EDINBURGH. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) June 25.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XX, Issue 2212, 23 August 1864, Page 5

EDINBURGH. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) June 25.

The past month has been lemailcablo for little of general nneiest. When my last letter was despatched we weie in the midst of our Church Assemblies. Now, howevei, that is all past, and the city has lesumed its wonted appcaiauce. The discussions have, however, left then irapieosion among us, and it is noticeable tli tt much of the intoleiaiice and adheience to wliat weie consuleiul stuctly Piesbyteiian rules aie depaiting fiom among v«. Tlio decision of the Kstabhohed Genual Assembly tins >eai in the case of Di Lee, following that of the Ftee Geneial Assembly last yeai in the c.ie,q of Dr Outline, Ins opened people's ejes to the fact it is not so much the position assumed by woishippeis, whethei at piayti 01 piaise, that n to be constdeietl, as the spmt 111 which the thione of Giacj is appioaohed. Foi some time past now, the papoi"! have at intcivtls lecorded the so cilled innov.it ons it dnretent chinches lhioughout|tlie countt y Tin-, nuinstei is tepoitul to h.i\e oxpies'ed lus appio\ il of Lneding to piayns , that to have mtioduced tbo pi ictieo m his chinch , while anothei has gone- the lonulh of pi nailing an oigan m a harmonium. These announcements, and Ihe spiut in which the Genei.il Assemblus, lcgaul the piactico, plainly show that innovations aio cieeping into oiu chinch piactic»s, and that we aie giadually bunging our form of woishipmoie in unison with the test of Chiistendom than it has been foi some bundled and fifty yeais past. It must not be imagined, however, that the moieracnt goes on unopposed 01 13 legaided with entile satisfaction by the whole community. Thoie aie those who look upon any change fioin the suuule forms of Pies bytenan worship to the piacticeof the Uluuch of Eng land as only so many steps tow aid-. Jiom.\ In the Assembly of the Fieo Uluucli, tlnsolass of our chinchmen weie somewhat fiecly handled by Mi. Dunlop, M P , who stigimtised the ' injudicious! advocacy of Piotestantism by memheis of the Fiee Chinch" as amongst the most potent mean-, of piomoting popeiy. Theie aie inanj' membeis of the Fieo Olmich sensible enough to appieciate tins fiankly out-spoken tiuth, though theio aie few bold enough to uttei it, and it must have been a seveie blow to Di Begg, who le cei\es £500 a yrai as editoi ot that bitleily antipopish papoi f ho Jhihunh An idea of what the papei is may be foimed fiom the fact that it is highly approved of by Mr Mod it, of Sti.athbogie notouety, the condemnei of " Good Woids," and of the Duchess of Goulon Uofei ring to the question of the condemnation of "Good Wouls " by (lie Piesbytery of Stiathbogio, T may mention that it is said that the condemnation by the Piesbyteiy lias done the woiK. of adveitising, and lias gieatly nieieased the sal<\ Tins is a stiauge result, and one ceit uuly little contemplated by Hip pioinoteis of tlie oveitme. As to the oveitiue itseU, it is also singular, of all the oveituies befoie the Assembly, that from the Pie&byteiy of Strathbogio anenfc "Good Wouls" was the only one rejected. 'I he Loid Advocatp has been somewhat unfoitunate with his bills of late, seveiai having either been rejected 01 withdrawn by himself. Among the latter is the Itivew Pollution Bill, which had elicited fiom the ininufacfcuung community throughout nil Scotland such an amount of opposition that the Loid Advocate has been constiained to withdiawit. Ihis is decidedly the wisest plan ho could have adopted under the cncumstances, public opinion being ho stienuously oppo=ed to it that there was little 01 no chance of passing it Its defects were so patent, especially in the matter of seweiage, which it left untouched altogether, that it justified the sarcasm that it was meant to pio mote the interests of fishes lather than of men. In a foimei letter T think I mentioned the gloat opposition that the revised code »f the Committee of Council on Education was meeting with. Government has now consented to appoint a royal commission to inquire into the whole matter as affecting Scotland, and in the meanliiro, although examinations aie to b • made in the manner laid down in the levised code, payments to teachei<s and manageis aie to be continued on the old scale foi a yeai, or peilnps more if the cominissioneis do not sooner anivo at some coiulnsion that will bo -"atisfactoiy to all concerned. The question of school inspectois, ie ports which w\s 1 used in the House of Oommons by L^id Itobeit Cecil, and led to the lesignation of the Right Hon. Ttobcit Lowe, Vice pieaident of the Council, has caused the Government still further tumble, the nomination of a splecb committee on the subject having caused numoious debates and divisions not always fuvouiable to Government. The people oE Ediubuigh and Glasgow, as well as those residing on the mleimediaie linos of load, have for some time now complained loudly of the joint 1 pmse agreement entered into by the Caledonian, Scottish Central, and Edinburgh and Glasgow railways. The present agreement, which is (q continue va,

force to 1866, mbjecfci all the densely populated conn : try about the Forth and Clyde basins to a T * very op- jj piesstve mo.iopoly iv opposition to the views of Parliament when the different routes were sanctioned. ,Tlle „ general discont'eut of the population, and "the opposi- , tion of the North Biitish Railway, met with in connection with these companies, leil to the proposal to moko - yet another line to Glasgow from tho east, especially as it was proposed to extend the joint purse agreement for another Unity yoan. When it' became evident that the Noith British Company would carry out their proposed new hue to Glasgow, the , Edinburgh and' ' Glasgow Co'rnpany became alarmed for their tuture dividend, aud seceded fiom the joint puise agreement on condition that the North British would not proceed with their hue. New combinations are therefore being formed, and the Caledonian Comp* ly, with a view to ' I obtaining a share of the .Edinburgh and Glasgow traffic, propose to ihoi ten their lino between the two termini. The bridge over the Forth at Queensferry, which was to bo erected at the cost of half-a-million of money, has been rendered unnecessary, by these changes in 1 ail way schemes, but the idea does riot seem to be abandoned, as there is a rumour of a proposal to cairy out a somewhat; similar scheme in the same neighbourhood. The North Biitish Company having abandoned ' their proposed Glasgow line, except bo far as leganls ' that poition of it which was to connect Gaitslierria^-' ami Glnsqow, the pailiamentary cominivtee cohsi-~^ deled that the bill would require such extensive alterations that it would be next to impossible to get it thiousjh this session, aud they thciefoie found tho picamble of the bill not proven It is understood that there is little or no opposition to this portion being made, and it will consequently be sine to pass next session. These chaugei will be a gloat advantage tocommeicial and travelling classes, and do not cornea bit before they weie needed. Indeed the Edinbiugh and Glasgow Company being bound to tho joint puise agreement till 1866, we shall not immediately enjoy the benefit of mci eased competition. Tho Glasgow Union Itulwayis in a fair way oE passing its bill through Paihament, aud we shall soon be able to book at St Enoch's Square, Glasgow, for any pait of the country. It must be confessed the measiue is bf-iug pressed f inward much against the wishes of a Lugo section of the people of Glasgow. Even the City Council decided to oppose it, and sent a deputat'on to London for that purpose, headed by the Laid Piovost, but, by a misunderstanding of the poweiq enli u<-te<l to the deputation, the latter allowed themselves to be peiaiiuled to diop their opposition and suppoit the lull. Theie mas a reckoning in stoic for them, ho\ve\ei, wliph they letnrned to Glasgow, the Council lefusing to pass, the minutes of the previous meeting appointing the deputation, on the ground that the entiy was not a fair account of what occulted, eithei as to the motions made or the poweis with which the deputation was invested. An amended minute was passed by a majority of 24 votes to 21, but, the Lord Piovost refusing to sign this, the meeting was adjourned until the opinion of counsel had been obtained as to the proper course to puisne. The Lord Piovost ha\mg been advised that he ought to sign the amended minutes, and having offeied explanations as to the change in his conduct while in London, tho repoit of the deputation was received, aud ♦ a vote of thanks was pss^ej to them for their attention to the business in winch they had been engaged. If a raajonty of the Council wcie satisfied, the public of Glasgow geneially were not, and a public meeting Ins been laid to devise means to oppose the Union Railw ay scheme in the House o£ Lords. la the Commons tho measiue has been pietty successful, two clauses only bums; t ejected — one allow ing compensation to the Glasgow Pailiameutary Badge Trustees for the loss they will sustain by the diversion of the tiaffic, and the othei piovidim; foi the payment of the local taxes of the New College, the old one being exempt, aud its lemoval entailing a loss of th's piivilege. The Queen and 103 a! family, after a sojourn at Balmeral of neatly a month, have again gone to London and State affius. At the piesent time she has a vciy difficult task to poiform, aud it is very geueially know-- that to views of her late Consorb on tho Dano Geitnan question, consideiecl in lelatiou to lho->e of the bulk oE her subjects, do not tend to lessen her difficulties That she is stiongly pio Geiumn in her sympathies is now pietty app.uent to all, and it is well for her popularity that hei Ministeis and not horsclt are responsible foi the conduct of public aiiau*. The counti y looks, however, with much suspicion on the doings at Couit it piesent. The visit of Priuce Alfied to Ins s stei .vtUeilin, and the bestowal on him by the King of Pius&ia of the Oidei of the Black 3iagle, diew foith much comment ; aud it was not considered less objectionable, on a recent o«casion of the holding oE a Couit, th.it the only foreign order worn by her Majesty was this same Black Eagle. Previous to the Couit being held, Lord Palmerston and Loid Claiendon hail had an interview with her Majesty, and gossip at once mfetied that licv Majesty had fought the Dano Gei man battle again with them, and aftei wauls exhibited the " Eagle " as a sign of defiance. The Ministry itself seems to be divided as to the comse proper to puisne, since the conference has come to au end without any satisfactoiy lesult being amvel at. It is pietty well Known that Palmeiston lias always lepresented what lias been called a " spnited foieign jiolicy, 1 ' and it is not unlikely he has been out vot"d m the Cabinet on the couisc this countiy ought to have piucmeci Of Loid KusseTs view s little oi noth ng is. known, because, as some sai castically say, he does not yet know Ins owm mind '111 it Gladstone, Villieis, Gibson, ami Loid Claicndmi aic opposed to hostilities is s*eiiei\illy confessed, and we aie now in much doubt what is to be the lCiiilt of the abortive conference. The day aftei to monow P.uUament is to be enlightened as to the course Ministeis intend to pur-aie, but unfoitmi.itely that is too late for the mail. Theie i? little doubt, however, but — w hatever the policy maybe—you will get a telegraphic message, and sol need not bewail my inability to anticipate the time Should oui policy be a warlike one, -which is not at all unlikely, Governor Sir Geoige Oiey will no doubt have a despatch to that effect, so that he may be piepoied to defend our aud your interests iv New Zealand watei*. It is thought thatour interference m the quail el will be limited to defending the Dauisli Islands from Geiniau aggiession, andif so, we need be undei no seuous apprehension. The Yclveiton mamage question, -with which most people aic acquainted, and of which all aic pietty well Ined, still diaws its we.iry length befoie the law loids. Mr. Holt and Sir Huq;h Canns have done then utmost to demolish the fair fame of the lady, thelittei especially devoting lnmselt to teaiing to tattcis the Irish man ia^e. The course piu sued by Mi. Holt meets with little approval fiomevei piess oi public His leferonce to the position of her biofcheis as sliopkeepeis, aud his deduction that bhe 1 was consequently unfitted to be Major Yelveiton's wife, has called forth much comment, and has again bionght before the public the fact that Major Yelvoiton'-.s uncle was content tolookfai lower fora wife, and mained one with whom he spent the gi eater pait of Ins time either in drunkenness or in puson. This was the Hon. Mis. Yolvoiton that was so iccently found dead fiom diink and exposuic lying in a gutter, sui rounded by the filth and lcfuso water of the town. Tmly those who live m glass hous.es should not throw stones. The case of Mis. Yolvcitoii lias been advocated by the AcfcomeyGcncial, the Loid Advocate, and Ml. Whiteside. 'J hesc gentlemen aic said to have undci taken the auhums t\sk without any fee or letiesher, and it is to bo hoped that their dismtcicsteJ effoits may prove successful. As to w Inch way the decision will e;o it js linnossible to tell, but, if I am n'.t misled by the wish being fathoi to the thought, I bcliovo the lady w ill v\ in hi r s ut. If it could go by the vote of tho people geneially there is no doubt as to her winning, but as the case is to be decided by Ijav and icasoii, and not by passion, wo are unceitiin as to the lesnlt. Lady Jiljrin, the widow of the late GoveinorGeuoial of India, is to have a pension fiom this countty of £1 ,000 a yeav.