erefore Mr. Pelton acted as my agent; and continued to do
so, placing only such tenants on Burnside as were approved by me, and
collecting the rents for and paying them to me until the 1st May, 1844,
after which he refused to continue to pay them to me. Immediately after
the adjudication of the property, a correspondence took place with the
Royal Institution about security for the payment of the rents, before it
was discovered that a 99 years' lease could not be granted, and Mr.
Pelton took upon himself without consulting me to offer security, which
he said was accepted by the Board; and then, knowing that I had not
offered any security, proposed to me to let him be the _bona fide_
purchaser; but I refused, saying that I supposed the same person who was
willing to be security for him would also be security for me. It was
immediately after this discovered that the Royal Institution could not
grant a lease for a longer period than 21 years, and the whole affair
was considered by me as at an end, that is, that it was no sale, because
the Royal Institution could not be expected to do that which they had no
legal authority to do...." The lease was subsequently cancelled, and it
was shown that Pelton had no legal claim upon the property.

When the College buildings were nearing completion, towards the end of
1842, the Board prepared the necessary documents for the transfer of the
Burnside Estate to the possession of the Governors of the College. But
they took care to safeguard their own powers. They retained the right to
inquire from time to time into the management and administration of the
University, to remove officers of the College for misconduct, to examine
into the compliance of the Governors with the Charter, and to establish
statutes and by-laws for the government of the College. In short, the
Governors, although they were at last to obtain possession of the
property, were still to be subservient to the Board.

This was naturally not satisfactory to the Governors. In accordance with
the resolution passed on August 8th, 1842, they drew up a bill the
object of which was "to abolish the Royal Institution, and to provide
for the better government of McGill College." It stipulated that all the
monies, goods and chattels of which the Royal Institution was possessed
under the will of James McGill should be vested in the Government of the
University. The Principal went to Kingston to endeavour to have the bill
passed during