ore seriously painful that I find myself compelled
to state to Your Excellency the conviction at which I have arrived, of
its being inexpedient for me to take my seat at the Board of Governors
of that institution so long as the Rev. Dr. Bethune, in virtue of his
acting as Principal of the College, is also a member of the Board.

"Your Excellency will readily believe that unless I had strong and what
I conceive to be imperative grounds for my proceeding, one of the last
things which I could possibly be prompted to do would be to bring under
the notice of Her Majesty's Government any disadvantageous exhibition of
the management of important public interests in the hands of one of my
own Clergy, and one who occupies so prominent a position in the Canadian
Church as the Rector of Montreal.

"I have, however, long felt that the College could never prosper while
presided over by Dr. Bethune. And I should have been impelled before
this day officially to submit my views upon the subject to Your
Excellency had it not been that I had no seat among the Governors till
after the passing of the Act of the last Session, which confers upon me,
as Bishop of Montreal, all the legal powers vested in the Bishop of
Quebec; and, moreover, that having all along regarded the appointment of
Dr. Bethune simply as an ad interim arrangement (in which I believe
there are abundant means of showing that I was perfectly correct) I
anticipated that his retirement would have taken place in time to save
me from the necessity of making official statements, from which it is
sufficiently obvious that I must desire to be spared.

"When, however, I consider the general character of Dr. Bethune's
proceedings in those matters connected with McGill College which it has
devolved upon him to conduct, or in which he has taken a leading part,
and more especially in the intercourse of business with the Royal
Institution for the Advancement of Learning; when I consider again his
too evident deficiency in very important points of qualification for his
office, such as academical experience (for he never studied at any
University), actual classical attainments of the nature and extent which
the case requires, and I am constrained to add, such temper, such
discretion, and such weight of personal influence and possession of
public confidence, as must be necessary on the part of the Principal, to
preside with effect over an infant University in a country like this, or
to