by a majority of 30 to 3, objecting entirely to the exclusive
pretensions made in behalf of the Church of England. But I find that
nearly a year before this, namely, the 27th of the January preceding,
the House of Assembly of Upper Canada adopted an Address to the King on
the subject, in which it is stated, respectfully, but strongly,--

That the lands set apart in this Province for the maintenance and
support of a Protestant clergy ought not to be enjoyed by any one
denomination of Protestants to the exclusion of their Christian
brethren of other denominations, equally conscientious in their
respective modes of worshipping God, and equally entitled, as
dutiful and loyal subjects, to the protection of Your Majesty's
benign and liberal Government; we, therefore, humbly hope it will,
in Your Majesty's wisdom, be deemed expedient and just, that not
only the present reserves, but that any funds arising from the
sales thereof, should be devoted to the advancement of the
Christian religion generally, and the happiness of all Your
Majesty's subjects of whatever denomination; or if such application
or distribution should be deemed inexpedient, that the profits
arising from such appropriation should be applied to the purposes
of education and the general improvement of this Province.

The following year (January, 1827), the House of Assembly passed a Bill
(the minority being only three), providing for the sale and application
of the whole of the proceeds of the reserves for purposes of education,
and erection of places of public worship for all denominations of
Christians. And, on examining the journals, I find that from that time
down to the union of the Canadas in 1841, not a year passed over without
the passing of resolutions, or address, or bill, by the House of
Assembly of Upper Canada, for the general application of the proceeds of
the reserves, in some form or other, but always, without exception,
against what the Bishop claims as the rights of the Church of England in
respect to those lands.

It is difficult to conceive a more complete refutation than these facts
furnish of the Bishop's statement, that the Church of England prevailed
in Upper Canada, and had a commanding weight in the Legislature; nor
could a stronger proof be required of "the general wish of the people of
the colony to legislate upon the subject," than such a course of
procedur