Montreal

the metropolis of Canada. It is situated on the northern bank of the St. Lawrence River, 180 miles above Quebec. It is at the head of deep water navigation. It is nearly 1,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. It is as far from the open sea as the mouth of the Ohio is from the Gulf of Mexico. It is 420 miles by rail from New York City. The name is French for Mount Royal, an eminence in the rear of the city. The site is a beautiful one, being a triangular island formed by the mouths of the Ottawa River. Mount Royal is one of the most sightly city parks known. The St. Lawrence is about two miles wide. It is crossed at different points by the Grand Trunk Railway Tubular Bridge and by the Lachine Bridge of the Canadian Pacific. The former has been adapted also to the use of foot passengers and vehicles. The natural channel of the river has been improved by dredging. Immense wharves have been constructed. Steamers requiring twenty-seven feet of water are enabled to reach the city. A canal around Lachine Rapids permits the passage of boats from the interior. Montreal is thus the meeting place of shipping from the Great Lakes, ocean steamships, and several lines of railway, making it one of the great commercial cities of the world. Merchandise from the upper Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes region en route for Liverpool, finds the Montreal route 350 miles shorter than the route by way of New York.

The city hall, postoffice, courthouse, custom house and other buildings are imposing. The city is famous for its church buildings. The most prominent edifice is the Catholic Cathedral of St. James. It resembles St. Peter's at Rome, except that it is smaller. The leading educational institution is McGill University. It is noted for a high standard of scholarship.

The city was founded in 1642. The Indian name is "Hochelaga." The city surrendered to General Amherst in 1760. It was captured by the Americans under Montgomery and Arnold in 1775. It was for a time the capital of Canada ere the removal of the government offices to Ottawa. The city is growing rapidly. The population in 1908, including suburbs, was reported at 332,544. Montreal is one of the great cities of the American continent.

See St. Lawrence; Quebec; Canada