EDINBURGH.

Bruce Herald, Volume III, Issue 60, 1 June 1865, Page 4

EDINBURGH.

(From our own Cofk'spondenfA) ; .". - . , „. .. Mrirch 25th; 1865. THe topics of. general int'-iest connected with our city are this! month somewhat meagre. At tnfe-.-same.. time, one of two items may prove interesting to Ediriburgh folks beside you: .'....;..,..,,. ' The winter is past and gone, the time of the Singing : of birds is come.' As f_r aS the bid crabbed east wirids-^with which Edinburgh is too familiar at this season — will permit, we are enjoyirig a remarkably bright and promising spring. Every trace of the recent I heavy snows and bitter fro§t, which caused so much distress orily a few Weeks ago, has now forsaken the landscape; and not merely Arthur Seat; &c., but even' Auld Reekie herseif begins to look young again. '■ ;: _ Only anhour-and-a-haif ago the spYing sun I have riientioned looked down upon a scene at the foot, of tbfe Mound of considerable inte rest to the .inhabitant?.; especially to those ariiong them who, cherish with kindly feelings the meniory of Allan Ramsay and Professor Wilson. Two beautiful statues— -brie in marble of the author of the ' Gentle Sbepherd/ the other in bronze' df the celebrated ' Ghristdpher North '—were tv- day inaugurated in the presence of the Lord Provost, Magistrates, rind Council, officially robed; and iri .the view of an immense congregation of citizens. A flag streaming' in the Wind indicated Allan Ramsay's house at the head of ' the Mourid, while another in the High street (probably the place where the little barber's shop stood) pointed out the house iri which he lived at the time of , the publication of his wonderful Pastorale. I believe; although there is a certain degree of pleasure associated with the idea of ackriow T ledgirig the merits of so remarkable ari Edinburgh mail— for He was to all intents andprirposes kn Edinbiirgh ' wOrthy-^as Professor VVils-m. that the prevailing sentiment of interest preponderates on the side Of dear old Allan, whose muse was so singularly Scottish and pure,, arid he Wrote so very, little, if ariything at all, that he wotild need. to; have blotted out. Those who in days of ybre have waridered up arid down the 'Habbie's Howe,' or sat down , ;"' '■'"' '■";;' ' Beheatli the south side of a Craggy bield', Where crystal-springs their halesbme waterS i yield,' ." .:--■;• ■' '■" • - -■"■'■- -'- ox on "•■ ; •■ '■'■''* •■ • A flowery know between ; twa' verdant bi-aes,f and recalled to memory— or maybe taken the sweet Pastoral itself but df their pocket to read -^-the simple beauty, wit; arid' poetry^of Ramsay's work; will be. much pleased, to hear what his .own native and loved, city ba^:rip-#. ddne-to perpetuate his good name and faine. ; T_ should, mention 'that the' statues, constituting niqsjt. worthy specimens of the" taste arid art of, Mr Steel, Her Majesty's Sculptor fo'rySpotland,' stand on the east arid w'eS.t sides of- the r ' Royal Institution; lacing the; bustling .thoroughfare and i promenade i of Princes street*- and. : th us occupy two , of the, most agreeable Lattd,,conspicuous sites in the city. - The unveiling of tLe figures was acknowledged.by the assembled

crdwd with much applause, amidst the.strain*^. of military music provided for the occasion 4 and the proceedings shortly terminated with thfe ceremony .of handihg over the nionuments to .the ownership arid care of the City authorities tiled arid [there present: - A curious arid exciting discussion took place tliis week at tHe annual meeting of the shareholders of thfe Rosebkhk Cenieterjr Coihpany; Bbnningtbri road.' •.''■ It had ."reference, to a singular proceeding oir the part of : the directors in thb mbiitli of iObtbber last year--— namely, their consenting to dllow the Episcopal J Bishop and a number of. his c.ergy hejfe to. perform the important ceremony, of '.consecrating ' the entire burying- ground; in^questibn— that . is; setting it 'a^arttbr' the purposes' of ? Ghiistiari -burial alone— without the leave ,iasked or ob- ' tamed frdni'the body, of shareholders,' who, a large majority being Presbyterians, might be expected to wince : . „nd grudge at the' whole prc-ceedirig. The objections bri their part were ' soriiewhat strongly expressed at the nieeting albresaid, as well as at -the time when' the-thirig ; was done. It now comes out that the directors were plainly actuated by ia biddable desire to gratify the r ; Bish ! >p ; arid' members of established Church * but, at'tne same time, ari error' was plainly committed in acting on their own feelings and responsibility alone, without the sanctioned of the principal parties concerned,' "■ t hose who possessed ' lairs 'of grouri d in the cemetery, the most of whom are not members of the Episcopal body. As a matter of individual Opinion, T feel disposed to wonder " at-and-'blanie the' Right Reverend and 'his coadjutors for coining forward with the; request to be allowed to ' cohsi-cratb '-the- whole of this public buryirig- place, wbieri as in all similar-^asea,*"* a- partvor—everi a .^eorisiderabe • corner, of the ground would have .served their purpose. I feel itfcliiied ' to- reflect on thieiri, besides, on the simple ground of neglecting, as they did. to take into account the _t'eelirigs (or prejjddiceg, if they will) of 1 the Presbyterian shareholders. , While we avis bound to respect the feeluigs with vjhictf they ' regard thb subject of ._' consecratrdri ' in general, there is no doubt ihat, we'ha\je here^^dripther insiaiiceof th^ jealousy arid mischief Wbich so often arise, froVri : attempting.things .. .out , ;di' their ,p.roper..orderj 'arid -from forgetting for, the : time the short apostolical rifle, 'Be cotfrteous:' .' However, I trust we hate iriow iheard .the last of it. - May '! brotherly/ loVb • fcontihuei' all the niore that we cannot afford to lose si single mn'rsel of this precious binrmerit airiqrigst '.us.''' ' ;;' ' / 'A, _ There is" at subject of Stirring interest just now, which agitates, riot .precisely our Edinburgh arid Scottish minds —for we have only, a distant coririectidn with it— but the iriinds of orir English frierids a gtfbd way beyond tlieTweed. The connection we have with it is merely that of sympathy with suffering, and the fear that the evils in question may Hep across the border on to o'dr own ferfit jry. I re'er to the universal and bai'rassing ' lock out ' which has ta ; ven place-in the Midland Counties of England among the iron-workers there. It seems there have been for several weeks now about 200*000 men shut out— or' 4 locked out*' as the phrase te — from work, in consequence of a dispute bet\veeh the ironmasters and their men as regards soirie reductions iri wages. The newspapers,.as usual, conflict very much on the merits of the case. But there is' re-H?oti to observe, I thirik, that have at the bottom an old -rudge/^J^K the ' Trades Unio'ris ' of thejr riien, arid Appear tal rebel against theidea that the said 4i*>iohs should in any way oppose their measures iri the matter of wages, while, at the sarrie tiirie, they have themselves, in fatct, .-homologated the principle of ' Uriibfls ' by actually ' Uniting 'to protect their pw" interests. . I, think; though riridoribtedly many difficulties belong to the whole subject, a little calmness i arid sense of fairness" lead to"" the corieliisiori that the idea of -'combination,- Whether of masters or men, is both natural arid beneficial when properly worked. Fears have beeri expressed that the worker's in iron-- amorigst ourselves" 'might catch sdm'e of the contagiori, but things are, as regards them.; as yet quiet arid satisfactory. Besidesjthe clbudseerns tdb'e breakirig up 6'ver the diSpritants in England. ; Let ' pence and plenty ' So M retiirn. The stilliiess arid exciterilent of the irbti districts are said, to he something extraordinary: Nd clarig of the banlmeris heard .iri all these districts ; the only noise is that of angry, disputing voices dis^. cUs'sing.the vexed questions, of reductions iri pay ind 'Trades Unions.' ' Pdrich,' as usual, has had his joke on the subject: Iri one of his* . large cartoons', entitled 'Vulcan in the Sulks,' . Britannia is fepreserited in a scoldirig attitude addressing a workiriau s.tting beside, a .pad** locked door; on Wnich is i inscribed Smithy;' arid poiutiug to an advancing Iridicrpusj strutting, nla,rtial figure (ndeauiug America) iri the backgrqiind," with the words, 'if you tiirri. > sulky, :aridvforit make my armor, how shall .JE be able td resist i\iar§ ?' The distress. and privatidn have already beeri' very. great; several . hundreds have emigrated to America, and the I subject of emigration generally ' is being earnestly discussed-* amongst- tbem. But, as I :' have said;.!the cloud prouii&s to be cleared '.' away^speedily and', satisfactorily:' ; ; I observe the. latest, jn&ws froni NeW ; Zea- ; land refers to -the energetic measuresjcontem- ! plated by Sir George Grey in restdring order 1 and peace to i- thei :colouy: it conclude' by: assuring Jdu df th^'hbsdtty syrdpathy a_Ki besi ; •wfehW'-df frieiid^^bt''*^ tew. i^ the- ' Hbirtei . xotuitiyi',"^; ';;; ::;! '^ * fMI AA :; A^a'.?A' , AAAAA