Old Montreal, which was once enclosed by thick stone walls, is the oldest part of the city. Its chapels and stone warehouses stand as testament to the religious fervor that inspired the French settlers who arrived in 1642 to build a Christian commonwealth supported by a prosperous fur trade. Today, stockbrokers and shipping companies continue to operate out of the area's old financial district, which once controlled virtually all the wealth of the young Dominion of Canada. Lawyers in black gowns hurry through the streets to plead cases at the Palais de Justice or the Cour d'Appel, the City Council meets in the Second Empire City Hall on rue Notre-Dame and local shoppers hunt for deals in the bargain clothing stores just off rue McGill.