McLean had received a prefentation from the Crown, which ĥ the prefbytery of Dunfermline fuftained. The settlement was opposed by Mr Eckford, and an appeal from the prefbytery was lodged to the fynod, and from the fynod to the Affembly. Mr John Miller advocate appeared as counsel for Mr Eckford, and Mr Robert Hamilton for the patron and prefentee; for the prefbytery, Mr Smith of Kinrofs, Mr Balfour at Torryburn, Mr Primrofe at Dalgety, and others; and for the fynod of Fife, Mr Swan at Scoonie. After hearing the counfel for the appellant, the other parties declining to take up the time of the Affembly, a motion was made, and unanimously agreed to, That the Affembly, confidering this appeal as unfounded, frivolous, and vexatious, difmifs the fame, and affirm the fentences of the fynod of Fife and prefbytery of Dunfermline. This motion became the judgment of the Court; and the Affembly ordained the prefbytery of Dunfermline to proceed to the fettlement of Mr M'Lean on or before the 15th of July next, according to the rules of the

church.

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The Affembly proceeded to confider the petition of James Ritchie, Efq; of Bufbie, and others, heritors of the parish of Govan, appealing from a fentence of the fynod of Glasgow and Ayr fuftaining a prefentation to Mr John Pollock, who had been preferred to the above parifh by the University of Glasgow, the patrons. There appeared for Mr Ritchie, Mr Morthland advocate; for the Univerfity of Glasgow, Mr Miller and Mr Davidfon advocates; for the prefbytery of Glaf

ow, Dr Porteous and Mr Taylor jun. and for the fynod of Glafgow and Ayr, Dr Meek. Parties being heard, the Affembly, without a vote, agreed to the following judgment: Find the appeal frivolous and vexatious, and therefore difmifs the fame; affirm the fentence of the fynod, and ordain the prefbytery of Glasgow to proceed to the fettlement of Mr Pollock with all convenient speed, according to the rules of the church.

Mr Hugh Hay, who had obtained a presentation to the parish of Ruthven laft year, but whofe fettlement was delayed by the prefbytery of Fordyce on account of alledged fimoniacal practices, having informed the prefbytery, that as he had got a presentation to be one of the minifters of Aberdeen, he renounced the presentation to the parish of Ruthven; this being reported to the Affembly, they inftructed the prefbytery of Fordyce to inform the patron of the above event, that the vacancy may be filled up without delay. Thursday, May 26.

The report of the Commitee on the teft act was read, together with the minute of laft Affembly on that business, which the Affembly unanimously agreed fhould be recorded.

No debate, however, took place; for, after fome general obfervations by Robert M'Intosh, Efq; Profeffor Hill of St Andrew's moved, That the Affembly fhould proceed to the cause of Ancrum, which was unanimoufly agreed to.

In this caufe there appeared at the bar as appellants, George Gray, James Davidfon, and Patrick Smith, heritors and heads of families, complaining of a sentence of the prefbytery of Jedburgh, confirmed by the fynod of Merfe and Teviotdale, appointing the fettlement of Mr James Oliver to be Minifter in that parish. One of the appellants read a short speech from a paper he held in his hand, and was anfwered by Mr Douglas at Galashiels; after which a motion was made, and agreed to without a vote, to difmifs the appeal as groundless, and ordained the prefbytery of Jedburgh to proceed with the fettlement of Mr James Oliver in the church and parish of Ancrum with all convenient speed, according to the rules of the church. From which decifion one minifter and two elders diffented.

The Affembly having gone through a number of matters of form, Mr Gordon of Carleton, elder for Kirkcudbright, moved, "That the General Affembly do now appoint a Committee to devise a method, by which a monument may be erected, or fome public mark of respect be paid to the late Dr Alexander Webfter, original projector and founder of the scheme by which a fund of provifon was made for the widows of the minifters of the established church of Scotland."

The above motion was feconded by Mr John Jeffrey writer, elder for Lochmaben, and after a few words, unanimously agreed to, and a refpectable Committee immediately appointed, Mr Gordon to be Convener.

Friday, May 27.

The Affembly had tranfmitted to them by the Committee of Bills, a petition with an extract of the minutes of the fynod of Moray, respecting the fuppreffion of the parish of Dundurcus, and the annexation of it to the parish of Rothes and Boharm; which being read, and confidered by the Affembly, they remitted the fame to the Procurator and Agent, to do therein as they may fee cause.

The Affembly had transmitted by the above Committee a reference to the Affembly from the prefbytery of Ayr, refpecting the cause of Dr M'Gill, one of the minifters of Ayr, accufed of publishing erroneous doctrine. There was also tranfmitted a petition for fundry perfons against Dr M'Gill, which was likewife read. Mr Sheppard, Mr M'Quae, and Mr Peebles, were heard for the prefbytery on the reference; and after reasoning, the Affembly agreed to hear Mr Thomas Muir, Advocate, for the complainers, on the point of res judicata. Parties being removed; after reasoning at great length,

a motion was made, That the Affembly hall difmifs the complaint as a res hactenus judicata, which being put, it carried difmifs by a great majority.

Saturday, May 28.

The report of the trustees on the Widows' Scheme, containing an account of their proceedings fince laft Affembly, and a ftate of the fund under their management being given in, the unanimous thanks of the House were given to Sir H. Moncrieff-Welwood for his fidelity, attention, and prudence in the management of the fund.

Dr Walker, Moderator of laft Affembly, informed the House, that, in confequence of an application made to the Lord Advcoate, the Lords of the Treafury had given directions not to levy from the clergy of Scotland the new houfe and window duty of ten per cent. of the former taxes, impofed by an act of laft feffion of Parliament. The thanks of the Houfe were unanimoufly given to the Lord Advocate for his great attention to the intereft of the clergy on this occafion, and alfo to Dr Walker for his diligence in the affair.

The Affembly proceeded to confider the overtures from the fynods of Lothian and Tweeddale and Merfe and Teviotdale, on the Slave Trade; and, after reafoning on them, the Affembly, in terms of their refolution on the fubject of fimilar overtures in the year 1788, approve of the spirit thereof, and think themselves called upon, as men, as Chriftians, and as members of this national Church, to declare their abhorrence of a traffic fo contrary to the rights of mankind and the feelings of humanity; but they judge it unneceffary to proceed further in this bufinefs, trufting that the wifdom and mercy of the Legiflature will take fuch fteps as they fhall think proper for the relief of this unhappy race of men.

Monday, May 30.

The Affembly, in the cafe of the fchoolmater of Bothwell, after hearing parties on the point of jurisdiction (a bill of fufpenfion having been prefented to the Court of Seffion), without a vote, fuftained the appeal to the Synod, as competent; and having been informed by the Procurator for the Church, that the queftion with regard to the power of the fuperior Ecclefiaftical Courts to review the fentence of a Presbytery relative to the qualification of a schoolmafter, is now depending before the Court of Seffion, they authorifed the Procurator and Agent to attend to the rights of the Church in this caufe, and to report to next Affembly. The Affembly then referred to their Commiffion the merits of this caufe, and all others which have been brought before them, which they could not evertake; and was diffolved in the ufual manner, and another Affembly was appointed to meet on the 17th of May 1792.

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powering its natural tafte by the acrid pungency of the antifeptics employed for that purpose, has long been deemed a great defideratum. Common falt alone has been hitherto ufually employed for that purpose; but this either does not preferve the butter effectually, or it must be employed in fuch quantities as to render it exceeding pungent, and difagreeable to moft palates. These inconveniences will be both avoided by employing in its ftead the following compofition:

"Take two parts of the best fea-falt, (great falt, where it " can be had, fhould in all cafes be preferred,) one part of

faltpetre, and one part of fugar; beat them fine in a mortar, "and mix them thoroughly together. Of this compofition " employ one ounce for every fixteen ounces of butter, tak"ing care to mix it intimately with it, and to beat it up in the "fame manner as you would employ common falt.”

Butter cured with this compofition never acquires a very hard confiftence, as it sometimes does with common falt, when the butter is of a poor quality, but it always appears of a rich mellow confiftence, and affumes more of a marrowy tafte, than the fame butter would have, if cured with falt alone, and it taftes much lefs falt, than if one half the quantity of common falt it actually contains had been put into it alone; though with ordinary attention and care, butter, thus cured may be preferved in this country for feveral years, without difcovering the smallest marks of rancidity, as I have often experienced.

It is unneceffary, however, to add, that unless the butter fhall have been properly freed from the milk and other impurities before it be put up, it cannot be thus preferved, without danger of being tainted; and that if it be expofed long to the open air, in an improper manner, and fuffered to become dry, it will acquire a ftrong tafte. It is not propofed, that this fhould operate as a charm, but merely as an effectual prefervative when due care is beftowed upon it; with thaf attention, I have known butter thus cured, that has been kept perfectly fweet in this country near three years, and how much longer it might have been preferved I know not.

Moft perfons will have a prejudice against using this compofition, from a preconceived idea, that the taste of faltpetre muft predominate and prove difagreeable; but this I can affure them is an ill founded prejudice; for, after a little time, the tale of the different materials is fo intimately blended as to leave nothing of this kind perceptible, though for about a fortnight from the time it has been cured fomething of this fort may be perceived. Let thofe, therefore, who fhall try this mode of curing butter, delay using it till a fortnight or three weeks after it has been cured, and after that period no taste of this kind can be perceived.

Travelling Memorandums, continued from page 247. My rate of pofting has been generally flow,--feldom above, and, for the most part, below fix English miles per hour-I do not blame the drivers-I obferve no infance of their being obftinately or wilfully tardy, as they sometimes are in Britain They push their horfes even unmercifully, and their apology is commonly juft; "Monfieur j'ai fait mon poffible"-From the firft ftage this morning, the horses were fresh, and I was treated with the expedition of English posting this merit I rewarded only by a fixpence extraordinary to the driver; and by continuing this little bounty, always reported to the next poftillion, I was fo well served, that though the longest day's journey I have made, I reached my evening quarters fome hours earlier than ordinary-I find the grapes here remarkably delicious.

October 4th. I breakfafted at the poft-houfe La Baraque, and was all night at Challona fine, populous, VOL. III.

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