Fonds consists of documents relating to the fires at Quebec City in May and June 1845, and the use of military forces in fighting them, 97 pages. These records provide some insight into the role of the military in providing aid to the civil power to control the populace and prevent looting, to organize relief and recovery efforts following a disaster and to provide engineering and other technical expertise. Historians appear to have relied upon newspaper reports for information on the two great fires that destroyed some 2850 houses and several churches as well mas lumberyards and shipyears, leaving an estimated 22,000 (half the population) of the city of Quebec homeless. A fund of nearly 200,000 pounds was established to aid the reconstruction of the city. The fires had an impact on many aspects of economic and social life in the city, the province and beyond. Insurance companies were bankrupted. A fear of arson caused municipal authorities to request military detachments to assist the civil powers in maintaining order. At the same time, the British authorities were attempting to reduce expenditures on the military and limit the size of forces posted abroad.
The fonds includes the following material: resolution of appreciation for the assistance of Maj. Gen. Hope and his troops in fighting the 28 May fire, adopted at a public meeting of Quebec citizens, 29 May 1845, signed by F. X. Garneau, city clerk, (2 p.); Hope's copy of his report on the fire of 28 June submitted to Lord Cathcart 1 July 1845 8 p.); letter from Mayor Caron of Quebec to Hope, 30 May 1845, thanking him for the military's assistance (manpower and engineering expertise) in fighting the 28 May fire, with references to military losses (2 p.); resolution of the Quebec city council, 10 June 1845, thanking Hope and his troops for aid in fighting the 28 May fire, signed by F. X. Garneau, with the civic seal (2 p.); General Order 575, dated 13 August 1845 at the Horse Guards, printed (7 p.).
Reproduced in the General Order are: despatch of Lord Cathcart to Lt. Gen. Somerset, 9 July 1845, reporting on the use of troops in fighting the fire of 28 June; Hope's letter to Cathcart, 1 July 1845, reporting on the 28 June fire and measures taken to control it; Lord Cathcart's despatch to Somerset, 10 July 1845, enclosing a letter from F. X. Garneau, greffier de la ville de Québec, to Hope, 7 July 1845, and a general order of 8 July 1845 (both reproduced here in French); Civil Secretary Higginson to Military Secretary Talbot, 5 July 1845, conveying Lord Cathcart's praise for the troops; F.X. Garneau to Hope, 7 July 1845, conveying the thanks of citizens to Hope and the military.
