SCOTLAND.
The Reverend Dr. Lee of Edinburgh made a long speech the other day against the Government plan of education in Ireland, because it deprived the Protestants of their Bibles; the disuse of the Bible as common class-book in country schools, where the oldest of the pupils seldom exceeds twelve years, and the taking away of the Bible from the parents of the pupils, being, according to the very correct view of Dr. Lee, identicaL The Scotsman commented on the ignorance of a cler- gyman who, while lamenting over the Irish schools because they had only extracts of the Bible, did not know that in the very city where the complaint went forth, the whole of the schools were in a similar predi- cament. At a meeting of the North London Auxiliary Bible Society, held on Tuesday, another fact, proving still more strongly the propriety of men's looking to themselves before they set about mending their neigh- -boors, was stated by the Reverend Secretary. Mr. Brandram said, that on the appearance of the cholera, the Society had set on foot inquiries as to the supply of Bibles among the poor in different quarters ; and -they had discovered that in the "modern Athens," there mere 2,000 families without a copy of the Scriptures. Not schoolboys, be it ob- served, but families. According to the ordinary average, 2,000 families -amount to about 10,000 individuals, or 1 out of every 14 of the population.
A dreadful accident, by which a woman and her child were both -killed, occurred on the 13th, in the Eclipse, one of the Belfast steam- ers, while on her passage down the river Clyde. While near Govan, -the captain of that vessel observed the Liverpool steamer coming up the river : he hailed, and called upon her to keep the south side of the -river, in order that, being the largest vessel, she might be accommodated swith deep iyater,—a practice which is often resorted to by vessels on the Clyde, though contrary to the river regulations. The captain of 1:the Liverpool, however,' ordered the Eclipse to keep to the south side, _according to rule, under the impression that there was sufficiency of water for his own vessel to get past. The pilot, accordingly, directing ,the Liverpool to the north side, while at the same time the Eclipse was steering to the south, struck her with a tremendous crash on the _starboard gunwale, carrying away the cathead, bowsprit, and all its ap- pendages. The force of the concussion was so great, that the anchor of the Eclipse, Which was made fast to the cathead, was tossed over 'the gunwale upon the deck, and struck a young woman and her child, who were seated near the windlass, killing them instantaneously. The head and body of the. mother were dreadfully crushed; and the child, -a boy apparently about a year old, had his arm completely severed from 'Ns body—it was afterwards found lying at some distance. When the bowsprit was broken, it was driven on deck, and severely hurt a soldier .of the 4th Dragoon Guards, named Williams, a detachment of which ,were on board at the time. He was taken to the Greenock Infirmary, with scarcely any hope of recovery.—Glasgow Courier.
On Saturday sennight, John Duncan, a pensioner, and a bachelor, came by his death in a very extraordinary way. His culinary utensils were few ; but among them was a kail-pot of no great dimensions. He :.lad got drunk as usual on receiving his pension : and it is supposed that, feeling thirsty during the night, he had got up in search of water. _and, in coming over his bed, had fallen head-foremost into the kail-pot. . He was found with his head in it, next day, quite dead.—Edirdsuryh Raper.
Ou Saturday seunight, at Charlestown of Aberlour, a man named , Richardson, and a companion, a very old man, were burnt to death, in consequence of the Louse where they slept taking fire. Richardson _ had gone to bed. drunk. Three other persons who were in the house escaped with difficulty, but without injury.
At Ayr, on the 7th, Robert Harvey, a private teacher, in Beith, was found guilty on a charge of seducing and corrupting the minds of youth, and sentenced to transportation for life.
Last week, a young man, a gardener, who lived in Pitcullo, and had been recently married, having fidlen into a state of religious melancholy, banged himself.—Fife Herald.
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