The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1847-02-02 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

DESTITUTI(  N IN SCOTLAND.  Last night Dr. Mackay delivered an address iii;Great George-street Chapel, detailing the distress in wieh the( Highlands and Islands of Scotland are at present plunged, He said that of 400,000 souls- inhabiting the Highlandai. about 60,000 are at this moment totally destitute of daily tiod,, and are supplied by charity ; and that number will, in a short time, be doubled. Before next summer arrives the Highlands and IslandS• of Scotland will contain 309,000'totally dependant upon charity. The failure of the pdtato crop has been univez-saf through the Highland 4 ail the whole of Scotland ; and the population of the' Highlands and Islands are totally' dependent upon that' crop. From 120 districts acconntS, had been received stating that potatoes formed seven-eighths of the food of the people. This calamity has fallen upon a population who are totally destitute of money, to buy other food, and who have no resource in their extremity.. The population of th's Highlands was divided info tWo ‘classes ; of-cotters, payingqio rent to the proprietor,Of the soil, but being permitted to build huts and plant their-little patches of potatoes, which' flunish them with the means of‘ humble existence throughout the year, and of crofters, on-smull tenants, paying 'rents 'of from ss. to £l2 to the landlords, but raisinglittle more than is sufficient to meet those rents and their wants. This class too live althost exclusively upon potatoes.'- The loss had come suddenly and unforeseen. The ,llighlands and Islawis never. lookecti brighter and greener than during the past summer; • and in many localities the blikht came in a single night; 116 had seen Acids blackened Which a week before were•flouriahing in luxuriance. Tlaefinger of God was evidently upon‘them. The znen ofscientitic attainments, in the prideof theieknowledge, overlooked the working of God in this matter. (The rev. speaker here detailed the circumstances and extent of distress existing hi September in the Island of Mull. scores of whose population must have perished if not assisted with meal supplied by the eomnaittee, and read. another letter from'--a• gentleman in one of •-the islands, stating that in ordinary years. the condition of the pupa'titian is one of demi-starvation.) The crop of the year before last (the reverend gentleman stated) had been a most abundant one, and had he sma  nultl at tugh•prices. Last year, in consequence, a greater breadth,of land had been sown, which, however, had proved a tctal failureThom' 111.1 I,IICPTI thip Irtninst raw. •, . •  • --- ---"wutqun cm. relief, to provide againstfraud, and no distinction of sect had been permitted to interfere in their operations. They had been endeavouring.. to get the able-bodied poor 1  co the lowlands to procure work ; and now upwarns of three hundred were at work on railways and; other works, who regularly sent their earnings to their families at home. The -reverend gentleman proceeded to give a number of interesting descriptions of the state of poverty in which the population of various localities were sunk, and their excellent conduct under the pressure of Iffliction, and concluded -by a powerful appeal- forassistnee in the efforts of the committee to save them from  perishing  Accounts from Madrid to the 21st ultimo state that the Etiquis of CI :se Irujo has resigned the task of forming a linistry, and M. Mon: persists in his refusal to, do• 80.  _ The key. G. Ireland, chaplain of the Northleach House ofeorrection' Gloucester, has committed suicide bk. cut-. titip his throat.  —The dreadful, gale of wind, which prevailed on.Wednes— &ay, has done considerable damage to the wood viaduct in -course of erection at Denby Dale. The damage is entimated at ab; ant £sooo.—Leeds Mercury. Sir William Massey Stanley is appointed one of the stewards for the grand French steeple-chases which .take pace near Par is on the 11th of April next. The first prize amounts t o 12,500 frants, (X. 500,) and the second to, 2,soolranes, (4'2oo_)___  A. letter ii" Coo i Mullingar communicates the gratifying announcement that at the market held there on Wednesday, eata, whici i that ttay week fetched 255. to 27s were sold at 18s. per ' barrel,, while a corresponding reih,,' ction took place in t 1 ie rates of meal—namely, from 275. to 28s_ per'cwt. to 205., and speculators very tardy in effecting  - Accounts frc sm Riga, down to the 21st instant, state the grain market to be very brisk. 74-751 b. oats are now held. at 90rs., I Lnd 89rs. are offered in vain. This is equal to about 2452 f ,er quarter on board. Courish Wheat has been done at 1 68rs. being 545. 6d. per quarter. The exchange is 40ic/ to 41d. per rouble silver on London. Mr. Henry Smith had a rapturous reception at the Concert Hall last night:  FASHION ABLE RESTAURANT and