The Press.
London, England, 1853-11-12 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

ToN's and Sir A. AmvoN's ought to se vure a patient
hearing to their viable. They are not the men to be
laughed down, nor a►te they the men to encourage a
foolish or a grou►illess agitation. Their position en
titles them to be heard. and we are sure the English
public will hear them calmly and patiently.
We will notice very briefly the principal grievances
of which our Scottish fellow subjects complain. The
first one we have already alluded to as the original
cause of the whole move►ueut. It is this : that.
although by the treat• of union the royal anus of
Scotland are entitled to preeedence over those of Eug
hunt within Scotland,they are still systematically post-
poned. It may be said that this is a weak and
childish complaint, but surely if it is felt to Is. an
aili•ent by the Scotch it ought at once to be ►one,hevi.
It' heraldic devices are to be used they may as well
be used correctly—if they are not so used the sooner
we discard them the better. _

•
Then, as to the appointment of a Scoteh Secretary
of State, we really can see no prima filch. objection to
such a meastuv. All Scotch business is now in the limits
of an overworked lawyer, the Lord Advocate, and he
also monopolises all Scotch patronage. We have no
wish to see the duties of Home Secretary and the
patronage of the Lord Chancellor united in the per-
son of an English Attorney-General; yet that is pre-
cisely what the Scotch have to complain of in the
office of laord Advocate. We Call understand Lord
E,,LivroN.s feelings when he looks upon " Ilolyrood,
" with her fallen galleries, her rootless chapel, and
her wasted park ;" but surely, now that liolyrood is
once more a royal residence, something might he
done to preserve such a memorial of Scottish history.
Sir A. AusoN dwelt at some length on the capabili
ties of the Clyde for government building-yards, and
on the wain of harbours of refuge on the coasts of
Scotland. Sow, it appears to us that our ships
should be built wherever they can be built best, and
we do not think the mere fact of there being no
dockyards in Scotland is in itself any reason for
building them in the Clyde. They are built for
imperial service, and, unless the Clyde is better
adapted for building-yards than any of the Owes
where we have them already, we don't think the
Scotch can make out a case upon this head. la the
same way we maintain that harbour% of refuge ought
to be constructed where wrecks occur oftenest, whe •
ther that be on the coast of England or of Seittlimd;
for there they will be most useful and save most

lives and property.
Them• is but one other Scotch grievance that we
have to notice—it is the inadequacy of the Scotch
representation in Parliament. It is hard, we admit,
that such counties as Berwick or Inverness should
return no more members than many a small borough
in Wiltshire or Doreetshire; but here, at leant, the
treaty of union is *against the Scotch, and, if they are
to abide by it, the number of their members would
have to be reduced instead of being augmented.
But the changes in Scotland since the union have
been so great in population and in other respects
that we may fairly allow that it is time to look Iwyotal
the letter of a treat• if proof can 1w afforded us of
any practical injust►ce.