of Edinburgh, Session 1875 - 76 . 
27 
Church of England did not object to inspectors; but inasmuch as 
the religious instruction in the schools was to be reported on by 
Government inspectors, the Church desired to have some security 
as to the qualifications of the inspectors to judge of that in- 
struction. 
The National Society, at the suggestion of Mr Sinclair, resolved 
to intimate to Government that they would recommend the 
managers of all Church of England schools to refuse the Govern- 
ment grants, unless some arrangement satisfactory to the Church 
was made on that point. The Government having at first refused to 
make any concession, notice was sent to the Privy Council from the 
managers of about 200 schools, that they would not in future 
receive the grant. Mr Sinclair, in support of the National Society’s 
views, appealed to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and 
secured their help. He preached on the subject ; he induced 
several of the leading London newspapers to advocate the views of 
the Church; he obtained the assistance of Lord Ashley and other 
influential public men. At length the Privy Council Committee 
yielded, — agreeing that no inspector should be allowed to examine 
any Church of England School whose name had not first been sub- 
mitted to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York for their 
sanction. This privilege was extended also to the schools in Scot- 
land connected with the Church. 
The grants to the Church of England Schools were paid to the 
Treasurer of the National Society, and were by him distributed to 
the schools. When the above arrangement had been completed, 
the office of treasurer was held by a Mr Watson, who was so averse 
to the proceedings of the Privy Council, that to avoid touching the 
unclean thing, he refused to receive the Government grant, or grant 
a receipt for it, and sent in his resignation. Mr Sinclair on this 
occasion was appointed to be treasurer, so that he was installed 
into the two most important and laborious offices of the Society. 
In the year 1843 Mr Sinclair, in addition to these duties, was 
called on to undertake important pastoral work. In that year he 
was appointed Vicar of Xensington, and in the following year 
Archdeacon of Middlesex. 
The population of that new part of London had immensely out- 
grown the means of public worship, so he set himself to work on 
