certain scruples and feelings on the part of some of the brethren, which he deemed altogether unreasonable, consented to forego the carrying out of a plan which has been conceived by that unrivalled sagacity which would have tended so much to the success of this, as it has of all his other undertakings. (Cheers.) It is no inconsiderable surrender to keep this in abeyance for the sake of peace and hearty good understanding amongst us. I cannot doubt that all who are ministers of Christ, will return to their flocks deeply impressed with the consideration, that next to the spiritual interests of the Free Kirk,-secondary and subordinate though they be, but absolutely necessary as they are, nothing is more indispensable than the success of the Central Fund. It is upon this we must depend to keep us together, as a united band and united body of fellow-labourers. Let us go to our several flocks, remembering, in the circumstances in which we are placed, we must not be too delicate or too sensitive in our appeals to our people, but to go to them and remind them that they are not proprietors, but stewards of God's bounty. And much as we have already seen, I cannot but think that it is only the beginning of what may be witnessed of Christian effort. I hope our people will not be contented with the feeling that they give all God calls on them to give, but that out of their abundance they will give for the cause of Christ-that they will give systematically and out and out, upon the principle that they are not proprietors, but stewards of every mite and farthing which God has given them. (Loud applause.) The reverend Doctor then read the motion, extended as follows:-" That the Assembly approve of the Report, and desire heartily to acknowledge the great and undeserved goodness of God, in so largely providing the means for the sustentation of the ministry, in lieu of the State endowments which the Church has been called on to abandon; and thus record their ardently grateful thanks to the venerated Convener of the Committee, as the instrument, under God, through whose wisdom, zeal, and untiring energy, the happy results now communicated to the Assembly have been attained; and they appoint their Moderator to communicate their thanks to Dr Chalmers, whose unavoidable absence on the present occasion they deeply lament. The Assembly further re-appoint the Committee for the sustentation of the ministry, with all the necessary powers for carrying on the important trust committed to their charge."

The reverend Doctor also stated that he had formerly noticed the invaluable services of Dr Gardner, Mr Hugh Handyside, and Mr M'Donald. It would have been unpardonable had he omitted the name of Mr Archibald Bonar, to whose great exertions the Church owed so much. He also moved the cordial thanks of the As

sembly to these gentlemen.

The motions were carried with enthusiasm.

The MODERATOR stated that he should have much pleasure in communicating the thanks of the Assembly to these warm and valued friends of the Church. He deeply lamented the absence of their venerable and beloved father, but he hoped they would still have the happiness of seeing him in the Assembly before its close, when the thanks of the house might be communicated to him in person. He earnestly hoped they might have this pleasure on Monday.

The Assembly then adjourned at half past eleven o'clock.

FRIDAY, MAY 24.

Assembly meet-Committee appointed to prepare an address to the Queen-Mr Syme appointed Convener of the Colonial Committee-Proposal by Mr M Naughtan to call the attention of Town Council to the Persecution at Madeira, and ask their co-operation in interfering-Report on the Debt of the Church, and Dr Candlish's Speech-State of the Poor-Speeches of Mr Dunlop, Mr Begg, Dr Laird, &c.-Presbyteries and Deacons' Courts recommended to attend to the Poor, and Cases of oppression to be reporte i to the Legal Adviser-Deputation from the English SynodSpeech of Mr Ferguson-Overtures on Slavery in America referred to a Committee-Address to the Queen adopted-Education Report-Speeches of Mr Lewis and Mr M'Donald.

The Assembly met to-day at twelve o'clock, and having engaged in the usual devotional exercises, and the minutes of the previous meeting having been read,

Dr BROWN of Glasgow rose and said, that it was on former occasions the duty of the ex-Moderator to move an address to the Queen, or an answer to her letter. Though they had not been favoured with such a document, their loyalty to their Sovereign was nothing less,-it had suffered no diminution. Should anarchy and confusion reign in this country and overspread the land, no body of her Majesty's subjects would rally more nobly round the throne than the members of the Free Church. Their loyalty was not the effect of political feeling, but of religious duty; and he trusted that God would bless and guard the head of that Sovereign, grant her long life and happiness, and at last give her a crown of glory which would not fade away. (Applause.) He concluded by moving for a small Committee to draw up a loyal and dutiful address to her Majesty upon this auspicious occasion,-to be transmitted to her Majesty through whatever channel might be considered best.

Dr MAKELLAR seconded the motion; and, in doing so, trusted the document would not be a mere formal one, but give full expression to the feelings of the Assembly.

ALEXANDER THOMSON, Esq. of Banchory, supported the motion, which was unanimously agreed to, and a Committee appointed for the purpose required.

COLONIAL COMMITTEE.

Mr DUNLOP stated that he had received a letter from Dr Welsh, to the effect that, in consequence of the many duties devolving upon him since the disruption, be found that he could not attend properly to the duties of Convener of the Committee. This letter he (Mr D.) ought to have intimated last night, when the Report of the Colonial Committee was read; but not having been home during the adjournment of the house, he did not receive the letter until he returned from the Assembly late at night. In these circumstances he had to propose a gentleman to supply Dr Welsh's place, who he was sure, would meet with the approbation of the Assembly, -he meant the Rev. Mr Sym. (Applause.) He knew no one better fitted to supply the place of Dr Welsh in filling the important office of Convener of this Committee.

The appointment was then unanimously agreed to.

Mr MACNAUGHTAN of Paisley then called the attention of the Assembly to the statement in the report of the Colonial Committee which was read on the previous evening, bearing reference to the case of a female who was condemned to death at Madeira for having renounced the errors of Popery. He would suggest, that since they were in possession of the important documents connected with the case, some means should be taken on the part of the Assembly, for calling the attention of the Edinburgh Town Council to it, who, by representing the case to the Government, might be the means of averting this monstrous atrocity being perpetrated. He would leave it to the Assembly to decide in what manner the communication should be made. It might be either by letter or a deputation of the Assembly.

D. M. M. CRICHTON, Esq., agreed as to the propriety of this matter being taken up by the Town Council of Edinburgh, but he hesitated as to the propriety of the Assembly communicating with the municipal authorities of this city on the subject. If they were to communicate with one muncipality, they would require to do so with all the muncipalities in Scotland. He thought the matter would be as easily brought before the Council by some of them speaking to any of their friends in the Council on the subject, and calling their attention to the atrocity of the case. In this way the case would be as effectually proceeded in as if the Assembly were to send a deputation to the Town Council on the subject.

Sir WILLIAM SETON said, he would agree with Mr Macnaughtan as to the Assembly specially calling the attention of the Council to the subject, if the matter was not already fully before the public; but as it was so, all the Assembly required. to do was, to put the Council in possession of any additional information they might have on the subject when it came before them.

Dr CUNNINGHAM having stated that he thought it would be an unnecessary extension of the powers of the Assembly to send a special application to the Town. Council on the subject, the matter dropped.

The Assembly called for the report of the Committee on the

DEBT OF THE CHURCH.

Dr CANDLISH rose to bring this matter before the Assembly. He stated that the consideration of the subject had been taken up by a Committee of the whole house that morning. The debt consisted of those expenses to which the Church had been put in consequence of the numerous law pleas in which she was engaged previous to the disruption. He would state, as an illustration of the absolute necessity of having these expenses cleared off, that the damages in the Lethendy case had been all paid by one single member of the Presbytery of Dunkeld-(Applause)—8 gentleman to whom the Free Church was under great obligations, and owed a deep debt of gratitude, -he meant Mr Stirling of Cargill. (Much applause.) The whole sum was at first paid by that gentleman, but a portion of it had since been recovered from some members of Presbytery, who had joined them in defending the Lethendy case, but who still remained in the Establishment. (Laughter and applause.) About L. 1500, however, still remained due to that gentleman; and the Church was bound to see that, in this respect, no one single member suffer more hardships than his brother, so that there was an absolute necessity for having the whole sum paid up. The Committee had under their consideration a variety of other matters connected with these expenses. In reference to the accounts of Mr Young, a proposal was made that a Committee should be appointed to see whether any understanding could be come to between the Free Church and those ministers who joined them in the action, but who still remained in the Establishment; and how far this could succeed, it remained to be seen. But in the mean time, the whole amount against the ministers of the Free Church, in consequence of these law pleadings, was about L.5000. A considerable sum had been raised for the liquidation of the debt during last year, but that amount still remained due. It appeared to the Committee that it was absolutely necessary to get rid of the mill stone at once, not that they should hear of it from year to year, but that measures should be taken to have it cancelled at once. They desired to get clear of the recollection of these law cases,-to forget what was behind, and look to what was before. They desired to have no memento of these law courts, least of all, the memento of L.5000, which was the sum at present standing against them as the expense of them. They desired to hear of them no more, and hence the necessity for having them put out of the way. For effecting this object, a plan had been devised. Seeing that L.5000 still remained to be cleared off, the proposition was made by Mr M'Donald, accountant, and favourably viewed by the Cominittee, and which he was now to propose for the adoption of the Assembly, that a scheme of assessment should be drawn out, whereby all the congregations connected with the Free Church who had regular pastors appointed them, would have to pay according to the amount they had contributed to the various schemes of the Free Church during the past year,-excluding contributions made to the building fund, as the contributions to it had not been made by all the congregations of the Church. In following out this scheme, a calculation would have to be made, to ascertain how much per cent. each congregation would have to pay on the rates of the contributions, in order to make up the sum of L.5000. Those congregations who were in somewhat poor circumstances, and who had not been able to contribute much to the schemes, would have very little to pay, perhaps 10s. or L.1; while those congregations who were wealthy, and had contributed largely, would have a considerable sum to pay,-some of them, perhaps, to the length of L.50 or L.60. This scheme, he was certain, would meet with the unanimous approbation of all their people; and when they looked to the magnificent sums which had been raised for the Church during the past year, he had good encouragement to believe, that they would not have, year after year, to look at the pitiful sum of L 5000 still standing against them, and hanging like a mill-stone about their neck. He had, therefore, to submit to the house the following resolution, which had been agreed to by the Committee on that morning :-

"The Assembly having heard a statement from the Committee for raising funds for liquidating the legal expenses due by members of the Free Church, of the sums still due and claimable from various of their brethren, on account of expenses for

which they have been found liable, and damages recoverable from them, in the various actions raised before the disruption, from which it appears that the sum of about L.5000 will be required to pay all these claims, and release the ministers and elders liable for them from the annoyance to which they were on this account subjected, resolved unanimously, that it was of the utmost importance that a vigorous effort should be made immediately to pay these claims, and that the most effectual way to do this would be to recommend to each congregation to contribute for this purpose in proportion to the sums which it had contributed to all the purposes of the Church, (exclusive of the Building Fund) during the past year, so far as these can be ascertained from returns accessible to Mr M.Donald; and for this purpose they remit to the same Committee, along with Mr M'Donald, to prepare a scheme in terms of this suggestion, and make application to every minister, that he may bring the same before the Deacons' Court or congregation, with a view to the sum which may be assigned to his congregation being raised by collection or otherwise, with the least possible delay."

D. M. M. CRICHTON, Esq. begged leave to second this admirable motion,—a motion which, if adopted by the house, wonld secure the liquidation of the debt in a manner oppressive to none. He would, however, suggest, in order that the sum might be cleared off at once, that the debt should be assumed a few hundred pounds more than it actually was, in case there might be any deficiency, for which they would require to make allowance, which was the system adopted by all public bodies in laying on an assessment.

Dr CANDLISH said he believed the suggestion mentioned by Mr Crichton had been attended to.

The motion was then unanimously agreed to.

The Assembly took up the overture on the

STATE OF THE POOR.

"It is overtured to the venerable the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, by the undersigned members thereof, that the Assembly do take into their serious consideration the duty of this Church, in its altered position, towards the poor, with reference to their temporal condition, and to devise such means, and issue such instructions to the inferior judicatories and office-bearers of the Church, as may seem to them best fitted for the effective discharge of that duty. (Signed by 48.)"

I

A. DUNLOP, Esq. would submit a few considerations on the subject of this overture. This Church, he said, has ceased to have any legal charge of the poor,-but it has not ceased to have the duty which the Church always recognised to look after the poor, and attend to their interests both secular and spiritual. At all periods of her history, the Church has evinced great interest and paid much attention to the poor. I should regret if we show less interest now, for though we have no legal call to exertion, at no time have the poor had a stronger claim on our superintendence. I certainly had a larger confidence in the heritors and kirk-sessions belonging to the Establishment at one time than I now find to be fully warranted. still thought after the disruption, that there would be always secured a sufficient degree of attention to the welfare of the poor; but I find, from information which I have received within the last nine months, that there is not now, and was not formerly, that degree of attention to the well-being of the poor which their circumstances demanded. In many cases, the means of support had been greatly reduced, and in some instances that reduction was such as to be but little short of the point of starvation. Even in the last report which was made to the Establishment, matters were not very favourable in regard to the poor, but since that, matters have become much worse. I shall not trouble the house with many examples, but shall give one or two, and I can state that from personal application made to myself, these examples are but specimens. In one parish there was an old man, (the parish was Mortlach), of the name of James Hay, 60 years of age, who for 19 years had been confined to his own house, and for a great portion of that period was so much disabled that he could not even feed himself. His wife, who was herself advanced in years, was obliged

to feed him, and the attention which he required prevented her doing anything for their support, even had she been able. They had also a son of 12 years of age, who, it will be readily believed, could do little to maintain himself, or to support his parents. Now, what was the allowance given by the parish to these three persons?—a disabled old man, a wife who was obliged constantly to attend him, and their child. Would it be believed, the allowance only varied from four shillings to five shillings per quarter? (Sensation.) It is proper to mention, however, that twice during these 19 years, the heritors, in a fit of extraordinary munificence, had made him a present, amounting to 7s. 6d. on the one occasion, and 3s. on the other. The allowance was just at the rate of three farthings per day for all the three. ("Oh, oh.") He has said, that were it not for the casual assistance given by neighbours, almost as poor as themselves, the family would have on many occasions died from hunger. This was only an example out of many cases; but fortunately there had been a remedy here, which gave greater confidence in other cases. The man wrote to me, and though I was at one time rather disposed to question the propriety of the decision of the Court of Session, in a recent case of allowance to the poor, I am now of opinion, that it forms the only ground of protection that could secure the barest justice to those who would otherwise starve. I on the strength of that case directed an application to be made to the heritors, and adopted measures by which the case should have been brought into court had it not been successful. The moment this was known, the minister went and raised the allowance to 2s. 6d. That was not refused, but the man went to the kirk-session, and then it came before the heritors, who awarded 4s. a-week, thus at the same time giving the man an acknowledgment that they had been for nineteen years starving him on the twelfth part of the sum they were afterwards compelled to give him. (Hear, hear, hear.) It is not requisite that I multiply cases, but there are some in the north of Scotland even worse than these, if this could be thought possible. There are cases, in which the heritors would not even look at the petitions of the poor people. They won't meet. Now, measures must be adopted to compel them to do justice. A case cannot be advocated till the heritors have met and given their deliverance upon it; and therefore if they refuse to meet and give a deliverance, measures must be adopted under the statute to compel them to do it. In several other parishes where the pittance was as miserable as this, where the paupers did not even get a farthing a-day,—their petitions for relief were tossed over the table, and these poor persons, it might be said, were left without the slightest provision for their maintenance. Another thing which has been resorted to is a sort of workhouse. Fortunately there were only two or three of them; and they exist for a different purpose here than in England. In England, every person is entitled to relief, the able-bodied as well as the weak and the aged; and these workhouses are the means of testing whether or not an able-bodied man getting work is willing to work; for if he can find employment, it is to be presumed that he will not submit to the restraints of the workhouse. But in Scotland workhouses are nothing hut what old statutes call them, "an abiding place for the aged and impotent poor." The only legitimate purpose of them is, that they afford a place where the poor are maintained cheaper than in their own houses. Although we do not like workhouses, therefore, still they may be regarded as a legitimate means of saving money. But anxious care must be taken that these workhouses are not converted into instruments of oppression, and that they are no longer abiding places where the poor people are compelled to take refuge. For instance, there was a case where two poor people about 70 years of age, who only had about four shillings from a society, and the parish allowed four shillings the month more, or sixpence to each. If they were to take this and go to the workhouse, it would cost them five shillings a-week for each. The managers therefore say, No; we will not give you this sum; the workhouse is open. It will cost them more; and they knew that the people would do anything rather than go, so they reduce their allowance and screw them down to the lowest farthing. There is a new class of cases of injustice, arising from the conduct of the managers of the poor, in consequence of the disruption. I am borne out in stating this by the almost universal accounts which I receive.