CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE CENTRA L ACA D EMY.

( Cotiffifitetl.) Secretary’s Office,

TO THE

August 14, 1841.

. Sta ; .

I am directed by the Lieut. Governor to acknowledge the eceipt ofyour letter, which you addressed to His Excellency on the 5th ult., representing the state of the‘Centra! Acade- my, and complaining of'the conduct of the Trust es.

Having referred your letter to the Trustees, for explana- tion, His Excellency now desires me to transmit to you a copy oftheir reply, which he received yesterday.

On looking into the Act of the Colonial Legislature un-

. der which the Central Academy is constituted, His Excel-

lency finds that his situation as Patron and Visitor is mere- ly honorary; it invests him with no power or control over Trustees or Masters, and does not even give him a. discre- tionary choice in their selection.

Under these circumstances, His Excellency feels that he cannot'exteiid his interference beyond a general and sin'cere expression of his regret, that an Institution which. properly conducted and managed, might be made so useful and valu- able to the rising youth oftlie Island, should, front any can- ses, have been rendered so entirely inefficient.

The principal cause of'this inefficiency appears to llis Excellency to have arisen from the originally defective state of the constitution oftlie Academy; but he is also disposed to believe that had the Trustees evinced greater activity and. energy, that had they been more fi'equeut in their personal

' superintendetice, taking it in turn occasionally to visit the

Academy during the hours of study, they would have been enabled, in a great measure, to have remedied this defect by exercising tt proper coercive power over the Masters, if' ne- cessary, and compelling them to adopt a better system of order, regularity and discipline than, (according to the state- ment ofthe Trustees, which His Excellency believes to be correct,) they have hitherto maintained.

Having made these remarks, His Excellency deems it his duty to add, that he concurs with the Trustees in their opi- nion, that the decrease in the number of pupils at the Aca— demy must, in a considerable degree, be attributed to the want of confidence of Parents in the Masters, arising from the little progress made by some of the pupils—His Excel- lency himself having had occasion to notice, at the half- yearly examinations, the very superficial manner in which the pupils are grounded in all. their studies.

I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obdt. humble Servant, ' T. H. HAVILAND, Sec’y.

His_Excellency has desired me to furnish a copy ofthis Letter to the Trustees. T. H. II. The Rev. James Waddell,

Master oftlie Central Academy.

Charlottetown, I7tli August, 184]. Sin;

I have the honor to acknowledge your letter oftlie 14th inst., andlbeg you will convey to the Lieut. Governor my best thanks for His Excellency’s kind attention to the subject of my letter oftlie 5th ult., to which it is a reply.

I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obdt. servt. .l. VVADDELL. Hon. '1‘. H. Haviland.

\ [This communication was intended to accompany a resig- nation of my situation in tho Academy.—J. W.}

Charlottetown, Novr. 26th, 1841. Sir;

When I acknowledged the receipt of your letter of the 14th ultimo, containing the Lt. Governor’s answer to mv communication to him respecting the state of the Central Academy, 1 had not resolved what course I should pursue in reference to its contents. Some of the assumptions contain- ed in it, and the letter oftlie Trustees which accompanied it, I knew to be mistaken, and some of the charges I felt to be unjust; butI knew it would be difiicult, Single-handed, to contend against a host, or to produce any favourable im- pression upon a tribunal that had written themselves parties in the matter, and to whom the consideration of it had been referred. Having obtained an expression of'the opinion of the Trustees upon the subject which Iliad submitted for consideration, and procured a release from the tranimels of which I had complained, I thought it might perhaps be as well to submit quietly to their castigation, and endeavor to carry out my plans for reviving the Institution, and placing it upon a more popular basis than We had beeii enabled heretofore to do. And now, could I suppose that the cor- respondence, as far as it has gone, would be confined to those who know all the circumstances oftlie case, I might probably not be disposed to trouble you or the Lt. Governor, at present, with anything further upon the subject. But as I know that these may he considered public documents, and may possibly hereafter be tnade use of to mv prejudice, should Ileave the correspondence where \it is,-I feel that I would neither be doingjiistice to myself nor tothe Acaileinv were I to allow the onus to rest tipon my shoulders, which

it is the design ofyour Communication to fix upon me. You‘

will therefore please bear with me while, for the considera- tion of His Excellency, I reply briefly to a few of the state- ments which your communication contains.

The first thing to which I beg particularly to call your at- tention is the expression with which your letter concludes: --“ His Excellency biniselfliaving had occasion to notice, at Ithe halfiyenrly examinations, the very superficial manner iii which the pupils are grounded in all their studies.” Does 1! not seem rather strange, that His Excellency should haVe reserved this expression of his opinion till it was drawn from him by my own application, and that, too, after he had taken offence at me without cause; and is it not stranger still, that it should then come in direct contradiction to the tenor of a note, utider his own hand, in which, addressing me, on the 12th Feby. last, he says :—

“My dear Sir,

“ In announcing my intention to withdraw my son George from the Central Academy, I beg to assure you, that I am not induced to take this step from any dissatisfaction at the progress he has made while under your charge, but from a wish to place him under the tuition of a person who can devote more time exclusively to him than you could possibly bestow upon any one scholar.

“Believe me to he, dear Sir, very faithfully yours, (Signed) CHARLES A. FITZ-ROY. ‘ Rev. James Waddell.

“ P. S.—I beg to enclose the tuition-money for the current half-year.” ‘

This note, you will perceive, was written subsequently to all the half-yearly examinations~that in July last alone ex- cepted ; and you may perhaps recollect, that the two which preceded that, were not attended by His Excellency. Nor is it to be overlooked, that the observation oins Excellency is now made to extend to all the studies of the pupils, when you are fully aware that, in one of the classes, at least (the Greek), His Excellency, as well as several oftlie Trustees,

has uniformly avowed his inability to test the proficiency of

the pupils; and will any person at all acquainted with the subject suppose, that a hasty review of some fourteen oi- sixteen classes, in a single foretiooti, twice a-ycar, is suffici- ent to Warrant the conclusion, that the pupils are “ very su- perficially grounded in all their studies.”

I grant that these exhibitions are, in general, superficial enough ;. and it is impossible it can be otherwise, when they are hurried over—as you know they have always been—in

perhaps less than one-fourth of the time allotted to the same

exercises on ordinary days.

If there is any meaning in the attendance of His Excel- Iency the Patron, and the Trustees and~Governors of the Institution, at the semi-annual examinations ofthe pupils, it surely is, that they may form and express opinions respect- ing their proficiency; and if‘llis Excellency had formed the opinion you mention at the half-yearly examinations, it must have been upon his mind at least a year and a half, and it ought not to have been so long in coming to the light.

I shall next advert to the Trustees communication, and

one (colon

take notice ofa few oftlie statements which it contains.

While the‘ Trustees acknowledge that I may have some just

grounds focncomplaining oftlie want of' an authorised sys- tematic course of'instruction, they assume that Iconiiiieuccd

with a system, and that, too, an improved one, and can see

no sufficient reason why I did not persevere in that course

until an authorised course was pointed out to me. Now, I

beg leave to say, that since I caine into the Institution, I have

never had any thing like a system of. instruction, aud_the( preceediugs of' the Trustees upon my letter to the Chief Justice reii‘der it plain that, at that time, they were quite satis-

fied oftlie fiict, and felt the propriety of'the representation

which I had made. All that I could aim at, in the circum-

stances in which I was placed, was to endeavor to show the

advantages which might be expected to accrue fi‘oin the in-

troduction of a regular series of'thone improved books of which, with no little difficulty, I had obtained specimens; and with reference even to those specimens thentSelves, I have said that when they were taken anay by pupils who left the Institution, those who came after had them not, and

could not get them, nor had any guarantee that, could I have got them myself, they might! not, at any time, be super- seded by others ordered by the Trustees, and thus left on my hands. A consideration of'tliese circumstances Will, I think, be reckoned to afford “sufficient reason why I did not per- severe iti that course till aii authorised course was poitited

out to me.” . '

lfthe Trustees fbr want of funds could not furnish the Institution with books which their own children needed to use, and which the law gives them power to order tobe in- troduced and taught in the Academy, tlicy surely could not" expect the Masters to assume the responsibility ofimporting

books which theparents ofpupils might not only not feel

disposed to purchase, but which might, at any moment, be

superseded by an authorised course, pointed out by the

Trustees; and yet this appears to be the only interpretation

that can be put upon that partof'tlicir communication which

says—“ the same facilities in obtaining books, we appre-

“ bend, existed, and still continue to exist, as when Mr. \Vad—

“dell first became one ofthe masters of the Academy; “therefore, since Mr. \Vaddell has not shown that lie was, “in any way coerced, or opposed by the Trustees in follow- “ irig out the course which he had thus adopted, we can see‘ “ no sufficient reason why he did not persevere in that course,

“until an authorised course was pointed otit to him.”

The truth is, I knew that better books than any to which

I had ever hail access were employed in Schools in Britain.

and I was anxious that, from the first, those that we adopted

should be of a superior description; and encouraged, from

time to time, to hope that some means would be employed

to accomplish this object, [could not recommend the pur-

chase ofiuferior hooks, cvcn ifthey had been in the market,

when they might, at any time, and I expected would be ‘ soon, authoritatively superseded. Mr. Ilaszard has often i applied to me. fora list of Books. that he might import and ' keep constantly on hand a supply for our use ; but my reply

has always been, “we have not yet got a list from the Trus- tees, and until that is obtained, I cannot recommend you to, "Fluiport any book, depending upon us for a market.

The wantof discipline, ofivliicli the 'I‘rustees complain, I atii willing, in some measure, to admit; but the responstbi- lity,I contend, does not all rest with the masters. Want of uniform books prevented us from so classifying our pupils, as to enable its to hear their exercises iti regular rotation, or to render it ofesseutial importance that all should be present when the lessons for the day began; and under these cir- cumstances, we were induced, in some instances, to yield to the solicitation of parents, and to allow their children a little indulgence occasionally, should they be beliitid time,

the hour, and it was felt to be irksoiiie to be required al- ways to furnish them with a note of excuse. Having con- setited to receive verbal messages, in compliance with spe-

we ought not to have (lOlN‘, but yet could not well refuse,) it was sometimes impossible to procure from others what we had given tip to them. The fact of'lessous not being pre-. pared at home has as often been complained of by Masters to 'I'rustees, as by Trustees to Masters, and it certainly‘catii, Masters’ door. \Vheu I have put the question to Trustees, “ \Vhat is to be done with delinquents, iti such eases .9" and: been told to confine them after hours, though it involved a tax upon my own time to which I had no right to submit, I have acted upon the suggestion, till, in more instances than one, as you may perhaps remember, I incurred displeasure in high places, and was compelled to yield to authority which I could not resist. Here, too, the radical evil is to be found, in the absence ofa proper system of instruction, and the wantof'nieaus to stimulate an emulation which .would incite youthful minds to the pursuit of'stiidics which, as wL- have been compelled to prosecute them, have in themselch no attraction.

In relation to the remark of the 'I'rustees, that they be- lieve no classical work recommended by me has been ob- jected to, or refused to be procured, I beg leave to repeat the statement contained in my letter to His Honor the Chief Justice, that we have always had Grammars of'dif’ferent des- criptions forced upon us, and never have had a sufficient number ofDictionarics and Lexicons. In proof‘of this last assertion, I may mention, that the only Greek Lexicon at present in use in the Academy is one belonging to myself, and that there are two classes reading,r Latin, composed "of five boys, who have but one Dictionary among them; and l presumel need scarcely add, that it is not because the mas- ters have not urged the necessity of more being procured.

The Trustees say, in reference to the notifications of the Masters by the Trustees oftlie contemplated alteration in the constitution oftlie Academy, that they “cannot admit that it was sufficient in itself to pa'i'alyse or even to weaken the efforts of a person in Mr. \Vaddell’s situation,” &c., and yet—strange to sny—-they afterwards admit, that they were only waiting for that alteration to have the authority of Le- gislative sanction for taking steps to displace the-Masters, which, under existing circumstances, might be deemed by the Masters harsh and invidious. Vthther this were not enough to paralyse the efforts of a person in Mr. \Vaddell’s circumstances is, I think, now sufficiently apparent. But I cannot conceive what Legislative sanction the Trustees can need, more than the existing law givestliem, for any such interposition as that to which they refer. They are fully aft- thorised to displace the Masters, at pleasure, without even rendering a tension, and the only amendment necessary, in this department oftlie Act, appears to me to be, the autho- rising ofan appointment ot'Trustees capable of performing the duties of their ofiice, and who can venture to dis- charge faithfully the functions ofa public trust, irrespective ofthe feelings of persons who, in the situation in which they represent the Masters to be, have forfeited all claim to leniency or indulgence. .

Ifthe mention by the Trustees of the necessity of five Trustees being present to form a quorum, and ot'the difiicul- ty of obtaining efficient meetings, is to be understood as intended to account for the long suspense in which the Mas- ters were kept about the report concerning books, I would tnerely say, that were the difficulty of getting five persons in and near Charlottetown oceasionally together much great- er thau it is, it would not be excuse sufficient for setting at nought the law which requires the Board to meet Quarterly, and for leaving public business in abcyance from April of one year till July oftlie iicxt.* And even ifthei'e had been here insuperable difficulties, the Trustees cannot surelv for- get, that a long Session oftlie Legislature intervened, when the attendance ofthe Trustees from the country could have been commanded or) almost any day oftlie Sessioti.

You may perhaps remember that a different reason was

versation on the subject, he said, that the delay of arrange- ments about the books was occasioned entirely by tho indif- ference oriiegligence of'the'I‘rustees. * * *3 Forthese reasons, I have resolved to quit the Academy, and if it is asserted thatI have left it worse than I found it, it is not becaube I did not see and appreciate the defects in its management,

’ Aftcrfurtbertiine was given illiMay18‘10,t01h0 Commi

flee to report, no meeting was licld'till Feb. 1842!!

.days ago, as a remarkable fact, and one highly honorable to

as it was not always convenient for them to be punctual to .

assigned to the by one oftlie Trustees, lately, when, in con- ‘

4 proceeded to

m moonlit;

nor is it because I did not use every legitimate means in my power to have theso defects remedied or removed.

[regret that my arrangements did not enable me to trans- mit this communication to you previously to the departure from this Government of'Sir C. A. Fitz Roy, with whom the correspondence was begun, and on whose sentiments it ani- inadverts; but I trust it will receive a candid consideration from the present Patron and Visitor of'this Institution.

I have the honor to be, &c. 6w.- ‘ ‘ J. WADDELL.

Extracts from the Minutes of proceedings of the Board of Trus- tees and Governors qfthe Central flcademy. -

Ata Meeting oftlie Trustees and Governors of the Cen- tral Academy, held the 22nd Dec., 1835, pursuant to last ad- journ-ment—

Ordered, that the following Rules for the management and government of the Academy be received and adopted:

RULE 9. , 0f Meetings of Trustees.

There shall be annually four general meetings of the. Trustees, viz: on every first Monday iii the months of January, April, August and October. ’

At a General Meeting of the Governors and Trustees of the Central Academy, held on Tuesday, the 8th day of Feb., 1842, pursuant to notice—-

Read a letter from the Rev. Mr. \Vaddell, one ofthe Mas- ters oftlie Academy, dated 5th July, 1841, to His’Excelleticy Sir CharlesAugustus Fitz Roy, representing thestate of the Central Academy.

Read also a letter, dated 5th Aug, 1841, from four of the Trustees, viz: The Hort. R. Hodgsdn, A. Lane, T. H. Havi- land and J. H. Peters, in reply to the observations tnade by Mr. Waddell, which letter, when read, was unanimously concurred in by the Board at this meeting.

Read also a letter dated Aug. 14th, 1841, from the Hon. T. ll. llaviland, by order oftlie Lieutenant Governor, in reply to Mr. \Vaddell’s letter oftlie 5th July, 1841.

Resolved, That the foregoing letters he laid before both Honses ol the Legislature, and also the hook containing the Minutes oftlie proceedings of the Board.

Resolved that this meeting do now adjourn until the 15th day of March next, at 12 o’clock, noon.

[The next meeting of the Board held was on the 13th July, 1843.—J. W.]

" PAPERS BY THE BRITANNIA.

RIO'I‘S 1N SCO'I‘LAND.—PERSECUTION.—We noticed it,a few

our country, as showing the depth of Christian principle by which our people were actuated, that notwithstanding all the oppression and ill usage they had met with, both from the Government and the aristocracy, they had all along ina- nif'ested such exemplary patience, and that not one breach oftlie peace, in any way connected with the Free Church, , had taken place since the disruption. This, considering ( what human nature is, and considering all the_c!i'ctiiiistaiices iofthe case, We did regard as a fact as surprismg as it was .delightful. Let it be remembered, that the vast majority of lthe people of Scotland, formerly in connection with the Es- ‘tnblishmeiit, do in their consciences believe that their most dearly cherished rights, secured to them by the faith ofa iiiost solemn treaty, “ tlnalterably for ever,” have been rude- ly trampled upon by a tyrant majority of the British Legis- lature. Let it he remembered, that not only do they regard themselves as unjustly deprived oftheir patrimony, inherit- ed from their ancestors, for supplying pure religious instruc- tion to themselves atid their children to all generations.—

only a fair field, and no favour, to _ecui_'e its ultimate rind speedy triumph. The calm and quiet dignity wnh wipe}. the disruption was consutnitiated‘on the 18th May, exctted the admiration of' every noble mind throughout the warm; and it were miserable if now the moral grandeur of that deed were t rnished by the folly of any of our adhering members. git we are persuaded such Wlll not be the easy, Religious Scotsman have not so learned Christ. They m“ disappoint the malignant expectation of those who wait for their halting. They will be followers ofthtllse ' wlbo ovei‘u came thropgh the Ilkflguflf‘dfhe Lamb and t ie not of their ' '. ’—Scotlis ar um. . tesiiiiiloff‘Ganooa AT Mancnssrsn.—This gentleman In. been recently in Scotland,where,asadistmgutshed qvaca‘. L H of'n liberalcommercial policy and offi‘ee:trade principles, is g , has received the most gratifyiug'a‘ttention from the menu. I, fitcturing and mercantile communities oftliat portion of“), United Kingdom. At Dundee, a public-dinner was given to him, and in Glasgow, the merchants and others {tie} bin in their public-rooms, to testify tneir approbation of "sen. ', , lightened views. On his return from the north, he_arrived . in Manchester, on Monday last, and he has been since the . guest of' Mr. H. Asliworth, of‘ the Oaks, near liolton. The tnerchatits of' Manchester have felt disliosedkpflblicly to nya- ‘ uifest their respect for the services rendered to coinmercul 4 . freedom by Mr. M‘Gregor; but hisshort Visu has precluded the possibility of'such manifestation. At our Chamberof , Commerce, however, yesterday, Mr. M‘ rregor was received _ ,x by the directors, when he was addressed on their behalfby theirvice-president, who briefly dwelt upon the necessity of sound commercial principles obtaining practical adoption, and, besides pointed allusions to our restrictive policy in. corn, sugar, and other essential comforts of life, he claimed a total exetnption from duty for‘cotton wool and other raw ‘ v. materials; wliereon both our labour atid capital are largely employed. Mi-«M‘Gregor Very fully entered into theenlarg. ed views which he entertains of our commercial policy and legislation. Protective duties he would for eVer annihilate, and Would only permit Custotns’ taxes for revenue purposes. He would greatly simplify our whole fiscal system, and from ten sources he would raise the entire revenue oftlie country. His reception at the chamber was most gratifying, and the directors were highly delighted with his .exposition. After this meeting, Mr. M‘Gregor dined at the Union Club, where- lie was entertained by a complete admixture of gentlemen of' political parties, when every honour and respect for his opinions that this opportunity afforded seemed to be most cordially tendered to him. During the intercourse which Mr. M‘Gregor has had with otir couiti’iercial 'world, he has most studiously avoided any implication of ill-S, pwn news with the policy of'iiiinisteri and the Board of Trade; and he has distinctly stated, that he is only _rcspoustble for his opinions in his private and not iii his oflicial capactty.—Man- Chester Guardian.