o many years in New France, and especially in
the Island of Montreal, very great fruits for the glory of God and the
advantage of this growing Church, we have given them, as being most
irreproachable in faith, doctrine, piety and conduct, in perpetuity, and
do give them, by virtue of these presents, the livings of the Island of
Montreal, in order that they may be perfectly cultivated as up to now
they have been, as best they might be by their preachings and examples."
In fact, misunderstandings like that which had occurred on the arrival
of de Queylus were no longer to be feared; since the authority to which
Laval could lay claim had been duly established and proved, the
Sulpicians had submitted and accepted his jurisdiction. They had for a
longer period preserved their independence as temporal lords, and the
governor of Ville-Marie, de Maisonneuve, jealous of preserving intact
the rights of those whom he represented, even dared one day to refuse
the keys of the fort to the governor-general, M. d'Argenson. Poor de
Maisonneuve paid for this excessive zeal by the loss of his position,
for d'Argenson never forgave him.

The parish of Notre-Dame was united with the Seminary of Montreal on
October 30th, 1678, one year after the issuing of the letters patent
which recognized the civil existence of St. Sulpice de Montreal. Mgr. de
Laval at the same time united with the parish of Notre-Dame the chapel
of Bonsecours. On the banks of the St. Lawrence, not far from the church
of Notre-Dame, rises a chapel of modest appearance. It is Notre-Dame de
Bonsecours. It has seen many generations kneeling on its square, and has
not ceased to protect with its shadow the Catholic quarter of Montreal.
The buildings about it rose successively, only to give way themselves
to other monuments. Notre-Dame de Bonsecours is still respected; the
piety of Catholics defends it against all attacks of time or progress,
and the little church raises proudly in the air that slight wooden
steeple that more than once has turned aside the avenging bolt of the
Most High. Sister Bourgeoys had begun it in 1657; to obtain the funds
necessary for its completion she betook herself to Paris. She obtained
one hundred francs from M. Mace, a priest of St. Sulpice. One of the
associates of the Company of Montreal, M. de Fancamp, received for her
from two of his fellow-partners, MM. Denis and Lepretre, a statuette of
the Virgin made of the miraculous wood of Montagu, and he