y the malice of the enemies of religion. Your
_Guardian_ I have seldom seen, but from this time I intend to take
it regularly. Consider me one of your "constant readers." The
matters in which we differ are nothing in comparison of those in
which we agree.

_Feb. 9th._--Some members of the Church of England in the Province
evinced a good deal of hostility to the Methodists of this period,
chiefly from the fact that they had been connected with the Methodist
Episcopal Church in the United States, and that the Canada Conference
had formed one of the Annual Conferences of that Church, presided over
by an American Bishop. As an evidence of this hostility, Dr. Ryerson
stated in the _Guardian_ of this date, that Donald Bethune, Esq., and
others, of Kingston, had petitioned the House of Assembly:--

To prohibit any exercise of the functions of a priest, or exhorter,
or elder of any denomination in the Province except by British
subjects; 2nd, to prevent any religious society connected with any
foreign religious body to assemble in Conference; 3rd, to prevent
the raising of money by any religious person or body for objects
which are not strictly British, etc.

The Legislature appointed a Committee on the subject, and Dr. Ryerson,
as representing the Methodists, Rev. Mr Harris the Presbyterians, and
Rev. Mr. Stewart the Baptists, were summoned to attend this Committee
with a view to give evidence on the subject. This Dr. Ryerson did at
length, (as did also these gentlemen). Dr. Ryerson traced the history of
the Methodist body in Canada, and showed that, three years before this
time, the Canada Conference had taken steps to sever its connection with
the American General Conference, and had done so in a friendly
manner.[31]

The petition was aimed at the Methodists, as they alone answered the
description of the parties referred to by the petitioners. The petition
was also a covert re-statement of the often disproved charge of
disloyalty, etc., on the part of the Methodists. The House very properly
came to the conclusion--

"That it was inconsistent with the benign and tolerant principles
of the British Constitution to restrain by penal enactment any
denomination of Christians, whether subjects or foreigners," etc.

This, however, was a sample of the favourite mode of attack, and the
system of persecution to which the early Methodists were exposed in this
Provin