proposes Mr. Murray for the office, which will, it is hoped, be a
satisfactory arrangement to all parties; but Mr. Murray cannot
hold both positions, even for a time. Under these circumstances it
appears to be worthy of consideration, whether your appointment
ought not to take place at once, which would not, of course,
interfere with your projected visit to Europe in November, when it
might be easier to make some proper temporary provision for the
performance of your duties during your absence. His Excellency is
aware that you were in favour of deferring your nomination until
after your return from Europe; and if you should adhere to this
opinion, you may, perhaps, be able to suggest some means of meeting
the apparent difficulty.

On the 18th September, Mr. Higginson addressed another note to Dr.
Ryerson, in reply to one from him, in which he said:

You will have learned from my last note that Sir Charles approved
of all your suggestions, except the non-announcement of your
appointment. As you see reason to alter your opinion on this point,
the difficulty is removed, and you shall be gazetted in the last
week of the month, as you propose. I wish, with you, that the
College question could be settled in England, if we could only
prevail on the contending parties to agree to a case of facts. This
might be accomplished, and I am not without hope that some scheme
may be devised to which no party will have just ground of
objection. I shall write to you upon this subject as soon as
anything is determined on.

At this point I resume the narrative which Dr. Ryerson had prepared for
this volume in regard to his appointment:--In September, 1844, a vacancy
occurred in the Professorship of Mathematics in the University of
Toronto, by the resignation and return to England of Mr. Potter; and, as
the gentleman who had been appointed to the Education branch of the
Secretary's Office, was reputed to be an excellent mathematician, and
had high testimonials of his qualification, he applied for the
professorship; evidently feeling the anomalousness of his position, and
his inability and powerlessness to establish a system of Public School
Education.[127]

The Governor-General appointed him to the Mathematical Professorship,
and formally offered the Education Office to me. I laid the official
letter containing the offer befo