SCOTLAND.

The freedom of the city of Glasgow was conferred upon Sir John Lawrence on the 21st of September in City Hall. This ceremony gave Sir John an opportunity of expressing his views upon two Indian questions—the causes of the late mutiny and the - promotion of Christianity in India. Sir John first met the reflection on the Govern- ment of the Punjaub—that a large proportion of the Europeans in India were posted in that province-

" This," he said, was doubtless a very great advantage to us, but the arrangement had nothing whatever to do with the character of the adminis- tration. The fact was, that in some years previous to the annexation of the Punjaub we had concentrated a large force in the vicinity of the Sutlej, partly to observe the Sikh army, which was collected in large masses round Lahore, and had, for some time, evinced a dangerous spirit, and partly to give our soldiers the benefit of ahill climate. The experience we obtained during the two Punjaub wars, of the warlike qualities of the Sikh troops, and the great extent of frontier we had to guard, induced the supreme government iu India, after the annexation of the Punjaub, to occupy the country with a large portion of our Native and European armies; while, naturally enough, there was a disinclination to 'give up the sanatoria we had formed in the hills. And thus it was that the rest of the Bengal Presi- dency was left with an insufficient number of our own soldiers. The obvious remedy, then, was to have added to their force in India, and to have met the expense by a proportionate reduction in the Native army ; and why so obvious a course was not adopted it is not for me to say." Then he vindi- cated the administration of the Punjaub. "From the very first, the ad- ministration of the eountr,y, was organized on a vigorous and economical basis. The feelings, prejudices, and customs of the people, so far as practi- cable, were duly regarded. Every effort was made to develop the resources and reduce the pressure of taxation. Trade and industry had been depressed, and the taxation on land was generally excessive. We very soon got rid of all the customs, transit, and town duties, while by a small addition to the salt excise, and a superior system of management, we collected a revenue on that one article fully equal to the former income from all the taxes which were abolished. The land-tax was largely reduced and better distributed, while all the tenures of the land were carefully inquired into, adjusted, and recorded. At the time of the annexation, not a road existed in the length and breadth of the land. Several thousand miles of communication have since been opened up. One of the finest canals in the world was at once com- menced, and shortly after I left the Pnnjanb, one large section was opened. The cost of this canal scheme will be upwards of a million and a quarter of money. The whole course of the administration was one of progress and improvement. The people rapidly became better fed, better clothed, and in every respect more prosperous than they had been before; and so it was that when the mutiny broke out, we were not altogether unprepared to meet it. We were able to detach a large portion of our European troops into Hindoatan ; to reinforce them with a choice portion of the Punjaub troops on the frontier; to control and overcome the numerous regiments of Rin- dostanee soldiers in the country, and to raise thousands of foot soldiers

to fight our battles. From first to last, more than 80,000 Punjaub sokliere were ranged on our aide during the late struggle." Next he showed that the annexation of Oude did not lead to the mutiny, and that the people were not against from the moment we displayed any

signs of vigorous action. " Surely, it is mere folly to suppose that we could ever have weathered the storm which beset us, had the mass of the people of the country risen heartily against us." (Cheers) Lastly, he spoke of the proposed introduction of the Bible into our Government schools. " The Sepoys revolted, not because Christianity was taught to the people of India, but because they believed that the cartridge they were required to us would convey destruction to their bodies and their souls. This was, its

their view, a tremendous attack on caste and religion. Their ideas on such

matters in no wise accord with ours. A Hindoo soldier lying wounded on the field of battle has died rather than drink water offered to him by a man

who, in his eyes, was an outcast. A Sikh soldier in our hospitals at Agra preferring continuing to sutler for some hours all the anguish arising from feverish thirst, induced by severe wounds, rather than receive water from the hands of an English lady. HM words were—' Though no man see me drink, God will see it.' Tho religion of the great majority of the- people of India consists in ceremonial observances, and in a fancied personal freedom from certain contaminating influences. They' are ex-

tremely ignorant and proportionately superstitious. They have cer- tainly a general impression that we desire their conversion, and that'

this will be accomplished by physical means. Thus stories of bone dust being mixed with the flour sold in the market, end the like, are eon- stantly floating about the country. We aro never secure from panics arising from such causes. Does not this, then, inculcate the policy of in- structing the people, where they are willing to receive it, as to the real character of our religion ? Sound policy surely dictates that we should give them the means of comprehending its principles. We cannot teach them the very elements of our sciences without showing them the folly of their own faith. Shall we, then, sap the foundations of their belief without

giving them facilities for acquiring true knowledge ? Can this be wisdom ?

It is said that the work should be restricted to the missionaries. But what can a few missionaries do among hundreds of millions of people ? I do not desire to see the Government undertake the duty of the missionary ; but that when the parents of children belonging to our schools do not object, and masters are able and willing to instruct, the Bible should not be pro- hibited. Government, as regards the extension of our faith, cannot really

remain neutral. Its influence will either be for or against its progress. Under the most favourable auspices that faith will not spread very fast ; the pro-

bability rather is that its progress will be lamentably slow. I myself be- lieve that sound policy, as well as our duty to God and to man, demand that we should give facilities and encouragement to the spread of Chris- tianity in India, and that the introduction of the Bible into the Government schools may be effected in many places with the full consent of the children and their parents by teachers who have their heart in the work." "The miners of Scotland," represented by a goodly number, gathered in the City Hall of Glasgow on Monday, presented an address to Mr. Arthur Kinnaird, thanking him for his advocacy of their claims in Par- liament. Mr. Dalglish, Member for the city, presided, and Mr- M`Donald, secretary of the Miners' Association, presented the address. Mr. Kinnaird gave great credit to others engaged in giving support to the miners in the House of Commons—to Mr. Hanbury, Mr. Bosley, Mr. Avrton, Sir George Lewis, and Mr. Clive. Mr. Kinnaird began his speeeh by a reminiscence- " Sir, the meeting of this day reminds me of the first political meeting thatI ever attended, which was in this city, I am sorry to say, nearly thirty years ago. I was here when the working classes assembled iu yonder green and the recollection of what I then saw will never pass from my mind. I there witnessed 100,000 working men of this town and district met to do honour to my friend, Lord Durham, who was known to be one of the most

active members in the cabinet in the framing of the great Reform Bill- (s4pplause)—and I then resolved, that if over it should be my lot to have a seat in the Commons House of Parliament, I would devote myself,.as far as my ability and strength enabled me, to the physical, social, moral, and re- ligious elevation of the people—and I am thankful that this day it has pleased you, by your approbation, to reward any poor services of mine." (Ap- plause.)

He also spoke of the struggle in Italy-

" You have been pleased to advert also to my efforts to promote the cause of civil and religious liberty at come and abroad. We in this country, I

believe, enjoy a greater amount of civil and religious liberty than any other country on the face of the globe, and I pity that man or those men who, having acquired for themselves these great privileges and advantages, have no sympathy for those struggling for the same. 1 pity that man who can, at the present time, coolly look on what is now passing in Italy, where gallant people are struggling and striving to wrest for themselves out of the hands of tyrants those liberties which we enjoy. I had the good fortune, last year, to visit those countries, and to make the acquaintance and gain

the friendship of that great and good man, General Garibaldi. (Cheers.) He himself told me that he looked for the moral support of the people of

this country with the most perfect confidence. He has bean among us, he knows the feelings of our people, and ho assurred me he had not the slight- est doubt that, in that arduous conflict in which he was about to engage, he

would have our cordial sympathy ; for lie is essentially himself a man of people, and he felt that he would have the cordial and warm support of the working men of this country." (Cheers.)