sposal and
they refused to grant the Governors' request. The gross annual income
was then scarcely more than L500, while the salaries and fixed charges
amounted annually to L730. The Board accused the Governors of having
made "wasteful and extravagant expenditures without precedent or
principle," some of which did not appear to have any connection with the
opening or the carrying on of McGill; many of these, they said, were
wholly unnecessary, and had never been authorised by the Board, whose
consent had not even been asked. The expenditures for contingencies
alone, it was pointed out, amounted in five months to more than the
total income of three years. "It is obvious," the Secretary added, "that
the Governors and the Board entertain views entirely opposite as to the
nature of the trust committed to the Board and to the duties which that
trust imposes.... There can be no proper understanding between the Board
and the Governors until it can be authoritatively settled which view of
the duties and the functions of the Board is right according to law. The
Board has no desire to retain funds to which they have no right." In
November, 1844, application was accordingly made to the Law Offices of
the Crown for a decision, but as usual the decision was slow in coming.
But pending the decision the Board agreed to liquidate the legal debts
as far as they were able and they did so to the extent of L1,550. By so
doing the Board reluctantly sacrificed a part of the capital of the
trust and thereby diminished by L90 the annual income, which was already
insufficient. But this payment was only a temporary relief; the debt was
in reality over L2,500; other and larger accounts remained unpaid, and
liabilities continued to increase.

In May, 1844, in order to make the academic management of the College
more democratic, the Governors made provision for the formation of a
College Board which should hold weekly meetings. As early as 1841 the
Board of the Royal Institution had recommended the formation of a
College Council "for the ordinary exercise of discipline," consisting of
the Principal, the Vice-Principal and Professors, the Rector of Christ
Church, Montreal, and the Minister of the Church of Scotland, Montreal.
This recommendation was not considered, pending the actual opening of
the College buildings. The College Board now formed consisted of "the
Principal, the Vice-Principal, Professors, and (until the whole number
of Professors in