ction with the Statutes arose
from requirements connected with religious instruction in the
University. Two of these, which were later disallowed by Her Majesty's
Government, provided first, that "no Professor, Lecturer or Tutor shall
teach in the College any principles contrary to the doctrines of the
United Church of England and Ireland," and second, that "on every Sunday
during the term, all the resident members of the University under the
degree of B.C.L. who have not obtained a dispensation to the contrary,
shall attend the morning service in the Protestant Episcopal Parish
Church of Montreal." It was also stipulated that "the prayers in the
College Chapel shall be said in rotation by such officers of the College
as shall be in Holy Orders of the United Church of England and Ireland."
These provisions, together with the fact that the acting-Principal, who
was also Rector of Christ Church, had just been appointed Professor of
Divinity, gave rise to critical discussion, and made Lord Metcalfe, the
Governor-General, pause before advising the Colonial Office to obtain
the Royal ratification of the Statutes. He wrote to Lord Stanley, "The
main point involved in these questions is whether the Religious
Instruction to be given at McGill College shall be exclusively that of
the Church of England....

"The grounds on which the Governors have adopted the affirmative of the
proposition, and appointed a Divinity Professor of the Church of
England, are ably stated in their letter to me. On the other hand, there
are strenuous remonstrances against this arrangement on the part of the
Ministers of the other Protestant persuasions in the Province, and a
strong feeling against it in the community; and the design manifested to
connect the Institution, in that respect, exclusively with the Church of
England will most probably deprive it of that support from the
Provincial Legislature without which it will necessarily be crippled.
The opinions on this subject, understood to be prevalent in the
Province, are likely to lead to discussions in the Legislature; and it
may become necessary to modify the Institution so as to make it more
suitable to public expectation and general utility. If, therefore, it
rested with me to determine on this reference, I should be disposed,
either to disallow the Professorship of Divinity, or to suspend the
decision until it could be seen that the Institution can stand on the
footing on which the Governors ha