Do you think William Dickson spoke French? Most likely, he did. When he first came to Canada, he resided and worked in the Montreal and Kingston area. The work he did from age fifteen to age twenty was selling provisions to Fur traders many of whom spoke French. Just living in Montreal would require some fluency. But the most telling evidence that may prove this matter is a book presumably owned by Dickson and residing in the Cambridge Archives entirely written in French and whose title when translated is "Selection of Literature Proceeded by a Methodical Exposition of the Most Common Principals of the French Language." As a lawyer, I'll bet he knew some Latin, too!
Do you think William Dickson spoke French? Most likely, he did. When he first came to Canada, he resided and worked in the Montreal and Kingston area. The work he did from age fifteen to age twenty was selling provisions to Fur traders many of whom spoke French. Just living in Montreal would require some fluency. But the most telling evidence that may prove this matter is a book presumably owned by Dickson and residing in the Cambridge Archives entirely written in French and whose title when translated is "Selection of Literature Proceeded by a Methodical Exposition of the Most Common Principals of the French Language." As a lawyer, I'll bet he knew some Latin, too!