The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-07 00:00:00

CHURCH PATRONAGE IN SCOTLAND.

The question of Church patronage has been aired this
week in the Edinburgh Court of Session. Some time
previous to the assembling of the last General Assembly
of the Established Church, the patronage committee
sent down to the inferior courts and the office-
bearers of churches, lists of queries in reference to
the operation of the law of patronage, and the answers
received were collected in a report which was presented to

the Assembly. Among the answers obtained from Orkney
and Shetland were those of Mr. Robert Scarth, of Bins-
earth, in whicn it was stated that it was suspected that in
cases of vacancies in the Established Church, ministers or
members of the Free Church were advised with all by the
patron's commissioners in reference to the candidates to
be appointed, and the opinion expressed that such appoint-
ments tended to continue a deadness and indifference in
the Church. The patron referred to was the Earl of
of Zetland, and the- commissioners Messrs. Henry and
Samuel Dickson, Writers to the Signet. The latter, feeling
indignant at the 'aspersions which they thought were cast
upoil their character, wrote Mr. Scarth a sharp letter,
calling upon him to specify the grounds upon which he
alleged that such a suspicion existed. Mr. Scarth's reply,
instead of satisfying the Messrs. Dickson, made matters,
as they thought, still worse. They were of opinion
that two distinct libels had been utteredaiainst them--the
one in the answer to the committee's query, and the other
in the reply to their own communication ; and in order to
clear themselves from the imputations thrown on their
characters, they raised an action of damages against Mr.
Scarth, claiming £5OO each as reparation for the injury
done them. The defence was a denial that the interpreta-
tion put by the pursuers on the defender's language is the
fair and legitimate ono. The jury gave a verdict for the
pursuers (plaintiffs); damages one farthing.

IR. TOM CARLYLE'S ACCEPTANCE OF AN
INVITATION.

Another of Mr. Tom Carlyle's interesting letters is pub-
lished. It deals with no vexed questions of philosophy
or science, it corrects no blunders ; but is simply a descrip-
tion of his "simple mode of life." Sir Jas. Sinclair invited
the " Chelsea Prophet " to Thurso Castle. The following
letter contains his acceptance of the invitation :—" Chelsea,
2lth July, 1860. Dear sir,—There is something so truly
hospitable in the tone of your letter, something so human-
looking and salutary in the adventure proposed me, that I
decide on attempting it, and mean actually to embark in
the Aberdeen steamer on Wednesday August 1 (that is to-
morrow week), sea voyaging being much more supportable
at all times than the horrors of railwaying, vainly
attempting sleep in inns, &c., &c.; and shall hope to be
at Wick, and thence under your roof, at some time on
the Saturday following, if all prospers. There ! Most
likely I shall write again before sailing ; in the mean-
time I have only to bid you thank the beneficent
lady in my name, and say that I have good hope her
angelic intentions will succeeed upon me in some measure,
and thus it will be a welcome help indeed. That, for the
rest, my domestic habits are all for simplicity and com-
posure (simplex viunditiis the motto in all things), that I
live, with clear preference where possible, on rustic „farm
produce, 'milk and meal,' eggs, chickens, moor mutton,
white fish (salmon, veal, lamb, three things tabooed to
me) ; reckon an innocent bread pudding the very acme
of culinary art ; am accustomed to say Can all the Udes
in Nature, with all the kings' treasuries to back them,
snake anything so good as good cream ?'—and likewise
that the cow is the friend of man, and the French cook
his enemy—and not one day in ten drink beyond a
single glass of wine. Sufficient on that head. For com-
pany I want none but yours and hers. :—The great song
of the everlasting sea, and the silence of earth and sky,
will be better conversation' to me than the kind I have
long had ! On the whole I am quite gay with the hope of
becoming a 'Konig in Thule' (though with the misfor-
tunes and bibacities of that old gentleman). There, in
my Schloss am Meer, for a while, I promise to become a
much more human animal, were sleep restorod to me; in
that grand lullaby, and the rough hair smoothed down
again a little. Adieu, in the hope of soon meeting.—Yours
sincerely, T. CARLYLE."

At a meeting of Liberals at Farnworth, on Wed-
nesday night, Mr. Barnes, M.P.,who was in the chair,
speaking of the reciprocity movement, said he was certain
that if people really understood what reciprocity in trade
meant as between nations when it was reduced to prae-
tice, they could not talk about it as they did. Reciprocity
simply meant, " If you cut your nose off, I will cut mine
off."

The Sack tells a story of M. 011ivier at the bar
some ten years ago. An action was proceeding against
M. Vacherot's book, " The Democracy," in the tribunal
correctionnel of the Seine, when the counsel for the defence
was called to order for declaring that " the Ministry had
made an appeal to the passions which was much to be
regretted.* As he refused to retract these words, M.
011ivier was ordered to bo silent, and forbidden to follow
his profession for three months.
A YANKEE SEEKER FOR RELICS.—A French
paper states that the Council has attracted to Rome not
only prelates, but ladies from all countries. These last
are the most persevering when they can approaoh the
Pope. At a public audience in came an American lady.
She got an armful of rosaries blessed. "Is that all ?"
said the Chief of Catholicity, patiently. " Your photo-
graph, Holy Father, I beg !" " Here it is, What more
do you want ?" "Your name at the foot of the carte."
Pius IX. hesitated. He did not like it, but the spirit of
sacrifice came to his aid—he resigned himself ;he signed
the card. " Have you another favour to ask?" "Holy
Father, give me the pen with which you wrote your
autograph." This time the excellent old man lost all
patience. " Here, madam, take the penholder, and—take
the inkstand also." The American lady wrapped all up in
an old newspaper, opened her travelling bag, put in the
spoil, and departed with a low courtesy.
A minister of the Established Church of Scotland,
at Dumfries has just been broUght to book respecting
matters of a personal nature. The Rev. James Mackie,
the minister of St. Mary's Church, has had some Eels-
understsnding with the trustees, and a few Sundays
ago he denounced their conduct in the pulpit with so
much severity that they appealed to the Presbytery
to restrain him from a repetition of such attacks.
The case was heard on Tuesday, and the Presbytery
pa.ssed a la:solution stating that as Mr. Mackie had acted,
in connection with his ministerial duties, in a way that
was highly reprehensible, the Presbytery resolved "to
solemnly admonish him, and to enjoin him to abstain
from making any allusion to those differences from the
pulpit on Sabbath, and also to discharge all his ministerial
duties iu the congregation and parish of St. Mary's in a
spirit becoming his sacred profession and ordination vows."
The Moderator, we are told, "admonished and enjoined
Mr. Mackie in terms of the finding of the Presbytery, and
►he prootedings were closed with prayer."