The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-09-02 00:00:00

THE PALACE OF SCONE.

Few places present such claims to the notice of strangers
as Scone—long the residence of royalty, the metropolis of
the kingdom, and the theatre on which many important
scenes were represented. The approaching visit of her most
gracious Majesty naturally adds to the interest with which
everything connected with its history is invested ; and a few
memoranda of its antiquities, history, and present state may
therefore not be out of place. The former chiefly consists of
the well-known Fatal or Coronation Stone ; the Mote Hill
or ancient place of justice; the remains of the Abbey; and
within doors of various monuments of antiquity. With re-
gard to its history, as connected with the coronation of our
Scottish kings, we may here shortly mention that Charles 11.
was the last sovereign crowned within its walls. The Pre-
tender, James, in his short attempt in 1715, fixed his resi-
dence here, and held a council on the 16th of January, 1716,
when he issued several proclamations, among which was one
for his own coronation upon the 23d of the same month.
The approach of the royal army, however, prevented that
ceremony taking place ; and with the departure of that
prince, Scone ceased to be the scene of any important event
in the history of Scotland.
Of the ancient abbey only the aisle now remains, which is
used as a receptacle for the ashes of the noble family to
whom it belongs. It contains one monument of tolerable
sculpture, viz., that of Sir David Murray, ancestor of Earl
Mansfield, the present proprietor of the place. Sir David's
figure is placed in an attitude of devotion, with a long in-
scription, recording his lineage, offices, and virtues. We
shall only add, that . the revenues of the abbey were very
considerablet at the time of the reformation. They amounted
tmoeo:l;ll:.ttOsfis. 6d. Scots money, besides sixteen chaldrons and
tiawwsot 2:lo:imoofnwheat ; seventy-three chaldrons, thirteen bolls,
, and two pecks of barley; sixty-two chaldrons of
f eighteen chaldrons and three bolls of oats ; and one
in 1604,. in
Scone wasr erected: into a temporal lordship by James VI.
is a lineal descendant of the house of Tullibardlne. The present Earl Mansfield
unirlonftSoirf
tDhaatvifdamMiluyr.ray of Gospetrie, a cadet
Scone, was begun long known by
The house
Sir David Murray
taken down
the title of the Palace of
yby Earl of Gourie, and completed by
tion of this palace yr about the year 1603. A very great poi._
tae present building, part in 1803 to give place to
small part, on the south q of the old walls, though but a
aide are
kept standing. The pre-
sent house has still a gallery on tb
the same dimensions with the olde same spot, and nearly of
time any of the old furniture, or one ; while at the same
antique monuments, worth
these the most interesting
preserving, are retained. Among

relic is a piece of tapestry, said to have been executed by the
unfortunate Queen Mary, during her confinement in Loch-
leven Castle. The Great Gallery, which is about 155 feet
long, contains some old paintings in water colours, chiefly
hunting pieces, in which King James and his train figure
alongside of Nimrod!
The situation of Scone Palace is picturesque in the highest
degree. The parks and lawns consist nearly of 1,000 acres,
and the present earl has just completed a new approach on
the southern side at great expense. The pleasure grounds
are laid out in the finest taste ; and nothing which fortune or
taste could command or direct has been spared to render this
place as attractive in its natural beauties, as it is from its
historical associations.

It may not be out of place to notice that Scone gave birth
to the great Lord Mansfield, a distinguished name in the
English judicatory.

THE QUEEN'S LETTER IN AID OF THE SOCIETY
FOR BUILDING, REPAIRING, &c., CHURCHES
AND CHAPELS.

We have the agreeable duty of announcing that the Queen
has been pleased most graciously to grant a special letter to
authorise collections to be made in churches and chapels to
supply funds for carrying into effect the important objects of
this indefatigable association.

This royal boon has arrived most opportunely ; for the
demands upon this society for means to increase church ac-
commodation in England and Wales has drained their trea-
sury, or rather overdrawn its immediate resources. For we
find by a statement just issued by them that this society has,
during three months preceding the 30th of June last, when
they adjourned for the 'season, been actively employed in its
great duty of increasing the accommodation for attending
public:worship ; for in that space of time 52 applications
were made to the directors for pecuniary assistance, and to
50 of these parishes or districts grants have been voted to
the amount of £8,135. And when the various works fot
which these votes were passed shall have been completed not
less than about 15,400 additional sittings will be obtained, of
which about 12,500 will be free and unappropriated; and it
should he noticed that no less than 23 of those grants are in
aid of the erection of additional churches or chapels. It
further appears that the population of these 50 parishes or
districts is, by the census, 191,000 persons, with only
35,645 sittings, or one-fifth, and of these only about 11,400
are free. And even the destitution thus admitted does not
convey any idea of the extent of it in parishes situated in the
mining and manufacturing districts ; for on inquiry we find
that one parish, with a population of 42,000 persons, has
church-room for one-eighth only; another, of 17,500, can
accommodate only one-fourth : another, with 13,000, ac-
commodation for one-sixteenth ; another, with a population
of 11,200, has only one church capable of holding 250 per-
sons, or one sitting for 45 people. Three parishes, with an
aggregate population of about 14,000, have only church-room
for 1,860 of that number, and one of the districts, in which
are 4,000 persons, does not possess one church or chapel.
We believe the best way of closing this article would be by
giving a conpendium of what the society really has done in
the 24 years of its existence. Our readers can judge then
for themselves of the degree of encouragement to which its
objects are entitled.
The number of applications received were 3,016—0 f votes
granted 2,043 ; of these, 473 were for erecting additional
churches or chapels, 350 for rebuilding existing churches or
chapels, and 1,220 for enlarging or otherwise increasing the
accommodation in existing churches or chapels.
The total amount of grants voted was, it appears, £383,980,
and the church accommodation provided is 1;557,926 sittings.
Of these no less than 405,316 are free, and unappropriated.
This is a great increase certainly, but it does not keep pace
with our growing population, as the following list will show.
In the 143 places assisted last year are three parishes or dis-
tricts whose united population amounts to 101,571 persons,
with church accommodation for 9,293 ; four parishes, 90,378
persons, accommodation for 7,085 ; nine parishes, 121,906
persons, sittings for 14,986; eight, with 59,124, sittings for
10,279 ; seven parishes, with 26,251 persons, and sittings for
5,091. Surely to truly Christian people nothing more need '
be added.—Morning Herald.

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL INTELLIGENCE.

OXFORD, August 27.—J. Thompson, Esq., has presented
the Rev. E. A. Daman, Fellow of Exeter College, to the
valuable living of Shellingstone, Dorset.
The Earl of Lichfield has presented the Rev. J. E. Cox,
of All Souls College, to the new church of Southtown, in the
county of Suffolk.

The Rev. C. C. Southey, of Queen's College, has been ap-
pointed assistant-curate and evening lecturer at Cockermouth
Church.

Mrs. C. Pratt has presented the Rev. R. Shepherd, of St.
Mary Hall, to the incumbency of St. Margaret s Stanstead,
Herts,
The Lord Bishop of Oxford has presented the Rev. J. Bea-
ver, of St. Edmund Hall, to the vicarage of Welford, Nor-
thamptonshire.
The rectory of Smethcote, Shropshire, has become vacant
by the resignation of the Rev. W. Birkett, late of Brase-
nose College. It is in the gift of the trustees of Hulme's
charity.

CAMBRIDGE, August 27.—The following appointments
have taken place :
The Rev. John Burt, M. A., of Queen's College, to the
united perpetual curacies of Hoe and Letheringham, Suffolk.
The Rev. Charles Porter, 8.D., of Caius College, to the
rectory of Aughnamullen, in the county of Monaghan, Ire-
laud.

The Rev. Archer Thompson, 8.A., of Trinity College, to
the rectory of Ashby.cum- Fenby, Lincolnshire.

The Rev. John William Watson, M. A., of Trinity
College, to the perpetual curacy of St. Mary, Preston, Lan-
cashire.

The Rev. Wheeden Butler, M. A., of Trinity College, to
;he vicarage of Wickham Market, Suffolk.
The Rev. John Snowdon, M.A., of St. John's College, to
;he vicarage of Ilkley.

The Rev. Thomas Barker Ingham, 8.A., of Queen's
College, to be incumbent of the church recently erected at
Rainhill.

The Rev. W. Turner, M.A., of Trinity College, to be in-
cumbent of the new church at Luton, near Chatham.
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol has appointed
the Right Worshipful Joseph Phillimore, D.C.L., to be chan-
cellor (official principal and vicar-general) in and throughout
the whole of the city and ancient diocese of Bristol, on the
resignation of the Venerable Archdeacon Thorpe, of Trinity
College.