present. And for this, application would have to be made by the proper authorities to the Provincial Synod, since to that body belongs the right of subdividing, and so, I presume, of extending and amalgamating dioceses.134

Correspondence with the Church Guardian, 1893.

The concerns expressed by the Reverend James Simpson at Yarmouth Missionary Conference were addressed in a letter to the Editor of the Church Guardian. appearing in the December 6th, 1893 edition of that paper. The letter was signed as a "Candid Friend" and focused on the status of P.E.I., saying that it either is or is not a part of the Diocese of Nova Scotia. It argued that originally, the Bishop’s license had been granted by the terms of the Royal Letters Patent, but since the various changes in the relationship of the Province of Nova Scotia with the Government of Great Britain and other assorted changes within the Diocesan setup of the Church of England Within the Province of Nova Scotia, it must be concluded that these Letters Patent are now not worth the paper on which they are written. The letter went on to suggest that the present bishop did not derive his appointment or jurisdiction from them, but rather, was elected by the "Diocesan Synod of Nova Scotia".

Under the terms of the Act of Incorporation of the Provincial Legislature (1863), it stipulated: "The Synod, consisting of the Bishops, Clergy, and Representatives of the Laity of the United Church of England and Ireland in this Province shall be a body politic and corporate by the name of the ‘The Diocesan Synod of Nova Scotia’"135. It was not until some years later (1874) that the Act to Incorporate the Diocesan Synod of Nova Scotia was amended to enable representatives of Prince Edward Island to be eligible to sit in the Diocesan Synod of Nova Scotia. The amended Act read:

Notwithstanding anything contained in the Act to incorporate the Diocesan Synod of Nova Scotia, the Clergy and Laity of the Church of England in the Province of Prince Edward Island, may, so long as they continue to be under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Nova Scotia, be admitted as members of such Incorporate Synod, and may enjoy and exercise the same rights and privileges therein as the Clergy and Laity of the Church of England in this Province.136

1 34. Ibid.

135. The Church Guardian. "The Missionary Conference held at Yarmouth N.S." December 6th, 1893.

136. Ibid,

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