Here we have the restoration of the governors quarters at Louisbourg, but it could just as easily have been the residence of the governor-general at Quebec, the governor of Montreal or Trois-RiviΦres, even of a senior judge or wealthy merchant fur trader. A visitor accustomed to the salons of Paris would have felt quite at home. The furnishings shown here would not have been of local manufacture but imported from France. They exemplify the style of the eighteenth century which was in many ways the most elegant and civilised that the western world has yet known, much more so than that of today. The table set for four was obviously intended for a small, intimate dinner party. It was not unusual for a senior official to have as many as eighty guests to dine, and to serve them eight courses with the appropriate wines. Note the fine china and silver ware. France was famous for its porcelain, but only the wealthy could afford it. Humbler folk ate from pewter dishes that could be melted down and recast when they became too battered. By the mid-eighteenth century, New France had silversmiths who produced work of excellent quality. Much of it consisted of church altar vessels, and rings and ornaments for the fur trade, but they also made silver cutlery in traditional patterns. When silver money came into the colony to pay the troops, it quickly disappeared from circulation. The wealthier habitants melted the coins and had the local silversmiths fashion the silver into bowls and mugs. Since there were no banks, this was one way to store up wealth and enjoy the use of it at the same time.
