The Sun.
London, England, 1826-05-23 00:00:00

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CHURCH

OF SCOTLAND.

On Friday being the first day of the annual meeting of the
General Assembly of our National Church, the city presented an
appearance of more than usual bustle and activity. Detachments
of the hussars and 17th foot lined the streets, from the Merchants'
Hall, where the Right Honourable Lord Forbes, his • Majesty's
High CoMmissioner, holds his levee, to the High Church.
The preliminary arrangements having been completed, about
half-past eleven, his Grace arrived under a military escort, and
immediately proceeded to hold his levee in Messrs. Smith and
Co.'s Great Room, where he was attended by a greater number
of noblemen and gentlemen than we have seen fur many years.
Among those present were observed, the Right Honourable the
Lord Provost, the Most Noble the Marquis of Tweeddale, the
Right Honourable the Earl of Moray, Earl of Fife, Lord Del-
haven, the Lord Chief Baron, Barons Clerk Ramey and Sir P.
Murray, the Lord Chief Commissioner, Lord 151catlowbank, the
Solicitor-General, Lord Robert Kerr, Hon. General Duff,
Hon. Captain Duncan, Hon. Captain Cathcart, Bight Hon.
Sir John Sinclair, Sir James Fergusaon, Sir W. Forbes, Sir
John Hay, Sir R. O'Callaghan, Sir J. H. Dalrymple, Sir
Patrick Walker, Sir li. Jardine, Sir John Conrad, Sir William
Arbuthnot, Governor Mair, Gen. Campbell of Lochnell, Ad-
miral Smith, Colonel Maclaine (and the officers of the 17th regi-
ment,) Colonel Farquharson, Major Menzies (and officers of the
4-2 d), Major Gilmour, Captains Tait, Dalzell, Boswell, and
Deans, B. N. ; Captain Molinetti, 7th hussars; Principals
Nicol and Macfarlane; Drs. Cook, Inglis, Lee, Bryce, Duncan,
and Brunton; Dailies Mitchell and Boner; A. Murray, • Esq. of
Ayton; Mr. Trotter of Dreghorn ;' besides a great number of
naval and military officers, and other gentlemen, whose names we
could not learn.

At twelve o'clock his Grace walked in procession to the High
Church, where an appropriate sermon was preached by the Rev.
Dr. Oat& of Laurencekirk, Moderator of last Assembly, from
Rum. iv. 2. Who was delivered fur our offutiCes."--Thereafter
the Assembly met, in the New Church Aisle, when, on the =-
lion of Dr. Cook, seconded. by Principal Nicol, the Rev. Dr.
Thomas Taylor, Minister of Tibbermoor, was unanimously cho-
sen Moderator. Dr. Taylor was then called in, his election in-
timated to him, and he took the chair accordingly.
His Majesty's Commission, appointing the Right Honourable
Lord Forbes his representative iu the venerable Assembly, as
also his Majesty's gracious letter, were read with all due respect,
and ordered to he recorded.

His Grace then addressed the Moderator, and opened the As-
sembly in his Majesty's name. In the course of his speech he
alluded, with much feeling, to the distresses which at present press
so heavily on a large portion of the community, and expressed a
hope that the exertions of the Ministers of the Crown, aided by
the cordial co-operation of all classes of the community, would be
able, at no distant period, completely to remove the cause of the
present calamity. His Grace concluded by stating, that he had it
in command to announce that his Majesty had been graciously
pleased to give the sum of 2,0001. for the propagation of Christian
knowledge in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Considerable discussion then took place about the election of a
cltrk to succeed Dr. Macknight, who resigned that office, and Dr.
Lee was appointed to succeed him.

The Cnitimittees for overtures, bills, &c. were thereafter ap—
pointed, and the Assembly adjourned.

THE DENSITY OF THE EARTIIe.,—NOIVVIIKSIIIIId-
ing, the observations of practical, and the calculation, of theoreti-
cal philosophers, and both have been prosecuted with the greatest
zeal and blent, the main density of our globe is still unknown to
any degree of exactness ; and of the law by which this density
varies from the centre to the surface, we are absolutely ignorant.
The observations made by Dr. Maskelyne, on the attraction of
Mount Seheltallion, in Scotland, and the deductions drawn from
them by Dr. Hutton and others, was a considerable step toward
the determination of this curious problem. Another attempt is
shortly to be made to advance a step farther by a body of Cam-
bridge scavans. Their plan is, by penetrating to the bottom of
the deepest mines, to obtain, if possible, some additional facts.
It is to be conducted by Mr. Airy, Fellow of Trinity College;
and among his coadjutors, we understand, are Professors Fairish
and Sedgwick, and the Professor of Mineralogy. Mr. Airy pos-
sesses, in a very high degree, practical shrewdness and Ain in
calculation, and it can therefore hardly be doubted, that the
lovers of science will he gratified by the result of this inquiry.
This gentleman has just made a very important addition to the
elementary scientific works of this country, in a volume of tracts
on the principal points of physical astronomy—namely, the lunar
theory, the figure of the earth, and the precession of the equi-
noxes. lie has used the methods of the higher geometry, and
has enriched the speculations of his predecessors, by many .of his
own views. The subject in his hands has undergone a degree of
simplification, of which it could hardly have been deemed sus.
ceptible.— The Atlas.
Mr. Peter Moore being placed the other day, at
one of his public meetings of directors, between two
tradesmen, and wishing to east a slur upon them, said,
,‘ How prettily I am wishing
between two tailors." On
which a gentleman observed, that being beginners,
they could not afford to keep more than one goOse be-
tween them.—John 'Bull. •