Excerpt from The Golden Dog (Le Chien D'or): A Romance of the Days of Louis Quinze in QuebecNaples and then die!' That was a proud saying, Count, which we used to hear as we cruised under lateen sails about the glorious bay, that reflects from its waters the fires of Vesuvius. We believed the boast then. Count. But I say now, 'See Quebec and live for ever!' Eternity would be too short to weary me of this lovely scene - this bright Canadian morning is worthy of Eden, and the glorious landscape worthy of such a sun rising."Thus exclaimed a tall, fair, Swedish gentleman, his blue eyes sparkling, and every feature glowing with enthusiasm, Herr Peter Kalm, to His Excellency Count de la Galissoniere, Governor of New France, as they stood together on a bastion of the ramparts of Quebec, in the year of grace 1748.A group of French and Canadian officers in the military uniforms of Louis XV., stood leaning on their swords, as they conversed gayly together on the broad gravelled walk, at the foot of the rampart. They formed the suite in attendance upon the Governor, who was out by sunrise this morning to inspect the work done during the night by the citizens of Quebec, and the habitat of the surrounding country, who had Often hastily summoned to labor upon the defences of the city.A few ecclesiastics, in black cassocks, dignitaries of the Church, mingled cheerfully in the conversation of the officers. They had accompanied the Governor, both to show their respect and to encourage by their presence and exhortations, the zeal of the colonists in the work of fortifying the capital.War was then raging between old England and old France, and between New England and New France.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.