SCOTLAND.
A number of friends to the Free Protesting Church of Scotland met in Canonmills Hall, at Edinburgh, on the 14th, to hear reports from the deputations that had recently visited England. Mr. Tweedie stated that the Committee had divided England into twenty districts, to be visited by different deputations. In spite of much vituperation and op- position, those deputations had every where been well received. Alto- gether, a sum of 25,0001. had been realized from the former and recent visits ; and some of the deputations were still prosecuting the work. Mr. Candlish regretted that their Evangelical brethren of the Church of England did not show them much countenance ; and he looked back with shame to the time when the Nonintrnsionists themselves almost
idolized the principle of an Establishment, and thought themselves divided from Dissenters by a great gulf. They had, however, met with Wesleyans, Baptists, and Independents ; and he had enjoyed sweet fel- lowship and delightful communion with brethren of the Congre- gational denomination. He recommended a speedy renewal of nego- tiations with the Congregationalists. Mr. Begg said, that the object of the deputations in going to England was, not merely to disseminate their principles and to procure funds, but also to rouse the English people to assist in securing toleration against the tyrannical confederacy of noble- men and landlords in Scotland. For example, Mr. Matheson, a landed proprietor in the North of Scotland, and also the Liberal Member for the borough of Ashburton, thcught it a part of his liberality to refuse a piece of land for love or money to his neighbours to worship God upon. Mr. Begg had called upon persons of all shades of poli- tical opinion : he laid their case and the correspondence with the Duke of Sutherland before Mr. Cobden ; and he asked Mr. Bright, if be knew Mr. Matheson ? Mr. Bright answered that he did know him, and his constituents too. Mr. Begg told him that he would do a great favour to a number of poor people in Scotland if he would go and expose that man to his constituents. A vote of thanks to the Eng- lish and Irish Dissenters, for aid afforded to the Free Church, was passed unanimously.
At Glasgow City Hall, on Tuesday, a public meeting assembled, to consider the conduct of the Peel Ministry in their interference with the right of public meeting and petitioning in Ireland. Resolutions were passed, condemning that interference as a tyrannical encroach- recut on the people's rights and privileges, and declaring it the duty of all Reformers to support the Irish people in vindicating their rights ; especially as Government, if successful in Ireland, might extend the same coercive measures to the sister kingdoms.
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