The Express.
London, England, 1847-10-12 00:00:00

SCOTLAND.

EDINBURGH, OCT. J.
Lord John Russell has announced his intention of
being present at the opening of the University of
Glasgow on 27th of this month, for the purpose of
being formally installed as rector—an office to which
he was appointed last session ; but, from official duties,
the inauguration was postponed.
The Dundee papers record the death of Mr.
Honseley, dean of Brechin, and senior minister of the
spissoopal chapel in Dundee. Mr. Horsley was the
sidastion of Bishop Horseley, and edited the posthu-
mous works of that learned divine.
The frequent meetings of the presbyteries or infe-
rior judicatories of the three leading presbyteries de- 1
nomination* in Scotland give a promptitude of ez-

pression to clerical opinion that does not obtain in the
ecclesiastical bodies south of the Tweed, and this pri-
vilege is exercised with great liberality. At last
meeting of the established presbytery of Greenock
three topics were introduced. The first was the dis-
puted question whether certain chapels of ease be-
, longed to the established or free church, a subject on
which some latitude of opinion is admissible, but in
this court there was no doubt. One speaker said
It wae his humble opinion that it would have teen far better had
.he government interfered, for he reganled it as the sacred and
bounden duty of the government to protect the interests of the church
of Scotland in every respect. Instead of throwing the onus of rem.
ening the property of the church on its ministers and prolix, he
thought the government while giving no much for a system of educe.
lion in Ireland, and supporting other institutions, some of which were
equivocal in their usefulnem, the Lord Advocate should have been in.
atructed tadefend the church of Scotland in every case. Ile thought
tzlise.egnilegeitled to this o
church ScOtolatedrtirrrid not fought theifbthat
attle mmiwthree;
did, that church would have most inevitably gone down, followed by
the church of England, by the downfall of the anstoerney, and the
dismemberment of the empire. It was only by viewing the subject
in that large light that they could properly estimate the labours of
throe fathers of the church who stood in the breach. Ile would not
leave the chapels In this town in possession of other patio. It
was a leered duty on every member of presbytery to adopt every
means within his power to recover every item of their property
within the boundary of the presbytery. He war extremely anxious
that they should all be unanimous on such a subject. Ile trusted
they would never rat till means were Liken to recover the three cha-
pels in this town to the church of Scotland, to have a good and
dent minister placed in each of them, and Khoo!, attached to each
for the education of children.
.

Next came the late commission on English mar-
riages, when another member said that
The qtlC.tiell of marring, and births, lac., was not vet settled is
parliament ; a commiasim had been appointed, of which the Lord
Advocate and a bishop of the church of England were members, to
settle the qur'.tion. The Edinburgh .Idrert ire, put forth • warning
in regard to this commiasi.on, but It afterward. declared that it had
been misinformed ; but he (the speaker) found, from statements of
more informed and influential quarters than the newspaper prem,
that that eimmiasion did apply to Scotland, and he was nut sure if it
did not apply to it exclusierly. rnder these circumstances, be thought
the attention of the church might be judicially and beneficially di.
meted to both of these objects.
After that followed the education scheme, when
again the first member spoke out distinctly.
e=bt.edotthat the remlitirons were
nw framed
br rsela d, and to thrown
every
porsith alkd
7o—bstacle Ytheir way. He might mention, fur instance, in
regard to the parochial schools, that no additional grant would be
given them, except the heritors over and above their asserament
came forward and gave a sum voluntarily tosupport the echools. Now
that was not only practically impossible, inasmuch as the Writhes ge.
meaty were not dispoeed to do it, but be held it was unjust and wrong.
! Then another reason why the church should more in the matter was
that its these regulations, from beginning Mead, there was • Mudious
exclusion of anything like church influence and church authority,
even over theirown reboot*, and the plain and obvious bearing of the
minutes was so toget the parochial sehm, taken from theirjurlselietion.
The examination of the teachers was entrusted to an inspector. This
tended to destroy the influence al the church, and these regulation'
ought, if possible, to be modified.
In contrast with this, here is the deliverance of the
• whole united presbyterian church on the scheme
The Committee on Education stated that they had transmitted a
memorial to government expresairg their continued and insuperable
objection to the Minutes of Education. They had also obtained an
interview with lord Dtmfonaline and the Lord Advocate, who had
received them with great courtesy; and the committee were anxious
that memo should be taken to dents the attention of the church to the
subject. In conclusion, a iv:elution wan submitted, to the efllet that
the synod, understanding it was the intention of government to ex-
tend the system embodied in the minutes of council, of date August
and December, late, to the parochial schools already. =mune
in Scotland, are of opinion that It is a measure which ought
to be strenuously resisted—that a thorough rtformation in
the parochial schools Is loudly called for, such a reformati
as would divest them of their sectarian spirit both n. to superin-
tendence, and 04theres from which the teachers are erlected—seyuring
their efficiency, and adapting them to the necessity of ,e community,
and that without this the propored extension of the eyetern, and the
augmentation of the salaries of the .hoolninsters, would neither ea.
tisfy nor broefitthe country.
A writer in the Bth-flay Journal, reviewing a
treatise on the law of roads, makes the following sug-
gestions on road closing :
1. That Puniness, commisaioners of supply, and road trustees
being generally more or le, inlet ested, peen "tally, or tarot
their connexions, in the chasing or changing of routs, rho
be dirested of any such important power over public rights.-
2. That power to case or change any carriage. horse, er footway
should brims to the Lord Adweete alone, after 12 months' notillcas
tion in all the county newspapers of hie intention to exercise that
power.-3. That the lord Advocate, on hearing all having interest,
should allow a proof in open court as to the in-utility of the road In
question, or its substitution by another equally gaud and suitable ;
he ehould also, under proper cheek,, have the disposal of the Foil of
disused roads fee the public benefit.—And, 4. That the cl,ing, has
poling, changing, or injuring any road, or attempting to do to, by
private Dirtiest, should be criminal and punishable at the suit of the
procurator-Lied, no in eases of theft or fraud.
Although Glasgow fever is decreasing amongst the
masses, it is still lingering among officials ; two in-
spectors and a surgeon being now seriously ill.