Réglement de la Confrerie de l'adoration perpétuelle du S. Sacrement, et de la bonne mort : erigée dans l'eglise paroissiale de Ville-Marie, en l'Isle de Montréal en Canada

Réglement de la Confrerie de l'adoration perpétuelle du S. Sacrement, et de la bonne mort : erigée dans l'eglise paroissiale de Ville-Marie, en l'Isle de Montréal en Canada

Published by Fleury Mesplet (1734-1794), this physically tiny work would be the first work printed by Mesplet after his arrival in Montréal in 1776. After leaving Lyon for Avignon, London and Philadelphia, Mesplet settled in Montréal on the recommendation of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790}, with whom he had collaborated on printing ventures for the American Congress. Mesplet’s luggage contained the first non-governmental press to be established in the “Province of Québec”. Mesplet published many utilitarian works, with this title being distributed to members of the Confrerie, who could boast a membership of 1000 in late-18th century Montréal. Mesplet would go on to found the La Gazette littéraire with journalist Valentin Jautard (1736-1787) (known by the pseudonym “le Spectacteur tranquille”) in 1778, but both would be thrown into prison without trial, which would put an abrupt end to their literary adventure. The wife of Mesplet, Marie Maribeau,(1746-1789) would take over the publishing reins during his imprisonment. Mesplet would establish the Gazette de Montréal in 1785, which would be bought by an Anglophone editor, eventually becoming the Montreal Gazette.

Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa [BX816 .C3 C65 1776]

Montréal, Chez F. Mesplet & C. Berger

1776

Archives and Special Collections, University of Ottawa

Book

French

Text

ARSC_PR_BX816 .C3 C65 1776