1790]

THE PROJECTED UNIVERSITY.

283

The regulation had wrought great harm in the country parishes. Hitherto, as a rule, the rejoicings over a marriage had extended over two days, now they commenced previous to the appointed day, and were prolonged afterwards. Bailly called upon the bishop to take his letter in good part, and not establish a distinction between the crozier and the shepherd's crook, "la crosse et la houlette."

It can be conceived that there would be little accord between the opinions of the writer of this letter and bishop Hubert in the matter of education. Bailly began by stating that the letter published as that of bishop Hubert was not in his own writing. It may be supposed that it was not an assertion lightly or idly made; he well knew the bishop's entourage, and could with certainty affix the authorship. Some one, he said, had had the effrontery to present the letter in the bishop's name. But as the letter set forth that no steps had been taken to consult the clergy, or the Canadians in general, the letter, if written by bishop Hubert, only represented his individual opinions. If, as he declared, the farmers preferred to leave as an inheritance to their children the pursuit of agriculture alone, rather than that of education, they must be descended from the men mentioned in the third chapter of St. John, who loved darkness rather than light. Indeed, this was an evil which the king's representative was making an effort to correct. The desire was to prevent an ignorant father from transmitting with his estate, from generation to generation, his own stupidity. For his part, he looked for the happiest consequence from the farmer finding, on the return of his son, that the doltish and clownish manners he had carried with him to college had been exchanged for those of decency and civility. Admitting that without education a numerous population may vegetate in ignorance, barbarism and fanaticism, who in Canada, in the bitterness of his heart, would not grieve that youth should be neglected to lead to that consequence?

Quebec, with a university, would be the centre attended. by scholars from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to the

east, and from the west by the new townships, New Johnstone and Lunenburg. Even at that date many from the country attended the college in Montreal.

After alluding to the universities of Europe, he met the question what rank the bishop would have in the new institution by stating he would hold the rank which belongs to merit and knowledge. He saw with pleasure the prospect of the catholic and protestant being protected by the same wise administration. The man calculated to fill the chair of a university ought to be one whose mode of instruction should be free from all matters irrelevant or foreign. A professor of astronomy would not commence by a treatise on the right of bishops to explain the law of motion. His view was that the ignorance prevailing in the country was very great, owing to the want of firmness on the part of the parents. With a university we should have zealous curés, generous seigniors, and habitants possessing good sense.

He considered that it was now the proper time to establish the university, and that the professors could be found in the province. He trusted to see the great and honourable enterprise pursued with diligence.

In November, 1790, Dorchester in bringing the matter to the notice of Grenville stated he had received a deputation of the bishops and some of the clergy, who informed him that there was an intention to present a petition for the appropriation of the jesuits' estates to the use of the province, as had been originally designed, in which proceeding they had been asked to take a part. Although impressed with the justice of the request, they had desired, before intervening, first to consult with him on the subject. Dorchester replied that it would be necessary for him to refer to the law officers of the crown, previous to expressing any opinion. In the same letter he states that there was a difference of view between M. Hubert and M. Bailly on the subject of education, and that there was a wide breach between them which he had unsuccessfully attempted to reconcile.*

[Can. Arch., Q. 49, p. 21, 10th November.]

1790]

THE JESUITS' ESTATES.

285

The committee of the council reported that there could be no difference of opinion as to the advisability of founding parish free schools in every village, for teaching reading, writing, and the elementary rules of arithmetic; and county free schools for giving instruction in the languages, grammar, the higher arithmetic, and practical mathematics, with bookkeeping, surveying and other similar subjects.

The erection of a university on the European scale would be extravagant, in view of the wants of the country, which did not contain 150,000 inhabitants, with a great extent of wilderness to be reclaimed for cultivation. It was, nevertheless, to be wished that the youth of the province could obtain the necessary education to fit them for office of the highest trust. A college with one rector and four tutors was deemed sufficient. Theological tenets should form no part of instruction, the corporation to be created by letterspatent, to include the king's representative, judges and bishops, Roman catholic and protestant, with from sixteen to twenty other members equally divided as to religion, the visitation to be vested in the crown; all pronounced ceremonies of religious belief to be excluded.

An act of the legislature to be passed, assessing each parish for the support of the free schools. The extremely indigent to be exempt from charge, but their children to receive education. Sufficient appropriation to be made for the county schools.

The jesuits' estates were suggested as available for founding the college, with additional benefactions by grants of waste lands. The jesuits' barracks were represented as furnishing premises applicable to a university. When established, the university would supply the teachers for the inferior schools throughout the provinces.

These general principles, formulated into a series of resolutions, were unanimously carried in the council, but so much impediment was thrown in the way of the prosecution of the scheme that it was not persevered in. The fact however remains, that at this early period of the history

of the country the attempt was made to establish a system of free education within every parish, on a liberal and comprehensive principle; and that if the attempt failed, it can in no way be attributable to any want of beneficence or earnestness of purpose on the part of the British Government. It is plain that it could be brought into successful operation only by common support, and that one cause of the failure of the attempt was the unwillingness of the Roman catholic clergy to recognize any project that would invalidate the claim preferred by them to the exclusive enjoyment of the jesuits' estates.

At no great period after the occupation of Montreal, in 1760, which had led to the surrender of the French force and the cession of the province to Great Britain, Amherst, as the reward of his services, had received a promise from George III. of a grant of the jesuits' estates. It is not easy

to determine under what circumstances or at what date the promise was given; it may, however, be assumed that it was shortly after the conquest. Amherst remained in command at New York until 1763, when he returned to England. The unsettled condition of Canada, succeeded by the years of the American revolution, sufficiently explain that no steps were taken to make good this engagement. The jesuits were permitted to remain in possession of their property, and in this interval the income was received by them; the amount that was not exacted for their own modest requirements appears to have been applied to the support of the seminary. Under any circumstances, it was not to be expected from the weakness of human nature that a project would be welcomed which diverted to other sources enjoyment of the income which for some years had been regularly received. The accomplishment of the foundation of the university would have applied to the uses of the new institution the money hitherto enjoyed by the seminary alone, and bishop Hubert well understood what the consequences would have been if the proposed university had been established. All that then could have been hoped under

1790]

AMHERST'S PETITION.

287

the most favourable view was that only a moderate portion of the revenue would be apportioned to the seminary. The annual amount hitherto receivable had been nearly $5,000, the whole of which the seminary had enjoyed. The amount of the receipts, however, steadily increased, and in a few years, in 1810, the revenue reached $7,600. In 1789 four only of the jesuits were living; they were of advanced age and infirm, and on the condition that the estates should be directed to the education of the Indians and of the youth of Canada, they themselves being allowed the means of support, had renounced all claim to the property, freely, voluntarily, and bonâ fide.

It will effect no good purpose here to examine into these terms of renunciation. Even admitting the interest in the estate of those who made this concession, it would have terminated with their own lives, as was the case in 1800, on the death of the last member of the order, Jean Joseph Cazot. On his demise, the executive officially took the estates into actual possession by a legal instrument addressed to the sheriff of Quebec. The vague expression the education of the Indians, blended with that of the Canadian youth, was sufficiently elastic, setting aside the absence of mention of what this education should be.

Towards 1786 Amherst, by a petition to the crown, renewed his claim. On the 18th of August of that year an order in council was passed, in pursuance of which a commission was appointed at Quebec to learn the extent of the lands, their value, nature, and the tenures by which they were held. The examination was made on the avowed intention of granting a portion of them to lord Amherst. Of the nine commissioners, four are French Canadian names; among the British members is the name of James McGill, the founder of McGill university. A full and comprehensive knowledge was thus obtained of the property. *

* The following constituted the several properties known as the jesuits'

estates: