PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 65'

lottetown, with one master. The Central Academy, which was not opened till June, 1836, was to be absolutely free from reli- gious tests, and did a splendid work in the cause of' higher education. In 1860 it gave way to the Prince of Wales College, where the good work of the old Academy has been continued and widened out, with the result that it has a reputation second to none in Canada for institutions of its character and scope.

About the same time, Saint Andrew’s

College was founded, by the Right Rev-.

erend Angus Bernard McEachem, first Ro- man Catholic bishop of Charlottetown, a man equally honored and respected by those of his own flock and by the Protestant in- habitants of this Island. It was subse- quently moved to Charlottetown, and, with a changed name, developed into the present splendid educational institution, known so far and wide as St. Dunstan’s College. The Legislature passed the act for/the establish- ment of the academy, and also an act to authorize raising a loan to erect the neces- sary building for the academy, and for erecting a government house. They failed to float this loan.in England, which was probably the cause of the long delay in opening the academy.‘

The session of 1830, which opened on 4th March, was the sixth and last of this House of Assembly. The increased cost of education, as evidencing the anxiety of the ‘ people to avail themselves of its advantages. was referred to with much satisfaction in the Lieutenant-Governor’s speech. But the great subject mentioned in the speech was the conferring by the Imperial Parliament upon His Majesty’s Roman Catholic sub- jects those rights and privileges which had been previously alone enjoyed by his Prot-

5

estant subjects, and his calling upon the Legislature here to relieve the Roman Cath- olics of the disabilities they laboured under. This act was passed, and inequalities, which should never have been introduced into the New \Vorld, were done away with.

This Assembly had been a most active and useful one, and had enacted a large amount of valuable legislation. It was com- posed of a superior class of men, several of them of abilities much beyond the common, and possessed of a thorough knowledge of their constitutional rights. The great struggle for responsible government made immense headway during the terms of Lieu- tenant-Governors Smith and Ready. With the former, the struggle was against uncon- stitutional and arbitrary power, despotic- ally wielded by the individual, who was ad- ministrator of the government. 'In the lat- ter case, it was against the oligarchic Coun- cil, which, quite irresponsible, assumed to itself powers and privileges properly vested in and belonging to the representatives of the people. The Assembly, well aware of its rights, and well led, asserted and main~ tained its position with firmness and dignity. Their work was diflicult at best, but it was rendered much less onerous than otherwise ‘ it would have been by the assistance derived from the wisdom and conciliatory policy of His Excellency.

The Lieutenant-Govemor met the new House in 1831, but the session of 1830 marked a great constitutional change the greatest before responsible government, and is, therefore, a fitting period at which to close this sketch.

In 1831 to the profound regret of all classes, Colonel Ready was recalled, and Captain Sir George Murray appointed to succeed him, but died before leaving'Eng-