CHAPTER VI. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     .N the 8th of March, 1851, Sir Alexander Bannerman 
     
    

    
     having been appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Island 
     
     arrived, crossing the Straits from Cape Tormentine in the ice- 
     
     boat. The oath of office was administered at the Colonial 
     
     Building, where His Excellency was received by a guard of 
     
     honor under Captain Lecky, and the firing off of a salute of 17 
     
     guns. His Excellency convened the Legislature shortly after 
     
     having been sworn in, and in his address made the important 
     
     announcement that he was empowered to introduce responsible 
     
     government, on condition that compensation be allowed to 
     
     retiring officers. This condition beinngeadily complied with, 
     
    
   
   
    
     the Government, known as the old Tory party, tendered their 
     
     resignation. 
     
    
   
   
    
     On the 23rd of April the first responsible government of 
     
     the Island was formed under the Leadership of the Hon. 
     
     George Coles, as President of the Council, with the Hon. 
     
     Charles Young, Attorney General, Hon. James Warburton, 
     
     Colonial Secretary, Hon. Joseph Pope, Colonial Treasurer, 
     
     Hon. Edward Whelan, Queen’s Printer, and Allan Fraser, 
     
     Esq., Collector of Customs. Among the useful measures 
     
     passed during this session was an Act fixing the rate of 
     
    
   
   
    
     postage on letters to any of the Provinces at 3d. and to any 
     
     part of the Island at 2d. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The official reports of the state of education showed that the 
     
    
   
   
    
     number of schools had increased to I35, and the number of 
     
     scholars to 5,366.