ture."

{COLLEGE CHARTER AMENDED}

This resolution embodied a great principle to which the House of
Assembly was determined to adhere, and which was very soon carried out.
In 1844 the college amendment bill was again rejected by the council,
but this was the last effort of that reactionary body to defeat the
wishes of the people. At the session of 1845, the college bill was
again introduced by Mr. Wilmot, and this time it passed both Houses.
But like many important bills of that day it was reserved for Her
Majesty's pleasure and although passed in March, 1845, it was not until
December, 1846, that it received the royal assent and became law.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] This is shown by the correspondence of Sir John Harvey with the
colonial office. Sir John was then governor of Prince Edward Island.

[2] Charles II annulled the charter of Massachusetts, and disposed in a
similar fashion of the charter of the city of London, as well as of many
English towns.

CHAPTER V

LORD JOHN RUSSELL ON TENURE OF OFFICE

In the session of 1840 Sir John Harvey, the lieutenant-governor,
communicated to the legislature a despatch which he had received from
Lord John Russell a short time before. This dealt with the question of
the tenure of public offices in the gift of the Crown throughout the
British colonies. Lord John had been struck by the fact that, while the
governor of a colony was liable to have his commission revoked at any
time, the commissions of all other public officials were very rarely
recalled except for positive misconduct. In New Brunswick offices had
been held generally for life and sometimes for two lives, as was the
case with the Odells, father and son, who filled the position of
secretary of the province for sixty years. One attorney-general of the
province had held office for twenty-four years, another for nineteen
years and a third for twenty years. One surveyor-general held office for
thirty-three years and another for almost thirty years. Under such a
system, it was clear that responsible government could make no advance,
for these officials held their positions quite independently of the
wishes of the legislature. Lord John Russell thought that the time had
come when a different course should be followed, and his despatch was
for the purpose of announcing to the lieutenant-governor the rules which
would hereafter be observed in the province of New Brunswick. He said:--

"You will understand, and caus