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Show z4.S TRAVELS TIIROUGH LOWER CANADA: wifh to go in a gallop, you need only obferve to your companion, fo as to b~ overheard by the driv er, that the Canadi,ln cala{he arc the vilcfl: carriage on earth, and fo heavy that you believe the people arc afi·a id th horfc11 would fall down and break their nee! s if th ey attempted to make them go as fa(l as in other countries ; above all, prJi(e the carriarrcs and drivers f the United States. A few remarkc; of this fort at once difcompofe the tempers f the drivers, and their pailion is con!b.ntly vented in laf11cs on their horfes. To hafl:en the fpeed of their hot.;fcs they have three exprt Olons, riling abo\'e each other in a regular climax. The .firfl:, " Marc he," is pronounced in the ufual tone of voic ; " M<trchc-donc," the iL cond, is pronounced more hafl:ily and louder; if the horfc is dull enough not to comprehend thi s, then the " l\t1arche-donc," accompanied with one of Sterne's magical w o rd ~ , come · out, in the third place, in a lhrill piercing key, and a fm art Jan1 of the whip follow s. From the frequent ufc m:tdc by the driv e r~ of thc!e worJs, the calan1cs bave receiv ed the nick-name of" marchc-doncs." The firfl: pofl: houfc is nine n ilcs from ~ebcc, which onr drivers, of their own accord, managed to reach in one hour. No fo01 er were we in fi ght of it, than the poflmafl:cr, his wifC in her d fe French c.1p, and all the family, came running out to rtcc ive us. T he foremofi driver, a thiu fellow of al:out fix feet high, with a queue bounJ with eel fkins that reached the whole wny down his h.1c l·, immediately racked hi whip, anJ having brouJht hi c·daf11 to the doo r, with a great air ht: leapt out, bowed rcfi)I·Clf~d l y at a diiLmce to the hofh.: is th en aL v.1ncing with his hat off, paid hn ;l few complimen t ~ , and kiHed both her Lhecks in turn, which n1e prcCcnted tO him with 110 fma\J C ndefcc ll {lOil . Some minutes arc generally fpcnt thus at every poH- houlc in mutual congratulations on meeting, before the people ever think of ge t ting a fn.:n1 curi, ')'c ready. The road between ~cbec and M'ontreal run , for the mofi part, clofc upon the banks of th ICvcr St. Lawrence, through thc[c be,wtiful little towns and villages fcen to fo much advantage from the water; and as the traveller pa!fcs along, he is entertained with profpc ls, 3 if |
