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We passed the beautiful little village of Luss, and saw in the distance Rossdhu, the splendid residence of Sir James Colquhoun, Bart., where so long dwelt that lovely woman and devoted Christian, Lady Colquhoun. Mr. Hamilton, the biographer of this noble lady, thus describes it :— "Surrounded by stately trees, and sheltered from the blasts by the ferny slopes of a highland mountain, Rossdhu looks out upon Loch Lomond, where its waters are the widest, and its isles and margins fairest. And, though encompassed by soft lawns and blossoming parterres, it is near enough to the mountains to be constantly visited by breezes from the broom and the heather. With its pictures, and its library, and its spacious halls, it has three parishes for its manor, and the queen of Scottish lakes for its outlook." Loch Lomond is about twenty-three miles in length, its greatest

width about five miles, and in some parts it is one hundred fathoms deep. The lower end is full of beautiful islands. One of them, Inch Cailliach, is the burial ground, which contains the family places of sepulture of several neighboring clans.

After landing at the southern extremity of the lake, we were conveyed to Dumbarton by stage, and from thence in a little steamer to Glasgow.

14

The Free Assembly.

GREYFRIARS CHURCHYARD, ETC.

"True to that guiding star which led to Israel's cradled hope,
Her steady needle pointeth yet to Calvary's bloody top-
Yes, there she floats, that good old ship, from mast to keel below,
Seaworthy still, as erst she was two hundred years ago."

FROM Glasgow I went again to Edinburgh, to attend the closing meeting of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, which was at that time in session. Their meetings are held in Canonmills Hall. This is a singular building, with a low roof, covering a great surface, and capable of seating three thousand people; the seats gradually rise from the centre to the outside walls. It was densely crowded,-every seat being occupied, I was glad to get room to stand. As that great concourse of people united in singing the ninety-sixth Psalm, with that enthusiasm and earnestness so peculiar to Scotchmen, every one joining, it formed a noble chorus, the mighty swell of which seemed almost sufficient to raise the roof. No organ or other kind of instrumental

music was needed there. Every one sang as best he could, and truly it was a glorious concert. When the venerable Moderator, (Dr. Patterson) whose locks are silvered with age, rose and spread his hands to heaven, that whole Assembly, man, woman, and child, rose to their feet, and joined in supplication to the throne of grace.

After singing, prayer, and the reading of the minutes, the Moderator introduced to the meeting the Rev. Dr. Duff, from India. He looked like a man still in the prime of life, though he has so long stood a faithful watchman on the outposts of Zion. His speech was nearly three hours in length, and of thrilling eloquence. His subject was popery in India, and truly a deep, dark picture did he draw of that mystery of iniquity, as exhibited in its workings amongst the heathen. The peculiar facility with which it adapts itself to idolators, weaving the gross superstitions of Brahminism and Devil worship with the corrupt doctrines of the Church of Rome, becoming, in the lowest and most degraded sense, all things to all men. The whole speech was one of great power, and was listened to with breathless attention.

I felt an intense mental excitement on finding

myself thus in the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland-as I looked around me, and saw Cunningham and Candlish, Guthrie and Gordon, Begg and Hamilton, and many others—the men who had sacrificed houses and lands for the sake of the gospel; many of whom had left the manses in which their children were born, and where their own heads had become hoary, to depend on the voluntary contributions of a comparatively poor people—a people, too, who had been unused to give. But their confidence in a covenantkeeping God, and in the kirk-loving inhabitants of Scotland, was not misplaced; for He who controls the wills of all men stirred up the hearts of a generous people, and they contributed as no other nation ever did before. Churches, and schools, and manses, sprang up in every direction, and they are free; no State shackle to enslave them, or civil courts to plunder them.

This is a beautiful city: the more I see of it, the more forcible this conclusion becomes. After visiting London, Paris, Dublin, and some other European cities, as well as the principal ones in the United States, I am satisfied that there is none that will compare with Edinburgh, in beauty, po

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