planation in regard to the delay of which Dr Mackay had complained, and complained truly, as to some time having been lost in the way of sending out the deputations to the Highlands. The plain matter of fact was, the circumstance of the Home Mission Committee's funds being so deficient; indeed it is indispensable that in this matter they should pause and deliberately consider how they might accomplish the work lying before them, at the least expense to the Home Mission Committee's funds. It was to be remembered, he repeated, that when they should have been making arrangements about deputations going forth, the circumstances of the Home Mission Committee's funds came to present themselves so forcibly in respect to pecuniary resources, that a pause was rendered necessary. Nevertheless, in entire concurrence with that Committee, the Gaelic Committee had now, he was glad to inform the Assembly, made arrangements for sending forth deputations to the Highlands this year. (Applause.) They had been compelled, however, to curtail these deputations, and to limit the time of their operations, as it was found to be a great inconvenience, and a great loss to congregations, for their ministers to be away for six months. The Committee, therefore, proposed now to pursue the plan of sending forth ministers for five or six weeks at a time. He was prepared to submit to the Assembly the scheme of deputations for this year, which was ready to be carried into effect, and with the entire approval of Dr Mackay. He (Dr Candlish) regretted very much that the circumstances to which he adverted had laid an arrest, for a short time, on this important movement; but he hoped that, to a considerable extent, they would be able to carry out the scheme of visitation, and to meet the necessities of the case, by the plan proposed of ministers leaving their congregations for a period of not less than five or six weeks. (Hear.) He could assure the house that he felt very strongly all that Dr Mackay had stated with respect to the Highlands. The Lowland ministers, he believed, were now beginning to be somewhat better acquainted with the state of the Highlands than they used to be, and more keenly alive to the responsibility which attached to them, as a Church, in regard to providing the means of religious instruction for the population there. There were two things to be noticed in connection with the state of matters in the Highlands and in the Lowlands. In the Highlands they had a people already thirsting for the bread and water of life. They had there multitudes of men already in earnest, -anxious to hear the everlasting gospel,-anxious, in particular, to hear it from the lips of that Church whose ministers they recognise as the ministry that first awakened them to a sense of the reality of eternal things. In the Lowlands, on the contrary, they had vast masses who, so far from thirsting for the bread and water of life, were living in a state of utter carelessness respecting their souls. In the Highlands it had but to be announced that a Free Church Minister was there, and crowds flocked to hear him, and would sit the live-long day in hearing him. (Hear, hear.) In the Lowlands, on the contrary, they had to solve the problem of going forth among the mass of the people, who cared for none of these things. These were two very difficult problems to solve. In the Highlands, they had to send forth ministers among a people thirsting for the gospel; and in the Lowlands, they had to send forth ministers among a people that needed to be awakened. But while these two objects were equally distinct from each other, they were, at the same time, equally incumbent on the Free Church of Scotland. He would not set them in competition with each other. He felt that the Free Church of Scotland must do her duty,—the duty, involved in her name-equally between them; ministering alike to the thousands in the Highlands and the masses in the Lowlands. (Applause.) The great want in the Highlands was the want of a more abundant supply of pastors. The experiment which they had adopted, of sending forth deputations, appointing catechists, and other services of that sort, he considered to be but temporary; and he trusted that they were reckoned so by the Church. The great problem, consequently, which they had to solve was, how to raise an abundant supply of stated ministers for that field. That problem the Church must set herself more to solve than she had yet done. In the Lowlands it was a different problem which they had to solve,-a problem which was indicated by Mr Gray in his admirable address at the opening of the Assembly, when he said," O! for a Scottish John Wesley! O! for a Scottish Whitefield!" (Applause.) Both of these were the incumbent and pressing duties of the Free Church; and the consideration of

these duties must come speedily to occupy their attention. He considered that it would be out of the way to discuss the matter just now. He trusted that care would be taken, however, not to allow either of these objects to be postponed indefinitely. Let them keep them constantly before their eyes,-let them deliberate upon them in Committee, in Commission, and in General Assembly,--and let them, if possible, before next Assembly, have something more ripe and matured for proposing to the Church, so that they might be enabled to enter upon and to possess these two great fields. (Applause.) He trusted the Assembly would support him in what he had now to say. He regretted the very idea of the Convener of the Home Mission Committee proposing to resign his office. Such a thing, he considered, would prove utterly fatal to this whole Scheme. He said this without the least exaggeration; for he could not conceive, in any way, how the Home Mission Scheme could be carried on if Dr Begg was allowed to resign. He did not say this in the way of commendation of Dr Begg, but because he felt how much their Schemes had suffered from the resignation of Conveners. He felt, at the same time, that, looking abroad among the men who might supply his place, his resignation at present would be equal to the giving up of the Scheme altogether. He trusted, therefore, that the Assembly would thoroughly and peremptorily refuse to receive his resignation. (Hear, and applause.) It was known to the Assembly that the Committee had, as yet, not given in their Report in regard to the arrangement of the different Schemes of the Church. He thoroughly sympathised with Dr Begg in the statement he had made, and felt persuaded that, unless he had included with him not only in the Home Mission department, but in the Church Building department, of which Committee he was also Convener, some one of mind, and heart, and ingenuity, to relieve him of the fag and labour of these Committees, it was altogether out of the question to ask him to continue to discharge the duty of these Convenerships. (Applause.) It was time for the Church to know that the Conveners of these Committees could not do more than undertake the duty of a general superintendence of the scheme entrusted to their charge. (Hear.) The Church should understand that the Conveners must have thorough assistance in carrying out the great objects which the Church had in view; and he believed that arrangements might be proposed by the Committee appointed on the Schemes, which would accomplish this in a most efficient manner, and that not only without increasing, but in actually diminishing, the expense of these Schemes. At all events, he entreated the General Assembly, in the meantime, to refuse to accept the resignation of Dr Begg. This General Assembly had, once at least, exercised the nobile officium with a pretty high hand—(a laugh)—making it perfectly plain that every one must obey its authority; and he trusted that the exercises of the same authority would not be spared in inducing Dr Begg to remain at his post, in order that he might have the opportunity of carrying out himself those measures he was maturing for putting this scheme on a more efficient footing. (Applause.)

Mr CAMPBELL of Monzie said, he felt the greatest reluctance to trespass upon the time and patience of the house; but he trusted he might be excused saying a word or two, considering the interest and connection he had in the Highlands. (Hear, hear.) Last night he had had occasion to refer to Mr Tweedie's proposed resignation of the Convenership of the Committee on Foreign Missions, and to urge his continuing to discharge the duties of the office; and on the present occasion he felt called upon to do a similar duty, and to request another Convener to continue his services amongst them. He really hoped that Dr Begg would continue to act as Convener of the Home Mission Committee. (Hear, hear.) The claims of the Highland Free Church people were, in his mind, very strong, and highly deserving of the best consideration of this Assembly. They were much in need of gospel ministrations, they were ready and willing to receive them,-they would not from principle go into the Established Church, and was it not a woful thing indeed that they were ready to receive Free Church preachers, and there was none to send to preach the Word of God? The Established Church doors were standing open, and they might be assured those destitute people were often taunted with that circumstance, and yet they refused to ally themselves with its support. He would ask this Assembly, was it generous or just that they should be so treated? They would pardon him for speaking thus strongly of the Highlands; but he could assure

them, that only those who lived amongst Highland hearts could feel strongly on the subject. He concurred with Dr Mackay as to the claims of the Highlands in preference to other localities which had been mentioned. He did not wish the Assembly, however, to neglect the Lowlands for the Highlands. Far be it from him to say, that any masses of uninstructed heathens should not be attended to, wherever they might be found; but, considering the peculiar circumstances of the Highlands, he thought they had a preferable claim. The present was not the day or the time when the uneducated masses should not be attended to. Was it possible to conceive, that when all the world around them was shaking itself free from tyranny, oppression, and antiquated notions,-when they found even illiterate France exercising the suffrage with a prudence that few people would give them credit for, -was it to be expected, that comparatively enlightened and Christian England was to remain in the background? No, he felt assured, from the clanking of the chains and the rattling of the bars of the prison house, that the expanding mind of this country would soon be at liberty, and that freedom to a large extent would pervade this land. He thought there was a moaning of the coming tempest to be heard in this country, whith would overturn everything that opposed it in its course. (Hear, hear) He could not compare it to anything but what he had once experienced in an American forest. He stood there amidst a wide expanse of forest land, when all at once there came a dead, solemn stillness, scarcely to be accounted for, and in one moment there was a distant moan, and nearer, nearer, nearer it came, and then there was the crash of the storm, carrying all before it ;-it swept by him, and everything that was rotten was gone. (Applause.) There were all the rotten trees gone, along with those isolated trees that stood up in their own stubborn independence. But there were trees that remained,—the young trees of the forest, that waved their heads to the heavens, and could still yield to the pressure of public opinion around them, and retain their upright position again. Was Great Britain, -Christian Great Britain,-to be the only nation of the world to be so bound down, if they were to have a far more increased representation in this land? (Cries of Question," and "No politics.") He (Mr Campbell) did not wish to introduce politics, but this was merely an illustration of his argument.

Mr MONTEITH of Ascog.-There is no occasion for politics here at all.

Mr CAMPBELL proceeded. He merely stated his opinion of what was likely to happen, and that was his impression-(renewed cries of "Question"), and if what he expected did come to pass, would it not be better that these masses should be evangelized? He asked the Moderator if that was out of order. (Hear, hear.) He repeated, then, whether it was not the duty of every man who loved the souls of his countrymen to endeavour to evangelize this land, and to bring the truths of the gospel to bear upon the masses in Highland and Lowlands,-high and low? He felt most solemnly the responsibility of the question, and he would implore the house to consider the state of the Highlands of Scotland,—to deliberate upon the proposal that had been submitted by Dr Candlish and Dr Mackay,—and to do all in their power to send to them the truths of the glorious gospel of the Word of God. (Hear, hear.)

Mr GIBSON of Glasgow thought it of extreme importance that something should be said on the two aspects of the subject brought before them in respect to the Highlands and in respect to the masses, called upon as they were at this moment to contemplate seriously in what way they should meet the solemn demands upon them by the people of this land. No doubt there was a vast amount of infidelity and crime, and vice of every description and degree, prevailing to a great extent in our large towns, which required active and extensive efforts for its removal; and on this point he might say, that if there was one thing in regard to which he had the most devoted attachment to his respected co-presbyter, Mr Somerville, it was in the zeal and attention which he brought to bear on this important question. Mr Somerville, with that as with any other matter he took in hand, went into it with all that simplicity of manner and character for which he was distinguished, and had from time to time created a prejudice in the minds of many of his brethren, as well by going forth amongst these masses, as in addressing them in the streets and lanes of the city; and for his own part, he (Mr Gibson) now felt that if any good was to be done to these masses, this question must be encountered to a larger extent

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than hitherto. If these masses were to be brought to a knowledge of Christ, and to be saved from becoming a dangerous moral pest, the Free Church must make some sacrifices of its means to a much larger extent than it had yet done, for it was apparent to him, that if the Church of Christ was to expect success, and the good effects to result which they desire and contemplate, it must be prepared to make some effort, and to expend some means; for he could not think that they had any right to expect success in reclaiming the masses, if they were to go forward in the way they had hitherto done; that was, in being contented merely with sending inferior agents among the people,-inferior, he meant,-not in respect to character,-far be it from him to make any such remark, but he held that they had no reason to expect the blessing of God upon her labours, if they were stinted in the means that they were willing to employ; for it was to be borne in mind, that in the large towns there were a vast mass of theological infidelity,-speculative and highly cultivated infidelity. From their workshops he could produce many men with whom it would be difficult to cope in argument on questions of speculative theology, and to whom it would be useless to send any but educated ordained ministers. Impressed with this view, he hoped the Free Church would rightly apprehend the necessities of the case, and see to this matter; not content merely to stand within the Church, but ready to take part in a plan by which ordained ministers should go forward in the streets and lanes and address these masses. And he found in his own experience that these masses had consciences. Sunken as they were, there was something in their conscience still. It was a remarkable thing to him to see, when going to the house of God, and returning, the Sabbath profanation that was going on in the open streets. He might mention a case or two as a specimen of the effect of an appeal to the conscience of these individuals. The other Sunday he observed five well-dressed men amusing themselves with a contest of leaping, on which he went up and remonstrated with them for their conduct. What was the result? one of these men uttered a sentence in reply, but ceased their game, and, as one man, walked out of sight, ashamed of what they had been doing. (Hear, hear.) A similar scene occurred upon another day with a number of Irish labourers engaged in a contest in a field near his own house, and a number of children, following their example, were similarly employed. He (Mr Gibson) at once appealed to the party if they were Scotchmen, to be engaged in such unseemly proceedings. They made no reply, but set off to the farthest part of the field. He could give many instances of a like character, to show that these masses had a conscience, which only required to be appealed to. Their duty then was to get nearer these masses, and that by an agency that they would outwardly respect. In serving God, it was right that they should allude to those who were his creatures, with a view to the salvation of their eternal souls. Undoubtedly, if they were to allow such a state of things to go on, it was difficult to say to what results it might lead. He would not detain the house farther on this subject; but what he would consider a right state of things would be this, that there should, if possible, be a band of evangelical ministers trained,-more or less as they considered the time required,-countenanced by their other brethren, exchanging with each other as they might deem proper, going together, hand in hand, in the bonds of union, and carrying the message of the Cross to the thousands who stood so much in need of their ministrations. But unless some in the Church were to raise themselves to the exigencies of the case, there was in his opinion, little prospect of peace for this world, and very little for our own country, unless they brought down the authority of the Word of the God of heaven and of earth to soften men's hearts by the blessed operation of His Spirit. While he made this statement, he should regret if he had in the slightest weakened the effective address of Dr Mackay in regard to the Highlanders. Whatever was done by the Assembly, he hoped it would not affect their case, which was both urgent and necessitous. He would not at that late hour detain the house with an account of a short tour which he lately made in the Highlands, but just say, that a more devoted, more disinterested people, he had rarely found. Here Mr Gibson narrated two cases in corroboration of Dr Mackay's statement, as to the strong hold which the Free Church had upon the minde of the people in the Highlands and Islands, and concluded by urging upon the Assembly not to think so much of the expense if they could afford it, but to ad

dress themselves earnestly to this important object, and to the minds and hearts of the people.

Dr BROWN expressed his thankfulness that the attention of the Assembly had been seriously addressed to this subject, and hoped that what had been suggested would not be allowed to pass over without practical conclusions being come to.

Dr CANDLISH moved that the Assembly now approve of the Report, but defer a formal deliverance upon it till a future diet. In the mean time, he proposed that the Report be referred to the Committee already named, with one other topic in addition to what they had already in hand, viz., the point raised in the Home Mission Committee in regard to the distribution of probationers. That was a point which would require to be settled before the Assembly rose. The Committee was a large one (the Committee on the Schemes of the Church), and he would therefore suggest that it be taken up by it.-Agreed.

Dr BEGG observed, in regard to his resignation as Convener, that the house, of course, would do him the credit to say, that he did not desire to resign because he was anxious to shirk from the labour. (Hear, hear.) He was anxious to do all that he could in the service of the Church, but, in point of fact, it was impossible for him to continue to do the duty. He had a widely scattered congregation, in a very wide district of country, and being also Convener of the Building Committee, he had for some time been neglecting his own people, which was a consideration that pressed very heavily upon his conscience. He saw connected with this Committee an amount of work that he could not possibly undertake; and the truth was, he had been appointed to this Committee without his own consent. He hoped, therefore, in these circumstances, the Assembly would not press the matter more closely.

Dr MACKAY said,―The duties of the Convener of the Building Committee were both clamant and important; and with all due deference to Dr Begg, he would suggest that a layman would be the best party to look after such business. Mr John Hamilton, a lay gentleman, had charge of the matter before, and he thought it would prove more effectual in the hands of a layman now.

Dr BEGG said he would be delighted to get out of the duties of both convenerships.

Dr BUCHANAN felt personally that if the considerations urged by Dr Begg were good in his case, they were also equally good in his own, and if he ought to withdraw, so should he (Dr Buchanan). He hoped, however, that Dr Begg would not be influenced by the considerations which he had urged, when it seemed impossible that they could provide a successor.

Mr TWEEDIE, as Convener of the Committee to which this matter had been referred, suggested that its adjustment be postponed.--Agreed.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON TEMPERANCE.

Dr MACFARLAN, of Renfrew, read the following Report on this subject:"Your Committee was first appointed by the last General Assembly, and they had therefore to consider the most fitting manner for bringing the subject generally before the Church. It soon appeared that, in order to do anything effective, funds would have to be raised, and considerable efforts would be required for disseminating information on the subject, and otherwise promoting the object of the Assembly in the appointment of the Committee.

"But in the financial condition of last year, and because of other temporary circumstances standing directly in the way, nothing formal or general was attempted. Whether right or wrong, it was thought better not to make the attempt, than to make it so feebly as to risk, if not to ensure, disappointment. And therefore as regards public measures, a beginning has yet to be made. Enough has, however, been done, by correspondence and by private and local efforts, to establish among others the following points:

"First, That intemperance, more than any other vice, is a disgrace to this country,- -a main cause of the ruin of families, and of the deterioration of society,and is the chief hindrance to every attempt which may be made toward its moral and religious renovation.

"Secondly, That it is practical, on grounds common to as many as fear God, and