the principal leader in the cohort of the suburbs. He was, I suppose, thirteen or fourteen years old, finely made, tall, blue-eyed, with long fair hair, the very picture of a youthful Goth. This lad was always first in the charge, and last in the retreat the Achilles, at once, and Ajax, of the Crosscauseway. He was too formidable to us not to have a cognomen, and, like that of a knight of old, it was taken from the most remarkable part of his dress, being a pair of old green livery breeches, which was the principal part of his clothing; for, like Pentapolin, according to Don Quixote's account, Green-Breeks, as we called him, always entered the battle with bare arms, legs, and feet. "Perhaps I ought not to have inserted this schoolboy tale; but, besides the strong impression made by the incident at the time, the whole accompaniments of the story are matters to me of solemn and sad recollection. Of all the little band who were concerned in those juvenile sports or brawls, I can scarce recollect a single survivor. Some left the ranks of mimic war to die in the active service of their country. Many sought dis tant lands to return no more. Others, dispersed in dif. ferent paths of life, my dim eyes now seek for in vain.' Of five brothers, all healthy and promising, in a degree far beyond one whose infancy was visited by personal infirmity, and whose health after this period seemed long very precarious, I am, nevertheless, the only sur vivor. The best loved, and the best deserving to be loved, who had destined this incident to be the foundation of literary composition, died before his day,' in a distant and foreign land; and trifles assume an importance not their own, when connected with those who have been loved and lost." We sincerely hope that Messrs Cadell and Co. intend throwing off a very large impression of each volume of the present edition of these Novels; for it is a book which every body will buy, and not to possess which will come to be considered a sort of literary delinquency. The Hope of Immortality. A Poem in four Parts. "It fell, that once upon a time, when the combat was at the thickest, this plebeian champion headed a sudden charge, so rapid and furious, that all fled before him. He was several paces before his comrades, and had actually laid his hands on the patrician standard, when one of our party, whom some misjudging friend had intrusted with a couteau de chasse, or hanger, inspired with a zeal for the honour of the corps, worthy of Major Sturgeon himself, struck poor Green-Breeks over the head, with strength sufficient to cut him down. When this was seen, the casualty was so far beyond what had ever taken place before, that both parties fled different ways, leaving poor Green-Breeks with his bright hair plentifully dabbled in blood, to the care of the watchman, who (honest man) took care not to know who had done the mischief. The bloody hanger was flung into one of the Meadow ditches, and solemn secrecy was THIS is a respectable poem-that is to say, the author sworn on all hands; but the remorse and terror of the is by no means an idiot; but he is a dull rogue, and actor were beyond all bounds, and his apprehensions of his book, on the whole, is portentously heavy. It is the most dreadful character. The wounded hero was too full of commonplaces about death, and long-winded for a few days in the Infirmary, the case being only a attempts to prove, from the light of nature, that man's trifling onc. But though enquiry was strongly pressed soul is immortal. It is a sad mistake to suppose that on him, no argument could make him indicate the per- this constitutes poetry. Immortality is a dangerous son from whom he had received the wound, though he subject to meddle with. It is not every body who goes must have been perfectly well known to him. When into a churchyard, and gets sentimental over the tombhe recovered, and was dismissed, the author and his stones, who can grapple with the mighty theme. The brothers opened a communication with him, through the whole soul must be poured out upon it, and that soul medium of a popular gingerbread baker, of whom both must be no purling rill, but a deep, dark, rushing torrent. parties were customers, in order to tender a subsidy in It makes us sick to hear the mawkish sentimentalities name of smart-money. The sum would excite ridicule drawled out by old women with white pocket-handker were I to name it; but sure I am, that the pockets of chiefs, who dare to envelope with their drivelling fantathe noted Green-Breeks never held as much money of sies the awful majesty of death and futurity. Neither his own. He declined the remittance, saying that he can we listen with patience-though, perhaps, it is very would not sell his blood; but at the same time repro- wrong in us-to the wise saws and modern instances of bated the idea of being an informer, which he said was a divine, in his twenty-third year, who, because he has clam, i. e. base or mean. With much urgency he ac- got into the pulpit, and feels the necessity of looking cepted a pound of snuff for the use of some old woman, grave, deems himself justified in treating his auditors to aunt, grandmother, or the like,with whom he lived. all the declamatory insipidities and tautological morali We did not become friends, for the bickers were more ties suggested by dissolution. In spite of his black agreeable to both parties than any more pacific amuse- gown we hate the spouter, for there is no more real feelment; but we conducted them ever after under mutual ing in what is uttered by his thick ugly lips, than there assurances of the highest consideration for each other. is in the twang of his precentor's nose, who hebdoma"Such was the hero whom Mr Thomas Scott pro- dally murders the hundredth Psalm. Nor have we ever posed to carry to Canada, and involve in adventures been able to reconcile ourselves to that tribe of poetasters with the natives and colonists of that country. Perhaps who consider themselves great in elegiac stanzas and the youthful generosity of the lad will not seem so great pieces of sublimity, founded on the grand revelations of in the eyes of others, as to those whom it was the means religion. Mortal agony, and death, and eternal life, of screening from severe rebuke and punishment. But are not weapons for the hand of a rhymester. So many it seemed to those concerned, to argue a nobleness of libraries have already been written about them, that it sentiment far beyond the pitch of most minds; and how-requires something more than the pen of an underling to ever obscurely the lad, who showed such a frame of noble spirit, may have lived or died, I cannot help being of opinion, that if fortune had placed him in circumstances calling for gallantry or generosity, the man would have fulfilled the promises of the boy. Long af terwards, when the story was told to my father, he censured us severely for not telling the truth at the time, that he might have attempted to be of use to the young man in entering on life. But our alarms for the consequences of the drawn sword, and the wound inflicted with such a weapon, were far too predominant at the time for such a pitch of generosity. venture upon adding another volume. We shall just quote one stanza from "The Hope of Immortality;" and, with the author's leave, we shall print it in our own way. It runs as follows: "Open the grave, and ask the dweller there if it avails him that his life was spent in deeds of piety,that he did share his substance with the poor, and that he went about still doing good? Is he not pent in the same miserable house of clay, as the polluted monster who hath sent Death and Destruction, in their wild deray, through the abodes of men? They meet the same decay." As this is a tolerably good piece of prose, we advise the author to give up dividing his lines into ten syllables. The Family Library. No. II. The History of Napoleon Buonaparte, (Bonaparte.) With Engravings on Steel and Wood. Two vols. Vol. II. London. John Murray. 1829. THIS Volume of the Family Library is fully equal to the first, whether as regards its literary merits, or the beauty of its embellishments. There are nine engravings, and they are all good. The first, in particular, which represents Napoleon meeting the army on his return from Elba, is one of the most spirited things of the kind we ever saw. It is full of poetry, and is a gem of great value. The other subjects are, "Charge of Cossacks," "Head of Napoleon,' "Head of MariaLouisa,' "The King of Rome," "Flight from Smor"" Fontainebleau," goni," Waterloo," and "Tomb of Napoleon." Let Mr Murray proceed as he has begun, and the Family Library will yield to not one of the numerous publications of the day, whether they be cheap or dear. 66 MISCELLANEOUS LITERATURE. SKETCHES OF THE LEADING MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. [As the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is now sitting, we think a few sketches of the leading characters who usually distinguish themselves at its meetings, may not be unacceptable to many of our readers. We trust that our sketches, though necessarily short, will be found accurate and impartial. We would wish it also to be understood, that we affect to settle no claim of precedence by the order in which we present them, this being entirely accidental. The gentleman who has favoured us with several papers on the General Assembly, is not the author of these sketches.-Ed. Lit. Jour.] 1. DR INGLIS. Chapters on Churchyards. By the Authoress of " El-soning, clear arrangement, and a very large share of len Fitzarthur," "Solitary Hours," &c. 2 vols. Edinburgh. William Blackwood. 1829. THE contents of these two pleasing and elegant volumes originally appeared in Blackwood's Magazine. They are from the pen of Miss Caroline Bowles, a lady of much refinement and delicacy of taste, and to whom, we observe, Mr Southey has dedicated his last poetical production," All for Love," and "The Pilgrim of Compostella." As the Chapters on Churchyards have come before the public in another shape, it is unnecessary to say more of them at present, than to assure such of our readers as may not yet have seen them, that they will find them characterized by a strain of pure and tender sentiment, expressed in classical and beautiful diction. Stories from the History of Scotland, in the Manner of Stories selected from the History of England. By the Rev. Alexander Stewart, minister of Douglas. Second edition, greatly enlarged. Edinburgh. Oliver and Boyd. 1829. 18mo. Pp. 374. THE fact of this excellent little work having reached a second edition, notwithstanding the publication of the Tales of a Grandfather, is a sufficient testimony as to its merits. In a modest and well-written preface, Mr Stewart says: "When I was engaged with the first edition of these stories, I little thought that I was about to enter the lists with so formidable a competitor as the Author of Waverley. Of the presumption of rushing voluntarily to so hazardous a competition, I must plead altogether guiltless. My humble work was ready to issue from the press, when the Tales of a Grandfather' were first projected; and my only advantage was, that I preoccupied the ground, when my mighty rival was only preparing to buckle on his armour." Mr Stewart published his work six months before the appearance of Sir Walter's first series; and though similar in design, it is different in execution. It is an elegant little volume, which ought always to accompany the" Tales of a Grandfather," and will be read with advantage, even after their perusal. SINCE the death of Principal Hill, Dr Inglis, one of has been at the head of the moderate party in the the ministers of the Old Greyfriars Church, Edinburgh, church. For this eminence he has not been indebted, like Principal Robertson, to his literary fame, or like his own predecessor, Dr Hill, to popular eloquence and official situation; he owes it entirely to the high chafor knowledge of church forms and ecclesiastical polity, racter for intellectual energy, for wisdom, and especially which he has always sustained. Dr Inglis does not possess what are called popular talents: his speeches are remarkable, not for flights of eloquence, or for ready repartee, or for humorous allusion, but for strong reawhat is understood by the term common-sense. He has now for many years distinguished himself in the debates, and principally influenced the decisions, of the Presbytery of Edinburgh. In the General Assembly, Dr Inglis is always listened to with the greatest respecta respect which is equally due to his high talents, to the uniform integrity of his character, and to the philosophical view which he generally takes of the subject under discussion. Church courts are not very patient of mere eloquence: there the verbiage and the warmth which are not without their effect upon a popular audience, generally fail. Facts, sound sense, and decision, are the requisites most useful to a party leader; and Dr Inglis seems at all times willing to rest his cause upon these grounds, rather than show any desire to advance it by ingenious reasoning and plausible sophistries. In imagination, in tire, in glowing expression, in richness of illustration, in bursts of passion, he will stand no comparison with Dr Chalmers;-in acuteness, in point, in versatility of application, in humour, in vulgar, but yet telling satire, he yields to his usual antagonist, Dr Thomson: in dignity and forcible reasoning, and general wisdom, he is certainly superior to both. It may be thought singular by some, that although at the head of the moderate clergy, whom their opponents are fond of representing as less orthodox in creed than themselves, Dr Inglis is admitted by all who have heard him to be a strictly Calvinistic preacher. We may remark, that the terms wild and moderate, as applied to the two great parties in the church, are characteristic of a difference in opinion upon questions of discipline, ra. ther than upon the articles of their common faith. To separate the real Calvinists from the Arminians on the one hand, and Antinomians on the other, would require, if it were at all practicable, a new and very different division. Dr Inglis has been sometimes accused of overbearing haughtiness, but we believe there is not much foundation for the charge. He and his great political opponent, the late venerable Sir Henry Moncrieff, had this in common-they were both distinguished for gentlemanly feeling, and a high sense of personal honour. They lived together, not, we believe, on terms of great intimacy that could hardly have been expected-but of perfect courtesy ; and entertained that reciprocal respect for one another's talents and virtues which they so eminently deserved. Dr Inglis has, in the course of his life, made some very able appearances in public. His speech in the case of Professor Leslie, which came before the Assembly more than twenty years ago, was perhaps the ablest speech which has ever been made in that court. Of his controversial talents it may be enough to say, that upon the same occasion he entered the lists with the late Professors Playfair and Dugald Stewart, and bore away a divided palm. His late speech in the Presbytery upon the question of Catholic Emancipation, whatever may be thought of it in a political point of view, proves that he has not yet lost any of that vigour of mind which distinguished his earlier ap pearances. II. SIR JAMES MONCRIEFF, BART. We mention the learned Dean of Faculty, (if we may still give him that title,) not for the purpose of sketching a portrait of him, since his fame is more intimately connected with another profession, but because it would be unjust to omit his name in a notice of the eminent speakers in the General Assembly. Sir James has been for many years an active elder of the church, and, did we not fear to excite the jealousy of two of his own clerical friends, we should be inclined to call him the leader of his party, which is the evangelical. His learning and his knowledge of law make him an invaluable acquisition to his own side of the house, particularly as the moderates have generally a whole posse of learned Judges on their side. Sir James is not a pleasing, but he is a forcible speaker; his matter more than atones for his harsh voice and costive manner. There is no man of his party whose opinions are more valued by his friends, and respected by his opponents, than those of Sir James Moncrieff. III. DR THOMSON. As the leader of a party, Dr Thomson is perhaps deficient in dignity, in temper, in prudence; but as a debater in church courts, he is unrivalled. There is no one, either of his own party, or among the ranks of his opponents, who can with greater readiness detect a weakness, or with more dexterity patch up a flaw, than Dr Thomson. As a special pleader, he is quite a match for any lawyer in the house; and he never shows any reluctance to enter the lists with the weakest or with the ablest of his opponents. The one he overwhelms with irresistible sarcasm;-with the other, he uses nobler weapons; and, if he should be foiled in argument, he never fails to effect a safe retreat under the shouts of laughter which he can at all times command from every part of the house. But we should be doing great injustice to Dr Thomson were we to represent him merely as a special pleader, or as a witty satirist. A good cause can never be in better hands, for then he is as powerful in argument, and as truly eloquent, as he can be ingenious in the defence of error. His greatest fault, and his misfortune as a speaker, but especially as a leader, is, that he seldom proportions his zeal to the real importance of the subject under discussion: he is just as warm and vehement in battling a paltry point of form, as if it were a first principle affecting the safety of the Presbyterian establishment, or the authority of scripture. He is rather a common weakness, we confess-never willing to acknowledge himself in error; and this, together with the indiscriminate violence as a debater to which we have just alluded, derogates from his authority as a leader, though they might be esteemed two very useful points of character in a mere partisan. Dr Thomson has, we believe, been involved in more personal disputes and controversies than any of his brethren; and it must be confessed that, however much we may question the propriety of his entering into some of these battles, few men could have fought them so well. The orthodox party has great and just confidence in his talents; and the moderates dislike him and fear him. Dr Inglis is the only man whom Dr Thomson himself appears to be afraid of. He is not less fre quently the object of his attack, however; but, conscious perhaps that the clear head and the extensive knowledge of the veteran moderate are an overmatch for his own ingenuity and dexterity, he usually assails him with that ridicule which no man can direct with better aim, and which sometimes insures him an easy triumph, by making his opponent lose temper. No man is listened to with more delight in the Ge neral Assembly than Dr Thomson. The students' gallery is crowded with grinning faces; and, at some explosure of laughter from below, every mouth in that nursery of the church is open from ear to ear, guffawing at the Doctor's joke—the majority of the laughers postponing till their own and their companions' mirth has somewhat subsided the anxious "What is it? what did he say?" which shows that they had taken his wit on In this, however, they are perfectly safe; for, though the jest is sometimes old, and very often not a little coarse, it is always told with effect. trust. Dr Thomson is so well known as a clever writer and an admirable preacher, that it is not necessary for us to say any thing upon that subject. In the latter capacity especially, we could speak of him only in terms of unqualified praise. IV. DR COOK. Dr Cook is well known out of the Assembly by his intelligent writings on the History of the Church. In the venerable house, there is nobody whose manner and appearance more pleasingly engage the attention of a stranger. A good voice, ready expression, much available information on subjects becoming a churchman's attention, these are qualifications of an Assembly speaker which he fully possesses. But though, on the whole, a fair and a pleasing spe cimen of the order to which he belongs, and, in fact, the very man that we should like to put forward as the representative of our Church, in all clerical and clerkly | attainments, we doubt whether he stands in the foremost rank-certainly he is not the first-of his competitors as an orator. If you have the fortune-and you will rarely miss it on a field-day-to hear him for a quarter of an hour on any question whatever, you have his gauge. No subject seems to inspire him—and none betrays him into an appearance unworthy of himself. On points of order, and form, and precedent, his minute knowledge is always serviceable; and his manner of address is well fitted to put such matters distinctly be fore the court. But on general questions, though not usually a lengthy speaker, he is often wearisome. His illustrations from history almost the only quarter from which he illustrates at all-are seldom sufficiently spi rited or striking; and his constant parade of moderation and impartiality, while it may gain for him with some a degree of confidence and favour, which a keener partisan would fail to procure, positively injures the effect of his speeches, by depriving them of that point, and heartiness, and fervour, which, as they are thought to be the best tokens of self-conviction, are usually found very necessary to convince others. In his reasonings, too ge neral, too diffuse-if he cannot justly be accused of wan dering from the point, he can seldom be said to march boldly up to it. Accordingly, great on an overture," he fails in debate. At first you would suppose that his failure in debate arises solely from the want of enthu siasm-this being the chief apparent defect of his style of speaking; but the real cause of his failure lies a little deeper, and consists in the absence of that concentrative and synthetic power which is necessary to make good materials serve a direct and valuable purpose. Altogether, however, Dr Cook is a credit to the As An overture is a recommendation from a Presbytery or Synod, to the Supreme Court, to make or alter a law. 1 sembly and the Church, and it is with no unkind feeling, that, in addition to some strictures, which no man can better afford to have transferred to the debit account of his popularity, we venture to hint his too great partiality to the introduction (into his speeches) of a subject on which, says Lord Byron, "all men are fluent, and few agreeable." V. DR MEARNS. A shrewd, cautious, and searching Aberdonian; a great master of Divinity and Church Law; he speaks with little ostentation, and with a great indifference apparently to oratorical effect. Nevertheless, there is something interesting, independent of this great information, in his speeches. His language is good, and his manner earnest. But the thing most characteristic of his style of speaking is, its clearness and conciseness. Whether his object be to save the time of the court; or to secure for himself at all times a patient hearing,-no easy matter in such a place, but which he certainly does; or whether he is anxious to act on the rule, that the end of all speech is to convey the greatest possible measure of sense in the fewest possible words ;-whether he have any or all of these objects in view, it is certain that no man expresses himself with more uniform, intelligible, and pithy brevity. But though a man of varied knowledge, and that of a kind, too, that might be made popular and interesting, the hardness and dryness of his manner are certainly far from engaging. In the Assembly his value was early ascertained, and he will always be held in due estimation. In the North he is, of course, a kind of oracle; and it is characteristic alike of the man and of his reputation, that when, at an early age, he declared himself a candidate for the Divinity Professorship of his College, which is in the gift of a Synod, and usually settled by comparative trial, there was nobody found willing to oppose so redoubted a champion. VI. PRINCIPAL MACFARLAN. The leading features of Dr Macfarlan's character are too striking to elude observation. In that rare species of intellect which enables one to pilot oneself safely through the intricacies of business to weigh probabilities and improbabilities-to dispose and arrange a number of facts to interpret and apply a series of legislative enactments-to concentrate, in short, at any given time, upon any given point, in the business of life, all his mental force, which constitutes the very soul and vitality of a public man, Dr Macfarlan is, of all the clergymen in the church, second only to Dr Inglis. Information at once extensive and minute, an accurate knowledge of all the details of ecclesiastical precedents, a thorough acquaintance with and rigid adherence to the established forms of process, and, above all, an aptitude of mind for applying these to individual cases, are the weapons with which he fights, and which he wields with dexterity and power. It is impossible to mislead him by any specious pretext. Amid a mass of collateral topics, he perceives intuitively the single question of which he is called to judge, and from that neither the treason of pretended friends nor the trickery of his adversary can divert him. It may have assumed one disguise in the Presbytery, another in the Synod, but in the Assembly Dr Macfarlan strips it of both, and displays it naked for inspection. He knows precisely, too, in what quarter his own strength or weakness lies; and he is at all times equally prepared for following in the pursuit, or covering his own retreat. He has many qualities that would have made him a great lawyer. The advice of such a man is valuable, and, accordingly, it is frequently asked, and always cheerfully and faith fully given. As his views are always clear, so his language is simple and precise. While his manner is dignified, his style is by no means ambitious; it is more elegant than ornate. Impressed with the importance of public business, he thinks a knowledge of things preferable to the use of words, and has an utter detestation and contempt of all verbosity. His theological opinions are sound, liberal, and enlightened; his views of ecclesiastical polity are those of the school of Robertson, Blair, and Hill; and, in these days of frequent and sudden change, he is remarkable for consistency of conduct. He is cautious in adopting measures; but, his ground being once taken, he is immovable, completely beyond the influence of threat or flattery. His party has implicit confidence in his honour and steadiness; and he has carried a majority of the Assembly along with him, against the combined forces of Dr Cook, the SolicitorGeneral, and the whole army upon the left hand of the Moderator. The very qualities which mark him out as a first-rate man of business, have perhaps prevented him from rising to eminence as a preacher. In the pulpit he has no passion, and little energy. He is tame and monotonous. His discourses are replete with good sense, but totally destitute of originality or feeling. His manner has too much Archiepiscopal stateliness for an every-day working Presbyterian minister. Even in preaching, however, this gifted individual has a faculty at command which few possess, and still fewer practise. He never reads his discourses in the pulpit. He commits them to memory, and delivers them with astonishing accuracy. So admirably are they recited, that he gives you, as it were, the very punctuation. Closely allied to this readiness and retentiveness of memory, are his conversational powers. Having cherished from his youth a taste for polite literature, he has moved in those circles where it was to be found. He was the intimate companion of the late Professor Richardson, and always welcomed as a visitor by the most distinguished members of the College of Glasgow. In private life he opens his treasures, and scatters around him instruction and amusement. To this part of his character, combined with other virtues and attainments, he is not a little indebted for his professional success. It rendered him a distinguished favourite at Buchanan House. The Duke of Montrose was his earliest patron, and is now his confidential friend. On the death of the late Dr William Taylor, Dr Macfarlan was translated from the parish of Drymen, in which he had succeeded his father, to be the Minister of the Cathedral and Principal of the University of Glasgow. In both of these important offices he gives perfect satisfaction. The prejudices against him as a pluralist soon yielded to the influence of his virtues. He is exemplary in the discharge of his parochial duties-is devoted to the prosperity, and consequently highly esteemed by the professors and students, of that University over which he presides. LETTERS FROM THE WEST. No. I. THE non-literary "Journals" in this region are full of heart-rending details respecting our weavers. These are not in the least exaggerated, in one sense. In another-that is, in as far as regards the general impression they are calculated to produce with you, and in other places where there is little manufacturing carried on-they are not literally accurate, inasmuch as they do not advert to exceptions to the general wretchedness which are not unfrequent. I was this day told, by an eminent manufacturer, of several of his handloom workers of fine goods being able to earn 15s. per week. Such instances are, however, too rare; and 5s. and 6s. may be nearer the average from which loomrent, beaming, and dressing for the web, have to be deducted. The "pirns" are generally wound in the worker's family, and they cost nothing but the labour. This is a frightful state of things for 40,000 human beings; yet, notwithstanding their destitution, their cellent; but it is pleasanter to read then it was to listen to their speeches. Oratory does not thrive among the opulent in Glasgow; and they seem afraid, lest any body not yet at their standing should exhibit any symp. toms of being likely to excel in the art. Our gaieties are all over for the season. The latest were on the King's birth night. These consisted of a melancholy review, with very faint cheers, and a very strong east wind. Why the dragoons did not turn out, was a marvel; but the "third" are rather a stupid body. We expect the 12th Lancers here daily. They are commanded by a townsman, and are expected to be any thing but "heavy." After the review, sundry din. gow, in their own hall, and those of the various incorporated appendages to old Mother Clutha, in their respective town-halls, met those whom they had invited to drink the King's health, and other public toasts. The city meeting was an amazingly dull one. It could not well be otherwise; for especial care was, as usual, taken to exclude, by not inviting, almost every body who could have enlivened it. Will it be believed, that one, whom, whether we regard him as a citizen for twelve years among us-as an author of eminence-as a "general acquaintance" of every person of note here conduct has, upon the whole, been most exemplary. To be sure, a few hundreds have once obeyed the call of their noisy delegates, and assembled in the open air; but one-half of them were as much unparticipating spectators as the larger portion of the crowd who went to see the sight and the speakers-hearing them was out of the question. Indeed, a large portion were boys-as yet happy and healthy-who were mighty glad of any excuse for a day's remission from their sixteen hours' labour, and revived their well-nigh forgotten experiences of the hand-ball and "shinty," while the M'Kays and the Kellys harangued their gaping grandfathers. It was at first proposed to exclude all of eighteen years of age and under from the meeting; but one of the de-ners were eaten, and after these, the Magistrates of Glaslegates remarked that this would leave 5000 without an interest in their proceedings, and accordingly all were invited. It is wonderful that, in making this statement, it escaped the acuteness of men who are at least cleverer than their fellow-workmen, and more bustling, -paradoxical as it may appear, though they be lazier, the conclusion as to the improvidence of their class which this fact forces upon one. If there be 5000 weavers of eighteen years and under, consequently that number must have been apprenticed to the trade within the last eight years-ten being the earliest period that boys can comprehend it. And what has been its condition during that period? Every second year as wretched as at present. The labouring man can never too soon learn that he must be the regulator of the value of labour, by adapting the supply to the demand. Perhaps one-tenth of these youths are married too, and, in another decade, will have sent their representatives of wretchedness to a field-meeting of 1839. It is odd the weavers have never discovered a tendency towards single bless-fying to even a savan and philosopher. After the Ma edness; but, till they do so, there is little hope for them since he who has half a dozen children is almost compelled to make them of his own trade, as it is the one of all others they can soonest aid him by learning. A word as to the delegates. They are almost all clever, noisy chaps, who like speaking and writing much better than throwing the shuttle. From a common fund, | they are allowed much more for exercising their powers in the one way, than they ever could earn by doing so in the other; and, consequently, no disaster can equal the return of tolerable times to them. Some of them are very old stagers in agitation. The others are fresh in the course. Men of middle life seem to keep aloof from their laborious idleness. There is, as yet, no example of their accepting of the out-of-door labour provided for their more athletic or industrious brethren by our Magistrates. This chiefly consists in forming a road, regarding the exact line of which a fierce controversy has been carried on between Dr Cleland and several proprietors near its proposed site. As to which party is in the right, I pretend not to decide. The path is likely to be drawn between them-where the truth may, after all, lie. I am afraid these details may weary you. I fancy them the more interesting out of Glasgow, however, just because every body in Glasgow knows them so well, that our Newspapers do not think of noticing them. These have for two weeks been filled nearly to the exclusion of every thing else—with the proceedings of our two public meetings upon the East India question. The first of these was to form an Association of those more immediately interested in the trade the second was to prepare a general petition against the monopoly. There is but one opinion here upon the subject. Of that opinion Mr Kirkman Finlay is unquestionably at the head. He was the chief promoter of both meetings, and speaker at them. Without caring about being an elegant, he is yet, in its best sense, a good speaker. He knows his subject thoroughly, and gave new and interesting information on it. There were some other speakers whose information and matter were also ex or, as a social companion of great powers, would have been an honour and delight to any public meeting-was not asked ?—I mean Mr J. S. Knowles. In the fine ba ronial hall of Gorbals, matters were better managed, and gentlemen nowise connected with its functionaries were invited, as a compliment due to their admitted talents. When Dr Ure entered the room, he was received with an applause, which could not but be grati gistrates and he had left the bench, where they had placed him side by side, an odd circumstance occurred, which caused some gossip. Certain worthies, determined in their loyalty to King George and old Port, insisted on drinking the health of the one, and finishing the bottles of the other, when, just as their reluctant chairman was proposing that they should not forget they were guests, and not payers of scot and lot, the gas: was turned off, "And in a moment all was dark" as the muddled comprehensions of some of the party. The revenue was then considerably benefited, by a loyal demolition of crystal. While the Magistrates of Gorbals were thus occupied in the baronial hall, their Glasgow brethren were pa tronising the ball, in its now eclipsed rival, the Old Assembly Rooms in Ingram Street. The meeting, however, was as cold as its purpose-charity, and very dif ferent from that which Cunningham, our inimitable fiddle-player, collected on his benefit night, when the la dies got so into the spirit of the dance, that daylight alone stopped their whirling. 66 Of other amusements we have had none, saving the fidgetings of a small body of the unco guid," when your review of Mrs Ewing's Memoir reached us. It was diverting. You are aware that we have no theatre for Alexander's house, as yet, deserves not the name. A most absurd plan has been started, to convert our Riding School, situated in the westernmost suburbs of the town, into one just as if you were to turn Captain Carnegie's markets into a playhouse! There is to be a meeting about erecting another Riding School, if the present one be so misappropriated. Never did a city more require such an academy. In the absence of players on the stage, your players on the fiddle have astonished us. Murray has performed here, and per. fectly electrified the few who had the good fortune to hear him. Wilson also pleased us much as a singer. Yet, will it be believed, that Mr Thomson, brother to our own delightful female vocalist, who had the spirit |