in regard to its bearing on the young, for the customs of society were such that many persons naturally grew up in the habit of using that which, when indulged in, led to serious consequences. He did not know anything more important than to strike at the customs of society on this question. Nothing had excited his attention more when in America than the difference in regard to this matter. A person there might drink if he pleased, but he had not drink forced upon him on almost every occasion. In this country they had it upon every occasion, and in that matter there was great room for improvement. The report made reference to legislation upon the matter. He had no doubt that, as was suggested in the report, they should endeavour to strengthen the hands of those who were anxious to diminish the number of publichouses. He saw from the report "that the number of public-houses, in proportion to the gross population, varies from a licensed house for every twenty-eight families, to a licensed house for every one hundred families." From time to time the number of public-houses to the population was a question that came up, and was one in which they should feel a deep interest, and they should endeavour to strengthen the hands of those justices who were anxious to diminish the number of public-houses. They ought to receive the support of the ministers, and elders, and all well-affected people throughout the land. It might be said that if persons were anxious to get drink that they would have no difficulty in getting it, though the number of these was reduced, but they forgot that the multiplication of these public-houses increased the number of persons whose means of existence depended upon the success with which they could tempt people to drink. It was not so much because people were inclined to drink that drunkenness increased, but it was because the snares and temptations were multiplied around them, and they were drawn into the vortex of evil. It was notorious that in this city there had been a multiplication of houses of late, so that public-houses had become a far more formidable evil than formerly. They were more like the gin palaces of London now. In a few years upwards of one hundred new houses had been licensed. It was unfortunate that Government had to depend for part of its revenue on drink, so that they had a large amount of influence to contend against. He thought, notwithstanding all this, that ministers and elders of the Church should do all that in them lay to resist the evil. Referring to the Summary Procedure Act, he said the effect of it, if passed into law, would be to prevent the present state of things, viz., that after summary conviction, all further litigation ceased, and involve those anxious to resist the progress of evil in great expense. The committee were anxious to have the authority of the General Assembly to petition against the Act. A similar authority had been granted by the Assembly in 1864.

Mr WILSON, Barclay Church, lamented the intemperance which prevailed among the wives and mothers in the working-classes, and remarked that it was to be feared there was a considerable amount of drinking even among ladies belonging to the families of the better classes. With such a state of things, it was strange that there should be so little reference made to the subject in the ministrations of the sanctuary. A clear and earnest word of warning might make some alive to the danger, and help to check the evil. At marriages, too, he thought they might do something to protect young women who in the position

of bride or friends were often led at such times to do violence to their convictions of duty, and had not courage to refuse drink offered to them, thus entering on a course which was often disastrous in the last degree. Then again as to licences, the senior magistrate of this city, who had recently passed away, and was a member of his (Mr Wilson's) congregation, had to his dying day expressed his deep conviction that the hands of the magistrates were weakened by the steps taken by Christian people in applying to them to grant licences, if not to themselves to friends and relatives. It was hardly possible at times to resist the enormous pressure brought to bear upon them by those holding prominent positions in the Christian Church. Public opinion ought to be brought to bear on such parties, and previous to the licensing terms attention should be called to the subject, and a sound of no uncertain kind given forth. They had had comparatively little success in reclaiming drunkards, and the more needful was it for them to encourage temperance among the children of all classes, so that this artificial taste might not be created, and an esprit de corps be produced which would help to keep them from being ashamed of doing what they thought right in this matter. In the way of counteracting the evils of intemperance working men's clubs were being established. These were secular institutions, where newspapers and periodicals were read, and harmless games could be enjoyed, with the addition of smoking rooms where necessary, the religious element being kept up by Bible classes and other meetings on Sabbath evenings. They were as yet merely an experiment, and if conducted in a proper way by Christian men in a Christian spirit, it was hoped that by and by the multiplication of these would take the wind out of the sails of the public-houses, and, by fighting them on their own ground, along with other influences brought to bear upon them, lessen those evils under which the Church and the country had so long laboured.

Mr THOMAS SMITH, as a territorial church minister in Edinburgh, wished to bear testimony to the evil influences of public-houses, which, if not the cause of all the evils they had to contend with, aided much to obstruct the progress of the work in these places. He trusted no minister or elder of the Free Church would have anything to do with the licensing of public-houses. Unquestionably the influence of the publichouse in the city, whatever it might be in the rural districts, where it was perhaps needed for refreshment, was to counteract the gospel. The number of his congregation would have been fifty per cent. larger than it is if there had been no public-house in the district, and he believed that was the experience of all territorial ministers. In reference to the counteracting plans, he might state that he had been led to take part in the formation of a working man's club, without being fully persuaded of the wisdom of all that had been done in that respect. At present there was scarcely anything but could be turned to evil from good by the aid of strong drink. They all rejoiced when the volunteer movement began that so many of the young men of the country had come forward, without remuneration, to become a defence and safeguard to their native land; yet the fact of gathering together a large number of men, for any purpose whatever, was to increase the quantity of whisky that was drunk. It seemed to be that drink should be consumed to a certain extent before they separated. He trusted that members of Assembly would do what they could, each in his own sphere, to lessen the evil.

Dr BEGG moved- "That the General Assembly approve of the report, and record their thanks to the committee, especially to the convener. The Assembly also specially urge upon the ministers and members of the Church the duty of using all proper means in endeavouring to arrest the progress of drunkenness and the multiplication of public-houses. The Assembly also authorises the committee, if they see cause, to petition against the bill at present before Parliament, entitled, 'A Bill to Improve the Administration of the Law as respects Summary Procedure, and to Amend the Summary Procedure Act 1864.'" He remarked that he was glad the subject had received so much attention, and that so many valuable suggestions had been thrown out. He thought the Temperance Catechism should have not only what was "forbidden," but what was "required" in it. As to working men's clubs, he was not so very sure about them, but he thought in some respects they might be useful. They should not, however, give any countenance to smoking, which was a bad habit as well as drinking. Smoking made people thirsty, and when they were thirsty they did not always drink cold water. He might mention that a working man had written, and sent him his history. Previous to conversion, and after it, he was a great smoker. One evening his little girl came to him and said, "What is the meaning of selfdenial?" From that moment he had put away his pipe, reckoning that God would cleanse his people from their idols. There was a great waste of money among the common people in connexion with the habit, and they ought not to do anything to encourage it, but everything they could to discourage it. (Applause.)

The motion was agreed to.

CHAIR OF EVANGELISTIC THEOLOGY.

Dr CANDLISH gave in the Report of the Committee for Revising the Overture on a Chair of Evangelistic Theology. The report was approved. "In accordance therewith, the General Assembly, considering the importance of all ministers of the gospel being deeply impressed with a sense of God's eternal purpose with reference to the evangelisation of the nations, and the paramount duty and distinguished privilege of manifesting, by unceasing prayer and effort, sympathy with the Lord Jesus Christ in the prosecution of that glorious design, in the consummation of which alone He shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied,' and considering that this object may, by the divine blessing, be greatly promoted by the establishment of a Professorship of Evangelistic Theology in connexion with our theological halls; considering also that a sum of £10,000 has been subscribed by friends of missions, and is now available for the permanent endowment of such a professorship, resolve that such a professorship ought to be established. And the General Assembly hereby transmit to Presbyteries the following overture for their consideration, in terms of the Barrier Act: The General Assembly, with consent of a majority of Presbyteries, hereby enact and ordain, that a Professorship of Evangelistic Theology be established in this Church, the professor to be chosen by the General Assembly of 1867, and to be a member of the Senatus of the New College, Edinburgh, but to lecture also, from time to time, on subjects connected with the duty and privilege of spreading the gospel throughout the world, in the other colleges, in conformity with arrangements to be made by the College Committee

in concert with the authorities of each of these colleges; the salary of the said professor to be paid from the annual interest of a sum of £10,000, which has been subscribed by the friends of missions, and is now available for the permanent endowment of it." "

APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEES.

The usual committees were adjusted and appointed.

Mr KELMAN, Dundonald, on this subject, brought forward the following motion of which he had given notice:-"That a committee be appointed to consider the principle according to which the committees are appointed, and report to the Assembly." In support of the motion, he said Although I have brought forward this motion on my own sole responsibility, I have done so in the knowledge that a wide-spread feeling of dissatisfaction exists as to the way in which our committees are appointed. And there are, I think, good grounds for that dissatisfaction. I lay it down as a principle, that there should be as equal a distribution of power as possible over the Church; that, if the being engaged in committee work is a duty, it should be shared in, and, if a privilege, it should be partaken of, by as many as possible. Well, the question here occurs, how is the present mode of appointment operated in regard to that principle? Let us observe to what extent Presbyteries are represented in committees. Add together the names on the Sustentation Fund Committee, and also those on the other nine committees connected with the schemes of the Church. Sum these all together. The sum is about 260, or nearly one-third of the whole number of ministers in the Church. From this it is manifest that for every three ministers in the Church there is in these committees one representative of some Presbytery. Of course this does not imply that there are 260 ministers in these committees; for one minister may have his name upon a number of committees, and in that case the Presbytery to which he belongs is represented several times by his one name. From this, then, we see that the number of representatives (in the sense just described) in the committees, to which a Presbytery is entitled, is a number corresponding to one-third of the ministerial membership of the Presbytery. Looking, then, at the matter in this purely numerical point of view, let us glance at the Presbytery to which I belong-the Presbytery of Ayr. It contains twenty-three sanctioned charges. It is thus entitled to be represented on the committees eight times. It is now represented to that extent, and the change which has been made to-day I accept as a simple act of justice. (Hear.) But till to-day it had not a single representative on a single committee. Look now to the Presbytery of Paisley. That Presbytery contains fifteen sanctioned charges. It is entitled, therefore, to be represented five times. But there we find that one individual monopolises in his own person more than the whole amount of representation to which the whole Presbytery is entitled, and there are other members of the Presbytery on other committees besides. (Applause.) Look next at the Presbytery of Cupar. It contains eleven sanctioned charges, and is entitled therefore to be represented, say four times. It is represented eleven times. Look next at the Presbytery of Dundee. It contains twenty-two sanctioned charges, and is thus entitled to say eight representations. It has fifteen distributed among four ministers. Lastly, look at the Presbytery of Arbroath. It contains twelve sanctioned charges, and is thus entitled to be repre

sented four times. This Presbytery, lying adjacent to that of Dundee, with one congregation more than the Presbytery of Cupar, is once represented on one committee. I suppose it will be acknowledged by all that this is a very unsatisfactory state of matters. Well, it seems to me that this unsatisfactoriness is, to some extent at least, due to the mode of appointment. When I gave in my notice of motion, I did not know what the mode of appointment was. I have since learned that it is this; any one who pleases gives in to the Clerk of Assembly the name of any one he pleases. (Laughter.) That name then appears in the "Daily Proceedings," delivered to members of Assembly in the morning. We open our blue papers, and find the words "Names suggested" for such and such a committee; suggested, perhaps, as they often are on account of the merits of the individual, or his fitness for the work of the committee; suggested, perhaps as they sometimes are, on account of the mere accident of being acquainted with some of the leading men in the Church -(hear) or of family ties-(hear, hear)-or of being more forward than some others (applause)—while many more sensitive, it may be, or more modest, but who would be no less valuable accessions to the committees, are left out. "Names suggested"—by whom, no one knows perhaps, but the person who suggested them; why, no one can tell, but the person who suggested them. But there they are. And the members of Assembly are put in an awkward position. They must either allow one, whom perhaps they do not consider qualified, or whose claims they find it difficult to discover, to be quietly appointed in perpetuity to a post of considerable influence and importance; or they must occupy the invidious position of proposing that that person's name shall not be added to the committee. (Hear, hear.) This is not a state of things that should be allowed to continue. (Applause.) Again, we read in those same papers of members who retire. That expression is not intended to mislead, but it does mislead. By this expression it is meant that those members of committees who do not attend at least three times in the course of the year, have their names dropped from the committees. That is a good rule, and a right and reasonable one. But something more is desirable. As matters now stand, a person may be appointed this year by any one of those accidents already referred to, and if he only make sure of being present at three meetings every year, he may continue a member of the committee for twenty, or even for fifty yearsindeed to the end of life-(applause)-while others, as well qualified, never are on the committee at all. Let us have some plan of rotation. Let a certain number of members retire annually in order, not because they have failed to attend, but because they have now served a reasonable time, and it is desirable that fresh minds should be brought to the work. (Hear, hear.) Certain objections may be brought against this proposal. (1.) An attempt has been already made, and it failed. In reply, I ask-Was it a wise attempt? On that subject I am not competent to speak. But one point of weakness in it was, that it gave to Synods the right to recommend members for the committees, whereas a vastly preferable plan would be to give to Presbyteries that right. (Applause.) And again, did it get a fair trial? I cannot speak on that point either, not being acquainted with the facts of the case. But even if it was a wise attempt, and got a fair trial, yet, though one attempt has failed, another may succeed. (2.) Then there is a danger of its being too