und to the west,
in the neighborhood of the two perennial springs, has in particular,
never been much disturbed. If therefore, as on the site of the old
Hochelaga, this burying-ground is on the out skirts of a town site,
relics of a much more interesting character may be looked for in
the undisturbed neighborhood just referred to, the Raynes and Murray
farms, and those on, the southern slope of the Mountain.

Should a town-site be fortunately discovered I have no doubt that
progressive Westmount will see to proper care being taken in the
matter. Such a town would likely be older than Hochelaga and thus
afford a fresh step in tracing the record of this mysterious people.
Such towns were frequently moved, when the soil or supply of wood gave
out, or disease or enemies made removal imperative. As to the remains
already unearthed being prehistoric, there can be no doubt. The Island
was deserted after the destruction of Hochelaga by the Hurons about
1560. The next Indian inhabitants were Catholic converts and therefore
were buried at full length in a consecrated Christian ground.
The village of the converts was at the Old Towers of the Fort des
Messieurs, some quarter of a mile eastward of the plateau referred to.

In tracing back the history of the land in which these discoveries
have been made, we learn from the _terrier_ or land book of the
Seminary of St. Sulpice, that it was conceded about 1708, and that it
has ever since remained in private hands. Had the site been known as
a burial place, even years previous to that date, it is altogether
unlikely that such a concession would have been made; especially as
there was abundance of unoccupied land in the vicinity. The faint
doubt which arose as to whether the interments were made subsequently
to the founding of Montreal, is therefore eliminated. The authorities
of the Seminary, who conceded the land, state not only that they have
no record of a burying-ground there, but agree with me that the space
covered is too large, to be consecrated ground, as it would be in
Christian times, and they also state that the burials of the mission
of the Mountain where the Montreal Indian converts lived, were made
chiefly at the cemeteries of Montreal and were very few. These
Indians had originally been assembled around Ville Marie but were
removed to the Fort des Messieurs where Montreal College stands in
1662, and thence, towards the beginning of the 18th century, to
Sault-au-Recollet