of twenty thousand acres of land for the support of a sem: inary therein. Notwithstanding these distinct promises, none of these grants were ever made; and, consequently, the act of 1801 practically remained a dead letter. Other causes contributed to render the scheme a failure. Of the eighteen trustees of the Royal Institution (who were not appointed by the government to direct the system of education in Lower Canada until 1818,) four only were Roman Catholics; and of the fourteen Protestants, three were prominent officials in Upper Canada. The teachers, too, were principally from Britain, unacquainted with the French language, and generally ignorant of the habits of the people.

In 1804, the Seminary of Nicolet was founded by the Rev. M. Brassard, curé, and in 1811, the College of St. Hyacinthe was founded by the Rev. M. Girouard, curé.

In 1812, the legislative council voted an address to the Prince Regent, in regard to the land endowments, similar to those passed by the house of assembly in 1793 and 1800. It was sent down to that house for its concurrence; but, owing to the more pressing importance of matters arising out of the war with the United States in that year, it was suffered to remain in abeyance.

In 1814, however, a bill was passed by the house of assembly, amending the "royal institutions" act of 1801. As a matter of curiosity, we give the following abstract of some of its clauses. It provided, among other things, that if a majority or fifty landholders in a parish or township wished to establish a school, they should serve a "notorial acte " upon a resident militia officer highest in rank*, who shall then call a meeting for the election of five trustees, one of which to retire annually. These trustees, with the senior magistrate, curé, or minister, were to be a corporation, and to re

* It is a singular fact that this calling into requisition the services of militia officers, as such, in educational matters, has been peculiar to Lower Canada since the first establishment of public schools.

place the school commissioners appointed by the governor, under the previous act. The teacher to be employed by this corporation was required to produce a certificate of loyalty and good character from two magistrates, to take the oath of allegiance, and to receive not more than two hundred and forty dollars per annum out of the provincial revenue. Two magistrates, appointed by the Crown, to act as school visitors. This bill was lost in the legislative council, and failed to become law.

In 1818, a much simpler act was passed by both houses of the legislature. Instead of elective trustees, it provided that the rector, priest, or curate, with four Roman Catholic or Church of England church-wardens, the seigneur primitif, and senior magistrate, should be, ex officio, a corporation for the management of the elementary school of the parish. This act was reserved for the royal assent, which it never received; and, consequently, it never took effect.

In this year, however (1818,) practical effect was, after a long delay, given to the act of 1801, authorizing the estab lishment of a "Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning." All the schools then receiving government aid were placed under the control of this corporation. In order to conciliate those more immediately concerned, and to demonstrate the liberality of the principles upon which it intended to act, the following rules were promulgated: "That every school should be placed under the immediate inspection of the clergy of the religion professed by the inhabitants of the spot; and that where they might be of dif ferent persuasions, the clergy of each church should have the superintendence of the children of their respective communities." "That a regular superintendence of the schools was assigned to visitors named by the corporation (one or more to be the minister or ministers of the parish or township,) who were to report to them, every six months, the

number and progress of the scholars, the conduct of the masters, and, generally, on the state of the schools."

Notwithstanding the official prestige which it possessed, and the influence which it undoubtedly exerted, the "Royal Institution" signally failed to accomplish the objects for which it was established. Even the number of schools under its management soon began to diminish; and, at the end of ten years from the date of its organization, all applications for schools to be placed under its control entirely ceased. Various causes contributed to render the scheme abortive; but the most striking one was the general absence of sympathy between the board itself and the people whose educational interests it sought to promote. The board has long ceased to control the public elementary schools, and its functions are now chiefly confined to the oversight or trusteeship of the University of McGill College, Montreal. This institution, founded, in 1811, by the will of the Hon. Peter McGill, did not receive its royal charter until 1821, owing to a protracted lawsuit to test the validity of the will.

CHAPTER IV.

COMMON SCHOOL LEGISLATION-SUCCESS AND FAILURES1819-1835.

FOR several years after the Royal Institution came into existence, various efforts were made by either or both branches of the legislature, to introduce a more popular system of management into the public schools. Thus, in 1819 and 1820, two bills were passed by the house of assembly and legislative council with this view; but they were not concurred in by the home government; while two others, passed by the house of assembly, in 1821 and 1823, were rejected by the legislative council, and, consequently, lost. At length, in 1824, a special committee, appointed by the

house of assembly, prepared an elaborate report upon the state of education in the province. Its revelations were startling indeed. It represented that in many parishes not more than five or six of the inhabitants could write; that, generally, not above one-fourth of the entire population could read; and that not above one-tenth of them could write, even imperfectly.

To remedy this state of things, and to meet the wishes of the Roman Catholic clergy in some degree, as a counterpoise to the more Protestant Royal Institution act, a measure was passed this year (1824) known as the Fabrique act. It provided for the establishment of one school in each Roman Catholic parish, for every one hundred families, by the Fa-briques, or corporate body, (established by the old laws of France,) consisting of the curé and church-wardens. The corporation was authorized to acquire land, for the support of the school, to the annual value of two hundred dollars, and to retain an acre for a school site.

In 1825, the College of Ste. Thérèse was founded in the county of Terrebonne, by the Rev. M. Ducharme, curé; in 1826, the College of Chambly was founded in the county of that name by the Rev. M. Mignault, curé; and, in 1827, the College of Ste. Anne la Pocatiére was founded in the county of Kamouraska by the Rev. M. Painchaud. In 1827-8, the University of McGill College, after a protracted delay, at length went into operation. In 1828, the convent of La Providence was founded by Madame Gamelin, of Montreal.

In 1829, another effort was made to meet the wishes of the Roman Catholic clergy, and to modify the provisions of the Royal Institutions act of 1801. After some difficulty in bringing both parties to an agreement on the subject, a bill was passed in the legislative council, and received two readings in the house of assembly, providing for the appointment of two committees of the Royal Institution,

one exclusively Roman Catholic and the other Protestant. Thus was introduced the germ of the present separate school system in Upper and Lower Canada; but, owing to some legal impediments in the way of carrying it into effect, the bill was dropped.

In the same year (1829,) an important step was taken in the direction of popularizing the system of public schools then in existence. A measure was passed in that year, providing for the establishment of schools by trustees elected for that purpose by the landholders of each parish. The act contained no provision for the visitation or inspection of the schools; and was otherwise defective; but it is, nevertheless, considered as the first general elementary school act of Lower Canada.

This act was amended in 1830, so as to authorize the election, as trustees, of the Protestant or Roman Catholic clergy who were not freeholders. It further required the teacher to hold a half-yearly examination, of which he should give one week's public notice; twelve hundred dollars were also appropriated by it for sending a person abroad to learn how to conduct a deaf and dumb school.

This act was again amended in 1831, so as to provide for the appointment of nineteen visitors, or local county school inspectors, who, in company with the county member, or a magistrate, commanding officer of militia, rector, or curé, should visit and inspect the school and report the result to the governor. The act also contained an appropriation in aid of a deaf and dumb institution.

In the same year (1831,) the house of assembly appointed a standing committee of eleven members, to report, from time to time, on all matters relating to education. This committee, in their report, dwell on the importance of supplementing the public aid by local contributions, and deprecated the growing demand for such aid, without corresponding exertions to increase the amount of these