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The City of Quebec to His Excellency the Right Honourable The Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield, a member of the Honourable the Privy Council of His Majesty, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Companion of Honour, etc., etc., Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Dominion of Canada.
Your Excellency,
Sir, on this occasion of your first visit to the most ancient city of Canada, the citizens of Quebec, represented by their Mayor and Municipal Council, solicit the honour of extending to you their respectful homage and most heartfelt welcome.
The City founded by Samuel Champlain has always had the privilege of welcoming within its walls the illustrious representatives of His Majesty the King in Canada, and, from all, it has received testimonials of goodwill which have enriched with new laurels its glorious Annals.
Your name, your Excellency, is added to those of prominent statesmen who have been sent here by our Most Gracious Sovereign to preside over the destinies of our Country. This mark of confidence which you have thus received is an eloquent testimonial to the great qualities which you have displayed in the service of your country.
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Since the inception of your career, in your capacity as Secretary to Lord Milner, High Commissioner of South Africa, and as a brilliant writer, you have achieved most remarkable success.
The Great War allowed you, moreover, to distinguish yourself even more, on the soil of France, as a member of the Intelligence Bureau of the British Army, and, up to the present time, you have most admirably represented in the House of Commons the Scottish Universities.
This by no means halted the production of literary works which have placed your Excellency among the best writers and poets of your Country. A worthy "émule" of your illustrious compatriot, Sir Walter Scott, you will be the first professional poet to occupy Rideau Hall officially.
Upon your designation as Governor General of Canada, your Excellency has expressed yourself in words which have deeply touched our hearts. May I be allowed to repeat them, for they illustrate most fittingly your sympathy towards this part of the Canadian Nation, of which Quebec is morally considered the capital city. After having recalled, in the most appropriate terms, your first visit to Canada, as a guest of Lord Byng of Vimy, you declared: "I want to see as much as possible of this marvelous French-Canadian race which has produced some of the greatest pioneers of world History.
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I have also noticed that during the War the old Scotch friendship for France was still a living tradtion."
Effectively, what was existing in France, since the far-gone days when Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, reigned over the Kingdom which gave birth to our ancestors, has on many occasions manifested itself in this country. Even in Quebec, we most preciously keep the remembrance of Abraham Martin, the Scot, who gave his name to our national battlefields, and in one of our local cemeteries lie the remains of a brother of Sir Walter Scott.
We take this opportunity to express to you, from the bottom of our hearts, our sentiments of loyalty towards Their Most Excellent Majesties the King and Queen, and our profound gratitude for the honour They have conferred upon us by sending us a representative so worthy of our esteem, as your Excellency.
Like all your predecessors, you add to the dignity of public life all the charm which cannot fail to spread over our social life the presence of Her Excellency, the Baroness Tweedsmuir of Elsfield, who is also a distinguished writer, and we are all overjoyed to see that she will continue to show, as all the other illustrious "châtelaines" of Rideau Hall, the same interest towards our national, intellectual and charitable institutions.
As Mayor of Quebec, may I be allowed to express the hope that the Vice-Regal headquarters at the Citadel will very often be occupied by your Excellencies,
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so that traditions which are very dear to us may be maintained in this fortress, the plans of which had been approved, over one hundred years ago, by the immortal great-grand-uncle of Lady Tweedsmuir, the Duke of Wellington.
With our most respectful and cordial welcome, kindly accept, your Excellency, for yourself and for the members of your illustrious family, our best wishes for a happy and successful administration in this Canadian Country, which was favoured by Providence and in which have been assigned the most brilliant destinies.
J. E. GREGOIRE
Mayor of Quebec
QUEBEC, the 25th October 1936
