SCOTLAND.

At the monthly meeting of the Presbytery of Edinburgh, on Wednes- day, the Moderator read a reply received from Lord Palmerston to a let- ter asking whether the appointment of a national fast, on account of the cholera, was contemplated by the Government.

"Whitehall, Oet.49, 1853. "Whitehall, Oet.49, 1853.

" Sir—I am directed by Viscount Palmerston to aknowledge the receipt of

your letter of the 15th instant, requesting, on behalf of the Presbytery of Edinburgh, to be informed whether it is proposed to appoint a day of na- tional fast on account of the visitation of the cholera; and to state, that there can be no doubt that manifestations of humble resignation to the Divine Will, and sincere acknowledgments of human unworthiness, are never more appropriate than when it has pleased Providence to afflict mankind with some severe visitation; but it does not appear to Lord Palmerston that a national fast would be suitable to the circumstances of the present moment.

"The Maker of the Universe has established certain laws of Nature for the

planet in which we live ; and the weal or wo of mankind depends upon the observance or the neglect of those laws. One of those laws connects health with the absence of those gaseous exhalations which proceed from over- crowded human beings, or from decomposing substances, whether animal or vegetable ; and those same laws render sickness the almost inevitable consequence of exposure to those noxious influences. But it has at the same time pleased Providence to place it within the power of man to make such arrangements as will prevent or disperse such exhalations so as to render them harmless; and it is the duty of man to attend to those laws of Nature and to exert the faculties which Providence has thus given to man for his own welfare.

"The recent visitation of cholera, which has for the moment been mer- cifully checked, is an awful warning given to the people of this realm, that they have too much neglected their duty in this respect, and that those per- sons with whom it rested to purify towns and cities, and to prevent or re- move the causes of disease, have not been sufficiently active in regard to such matters. Lord Palmerston would therefore suggest, that the best course which the people of this country can pursue to deserve that the further pro- gress of the cholera should be stayed, will be to employ the interval that will elapse between the present time and the beginning of next spring in planning and executing measures by which those portions of their towns and cities which are inhabited by the pdorest classes, and which, from the nature of things, must most need purification and improvement, may be freed from those causes and sources of contagion which, if allowed to remain, will in.. fallibly breed pestilence, and be fruitful in death, in spite of all the prayers and fastings of an united but inactive nation. When man has done hisut- most for his own safety, then is the time to invoke the blessing of Heaven to give effect to his exertions.

"I am, Sir, your obedient servant, HENRY Frrznov."

The reading of this reply, it appears, excited a good deal of sensation in the Presbytery. The following conversation is reported. "Reverend Dr. Clark said—It is not usual, I dare say, to make any re- mark on communications of this kind; but I feel called upon to say that I totally dissent from the doctrines contained in that letter, and that I can be no party to share in the responsibility of those who refuse, or at least who decline, to give an opportunity to her Majesty's subjects to meet together for prayer on the occasion of so fearful a visitation. I do not wish to make any remark on men in high places, but it is the first time, and I hope it will be the last, that any Secretary of State has ever made any communication of this kind to any Presbytery.

Reverend Dr. Muir—I am sure we all concur in the statement made by our excellent friend. There can only be one sentiment of unmingled pity and regret entertained by us that such a document should ever emanate from a professedly Christian Government.

Reverend Dr. Macfarlane—Concurring as I do in the views expressed in regard to this communication from the Home Office, there is required no further expression of opinion from me on that subject. I would only ven- ture to propose that we should take no further steps in this matter, but that we should report this communication to the Synod, which meets next week ; so that whatever is done may be done not as a Presbytery, but by our bre- thren within the bounds of the province. Reverend Dr. Muir—That reference of the matter to the Synod is only, of course, as regards the time. There is no dubiety on our minds as to the necessity for appointing a day of humiliation. Dr. Brice expressed his surprise and regret that any letter should be sent from such an authority to the Presbytery of Edinburgh; and contended that the Moderator's letter called for no such response. Reverend Dr. Steven said that he regarded the document as unworthy of any Christian government or governor.

On the question being put, whether the document should be engrossed, Dr. Clark moved that it should not, but that it should be kept in Metals : which was agreed to.

The Moderator was instructed simply to acknowledge that the letter had been received and laid before the Presbytery."

Mr. Bonverie met his constituents, at Kilmarnock, on Friday last, to give an account of public affairs during the past session. In the course of his speech he professed the greatest confidence in Ministers; - and showed that Scotch business was not, as is often represented, neglected in the House of Commons. He pointed out, in particular, that the Sheriff-

&mu have been reformed, and the University test got rid of. Mr. Bon- verie does not like either the Russians or the Turks; but as the latter have been aggrieved, and as it is of the utmost importance to prevent Russia from acquiring possession of European Turkey, he looked upon var as inevitable, unless the Russians give way.

The trades of Edinburgh and Leith held a public meeting on Thursday week, to promote the success of the movement for Friday payments and a Saturday half-holyday. Mr. John Hope, writer to the signet., occupied the chair ; and the Reverend Dr. Begs gave his support to the object of the meeting. Already the building-trades enjoy the half-holyday, and it is hoped that, by the countenance and support of the influential inhabit- ants of the city, it will become universal.

Some days ago, as the steamer Petrel was on her passage up the Clyde, and when near Renfrew, a prisoner named Alexander Murchie, or Murphy, in charge of a Rothesay officer, made a sudden bound, leaped into the river, swam ashore, and quickly disappeared across the fields. This escape was all the more daring as Murehie was handcuffed, and his progress through the river must have been very difficult. He was under sentence of fifteen months' imprisonment, and was on his way to Perth Penitentiary to suffer his punishment. —Edinburgh Advertiser.