dially approved of the spirit and object of the declaration. The emotions betrayed during that brief hour can never pass from my memory. As my fathers and brethren attached their names to the document, the silent tear in many cases stole down the furrowed cheek of aged and venerable men. It is due to the above to give their names to the world; some of them are now sleeping in the dust. God has taken them from the evil to come." Nor was this all. In order, as far as possible, to make public reparation for the offence, on the Monday following the scene referred to, the Moderator of the Assembly came before the Court spontaneously, and of his own accord, with a lengthened written address, of which I shall only read one or two sentences, that you may at once discern the spirit of the better and larger portion of our Irish brethren. He said," Fathers and brethrenDeeply deploring the occurrence of Friday night, I wish to offer a few observations. In order that I may touch with proper caution a subject and a scene so distressing to us all, I have put my thoughts in writing. You need, therefore, be under no apprehension that, through rashness, or momentary heat, or sudden excitement of speaking, I shall commit you or myself by any indiscretion. The Sabbath's rest and Sabbath ordinances have, I trust, healed and soothed our minds. * * * We have, I trust, brought a heart here this morning fresh from the devotions of yesterday, bathed in better dew than that of Castalia or of Hermon, even the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ. * * * I find that, out of doors, the scene of Friday night has been occasion of grief and pain, and of much displeasure, to very many of the excellent' that are among us. How great a contrast to the missionary and heavenly season on Thursday night! Is the scene of Friday night, or anything approaching to it, in the most distant degree, ever to be re-enacted in this Assembly? What is your determination? You have only to resolve, each for himself, by the grace of Christ, and it will be an impossibility. I rejoice that the Assembly was not adjourned till August in Cookstown, and that there is business to assemble us again here this week, in order that we may have an opportunity to redeem and to retrieve. * * * The evil of dissension and corresponding language is not a doctrinal error with us, it is not a part of our system, inherent in our constitution; but arises wholly from passing circumstances, and its cure is simply by ceasing from the evil,-leaving it off. And the evil is deplored by the immense majority, may I not say, by every one? I saw it literally wept over on Saturday morning by at least one, and, I hear, by several. I know it has made my own brain reel, and I have been sick ever since. In how many prayers has it mingled for mercy, and for grace to help? An earnest desire, a decided determination,-has been expressed by the vast majority of this Assembly, that this evil must and shall cease, and cannot be permitted to continue any longer." One more extract, and I am done. My sole desire is to present, if at all possible, our Irish brethren in their proper light. Mr Moody Stuart has this day already, in his report, referred to the deputation recently from Ireland to this city. One of the members of the deputation, Dr Kirkpatrick of Dublin, who was a Moderator of a previous Assembly, and who addressed us here last year, a man of pre-eminent Christian character and piety, on the occasion of a public meeting held last month in Edinburgh, came forward with this explanatory statement, and I do crave the very special attention of this house to it, as it puts the whole case on its proper footing:-"In referring to the character and operations of the sister Church, it would be dangerous, he conceived, not to acknowledge that there was some few subjects on which there existed divi

sion of sentiment amongst its members. This division had been strongly manifested in the proceedings of last Assembly, at which there was exhibited a vehemence of language and of spirit which he would not attempt to palliate or excuse. He would not have adverted to this matter, but that he was aware it had been made the subject of conversation and discussion in this country, and he thought it right to explain. Speaking not now as a delegate of the Assembly, but in his own individual capacity,- for surely we should not shrink from explaining, as far as possible, to our Christian brethren whatever, in our own conduct, or in that of the society to which we belong, may serve to have given them just occasion of uneasiness or complaint, he thought it right to state, that the controversy to which he had referred did not concern the doctrines of Divine truth, nor the duties of the Church of Christ, nor any of those questions which vitally affect its inward peace and outward prosperity. It was a collision rather of persons than of principles, respecting not so much the objects to be sought, as the mode of seeking them; and was therefore, although by reason of the narrowness of its foundation, the more acrimonious, not the source of permanent division, but rather of incidental difference, and, he trusted, of mere transient excitement. He found that he and his brethren had been too prone to exult in the purity of their doctrine,-in the growing number of their churches,-in their exemption from State control,-in the extension of their influence at home and abroad,-to dwell more on the privileges they enjoyed, than on the duties they were called to fulfil, and the evils they were required to correct; and therefore they had received a painful but salutary rebuke. Such rebukes were found in the history of all churches, and of every member of every church. Well was it with the Church,—well was it with the individual believer,-who acknowledges the hand of God, and who received with humility and submission what He condescended to teach. He (Dr Kirkpatrick) believed there were many of his brethren willing to learn and to profit by this Divine discipline. It doubtless became him to speak with great caution on this subject; yet he could not forbear expressing his conviction, not lightly nor hastily formed, that there never had been in the history of the Irish Presbyterian Church so large a number of persons within her pale eagerly desirous to protect her purity, prosperity, and efficiency, as a witness and agent of the truth of the gospel. This was his conviction, and he trusted that time would show that it rested on a firm foundation."

Moderator, I only wish to testify that, from all I have seen, and from all I know of the condition of the Church in Ireland, this is at once a manly, straightforward, candid, and truthful statement of the whole case. I would be very sorry if our friends from Ireland were to address this Assembly without an attempt to represent their case in its true colours. I trust that the explanatory statement now given will go far to accomplish the end in view, that it will be seen there is much indeed in the Church of Ireland to call for our sympathy and fraternal regard,—and that it is our duty as a Church, as far as in us lies, to strengthen the hands of our brethren there, who are men of faith and of prayer, and who are sighing and crying over the calamities which, we fondly trust, have only temporarily befallen them. In these circumstances, shall we not continue to extend to them the right hand of fellowship ?-shall our hearts not beat responsively to theirs in approbation of the great Christian work in which they are engaged? Let us resolve that they shall do so,-let us give our aid and assistance to our brethren in Ireland, let us resolve that, God helping us in the movement, they shall henceforth be generously upheld by us,-upheld, not merely by

our prayers and sympathies, but in good time and season, by our abounding liberality. (Hear, hear.) Let us pray that the day may be hastened-rapidly hastened,-when Ireland, downtrodden under the gaunt Man of Sin, shall rise up again in renovated beauty and strength,-when Ireland, now sunk for the most part in a state of ignorance and superstition,-the inevitable concomitants and effects of anti-Christian Romanism,-shall regain somewhat of that glory and honour which belonged to her in ancient times, -yea, and shall earn for herself that noble designation which her pre-eminent piety in early days so justly secured unto her. Let us pray that the time may be hastened when Old Ireland shall be Old Ireland once more, and shall again shine forth conspicuously, before a grateful, an admiring, and a benefited world, as "the Isle of Saints." With these remarks, Moderator, I beg leave simply to introduce to this House the reverend Moderator of the Irish Assembly, Dr Coulter, and his estimable colleague in the deputation, Dr Dill. (Cheers.)

Dr COULTER then addressed the Assembly. He commenced by saying, that from the circumstance referred to by Dr Duff, he, as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Irish Presbyterian Church, had felt himself placed in an exceedingly delicate and difficult position. He now felt, however, that Dr Duff had rolled away a world of difficulty and apprehension from his mind; and he rejoiced that the case had been brought forward by one of such saintliness, such elevation and grandeur of character, as Dr Duff. The Assembly had heard of the unhappy, and, he would say, unseemly, differences which had occurred, and which had distracted their Church in Ireland, especially at its last annual meeting. But, as had been stated by Dr Duff, these differences did not bear, in any measure, upon points affecting the doctrine, discipline, or government of their Church. They arose, in a great degree, from personal feelings that had been conjured up and fostered in courts of law, and which referred more particularly to the question of collegiate education. It was rather a scratch upon the outer surface than any disease affecting the vitals of the Church; still, he admitted it was a distemper, and the whole Assembly, he might say, were determined, by the grace and blessing of God, that it should be expurgated from their constitution. (Applause.) He now begged, on behalf of the Irish Presbyterian Church, to express their hearty and sincere thanks for the deputation with which they had been favoured at last General Assembly. It was indeed a distinguished deputation; and their appearance and addresses had been received with intense delight by ministers, elders, and a large and respectable audience of the citizens of Belfast, and had made an impression that would not be effaced for many a day. He also took the opportunity to express gratitude for the substantial and generous aid which the Free Church had given them in carrying on their missionary operations in the south and west of Ireland, which, however, had not lessened the feeling of self-reliance on the part of the Irish Presbyterian Church. He must at the same time state, that it pained him to think that the Church had, year after year, to stand, very much in the attitude of a beggar, at the door of Scotland, England, and even distant America; but he was happy to say that they were placing themselves in a position by which, in future, they would be enabled to fall back on their own exertions, and as honest working-men, do increasingly more to prosecute the cause of Christ in the land of their birth. Still, however, the Free Church, in aiding its weaker sister, had no doubt realised, in some measure at least, the saying of our Lord, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." His poor country had been left by famine, pestilence, and agricultural distress, as a kind of

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wreck; Ireland, too, he said it advisedly, had been victimised by the oppression and wrong inflicted upon her by the hand of man, but, he could add, never by the hand of Scotland. Dr Coulter proceeded to say how much they in Ireland venerated and honoured the Free Church for her noble contendings and sacrifices in maintaining and carrying out the testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ as the sole King and Head of his Church-a doctrine which had been so eloquently and prominently stated in the magnificent discourse of Dr Duff at the opening of that Assembly, and also in the document from the Original Secession Church, read to the House on the previous evening. Their Church in Ireland professed to be, and he hoped was, a working Church; they honestly desired, he believed, to be also a spiritual Church. He contrasted the present state of religion in Ireland, in reference particularly to Ulster, with its condition 250 or 300 years ago, when a colony of Scotchmen established themselves in the country; and, to show the obligations of Ireland to Scotland in this respect, asked them,Supposing the Presbyterian Church in Ireland were not in existence, would they not consider it a very great object could they succeed in planting in Ireland such a Church as that now existing, which, with all its infirmities, was a Protestant, a Presbyterian, an orthodox, an evangelical Church, and, he rejoiced to add, a united and working Church; the ministers of which not merely stood up in their pulpits and preached the gospel, but, as they had heard from Dr Duff, went out to the streets and lanes, the highways and hedges, to seek to compel sinners to come to the gospel feast?" They were a Protestant Church; and though he was not one who entertained hostile or unfriendly feelings towards his Roman Catholic fellowcountrymen, still he must not surrender, but faithfully maintain his principles, and the Church must maintain hers as a Protestant Church. They knew that Popery was not a system to be reformed; it must be destroyed, or it would destroy them. As a Presbyterian Church, too, though he believed there were many godly ministers and people belonging to the Established Church in Ireland, they must maintain the testimony of their fathers, and with a firm unfaltering hand hold up the banner of their principles; for he firmly believed the Westminster Confession of Faith in its entireness would form the platform on which the whole Presbyterian family in Ireland, in Scotland, in England, in America, might yet stand as on common ground. Dr Coulter then communicated some facts regarding the home and foreign operations of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Their General Assembly numbered 5 Synods, 36 Presbyteries, 522 ministers, and nearly 500 congregations. They had a foreign mission in operation, and a Presbytery in Katiawar, in India; and he was able to say that, as soon as Mrs Magee's bequest came into operation, five or six missionaries would be sent to India, and an institution set up there for the training of native missionaries. Their Jewish mission numbered two agents in Damascus, and two in Germany. They had also a colonial mission in operation, and had within the last few years sent out fifteen missionaries to Canada; and it was resolved this year to call three ministers to be sent out as missionaries to Australia. Within a few days past, one of these had sailed, and another was expected to depart in a short time. Dr Coulter then stated a few facts to show the rate at which emigration was going on from Ireland, the stream directing itself chiefly towards the United States of America. One of their ministers had recently, within a month,-given no fewer than twenty certificates to members of his congregation, which was only a small one, who were emigrating. Another minister had declared, that no less than one

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third of his congregation, since his settlement, were now in America. In a third case, the proportion was even greater. Their Church felt it was an important duty to follow her people abroad with the gospel; and he was convinced that, in the providence of God, colonisation was destined to fill the earth with Christianity. The Home Mission they felt, however, had peculiar claims upon the Presbyterian Church as a missionary Church in Ireland; and, by means of this mission, much had been done to extend their Church and to propagate Christianity in the country. They had a mission to Roman Catholics, by means of which the gospel was preached in a variety of ways. In that particular field, they had 31 missionary congregations, 16 ministers, 13 Scripture readers, and 3000 children at Irish and English schools. Through the blessing which had attended these, and like efforts, the darkness which had enshrouded Ireland was beginning to be dispelled; and he trusted the day was not far distant when their beautiful island would be fully illumined with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Applause.)

Dr DILL said-Moderator, fathers, and brethren, I do not know in what terms to express my gratitude to my beloved fellow-missionary, Dr Duff, for the judgment, the delicacy of feeling, and the glowing heart of kindness with which he has removed from us the only embarrassment under which we would have laboured in appearing before you this day. Sir, had it been necessary for us to have touched the subject I have referred to, I am sure we might have said several things palliative, though not exculpatory; but as it was so delicately done, and as what was said by Dr Duff came forth in such a continuous strain of warm, Christian, Celtic feeling, from his Highland heart on my Irish heart, I assure you, Sir, that, notwithstanding all the credit he has given me for possessing in my character so much of the fortiter in re, I was never so near being overpowered in my life. I will, however, pass on from this to a subject more genial to my feelings and to yours. I know that you will not judge of us by the mere ebullition of an Assembly, but that you will look at the impression our Church has produced in the sphere in which Providence has placed it; and, tested by this, I am proud, if I may employ the phrase, to stand before you and point across the Channel to the only fair, peaceful, and prosperous province in my country, as being the scene of the labours of our Church. I am able, Sir, to take you through all our jails and poor-houses, and give you statistics connected with them, by which to show you that, of all the crime and pauperism of Ireland, Ulster, with one-third of the population, has not one-eighth. That of twenty-five thousand troops, and thirteen thousand police,- -an army of occupation of thirty-eight thousand men,-not more than five thousand are in Ulster, and even these are unnecessary, unless it may be to keep the barracks from falling into dilapidation. And I have further to state, that in regard to the character of crime, the contrast is as wonderful as in its amount. Transportations are most rare, and as for executions, of twentythree that took place in Ireland in '49 and '50, just two were in Ulster. And then, even in regard to the small proportion of crime in Ulster, the merest fraction can be laid to the charge of Protestants, and the veriest fraction of a fraction is the work of Presbyterians. Again, though I have been travelling through Ulster for years, and though I was born and brought up in it, I never till this hour met a disciple of Paine or Voltaire, or saw a single trace of Socialism; though it has several times been attempted to plant that noxious weed there, it has always failed to take root. Again, I could take you, if it were necessary, amongst my own brethren,