SCOTLAND.
The Members for the city of Edinburgh met their constituents in the Queen Street Hall on Wednesday. The room was closely packed and the audience was evidently excited. The substance of the speeches of Mr. Cowan and Mr. Black contained nothing new, being mainly narra- tive commentaries of the doings of last session—with the story of the Conspiracy Bill, the India Bill, the banking failures, Scotch legislation. Their most interesting aspect is the light in which they show the courage of the members, and the opinions of their hearers. Thus Mr. Cowan said— "The third atrocious crime to which I refer, and to which I would more particularly direct your attention, was that foul conspiracy against the life of the French Emperor our ally—(laughter and hisses)—a conspiracy which so nearly proved fatal. (Renewed hisses.) I say our ally, and a firm and faithful ally he has been. (Hisses and applause.) Whatever we may think of the state of liberty in France, or of the means by which the present ruler reached his throne, at all events he his the choice of the French people. (afore hissing, succeeded by applause.) As such he is entitled to our re- spect—(renewed marks of disapprobation and cheering)—and I thank Almighty God that that foul design was happily not successful in destroying the life of the Emperor I hope I am not saying anything offensive to any of the many. friends of Mr. Bright who are here ; but I remember very well that during the very crisis of the excitement, when the French Colonels last March proposed to invade this country, a member of the Go- vernment offered to back Friend Bright and Friend Gilpin against any four French Colonels who would come over to this country. (Laughter and cheers.) There were no takers. Of course this was a joke, but I think it sufficiently illustrates an estimation of the qualities of courage and com- bativeness which distinguish that talented individual. Now, I deprecate exceedingly the attacks which Mr. Bright has made in very strong language, particularly those against the House of Lords. (Hisses and elwers.) I would put it to you whether the tendency of the speeches of Mr. Bright— were it not for the good sense of the British people at large—in setting class against class, and in inciting the humbler classes of society against the upper classes, would not be to produce a revolution. ("Ho, no ! "—and a voice, "Feu are wrong there Charles Cowan"—and laughter.) Well, I sincerely hope that would not be the effect, but at the same time it appears to me on read- ing Mr. Bright's most able and eloquent speeches, that in talking of the 2000 millions of money that wars have cost us going back a long way, he has for- gotten to put into the opposite scale the inestimable blessings which we en- joy in this country, of security from foreign invasion, of a free press and the rights and liberties which we have inherited from our ancestors, and which I hope we may be enabled to transmit to our posterity. These are blessings above all price, blessings that have made Britain a great and free nation, and the refuge of the distressed and persecuted in time of trouble from all parts of the earth." (Applause.)
Mr. Black experienced the same treatment in venturing on a cou- rageous defence of Lord Palmerston.
"The other day none so deserving of confidence as Palmerston ; and Liberal candidates at the last election generally professed their confidence in him, and the country unequivocally responded to these professions. (Loud cheers, some hisses, and a voice-, " They unequivocally kicked him old.") Now that something like an accident has hurled him from his high estate, it seems to be looked on as an evidence of mighty liberality and in- dependence to speak slightingly and reproachfully'of the man to whom this country owes— (" Oh oh !" and loud cheers.) Gentlemen, I tell you my sentiments honestly. (Load applause.) You may approve of them or not,
but I tell you they are my sentiments. I say that there are some who con- sider it a mighty instance of their Liberalism and independence that they sari speak lightly and reproachfully of a man to whom this country owes an inextinguishable debt of gratitude for the true British courage and sound Political wisdom he displayed in bringing his country safely and honourably out of one of the most fearful struggles in which she ever was engaged, and not leas for the honourable peace by which he procured for his country all
the objects for which, the contest was entered on, in spite of the crooked diplomacy of Russia and the adverse circumstances and designs of France. (Long continued applause and some hisses.) The present Ministry at- tained to power under the pretence that their predecessors were dis-
Posed to truckle to France, and that they themselves had a superior !egard for the honour, dignity, and reputation of England. It is, bowever, obvious, from his recent outrage on Portugal, in the case of the Charles and Georges, that the Emperor of .France forms no
such exalted estimate of their regard to national honour. Had Lord ralmerston been at the head of the English C-overnment—(afew hisses and loud cheers)—the Emperor would have thought tvice--(cheers, some hisses, and loud cheers renewed again and again)—before he would have insulted and wronged the oldest and firmest ally of England, before he would have
contemptuously thwarted the people of this country in their long-continued
and philanthropic efforts to abolish the accursed slave trade, efforts in which Ineay_have expended countless treasure and thousands of lives. (A Voice- ,' War again.") The Emperor would have hardly ventured to have vie- Tad International law, and give an example and encouragement to powerful "'Tots, which they will be too read,y, to avail themselves of, to set justice at defiance, and insult and trample ou the weak. The Emperor is a shrewd politician, and knows the men ho has to deal with. I hear sonic giaitlemen say War again.' Do they mean to say that we are to stand up without ever even making a protest when one of the despotic powers of Europe tramples on one of the poorer powers ? These gentlemen would say that it was right that Poland should have been partitioned, and that every insult should be submitted to rather than go to war. I bate war us much as anybody does. But there are things even worse than war. (Loud applause.) Will any of those who were so sensitive to their country's honour in the case of Lord Clarendon's blunder in sending an oral rather than a written answer to Count Walewski, move as an amendment to the address, or some other Ministerial motion, that it is to be regretted that the English Govern- ment entered no public protest against the outrage on public justice and our ancient ally ?"
At the close of their speeches the Members were pelted with a hail- storm of questions, which at length exhausted the patience of the meeting, and it broke up in noise and confusion. — - -- On Monday night the Liberal Association met at the Victoria Hall, when several candidates for the rector's chair were proposed. On a vote being taken, Lord Shaftesbury was nominated by a majority in pro-, ference to Mr. Charles Dickens—a decision which, we understand, has created a good deal of dissatisfaction among the medical students.— Glasgow Mail.
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The payment of the 1001. call by the shareholders of the Western Bank of Scotland began on Monday. The sum of 567,000/. was paid up in the course of the day. This is held to be " a satisfactory begiuumg," as many of the competent and willing shareholders cannot pay till the term of Martin- mas, which falls on the 11th. It is stated that sonic of the shareholders are about to test their liability to pay up any calls, and to plead their right to repayment from the directors of calls already paid.
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