The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-06 00:00:00

THE CALEDONIAN ASYLUM.
Yesterday a general Court of the Governors and Sub-
scribers to the Caledonian Asylum took place at the
Freemasons" Cavern, for the purpose of confirming the
minutes of a previous court, with respect to the appoint-
ment of a master to the Institution, who should be a
member of the Established Church of Scotland, and on

other business.
The Duke of Buccleuch, the President of the Institu-
tion, occupied the chair, and was supported by the Mar-
quis of Bute. Sir C. Forbes, Sir A. Grant, General
Aitcheson, Captain Forbes, The Chisholm, the Ilon.
Captain Kincaid, Rev. Dr. Cumming, Rev. J. Hamilton,
Colonel Wigratn, Dr. Stewart, Sir R. Campbell, &c. The
room was densely crowded, and the meeting excited con-
siderable interest, on account ofits being understood that
an attempt would be made, on the part of the Free
Church party, to non-confirm the minutes..
The Noble CHAIRMAN having requested that the
minutes referred to should be read, submitted them to
the meeting for confirmation, when
Mr. GILLESPIE said, as a member of the Free Church
he felt it his duty to allude to the imputations which had
been put forth against his party, and which were utterly
groundless. On a previous occasion the Court had de-
cided that the offices of the Institution should not be
filled by other than members of the Established Church
of Scotland. Now, however much be and those gentle-
men who belonged to the Free Church party differed
from that resolution, it was not true, as stated in some
of the public journals, that vigorous efforts were to be
made by the friends of the Free Church to upset the re-
solutions of that day.
Mr. N'lsnET also denied this assertion, and amidst

some confusion,
Mr. GILLESPIE again role, and declared that the con-
dust pursued by the Established Church party was most
ungracious, seeing that the Free Church party were the
greatest subscribers to the charity.,
The Crum()Liu rose to order. He denied the latter
assertion of Mr. Gillespie, and thought the course he had
pursued was the most unusual, to attack a whole body
for that with which they had nothing to do.—(Cries of

" Hear, hear.")
1)r. STEWART suggested, to bring the matter to a
close, the best way would be to enter their protest against
the proceedings altogether, and which he now did.—
(Cries of " Oh, oh.") There could be no doubt but
such a motion as this entirely shut out Mir. Lightfoot,
the present excellent master, from becoming a candidate.
In taking this course, however, he begged it to be un-
derstood, that it was without the intention of making any
attack on the Established Church.—(Hear, and Oh, oh.)

After some further discussion, the minutes were put
and confirmed by a large majority.
On a resolution being submitted, that the office of
secretary, now vacant, should be placed in the hands of
the Directors, and to invest them with the power of
electing a person to fill the office,
The CuisHoLm rose to move an amendment, that such
power only be granted to the Directors on the condition
that the person elected should belong to the Established
Church of Scotland. He said he was induced to do so as
he had been given to understand that attempts might be
made in the directory to defeat the resolution which the
court had previously come to.
Mr. GORDON DUFF said that would place the Directors

in a very awkward predicament, as One of the six can-
didates was a member of the Church of England. He
thought that in this respect the question mattered very
little, as the secretary would have nothing whatever to do
with the education of the children.
Mr. NISBET said, the Hon. Gentleman need have no
fears on the matter, when he informed him that not one
of the six candidates admitted was a member of the Free
Church of Scotland.—(Hear, hear.)
The CHISHOLM said, under these circumstances, he
would withdraw his amendment ; and the resolution was
then carried.
The Rev. Dr. CUMMING then rose and said, he wished
to bring before the Court a subject of immense import-
ance as related to the education of the children. It had
been the practice, until the last year, that the annual
examination of the children should be conducted by the
ministers of the Scotch Presbytery of London, but on tho
last occasion that course had been deviated from, and the
question he wished to ask the Noble President was
whether all future examinations were to be conducted
ex officio by the ministers of the Scotch Presbytery of
London to be extended, as was the case during the last
year, to the ministers of various denomination.
The Noble PRESIDENT said, as he gathered it from
the prospectus and regulations of the Institution, he had
no doubt but the right of examination was peculiarly the
province of the ministry of the Church of Scotland.
The Rev. Dr. CUMMING said, if that principle was
laid down he should be most happy to see it carried out.
He had no desire in mooting this question, still further
to disseminate the unfortunate feeling which of late had
existed in consequence of differences in the church, and
in order to provo that such was the case he was most
desirous that the Rev. Mr. Hamilton, the Rev. Mr.
Lorimer, and other gentlemen who differed from himself
should be present during such examinations. All he
wished was, that the official examination should be un-
derstood to be vested in the Presbytery.
Mr. DALLAS regretted that the Rev. Gentleman had
mooted such an:importantsubject on the present occasion.
It was a mere question of detail, and he thought the
Directors of the Institution were not at the present mo-
ment in a condition to answer it.

General AITCIIESON said he thought the question was
a very simple one, and was easily answered ; he had
himself become a subscriber:to that Institution, believing
that the education of the children was conducted solely
on the principles of the Established Church of Scotland.
He found that such was prescribed by the laws made fur
its government, and he denied the right of the Board of
Directors to deviate from the principle laid down.
The Rev. Dr. CE/MMING said that, for ten years pre-
ceding the last year the ministers of the Presbytery of
London had conducted the various examinations of the
children, but last year it was thrown open to ministers of
other denominations. He was extremely desirous of
ascertaining the opinion of the Court in the matter.
Mr. A. ROBERTSON said, he had been a member of
the Institution since its foundation, when it flourished
under the auspices of their Royal Highnesses the Duke's
of Kent and Sussex. The very spirit of the institution,
as laid down by those most distinguished and gifted
members of the Royal family were upon the most ex-
tended principles of liberality, upon principles entirely
adverse to the exclusive principle now suggested by the
Rev. Gentleman. It was understood that the children
should have no restriction placed upon the religious opi-
nions in which they had been brought up, and even if
the parents were Roman Catholics and wished their
children educated in the tenets of that religion, no ob-
stacle was to be thrown in their way. They had no
rub whatever to guide them except that which he had
quoted, and which was, that the most perfect liberty in
religion should be allowed. If, therefore, they adopted
any resolution upon the suggestion of thelllev. Gentle-
man they would be departing from the original prin-
ciples upon which the institution was founded.—(Rear.)
Mr. GILLESPIE remarked, that if a resolution, founded
on the suggestion of the Rev. Dr. Cumming, were passed,
it would be as much as to tell those who were members
of the Free Church that neither their money nor their
services were wanted.—(No, no, and Hear, hear.) .
The Duke of BUCCLEUCII said, after the resolutions
which the Court had confirmed that day, he took it to
be as a matter of course that the ministers of the Pres-
bytery of the Church of Scotland in London must b©
ex officio the examiners of the children in the Asylum.
The CHISHOLM said, if it was not considered as a
matter of course, he should, to set the matter at rest,
move it as a substantive resolution.—( Hear.)
The meeting assented to the decision of the Noble
President without a division.
On the motion of Mr. NISBET, seconded by Mr. GOR-
DON DUFF, a resolution was proposed to alter by-law 41,
which prevented a girl and boy of one family becoming
candidates fur admission at the same time, and substi-
tuting in lieu thereof one which would do so.
General AITCUESON moved an amendment in the ne-
gative, which was lost, and the motion having been
adopted, thanks were awarded to the Noble Chairman,
who briefly acknowledged the compliment, and the
meeting separated.

THE REVIEW.—His Royal Highness Prince Albert
came to town yesterday from Windsor Castle, to
witness the review in Hyde-park. His Royal High-
ness the Prince of Prussia and the gentlemen of his
suite, his Grace the Duke of Wellington, Commander-
in-Chief, and a numeroue staff of military officers
were present. The illustrious party. arrived on the
ground at eleven o'clock when the review immediately
commenced.
THE EIGHTON MURDER.—TWO PERSONS ARRESTED
ON SIISPICION.—On Wednesday last, at the Justice-
room, Goat Inn, Gateshead, before J. H. Williamson,
Esq., and J. A. Ramsay, Esq., the inquiry into this
mysterious affair was renewed, John Fleck and James
Jefferson were brought up at the instance of Mr. Ingo
superintendent of police for the Bishop Aucland district,
charged on suspicion with having shot Thomas Robson,
on the night of the 10th of August. The prisoners were
apprehended on Monday evening in consequence of some
further evidence being obtained, contradicting their
statemcnts made to the jury relative to the unfortunate
death of Robson ; and this day they appeared before the
Court, but no further evidence
them they;were discharged. The Beeinnegh ioniffeormededaialecinskt
and-Jefferson, that although there had been some further
evidence obtained by the police, yet it was not of that suf-
ficient nature as would warrant their taking the case out
of the coroner's hands at present, and they were there-
fore no longer in custody. Fleck and Jefferson then
withdrew.—Tyne Mercury.
FRIGHTFUL ACClDENT.—Yesterday afternoon a
shocking accident occurred in the Edgeware-road to a
man named Poulton, the driver of a waggon belonging
to Mr. S. Roche, of lloddesdon, near St. Alban's. It ap-
pears that Poulton was returnine. from London with the
waggon heavily laden with goods,t when a large cask of
porter, which was lashed with a rope to the hind part of
the vehicle, becoming loose, ho attempted to secure it,
and in doing so the rope gave way, and the cask fell with
all its force upon him, the sharp edge of it nearly cutting
off one of his feet above the instep, and crushing it in a
most frightful manner ; in addition to which the poor
fellow sustained very severe internal injuries from the
cask falling on him. He was picked up in great agony,
and the attendance of a medical gentleman having been
obtained, he pronounced it as his opinion that to savp,the
man's life amputation of the limb would be absolutely
necessary. It is stated, but we trust it may prove other-
wise that the above accident occurred from a trick
which had been played by some mischievous fellow, who
had cut and loosened the rope which was used for fasten•
ing the cask to the waggon. If such is the fact, we sin-
cerely hope the party will be discovered and punished
for his wanton mischief.
O'CONNELL'S LIBERATION.—The members of
Cogers' Hall, established in 1756, have resolved, it is
stated to us, to celebrate, with a dinner, the triumph of
British law in favour of public liberty, in the ea-se of
O'Connell and his fellow traversem