New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-07-04

presbgteues and SO eligible to the Assembly itself.
These acts have been called In question, and ap-
peals have been taken to the Ciril Courts by
which the acts haze been pronounced illegal
The effect would be- as we have already said, to
throw out 277 ministers and thus TO change en-
tirely the relative strength of parties in the As
sembly
These two parties had been organized with re-
ference to the general question the Non-intru-
sionsts, or those opposed to this interference OF
the Civil Courts, with DR.. CHALMERS at their head
having very decided majority. They have,
however, without objection, suffered the Lord High
Commissioner, inc Representative OF the Sover-
cign in the General Assembly, to be present at It's
session: but he had no voice or vote in It's pro-
ceedngs, took no part inits business, and his pre-
sence was not even deemed necessary TO the va
lidity Of the Assembly's transactions.
These were the principal questions which had
caused the difficulty between the Church of Scot
land and the civil powers. Minor points had
increased it. and for few days previous to the
last meeting of the Assembly on the 18th of May,
the excitement had been very great. That body
met at st. Andrews Church in Edinburgh, with
all It's usual pomp and ceremony, the Marquis of
Butte, Lord High Commissioner being escorted
bv splendid military array and the Nobility and
Gentry attending III great numbers and amid a
display of unusual brilliancv. The church was
excessively crowded, and the number of members
in attendance was much greater than usual AZ
D.. 4 l. L. 81.
Moderator, DR.. WELSH. rose and said that the
proper time, according to usage, had arrived for
making up The roll but there had been so great
an nroad, so decided an Infringement, on the
Constitution of the Church, that they could not
proceed to organize the Assembly without a vio
laton of the terms Of the Union of the Church
and State, as authoritatively defined He then
proceeded to read the "PRorEsT OF TIE CHURCH, ,
a brief, calm, decided statement of the wrong the
Scottish Church had suffered in the subsection of
her Courts to the Civil Courts in the exercise of
their spiritual functions in the interference of the
Civil Courts with the preaching ofthe Gospel and
administration of the Church ordinances, and in
general in the encroachments upon her authority,
which were deemed inconsistent with Christian
liberty and with the rights conferred by the Head
of the Church, upon the Church alone.
When he had finished reading this document,
and amid the breathless attention and tears with
which it was heard, he laid it on the table, rose
up in his robe and cap Of Office, and calmly
walked out followed by Drs. Chalmers, Gordon,
Macfarlane, and Others of the most powerful and
influential members of the Scottish Church, In
GLIDING the whole body Of adhering members and
elders For an instant, a loud cheer burst from
the galleries, but it was immediately hushcd, and
the assembled multitude looked on in solemn ST.
ence and admiration. They proceeded four
abreast through the street, the windows and
housetops being filled with curious and interested
spectators, and moved in a body to Tanticld, Ca
nonms. Thus, with a herosm and self-deny-
ing nobeness of heart seldom equalled in the his
tory of the. world, they turned their backs upon
Royalty, upon all that secured them worldly no.
nor and Distinction upon their incomes, their very
means of subsistence, and proceeded, unattended
by troops, marshallod only by consclences void OF
offence and hearts filed with the spirit Of Him IN
whose name they had taken this great and mo-
mentous step, to the Hall, where they were vel
coined by tumutuous applause. They immediate
" organized by the applauded election OF DIR.
CHALMERS, as Moderator, who then addressed the
meeting, briefly indicating the decision OF the
Assembly, and most earnestly protesting against
being considered Dissenters or Voluntarles. They
still believed he said, IN the union of Church and
State and if they left the Establishment, they
wished it understood that they went out on the Es
tablishment principle. Committees were then APP
pointed, and the business of the Assembly was en-
tered upon The number Of Ministers who had
Joined the Free Assembly was Asa, and the at
tendance uponit session was very numerous. 1t
is to meet again at Glasgow in October. In all
respects except with reference to the proprety Of
a Church Establishment, there is a free commu-
mon between Dissenters and members Of the Free
Churches and the former, in several instances,
have opened Chapels for the use of the latter, un
til their own can be completed. One has already
been finished for DR.. Candish, who leaves the
Church of St. George, the most magnificent in
Edinburgh for small, plain edlhcc, erected with
in SIX weeks. The deputatlon from the Presbyte-
ran Church of Ireland followed the Separatsts,
and acknowledged them the Church. The
Marquis OF Breadalbane has subscribed 100000,
and his lady fl0O1 for the Seceders The con-
tributions. up TO the latest dates, had reached
about f250,000; the aggregate income and pro-
pertv which they relinquished exceeded half a
million sterling.
G7 There is a very general anxiety in this
vciuity-as we doubt not there is everywhere
to know something of the new Attorney General,
JOIN NELSON, Esq. Had Mr.. PerrIGau Of South
Carolina taken the Office we should have felt as
s,rred by his great reputation as jurist of emf
nent ability that the lamented Legare had a