to the Charter in order to provide a greater freedom of
action which might render the management more efficient. This step
resulted largely from a report sent to the Governors by the Board of the
Royal Institution, setting forth the latter's observations on conditions
found during their official Visit in 1848, and including an outline of
the remedies they thought should be applied. The Board approved of their
suggestions and urged immediate consideration of the question. Three
months passed without action. Meanwhile a peculiar situation had
developed. The Principal of the College had desired in October, 1849, to
resign, as he was about to move to Toronto because of the change in the
seat of Government. He was now Assistant Provincial Secretary. But as no
successor was available he was persuaded to retain the office for the
present, although no longer able, because of his residence in Toronto,
to take a very active part in College affairs, or to exercise any direct
supervision over the administration. The remaining Governors consisted
of the Lord Bishop of Montreal, who resided at Quebec; the Chief Justice
of Upper Canada, the Hon. J. Beverley Robinson, who, like the Principal,
dwelt in Toronto; and the Governor-General, Lord Elgin, who, after he
had been attacked by a mob in 1849 as a result of his attitude on the
"Rebellion Losses Bill," no longer resided in Montreal. None of the
Governors was therefore able to exercise any oversight of the College of
which they were the legal guardians. In April, 1850, a Committee of the
Board of the Royal Institution was appointed to suggest a solution of
the peculiar problem. They wrote to the Governor-General, setting forth
the absurdity and the hopelessness of a condition which permitted the
College to be controlled by Governors no longer resident in Montreal,
and emphasising the necessity that existed for "a prompt application of
remedies to relieve the College from its present unfortunate state of
depression." They urged an amended Charter as the first requirement. A
long correspondence followed between the Board and the individual
Governors, relating to the details of the Charter. In June the Board's
Committee wrote again to the Governor-General, stating that if the
Charter were amended according to the draft prepared "McGill College
would speedily be relieved from the difficulties by which it has been so
long surrounded."

The Board desired to amend the original Charter rather