Colonel John Nairne
A CANADIAN MANORAND ITS SEIGNEURS
THE STORY OF A HUNDRED YEARS1761-1861
BY
GEORGE M. WRONG, M.A.
PROFESSOR OF HISTORY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
TORONTO
THE BRYANT PRESS, LIMITED
1908
Copyright, Canada, 1908
by George M. Wrong
PREFACE
In spite of many pleasant summers spent at Murray Bay one had neverthought of it as having a history. The place and its people seemedsimple, untutored, new. Some of the other summer residents talkedcomplacently even of having discovered it. They had heard of Murray Bayas beautiful and had gone to explore this unknown country. When thisbold feat was performed there was abundant recompense. Valley, mountain,river and stream united to make Murray Bay delightful. The little summercommunity grew. At first visitors lived in the few primitive hotels orin cottages at Pointe au Pic, vacated for the time being by theirowners, who found temporary lodgings somewhere,—not infrequently intheir own out-buildings. The cottages left something to be desired, and,gradually, the visitors bought land and built houses for themselves:to-day dozens of them dot the western shore of Murray Bay. In due timeappeared tennis courts; then a golf links. Murray Bay had become, alas,almost fashionable.
It still seemed to have no past. True, near the village church, afair-sized house stood, embowered in trees, with a fine view out overthe bay and the wide St. Lawrence. A high fence shut in a beautiful oldgarden, with a few great trees: as one drove past one got a glimpse ofshady walks and old-fashioned flowers. The extensive out-buildings nearthis manor house, stables, carriage-house, dairy, showed that theestablishment was fairly large. There were sleek cattle in the farmyard. On one of the out-buildings was a small belfry, with a bell tosummon the work-people from afar to meals, and this seemed like theolden times when the seigneur fed his labourers under his own roof. Onmaking a formal call at the manor house one noted that some of the roomswere of fine proportions and that a good many old portraits andminiatures hung on the walls. This all spoke of a past; and yet of itone asked little and knew nothing.
Just across the bay stood another manor house; of stone, too, in thiscase not concealed by a covering of wood. Thick walls crowned by amansard roof spoke of a respectable age. This manor house, also lookedout on the bay and across the St. Lawrence. One knew that it was namedPg vMount Murray Manor, while that on the right bank of the river Murray wascalled Murray Bay Manor. It was said vaguely that a Colonel Fraser haddwelt at Mount Murray and a Colonel Nairne at Murray Bay; but all thatone heard was loose tradition and there were no Nairnes or Frasers ofwhom one might ask questions. One could see that, in both places,something like an old world dignity of life had in the past been keptup.
Making a call at the Murray Bay Manor House, I was told one day of amanuscript volume in which the first seigneur had copied some of hisletters. I begged to be allowed to spend an afternoon or two in lookingthrough it. I went and went again. To me the book was absorbing. It tol