ish public must not be misled by the hard-sounding language
and the vast expenditure of words it may have to receive, in the
perusal of either the High Church, or the Presbyterian fulminators in
Canada West.

The whole hinges on what the writer calls "the vital question,"
namely, upon the university of Canada at Toronto being a free or a
close borough.

The High Church party contend that this institution was formed for the
Church of England only, and endowed with an immense resource in lands
accordingly.

The Church of Scotland, "as by law established," for I do not include
the Free Church, has strenuously opposed this for a long series of
years, and contends that it has equal rights and equal privileges in
the institution.[1]

It would consume too much space to enter into argument upon argument
anent a question which, ever since the rebellion, has grown from the
seeds so profusely scattered in the grounds of dispute on both sides.

The home government, foreseeing clearly that this vexed question is
one of paramount importance, has declared itself not neuter, but
passive; has given at large its opinion, favourable to general
education, conducted upon the most liberal acceptance of the charter;
and has left it to the wisdom of the Canadian Parliament to decide.

[Footnote 1: A large public meeting of Roman Catholics upon the
subject of the University question took place lately at Toronto, where
a temperate spirit prevailed.]

An eminent lawyer was employed to carry out Lord Metcalfe's
conciliatory views, in accordance with the spirit of the instructions
from the queen. This gentleman, who had previously been accused by the
reform party of belonging to the Family Compact before he accepted
high legal office under the colonial government, had been employed
also on the part of the Church of England as counsel before the bar of
the House, to advocate its claims, and in a singularly clever and
lucid speech, of immense length, certainly made the cause a most
excellent one. But

"how chances mock,
And changes fill the cup of alteration!"

He was lauded to the skies, and deemed to have achieved the great end
sought by the High Church party.

Mark the reverse:

They forgot wholly that, in his capacity of barrister, he did, as
every barrister is bound to do, his very best for his employers, and
no doubt conscientiously desiring that the rights of the Church of
England should be upheld; but no