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Lorsquo le document est trop grand pour etre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est filmd 6 partir de Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche 6 droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 32t 1 2 3 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 p. ON '^^-Z- PASTORAL LETTER TO THE CLERGY AND LAITY j^ OP THE IPtotese of Toronto, OS THE SUBJECT OF THE UNIVERSITY, BY JOHN, LORD BISHOP OF TORONTO. PETITIONS, &c.. &c. TORONTO: PRINTED AT THE DinCl'SAN PRESS, BY A. F. FLEES. MDCCCIu TO THE CLERGY AND LAITY OF THE DIOCESE OF TORONTO. Mt dear Bbethren,— On the first day of January 1850, the destruction of King's College as a Christian Institution was accom- plished. For on that day the Act establishing the University of Toronto, by which it was suppressed, came into force. There was, to the last, some lingering hope that a measure so pernicious would have been arrested. It was known that inquiries had been made con* cerning it by statesmen of high consideration, and that it had not been formally sanctioned by the Imperial Government late in October, Dut no effectual irnpe* diment has yet intervened, and for a time, at least, the experiment of a University from which the worship of God is excluded, is to be tiied in Uppei;> Canada, I say, for a time, because it is scarcely credible that such an Institution can be long suffered in a Christian coun- try* or if» unhappily, suffered, that it can prosper. Deprived of her University, what is the Church tq do ? She has now no seminary at which to give a liberal education to her youth. What is enjoyed by all the other large denomioations [a the Province 'm denied to her. Is she to 8it down contented with her Theological School at Cobourg, and leave her children to perish for lack of spiritual knowledge ? or is she to extend its provisions, and form it into a University capable of imparting a full course of liberal instruction, care- fully founded on a religious basis, as has been the case in all seminaries of learning among Christian nations since the ascension of our Lord? Happily the solu- tion of this question offers no difficulty. It is the bounden duty of the Church, and of every one of her baptized children, as they value the gifts conferred upon them in that holy sacrament, to come forward at this crisis, in the name of God their Saviour, to stay the phgue which threaten* to curse this, as it has done other lands, with darkness and guilt, and to honour hii holy name. Here the faithful christian cannot halt between two opinions : the whole revelation of God tells him that religion ought to form the sum and subatanoe of education, and that whatever other benches of Ijnowledge may be introduced, they must be made subservient to the one thing needful, and sanctified by its purifying influence. The sacrifices and offerings of Cain and Abel shew that tlifiy had been instructed by their parents in re- ligion, and to worship God in the most acceptable manner. Abraham taught his children the way of the Lord, and to keep his commandments, and the fruits in due time followed. Isaac, at even-tide, sought the solitude of the fields to pray. The servat)t of the patriarch began his journey with holy supplication, and acknowledged his success with thanksgiving and prayer. Under the law the Jews were commanded, in the most solemn manner, to instruct their children in the Uw of tl\§ Lord, tbJit it might be continually- in their * •^ fc mouth, — " Hear, O Lord, the Lord our God is on« Lord, and thou shah love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. These words shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and thou shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.*' Under the Gospel, parents are commanded to biing up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, for it is only in this way that we can learn to know God and Jesus Christ, whom to know is life eternal. Moreover, we are called upon to search the Scriptures, and to be able to give an account of our faith, and a reason for the hope that is in us. With what pains does St. Luke instruct Theophilus, not only writing a Gospel, but the Acts of the Apostles, for his special benefit and instruction. Timothy, as St. Paul testifies, knew the Scriptures from a child. The holy Apostle was scrupulously aware that, in training a soul to immortality, every step must be consecrated by prayer for that blessing, without which even St. Paul's labour must be utterly vain. Hence a seat of learning devoid of, or hostile to, our common Christianity, must forfeit all title to confidence, and become the worst of all plaices of men- tal training for the children of a Christian people.—- " Science and literature," said the late Dr. Arnold, " will not do for a roan's main business ; tl^y must be " used in subordination to 9 clearly perceived Christian " end, and looked upon of moat subordinate value. In " fact the house is spiritually empty so long as the pearl " of great price is not there, although it may be hung " with all the decorations of earthly knowledge." It is surely the duty, as well as the privilege of every 6 Churcliman in the Diocese, to assist, as far as he is able, in supplying the vrant which the Church now feels in the destruction of her University, and which, if not supplied, will in a short time arrest the happy progress she is making through all parts of the country. Let not, then, the friends and members of the Church look for rest till proper means are found for the reli- gious education of her children. We have fallen, in- deed, on evil times, and the storm has overtaken us, aggravated by the painful reflection that we have cor.- tributed largely, by our want of unity and consistency, to bring it on ourselves; but we must not be discour- aged, for, though the waters threaten to overwhelm us, we are still the children of hope. Never, perhaps, in the history of the Church did a single case more com- pletely prove the influence of party spirit in corrupting the heart, and warping and entangling the judgment, till it had acquired a moral obliquity, incapable of distinguishing right from wrong, truth from falsehood, than the destruction of King's College. It was suc- ceeding with a degree of success far beyond the most sanguine expectations. In the short time of its exis- tence, the degrees conferred were seventy-flve, — the Dumber of students, including occasional, nearly ^hree hundred. The highest honours have been attained by Presbyterians, Congregationalists, &c., as well as by members of the Church. There were not twenty per- sons capable of appreciating the blessings which it was conferring on the Province who were not friendly to its continuance — a vast majority of the population were^ and are hostile to the principle of separating religion from education ; and yet because a small but turbulent minority declared against it, a weak Minis- try has been found to decree its suppression, and the establishment of an Institution in which no Christian can conflde. i The measure is so wicked and inconsistent, that sooner or later a serious reaction will take place. Its three leading features — contempt for the people, enmity to religion, and disloyalty to their Sovereign — are each of thera ofJeusive to large and influential parties. The sentiments of th« people are set at nought, to gratify the few who neither value or regard Schools of learning. Religion is suppressed and ec- clesiastics proscribed, to please the enemies of pro- perty and order. And the very name of " King's College" is abolished, for ffear that some attachment to the Sovereign, might, in the generous minds of youth, be associated with a Royal foundation. Such an abominable proceeding is, however, likely to be attended with something of a compensatory character. For as God by his over-ruling Providence brings good out of evil, so the Church, hitherto quiet, peaceable and confiding, begins to perceive that there most be limits to her forbearance ; and although she can never employ turbulence or selfish agitation even in defence of her just rights and privileges, she may with safety follow the example of the great Apostle in appealing to Caesar, and of making use of all the legal and constitutional means in her power to ward off evil, and secure for herflelf something of common justice. What makes this act of unscrupulous injustice the harder to be borne, is the conviction, which I think we must all feel, that if any one of the religious deno- minations in this Province, dissenting from the Church of England, had received from their Sovereign a Royal Charter, founding an University in connexion with their faith, and had received at the same time the free gift of an endowment for its support, any at- tempt by the Colonial Legislature to abrogate their Charter, and to wrast from them the endowment con- ferred by their Sovereign, would have been promptly dlicountenanced by the Executive Government, and firmly resisted, as being unreasonable and unjust. If any had been found to make such an attempt (which assuredly the Church of England would not have done), they would have been told at once, that what- ever opinions they might have formed of the policy or impolicy of the measure, the grant could not be re- tracted ; for that vested rights must be respected, and the faith of the Sovereign maintained. And I am sure, my Brethren, that neither you nor I would have regretted to see those principles upheld by which alone either nations or individuals can expect long to flourish. We should have remarked too, in such a case as I have supposed, another mortifying differ- ence ! the members of any other religious denomina- tion whose rights had been unjustly attacked, as ours were, would not have sought a vain popul«rity by abandoning them : they would have been found united as one man in their defence. But, alas I the Church found the chief enemies of King 8 College among her own professing adherents, and under the delusion of liberalism and expe- diency, the twin sisters of Infidelity, they betrayed the cause which they were bound by every sacred duty and right feeling to protect. We have lately seen the Government conferring on the Seminary of Montreal a property often times the value of the endowment of King's College. How is this? The Roman Catholics demanded what they believed to be their right, and the Government imme- diately yielded. Is it not then in the power of the Church to command the like result ? Yes,— when all herxnembera breathe her spirit as one man; and , 9 1 not till then. This spiiit will induce them to eclect none to represent tliem in the Legislative Assembly but "able men, such as fear God—men of truth, hating covetousness; " and then the Church and every denomination will have their rights, -nd oppres- sion will cease from the land. In the meantime, I propose that the Church of this Diocese, consisting of the clergy and laity, should approach our beloved Sovereign the Queen, and the Imperial Parliament, by respectful petitions for such redress in the restoration of her University, or in such other way to supply the same, as may' be deemed reasonable and meet. ^ Should we fail in obtaining the favourable admis- sion and acquittance of our just claims, we must in that case appeal to our fellow- Churchmen in Great JJntain and Ireland ; and we believe that there are many pious individuals who will come forward with a liberality of which the last three centuries have given 80 many examples, to assist us in restoring the means of which we have been deprived, for the religious instruction of our youth, and their advancement in all those branches of science and literature which enter into a liberal education. Nor am I without a strong hope, that, should there be obstacles to the disallowance of the Act, we shall nevertheless find among the contributors to our Church University some of the present Ministry; for there is reason to believe that few among them approve of a measure so reckless, and fewer still who do not regret that it has been adopted. Indeed, no Statute passed since the tmonofthe Provinces has lowered the character of the Canadian Legislature so much as that which destroys King's College. Churchmen consider it disgraceful Jo the country, and the iudiffereni pro- 10 Bounce it a political blunder p«. able and reverend 00^,!^ / "'.''"'^ ^'' '"^ "'^st Act destroying K^ Coll!"*' o«>«erves,-« ri.e but a mocker/; inafmuch as' itTor""'^^ " "^°''^' the best .•nterests,-,eli'{„ ' If? ''.'V** P'"°'"°»« -of the people, while rvl**''. ^"^ '"tellectual, tion, in the Univ;r8Ttv it Ukv T''"^"' '^' «^«P- therefore, aig„i„g .jL ",,?„" ""'•■""■ Besides. l«rs ofihe Church wm.;ii'ribJT^ "if "" ■"""- «ndgif,8„f|,„i .sbLh. ''I*"'ly, mi money «il>le to conceive ""'' """"j- " i" "npos- con,™enoe»eJ. ., tfVn^tV:;!^!""''. » good f greater facility , f„ , " . . """ "'""nuch colony were cheap ; h,.t wL *"' ,!'','" '""''' ■'" ">« «nd conflacalion of it. .17 ""^ ' ""»"' Charter, or legal cause ? or w| : co„Mr.r'- ""•''°'" ""^ J'"' ««y or becoming to sUnd b" "-'^ '"' ""■■'• Sovereign and d,lX> bT" '^' ''"""•^- °'' "" --menMn ianU!^ „«;;r:r;;;tt: fmy most 8,— "The ' a wrong, > promote ellectual, ^e adop- >rdinance ences, by ch up to an." ese pro- are our- Besides, and the e mem- I money i and a iinpos» Jufanjr good a mem- much in the ipated y just ccea- r the 'n'ent 3 be ior- onfy anJ the assistance of X "°'"''""°°» '« mooey. would become sX?c„t ,o 1° J'"^"' S°""«» "■"■e .0 begin op^.H '° ?"'' «"' « " '"^ "'°« P«ty leased, ,o extend I'he IT ? "'"' " "" P">- done in lijk. ..^-^J^-^ Un.«™ ,„ ,^^^ ^fi taking it otherwise • n^u "^"^^- ?bo". .wo hn^ndred tho„rd ad I^ntT' i "^r'^ ■n tJppet Canada, or forrv .h» ? - "" Churcli w«« each fami,; ,o cSbn?"'?"'' '*°"""- ^o*. «or« of good Ld. a rv i 'r ''°''"'''' " '™ would be the result ''^ Modsome endowment Gof i:: "^-i ';zzr:} r ^^'-^ ^^ ^'^- punge one.fourth. or only t'/th '^''' ^'' "« ^^- clairn from each, 'for the te of GoT •'''""'''• '''' 'none.v. or ten acres of good L/' "^ P°"°^« »'« convenient, and the UniStv will 'k '"'^ ^^ '"^''^ The difficully, therefore in /k " ^^ established. Church Unive sitv Ts not n """^ ^^^ndo^iaga not considered th ' uVcrm./sT' "' ^'°" ^^° ^«' ' '^e may not obtain the «nhf •^?°''' ""^«''^'0"gh ^oney.oftenorei^noffi::!^:^ '" ''"'^' -^« shal with God's blessing obtain m ''.°"''' ^*' ^« « the Institution we coLmlT? ^''^^time; and period, but for centurieste ^e ^^^^ T- '°^ " «'-« content to advance to mituritv bv f '"""' ""^^ ^^ fl'ould we not hope th^rtheTh^ t^''''' ^"^ ^h J^undred thousand^ w 11 n oLI^"''^' r°"« ^'' '^' «oul.. ready to c me fo?::^!:" ^ ^'^""''^ ''^^e dowm acres each, and lent? at least one hun- in a moment complete the CD- 12 In regard to a solid commenceroenf, we nre no* m to conjecture. The spirit of the Church has already begun to move. Eight thousand pounds will be secured to the Universitjr before this meets the public eye ; and I have some reason to believe that an equal amount is already set apart in England. Moreover, we shall have £1200 per annum from the Venerable Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, till it can be relieved by the proceeds of our own endowment, and we shall have our The- ological library restored. Hence it may be seen that we are commencing no Utopian scheme; and that a very moderate exertion on the part of the true sons of the Church will place us in a commanding position of usefulness. The Church ought to do nothing by halves. Her University must comprise an entire system of educa- tion, based on religion. Every branch of knowledge cherished at Oxford and Cambridge must be carefully and substantially taught. She must also have her Eton, or Grammar School to supply her with scho- lars : the whole to be placed under the guidance of the Church, that her religious instruction may have no uncertain sound. We desire a University, which, fed by the heavenly stream of pure religion, may com-' municate fuel to the lamp of genius, and enable it to burn with a brighter and purer flame. Thus :he Arts and Sciences, with all that adds real embellishment to life, will be studied with more perseverance and order for moral ends; and the faculties under such training, will become so pure and unclouded, that perception will be infinitely more vivid, and nse to far greater elevation ; and all will be bound together by that pure principle of love which the Scriptures 4ell us is the beginning and end of our being. For i 13 tills reason, we will have in our University daily habitual worship, that we may possess a conscious feeling of the Divine presence ; and this will produce such an ardent aspiration after goodness as will con- secrate every movement. Hence the religious prin- ciples thus developed, will prove of theniselves a. system of education infinitely superior to all others. Nor are we disposed to overlook academical honours, which have been ever held in the highest estimation. They emanated from the Church, and to the Church the power of conferring them of right belongs. Hence the power was transferred at the Reformation to the Sovereign, because the temporal head of the Church, and the fountain of honour within her dominions. In due time, therefore, we shall solicit a Royal Charter, that our degrees may be acknowledged in all parts of the world, and not be like that which the new Insti- tution may attempt to confer, which will not only be corrupted by passing through an irreligious channel, but be otherwise worthless, being confined to the colony; for the 12 Victoria, cap. 82, is merely a Provincial Statute, and carries no weight nor authority beyond the Province. The Bishop or Bishops of the Diocese (for it will soon be divided) will be the Visitors, that each new Diocese may have an equal interest in the Institu- tion ; for establi.-hed on the extensive foundation which we contemplate, it will be amply sufficient for the whole of Upper Canada. The site will perhaps be decided upon by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, where it may be most central and convenient ; because for a time it will have in a great measure to be supported by that Venerable Body. 14 But the site may also greatly depend on the mag- nitude of the contributions and donations which any particular locality may be disposed io furnish. That nothing may be wanting on my part, it is my intention to proceed to England, should the encour- agement I receive be such as I have reason to expect, and urge the prayer of our petitions to the Queen and both Houses of Parliament. When the facts of the case are fully made known, the whole nation will feel the same indignation at so flagrant an outrage on our holy religion, and the honour and dignity of the Crown, as those private friends do with whom I am already in communication on the "hject; and the consequence I tAist will be, that the good and pious will hasten to help us. For in England the belief ia all but universal, that religion ought to be the ground- work of education ; that its lessons should be inter- woven with the whole tissue of instruction, and that its principles should direct the whole system of our lives. Nor will the lessons of religion be found less impressive by being interspersed with teaching of a different kind. The prayer of our forefathers p.lwaya was, and the prayer of our Universities still id,— " that their learning might be sound, and their educa- tion religious." I shall have completed my seventy -second year before I can reach London, of which more than fifty years have been spent in Upper Canr.da ; and one of my chief objects, during all that time, was to bring King's College into active operation | and now, after more than six years of increasing prosperity, to see it destroyed by stolid ignorance and presumption, and the voice of prayer and praise banished from its halls, is n calamity not easy to bear. I shall not rest satiafied till I have laboured to the 15 utmost to rcBtore the College, under a holler and more perfect form. The result is with a higher power, and I may still be doomed to disappointiiient ; but it is God's work, and I feel confident that it will be restored, although I may not be 'he happy instru- ment, or live to behoiu it. Having done all in my power, I shall acquiesce Bubmissively to the result, whatever it may be ; and 1 shall then, and not till then, consider my luisBion in this behalf ended. I remain, my dear Brethren, Your affectionate Diocesan, John Toeokto. ■ f'l If !*• PETITIONS. PETITION TO THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. Mat it Please Youe Majesty,— We your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Clergy and Laity of the United Church of Eng- land and Ireland, inhabiting that part of British North America which formeriy composed the Piovince of Upper Canada, most humbly represent :— That aftei the peace of 1783, this portion of your Majesty's dominions be-ame the asylum of those faithful Loyalists, who, during the Revolutionary war with the Colonies, now the United States, shed their blood and sacrificed their property in adhenug to their King and the Unity of the Empire. That the Parent State, anxious to prove her grate- ful sense of their affectionate and disinterested aei- vices in a way the most agreeable to their wishes and feelings, conferred upon them in 1791 a ^orta of Government similar to her own ; and in order that the State, as at home, might be sanctified by re- ligion, provision was made at the express command ofYourMajesty'8 royal Grandfather, in the Consti- tutional Act, for its support, according to the form of the United Church of England and Ireland, by Betting apart for that, the most important of all objects, a portion of the waste lands of the Crown. That in the Spring of 1797, the Legislature of Upper Canada addressed their beloved Sovereign George III., of blessed memory, for a portion of the waste lands of the Crown, to produce a fund for the purposes of education, and more especially for tlie Bupport of Grammar Schools and a University. lESTY. ubjects, of Eng- h North iriace of of your •f those lary war led their eriug to 2r grate- sted Wel- shes and form of rdcr that i by re- :ommand B Consti- the form eland, by 11 objects, slature of Sovereign tion of the nd for the y for the itj. the fur.l,e,a„ce of .nolieo. .n • °^°' ""'''''' '» Principksof.bechri.,!:';;:,,-"::'' '""'"^ """"■^ 1 nat soon after the f'nlotWai r- atod for the required ohiecfi I'"?'"' "PP'^^P"' acres of land, one half fir th' ''""^'"''^ ^'^""^^"^ Schools, and the othe h r r '' .'"^P^" °'' ^^«'"'»ar University ^"'^ ^^^ "^^ ^^'abh-shment of a p^it^:^:-::' :!;^:;^^^^^ weauh and Europe, delavedf.,rl' ^ '" long desolated the U„ ver i/v I„, ,T°^ T"" ">' "tablishmen. of lost sigh of^l^id in ,««^n '"",'r"'''' " «« "«'" by Hia la,e mIsu KiL ^"''J",^^""»«. granted in the principles of ihrf.h • .' 'd^'ation of youth instruc ion r he vaL?, h ° l"'*'""' °"'"'°' ""« literature, who are aXinTu °' "'■'"" '"^ Kingdom." Y„„/m.- . . ° "'«Universiiie«ofthi8 further represlr .l^f'T'^ ' ''"'l'''' P"«'™"» would secure b/ S "p ' "J .?'= '"""-<«atel, taken to granted a' the sa .«»"'»! rth"";.?"' ""'°"»"« sures adopted for ope"l hi n •'■'"":"'•• ""^ "«»- ■nencing the bus ness „ 1 . University and con,- could heacooinpishedlr ^t™"""" '«''"' '"' Lieutenant gTvc nor si , iT'l*?' '■«"'«' bj- the seaton, he.ri„;rtrth'%fd''of'^N rTsaT: ^°"' -•-. certain advers:rr;r^t:rj.fi' •ame time stating that no part of the endowment of the College would ever be diverted from the great object of ihe education of ^outb, and that it must ever be regarded sacredly and permnnentJj approprinted to that important object; and \m Majesty earnestly re- commends to the consideration of the Legislature the permanent establishment in the College of a Professor of Divmity of the Church of England opon a sure foot- ing,--dcclanng it to be a matter of great importance to those ofhis subjects in Upper Canada who belong to the Church of England, and that his Majesty, as Head of that church, could not be insensible to the duty which belonged to him of protecting it in all parts of nis dominions. That in accordance with the wishes of your Majes- ty s royal uncle, the Statute 7, William IV., Chap. 16, was passed by the Legislature of Upper Canada, which satisfied by its modifications all the objections of the more reasonable of ths opponents of theCharter • and as they neither encroached on the endowment of the University, nor on its religious character, though in other respects objectionable, the authorities of the College, for the sake of peace, were reluctantly induced to acquiesce in their enactment. That these modifications, like all unreasonable con- cessions of principle to factious clamour, produced only a transient calm. The enemies of the national Church, implacable in their hostility, and encouraged by un- looked-for success, again assailed King's College, after It had been m prosperous operation for more than six years without any complaint as to its management oi manner of instruction, and without any second invita- tion on the par: of the Crown, and were again success- ful— not merely in effecting partial changes, but in accomplishing the complete destruction of what might 19 have been the noblest Seminary on the contineni of America. * Your Majesty's dutiful subjects would fartlrer re- present, that the act thus passed by the Legislature of Canada on the thirtieth of May last, not only destroys King s College, and in effect confiscates the whole of Its endowment, but establishes a secular College from winch religious instruction is expressly excluded, and this m direct opposition to the wishes and invitations of three Monarchs, and to the chief object for which at was prayed for and erected, namely the religious in- struction of youth, and the training of such as were mclmed for the holy ministry ; and that no loyal and grateful feelmgs may hereafter associate "King's Col- lege with its royal benefactors, the very name is sup- pressed and "University of Toronto," substituted in Its room. Thai Your Majesty's humble Petitioners need scarcely represent that they were filled with grief and dismay at this unjust and ungodly act of Legisla- tion ; unexampled as they believe in British history, and that they can have no confidence in, or connexion with, an educational institution in which the voice of prayer and praise can never be heard, and from which —by the abolition of all religious services—the ac- knowledgment of the Deity and belief in the Saviour --are excluded. By the passing of this Act,— should It unfortunately be confirmed by your Ma- jesty,— nearly two hundred thousand of your Majes- ty s most loyal and devoted subjects who belong to the National Church will be deprived of the means which they enjoyed through the bounty of the crown, of educating their children in the Chtistian truth, o^ of bringing up such as are disposed to the holy Minis- try; from all which your Majesty will perceive that 20 t!t« #dfare of tbnt Church, . /whicli your Majesty is the t«9«»lltutional houd and protector, is placed iu imniintut ptMl. Your Miijesty s loyal subjects farther represent, that they have the pledge of no fewer than three Sovereigns for the integrity of i.ing's College as a Protestant reli- gious Seminary, according to the order of the Church of England, and for the safety of its endowment ; and they are the more encouraged to claim the fulfilment of this sacred and royal pledge, from the fact that the endowments of Louis XIV., in Lower Canada, nearly ten times the amount of these granted to King's Col- lege, are reverently respected, while the only seminary belonging to the Church of England, is not merely rendered useless to the cause of religion, but will be utterly destroyed, and a Godless institution established in its stead, unless your Majesty shall graciously in- terfere, by the exercise of your Royal prerogative, to prevent it. Your Majesty's humble Petitioners most respect- fully represent, that they have been brought, up to fear God and honour the King, they have ever held the promise of their Sovereign, sacred and worthy of all trust, and qo trusting they did not presume, when lands were cheap in the Province and an endowment might have been easily obtained, to stand between the grac V of the Sovereign and the people, nor were they prepared for the disregard to the royal preroga- tive pnd the just claims of the national Church mani- fested by the late Act, which|Act they consider more unaccountable and uiijust because the same Legisla- ture has abundant means at its disposal, of endowing aa many Colleges as it pleases without the slightest detriment t"> any one, and of leaving that of their Sovereign a • her religion free and untouched. For all we ask ''s > • ; . to .-ctain the advantages which is ijest}' is aced ill T.t, that vercigns ant reli- Church ?nt ; and ilHlment tliat the z, nearly ig's Col- scniinary ; merely It will be lablibhed )U8ly in- jative, to respect- ht. up to ever held jvorthy of file, when idowinent between nor were preroga- rch raani- ider more ; Legisla- endowing blighteet t of their led. For s which is 21 actually enjoyed by every other body of ChrislianB in Upper Canada, of having one place of public Educa- tion, in which their young men may be religiously in- structed, and such as desire if, trained to the holy Ministry, and not to have an endowment wrested from us whicli o .r So>\ n ign has granted for that purpose. Your dutiful and loyal subjcctR, may it please your Majesty, would farther observe, in deep anguish of heart, that there was a time when the word of the Sovereign was felt to be as secure as the stability of the Empire. And shall such a time bo allowed to pass away ? The truth of the Sovereign and the af- fection of the people are correlative as the one cannot live without the other, yet nearly one third of the in- habitants of this noble colony are suffering in their dearest rights and interests from an act which they feel extremely oppressive. They are deprived of their university,and endowment, although thrice guaranteed by the crown, and by this they lose the power of con- ferring degrees in Arts and Divinity, which virtually passes on them a sentence of proscription from all such offices of profit and honour as require a degree to qualify for their attainment. Above all, they are de- prived of the means of bestowing on their children an education based on religion, the only education worth possessing. Under such trying circumstances, to whom can they go foi^ redress but to your Majesty, in whose maternal tiffection th y put their trust as many of them now far V .I-.anced in life have done in that of your Majesty's predecessors P Permit us, then, to hope, that your Majesty will lend a ghicious ear to this our humble supplication — that, influenced by your exalted position ns head of the Church, you will cause the pledge of three Sovereigns to be redeemed by the restoration of 22 King's College in all ifa «ffi • »'>ely from poHtf "a'ni '^''''" «^P-ate it en- r^kofscie.!;ifi;";;f,,,.j';- !^ to proceed in its rit>' and peace. ^'°"' instruction in secu - M •1 nodifi. it en- in its secu- >ners, PETITION TO THE RIGHT HONOURABI.E THE LORDS SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OP GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED. The humble petition of the Clergy and Laity of the United Church of England and Ireland, residing in Upper Canada, Most Respectfully Sheweth : That an Act was passed by the Legislature of Ca- nada on the thirtieth of May last, entitled, - An Act to amend the charter of the University established a Toronto, by h.a late Majesty King George IV., to pro- vide for the more satisfactory government of the said University, and for other purposes connected wi h the same, and with the College and Royal Grammar bchool forming an appendage thereof." That this Act contains provisions most injurious to your Lordship's Pet tioners. and the national Church of which they are Members, since it virtually destroys he Charter and confiscates the endowment ^of kD College ; which charter was granted by his late Ma- jesty King George IV., on the fifteentlfday of Mar 'h one thousand eight hundred and twenty seven and in theeighthyearof his reign, for the pur/ose as ih pr " amble expressly sets forth, of educating the youth of Upper Canada in the principles of the Chris.ian reli gion. and for their instruction in the various branch s of science and literature which are taught in the Uni- versities of Great Britain and Irdand 23 That the Charter and endowment of King's College were solicited by His Excellency Sir Peregrine Mait- land, then Governor of Upper Canada, who urged upon the Imperial Government the wisdom of granting a boon so necessary to the prosperity and well being of the colony, and one of the special objects of the prayer was that the College should be so constituted as to educate youth for the clerical as well as the other liberal Professions as in the Mother Country hence Oxford University is named in the charter as the model to be followed. Your Lordship's Petitioners further represent, that in accordance with this prayer provision was made in the Charier for educatitig young men for the holy Ministry of the Church of England, by establishing a Professorship of Divinity, while at the same time scholars and even Professors were freely admitted to all the secular advantages of the University, and might proceed to any degree except Divinity, without any test whatever. Hence although the University of King's College was in its government under the Church of England, yet all the benefits which it was able to confer were accessible to the youth of the whole population, with the exception of the Divinity department, which would only be desired by those who were members of the national Church, unless other doctrines were to be inculcated. Indeed there was no period before the repeal of the Test-iaws when there could have been the least reason for expecting or even imagining that a Charter establishing a Uni- versity so open in its provisions could have been gran- ted and endowed by the crown except in connexion with the Church of the Empire. That although King's College was the most open University which up to that period had ever been 25 g's College jrine Mait- urged upon granting a sll being of cts of the constituted veil as the Country — charter as Bsent, that IS made in the holy iblishing a ame time imitted to and might ithout any versity of inder the ich it was th of the 3 Divinity by those h, unless eed there aws when t'xpecting ig a Uni- sen gran- onoexion lost open ver been established by the crown, a clamour was raised against it in the colony upon no more reasonable grounds than that it recognized a distinction between the Church of England and the various sects which differ from her. The motives and objects which led to this clamour and consequent attacks, were in this country well understood and appreciated. It was impossible to give credit to the authors of them for honesty of purpose, when it was perceived with how little scruple they perverted and misstated the condi- tions and effect of the Charter of which they complain- e.i. But being encouraged and aided by a party in Liigland and not withstood by Government as they might have successfully been, if some degree of confi- dence had been shown in supporting what was just and right, they prevailed, and after some years of delay and agitation, the Secretary of State invited the Legislature to suggest such alterations and amendments in the Ch?rter as they might deem useful and expedient Your Lordships' Petitioners most respectfully repre- sent, that no man who values what is good and stable in government, can for a moment doubt, that this was a most unwise and unfortunate course. It was wholly without example, that a Colonial Assembly should be allowed by their acts to mutilate a Royal Charter which had been granted by the government after long deliberation, under the great seal of the United Kina- dom. ° The mischiefs which were sure to flow from such a proceeding have been apparent from the moment a course so irregular and unconstitutional was permitted and they are brought to the worst possible result in the Act which has just passed. For instead of con- tining Itself to some modifications of the Royal Charter the utmost pvtpnt to nhifh ♦ha* ?r-— 'f--' i - «. ..v-t -„i_.i!. lu .^nicn iOHj, invilauon could with c 26 propriety be construed, this act totally destroys King's College, and creates an Institution of a character wholly different. Instead of being religious the leading feature is the total exclusion of all Christian worship.and so horrible are its tone and provisions on this important point, that it even proscribes clergymen from giving any professional instruction whatever on the most im- portant of all subjects— Such an utter interdiction of every thing religious as this Act seeks to establish, is without precedent among Christian nations. It drives away all those who from their living Faith, warmth of disposition, and sincerity of purpose, are best qualified to train the young to all that is lovely and sublime in religion, pure in morals and noble in science. Your Lordships' petitioners would further represent that the Royal pledge given to the Church of England m the provisions of the Charter is altogether disre- garded-the property and estates, in effect, corporation, every vestige of Christianity banished, and King's College abolished and its property applied to purposes as different from those intended by the Royal donors, as light from darkness. That no ground of forfeiture has been shewn, such as might subject a confiscation upon a proper legal proceeding to the loss of its privi- leges, nor is it even pretended to be in fault, yet the Act deals with the constitution and property of King's College as if neither the corporation nor the numerous inhabitants of Upper Canada interested in the object it was intended to promote had any rights under it to claim or protect. By the documents annexed it is distinctly shewn that more than three fourths of the population of Ca- nada West, are in principle opposed to this Act, or to any educational Institution divested of a religious character ; and that not only His late Majesty King 27 roys King's I character the leading vorship.and 3 important torn giving e most im- trdiction of stablish, is It drives warmth of It qualified Bublime in B. • represent •f England her disre- )rporation, ad King's > purposes al donors, forfeiture nfiscation ' its privi- t, yet the of King's numerous he object nder it to ly shewn >n of Ca- ^ct, or to religious sty King George III., who first set apart the endowment, and His late Majesty King George IV., who granted the Charter, intended the College so to be established, for the Education of youth in sound learning and the principles of the Christian religion, but His late Ma- jesty King William IV., was also pleased distinctly to recommend in the most earnest manner the permanent establishment in King's College of a Professor of Divinity, even when consenting to some minor altera- tions, declaring it to be a matter of great importance to his subjects in Upper Canada, who belong to the Church of England, and that His Majesty as head of that Church, could not be insensible to the duty which belonged to him, of protecting it in all parts of his dominions. Your Lordships will perceive that while the acts and earnestly-expressed wishes of three British Mon- archs are set at naught, more than two Millions of acres are preserved for Educational and charitable purposes for the benefit of the French population in Lower Canada, as if to shew how far British feelings can be insulted and the commands of Louis the XIV. held sacred and the French Colleges supported and cherished. Not that your Lordships' Petitioners desire the confiscation of one of these acres, or the suppres- sion of one u' these Colleges but surely it is not too much for British hearts to expect, that the wishes of no fewer than three of their own Kings should meet with as much reverence as those of one Foreign Prince. At present the contrast is truly humiliating. Your Lordships' Petitioners would further repre- sent, that an Act so iniquitous and unjust could never, as they believe, have passed but /or the unhappy union of the two Provinces. The French Members, added to a certain class of members in Upper Canada, 28 will commonly be found an overwhelming majority where the interests of the Church or a sincere attach- ment to the Mother Country are concerned. And yet 8o strongly was the injustice of this measure felt that a majority in its favour might not, it is believed have been found to pass it in the Legislative Council, had not the constitution been infringed by the intro- duction of twelve additional members. Since this un- fortunate step was taken, the Legislative Council which was intended as a cheque against sudden and unjust Legislation, has, in public opinion become ut- teily incapable of affording that protection. Your Lordships' Petitioners most respectfully repre- sent, that the argument used by some to defend this measure, on the ground that it is similar to that which was acted upon by the Parent State in the formation of certain secular Colleges in Ireland, is altogether fallacious — for whatever may be thought of the prin- ciple then adopted, no vested rights were invaded, nor the endowment of any Institution, as in this case, con- fiscated without cause. Moreover no class in Ireland could complain of positive injustice, because there were other Seminari?8 of instruction to which those who found themselves aggrieved might send their youth. But in Upper Canada the Church of England had but one College, and that one is taken away by this Act of the Legislature ; while the same Legis- lature has granted Charters to Colleges for Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, and Methodists, exclusively, as well as pecuniary aid to a considerable amount. Your Lordships' petitioners most respectfully re- present that neither the clergy nor the conscientious members of the Church can have any connexion with a University such as the Act establishes, which repu- diates religion, and in which the voice of prayer and majority e attach- d. And asure felt I believed Council, ;he intro- e this un- Council dden and come ut- lly repre- fend this lat which brmation Itogether the prin- aded, nor ase, con- [1 Ireland ise there ich those nd their England away by le Legid- r Roman ilusively, ount. fully re- cientious :ion with ich repu- ayer and 29 praise is never to be heard. And this is the more to be deplored because King's College njight have been easily preserved in all its integrity, for Government has auiple means at its disposal to endow Colleges in connexion with other denominations, upon principles which tlipy prefer. In this way all parties would have been satisfied, and King's College restored to the po- sition in which it was originally placed, with such mo- difications only as would have separated it entirely from political influence and agitation, and thus made it a blessing to the country. But this Act settles no- thing, while it throws every thing in confusion. It legislates for a small fraction of the population, few of which desire, or can avail themselves of the instruc- tion it offers. It holds out, indeed, terms of Incorpo- ration to the ether Colleges, but they are of so degra- ding a character, without any countervailing advantages, that it is not probable that they will, in any case, be accepted. Thus the only thing as yet accomplished by the Statute is the destruction of King's College, and the confiscation of its property, by the exercise of power which the Imperial Parliament has never as- sumed, in the worst of times, and which our most able Judges have declared to be unconstitutional and revo- lutionary. The truth of which opinion is proved from the fact that similar Institutions to that of King's College, founded in the British Colonies, have received from the ruling power ample protection after the countries in which they were founded had become fo- reign to the Briti&h Crown. Thus the Colleges founded by the Kings and Queens of England, in the Colonies, now the United States, are still cherished and preserved, and their endowments not only held sacred, but largely ini';reased. Permit your humble petitioners to entreat your r q 30 Lordships' attention to the position, to which this Act seeks to reduce the Church of England in this popu- lous Diocese. While the Roman Catholics, the Methodists, and the Church of Scotland, have Col- leges exclusively their own, — the two latter under Royal Charters from the Crown, with the power of conferring degrees in Arts and Divinity,— the Na- tional Church, with neatly as many members as all these put together, is deprived of her one College, and driven to have recourse to a temporary Institu- tion, for training some of her young men to the Ministry : otherwise, her vacancies could not be sup- plied, or her light extended to the waste places of the Province. Nor was even the site of a few acres re- served, on which your petitioners, by their own con- tributions and the assistance of their friends, might hope to erect buildings for the purpose of the secular and religious instruction of their children. Your Lordships' petititioners feel sadly humbled thus to be compelled to supplicate for relief from an Act of complicated oppression, which seeks without cause to crush the National Church, and even to peril her existence in Upper Canada ; and not only this, but to shackle the minds and destroy the eternal hopes of the rising generation, by compelling there to adopt a system of education which as Christians they must always abhor : and all this, it would appear, for no other reason than that your Lordships' petitioners belong to the Church which the Sovereign has sworn to maintain inviolate, and have been ever faithful to the Crown. Your Lordships' petitioners would further most respectfully represent,that nearly two hundred thousand loyal subjects of her Majesty, who have risked their lives more than once to preserve the unity of the 31 Empire, have deep interest in your Lordships' deci- sion ; and should it prove adverse, they must conchide that either the power or the will of the Imperial Parliament to protect them against injustice, ia wanting. The University Act of more than eighty compli- cated clauses was, your petitioners are credibly in- formed, passed by the Legislative Council in twenty minutes, without one reading! having, as the phrase is, been read short — that is, merely the title — the sudden addition of twelve members rendering the House iu)patient of delay. Such a state of things cannot long exist without increasing the evil ; and even, a'-eady, the loyal and attached portion of the population are full of despondency, or becoming es- tranged from the Parent State, as the wildness and unsoundness of the projects uow afloat in the Pro- vince 80 fatally testify. In conclusion, your petitioners -nost respectfully implore your Lordships to bear in mind, that they are merely seeking to retain the same advantage which is at this moment enjoyed by every other body of Chris- tians in Upper Canada, — that of having one place or College, with its means of support the gift of the Crown, in which their youth may be trained in reli- gious as well as secular knowledge. As, therefore, your Lordships reverence true religion and the unity of the Empire, we your humble petitioners entreat the disallowance of this Act ; against which we so- lemnly ptotest, as injurious to our holy Church, and subversive of our rights and privileges as Englishmen, and which is at the same time unconstitutional, and pregnant with the greatest evil to Canada and the British Empire. And permit us further to pray, that justice may be done in the premises, and that the T 32 solemn pledges of three illustrious Sovereigns mny be honourably redeemed, by recommending the restora- tion of our University of King's College. And your Lordships' petitioners, as in duty bound, will e.ver pray. [ The Petition to the House of Commons is the same as that to the LordSf with the necessary verbal alterations.^ LE 5 -fy^f ^^ /^SO ^fseCw^