SCOTLAND.
A party of' Edinburgh Whigs emelt:deed. Sit' Joha Campbell at a public breakfltst on the z1 th Oeteleet, at Barry's British Hotel, Queea Street. Thu party numbered about one hutired amid forty ; time Lord Provost in the chair.
The chairman prefaced the first toast—the Queen's health—by a declaration of regret that tile hurried nature of Sir Jelin Campbell's visit rendered it hapessible fi a' the ti eters to receive him in the way it had been custeinaryii, . cel vie ti : 11eprt :._111ati vim; in Parliament.
Her Majesty's health I, et ith all the lionours, the
Chairman next proposed elle it of thcie "esteemed guest." He
lauded Sir john Campbell's Parli mem taey se:vices ; regretted the difli- citifies which Ministers hItmil ti come ed large majority against them in the Lords, a small majority with them in the Commons ; con- trasted the wise and merciful conduct of the Whigs towards the Chartists with the harsh measures of Pitt in 1 794 ; and elicited loud cheers when stating that Sir John Campbell was willing to give his advice respecting the management of the Charity Workhouse, and "the marshes," at a conference to be bad that day on .some important bubjects connected with the local affairs of ildhlbargh. Sir John Campbell was highly gratified with the reception given m him by so numerous a body of his constituents. He was sure the break. fast needed no apology. A Scotch breakfast was celebrated all the world over, and Dr. Johnson himself had allowed that Scotland beat all the world in breakfasts. Then, turning to polities, Sir John claimed for the Whig Government the merit of having governed the couutsy with mildness and with firmness- " Peace has been preserved throughout the world; and, I trust, without any loss to the national dignity of Great Britain. My Lord Provost has referral to a subject which certainly threw great responsibility upou nee ; I Mean tin alarming symptoms of disorder which were displayed by the party called Chartists. There was great alarm. They appeared. to be numerous. Their doctrines were destructive of property and social order. Their meetings hada formidable appearance. The question was, how was the public peace to be preserved and the law enforced ? A. very awful responsibility was cast epee mmtmm ; for it was by my advice that the counsels of Govenunent were to be par- ticularly governed. ( Mow.) For a time great reproach was cast upon me, Some eaid, 1 Have new laws; have measures of coercion ; a new system pre. veils with which the old hews are quite unequal to cope.' Others said, Call iu three ; put down the meetings ; require the assistance of the military, and thus friOlten those echo seek to disturb the public tranquillity.' Gentlemen, ilia:Lela it wiser to pursue a different course. I trusted to the good sense of the people of Great Britain, and to the old common law of the land. I would introduce no new coercive measure. I would give no countenance to schemes fur the employment of force. But prosecutions were instituted for the sup. port of the established laws; and in every instance the Juries did their duty to the cote ry—a, verdict was returned vindicating, the law. What, them was the COlieilliellee I Without 011e drop of blood being spilled, tranquillity ass restored ; Cliart ism, as remarked by, my Lord Provost, actually vauishalfrout the land; and we hear now only of contests among the Chartists themselves about the division of the money they contributed." (Loud laughter.) I be promsted against the right of the Tories to taunt Ministers with having done so little, when they themselves destroyed the Government DILXISItrt23 ; and he instanced the Admiralty, Court, Bonded Warehouses, Removal of Voters, and Irish Municipal Bills—all rejected or mutt. hated by the Tories. Nevertheless, more good measures had beaus passed in the last session titan in two or three when the Tories were in power ; and among them were the Bankrupt, Prisons, and Supreme Court Bills for Scotland. Then there was that glorious vote for Edu- cation, which the Tories could not defeat ; the bill for putting an end to the Portuguese Slave-trade; and the Penny Postage Bill, the im- portance of which it was impossible to calculate, and to the success of which the citizens of Edinburgh had essentially- contributed. Their unanimous wish, expressed by himself to Lord Melbourne, had, he believed, a very considerable influence in convincing the Government that it was a measure which might be safely conceded. What might happea in future, it was impossible to anticipate with certainty- " Amongst the clouds that overwhelm in there is a little sunshine. And as Chartism huts passed away, 1 am not without hopes that that system—which has of late prevailed so widely—of religious intolerance and hatred of every free institution—may likewise pass away ; that the people of this enlightened country may be convinced that the just medium is to he preserved betwixt despotism aunt licentiousness, and that they inay come to the conclusion that it is better to be contented with the best attainable than to struggle after that which is impossible. But, gentlemen, if there should be a majority of the people of this country that shall adhere to the cause of religious intolerance, and who are determined to ma down, so far as lies in their power, all liberal institutions—why, the experhnent must be tried. There must be a change of Government. The will of the majority should prevail. The experiment will be made; and the people will judge whether they have done well in dis- carding a Government which has conferred so many benehts on the community, and in abandoning those who have been the authors of such salutary measures, merely because that Government Was not able to accomplish all that enthusiasts may think desirable or practicable. My own opinion is, that it would be an un- fortunate change. My own opinion Is, that the existing Government would time be loudly praised and deeply lamented. My own opinion is, that the faults now imputed to that Government would be forgotten, and perhaps its merits amplified and exaggerated. But, gentlemen, I humbly apprehend, that it is better to support such a Government while it exists, than to lament its fall when a change may be rendered necessary. A little earliest, strenuous ex- ertion in behalf of a Liberal Minister while in office, will be much more salutary than the most laboured panegyrics when he has fallen from power. I can only say, for my own part, that I shall continue to the best of my ability to dis- charge my duty as your Representative. My Lord Provost has mentioned various local affairs in which I feel a very lively interest, and to which I shall devote may atteution with the greatest pleasure. With regard to those marshes, which certainly arc a reproach to this splendid city, I trust that we shall have a marsh reform; and even the Tories will not think that it is to be la- mented. I shall be happy to suggest any thing for the removal of suck a grievance. I shall conclude by thanking you most sincerely for the kindness with which you have received me. I can assure you that I care very little, so far as I am personally concerned, whether 1 am in or out of office; but what I do feel an interest in, is to retain your good opinions. I am indifferent whether I have any public situation beyond that of being Representative of time Metropolis of my native country. It would, indeed, be a deep blow to me if I should forfeit the confidence which you once reposed in me. I see no grounul for alarm that any such calamity is in wait for Inc. I have met with nothing but kindness and cordiality. I made a round of visits yesterday to all time conveners of districts, and was received by all of them with the greatest kindness. Your approbation will be the best incentive to perseverance in the conduct of which you approve ; and I have only to add once more, the earnest expression of may thanks to you, and to propose health, ,happiness, and prosperity to the Electors of Edinburgh.'" (Much cheering.) The Lord Provost, on proposing the health of Mr. Macaulay, ob- served— It was the proud lot of Edinburgh that the objects of its choice were so often selected to fill high offices in the government of the empire. This did speak very loudly for the discrimination and the judgment of the electors; and there was but one opinion amongst all the independent electors of this metro- polis, that in choosing, 31r. Macaulay they had done honour to themselves, and conferred a most important boon on the country.
Sir James Gibson Craig then gave the Lord Provost's health ; and that functionary leaving returned thanks, the meeting separated.
Mr. Macaulay leaving dated his address to the electors of Edinburgh from "Windsor Castle," a multitude of letters have since been directed to " T. B. Macaulay, Esquire, Windsor Castle,"—where the honourable Member is said never to have been but once, when he kissed hands OR his appointment. The Conservatives of Paisley had "a soiree" on Friday last. Many ladies were present ; and the evening was spent in tea-drinking, speech- making, aud dancing. ,
Shocks of an earthquake were felt in almost every part of Scotland
about a qaarter past ten on the night of Wednesday the 23d ultimo. From. Connie, at the foot of the Grampians, as from a centre, the vibra- tions extended North, South, East, and West. In Inverness, Aber- deen, Perth, Forfar, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow, North Berwick, and many other places, shocks were felt ; but along the line of the Gram- pians they were most perceptible. We take some extracts from the Scotch papers describing the earthquake. feee,—We have stopped the press to announce the occurrence of one of those alarming, subterranean convulsions which have not made themselves SO SCUSi- bit distinct in this county since the great eartloptake at Lisbon, whose move- mints were felt Over the whole British islands. The present shock took pla at a quarter-past ten o'clock on Wednesdity night, and continued its teem- loss motions for the space of sixty or seventy seconds. No subterram lii sound accompanied the convulsions, which seemed to pass Eaitward in rapid SCCeSSi011, at first with considerable violence and Ivith a disagreeable complex motion, but which latterly subsided to a slight horizontal rocking that gradu- ally died away. To convey some idea of its violence, wo may s!ate that the biases shook, the windows rattled sharply, loose pieces of plaster, &c., fell from the walls, and light articles of furniture were moved in their places. No me- teorological change from the heavy rains that were then falling took place, ex- ecpt a deep silence for a few seconds before and after.—l'.le 'tenth!. seuereso.—Ahout a quarter of an hour after ten o'clock on Wednesday uight, the shock of an earthquake was felt at Causewayhead, distant ratln:r umbre than a mile from Stirling. It is said to have been accomnpanied by time same rumbling noise that hail been described as attending the recent shocks at Cri.stf and Commie, and also to have been so severe as to shake the houses, and la soak instances to make articles of earthen and crystal ware rattle and strike against each other. Pmerit, Oct. 24.—Last night, betwixt ten and eleven, one of those convid- ive nuwetnents of the earth which have occurred at Crielf and elsewhere, during the past fortnight, was distinctly experieoced here, and continued for nearly a minnte. Our sanctum shook us if it were about to tumble about our ram—Perth Advertiser.
EDINBURGII.—Sume alarm has been lately excited in Perthshire by several shocks of earthquake which occurred recently in that quarter ; but such com- motions have not been confined to that district of the country; for on Wed- 11:,lay evening, about a quarter past tea o'clock, a slight shock was experienced at Newhaven, and at the same time it was observed it, Loudon Street, Scot- land Street, Boane Inverleith Place, &e. In a lion ,e it the last- named street, the shock was decidedly felt by live of the family sit iii tin I he drawing-room. It was described as a tremulous multi em of the [tutu •e. ;u: if from east to west, tun! not resembling, the shaking causel by the motion of a carriage. It was aecompcied with no nois.•, awl lasted about four seconds. In time adjoining house, Aieli stands quite detached, the shock was also Mt in the drawing-room door; but in neither case was it klt, at least observed, in the groune-dat. itsemtveral instatmees it was accompanied with the creaking of furniture and the rattling of gas-light shades; but we have not heard that it OCUSIUllea any ditionge.—Cakdo,wia Merenril. KiscsuniNn.—Ahmt half-past ten o'clock it. in. on Wednesday the 2:3d au earthquake was kit in the parish of Kincardine in Monteith, which shook the houses, making the windows, doors, chairs, nurrors, candlesticks, $ce., to move, from the elrect of a sudden tremulous motion. The ltttek came front the west, preceded by a very lout and rushing sound, resembling the rolling (la heavy carriage. The moon's light was obscured by constant rain ; but the atmosphere to the southward. was in fearful commotion, resembling the coin About ten Lunceinent of a hurricane, before eleven o'cloek ur the tame evening, and also between one and two o'clock on Thursday morning, other shocks were heard and felt, but not so alarming as on the iirst occasion. In the southward, at tiles!: intervals, there was, as before, a very gloomy and varied light ; a tint of glowing yellow pervaded the atmosphere. B 1LLATER, Oct. 25.—Wc were on Wednesday night, at a quarter-past ten, .,isittd by a shock of an earthquake. It commenced tremulously, and, gradu- ally increasing,' terminated abruptly. Chairs, stools, bottles, glasses, &c., rattled furiously, but nothing was actually overturned. The duration might Lave been about live seconds ; the sensation felt as it' the movement had been nom west to cast; the shuck has been felt all over the country.---..lbertLek 110.41.1.
slight shock of an earthquake was felt here on Wednesday n:ght, at about tweuty minutes past tell o'clock. The convulsion was dis- tinctly observed by several parties in town, but it was of short duration. It was accompanied with a very slight noise; in this respect, as also in strength, differing materially from the shocks, which, it is rather remarkable, have been cf late SO frequently felt in Perthshire. We understand the shock was kit slinuitaneously at Fettercairn and other parts or the Mearns.—R.riew. NORTH BERWICK, Oct. 24,—Last night, about a quarter past ten, a smart shock of earthquake was felt all over this town. It wits most sensibly perceived by those in the upper flats of the houses, and most of all by those in bed. A person who hall gone up stairs to bed about ten o'clock, leaving his family all Mow, and laid him down a short time, felt his bed move in a manner that left 110 rOOM to doubt that it was an earthquake. The shock lasted fully two krona:, and was accompanied with a hollow rumbling sound.—Ca/cdeeeie Iffircary.
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