When the fortifications of the old town were pulled down around 1817, it was decided to provide the militia with a drill ground. At the time, the prison, Government House and a guard house were located on Notre-Dame Street. Very soon, the Champ de Mars, with its avenues of trees, became a fashionable promenade; meetings were held there, people came to see the military parades and other events. This view, engraved by W.L. Lenney and based upon a work by R.A. Sproule (1799-1845), shows some of the large buildings around the drill ground at the time. From left to right can be seen the prison, the spire of the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral, Saint-Gabriel Church and the Hotel de France, well known to Montrealers. On the Champ de Mars itself are some soldiers at drill, an "habitant", a woman and child and a family of Indians. During the nineteenth century, Indians in their distinctive clothing were quite a common sight in town where they came to sell their basketwork.
