The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-11-23 00:00:00

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND-SINGULAR SCENE

CULSAMOND, ABERDEEN, Nov. IL—A scene has taken
place here to-day, which will scarcely find a parallel in the
annals of Scottish history. The facts are these :—The Pres-
bytery of Ganoch having resolved, by a majority of seven, to
induct the Rev. W. Middleton, as assistant and successor to
the Reverend Ferdinand Ellis, minister of the church and
parish of Culsamond, met in the Manse this day, previous
to the hour set apart for the induction. After transacting
some preliminary business, the Presbytery adjourned to the
church ; but the concourse of people by which it was sur-
rounded was so great, and the feeling of opposition to the
presentee so strong, that it soon became evident that a riot
would ensue, if the induction were persevered in. A large
party planted themselves around the door of the church,
which was locked, and expressed their firm determination to
prevent its being opened. The sheriff of the county being
present, (at the request, we believe, of the Lord Advocate
for Scotland), endeavoured to make way for the presentee
and the Presbytery ; but he was met with the most discordant
yells from the crowd, and failed, with all the assistance of
the rural police, to effect an entrance. By-and-bye, some
one got the door op•ied, and then such was the rush towards
it, that one man has been dangerously injured, and others
more or less bruised. The church was filled in a few minutes,
and the windows crowded outsideby those who could not get in.
On the members of the Presbytery attempting to take their
seats, they were met with the most discordant yells ; and to
such a height was the riot carried, that the ministers and
their friends were actually stoned. One gentleman was cut
above the eve, and others were struck on different parts of
the body. The execrations of the crowd were dreadful, and
the conduct of the leaders towards Sheriffs Murray and
Lumaden was of the most violent description. In vain did
the Sheriff attempt to produce quiet; all the efforts he could
use were futile ; and, with a prudence that did him the great-
est credit, he refrained from using the slightest threat to put
down the riot by force. Seeing that there was no prospect
of the ordination being proceeded with, the Sheriffs and
Presbytery left the church amid renewed disturbance, and
proceeded to the Manse, where the reverend gentleman was
quietly ordained.
Thus ended one of the most deplorable exhibitions of fac-
tious strife I ever witnessed. Few of the parishioners of the
theth Parish took an interest in the proceedings, the whole of
other
leaders being from the parish of Marnock, Fugue, and
them for _ohneridistriets in the neighbourhood. They were mostly
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gated the lawless prowceeilinnigs;
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adherentsi -

Richard Weeks, a pensioner of the Royal Hospital, at
Greenwich, at present in the Whitehouse Lunatic Asylum.
Bethnal-green (quite insane), has been left the enormous
sum of .£120,000.