SCOTLAND.
Mr. Samuel Laing, Member for the Northern Burghs, has made a trip to see and talk to his constituents. He had promised to deliver an annual statement to them, and on Wednesday sennight he fulfilled his promise for the current year, in the Town-hall of Tain. Mr. Laing traced his course in Parliament from the meeting in November 1852, to the close of the session ; showing how he had voted so as to give the Derby Govern- ment an opportunity of expounding their budget—how he had afterwards opposed that budget, and had since mainly supported the Ministry formed by the coalition of all parties. But he had acted throughout as a man of independent judgment. Summing up the legislation of last session, he paid a high compliment to Mr. Gladstone, as the true successor of Sir Ro- bert Peel; and then came to bills affecting Scotland— The first was the bill for reforming the Sheriff-Courts. After due delibe- ration, he had supported the bill of the Lord Advocate, as reforming the abuses of an old system, rather than that which sought to establish some- thing quite new. He had also supported the bill for abolishing University tests. Scotland, he thought, was pretty equally divided into three denomi- nations—the Established Church, the Free Church, and other Dissenting congregations. He could not see why one of these three should arrogate to itself a superiority over the others—why one of them should lay hold of our famous national institutions, and say that all their Professors should be of its denomination, and that its students should adopt its ritual. He valued more the passing of that measure almost unanimously as most import- ant towards the establishment of a national system of education. Next session he hoped that a measure would be brought forward for improving the education of Scotland, which should be national and not denominational. Instead of several schools, insufficiently attended and insufficiently equipped, he would prefer to see the schools of Scotland united together, and a system carried out in the same spirit as their excellent Academy at Thin was. He should like to see schoolmasters elected without regard to denomination, and that the parishes of Scotland should be able to afford to every student a su- rrior class of education. As to combining religious with secular education. the difficulties would not be so great in Scotland as in England, for all sects wueld,be pretty nearly united upon the religious education to be imparted. The only,question would be, what security they were to take for the en- forcement of those principles ? and he hoped that England would soon ad- vance to the position that Scotland now holds, and that Scotland would make corresponding advances to maintain her proportionate ascendancy. On the war question Mr. Laing delivered moderate sentiments—
He had no sympathy with the advocates of a war policy for England. Our late war with France cost us quite enough, without our trying to get up an • agitation in favour of another. But while we should endeavour to secure
peace, it might become absolutely necessary for England to go to war. There is no security for peace in Europe, if one nation, and that a very important one, should be suffered to tread under foot stipulations which had been agreed to among nations, and so break international treaties, which it had pledged itself to adhere to. If any country were allowed, contrary to the law of nations, to march armies into the territories of an adjoining power, such conduct must be put a stop to ; just as if among five indi- viduals in a room one becomes outrageous, the other four peaceable men had no alternative but to take forcible measures and make him feel that it was as much his interest as theirs to keep the peace. That is the case with regard to Russia ; for after we escaped the horrors of a general European war for nearly half a century, and it was thought that the principles of peace- might never again be infringed in Europe, Nicholas stepped forward, and, refusing to be guided by the counsel of the other powers, has entered into a war the consequences of which it would be difficult to foretell. The Great Powers gave the Emperor abundant oppor- tunity to withdraw from the foolish position which he had assumed. They made the means of withdrawing so easy and honourable, that it might be said they had raised a bridge of gold for him to retreat by : but he still per- sisted in retaining those unjust pretensions, and remaining in the provinces which he had invaded ; and there is now no other course but to resort to war, and to bring the struggle to so speedy a termination that it may secure us for another half century from further violations of the law of nations. If, as seems probable, Parliament should be shortly assembled, and Lord Aberdeen come down and show that the Government had done all in their power to secure peace, and that they would be obliged either to sacrifice the honour of England or to appeal to the patriotism of the country to support them in carrying out effectual proceedings against Russia, he would give the Government all the support in his power, as the representative of those whom he now addressed. (Great cheering.) A meeting was held in Glasgow on Wednesday to consider the aggres- sive policy of Russia. It had been called by the Lord Provost, in com- pliance with a requisition ; and several thousand persons gathered in the City Hall, under the presidence of Councillor Moir. Among the speakers was Mr. Urquhart. The resolutions condemned the aggression ; declared that the power of the Czar should be broken by the Great Western Powers ; called upon England to render material aid in bringing the war to a conclusion ; and asserted that publicity should be given to all matters of foreign policy affecting the honour of the country. A long letter from M. Kossuth, which was read to the meeting, suggested that English policy should be to do something decided, such as sinking the Russian fleet, bom- bard Sebastopol, or land a Turkish army at Odessa ; and that she should exact a promise of neutrality from Austria.
Bishop Skinner of Aberdeen has appointed " Wednesday in Ember week, the 14th December ensuing," as a day of thanksgiving to be observed throughout the diocese of Aberdeen, "for the favourable weather the Almighty has been graciously pleased to afford us for gathering in the fruits of the earth" : "but, under the present circumstances of the land in which we live, we ought to rejoice with trembling" ; and therefore he proposes fasting and prayer. To add to the solemnity, he recommends "that there shall be then gathered up, where it can be done with pro- priety, the offertory for educational purposes, so earnestly urged upon the benevolence of her members by the Bishops of the Church, and which it is their desire that the clergy should warmly and forcibly support and inculcate."
The floor of the picture-gallery in Holyrood Palace is become so rotten and unsafe, that when Peers assemble to elect a representative the greatest caution is requisite, to prevent disaster. The Commissioners of Woods and Forests are about to provide the proper remedy of a new floor.
It has been resolved to hold a meeting in Glasgow on behalf of Scottish " Rights." The day fixed upon is the 15th December ; and Lord Eg- linton is again to preside.
Mr. Caird of Baldoon has been selected by the Woods and Forests to manage the property of the Crown in Scotland.
A subscription is on foot in Glasgow for a statue of the late Mr. Oswald of Auchincruive, formerly Member for the city. Baron Marochetti has been intrusted with the work ; and the proposed site is George's Square.
Mr. Hope Scott, of Abbotsford, lectured at the ,Galashiels Mechanics' Institute on the 8th instant.
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