Part 66 (1/2)

After this epitos of the people of Upper Canada, through their representatives, frohts” and ”patriland, it is needless to make more than one or two remarks on his statements as to the influence of the union of the Canadas on the proceedings and votes of the Legislative assembly upon the subject My first rey reserves has not been introduced into the present Legislative assembly by any member, or at the solicitation of any h there is not a Ro the forty-two members elected for Upper Canada; yet when a resolution was introduced into the asse the present session, expressing a desire to y reserves, as provided in the Act, 3 & 4 Vic, chap 78, only sixteen in the first instance, and thirteen in the second, voted for it--only about one-third of the members for Upper Canada Should, therefore, the union of the Canadas be dissolved to-morrow, the Bishop would be in as hopeless aremarks of a recent speech of Mr

Lafontaine (the leader of the Roman Catholic French roundless are the Bishop's iht the clergy reserves should be fairly divided a the Protestant denoether taken out of the hands of the Governitation He thought the rectories were vested rights, and should not be disturbed, unless by due process of law, if, as was pretended, they were improperly obtained If there were any claims in the Act of 1791 which seeh he did not think they did, they ht be repealed, and the Bishop of Toronto seeht be done Let the appointment of the incumbents to the rectories, too, be taken froiven to the Church for other uses Heto impose it He would conclude with one reflection: Let his Protestant fellow-countrymen rehts from Roman Catholics and French Canadians The latter had repeatedly passed Acts in Lower Canada to give equal rights to those ere called dissenters, and Jehich were rejected by land in the Council, and it orthy of reression had given occasion for persecution, the Church of England here had to rely upon Catholics to protect it against the aggression of other Protestant sects

I shall nowgovernrants to the Church of Rome, and the endow his statehs in general tere of the Church of Roerated statements on one side, and omits all references to facts on the other side which would enable the Protestants of England, to whom he appeals, to understand the part which he has hirants to the Church of Rorants are paid at the present ti endeavoured, and would still wish to form with that Church in respect to endowments The Bishop says:--

In Upper Canada, the Roy do not, at present, exceed seventy in number, and the provision for their support is very slender It depends chiefly on their customary dues, and the contributions of their respective flocks; unless, indeed, they receive assistance from the French portion of the Province, where the resources of the Romish Church are abundant

Nohile the Bishop presents an overdrawn and startling picture of the emoluments of the Church of Rorants and payy of that church in Upper Canada The Bishop must know, that in addition to their ”customary dues, and the voluntary contributions of their flocks,” the clergy of the Church of Rome receive 1,666 per annuy reserve fund under the provisions of the very Act, 3 & 4 Vic, chap 78, for the perpetuation of which he contends The first instructions to support the Roy in Upper Canada out of public funds, were given by Earl Bathurst, in a despatch to Sir P

Maitland, dated 6th October, 1826, and which co words:--

You will receive instructions from the Treasury for the payment, from funds to be derived from the Canada Company, of the sum of 750 per annum, for the salaries of the Presbyterian ministers, and a similar sum for the support of the Roman Catholic priests

But what is re aid to the Roman Catholic priests in Upper Canada, for which Governland, was urged by, if it did not originate with, the Bishop hiislative Council of Upper Canada, 6th March, 1828, and afterwards published by his in this matter, as follows:--

It has always been y of the Church of Scotland, because they belong to a Church which is established in one section of the empire; and to the Roman Catholic Church because it may be considered as a concurrent church with the establishment in the sister Province; and to this end I have, at all ti men of both those churches to make respectful representations to His Majesty's Govern it to Ministers to discover the source froht be taken--His Excellency, the Lieutenant-Governor of this Province (Sir P Maitland), having represented in the strongestsoy in coy resident in Upper Canada, a reference was made to me on that subject, while in London, in June, 1826 On this occasion I enforced, as well as I could, the recommendations made by His Excellency, in respect to both churches

Thus four ive salaries to Roman Catholic priests in Upper Canada, the Bishop states that he urged it upon the favourable consideration of His Lordshi+p The Bishop then significantly adds:--

I did flatter ht to have been, and that henceforth the clergy of the two denoing their own religious duties, would cordially co-operate with those of the establisheneral peace and welfare of society It is gratifying to y, during this contest, have observed a strict neutrality

However ingenious it enuous that the Bishop should proy in this country in order to secure their political alliance and support against other Protestant denoainst the Governiven to the Church of Rome It is hardly fair for the Bishop to act one part in Canada and another in England; and it is fallacious and wrong to represent the votes of Ro any influence whatever on the state of the question in Upper Canada--as of the twenty-five Roman Catholics who voted on the question last year, twelve voted on one side and thirteen on the other; and they are known to hold the opinion declared by their leader, Mr Lafontaine, that the proceeds of the clergy reserves belong to the Protestants of the country in contradistinction to Roard to the endowments of the Roant They cannot affect, in the least, the itated Upper Canada; and they appear to be introduced land, where the social state and position of parties in Canada are little known or understood It is needless to examine the Bishop's statements on this subject in detail; but I will make two or three remarks, to show the fallacy of both his assertions and his reasoning He gives no data whatever for his perfectly gratuitous and improbable assumption of four hundred parish priests in Lower Canada at a salary of 250 each, exclusive of those e, he says,

The revenue of the Roman Catholic Church in Lower Canada, 100,000 per annum, a sum which represents a inary estimate of the Bishop is simply absurd, and supposes in Lower Canada ten-fold the wealth that really exists

The Bishop also gives a return of the seignorial lands of several religious orders of the Roman Catholic Church in Lower Canada, then invests those lands with a fictitious value, and sets thehts to these lands are si from them does not amount to threepence per acre The Jesuits' estates, 891,845 acres--by far the largest item in the Bishop's paper--are in the hands of the Government, and not of the Roman Catholic Church at all

The fallacy of the Bishop's reasoning on this point will appear frorant or endowment to the Roious order of that Church; that whatever lands or endowious communities may possess, were obtained either from the Crown of France, and therefore secured by treaty, or by the legacies of individuals, or by purchase The island of Montreal was obtained by purchase; the rights are neurs 8,000 per annuy whatever between endowments thus obtained and held, and lands appropriated by the Crown for certain general objects, which have been vested in the hands of no religious community, and over which Parliaislation

I shall now offer a few re the Toronto University and system of public schools in Upper Canada As these are questions which have been set at rest by local legislation, by and with the sanction of the Imperial Government, I need only refer to the Bishop's statements so far as to remove the erroneous impressions and unjust prejudices which they are calculated to produce

In reference to the Bishop's stateible as raduates are and have been members of the Senate from the commencement

And when the Bishop pronounces the University ”essentially unchristian,”

he must have known that not only a Parliaious instruction and worshi+p of all the students of the University; whereas, when the Bishop had the ious instruction and worshi+p of any of the students except land

The statement, therefore, of the Bishop, that--

There is at present no Seminary in Upper Canada in which the children of conscientious churchmen can receive a Christian and liberal education,

is contradicted by the fact that the children of many church such an education at a ”Seminary in Upper Canada”

The lands out of which the University has been endoere early set apart by the Crown, not on the application or recoland, but on the application of the Legislative asseitation on the subject is, that the Bishop, unknown to the Canadian people, and by representations which they, through their representatives, declared to be incorrect and unfounded, obtained a University Charter in England, and the application of those lands as an endownize And now that that asseot these lands restored to the objects for which they were originally appropriated, but from which they had for a time been alienated, the Bishop seeks, by the most unfounded imputations and representations, to do all in his power to daht to be the first to countenance and support

In his recent charge to his clergy, the Bishop has sought to dae the public elementary schools; and here his stateard to the University The Bishop says, ”Christianity is not so ed by our School law” This statement is contradicted by the 14th section of the School Act, and the general regulations which are overnious instruction,” and which co words:--