SCOTLAND.

The Queen remains at Balmoral. The news of the death of Welling- ton reached her Majesty and Prince Albert on Thursday sennight, as they were going to the Dhu Loch, West of Loch Reich-. The party had reached the latter place when the messenger appeared ; and the Queen immediately returned home. All the invitations to the Castle were countermanded.

The Queen has not since been much abroad ; being partly confined by wet and snowy weather. But on Tuesday she drove to Gairn Shiel ; and Prince Albert went deer-stalking. In consequence of the death of the Duke, her Majesty and the Royal Household went into mourning, on Wednesday, for a week.

The ceremony of presenting the freedom of Stirling to Lord John Rus- sell was gene through at that town on Tuesday, in the Court RAIL Pro- vost Sewers presided ; the Magistrates and select townsmen occupied the room ; and the people swarmed without. Cheers greeted the entrance of Lord John Russell, renewed when Sir James Anderson M.P. follow- ed with Lady John. Mr. Provost Sewers then gave the burgess-ticket to Lord John in a sil- ver box ; saying that it was presented as a testimony of the sense the Corporation entertained of the distinguished talents and patriotism which had raised Lord John to such eminence in this country ; and that men " holding different political opinions " had agreed to the proposal.

Lord John Russell gracefully acknowledged the gift, as an honour for which he was gratefuL The Provost had alluded to the services of Lord John on behalf of religious liberty ; and laid down the rule that perse- cution only strengthens the sect which it is intended to suppress. Lord John concurred ; but he went further. It was not only politic but just not to impose penalties for differences of opinion on religion- " The great ruling maxim upon this subject was given by a monarch who ruled over this country, William the Third, when he said, Conscience is God's province.' That maxim I conceive- to contain the whole of what is justice and policy on this subject." The next point was the Parliamentary Reform of 1832.

" Whatever might be the defects of that representation in England and Ireland, I think no one can deny that in Scotland some change was needed to adapt that representation to the intelligence, to the power, to the wealth of the people of this part of the United Kingdom. And I think the extent of the change which was then made may be somewhat ap- preciated when I say that, according to my belief, the numbers who at the last election for Edinburgh polled for Mr. Macaulay and Mr. Cowan, and made them the successful candidates, was a sufficient number to have elected the whole of the Representatives for Scotland before the Reform Bill was in- troduced. Not more than three thousand persons had then the right of elect- ing a representative for every county and every burgh in Scotland ; and I am sure, if that state of things had passed into the present day, it would not have been a matter for party contest or dispute, but all parties would have agreed that such a state of things should no longer last."

Glancing slightly with approval at the Free-trade measures of Sir Robert Peel, Lord John Russell came full upon the topic furnished by the death of the Duke of Wellington.

" NOW, gentlemen, having appeared here today in this assembly, I own I feel, although it is not an occasion immediately for introducing it—but-as it is an occasion in which I have to speak in public, I cannot refrain from noticing that event which occupies all men's minds, and to which the attention of all is now directed—I mean the loss which this country has sustained by the death of the Duke of Wellington. I must say, that while I am one of those who most admired that great man, that I am not one of those who think that we ought to be so dazzled by the fame of his exploits that we should not endeavour to gather objects of imitation even from the conduct of a man vo great and so illustrious. While many of the actions of his life—while many of the qualities which he preserved—are unattainable by others, there are lessons which we may read in the life and actions of that illustrious man. It may never be given to another subject of the British Crown to perform services so brilliant as he has performed ; it may never be given to another man to hold the sword which secured the independence of Europe—for England, having saved herself by her constancy, saved Europe by her example ; it may never be given to another man, after having obtained such eminence by an unexampled series of victories, to show equal moderation in peace as he has shown greatness in war, and to devote the remainder of his life to the cause of internal and external peace for that country which he has so served ; it may never be given to another man to have equal authority with the Sovereigns whom he has served, and to the Senate of which he was to the end a venerated member ; it may never be given to another man, after such a career, to preserve even to the end the full possession of those great faculties with which he was endowed, and to. carry on the service of one of the most important departments of the state by unexampled vigilance and success to the latest day of his life. These are the circumstances, these are the quali- ties which may never again be performed in the history of the world : but there are other qualities which were displayed in the life of the Duke of Wellington which we may attain in humble imitation. That sincere and un- ceasing devotion to his country—that honest and proud determination to act for the benefit of his country on all occasions—that devoted loyalty which, while it made him ever anxious to serve the Crown, never induced him to conceal from the Sovereign that which he believed to be the truth—that vigi- lance in the constant performance of his duty—that vigilance in the life which enabled him at all time to give his mind and his faculties to the services which he was called upon to perform—that unostentatious piety by which he was distinguished at all times of his life,—t 'ese are qualities which are attainable by others, and these are qualities wtfich should not be

lost to us as an example. Let us hope, therefore, that while we render every due honour to the memory of the Duke of Wellington—that while every.. i

thing which can be done is done by the Sovereign and the country to show how they estimate their irreparable loss—let us not think when we have per- formed those services and rendered those honours, that our duty is then over. Let us all reflect that he was a man of whom his country was greatly proud, and that among other qualities he preserved those which it is within the power of all to imitate, and which we may all endeavour to attain. I have ventured upon this subject, but I could not refrain from doing it, and I I trust you will excuse me, for it has occupied my mind. Perhaps am the more justified in saying it because there were few men—perhaps there were none except the late Lord Melbourne and myself—who could bear this i testimony, that however much he might differ in political sentiments with the persons who held the chief offices in the political services of the state, he was as willing, as ready, as forward, in giving every assistance to them which he thought was for the benefit of the country." The ceremony being concluded, the select party moved off to the Com- oil-Chamber, and there, over a dessert, toasts were drunk and other

speeches delivered. •

Sir Michael Shaw_ Stewart, who lately presented the inhabitants of Greenock with a public park, has just set apart a field of eight acres for the use of the Eastern portion of the town. Last week there were a hun- dred men and horses employed levelling and laying out the grounds. There are to be two fine bowling-greens, quoiting-grounds, &e., with about three acres in the centre for cricket, football, &e.--Bslinlatrgh .Post.

Such is the furor of emigration from the Highlands to Australia, that a clergyman near Fort William signed within ten days upwards of 1000 certificates for parties desirous of leaving the distriet.—Norek British Mail.

There has been a disaster on the Scottish Central Railway, arising from the neglect of some official. A train was sent from Larbert to Greenhill without a break-carriage. On coming near Greenhill, it was signalled from that station to stop, on account of an engine being upon the line farther along. It was stopped accordingly; but, for some reason unexplained, the .driver uncoupled the engine from the carriages; he had just left the train, with a view to ascertain the cause of the stoppage, when he perceived the carriages moving down the line,. which is there on an incline ; a gust of wind had set them in motion. He immediately returned to his engine and went in pursuit of the carriages; but the passengers beginning to leap out upon the line, he became alarmed lest he should run over some of them, and ac- cordingly slackened the pace of the engine. In the mean time, a goods-train came down from Larbert, and before It could be brought to a stop ran into the other, smashing a first-class carriage to pieces, and doing other damage. Several persons were hurt, principally from leaping out of the carriages as they descended the incline. A surgeon's leg was fractured. There were several break-carriages at the station, yet the train was not provided with one. Falkirk tryst was proceeding at the time, and there was much extra traffic ; but to inset this, extra hands had been provided. Some blame rests upon the stationmaster ; for he -allowed his clerk to go to the tryst, and was thus obliged himself to attend within doors, instead otlooking after the trains.

About ten o'clock on Monday night, James Carlow, engine-driver, and Netherton, stoker, were returning along the Elgin and Charleston Railway with an engine, preceded by an empty truck from the latter place, where they had been with trucks laden with pig-iron. One of the bars of iron "had, it appeared, fallen, off by the way, and the truck. preceding the engine coming in contact with- it, they were both thrown off the rails ; and the stoker being thrown forward.by the shock, fell in front of the engine, sad was killed on the spot. He has left a widow and three children to lament his untimely end. His father, and one of his own children, had been pre- viously killed on the same railway.—Cakdonian ditereury.

Some passengers travelling at night on a railway in Ayr have had an un- pleasant adventure. A bee-hive had been placed in the compartment ; the bees got. out, attacked the passengers, and stung them severely. At the first -station, the bees were quickly left in the sole possession of the carriage.

The Duchess of Argyll and the Emperor, Gareloch steamers, have come into violent collision, during a starlight night, off Cairnbann Point. They were so much damaged that both had to be run ashore; where the quarter- deck of the Emperor is under water at low title, but the-other has only a little water in the hold. Fortunately, there were only four passengers in the Duchess, and none in the Emperor : no one was hurt. Where the blame of the collision rests is not yet ascertained.