resulting from the Charter prevented these appointments
from being actually made at that time. Because of irritating delays,
the somewhat hopeless situation brought about by the refusal of the Home
Government to permit the increase of Professorships, and numerous other
differences of opinion, trouble was now growing between the Governors
and the Crown. At a meeting of the former held on November 14, 1834, at
which were present Lord Aylmer, Governor in Chief, the Chief Justice and
the Principal, the Governor was asked to bring to the notice of the
Secretary of State "the great inconvenience which it is feared may
result from the necessity of referring to His Majesty's Home Government,
as required by the Charter, every appointment of a Professor or even of
a Principal." This was the beginning of a bitter and prolonged
controversy which did not end until 1846, and which involved the College
in perhaps the gravest difficulty and uncertainty of its history.

Meanwhile, the case against the Desrivieres heirs, James McGill
Desrivieres, Henri Desrivieres, Francis Desrivieres, and Alex McKenzie,
had proceeded. Every effort was made to have the suit settled. On
December 21, 1833, the Governors authorised the Medical Professors to
join them in a Memorial on the subject to the Home Government. The Board
of the Royal Institution persistently urged haste, but delay followed
delay. At last, on February 7th, 1835, the Order in Council deciding the
case in favour of the Board was issued, but it was not forwarded until
the 21st of May. But notwithstanding the decision of the Privy Council
the heirs of James McGill were slow to accede to the demands of the
Royal Institution. On March 8th, 1836, the Secretary of the Board wrote
"as to Burnside we are extremely perplexed by the pertinacity of the
heirs in resisting and threatening further resistance to the payment of
any money on account of the debt due to the Royal Institution unless
terms are granted them ... which ... members of the Board think that we
could not accept without rendering ourselves personally liable if any
further loss should accrue thereby to the College. I should be strongly
disposed to try and borrow money to begin with, if I knew what tangible
security we could offer." A further delay resulted, and even after the
suit was settled the executors of the will hesitated to transfer the
money to the Board or the Governors until the Home Government fulfilled
certain promises w