The British Garrison In Quebec City As Described In Newspapers From 1764 To 1840

A circus, a production of Shakespeare, an evening of song and ventriloquism, a performance by a ‘learned pig’ – all of these offered an evening’s entertainment to the citizens of early nineteenth-century Upper Canada. Although the population in 1800 was only 90,000, a wide range of entertainers performed in towns across the province: touring companies, variety and animal acts, and theatrical troupes, professional and amateur, some home-grown and based in the garrisons, others from Montreal, New York, and London. By the end of the century, some 250 touring groups were on the road across Ontario, from Ottawa to Rat Portage (now Kenora). The lively theatre tradition of that century would extend into the next, beyond the appointment in 1913 of Ontario’s first official censor, until the outbreak the following year of the First World War. This collection of essays covers a number of facets of the growth of theatre in Ontario. Ann Saddlemyer’s introduction provides an overview of the period, and historian J.M.S. Careless focuses on the cultural environment. Novelist Robertson Davies writes on the dramatic repertoire of the period. Architect Robert Fairfield explores the structures that housed performances, from the small community halls to the grand opera houses. Theatre scholar and professional actor and director Geralrd Lenton-Young discusses variety performances. Leslie O’Dell, scholar, actor, and playwright, writes on garrison theatre, while Mary M. Brown, a teacher, actress, and director, covers travelling troupes. A chronology and bibliography, both by the theatre scholar Richard Plant, complete the work. A second volume, scheduled for future publication, will look at the development of theatre in Ontario in the twentieth century. (Ontario Historical Studies Series)

As in his popular earlier book Beyond the River and the Bay, the bulk of the story is told by a character of Ross' invention, Ian Alexander Bell Robertson. Robertson, an Edinburgh gentleman born at the end of the Scottish enlightenment, acquired a deep sympathy for the displaced crofters and agricultural labourers of the Scottish Highlands. He lived in Quebec City between 1840 to 1842 to prepare a study of the Canadas intended either as a guide for the immigrant or, as Ross feels more likely, a record of the colonies at the moment they united and embarked on a promising future together. While Ross himself sets the work in historical context and explains the use of a fictitious author, it is Robertson, a keen observer, who describes in detail numerous aspects of Canadian life in 1841: transportation, communications, social institutions and customs, life on the new farms, and the relationship between the French and English residents of the colonies -- a relationship which in many ways resembles that of today. Throughout the book, Ross has interspersed snippets of information and illustration to supplement Robertson's writings. Scrupulously researched and easily accessible, Full of Hope and Promise will interest anyone wishing to know more about everyday life in Upper and Lower Canada at the time of the 1841 Union.

When Quebec fell to the British in 1759, a number of British troops stayed to form a garrison. The garrison remained in Quebec for 112 years as Britain sent infantry regiments and artillery companies to Canada, where they generally stayed for a period of six to ten years. This booklet describes the Quebec garrison, the lives of the men who served in it, and the influence it had on the city. Topics covered include garrison organization and strength, military properties and activities, living conditions, and relations with civilians.

These biographies of Canadians are arranged chronologically by date of death. Entries in each volume are listed alphabetically, with bibliographies of source material and an index to names.

"An index and document delivery service for Canadian report literature".