exchanged masters, and being under the dominion of the King of England,
who was a Protestant ruler, the inhabitants of Montreal did not think
the time favorable to rebuild the church, and it remained a ruin until
1771. They repented of their inaction, however, and reproached
themselves with cowardice, attributing to their neglect the
extraordinary calamities that befell them. The city was scourged by two
other general conflagrations, the first occurring on the 18th of May,
1765, when in the short space of four hours, one hundred houses were
consumed. The burning was so violent, that the flames leaped beyond the
city limits, reaching out to the General Hospital, which was soon a mass
of smoking cinders. The second occurred on the 11th of April, 1768, more
than eighty of the best public buildings being destroyed, including the
chapel and residence of the Sisters of the Congregation, also the chapel
of our Lady of Victories, which was built on their grounds in 1711, the
repaired ruins of which serve to this day for school purposes.

Much suffering and misery was the result of these calamities, but what
struck terror to the hearts of the entire community, more than any other
scourge of God, was the insolent demand made by some British officers,
for the land on which Bon-Secours, or rather its ruins, stood. They then
thought seriously of repairing their fault, and a general assembly of
the citizens of Montreal was called in June, 1771, at which it was
unanimously decided that they must labor strenuously to rebuild the
chapel. They at once appointed persons to draw the plans and superintend
the work, and in less than eight days the foundation was dug, and
everything was in readiness. On the 30th of the same month they
inaugurated the building of the second temple with the same religious
ceremonies that a hundred years before had called down the material
benedictions of Mary Immaculate on the first cornerstone, or rather on
those who laid it. The entire city turned out in procession, with an