Presbyterianism has made a strong muster in Edinburgh, which, even
more than Geneva, has come to be reckoned the Mecca or Jerusalem of the sect. Over three hundred delegates, from about forty different Churches, all observing the Presbyterian polity, and professing to bold by a consensus of the Reformed Confes- sions, have come together in council. The United States have sent a large contingent, vying in number with that from all parts of the United Kingdom. There are representatives also from the Canadian Dominion, from Australia, from all the principal British colonies, and from well-nigh every European country, the old Waldensian Church, the origin of which is lost in uncertain tradition, sending deputies, as well as the latest birth of mis- sionary zeal, the Presbyterian Church in Spain. All have been united in a species of Alliance or Bund, and it is proposed to hold triennially representative meetings, of which this is the first. As might be expected, the proceedings involve a good deal of palaver, gratulation, and compliment. Yet there is a faint prospect of some practical good, from a comparison of methods of work and experience. At its first meeting, the Council, on the motion of Mr. Taylor Innes, seconded by Prin- cipal Tulloch, resolved on getting from each Church a statement as to its Confession, the changes it has undergone, the rule and practice as to its subscription, and the relation of the laity to it.
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