THE LATE MR. ROBERT FLOCKHART.

Otago Witness, Issue 317, 26 December 1857, Page 6

THE LATE MR. ROBERT FLOCKHART.

AN OLD EDINBURGH CHARACTER.

The death of this well known and widely respected Edinburgh character occurred at bis residence, Richmond Place, Edinburgh, on the Bth of Sept. last, at the ripe age of 80. Robert Ffockhart was born at Dalnotter, near Glasgow, in 1777 ; and after following for some time the occupation of a nailer, he enlisted in the 22nd Regiment, and was sent to India. He passed through Delhi in pursuit of the notorious Holkaiy and followed him 1500 miles over the country until he surrendered himself to the British. After several years service iv India, Mr. Flock hart was at the taking of the Isle of France, under General Abercrombie, where he was invalided and sent home to join the Veteran Battalion — first at the Isle-of Wight, and" subsequently in Ireland. On an application- to the Duke of York in 1817, he was*dischargeJ, after thirteen and a half years' service, which being mostly foreign, counted f0r, 21 years, entitling him to a pension of Is. 3d. a day, which he enjoyed for 40 years. Though relieved from active servicg,£he was, however, sent to join the Veterati^Battalion then lying in Edinburgh Custio. -During the early part of his sojourn in India, he was noted among his comrades for the wilduess and dagrancy of his conduct; hut having in 1810 beconie'lhe subject of religious impressions, his character underwent an immediate 'and decided change, and he. was 1 , baptized at Berhampore by the venerated Dr." WaVdl He immediately began to hold religious jneetibgs, and to preach to his fellb'w soldieijcr-% practice* which .he-. jCpD-tJnued with unabated. zeal, in the Isle of Frthice, in Ireland, and in the Casile of Edinburgh. In .the last-mentioned place ht*^-was fupbitfatear 6y his adjutant to preach, but as in the case of similar mandates from other authorities on. subsequent occasions, he paid no attention to the Wejjibi tion. Be was twice confined in, the blackholft^of^the Castle for persisting in bis disobedience ; but from I the grated witxfow of his prison he continued to bold forth to his comrades, and to the-p.eople wftp 1 flocked .up to the Castle or? the Sabbath evejiing's.. to hear the band play. The coramandinir. officer, f Major Rose, coming to hear of the circumstance^ made Borne inquiries, which resulted in the release of the determined evangelist, and at the same time^ he received permission to continue his benevolent^ labours without further molestation. After leaving' the Veteran Battalion, he began to preach at the,. Links, where larife crowds assembled to hear him. Afterwards he removed his rostrum to tho Parlia"ment Square, where night after night, and jearaftei year, in all sorts »f weather, he proclaimed the Gospel message, in season and out of season, to' allwho would listen to him. His laborious and disinterested ministry lasted for the long period of 43 years, during which time he was fourteen times' imprisoned, anri was once banished the city, for preaching in the street. No opposition, however, could for a moment induce him to swerve from what he considered the path of duty; and his fearless character and undaunted courage soon came to be respected, and his homely and familiar illustrations" of Divine truth relished by a large class in Edinburgh. For about 20 years after bis connection with the army terminated, he kept a school in Lnuriston; and he was afterwards in the employment of the Edinburgh City Mission. About three years ago he suffered a severe shock of palsy, which disabled him fronrpreaching, but he still regularly , attended the Free High Church, whither he was brought in a small hand-carriage. About eightdays -ago he had another stroke, under which hegradually sunk and died. Mr. Flookhart was a( very orderly habits, "appor- ; tioned bis time to bis various dtities. with much minuteness, and was.rigidly just and honourable in all his dealings. In bis private iniercouise with his 1 friends he wasmost affectionate, and lived continu- '* ally under the influence of devotional feeling. He ! was marrie'l, but had no family, and his wife preI deceased him 15 years ago. Mr. Flookhart has written an autobiography, ex« • tending over the greater portion of his iife, which,; at his own request, will shortly be arranged and' ' s .prepared for thWpress by the Rev. Dr Guthrie. »■ r i - A large company followed the "remains of .tnta«: " veteran street preacher to the tomb. After "rfengioaa, j ' services, conducted br tlie Rev. David Guthrie,*thVprocession moved off at four o'cloek-in tbeJWlow.} 3 ing order :— Fimx, .baton- meu ; the. soldiejs of the^ * various recruiting parties in ■ Ed.inbarghy fnuY* i abreast, by whom, the' ■' coffin wVs borne shoulder*; i high'; the brotheFof.thedeeeased, from Dumbarton,^ L< and> other relatives, -accompanied /by about 25t|f '? .c-itTzens of "every ran&y-araoHg whom .were-seve'raif 5 members of Town Council and 'ministers. of-,*arioua ? " *. denominations;*^ Qtf i»»e.?topvbf_tlif>, corrin;,wej;e{ B" 'placed the family Bibj,e/b^longing tVihe 'ded^asedji' t'. 3 aiid4hehymnlbo:<^^^ jj t *hr.his open-^Vr'^xnopfe'tfans:-';!!^ -proc^slfdn-pYo!;! h '^£<ftMtx£'ibVw^ V nye^l;feok;p|ac>, anaVflong^theiyhole 1 - ( TJ.«i|.^aj^p|

: . .' ";';^'' ' r^'^^,^^^t<i5 x o*-^=l >'-$ cribingHhe clian^esTraadS arf fefea^ tariffs v', since the date.vo£.the issued" -"' in September, /^S^r^h^ebuntnes, ?!%-: which alterations jfeve, beep . ma'&^axe Bssi ' sia, France, Spain^A^sJxia"; tKe l&jaan States/ the, Unite|^flffes7 ; NeW.-;|3^ada, '?. Venezuela, Sarva^'o^^.^? 6^^?^^ 61 ?? 8 '~* Ayres, and Peruifv -TKe^ussiai^ichanges _ involve some-Ter : y^laTg^^ductions :^ni <.. previous rates, but the xiew^pn&s'- are vstill ' apparently so. heavy 'as' to, be" inconsistent in most cases with the* growth' bf v anjSfexi tensive trade. . Tlje.rapstimportantaitera- -: tion is the removal of the prohibition againsi iron, vhichTs nbwj admitted "at a duty .of - 6d. per 361b. for^pig, and. of froni'ls. 4d^ ' „ to 3s. on various descriptions of manufac- s '; tured. The duties,on cottons^ siJ$U, linens^ £. and woollens, have.alsojbeen^sutsjected tp-.k an average reduction of about^O percent, ft* but whether these will henceforth" yield any* . profiton importation is a.point thatcan.be - : determined only by practical experience; The minor alterations include sugar,~.coffee, • cochineal, peppgr, porter, herrings, lead, tin, copper, quicksilver, zinc, r,iitn K vinegar, ' earthenware, andJchma.- The !Prehclr re r ductions apply, only to seven articles — fish; soda, wool, ginger, garanee, oiland siilphur. • Spain has adopted several modifications, including a reduction on some minor grinds of iron manufacture and some "descriptions of silk and cotton clqtlu . But" the tendency has been ratber-to impose new duties than to t retfrpve old ones, and a variety- of miscellaneous articles, among which " print/- ' ing types" . characteristically figure, have been burdened -with imposts which did not previously exist. r^Austria -has made only a single alterationV-namely, the removal o.f duty from looms for weaving, or spinning. ' The tariff of the Roman States has been lowered with regard to several kinds "of woollen, cotton^ and linen manufactures, muslins, embroideries, articles of hair, wearing apparel, furs^oap, and*fep©ks/"The most important feature ijs ? 'th,eK present return is the new scale* adopted by the United States; about 440 , articles are included in it, and in all of these there has" been a r£- »* duction. In most cases this reduction is „e.quaj[ tp about 20 or 25 per cent.,- but in some^nsfarcc'es itls asjrmch .asJ9ojger cent. New Granada .and "Venezuela have made a great variety of changes, and almost entire- \ ly in. an adverse direction-. ; Montevideo^ ' on the other band, has effected considerable, progress, a reduction of jabout 25 per cent, having been made in the duties an about" .eighty articles, some of them of ' much, im«, In two instances, however, she "has resorted to an increase — namely, wheat and linen . and . silk lace. Buenos Ayres has-" removed the duty from coals and lime, . are now free. On raw wool and furs

she has increased it 50 per cent., while ,on silk and its manufactures she has lowered-, it 33 per cent. ; Peru has declared sugar, rice,- butter, cheese, lard, and tallow free ; also wheat if consigned-to the portsjof 'Africa, Iquique, or Payta, while on flour she has •made a reduction of 50 per cent. Salvador (Central America) has reduced her charges on all foreign goods from 24 to 2ft per- j cent, ad valorem, establishing a decrease of < more than 16 per cent. On the whole the results of the year may be considered -to show that the cause .of commercial freedom throughout, the world is advancing irresistibly, although slowly. "- " r Af'er the 30th September, printed aod litho- , gra'phed-letters may be sent under the refjula- . , tions of the Qolonial book post to all trie Colonies of Great Britain. "At the same, period, I an alteration will take place in the, scale ,of - weight under-'which book packets sent' to., the Colonies have hitherto been charged. WJferi, a book packet does not exceed in weightlfobr ounces, it will be chargeable with one half only of the present rate of postage, and when the weight of a bonk packet, exceeds one pound, \ the charge will increase by steps of half & pound, { instead of by steps of diie pound .as at present. { No.biook packet must exceed two feet in'len'gth', ' width", or depth j and book packets sent to ;tb.e ' EaijipTrtdies or to New Soul b Wales must' not* ' "excefed three pounds in. weight." , < -•",, ff \4\ 41 -* * *$»;S.xeam Tractiqn on Common Ro£r>|;&€:~, cS An"o'ther of the triumphs 'of steam has^jntst^eegr [ made by one- -of- Bot'dell's -traction ] jvhifch has brought, to JL^ridon to ThnfyMl,^ ' aloiig'-the-.common road, a", load of st^ntee-fi; I rtojjarr tra selling at. tlie ia t^-ofva bo fit -three' a»ul ' * « ha^fjailes pe^boaf,;artd-.con<!urjniing : frpm one; - fh'a]f.^otthree-qiiV.ters .a^tC pf coals-jii •tj^.|^l i pei' I -T)ijß^pr^Jio«B >ee.K;the i^eojsw^ yWaV-pl^HiJi^ f •jrmd'-at i'herate of an. acre arid -a^lialf pe^jlpur^, X- B^'" ee^i t "K'- i^* !ty? •'??• a^?**£"Wßp\" -' '"*■ l^t^Cnoi^s^^b^siinerseded 'tb^aJfreat v"

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