The Parliamentary Grant of a million of acres for Common School purposes in 1859 was chiefly made through the active exertions of the late Honourable Wm. H. Merritt, who at that time was a Member of the then existing Government. The Revenue from the investments arising out of the sale of these Lands does not yet equal the Parliamentary Grant, but it is expected that before many years it will do so, and thus relieve the Consolidated Revenue of the present annual charge upon it for Common Schools. My second point of illustration is:

II. THE STATE ENDOWMENTS OF EDUCATION, ETCETERA.
1. Upper Canada (1862).

(1.) Parliamentary Grant to Superior Education (i. e., College and Universities)

$

20,000

Income from Lands and Investments

36,685

Unappropriated balance transferred from Legislative School
Grant, as below

(2.) Income of Laval University from Lands, etcetera. (estimated) Parliamentary Grant to two Medical Schools

12,500

2,000

Parliamentary Grant to two Historical Societies
Parliamentary Grant to two Observatories

2,000

2,900

6,900

(3.) Parliamentary Grant to Common Schools, from Lands, etcetera Less unappropriated balance transferred as above to Superior Education

173,967

34,047

139,820

$563,803

Grand total of State Endowment of Education

My third point is :

III. MUNICIPAL ASSESSMENT.

(1.) In Upper Canada (1861) (2.) In Lower Canada (1861)

$ $278,085

241,530

My fourth point is:

IV.-INCOME FROM LOCAL SOURCES (SCHOOL RATES, FEES, ETCETERA).

Grand Total, Legislative and Local Aid and Income to Education $3,030,284 Thus we see that, in addition to the three millions and a half Acres of the public domain set apart permanently for educational purposes in Canada, the annual expenditure of money derived from these Lands and other sources on behalf of education and knowledge in the Province, amounts to over Three millions of dollars. Of these Three millions of dollars upwards of Two millions are derived from local sources; but of these Two millions not one penny is raised by a government tax. Such a thing as a government educational tax is unknown in Canada. Even the amount contributed towards Education by the Government is chiefly derived from investments arising out of the proceeds of the sale of School and College Lands, formerly set apart for these purposes. The balance is paid out of the General Provincial Revenue.

It is worthy of remark, too, that the imposition of the local Rate for School purposes is a voluntary act on the part of the Municipal authorities. They are not required by law to raise this Rate, and may decline doing so at their pleasure, without suffering any legal penalty. It is true that an apportionment is made from the Legislative School Grant, on condition that the Municipalities raise a sum equal to the amount granted. But this is simply the wise application of the paternal and equitable principle of helping those who help themselves, and involves no compulsion, nor the arbitrary acceptance of the proferred Grant. Even in the rural School Sections, no Rate for the support of the School can be imposed by School Trustees without the consent of the assessed Freeholders and Householders, as expressed at a public Meeting called for that purpose.

In Upper Canada, the School and College Lands set apart by George III., as already intimated, have for years formed the chief source of Revenue for higher education; and in Lower Canada, investments arising out of the proceeds of the sale of the forfeited Jesuit Estates and of the Seminary Lands have furnished the principal portion of the means for that part of the Province; while for Common School purposes a large portion of the annual Parliamentary Grant is derived from instalments arising out of the proceeds of the sale of the million of Acres of Lands set apart in 1859, by Act of the Provincial Legislature. The balance of this Fund is annually made up, out of the General Revenue, by a vote of the House of Assembly.

Although the aggregate sum expended on behalf of education from various public gources is comparatively large, yet the burthen of this expenditure is so adjusted, or distributed, as to press lightly upon the whole Community. The Income which is set apart from the public domain chiefly for the education of the sons of the wealthier classes, at the Grammar School, and University, is contributed equally by rich and

poor in proportion to their respective civil interest in the value of these Public Lands, so also is the Income from the same source set apart for Common School purposes, contributed in similar proportions, chiefly for the benefit of the other, or less wealthy class. Both are thus alike called upon to contribute towards the support of elementary and higher education, not unequally, nor as rich and poor, but as citizens, and in exact proportion only to the respective values of their assessed property and to the interest which they have in the Public Lands as members of the body politic. Thus the burthen of supporting the educational institutions of the Country falls justly and equitably and proportionably on each class alike. So universally is this obligation felt to rest upon these classes alike, that the objection current some years since in Upper Canada against supporting Free Schools in Cities, Towns, and rural places, on the part of those who only sent their children to be educated at the Private School, the Grammar School, or the University, has almost entirely ceased to exist. As well might the one class object to the support from public sources of Grammar Schools and Universities being extended to the necessary elementary Common Schools of Upper Canada, either directly by the Legislature, or indirectly by making a portion of such support a lien upon the landed property of the Country. Indeed, so strong a hold has the general System of Public Instruction now upon the public mind, that for the Legislature to omit a Grant to the Public or the Grammar Schools from its annual votes, or for the Municipalities to neglect raising the necessary funds for the support of the Public Schools, would be deemed the omission of an important and positive duty, and would give rise to serious disappointment and dissatisfaction.

This state of feeling is of comparatively recent growth. It has arisen chiefly during the last ten years. For in all the fluctuations which our earlier Educational System underwent, in the matter of Grants and the progress of education the public seems to have tacitly acquiesced, or to have been indifferent to them. Thus, in 1807, when Grammar Schools were first established in Upper Canada, only $3,200 were granted for their support, while no provision whatever was made for Common, or Elementary, Schools until 1816-nine years afterwards. In that year, $24,000 were granted for the support of these Schools; but in the following year, this sum was reduced to $10,000! Even in 1832, this Annual Grant had only reached the sum of $9,600, and that to Grammar Schools $4,000. In the following year, however, the Grant to Common Schools was increased nearly four-fold, while that to Grammar Schools remained about the same. These Grants were continued undiminished until the union of the Provinces in 1840.

During the civil troubles which occurred in 1837-8, Canada seems to have reached the lowest depths in her educational history. But, as brighter days dawned, she rapidly recovered herself, and has since gradually advanced in educational as well as material and political, prosperity.

My fifth point of illustration is:

V. THE NUMBER, CHARACTER AND VALUE OF OUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.

1. In Upper Canada there are the following Educational Institutions, videlicet:

In many instances the information contained under this head is defective. Circulars were sent by me to the Authorities of each of the principal Institutions named; but replies were only received from the Institutions in Lower Canada before the Almanac had to be printed. An approximation has however been made in those cases in which the desired information had not been received, based upon the best available evidence.

NUMBER, CHARACTER AND VALUE OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.-Continued.

In addition to these purely Theological Colleges, there are Theological Faculties in the Universities of Trinity College, Toronto, and Queen's College. Kingston, as well as the Roman Catholic Colleges at Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto, and in the Baptist Literary Institute at Woodstock.

2. In Lower Canada there are the following Educational Institutions, videlicet:

Thus we see that, with a population of 2,507,657, the total number of Educational Institutions in Canada of all grades is about 7,738; or one for about every 325 of the population. The number of Students and Pupils attending these Institutions is 547,000; the estimated value of the Sites and Buildings devoted to the purposes of Education reaches the princely sum of $7,000,000; the value of school Furniture, Libraries, Maps and Apparatus, is about $415,000; while the aggregate annual income of these Educational Institutions amounts to $2,972,500, or is equal to the entire Revenue of the Province of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, taken together.

These statistics, with those in the preceding part of this Chapter, (in many cases approximative-though understated) are most cheering in their character, and present the educational resources of Canada in a very favourable light. They combine in themselves the evidence of what has been done and is still doing both by the Government and the Rate-payers on the one hand, and by private and Denominational benevolence and enterprise on the other, for the promotion of Education in the Country. They clearly demonstrate that the hearts of the people of the Province are deeply penetrated with the conviction of the national importance of a comprehensive Scheme of Education, embracing every description of educational institution, and combining in its support all classes and creeds in the community.

The sixth point of illustration of our educational resources relates to the number and extent of the