the War of 1812, he
entered the ministry of the Church of England, possibly through the
influence of his former teacher, who left a deep impression on the minds
and lives of all his pupils, and in 1814, he was ordained by Bishop
Mountain at Quebec. He was stationed for a time at Brockville and
vicinity, and in 1818 he was made Rector of Christ Church, Montreal,
where he remained for more than fifty years, eventually becoming Dean of
the diocese. He was acting-Principal of McGill from November, 1835,
until May, 1846. He died in August, 1872.

Soon after his appointment, the acting-Principal entered into
negotiations with the Board of the Royal Institution on the question of
the erection of a suitable building on the Burnside Estate for the
reception and instruction of students, as required by James McGill's
will. The Medical lectures, the only lectures given in the name of the
College, were given in a building far removed from the College property.
The College authorities did not even pay the rent of the building nor
did they pay the salaries of the Professors, and the School, except in
name, and for its own protection and the privilege gained thereby for
the conferring of degrees, was still, to all intents and purposes, a
private institution. Technically, it was contended, it was not a part of
the University at all. It was not situated on the Burnside Estate as the
will of the founder required, and it could not therefore be considered
as fulfilling any of the provisions of the bequest. Even the legality of
the degrees conferred had been questioned, and had been accepted on the
basis of equity and intention rather than on that "of justice and of
fact." The Principal and Governors realised the force of these
arguments, and the necessity of removing the cause. The situation could
only be met, they believed, by the erection of a building or buildings
on the Burnside Estate, as the terms of the bequest demanded, and the
Governors urged immediate action. They pointed out that "without
provision for resident students very little good can be expected to
result from the opening of the College, and without residence within the
College for one or more professors it cannot be expected that resident
students will be obtained." The acting-President of the Royal
Institution for the Advancement of Learning, A. W. Cochrane, wrote to
Principal Bethune on January 11th, 1836, stating "with respect to the
measures proper to be taken towards