25 OCTOBER 1851, Page 7

SCOTLAND.

The North British Mail mentions a rumour which prevailed in Edin- burgh on Saturday afternoon, that Lord Rutherfurd "intends to resign his seat on the bench in November, and retire into the quietness of pri- vate life." Ill health was the cause assigned.

The County Rooms of the city of Aberdeen were crowded by a highly respectable audience on Tuesday, met under the presidency of the Earl of Aberdeen, to further a project of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, for raising from 300,000/. to 400,000/. towards the building of new churches in connexion with the Established Church. Lord Haddo, Lord James Hay, Sir John Forbes, Admiral Gordon, Principal Dewar, and Dr. Robertson of Edinburgh, were present. In recommending the project to the attention of his hearers, the Chairman declared his fear that at the present moment Scotland is living on her former reputation" for the morality, religion, and intellectual culture of her people. Crime has increased, in the last twenty years, six or seven times more rapidly than population. In Edinburgh and Glasgow' there are 150,000 living without any connexion with any denomination of Christians whatever; and it has been assumed that more than 500,000 of the popula- tion of the whole country are living " without God in the world." The Duke of Argyll had stated in the House of Lords, that in Scotland alone the amount of spirits consumed is 7,000,000 gallons,—more than three gallons for every man, woman, and child, in that part of the kingdom: Lord Aber- deen had doubted that statement, but inquiries have shown that the Duke of Argyll was perfectly correct. Making deduction for those who take no part in the consumption, those figures disclose a state of intemperance such as was never witnessed in any other civilized country in the world. But that is not the worst; for recently there has been a system of diabolical activity' exhibited in the circulation of immoral and irreligious publications among the people, producing not only the mere absence of attention to religious observances, and creating indifference to the most sacred truths, but actually establishing and confirming infidelity and unbelief. The sanctions of reli- gion are indispensable to correct such evils; and the establishment of churches must be one of the instruments of the remedy. Other warm speeches were delivered; resolutions in accordance were adopted ; and considerable subscriptions were made.