§ Mr. Pakingtonasked whether, as the Clergy Reserves Bill was limited to Upper Canada, the noble Lord had any measure in contemplation by which he could relieve the Bishop of Montreal from those pluralities which that right rev. Prelate was now compelled to hold; and in the event of the death of the present Bishop of Montreal, he wished to know in what manner the noble Lord proposed to provide for the future support of the Protestant bishopric of Lower Canada? He also inquired whether the noble Lord was aware that the Bishop of Toronto had been obliged, in consequence of his appointment to that bishopric, to relinquish the office he held of President of the College of Toronto, and had thus been deprived of above one-fourth part of his income? Did not Dr. Strachan, previous to his acceptance of the bishopric, distinctly stipulate that his income should continue what it then was, until some permanent arrangement could be effected? and did the noble Lord intend in any manner to compensate the Bishop of Toronto, for so cruel and unjust a diminution of his means, at a moment when he was of necessity obliged to incur greatly increased expenses?
§ Lord John Russellsaid, that the Bishop of Toronto received, as Archdeacon of York 3001.; as rector of Toronto 533l.; as principal of King's College, 250l.; total 1,083l. Archdeacon Strachan was appointed Bishop of Toronto in 1839, on his own offer to accept the office without any addition to his then emoluments. In the discussions which took place on the Archdeacon's proposal, that Upper Canada should be erected into a separate see, Lord Glenelg consulted the Archbishop of 232 Canterbury, with whom the measure was arranged; and it was distinctly laid down that in assenting to the proposal, her Majesty's Government could not pledge themselves to any extent to provide a salary for the office. When the Bishop was lately in this country, the right rev. Prelate requested him to notify to the Governor, that till some satisfactory arrangement could be made for the support of the see, the bishop would be content to remain with his present income. He was told in answer, that there remained nothing to state to the Lieutenant-governor on this point, that officer being in possession of all the correspondence which passed at the time the bishopric was created. But to remove any misapprehension of the terms of that arrangement, it was added that the colonial office conceived that the agreement to accept the preferment, without any addition to the emoluments received as Archdeacon, did not imply that the emoluments so received were guaranteed by the government. The following was the income of the Bishop of Montreal:— As Bishop of Montreal, 1,000l.; as Archdeacon of Quebec, 500l.; as rector of ditto, 400l.; house rent, 90l.; total, 1,990l. There was, at present, before the Treasury an arrangement, proposed by the bishop, for the consolidation of the items of which his income is composed. The intention was, to fix the bishop's salary at 1,750l., there being assigned to the bishop's curate, (who would fill the office of Rector of Quebec), a salary of 250l. being the stipend which the bishop at present allows him.
§ Subject at an end.