vices the handsome sum of £104, 16s. 9d. was collected towards the funds of the congregation.

On the 10th of January, 1804, Mr. Pringle was licensed by the Presbytery of Kelso to preach the gospel, and one of his earliest appointments was to Newcastle. The congregation was then in its infancy, having been recognized by the Synod as a distinct congregation on the 3rd May 1802. It then met in the old Postern chapel and did not exceed one hundred members. This place proving neither convenient nor comfortable, another chapel was erected in Clavering Place, and entered on the 21st March 1813. In the year 1817, the congregation in Kirkwall, Orkney, having become vacant by the removal of the Rev. Mr. Broadfoot to London, Mr. Pringle received from them a unanimous call, which, at the next meeting of Synod, he respectfully declined accepting, preferring to remain in Newcastle. Of the congregation which called him to Newcastle fifty years ago, only two females survive -one of them the daughter of the late Rev. Wm. Graham-but both so infirm as to be unable to attend public ordinances. During these fifty years Mr. Pringle has had his trials and discourage ments, but he has survived them. In the town of Newcastle he has seen fiftythree ordinations and recognitions, and in the Presbytery with which he is connected, thirty-nine ministers have during his pastorate died, or been removed to other spheres of labour. And, among the many changes in the history and aspect of Clavering Place congregation, one of the least changed objects was the senior pastor. He still preaches regularly once every Sabbath, and oftener when duty or benevolence may require it. Seldom is the man of his years blessed with so firm a step, so elastic a frame,

so vigorous a mind, or so powerful and commanding a voice.

The jubilee soiree was held in the spacious school-room underneath Bewick Street Baptist Chapel, the Rev. Stephen Wallace the junior pastor presiding. At this meeting, James Annandale, Esq. of Lintzford, presented the testimonial, along with the Congregational address. The address was a very carefully prepared document, contained a succinct narrative of the history of the congregation, bore faithful testimony to Mr. Pringle's devotedness to their interests, and breathed an unabated and affectionate attachment to him. In name of the congregation he presented to Mr. Pringle, a silver salver bearing the following inscription. "Presented to the Rev. James Pringle, with a congratulatory address, and a purse containing one hundred and fifty sovereigns, by the United Presbyterian Congregation of Clavering Place, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on the 10th of January 1854, as a token of their affection and esteem, and a memorial of his having entered on the fiftieth year of his labours among them."

We congratulate Mr. Pringle on having been so long honoured to serve in the ministry of the gospel, and, notwithstanding the number of his years, and the trials through which he has more recently passed, to find him as hale, hearty, and happy as ever. "The tide of life"-as the Rev. Mr. Douglas of Hartlepool expressed it" may have left its ripple on his countenance, and time drawn its furrows on his brow, but his heart is as warm, his vigour as manly, his intellect as sound, and his judgment as clear as that of any of us." May his last years of labour be his happiest, and his best, and when the Master calls him hence, may he be welcomed into His joy!

Panmure, to adopt resolutions in favour of a bill, understood to be of a comprehensive nature, and likely to secure the support of the country generally; but, owing to the indisposition of his Lordship, the meeting was postponed, to the great disappointment of many; and we shall have gone to press before it can be held, or the results known.

On the 3d of last month, the United Presbytery of Stirling agreed to the following resolutions:

I. That this Presbytery do not think themselves called on to offer an opinion on the abstract question of the right of Government to educate the people.

II. That, seeing certain highly objectionable forms of State education-viz., the parochial school system, under the sole management of the Established church, and the system of Privy Council grants to religious sects as such-are Low in existence, and may possibly be perpetuated, it seems desirable, at this crisis, when the question is likely to obtain a settlement of a somewhat permanent character, to have a thorough reform of State education in Scotland, so that it may be brought as much as possible into harmony with the relations of society in these times.

III. That the scheme put forth by Sir J. K. Shuttleworth, in his recent work, which commits the management of schools to local boards, having twothirds of their members ecclesiastical office-bearers, while it may be regarded as an ingenious attempt to unite Church and Dissent, is yet vicious in principle, inasmuch as it indirectly endows religion in the schools, and in practice is fitted to produce alienation and strife.

IV. That the least objectionable plan is that which commits the management of the schools to a board chosen by and from among the rate-payers at large, without respect of sect or office; that the religious element would be quite safe in the hands of a board so constituted, and indeed be likely to receive more attention than it has sometimes obtained from the Presbyteries to whose charge it has, in the case of the parish schools, been committed.

At this meeting Dr. M'Kerrow, of Bridge of Teith, expressed his sentiments on the subject of education very fully, because he differed from many of his brethren on this question. He regarded it as a subject with which Government ought not to interfere. He did not see how the moral and religious training of the young was to be accomplished by the interference of Government, consistently with the views which voluntaries held on this subject. He regarded the interference of Government as altogether unnecessary, and he rejected the interference of Government because of the serious evils which would arise from the adoption of such scheme. Although opposed to all national systems of education, he did not divide the Presbytery by proposing any amendment to the resolutions.

On the same day, the United Presbytery of Dundee met. The principal business before them was National Education. The Rev. Dr. M'Michael, of Dunfermline, appeared as a deputy from the Synod's committee on Public Questions; and when all the members had expressed their views, the following resolutions were adopted :—

I. That it is perfectly competent to the civil government to provide secular instruction for the young, while the duty of providing religious education belongs to the parents and the church.

II. That no system of education which is sectarian, or exclusive, or which operates by means of Privy Council grants to different churches or associations, will be acceptable or efficient; That to be really acceptable and efficient, the system must be national and not denominational, and that under such a system the best qualified teachers should be eligible, without regard to sect or party.

III. That the machinery for education in Scotland, however beneficial it may have proved in former times, is not now adapted to the altered circumstances of the country, and, especially in the large cities, a greater number of school-houses and better accommodation are required, and the standard of the education itself should be elevated. That the status of

now vested in the heritors and Presbytery of the Established church be given to committees elected by the heritors, parents having children at school, and other contributors."

After some discussion it was agreed, that as Mr. Borwick had not given notice of his motion, it be laid on the table, and fully discussed at next meeting.

On the 10th of last month, the discussion of the resolutions moved by Dr. Taylor before the United Presbytery of Glasgow, was resumed by the Rev. J. S. Taylor, who said, that since last meeting, his idea of the impropriety of the Presbytery giving its countenance to the scheme of Sir J. K. Shuttleworth, remained unchanged. The United Presbyterian church, as a body, was not at one on the general question as to whether it was necessary and expedient that the civil magistrate should interfere in the question of education. He might not get a majority of the Presbytery to agree with him, but he looked upon Shuttleworth's scheme as unworthy of their support, and moved the following counter-resolutions to those of Dr. Taylor:

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"Though the Presbytery were at one (which it is not), as to the necessity and expediency of a national system of education, it ought not to give such a modified approval of the scheme recommended by Sir James Kay Shuttleworth. 1st, Because under that scheme, if it were to obtain the sanction of Parliament, the ratepayers would not have that amount of representation and that liberty of action which they would be entitled to claim. 2dly, Because that scheme proposes to make it imperative by statute, that two-thirds of the committees for managing common schools

- which committees, amongst other things, are to have the appointment and dismissal of schoolmasters-shall be ministers and office-bearers of religious communions; thus setting up, in a new and far more offensive form, a religious test, and tempting us to leave our safe and right position as a church of Christ, by entangling ourselves ecclesiastically with the working of a Govern

FEBRUARY, 1854.

ment measure. And, 3dly, Because the scheme actually, though covertly, violates the Voluntary principle, and calls us to connive at the granting of State support to the teaching of what we conscientiously believe to be deadly error. It actually, though covertly, violates the Voluntary principle, inasmuch as it avowedly labours to render it a certainty that religious instruction, according to Presbyterian formularies, shall be given in common schools, which are to be in part supported by a rate levied on the whole community, and which not the Presbyterian majority only, but persons differing widely from them in religious sentiments, shall be bound by Act of Parliament to pay, and it calls on us to connive at the granting of State support to the teaching of what we conscientiously believe to be deadly error, inasmuch as it contemplates and provides for the giving of money out of the same rate towards the erection and maintenance of schools of which the priests and adherents of the church of Rome are to have the exclusive management."

Dr. Taylor, in reply, said the word "scheme," in the third resolution, had probably led to misapprehension, and that he should substitute the word "proposal," and further amend the resolution so as to read as follows:

3d, That the attention of the Presbytery has been called to a proposal, that the existing religious tests, and the control of the judicatories of the Established Church over the parochial schools, should be abolished that the election of the teachers, and the management of the schools, should be entrusted to local committees, comprised in certain proportions of heritors, ratepayers, and office-bearers of the religious bodies in the school district, and that at the same time adequate provision should be made for the support of the teachers, the increase of the number of schools, and the elevation of the standard of education from school fees, voluntary subscriptions, mortifications like the Dicks' bequest, and supplemental rate. The Presbytery, while expressing their decided preference for the scheme, which would entrust the

choice of the local boards to the parents without any restriction, are yet of opinion that the proposal referred to would practically bring a sound education within reach of all classes, and would be deemed worthy of acceptance by a large proportion of the people of Scotland.

The Presbytery having divided, ten voted for Dr. Taylor's resolutions, and seven for the amendment of the Rev. J. S. Taylor.

On the evening of the 5th January, a very large meeting was held in the Town Hall, Kelso, presided over by Lord Melgund, who was the first Scotch member who made a serious Parliamentary assault upon the parish schools. His Lordship on this occasion said—“There are undoubtedly great and grievous faults connected with the school laws of this country; as they stand at present, tests are imposed upon those who are about to undertake the duties of schoolmasters. The only test, I think, which a man ought to be subjected to, is the test of the approval of his fellow-citizens. I for one, whatever others may think or say to the contrary, shall always maintain that the principle of tests is utterly inconsistent with the cause of truth and with the advance of that cause, which nothing can forward so well as perfect liberty and perfect toleration. It seems to me that the State ought to have nothing whatever to do with the question of religion at all. The State is stepping beyond its sphere and beyond its proper function; it is doing injury to itself and injury to the people, when it goes into these questions at all. I believe that what is really required in the case of the reform of the laws which now regulate the school establishment of Scotland, is very simple. There are several defects which require to be remedied. I think the constitution of the parish boards at this moment, is defective. At the present moment the heritors, that is to say, the richest persons in the parish, alone have any control over the school. Then, there was an original defect in the law establishing the parish schools in this country, and that defect is this, that there is no power given for extending

the schools to places where they may be required. I must say that I think we ought not to lose sight entirely of the character of the education which it would be necessary to give in a proper school establishment. The character of that education ought certainly to be such as to prepare every child in the country to become a good citizen. I believe that if we desire, as I am sure we all do, that this country should remain a virtuous and a highly moral nation, that it should exercise a great influence not only within itself, but over the other nations and over the other peoples of the world -the higher the education, the more we all of us understand the laws under which we live and have our being, the greater will be the influence which we will exercise on the world, the more powerful we shall be among the nations of the earth, and the more shall we have performed our duties in this life towards ourselves and towards those who may come after us."

The Rev. Mr. Jarvie proposed the first resolution, which was to the effect "that the parochial schools of Scotland were neither by their constitution, condition, nor number, adapted to the present circumstances of the country; and that in order to furnish an education

THE BISHOP OF DUNBLANE.

a

THE town of Dunblane, situated about five miles north from Stirling, has nothing about it attractive to stranger, except its venerable and partly ruined cathedral, a cathedral so intimately associated with the name of one of the most amiable, pious, and learned of the Scotch prelates-Dr. Robert Leighton. He was the son of Dr. Alexander Leighton, an eminent Scotch minister, settled in London during the tyrannous reign of Charles I. By referring to our "Notes" for the month of November, in the Christian Journal for 1852, p. 509, our readers will find a sketch of the cruel