aie before and after the arrival
of Colonel Nairne.

It was not until 1797 that these occasional services ceased and Murray
Bay secured a resident priest. Then was fully established in the parish
the imposing church system that to-day probably retains its original
vigour more completely in the Province of Quebec than in any other
country in the world. At its head is the diocesan bishop. Subject only
to the distant authority of the Pope he reigns supreme. With one or two
exceptions, such as that of the cure of Quebec, he appoints and he can
remove any and every priest in his diocese, a right, it is said, almost
never exercised arbitrarily. He fixes the tariff to be paid for masses.
It is he who determines whether such a practise as, for instance,
dancing shall be permitted in the diocese. He watches over the Church's
rights and gives the alarm when a political leader proposes anything
that seems to menace them. If a newspaper adopts a course dangerous to
the Church it has often happened that the bishop gives it one or two
warnings; in case of continued obstinacy his last act is to forbid the
faithful to read the paper; and since most of them will obey, this
involves ruin for the recalcitrant journal.

The bishop visits each parish at least every third year and sometimes
even annually. A mounted cavalcade will probably meet him as he crosses
its boundary. A procession is formed. The roads have been cleared and
decorated with boughs of ever-green trees stuck in the ground. The
people watch the cavalcade from their doors and all kneel as the
procession passes. The bishop goes at once to the church where he gives
his benediction and holds confirmation. He remains for some days. There
is daily communion and spiritual instruction. He inspects
everything--the church and its furnishings, the registers, the accounts,
the inventory of effects, the cemetery. He has already given notice that
he is ready to hear any complaints or grievances even against the cure.
We may be sure that when he comes there is a general clearing up of
parochial difficulties. A wise bishop is a great peacemaker; an
arbitrary one commands an authority not lightly to be disregarded.

The church that towers over the humble cottages of a French Canadian
village invariably seems huge. But we need to remember how large are the
parishes and how few in number relatively are the churches; it is
probable that in English-speaking Canada there are half a dozen
chur