The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-14 00:00:00

purposes,:ahich excited considerable
elerys Oa a strong r!pseasatatian

sacramental I.
among the
=isthmus they

indignation
to the nom-

we withdraw; their objection.
SCOTLAND.
EDINIIIIIIOII, Felt. 12.
Yesterday was signalised by one of those not very
creditable outbreaks, which happily have of late
seldom disturbed our quiet city, but which were rife
enough is the old time—a " bicker" or wee riot of
University students.
The provost of Stirling has called an anti-currency
meeting for to-morrow. In Ayr, the town council has
dispensed with this formality, and have petitioned
against the Bank Act without consulting their consti- :
tuents. The West Stirliugshire road trustees are
going on with their "decussated and reticulated in-'
tereections," having called a meeting to consider inter
olio, "what measures should be taken in reference to
the application to parliament for power to make a
branch railway from Uempeie to Strathblane, and
also to consider the propriety of removing the present
check bar at Killearn Bridge to a point to be deter-
mined on, and of erecting an additional check bar at
Old Blanc Toll."
The Lord Advocate is about to introduce an entail
bill at an early period of the session. It will proba-
bly precede the Marriage and Registration Bills, and
may conciliate some of the county meetings in favour
of the latter measures.
Although toll-bar statistics have of late been fre-
quently quoted, yet any figures that show the matter
in a new light are useful now that Mr. Pagan's plan
is receiving interested opposition. Of this descrip-
tion are some financial details given in the Witness.
In the first place the Scotch staff of collectors, toll-
keepers, surveyors, &c. is nearly as cumbersome as
the English, while it ought only to be a seventh or
eighth. The several bars are let at rents less than
101.; 36 under 201., and 338 from 201. to 1001. It ie
obvious that nearly one-half more than those tolls are
rented at must be levied to le,cp the toll-keeper, who
over all in his own proper person is supposed to con-
sume from 30 to 40 per cent. of the whole tax.
There is, therefore, peculiar significancy in this wor-
thy being called the keeper.
Mr. Hawes has addressed the following letter on
emigration to the Highland Society :
DOWNING...BELT, JAN. 2,5. - Sir, --I am directed by Earl Grey to
acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 211th utt , Ann, sting, no
the part of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, that.
with the view of facilitating the emigration to South Australia of
Scotch shepherds. and agricultural lab itirers, vi reels should eceasion-
ally be despatched from the Clyde. Toe emigration commissioners,
with whom his lordehip has been in conimuntoition on this subject,
have now stated that the question of embarking emigi suits in the
Clyde bad not been overlooked by them, but that, after the nowt
attentive consideration, they have come to the conclusion that
It is better to confine the despatch of emigrant ships to the ports
London and Plymouth, even when the emigrants are drawn
from remote parts of the United Kingdom, both holuae it is much
more economical, and bemuse in London and Plymouth there arc
properly regulated establishments for receiving and. lodging the ems.
grants. The otoseqmnee is that their embarkadon, aid the various
precautions accessary for insuring health and comfort on the voyeur,
are superintended by officers of great experience, acting under the im-
mediate supervision or the commissioners. This arrangem nt, however,
&came interfere with the selectien of emigrants from different parts
of Scotland, as they are es nveyed by 'deserters, free of expense,
to the depots belonging to the commisitaners at Plymouth
and Deptford. Under throe cireuinetaneee, Lord Grey tun-
CUM in the opinion of the commismioners, that it would Dot he
advisable to make any alteration in their present practice of paying
the passage of Scotch emigrants from the Clyde to London, in pre-
ference to rending vessels to the Clyde to embark such per-on, on the
spot. lam to add, however, that should any considerable number of
Scotch shepherds be found wilting to emigrate to Australia, the corn-
misoioners would readily make arrangements for bringing them round
-*oomers (rum the Clyde to Plvinnuili. b. 11,VVI.

ARCH.EOLOOY IN EDINBURG H.—At John Knox 'a house
a board is stuck up, intimating that it is exhibited within,
while a shop at the bottom of the stairs bears the title of
"John Kneed Tavern." Nelson's Monument is a coffee-
shop and steam-boat signal station ; Burns' Monument, until
very recently, was a regularly advirtised exhibition ; and
the house in which Sir Walter Scott was born was, not long
ago, advertisel as being famous for the quality of its ale and
for having the advantage of en excellent " skittle alley f"
Skch is the report of the Leith Herald, and it ought to
infuse some reel into the Antiquarian Society.
EMEILSON EDINRIMGI4.—Emerson delivered his Ent
lecture in Edinburgh on Friday evening. The phrenologists
were suspicious of him on account of his spirituality—the
clergy on account of his creed—and utilitarians on account
of his transcendentalism;-but he wilily avoided disputable
points, and in lecturing on the "traits of aristocracy" (men-
tal not hereditary) gave general satisfaction.