SCOTLAND.
At the evening sitting of the Free Church's General Assembly, on Monday week, the subject of " site-refusing " was taken up. The Reverend Dr. Buchanan, a member of the Committee appointed at the last Edinburgh sitting of the Assembly, related the issue of a visit to London by a deputation, who waited on Sir Robert Peel and Lord John RusselL From both they met with substantially the same reception, and both made an acknowledgment that their claim for sites to build churches was a just and righteous one. Dr. Buchanan strongly objected to the proposal made by Mr. Shell, in the discussion on the petition from the Assembly, that ther Church should be reattached to the State by the golden link of the regium donum. No doubt, Mr. Shell would like to have his advice taken and acted upon. By getting the Free Church of Scotland gagged with a regium donum, he hop* thereby to disarm those whom he regarded as the most formidable opponents, in this country, of the Church of Rome. The object of the Roman Catholic Church. was ascendancy in Ireland; and to secure this object, Mr. Shell would like, if he could manage it, to gag all the important and infinentialnonconforrning bodies in the country, and to have their opposition thus effectually neutralized. The General Assembly of the Free Church should let its views upon this subject be distnictly and generally understood. It was not a link of gold that could bind them to tha State: nothing short of a link of principle could ever attach them to the civil power. • * * Until the State was prepared to abjure all its EnistianiSm, and to turn out those who were now occupying their places-to make a clean sweep of the present Establishment, and to leave it to be occupied by them on the grounds on which their fathers stood-they would have nothing to say to these men, and would not be treated with upon the footing of any regiurn donum. Being once separate from the State, and in circumstances such as those under which the separation was effected, should the State ever make a proposition agreeable to their wishes, they must have clear and unequivccal evidence of its sincerity in so doing. It was such a proposition, that the making of it would involve a far greater revolution than that of 1688. As emanating from the State, it was a proposition which. he did not now imagine supposable. The Free Church could never consent In place itself in a position which would countenance the infidel principle that the State might support error on the one hand and truth on the other.
In reference to the immediate object of the deputation-a measure ta obviate the refusal of sites Dr. Buchanan gave no favourable report.
In so far as the Assembly's Committee were concerned, they had made little or no way with the site-refusing landlords; • but they had made some way with public men in Parliament, and, he was happy to say, great way in.public opinion. lithe accumulated cases of site-refusing which would that evening be laid before the Assembly remained unredressed until the next session of Parliament, and if they were obliged again to address the Legislature upon the subjecy they would not- only find a cordial sympathy in the public mind to support them in their fresh, appeal, but he was sure that in Parliament itself they might count on powe,rfal support.
The Reverend Mr. Begg who had visited a part of the -Highlands irk which the persecutions had taken place, alluded to some of the most prominent cases.
In many instances the language of refusal was softer than before- but still the sites desired were denied to thew congregations. It was only yesterday that a. congregation of two thousand had worshiped in the open air in Strathspey, upon the property of the Earl of Seafield; the lordly proprietor still refusing to grant the congregation the site sought for. As to the case of Cawdor, which was within. a few miles of Inverness, they could all see, without much trouble to themselves, the famous tent which had been so often spoken of. Lord Cawdor wondered that- any one should interfere between him and his tenantry, and that in a free country like this, noblemen were not allowed to do with their tenantry what they plea He would tell his Lordship, that the Free Church of Scotland made common cause with every one who was oppressed,and that they would make his case their own. The case of the island of Eig had already been before the country; and in that case every principle of toleration had been wantonly set at defiance. The island of Eig was worth about twenty shillings an acre. Now they only wanted a quarter of an acre on which to build a church; and here was an individual, the proprietor of the island, who for the value of five shillings set the whole people at Scotland at defiance. Sir James Graham had told them that this was amiatter in which Parliament could not interfere. A very short time, however, would elapse before Sir James Graham would tell a very different tale. There was no doubt what- ever, but that, if true to themselves, the time was not distant when Parliament would interfere, and with effect. If all the landlords of Scotland did what the proprietor of Eig was now doing, would not the law of toleration be but an empty name? This was a matter which Parliament was bound. to rectify. lithe land- lords did not yield, and that speedily, he-was far from desponding as to the suc- cessful interference of Parliament. Lord Forbes was the proprietor of a whole parish in Aberdeenshire: a number of the inhabitants of that parish gave in their adherence to the Free Church, and wrote to his Lordship for permission. to purchase a site: this was refused, and upon the ground that both the language and conduct of the leaders of the Free Church were adverse to social order, tee due obedience to the laws, and tended to foment discord throughout every parish in the land. Now, in his estimation, their movement, when properly considered; was the most -truly conservative movement which had ever taken place in the world. The part of the Highlands which he had visited was that in which sitars had been absolutely refused. The district of Mull was, spiritually speaking, one of the most destitute in Scotland. The island contained a population of about ten thousand; and there was only one minister of the Free Church to be found in it In that island sites had been systematically refused, In Ulm there was a eon- tion of Free.Churchmen, who had been refused a site after- a very singular fashion: the proprietor stated, in answer to an application made to him' that the people might build a church, and advised them also to build a vestry; but both were to be built upon the condition that he and his successors could give them notice to quit whenever they pleased. In many other instances where sites had been apparently conceded, they were in reality refused. In Iona, a manse was at present being built, on a nineteen-years lease from the Duke of Argyll: what guarantee has the Free Church that, when the term has expired, the manse may not be converted into an hotel for the accommodation of visitors to Iona.? Iv Ardnamuchan, the great mass of the population bad adhered to the Free Church:, they consisted of three large congregations; but Sir James Riddell would not give to either of them a single inch of kud on which to erect a place of worship. A permission even to erect a tent was accompanied with singular conditions,: the conditions were, that Sir James Riddell was not to be held, in granting such pare mission, to have changed the opinions which he had already expressed upon- the subject of the disruption- and that he reserved to himself full power to withdraw the leave given at any filet, if those who had seceded to the-Free-Church abused their privilege. Mr. Begg threatened the landlords with a desperate resort on the part of the Free Church— If the landlords did not speedily yield, and if Parliament did not speedily inter- fere, in many of the places where sites are required in the Highlands, but refused, churches might still be built of a fashion very different from those to which they had hitherto been accustomed, but which would be equally effective for their pm.- poses. If need be, they could have floating churches built, in which they might worship God in localities where the privilege was denied them of worshiping Him on land. There were many quiet bays in the different lochs and arms of the sea, where such churches could be safely moored. Floating churches of iron could be constructed at comparatively small expense; and so constructed that, should the proprietors afterwards relent, they could be dragged ashore and placed upon such sites as might be conceded them. In these churches, thus quietly moored in the far recesses of the Highland lochs, the people could worship their God without con- sulting the will of their landlords. In the different localities to which he had adverted, this plan was universally reckoned practicable by the people who were destitute. The Free Church a Scotland, therefore, 'laden alternative, even were sites permanently refused.
Mr. Begg stated that their friend Mr. Fox Malik was prepared to bring in a bill embodying their claims.
On Tuesday, the Assembly discussed the two subjects of the Building- fund and the Sustentation-fund. The disruption turned 470 ministers from their homes, and two aged ministers in the Highlands have died from the consequent hardships: it is therefore desired to build manses. The collection of 150,0001. for that purpose was intrusted to the Reverend Mr. Guthrie, of Edinburgh; who had already collected 37,0001. within the Synods of Glasgow and Ayr; Glasgow alone contributing 21,000/. Mr. Guthrie expects to report by May that the whole sum has been realized. It is intended to build 300 new manses, at an average cost of 400/. With inspect to the Sustentation-fund, Dr. Chalmers made a statement, which Occupied two hours and a half in the delivery. The fund already amounts to 80,000/. a year; which yields an income of 122/. to each minister. For the fund is distributed strictly on the principle of equal salaries for all ministers; and Dr. Candlish, the popular minister of Edinburgh, whose congregation contribute 300/. to the fund, receives no more than 122/. Dr. Chalmers calculates that the fund can be raised to 300,0001. a year; which would yield 1751. for each minister, and provide means for building 400 new churches.
On Wednesday, some formal business was transacted; in the midst of which, the Moderator was directed to open a correspondence with the Duke of Sutherland on the subject of sites for churches. A series of resolutions also passed, to provide for the spiritual destitution in the Highlands: this is the chief one of the series-
" That it be recognized as a fixed and settled arrangement, that the vacant or misapplied stations in the Highlands and Islands receive supply for one or two months in the year, by ministers appointed to that duty. It is calculated that there is aboat eightior ninety stations in all that would require to be thus visited, and that there is about one hundred and twenty Gaelic-speaking ministers; and it is believed that each of these ministers would be ready to undertake this duty for a month or two, on due and timely notice being given to him. In this way, a plan May be framed early in the season, for securing that each station be thus visited once at least in the course of the year by an ordained minister. The Minister thus visiting to be aided in dispensing ordinances by the Presbytery of the bounds and such persons as they may authorize."
The Assembly adjourned, to meet again in Edinburgh on the 21st May.
A resolution, proposed by Councillor Russell, in favour of a total repeal of the laws which inflict capital punishment, has been discussed in the Edinburgh Town- Council; and last week it was carried by a vote of twelve to five. We are informed, on good authority, that at a meeting of the master cotton- spinners of Glasgow and neighbourhood, held here during last week, it was re- solved, after some discussion, to advance the wages of the workers from five to ten per cent on their present rates —Glasgow Argus. A man has been killed at the works on the Scottish Central Railway, near Perth, by the fall of a bucket used for raising earth : it had become detached from the rope, and falling down the shaft, frightfully mangled the man's head.
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