The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-03 00:00:00

SCOTLAND.

EDINBOBOIII, SEPT. 1.
Dr. Branton, professor of Hebrew in the university
of Edinburgh, has, in consequence of indisposition,
resigned his chair. Dr. Brunton has been one of the
city clergy for 50 years, and has held the Hebrew
professorship since 1813. The patronage of the va-
cant chair is vested in the town council, and as the
emoluments are not large (2751. per annum by last
public return), it is likely that the appointment will
again form an adjunct to a parochial charge.
Mr. William Chambers ia endeavouring te get up
a movement against the government scheme of edu-
cation, in so far as it does not propose to abolish tests
for parochial schools. It is doubtfnl if the Priv
Council will be influenced by the oppotion, as their
policy clearly appear.s. to be to introduce a system of
grants without requiring any organic change on ex-
isting educational machinery. In the model petition
published by Mr. Chambers, regret is expressed that
the endowment of the Scotch parochial schools should
be increased without any steps being
.taken to repair,
their inefficiency. But although it Is undoubtedly
true that the minutes contemplate something of this I
kind, yet it must be remembered that the additional
endowments proposed to be given are coupled with
conditions which the . pan4h schoolmasters regard as
altogether impracticable, or at least uogracious where
they may
.be practicable—hence in the present state
of the opinion of these gentlemen, it is not likely that
they will be in any haste to avail themselves of the
liberality of the council. There is thus a species of
composition of forces which is not favourable to the
success of Mr. Chambers's designs for the popularisa-
tion of the parochial seminaries—had unconditional
augmentation been proposed, the chances would have
been better. There is no little misconception abroad
in this matter. For example, a paragraph from
Douglas Jerrokrs IVsekry Newspaper lately
went the round, where the conditions on which
the parish schoolmasters could receive in-
crease of salary were strongly condemned.
Now, without affirming that the income, actual or
prospective, of parochial teachers is such as enlight-
ened educators ought to receive, it has evidently been
overlooked by the journal in question, that while the
teachers of about a thousand schools have for centu-
ries been in the enjoyment of a small salary, free
house, school, and garden, under the parochial system
—somewhere about three times that number of other
schools have had none of these good things, but have
had to live under the voluntary principle as they best
might. Moreover, as none but members of the esta-
blished church can by law be parochial schoolmasters,
many liberals will, like Mr. Chambers, regard in-
crease of emoluments, without the removal of secta-
rian disabilities, as unfavourable to real educational
progresa. The intimate relatieuldp subsisting be-
tween the church and the schools, will make the ques-
tion theological ; and, knowing the effect of placing
any cause in that category in Scotland, we should
predict of the emancipation of the pariah school that
the undertaking is moat formidable.

ANEWICAN INDEPENDENCE.—Ia a burgh on the Clyde,
says the Dumfries Courier, a ball was held on the evening
of the day when her Majesty inspected Dumbarton. A body
of officers from a United States frigate were invited to
share is the festivities: one of them was observed by the
master of the ceremonies to be enacting the part of a wall-
flower, and the polite official offered to introduce him to a
partner. " I guess," was the reply, "if I care about dancing,
I can pick out a gal for myself."