Sharon Garellek, age 10 of Montreal, Quebec, Canada., for her question:

How did Montreal get its name?

Jacques Cattier was a renowned explorer, with an admiring eye for a lovely landscape. One day, in the year 1535, he reached a spot that surely must be the most regal scene on the continent of North America. The clear bright waters of the Saint Lawrence River parted to wash around an island    and on the island stood a gentle green mountain. When the renowned explorer recovered from the breathtaking sight, he climbed to the tap of the mountain and named the place.

Cattier, as everybody knows, was a Frenchman and the name he bestowed on the place was French. He called it Mont Real    written with a slanted dash above the second letter in the second word. The name meant Mount Royal, naturally. The first permanent settlement was established there in 1642    and through the years the place became the fabulous city of Montreal.