VI Canon Simpson At St. Peter 's Cathedral The Search for a New Priest. The death of the Reverend G.W. Hodgson on July 20th, 1885, after sixteen years of faithful and loving service toward the congregation of St. Peter 's Cathedral, was an unexpected and regrettable loss. Although he had been ill on and off for an extended period of time, he was still young at forty- four, and his future shone bright with promise. This fact was evidenced by his recent nomination to fill the vacancy in the position as President of King's College, Windsor, Nova Scotia . The timing of Father Hodgson's death was doubly regrettable as it occurred at a time just after the former Assistant Priest, the Reverend W.B. King , had accepted a position in Boston, Massachusetts . This left St. Peter 's without clerical assistance. Luckily the Reverend Richard Harris , who had offered to help out during Father Hodgson's illness, was able to extend his stay in Charlottetown until arrangements could be made to procure the services of a temporary priest prior to such time that a suitable successor as incumbent to Father Hodgson be found. A special congregational meeting was called for October 5th, 1885 to consider the problem of securing the services of a Priest for temporary charge of the Cathedral Church. A recent offer had been received from the Reverend W.B. King to return from Boston to St. Peter 's if the congregation was agreeable. At that meeting it was decided to continue the arrangement with the Reverend Richard Harris as substitute priest rather than to place the Reverend Mr. King in the awkward position of having to undergo the expense and bother of another move simply to fill in at St. Peter 's until a permanent replacement could be obtained. In order to facilitate procurement of a permanent incumbent it was suggested that advertisements be placed in the Church Guardian and the larger New England newspapers "with a view to obtaining in Canada or the States a Clergyman to fill the place of the Priest Incumbent permanently or until a Clergyman be obtained in England ."109 This problem was remedied a few days later when an application was received and accepted from the Reverend Samuel C . Smythe, originally from Jamaica in the West 109. Congregational Meeting at St. Peter 's Cathedral, October 5th, 1885. St. Peter 's Cathedral Archives. 80