for the possession of the estate they had pleaded that
by the mere obtaining of the Charter the College was to all intents and
purposes "erected and established." The courts sustained their plea.
Now, however, they repudiated their own former contention; they
maintained that the College had not yet been "erected and established";
and that until buildings were actually constructed they had the sole
authority!

Discord continued to characterise the relations of the two bodies. The
Governors' meetings were usually attended only by the Principal and the
Chief Justice. The former had a double or casting vote in case of
dispute. He was virtually in control. The Board of the Royal Institution
declared that he did not represent the views of the Governors. Apart
from the disagreements arising from a dual management, other causes
contributed to the bitterness of the controversy. The period was not
conducive to harmony. Downing Street was not a name to conjure with, and
"Downing Street rule" had become in Canada a synonym for indifference or
coercion. The suspicion that the Royal Institution was but the
mouthpiece, or at least the meek and unprotesting agent, of Downing
Street only added to the irritation. The suspicion was not well founded,
for the Royal Institution did not willingly submit to dictation from the
Home authorities. But a new and sturdy Canadian spirit was evident in
education as well as in politics. It was apparent as early as 1815 when
Dr. Strachan outlined his plan for a University and expressed his doubts
on the suitability of English methods in Canada. It had grown rapidly
since that time. The year 1837 was a year of turmoil, with a cry for the
privilege of solving Canadian problems in a Canadian way by those who
were familiar with the requirements and conditions, and were not
dwelling thousands of miles away. In such a period, aside from the waste
of time, it was doubly distasteful to the Governors and to those
interested in education to have to submit all appointments and all plans
to the Home Government for ratification. The friction was, on the
surface, between the Governors and the Royal Institution, but its roots
lay deeper. Its cause was not far removed from the cause of the
political rebellion of the hour.

After several months of somewhat discordant discussion the Principal
finally agreed to submit to the Board suggestions on the proposed
buildings, and on June 30th, 1838, he forwarded an outline of w