it was surrendered to the British, and finally confirmed to them by the treaty of Paris in 1763. It was attacked by the American republicans in 1775, but the siege was raised in the following year. Since then its capture has not been again attempted. Pop. (1851) of the city, 42,052; of the county, 61,566; (1857) of the city, about 60,000, chiefly of French origin.