(?\ <V.m 
 
 
 JUS* 
 

 
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 Now Ready, in Two Vols, post 8vo. with Illustrations. 
 
 DIARY OF A JOURNEY 
 
 IN 
 
 FRANCE AND SPAIN, 
 
 CHIEFLY IN THE YEAR 1844. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. FRANCIS TRENCH. 
 
 "We recur with much pleasure to Mr. Trench's volumes. The author's only 
 object in publishing his travels was [to give some account of the state of religion in 
 the districts which he visited, and especially of the comparative influence exercised 
 by the Roman Catholic and Protestant faiths respectively over the minds of the 
 people— an object certainly well befitting a clergyman, and worthy of the highest 
 commendation. We can safely say that in the course of his travels Mr. Trench has 
 omitted no opportunity of gaining information upon this important subject to which 
 he applies himself with equal zeal and ability. In fact, the title which Mr. Borrow 
 prefixed to his Travels in Spain, might have been applied with far more propriety to 
 Mr. Trench's work, the subject to which that title relates being only just glanced at 
 in the former, while in the latter, it meets us at every turn. Nothing could be better 
 chosen than his route, which lay through the most beautiful 3nd interesting district 
 in France, though least known to English travellers, Auvergne."— Times. 
 
 "Mr. Trench has most pleasantly and unaffectedly given us the description of 
 what he saw, heard, and encountered iu his pleasant tour in the south of France. 
 The author is evidently adapted for travelling ; he easily adapts himself to persons 
 and circumstances; extracting from the former by easy and unreserved conversation, 
 and from the latter by a quick perception of what is worthy of investigation, num- 
 berless facts and details which would wholly escape the common-place traveller who 
 confines his observations to what lies before him. His style is terse, fluent, and 
 elegant, and his reflections indicate a well-stored and vigorous intellect. No portion 
 of his Diary exceeds in interest or value the information he collected with respect to 
 the state of the Romish religion in France, some of which is of a sufficiently startling 
 character from the heathenish practices which it reveals. There is also a great deal 
 of curious matter relating to the Reformed Churches."— John Bull. 
 
 " Besides the advantage of a distinct pursuit, with the means of penetrating into
 
 
 the country and examining it at leisure, Mr. Trench's Diary exhibits judgment in the 
 treatment of subjects, and an attractive style."— Spectator. 
 
 " These volumes, for their serious matter, their information relative to the 
 Protestant Church, may be consulted with advantage ; giving the best, if not the 
 only, detailed particulars to throw a light on its present condition and prospects." — 
 Literary Gazette. 
 
 " The Diary offers so great an abundance of charming extracts that exuberance 
 
 makes choice difficult Mr. Trench possesses admirable descriptive powers; 
 
 and in every other page we meet with an exquisite landscape or scenic picture of an 
 old feudal castle, and the picturesque, small, ancient town over which it bears sway. 
 
 We must not be tempted into Spain, but cannot resist the subjoined account 
 
 of an eminent French Protestant, with which we must conclude, assuring our 
 readers that they will find in Mr. Trench a delightful and improving literary 
 acquaintance." — Tait's Edinburgh Magazine. 
 
 " This book has the interest which books and all things else derive from a 
 purpose." — Examiner. 
 
 " We are glad to relieve ourselves and our readers by a few pages of interesting 
 and edifying matter, such as we find in these volumes."' — Christian Observer. 
 
 " We have here a work of a graver order, also deserving of much commendation, 
 chiefly from the beautiful Christian spirit which seems to animate all the thoughts, 
 and direct all the steps of the reverend Author." — New Quarterly Review. 
 
 " A most engaging and instructive work. Amid so much that we see now a-days 
 of exaggeration and bad taste in certain departments of the literary world, it is quite 
 refreshing to meet with a writer like Mr. Trench, who contents himself with con- 
 versing like an ordinary man, and enlarges our stock of knowledge without any 
 apparent effort to himself or his readers. While we commend it to the attention 
 of all our readers, there is one class to whom it is especially adapted — we mean 
 Christian Ministers about to travel on the Continent." — Continental Echo and Pro- 
 testant Witness. 
 
 " We should like to see those lighter works of fiction, which are sometimes read 
 for the general entertainment of the social circle, superseded by such books as Mr. 
 Trench's ' Diary.' They would equally engage the interest of the family circle, and 
 promote the edification, while they ministered to the entertainment of the hearers." 
 — Achill Missionary Herald. 
 
 RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 
 
 (Publisher in Ordinary to Her Majesty.)
 
 SCOTLAND, 
 
 ITS FAITH AND ITS FEATURES. 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 SCOTLAND 
 
 ITS FAITH AND ITS FEATURES; 
 
 OR, 
 
 A VISIT TO BLAIR ATHOL. 
 
 BY 
 
 THE REV. FRANCIS TRENCH. 
 
 PERP. CURATE OF ST. JOHN'S, READING; CHAPLAIN TO THE ROYAL 
 
 BERKSHIRE HOSPITAL, AND DOMESTIC CHAPLAIN TO THE 
 
 RIGHT HONORABLE EARL OF EFFINGHAM. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 
 
 ^unUs^er in «9rBinarn to l^er JUajcstw. 
 
 MDCCCXLVI. 
 
 ^\
 
 LOUD ON: 
 
 Printed by Schulze and Co., 13, Poland Street.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 It may very naturally be asked by those, 
 who are unacquainted with the writer of these 
 pages, how a Clergyman with the present 
 engagements of the Author, could find either 
 leisure to witness the things described in this 
 work, or to describe them with that detail, 
 which it will be found to contain. 
 
 In answer to these very legitimate inquiries, 
 he thinks it well to mention, that he only 
 resumed the first office noticed in the title- 
 page on the first day of the present year — 
 that he only commenced the second from the 
 same period ; and that the third, though of 
 somewhat longer duration, and highly valued 
 by him from claims of friendship and esteem, 
 involves, under ordinary circumstances, no 
 claims whatever on a Clergyman's labour or 
 time.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 One word more. With regard to the Author's 
 course of travel, as now before the public for 
 two successive years, he thinks it not irrelevant 
 to state here, that to it he considers himself 
 mainly indebted for that health which he now 
 enjoys. With its complete restoration, he feels 
 himself deeply indebted to Almighty God for 
 being allowed once more to be engaged in that 
 full and fixed pastoral work, which, though he 
 cannot speak of himself, as one " peregrino 
 labore fessus" (according to the feeling and 
 expression of the Latin poet) is, nevertheless, 
 better and happier than any other course of life 
 of which he has had experience, or which he 
 can at all conceive. 
 
 Reading, February, 1846.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Scene of Travel — English Commons — Twyford Forest — Twyford 
 School — Itchen Stoke — Reading — Country near Reading — 
 Oxford — Country near Oxford . . . . . 1 — 10 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Leamington — Bosworth Field — Calke Abhey — Popish Chapels — 
 Sabbath Observance — Matlock — Haddon Hall — Ashford — 
 Charity Baths — Manchester at night — Conduct of the people. 
 
 11—24 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Salford— Rev. H — S — . — Sunday Schools— Lancashire Psalmody 
 — Adult Scholars — Circulation of the Scriptures — The Sabbath — 
 Christian Communions — Lancashire Dialect — Union School — 
 Solitude of the Roads — View of Preston — Condition of Work- 
 men — Mr. Swainson's Factory — Factory process — Roads and 
 Inns ......... 25 — 40
 
 Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A Quarry Garden — Beauty of the Scene — Lancaster — Lancaster 
 Gaol — State of Crime— Passage of the Sands — The Lakes — 
 Wordsworth . 41 — 48 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Kendal — Railroad Labourers — Their dress and appearance — Their 
 character — Ministry among them — Its effects — Shap Fells — 
 Railroad work — Its danger exemplified at Reading . 49 — 61 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Superior Farm-house — Penrith — Lord Brougham — The White 
 Ox— Carlisle— Paley— Gretna Green— The Scotch Church- 
 Patronage ........ 62—70 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Lockerby — Annandale — Scotch cottagers — Weather — Hamilton 
 Palace — The Ponies— Glasgow — The Scotch Sabbath — 
 Charitable Institutions 71 — 79 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Blind Asylum — Blind Readers — Geography — Astronomy — Manual 
 Labour — Success of the Institution — Institution for Blind at 
 Leamington — Address to the Blind — Mr. Alstone . 80 — 89
 
 CONTENTS. IX 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Lunatic Asylum— Arrangements — Dr. Hutcheson — Prevention of 
 Insanity — Causes of Insanity — Occupation for the Insane — 
 Means of Grace — Lunatics in Scotland — Parliamentary State- 
 ments — Country Visit — Glasgow Cathedral — Advance of Popery 
 —Our Danger and Duty 90— 102 
 
 CHAFFER X. 
 
 Loch Lomond — Rob Roy — His real History — Rob Hoy's Death — 
 Loch Katrine — Overladen boat — TheTrosachs — Scott's descrip- 
 tion — Scotch Piper — Evening Prayers — Walk to Callender — 
 Stirling — French connection — Beautiful scene . 103 — 118 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Linlithgow — Linlithgow Palace — Arrival in Edinburgh — Presby- 
 terian Service — Autumn Migration — Letters of Introduction — 
 A Saturday Visit — Notice for Travellers — Impression of Edin- 
 burgh 119—127 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Blackwood's Magazine— Professor Wilson — Parliament House — 
 The Cowgate — The Cemetery — Vaults — Botanical Gardens — 
 Interesting Walk— Friendly reception . . 128 — 136 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Beauty of Edinburgh — Our first View — Farther impressions — 
 Arthur's Seat — Splendid view — Praise to God . 137 — 145
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Athens and Edinburgh — Holyrood— Rizzio— John Knox— High 
 S tree t __ Carlyle, on Hero Worship— Houses of Edinburgh 
 —Scotland's Worthies — The Castle— Old and New Town 
 
 146—155 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Refuge of the Destitute— Night Refuge— The Report— Plaids- 
 Book Shops— Periodicals— Lodgings — Religion in Scotland- 
 Distinct Professions 156 — 166 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Episcopal Services— Scotch Episcopal Church— The Free Church 
 — Progress of the Free Church — Refusal of Sites — Importance 
 of the Subject— Spirit of the Scotch— Points at Issue— Inten- 
 tions of the Writer — Position of the Writer — Inverness Meeting 
 — Position of Inverness — Object of the Assembly — Place of 
 meeting — Numbers in attendance — Opening of the Assembly— 
 — Proceedings — Missions — Sabbath question — Ecclesiastical 
 questions — Translation of Ministers — Inverary — Removal of 
 Pastors— Presbyterian Polity— Braemar— Dr. Candlish— Sab- 
 bath Services— Small Isles 167—203 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Refusal of Sites — Patronage — Scotch Proprietors — Popular 
 excitement — Refusal of Sites — Importance of the Question — 
 Chief Speakers— Political Receptions— Mr. Shiel's Speech- 
 Declaration of Principles— Political expectations 204 — 218
 
 CONTENTS. XI 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Mr. Begg — Skye — Northern Ministers— Dr. Candlish— Proposed 
 Measure — Mr. Campbell, of Monzie — Orkney — Dr. Chalmers — 
 Christian Liberality— Conclusion of the Assembly 219 — 237 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Summary — Thoughts on the Free Church— Mr. Sydow's Book — 
 The Free Church — Mr. Sydow's opinions — Future Legisla- 
 tion — Free Church principles — Church and State — Scotch 
 Tenets ...*.... 238—249 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Politics — Free Church Leaders — Free Church prospects — Religion 
 and Politics — Erroneous expectations — Power of Religion — A 
 word to the Clergy — Our position — Church and State — 
 Hypothetical cases — Church and State — Our Duty 250 — 263 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Future Legislation — An Hypothesis — Late heresies — Perils of our 
 day — Supposed conflict — A late conflict — An alternative — Need 
 of watchfulness — Scottish inquiries — Conge d'Elire — Church 
 and State 264—279 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Veto Act — Patronage — Auchterarder Case — A Principle stated. 
 
 280—291
 
 Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Marnoch Case — Edinburgh Convocation — Free Church formed — 
 Its recent History — Its present position — Its prospects — Head- 
 ships of the Church — Opposing views — Scottish Principles — 
 Historical notices— Means of judgment — Recent contests — Sir 
 R. Peel's announcement 292 — 307"
 
 SCOTLAND; 
 
 ITS FAITH AND ITS FEATURES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Scene of Travel — English Commons — T\vyford Forest — Twyford 
 School — Itchen Stoke — Reading — Country near Reading — 
 Oxford — Country near Oxford. 
 
 July 10, 1845.— We left F , on the Hamp- 
 shire coast, this morning, with the intention of 
 visiting Scotland, and of travelling leisurely- 
 through the north of England, both localities 
 being hitherto quite unknown to me. I had 
 long been desirous of adding some degree of 
 personal acquaintance with the above-mentioned 
 parts of our country to that which a permanent 
 residence in the south of Great Britain, and 
 a certain period passed in Ireland had given 
 me regarding those portions of the realm, as to 
 their inhabitants, local features, and general 
 characteristics. Accordingly, as I had derived 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 2 SCENE OF TRAVEL. 
 
 much satisfaction and advantage, in various 
 ways, from travelling through France and a part 
 of Spain in the manner described in my " Diary 
 of Travels" in those countries, published last 
 year, I again adopted the same means of locomo- 
 tion, in spite of these railroad times, and set off 
 northward, with my ponies, hoping and intend- 
 ing to exercise, day by day, though at home and 
 " expers maris," that detailed inquiry and obser- 
 vation which I should have used, if travelling 
 abroad, and feeling no doubt that at home as 
 well as on the continent, abundant materials 
 of useful and attractive interest would meet us 
 on our way. 
 
 1 must leave it to my readers to judge, 
 whether according to their views my expectations 
 shall have been realized, and whether the objects 
 to which I shall direct their notice shall have 
 been suited to a Diary or not. If the former 
 shall be found the case, I doubt not that what has 
 been adequate to interest the writer, will interest 
 many others, whose eye this narrative may meet, 
 howsoever humble its pretensions, and void of 
 that high colouring, which distance and romance 
 will of themselves and naturally confer on pages 
 presenting their claims from the far " corners of 
 the earth." 
 
 Our drive to day led us through a portion of
 
 ENGLISH COMMONS. 3 
 
 those fresh, open, healthy commons, with which 
 this neighbourhood abounds. To me they have 
 always had, and have still, no slight charm, 
 partly from their un-inclosed state, and the 
 consequent freedom with which they may be 
 traversed, whether on horseback or on foot ; and 
 partly from the thought that in them the poorest 
 have some rights — some " common" rights still. 
 Moreover I am fully convinced that, if there be 
 a few slight objections to the vicinity of com- 
 mons, these only are experienced when they 
 are mismanaged by the individuals in whom the 
 rights and privileges are vested ; and that under 
 other circumstances much benefit results to 
 parishes from the occasional plots granted to 
 poor and industrious families, and to the poor 
 at large from the annual and permanent benefit 
 afforded to them, in collection of fuel, in the run 
 for their cattle and live stock, and above all in 
 a little elbow room around their abodes. 
 
 After passing these commons, we entered a 
 succession of beautiful lanes, where irregular 
 and narrow strips of land on each side of the 
 road, and bordering the large farms and fields 
 beyond, are occupied by fruitful gardens and 
 cottages — truly English cottages — covered with 
 vines, roses, and all kinds of trailing foliage. We 
 then entered Twyford Forest, which, though not 
 
 b2
 
 4 TWYFORD FOREST. 
 
 a very large tract, is nevertheless a perfect forest. 
 It extends in some directions to a considerable 
 distance — at all events as far as the eye, wander- 
 ing among its glades, can reach, and presents 
 a succession of detailed foreground, lovely and 
 picturesque as any forest can offer. And in the 
 very heart of this scene, three buildings, attractive 
 in their architecture, appropriate to one another 
 as well as to their good purpose, and forming by 
 theirproximity one holy precinct tell, at once their 
 own history to the traveller, as being the church, 
 the school, and the parsonage. The forest has 
 its many foresters, and these have now their 
 means of grace. It was not so a few years since ; 
 and well I remember the dav, when this House 
 of God was consecrated by that able and amiable 
 Prelate, who has had the joy and privilege of 
 consecrating so many similar edifices, not only 
 in the more known quarters of his diocese, but 
 also in the dells, the downs, and the woods, with 
 which this part of England abounds. What 
 Christian Minister, accustomed to apply natural 
 scenes to spiritual things, can pass the spot with- 
 out in some measure sympathizing in the work 
 of that faithful brother, who is now resident Pastor 
 here, without some spiritual application of the 
 scene around him, without the desire and prayer 
 that here may be planted and grow many " trees
 
 TWYFORD SCHOOL. 
 
 of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that 
 He may be glorified."* 
 
 In former times I have often heard the inhabi- 
 tants of this district spoken of as lawless and 
 insubordinate. But on inquiring from the clergy- 
 man appointed to the charge, of which I am 
 speaking, as to whether he had experienced any 
 peculiar difficulties among them, I heard that 
 the case was quite otherwise, and that he had 
 every reason to be gratified and thankful in 
 regard to the manner in which he himself, and 
 his ministry had been here received. 
 
 After passing through the forest, we entered 
 the village of Twyford — the place of my earliest 
 school-days, and where the Rev. J. G. B — was 
 then master. Though labouring early in life 
 under one of the most severe visitations, that 
 of blindness, he nevertheless exhibited a genius 
 and aptness for his high and honourable office 
 which no pupil of his should ever think of 
 without acknowledgment and gratitude. The 
 Rev. J. G. B — still lives in the scene of his 
 successful exertions, and still has the pleasure 
 of witnessing the flourishing condition of his 
 former school. The situation is, to my mind, 
 perfect ; and few things recur to my memory 
 as more delightful than the hah'-holiday rambles 
 
 * Isaiah, lxi. 3.
 
 6 ITCHEN STOKE. 
 
 over the downs on one side of the village, 
 or among the water-meadows on the other by 
 the banks of the Itchen — a river dear to old 
 Isaac Walton, and in certain weather almost as 
 clear and transparent as the very air itself. 
 
 Passing by St. Cross, a curious old alms- 
 house, resembling very much a small college 
 in its buildings and arrangements, at which 
 every traveller, who applies, is entitled to receive 
 a small supply of bread and beer, we reached 
 Winchester, and then pursued our way along 
 a very pleasant valley to Itchen Stoke, a dis- 
 tance of about six miles, where we remained 
 for the night at the Rectory, my brother's 
 residence. The whole parish is the property of 
 Lord Ashburton ; and all the objects on which 
 he has employed attention and expenditure, 
 such as the farm-houses, cottages, church, 
 school, parsonage, &c, bespeak a watchful and 
 liberal proprietor. 
 
 July 11. To Reading. — The first few miles 
 of our course to-day brought us through the 
 delightful grounds and park attached to the 
 Grange, Lord Ashburton's residence. We 
 entered the plantations near to the village of 
 Itchen-Stoke, passed by two of the most beau- 
 tiful ornamental cottages* which I ever remember 
 
 * During the whole of my subsequent course through England
 
 READING. 7 
 
 to have seen, turned down to the right through 
 a dark wood, and by a small ivy-covered castle, 
 then ascended the hill opposite, and had a full 
 view of a residence which has, in reality, what 
 so many residences claim in vain, a truly Grecian 
 and classical appearance. The ground is ter- 
 raced, though not formally, in front, and slopes 
 downward towards a sheet of water, broad, 
 winding, and covered with wild-fowl of various 
 descriptions, which rose wheeling, flapping, and 
 screaming in all directions, high above our 
 heads. 
 
 Leaving another ornamental cottage on the 
 right, we quitted the park, passed through 
 Basingstoke, and reached Reading in the 
 evening. 
 
 There we remained for about ten days. Of 
 the town and neighbourhood I will only say thus 
 much, that I believe, as a town, it is excelled 
 by none in England as to the high character 
 of its inhabitants, whether speaking religiously, 
 morally, or intellectually ; and that, on the 
 whole, it is of much repute and prosperity, as 
 a place of business, and most agreeable as 
 a place of sojourn. 
 
 and Scotland, I saw nothing in the way of cottage architecture 
 which equalled or approached them in beauty and propriety of 
 style.
 
 8 COUNTRY NEAR READING. 
 
 The whole circuit of the country around is 
 rich, varied, and beautiful ; for what vicinity in 
 the midland parts of England can offer more 
 attractive sights than the banks of the Thames 
 to Henley on the one hand, or to Maple-Durham 
 and to Streatley on the other, than the wild 
 beech woods behind Caversham, or the rich 
 succession of park scenery towards Newbury ? 
 And Shinfield, and Swallowfield, and Farley- 
 Hill, and Strathfieldsaye, have their peculiar 
 charms, which those who know them best 
 will, I doubt not, appreciate the most. Such 
 is the circuit of local beauty and attraction 
 with which Reading is girt. I scarcely know 
 one road, or one lane near it, where the course 
 of a few miles will not refresh and delight the 
 eye, if open to the loveliness of true English 
 scenes. 
 
 July 22. Reading to Leamington. — An hour's 
 travelling by railroad brought us to Oxford 
 early this morning. I can never pass by 
 this city, or through its neighbouring locality, 
 without strong impressions as to the perma- 
 nency and unchanging character of the town 
 and country. Certainly we now enter the town 
 by the railroad, at a point where in former times 
 few arrived at the place ; and as we advance 
 in the direction which we pursued to-day, the
 
 OXFORD. 9 
 
 newly erected Martyr's Cross rises as a testi- 
 monial of sympathy with the spirit by which 
 our noble and blessed Reformers w 7 ere influenced ; 
 and here and there some grand recent edifice 
 or local improvement appears — but nevertheless 
 antiquity, permanence, and stability remain as 
 the peculiar features of the town : and it is 
 remarkable that the same character should 
 equally apply to the surrounding country. The 
 frame suits the picture right well. I cannot 
 recall any part of England, familiar to me twenty 
 years ago, in which less alteration is visible. 
 The roads, the farm-houses, the cottages, the 
 fences, and stone-walls, remain precisely in 
 statu quo, according to my remembrance of 
 them when at college myself. Little or nothing 
 has been added ; little or nothing has been 
 removed. No trim citizen's box appears with 
 its gay flowers and bright green palings. No 
 chimney smokes on high to tell of manufac- 
 turing speculation as having visited this part 
 of her Majesty's dominions. All the scenes 
 in the immediate neighbourhood of Oxford 
 seem, so to speak, stereotyped. They seem, 
 notwithstanding these innovating times, to 
 harmonize still in the most appropriate manner 
 with the venerable town itself. They are solemn 
 and impressive ; and though not what is called 
 
 b 3
 
 10 COUNTRY NEAR OXFORD. 
 
 picturesque, have their peculiar charms, which 
 some, like Arnold, who was a first-rate judge 
 of scenery, and very sensitive to its effect on 
 the mind, have duly felt and prized. I am 
 well aware that to these remarks many, who 
 know this country well, will feel no response. 
 I write for those whose organ of locality is 
 more developed — for those who are more sus- 
 ceptible on these points ; and I do not doubt 
 that they will apprehend at once the bearing of 
 these observations, as having realized themselves 
 those very feelings to which, locally speaking, 
 Oxford and its neighbourhood give rise. 
 
 Our pony-carriage was waiting for us at the 
 station, and we then pursued our journey 
 northward through Banbury and Southam to 
 Leamington. The whole country presented one 
 almost uninterrupted succession of pasture land, 
 denoting England to be indeed a meat-eating, 
 and horse-using country far beyond all other 
 lands. In no part of Europe have I ever seen 
 such large districts devoted exclusively to grass 
 as county after county in its midland parts 
 exhibit. Any one looking to the right and 
 left as he journeys by the railroad from London 
 to Liverpool may bear testimony to the truth 
 of the observation.
 
 LEAMINGTON. 1 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Leamington— Bosworth Field— Calke Abbey— Popish Chapels- 
 Sabbath Observance — Matlock — Haddon Hall — Ashford— 
 Charity Baths — Manchester at night — Conduct of the people. 
 
 July 24. Leamington to Ashby -de-la- Zouch. — 
 We were detained a day at Leamington by bad 
 weather ; but our detention was of a very 
 agreeable character, as although my own relatives, 
 who reside there, were absent, we were received 
 in the house of a friend whose spirit, conver- 
 sation, and course of life, as a faithful and 
 devoted servant of Christ rendered it a privi- 
 lege to pass the day in his house and society. 
 At parting the next morning he gave us an 
 abundance of tracts, as seed to be sown on 
 our way. A most acceptable present! Con- 
 tinuing our journey this morning, we went 
 through Nuneaton and reached Ashby for
 
 12 BOSWORTH FIELD. 
 
 the night, after passing through a country 
 somewhat monotonous, but calling up at one 
 spot interesting recollections of English history : 
 for passing close to Bosworth field, we thought 
 of Richard's defeat and those momentous 
 consequences, which, by the blessing of God, 
 followed the succession of the Tudors to the 
 throne of Great Britain, under sovereigns who 
 though they may have erred much and often, 
 were still in God's hand mighty instruments 
 towards the overthrow of Popery, and towards 
 the establishment of true, scriptural religion in 
 our land. 
 
 The evening was too gloomy and unfavour- 
 able to afford us much enjoyment in visiting 
 the celebrated castle of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. 
 Feeling therefore that I should not do it justice, 
 I shall prefer to omit any notice of the scene, 
 which at this day it presents, ennobled as it 
 is by history, and clothed with fresh interest 
 by the genius of Walter Scott. 
 
 July 25. To Rowsley Hotel, Derbyshire. — Our 
 first stage this morning was to Derby. The 
 features of the country now became more bold 
 and varied than they had been hitherto. We 
 went a short distance out of our way, in order 
 to pass half an hour with a friend, who was 
 staying at Calke Abbey. This fine residence
 
 CALKE ABBEY. 13 
 
 and its adjoining park contain in themselves 
 all those features of wood, water, hill, dale, and 
 pleasure ground, which form the completeness 
 of an English gentleman's demesne of the first 
 class. It is not long since its late owner has 
 departed from this present world, having died 
 in the prime of life, leaving a widow and young 
 family. During his stay on earth, he was 
 distinguished for his Christian faith and zeal in 
 his Master's service.* His memory is blessed. 
 And though he left a fair abode, he dwells in 
 a nobler mansion, in a richer inheritance now. 
 " To depart and be with Christ is far better 
 than any earthly good." (Phil. i. 23.) 
 
 Our arrangements for the day's journey 
 would not admit of our spending sufficient time 
 at Derby to see the manufactories, or other 
 interesting objects, which that prosperous town 
 contains ; but we regretted this the less from 
 being in hopes of revisiting the place on our 
 return southward, as Derby forms a converging 
 point from many northern roads. 
 
 During a short walk we noticed a very 
 
 * During an election, when party spirit was very bitter against 
 that side which Sir G — C — espoused, at his appearance on the 
 hustings, no more taunting or adverse word was uttered from the 
 crowd than the honourable, though derisive exclamation, " Now, 
 Sir George, give us a sermon."
 
 14 POPISH CHAPELS. 
 
 handsome church in progress of erection, and 
 on the other side of the street a Romish Chapel 
 opened a few years ago. The inside of the 
 latter edifice was very simple, in comparison 
 with foreign churches, neither did I notice 
 figures of the crowned Virgin or other reprehen- 
 sible ornaments and decorations, similar to 
 those in which Popery delights abroad. I have 
 myself no doubt that they will be introduced, as 
 priests and Jesuits can bring our countrymen 
 to bear them. This is the policy of their 
 system, unchanging and unchangeable, whether 
 as to creed or ritual. I mentioned the compa- 
 rative freedom here from objects of an idolatrous 
 and unscriptural character to a faithful and 
 watchful brother-minister, who immediately 
 remarked, " The chapel at Derby was built a few 
 years ago. But as the Romish cause has rapidly 
 advanced since that time, so the chapels more 
 recently built in England are adorned and 
 fitted up with far less reserve. As times favour 
 the system, so the system expands. " 
 
 It gave me much gratification to hear that 
 the numerous churches of this important city 
 are now occupied by enlightened and devoted 
 ministers. Among other christian objects in 
 which they have zealously exerted themselves 
 is that of the due observance of the Lord's
 
 SABBATH OBSERVANCE. 15 
 
 day. A glorious object too ! With it all spi- 
 ritual blessings to our country are most inti- 
 mately joined. What a solemn passage is that 
 in the Prophet Jeremiah, xvn., 21 — 27* 
 where the downfall or continuance of a nation 
 is closely connected with this special observance. 
 May the people of England, whether rich or poor, 
 lay such passages to heart, and act upon them 
 in zeal, perseverance, fearlessness, and truth ! 
 
 Shortly after leaving Derby we entered the 
 beautiful valley which leads by Matlock and 
 Buxton to Manchester. 
 
 The hills here rise very boldly, and are either 
 thickly clothed with wood, or luxuriant with pas- 
 
 * " And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto 
 me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates of 
 this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do 
 no work therein ; then shall there enter into the gates of this 
 city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David riding 
 chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, 
 and the inhabitants of Jerusalem ; and this city shall remain for 
 ever." 
 
 I quote only two verses, but the whole passage well deserves 
 national attention ; and in speaking of the Sabbath, let it ever be 
 remembered that it was an ordinance for all nations, cotemporary 
 with the creation of the world, Gen. n. 3, and not as many persons 
 either ignorantly or deceitfully maintain, a mere appointment for 
 the Jews. Some perhaps might think this observation needless, but 
 I well remember that an assertion, of the kind, which I would 
 endeavour to expose, was made in the House of Commons.
 
 1 6 MATLOCK. 
 
 ture, while manufacturing activity displays itself 
 on all sides. As we advanced, the road was not 
 destitute of features resembling some of the 
 mountain passes of the continent ; and the 
 situation of the clustering and hanging residences 
 forming the well-known Matlock Baths, with the 
 abrupt curve of the valley, and the river over- 
 hung with trees reminded me of St. Sauveur, and 
 other small towns among the Pyrenees. 
 
 Passing through Matlock, we stopped for the 
 night at an inn, standing by itself, and very old 
 and picturesque in its appearance, called Rowsley 
 Hotel. It is the property of the Duke of Rutland, 
 who, with the Duke of Devonshire, share 
 between them a large proportion of this and the 
 neighbouring localities. Their respective insignia, 
 the peacock and the snake, are visible on all sides. 
 Over the door of our hotel was the "peacock;" 
 and underneath was the date, as I suppose, when 
 the house was erected, viz. 1652. We found the 
 inn very comfortable, and it may be worth the 
 observation of travellers, that it stands within a 
 few miles of two English country houses, one of 
 which as an ancient, and the other as a modern 
 edifice — one representing country life and 
 magnificence in old time, and the other repre- 
 senting the same in these present times, are,
 
 HADDON HALL. 17 
 
 perhaps, the most distinguished of any which our 
 land contains. I refer to Haddon Hall and Chats- 
 worth — the former one mile, the latter three 
 miles distant. 
 
 Our journey to-day had been most interesting, 
 through a tine and populous country, adorned 
 with churches, schools, cottages and other build- 
 ings erected with much taste, and maintained 
 with evident care and liberality. The stone of 
 the country is excellent, and harmonizes well in 
 colour with the scenes of nature around. 
 
 July 26. To Manchester. — Having a long 
 journey before us, and intending to visit Haddon 
 Hall on the way, we set off at six this morning, 
 cheered by a clear warm atmosphere and bright 
 sun. 
 
 A mile's progress brought us to the gate 
 leading to the old baronial mansion of the Ver- 
 nons and the Manners partially seen among 
 the trees on the gentle ascent to our right, and 
 just so much open to view, as suits the retired 
 character of the place. Haddon Hall is, per- 
 haps, the most interesting and best preserved 
 illustration of ancient domestic life, among the 
 higher circle of Englishmen, to be found in Great 
 Britain. And all here is in perfect keeping : for 
 while in no part of the building any dilapida- 
 tion is to be seen, on the other hand, in no part
 
 18 HADDON HALL. 
 
 whatsoever, is there any decoration of modern 
 date. As might naturally be expected, there is 
 not much furniture anywhere. Yet still there is 
 some throughout ; and to speak with accuracy, 
 all the fixtures remain. From this furniture 
 and fixtures — even had we no records of 
 domestic life at the period when Haddon Hall 
 was a stirring scene of family society, hos- 
 pitality, and charity — much might be learned 
 concerning the manners, habits, and life of those 
 days. 
 
 There was something very pleasant to us in 
 visiting the place at the fresh, quiet, hour which 
 we chose. There was no parade t>f exhibition — 
 no high-dressed housekeeper, or pompous guides, 
 unus et alter, in succession, to give their cold, 
 drilled lesson. 
 
 On our driving up, a very intelligent girl 
 came out of an adjoining cottage, and no other 
 human being was visible in the place, excepting 
 her and ourselves, during the whole survey 
 which we made. And this was done at leisure, 
 and with some accuracy. I can recal only a 
 portion of the many curious articles and objects 
 here presented to our view, and carrying us back 
 two or three centuries. Entering the court-yard 
 we first saw the porter's lodge, and the massive 
 old wooden bed in which he slept. We then
 
 HADDON HALL. 19 
 
 went into the chaplain's room* and study, in 
 which there are now placed a gun, a pair of 
 boots, a chapel-bell, a leathern doublet, a 
 hunter's horn, pewter dishes, &c, all of 
 ancient date and form. The hall resembles that 
 of a small college, with a high table across, 
 and long tables at right angles, stretched from 
 one end of the room to the other. Within 
 the outer hall there is another dining-room, 
 with oriel window and carved chimney-piece, 
 over which is inscribed : 
 
 Dreade GOD and honor the Kyng. 
 
 Here there is a large copper wine-cooler ; 
 and on one of the panels are carved portraits 
 of Henry VII., and his Queen, extremely well 
 executed in wood. 
 
 We then successivelv viewed the drawing- 
 room with its oriel windows, tapestried walls, 
 and old embroidered ottomans, and the dress- 
 ing-room and the bed-room of the Earl. The 
 only mode of access by which the ladies' maids 
 could reach their mistress was by the open court, 
 and a flight of unprotected stone steps leading to 
 her dressing-room. 
 
 Among the other apartments are a handsome 
 gallery, a state-bed-room with an ancient bed, 
 
 * This was the only apartment into which any object has been 
 transferred from their appropriate position.
 
 20 HADDON HALL. 
 
 which was sent to Belvoir Castle for the use of 
 George IV., when Regent ; and guard-rooms in 
 the tower. 
 
 But perhaps there is, after all, nothing more 
 curious in the whole place than the arrangements 
 of the kitchen and adjoining offices. So accu- 
 rately are they maintained in their former con- 
 dition that they might be used for dinners and 
 company at this very moment — that is suppos- 
 ing such cooks, as then dressed dinners, and 
 such guests as then consumed them, could again 
 be assembled within Haddon Hall. 
 
 In the kitchen are the old tables, benches, &c. 
 still hard, strong, massive, and serviceable, with 
 the chopping-block, the dressers, and a salt-box 
 of immense magnitude. Within the kitchen 
 is a bakery and a larder. Farther on is the 
 butchery or slaughter-house, with all its painful 
 accompaniments. Seeing no entrance, except that 
 by which we had entered, I asked whether 
 the cattle used to come in to be killed through 
 the kitchen. " Yes, Sir, that was the only way." 
 In the buttery, the door has a small hole, which 
 served as the means for distributing food to the 
 poor claimants of the neighbourhood. 
 
 Altogether Haddon Hall interested us extremely. 
 I have not spoken of the building itself, nor of 
 the surrounding scenes, because in both these
 
 ASHFORD. 21 
 
 points this old hall has other rivals ; but I believe 
 that it has none as to the abundance of articles 
 remaining in it, which were here literally used 
 in ancient domestic life, and for the exactitude 
 of information with which it supplies the intelli- 
 gent observer, who may wish to trace out the 
 in-door history of former generations in our 
 land. In France, the Castle of Chenonceaux, near 
 Tours, and of Azay-le-Rideau near Chinon, are 
 kept up in some measure with the same view ; 
 but in both those residences habitation has, in a 
 certain degree, necessitated an introduction of 
 modern arrangements. Haddon Hall is not 
 inhabited, and therefore not a single new thing 
 is requisite in it, or indeed visible. 
 
 Passing by Ashford, with its steep and beau- 
 tiful slopes, overshadowing trees, and gracefully 
 built houses, we traversed a district of complete 
 solitude, but much attraction. The road made a 
 long and gradual ascent between steep hills for 
 many miles, amidst coppices and woods, and 
 gray granite here and there peeping out from 
 the green foliage around. Moors appeared in 
 the distance on the right. I observed here a 
 rare and curiously shaped plant, with a large leaf 
 resembling that of the rhubarb, but of a rounder 
 form, bordering the road in thick clusters for a
 
 22 CHARITY BATHS. 
 
 few hundred yards. It was a specimen which, 
 to my knowledge, I never before met. 
 
 Resting at Buxton, we visited the Charity 
 Baths, maintained for patients in indigent cir- 
 cumstances. Many persons interested in the 
 condition of the poor may be glad to know that 
 such an institution exists, and that admission 
 for the suffering poor can be obtained with every 
 facility. I specially mention this because 
 rheumatism is, perhaps, the very ailment in 
 which the waters of Buxton are found the most 
 valuable and effective ; while, so far as I have 
 observed, there is no form of suffering to which 
 the agricultural labourers of England are more 
 subject. Exposure to the inclemency of the weather 
 is the cause ; and, in mentioning the subject, I 
 speak from pastoral experience in witnessing the 
 sickness of the poor. No cases of suffering 
 appear to me so common, and no words are so 
 continually heard beneath the cottage roof as 
 rhumatiz, or rhumatics, in answer to inquiries as 
 to the health of the poor. 
 
 Beyond Buxton the country displays some 
 wild and rather bare heights, reminding me in 
 some degree of the lower parts of Plinlimmon. 
 We reached Manchester during the evening, 
 where we were to pass the next day.
 
 MANCHESTER AT NIGHT. 23 
 
 The hotel at which we stopped was near the 
 Dean's-gate, a long street and thoroughfare, 
 which, especially on Saturday night, as the great 
 marketing occasion for the labouring population 
 of the town, is thronged from end to end with 
 such a vast crowd that all have to dodge about, 
 and push their way in order to make any advance. 
 Except, of course, in the time of a procession, 
 or at some similar scene, I never saw sucli a 
 stream of human beings in any town whatsoever. 
 The Toledo, at Naples, or Ghent, at the work- 
 men's dinner time, is nothing in comparison. 
 The whole street was brilliant with gas from the 
 shops, and adjoining the street was a large meat 
 market thronged with purchasers, though it was 
 near midnight. There is something very strange 
 and somewhat solemn in witnessing for the first 
 time such a multitude of souls thus gathered 
 thickly together. Perhaps my remembrance that 
 the hour was on the very confines of the Lord's 
 day, made the impression more vivid, as I 
 retired to rest from the midst of the countless 
 throng of fellow-creatures and eternal souls. I 
 am glad to say that I heard little or no profane 
 language, while I saw little drunkenness and no 
 violence during an hour or more in which I was 
 a close observer of the scene around me. I 
 believe that faithful and earnest ministrations of
 
 24 CONDUCT OF THE PEOPLE. 
 
 the Gospel, Sunday Schools, and Temperance 
 Societies, are, under God's blessing, the chief 
 means to which improvement is due whenever 
 improvement appears in the habits of the popu- 
 lation dwelling in those crowded cities of our 
 land, such as that where I now write.
 
 SALFORD. 25 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Salford — Rev. H — S — . — Sunday Schools — Lancashire Psalmody 
 — Adult Scholars — Circulation of the Scriptures — The Sabbath — 
 Christian Communions — Lancashire Dialect — Union School — 
 Solitude of the Roads — View of Preston — Condition of Work- 
 men — Mr. Swainson'e Factory — Factory process — Roads and 
 Inns. 
 
 July 27. — We attended to-day the services at 
 Christ Church, in Salford, which immediately 
 adjoins Manchester. The incumbent of this large, 
 important, and populous locality is the Rev. 
 H — S — , well known throughout England for 
 his eloquent and energetic speeches, as scrip- 
 tural in their character as they are rich in illus- 
 tration, and adorned with all that fine feelings, 
 a poetic spirit, and a noble heart can pour forth. 
 I have more than once heard him speak, and 
 witnessed the thrill of interest with which, after 
 one or two sentences are uttered by him, his 
 glowing addresses are invariably received by his 
 delighted audience. I had never heard him 
 preach, but had been told that his sermons were 
 comparatively of a calm and chastened character, 
 
 vol. i. c
 
 26 REV. H S — . 
 
 and that he was not less distinguished for his 
 pastoral affection and parochial diligence, than 
 for his oratorical powers. To-day I had an 
 opportunity of observing how true and accurate 
 all these statements were, and how they were 
 exemplified in his valuable ministry. 
 
 We heard him preach both morning and 
 evening. His sermon in the morning was on 
 the Parable of the Unjust Steward. That in 
 the evening was on Mordecai's exclamation, 
 " All this availeth me nothing, so long as I see 
 Mordecai, the Jew, sitting at the King's gate," 
 (Esther v., 13), and most ably he set forth the 
 misery of ungodly men, who, being given up to 
 the evil passions, and dominion of their own 
 corrupt hearts, cannot help feeling, and often- 
 times exhibiting their wretchedness, though, as 
 Haman, they may possess all those exterior 
 advantages in which the world conceives that 
 the elements of happiness consist. Among 
 many other beautiful and effective passages was 
 one, in which he contrasted the state of wicked 
 Haman, amidst ail his splendour and gratified 
 ambition, unable to conceal his misery from his 
 family and friends with that of Paul and Silas, 
 amidst all their bodily suffering and affliction 
 in the prison at midnight, with feet fast in the 
 stocks, and backs lacerated by the scourge,
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 27 
 
 unable to conceal their joy, and singing praises 
 to God, so that the "prisoners heard them." 
 (Acts xvr., 25.) 
 In the midst of all the avocations of the day, 
 
 Mr. S found time to show to my wife and 
 
 myself every attention and kindness. During 
 the day we accompanied him to one of his Sun- 
 day Schools, for, as every thing is done on a 
 large scale in these localities, he has no less than 
 four. I hear that there is one Sunday School in 
 Manchester attended by two thousand scholars ; 
 and the number frequenting this single institu- 
 tion, out of the four under the pastoral care of 
 
 Mr. S , is not less than five hundred. On 
 
 entering the large apartment, in which this school 
 is held, I was much struck with the order and 
 regularity visible all around. The boys' and 
 girls' school-rooms are separated by a partition, 
 sufficiently high to exclude all view of what is 
 going on in each from the other. At one end of 
 this partition there are a few steps, and the cler- 
 gyman, or individual deputed by him to officiate, 
 can be seen by all underneath the roof at the 
 times of prayer or address to those present. I 
 mention this, as it is a subject of some conse- 
 quence in the proper management of a school, 
 to accomplish this object without having the boys 
 
 c 2
 
 28 LANCASHIRE PSALMODY. 
 
 and girls together during the period of instruc- 
 tion. 
 
 The Lancashire psalmody is celebrated through- 
 out England, and without doubt we heard the 
 psalms and hymns very beautifully and melo- 
 diously sung. I heard that the taste for music 
 prevails so strongly, that the girls employed in 
 the factories often sing hymns at their work ; 
 and a lady, who exerts herself in the Sunday 
 School which we visited to-day, told me that 
 when she went with friends or visitors to one of 
 the factories, where she was known to the young 
 people from her Sunday intercourse with them, 
 they immediately struck up a hymn or psalm, 
 by way of recognition. What a beautiful and 
 touching welcome ! May it be an earnest and 
 a prelude of that still more glorious hymn, which 
 on the day when all things shall be known, 
 multitudes of teachers shall hear uttered by 
 those who then shall rise up, " call them blessed," 
 and acknowledge them as the friends of their 
 souls, who first brought them to know God 
 through Jesus Christ His Son ! 
 
 There are no less than twenty-nine teachers 
 in the boys' school which I visited. I observed 
 one class formed entirely of grown up men ; and 
 in the girls' apartment there were many growm 
 up women, w r ho still continued their attendance.
 
 ADULT SCHOLARS. 29 
 
 I was informed that among the adults there were 
 fathers and mothers of families ; and there are 
 even instances of parents and children attending 
 the school together. All this bespeaks a deep 
 and continued interest in divine things, and is 
 equally creditable to the adult scholars, who 
 evince such humility, docility, and diligence, as 
 it is to the teachers, who year after year are 
 enabled, by the grace of God, to keep this in- 
 terest alive.* 
 
 * From various accounts which I heard in Salford and Man- 
 chester as to the progress of the Gospel, and the interest apparently 
 awakened in so many minds as to spiritual things, I was not un- 
 prepared for the glad tidings which during the ensuing autumn 
 were spread about the land regarding the unparallelled demand 
 for the word of God proceeding from those towns, and the value 
 attached not only to the privilege of possessing, but also to that of 
 dispersing it among others. The whole account of the matter has 
 been given in such a graphic and impressive manner by my valued 
 friend, C. S Dudley, Esq., that I cannot do so well as to introduce 
 a considerable portion of the statement made by him on the sub- 
 ject, as agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society, in a letter 
 dated November 22, 1845. It has been widely circulated in the 
 country, but I deem it quite a privilege to circulate it still more. 
 
 " l.The Manchester and Salford Auxiliary was one of the earliest 
 of our affiliated institutions, having been instituted in the year 
 1810. The population of that period did not much exceed one 
 hundred thousand : it is now estimated at more than three hun- 
 dred thousand, and is rapidly increasing. The distribution of 
 Bibles and Testaments in the five years ending with 1815 was 
 considerable, averaging about seven thousand annually. During 
 the ensuing six years the sales gradually declined to about two 
 thousand five hundred ; but were again materially and rapidly in- 
 creased by the establishment of the Ladies' Branch Society and its 
 connected Associations, by whose instrumentality the annual sales
 
 30 CIRCULATION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 We much enjoyed our Sabbath to-day ; and, 
 indeed, I know few occasions on which one more 
 
 were raised to about eight thousand. They speedily, however, 
 again declined, until they reached their former level of about two 
 thousand five hundred. In the year 1S3S, the present Depository 
 was established, and its beneficial effects soon became perceptible. 
 The sales in 1839 advanced to four thousand eight hundred and 
 thirty-seven, and, with the exception of one year of severe priva- 
 tion and distress, have steadily and progressively increased, until, 
 in 1844, they reached twelve thousand five hundred and seventy- 
 seven. The total issues of the society during thirty-four years, 
 ending September 30, 1844, amounted to one hundred and ninety- 
 four thousand three hundred and thirty-five, being an average 
 annual issue of five thousand seven hundred and twelve. 
 
 2. Such was the state of this Auxiliary at the end of its thirty- 
 fourth year. To the casual or unreflecting observer, this, when 
 viewed in connexion with other means of supply, might have ap- 
 peared an adequate provision for the population. The fallacy of 
 such an opinion will; however, at once appear, when it is stated 
 that, in the year ending September 30, 1845, the sales exceeded 
 fifteen thousand, being nearly threefold that of the average of pre- 
 ceding years. And yet this was but the first indication of that 
 extraordinary demand for the Holy Scriptures which has manifested 
 itself among the working-classes, and is progressively and rapidly 
 increasing. In the month of October the sales at the Depository 
 amounted to nine thousand six hundred and eighteen ; and, so 
 rapid has been the increase of demand, that in the first eighteen 
 days of the present month eleven thousand seven hundred and 
 thirteen copies have been issued, the sales during the last ten days 
 averaging more than one thousand a day ;— a fact unprecedented 
 in the history of any similar institution. But even this extensive 
 circulation seems only to have stimulated the inquiry and demand ; 
 for on Monday last the orders received amounted to two thousand 
 six hundred, and on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively they 
 reached four thousand, thus making the number required within 
 three days more than ten thousand ! The orders transmitted to 
 Earl Street since the 1st of October amount to more than thirty- 
 eight thousand copies. [3.
 
 THE SABBATH. 31 
 
 delights in the day of holy rest than when on a 
 journey. We may be in a strange place, but 
 
 3. It is not improbable that, in the contemplation of this vast 
 distribution of the Holy Scriptures within the limits of a single 
 Auxiliary, a suspicion may be awakened that the demand was 
 prompted, in degree at least, by interested motives, and that a 
 portion of these purchases have been made with a view to a re-sale 
 at advanced prices. Nor was my own mind free from this im- 
 pression, when first witnessing the extraordinary scene at the De- 
 pository. All my inquiries, however— and they have neither been 
 few in number, nor limited in extent — have failed to discover a 
 single instance in which Bibles or Testaments have been purchased 
 for pecuniary gain. 
 
 4. The agency by which this work has been accomplished, and 
 is still proceeding, is not the least remarkable feature of the case. 
 The impulse to offer, and the desire to purchase, seem to have 
 been alike spontaneous and simultaneous. Teachers and senior 
 children in Sunday Schools — clerks in warehouses and factories — 
 serious young persons employed in the numerous and extensive 
 cotton-mills — and others, in various ranks of life, who had been 
 graciously taught the value of the Holy Scriptures as a revelation 
 of infinite love and mercy — appeared to be animated by one spirit. 
 After imploring a blessing from on high on their undertaking, 
 they provided themselves with specimens of different editions of 
 Bibles and Testaments, which they exhibited in the schools and 
 factories, where they appear to have met with open doors and 
 willing minds in every quarter. Thus two young women employed 
 in one factory, disposed of three hundred Bibles and Testaments 
 within a few days. A youth of sixteen years of age, the junior 
 clerk in another cotton-mill, sold four hundred and sixty within a 
 similar time; and in a note now before me, writes: — " Our mill 
 has been in a commotion to-day with the people coming to order 
 books." Two young ladies, collectors of a Bible Association, who 
 had considered their district supplied, furnished themselves with 
 baskets of Bibles and Testaments ; and, going forth among the in- 
 habitants of the same district, have, for several weeks, disposed of 
 from twenty to twenty-five copies daily. Passing over many other 
 interesting illustrations of the subject, I will only add, that the
 
 32 CHRISTIAN COMMUNION. 
 
 still, wherever we can unite in worship with a 
 congregation of our brethren, and especially 
 when, as to-day, a truth-speaking and enlightened 
 minister presides over that congregation in whose 
 worship we share, there we cannot feel ourselves 
 at all in a strange place ; there we join the 
 family of God ; there we hear the joyful sound 
 of the Gospel ; there we seek edification for 
 ourselves ; there we rejoice for others that they 
 have the bread of life distributed among them ; 
 there we bless God for exalting and honouring 
 His own holy name. When, however, I make 
 these remarks in illustration of the spirit in 
 which we may pass the Lord's day, even in a 
 place where we are total strangers, I cannot say 
 
 superintendent, teachers, and senior children of the Sunday Schools 
 attached to one place of worship, have not only sold within a fort- 
 night six hundred Bibles and Testaments to the scholars, but 
 have actually disposed of four thousand copies in the various fac- 
 tories in which these children are employed. In almost every in- 
 stance the sales have been in single copies ; the few exceptions 
 being those made to individuals for other members of their respec- 
 tive families. 
 
 Such, my dear friend, is a hasty and very imperfect sketch of 
 this mighty moral movement — a scene surpassing any I have ever 
 yet witnessed, or hoped to witness. I will not, at present, attempt 
 to trace it in its origin and history ; nor will I incur the risk of 
 grieving one valued friend, who, with the members of his family, 
 has taken a prominent part in these proceedings, by mentioning 
 his name ; but I do not hesitate for a moment in expressing the 
 deep and solemn conviction, that this extraordinary manifestation 
 is to be ascribed to the especial blessing of Almighty God.
 
 LANCASHIRE DIALECT. 33 
 
 that we were called upon to realize a stranger's 
 
 feelings to-day. The kindness of Mr. S and 
 
 some of his friends, with whom he made us 
 acquainted, rendered our position quite of 
 another character. 
 
 An odd question, and, to the ear of a southern 
 like myself, rather enigmatically expressed, was 
 put to me during the day by a poor aged man, 
 who attends Mr. S — 's ministry, and with whom 
 I endeavoured to hold a little conversation : — 
 " What's your ivull of our man ?" As it was ex- 
 plained to me by one who stood by, acquainted 
 with the local dialect and turn of expression, the 
 question signified : — " What is your opinion of 
 our minister?" 
 
 July 28. To Garstang. — A very beautiful 
 morning. The heavy showers of yesterday had 
 laid the dust, just as the roads needed it. At 
 about four miles from Manchester, a magnificent 
 building, of which we had previously heard 
 nothing, appeared all at once inour sight. Although 
 the front was only just finished, yet the edifice 
 bore resemblance, from its size and architecture, 
 to some grand palace, or magnificent mansion of 
 old times. It stretched its front before us to an 
 extent of nearly two hundred yards, and I found, 
 on inquiry, that it was to be a school for the 
 children of the Manchester Union, which includes 
 
 c 3
 
 34 UNION SCHOOL. 
 
 thirteen districts, and that arrangements were 
 made for the accommodation of no less than two 
 thousand children. We walked through the 
 most important parts of the edifice— through 
 three capacious school-rooms, admirably ar- 
 ranged, through one of many dormitories, and 
 through the hall, an apartment of great extent, 
 which is also to be used as a chapel. The 
 building is in the old English style, and is the 
 work of a Manchester architect. I was told 
 that it would be finished for the reception of 
 its inmates before the end of the vear ; and 
 we left the place full of admiration at the splen- 
 did establishment, so soon to be opened and 
 occupied. In saying this, I pass no opinion on 
 the principle of these vast assemblages for which 
 Unions and Union schools are built. 
 
 The railroad was near and parallel to the turn- 
 pike road during a great part of our journey 
 to-day. We had accordingly a very accurate 
 specimen of the state to which so many of the 
 highways of England must ere long be reduced. 
 For mile after mile no carriage, cart, or even 
 traveller of any class passed us. The railroad 
 is so extremely cheap (one penny a mile), and 
 offers so many stations, in constant succession, 
 that the labouring population avail themselves 
 of this mode of locomotion ; and, considering
 
 SOLITUDE OF THE ROAD. 35 
 
 the value of time in these manufacturing dis- 
 tricts, find it the most economical plan thus 
 to proceed to their work, or on their different 
 engagements. As to the old roads, the descrip- 
 tive passage of the Scripture is literally fulfilled 
 in each clause : " The highways lie waste : the 
 wayfaring man ceaseth." (Is. xxxm. 8). While 
 as to the railroad, another passage in Scrip- 
 ture is wonderfully exemplified, " Many (perhaps 
 the many) shall run to and fro." (Dan. xn. 
 
 4). 
 
 Our road for a considerable distance was 
 paved in the middle, and my little grey pony, 
 who, by her shrewdness and observation, very 
 soon found out in France that the draught was 
 lighter on the pave than on any other surface, 
 and therefore, if allowed, used always to push up 
 from either side upon it, soon exhibited her good 
 memory and choice on the subject by here pur- 
 suing her old plan. This pave, the solitude of 
 our way, and a line of very lofty bare heights 
 to the right, very much reminded me of some of 
 our French drives in the kindred parts of that 
 country. The language of the people too was 
 to me, as a southern, almost like that heard in a 
 foreign clime, partly from the words themselves, 
 but still more from the accent. I had much 
 difficulty in understanding the Lancashire dia-
 
 36 VIEW OF PRESTON. 
 
 lect, and sometimes could not comprehend it 
 at all. 
 
 Little attention seems paid to the road ; and 
 though the turnpikes were high and numerous, 
 yet I was told that they were totally inadequate 
 to the expenses ; and with some, to whom 
 we spoke on the subject, an idea seemed to 
 prevail, that if these roads were to be kept up 
 at all, some new measures must be adopted for 
 the purpose. 
 
 The view which met our eyes on approach- 
 ing Preston, was really very grand, and had the 
 claim of perfect dissimilarity from any scene 
 which 1 had ever witnessed. On turning round 
 a corner of the road, a lofty and richly wooded 
 ridge of considerable height extended itself, at 
 about a mile distance, across the whole horizon 
 before us ; while on the top of this ridge, cut- 
 ting the sky in bold relief, stood in single file, 
 several gigantic factories. 
 
 I never had seen any such buildings occupy- 
 ing a similar position, or indeed having any 
 other effect than that of spoiling their neighbour- 
 hood as to the picturesque. But here, though I 
 can only speak for ourselves, as to their effect, we 
 thought them very striking features, and I know 
 that to us they were objects of a long and 
 admiring gaze.
 
 CONDITION OF WORKMEN. 37 
 
 The day was bright, while a fresh breeze, which 
 was blowing at the time, rapidly dispersed the 
 ascending smoke, instead of allowing it to hang 
 darkly and heavily around. But, above all, the 
 bold features of the neighbouringlocality were able 
 without injury, to bear such masses of plain brick 
 work as those which stretched before us along the 
 blue sky. Strange as the subject may seem to the 
 painter, when only thus noticed by the pen, 
 I could not help thinking that the first view 
 of Preston, as seen from this point, and on 
 such a day, would make a fine appearance on 
 canvas ; and my desire certainly was to have, 
 at all events, a sketch of the scene. Perhaps 
 some passing thoughts of the grandeur of 
 English enterprize and trade contributed to 
 such feelings. And why should they not ? 
 
 As we ascended the hill, which led up to the 
 town, I entered into conversation with a me- 
 chanic, who was going to his work. He told me, 
 that at the present time there was plenty of 
 employment, and that too at good wages. He 
 added that the men were much better off now 
 than they used to be, from so many being tea- 
 totallers. As for himself, he said that he should 
 not know the taste of liquor now, so long was 
 it since he had taken any beer or spirits.
 
 38 MR. SWAINSON S FACTORY. 
 
 On entering Preston we drove up to the largest 
 factory, Mr. Swainson's, and requested permission 
 to see it. My card was asked for, and we were 
 immediately admitted. An intelligent and oblig- 
 ing young man (to whom I take the present 
 opportunity of returning our acknowledgments) 
 showed us over the whole building, and through 
 the various departments of the establishment, 
 so that we might see and understand the process 
 of labour throughout. This led us through a con- 
 tinued series of observations, which extended from 
 that of the uncleaned wool in bales to that of the 
 finished pieces of cotton ready for exportation or 
 immediate use at home. 
 
 The cotton-bales were in the top story, at an 
 immense height from the ground. In order to 
 reach it, we had only to step on a small platform, 
 which was worked in a kind of shaft by pullies, 
 and we were immediately drawn up to the top- 
 most story with perfect ease, and without the 
 smallest feeling of insecurity. Thus all fatigue 
 is obviated ; and on inquiry we found that all 
 those engaged in the factory were accustomed to 
 use this pleasant mode of ascent. 
 
 I had never seen a cotton factory before ; and, 
 as may be supposed, was much impressed with 
 the marvellous character of all the spectacle
 
 FACTORY PROCESS. 39 
 
 around. The situation of the edifice is most 
 airy and lofty, and due ventilation is provided 
 for with all judgment and care. The building is 
 fire-proof from top to bottom. The magnitude 
 of the operations may be supposed, when I men- 
 tion that fourteen hundred persons are employed, 
 although the machinery is what is called " self- 
 acting," and requires a much smaller number 
 for its operations than machinery of another 
 description, in frequent and common use. Among 
 the remarkable characteristics of the moving 
 and mechanical power, all stirring and working 
 around us, nothing struck me more than the 
 temporary but perfect stoppage of a few seconds 
 which takes place, so as just to give time for 
 some needful object requiring this delay. There 
 was something grand in the regular pause at 
 certain intervals, when all which was before 
 moving, stood still for a moment, and then re- 
 newed again its slow but mighty course. I was 
 informed that there was much activity in the 
 cotton trade, and that at the present moment it 
 chiefly resulted from the large orders for 
 China. 
 
 We slept at Garstang, a small town with a 
 very pleasant inn. Indeed, along the whole of 
 this northern road, from hence to Glasgow, we 
 found a succession of small and neat stopping
 
 40 ROAD AND INNS. 
 
 places — mostly in rural situations, with well- 
 furnished and clean apartments, every attention, 
 and very moderate charges. Most of their 
 names will be found in the course of the ensuing 
 pages. In general we met them at every six or 
 seven miles : and I mention them, hoping, that 
 in spite of present appearances, the fine high- 
 roads of England, and her trim rural inns may 
 not be quite forsaken by travellers.
 
 A QUARRY GARDEN. 4 | 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A Quarry Garden — Beauty of the Scene — Lancaster — Lancaster 
 Gaol — State of Crime— Passage of the Sands — The Lakes — 
 Wordsworth. 
 
 July 29. Garstang to Kendal.— This morning 
 was delightful, and we had proceeded about four 
 miles when we came all at once on a scene of the 
 utmost floral beauty, appearing in a singularly 
 formed garden, close to us at the road-side, and 
 only separated from it by a light iron fence, just 
 sufficient to effect security from the ingress of 
 animals. In fact, all was arranged on the liberal 
 principle, that the road passengers were to be 
 the spectators most to be considered, as the 
 garden presented a theatric and semi-circular 
 form, sloping down and opening towards the 
 highway. The sight was most captivating. 
 A rich assemblage of shrubbery, trees, plants, 
 and flowers, with mown turf in each appropriate 
 place, and matted foliage, creeping and hanging
 
 42 BEAUTY OF THE SCENE. 
 
 about on every jutting eminence, in the most 
 varied profusion, and all lit up with a bright sun 
 — such was the spectacle before us. 
 
 Having for some time gazed at the scene from 
 the road, we asked of an old woman at a cot- 
 tage, or kind of porter's lodge (for no other 
 house was within sight) whether we might walk 
 into the garden. Permission was granted at 
 once, and we wandered about freely by ourselves 
 for some time, much enjoying each successive 
 compartment of a place, in which wildness and 
 decoration are most beautifully blended. 
 
 We were praising and admiring all that 
 we saw around, when suddenly we came in 
 sight of a gentleman who was working among 
 the flowers with every appearance of industry 
 and zeal. He was the proprietor : he received us 
 most courteously, and told us the history of this 
 charming scene. He said that he had entirely 
 formed it himself, and that it had resulted from 
 the labour and attention of twenty years. 
 
 I should certainly have supposed, from the 
 growth and maturity of the plants, that it could 
 scarcely have been effected during a shorter 
 period. The rough cavity of a large stone-pit 
 was the original site, and by little and little 
 the garden had reached its present extent, beauty, 
 and perfection. Independent of the lovely
 
 LANCASTER. 43 
 
 forms and colours at cur feet, the distant view- 
 was fine, embracing a rich valley, and mountain- 
 heights beyond. To a real admirer of a highly 
 dressed garden, or one wishing to arrange a 
 wild spot in any similar manner, a visit to 
 this quarry-garden would well repay a journey 
 of some length. I could not help thinking of 
 Virgil's beautiful lines, as at all events applying 
 to the scene, and perhaps to its owner. 
 
 " Nee fertilis ilia juvencis, 
 Nee pecori opportuna seges, nee commoda Baceho. 
 Hie rarura tamen in dumis olus albaque circum 
 Lilia, verbenasque premens vescumque papaver, 
 Rcgum sequabat opes animis. 
 
 GEORG. IV. 128. 
 
 On driving away, w 7 e passed the residence of 
 the proprietor, a small neat house on the hill to 
 the left, but quite unconnected with the garden 
 which I have described. The absence ot a 
 residence there — for the old woman's house is 
 small and almost hidden by the trees — gives a 
 peculiarity of character to the whole scene, 
 which may be well imagined. 
 
 We were now T approaching Lancaster. The 
 first view of that town is magnificent, lis seen 
 from the hill at about a mile distance. The 
 old castle — now 7 a gaol — stands up boldly and 
 prominently, backed in the distance by the 
 mountains of Cumberland and Westmoreland,
 
 44 LANCASTER GAOL. 
 
 while broad sheets of water, flowing eastward 
 and westward, give light and variety to the 
 prospect. The position of the town — the form 
 of the castle — and the eminence, on which it 
 stands, bring foreign localities vividly and 
 accurately to the recollection of a traveller. 
 
 I employed my spare time at Lancaster by 
 a visit to the gaol, which is partly ancient 
 and partly modern ; the old edifice, with which 
 the name of John of Gaunt, the " time-honoured 
 Lancaster," is connected, having been, with 
 considerable additions and reparations, employed 
 as the county gaol. I was shown with much 
 civility through the whole edifice, and the 
 various apartments of the prisoners. I had 
 within a fortnight visited another county gaol, 
 that at Reading, in Berkshire, where the system 
 of separate cells and solitary confinement is 
 adopted ; while here, although there is a certain 
 classification of the prisoners, still the whole 
 arrangements of the gaol are quite of another 
 character. I have no thought of entering here 
 on the grand question of Prison Discipline, but 
 I certainly can never see or direct my attention 
 to an institution of the kind without a sense 
 of the paramount importance of keeping, by 
 due and legitimate means, the young offenders 
 from the old, and the culprits incarcerated for
 
 STATE OF CRIME. 
 
 some slight crime from those who are hardened 
 in guilt and iniquity. My feelings on this 
 subject were much strengthened and quickened 
 by some conversations which I once held with 
 a very intelligent Governor of a county gaol. 
 Instead of being himself inured to this ad- 
 mixture by long use, he represented to me its 
 mischief and dreadful effects, in a manner which 
 I shall not easily forget. 
 
 It was gratifying to hear from one of the 
 officers of the prison, that crime — so far as 
 could be judged from the prison records — had 
 much diminished in this very populous and 
 important county. While he had remembered — 
 even within the last four years — no fewer 
 than three hundred and ninety-eight in the 
 prison, there were now but one hundred and 
 forty. The same individual showed me that 
 fearful engine — the drop — taken to pieces and 
 put aside, I trust, for many years to come. The 
 hanging-beam bears an awful testimony to its 
 use in the grazed mark which the rope, whence 
 each unhappy man was suspended at the time 
 of his execution, had made in the blackened 
 wood. My informant had twice seen eight 
 persons hanging on the beam at once, on 
 account of various crimes, and once he had 
 seen no less than nine ! On the latter occasion
 
 46 PASSAGE OF THE SANDS. 
 
 it was for high treason, and riotous proceedings 
 of a character most dangerous to the peace and 
 welfare of the country. 
 
 Shortly after leaving Lancaster, we saw on 
 our left the tract of sand, alternately covered 
 and left bare by the sea, and forming the upper 
 part of Morecombe Bay, between the coasts of 
 Lancashire and Westmoreland. These sands 
 are constantly traversed by carriages and foot 
 passengers ; and here I looked for the first time 
 and with intense interest on a trackway such 
 as this, stretching far across the sands. Some 
 of the most exciting dangers and spirit-stirring 
 scenes, to which the traveller can in any clime 
 be subject, have been those connected with the 
 rising and pursuing tide on such an expanse 
 as this. Many a tale has been embellished with 
 these narratives, but many more have been the 
 true histories of danger and escape — of terror 
 and of courage — of life and death witnessed on a 
 surface like this — smooth but perilous — tempt- 
 ing, though so treacherous. When I looked 
 along the wide and shining expanse of the 
 far-spreading sand, I could discover no moving 
 object whatsoever ; but the more experienced 
 eye of a dweller in the neighbourhood, with 
 whom I was conversing at the time, saw at 
 once and pointed out to me one solitary
 
 THE LAKES. 47 
 
 vehicle, about half-way, slowly creeping onward 
 across this strange highway. To one familiar 
 with this part of the country, the passage must 
 be too well known for him to share in our 
 feelings, as we viewed it from a distance ; but 
 to us it would have been one of vivid interest ; 
 and we could not help wishing that our 
 intended line had been in that direction. As 
 it was, however, our plans obliged us to advance 
 northward without diverging from our course. 
 We were also compelled to leave " the Lakes" 
 unvisited, notwithstanding the attraction of 
 those mountain heights, which rose so nigh 
 in all their varied forms, and within which we 
 knew that the fair watery gems, known by that 
 name, w T ere set in all their beauty. The evening 
 was clear and every line in the prospect was, 
 for an English landscape, very accurately and 
 sharply defined. The country in the foreground 
 appeared well cultivated, and cherished with 
 much care ; and many habitations, apparently 
 belonging to small landed proprietors, were scat- 
 tered amongst the hills. 
 
 We journeyed on, much enjoying our drive, 
 though not without an intermixture of regret 
 that we had thus to pass, as if it were 
 common ground, that which is perhaps the most 
 lovely region which England's isle contains on
 
 48 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 its surface — the region too, where the Pa- 
 triach Poet of the Lakes has shed the beauty 
 of high arid poetic thought over each mountain, 
 dell, and stream, connected with his verse, and 
 where he still dwells in all true fidelity and per- 
 manent attachment to the scene of his early 
 choice.
 
 KENDAL. 49 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Kendal — Railroad Labourers — Their dress and appearance— Their 
 character — Ministry among them — Its effects — Shap Fells — 
 Railroad work — Its danger exemplified at Reading. 
 
 We much admired the approach to Kendal 
 as we advanced towards it through a verdant 
 valley, with a "fine knoll of ground crowned by 
 a castle, fronting us as we advanced. The 
 heights on the left of Kendal are extremely 
 steep, while, on the right, the ground descends 
 rapidly. The position seems inconvenient for 
 a large and flourishing town, but I should 
 presume that it must give such facilities for 
 drainage as to promote the healthiness of the 
 place in no ordinary degree. 
 
 The Poet Gray, in his Epistolary Journal 
 of a Tour to the Lakes of Cumberland and 
 Westmoreland, addressed to Dr. Wharton, 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 RAILROAD LABOURERS. 
 
 somewhat curiously describes Kendal : " The 
 town consists chiefly of three nearly parallel 
 streets, almost a mile long ; except these, all the 
 other houses seem as if they had been dancing 
 a country-dance, and were worn out ; there they 
 stand back to back, corner to corner, some up 
 hill, some down, without intent or meaning." 
 
 A vast number of railroad men were loitering 
 about the streets telling their avocation by their 
 mien, dress, and general appearance in a way 
 that cannot be mistaken by any one who has 
 lived in the neighbourhood of their work, or 
 at all events observed them with any degree of 
 interest and attention. Exactly as I remember 
 them standing in groups, or slowly strolling 
 about the streets at Reading, after their day's 
 work was done, so I found them at Kendal 
 this evening, telling at once the nature of their 
 avocation by their clay-coloured garments, their 
 strong bodily development, and their indepen- 
 dent bearing. My present notice of their dress 
 recalls to my memory some particulars of their 
 peculiar tastes on this subject, as indulged in 
 on holidays and Sundays. Then, in many 
 instances, their costume is very handsome, and 
 no small sums are expended upon it. I have 
 seen them clad in coats of the finest broad
 
 THEIR DRESS AND APPEARANCE. 51 
 
 cloth, and of such copious dimensions that thev 
 would certainly have made two garments of the 
 same kind for many a slim young gentleman. 
 Their tailor's bill must of course have been 
 in accordance with the size of the garment. 
 To this was often added a velvet waistcoat, 
 figured, of red, or of some other brilliant colour, 
 adorned with hanging buttons of equally showy 
 pattern. Nor must I forget the corduroys, and 
 highly polished lace boots. The dress of their 
 wives too was sometimes of a costly and showy 
 description ; and altogether there was some- 
 thing very peculiar in the appearance of one 
 of these high-dressed labouring men, accom- 
 panied by his wife to Church — especially when 
 coming for the baptism of a child, or on any 
 other marked incident in their lives. 
 
 I have also alluded already to their physical 
 strength. The arm of a robust railroad man 
 is quite an extraordinary spectacle. I do not 
 exaggerate in saying, that I have seen it twice the 
 size of that of an ordinary labourer. I have sat 
 among them reading and explaining the Scrip- 
 tures, while nine or ten of them, as hearers, were 
 arranged on a bench in a line close before me, 
 and I have more than once found my attention 
 wandering from my subject, and fixed with 
 astonishment on the gigantic size of their limbs, 
 
 d 2
 
 5*2 THEIR CHARACTER. 
 
 as developed by muscular exertion, among men 
 qualified by constitution to bear it.* 
 
 As to their independent mien, I have only 
 one remark to make here, which is, that I would 
 earnestly recommend to all ministers and others 
 interested in their spiritual and moral welfare, 
 and desirous " to have fruit among them even 
 as among others," not to mistake it for insolence 
 or repulsiveness ; nor at all to suppose that they 
 are less susceptible of kindness and attention 
 than others, engaged in hard and rough toil, 
 and removed from all influences of a softening 
 and ameliorating character. Just let it be proved 
 to them that you have their interest at heart, by 
 attention to some of their number in cases of 
 sickness, or any circumstances where sym- 
 pathy can be shown. Just let them be addressed 
 
 * It is well known that the men work in gangs, or small parties, 
 under the direction of one head, who is a kind of middle-man 
 between the contractor for the work, and the men who do the work. 
 A certain amount of labour is to be done by this body in common, 
 so that if any individual of the party is weak or unequal in any way 
 to his proportionate share of the task, the others must suffer 
 accordingly, and do among them his work. It may naturally be 
 supposed that this renders the whole party very watchful, cautious, 
 and alert as to those admitted. And I have heard that a new- 
 comeris sometimes put to the following test of his corporeal strength 
 and endurance. An instrument, like an immense paviour's mallet, 
 is placed in his hand, and with this he has to strike a certain num- 
 ber of blows, without stopping or resting, in the presence of those 
 witnesses most interested in his physical capacity to take his due 
 share in their allotted toil.
 
 MINISTRY AMONG THEM. 53 
 
 in plain, hearty, friendly, short, significant lan- 
 guage, and not in a cold essay-like style. Just 
 let them be treated as if you knew somewhat of 
 their temptations, their difficulties, and of their 
 obstacles in the pursuit of a godly life — grega- 
 rious wayfarers as thev are — and you will awaken 
 their interest, you will gain their affection ; you 
 will, by God's blessing, be instrumental in turn- 
 ing them also, like any other class, from the 
 error of their ways, and in leading them to serve 
 God through Jesus Christ, our one common 
 Lord. At least, you may expect that some will 
 be thus impressed, and what is any ministry but 
 the effectual conveyance of God's truth to some 
 of those who outwardly hear it. When Paul 
 himself " persuaded concerning Jesus, both out 
 of the Law of Moses, and out of the Prophets, 
 from morning till evening, what was the result ? 
 That all believed ? No ! Some believed and some 
 believed not." (Acts xxviii. 24). I well know the 
 value of instances which one has met with one- 
 self;* and I therefore have introduced in the 
 
 * A vast number of railroad men were assembled for some time 
 at Reading for carrying on their work in that neighbourhood. 
 Very few of them appeared in church, and their conduct, on the 
 whole, was undoubtedly of a very ungodly and dissolute character. 
 Some of my valued clerical friends of the town, in conjunction 
 with myself, adopted certain measures towards their spiritual wel- 
 fare, such as that of distributing Bibles and Tracts among them,
 
 54 MINISTRY AMONG 
 
 note two instances, where in my own humble, 
 and, after all, but very scanty endeavours to 
 
 together with short but earnest invitations to attend the House of 
 God ; and a special service was opened for their benefit in my 
 church, at a certain period of the week, when it seemed most likely 
 that some of them might be gathered in to hear the word of God. 
 During the progress of these measures, I went along the line, one 
 evening, to meet the men on their return from work, in company 
 with two of my brethren, our object being to address all who would 
 listen to us, whether singly or whether in small parties, on the 
 subject of their souls. One of these was the Rev. J. N. Allen, 
 now one of the Chaplains to Her Majesty's Forces in India, and 
 the author of a most engaging and impressive volume, entitled 
 " Diary of a March through Scinde and Afghanistan with the 
 troops under the command of General Sir William Nott." My 
 friends were soon engaged in the good work, addressing little groups 
 of listeners who quickly gathered around them. I went onward 
 towards the place where the main body was usually collected to 
 receive their wages on that evening of the week ; and all at once, 
 on turning the corner of a hedge, found myself unexpectedly 
 among a crowd of the workmen, of above two hundred in number, 
 who, in consequence of a slight shower, had collected under the 
 shelter of some trees. I was in a certain degree known to some of 
 them, and they immediately collected in a circle round me ; many 
 of them asking me what I wanted among them ; some of them 
 charging me with being a character very unpopular with them, 
 that is a tea-totaller, and others with being a Ranter, mixing with 
 their observations, oaths, threats, and no slight share of ridicule. 
 " What do you come among us for ? Don't you know that we are 
 like a set of wild horses, who wouldn't mind knocking your brains 
 out ?" Or, " We don't care for such chaps as you. All we want 
 is beef, and beer, and a good song." However, at the same time a 
 few were endeavouring to get for me a hearing. I had a small 
 Bible in my hand, and took advantage of a lull in the storm of 
 tongues to commence the perusal of our Lord's words on the 
 Brazen Serpent. By raising my voice, and making some quick 
 answers to some of the most direct and troublesome opponents, 
 I was enabled, after a few minutes, to obtain perfect silence, which
 
 RAILROAD LABOURERS. 55 
 
 advance the religious condition of the railroad 
 men, I have personally experienced the truth 
 
 I thankfully employed in preaching the Gospel of Christ according 
 to the glorious passage which I had just read. I have seldom 
 witnessed a more striking change than that which came over the 
 countenances and the mien of these rough and (as it might have 
 seemed a few minutes before) impenetrable men. Tears appeared 
 in many eyes when I had done. Some shook hands with me ; many 
 thanked me. All contradiction, abuse, and ridicule had passed away. 
 I trust that much good ensued, and indeed it would have been 
 wrong and faithless to doubt it. One instance came to my know- 
 ledge, which I shall now relate. 
 
 Among those assembled was a man of about thirty-five years old, 
 who had lived a notoriously ungodly life. Among his vices were 
 drunkenness, swearing, and not only a total neglect of the Lord's 
 day and house, but also such a prejudice against its observance 
 that he actually took strong and wicked measures to prevent his 
 wife from pursuing any line of conduct on that matter ^superior to 
 his own. 
 
 On the evening of the day to which I allude, this man went 
 home, and said that he had heard a gentleman speak to the men 
 about the Brazen Serpent and Jesus Christ, and added that he 
 would like to hear him again. He immediately became a regular 
 attendant at my church, and gave up all his wicked and ungodly 
 habits in a most remarkable and decided way. He delighted in 
 hearing the Bible read to him every evening, and above all used to 
 ask for the psalms. About three months after, having on the even- 
 ing before been thus engaged, he went out to his work early in the 
 morning in that full strength and vigour of frame for which the 
 railroad men are so remarkable. At ten o'clock he was no more. 
 A mass of earth and gravel falling upon him, had crushed him 
 utterly dead in a moment ! Can we doubt of that man's change, 
 ere his appointed time had arrived ? Can we refuse to notice God's 
 sovereign grace, or the power of His Spirit and Word, in His 
 blessing on a few, stammering, confused words of one of His ser- 
 vants ? God forbid ! 
 
 I shall give one instance more, showing that the most abandoned 
 characters may be softened in due time, although, in one's own
 
 56 ITS EFFECTS. 
 
 of those scriptural assurances ; how the word of 
 God " shall prosper in the thing whereto He 
 
 short-sighted, heartless view, one might have almost thought the 
 individual in question, even as one of the swine, before whom the 
 Gospel and the Word were pearls all idly flung. 
 
 One day, when passing a public-house, not far from my church, 
 I heard a loud quarrel inside among a body of about twenty rail- 
 road men Thinking it my duty to try to act as " peace-maker," 
 I went in and addressed them on their conduct, and here I was 
 protected from absolute violence — for most of them were drunk — 
 by two or three who knew me. One of the party was, however, 
 quite furious, and abused me in worse terms than I have ever 
 been subjected to on any other occasion which I happen to remem- 
 ber, following me out into the road, and only prevented from strik- 
 ing me by some who held him back. " Pray don't have anything 
 to do with him," said they, " he's the worst man on the line. " 
 Among other things he said to me, was this : " They talked of your 
 giving away books ! You wouldn't give me one, I'm sure." " In- 
 deed," said I, " I will. You shall have one left for you where- 
 ever you like." His lodging was named, and it was my intention 
 to have given him a Testament, when I next passed that way. 
 However about two days after, and before I had left the book, I met 
 him again, drunk. He immediately commenced language of an 
 abusive kind against me, and, among other things said I had not 
 kept my word. I told him my intention, and fulfilled it accord- 
 ingly. 
 
 I heard nothing of him for about three months, and had quite 
 forgot the circumstances, when one day as I was riding fast along 
 the road, a man, who was walking alone, sprang from the path, 
 and taking off his hat, was in an instant almost under my horse's 
 feet, as if determined, at all hazards, to have an interview. He was 
 quite sober, and said eagerly, " Do you remember me, Sir?" 
 " No/' said I, " I have no particular recollection of you." " I am 
 the man, Sir, who abused you so shamefully at the (mentioning the 
 name of the public-house where the transaction occurred) and I'm 
 very sorry for it, and I want to ask your pardon." " You have it, 
 I am sure, but you should ask pardon from God for this and all your 
 other sins." " Indeed I do, Sir, many times, and I ought. I
 
 SHAP FELLS. 57 
 
 sends it ;" how His message of salvation can 
 break the heart of stone "as with a hammer;" 
 how if we cast our bread by the side of all 
 waters, it shall and will return to us after 
 many days. 
 
 Kendal to High Hesket. — Having to-day to 
 cross that wild and desolate district of mountain, 
 called the Shap Fells, fine weather was of some 
 consequence to us ; and though dark, stormy 
 clouds were flying about, and occasionally hovered 
 over us, yet they only threatened, and did us no 
 hurt. Brightness and gloom rapidly succeeded 
 one another. Sometimes under such circum- 
 stances, the feeling of exemption is very pleasant, 
 and illustrates a truth, holding good in matters 
 of more consequence. In them also I doubt not 
 that the alternating sun and cloud are oftentimes 
 in their combination, more productive of true 
 happiness in life, than if no cause of appre- 
 hension ever came nigh us, as a thing to be 
 deprecated, or ever was transformed into a boon, 
 
 have been very ill since that time, and then I read the book you 
 gave me, and it did me a deal of good." 
 
 After a little more conversation, I bade him farewell, and went 
 on my way rejoicing at this fresh testimony to the power of God's 
 Holy Word, where, perhaps, there was the least possible ground 
 for anticipating such effects, according to our own faithless and 
 narrow views. 
 
 May these instances encourage many who may have to deal 
 with rough and hardened characters, such as those of whom I have 
 now spoken ! 
 
 D 3
 
 58 SHAP FELLS. 
 
 through the sense of exemption from its stroke. 
 But to return from this short digression on a 
 very interesting subject, as connected with our 
 appointed journey in life, to the minor subject 
 of our journey this day. 
 
 Our first stage — a long one, certainly — was 
 from Kendal to Shap ; and during this course 
 we ascended and descended a very steep moun- 
 tain height, which in wildness and desolation was 
 unequalled by any thing which I have hitherto 
 witnessed in England. But even this barren 
 range was not without its usefulness, inasmuch 
 as it offered abundance of peat for fuel, exactly 
 resembling that of an Irish bog, and cut here 
 just in the same manner, dark black pits being 
 excavated in the soil. 
 
 Unpromising as such a district would seem to 
 the traveller, while pursuing the present road, as 
 a prospective line of railway, still the engineering 
 and speculative enterprise of the day has already 
 commenced this very undertaking. As we 
 approached Shap, we came in sight of the railroad 
 works, and of the wooden huts erected as tem- 
 porary dwellings for the workmen. The land- 
 lady at Shap told me much of their habits and 
 character in this neighbourhood, and described 
 them as in no slight degree turbulent and un- 
 manageable. Among other things, she narrated
 
 RATLROAD WORK. 59 
 
 her schemes for accommodating - them, as visitors 
 to her house, without danger to her crockery, 
 premises, and property in general. She prepared 
 a room expressly for them outside her house, 
 put in it a strong table, and some dozen of tin 
 mugs, and had it plentifully strewed with saw- 
 dust. This is their reception room. According 
 to her account, breakage and fighting neces- 
 sitated these measures. Lately there were no 
 less than eight hundred railroad men here, 
 though the number is now diminished ; and I 
 was glad to hear that a temporary chapel had 
 been established at Shapwell Spa, and a chaplain 
 appointed by the directors for the benefit of their 
 labourers on the line. During our sojourn of a 
 few hours at this inn, we had an exemplification 
 of the hazardous manner, as regards life and limb, 
 with which the peculiar work of railroad making 
 is attended — why, I cannot tell. We saw from 
 the window 7 a railroad man gallop by on a large 
 cart-horse towards the neighbouring village. On 
 inquiry, we found that he was a messenger going 
 with all speed for a surgeon in behalf of one of 
 his companions, who had just had his leg smashed 
 in a dreadful manner by a waggon, at the critical 
 moment of " tipping," a process which has 
 involved a vast amount of death and mutilation. 
 Well do I remember the number of men wounded
 
 60 ITS DANGER. 
 
 by the same means, who used to be carried by 
 my house to the hospital at Reading. 
 
 The danger of the system will be seen at once, 
 when I mention that, in tipping, a man runs by 
 the side of a horse attached to a waggon of soil 
 until the moment when, loosing a kind of pin or 
 peg, he thus causes the waggon to tip over its 
 contents, while the horse turns round and escapes 
 as he can. Another very frequent cause in the 
 same vicinity, was that of excavation, and espe- 
 cially at the deep cut near Sonning. A large 
 body of railroad men used to undermine, or 
 ''hole" (as it was called) the gravel beneath, 
 while another stood on the top to watch the 
 moment of the soil's cracking, preparatory to its 
 descent, and to give warning accordingly. On 
 his observation and celerity in so doing the 
 limbs and lives of the men depended ; and I 
 have seen five or six men bounding backwards, 
 at the imminent hazard of their lives, from among 
 the falling soil and fragments, slipping from 
 above in immense weight and magnitude. As 
 the slightest appearance of fear would have been 
 as much scoffed at in the " gang " as among 
 soldiers on a field of battle, and, as the most cul- 
 pable hardihood was frequently displayed, many 
 terrific accidents occurred. It used to be a 
 mournful thing to see — as I frequently did— the
 
 EXEMPLIFIED AT READING. 61 
 
 slow procession of workmen walking away from 
 the works in the neighbourhood above-mentioned, 
 and carrying the covered frame employed for the 
 melancholy purpose of conveying the maimed, 
 and perhaps dying sufferer to the hospital. Fear- 
 fully appropriate to the period, to which I refer, 
 was the erection and establishment of that most 
 important institution, at Reading, w r here I well 
 remember praying with the first patient received, 
 who was, to the best of mv recollection, a wounded 
 railroad labourer. One of the surgeons, a gentle- 
 man, too, who has seen much practice, assured 
 me that, during the two first years of the progress 
 of the line in the neighbourhood of Reading, he 
 had to operate on, and had attended more wound- 
 ed men than during his whole professional life 
 before. Surely there is something most culpable 
 in those who have authority, if any dangerous 
 process is permitted, which precaution or atten- 
 tion on their parts could by any means obviate. 
 I cannot help apprehending that this must be 
 admitted as no unfrequent case.
 
 62 SUPERIOR FARM HOUSE, 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Superior Farm-house — Penrith — Lord Brougham — The White 
 Ox — Carlisle— Paley — Gretna Green — The Scotch Church — 
 Patronage. 
 
 After advancing three or four miles beyond 
 Shap, we entered a fine wooded district, backed 
 on the right by lofty ranges of mountain. The 
 aged and luxuriant w T oods, and the general 
 appearance of the country here seemed to betoken 
 the neighbourhood of some wealthy and long- 
 established proprietor. Presently w r e passed a 
 first-rate farm-house and offices on the left. I 
 thought it quite a model of a wealthy tenant- 
 farmer's residence : for, while it had no pretence 
 or assumption of gentility, or of being any thing 
 but a bond fide farm-house, it united every appli- 
 ance for comfort and convenience of the family 
 with proximity to the yards, out-buildings, and 
 all those offices, from which the master's eye 
 should at no time be long absent.
 
 PENRITH. 63 
 
 I found on inquiry that Lord Lonsdale was 
 the landlord, and that we were now close to 
 Lowther Castle ; but on asking a man who was 
 working at the road-side whether we could see 
 it from the road : — " Nam," said he, with a pro- 
 nunciation very different to that which I have 
 been accustomed to as the well-known svllable 
 of negation. 
 
 Shortly after we passed through a very neat 
 and decorated village, called, I believe, Hack- 
 throp, of the most pleasing character as to all 
 the objects connected with it, saving and except- 
 ing one, viz . : that in a small garden close by 
 the road-side, some armless and legless statues, 
 large as life, were very prominently exhibited. 
 Certainly these figures raise no unpleasant feeling 
 as seen in galleries of statuary, but my thoughts 
 on the poor railroad sufferer, amputations, &c, 
 gave me this day a peculiar distaste for any such 
 spectacle. 
 
 The next town which we came to was Penrith, 
 or the " Red Hill," and well it deserves its name, 
 from the deep red hue of the stone visible all 
 around, and employed in its buildings. About a 
 mile before reaching Penrith, we observed a fine 
 baronial castle rising out of lofty and clustered 
 woods upon our left hand. I inquired to whom 
 it belonged, and was answered to Lord Brougham.
 
 64 LORD BROUGHAM. 
 
 As parliament was sitting, and his Lordship 
 is generally at his post, unless reporters fabri- 
 cate and issue speeches in his name, I did not 
 for an instant think of his being now at home ; 
 and, as there is no lodge-gate, we went up to 
 the house, intending to ask whether strangers 
 were allowed to seethe castle during his Lordship's 
 absence. We were led to do this as the edifice 
 is of no ordinary character ; and the title, which 
 I saw ascribed to it in the pages of a local 
 guide-book, " The Windsor of the North," 
 conveys a testimony by no means inappropriate 
 to its extent, as well as to the massive and 
 simple grandeur with which it is constructed. 
 As it happened, however, we only had a glimpse 
 of the outside walls and into the two court- 
 yards ; for, just as we reached the entrance 
 gate, with the intention of asking, whether, in 
 the supposed absence of the noble owner, we 
 might be allowed to see the place, a workman, 
 who passed by, mentioned that he was at home. 
 Without more inquiries we retreated as quickly 
 as possible, having too much respect for the 
 privacy of a gentleman's country residence to 
 wish to be seen hovering about his premises 
 without the slightest claim of introduction ; and, 
 let me confess it, somewhat apprehensive of 
 seeing the noble owner appear, and of receiving
 
 THE WHITE OX. 65 
 
 a rebuke, for our trespass and curiosity, from 
 one so unpleasant and dangerous to face in any 
 " keen encounter of the wits," or in any predica- 
 ment where the copia fandi might be brought 
 into action. 
 
 Shortly after our flight from these precincts, 
 we crossed two rivers at picturesque points, 
 passed into Cumberland, went through Penrith 
 without stopping, and after a hilly, but unin- 
 teresting drive, during which we met with 
 heavy rain — the first which had hitherto damped 
 the pleasure of our journey — reached High 
 Hesket, where we slept at the widow Pearson's 
 White Ox Inn ; a worthy landlady, whom I 
 think myself bound to mention, as having 
 charged to us the very smallest sum, in propor- 
 tion to the supplies provided, which I have ever 
 met with at any inn whatsoever, whether at 
 home or abroad. I remember in one of the 
 Pyrenean passages to have had supper, bed, and 
 breakfast for half-a-crown, and sometimes in 
 the midland and southern parts of France to 
 have been quite surprised at the moderation of 
 the bills for copious and luxurious fare. I may 
 speak also very favourably as to the demands on 
 our purse in all those pleasant country inns, 
 frequented by us during this journey in the 
 north of England ; but the widow Pearson's bill
 
 66 CARLISLE. 
 
 was one which, for its trifling amount, certainly 
 stands unparalleled in my locomotive expe- 
 rience, and I could not help making her a small 
 present in addition to her claim. Whether the 
 White Ox can prosper on such terms, is a 
 question which I leave to be decided by a jury of 
 landlords ; but, while some journals are full of 
 accounts of imposition, I think that a notice of 
 a contrary character should not be withheld. 
 
 Having introduced this pecuniary subject, I 
 add an amusing qualification attributed to my 
 ponies on their way, in addition to the many 
 merits for which they have attracted some portion 
 of interest from their French and Spanish 
 expedition. The qualification is that of payiny 
 bills, for this is the literal characteristic with 
 which they were honoured two or three days 
 ago at one of the inns where we stopped for the 
 night. It had not been usual to charge for our 
 servant's bed. At one place I saw this item, 
 and mentioned it. The waiter said, " Oh, there 
 is a mistake. The ponies pay for his bed," an 
 observation, which translated into less technical 
 language, signified that where a horse was 
 entertained and paid for, the groom's bed was 
 gratis. 
 
 High Hesket to Lockerby in Scotland. — The 
 first stage of our journey to-day was to Carlisle,
 
 PALEY. 67 
 
 a city with an interesting local history attached. 
 In years, comparatively recent, there are two 
 points to be observed in its records of an 
 important character, as connected with the 
 annals of our country. Firstly, the Siege of the 
 City by the Parliamentary forces in the year 
 1644, which ended in its capitulation on the 
 28th June in the succeeding year, after extreme 
 privation and endurance, underwent by the 
 garrison and citizens ; and secondly, its surrender 
 in 1745 to the Pretender ; though certainly on 
 this occasion there was so much feebleness and 
 weakness displayed on both sides, that no 
 honour whatsoever was gained either by the 
 yielding or the successful party. To call the 
 former defeated, or the latter victorious would 
 be quite an abuse of the two respective terms. 
 
 As to the Carlisle Cathedral, only half of the 
 original structure remains. Cromwell was the 
 author of this semi-destruction. The edifice 
 reminded me of the Cathedral of Tulle, in 
 France, which suffered a similar fate in the 
 Revolution. There, however, the nave remains, 
 and the choir is no longer in existence. Here 
 the case is reversed. A part of the ruined frag- 
 ments has been turned into a small parish church, 
 where I believe that service is regularly held. 
 
 The admirers of Paley — and in a certain
 
 68 GRETNA GREEN. 
 
 line of writing, I mean the investigation and 
 exhibition of the external evidences of Chris- 
 tianity, he deserves the admiration of all — may 
 see his monument here. The tablet is as simple 
 
 as the inscription : 
 
 WILLIAM PALEY, 
 
 ARCHDEACON AND CHANCELLOR 
 
 OF THE DIOCESE, 
 
 DIED MAY 23, 1805, 
 
 AGED 62. 
 
 Our next stage was to that celebrated locality, 
 Gretna Green, or, as it is spelt here, Graitna 
 Green. Just before its conclusion, we crossed 
 a small stream which forms the division between 
 England and Scotland. A turnpike gate is situated 
 at the very confines on the Scotch side ; and, 
 accordingly, many couples have been married at 
 the very house occupied by the gate-keeper, as 
 being the first on the south side of the border. 
 However, the inn at which the matrimonial 
 engagement is usually contracted, stands about 
 a mile farther on, and occupies a very pleasant 
 situation in the middle of a sloping green of 
 considerable extent, and scattered over with 
 orchard trees. Resting here for luncheon, we 
 were shown into the very apartment usually 
 occupied by the fugitive couples — a handsome 
 and well-furnished room. We were told that 
 the last marriage was about a week ago.
 
 THE SCOTCH CHURCH. 69 
 
 Here I saw the first specimen of a parish 
 church in this country, and, certainly, it was any 
 thing but graceful or prepossessing in its form 
 and architecture. While I was looking at it, an 
 old man, apparently of the humblest class in 
 society, came down to wait for the stage coach, 
 which was expected in a few minutes. Entering 
 into conversation with him, I asked him where 
 the old blacksmith lived, of whom we in Eng- 
 land had heard so much, as officiating here on 
 matrimonial occasions. 
 
 " Oh," said he, " he is dead monny a genera- 
 tion ago. The maun up at the inn, he marries 
 them noo, and the maun at the toll-gate below, 
 he marries heaps o' 'em. But we hear it's all 
 ganging to be din away, and a gude thing too. 
 There's monny a young couple comes here 
 without kenning what they're aboot, and gets 
 thenselves fashed and into trouble all their life 
 afterwards." 
 
 Turning to another subject, on which I was 
 very desirous of ascertaining the feeling of all 
 classes, and speaking to one who showed that 
 he had some common sense in his head, by the 
 answer just reported, I pointed to the church, 
 and said: " Is that church well filled with 
 people on a Sunday ?" 
 
 " Weel, I canna just say that it is."
 
 70 PATRONAGE. 
 
 "And why ?" I inquired. 
 
 " Oh ! there's monny reasons." 
 
 "Perhaps you will oblige me by telling me 
 some of them." 
 
 " He's a patronage man, and none of us here, 
 — that js, varry few like them. It's a bad thing, 
 that patronage. It ought to be all din away. 
 They don't applee themselves as they ought. 
 We dinna like them here." 
 
 I had thus, before I had been half an hour in 
 Scotland, a strong and decided instance of the 
 feeling so prevalent among the common people 
 of Scotland on a subject totally disregarded in 
 England, but of such an exciting character 
 throughout the length and breadth of this land 
 in which we now are. The man said much on 
 the subject, which I have not introduced, and 
 with more strength of feeling than accurate 
 apprehension of the question. This, however, 
 must always be the case with many, on any 
 great controversial subject of the kind.
 
 LOCKERBY. 71 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Lockerby— Annandale — Scotch cottagers — Weather — Hamilton 
 Palace — The Ponies — Glasgow — The Scotch Sabbath — 
 Charitable Institutions. 
 
 We went on to Lockerby for the night, passing 
 on our way many cottages of the poor. They 
 were decidedly inferior to those of England, and 
 the marked difference is thus speedily observable 
 to one crossing the border. In appearance they 
 were more allied to the Irish cabin, but I saw 
 none so miserable as those which, I lament to 
 say, so frequently meet the eye in that country. 
 At the inn at Lockerby (the King's Arms, where 
 we had a very civil landlord) we were soon 
 reminded of being in the " land of cakes." Two 
 or three sorts, with marmalade and jelly, in 
 addition to the usual fare of the tea-table, were 
 here set before us. 
 
 Just as we were retiring to bed, I heard a car- 
 riage pass by at a very speedy rate, but not too
 
 72 ANNANDALE. 
 
 fast for the accompaniment and pursuit of a large 
 number of people, who were shouting loudlyi 
 whether in praise or blame I could not at the 
 time ascertain. But, on asking about the noise 
 in the morning, I was informed by the maid 
 " that it was an expression of public feeling 
 regarding an inhabitant of the town, who had 
 just returned, after an acquittal on a charge of 
 the most serious kind." The population were 
 evidently strong in their feelings against the 
 individual in question, notwithstanding the deci- 
 sion of the Court, and were giving vent to their 
 opinion in no measured terms. 
 
 To Abingdon. — Our first stage to-day was to 
 Beatock Bridge, where w 7 e found a commodious 
 and well-furnished inn, built by government, (as 
 I heard) for the benefit of travellers on this new 
 line of road. The earlier part of our drive to- 
 day was through the fair valley of Annandale, 
 and was rendered extremely pleasant by the 
 sight of very accurate and superior cultivation 
 of the soil, of well ordered farmsteads, and (with 
 a few exceptions) of very neat and convenient 
 habitations for the poor. Asking who the chief 
 proprietors were, I was answered : — " The Duke, 
 Sir, (which here, and usually in the south of 
 Scotland means his Grace of Buccleugh) and 
 Hope Johnstone." Heather-clad hills, with a
 
 SCOTCH COTTAGERS. 73 
 
 considerable share of good pasture on them, rose 
 on each side, chiefly grazed by sheep. 
 
 Shortly after leaving Beatock Bridge, we en- 
 tered a lonely mountainous district, through 
 which our course continued during the rest of 
 the day. The road ascended, though not steeply, 
 for a considerable distance, and nothing but 
 mountain was in sight for above twenty miles. 
 Having accomplished this stage, and, coming 
 into the vicinity of Abingdon, where the termi- 
 nation of our day's course was to be, I inquired 
 for an inn, of which we had previously heard. 
 A by-stander showed me a handsome house a 
 few hundred yards off, which at that distance 
 looked exactly like a private gentleman's resi- 
 dence. There we lodged for the night, and found 
 that it had been built by Sir E. Colebroke, a 
 large proprietor in the neighbourhood. The 
 rooms were extremely well furnished, and around 
 us we had views of fine mountain scenery, while 
 the more immediate foreground was raised and 
 enlivened by trees, a broad sparkling river, and 
 very compact and comfortable farm-houses. 
 
 During the evening we entered into conver- 
 sation with some cottagers' wives ; and very 
 merry, intelligent, and communicative women 
 they were, although our ignorance of the Scotch 
 diction and accent rendered us unable to catch 
 
 VOL. I. E
 
 74 WEATHER, 
 
 all they said, as on the other hand our language 
 was heard by them with the same disadvantage. 
 
 We went into three cottages to examine their 
 condition. In each of them the beds occupied 
 recesses in the room on the ground floor, where 
 the family lived, and very much resembled 
 berths on board of a ship. Two of them were 
 neat, with plentiful furniture and crockery. We 
 asked one of them how her husband was 
 employed. The answer was : "In draining the 
 hills yonder." His wages were twelve shillings 
 a week. 
 
 It amused us to see the little Scotch boys 
 skilfully managing their plaids, during the heavy 
 showers which occasionally fell to-day, and 
 making with them a complete covering for their 
 bodies, shifting them here and there, according 
 to the point of the wind. 
 
 The drive of to-day would have been dreary, 
 had it not been for weather exactly of that 
 character best suited for effect in passing through 
 mountainous scenery. We had a quick suc- 
 cession of bright blue sky, of thick dark clouds 
 flying fast over the heights around, and of warm 
 glowing sunshine. These colours and changes 
 of the sky, as marking the heather-clad hills, 
 had a very fine effect, and quite obviated any 
 thing like dreariness or monotony in our course.
 
 HAMILTON PALACE. 75 
 
 August 2. Abingdon to Glasgow. — Our course 
 to-day led us through eight additional miles 
 of moor and mountain scenery, during the 
 early part of our journey. We then reached a 
 fertile and verdant country, which continued 
 until our arrival at Glasgow. Near the town 
 of Hamilton we first saw the Clyde — in this 
 vicinity a narrow river, but with steep, pictu- 
 resque, wooded banks. We visited Hamilton 
 Palace, a real palace in size and character j more 
 convenient too as a place of residence than most 
 residences of the kind, and in some measure 
 reminding me of palaces abroad occupied by 
 royal families of minor rank and condition. I 
 may cite, for instance, the Palace of Manheim, 
 familiar to travellers on the Rhine, and belong- 
 ing to the Princess Stephanie, whose daughter 
 has lately been married to the Duke of 
 Hamilton's son. 
 
 The day was wet, chilly, and unfavourable. 
 Hence the scantiness of my notices. The effect, 
 which is made on a passing stranger by the 
 scenery of any district, must be so lowered by 
 bad weather, that the less said on the subject 
 the better, when under such influence, except, 
 indeed, when there is such surpassing gran- 
 deur and sublimity of local feature, as in some 
 measure to render the place independent of all 
 
 e 2
 
 76 THE PONIES. 
 
 accidental circumstances. I say, in some mea- 
 sure, because while there are variations of those 
 of sun and gloom, the dim east, and the clear 
 north-west w T ind, the rapid showers which gush 
 forth in sparkling drops from some fleeting cloud, 
 on a bright April day, and the heavy, hopeless, 
 unceasing pour, no scenery whatever can be 
 altogether independent of weather, and hence 
 oftentimes arises the extraordinary discrepancy, 
 with which the very same locality is often 
 described by two travellers, or even viewed by 
 the same individual at two distinct periods. I 
 have often experienced myself more pleasure 
 in the sight of a few tufts of grass, or a little 
 tangled coppice-wood on a sunny day, than 
 when gazing at forests and all kinds of magnificent 
 objects, but with the unfavourable accompani- 
 ments of dimness or gloom in the atmosphere. 
 Light — light is the grand beautifier — both in 
 natural and spiritual things. 
 
 We entered Glasgow late on Saturday even- 
 ing, having accomplished the journey from 
 Manchester to Glasgow since Monday morning. 
 This seems to have been considered rather an 
 extraordinary performance for my little ponies, 
 and judges in equestrian matters have said 
 that it would have tried the powers of most 
 full-grown horses. My servant and myself
 
 GLASGOW. 77 
 
 watched them most carefully, to see whether 
 they were exhibiting the slightest sign of fatigue 
 or indisposition ; and, had this been the case, 
 we should of course have adopted a more tardy 
 course. I must say that the weather and the 
 state of the roads were both most favourable 
 for our expedition ; and far from the ponies 
 showing any signs of overwork or exhaustion, 
 one of them continued so fat, that an ostler 
 pushing in her side with much apparent satis- 
 faction, and gazing at her, as an artist at some 
 picture, said : " Well, you look as if you were 
 always at home at dinner-time !" 
 
 I admired much the broad and symmetrical 
 streets of Glasgow, as well as the many fine 
 statues and monuments with which it is richly 
 adorned. The residences in the new town are 
 large, commodious, and built of stone. I know 
 no town whose residents seem to me better 
 lodged than the citizens of Glasgow. 
 
 The Sunday appeared to me admirably kept. 
 My expectations were highly raised as to the 
 due observance of the Sabbath in Scotland ; and 
 on this, my first occasion of being able to judge 
 as an eye-witness, I can undoubtedly testify 
 that all my expectations were abundantly fulfilled. 
 I looked up the long line formed by the Tron- 
 gate and Argyle Street, just at the time when
 
 78 THE SCOTCH SABBATH. 
 
 the chief stir might have been expected, and 
 I could not see one single vehicle abroad. 
 What a contrast with a similar view, at the 
 same time of day, down Oxford Street or Picca- 
 dilly, the corresponding thoroughfares of London. 
 At each hour of public worship the people were 
 to be seen crossing one another in dense throngs 
 on their way to service : the men, even to the 
 class of manual labourers, clad for the most part 
 in good habiliments of black cloth. Close to our 
 hotel — that of Mr. Josez, near to the railway 
 station, and one, by the bye, which I can highly 
 recommend for cleanliness, attention, and general 
 superiority of accommodation — was an immense 
 chapel, of which Dr. Wardlaw was the minister. 
 Such a full body of song proceeded from the 
 numerous worshippers at his chapel, that I heard 
 it a considerable distance in the neighbouring 
 streets. My time, and indeed my opportunities 
 for obtaining information on religious matters in 
 Glasgow, whether as regards the Episcopal, the 
 Established, or the Free Church, were so 
 extremely limited, that I shall prefer, as yet, to 
 keep silence on the subject, and will beg my 
 readers to remember that this is my first Sunday 
 in Scotland. 
 
 At Glasgow we had the gratification of meet- 
 ing my father-in-law, and other members of his
 
 CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 79 
 
 family. They had been for some weeks in Scot- 
 land, were warm in their appreciation of the 
 country and its inhabitants, and gave us most 
 cheering accounts of the grand scenery which 
 they had traversed, of the hospitality which they 
 had received, and of the characters which they 
 had metin various classes of life. In their company 
 and under the kind and intelligent guidance of 
 J. C. C — , Esq., M.P. for N— , whose country 
 place is within a few miles of the town, we 
 visited, on Monday, the Glasgow Asylum for 
 the Blind, and the Lunatic Asylum in the im- 
 mediate neighbourhood of the city. Mr. C — , 
 told me there was a third institution of the 
 most interesting character, which, if possible, 
 I should see. He alluded to the Training 
 School, under the able superintendence of David 
 Stowe, Esq. I had brought a line of introduc- 
 tion to that gentleman from a friend in England; 
 but circumstances prevented my seeing him, or 
 the institution under his care, during this visit 
 to Glasgow, and I regret to say that he was 
 absent from town when I called on a subsequent 
 occasion. 
 
 In the ensuing chapters, I shall give an account 
 of those two interesting institutions which we 
 visited this day.
 
 80 BLIND ASYLUM. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Blind Asylum — Blind Readers— Geography — Astronomy — Manual 
 Labour — Success of the Institution — Institution for Blind at 
 Leamington — Address to the Blind — Mr. Alstone. 
 
 The Blind Asylum is situated on high and 
 healthy ground near the Cathedral. On our 
 arrival, we were introduced to Mr. Alstone, the 
 Honorary Treasurer, and able acting manager of 
 the whole institution. The cause of the blind 
 is the special department of Christian benevo- 
 lence to which he has devoted his energies ; and, 
 as most evidently appears from all which is seen 
 in the Asylum, with the utmost efficiency, suc- 
 cess, and blessing on his efforts. 
 
 I will first mention what we saw ourselves, 
 and then add a few particulars as to the insti- 
 tution in general. 
 
 We first entered a room where about twenty 
 blind young women were employed in knitting. 
 Some of the articles on which they were
 
 BLIND READERS. 81 
 
 engaged, required the finest and most delicate 
 work. After a little time, we heard them read 
 extremely well with their fingers; and, although 
 this would have seemed marvellous indeed not 
 many years ago, yet now the process has been 
 witnessed by so many in public meetings and 
 elsewhere, and the system adopted is so well 
 known, that I shall only add two observations on 
 this part of the subject. The first is, that the 
 Roman alphabet, or letters similar to those in 
 common use for our own reading, in every thing 
 except their raised or embossed form, is employed 
 here, in preference to any of those arbitrary 
 characters, recommended by Gall, Lucas, and 
 others. 
 
 The second is, that I have seldom witnessed 
 the delightful sight of the blind reading by the 
 touch, without applying the passage from St. 
 Paul's speech at Athens, and rejoicing that 
 " they should (thus) seek the Lord, if haply 
 they might feel after him, and find Him." 
 
 At the termination of the reading we examined 
 the arithmetical class, formed of nine blind boys. 
 I do not think that I can explain their proceedings 
 in detail with any probability of its being under- 
 stood by mere description, and therefore only 
 mention that the sums are done on aboard, fitted 
 up with holes, and moveable pegs, which form 
 
 e 3
 
 82 GEOGRAPHY. 
 
 different numbers according to the mode of their 
 insertion. This may give some faint notion of 
 the system in use. 
 
 We then heard some hymns, very beautifully 
 sung, with the accompaniment of an organ. 
 
 The next branch of education to which we 
 were conducted, was that of geography. In 
 facilitating geographical instruction, among other 
 means employed, a very large globe, measuring 
 about nine feet and a half, is used. " The water 
 is made smooth, and the land is distinguished 
 from it by being slightly elevated, and its surface 
 rendered rough by a coating of fine sand, painted 
 in oil of various colours, in order to distinguish 
 to the eye the political divisions. These divi- 
 sions are also surrounded by a slight prominence, 
 for the purpose of enabling those, for whom the 
 globe is more particularly intended, to grope 
 their way. Rivers are denoted by smooth and 
 slightly raised sinuous lines, traversing the 
 rough land in their proper direction ; mountains 
 by a series of elevations, indicating the position 
 of the range ; and towns by a small brass 
 knob." # I asked a blind boy several questions 
 requiring a very accurate knowledge of geogra- 
 phy throughout the world, and he did not fail 
 
 * Statements of the arrangements of the Asylum for the Blind. 
 Glasgow, 1844.
 
 ASTRONOMY. 83 
 
 in one instance. The comparative size and 
 course of rivers, and the comparative heights of 
 mountains are, as may be expected, represented 
 by raised charts and tables ; nor is the know- 
 ledge of God's work in creation, as conveyed to 
 the blind, limited only to the earth ; no difficulty 
 being found in introducing to their minds, 
 through the organ of touch, the principles of 
 astronomy. The mode of doing this may be 
 easily supposed by any one to whom an orrery 
 is familiar. Geometry and mathematics are the 
 last mental acquisitions which I have to mention 
 here, as being attained by the inmates of 
 the institution ; and surely it is one of the 
 most blessed applications of modern art, thus 
 to supply means of interest and occupation to 
 those, who till of late years had little done for 
 their improvement, and were not only shut out 
 from knowledge, as conveyed by the main inlet 
 of the senses, but received little systematic 
 attention as to the faculties remaining for their 
 use. The grievousness of this omission now 
 appears enhanced by the remembrance that, in 
 the case of the blind, the remaining senses are 
 not only as strong as in the seeing, but stronger 
 and clearer still. Hence a loud call for special 
 development of those powers which remain. 
 I shall not waste time by entering into the
 
 84 MANUAL LABOUR. 
 
 question as to the value of knowledge to the 
 blind. I mean of knowledge such as that which 
 I have here described. All that could be said 
 against it in their case has been said times with- 
 out number against it as conferred on those who 
 can see ; and times without number all these 
 objections have been utterly refuted. 
 
 Our course through another department — 
 that of manual labour and trades, as carried on 
 bv the blind — led us first into a room, where ten 
 or twelve individuals, some of them grown up, 
 were employed in weaving coarse sacks. We then 
 saw T nine or ten basket-makers, and finally some 
 rope makers. But these are only specimens of the 
 occupations in which blindness appears no impedi- 
 ment to industrious and profitable exertion. In 
 the pamphlet already quoted, I have before me a 
 most interesting page of engraving, representing 
 no less than ten specimens of manual labour, all 
 exemplified and realized in this place. These 
 are net making, winding on a wheel, sewing, 
 knitting, sack printing, flax dressing, mattress 
 making, weaving, basket making and rope 
 making. 
 
 Such is the success of the industrial training 
 adopted in the institution, that many, who 
 have been instructed in the house, are now 
 earning from eight to ten shillings a week ; and
 
 SUCCESS OF THE INSTITUTION. 85 
 
 thus their hands are made available in the 
 acquisition of an honest maintenance, while 
 their minds are stored with that various know- 
 ledge, without which their course of life would 
 have been, comparatively speaking, a mere 
 intellectual blank. 
 
 The founder of this asylum was John Leitch, 
 of Glasgow. " He himself had suffered under a 
 partial infirmity of sight, and bequeathed the 
 sum of £5000 towards opening and maintaining 
 the institution." It is surely a most appropriate 
 evidence of sympathy when the rich sufferer 
 thus provides for those among his poorer 
 brethren, who may so closely and literally be 
 termed his fellow-sufferers. Perhaps those who 
 never have known the loss or defalcation of that 
 grand blessing, sight, are as urgently called to 
 show their gratitude to God by abundant 
 liberality in behalf of the blind ; but leaving that 
 subject now, I will just mention here that I am 
 acquainted with a lady at Leamington, who, 
 afflicted with blindness herself, and acting in 
 Christian love towards those similarly visited, 
 has so successfully exerted herself, that a small 
 but very interesting institution for the blind is 
 established in that town. From a Report of this 
 year in my possession I see that at the present 
 moment there are ten inmates of the residence,
 
 86 INSTITUTION FOR BLIND 
 
 and four day pupils, while there are other 
 candidates for admission. I copy with much 
 pleasure the first sentence of this Report, as 
 illustrating the simple measures adopted as a 
 commencement at Leamington, and which might 
 be adopted elsewhere with similar ease, and at 
 an expenditure, if need be, of very moderate 
 amount. It will be observed, from the seventh 
 rule of the institution, which I insert below,* 
 that a certain sum is paid by those received, or 
 for them, and also what are the means and 
 qualifications for admission. 
 
 "This establishment was first opened on a 
 very small scale in November, 1843, when three 
 day pupils, two men, and a little girl, began to 
 receive instruction in reading in embossed 
 characters. A short time after, a few girls were 
 received as inmates ; and in the course of 1844 
 the number wishing for instruction was so great 
 that a larger house was taken in October, and 
 boys also were received as inmates and taught 
 basket and mat making, besides finger reading. 
 
 * " That candidates for admission to the institution, with a cer- 
 tificate of good character, shall be recommended by a subscriber, 
 or by the clergyman of the parish in which they are living ; and 
 on being admitted, they shall bring with them payment for three 
 months' board and washing in advance, on the following terms : 
 Boys and girls under 15 years, 4s. a week — Men 5s. 6d. — and 
 Women, 5s. a week. The pupils who do not board in the house 
 shall pay nothing for tuition."
 
 AT LEAMINGTON. 8? 
 
 The blessing that has attended the effort has 
 encouraged the individual, who commenced the 
 work, to hope that it may become an institu- 
 tion of extensive usefulness for this and the 
 neighbouring counties, as no School for the 
 Instruction of the Blind is yet established in the 
 centre of England. She is, therefore, anxious to 
 give the conduct of it to a more methodical 
 character ; and by the kindness of those whose 
 names now appear she is enabled to effect this 
 object, sending forth this first Report, with 
 thankfulness for the past, and trusting that it 
 may please the Almighty to continue His 
 blessing to the undertaking." 
 
 I am glad to mention an unpretending and 
 comparatively humble establishment like this, 
 because my statement may probably procure for 
 it some contributions, and may also lead others 
 who have it in their power to arrange, in their 
 own sphere, some similar plans. Notwithstand- 
 ing that much is done for the blind, the visitation 
 is so frequent that the demand for charitable 
 efforts of benevolence in this line very far 
 exceeds the supply ; and surely such labours of 
 love seem most appropriate to all the followers 
 of that Saviour, whom prophecy specially 
 announced, as one who should open the eyes of 
 the blind, and of whom it was proved by his
 
 88 ADDRESS TO THE BLIND. 
 
 gracious deeds upon earth, that this declaration 
 included both the body and the soul of suffering 
 and sinful man. 
 
 A chaplain attends at the Glasgow Asylum 
 every morning and evening, for the purpose of 
 conducting family-worship ; and on Saturday to 
 give the pupils instruction in the principles of 
 religion. My father-in-law, Dr. M — , address- 
 ed the inmates of the place before we took our 
 leave of them ; and, as usual, his language of 
 love and of truth, close and applicable to his 
 hearers on the one hand, in reference to their 
 peculiar condition, and at the same time so 
 delicate and refined, that no feelings could be 
 hurt thereby, made a deep impression on all 
 present, and solemnized, while it enhanced, the 
 vivid interest derived by our whole party from 
 the scene, to which we had the privilege of 
 being witnesses to-day. 
 
 1 do not wish to bring to a conclusion these 
 observations in the Glasgow Asylum for the 
 Blind without mentioning that one unanimous 
 testimony is and has been, year after year, ren- 
 dered to the Honorary Treasurer, John Alstone, 
 Esq. As to his unerring zeal in behalf of the 
 inmates, and his comprehensive measures for 
 their welfare, I just quote on this subject the 
 remark of the Directors, in renewing their
 
 MR. ALSTONE. 89 
 
 annual vote of thanks for the present year. 
 Volumes could not say more. 
 
 " To their Honorary Treasurer, John Alstone, 
 Esq., of Rosemount, the Directors would renew 
 their annual vote of thanks. They can only 
 repeat what they have so often had occasion to 
 express, that to his ceaseless exertions and 
 unwearied assiduity, the prosperity of this insti- 
 tution, under the blessing of Providence, has 
 been, in a great measure, owing ; and they 
 sincerely trust that he will be long spared to 
 continue his praiseworthy exertions in this 
 field of usefulness."* 
 
 * Eighteenth Report, 20th June, 1S45.
 
 90 LUNATIC ASYLUM. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Lunatic Asylum — Arrangements — Dr. Hutcheson — Prevention 
 of Insanity — Causes of Insanity — Occupation for the Insane — 
 Means of Grace — Lunatics in Scotland — Parliamentary State- 
 ments — Country Visit — Glasgow Cathedral — Advance of Popery 
 — Our Danger and Duty. 
 
 Having seen how much could be achieved for 
 the blind, and how much of unquestionable and 
 effectual alleviation they, under their grievous 
 privation might receive, we went, as it were, 
 in the strength of these impressions, to see other 
 means of relief adapted to other woes ; to see 
 what means, skill, science, zeal, and bene- 
 volence could render available for curing and 
 relieving the deranged. 
 
 The institution, to which I allude, is the 
 Glasgow Royal Asylum for Lunatics, situated 
 on a high and healthy site at a few miles 
 distance from the town. 
 
 This Asylum has been built within the last
 
 ARRANGEMENTS. 9 1 
 
 few years, and is a very grand edifice. In order 
 to secure the utmost excellence of arrangement, 
 the architect and the physician, at the desire of 
 the committee, made a visit of inquiry both to 
 the principal Asylums of England and to those 
 in Paris and its neighbourhood. On their 
 return, the plans which they prepared received 
 the unanimous approbation of the Directors, and 
 were as speedily as possible carried into effect. 
 Such is the interesting history of that magni- 
 ficent and commodious structure which meets 
 the eye of the visitor, on his approach to the 
 place. The accommodation will finally be 
 provided for six hundred patients. 
 
 The institution is arranged for sufferers of all 
 ranks, from those of large property, whose 
 means enable them to pay proportionately for 
 the accommodation to the insane poor, who are 
 sent from the various parishes of the City of 
 Glasgow, and various other localities, which, 
 paying a certain annual sum in proportion to 
 their population, thereby acquire the right of 
 recommending their insane poor as inmates of 
 the institution on the same terms as the City of 
 Glasgow. 
 
 We were kindly received at the Asylum by 
 the physician to the establishment, Dr. William 
 Hutcheson, who has acquired, and so well 
 deserves the highest reputation for his treatment
 
 92 DR. HUTCHESON. 
 
 of insanity. I was very much pleased and 
 interested with his conversation and demeanour, 
 which seemed to me that of a man uniting in no 
 ordinary degree the different qualities of gentle- 
 ness, firmness, judgment, and benevolence. To 
 give any general detail of the system, or of 
 what we saw, would not be appropriate to these 
 pages, such subjects being at the present time — 
 and I am glad to be able to say it — so generally 
 known, not only by those who have read the 
 accounts of similar institutions, but also by 
 those, who, from motives of laudable inquiry, 
 and sympathy for suffering, have themselves 
 been visitors of such scenes. I shall therefore 
 confine myself to a few scattered remarks. 
 
 From the physician's Report for 1844, 1 extract 
 the following most observable statement : — 
 
 " Regarding the treatment, I may remark 
 that, as before, the Asylum hasbeen satisfactorily 
 managed, without mechanical restraint being 
 applied to a single patient during the year, and 
 that under peculiar circumstances. When it is 
 considered that upwards of two hundred and 
 forty patients were removed from the old asylum 
 to the new ; that within three months we had an 
 accession to our numbers of one hundred indi- 
 viduals, who had been indifferently managed, or 
 left at large for years ; that, while the ordinary 
 business was going on, the institution had to be
 
 PREVENTION OF INSANITY. 93 
 
 furnished and arranged, the grounds cleared and 
 brought into order, and new attendants procured 
 and trained, — it will be admitted that the system 
 of non-restraint has been put to the severest 
 test, and that nothing but unremitting labour 
 and vigilance could have ensured success. The 
 activity, judgment, and zeal of my medical assist- 
 ants, deserve thewarmest acknowledgments ; and 
 the patience, industry, and anxiety to promote the 
 welfare of the establishment, displayed by the 
 attendants, merit the highest commendation."* 
 
 I had a little conversation with Dr. Hutcheson 
 on the subject of means to be adopted in educa- 
 tion towards the prevention of insanity, when it was 
 known that there was an hereditary predisposition 
 to it. This subject seemed to him one of the deepest 
 interest ; and I find the following remark in one of 
 his Reports. Speaking on education, as a means 
 of prevention, he says : — " I am not aware that 
 the experiment has as yet been made to any 
 extent ; but I trust that an institution having 
 for its object the education of those, who, 
 by hereditary predisposition or constitution are 
 more than usually liable to the malady, may 
 at no distant period be organised, and take 
 a place among the philanthropic establish- 
 ments of the country. In the mean time, I 
 
 * Pages 31, 32.
 
 94 CAUSES OF INSANITY. 
 
 shall briefly enumerate the points most worthy 
 of attention."* Then follow several important 
 remarks on preventive measures, as at present 
 available. 
 
 Dr. H , in the same Report, men- 
 tions, that, " next to hereditary predisposition, 
 the most frequent causes of the disease in the 
 cases admitted last year, were intemperance and 
 want." A very serious and important statement 
 follows, which all who are interested in the 
 welfare of their fellow-creatures, would do well 
 to ponder over with attentive care : — 
 
 " For some years the number of patients, whose 
 malady may be attributed to these causes, has 
 been increasing. The increase has been among 
 the lower classes. In 1841, the cases which 
 could be traced to intemperance were thirty ; in 
 1842, they were forty-six. In 1841, those arising 
 from want amounted to five; in 1842, to seven- 
 teen. I have no doubt that the cause of the 
 increase of both is manufacturing and commer- 
 cial distress, giving rise to lowness of wages and 
 want of employment. It may be said, that when 
 wages are low, and occupation difficult to be 
 obtained, men will have less money to spend, 
 and, consequently, will drink less. A pretty 
 extensive observation of the different grades of 
 
 * Physician's second Annual Report, pp. 11, 12.
 
 OCCUPATION FOR THE INSANE. 95 
 
 the working classes for upwards of fifteen years, 
 lias convinced me that this opinion is erroneous ; 
 for I have generally found, that want and intem- 
 perance go hand in hand. Whenever a man 
 falls below a certain point in physical comfort, 
 he becomes reckless, and sensual enjoyment 
 forms his only pleasure. To this he will sacrifice 
 every thing ; and habits of intemperance are 
 frequently acquired in seasons of distress, which 
 the individual in more favourable circumstances 
 finds it impossible to lay aside." 
 
 The same Report contains remarks at con- 
 siderable length on the large number of patients 
 who have become deranged from the intemperate 
 use of spirituous liquors. 
 
 After certain tabular details, the Report con- 
 cludes with some interesting statements on the 
 absence of all mechanical constraint as applied 
 to the patients ; on their occupation and amuse- 
 ments, among which is that of printing a perio- 
 dical, towards which the contributions of the 
 inmates, " exclusive of those too absurd to be 
 printed, were far more than sufficient to fill its 
 pages ;" on the management and value of a 
 circulating library, and on the state of religion, 
 and the means of grace as exhibited in the 
 institution. On this point I select one short 
 passage : —
 
 96 MEANS OF GRACE. 
 
 " As noted in our last Report, the patients 
 assemble every morning and evening in chapel 
 for divine worship. About three-fourths of the 
 whole inmates attend regularly, though no com- 
 pulsory measures are employed ; and, since none 
 are present who do not come voluntarily, and 
 all are excluded who would disturb others, or 
 distract their attention, the service proceeds 
 with all due solemnity, and the congregation is 
 quiet and orderly. As, in consequence of other 
 duties unconnected with the Asylum which de- 
 volve on the chaplain, we have been able to 
 procure his services only three times a week, I 
 have, with the aid of my assistants, endeavoured, 
 though inadequately, I am convinced, to supply 
 his place on the other occasions." After a few 
 farther remarks, including a notice on the 
 habit of the patients to read and converse upon 
 the passages heard explained in the chapel, 
 as evidencing a permanency of the impres- 
 sions made upon their minds, the Doctor 
 thus concludes his observations on this most 
 important part of his subject: — "I have 
 no hesitation, therefore, in saying, that the 
 services of a judicious and benevolent chap- 
 lain must prove highly beneficial in every 
 Asylum." 
 
 Dr. Hutcheson has a statement of a con-
 
 LUNATICS IN SCOTLAND. 97 
 
 firmatory nature as to the same topic in his 
 Report of another year : — 
 
 " Religious instruction has not only been 
 continued, as heretofore, but, in consequence of 
 
 Mr. B , who has laboured for fourteen years 
 
 in the institution, having become resident, it 
 has been carried on to a greater extent. In 
 addition to his other duties he has undertaken 
 the teaching and training of some of our inmates, 
 who had never been deemed capable of receiving 
 instruction of anv kind, and the success hitherto 
 has been highly encouraging." 
 
 We took leave of Dr. Hutcheson with earnest 
 wishes for the welfare of the whole establishment, 
 and with a firm conviction that much was in 
 progress here towards the relief, restoration, and 
 happiness of many fellow-creatures, visited by 
 that grievous affliction, once so much increased 
 by the ignorance, mismanagement, and cruelty 
 of man, but now so much alleviated by skill, 
 judgment, and true Christian love. 
 
 This institution, as realized in Scotland, is 
 peculiarly interesting, from the fact, that hitherto 
 provision for pauper lunatics throughout the 
 country has been altogether inadequate to the 
 wants of the population, under those most urgent 
 of all demands — I mean cases of insanity among 
 the poor. During the well-known debate, or, to 
 
 VOL. I. F
 
 98 PARLIAMENTARY STATEMENTS, 
 
 speak more accurately, at the delivery of the 
 Lord Advocate's address, at once so luminous 
 and so detailed on the Scotch Poor Law Bill in 
 the House of Commons, April 2, 1845, I find 
 several statements confirmatory of this fact. 
 His Lordship, speaking of the laws relative to 
 Lunatics in Scotland, said : — " that he did not 
 think they were altogether satisfactory." He 
 referred at some length to a paper of Dr. 
 Hutcheson relative to some abuses in regard to 
 pauper lunatics sent to the Island of Arran, and 
 to the active steps taken to remedy those abuses 
 by which in August, 1843, sixty-eight lunatics 
 were removed from thence. His proposition as 
 to pauper lunatics was : — " that they should be 
 sent to an asylum of some kind, unless the 
 Board of Supervision should dispense with such 
 removal in any particular case."* 
 
 Mr. Ellice, Jun., said on the same occasion: 
 — " With regard to Lunatics, every body knew 
 that the present system of taking care of Lunatics 
 in Scotland was a disgrace to any civilized 
 country. But there were no Lunatic Asylums 
 there for the purpose ; and to suppose that the 
 Scotch were going to build any was an idea not 
 to be entertained for a moment." I scarcely 
 
 * Speech of the Lord Advocate, &c, reprinted by Blackwood 
 and Sons, p. 24.
 
 COUNTRY VISIT. 99 
 
 understand what the Honourable Gentleman 
 meant by this last remark. If Christian benevo- 
 lence and sound policy require Asylums for the 
 insane poor in Scotland, why should there be no 
 expectation of having them introduced ? 
 
 Mr. Hawes, who considered that " the Govern- 
 ment deserved great thanks for the Bill," said : 
 " With regard to Lunatics, in particular, he 
 hoped the learned Lord would see the necessity 
 for some provision. Although the learned Lord 
 stated, that the Lunatics, who had been illegally 
 confined on the Isle of Arran had been released, 
 he was not satisfied that they were much better off 
 now ; and, unless they provided public Asylums, 
 or compelled the parishes to furnish proper 
 medical aid at an early period of the disease, 
 they would not have taken all the means in their 
 power to mitigate this greatest of all calamities." 
 All these statements prove the extreme 
 importance of diligent and speedy attention to 
 this subject in Scotland; and the Glasgow Asylum 
 may become both a model and a stimulus to many 
 other kindred establishments in the land. 
 
 On quitting the Asylum we proceeded to K , 
 
 where we were engaged to dine. Those of my 
 readers who have the privilege of being acquainted 
 with our host — and few are more known and 
 valued both in public and social life — need not 
 
 p 2
 
 100 GLASGOW CATHEDRAL. 
 
 be told that we enjoyed our evening in no slight 
 
 degree. On our way to his house, Mr. C 
 
 took us through the adjoining grounds of Sir 
 
 A C . They are very beautiful, having 
 
 among other interesting features, steep hanging 
 woods, and a fine river, which curves in a most 
 picturesque loop just before the house. Sir 
 
 A C was at home, and kindly showed 
 
 us his beautiful conservatory, some fine pictures, 
 ancient carved wood, and, in a word, his most 
 pleasant home. He built the house himself a 
 few years ago, and nothing can be more complete 
 than this, my first specimen of a Scotch country- 
 house. 
 
 The Cathedral at Glasgow is now under repair 
 both within and without, after having been long 
 abandoned to neglect and decay. The choir 
 alone is applied to purposes of worship ; and 
 Presbvterian service is still held there. At 
 one period, three Presbyterian congregations 
 used to assemble in the edifice at the same 
 time — one in the choir, another in the nave, 
 and another in the crypt. I heard that the 
 service in the crypt was given up forty-two 
 years ago, and that in the nave fourteen years 
 ago. The crypt is very handsome, and is well 
 known to the readers of Sir Walter Scott, as 
 the scene of a celebrated passage in Rob Roy
 
 ADVANCE OF POPERY. 101 
 
 The person who conducted us through the edi- 
 fice told us that one of the late visitors to this 
 Cathedral, said, while viewing it, "We shall 
 not have this as our own again under twenty 
 years, I am afraid. We shall get on much 
 faster in England than we shall in this country ; 
 but we shall have this and all the other Cathe- 
 drals in about twenty years." 
 
 The speaker was a Romanist ; and though 
 some may utterly deride all such anticipations, 
 yet, perhaps, twenty years ago they would have 
 utterly derided the thought of all which has 
 taken place in our day at Oxford, and among 
 so many Ministers and educated laymen in the 
 English Church. Who would then have thought 
 of such principles as those now asserted in 
 universities, in pulpits, and in all forms of 
 literature ? Who would then have dreamed 
 of such practices as those now introduced in 
 manv a church of our land ? Who would 
 then have thought it possible that long lists 
 of clergymen and gentlemen, as converts to 
 Popery, might now be drawn up from the 
 columns of the daily press ? These events 
 are all now embodied, as facts, in the religious 
 history of our country. Who will venture, after 
 this, to limit the events, in a similar direction, 
 of the next twenty years ? May God preserve
 
 102 OUR DANGER AND DUTY. 
 
 us from supineness, fancied security, and all that 
 judicial blindness, which is the sure prepara- 
 tive for ruin ! May He enable the true Pro- 
 testants of England, Ireland, and Scotland to 
 " strive together for the Faith of the Gospel," 
 " to strengthen the things that remain," and 
 still to preserve inviolate that glorious princi- 
 ple — that indispensable watch-word of their 
 Faith — no peace with Rome !
 
 LOCH LOMOND. 10 
 
 a 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Loch Lomond — Rob Roy — His real History— Rob Roy's Death — 
 Loch Katrine — Overladen boat — The Trosachs— Scott's descrip- 
 tion — Scotch Piper — Evening Prayers — Walk to Callender — 
 Stirling — French connection — Beautiful scene. 
 
 August 5. To the Trosachs. — Intending to 
 make our excursion chiefly by water for the 
 next two days, we sent oar pony-carriage 
 on to Stirling, and set off early this morning 
 
 with Dr. M and my wife's sister for 
 
 Loch Lomond and Loch Katrine. The day 
 was bright and calm ; indeed, in every way 
 adapted for our object. After a drive of about 
 twenty miles, during which we passed the rock 
 and fortress of Dumbarton, rising aloft in abrupt, 
 solitary, and eccentric grandeur from the flat 
 plain beneath, as if for the very purpose of 
 guarding the passage up the river Clyde, which 
 flows at its base, we embarked on a stream 
 at the southern end of Loch Lomond, and pro- 
 ceeded to Inversnaid, where we, and several
 
 104 ROB ROY. 
 
 other passengers landed close to a small inn, 
 standing picturesquely on the side of the steep, 
 shelving bank. 
 
 During our whole course we were encircled 
 by grand ranges of mountains, among which 
 Ben Lomond rose in front, far above all its 
 neighbouring competitors, and our vessel 
 went on, winding hither and thither among a 
 multitude of rocky and well-wooded islands. 
 The clearness of the sky above was only rivalled 
 by that of the calm water beneath ; and, with- 
 out making comparisons, depreciating other 
 lakes, or exalting this at their expense, we 
 all felt that Scotland might well be proud of 
 such an expanse as this, and set in such a 
 frame. 
 
 At Inversnaid, it is necessary for those pro- 
 ceeding to Loch Katrine, either to ride, walk, 
 or drive, (the worst method of progress from 
 the badness of the road) for a few miles dis- 
 tance, and here the guide-books threatened us 
 with all sorts of extraordinary imposition and 
 incivility ; but we found neither one nor the 
 other ; and I suppose that the evil, after having 
 arrived at a certain height, had been cured 
 either by competition or by shame. Dr. M — 
 and the two ladies were soon provided with 
 ponies, and I accompanied them on foot through
 
 HIS REAL HISTORY. 105 
 
 the mountain-pass valleys, by which the two 
 lakes are connected. We were now in the 
 territory, which was the scene of the life and 
 exploits — if they deserve such an exalted name 
 — of that celebrated character, Rob Roy Macgre- 
 gor. I shall here notice a few particulars of 
 his real and actual history. 
 
 Perhaps some, who, in their imagination, 
 have thrown him back into distant ages, will 
 be surprised on hearing the fact, that it is only 
 about one hundred vears since the individual 
 so named departed from this life. His real 
 name was Macgregor, or Campbell. In fact, 
 either appellation would be appropriate, as he 
 was one of that extraordinary clan, the Macgre- 
 gors, who were the subjects of such relentless 
 and persevering animosity on the part, not 
 only of their stronger neighbours, but of the 
 State also, even to the prohibition, forbidding 
 any one whatever to bear the dreaded name. 
 If it had not been for this, Rob Roy's name 
 would have appeared in public documents as a 
 Macgregor; but as it is, he is called Campbell — 
 I believe, from some temporary adhesion to the 
 family of Argyll. Inversnaid, where we mounted 
 our ponies, was the very place of which we 
 hear as his first residence. While living there, 
 he pursued the occupation of an extensive dealer 
 
 f 3
 
 106 ROB ROY. 
 
 in cattle, which went under his protection to 
 the Lowland fairs. He dealt and acted on his 
 own account, and on the account of several 
 large proprietors of the neighbourhood, for 
 whom he seems to have been employed as a 
 kind of agent. This went on for some time, 
 and he was prosperous in his concerns for a 
 certain period ; but subsequently a turn in his 
 affairs happened, and he became responsible for 
 a large sum, both on his own account, and on 
 the account of those who had entrusted him 
 with the management of their business. Instead 
 of a more peaceable endeavour to pay his debts, 
 or of a surrender to his creditors, he all at once 
 had recourse to a new system. He took up 
 his abode at no great distance from his previous 
 haunts, but far up among the rough and wild 
 mountains of this neighbourhood, north of In- 
 versnaid, on the east bank of Loch Lomond. 
 Here he gathered about him a band of daring 
 and lawless men, and for a while it certainly 
 appears that he lived by making incursions 
 on the property of his neighbours — chiefly, if 
 not exclusively, cattle — and appropriating it to 
 himself and his adherents. But before long his 
 name grew so famous, that he was enabled to 
 apply his power in a new and more regular 
 way, so as to secure and realize for himself —
 
 HIS REAL HISTORY. 107 
 
 without so much danger, opposition to the 
 laws of his country, and uncertainty — a syste- 
 matic and regular income. This was accom- 
 plished in a most extraordinary way — by black 
 mail. The fact was, that the neighbouring 
 proprietors, who had suffered much from his 
 predatory attacks, and from similar depreda- 
 tions among themselves, or from other quar- 
 ters, agreed to pay Rob Roy, each for himself, 
 a certain annual sum, as a consideration for 
 his undertaking to seek and restore any cattle 
 which they might lose, by any of the various 
 incursions to which they were constantly sub- 
 ject. This, of course, preserved them from 
 Rob Roy's attacks too ; and in a great measure 
 secured them from any other losses, — so 
 thoroughly was he and his party acquainted 
 with the neighbouring fastnesses, and with all 
 the proceedings of their respective inhabi- 
 tants. 
 
 Thus then lived Rob Roy for many years, occa- 
 sionally engaged in other frays and expeditions, 
 but usually occupied as a kind of protector 
 of his neighbours' cattle, and as a recipient 
 of considerable annual sums paid to him on 
 this account. In fact, just as the best guardiano 
 on the roads of Spain is frequently the trans- 
 formed chieftain of banditti, so Rob Roy became
 
 108 rob roy's death. 
 
 the guardiano for those who engaged him by 
 their annual retaining fee. 
 
 He lived, pursuing this line of business, to 
 an advanced period of life, and died safely in 
 his bed. He seems, on the approach of dis- 
 solution, to have had some strong compunction 
 as to various transactions of his life, and bit- 
 terly reproved his wife, who seems to have 
 been a very Lady Macbeth in disposition, for 
 some haughty and inappropriate words, as to 
 his humiliation and contrition before God. 
 
 I have been desirous to sketch out a real 
 life and character, as brieflv as I can. For 
 Rob Roy's real life, as a matter of history, is 
 nationally and socially speaking, a subject well 
 worthy of attention. The romance attached 
 to his name may be, to many persons, a kind 
 of stepping-stone towards inquiries and obser- 
 vations of no little historical importance, as 
 illustrating the times in which he flourished — 
 to use an old Harrovian expression, as to every 
 individual mentioned in Lempriere's Dictionary, 
 whether good, bad, or indifferent. 
 
 On finishing our short land-expedition, and 
 arriving at the border of Loch Katrine, a row- 
 boat, with a large number of passengers, was 
 just setting off. The boatmen called out to 
 know whether we would embark also. Little
 
 LOCH KATRINE. 109 
 
 or no time being given to us for consideration, 
 we hurried down, and got in, amid doubts 
 audibly expressed by some standers by, as to 
 the sufficiency of room, or the safety of our 
 proceeding. 
 
 When we entered the boat, we discovered 
 that it was so full of tourists and luggage, that 
 we could only find space for ourselves forward, 
 in the bow of the boat, where the addition of 
 our number to the passengers barely left room 
 for the rowers to bend to their oars. However, 
 we four sat down with the most limited accom- 
 modation, as new bales among the heap of 
 luggage previously piled up. We soon found 
 that the inconvenience was only a minor con- 
 sideration to any one who knew anything of 
 boating, as it immediately became evident that 
 our load was far beyond that which ought to 
 have been taken. The boatmen would not 
 admit it, but the fact was clear. Besides the 
 two rowers there was another man in the party, 
 who seemed to have the direction. He moved, 
 when necessary, with the greatest precaution, 
 while no one else moved at all, or seemed 
 inclined to do so, from the evident effect of the 
 slightest stir of any passenger on the over- 
 burdened craft.
 
 1 1 OVERLADEN BOAT. 
 
 The weather was perfectly calm, when we 
 commenced our ten mile course ; but presently, 
 and just as we were in the middle of the lake, 
 a breeze came down from the mountains, and 
 caused much more swell than I should have 
 thought possible, considering how slight it was. 
 The boat could not rise to the wave in the 
 smallest degree, and therefore went through 
 it with a dead, straight, horizontal motion, 
 which would have been most hazardous had 
 the wind increased even a little more. Hap- 
 pily, however, it soon decreased instead of 
 increasing, and we were no longer in any 
 unpleasant predicament. Had there been only 
 a fair cargo on board, there would not have 
 been the slightest danger, even had the surface 
 been ten times as much agitated ; but as the 
 case was, with a long, thin, much over-loaded 
 boat, our position for about half an hour was 
 by no means satisfactory ; and, as one fond 
 of the water, I could not help feeling how 
 disagreeable the motion was, contrasted with 
 the play of a boat, springing over or breasting 
 the waves. From their whispering, and other 
 signs, my opinion was that the rowers, who 
 knew most about the matter, did not themselves 
 like our position, when, at one particular point,
 
 THE TROSACHS. Ill 
 
 the breeze began to freshen, and the cloud 
 darkly to sweep past in our direction from 
 Ben Lomond's towering height. 
 
 On approaching the farther end of the lake, 
 the sights around us were as peculiar as they 
 were beautiful. The opposite banks approxi- 
 mate closely to each other, and form, by their 
 wooded projections, irregularly shaped rocks, 
 and fantastic natural features of various descrip- 
 tions. This is the commencement of that sin- 
 gular locality known by the name of the 
 "Trosachs" — a word, which I believe signifies 
 "jutting eminences," and most characteristic 
 of the place to which it is applied. We passed 
 close by " Ellen's Isle," and other spots ren- 
 dered famous by Sir Walter in the poetic 
 literature of his country — or rather, I should 
 say, of Europe. 
 
 Scott's description of this most singular scene 
 is so exquisitely finished, that it seems quite 
 a supererogatory work for any one else to 
 attempt its delineation. It is too long for 
 quotation, and besides it is so well known, and 
 so easily attainable on desire, that its insertion 
 here would be altogether needless. However, 
 I cannot refuse presenting to the notice of my 
 readers the commencement of his true and
 
 1 1 2 scott's description. 
 
 most graphic account. In which portion of 
 verse I may also mention that the chief pecu- 
 liarities of the scene are contained — t« JW^ovt*, 
 as Aristotle would say; not so much, I would 
 observe, the chief beauties, as the chief pecu- 
 liarities of the place — the things which make 
 it differ from all other spots which I have ever 
 seen, an opinion common to many travellers 
 whom I have heard speaking of it. 
 
 The western waves of ebbing day, 
 Roll'd o'er the glen their level way ; 
 Each purple peak, each flinty spire, 
 Was bathed in floods of living fire. 
 But not a setting beam could glow 
 Within the dark ravine below, 
 Where twined the path, in shadow hid, 
 Round many a rocky pyramid, 
 Shooting abruptly from the dell 
 Its thunder-splinter'd pinnacle, 
 Round many an insulated mass, 
 The native bulwarks of the pass. 
 Huge as the tower, which builders vain, 
 Presumptuous piled on Shinar's plain. 
 The rogky summits, split and rent, 
 Form'd turret, dome, or battlement, 
 Or seemed fantastically set 
 With cupola, or minaret, 
 Wild crests as Pagod ever deck'd, 
 Or mosque of Eastern architect. 
 
 LADY OF THE LAKE. Canto I. 
 
 The inn, where we intended to pass the night, 
 and the only one in the neighbourhood, was
 
 SCOTCH PIPER. 113 
 
 about a mile from our landing-place, and from all 
 accounts which we had previously received, as well 
 as from the fine w r eather and consequent crowd 
 of tourists on the move to-day, we had reason to 
 doubt of finding accommodation. However, 
 though the apartments were very small, smaller 
 than any I have ever seen at an inn, except on 
 the top of the Righi, in Switzerland — still they 
 were so numerous, that our fears were needless, 
 and we passed a most pleasant evening in this 
 truly delightful spot, wandering about, talking 
 to the boatmen and porters, who congregate 
 here in great numbers, and listening to the first 
 Scotch piper whom we had hitherto met. I can- 
 not yet enjoy the bag-pipe, though not difficult 
 to please in instruments of music of any kind 
 whatever. 
 
 On the subject of this Highland music, Skene, 
 in his interesting work, " The Highlands of 
 Scotland," observes : " The use of the harp 
 appears to have rapidly declined in the Highlands 
 during the seventeenth century, in consequence 
 of the civil wars which commenced at that 
 period ; and at length it was entirely superseded 
 by the more martial instrument, the bag-pipe, 
 the origin of which is altogether unknown, 
 although, from the character of the music, there
 
 1 I 4 EVENING PRAYERS. 
 
 is greater probability of supposing it an ancient 
 instrument of the Highlanders than of foreign 
 introduction." 
 
 In the evening we gathered a little congrega- 
 tion to our prayers, and having listened to one, 
 himself of a thankful, holy, loving spirit, and 
 skilled in communicating to others the same 
 feeling as his own, we retired to our rest, 
 thankful to God, not only for the gifts of 
 His grace, but also for the beauties of this 
 earth, and specially thankful for the privilege 
 of seeing a portion thereof, as we had been 
 permitted to enjoy them this day. 
 
 August 6. To Stirling. — The morning was 
 so fine, and the appearance of the country 
 so tempting for pedestrianism, that I set off 
 this morning an hour earlier than the rest of 
 the party, in order to walk to Callender, eight 
 miles on the way to Stirling. The nar- 
 row road, which I had to pursue, disclosed at 
 each turn most pleasing views of lake, wood, 
 coppice, and mountain, and at one particular 
 point I was suddenly arrested by the picturesque 
 beauty of a small ancient bridge, which no artist 
 should, I think, pass without an attempt to 
 transfer the scene to his sketch-book. 
 
 From consideration of the number of persons
 
 WALK TO CALLENDER. 115 
 
 employed in the fields, of the cottages near the 
 inn at the Trosachs, of the boatmen and porters, 
 who serve the crowd of summer travellers, and 
 of the travellers themselves detained here on 
 the Sabbath, it seems very needful that a small 
 church should be built and maintained in this 
 immediate neighbourhood. At present, I under- 
 stand there is no public service within many 
 miles, except once in a month. 
 
 During my walk, I joined a farmer of the 
 neighbourhood, and had some interesting con- 
 versation on subjects of local and agricultural 
 interest. Among other things, he told me that 
 he held five hundred acres, including upland 
 and lowland, for which he paid £200 a year. 
 He paid his men two shillings a day in harvest 
 time. To those labourers, who worked for him 
 all the year round, he gave ten guineas a year 
 in addition to their food, which consisted of 
 mutton, broth, kail, bread, cheese, and porridge. 
 
 I joined my relatives at Callender, after a 
 most agreeable walk, and we all went on together 
 to Stirling. Its rock and castle first met our 
 view, and truly magnificent were these objects. 
 The agriculture of this neighbourhood is most 
 skilfully managed, and among other farms of 
 celebrity is that of Mr. Smith, at Deanstone, 
 only a few miles off.
 
 116 STIRLING. 
 
 During the evening I walked through various 
 parts of Stirling, a town of no slight interest to 
 the stranger, both from the passages connecting 
 it with Scotch history, as well as from its general 
 features, and local position. The houses and 
 streets have a very foreign appearance ; indeed 
 they seemed to me more foreign than those of 
 any town, which I have seen in Great Britain. 
 Many of the houses had small round turrets, 
 with the conical roof so well known in old 
 French dwellings, and many of them have a 
 close resemblance to the architecture of Ghent 
 and Bruges. One large house, now used as a 
 military hospital and called " Argyll's Lodgings" 
 looked exactly as if it had stepped over from 
 Rouen or Angers, or some other town on the 
 banks of the Seine or the Loire. 1 also saw many 
 of those irregular squares, called in French, 
 " places," and here and there high walls with 
 intervening thoroughfares, just like so many 
 abroad. 
 
 These similarities are easily accounted for and 
 explained by the close and long continued con- 
 nexion of Scotch and French History. Among 
 the courtiers and upper classes of society, the 
 partiality to French fashions and tastes was at 
 one time very strong in Scotland ; and as no 
 doubt the fact of the French Kings being guarded
 
 FRENCH CONNECTION. 117 
 
 by a body drawn and filled up, as vacancies 
 occurred, from Scotland, with many other 
 kindred circumstances, would have much 
 weight on the matter. The attachment of Mary 
 Queen of Scots to French habits is a matter of 
 history. 
 
 It is curious to hear French words Scotticized, 
 as so often occurs. For instance, " assiette," a 
 plate, forms a word of the same meaning, and is 
 contained in MegDod's celebrated Book of Cook- 
 ery, in the receipt for a certain dish entitled 
 " Petticoat-tails !" This is nothing less or more 
 than the " petits gatelles" (for gateaux, the 
 more usual word) of the French cook and con- 
 fectioner. Another word of French origin, is 
 that of " an haverel," which signifies a fool or 
 simpleton. This is derived from the word 
 " Avril," French for April, an " April fool." 
 
 The view from Stirling Castle is most varied 
 and extensive — framed on the right by a 
 lofty ridge of mountains bending round to the 
 left. A nearer line of heathy and w T ell-wooded 
 heights, stretching away from the left, blends 
 most harmoniously with that line which I hare 
 previously described as converging from the right. 
 The smooth turf of the race-ground, the low- 
 lands covered with golden crops and sprinkled 
 with portions of wood, and dotted with the
 
 1 1 8 BEAUTIFUL SCENE. 
 
 very neatest farmsteads — the remains of the 
 old royal garden with its circular and now 
 grass-grown terraces, at the foot of the rock, and 
 immediately below your feet, steep, craggy, 
 leaf covered precipices — such is the scene spread 
 before you as on a map, and many other fair 
 objects might be added to the list without exag- 
 geration or untruth.
 
 LINLITHGOW. 119 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Linlithgow — Linlithgow Palace — Arrival in Edinburgh— Presby- 
 terian Service — Autumn Migration — Letters of Introduction — 
 A Saturday Visit — Notice for Travellers — Impression of Edin- 
 burgh. 
 
 August 7. To Edinburgh. — We passed 
 to-day many handsome country-houses and 
 much highly cultivated ground ; but with the 
 exception of Linlithgow Palace, which we 
 carefully examined, there was nothing which 
 called my note-book into use. That abode of 
 royalty in former times; that " excelling" abode, 
 to use the words of the song in its praise, is, for 
 a ruin, by no means in bad order for restoration, 
 if desired. With the trifling addition of roofs, 
 floors, and such supplementary parts of the 
 structure, the apartments might with ease be 
 again rendered habitable. James the First built 
 one side of this palace after he became King of 
 England ; and accordingly over one window the 
 date of 1619 is inscribed. On another side,
 
 120 LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 he caused the crown and the thistle to be 
 carved in stone-work over the windows of the 
 room, where his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, 
 was born. 
 
 Here again, as I have remarked in the local 
 features of Stirling, tall narrow towers remind the 
 spectator of France, and of the long-continued 
 and close connexion of Scotland with that 
 country. One apartment was employed for the 
 double purpose of a Parliament Hall and a 
 Banquetting Hall. It has a gallery above, and is 
 still a very handsome room. There is a curious 
 little secret and dungeon-looking place below 
 one of the chief bed-rooms, which makes a place 
 of retreat for any one sleeping there, and sud- 
 denly aroused in the night by assailants. Our 
 guide told us that James III. hid himself there 
 three weeks at one time, and a fortnight at 
 another. Whether this is true or not, the 
 existence of such a chamber shows the character 
 of the times. 
 
 There is a beautiful view from the turrets : 
 and two-thirds of this building are encircled by 
 a pretty lake, approaching to the foot of the 
 walls. Beyond this is a pleasant and extensive 
 meadow, and the whole country around is now 
 glowing with its rich yellow harvests. 
 
 Near Linlithgow is a very lofty and most
 
 ARRIVAL IN EDINBURGH. 121 
 
 graceful viaduct for the transit of the railway- 
 carriages. 
 
 Just as the sun was setting, we came in sight 
 of Edinburgh ; and, as we approached, the lofty, 
 extensive, and precipitous rock, on which the 
 Castle is built, and that fine crowning edifice rose 
 high in the air before us, and gleamed on our 
 eyes in the rich mellow light of a delightful 
 summer's evening, .Congratulating ourselves on 
 our first and very favourable impression of this 
 beautiful city, and anticipating much interest 
 and admiration in examining its local features, 
 architecture, and surrounding scenery, we entered 
 Scotland's capital without passing any suburbs 
 whatsoever, and driving up to George Street, 
 were soon most comfortably lodged in one of its 
 ample and well-built abodes. 
 
 I was present this day, for the first time, 
 at the service of the established Church of 
 
 Scotland. Dr. M , who is considered one 
 
 of the most able of the ministers remaining 
 in the establishment, officiated. On another 
 occasion, during my stay at Edinburgh, I 
 attended the Free Church service, and heard 
 
 Dr. G , of great celebrity as a preacher. I 
 
 admired much his powerful argument, his sim- 
 plicity of delivery, and altogether the impressive 
 character of his address. Every time that I 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 122 PRESBYTERIAN SERVICE. 
 
 may have attended at any service, except that to 
 which I am accustomed — I mean, of course, the 
 service of our English Church — I may say without 
 hesitation, as faithful and true in my admiration 
 of her Liturgy and public ritual, that I have 
 been thankful for belonging to our own branch 
 of Christ's Church, for this as well as many 
 other causes — I mean, the excellency of her 
 worship as adapted to the great congregation on 
 the Lord's day. The very small proportion of 
 Scripture read in the Scotch Church, is, to my 
 mind, a very great deficiency and loss ; and, 
 while, with our form of prayer, we are secure of 
 sound and effective doctrine through a large 
 portion of the services — in fact, until the sermon 
 commences — according to the Presbyterian form 
 of worship, too much depends on the individual 
 who ministers, from the beginning to the end. 
 
 Edinburgh, August 7 to August 26. — We 
 remained at Edinburgh for nearly three weeks ; 
 and though during our sojourn we experienced 
 two circumstances of a character disadvantageous 
 to our full enjoyment of the place, yet, notwith- 
 standing this, we felt that the fair capital of 
 Scotland commanded at first, and sustained 
 afterwards an interest of its own, independent 
 of all accidental circumstances, in which, as 
 strangers, we were placed.
 
 AUTUMN MIGRATION. 123 
 
 Our first disadvantage was, that we had very 
 cold, wet, dark, stormy, and unseasonable weather 
 during the main time of our stay. Our second, 
 that very few, indeed, among the many persons 
 to whom we brought letters of introduction, or 
 with whom we had other means of forming 
 immediate and agreeable acquaintance, were in 
 Edinburgh itself, or in the neighbourhood at 
 the time. Many towns, including our own 
 metropolis, are, in some measure, thinned of 
 their wealthier inhabitants during the months of 
 summer and autumn, when a certain portion of 
 the metropolitan residents, whose means allow 
 them so to do, go for health or recreation to the 
 country, visit some sea-bathing place, or pass a 
 few weeks abroad. But I never was in any city 
 where this system appears to be carried to such 
 an extent as it is at Edinburgh. The common 
 phraseology which met my ears continually was : 
 — " Oh ! nobody is in town now." And certainly 
 that part of Edinburgh inhabited by many of 
 the wealthier classes, literally seemed almost 
 depopulated. Neither shall I affront its citizens, 
 but rather pay a compliment to their taste for 
 summer recreation in the country, when I 
 mention the truth, that in some of the finest 
 streets the grass was plentifully visible among 
 the stones, and that I have more than once 
 
 g 2
 
 124 LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION. 
 
 walked round a large square near our lodging, 
 without meeting one single individual, and that, 
 too, in fine weather, and in mid-day. 
 
 I am not one of those travellers who speak 
 at all in a slighting or indifferent manner with 
 regard to letters of introduction, but, on the 
 contrary, as a general rule value them highly, 
 and have personally found, in all countries, amply 
 sufficient reason so to do. Through the kindness 
 of friends in England we had brought with us a 
 very fair supply for Edinburgh and its neigh- 
 bourhood ; but, on making a circuit of calls on 
 my arrival, with the intention of leaving them 
 with those to whom they were addressed, 1 found 
 very few available. The kind attention, and the 
 truly cordial reception which I speedily received 
 in every instance where the recipients of these 
 letters did happen to be at Edinburgh or in its 
 neighbourhood, only proved how much the 
 stranger, who has the proper disposition to value 
 society of that very superior and intelligent 
 description here met with, is entitled to regret 
 this complete summer migration from the town. 
 At one of the first houses to which we were 
 invited, and where we passed a day in the most 
 agreeable manner, our kind hostess said that she 
 had endeavoured to arrange for our meeting 
 under her roof those two truly distinguished
 
 A SATURDAY VISIT. 125 
 
 men, Dr. Chalmers, and Dr. Keith ; but they 
 were both far away. Neither Dr. Guthrie nor 
 Dr. Candlish were to be heard for the same 
 cause, though there was but one report of the 
 great power ami effect of their eloquence in the 
 pulpit. The ministers of all denominations, so 
 far as their duties will admit, partake of and 
 enjoy these rural tastes ; and of the temporary 
 lack of Episcopal clergy in the town, I had 
 rather an amusing exemplification in the extreme 
 delight and air of official triumph with which a 
 clerk of one of the Episcopal chapels secured, on 
 a certain Saturday, the services of that humble 
 individual who writes these pages. 
 
 I was sitting in my room when the door was 
 opened, and a stranger was announced. A little 
 short man, clad in black, entered, and requested 
 me to take the service of an Episcopal chapel 
 which he mentioned. After a few preliminary 
 questions, I most readily assented, and immedi- 
 ately my visitor's face brightened up with an 
 expression, denoting the accomplishment of 
 some most important objects, on the successful 
 attainment of which there had evidently been no 
 slight misgivings. — " Well, I am glad," said he, 
 " I was on my legs all yesterday, and we hardly 
 knew, Sir, where to turn for assistance. It's a 
 good thing you are here, Sir." Again, during
 
 126 NOTICE FOR TRAVELLERS. 
 
 one of the weeks which we spent at Edinburgh, 
 the Inverness meeting (of which I shall have to 
 speak somewhat copiously by and by) took 
 northward a large number of ministers and able 
 laymen — advocates of the Free Church princi- 
 ples into the Highlands. I need not add that the 
 landowners and sportsmen were all gathered to 
 their country homes, or shooting quarters, in 
 pursuit of the grouse. 
 
 I have mentioned these circumstances, be- 
 cause, as being of annual occurrence, (except 
 so far as relates to the Inverness meeting) 
 travellers to Scotland ought to be aware of them, 
 so that, according to their object, whether that 
 of seeing people or scenery, they may time and 
 order their arrangements. To unite a visit to 
 Scotland at the appropriate period for climbing 
 its mountains and skimming its lakes, and also 
 for enjoying the superior and distinguished 
 society of Edinburgh, is not, so far as I see, 
 practicable, except by a sojourn of some duration, 
 so as to include either a part of the autumn and 
 winter, or a part of the spring and summer. 
 And to those who have not so much time at 
 command, and yet wish to realize the two objects 
 above-mentioned — both so desirable to all who 
 can attain them — I would recommend, in these 
 days of speedy locomotion, two distinct visits.
 
 IMPRESSIONS OF EDINBURGH. 127 
 
 I write these observations, fully convinced that 
 they may prove of considerable value to some of 
 my readers. 
 
 However, as I mentioned before, notwith- 
 standing bad weather, and the absence of so 
 many whom we should have been truly pleased 
 to meet, we greatly enjoyed our sojourn in 
 Edinburgh ; and I shall mention in the next 
 chapter a few of those objects and scenes which 
 afforded me the principal interest in this noble 
 city.
 
 128 blackwood's magazine. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Blackwood's Magazine — Professor Wilson — Parliament House — 
 The Cowgate — The Cemetery — Vaults — Botanical Gardens — 
 Interesting Walk — Friendly reception. 
 
 Perhaps on no occasion had I more advantages 
 for seeing the town, as a stranger, in a favourable 
 manner, than during a course or circuit of 
 considerable extent, under the friendly and most 
 courteous guidance of the Solicitor-General, who 
 gave up to me several hours of his valuable time, 
 and showed me in one day the various scenes 
 which I am about to describe. 
 
 Our first call was at the establishment of the 
 Messrs. Blackwood, as I was desirous of seeing 
 those gentlemen, as well as the officina of a 
 periodical so distinguished for the talent exhi- 
 bited in its pages, and so long known in the 
 political and literary world as that magazine 
 which bears their name. I was also in hopes of 
 seeing Professor Wilson, as a man of true genius 
 and deep feeling, not to speak of the remarkable 
 originality of his character. Like so many others,
 
 PROFESSOR WILSON. 
 
 129 
 
 the professor was absent from Edinburgh, so 
 that I could only see his portraits, of which there 
 are two in the reading-room attached to the 
 premises of Messrs. Blackwood — a reading- 
 room to which a friendly and general invita- 
 tion was at once given to me on my intro- 
 duction. One of these portraits represents Pro- 
 fessor Wilson in a shooting-jacket, somewhat 
 with the aspect of a bold and heroic mountaineer ; 
 and, as was well expressed to me by Sir J. 
 
 M'N , in whose presence I was looking at it, 
 
 sets forth, in a very skilful and graphic manner 
 one aspect of a character, in which there are, 
 undoubtedly, some icliosyncracies. That his 
 character has other aspects, such as softness 
 and tenderness of the most delicate nature, no 
 one who has read his writings — for instance, 
 the "Trials of Margaret Lyndsay," and "The 
 Foresters" — will, for a moment, either doubt or 
 forget. 
 
 My call here proved very agreeable to me, as 
 I thus became acquainted with the two gentlemen 
 to whom this celebrated literary establishment, 
 as well as the publication above-named, belong. 
 From them I received every mark of kindness 
 and attention, inclusive of much valuable infor- 
 mation as to a tour in Perth, which I was shortly 
 
 g 3
 
 130 PARLIAMENT HOUSE. 
 
 to commence, and the loan of one of that 
 extended and valuable series of topographical 
 volumes, in which the whole of Scotland has, 
 through their means, been most judiciously and 
 accurately delineated. 
 
 When this visit was concluded we crossed 
 the valley, which separates the new from the 
 old town, and went through the Parliament 
 House, which, of course, accompanied as I was, 
 I saw to the best advantage. This edifice answers 
 in many respects to Westminster Hall as to its 
 use, since it is here that all the chief courts of 
 Scotland are held. The large hall is very 
 handsome and capacious. It has a carved massive 
 hanging roof of oak, partially gilt ; and contains 
 a few statues of a very superior order and 
 interest. Within the precincts of the Parliament 
 House are two admirable libraries : one called 
 the Advocate's Library, the other the Signet 
 Library. The former is one of the five collections 
 in Great Britain, which by law have a right to a 
 copy of every work published in the country. 
 There is here every facility and comfort for 
 reading and writing, and I saw modern reviews 
 and publications in abundance scattered on the 
 tables. 
 
 Close to the site of the present Parliament
 
 THE COWGATE. 131 
 
 House once stood the Old Tolbooth, from whence 
 Porteous was dragged forth by the infuriated 
 mob, and carried down to the Grass-market for 
 execution. No vestige of this prison now remains. 
 The other Tolbooth prison, still existing, is a 
 very old and strange building too. It is in the 
 Canongate, which, strictly speaking, is a suburb 
 of Edinburgh, and was once divided by a gate 
 from the upper portion of the town. 
 
 After seeing the Parliament House we pro- 
 ceeded by a steep and winding descent to examine 
 various parts of the ancient town, including 
 the large old square called the Grass-market, 
 with its strange and fantastic houses, as varied 
 in their size and shape as in the different grada- 
 tions of rank, for whom they seem to have 
 been originally designed. The Black Bull Inn 
 was pointed out to me, once the chief hostelry 
 for travellers of the upper class to be found 
 in the whole town, and often spoken of in old 
 memoirs, diaries, &c. We then went up the 
 whole line of the Cowgate, a long narrow street 
 of considerable length, so deeply and preci- 
 pitously sunk beneath the adjoining part of the 
 town, that the roofs of its houses are not so 
 high as the very foundations of the streets 
 immediately above. During our course we 
 passed under lofty arches supporting bridges
 
 132 CEMETERY. 
 
 far above our heads, but only on a level with 
 the thoroughfares above, and being in fact, 
 crowded thoroughfares themselves. 
 
 These features correspond with many singular 
 arrangements of the same kind exemplified in 
 many parts of Edinburgh. As the French would 
 say, it is, indeed, tr£s accidente, a word which I 
 have often thought of as more accurately 
 describing the locality and streets of Edinburgh 
 than any English epithet, which I can recall to 
 mind. 
 
 The population of the Cowgate is very dense, 
 and for the most part, poor. It includes a large 
 proportion of Irish. 
 
 We then crossed the town, and directed our 
 steps to the cemetery, a receptacle for the dead, 
 established within the last few years. This 
 cemetery is extensive, and has a pleasant appear- 
 ance, from its general arrangement, its turf, 
 shrubs, and flowers. From it there is a most 
 beautiful view of Edinburgh. The great draw- 
 back to its fitness and propriety, as a calm and 
 solemn resting-place for the bodies of the dead, 
 is nothing less than the passage of a railway 
 right across it. I heard that this could not be 
 avoided, but it is nevertheless to be regretted. 
 Part of the ground has been consecrated, for 
 the special use of the members of the Episcopal
 
 VAULTS. 1 33 
 
 Church ; and on this ground a little chapel, of 
 very pure and graceful architecture, has lately 
 been erected for performing that part of the 
 burial service which is carried on within our 
 churches. It is now just approaching to com- 
 pletion. It appeared to me that if the light had 
 been admitted in less abundance, and if a more 
 dark and sober colouring had been introduced 
 in the painted glass, the whole effect inside would 
 have been far superior than can be expected 
 under the present arrangement. Underneath 
 this chapel there is a chamber of vaults, which 
 seems very well laid out, a separate place being 
 assigned to each coffin. I understood that the 
 stone, which, being cut into slabs, forms the 
 niches, in which the coffins lie, is of such 
 durable description that time has upon it no 
 visible effect. The coffins here used are of lead ; 
 and when the coffin is placed in its appointed 
 niche, and the stone leaf, or door, in front, is 
 put in, all is hermetically sealed up, and every 
 prospect of the body's preservation, for an 
 indefinite period, is thus apparently secured. I 
 understood that the price for thus depositing a 
 coffin was about seven pounds ; and that all 
 the affairs of the cemetery are very well con- 
 ducted ; and that while all things are done 
 " decently and in order," there is no depart-
 
 134 BOTANICAL GARDENS. 
 
 ment connected with its arrangements that 
 extravagance of funereal charges, which not 
 long ago gave rise to an article in the Quarterly, 
 among many other animadversions on the sub- 
 ject. 
 
 Our circuit ended with a survey of the 
 Botanical Gardens, which are at no great 
 distance from the cemetery. Mr. M'Nab, the 
 experienced and accomplished Curator, accom- 
 panied us through the long range of conser- 
 vatories, in which we saw many very curious 
 plants. The collection of epifytes is fine, though 
 I saw none approaching the magnificent speci- 
 men, belonging to my friend, J — J — B — , Esq. 
 of Reading, which gained the chief prize, and 
 caused such a sensation when exhibited at the 
 great meeting of the Horticultural Society last 
 spring. An Indian oak, which is a very small 
 tree, as to height and general dimensions, but 
 with enormous leaves, was pointed out to us, 
 and we heard that, small as the tree itself is, 
 there was no larger specimen in Europe. But 
 it appeared to me that the collection of heaths 
 was by far the most attractive and interesting 
 object which the whole place contained. They 
 were, in many instances, quite like large shrubs ; 
 and some of the flowers were not only profuse as 
 to abundance, but of exquisite form and colour.
 
 INTERESTING WALK. 135 
 
 I thought that nothing could be more appro- 
 priate to a fine Scottish garden than this mag- 
 nificent assemblage of heaths. 
 
 We then went into a very large and lofty 
 glass house chiefly occupied by palms. Here 
 there are some fine specimens of that extraor- 
 dinary exotic, the screw-pine (Pandanus Odora- 
 tissimus) a plant, for whose growth the Almighty 
 Creator has made a peculiar provision, in 
 causing it, as its height and weight may require, 
 to put forth, and to lower from the trunk into 
 the ground, at distances varying from one to 
 three feet, strong, straight shoots, as buttresses 
 in a building, so as to give support and 
 strength to the stalks above. I counted 
 between twenty and thirty of these singular 
 shoots, half in air and half in earth. Never 
 having seen the plant before, I was extremely 
 interested with the peculiarity of this natural 
 provision and development for its growth. 
 
 Here our walk ended, and I have seldom 
 seen more in a day, and certainly was never 
 more indebted to a guide and companion than 
 on this occasion. My questions regarding 
 Edinburgh were as freely put as they were 
 obligingly and fully answered. For my acquaint- 
 ance with the Solicitor-General, as well as
 
 136 FRIENDLY RECEPTION. 
 
 with his brother, at whose house, near Edin- 
 burgh we had dined the evening before, I 
 was indebted to my friend the Honourable and 
 Reverend G — Y — , who, for some years ful- 
 filled ministerial duties in Edinburgh, and was 
 evidently remembered with much affection by 
 all who mentioned him here.
 
 BEAUTY OF EDINBURGH. 137 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Beauty of Edinburgh — Our first View — Farther impressions — 
 Arthur's Seat — Splendid view — Praise to God. 
 
 I am much disposed to agree in the statements 
 made to me on various occasions, both in Eng- 
 land and abroad, as to there being no city which, 
 from its general magnificence, beauty, and 
 romantic variety of scenes and structures, has 
 more claim on the admiration of a traveller, 
 than that where I now write, and which I have 
 lately been traversing from end to end, and 
 viewing from various points and distances, 
 with keen and unfailing interest. Accordingly, 
 having usually pursued the habit of putting my 
 impressions of such scenes on paper, I have 
 not failed here to follow my usual plan, and 
 I have done so with no slight pleasure and 
 alacrity, constantly encouraged and led on by 
 each remarkable object, feature, and pecu-
 
 138 OUR FIRST VIEW. 
 
 liarity of edifice or site, which here meets the 
 eye in quick and unfailing succession. 
 
 Our first view of Edinburgh, though snatched 
 in the midst of very unsettled weather, was 
 most attractive, as we entered the town at sun- 
 set ; when for about half an hour the golden 
 rays were lighting up each near or distant 
 crag; and the castle, and some monument meet- 
 ing us at each turn, and the ancient abodes of 
 men, unexampled for their height in any known 
 city, and the wide streets and symmetrical 
 squares, soon expanded themselves before us on 
 our way. I subsequently was confirmed in my 
 first and vivid appreciation of this town, by 
 frequent and repeated observation both from 
 within and from without, referring as well to 
 its general mien, when viewed from a distance, 
 as to the special details on which its distinctive 
 character depends, when viewed in their imme- 
 diate proximity. I have heard many persons 
 say, that no description of the pen can give any 
 idea of the scene which Edinburgh presents. 
 Therefore, it perhaps is presumption in me to 
 make any attempt of the kind. But I remember 
 that the observation, charitably taken, may pos- 
 sibly be of a favourable application to my intended 
 remarks, since this allowed difficulty will be an
 
 FARTHER IMPRESSIONS. 139 
 
 excuse, if not for total failure, at least for very 
 partial success. 
 
 Although, as to individuals, I heartily concur 
 in the old and wise saying, that " comparisons 
 are odious," yet as to localities, I consider 
 them certainly desirable, if they can be aptly 
 made ; as, while they help the imagination, 
 nobody is personally offended by them, or 
 displeased by this sort of comparison, other- 
 wise than just so far as arises from a declared 
 preference, or ascription of superiority, as to 
 one scene over another, which is in their mind 
 undeserved, or, at all events, contrary to their 
 own national feelings, local attachments, and 
 pre-conceived impressions. Thinking therefore 
 that, in the description of scenery, whether rural 
 or civic, if it is possible to offer any resemblance 
 or comparison drawn from elsewhere, it should 
 be done, and I would so act if I could. But, 
 premising that the beauty and magnificent 
 features of Edinburgh are admitted and recog- 
 nized, I recur in my own mind to those splendid 
 cities, in various parts of Europe, which I have 
 visited at various periods of my life, and I make 
 the endeavour to assimilate the city, in which I 
 now am, to any one among them. But I make 
 it in vain, though referring in my mind to the 
 cities of Italy and France, all of which,
 
 140 FARTHER IMPRESSIONS. 
 
 having a claim to peculiar grandeur and beauty, 
 I have seen, including Naples, Genoa, and Bor- 
 deaux ; nor forgetting Palermo or Dublin, nor 
 some on English ground, such for instance as 
 Oxford, Plymouth, Lancaster, Durham, and 
 Bath. But in none of these, whether at home 
 or abroad, can I find any adequate materials of 
 illustration or comparison with Scotland's 
 romantic capital. I must therefore make a 
 similitude, and observe that it looks to me like 
 some small and picturesque continental town — 
 partly ancient and partly new — greatly magni- 
 fied, greatly extended, and filling the gaze on all 
 sides, instead of merely offering a few striking 
 features on a small and contracted scale. But 
 having said that I have never seen any exist- 
 ing town to which I could liken Edinburgh, I 
 will also add that I have never seen any town, 
 which, according to my conception of the subject, 
 surpasses it in local interest — in the combina- 
 tion of natural beauty, with which its precincts 
 are girt on all sides, and in the striking and 
 attractive features which those precincts contain. 
 Let me propose a walk to Arthur's Seat, such 
 as I have just enjoyed. You quit the town 
 skirting the walls of Holy rood Palace ; and, 
 without passing through any suburb whatsoever, 
 you find yourself at once in the midst of a fresh
 
 Arthur's seat, 141 
 
 and fair meadow. You might turn to the right, 
 and wind along the path up Salisbury Crags, but 
 there on one side your prospect would be limited 
 by the rocky barrier behind you ; and, therefore, 
 instead of taking that line, you advance onward 
 with the more ambitious aim of Teaching Arthur's 
 Seat, which stands so loftily, as to offer no 
 contemptible challenge, even to one experienced 
 in mountain walks. At a few hundred yards' 
 distance from Holyrood, a steep, broken height 
 faces you in front ; but, as you advance, you 
 discover a valley (previously hid by a shoulder 
 of the hill) curving and sweeping down towards 
 you from the right ; and along this valley you 
 direct your steps upward. But how picturesque 
 and beautiful is this very foreground ! Let us 
 pause, and regard it for a moment ! If you can 
 forget the city and its busy scenes, the " fumum 
 et opes strepitumque .Edinse," from whose streets 
 you have emerged only a few minutes ago, you 
 may here, on this very spot, imagine yourself, 
 with little stretch of fancy, as entering the outer 
 border of some Alpine solitude. Rocks close in 
 beside you. Precipitous heights stand aloft 
 before you. Little gushing rills of clear water 
 spring forth and trickle around you among the 
 turf, and that turf is close, soft, and mountain- 
 like.
 
 142 SPLENDID VIEW. 
 
 As you advance, the labour of ascending is 
 just enough to call the bodily powers into action, 
 but not enough to fatigue the limbs of an 
 average man, even om vZv fyoroi sa-psv. And now 
 we are on Arthur's Seat — a lofty point of rock 
 crowning the hill, and admitting on every side a 
 wide and panoramic scene of land, sea, and city! 
 Wide is the prospect ; and, as in general, we 
 first turn to water, as the gem, the attraction, 
 and the ornament of any landscape, however 
 beautiful throughout, so here, in all probability, 
 you first gaze on the wide inlet of the sea, called 
 the Firth of Forth, with its expanse of waves, 
 rolling towards you under a fresh northern 
 breeze, and sparkling in the sun, and yet minute 
 by minute assuming a different hue under the 
 swiftly-coursing clouds of this glorious day. You 
 mark its far-stretching reach as it penetrates the 
 country towards the direction of Stirling, while 
 the Bass rock at its mouth, with Inchkeith and 
 Cramond Island, as nearer spots and features on 
 its surface, will, probably, arrest your eye. 
 Beyond these waters lie woods and cultivated 
 slopes ; and then succeed ridges of mountain — 
 the only fit girdle, boundary, or frame of Scottish 
 landscape like this. 
 
 Look now on that populous and noble city, 
 here as clinging to some lofty slope or hill,
 
 SPLENDID VIEW. 143 
 
 there sinking deep into some valley, and willingly 
 yielding itself to the varied* form of the ground 
 which it covers and adorns so well. See Calton 
 Hill, with its classical constructions and monu- 
 ments, crowning an eminence rising from the 
 very town, but as bold in form, and faced with 
 rock no less rugged and rude, than if it stood in 
 the midst of some far distant solitude among the 
 wild mountains, and far apart from all the 
 dwellings of man ! The New and Old town 
 stretch away on two distinct and extended ridges, 
 between which lies a deep valley covered with 
 verdure and foliage ; while churches and fine 
 public edifices, and graceful monuments stand 
 before you, scattered numerously through the 
 city, and just in those localities best chosen for 
 beauty and effect. But neither here nor any 
 where else will the superb Castle pass unnoticed, 
 standing in its towering and solitary grandeur, 
 with the natural foundation of prominent basaltic 
 rock so mingled with the stone-work of man's 
 hand, that at a distance scarcely can the 
 separation be distinguished. Strange clusters 
 of houses, with ten or twelve stories in each, 
 
 * The French phrase accidente, now very much in use, as 
 referring to natural scenes, appears to me peculiarly expressive 
 when applied to Edinburgh and its immediate vicinity. I do not 
 think it can be translated into an English word, but it is just the 
 opposition to the idea of " tame," " regular," " formal."
 
 144 SPLENDID VIEW. 
 
 rise here and there in all the shapeless architec- 
 tural confusion prevalent in ancient days ; while, 
 as in the most determined contrast to such 
 structures, you see on the farther side of the 
 city wide streets and symmetrical squares, and 
 all the beautiful arrangements which modern 
 improvement brings. 
 
 You now take in an extensive range with the 
 eye, and, turning a little to the left you see a 
 wide corn-covered valley, lying between the 
 verdant and wooded slopes on the one side, 
 (where many a fair villa peeps forth) , and the 
 bold range of the Pentland Hills on the other ; 
 and then — but what new features have I now 
 left to dwell on or describe ? We have already 
 gazed on mountain and bay, and island, and a 
 mighty city, and a feudal structure, and meadows, 
 and corn-fields, and the fair residences of man. 
 What more can I present ? Turn a little farther 
 round, and pass rapidly over that far-spreading 
 expanse of land, now yellow with harvest, and 
 well sprinkled with wood, and say what meets 
 your eye, as the circle of its gaze is nigh 
 concluded at the point where it first commenced ? 
 Nothing less than the sea ! The broad, boundless 
 ocean is there. And now, after one more survey 
 of the whole let us descend, giving glory to 
 Him, " which made Heaven and Earth, the Sea,
 
 PRAISE TO GOD. 145 
 
 and all that therein is," " who giveth the earth 
 to the children of men," that they may build 
 for themselves " cities of habitation," and praise 
 Him for His rich bounty in providence, while 
 they praise Him in still louder tone for His gifts 
 in redemption and grace ! Shall we behold 
 such a spectacle as I have seen to-day, standing 
 on one of God's own " everlasting hills," and 
 hesitate in our response to the call of the 
 Psalmist: — "Oh! that men would therefore 
 praise the Lord for His goodness, and declare 
 the wonders that He doeth for the children of 
 men!"— (Ps. 107— S.) 
 
 VOL. T. H
 
 146 ATHENS AND EDINBURGH. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Athens and Edinburgh — Holyrood — Rizzio — John Knox — High 
 Street— Carlyle, on Hero Worship — Houses of Edinburgh- 
 Scotland's Worthies — The Castle — Old and New Town. 
 
 I walked one morning with a relative who 
 is well acquainted with Athens and its vici- 
 nity, round Calton Hill ; his remarks at each 
 step of our progress, as to the evident similitude 
 between that town and Edinburgh, were to me a 
 very strong and confirmatory proof as to the 
 truth of this well-known comparison. He did 
 not merely make a general admission or state- 
 ment of the likeness between the two cities and 
 their immediate neighbourhood ; but, when we 
 had once touched on the subject, he at every 
 step illustrated the fact, saying: — "There is 
 Hymettus — there is the Piraeus," and so on ; 
 just as if there had been an absolute identity 
 between what he saw at the moment, and what 
 he remembered to have seen in Greece. I might
 
 HOLYROOD. 147 
 
 have met with the comparison stated and 
 re-stated in Guide-books, or heard it repeated 
 as a matter of local fame, without the least 
 approach to that conviction of its truth and 
 reality, which a few quick observations, pro- 
 ceeding from one in the manner I have just 
 described, produced on my mind with the most 
 vivid effect. His words and his manner was 
 exactly that of one who was in Athens itself, 
 and with Attic environs around. 
 
 Holyrood Palace may, from its historical 
 associations, claim perhaps the first place on 
 the list of especial objects, which as strangers 
 we visited during our sojourn here. Except, 
 however, for historical recollections, there would 
 be but little to awaken interest or attraction 
 at the place. The structure is massive, but has 
 no very ancient appearance, and is neither 
 strong enough to give one the idea of a place of 
 defence, nor open enough to give the idea of a 
 pleasant and attractive habitable dwelling. The 
 state rooms are gloomy, with but little furniture, 
 and still less ornamental decoration. The pic- 
 tures, of which there are several in one of these 
 apartments, are of the most ordinary description; 
 and the representation of George IV. as a kilted 
 Highlander in full costume, is calculated to 
 awaken a most disloyal risibility. I literally 
 
 h 2
 
 148 rizzio. 
 
 can recal nothing worthy of notice within the 
 edifice, until we entered the small antique suite 
 of rooms which were occupied by Mary, Queen 
 of Scots, when Rizzio was murdered, and in 
 which the very deed was done. 
 
 Four rooms are shown as connected with that 
 dark transaction : — the Queen's bed-room, two 
 small closets in two adjoining turrets, and a 
 kind of ante-room, where Rizzio was stabbed to 
 death. This was once a part of the bed-chamber, 
 but separated from it at Mary's commands, by a 
 partition put up after the murder, and remaining 
 still. In these apartments there are several 
 articles of furniture which were in use during 
 the days of Mary, and some specimens of her 
 work in embroidery and other arts of drawing- 
 room craft, fashionable in her day. 
 
 In one of the small closets Mary was at 
 supper with some ladies of her Court and Rizzio, 
 when the conspirators came through her bed- 
 room, entered the closet, and dragged their 
 victim from her presence. It is to us a singular 
 characteristic of the lack of refinement in those 
 days, as compared with our own, to observe 
 that the only entrance into this room — the only 
 means by which the attendants could have 
 brought any thing into the presence of the 
 Queen — was through the very bed-room which
 
 JOHN KNOX. 149 
 
 she herself occupied. In this small closet is a 
 picture of Rizzio, looking very young and 
 boyish, and by no means of Italian mien, as to 
 the caste or expression of his countenance. 
 There is also a small picture of the Virgin 
 painted on alabaster, and which has evidently 
 been broken into fragments, but is now re-united. 
 Our guide told us that John Knox had been the 
 iconoclast : with what truth for her assertion I 
 am unable to say. He certainly was " mighty 
 to pull down the strongholds of superstition, and 
 every high thing which exalted itself" against 
 the knowledge of the one only mediator between 
 God and man ; neither, had circumstances made 
 the deed requisite, would he have hesitated for 
 one moment in the performance of this or any 
 similar act, where the path of duty seemed clear; 
 but his enemies and libellers have attributed to 
 him many personal acts, in regard to his 
 Sovereign, which are of the most apocryphal 
 character. This may or may not be one of the 
 number. 
 
 There are still stains on the boards at the spot 
 where Rizzio's blood was shed under the daggers 
 of the band of his assailants. Neither is it 
 any strange thing that they should be the marks 
 of his blood, for it is well known that Mary
 
 150 HIGH STREET. 
 
 forbade their removal at the time of the deed ; 
 and we may well suppose that a kind of super- 
 stitious unwillingness to have them effaced has 
 subsequently prevailed. Neither should I imagine 
 that, when once engrained in the wood, they 
 could be removed, except by the use of the 
 plane. The magnificent ideas of the Greeks,* 
 relative to the permanency of the murderous 
 stain, recurred to my mind, while I was looking 
 this dark memorial of guilt, and hearing the 
 usual comment made by the guardian of the 
 place to each successive visitor. 
 
 Between Holyrood Palace and the Castle 
 extends a long line of street — famous in old 
 'times — most curious to the eye still, and full of 
 remembrances, on which the observing traveller 
 must love to dwell. In this street, once the abode 
 of the wealthiest nobles of Scotland, Queens- 
 berry House and other residences of fine ancient 
 architecture, not only by their names, but also 
 by their grandeur and size, still speak of those 
 who formerly tenanted their halls. Opposite to 
 them stands a quaint, and apparently most aged 
 edifice, called the Tolbooth. It is not, however, 
 the Tolbooth renowned in history ; for that was 
 
 * As to the Ocean itself being inadequate to wash them out, 
 and other similar conceptions expressed by their poets.
 
 JOHN KNOX. 151 
 
 situated at the other end of the street, and of it 
 not one stone now remains. 
 
 Advancing a little farther we reach a corner 
 house jutting into the street, at a point where 
 the thoroughfare suddenly becomes of far wider 
 dimensions than below. At this corner house — 
 now, so far as I could ascertain, shared by a 
 perfumer and a spirit-seller — once dwelt John 
 Knox — the man, if ever there was such, raised 
 up and fitted for the work which God had given 
 him to do in his " troublous times." — "Honour 
 to him," says one,* able to grasp the position, 
 appreciate the spirit, and prize the deeds of that 
 great man : — " honour to him ! His works have 
 not died. The letter of his work dies, as of all 
 men's, but the spirit of it never." Of Knox, 
 maligned as he was, and is, the same noble- 
 minded writer speaks again, and testifies, that 
 he was an " honest-hearted, brotherly man — 
 brother to the high, brother also to the low; 
 sincere in his sympathy with both." High 
 characteristics ! Like Paul of old, he continued 
 in his lot and day, " witnessing both to small 
 and great" in behalf of the truth of the Gospel : 
 " reasoning of righteousness, temperance, and 
 judgment to come, so that crowned heads and 
 courtiers trembled." He went on "in nothing 
 
 * Carlyle, on Hero Worship.
 
 152 HOUSES OF EDINBURGH. 
 
 terrified by his adversaries" — and laying so well 
 the foundation of true, vital, scriptural religion 
 in the land of his labours, that still the edifice, 
 once built thereon, stands firmly and gloriously, 
 defying each secret mine, no less than each 
 violent and fierce assault of the foe. 
 
 The little painted wooden figure representing 
 Knox in his preaching dress, is somewhat 
 ludicrous in its character ; but the quaint, 
 grotesque, and ancient form of the house to 
 which it is affixed, and all the scene around, 
 carries the mind back into former ages, and 
 makes the figure appear less strange and 
 unsuitable, than it would have been in almost 
 any other scene. One just thinks of some 
 family representation of the preacher brought 
 out of the room within, and shown to the public 
 without, for the friendly and familiar gaze of 
 some admiring multitude. 
 
 Proceeding up the street we pass the site of 
 the old Tolbooth, and some fine churches, public 
 offices, &c, of newer construction, are let into 
 this ancient part of the town. But the great 
 curiosity of the walk consists in the tall, aged 
 dwellings, which rise on each side. Their fronts 
 usually end in a kind of gable top above. In 
 some instances projections extend far over the 
 street. Outside stone staircases are met on the
 
 Scotland's worthies. 153 
 
 way, descending in the most daring manner half 
 way across the pavement, and long dark 
 " wynds," or closes, branch out at each side, 
 especially towards the right. All this region is 
 quite what may be called the classic ground of 
 Edinburgh. In it and its neighbourhood once 
 dwelt nobles, and literary men, and official 
 characters, of whom the world has heard so 
 much — some of that goodly number of Scot- 
 land's sons, of whom history is full, and whose 
 tmoc 7rr££0£i/Ta have flown over the inhabited earth. 
 Towards the farther end of the street, and as 
 you draw nigh to the castle, some of the houses 
 are quite untenanted, and most dilapidated. 
 They look as if they only held together by the 
 attraction of cohesion, and not by any more 
 trustworthy combination of materials. Of these 
 houses I saw some exquisite representations, in 
 
 sketches made by Dr. G . The book which 
 
 contained them had also some beautiful coloured 
 views taken in the County of Sutherlandshire, 
 where there must be scenes not less grand than 
 rare, and peculiar in their character, if I mav 
 judge from these delineations kindly shown to 
 us during a visit to Lord M 's in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Edinburgh. I allude especially 
 to some coloured sketches representing deep 
 indentures of the sea, flowing in between straight 
 
 h 3
 
 154 THE CASTLE. 
 
 and precipitous walls of rock, and other kindred 
 features of that bold and sea-beaten coast. 
 
 But, to return to our walk. Advancing 
 straight onward in the direction of the Castle, 
 you reach the termination of its approach or 
 avenue — substituting houses for trees — and you 
 cross an open space, from which you have on 
 each side, and deeply set below you, a view of 
 the city of both the Old and New Town, indeed 
 of Edinburgh at large ; and it was from hence 
 that I first saw that imposing and symmetrical 
 building — Heriot's Hospital — occupying its 
 broad open site, far apart from any edifices able 
 to rival it in the smallest degree, whether as to 
 size or as to magnificence. The Castle has a 
 fine and feudal mien, both within and without ; 
 and the numerous soldiers, apparelled in the 
 full costume of the Highlands— which, by the 
 by, is a most splendid dress — and standing on 
 guard, or moving about singly, or in rank, will, 
 probably, amuse and interest the traveller who 
 sees them, if not for the first time, at least for 
 the first time in their own clime and territory. 
 
 Such is my humble attempt to seize and 
 transfer to these pages a few of the most striking 
 and attractive features of this remarkable city. 
 And I may here observe one of its most peculiar 
 characteristics, viz., that the whole of the Old
 
 OLD AND NEW TOWN. 155 
 
 Town — containing those scenes which I have 
 sought to describe in my walk through its pre- 
 cincts, and have already mentioned in the present 
 volume — is encircled by the structures of com- 
 paratively recent date. And an additional pecu- 
 liarity is, that this Old Town positively refuses to 
 be hid. It stands so loftily, and is reared up 
 so abruptly between two valleys, that it mil be 
 seen, and will not be cast into oblivion by its 
 younger rivals, by streets, squares, and dwell- 
 ings of more modern date. On this in part, 
 as well as on the shape of the ground, depends, 
 I believe, the sense of singularity as well as 
 grandeur with which Edinburgh strikes every 
 traveller's eye. I allude both to foreigners as 
 well as to my own countrymen, and speak from 
 what I have so often heard both at home and 
 abroad.
 
 156 REFUGE OF THE DESTITUTE. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Refuge of the Destitute — Night Refuge — The Report — Plaids — 
 Book Shops — Periodicals — Lodgings — Religion in Scotland — 
 Distinct Professions. 
 
 During one of my walks, I paid a visit to the 
 House of Refuge for the Destitute, and bestowed 
 particular attention on that part of the system 
 which has been introduced with the joint object 
 of checking mendicity, and at the same time of 
 affording needful relief, on a judicious plan. 
 I am well aware that mendicity is often men- 
 dacity, and of course, as having been a clergy- 
 man, in a large town, I have, perhaps, had as 
 much experience as most individuals, in the 
 nature and character of the system — for men- 
 dicity is a system. Nevertheless I have long held, 
 and hold still, that a stern, positive, unbending 
 prohibition of begging is a cruel, unwarrantable 
 act, when nothing systematic and effective is 
 done to obviate its necessity, on right and proper- 
 principles. First establish real and available help
 
 NIGHT REFUGE. 157 
 
 for the shelterless wanderer, or for the poor and 
 hungry sufferer, whose case the Poor Law will 
 not meet, and to whom, if the case is genuine, 
 relief in alms some way ought, on every prin- 
 ciple of religion and humanity, to he given most 
 willingly — and then alms may he discouraged, 
 but not till then. The Mendicity institutions, 
 if well managed, supported, and attended to, 
 have, in some towns, accomplished this most 
 desirable result. 
 
 The House of Refuge which I visited is held 
 in a building which was once the dwelling of a 
 Scotch nobleman. The average number in the 
 house during the last year was three hundred 
 and seventy-six, independent of those in the 
 Night Refuge department. One of the prominent 
 rules is, that " all who are not incapacitated by 
 old age, infirmity, or sickness, must be occu- 
 pied. The young attend school, the adults are 
 kept at useful work ; none are permitted to 
 remain idle." 
 
 The department of the Night Refuge provides 
 a shelter for the houseless poor men, women, or 
 children, who may be obliged to avail themselves 
 of such temporary home. All who come and 
 make application are supplied with an evening 
 meal, and a well-warmed, well-lighted place of 
 rest for the night, and abundance of hot water
 
 158 THE REPORT. 
 
 for thorough washing. A large number of the 
 poor and destitute is received in this manner 
 during the course of the year. I quote from the 
 Report : 
 
 " The numbers admitted during the year 
 
 1842, amounted to 15,415, and during the year 
 
 1843, to 19,524 ; making a total amount thus 
 relieved during the last two years of no less than 
 34,939. It is therefore manifest that there is 
 an absolute necessity for maintaining this portion 
 of your institution in full operation." And 
 again it is interesting to know, as an additional 
 piece of information connected with this subject, 
 that " the individuals under notice have not 
 merely had a temporary provision made for 
 their immediate wants for a night or two, but 
 their cases having been under the notice of 
 the Visiting Directors, many of them have 
 been transferred to the General Department, 
 or have otherwise had more permanent relief 
 secured to them." 
 
 I saw the rooms which were allotted to their 
 nightly reception. It is melancholy to think 
 that such measures should be requisite ; but, 
 this point being admitted, it should be a subject 
 of thankfulness to all who feel for the sufferings 
 of the poor, that such plans are now in progress 
 of adoption through the great cities of our land,
 
 THE REPORT. 159 
 
 as an immediate provision against the extremity 
 of want. I have mentioned before that the 
 rooms are well warmed and lighted, and they 
 are carefully washed and cleaned every day. 
 During the night previous to my visit no less 
 than sixty-nine had been accommodated in this 
 place. 
 
 In the Report are some statistical tables 
 which might be of value for ascertaining the 
 respective state of destitution experienced among 
 the inhabitants of different localities in the 
 vicinity of Edinburgh, and, among other classes, 
 are many who make applications for nightly relief. 
 I see in the last three months of 1841, and 
 subsequent nine months of 1842, the applicants 
 from Edinburgh, St. Cuthbert's and Canongate, 
 were 5,692 in number ; for Leith, 529 ; for the 
 parishes of Dalkeith, Duddington, Musselburgh, 
 and Portobello, 445 ; for Lanark and Renfrew- 
 shires, 1,960; for all other parts of Scotland, 
 4,282; for England, 1,030; for Ireland, 1,325; 
 and of foreigners 152 ; the sum total amounts 
 to 15,45. 
 
 In 1842 — 3 the number was larger still. It was 
 no less than 19,524. The proportions were, 
 generally speaking, on the same ratio, but 
 they were rather diminished under the respective 
 heads of Leith and England.
 
 1 60 PLAIDS. 
 
 I did not observe any peculiarities as to the 
 dress of the people in the streets worthy of 
 remark, except that now and then a man passed 
 wearing that most convenient article, the plaid 
 or tartan shawl — a wrap which so well illus- 
 trates the oft-repeated remark that the simplest 
 thing is often the best. It is inconceivable to a 
 stranger in how many ways this article may be 
 worn by one experienced in its use ; how it may 
 be shifted to cover different parts of the frame, 
 or according to the quarter of the rain and the 
 wind. I am sure that nothing except the 
 singularity of the dress, when worn in England, 
 prevents those who have once tried it in Scot- 
 land from continuing its use elsewhere. How- 
 ever one sees more specimens than formerly, 
 particularly among travellers by railroad, &c. I 
 was for several days exposed to very wet in- 
 clement weather, and I certainly can say, that 
 nothing I ever wore as an outward garment, 
 afforded me so much protection as a common 
 shepherd's plaid, which I bought at Galashiels — 
 a choice place for the fabric. In speaking 
 however of dress, as seen at Edinburgh, I must 
 not omit the costume of the Leith fish -women, 
 w T hich is an attire peculiarly picturesque. Many 
 of the shops in the chief thoroughfares display 
 plaids and tartans of much beauty and variety,
 
 BOOK SHOPS. 161 
 
 in silk and other materials. But mentioning 
 shops', I must refer to certain trades, which 
 appear to have most abundant encouragement 
 in this city. One is that, of which the reader 
 will be reminded by one of Scotland's old 
 titles, The Land o' Cakes. The cake-shops are 
 innumerable, and their number is equalled by 
 the profusion and excellence of their supplies. 
 Fine fruit too seems abundant, though I cannot 
 help thinking how much more, this year at all 
 events, its maturity and exhibition for sale 
 must depend on the skill of the gardener than 
 on the ripening effect of the unaided sun. But 
 Scotch gardeners are renowned all over the 
 world. 
 
 Most observable, however, are libraries and 
 book-shops, which , in proportion to the number 
 of other shops and to the number of the in- 
 habitants of Edinburgh, far surpass any thing 
 which I have ever witnessed in any other town, 
 either at home or abroad. And here I do not so 
 much allude to showy establishments half filled 
 with ornamental stationery and glittering with 
 gay bindings, though these are not wanting, but 
 rather to plain business-like houses, filled with 
 good collections of stock books, to which you 
 might fancy that the middle classes and in- 
 dustrious students would repair, in search of
 
 162 PERIODICALS. 
 
 literary information, or of means of pursuing those 
 various studies, to which the youth of Scotland 
 apply themselves with such assiduity and zeal. 
 Surely the existence of these vast number of 
 libraries is a fact, which (to use a phrase appro- 
 priate to the subject) must speak volumes as to 
 that exercise of intellectual faculties, for which, 
 throughout all classes, Scotland has been long 
 famed, and is famed still. The publishing and 
 printing establishments of Scotland are very 
 numerous, including those which issue the Edin- 
 burgh Review, Blackwood's Magazine, Tait's 
 Edinburgh Magazine, the North British Review, 
 and many other periodicals devoted to religion, 
 politics, and literature. The amount of mental 
 and manual employment which the maintainance 
 of such publications must, year after year occa- 
 sion in a town of this size, has, of course, a 
 considerable influence on the intelligence, and 
 prosperity of the inhabitants. That best 
 encouragement, the encouragement of the public, 
 ensures an attention to literature and the arts 
 connected with publishing, which otherwise 
 would lie dormant, or, at all events, seek its 
 development elsewhere. 
 
 For the information of strangers, I will just 
 mentionthat a street in Edinburgh very commonly 
 is represented by a word strange enough to the
 
 LODGINGS. 1 63 
 
 ears of a Southern, when visiting this city for 
 the first time — also, that the position of the 
 different localities is described by a reference 
 not to the right or the left, but to the points 
 of the compass. On my first arrival I pulled 
 up the ponies shortly after entering the town, 
 and inquired my way to George street. The 
 answer given me was, " Second diveesion, west." 
 This rendered me in no respect whatever wiser 
 than I was before in regard to the subject of 
 inquiry ; but I was instructed, as to my way, 
 in phraseology more familiar to my ear. The 
 meaning was, " Second Street, left." 
 
 At the time of year when we were at Edin- 
 burgh there was no lack of lodgings, of a very 
 superior character, as to size and accommoda- 
 tion, in the New Town. The house where we 
 resided, like so many others in the neighbour- 
 hood, was lit by gas, and in an evening the 
 bowls of brilliant light all about the house had 
 a very cheering and inspiriting effect. All 
 these houses are supplied at an annual charge, 
 in proportion to the gas consumed at each 
 residence. There are means of ascertaining 
 this point with complete accuracy. I think 
 that, in general, the owners of the houses, 
 where the system is adopted, and with whom 
 I spoke on the subject, seem to like the plan
 
 164 RELIGION IN SCOTLAND. 
 
 extremely ; but some were strong against its 
 introduction. The expence is very moderate, 
 compared with other means applied to the 
 same purpose. One gentleman told me that 
 gas was burnt throughout his house with great 
 freedom from the top to the bottom of his 
 residence, and in his stable too. The sum he 
 paid was only twelve pounds a year. Another 
 gentleman, in whose dwelling it was burnt 
 more moderately and yet without stint, said 
 that he paid eight pounds a year. There are 
 some amusing accounts of the plentiful gaseous 
 illuminations, as constantly used in Sir Walter 
 Scott's, at Abbotsford, given in his life by 
 Mr. Lockhart. It is known that he used to write 
 with a strong glare just above his paper. The 
 light in our house was most manageable : one 
 could have a little speck not bigger than a 
 pea, burning dimly in a bed-room, or by one 
 bowl quite illuminate a drawing-room of no 
 inconsiderable size. 
 
 The various religious professions, denomina- 
 tions, or churches to which the upper classes in 
 Scotland belong, present a singular contrast to 
 the uniformity in that matter generally prevalent 
 in England. 
 
 In England the far greater number of persons in 
 that rank are of the established Church ; and, if
 
 DISTINCT PROFESSIONS. 165 
 
 you hear any other account given regarding any 
 person in that class, their case is considered as 
 peculiar. Under ordinary circumstances, you are 
 accustomed to take it for granted that all present 
 are of the established Episcopal Church, dissent 
 only extending to a small and limited number 
 among the upper classes of England. 
 
 There are no less than four* distinct Protestant 
 bodies, (speaking as to the religious profession 
 of each) to which persons of corresponding 
 rank in Scotland, met in society during a 
 stranger's sojourn in Edinburgh, are respectively 
 attached. Some are Scotch Episcopalians, some 
 are English Episcopalians, that is, removed from 
 connexion with the Scotch Episcopal Church, as for 
 instance, Mr. Drummond's congregation. Some 
 are Presbyterians, adhering to the Established 
 Church, and some belong to the Free or Seces- 
 sion Church. While on the one hand the 
 knowledge of this fact will make any one of 
 right feeling careful and tender in general con- 
 versation on Church discipline and other kindred 
 
 * The Quarterly Review for the 1st of January, 1846, in an 
 article connected with the present religious state of Scotland, but 
 chiefly employed on the subject of the existing circumstances 
 prevailing in the Episcopal Church in that country, commences 
 with a special detail regarding these four distinct bodies. It treats 
 also of a fifth — of those who hold the Romish faith. 
 
 I shall, in all probability, have occasion to refer to this article 
 again on some future occasion.
 
 166 DISTINCT PROFESSIONS. 
 
 subjects, it also gives to the inquirer the great 
 advantage of being able, without difficulty, to 
 enter into such conversation as mav cause him 
 
 at 
 
 to hear all sides on the important questions 
 connected with these religious distinctions, and 
 to form his opinion on fair and advantageous 
 grounds.
 
 EPISCOPAL SERVICES. 16 
 
 - 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Kpiscopal Services — Scotch Episcopal Church — The Free Church 
 — Progress of the Free Church — Refusal of Sites — Importance 
 of the Subject — Spirit of the Scotch — Points at Issue — Inten- 
 tions of the Writer — Position of the Writer — Inverness Meeting 
 — Position of Inverness — Object of the Assembly — Place of 
 meeting — Numbers in attendance — Opening of the Assembly— 
 — Proceedings — Missions — Sabbath question — Ecclesiastical 
 questions — Translation of Ministers — Inverary — Removal of 
 Pastors — Presbyterian Polity — Braemar — Dr. Candlish — Sab- 
 bath Services — Small Isles. 
 
 On two of the three Sundays which I spent 
 at Edinburgh, I was fully employed in assisting 
 at the services of the Episcopal Church, and 
 preached four times during my stay in that city. 
 On one of these occasions it was at St. John's, 
 the large and beautiful Church, which is the first 
 among the many and fair structures of this 
 capital, attracting the admiring gaze of the 
 traveller on his arrival from Glasgow and the 
 west. The edifice is lofty, graceful, and highly 
 finished, both within and without. 
 
 The minister of St. John's is the Rev. E. B. 
 Ramsay, Dean of Edinburgh. We passed a
 
 168 SCOTCH EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 
 
 very pleasant evening at his house, and I felt 
 much interested in communicating with one, 
 who, from his long standing in the place, from 
 the active part which he has taken in all the 
 affairs of the Scottish Episcopal Church, and, 
 above all, from that friendly and sympathizing 
 disposition which renders him so much beloved 
 and esteemed among his brethren, must be so 
 highly qualified to give a stranger much and 
 trustworthy information concerning that body, in 
 which he occupies a high and very responsible 
 position. Among other matters he gave me 
 some particulars of the Scottish Episcopal 
 Church Society, to which he is the Secretary, 
 and mentioned that the poverty existing among 
 some of the Episcopal clergy was of such a 
 character, that there were more than thirty of 
 the number, whose incomes were under eighty 
 pounds a year ; and in order to raise them to 
 that small amount it required an expenditure 
 by this Society of eight or nine hundred pounds 
 from a subscription fund applicable to that 
 purpose. 
 
 I shall henceforth have frequently to speak of 
 the state of religion in Scotland, and of the 
 various questions by which the prominent 
 branches of the Church in this country are at 
 the present moment so remarkably occupied, if 
 not, to speak more accurately, agitated. And
 
 THE FREE CHURCH. 169 
 
 here appears to be a fit place for making a few 
 general allusions to the subject. I shall first 
 speak of the Free Church, whose proceedings 
 have of late drawn attention, and not without 
 ample cause. 
 
 Every one who is at all interested in public 
 affairs, has heard of the late Disruption or 
 Secession in the established (of course, I mean 
 the Presbyterian Church) of Scotland ; and, in 
 all probability, remembering that the question 
 has been prominently brought before Parliament, 
 will also have observed how completely State- 
 legislation has failed in effecting its intended 
 purpose. And whoever has not let the subject 
 pass away altogether from his mind, will un- 
 doubtedly have heard in vague and general 
 terms of the vast numbers who have sided with 
 the Free Church, of the able and distinguished 
 preachers who are now counted among its 
 adherents, of the vast hold and influence obtained 
 by them over a large proportion of the Scottish* 
 
 * In the early part of the present year £700,000 had been sub- 
 scribed towards the promotion and accomplishment of the objects 
 held in view by the members of the Free Church. At the time to 
 which I refer not less than five hundred and forty churches had 
 been raised, and it was expected that six hundred would be finished 
 before the close of the year. A salary of £120 had been voted to 
 every minister of the Church from the common fund. Means 
 have been taken with a view to the erection of a manse and 
 school-house in every parish where there was a Church. A college 
 has been undertaken, towards which ten individuals in two or three 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 170 PROGRESS OF THE FREE CHURCH. 
 
 population, and of the great success and 
 activity with which their religious measures, 
 both at home and abroad, have been hitherto 
 
 days subscribed £1,000 eacb. And to mention tbat which is, per- 
 haps, the most remarkable fact of all, amidst all these exertions 
 and contributions, the subscriptions of the Free Church body, 
 towards the furtherance of missions to the Jews and the Heathens, 
 have by no means diminished, but, on the contrary, have abso- 
 lutely exceeded the amount previously subscribed by the whole 
 undivided Presbyterian Church of Scotland. This is only a short 
 abstract of some of its proceedings, and much more might be told. 
 Making every allowance for the temporary enthusiasm of any 
 exciting religious crisis, as well as for the eS'ects which rivalry and 
 competition ever has had and ever will have in all human affairs, 
 not excluding those of a religious character, these exertions must 
 claim and fix the attention of all observers, and the motives which 
 arouse a cautious and discriminating people to such efforts and 
 expenditure, must be of no common order, and of no common 
 strength. 
 
 One instance of the enthusiasm in behalf of any measure 
 undertaken by the leading members of the body, may be drawn 
 from the fact that, of one book published under the superintend- 
 ance of a committee appointed for the purpose of bringing out a 
 certain number of religious publications in a cheap form, no less 
 than forty thousand copies were bespoke, before the work had 
 issued from the press. 
 
 I may as well mention here that the series, (of which the volume 
 alluded to was one) has proved so valuable in its character, and at 
 the same time so attainable by its low price, as to have been since 
 purchased with avidity, and read with deep interest by multitudes 
 throughout the realm. 
 
 The series is called that of the Works of Scotch Reformers and 
 Divines, and four volumes are supplied for the annual subscription 
 of four shillings. 
 
 Those issued for the first year are : — Practical Writings of Knox ; 
 Practical Writings of Traill ; Rutherford's Trial and Triumph of 
 Faith ; Lives of Mrs. Veitch, Mr. Thomas Hog, and Rev. Henry 
 Erskine. 
 
 Those for the first issue of the second year consist of Fleming's 
 Fulfilling of the Scripture, and Select Writings of David Dickson.
 
 REFUSAL OF SITES. 1/1 
 
 conducted. Some too have heard much of the 
 refusal to give sites for erecting Free Churches, 
 on the part of different landed proprietors hold- 
 ing the exclusive possession of vast districts in 
 various parts of Scotland — of the strong feelings 
 and excitement consequent on these refusals, 
 and of assemblages for public worship in tents, on 
 the sea-shore, on the hill-side or the open road, 
 from the difficulties experienced by the members 
 of the Free Church in gaining or establishing 
 any better means of meeting together on the 
 Lord's Day. Neither is it altogether unknown 
 in England that this Secession has originated, or 
 influenced various newspapers, periodicals, and 
 other publications, so that they specially advocate 
 its cause, and in some instances, may be looked 
 upon as the direct organs of that body. Among 
 the publications occupying one or the other of 
 these two positions are the Witness, the North 
 British Review, the Home and Foreign Mis- 
 sionary Record, and the Free Church Magazine. 
 These general outlines may be, and are known in 
 a limited degree to the English public at large, 
 and more accurately from their respective 
 position and circumstances, to the Members of 
 the Legislature, to the English Clergy, and to 
 all who watch with interest the various religious 
 movements, by which our times are so distinctly 
 
 •i 2
 
 172 IMPORTANCE OF THE SUBJECT. 
 
 marked. Nevertheless, in many quarters very 
 confused notions prevail in regard to the Free 
 Church of Scotland, to the grounds on which it 
 acts, and to its general principles. Nor indeed 
 except by close special study of the individual 
 question, both as to recent facts and as to its 
 connection with Scottish history, (speaking both 
 constitutionally and religiously), from the very 
 time of the Reformation up to the present 
 moment— except, I repeat, by this special study, 
 combined with personal communication on the 
 matter with the Scottish people in all ranks, 
 and in various localities, or at all events, as a 
 substitute for the second measure, without a 
 close and diligent attention to what is related, as 
 to their present feelings and convictions, by 
 trustworthy witnesses — can I conceive how it is 
 possible for any one either to act, or to speak with 
 decision of opinion on the subject, as one satisfied 
 that he has had the means of right judgment 
 thereupon ? It is my firm belief that it is impossi- 
 ble to overrate the magnitude, importance, and 
 extensive bearings of the Free Church question. 
 Much and most evidently have they been 
 deceived, who thought that the excitement was 
 but for a moment ; that great things were 
 announced and prophesied, but that little would 
 ensue : that few ministers would Carry out their
 
 SPIRIT OF THE SCOTCH. 173 
 
 professed declarations, in leaving the Established 
 Church of the land ; and, finally, that if they 
 did, few out of the laity would be their adhe- 
 rents at the day of trial. These anticipations 
 have proved utterly erroneous ; and I fully believe 
 that all anticipations formed on the same basis, 
 and in the same school, as suggesting any return 
 or retrograde movement whatever among the 
 members of the Free Church, will prove exactly 
 of the same character — erroneous, and unable 
 to bear the test of experience and fact. 
 
 It will not, I think, suit the character of 
 these pages, and, indeed, it would prove far 
 too protracted a task, were I to dwell histori- 
 cally on the character of that portion of the 
 Scotch people, who, in each succeeding genera- 
 tion, have been at different times imbued with 
 the strong feelings of their ancestors and coun- 
 trymen as to religious doctrine and ecclesias- 
 tical discipline, or to show that when the 
 current has once evidently taken that special 
 direction, which it has of late taken in that 
 body, nothing can effectually stop it. I only 
 suggest due attention to this matter of his- 
 torical experience and truth, and I do so, 
 having no doubt whatever that such attention 
 will ensure assent to this statement, if not 
 recognized at once, without denial or dispute.
 
 174 POINTS AT ISSUE. 
 
 Neither shall 1 enter here into the legal, or it 
 should rather be called, the constitutional points 
 at issue on the matter, but prefer to reserve 
 that part of the question for another part of 
 this work. All therefore which I say here is, 
 that so far from the adherents of the Free Church 
 considering themselves to be disobedient to the 
 law of the land, or to be acting in a manner 
 adverse to its constitution, they hold that the 
 law and constitution is on their side, but that 
 from the interpretation issued by authority, 
 they cannot, with consistency, retain the advan- 
 tages of an Established Church, though they 
 consider them as de jure theirs. Whether haA^- 
 ing seceded and given them up they would 
 accept them again, on any terms at all similar 
 to those on which they held them before, is 
 quite another topic. 
 
 Another intention, which might be attributed 
 to the writer of these pages, or by some might 
 be expected from him, is one which he is 
 most anxious to disclaim — I mean that of 
 passing any systematic judgment of his own 
 as to the fundamental and essential principles 
 on which the two parties — that of the Establish- 
 ment, and that of the Secession — are guided 
 respectively in their course. I say, fundamen- 
 tal and essential principles, because I think that
 
 INTENTIONS OF THE WRITER. 175 
 
 one, who has hitherto had no personal con- 
 nexion with the country or its inhabitants, 
 and has only given to its history and interests 
 that very scanty share of attention, to which 
 mere general reading and desultory observation 
 on current public affairs would lead, is quite 
 incapable of forming a decision as to these 
 principles, with any adequate security for 
 sound judgment and accurate views. But 
 having said this, I desire also to add, that I 
 would not extend this restriction to comments, 
 and expression of opinion, on the proceedings 
 of the two parties, although I am well aware 
 that principles and their results must always, 
 more or less, be connected, even as matters 
 on which mere opinion is exercised. While, 
 therefore, the old saying, yvuh <rsa.vTou will in 
 one case be applied, so as to enforce salutary 
 restraint ; in the other, should occasion occur, 
 I shall give free scope to any observations which 
 may be called forth by the actions, expressions, 
 or system of either side, as they appear to me 
 developed and exemplified in act. These must 
 surely be allowed by all candid judges to be 
 fair subjects of comment, opinion, and judg- 
 ment, according to the means offered to a 
 mere passing traveller. 
 
 Neither do I sav this with anv upuma — with
 
 176 POSITION OF THE WRITER. 
 
 any self-detraction or disparagement of that 
 information which one in my circumstances 
 may be enabled to obtain and communicate ; 
 because, with all the admitted disadvantages 
 of transient and superficial inquiry, a stranger 
 has this advantage in treating of such subjects, 
 viz : that he alone can so observe, and therefore 
 so write upon them, as to make them of real 
 interest to the great body of readers. An indi- 
 vidual who has lived all his life in any scene 
 of peculiar and striking character is, perhaps, 
 from the effect of custom in obliterating every 
 sense of peculiarity from his own mind, the 
 least qualified of all persons to offer a graphic 
 and attractive account of that, which is to him 
 so exceedingly familiar. May I not accordingly 
 venture to say, that a Scotchman is not so 
 likely to treat of subjects like those which 
 concern the Scotch Church, in a manner likely 
 to catch the observable and salient points ; 
 while a stranger might do it, though without 
 a tithe of his knowledge and experience ? I 
 doubt not that it is far better to fall into 
 some occasional error, or commit any of the 
 venial faults to which a stranger is liable, than, 
 on the one hand, to write a cumbrous detail 
 under the idea that everything which a man 
 is able to communicate to others, must be
 
 INVERNESS MEETING. 177 
 
 written down ; or, on the other hand, to omit 
 altogether those details, which though well- 
 known at home, and by those constantly occu- 
 pied therein, are new and of vivid interest at 
 a distance from the scene of their constant and 
 daily recurrence. 
 
 One of the most important meetings which 
 ever took place, was that of the General Assem- 
 bly of the Free Church, held at Inverness, which 
 occurred during the period of our stay in Edin- 
 burgh. We were strongly recommended to be 
 present at this meeting, as one which would 
 give us a full and lively representation of the 
 tone and feeling prevalent among the Scotch 
 on the subject of religion, as well as an oppor- 
 tunity of seeing many representatives of the 
 Highland ministers and population gathered 
 together under circumstances peculiarly favour- 
 able to the exhibition and development of their 
 character. At one time we had arranged to be 
 there, and apartments had been secured for 
 us in the town of Inverness ; but, to my regret, 
 different occurrences interfered with our plan, 
 and prevented its fulfilment. However, I had 
 subsequently numerous and advantageous op- 
 portunities of conversation with many indivi- 
 duals who had been at Inverness on the occa- 
 sion, and with some who had taken an active 
 
 i 3
 
 178 POSITION OF INVERNESS. 
 
 part in the proceedings to which I refer. Be- 
 sides this, I regularly read the Reports of all 
 matters connected with the Assembly, during 
 the whole week of its continuance ; and, indeed, 
 the subject w r as so constantly brought forward 
 in all classes of society, whether by its adhe- 
 rents, or by its opponents, that one could hardly 
 fail of hearing so much upon it, as to render 
 any notice, such as I could introduce here, 
 rather a selection of statements on the question 
 than their full enumeration. 
 
 As this was the first meeting held in the 
 Highlands, arid considered as one of no slight 
 importance, it may be well to mention what 
 its main objects were ; why it w r as held at this 
 particular time ; and whence the selection of 
 this particular locality in preference to Edin- 
 burgh, or to Glasgow, or any other town nearer 
 to the capital. 
 
 The fact is, that Inverness is a kind of High- 
 land capital, easily reached from Sutherland- 
 shire, Rosshire, and other districts of the north. 
 By means of the Caledonian canal and Loch 
 Ness, it is not unfavourable to approach by 
 water from the numerous western islands, and 
 the various headlands in that direction, covered 
 with a population deeply interested in the 
 questions to be brought forward on the occa-
 
 OBJECT OF THE ASSEMBLY. 179 
 
 sion. The fine northern town of Inverness 
 was therefore chosen, as being conveniently 
 situated for gathering together the ministers 
 and elders of the Free Church, as well as many 
 others zealous in the cause for which they 
 were to assemble, which was, that of consider- 
 ing the spiritual state of the Highlands, and 
 the most available means for meeting and 
 relieving their wants as to the Ministry of the 
 Word, and other kindred matters connected with 
 the progress of religion, as developed in, or 
 forwarded by the body of the Free Church of 
 Scotland, both at home and abroad. It was 
 intended that these subjects should be fully 
 considered and discussed, both in private com- 
 mittees and in public sittings, open to all who 
 might wish to attend. During the sittings of the 
 Assembly there was to be a succession of ser- 
 vices, both in English and in Gaelic, and oppor- 
 tunities were to be given for hearing statements 
 on subjects of a missionary character from 
 various persons qualified to afford it, such as 
 Dr. Wilson, from India, Mr. Bonar, from 
 Canada, Dr. Kalley, from Madeira, and many 
 others of corresponding character and note 
 in the Church of Christ. 
 
 In order to facilitate these various objects,
 
 1 80 PLACE OF MEETING. 
 
 and to accommodate the multitudes of visitors 
 expected to be present, from interest in the 
 cause, or from a desire to observe the proceed- 
 ings, a large wooden pavilion was erected, capa- 
 ble of giving comfortable accommodation to 
 three thousand people, and of holding four 
 thousand in case of need. The site for erecting 
 this grand and capacious pavilion, as well as 
 the use of some adjoining schools, was granted 
 to the Assembly by the Magistrates and Town- 
 Council of Inverness, free of any charge ; and 
 such was the liberal and good feeling prevalent 
 in the town and neighbourhood on this remark- 
 able occasion, that the utmost hospitality was 
 shown to all comers, and houses were thrown 
 open to visitors and Free Church representa- 
 tives, independently of all private judgment 
 and feeling, while the most perfect order pre- 
 vailed in the town, notwithstanding the mul- 
 titude assembled, and the keen interest felt 
 on the subjects discussed, and the intensely 
 strong opinions inwardly cherished, and fear- 
 lessly declared throughout Scotland generally on 
 the Free Church question, both by its friends 
 and its foes. Many persons, including some 
 engaged in laborious daily avocations, came 
 from very distant parts of the Highlands ; and
 
 NUMBERS IN ATTENDANCE. 181 
 
 at the public meeting on the very first day, 
 there were above two thousand persons present,* 
 independent of the members of Assembly. The 
 Highland plaid was conspicuous among the men ; 
 the cap or handkerchief, instead of a bonnet, 
 as a head-dress among the women, after the 
 older and more primitive fashion of the country, 
 still kept up in distant parts. 
 
 Besides the Scotch, who were gathered in 
 such numbers, there were several visitors from 
 England and Ireland. I understood that one 
 individual, who was well used to public business, 
 and had been long acquainted with the oratorical 
 capacities of all the chief parliamentary speakers, 
 expressed the greatest admiration at the general 
 powers and abilities exhibited on this occasion 
 by the Free Church Ministers, who took part in 
 the proceedings. 
 
 I shall now give a sketch or analysis of the 
 business transacted throughout the week of 
 meeting. 
 
 Thursday, August 21st, was the first day 
 of meeting, and twelve o'clock was the hour 
 
 * In the same channel of information from which I take this 
 statement, I subsequently find it observed : " We believe that 
 the number present on the day of the opening was underrated by 
 us, and that, instead of saying ' there could not be fewer than 
 two thousand present,' exclusive of members, we ought to have 
 said that the number was nearly three thousand."
 
 182 OPENING OF THE ASSEMBLY. 
 
 for assembling. The proceedings were opened 
 by a Sermon from the Moderator (Dr. Patrick 
 Macfarlane, of Greenock), who preached to 
 an immense congregation on Ephes. ch. u, 
 20, 21, 22nd verses. The chief purpose and 
 scope of his address was to show forth the 
 distinctive characteristics of a true church, and 
 to urge upon those who were present the neces- 
 sity of realizing and exhibiting such characteris- 
 tics, if they would have God's blessing rest upon 
 themselves personally, or upon their undertak- 
 ings as a church. 
 
 Dr. Marfarlane was succeeded by Dr. Mac- 
 donald, of Urquhart, who preached in the Gaelic 
 language, from the 17th chapter of the Acts, 
 6th verse, viz : " These that have turned the 
 world upside down are come hither also." 
 In discussing the subject, he stated, that the 
 charges brought against the Free Church were 
 the same as were brought against the Apostles. 
 He illustrated this idea under the following 
 particulars : — 1 . The Apostles were charged 
 with breaking the law ; 2. With bringing in 
 strange doctrines ; 3. With disturbing the peace 
 of families ; 4. With driving men mad ; and, 
 5th. With never remaining in one place, but 
 constantly wandering about spreading their 
 doctrines. He concluded by an appeal to the
 
 PROCEEDINGS. 183 
 
 ministers, calling on them, notwithstanding the 
 charges brought against them, to persevere in 
 spreading the knowledge of the Gospel through- 
 out the country, looking to Christ for the 
 blessing of his Spirit on their labours. The 
 Gaelic psalmody, with which this service was 
 accompanied, appears to have had a most touch- 
 ing and impressive effect on all, whether strangers 
 or natives, who were present to hear it. 
 
 The Assembly was then " constituted," (as it 
 is termed) and the roll was called, when one 
 hundred and sixty-nine members answered to 
 their names. I believe that these were all 
 ministers and office-bearers, present as repre- 
 sentatives of the Free Church from all quarters 
 of the land. Arrangements were then made for 
 public services on the ensuing Sabbath, and on 
 every day during the sitting of the Assembly. 
 After a short speech from Dr. Candlish, appa- 
 rently with the view of sketching out for the 
 public those objects for which they were met, 
 and the general plan of future proceedings, the 
 Assembly adjourned until half-past six in the 
 evening. 
 
 The evening meeting (or " sederunt," as it is 
 called) commenced with devotional exercises ; 
 and, subsequently Mr. Bonar spoke on the 
 religious state of Canada, especially in connexion
 
 1 84 MISSIONS. 
 
 with the Presbyterian and Free Church Mission. 
 He was succeeded by Mr. Wood and Dr. Kalley, 
 who had both lately returned from the island of 
 Madeira — the former speaking more peculiarly 
 of the Free Church Missionary exertions in that 
 island, the latter of the general effects of that 
 work of God, through the public and private 
 testimony in behalf of the Gospel, in which he 
 had been a most honourable and most successful 
 instrument. 
 
 Public worship was carried on in the Pavilion 
 in the Gaelic language every morning at half-past 
 seven ; and on Friday morning the Assembly 
 met at ten o'clock, and were engaged for two 
 hours in private conference on that most 
 exciting subject — I mean the refusal of sites — a 
 subject on which, as causing so much agitation 
 throughout a large portion of Scotland, and 
 as one which must be looked upon generally 
 with much interest, whether with a reference to 
 religious, political, or to social affairs — I shall 
 naturally have to speak more in detail by and 
 by. 
 
 On the commencement of public business, 
 Mr. Fox Maule proposed a vote of thanks to the 
 magistrates of Inverness, for the use of the 
 premises in which the Pavilion was erected, 
 where they were met together. To this succeeded
 
 MISSIONS. 185 
 
 a Report from the Board of Missions and 
 Education, and another Report presented by Dr. 
 Keith on the conversion of the Jews. After 
 this part of the business was concluded, several 
 addresses were delivered in the Gaelic language 
 to the Highland population in attendance, on 
 the Missionary and educational schemes of the 
 Free Church. In using the word "schemes," 
 I employ their own phraseology, and not mine ; 
 which I mention, as otherwise this expression 
 might possibly seem to convey some latent or 
 secondary meaning, of which I have no idea 
 whatsoever. 
 
 In the evening the subject of Missions was 
 resumed, and the meeting was addressed at 
 considerable length by Mr. W. S. Mackay, from 
 Calcutta, and by Dr. Wilson, from Bombay. 
 Dr. Brown and Dr. Candlish also spoke to the 
 question ; and subsequently a Report of the 
 Committee on the Observance of the Sabbath, 
 was given in and read. It contained an allusion 
 to the Newcastle. Lord's Day Society, as being 
 one which had exhibited much activity and zeal 
 in the cause. I select one passage of the Report, 
 inasmuch as the subject cannot be too often or 
 too forcibly pressed upon the inhabitants of 
 Great Britain at this present day. From what- 
 soever quarter a warning or summons to watch-
 
 186 SABBATH QUESTION. 
 
 fulness or action may come, all whose conscience 
 it touches ought, surely, to listen, and not only 
 listen, but exert themselves with all diligence, 
 each in his own sphere of duty, assigned by 
 Him who is " Lord of the Sabbath." And how 
 many consciences are now involved in all which 
 refers to the railways of the land ! 
 
 " Your Committee have also their eye steadily 
 directed to what is passing in the commercial 
 world more immediately around them, and to 
 the desecration both existent, and which may be 
 contemplated on the various lines of railways 
 which are now so rapidly extending ; and, 
 through the instrumentality of individual parties, 
 members of your Committee and others, they 
 trust that at the ensuing meeting of the directors 
 of these companies, a decided stand in behalf of 
 Christian truth, and of God's holy law respecting 
 the Sabbath, will again be made." 
 
 On Saturday the Assembly, after an hour of 
 renewed private conference on the refusal of 
 sites, met for public proceedings at eleven ; and, 
 after a short recurrence by Dr. Wilson to the 
 India Mission, some business was transacted on 
 matters more especially appertaining to the 
 Ecclesiastical arrangements of the Free Church 
 in Scotland, speaking with an internal and 
 domestic view.
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL QUESTIONS. 187 
 
 The first case related to the Rev. W. S. Hay, 
 and, so far as I can trace it out, was as follows. 
 He had received a unanimous call from Bank- 
 head, in the Parish of Midmar, hut the members 
 of the Presbytery of Kincardine O'Neil refused, 
 or rather delayed to " sustain the call" (as it is 
 termed) in consequence of his delicate health ; 
 and, though they appointed him to minister in 
 the neighbourhood, were unwilling to induct 
 him to the charge, without, (as they expressed it) 
 " referring the case for advice and instruction 
 to the adjourned meeting of the general As- 
 sembly, appointed to be held at Inverness." 
 The Assembly decided " that the Rev. W. S. 
 Hay might with all propriety be ' settled' at 
 Bankhead, and instructed the Presbytery of 
 Kincardine O'Neil to proceed in his induction 
 with all convenient speed." 
 
 Another question of the same character, but 
 regarding the " translation" of a minister from 
 one charge to another, was then brought forward. 
 In this case the same Presbytery of Kincardine 
 O'Neil was engaged, and the circumstances 
 of it referred to the translation or non-translation 
 of the Rev. W. M'Rae from Braemar to Inverary. 
 The discussion was so interesting in itself, as an 
 exhibition of Scotch ecclesiastical affairs, and so 
 important as bearing on that very point which
 
 188 TRANSLATION OF MINISTERS. 
 
 may be considered the very life and centre of 
 the whole body politic of the Secession — I mean 
 the appointment of ministers — that, instead of 
 abbreviating the discussion, I have inserted it at 
 length. It is a document which 1 strongly recom- 
 mend to the perusal and interest of all who feel 
 disposed to investigate and weigh the present 
 position and prospects of the Free Church. 
 
 PROPOSED TRANSLATION OF MR. M'RAE FROM 
 BRAEMAR TO INVERARY. 
 
 This case came up before the Assembly as a 
 Protest and Appeal by the Presbytery of Dunoon 
 and Inverary, against the judgment of the Pres- 
 bytery of Kincardine O'Neil, as refusing to 
 translate Mr. M'Rae to the congregation of 
 Inverary. Parties having been called, Dr. 
 M'Kay, of Dunoon, and Mr. M'Bride, and Mr. 
 Stark appeared for the Presbytery of Dunoon 
 and Inverary ; Mr. Stewart, Mr. Robinson, and 
 Mr. Gatherer, for the Presbytery of Kincardine 
 O'Neil, and Mr. M'Queen, (elder), for the con- 
 gregation of Braemar. No appearance was 
 made for the congregation of Inverary, Mr. 
 M'Combie, who represented them, being unable 
 to be present. The case having been stated from 
 the bar, in the course of which Mr. M'Queen
 
 TRANSLATION OF MINISTERS. 189 
 
 shortly described the good effects which had 
 resulted from Mr. M'Rae's labours in Braemar, 
 and gave it as his opinion that his removal 
 would have the effect of destroying the congre- 
 gation ; 
 
 Mr. M'Rae said, he had been strongly urged 
 to leave the case entirely in the hands of the 
 Church Courts so far as he was concerned him- 
 self; but as he had formed an opinion on the 
 subject — an opinion, whether right or wrong, 
 which had been prayerfully arrived at, he felt it 
 to be his duty to give utterance to it. In refer- 
 ence to translations in general, it must be allowed 
 on all hands, that there were occasions when 
 translations must take place ; but certainly they 
 should never take place without much caution, 
 both on the part of the Church and of the indi- 
 vidual himself; and he thought that, particularly 
 in a poor country, a congregation should not be 
 readily deserted, as it was those congregations 
 that had the greatest difficulties to encounter ; 
 and he knew nothing more discouraging than to 
 being subjected to the continual hazard of being 
 deprived of their minister. He could not help 
 remarking that, so far as he had been enabled to 
 perceive, the tendency of translations in general, 
 since the Disruption, had been very much to- 
 wards the centre, and that the outposts of the
 
 190 TRANSLATION OF MINISTERS. 
 
 country had been in a great measure deserted, 
 and that there were very few translations towards 
 the extreme parts of the country. Inverary was 
 an important field of labour, and he must acknow- 
 ledge that that was one great objection to his 
 translation thither. He had been there already, 
 and it was his decided conviction that it was not 
 a charge suited for him. He was obliged to go to 
 Braemar from another part of the country for 
 the benefit of his health ; and during the period 
 that he laboured at Inverary he fell back in his 
 health. Braemar was an entirely isolated locality, 
 and could only be supplied by a resident mi- 
 nister. During several months in the year, it 
 was entirely blocked up with snow, which made 
 it inaccessible, and the Presbvterv could never 
 supply it if the minister were removed. The 
 nearest Free Church was seventeen miles distant 
 from Braemar, and the greater part of the con- 
 gregations in the Presbytery were about forty 
 miles distant from Braemar. It was his decided 
 conviction, that if he were removed, in present 
 circumstances, the congregation would entirely 
 sink. Besides P/aemar was not an unimportant 
 station. Dui four months in the year the 
 congregation \ very small ; but in summer it 
 was resorted tc )y many visitors for the benefit 
 of their health, and also by many Scottish and
 
 TRANSLATION OF MINISTERS. 191 
 
 English nobility for other purposes. It was his 
 opinion that it would have a very bad moral 
 effect if the congregation there were entirely 
 abandoned. 
 
 Mr. M'Rae concluded by alluding to the 
 change which had taken place among the popu- 
 lation in the district, and said, that although 
 the evidence of religion, as exemplified in the 
 life, was a very delicate subject to advert to, 
 yet he thought he could but regard the operation 
 of the Lord's hand : and he might express it as 
 his belief that their Master had, to some extent, 
 been pleased to countenance his labours in 
 that place ; and in these circumstances he did 
 not feel it to be consistent with his duty to 
 abandon them. 
 
 Mr. Garment sympathized very much with the 
 congregation of Inverary in having been so often 
 disappointed in the calls they had given to 
 pastors ; but it was sometimes the case that 
 congregations had themselves to blame, and he 
 suspected that the congregation of Inverary had 
 been soaring a little too high in seeking such 
 ministers as they thought had a greater name 
 than others. He objected s *< ^gly to the 
 attempts that were made aIN .^rary, and at 
 other places he could name, to take away 
 ministers from congregations by whom they 
 
 i 5
 
 192 TRANSLATION OF MINISTERS. 
 
 were beloved and respected, and where the 
 Lord, as in the case of Braemar, seemed to be 
 blessing their labours. The congregation of 
 Inverary might have given a call to some of the 
 probationers of the Church. In this case the 
 health of the minister would not bear him to be 
 translated ; and, in all the circumstances of the 
 case, he considered that it would be cruelty in 
 the extreme, not only to the people of Braemar, 
 but to Mr. M'Rae himself, to remove him to a 
 station where he would not long exist in bealth, 
 or do the duties necessary to be performed. He 
 would say, that the destitution of the people of 
 Braemar was greater than that of Inverary ; 
 and if the people of the latter place chose to take 
 a boat and cross Loch Fine, they would enjoy 
 the ministrations of Mr. Stark. This might, 
 however, be too much for the gentry of Inverary. 
 He would just move that the Assembly dismiss 
 the Appeal of the Presbytery of Inverary and 
 Dunoon, and affirm the judgment of the Presby- 
 tery of Kincardine O'Neil. 
 
 Dr. Candlish said he was quite prepared to 
 defer to the plea of health, if he were pressed ; 
 but he must distinctly state that it was to that 
 plea alone that he could defer- He had no sort 
 of hesitation in saying, that, apart from the 
 plea of health, it seemed to him that every
 
 TRANSLATION OF MINISTERS. 193 
 
 reason was in favour of the translation, and 
 that there was no serious objection against it. 
 Much had been said about the evil the Church 
 had suffered from translations. Now, he would 
 take leave here to say, that, after having paid 
 particular attention to all that had passed in 
 this way since the disruption, that, in so far as 
 the Church may have suffered from translations 
 being carried out, it has not been from those 
 translations which have come up before the 
 Assembly. He would venture to say, on the 
 other hand, that the Church had suffered, and 
 to no inconsiderable extent, from the refusal to 
 some translations which had come up to the 
 Assembly — refusals to translate justified in the 
 circumstances, nay rendered necessary. Now, 
 he could not but think that this was one of those 
 cases in which the Church must consent to 
 suffer damage, as it was the bounden duty of 
 the Church to carry out no translation which 
 would injure the health and usefulness of any 
 one minister. None could have listened to the 
 statement made by the respected member of the 
 congregation of Braemar, without being deeply 
 impressed with a sense of gratitude for what the 
 Lord had been doing by the ministry of his 
 servant. He would venture to say, that, if the 
 pleadings from the bar were to be at all similar 
 
 VOL. I. k
 
 194 INVERARY. 
 
 to the statement they had heard from the 
 member of that congregation, they had reason 
 to congratulate themselves on the absence of all 
 counsel from the Church Courts. He was 
 specially anxious — and he must own that he 
 would scarcely have risen at all had it not been 
 for it — he was specially anxious to counteract 
 the effect, unintentionally he had no doubt 
 when made, of what was said by Mr. Carment 
 in reference to the case of Inverary. The 
 charge of Inverary was not a metropolitan 
 charge — it was not a central one. He held that 
 it was one of the outposts of the Church ; and 
 the result of a recent visit he had made to this 
 very congregation, and his recent observations 
 of the whole district along the banks of Loch 
 Fine, made him desirous to proclaim to all the 
 ministers and congregations of the Free Church, 
 that the charge of Inverary was one of the most 
 strictly missionary within the bounds of the 
 Church of Scotland. He was exceedingly anxious 
 to proclaim this, in order that brethren might 
 be willing to entertain a call from Inverary, not 
 as a call from the metropolis — from a central 
 post ; not as a call from a place of ease ; but as 
 being truly a call from a missionary station ; 
 and that the congregations of the Church might 
 be willing to look with an eye of favour on any
 
 INVERARY. 195 
 
 application from Inverary. He believed that 
 there was a delusion in the very sound of Inve- 
 rary, connected with the notion of a ducal castle 
 standing there. There was some sort of notion 
 that, being under the shadow of a ducal castle, 
 there was some sort of charm in it to ministers 
 of the Church, and that it was a place of ease 
 and temptation. So far from that being the 
 case, he believed that it was the worse for the 
 interests of the Free Church, from its being the 
 seat of a ducal castle, apart from the circum- 
 stance of the congregation of Inverary being in 
 an exceedingly critical state. Along the whole 
 banks of Loch Fine there was a field of 
 missionary labour, which was lying at present 
 almost entirely waste. He would take leave to 
 say, that he could not advise the congregation 
 of Inverary to make a call to a young and 
 untried probationer. He knew from recent 
 observation, that the individual who took the 
 charge of Inverary, required to be a man 
 thoroughly able to grapple with the Baptist 
 controversy, and with some of the errors of the 
 day — a man of tried and experienced gifts — a 
 man, in short, thoroughly imbued with the 
 missionary spirit. He feared that the Church 
 would get into some difficulty if the views which 
 have been promulgated in reference to transla- 
 
 k 2
 
 196 REMOVAL OF PASTORS. 
 
 tions should gain currency as being the views of 
 the Church, because these views tend to hinder 
 right translations. There was, apparently, a 
 sort of notion gaining ground among the con- 
 gregations of the Church, that pastors and 
 ministers are in such a sense theirs as that they 
 should retain them in their grasp as their own 
 property, and should feel as if a wrong were 
 done to them, when, for the greater good of the 
 Church, it was deemed expedient to remove 
 their pastors elsewhere. It seemed to be con- 
 ceived by some that, as it was the principle of 
 non-intrusion that no pastor could be settled in 
 a congregation contrary to their will, so no 
 pastor could be removed contrary to their will. 
 Now, he could not help thinking, that the 
 congregations connected with the Free Church 
 of Scotland would do well to recollect that, as 
 theirs was a Presbyterian polity, they ought to 
 be subordinate to a large extent to the judgment 
 of the Church Courts, and to the views which 
 the Church Courts may set before them. He 
 thought that in the particular matter, not of a 
 settlement of a pastor amongst them, but of the 
 proposal to remove him elsewhere, it would be 
 well that congregations would hold themselves 
 largely subordinate to the judgment of the 
 superior Church Courts ; and for this very
 
 PRESBYTERIAN POLITY. 197 
 
 obvious reason, that the people of any congrega- 
 tion only took a limited view of the circumstances 
 — that they looked only to one side ; but it 
 would be well if they would recollect that it 
 belonged to the Ecclesiastical Courts to look at 
 all sides of the case. Now, he did fear that 
 there may be something like a spirit of undue 
 appropriation of ministers as their own, among 
 the congregations of the Free Church, forgetting 
 this important truth, that ministers were not 
 given but only lent by the Great Head of the 
 Church. On this occasion he was tempted 
 strongly to give expression to these general 
 views, because he was extremely anxious, that, 
 while they should be most earnest in seeking to 
 do nothing contrary to the mind of the people, 
 they should not at the same time give a general 
 dislike to translations ; and, above all, because 
 he was anxious that the congregations of the 
 Free Church should cherish a brotherly and 
 Catholic feeling. If a call to a foreign mission 
 were addressed to the minister of any congrega- 
 tion, that congregation would feel itself ashamed 
 were it to hold up its own particular interests 
 against the cause of Foreign Missions. Now, 
 he would say, that when a call was addressed to 
 the minister of any congregation, it ought to be 
 considered not only in reference to its own
 
 198 PRESBYTERIAN POLICY. 
 
 interests, but in reference to the interests of the 
 Church at large ; and he was sure that no 
 congregation need have any apprehension, but 
 that the Lord would reward them tenfold for 
 any sacrifice they might be disposed to make 
 for the good of their brethren elsewhere. 
 
 Mr. Campbell of Monzie confirmed the views 
 of Dr. Candlish respecting the peculiar claims 
 of Inverary ; but, like the reverend Doctor, he 
 would defer to Mr. M'Rae's plea of ill health. 
 
 Dr. Clason, after remarking on the advantages 
 which Mr. M'Rae would enjoy in Inverary, 
 moved that the appeal be sustained, that the 
 decision of the Presbytery be reversed, and that 
 the Presbytery of Kincardine O'Neil be in- 
 structed to loose Mr. M'Rae from his present 
 charge, in order to his settlement in Inverary 
 with all convenient speed. 
 
 Dr. Cunningham said he was scarcely prepared 
 yet to second the motion of Dr. Clason, although 
 he was still less prepared to support the motion 
 of Mr. Garment. He would fain hope that 
 before the Assembly broke up they would be in 
 a condition to resolve that Mr. M'Rae's con- 
 nection with Braemar should be loosed. He 
 entirely concurred in the views stated by Dr. 
 Candlish on the subject of translations. He was 
 afraid that erroneous opinions in these matters
 
 THE QUESTION ARGUED. 199 
 
 were springing up among the congregations of 
 the Free Church. He did not refer merely to 
 their being too much in the habit of treating 
 every case, simply and solely in regard to its 
 own particular circumstances, — they must all be 
 prepared for more or less of that, and could not 
 prevent it ; but what he most objected to and 
 disliked in this matter was, that congregations 
 in these circumstances never seem to entertain 
 the idea, that they are called to take a more 
 enlarged view, and to consider the good of the 
 Church at large. In the present case, he con- 
 sidered that everything was in favour of the call 
 to Inverary, except the single circumstance of 
 the plea of ill health. To that they must, of 
 course, all yield, when it was distinctly pleaded 
 and fully borne out. But it did not strike him 
 that there was any very distinct or decided 
 standing upon this plea in the speech of Mr. 
 M'Rae. He (Dr. Cunningham) was not quite 
 satisfied that that was the ground on which Mr. 
 M'Rae declined taking charge of the congrega- 
 tion at Inverary. He desiderated a more care- 
 ful investigation into the state in which the 
 matter stood ; and he would require a very strong 
 and distinct declaration from Mr. M'Rae himself, 
 or satisfactory evidence from some other quarter 
 as to the state of his health, before he (Dr. Cun-
 
 200 BRAEMAR. 
 
 ningham) could come to the decision that he was 
 disqualified by the state of his health, or by any 
 other cause, from taking charge of the congrega- 
 tion at Inverary. He (Dr, Cunningham) was 
 very much opposed to foreclosing this case with 
 out some more explicit declaration from Mr 
 M'Rae ; and he would move the appointment of 
 a small Committee to confer with Mr. M'Rae, 
 to ascertain what he is prepared to assert as his 
 honest and conscientious conviction concerning 
 this matter, and ascertain as far as possible how 
 the whole case stands. 
 
 Mr. Sheriff Monteith suggested that the Report 
 of any Committee that might be appointed should 
 be received during the present sederunt, so that 
 the same house might give the decision as had 
 heard the pleadings of parties. He thought it 
 would be doing injustice to the parties to bring 
 up the Report at a subsequent meeting. 
 
 Mr. Nixon of Montrose was afraid that the 
 claims of Braemar were not sufficiently appre- 
 ciated by the house. There was a field of labour 
 there which would require the active exertions 
 of any minister who might be settled in the 
 place. The village of Crathy alone might suffice 
 for the labours of a minister. He had, himself, 
 when on a visit to the place, addressed two hun- 
 dred people on a week night in that village.
 
 DR. CANULISH. 201 
 
 Dr. Cunningham observed that it was his 
 opinion that the case should go to the Committee, 
 if it was appointed, on the distinct understand- 
 ing that the claim of Inverary was much stronger 
 than that of Braemar ; and that Mr. M'Rae 
 should be translated to Inverary, provided his 
 health would permit. 
 
 After some farther conversation. 
 
 Dr. Buchanan of Glasgow proposed that, leav- 
 ing the Committee to investigate the point of 
 Mr. M'Rae's health, the house should be left 
 free to investigate the entire case, having that 
 element before them, and no doubt the house 
 would come to a unanimous decision. 
 
 Dr. Cunningham having consented to this 
 arrangement, a Committee was appointed to 
 confer with Mr. M'Rae, in respect specially 
 to the plea of health, and to report to this 
 Assembly. 
 
 To this succeeded a discussion regarding the 
 moral character of a minister, and the conduct 
 of certain elders and deacons. In this, as in 
 the previous case, and, indeed, so constantly, 
 Dr. Candlish took a share. From the frequency 
 
 of his speeches, Dr. C seems to yield to 
 
 none in prominency of position, if not to surpass 
 all other members of the Assembly. 
 
 k 3
 
 202 SABBATH SERVICES. 
 
 After some other transactions of an unim- 
 portant character, the Assembly adjourned at 
 half-past four until the ensuing Monday. 
 
 The services of the Lord's Day were very full 
 and numerous throughout Inverness. I just 
 mention the arrangements and names of those 
 who ministered to the various congregations 
 who met together on that day. 
 
 Pavilion. — Forenoon — Dr. Candlish ; After- 
 noon — Mr. M'Bride, Rothesay (Gaelic) ; Even- 
 ing — Mr. Guthrie. 
 
 East Church, Mr. Sutherlands — Forenoon — 
 Mr. Beith (Gaelic) ; Afternoon — Mr. Begg ; 
 Evening — Mr. Maclean, Tobermory (Gaelic). 
 
 English Church, Mr. Thorburn's — Forenoon — 
 Mr. MacLeod, Snizort (Gaelic) ; Afternoon — 
 Mr. M 'Donald, Blairgowerie ; Evening — Mr. 
 M'Rae, Knockbain (Gaelic.) 
 
 North Church, Mr. M' Kay's— Forenoon — Mr. 
 M'Intosh, Tain (Gaelic) ; Afternoon — Dr. R. 
 Buchanan ; Evening — Mr. M'Donald, Helms- 
 dale (Gaelic.) 
 
 On Monday morning deputations were received 
 from English Presbyterian friends of the Free 
 Church. Then the Education Scheme was con- 
 sidered — then a case regarding the ministry of 
 Mr. Swanson at Small Isles. His work seemed
 
 SMALL ISLES. 203 
 
 of a very peculiar character, and a vessel had 
 been placed at his disposal, partly as a means 
 for moving from place to place with the pur- 
 pose of preaching, and partly as a " floating 
 manse" — to use the expression of Dr. Candlish 
 in his speech on the subject.
 
 204 REFUSAL OF SITES. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Refusal of Sites — Patronage — Scotch Proprietors — Popular 
 excitement — Refusal of Sites — Importance of the Question — 
 Chief Speakers— Political Receptions — Mr. Shiel's Speech — 
 Declaration of Principles — Political expectations. 
 
 I now resume the account of Monday's pro- 
 ceedings. In the evening that grand question 
 was brought forward, of which so much has 
 been heard, not only from the columns of the 
 public press, and in society at large, but in the 
 very walls of Parliament, I mean of course, the 
 Refusal of Sites — a subject of such consequence, 
 as bearing on the social and religious condition 
 of the country, and involving, (however, it may 
 be decided between the proprietors and their 
 tenants), such extended results, that a few 
 remarks here, by way of preface, may not be 
 undesirable. I would however add, that on this 
 somewhat thorny topic, as throughout these 
 pages, it is my wish to keep up the character of 
 an observer, whensoever possible, and not to
 
 PATRONAGE. 205 
 
 enter into controversy, or even any decided 
 expression of judgment, any farther than the 
 point to which, in my own mind, a clear path 
 of duty may constrain one to go. 
 
 I shall not now recur back to the religious 
 affairs of Scotland farther than to the few years 
 which have witnessed the rise and progress of 
 the Free Church question, as developed at the 
 present moment. I have therefore only to 
 observe that, on the rise and first agitation of 
 the question, the patronage of the Scotch estab- 
 lished Church livings — Presbyterian, of course, 
 as my English readers must remember — was 
 chiefly in the hands of the Crown or of 
 the noblemen and gentry, who were the 
 owners of the Scottish soil. Now these are for 
 the most part of the Episcopal Church. Some 
 of them belong to the Presbyterian Establish- 
 ment, and very few have adopted the principles 
 of the Free Church. Now these Proprietors, as 
 a body, have been strongly indisposed to a 
 movement, by which the patronage of the livings 
 would eventually either be taken out of their 
 hands altogether ; or, by which, at all events 
 their power in the choice and appointment of 
 ministers would be much modified, curtailed, 
 and restricted. Again — and I speak as one 
 who feels perfectly convinced of the statements
 
 206 SCOTCH PROPRIETORS. 
 
 which he makes, and with full confidence in the 
 high principles and character to be found in so 
 many of that body, to which he alludes — many 
 of these proprietors, whether Episcopalians or 
 Presbyterians remaining in the Established 
 Church, would, on principle, disapprove of a 
 system, by which influence would be with- 
 drawn from the higher classes of society, (whom 
 they might truly consider as the right depositories 
 of religious power, to render its exercise fully 
 beneficial and effectual) , and by which the popu- 
 lar voice and will would have such increased 
 weight. They might also strongly disapprove 
 of agitation — as they might think without any, 
 or without adequate cause. This might be 
 their true conscientious judgment, and equally 
 conscientious the opinion of some landlords that 
 the movement was but of a transient character, 
 and that, if opposed steadily at first, it would 
 soon pass away.* 
 
 Now the enumeration of these various motives 
 will, in some measure, prepare the inquirer 
 for meeting the fact, which, from the proceed- 
 ings in Parliament, was spoken of throughout 
 the country, under the term " Refusal of Sites," 
 
 * I certainly heard it stated, more than once, that in this view 
 they showed but little knowledge of the religious determination of 
 their countrymen on such matters.
 
 POPULAR EXCITEMENT. 207 
 
 and which gave rise to, and still keeps up, the 
 most intense excitement, locally and nationally, 
 in the Scottish mind. All at once the public 
 was surprised with accounts of vast congre- 
 gations meeting, from necessity, in the open 
 field ; or, on a public road, because prohibited 
 from standing on any other ground in the neigh- 
 bourhood, or in moveable buildings, to which no 
 permanent position and character could by any 
 means be attached ; — of strange restrictions, con- 
 ditions, and proposals, between landlords and 
 tenants, in regard to the erection of buildings 
 for public worship — of protracted correspondence 
 between these two parties, without much appa- 
 rent approximation, to unity, or harmony, on the 
 matters in debate. And before long the subject 
 was brought to a head by the presentation to 
 Parliament of certain petitions, concerning which 
 it may fairly be stated that they were some of 
 the most extraordinary documents of our day ; — 
 that they exhibited social contests, waged in the 
 northern districts of Great Britain, unparalleled 
 by any thing witnessed in our own times, and 
 almost unparalleled by any thing known in our 
 country since the feudal period. Certainly, if 
 we look to Ireland there has been occasionally 
 one or other landlord, of strong religious feel- 
 ing, zeal, and determination in his opposition to
 
 208 REFUSAL OF SITES. 
 
 Popery — who has refused a site for the erection 
 of a Popish chapel j but in Scotland a large body 
 of proprietors were united in their line of action, 
 and this too when neither Popery, nor any system 
 which involved similar unscriptural and dange- 
 rous tenets was concerned; — a large body, I say, 
 was united in refusing sites for building reli- 
 gious edifices for Protestant purposes. 
 
 The news was very startling. A great sen- 
 sation was made ; and according to the different 
 disposition of the landed proprietors of Scotland, 
 who had taken this course ; according to the 
 strength of their convictions as to the evil of 
 the new system ; according to their expectation 
 as to the movement being of a transient or 
 of a permanent character ; according to their 
 judgment as to their prospects of success 
 in continuing their opposition ; according to 
 various mixed motives and feelings, which may 
 be very easily imagined ; according, I say, to 
 these things, has been their subsequent conduct. 
 Some have yielded altogether, and with a good 
 grace, to the wishes of the Free Church adhe- 
 rents on their various estates. Some have 
 yielded partially, fighting the matter inch by 
 inch, and adding every restriction which they 
 could devise and enact, so as to obviate, as far 
 as possible, the power and permanency of the
 
 REFUSAL OF SITES. 209 
 
 system, and to keep it open to attack should 
 any future weakness appear. And some have 
 not yielded at all, declaring their sentence to 
 be for " open war" on the matter ; and they, 
 even to the present moment — in the opinion 
 of some with bold consistency, and in that of 
 others, with unreasonable obstinacy — will grant 
 no site, and give no facilities whatever for any- 
 thing like public worship on Free Church 
 principles. 
 
 The conduct of the latter class of landlords 
 virtually caused, (so far as I could ascertain,) the 
 Inverness meeting, and fixed the special locality 
 where the meeting was held. There was repre- 
 sented and embodied the strong conviction preva- 
 lentamong an immense body of the Scotch people, 
 that the conduct of these landlords was nothing 
 less than tyranny and persecution, and that 
 means must be devized for altering or disannul- 
 ling their decisions, and bringing them to act 
 entirely a new part on the grand question in 
 dispute between the two parties. 
 
 I would just observe here, that when it is 
 remembered that, with very few exceptions 
 of laymen in a higher rank, the advocates and 
 champions of the Free Church were either popu- 
 lar and able ministers, or men of the middle 
 class, strong in public religious energy — two
 
 210 IMPORTANCE OF THE QUESTION. 
 
 classes, on whom, from all the analogy of 
 Scottish history, it is beyond all doubt that 
 local influence and power of all kinds must 
 devolve, should landlords do anything to forfeit 
 it, and should these new leaders accept it, as 
 in this case they undoubtedly will — I say, when 
 this is remembered, and also the quickly-spread- 
 ing character of any proceedings by which the 
 ancient, feudal, and proprietary bond is broken, 
 one may well address every Scotch landlord, 
 when thinking of the meeting held at Inverness 
 — " tua res agitur" One may well say to every 
 English, Irish, or Scottish legislator, who may 
 have to do with Scottish legislation, as touching 
 these matters, " Bestow, at all events, diligent 
 attention on the question." Yes, one may go 
 further, and say to every one interested in the 
 social condition of the land, " Is this merely 
 a beginning, or is it a beginning leading to 
 a great, weighty, and as yet unseen end ?" I will 
 not conceal that many hold the latter opinion, 
 and speak of it with awe ; while, as in every 
 similar case, some make one party accountable, 
 and some the other for all the anticipated con- 
 sequences — for all the coming social events, 
 of which they see the shadow now passing over 
 the land. 
 
 I may now proceed to give an analysis of the
 
 CHIEF SPEAKERS. 211 
 
 Assembly's proceedings on the grand and ab- 
 sorbing question to which I have prefaced these 
 remarks. I repeat once more, that I have made 
 them with an eye to the following point, viz : 
 that whatever opinion may be formed as to the 
 conduct of each separate party, it is almost 
 impossible to overstate the importance of the 
 question at large. 
 
 The three speakers on the Refusal of Sites 
 were Dr. Buchanan, Mr. Begg, and Dr. Cand- 
 lish. Dr. Buchanan first gave the History of 
 that Petition, which had been presented on the 
 subject to the two Houses of Parliament, men- 
 tioning how it had been framed by a Committee 
 of the Assembly — how the deputation, which 
 had accompanied the petition to London, had 
 been received by those Scottish landlords and 
 Members of each House, with whom they had 
 had personal communication ; and, finally, how 
 the question had been treated in the speeches of 
 those Lords and Members of the House of 
 Commons, who had taken a prominent part 
 in regard to the discussion. Relative to the 
 landlords, Dr. Buchanan's general statement was, 
 " we met with very little encouragement." 
 
 Concerning the private interviews with those 
 of the " leading members of the Lords and 
 Commons to whom the deputation had access,"
 
 212 POLITICAL RECEPTIONS. 
 
 Dr. Buchanan states that the deputation " met 
 with very great encouragement from both of the 
 leading parties in politics alike," adding : — 
 " from Lord John Russell on the one side, and 
 Sir Robert Peel on the other, we met with 
 substantially the same reception, that is, an 
 acknowledgment that our claim was a good and 
 righteous claim." 
 
 Dr. Buchanan then canvassed the speech of 
 Sir James Graham, and dwelt a little on the 
 following observation of the right honourable 
 Baronet, viz., '• that he had at length lost all 
 expectation of the return of the Free Church to 
 the establishment." Then briefly reviewing the 
 proceedings in the Lords, he dwelt on the 
 speeches of the two " site-refusing proprietors," 
 (as he termed them) who had addressed that 
 house, specially alluding to the observation of 
 one as to his belief that the " movement of the 
 Free Church would prove ephemeral," and to 
 that of the other, relative to the harsh terms 
 with which he complained that he had been 
 assailed. 
 
 Dr. B. then passed on to the conduct of the 
 House of Lords, generally, on the occasion, 
 eulogizing Lord Campbell (though one opposed 
 to the Free Church principles) and the Marquis 
 of Breadalbane, himself a member of the Free
 
 MR. shiel's speech. 213 
 
 Church, conscientiously attached to it, and the 
 most distinguished individuals as to rank among 
 all its supporters and adherents. He then pro- 
 ceeded to comment on the speech of Mr. Shiel, 
 and then opening out on more extended topics, 
 took the following high tone, and entered into 
 that general manifestation of principle, as held 
 by himself and his coadjutors, which I extract 
 here, and of which I may observe, that it was 
 received with a constant succession of vehement 
 cheers and enthusiastic applause. 
 
 " It is necessary that Mr. Sheil, and all others 
 interested in our movements, should distinctlv 
 understand that it was not a link of gold that 
 ever bound us to the State ; and that nothing 
 but a link of principle can ever unite this 
 Church to civil power. (Hear, hear.) Sir, 
 when there remained no link to bind us to the 
 State but one of gold, we cast it with indigna- 
 tion away. (Cheers.) When the link of principle 
 was broken, we were ready to trample the link 
 of gold, not as a mark of honour, but as a 
 badge of servitude, beneath our feet. (Vehement 
 cheers.) It is needful that men should under- 
 stand the principle on which we proceeded in 
 taking up our ground as a Free Church. It is 
 not that we should be hangers-on and pensioners 
 of the State, for a paltry regium donum. If they
 
 214 DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES. 
 
 would understand our terms, let them look to 
 our claim of rights — (cheers) — let them learn 
 from it that if we are to be accosted or treated 
 with on the subject of a State alliance at all, it 
 must be on the footing of our being the 
 Established Church of Scotland — (renewed 
 cheers)— it must be on the footing of their 
 rescinding the Auchterarder decision, and all 
 the other decisions founded upon it (continued 
 cheers) on the footing of their rescinding Lord 
 Aberdeen's Bill — on the footing of their rescind- 
 ing the Stewarton decision — on the footing of un- 
 equivocally affirming the views which we and our 
 fathers both took of the constitution of the 
 ancient Church of Scotland — (applause) — which 
 can have no head nor any superior in things 
 spiritual, but the Lord Jesus Christ. Until the 
 State be prepared to abjure all Erastianism, and 
 to turn out those who are occupying our places 
 — (vehement cheers) — until it be prepared to 
 make a clear stage of the establishment, and let 
 it be occupied by this Free Church, we cannot 
 listen to these men, — we have nothing to say to 
 any proposition emanating from the State, and 
 we are not to be treated with on any footing of 
 a regium donum. (Cheers.) And we must have 
 very clear evidence that the State is sincere 
 even in making such a proposition as that to
 
 DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES. 215 
 
 which I have now referred. I may, indeed, say, 
 that the proposition is, in fact, such as that the 
 making of it would involve a far greater revolu- 
 tion than that of 1688. (Hear, hear.) It is a 
 proposition which I, for my own part, do not 
 expect to see made till the millennium. Those 
 who may live to see that blessed era may 
 witness it ; but I believe that none will see it 
 realized before. And, if I have said any thing 
 of that proposition, it is not because I imagine 
 it for a moment to be possible, but merely for 
 the sake of argument. I say, then, Sir, that, 
 being separate from the State, as we now are, 
 and in the circumstances in which that separa- 
 tion has come to pass, we would need good 
 evidence that the State was prepared, out and 
 out, and universally as a State, to act on the 
 recognition and the maintenance of the great 
 principle of the liberty and independence of the 
 Church of Christ. (Hear, hear, hear.) For I 
 believe this Church will not consent, even at 
 the expense of any concession to itself, to come 
 into a position in which it will be virtually the 
 means of countenancing the Infidel principle, 
 that a State may support error with one hand, 
 and truth with another — (Hear, hear, hear) — 
 that a State may speak against Christ and His 
 Headship to one Church, and vindicate His
 
 216 DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES. 
 
 Headship to another. (Hear, hear, hear.) I 
 believe it is that very principle which the State 
 is seeking to set up, and to gain for it an 
 ascendency in its present policy. I believe that 
 for the sake of that policy they would willingly 
 grant a regium donum to any of the non-con- 
 forming Churches that would degrade themselves 
 by accepting it ; because, what is the whole 
 drift of the present policy of the State in 
 reference to Churches or religion ? Will any man 
 who has his eyes open, and has been looking 
 with an intelligent mind to the course of public 
 affairs, venture to deny, that the main drift of 
 State policy, in reference to churches and 
 religion, is to bring them, one way or another, 
 so under the trammels of State influence, as 
 that they may become the mere tools of the 
 civil power? (Hear, hear.) Perhaps, as I have 
 already said, it may seem going out of the way 
 to indulge in observations like these ; but, as 
 the occasion of them came out in connection 
 with this question of the refusal of sites in the 
 House of Commons, and, as the discussion 
 diverged into this subject there, it is not unrea- 
 sonable that we should follow it with a similar 
 discussion here. (Hear.) I believe that it is of 
 great consequence, not for the sake of the 
 ministers and members of our own Church, who
 
 DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES. 217 
 
 would scorn such a proposition as that of Mr. 
 Sheil, or any proposition of a similar tendency 
 — (cries of Hear, hear) — but it is important 
 that we make such statements as these, in the 
 way of a testimony to other Churches, and 
 to the world at large, that they may be guarded 
 against the insidious policy the State is now 
 pursuing, and which all the States of Europe, 
 so far as we can see, are bent on pursuing, — 
 the policy of confounding all the great distinc- 
 tions between truth and error, treating religion 
 as a mere matter of opinion, and seeking to 
 make it the slave of State power and influence. 
 (Hear, hear.) I am afraid I have detained this 
 house too long. (No, no.) I have now only to 
 call the attention of the Assembly to the 
 position in which the matter of the Refusal of 
 Sites now stands, in so far as the proceedings of 
 the Committee are concerned. Other views of 
 that question, and further information upon it, 
 will immediately be laid before the house by 
 members who have been visiting those districts 
 of the country which are the scenes of the 
 hardship and persecution occasioned by those 
 refusals. Meanwhile, let it be distinctly under- 
 stood, that, in so far as the proceedings of the 
 Committee are concerned, we have made little 
 or no way with site-refusing landlords ; we 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 218 POLITICAL EXPECTATIONS. 
 
 have made some way with public men in 
 Parliament, and, I believe, with public opinion 
 throughout the country at large ; and I am, 
 therefore, emboldened to hope, that, if the 
 accumulated cases of site-refusing which this 
 night will be brought under the attention of 
 this house and the country — if these cases of 
 hardship and oppression remain unredressed till 
 the meeting of the next session of Parliament ; 
 and, if we shall then be obliged once more to 
 address the Legislature on the subject, w 7 e shall 
 not only have a cordial sympathy in the public 
 mind of Scotland, England, and Ireland, to 
 support us in our appeal, but that in the House 
 of Parliament itself we might count upon 
 powerful support. (Hear.) We are entitled to 
 count on the support of her Majesty's Govern- 
 ment, and on the support of the leading men of 
 both sides of politics in both Houses of the 
 Legislature. (Cheers.)
 
 MR. BEGG. 219 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Mr. Begg — Skye — Northern Ministers— Dr. Candlish— Proposed 
 Measure — Mr. Campbell, of Monzie — Orkney — Dr. Chalmers — 
 Christian Liberality — Conclusion of the Assembly. 
 
 Dr. Buchanan was followed by Mr. Begg, 
 who had lately returned from a visit to those 
 parts of the Highland districts, where the people 
 had been most affected by the Refusal of Sites. 
 Mr. Begg's speech was chiefly occupied with 
 the narration of distinct and individual cases, 
 where landlords were at issue with their tenants 
 on the question at the present moment under 
 our review. 
 
 The first case was that of Lord F , in 
 
 Aberdeenshire, whose letter, in answer to a 
 petition for building a Free Church in the 
 parish of Keig, seems to have met with 
 little favour at the meeting. His Lordship 
 stated that " from conscientious reasons," by 
 which he, as the petitioners, must feel himself 
 
 l 2
 
 220 SKYE. 
 
 bound, he could do nothing to advance a cause, 
 which, on many grounds, he highly disap- 
 proved. 
 
 Mr. Begg then proceeded to describe the 
 course of his own journey. Ardnamurchan, 
 
 the property of Sir J — R , was the first 
 
 place of his personal observation, to which he re- 
 ferred without any detail in his speech, although 
 he introduced a few notices on Mull and Uloa 
 by the way. After making some geographical 
 allusions to Ardnamurchan, he read Sir J — 's 
 letter, mentioning the sole conditions on which 
 he wxmld permit a tent for public worship to 
 be raised, and stating his continued and in- 
 creased disapprobation of the Free Church pro- 
 ceedings. Having noticed the anxiety to hear 
 the preaching of the Gospel evinced by the 
 people in this neighbourhood, Mr. Begg con- 
 tinued the narrative of his course, and related 
 the circumstances in which the members of the 
 Free Church were placed on the estate of Mr. 
 
 M , of A , of whom he spoke in 
 
 no very gratified terms, as to his conduct 
 on the matter in discussion between him and 
 his tenants. 
 
 The island of Skye was the next locality 
 to which Mr. Begg alluded. In reference 
 to Skye, he spoke of Lord M and of
 
 NORTHERN MINISTERS. 221 
 
 Mr. M respectively, as proprietors of whom 
 
 the members of the Free Church had reason 
 to complain. He read a letter from the latter 
 gentleman concerning a Catechist's house, as 
 in this letter he expressed his general views 
 concerning the Free Church. 
 
 The speaker then took a more extended line 
 of address : spoke in high terms of the zeal 
 and missionary spirit exhibited by the ministers 
 of Northern Scotland ; recommended the adop- 
 tion of floating churches, as provisional means 
 for enabling the people to meet for public 
 worship in the insular districts of the country — 
 for instance, at Kilmallie, Strontian, Ardnamur- 
 chan, and Skye — proposed the establishment 
 of some Highland institution for training minis- 
 ters, and ended by declaring his conviction 
 of the benefits at large which might be expected 
 from the Inverness Assembly, as held this 
 year. 
 
 Dr. Candlish then rose, the third and last 
 speaker on this question. He first alluded to 
 Iona ; stated that in that whole island there 
 were " not more than two or three families 
 who did not belong to the Free Church," and 
 complained that a site had there been refused 
 in the most explicit terms. He then dwelt 
 on the fact of its being undesirable for the
 
 222 DR. CANDLISH. 
 
 people to accept unfavourable sites ; and sub- 
 sequently entered on the exposition of that 
 course, in which it appeared to him that the 
 practical duty of the members of the Free 
 Church, under present circumstances, might 
 be held to consist. His address here became 
 very eloquent, energetic, and excited. He dis- 
 claimed, in the strongest terms, any expectation 
 or hope that his own, or any other Church, 
 would derive any benefit whatever from any 
 proposed or existing connexion with the State. 
 Thus he prepared the way for exhorting and 
 directing his hearers to trust rather to their 
 own efforts for maintaining and extending their 
 Church, than to any prospects of regaining 
 their cause, and of securing Parliamentary aid 
 towards the attainment of those objects, for 
 which they had now met together here. "And 
 now," said he, " I come to the practical point." 
 
 Here I copy his language at full length, since 
 it describes the course of proceeding, no doubt 
 advisedly marked out by Dr. Candlish and his 
 coadjutors, and which ought to be known and 
 considered by all public men, as well as by the 
 country at large. 
 
 " Let the Assembly, if it seem good to it, 
 issue instructions to all those congregations 
 which have been refused, immediately to renew
 
 PROPOSED MEASURES. 223 
 
 their applications to the proprietors in the most 
 respectful terms. Let each congregation, in 
 renewing its application for a site, report the 
 same to the Committee upon that subject ; and 
 let that Committee, in the name of the General 
 Assembly, if they are satisfied of the propriety 
 of the application, also make an application in 
 favour of the same congregation. And then 
 it seems improper that any great time should 
 be allowed to elapse after such applications 
 are made. Before the meeting of next Session 
 of Parliament, the Committee ought to be in 
 a condition to know exactly what applications 
 of this sort have been favourably received, and 
 what declined, or not answered at all ; and it 
 seems essential that applications for sites should 
 be applications for sites not for churches only, 
 but for schools and manses, and schoolmasters' 
 houses also. (Hear, hear.) It seems essential 
 that application should be made for sites for 
 all these objects now ; and in every instance in 
 which any one is refused, it should be imme- 
 diately reported to the Committee in Edinburgh. 
 Now, I trust that in this way the Committee 
 will be prepared to bring a clear and distinct 
 Report on the subject to the Commission that 
 meets in November. Let us give warning to 
 the Church, and to all concerned, that w T e will
 
 224 PROPOSED MEASURES. 
 
 now wait till the Commission meets in Novem- 
 ber, to try the effect of their new applications 
 to those proprietors who have refused sites. If 
 these applications are refused, we will then 
 be prepared to consider the propriety of another 
 appeal to Parliament, and that in a more defi- 
 nite shape. I trust that if the time shall come 
 that we must again go to Parliament, we will 
 be enabled to go, not in the form of humble 
 suitors merely, but with a Bill, in a definite 
 shape, proposed to be passed ; and I know well, 
 from his own assurance, that our noble friend, 
 Mr. Fox Maule, is quite prepared to adopt such 
 a course as this. Let us, then, distinctly give 
 the country to understand, that, should justice 
 not be done in the meantime, we cannot allow 
 the Session of Parliament to begin without 
 trying, at the very beginning of its sitting, 
 to have a Bill introduced, which will at least 
 bring before the whole country the exact object 
 at which we aim, and to put in a tangible form 
 our claims, which are so reasonable and so 
 just." 
 
 The Assembly adjourned at half-past ten at 
 night, until the forenoon of the ensuing day, 
 when, on the Minutes of the previous day's 
 proceedings being read, Mr. Campbell, of Mon- 
 zie, made some remarks on the existence of
 
 MR. CAMPBELL, OF MONZIE. 225 
 
 intermediate persons between the Scotch land- 
 lords and tenants, on whom he considered that 
 the blame for refusing sites rested far more than 
 on the landlords themselves. In the Report 
 of his address, which now lies before me, he 
 is represented as saying, " I wish it to go forth 
 from this Assembly, that the proprietors gene- 
 rally are not represented in these site-refusals ; 
 but that it is their minions who are represented 
 in these refusals ; and that they have deferred 
 their opinions to them, and have allowed in- 
 terested and narrow-minded people to come 
 between them and their Highland tenants." 
 
 The Report of the Committee on the subject 
 of the Manse Fund, towards building houses for 
 the ministers of the Free Church, was brought 
 forward by Mr. Guthrie, who had taken a most 
 active and effectual part in the matter. He 
 stated, " that the object of the Committee (ap- 
 pointed for this purpose), was to raise no fewer 
 than seven-hundred Manses ; for which pur- 
 pose they had resolved to collect the sum of 
 £150,000." He dwelt on the zeal and alacrity 
 with which large sums had already been sub- 
 scribed for the purpose ; making honourable 
 mention of the City of Glasgow, and certainly 
 delivered a speech which was at once most ani- 
 mating, amusing, and inspiriting, as to the pros- 
 
 l 3
 
 226 ORKNEY. 
 
 pects of success, in this new, arduous, and costly 
 undertaking. 
 
 After a short speech of Dr. Candlish, the 
 Report was approved of, and " the Assembly 
 expressed their deep obligations to Mr. Guthrie, 
 for the ability and zeal which he had displayed." 
 Dr. Macdonald then explained in Gaelic, to the 
 Gaelic-speaking part of the audience, the nature 
 of those proceedings which had just taken 
 place. 
 
 The spiritual condition of Orkney, and the 
 Shetland isles, was then debated by a late eye- 
 witness, and traveller in those localities. He 
 mentioned, that the young women of Unst, one 
 of those remote islands, had offered to give the 
 " beautiful work of their hands," the Shet- 
 lands shawls, in the cause of the Free Church, 
 instead of money, of which, they had little or 
 none. The names also of some proprietors of 
 that region were mentioned, as having given 
 sites for churches, and being moreover willing, 
 and prepared to give sites for Manses, ground 
 for gardens, &c. 
 
 The Assembly adjourned at five o'clock, and 
 commenced proceedings again at half-past six. 
 
 After a short address from Peter Jones, a 
 North American Indian, and now a convert to 
 Christianity, and an expression of sympathy
 
 DR. CHALMERS. 227 
 
 towards him, on the part of the assembly, 
 through Mr. Campbell, of Monzie, the Report 
 on the Sustentation Fund — or the Fund from 
 which the annual support of the Free Church 
 ministers had to be provided — was read in the 
 presence of the assembly. On its conclusion, 
 a veteran rose up to speak, of whom we may 
 well say, that he has long been, and still is, the 
 most distinguished of Scotland's living sons. 
 Having said this, I need scarcely mention the 
 name. That of Chalmers, probably, will recur 
 to every mind. 
 
 The applause with which Dr. Chalmers was 
 received was enthusiastic ; and I can well ima- 
 gine, on this his first, and also somewhat un- 
 expected appearance * in the Assembly, the ful- 
 filment of a passage in Virgil, though I am far 
 from suggesting that the meeting was at all of 
 that turbulent character, supposed in the Poet's 
 illustration : — 
 
 Moribus ingenioque gravem si forte virum quem 
 Conspexere, silent, arrectisque auribus adstant. 
 
 His whole address was thoroughly character- 
 istic of the speaker. It was, if I may coin a 
 word, quite Chalmerian, both as to thought and 
 expression. 
 
 * He had only arrived at Inverness the day before.
 
 228 DR. CHALMERS. 
 
 He first mentioned, that until the previous 
 Saturday, he had determined to adhere to his 
 resolution of not being present to take any part 
 in this Assembly ; but that, since that time, he 
 had been induced to alter his intention, in con- 
 sequence of subsequent calls upon him, and sub- 
 sequent representations made to him. 
 
 He then proceeded to show, how little depend- 
 ance could be placed, (as available towards rais- 
 ing large and continued assistance for such a 
 purpose, as the Sustentation Fund) on arousing 
 speeches and addresses, whether from himself, 
 or from others. " In point of fact," said he, 
 " unless these addresses be followed up by some- 
 thing more, impulse will not secure the following 
 it up. It is a plain, prosaic work, just that of 
 each collector going round his district." Dr. 
 Chalmers dwelt on this subject at considerable 
 length, as a principle, which he desired strongly 
 to impress on the minds of his audience. " The 
 truth is then," he continued, " that public 
 Assemblies hear with impulse, but the impres- 
 sion is dissipated on the morrow, and there is 
 nothing of value. Some people say, ' This is the 
 way to keep up the steam.' Now I must say, 
 that my whole experience tells me, that, instead 
 of its being the way to keep up the steam, it is 
 the way to let out the steam. (Laughter.) It
 
 DR. CHALMERS. 229 
 
 just reminds me of those steam-boats, which let 
 off the steam with a tremendous noise, when 
 they come to a dead stand. In like manner, the 
 ruffling and applause have just given me the im- 
 pression, that it all evaporates in so many unpro- 
 ductive hurrahs, or comes out of the heads of 
 the people with nothing more than tremendous 
 sounds of pedestrian approbation." 
 
 The letter of requisition, calling on Dr. Chal- 
 mers to attend, had spoken of the Sustentation 
 scheme, as the sheet-anchor of the Church's 
 prosperity, both at home and abroad ; and had 
 stated, that on this subject " much misappre- 
 hension and sluggishness (or remissness) pre- 
 vails." 
 
 Dr. Chalmers first alluded to the misappre- 
 hensions on the question. And the first misap- 
 prehension to which he directed the attention of 
 his hearers was, " that it was not a sacred, but a 
 secular subject." On this he argued for some 
 time. " There was an idea, that the Sustentation 
 Fund was for the mere maintenance of the 
 minister and his family. Now, I must say, that 
 it is for the support, and benefit, and highest 
 interests of the population of Scotland. A 
 minister must live, no doubt ; but the great end 
 of the fund is not to give a livelihood for the 
 minister. That is of little consequence, when
 
 230 DR, CHALMERS. 
 
 compared with the guardianship, and guidance, 
 and good condition of the sheep." Again, 
 " We, in pleading for an increase in the contri- 
 butions to the Sustentation Fund, are pleading 
 for an extended application of the means of 
 grace to those souls, who, without that applica- 
 tion, would perish in thousands and tens of 
 thousands, for lack of knowledge. Don't, there- 
 fore, look on this as a purely secular subject. It 
 is a most sacred subject, and has all the charac- 
 ter and soundness of the most spiritual, and 
 missionary cause." 
 
 The second misapprehension, which the 
 speaker combated, was that " of considering it 
 wrong to ask any but the rich to contribute to 
 this fund." His view of this subject was so 
 clearly put, so original, so beautiful, and of such 
 general application, that I am sure my readers 
 will feel indebted to me for inserting a passage 
 at full length, which in all probability expresses 
 in the best language ever hitherto presented to 
 their minds, the true scriptural view of this 
 delicate subject. I say delicate, because I am 
 sure it is often felt as such by all persons of 
 delicate feeling, who have to do with the poor in 
 these matters. 
 
 " Another misapprehension is, that it is wrong 
 to ask any but the rich to contribute to this
 
 DR. CHALMERS. 231 
 
 fund. Now, I deny that, both on the ground of 
 principle, and on the ground of sound Christian 
 wisdom. The penny which the poor man gives 
 may be of little value, estimated pecuniarily ; 
 but the principle which dictates the giving of a 
 penny is of a high value, when estimated, not 
 pecuniarily, but when estimated morally. (Hear, 
 hear.) 1 have no idea of that sort of Christian 
 ethics which tells me, that the mere circum- 
 stances of a man, — the mere indigence of his 
 condition, — makes it impossible for him to rea- 
 lise one and all of those graces, which make up 
 the perfect man in Christ the Lord ; and I say, 
 that he who refuses the poor man's penny, be- 
 cause it is of little worth, estimated pecuniarily, 
 notwithstanding its high worth estimated morally 
 — I say that that man, if he be a Minister of the 
 Gospel, is obstructing the advances of the Gospel; 
 he is fast obliterating one of the lineaments of the 
 new creature in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and 
 destroying his congregation. Call you that no 
 infliction of a moral injury? Recollect our 
 Saviour's estimation of the widow's mite. He 
 said — this poor widow has cast in more than all 
 the rich men have cast into the treasury. Are 
 you to look on it as a matter of insignificance, 
 because the money's worth is of little value, 
 when its moral worth lias been pronounced by
 
 232 DR. CHALMERS. 
 
 the highest of all authority, to have value that is 
 transcendant ? (Hear, hear, hear.) People rea- 
 son thus — suppose that £100 a year is received 
 from two wealthy individuals in a congregation, 
 and suppose that an equal sum is received in 
 small contributions, from five-hundred indivi- 
 duals, they are apt to attach most value to the 
 first, to the disparagement of the small contri- 
 butions. Now, pecuniarily they are the same ; 
 but morally and spiritually, the one is infinitely 
 of higher importance than the other. By not 
 giving your congregation an opportunity of con- 
 tributing, you deprive them of an opportunity of 
 exercising that principle, which forms one of the 
 essential characteristics of the disciples of our 
 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. They are not 
 required to give more than God has prospered 
 them — that is the proportion. And when we 
 see, that the penny of the poor widow was of so 
 much value in the high count and reckoning of 
 eternity, how can you refuse to tell your con- 
 gregations their duty in this respect? You 
 ought to tell them so, fearlessly and fully. They 
 are the secular men, who attach so much im- 
 portance to the £100, coming from two indivi- 
 duals, but who attach no value to its coming from 
 two hundred individuals. (Hear, hear.) I want no 
 extorted offering — the value of the offering con-
 
 CHRISTIAN LIBERALITY. 233 
 
 sists in its being given cheerfully. When people 
 ask how much they should give, I say, I cannot 
 tell arithmetically ; but I can answer you morally, 
 and can supply the data on which your con- 
 sciences can decide — give no more than God has 
 given you." 
 
 Having stated this general principle, Dr. Chal- 
 mers illustrated it by facts, and showed how 
 much more abundant and permanent Christian 
 and charitable collections would be, when de- 
 pending on numerous and regular contributors, 
 though small in amount, than when depending 
 on occasional contributors, however munificent. 
 He elucidated this point with much strength and 
 clearness, putting it in many lights, aud turning 
 it over before his audience, so as to display, and 
 commend it to their notice, as a matter of the 
 utmost consequence. Indeed, he went so far as 
 to imply, that through "thus connecting the 
 Free Church with the homes and hearths of the 
 great body of the people ;" and by no other 
 means could it be permanently maintained, or 
 " perpetuated from one generation to another." 
 
 Dr. Chalmers referred to the importance of 
 interesting children in the same cause, and again 
 repeating his warning, against trusting entirely 
 to the rich, he said, " that he looked forward 
 with clearness to a sum of £300,000, per annum,
 
 234 DR. CHALMERS. 
 
 which," to use his expression, " would land us 
 in the glorious result of supplying the whole of 
 Scotland with Christian ministrations, and pro- 
 viding for all the educational wants of the 
 people." After disclaiming every thing like 
 rebellion, radicalism, or political agitation, as 
 betraying the principles of the Free Church, the 
 Doctor represented the necessity of exertions to 
 procure, and promote collections from rural and 
 remote districts, as well as from towns, or locali- 
 ties approximating in character to towns ; and 
 exhorted the people not to " look on their own 
 things," only even in spiritual matters, but also 
 upon the things of others — commending a wide- 
 spreading, and unselfish interest in the designs 
 for which they were met together. He then 
 again reverted to the spiritual and scriptural 
 character of these efforts, and repelled the 
 charge of secularity, as appertaining to them : — 
 quoting the Scriptures, and apostolic example 
 for his views. " I refer to the Apostle Paul: 
 in the 1 Cor. vni.; 2 Cor. vin. ix. You will 
 see what care he took of the churches ! He 
 was not deterred by the charge of the secularity 
 from the outward business of the Church ! 
 What writing of letters — what attention to the 
 interests of the Church ! Plow much he had to 
 do with the care and management of the Susten-
 
 DR. CHALMERS. 235 
 
 tation Fund !" After a few words upon endow- 
 ments, he concluded his address with the ex- 
 pression of his testimony to the importance of 
 the cause, for which he had been pleading, viz : 
 an adequate popular endowment " of the Free 
 Church." " I feel that, humanly speaking, 
 there lies upon you, in the subordinate capacity 
 of God's instrument, one of the greatest duties 
 ever laid on the consciences, or put into the 
 hands of any set of men. God has put it within 
 your reach to replace those endowments, which 
 have been most unrighteously wrested from our 
 hands ; to replace those, so as not merely to in- 
 demnify the Church for her loss, but so as to 
 strengthen her stakes, and lengthen her cords, 
 that, under His ample canopy, no unprovided 
 family in the land shall be left without the ines- 
 timable benefit of a sound and affluent Gospel 
 ministry for themselves, and a pure scriptural 
 education for their children." 
 
 The Assembly was then engaged for a short 
 time with the Report of the "College Com- 
 mittee," and adjourned at eleven o'clock. 
 
 Wednesday was the last day of meeting, and 
 finished the week, during which the Assembly 
 sat. After some short preliminary business, the 
 consideration of the Highlands, and Islands, 
 was again renewed ; mainly with the aim of
 
 236 CONCLUSION OF THE ASSEMBLY. 
 
 ascertaining the best and the speediest means of 
 supplying them with ministerial help, under pre- 
 sent circumstances. On this subject, Dr. Cand- 
 lish spoke at great length ; reading a detail of 
 practical measures proposed for attaining the 
 desired end. After a few remarks from other 
 speakers, the business, for which the Assembly 
 had been convened, being now concluded, and 
 the period for its sitting at an end, the Moderator 
 delivered his concluding address. In it, he congra- 
 tulated those assembled on the harmony which 
 had prevailed, from the beginning to the end of 
 their meeting — referred to the success granted by 
 Almighty God, to the missionary efforts of the 
 Free Church, in various quarters of the world — 
 expressed a strong conviction, that legislative 
 injustice had been perpetrated on their body, — 
 spoke with much anticipation of good, in refer- 
 ring to the Schools and Colleges in view, — 
 maintained the claim for the Free Church to be 
 regarded as the Church of Scotland still — dwelt 
 on the benefits which might be expected to 
 accrue from this Inverness Assembly, — asserted 
 the righteous and honourable position of the 
 members of the Free Church, — exhorted his 
 hearers to the exercise of thankfulness, humility, 
 steadfastness of purpose, and other kindred 
 graces ; and ended with a cordial expression of
 
 CONCLUSION OF THE ASSEMBLY. 237 
 
 good-will, and acknowledgment, for all the love 
 and kindness locally received by strangers, and 
 visitors in the place, where he now spoke. " It 
 would rejoice us to have it in our power to make 
 a return in kind ; but if it should not be the 
 will of God that we should meet again on earth, 
 I trust that we shall not fail to bear them on our 
 minds, in our intercessions at the throne of 
 grace. It will gladden our hearts to hear of 
 their steadfastness in the good cause, in which 
 we are embarked ; and our earnest wish, and 
 prayer shall be, that, after having served God in 
 their day and generation, they may be admitted 
 into the enjoyment and service of God in 
 Heaven." 
 
 The Assembly was then concluded ; and after 
 singing the 122nd Psalm, the Moderator dis- 
 solved it by pronouncing the blessing, and ap- 
 pointing it to meet at Edinburgh, on Thursday 
 21st of Mav, 1846.
 
 238 SUMMARY. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Summary — Thoughts on the Free Church — Mr. Sydow's Book — 
 The Free Church — Mr. Sydow's opinions — Future Legislation — 
 Free Church principles — Church and State — Scotch Tenets. 
 
 In the last chapter I concluded my account of 
 the memorable Inverness Assembly of 1845, and 
 my analysis or summary of the whole proceed- 
 ings, as well as of all the speeches of importance 
 delivered on the occasion. It has been to me a 
 work of no slight labour, having required the 
 reading and annotation of between forty and fifty 
 closely printed columns of a large sized news- 
 paper. I do not the least regret the pains which 
 I have taken on the subject ; but my feelings are 
 very much of the contrary description, partly 
 from the deeply interesting matter through which 
 I have been led in the investigation, and still 
 more from my conviction (shared, I know, by so 
 many others) that in the Inverness meeting was 
 condensed, centred, and exhibited, a body of prin-
 
 THOUGHTS ON THE FREE CHURCH. 239 
 
 ciples, and a course of action, in itself of no 
 slight present interest, and which, with much 
 probability, is destined to bear, not only on the 
 religious and social affairs of Scotland, but also 
 on those of England and Ireland, and perhaps 
 on those of the whole Protestant world. My 
 meaning is, that the Inverness Assembly repre- 
 sented, in a notable manner, the peculiar and 
 distinctive marks of the Free Church, and that 
 having an accurate account of the Inverness 
 Assembly, you have in the most accessible form 
 and compass, a view of the Free Church, both 
 as to its present spirit, and as to its probable 
 future career. But some one may say, Are the 
 proceedings of the Free Church itself of any 
 great, any lasting importance ? Surely they are 
 of the very utmost, and to support this opinion 
 I shall neither quote the declarations of those by 
 whom it is opposed, and who, by the strength, 
 decision, and tone of their opposition, have mani- 
 fested and embodied their convictions on the 
 matter, either in the current of ephemeral, but 
 not on that account, less effective, publications, 
 or in works of a more laboured and permanent 
 character. Neither, on the other hand, shall I 
 quote from the statements and anticipations of 
 those, who, either being members of, or favour- 
 able to, the Free Church, may be supposed likely
 
 240 MR. SYDOW'S BOOK. 
 
 to take a one-sided view of the question, and 
 to attach an imaginary, or, at all events, an 
 exaggerated consequence to their own favourite 
 object, especially if it be one wherein, either from 
 their writings, or their acts in the cause, they 
 may be considered as "pars magna" themselves. 
 Of such testimony to the importance and magni- 
 tude of the Free Church question, as exhibited 
 in Scotland at the present day, I shall not avail 
 myself, for those reasons which I have sug- 
 gested ; but the testimony of which I shall 
 avail myself, is one of a very different and far 
 more valuable nature. It is that of an individual 
 qualified in an extraordinary manner to pro- 
 nounce an nnprejudiced, and, (if I may use a 
 word too often mis-used at the present day) 
 Catholic opinion ; one who, himself a foreigner, 
 is thoroughly acquainted with our language and 
 social state — one whose book is in every body's 
 mouth, when an inquirer asks for the most trust- 
 worthy details on the late Secession, whether as 
 to fact, whether as to law, or whether as to 
 Christian principle ; — and one, finally, in whose 
 work it is generally rumoured, that Royal inte- 
 rest has been shown in the highest places of our 
 land. I need scarcely mention, at least for any 
 reader who has taken any practical interest in 
 the subject, that I allude to the work of the
 
 MR. SYDOW's BOOK. 241 
 
 Rev. Adolphus Sydow,* entitled " The Scottish 
 Church Question," and published in the course 
 of the year. 
 
 I therefore select one statement from his 
 preface, and some others from the remarks intro- 
 ductory to his work. That from the preface is 
 as follows : 
 
 " The events which have happened in the 
 Scottish Church present, in the writer's opinion, 
 most important and instructive objects of con- 
 templation on this point (the relation between 
 Church and State) to the Churchmen and 
 Statesmen of Protestant Europe : and as he is 
 desirous of doing his humble part to serve the 
 common Protestant cause by spreading a know- 
 ledge of these events, to many of which he has 
 been fortunate enough to be an eye-witness, the 
 
 * Mr. Sydow, according to the title page of his work, is "Minister 
 of the United Evangelical Church of Prussia, and Chaplain to Hia 
 Majesty's Court and Garrison at Potsdam." A few days after writing 
 the above, in commendation of the value of his testimony, as to the 
 point under our notice at the present moment, I met the following 
 passage as to the capacity of German travellers to do justice to the 
 subjects which they take up : — " The Germans, who quit their 
 own country for travel — much fewer in number than English tra- 
 vellers, and with smaller means and appliances of every kind — 
 do nevertheless carry with them certain conditions well fitted to 
 successful research — an age sufficiently matured ; habits of labour, 
 and moderate living ; great earnestness of purpose ; studies di- 
 rected beforehand to the particular objects and course of travel," 
 &c. — Quarterly Review, Sep. 1845. Art. Strzelecki on New South 
 Wales and Van Dieman's Land. 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 242 THE FREE CHURCH. 
 
 writer ventures to offer to the English public 
 this comprehensive and critical statement of the 
 whole transaction." 
 
 I now add those statements, which I find in 
 Mr. Sydow's Introductory Remarks, bearing 
 precisely on the same points — I mean the im- 
 portance, magnitude, and extensive relationships 
 of the Free Church Question. He says, that, 
 " from a simple point of Church administration, 
 its sphere has grown to a question of constitu- 
 tional principles, the settlement of which cannot 
 be hoped, even from the wisest and most gifted 
 administrations of the law. The only tribunal 
 before which the question could now be peaceably 
 solved, and the deep wounds healed that have 
 been inflicted on Scotland, is that of the 
 enlightened legislator, the wise and high-minded 
 Christian statesman." 
 
 Again: — "In Scotland matters have stood, 
 and do stand, in a position quite different from 
 that in other Protestant countries ; different, 
 not as has been so frequently and unfairly 
 objected, because of the wilful obstinacy of a 
 Puritanical zealotism ; not because of a crafty 
 agitation striving to use, for foreign and selfish 
 purposes, the deep love which every Scotchman 
 entertains for his Church ; nor because of the 
 systematic operation of an ambitious and power-
 
 MR. SYDOW'S OPINIONS. 243 
 
 loving clergy ; but different, because of statute 
 laws and liberties of the Church, acknowledged 
 by the State itself. Scotland is that spot on 
 earth where Providence has introduced into 
 history the germs of sound principles in the 
 relations of Church and State, and the English 
 Government has received from the hand of God 
 the honour and the conditions to give free action 
 to these principles. The spirit of the Scotch 
 Church, which has come forth out of all its 
 conflicts since the Reformation, one and the 
 same, uncovered and untrammelled, is no vague 
 unknown thing, against which the State has 
 always to be suspiciously on its guard ; on the 
 contrary, it is plain and intelligible to any one 
 acquainted with her history." 
 
 One quotation more. After an hypothesis, 
 which it is not requisite to introduce here, the 
 author proceeds : — 
 
 " If, however, the Free Presbytery Church 
 of Scotland should prove in reality to be the 
 Church of the nation, and it is the author's 
 decided opinion that she will do so ; and, if the 
 present establishment should prove to be merely 
 the sediment remaining after the process of 
 internal fermentation, then the Secessionists 
 will appear the conscientious supporters of prin- 
 ciples, the hostility to which posterity will 
 
 m 2
 
 244 MR. SYDOW'S OPINIONS. 
 
 never be able to comprehend — principles that 
 determine the form of the future Protestant 
 world, and of which the free and clear develop- 
 ment in the national life can, in the author's 
 opinion, prove alike to Church and State the 
 harbinger of health and peace. Believing, as 
 the author does, that this question of the Church 
 of Scotland must extend, both on account of 
 the principles involved in it, and through its 
 inevitable consequences, beyond the limits of 
 the present time, and beyond the boundaries of 
 Scotland, how should he feel other than diffident, 
 when he considers the magnitude of the task he 
 has undertaken ?" 
 
 Now when it is considered that this is the 
 language of a highly gifted Protestant minister 
 — of one removed from all personal and party 
 bias, himself an eye-witness of the late Scottish 
 movement, and one who has gone deeply and 
 accurately into the subject in its various aspects 
 — religious, historical, political, and social — 
 such a testimony ought to have, and must have, 
 much weight with all unprejudiced and thoughtful 
 men. I believe that legislators must very soon 
 face this question, and that not partially, but in 
 full — that it will be forced upon them ere long, 
 as demanding their attention and decision in 
 tones which must be heard. But I would rather
 
 FUTURE LEGISLATION. 245 
 
 commend the subject to their notice, as one to 
 which they should apply their minds with no 
 slight care, diligence, and surrender of pre- 
 judice, if they would desire to bring the 
 relationship of Church and State in Scotland 
 into harmony again. For it must ever be 
 remembered that the Scotch, as members of the 
 recent secession, repudiate the notion of being- 
 classed, either in name or as to position, with 
 Dissenters and Voluntaries, (to use a title 
 of recent application) and earnestly maintain 
 that they are not Dissenters, but essentially the 
 Church of Scotland, according to its original 
 and constitutional formation. 
 
 They maintain most strongly that all the 
 recent decisions against them have been given, 
 not in conformity to, but in spite of their true 
 and legitimate claims.* Therefore, the legisla- 
 ture must not think that it is well rid of some 
 troublesome remonstrants, in consequence of 
 this secession — that it will hear no more of them 
 
 * Mr. Sydow's testimony on this point is very curious. I extract 
 it from the introductory remarks to his work, on which I have 
 spoken above. He says there : — " As long as the author was in 
 these kingdoms, he took the deepest interest in the Scottish Church 
 question. He sided from the first with that party, with whom he 
 thought the right to reside, both rationally and spiritually ; with 
 the men on that side he has in spirit both suffered and striven ; 
 but it was not until a few months ago (he writes in July 1843) that 
 he could come unto a clear conviction as to whether or not they
 
 246 FUTURE LEGISLATION. 
 
 — that, like the Baptists, or Wesleyans, or any 
 other sect of Separatists from the established 
 Church of England and Ireland, the Free Church 
 will be satisfied with a separate existence of its 
 own, such as it at present holds. I say that 
 the Legislature must not lay this flattering 
 unction to itself. No ! Supposing that there 
 should be no more difficulty as to Refusal of 
 Sites — supposing them granted, wherever called 
 for — supposing this " root of bitterness" eradi- 
 cated, and this "pricking thorn" removed — let 
 it not be imagined that the Free Church will, in 
 regard to the State, pursue its own distinct 
 orbit, acting on the non-interference principle, 
 and be unheard of any more except in its own 
 conventicles — except among the moors, the 
 mountains, and the isles of its enthusiastic 
 votaries. No ! This would be utterly incon- 
 sistent with the views of duty which have been 
 held, and with the determination which has 
 been shown in the Scotch Church by all its 
 true, faithful, and devoted adherents since the 
 Reformation. 
 
 were legally and formally right." After describing his view at that 
 period, he continues thus : " Since that time he has been forced to 
 abandon this view of the matter, and ventures, in the following 
 observations, to realize the position that, all things taken together, 
 the Free Presbytery Church of Scotland is legally, as well as 
 actually, in the right."
 
 FREE CHURCH PRINCIPLES. 247 
 
 They have never shown the least disposition to 
 be satisfied with any such position,* and my 
 firm belief is, that there is not the smallest 
 disposition, or the smallest intention of the Free 
 Church in general to be so satisfied now. 
 
 We cannot open any book containing any 
 declaration of their principles — ay, principles 
 strongly and constantly inculcated — without 
 meeting passages which state in the plainest 
 terms that they deem it the absolute duty of 
 nations and rulers, in their national and in their 
 official character, to uphold and maintain the 
 Church ; and that the Church would be sinning 
 against God itself, and the whole country, were 
 it to descend from its claim of close connection 
 with the State ; while at the same time it must 
 
 * One of the most striking characteristics of the present move- 
 ment is the determined adherence of the members of the Free 
 Church to the claim of being the true, constitutional Church of 
 Scotland. I copy from among many statements on this subject 
 which I have before me, one passage alone, which I find in the 
 Pastoral Address of the General Assembly, met at Edinburgh in 
 1845, to the people under their charge : " For ourselves we have 
 not removed the ancient landmarks which our fathers have set ; 
 we stand upon the old paths ; we claim, indeed, no apostolic suc- 
 cession for a clerical order invested with priestly power ; but, bless- 
 ing God for the continued existence of a standing Ministry among 
 us, perpetuated from age to age by the call of His Spirit, and the 
 laying on of the hands of the Presbytery, we humbly and devoutly 
 trace an unbroken descent from the preachers of God's word and 
 their faithful people, who, nearly three centuries ago, came out of 
 Popish Babylon in our land.'
 
 248 CHURCH AND STATE. 
 
 no less strongly maintain that this connection 
 should be one, placed on such a basis as to 
 leave the Church free and unfettered, inde- 
 pendent of the State in all spiritual matters, and 
 (as the Scotch would term it) subject to the rule 
 and headship of the Lord Jesus Christ, exclu- 
 sively and alone. When these two things are 
 irreconciliable, then it is maintained by the 
 adherents of the Free Church, that they must 
 choose the least of two evils, which in their 
 opinion is this — to secede and take a posi- 
 tion, until matters are rightly arranged, alto- 
 gether unconnected with the State. On this 
 second principle they deem themselves right 
 in their present course, or more fully to ex- 
 press it ; 
 
 " In pursuance of these principles the Church 
 of Scotland consider that the State, in its ruling 
 capacity, is bound to establish the Church of 
 Christ in its dominions, not from motives of 
 human expediency, but by divine appointment ; 
 and on the other hand, that the Church of 
 Christ is bound in conscience to take up the 
 position of an establishment, if offered to her. 
 She is obliged to put herself in Christian commu- 
 nication and co-operation with the State, but she 
 is not allowed to do so under conditions which 
 would injure the spiritual rights of her children,
 
 SCOTCH TENETS. 249 
 
 even were she offered in return the most dazzling 
 earthly advantages." 
 
 Now, I am well aware how difficult it is for 
 Englishmen — whether Episcopalians or Dis- 
 senters, or to whatsoever body they belong — to 
 apprehend speedily or grasp firmly these feelings 
 and convictions entertained in Scotland.* But 
 the effort should be made, and when once made, 
 even with a certain measure of success, the 
 present state of the Scotch Free Church will 
 appear as a living exposition of these principles, 
 and much assistance will be gained towards a 
 due anticipation of its probable future career. 
 
 * " The matter is one purely Scotch, and as the Scotch Church 
 occupies a peculiar position in the Protestant world, the whole affair 
 must be treated on its own ground. All abstract theories, all 
 transference of English views and theories applied to it can only 
 mislead." — Mr. Sydow. 
 
 M 3
 
 250 POLITICS. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Politics — Free Church Leaders — Free Church prospects — Religion 
 and Politics — Erroneous expectations — Power of Religion — A 
 word to the Clergy — Our position — Church and State — 
 Hypothetical cases — Church and State — Our Duty. 
 
 In what I have said through the course of 
 these few latter pages, my thoughts have been 
 directed in no slight measure to those new and 
 peculiar responsibilities, in which the Legislators 
 of Great Britain are now placed by the Secession 
 in Scotland, or, perhaps I may more accurately 
 say, that I have written with an eye directed in 
 some measure to those circumstances, which, in 
 all likelihood, will meet them ere long — to those 
 calls on the legislative bodies of our land, which 
 will, if I mistake not, sound ere long from the 
 north — to facts which will, assuredly, have a 
 strong influence on Scotch elections, therefore 
 on parliamentary majorities, therefore on minis- 
 tries, therefore on all which concerns the interests 
 of Great Britain.
 
 FREE CHURCH LEADERS. 251 
 
 And I may add here that the leaders in this 
 movement — the men who have given to it its 
 rirst early impetus, and will undoubtedly stamp 
 the impress of their character and aims on its 
 future career — are no ordinary men. They are 
 men, not only sound and strong in the princi- 
 ples of the Gospel, but men of talent, of elo- 
 quence, of business-like habits ; and many of 
 them are gifted with that heartiness of spirit and 
 address, which tell so much on the people 
 at large in all countries, and at all times. This 
 spirit was eminently conspicuous both in Luther 
 and Knox — we know with how much influence, 
 both as accompanying and following their minis- 
 try — and this spirit pervades a large number 
 of the Free Church Ministers of Scotland. Stiff- 
 ness and formality are not in favour among 
 them. Besides this, they are themselves most 
 hopeful and most confident. On this point 
 I copy a passage from the " Pastoral Address 
 of the General Assembly, met at Edinburgh this 
 year, to the People under their charge." " We 
 have union among ourselves, and much accept- 
 ance with others ; tranquillity at home, and a 
 general peace abroad ; the hearts of our country- 
 men, to a great extent, with us ; the eyes oi 
 foreign Christians favourably turned towards 
 us ; and the field of the world all before us.
 
 "252 FREE CHURCH PROSPECTS. 
 
 By the adherence of all our Missionaries to the 
 Jews and to the Gentiles, we have been enabled 
 to occupy, as before, all our stations ; and new 
 missions have been undertaken by us in India, 
 at the Cape, in Africa, and at Constantinople. 
 The movement at home has reached all the 
 Colonies, stirring every where the hearts Of 
 our expatriated countrymen ; and through our 
 various settlements on the shores of the Medi- 
 terranean we are becoming more and more 
 interested in the ominous signs that hang over 
 that central region of the earth, comprising the 
 seats of the Italian and the Turkish empires, 
 and the Land of Israel. The intercourse also, 
 which has been opened with foreign Churches ; 
 the letters which are passing between them and 
 us ; the visits of their gifted and goodly men — 
 worthy to emulate, as well as to record the 
 deeds of the Reformation — all conspire to mix 
 us up as a Church with the general interests 
 of universal Christendom, more than we have 
 been for ages past ; and, in spite of our insular 
 seclusion, our feebleness as regards all the 
 elements of worldly influence, and the long 
 reign of a selfish and exclusive deadness among 
 us, we find ourselves forced into the midst of 
 whatever is warm, and generous, and energetic 
 in the evangelical brotherhood of all nations."
 
 RELIGION AND POLITICS. 253 
 
 Such is the spirit, the confidence, and prospects 
 entertained by the Free Church. . 
 
 And now, as a conclusion to this call on 
 statesmen, and on the public at large, for their 
 increased and sustained attention to the subject 
 of these remarks, I would add, that they are 
 made by one who is well aware that in these 
 matters, according to the sure declaration of 
 the preacher, " The thing that hath been, it 
 is that which shall be." — Ecc. i, 9. Every 
 religious movement, of which history tells — if 
 not the work of the politician — if not the s^yov 
 iavm dear to him, as his own production and 
 work — has been by him, as a politician, at first 
 undervalued and despised. I believe that this 
 may be laid down without an exception to the 
 rule. On the rise of every such movement, 
 the word among mere politicians has been, " It 
 will blow over." " The excitement will pass 
 away for want of leaders." "Men won't give 
 up their benefices," and so forth. Now all this 
 is quite natural to men who have not themselves 
 experienced the power of religious feeling. Re- 
 ligion is not to them the strong, pre-eminent, 
 all-swaying motive, which it is to those who 
 are in a different condition, as under that in- 
 fluence in spirit and in truth. Hence politi- 
 cians are at first alwavs incredulous as to the
 
 254 RELIGION AND POLITICS. 
 
 progress, extent, importance, and permanency 
 of all religious movements. When these move- 
 ments have reached a certain maturity ; when 
 they begin to appear as the common topics 
 of earnest conversation ; when they begin to 
 occupy the columns of newspapers ; still more, 
 when the subject is broached in legislative 
 assemblies, and above all, when it forces itself 
 on public notice by its bearings on political 
 events, then the movement must be noticed ; 
 the quaking and uncertain soil under the na- 
 tion's feet must be recognized; the movement 
 has taken its historical and social place in the 
 annals of his country, and perhaps of the world 
 at large. To use a phrase of modern acceptance, 
 it is now "un fait accompli" Without going 
 further back in illustration of these remarks, 
 I shall only observe, that such has undoubtedly 
 been the course of events in regard to that 
 mischievous and most extensive contagion, 
 which has crept "per incautum vulgus," whether 
 lay or clerical, from Oxford — that very place 
 which ought to have been the source of spiritual 
 health and strength to the Church and State 
 of Great Britain at large. 
 
 There was at first great incredulity as to the 
 future progress and importance of that move- 
 ment, until it forced itself in various ways on
 
 ERRONEOUS EXPECTATIONS. 255 
 
 the notice of the country. All these arose from 
 ignorance and incredulity as to the power of the 
 religious sense, whether wrongly or rightly 
 directed. The same incredulity was evident, as 
 to the late Free Church movement in Scotland. 
 Some, much skilled in political affairs, thought 
 but little of it, and considered it a mere epheme- 
 ral excitement, worthy of no more notice 
 than some parochial complaints against a new 
 clerovman in a remote village, or anv obscure 
 country towns. Others said it was nothing 
 more than the stir of a few enthusiastic or 
 democratic ministers — fanatical in their creed, 
 and ambitious of distinction and rule, each in 
 his petty sphere. Others said that the current 
 would flow by. Those who hold this opinion, 
 might not inaptly be sketched as the rustics 
 waiting and looking on dum defluat amnis. Others 
 imagined that, at the last moment of decision — 
 at the turning point, or crisis — many would 
 abandon their professed intention, and remain 
 in instead of going out. And many thought 
 that, though the ministers might secede, they 
 would secede without flocks — that a few distin- 
 guished and eloquent men might perhaps secure 
 congregations, but that any general adhesion to 
 the Free Church ministers in general was merely 
 a chimera, a thing for which there was neither
 
 256 POWER OF RELIGION. 
 
 adequate zeal, adequate decision of purpose, 
 adequate perseverance, adequate organization, 
 or, still less, adequate pecuniary funds. No 
 doubt, these anticipations — or rather these 
 negative and privative ideas, regarding the 
 strength and life of the measure, are now gone, 
 " vanished in air," on the part of all except 
 that class — of course rare and isolated, who 
 absolutely shut their eyes to facts, however stiff 
 and stubborn. However, that such views did most 
 extensively prevail, until facts positively drove 
 fancies out of the field, cannot be denied. And 
 present results, as embodied in the progress of the 
 Free Church of Scotland, stand now in the most 
 extraordinary contrast to former anticipations 
 on the subject — whether whispered in cabinets, 
 or declared in Houses of Parliament, or held 
 and asserted, as matters of individual belief. 
 Wise are they who learn experience from 
 such lessons ! Wise are they, who, though not 
 exemplifying in themselves the power of religion, 
 nor professing so to do, learn that there is a 
 power in it over others — over " multitudes which 
 no man can number" — which, in the midst of 
 much imperfection, and much error, live under 
 its influence, labour for it as the chief aim of 
 their life, would lay down for it life, posses- 
 sions, all things ! Oh ! when will men believe
 
 POWER OF RELIGION. 257 
 
 in this reality, and act on such belief? " In regard 
 to the Church in all its branches, let Statesmen 
 make of it what they may — they must lay 
 their account with having something more than 
 a mere strife of opposing wills to manage. 
 For it is high time they should know, that, 
 however Christians may be divided among 
 themselves, as to what the Church is, they all, 
 or nearly all, hold it to be a divine ordinance. 
 Let its government be Prelatic, Presbyterian, or 
 Congregational — and be its ministry hereditary, 
 patronate, or elective — still, the almost universal 
 impression among religious men is, that a visible 
 Church-fellowship and order is the result, not of 
 voluntary association, but of divine appoint- 
 ment. And the sooner our rulers become 
 thoroughly aware that they have this element to 
 deal with, the better for themselves and the 
 country."* 
 
 I would now more especially speak with an 
 eye to my brethren, the clergy of our land. It 
 appears to me that the late and current proceed- 
 ings in the Scotch Church would at all times be 
 of importance to us, in our official character of 
 watchmen, that they are specially important to 
 us as exhibited just at the present period. There- 
 fore I would venture to suggest that they 
 
 * North British Review, No. vn., p. 259.
 
 258 A WORD TO THE CLERGY. 
 
 demand from us the most serious attention, if 
 we would fulfil our Christian obligation of " dis- 
 cerning the signs of the times," as well as giving 
 " good heed" to all which concerns the Church, 
 according to the due measure and proportion 
 which each similar event, or similar proceeding 
 claims. I will now take it for granted that the 
 late secession in Scotland %s an observable and 
 important movement of our times, whether as to 
 its principles, as to its progress, or as to its 
 adherents. Now, whether its adherents are 
 right or wrong in their separation from the 
 Established Church in their land, is a matter 
 which by no means touches my intended argu- 
 ment. All I would lay down as my statement, 
 is this : That, as ministers of the Established 
 Church of England at the present day, we should 
 watch the whole matter, as to its origin, and as 
 to its course ; as to its transiency or permanency; 
 as to its failure or success ; in a word, as to 
 God's dealings in the matter, so far as they are 
 apparent to us, and can be ascertained by unim- 
 partial, unprejudicial and conscientious attention. 
 And the reasons on which I ground my state- 
 ment in relation to this call of duty, are these : 
 first, that in every church throughout Christen- 
 dom, connected with the State, there is always a 
 liability to its being placed in circumstances, as
 
 OUR POSITION. 259 
 
 to their general outline, resembling those circum- 
 stances in which the Free Church deems itself to 
 have been placed at the time of the late disrup- 
 tion ; and, secondly, that in these "perilous 
 times," our individual and personal condition, 
 if faithful ministers of Christ, and determined, 
 each one for himself, to do nothing adverse to 
 the principles of Scripture and our Church, on 
 account of human authority, whatever shape it 
 may take — is not, at the present time, so remote 
 in its similitude from that in which the Scotch 
 seceders were, ere their late separation, as to 
 exempt us from paying most accurate attention 
 to their case and conduct, as of possible, perhaps 
 some would say, of not unlikely application to 
 ourselves. 
 
 Referring to the first case, or hypothesis, of 
 those two which I have laid down, I would 
 observe, as a preliminary statement, that it is 
 perfectly consistent with the strongest attach- 
 ment to our Church in its present form, and 
 with a keen appreciation of the benefits conferred 
 mutually on one another, through the connection 
 of Church and State, to bear at the same time 
 in mind that the State may so act as to make it 
 the duty of the Church to sever the connection, 
 at all events provisionally — I mean until the 
 period arrives of more befitting conduct on the
 
 260 
 
 CHURCH AND STATE. 
 
 part of the State. It is not wise to keep this fact 
 out of view, to blink the question, to let such a 
 predicament come upon us Unawares, and least 
 of all, to raise an outcry against those who point 
 out this liability, as if there was on their part any 
 disregard of sound Church and State principles, 
 or any laxity in their estimation of the very 
 closest union between the Church and State. As 
 well might you charge the general of an army 
 with want of zeal in the cause of his country, or 
 with an indifferent opinion of the value and 
 capacity of the troops under his command, 
 because in arranging the battle field, he arranges 
 among other matters a line and plan of retreat, 
 should it prove needful, that so he may preserve 
 his army for combats and victory once more. 
 I believe it an axiom that no able general will ever 
 leave this undone. 
 
 But I would go a little further into details, and 
 instance a few circumstances, which, if brought 
 to bear by the State on the faithful members of 
 the English and Irish Church, would rightly 
 summon them to " come out and be separate" 
 — would justify the ancient appeal, "To your 
 tents, O Israel." Let us then hypothetically put 
 this case, viz : — That the time might arrive when, 
 either to please some political party, or under 
 some pretext of a mere secular character, or for
 
 HYPOTHETICAL CA.SES. 261 
 
 any similar causes, (of which a multitude may be 
 readily imagined by any thinking mind), the 
 State should forbid the assembly of her citizens 
 for public worship, or prescribe limits in the 
 matter, unscriptural in their character ; or, let 
 us suppose that in the ruling and legislative 
 body such false doctrine should prevail as to 
 originate the public issue of enactments, which 
 would tend to establish false doctrine in the 
 Church ; or, let us suppose that any measures 
 should emanate from the same quarter, ordering 
 the general adoption of Popish rites and ceremo- 
 nies through the length and breadth of the land. 
 What in such a case would the duty of the 
 Church be ? Undoubtedly, at once to protest 
 against such proceedings ; and if such protest 
 should avail nothing, to throw off boldly all 
 connection with the State — abandon its honours 
 and emoluments — reject that influence, salutary 
 at other times, but which, in such a case, 
 could only be retained by the dereliction of 
 principle — and cast itself heartily and freely on 
 the affections and sympathy of the people for 
 support and continuance. Now I repeat that 
 this is a crisis to which every national Church 
 is liable at all times, if faithful to its Master in 
 Heaven, if worthy of the name of a true branch 
 of Christ's Church, and not a mere set of time-
 
 262 CHURCH AND STATE. 
 
 serving Erastian men. But while any Church — 
 i. e. any national Church — is at all times exposed 
 to this liability, it is not at all times in the power 
 of a Church to see a measure of decided and 
 complete separation, springing from this general 
 principle, embodied and enacted in their own 
 very day. Observe, I say, springing from the 
 general principle, because I pass no opinion on 
 the propriety of its application in the case before 
 us. It is not at all times in the power of a 
 Church to see in another part of the realm, 
 such a sight as that of a numerous, and power- 
 ful body, influenced by feelings and opinions 
 similar to those which I have just noticed — in 
 a word, to have realized and exemplified before its 
 own eyes a measure of which any probability exists 
 as to its being requisite elsewhere. I do not here 
 stop to calculate the danger, for that has nothing 
 to do with the abstract view of the question, but 
 at present I merely repeat that the English Church 
 is liable to such a position as that in which the 
 Scotch Church has lately been placed. More than 
 this, I desire not — more than this, I attempt not to 
 prove ; and will but add, as the deduction, that, 
 since the proceedings of the Free Church are by 
 the permission and appointment of God, clearly 
 set before us ; since in our day and generation 
 an event has taken place, which I do not say is,
 
 OUR DUTY. 263 
 
 or shall be, but may be of the utmost personal 
 consequence, as a type and example of that, which 
 we ourselves may have to endure and do ; and 
 since a diligent attention to the subject cannot 
 of itself involve any mischief, as an act of com- 
 mission, while inattention to it may involve 
 mischief and loss, as an act of omission — since 
 these views seem to me of an unanswerable 
 character, I would most seriously lay the ques- 
 tion before the whole body of my ministerial 
 brethren in this land, as one which thev should 
 not neglect, but mark, watch, and study with 
 diligence, and zeal.
 
 
 264 FUTURE LEGISLATION. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Future Legislation— An Hypothesis— Late heresies— Perils of our 
 day— Supposed conflict— A late conflict— An alternative— Need 
 of watchfulness— Scottish inquiries— Conge d'Elire— Church 
 and State. 
 
 Following up the last chapter, I would say that 
 the Legislature should know that the subject has 
 occupied the attention of the English and Irish 
 Church — should know, especially in these days, 
 when so much attention is attached to precedents, 
 that in case of a vital dispute with the Church, 
 her condition must not be viewed as resourceless, 
 any more than the Church of Scotland has proved 
 so to be — nay more, should give due attention to 
 the consideration that, as so large a body of the 
 people of Scotland has been willing to take part 
 with the seceding ministers, so might it be with 
 a vast proportion of the people of England, at a 
 similar summons, and in a similar predicament. 
 It is well that these things should be brought 
 into prominent notice, especially at a time like
 
 AN HYPOTHESIS. 265 
 
 this, when, in the great seats of Legislative 
 authority, there exists such an heterogeneous 
 admixture of creeds and parties, all with equal 
 power (under our present constitution) of legis- 
 lating for the Established or Protestant Church 
 in our land. Under these circumstances, the 
 members of our Protestant Established Church 
 are well and assuredly entitled — nay, called upon 
 as a matter of conscientious duty, not only to 
 exercise all watchfulness and holy jealousy in 
 these matters, but also to take all legitimate 
 advantage of each circumstance connected with 
 the times, available in their cause without any 
 sacrifice of principle, duty, and integrity. I be- 
 lieve that the Church, as established in England 
 and Ireland, may derive much advantage from 
 the fact of the Scotch Church Secession — if duly 
 known, noted, and brought into view — as a kind 
 of warning and precedent, in behalf of the 
 Church, should any vital controversy with the 
 State arise in this land. We know not how soon 
 such an hypothesis might become an actual and 
 realized event at a period like the present, when 
 so many an hypothesis becomes an embodied 
 fact, with a speed and strange maturity unpa- 
 ralleled in former days. I call to mind one fact 
 alone — the rise and progress of Popery among 
 
 VOL. I. N
 
 266 AN HYPOTHESIS. 
 
 the clergy of our Protestant Church, and the 
 upper classes of society in our land. 
 
 Having now spoken of the duty which would 
 attach itself to the Established Church of the 
 United Kingdom of England and Ireland at large, 
 under certain hypothetical circumstances, I 
 come, secondly, to another point of deep and 
 pressing interest to a large portion of its clerical, 
 as well as of its lay members. I would now en- 
 deavour to place the rise and progress of the 
 Free Church in Scotland before the eves of a 
 very numerous body of holy and devoted ser- 
 vants of the Lord Jesus Christ in our country, 
 both clerical and lay, as representing a certain 
 course of action, which, in its principle and out- 
 line, might be needful for them to adopt, under 
 circumstances quite of a different character to 
 those which have just occupied our notice. And 
 the thought, the probability, or the possibility 
 of these circumstances does not appear to arise 
 (as in the case which we have lately reviewed) 
 from any condition, generally or universally 
 existing wherever there is a connexion between 
 the Church and State, but rather from the 
 peculiar circumstances of our day and generation 
 — rather from the observation and experience of 
 danger from within the Church than from
 
 LATE HERESIES. 267 
 
 without its pale. I need scarcely say that I 
 would now peculiarly address myself to those 
 members of the church, whether clerical or lay, 
 who look with keen hatred and dread on all 
 "modified Popery" — on all approximation to 
 Romish doctrine, Romish ceremonies, and 
 Romish practices in general ; who lament over the 
 spread of that old leaven among us, which some 
 had vainly hoped to be thoroughly purged out ; 
 who are filled with alarm at each new T notice of 
 conversion to Popery ; who are determined to 
 resist to the utmost in their power, every inter- 
 ference with our Church in its Protestant cha- 
 racter, and, however humble their position may 
 be, to act with boldness and decision, as oppor- 
 tunity occurs, and manfully to fight, under 
 Christ's banner, against every measure having 
 any tendency, or even an appearance of a ten- 
 dencv towards Rome, from whatsoever quarter 
 the effort to introduce it, or to enforce it, may 
 come. God be praised, the number of those 
 who thus feel, and of those who are prepared 
 thus to act, is as large in our land, as it is 
 devoted to their high and holy aim. Were it not 
 to speak humanly, woe to our country ! Were it 
 not woe to England's* renown, as the champion 
 
 * Some persons determined on saying "Peace — Peace" to the 
 end, whatever our ecclesiastical condition may be, whatever emer- 
 
 N 2
 
 268 PERILS OF OUR DAY. 
 
 of scriptural truth throughout the wide world ! 
 Let me therefore state a case by no means im- 
 possible : for the saying of Scripture is, " The 
 thing that hath been, it is that which shall be ; 
 and that which is done is that which shall be 
 done." (Eccles. i, 9). Suppose the time to come 
 
 gencies may arise, and whatever perils may environ us, will, of 
 course, consider these remarks overstrained. For that I am per- 
 fectly prepared. A writer may perhaps now say this with more 
 safety to his character in general estimation than he could have 
 done at any period within the memory of the present generation, 
 or of some generations which have passed away. Men, the most 
 sober-minded and moderate in spirit, are now seriously affected 
 and alarmed on this matter, and hesitate not to express their 
 anxiety and opinion of our position, as a Protestant nation, with a 
 Protestant Established Church. I see in " The Times " of this 
 day, November 4th, (at which period I add this note) that the late 
 Bishop of Oxford, in his reply to a Farewell address from the 
 Clergy of the Archdeaconry of that See, speaks on our present 
 condition in language, which, as coming from one, who from his 
 tone and spirit is by no means likely to speak in any exaggerated 
 terms, must arrest attention. He there says, " I feel it due to us 
 both," (himself and the Clergy addressed) "that my affectionate 
 farewell be mingled with one word of earnest exhortation, sug- 
 gested by the events in the midst of which I leave you. We part 
 at a time when heavier grief and scandal have fallen on our Church 
 than she has known for many generations, and they who have 
 wounded her have been those whom she has nurtured from her 
 youth up." Such is our condition acknowledged and pointed out 
 by his lordship on this public occasion, in words which of course 
 traverse the whole country, as the expression of episcopal judg- 
 ment—solemn, deliberate, and formed at that very place, which, 
 instead of being, as it should have been, the fountain of life and 
 truth for England, has proved of late a very fountain of spiritual 
 poison and bitterness, whence the noxious stream 
 " In patriam populumque fluxit."
 
 SUPPOSED CONFLICT. 269 
 
 when some able and acute Prelate, occupying, 
 from the active government of his diocese, from 
 his powers in debate, and from various other 
 causes, a commanding position in the Church, 
 should take up the idea that there were many 
 mistakes and deficiencies in that form and cha- 
 racter of our public worship which we of this 
 generation have been accustomed to all our lives, 
 and which has prevailed beyond the memory of 
 the oldest inhabitant in our land ! Suppose that 
 such a Prelate should mark his time wisely, 
 according to the " wisdom of this world," and, 
 having first exerted himself in single combat 
 against some of his clergy, who were totally op- 
 posed to his views (so as absolutely to drive them 
 out of their churches, and into a state of sepa- 
 ration for w 7 hich he himself would surely be 
 responsible) should then consider that his time 
 w r as come for bringing his plans, with one simul- 
 taneous effort, to bear on his whole diocese ! 
 Suppose him well aware that he might fail in his 
 scheme — well aware that he might find the popu- 
 lar and Protestant feeling too strong for him — 
 his clergy not prepared to obey him, as a " lord 
 over God's heritage," and the ruling powers of 
 the land unwilling to support him in the crisis 
 and excitement to which he might bring his 
 country, from one end to the other, but never-
 
 270 SUPPOSED CONFLICT. 
 
 theless so filled with a notion of his own au- 
 thority, so sanguine of being able to carry out 
 his own design, and so eager to grasp at once 
 that mighty influence, both in Church and State, 
 which would certainly be his, if successful in his 
 scheme, as to make the attempt. 
 
 Suppose him willing and prepared to run all 
 risks, to play a very doubtful game, to hazard a 
 great stake. Now suppose, that just at the mo- 
 ment, which seemed most expedient in his eyes, 
 to issue his edict, — bidding all his clergy to 
 apparel, and conduct themselves in Church after 
 a certain fashion, distasteful to, and dreaded by 
 the great body of Protestant worshippers of 
 England ; and suppose him successful, (I hesi- 
 tate not to say, that he, who literally did act 
 thus, was unsuccessful,) I say, suppose him 
 successful in his measures, what would be the 
 immediate result ? There can be no doubt, alas ! 
 that others in the same station, not bold, or 
 daring enough themselves to originate, or exe- 
 cute such a measure as his, but ready to follow 
 in his steps, and reap the fruits of his victory, 
 would immediately act the same part in their 
 respective spheres of authority. And they 
 would be much aided and abetted, or perhaps, 
 I should speak more accurately in saying, 
 " forced onward," by a large number of their
 
 A LATE CONFLICT. 271 
 
 clergy, strongly imbued with the Tractarian bias, 
 and openly declaring their tenets, whenever 
 opportunity occurs, while others of the same 
 views, but from many causes more backward 
 in declaring their sentiments, would Tise up, 
 like Roderick Dhu's men, to fight the same 
 battle. 
 
 I, for one, fully believe that the country was 
 only saved from such a fatal predicament bv 
 the spirit, energy, and resolution of the laity in 
 that southern diocese, where the attempt was 
 made. I, for one, waited with extreme anxiety 
 the result of that struggle. I considered it a 
 crisis of the most momentous kind ; and cer- 
 tainly could not foresee on which side the vic- 
 tory would lie : whether the Episcopal mandate, 
 or whether the sound Protestant feeling of Eng- 
 land would finally gain the day. Happily for the 
 Established Church of these realms, the latter 
 was victorious. Had it not been so, in all pro- 
 bability, there would have been, ere this, a 
 Secession in England too ; a Secession includ- 
 ing thousands of her most devoted ministers, 
 millions of her laity. For, as I have hinted 
 before, a vast amount of ecclesiastical power 
 would in all probability have been speedily exer- 
 cised in behalf of the new and objectionable 
 measures, and all those who set their faces
 
 272 AN ALTERNATIVE. 
 
 against the exercise of this power would have 
 been subjected to censure and depression ; yes, 
 if defenceless as Curates, perhaps do something 
 of a still more stringent character. Some would 
 have left our Church, reading Ichabod on its ban- 
 ner, and unwilling any longer to remain united 
 to a body which had taken " the mark of the 
 beast on its hand, and on its forehead ;" others 
 would have been forced out, and multitudes 
 among the laity would have left the Churches 
 of their fathers "to the owls and the bats," 
 rather than see Popish ceremonies once more 
 acted there, and hear Popish doctrine sounding 
 from those pulpits, whence they had been wont 
 to hear the pure Gospel of Christ, and doctrines 
 which a true Protestant could welcome with 
 delight, as being the doctrines of God's word. 
 From such an alternative we have been, for a 
 time, and through God's mercy delivered. 
 
 There is now a lull in the storm, with which 
 the Reformed tenets, and the simple forms of 
 worship, prevailing in our land, as in accordance 
 with those tenets, have been so fiercely, and 
 insidiously assailed in these latter days. But let 
 England be on the watch, as future assaults may 
 prove more successful than those which are past. 
 We too, may witness in this matter, much " evil 
 to come." Many may yet have to come out and
 
 LATE HERESIES. 273 
 
 be separate from all appearance of countenancing 
 evil in the body to which they belong. We 
 have not yet arrived in the " kingdom which can- 
 not be moved." Many anticipate a sifting and 
 shaking period for our Church. They say, if 
 such things have occurred as have been wit- 
 nessed in the last ten years ; if the streams of 
 theological truth have been marred at the foun- 
 tain-head, and Romish doctrine, and Romish 
 ceremonies have been so widely spread in our 
 land, — and if the rulers of our Church and 
 State have not discovered, or, at all events, have 
 not applied any measures of sufficient strength to 
 put a stop to these ecclesiastical, and spiritual 
 delinquencies, so that much doctrine, and many 
 practices of Romish tendency are vigorous and 
 rife in the churches of our land — they only ask 
 as reasonable men, what may not happen in the 
 next ten, or twenty years ? And should the time 
 arrive, that principles, such as those to which 1 
 now allude, should imbue the higher powers of 
 our Church, and such a large body of the clergy, 
 as to nullify and silence the voice of Christ's 
 faithful witnesses, and true ministers — should 
 the people of our land be largely, and systema- 
 tically deprived of evangelical truth, then,* with- 
 
 * M. Sydow, after mentioning the circumstances under which 
 the Seceders acted, and that predicament, in which they were
 
 274 NEED OF WATCHFULNESS. 
 
 out any forfeiture of ecclesiastical position, farther 
 than that of provisional secession, the same 
 event must occur in England, as has already 
 taken place in Scotland. Therefore let us 
 watch with careful eye God's dealings with his 
 Church in various lands ; and while we would go 
 on in the daily and active performance of our duty, 
 as faithful members of the Protestant Church 
 established among us, let us not indulge in 
 dreams of fancied security, but let us act as 
 watchmen upon its walls, while we would 
 heartily say of our noble, and ecclesiastical con- 
 stitution: " Esto perpetua" — " avi numerentur 
 avorum" in the line of its spiritual sons, from one 
 generation to another ; still, as taught by the 
 strange and enforced experience of our day, let 
 us be ready and prepared for the storm and the 
 blast, as well as for the sunshine and the calm; 
 and in this spirit, let us diligently note the career 
 of Scotland's Free Church, that it may be as a 
 well-marked chart for ourselves, should we ever 
 have to quit the stiller waters where we now 
 
 lately placed, adds the following brief and simple statement : 
 " Should it ever happen — an event which may not be impossible — 
 that certain principles now entertained by a large, influential, and 
 learned portion of the English Clergy should be carried to such 
 a point, that the English Evangelical party should feel compelled 
 to leave the Establishment, without thereby ceasing to be Episco- 
 palian, a similar state of things would ensue in England." — {Scot- 
 tish Church Question, p. 29.
 
 SCOTTISH INQUIRIES. 2/0 
 
 sail in comparative quietness, and have like her, 
 to navigate with Jesus Christ alone, as the pillar 
 of lire by night, some new and untried sea. 
 
 It is singular that the following question is 
 now constantly put to English clergymen, when 
 travelling in Scotland, and expressing any in- 
 terest in matters of religion, as affected by the 
 main questions of our day. " Do you think 
 there will be any Secession in the Established 
 Church of England ?" and the same current 
 notion is sometimes expressed in a still more 
 startling way, as if it was thought in that coun- 
 try that such a crisis must come before long, 
 and that it was nothing but a question of time. 
 " When do you think that there will be a Free 
 Church in England ?" My answer usually was, 
 that her ministers and people were at present 
 perfectly free to serve God according to the 
 Gospel of Christ ; that we, as ministers, were 
 not subject to any * obligations, inconsistent 
 
 * I may briefly observe here, (although the subject will hereafter 
 occupy more full investigation) that the obligation of late enforced 
 by the State from ministers, as members of the Presbytery, to 
 ordain men considered unfit by them, to certain definite charges, 
 was felt, as perhaps, the strongest grievance, — the heaviest burden 
 on their conscience, by many who have now, from this and other 
 reasons, joined the Free Church. The Episcopal clergy generally 
 are under no such obligation ; and I have more than once heard 
 this fact mentioned, as one which obviates a very consider- 
 able portion of difficulties, under which the Scotch Clergy, as
 
 276 conge d'elire. 
 
 with our faithfulness to God ; and that English 
 Churchmen, as a body, whether ministers or lay 
 members of that body, felt none of those 
 
 individuals, were placed, and from which we are exempt, at least, 
 speaking generally. I cannot recal any circumstances under 
 which any of the Clergy of the Established Church of Great 
 Britain and Ireland, (I do not refer to the Bishops, although 
 perhaps the same observation would equally apply to them) are ever 
 placed so as to subject them to similar responsibility, except those 
 which ensue on the promulgation of a conge d'elire to the Dean 
 and Chapter of a Cathedral, when a Bishop is appointed by the 
 Crown to any vacant See. 
 
 This case is, however, so important, that a short statement on 
 the subject may not be uninteresting to my readers. My informa- 
 tion, legally speaking, is derived from the work, which I believe 
 to be the very best authority on the subject. " I mean Burn's 
 Ecclesiastical Law. Ninth Edition, 1842." 
 
 A history is there introduced, relative to the " form and manner 
 of making and consecrating Archbishops, and Bishops," in which 
 the subject is carried down from the earliest times of Christianity 
 to the 25th of Henry VIII. ch. xx. v. hi., at which period I take 
 up the matter; that being the Act, in which the appointment of 
 Archbishops and Bishops still depends in our land. I must just 
 observe, that this statute was virtually repealed, by the 1st of 
 Edward VI. ch. n. ; but this is of no consequence, as to use the 
 words of Burn's, the latter statute was afterwards repealed, and the. 
 matter was brought back again, and still resteth upon the statute 
 of the 25th Henry VIII. ch. xx. as hereafter followeth : — 
 
 7. When a Bishop dies, or is translated, the Dean and Chapter 
 certify the King thereof in chancery, and pray leave of the King to 
 make election. 
 
 8. Upon which, it is enacted, by the 25th Henry VIII. ch. xx. 
 3,4;" that at every avoidance of any Archbishopric, or Bishopric, 
 the King may grant to the Dean and Chapter a licence under the 
 great seal, as of old time hath been accustomed, to proceed to 
 election of an Archbishop orBishop." 
 
 Which licence is called in French, conge d'elire, that is, leave 
 to choose.
 
 CHURCH AND STATE. 277 
 
 objections as to the ecclesiastical authority of the 
 Sovereign, and State, which seems, in a national 
 and hereditary manner, engrained in the Scot- 
 
 9- And with the licence, a letter missive, containing the name 
 of the person which they shall elect, and choose. 
 
 10. By virtue of which licence, the Dean and Chapter shall with 
 all speed, in due form, elect and choose the said person named in 
 the letters missive, and none other. 
 
 And if they delay their election ahove twelve days next after 
 such licence, or letters missive to them delivered, the King shall 
 nominate, and present by letters-patent, under the great seal, such 
 person as he shall think convenient, to be invested and consecrated 
 in like manner, as if he had been elected by the Dean and Chapter." 
 — Burn's Eccles. Law, vol. 1. 202. 
 
 How then stands the case so far as we have hitherto examined 
 it ? The statements thus made must be noticed together, and 
 attentively viewed in their combined operation and results. A 
 licence (called in French conge d'elire,) that is, leave to chocse, is 
 forwarded to the Dean and Chapter ; but with this licence " is a 
 letter missive, containing the name of the person, which they shall 
 elect and choose," and by virtue of these communications jointly 
 received, " the Dean and Chapter shall with all speed, in due form 
 elect, and choose the said person named in the letters missive, and 
 no other." 
 
 Thus far, however, we have heard of no compulsion, as attached 
 to the Dean and Chapter on the subject; and the last clause, 
 which I have introduced above, provides a remedy in case of their 
 refusal to act, as directed. But now we come to the main point of 
 the question, as applicable to the subject under our present re- 
 view. 
 
 "And if the Dean and Chapter, after such licence shall be de- 
 livered to them, proceed not to election, and signify the same ac- 
 cording to the tenor of this act, within twenty days next after such 
 licence comes to their hands ; or if any of them admit or do any- 
 thing contrary to this act, then every such Dean and particular per- 
 son of the Chapter so offending, and every of their aiders, coun- 
 sellors and abettors, shall incur a praemunire." — Burn's, vol. 11. 203. 
 
 By which clause, which makes no allowance whatsoever for any
 
 278 CHURCH AND STATE. 
 
 tish mind ; and accordingly, that I saw no reason 
 whatever, to make me think that such a crisis 
 
 opinion or declaration on the part of the Chapter, under the 
 circumstances of the individual, named by the Crown, appearing 
 to them, either from his doctrine, his character, or any other 
 reason, totally unfit for the office of a Bishop, the whole body of 
 the Chapter with the Dean, or any individual refusing to join in 
 the election of the Bishop, designated by the Sovereign, is sub- 
 jected to a prcemunire ! Now, to ascertain the nature and extent 
 of this penalty, is far beyond my legal attainments, but it is 
 enough to state that the infliction would be one of the most severe 
 and alarming character, which the Statute Books contain. 
 
 Incredible as it would seem, were it not the real fact, such is 
 the position in which the clergy, forming the Dean and Chapter, 
 are placed at every appointment of a Bishop. I do not think it 
 seemly to speak too harshly of the system, which I have here 
 noticed ; but it is very evident that any member of the Chapter or 
 the whole body together are placed in fearful circumstances of 
 responsibility, should they be the instruments of introducing to 
 the See, with which they are connected, any improper man, as 
 their official head. And those who strongly feel that none of the 
 Clergy should be subjected to such a penalty as a prcemunire for a 
 conscientious refusal in this matter, must certainly desire an alte- 
 ration in the system It would be quite beyond my capability or in- 
 clination to dwell on the special alteration which ought to take place, 
 but it seems to me perfectly plain that it would be far better than 
 the present plan, far more honest, and far less likely to compromise 
 principle, either to place the Episcopal appointments, in name as 
 well as in deed, at the entire disposal of the Crown, or to place 
 them altogether in the hands of the Dean and Chapter. I am 
 sure that any unprejudiced mind, reading the account of the legal 
 and authorized mode of appointing Bishops, as existing at present 
 would come to the conclusion, that it first assumes what it does 
 not afterwards realize — I mean a permission of choice to the 
 clergy on the matter in question ; and that it afterwards deals with 
 them as liable to a most grievous penalty for that very conduct 
 which it might be their positive duty to exemplify — I mean a 
 refusal to assent and act, in case of an unfit person being named
 
 CHURCH AND STATE. 279 
 
 in our Church could be viewed as a coming thing, 
 either now, or at any future time. 
 
 by the Crown. One of the grand causes of the Scotch disruption 
 was the determination of the Ministers, as members of the Presby- 
 tery, not to be subjected to such an alternative, as that of disobe- 
 dience to the law, or violation of their principles. And to such an 
 alternative every Dean and Chapter appears, on the face of the ques- 
 tion, to be subject on the issue of aconged'elire. I have no doubt 
 that under the present system of investigating and testing all such 
 matters, notice will ere long be fixed on the matter, as one involv- 
 ing an anomaly, and laying a snare for the conscience, from which 
 even as a possibility, the Clergy of our Church ought, without 
 doubt, and without delay to be freed. 
 
 It is well known that at present the appointment of the Bishops 
 virtually lies in the hands of the Prime Minister for the time being.
 
 280 VETO ACT. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Veto Act— Patronage— Auchterarder Case— A Principle stated. 
 
 It seems to me that this may not be an 
 inappropriate place for a slight general outline 
 of those causes which have mainly led to the 
 late disruption in the Church of this land. And, 
 perhaps, for practical purposes, and in order to 
 meet the case of general readers, I cannot do 
 better than refer briefly to the three following 
 topics : — first, to the Veto Act, secondly, to 
 the memorable Auchterarder Case, and thirdly, 
 to what is termed in Scotland the " Crown right 
 of the Redeemer," — or, so far as I can explain 
 it, the doctrine of Christ's Headship in the 
 Church, independent of all civil authority and 
 state interference in spiritual things. 
 
 Many of my readers, though they have heard 
 of the Veto Act, have, perhaps, never yet seen 
 it in print. The document is not long • and 
 I shall transcribe it here, first premising that it
 
 VETO ACT. 281 
 
 was the Act of the General Assembly of the 
 Scotch Church, passed in May, 1834, previous 
 to the disruption, and confirmed as an established 
 law of the Church in 1835 : — 
 
 " Edinburgh, May 29, 1835. 
 
 " The General Assembly declare that it is a 
 fundamental law of their Church, that no pastor 
 shall be intruded in any congregation contrary 
 to the will of the people ; and, in order that this 
 principle may be carried into full effect, the 
 General Assembly, with the consent of a 
 majority of the Presbyteries of this Church, do 
 declare, enact, and ordain, that it shall be an 
 instruction to Presbyteries, that, if at the moder- 
 ating in a call to a vacant pastoral charge, the 
 major part of the male heads of families, 
 members of the vacant congregation, and in full 
 communion with the Church, shall disapprove 
 of the person in whose favour the call is 
 proposed to be moderated in, such disapproval 
 shall be deemed sufficient ground for the Pres- 
 bytery rejecting such person, and that he shall 
 be rejected accordingly, and due notice thereof 
 forthwith given to all concerned ; but that, if 
 the major part of the said heads of families shall 
 not disapprove of such person to be their pastor,
 
 282 VETO ACT. 
 
 the Presbytery shall proceed with the settlement 
 according to the rules of the Church. 
 
 " And further declare, that no person shall 
 be held to be entitled to disapprove, as afore- 
 said, who shall refuse, if required, solemnly to 
 declare in presence of the Presbytery, that he 
 is actuated by no factious or malicious motive, 
 but solely by a conscientious regard to the 
 spiritual interests of himself and the congre- 
 gation." 
 
 Now the first question of any one interested 
 in the subject will be, why was this Act passed 
 at all ? And the right answer will be, that it 
 was passed in order to prevent any exercise of 
 patronage, in a manner adverse to the spiritual 
 welfare of the people entrusted to the charge of 
 the Scotch Presbyterian Church. But here we 
 must refer to history. 
 
 In the year 1690, the Presbyterian Church 
 was declared to be the established Church of 
 Scotland, according to the provisions on this 
 subject in the Revolution Settlement, by which 
 all patronage was abolished, and the establish- 
 ment of a minister in his local charge reverted 
 exclusively to the hands of the Church. This 
 recognition was contained in the Act of Security, 
 on which was grounded the Treaty of Union
 
 PATRONAGE. 283 
 
 itself. How, then, do we find patronage existing 
 in the Church ? That is the next question for 
 solution. 
 
 It was forced upon the Church again in the 
 celebrated Act of Queen Anne, under the 
 pretext that due compensation had not been 
 made to all the owners of patronage, as formerly 
 in existence. Of this Act, Bolingbroke and the 
 Jacobites were the instigators and promoters ; 
 and, notwithstanding constant reclamations 
 against that Act, proceeding through a long 
 succession of years against it on the part of the 
 Scotch Church, as represented by the General 
 Assembly, that Act of Queen Anne has ever 
 since been the law of the land, and, conse- 
 quently, patronage has since that time been part 
 and parcel of that law.* I repeat that it has 
 assumed this character, in spite of a remon- 
 strance immediately after the Act, presented on 
 behalf of the Church, and in spite of the annual 
 repetition of that remonstrance or protest for 
 
 * It will be evident to all who attentively consider the sub- 
 ject in a constitutional and legal point of view, that the grand 
 turning point will be whether this Act of Parliament was an 
 admissible thing, or whether it was not totally inconsistent with 
 the principles guaranteed by the Revolution Settlement, and 
 Act of Security. The advocates of Free Church principles ; 
 maintain that such was its real character; and this has been 
 maintained in Scotland from generation to generation, since the 
 Act was passed.
 
 284 PATRONAGE. 
 
 forty-eight successive years, viz. : till the year 
 1784. 
 
 During this interval the first secession took 
 place. It was mainly on account of patronage, 
 and took place in the year 1735. 
 
 But the Church grew cold and lax, and indiffe- 
 rent to those rights, to which it had so long 
 most strenuously laid its claim ; and at last a 
 proposal was absolutely made that it should 
 formally remove the rights and privileges named 
 to the Church by the Act of 1690. This pro- 
 posal was however defeated, and the Assembly 
 again solemnly declared the ancient right of 
 parishes to appoint their ministers, as being a 
 thing " agreeable to the immemorial and con- 
 stitutional practice of the Church," and "as to 
 be continued." This took place in 1782. 
 
 New energy and spirit arose in the Church in the 
 early part of the present century ; and as " the 
 house of David" grew stronger and stronger, so it 
 was in that body in the Scotch Church, on whose 
 spirit, and on whose history I now particularly 
 dwell. The growing strength of the most zealous 
 and devoted portion of the Assembly gave rise to 
 the renewal of one of their old remonstrances 
 against patronage, or rather against its unlimited 
 exercise. This opposition, however, took a new 
 and modified form, appearing in the Veto Act,
 
 AUCHTERARDER CASE. 285 
 
 passed in the year 1834. Such is the history of 
 that memorable transaction, so far as I can 
 describe it in this brief summary. I am well 
 aware that like all summaries and abbreviations, 
 it may appear quite worthless to those already 
 informed on the question in detail ; but in pages 
 like these, I am of course writing for persons 
 very differently circumstanced : I mean for those 
 who want a plain statement, with the leading 
 features of the question simply and briefly 
 sketched out. And in a subject acknowledged 
 to contain difficulties, and so often misrepre- 
 sented through prejudice and party spirit, I 
 shall be fully satisfied if I have made no state- 
 ment which history and fact will not support ; 
 and if I have given no false or unfair colouring 
 to a statement in itself true. I would desire to 
 avoid one full as much as the other. 
 
 The Auchterarder Case first exhibited the 
 strength and energy of those principles which 
 were now once more boldly and openly pro- 
 fessed in the Church, and embodied for use and 
 application in that Veto Act, which I have just 
 introduced to the notice of my readers. 
 
 I shall now proceed to make a few observa- 
 tions on this case, of which the beginning, con- 
 tinuance, and end was watched with the most 
 intense interest and excitement throughout 
 Scotland, as well as among her many sons
 
 286 AUCHTERARDER CASE. 
 
 scattered in all quarters of the world ; and of which 
 it may truly be said, that it has been productive 
 of some of the most momentous consequences, 
 to which any trial of the kind has ever given 
 rise. 
 
 Within a few months after the passing of 
 the Veto, a vacancy having occurred at Auch- 
 
 terarder, # in Perthshire, Mr. R Y 
 
 was presented by Lord K to the charge. 
 
 I must here observe that before a minister 
 was, or is finally settled in a Scotch Pastoral 
 charge of the Established Church, he must be 
 first presented by the Patron. In being presented 
 he delivers the " instrument of presentation" and 
 other requisite papers to the Presbytery. Now 
 the business of the Presbytery seems to be two- 
 fold ; first, " to make trial of his qualifications, 
 literature, good life, and conversation," or 
 general fitness for the ministry ; and, secondly, 
 " of his fitness and qualifications for the 
 functions of the ministry at the Church to 
 which he is presented." 
 
 It is required of the candidate that he should 
 
 * " The statute of Queen Anne, the right to lay patronage, the 
 power of the Veto in the heads of families, members of the congre- 
 gation in full communion with the Church, and the right of the 
 Presentee to have trial made of his qualifications by the Presbytery, 
 were elaborately discussed in the recent case of the Presbytery of 
 Auchterarder v. the Earl of Kinnoul, in which the House of Lords 
 confirmed the decision of the Court of Session." — Burn's Ecclesias- 
 tical Law, Vol. I, p. 415, ninth edition.
 
 AUCHTERARDER CASE. 287 
 
 officiate in the parish to which he is presented, 
 and those parishioners who are in full com- 
 munion are subsequently invited to issue their 
 Call, which is virtually their consent to, and 
 express approbation of his appointment as their 
 minister. This consent being given, and the 
 special fitness to the charge thus ascertained 
 (according to the Scottish view of the subject), 
 the candidate is examined by the Presbytery as 
 to his general fitness for the ministerial or pas- 
 toral office, and, if found qualified, is ordained 
 and inducted. It will be seen at a glance, how 
 different such a system is from our own, not 
 only as to practice but as to the principle on 
 which it rests ; but with this part of the subject 
 we have at present nothing whatsoever to do. 
 
 On Mr. Y. being presented to Auchterarder, 
 out of 330 parishioners, who had lawful votes as 
 being male heads of families and on the roll of 
 communicants, there were, I believe, 287, who 
 expressly declared themselves adverse to his 
 appointment. The Presbytery then refused to 
 proceed in his case. He appealed to the General 
 Assembly on some point more of a technical 
 than a general character. The General Assembly 
 dismissed the Appeal, and the Presbytery 
 rejected Mr. Y. according to the Veto Act. 
 
 Shortly after, conjointly with Lord K — , he 
 had recourse to the civil power, and here was
 
 288 AUCHTERARDER CASE. 
 
 the beginning of real " open war." The matter 
 was referred to the Court of Session, on the 
 ground that the decision of the Presbytery was 
 " illegal and injurious to the patrimonial rights 
 of the pursuer, and contrary to the provisions 
 of the statutes and laws libelled." I cannot 
 dwell on, or explain the technicalities of the 
 Scotch law, but only generally state that the 
 object rn view was to get the Court of Session 
 to compel the Presbytery to act in a different 
 manner from that which they had pursued ; 
 
 so that Mr. Y might be inducted and 
 
 ordained, instead of rejected on the grounds 
 above mentioned. An appeal like this is at 
 once, and in itself, an admission of the follow- 
 ing fact — that the Presbytery is the only legal 
 and competent court for the final and direct 
 accomplishment of the specific object in view, 
 the Court of Session not being called upon 
 otherwise than as a court of control and 
 authority over the Presbytery, and by no 
 means as qualified to act in its place, or with 
 its proper functions. 
 
 The Judges of the Court of Session were by 
 no means unanimous in their decision. Out 
 of thirteen, no less than five were decidedly 
 against " sustaining the amendment," (as it was 
 otherwise called) or, to speak with a little more 
 approximation to our Anglican forms, were
 
 AUCHTERARDER CASE. 289 
 
 against " granting the rule." However, as the 
 majority of the members of the Court of Ses- 
 sion were of a different opinion, it declared 
 itself, by its decision, competent to interfere 
 in this and all other similar questions, in which 
 the conduct of any Presbytery, and, indeed, in 
 which the conduct of the General Assembly 
 might be involved ; for it must be always re- 
 membered that the Presbytery, acting in the 
 Auchterarder case, was only carrying out the 
 Veto Act as passed by the General Assembly. 
 The decision of the Court was, that the Presby- 
 tery, in refusing to examine Mr. Y., and in 
 rejecting him, in consequence of a majority of 
 the male heads of families, who were communi- 
 cants, being unwilling to receive him as their 
 pastor, had " acted illegally and in violation of 
 their duty, and contrary to the provisions of 
 certain statutes," especially the Act of Queen 
 Anne. The House of Lords confirmed this de- 
 cision in August, 1842. 
 
 The Presbytery, however, still remained firm 
 in its refusal to take any steps towards ordaining 
 Mr. Y. It maintained that neither the Court of 
 Session nor the House of Lords had any consti- 
 tutional right to legislate in spiritual matters 
 connected with the Scottish Church. 
 
 The General Assembly took up the cause with 
 vol. i. o
 
 290 AUCHTERARDER CASE. 
 
 much zeal and decision of purpose. In 1839, a 
 motion of Dr. Chalmers was carried in that 
 House by a majority of forty-nine votes, recog- 
 nizing the fact, that the Auchterarder Case, as 
 to the temporalities, was decided, and that the 
 Church was bound to obey the decision of the 
 Court of Session and the House of Lords in all 
 temporal things ; that the principle of non-in- 
 trusion must be maintained by the Church as a 
 purely spiritual thing ; that a Committee should 
 be nominated to consider the best means of 
 obviating the evils with which the Church was 
 threatened in the separation of its temporal 
 means from the spiritual office itself. For the 
 late events had introduced nothing less than this 
 very predicament, in which was involved the 
 existence or non-existence of the Establishment 
 itself; or, to speak more accurately, the adhesion 
 or secession of all those who could not acquiesce 
 in the late decisions, as to spiritual things pro- 
 ceeding from the Court of Session and the 
 House of Lords. 
 
 A small share of attention to this narrative of 
 events, as connected with the Auchterarder 
 Case, will enable any reader to account, according 
 to the probable sequence of Scotch religious 
 affairs, for all which has since followed in their 
 train. That which the Church admits, and that
 
 A PRINCIPLE STATED. 291 
 
 which the Church denies is admirably put in the 
 following passage extracted from Sydoy's work, 
 " She," that is the Scotch Church, " admits 
 that the supreme civil power can at its pleasure 
 withdraw altogether the whole civil privileges 
 belonging to the Establishment ; and that the 
 Court of Session can competently determine on 
 every particular case as to the right to the 
 possession of a particular benefice, and grant, or 
 withhold it from the individual admitted by the 
 Church to the pastoral office, according to its 
 own judgment as to whether the requisites re- 
 quired by law to entitle him thereto have or 
 have not been present ; but she denies the 
 power of any civil tribune to coerce her courts 
 in the execution of the spiritual powers of 
 ordaining and admitting to the pastoral charge, 
 or of any of the spiritual powers derived from 
 her Divine Head." 
 
 o 2
 
 292 MARNOCH CASE. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Marnoch Case— Edinburgh Convocation— Free Church formed— 
 Its recent History — Its present position — Its prospects — Head- 
 ships of the Church — Opposing views— Scottish Principles — 
 Historical notices — Means of judgment — Recent contests — Sir 
 R. Peel's announcement. 
 
 A very strong practical illustration of the 
 feelings of the Scotch people on the matters 
 lately under our review, was exhibited at Mar- 
 noch by the parishioners themselves, though in 
 this case acting contrary to the decision of the 
 majority of the Presbytery. The minister pre- 
 sented had met with a veto on their part. The 
 General Assembly supported them, and en- 
 joined the Presbytery to suspend the proceed- 
 ings as to ordination. The Presbytery, however, 
 preferred obeying the Court of Session ; and 
 accordingly, on the 21st of January, 1841, it 
 not being in the power of the parishioners to 
 stop the settlement, they read by their agent a 
 solemn protest against the step which was about
 
 EDINBURGH CONVOCATION. 293 
 
 to be taken. They then rose in a body and left 
 the church, and during the ensuing summer 
 new, but complete ministerial arrangements, 
 were framed among themselves. 
 
 In 1842, the Auchterarder Case was decided 
 in the House of Lords, and then came the crisis. 
 On the 17th of November of that year between 
 four or five hundred ministers met in convoca- 
 tion at Edinburgh. Dr. Chalmers opened the 
 business of the meeting, and after eight succes- 
 sive days of conference and prayer, they came to 
 the determination of declaring to the Legislature 
 that their connexion with the State must cease, if 
 they were debarred from the exercise of those 
 principles guaranteed to them by the Revolution 
 Settlement and Act of Security. * These deli- 
 berations ended in a formal appeal to the Legis- 
 lature ; but the appeal was without effect. Much 
 anxious excitement then prevailed urftil the 
 
 * It must again and again be brought to our minds that the 
 advocates of the Free Church, as a body maintaining legal and con- 
 stitutional claims to rectitude in its present course, continually act 
 on the principle that in these acts the Church of Scotland was 
 placed beyond the subsequent interference of the British Parlia- 
 ment in her government, discipline, and doctrine ; and that the 
 national faith was pledged to the maintenance of these solemn 
 treaties. Subsequent parliamentary measures, contrary to these 
 treaties, are therefore (according to these views), the subjects of 
 legitimate protest.
 
 294 FREE CHURCH FORMED. 
 
 meeting of the General Assembly in May 1843. 
 A protest was then read by Dr. Walsh, the 
 Moderator, against the Assembly proceeding 
 further in the business for which they were 
 met, on the plea that the rights of its members 
 had been interfered with in an unconstitutional 
 manner. He then bowed towards the throne, 
 where the representative of her Majesty was 
 seated, and retired, followed by the whole body 
 of ministers and elders, who shared in the views 
 and principles embodied in the Protest. In the 
 mean time, a multitude of persons interested in 
 these proceedings were waiting in the street, 
 outside St. Andrew's Church, where the As- 
 sembly was convened. 
 
 The whole body of seceding ministers and 
 elders then went in procession, accompanied by 
 vast and applauding crowds of people, to a large 
 hall at Canonmills, where the first Assembly of 
 the Free Church of Scotland was held. Dr. 
 Walsh opened the., proceedings with prayer and 
 thanksgiving ; Dr. Chalmers was then unani- 
 mously elected Moderator, and the Protest of 
 which I have spoken above was recorded in the 
 acts of the new Assembly. Five days after- 
 wards, on Tuesday the 23rd of May, four hun- 
 dred and seventy ministers at once separated 
 themselves from the Establishment, and gave
 
 ITS RECENT HISTORY. 295 
 
 up all the emoluments and rights which they 
 had derived in a civil point of view from their 
 position as ministers of the Established Church 
 in Scotland, by signing publicly the " Act of 
 Separation and Deed of Demission." 
 
 The subsequent history of the Free Church 
 has proved the zeal, determination and perse- 
 verance with which the principles then acted 
 upon have been hitherto carried out. The sub- 
 ject has now taken its place in the history of this 
 country ; neither will any one question that its 
 rise and progress has been very much in accord- 
 ance with many salient points in Scotland's 
 religious history of past times ; for beyond all 
 doubt, measures which would carry the air of 
 novelty if adopted and executed in other lands, 
 in connexion with the religious feelings and con- 
 duct of the people, and with their opposition to 
 all State interference in spiritual things, bear not 
 the same air in Scotland, but accord with the 
 very spirit and conduct of her sons from gene- 
 ration to generation. Herein they resemble not 
 the piece of new cloth on an old garment, but 
 rather the new shoot springing out of that 
 old stock which has put forth so many similar 
 proceedings at various historical periods, all 
 known well, brought to mind, and applied 
 through the length and breadth of Scotland,
 
 296 ITS PRESENT POSITION. 
 
 however little known, brought to mind, or ap- 
 plied by men of other climes, other tenets, other 
 recollections, other sympathies, and other con- 
 victions as to the true nature of a church, and 
 matters connected therewith. 
 
 And here, with one remark, I end this part 
 of the subject, which remark is, that among all 
 parties, whether in this country, or whether 
 elsewhere, whether among the friends and ad- 
 vocates, or whether among opponents of the 
 Free Church, one testimony is never withheld ; 
 I mean a recognition of its wonderful prosperity. 
 On all sides a feeling of absolute surprise pre- 
 vails at the progress which it has made, at the 
 activity displayed in its behalf both at home and 
 abroad, and at the large pecuniary means placed 
 at its disposal. 
 
 Some will account for these results in one 
 way, and some in another ; some will prognos- 
 ticate the most signal advance of its principles, 
 power, and success ; others will prophecy future 
 coldness on the part of its adherents, diminu- 
 tion as to the zeal in its behalf, and failure of its 
 resources. I pronounce here no opinion on these 
 matters, but I only record as a fact its remark- 
 able prosperity at this present time, admitted by 
 all, whether friends or foes. Its friends, though 
 formerly expecting much, yet now constantly 
 refer to their lack of faith, and declare it as having
 
 ITS PROSPECTS. 297 
 
 been small indeed in proportion to present re- 
 sults. Its adversaries own that their former ex- 
 pectations of its being but a transient excitement 
 have all proved erroneous. The vessel is now 
 sailing forth in full and gallant trim. The eyes 
 of the world are on it. A cloud of witnesses is 
 gazing intently on its course, and history will 
 have to record its rise and progress among the 
 great religious and political events of our pre- 
 sent time, even were it at this very day to be no 
 more, and to cease. 
 
 While upon the present subject, I wish to 
 take the opportunity of saying a few words on 
 the doctrine prevalent in Scotland concerning 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, in allusion to his office, 
 as Head of the Church. 
 
 And here I must observe that on this subject, 
 as practically applied, the very widest distinction 
 exists between the doctrines, convictions, and 
 feelings of the people in Scotland, and those of 
 the other parts of Great Britain. I shall make 
 an attempt to explain this difference in a simple 
 and practical manner. In the other parts of 
 Great Britain, while the Lord Jesus Christ is 
 acknowledged to the very uttermost by all true 
 members of the Protestant Church, as its invi- 
 sible head, yet it does not appear to them, that 
 it is inconsistent with this recognition to own a 
 
 o 3
 
 298 HEADSHIP OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 temporal head or ruler, " in all cases ecclesias- 
 tical and civil supreme ;" and while no faithful 
 man would for an instant allow any human 
 being whatsoever, to come between his con- 
 science and his God, yet it seems perfectly 
 consistent with this superior claim, standing, 
 as it does in grand and solitary pre-eminence, to 
 acknowledge a civil tribunal, as of paramount 
 authority in the public affairs of the Church. 
 There must be visible headship and tangible 
 government somewhere ; and as it must at all 
 events be in the hands of fallible humanity, 
 whether sovereigns, archbishops and bishops, 
 ecclesiastical courts, houses of parliament, pres- 
 byteries, or whether it be some combination of 
 these or similar authorities, it is not considered 
 as at all a matter of conscience or fixed duty 
 towards God, to decide in what hands this 
 authority should rest, and by whom it should 
 be exercised. Hence there is a perfect lack of 
 experimental comprehension, out of Scotland, in 
 relation to a view of the question, embraced in 
 that country as a matter of the utmost impor- 
 tance, engrained in the depths of her religious 
 character, and even sanctified in the minds of 
 her people, by the blood shed in behalf of this 
 very principle by her martyrs at the stake, and 
 by her warriors on the battle-field.
 
 HEADSHIP OF THE CHURCH. 299 
 
 So far as I, a stranger, can ascertain the 
 truth on this subject— and I have sought it 
 diligently both in conversation and in books, — 
 the doctrine so generally recognized, and so 
 closely embraced in Scotland is this. It is held 
 that the guidance and rule of the Lord Jesus 
 Christ may be expected by the Church, acting 
 expressly as a Church, in a manner after which 
 it could not be expected to be exercised upon 
 any ruling power or authoritative body formed 
 and maintained for general objects of govern- 
 ment and legislation. And furthermore, I 
 believe it to be held that a distinct mode of 
 administrating spiritual and ecclesiastical mat- 
 ters is set forth in the word of God, in a 
 manner which must be upheld with the most 
 strict accuracy of obedience to His holy will. 
 On these subjects no interference can be ad- 
 mitted, nor in any thing which directly or 
 indirectly bears upon them ; for instance, in the 
 " intrusion" (as it is called) of a minister in any 
 parish against the will of the presbytery or the 
 parishioners. The persons, whose tenets on 
 these questions I now endeavour to describe in 
 a plain, practical manner, do not claim for the 
 visible ruling body in their Church any thing 
 like Popish infallibility. They admit, in the 
 strongest terms, their liability to err, but main-
 
 300 OPPOSING VIEWS. 
 
 tain that whether they may act rightly or 
 wrongly, still the great principle of acting 
 independently of any superior power must be 
 asserted in the Church, and thus, that the 
 honour and prerogative of Christ, as the sole 
 head of the Church is maintained, and that He 
 is thus honoured, and the " crown-rights of 
 the Redeemer," (according to their common 
 language) upheld in their inviolable and ever- 
 lasting prerogative. 
 
 I am well aware that it is very difficult for 
 people generally speaking, and if not Scotch, 
 nor bred up in that country, to realize even a 
 small measure of the strength and depth, with 
 which these convictions are embraced in the 
 national spirit and religious heart of this land. 
 Among a vast body here the question is not one 
 of argument at all, but rather an axiom, a 
 principle taught at the fire-side of the cottager, 
 and in the very parish-school, no less than in 
 the pulpit, and in countless religious works and 
 publications read with such avidity in all parts 
 of the country. But beyond this — and here, 
 perhaps is the very life and centre of the ques- 
 tion, as one of practical influence and weight 
 in the great body of the people — the right of the 
 Church in spiritual things, to complete inde- 
 pendence of any other government, than that
 
 OPPOSING VIEWS. 301 
 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ, is the very contro- 
 versy in which Scotland has been more or less 
 engaged since the Reformation — the contro- 
 versy, as expressed in a work now before me, 
 " whether Christ or man shall reign in the 
 Church as head and Governor thereof." 
 
 I am not here weighing, in the slightest de- 
 gree, the truth or the fallacy of this doctrine, as 
 realized, felt, and applied in Scotland : nor am 
 I at all comparing the principles which it in- 
 volves, with those entertained elsewhere : nor 
 am I here admitting that the members of the 
 Church of England do virtually and ultimately 
 acknowledge any other ruler and head of the 
 Church, than the Lord Jesus Christ, any more 
 than do the Scotch : nor am I pronouncing any 
 opinion whatever ; but here I am only stating a 
 fact. I am only drawing attention to a great 
 and admitted fact, viz : that the tenet above- 
 mentioned is, and has long been the very life 
 and centre of ecclesiastical doctrine, as pro- 
 fessed in this land, from one generation to 
 another. 
 
 All will assent to this statement who are 
 acquainted with the religious history of the 
 country, and with the religious contests, of 
 which it has been the field. To this tenet her 
 ministers have given a constant and strong
 
 302 SCOTTISH PRINCIPLES. 
 
 testimony. For this tenet many of her sons 
 have laid down their lives and subjected them- 
 selves to all manner of persecution. Thus we 
 find Andrew Melville saying to King James : 
 " Our commission is from the living God, to 
 whom the King is subject. There are two king- 
 doms ; one is the kingdom of Christ, which is 
 the Church, whose subject King James is, and 
 of whose kingdom he is not a head, nor a lord, 
 but a member." 
 
 The confession of faith is very positive and 
 distinct in this matter. In the 25th chapter it 
 states, " There is no other head of the church 
 but the Lord Jesus Christ ;" and lest this 
 expression should be taken in too limited a 
 sense, the 30th chapter, in its first and leading 
 section, makes the following most explicit 
 announcement : 
 
 il The Lord, as King and Head of his Church, 
 has therein appointed a government on the 
 hand of church -offices, distinct from the civil 
 magistrate," a passage which is in direct contrast 
 to the well-known prayer of our Church, in 
 which we pray for the sovereign, especially as 
 being " in all cases, ecclesiastical and civil, su- 
 preme." Mr. Crighton, the moderator of the 
 Assembly, at its celebrated meeting in 1692, 
 declared, " That the office-bearers in the house
 
 HISTORICAL NOTICES. 303 
 
 of God have a spiritual intrinsic power from 
 Jesus Christ, the only head of his Church, to 
 meet in assemblies about the affairs thereof."* 
 The commission in their " Seasonable admoni- 
 tion" of 1698, publicly declare, " We do believe 
 and own that Jesus Christ is the only head and 
 King of his Church ; and that He hath instituted 
 in his Church, offices and ordinances, order and 
 government, and not left it to the will of 
 men, magistrate, or church, to alter at their 
 pleasure."! 
 
 Such is the ancient faith and testimony of 
 the Scotch Church in this matter, long held and 
 maintained in the most zealous, determined, 
 and energetic manner; then, for a certain period 
 suffered to lie in abeyance, and although, by 
 some warmly cherished and maintained, by a still 
 larger majority either acknowledged as a mere 
 form, or as antiquated, enthusiastic, and unsuit- 
 able to the times. This period is often termed by 
 the Free Church adherents as the " reign of the 
 Moderates." But of late years, the old doctrine 
 has revived in all its former strength. Its 
 results are manifest, "known and read of all 
 men." " He who runs mav read them :" and 
 
 * Brown's History of the Church of Scotland. Edition 1784, 
 p. 326. 
 
 f Ibid. p. 344.
 
 304 MEANS OF JUDGMENT. 
 
 while no one, who takes any interest in public 
 affairs, can pass them by without some attention, 
 they offer to the statesman, — to those who 
 minister in holy things, and to all who would 
 investigate the rise and progress of events, reli- 
 gious, social, and political, a theme worthy of 
 their study, and specially if (as for instance, 
 being legislators) it may be needful for them to 
 express and embody their views by open and 
 decided acts. I shall be thankful, and shall have 
 done my part if I have been able to record any 
 circumstances calculated to promote a " right 
 judgment" in those who may have only to 
 judge, or right acts in those, who may have to 
 act on the question of the Free Church. 
 
 As some individuals, who are but little in- 
 formed on the subject, in its application, and 
 detail, may possibly imagine that this question 
 of civil interference is more of a nominal, than 
 of a real character, and that it has not been 
 exercised, and therefore need not be appre- 
 hended, or magnified into such an evil, as it is 
 considered in the Free Church of Scotland ; and 
 as there is a numerous party, who have asserted 
 continually, and of whom some still continue to 
 assert, that the whole is as an insignificant 
 matter, and not sufficiently pressing either on 
 the conscience of those who are involved, or on
 
 RECENT CONTESTS. 305 
 
 the interest of the people at large, as to excite 
 such a stir, and to prove one of the chief courses 
 of disruption, I shall instance here a few well 
 known examples, where the civil power has been 
 directly, and authoritatively brought to bear on 
 the members of the Church in the exercise of 
 those functions, which, according to their view, 
 belong to the Church exclusively, and alone. 
 
 In the Lethendy and Stewarton Cases, the 
 Court of Session interdicted Presbyteries, as to 
 the admission of Pastors to these two charges 
 respectively. 
 
 In the Marnoch Case, the Court of Session 
 issued a decree inquiring a Church Court to 
 take on trial, and admit a probationer, contrary 
 to the will of the people. 
 
 In the Stewarton Case, the Court of Session 
 granted an interdict against various measures 
 for providing additional means of grace, in 
 behalf of an increasing population, and for the 
 exercise of discipline. 
 
 In the Strathbogie Case, the Court of Session 
 interdicted measures, nearly of a similar cha- 
 racter with those last mentioned, under the 
 authority of the Church Courts. 
 
 In the Second Auchterarder Case, the Court 
 of Session held the members of an inferior 
 Church Court liable to damages in a matter
 
 306 RECENT CONTESTS. 
 
 where they refused to act spiritually, and eccle- 
 siastically in defiance of the superior Church 
 Court. 
 
 In the Calsamond Case, the Court of Session 
 interdicted the execution of the sentence of the 
 Church, prohibiting a minister from officiating 
 in a particular parish. 
 
 In the Cambusnethan, Stranraer and Fourth 
 Lethendy Cases, the Court of Session interdicted 
 the General Assembly, and inferior Church 
 Courts, from inflicting Church censures, and 
 proceeding in trials involving charges of immo- 
 rality against respective ministers. 
 
 In the First and Second Strathbogie Cases, the 
 Court of Session, acting just in the opposite 
 manner to that which I last noticed, suspending 
 sentences inflicted by Church judicatories. 
 
 In the Third Strathbogie Case, the Court of 
 Session interdicted the execution of a sentence 
 of deposition from the Ministry, pronounced by 
 the General Assembly of the Church. 
 
 In connexion with the Fifth Strathbogie Case, 
 the Court of Session assumed. -a right of judg- 
 ment, as to whether certain individuals, elected 
 members of the General Assembly should, or 
 should not take their seats. 
 
 With this list I conclude my notes on the 
 subject, and leave the question, as to its import-
 
 SIR r. peel's announcement. 307 
 
 ance,* to the judgment of my readers, whether 
 considered in relation to Scotland alone, or to 
 other churches, subject to the influence of those 
 remarkable transactions which I have endea- 
 voured to narrate, as exhibited in this country. 
 
 * I see by the speech of Sir Robert Peel, on the second night of 
 the present Session, that the note of preparation for the Parlia- 
 mentary discussion of the question at large, has been already 
 sounded in the quarter from whence the announcement comes with 
 the utmost possible weight. The words of the Premier, referring 
 to a speech of Mr. Colquhoun, are as follows : 
 
 "He, (Mr. C.) has alluded to my policy, with respect to the 
 Church of Scotland ; but that has no bearing on the question, 
 which must be considered and discussed, and that too, at a very 
 early period."— Jan. 24th, 1846. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
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