many exerted themselves during this year with great zeal in forming an union between the different Protestant churches, particularly the Lutheran and Calvinist. This union was completely effected in the principality of Nassau, by a general synod of both communions, when the following articles were agreed to. 1. The united Communions shall bear the name of the Evangelical Christian Church. 2. The general superintendance over all the clergy shall be divided between the two superintendants, according to a geographic line, and shall finally be united in him who shall survive the other. 3. The districts of inspection shall be, &c. 4. In the places where the two confessions shall be intermixed, the respective property of the two churches shall form one and the same fund, and shall belong to the church for the necessary expences. 5. The central property of the two churches shall be united into one fund, and shall serve for paying the expences of organizing the seminary of Herborn, for the candidates of theology. 6. In the places where there shall happen to be two clergymen of the different confessions, they shall remain there provisionally, and shall officiate together at the same altar. 7. The Palatine liturgy is provisionally adopted. In the distribution of the communion, a large host shall be regularly provided, expressly for the purpose, and shall be broken into several parts. This mode shall be followed by all the communicants who shall be confirmed, for the future. The more aged persons shall be permitted to receive the communion in the accustomed manner, but in private, and after having explained their reasons to the clergyman. A desire to accomplish the same object was manifested by the King of Prussia, prior to the celebration of the centenary of the Reformation. A circular letter was then addressed by the minister of the interior to the Evangelical clergy of both confessions in the Prussian dominions, intimating the king's desire that the words Protestant, Lutheran, or any other denomi nations which designate particular sects of the reformed religion, should cease to be used, and that they should be superseded by the word Evangelical. The object of this communication is to corect those feelings of asperity in which sectarians too generally indulge, and by removing all nominal distinctions, to cultivate a spirit of general harmony and mutual indulgence. The authority of Luther himself was adduced to sanction this interference of the Government, for the father of the Reformation is represented as being displeased to find the supporters of his opinions distinguished by his name. The denominations of Evangelic Church and Evangelic Christians belong equally to both confessions, and imply the source whence they equally derive the purity of their doc trine. The following are the most impor tant proceedings of the General Assembly of the Scottish church. A petition was presented from Dr James Bryce, Presbyterian minister of Calcutta, praying the Assembly to remove the injunction laid on their chaplains in India by the Rev. the Presbytery of Edinburgh, dated 27th March 1816, and to favour the petitioner with such other advice or instruction as to them in their great wisdom might seem meet; as also a petition from Dr Thomas M'Knight, clerk of that Presbytery.-Both these petitions having been read, together with an extract from the minutes of the Presbytery on the subject of Dr Bryce's petition, and Francis Jeffrey, Esq advocate, being heard in support of Dr Bryce's petition, and Dr Inglis, a member of the Presbytery, in support of their procedure, the Assembly find, that no blame whatever can be imputed to the Presbytery of Edinburgh, who have acted according to the best of their judgment, in circumstances of peculiar difficulty and delicacy; but see no reason why Dr Bryce should not be permitted to solemnize marriages, when called upon to do so in the ordinary exercise of his ministerial duty; and therefore do remove the injunction of the Presbytery of Edinburgh upon that subject, satisfied that in this, and every question connected with civil rights, he will conduct himself, as he is hereby required to do, with that perfect respect and deference toward the local authorities to which they are entitled, and which are in a particular manner due to the Most Noble the Marquis of Hastings, the Governor-General of India, for the countenance and protection offered by his Excellency to this branch of the church of Scotland; and the Assembly farther resolve to appoint a committee to draw up a respectful memorial to the Honourable the Court of Directors of the East India Company, and to correspond with that Honourable Court on this important subject. A letter from Lord Hardwick to the Moderator was laid before the Assembly, requesting that Venerable House to afford him all the information they could furnish as a collective body in regard to the poor laws and the management of the poor in Scotland. After some observations by Sir G. S. Mackenzie, Dr Nicol, and Sir H. Moncrieff, this subject was referred to a committee. The report of the committee on the Earl of Hardwick's letter having been read, the Assembly highly approved of the diligence of their committee, and directed the Moderator to transmit the same as his answer to the Right Honourable the Earl of Hardwick; and the Moderator having communicated a letter he had that day received from the Right Honourable Mr Sturges Bourne, chairman of the committee of the House of Commons, requesting the same information, the Assembly directed the Moderator to transmit a copy of the Report as his answer. PUBLIC WORKS, AND LOCAL IMPROVEMENTS. THE pressure of the times, and the public distress, did not altogether damp that spirit of enterprize, which is characteristic of Britons. This year was distinguished by the com mencement and completion of several important public works. On the 18th of June, Waterloobridge was opened for the accommodation of the public. This magnifi cent erection, by which a communication is formed between the Strand and the Borough, about midway between the two distant points of Blackfriars and Westminster Bridges, does the highest honour to the enterprize of those who planned, as well as to the ability of Mr Rennie, the distinguished engineer, who conducted it. Somewhat more than a million, we believe, was expended on this great national work, the materials being partly composed of granite, brought from Cornwall and Aberdeen. The following are its dimensions : Feet. of the Southwark Iron Bridge, to communicate from the city to the Borough, between Blackfriars and London bridges. It was carried on under the management of the same eminent engineer. Considerable progress was made during this year in the magnificent new street reaching northward from Carlton House. An elegant new church was completed for the parish of Mary-le-bone, 100 feet long, 60 wide, and 42 high, with a portico of 6 Corinthian columns, and capable of containing 2,000 persons. It was adorned with a very fine pieture by Mr West, representing the angel ap pearing to the shepherds. It scarcely equalled, however, the splendour of a chapel built for the Wesleyan Metho dists, which much surpasses any chapel built for the purposes of the established church. It is lighted with gas 400 during evening service, and is capable of containing 5000 souls. Consider. able improvements were also made this year in the neighbourhood of Whitehall. 1,242 1,250 2,890 42 An important provincial improve ment consisted in the opening of the Tavistock Canal, in Devonshire, designed to connect that river with the 7 navigable part of the river Tamar. It was begun in 1803, and completed 28 at an expense of 70,000l. About a 200 mile and a half of the line was through a tunnel cut in the solid rock, 450 feet from the top. The Duke of Bedford contributed largely to this canal, which enhances very much the 40 value of his property. Clear water-way under th enine 16 There are 320 piles driven into the bed of the river under each pier; the length of each pile from 19 to 22 feet, and the diameter about thirteen inches. There is one pile to every yard square. Soon after was laid the foundation A more extensive plan was that of a canal between Newcastle and Carlisle, by which the two seas were to be connected. Meetings were held for this purpose at both these cities, and a sufficient sum of money was subscribed for making the preliminary investigations. During this year a cast-iron bridge of one arch only, 120 feet span, was built at Manchester over the Irwell, from Salford to Strangeways. In Derbyshire, the plan of Mr Telford was adopted for the Runcorn bridge, being that of a bridge of suspension of 1000 feet span, with two side ones of the same. construction, each 500 feet wide, forming on the whole a range of iron 2000 feet long; the expence of which, with the road, was estimated at 100,000l. Acts were obtained during this session for erecting a new gaol in the city of Bristol; for lighting with gas the city of Exeter; for paving, lighting, cleansing, and improving West Cowes, (Isle of Wight); for making a road from Dewsbury to Leeds, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Notwithstanding the depressed state of agriculture, upwards of fifty bills for new enclosures were passed during the session. In SCOTLAND, the most important public undertaking consisted in the Union Canal, proposed to be carried from Edinburgh, to meet the Great Canal at its sixteenth lock, near Falkirk. The advantages expected from this measure were not only the transit of passengers and goods to Glasgow, but still more the obtaining of lime and coal for the supply of Edinburgh, from the vast fields which were to be found upon this line. It was not proposed to make this of the same dimensions with the Great Canal, but only fitted for vessels drawing five feet of water. This scheme was opposed by the town of Edinburgh, and by several great proprietors in the neighbourhood, who urged in its stead the adoption of a canal on a higher level, admitting larger vessels, and extending the whole way from Edinburgh to Glasgow. A very warm controversy was carried on for some time, and the opponents of the Union Canal had sufficient interest to prevent its receiving the sanction of Parliament. As, how Pentland hills, and called the Black and the Crawley springs, both of excellent quality; the former being particularly pure, though not so abundant asthe Crawley, which could afford four times the supply of Edinburgh. The work was placed under the able direction of James Jardine, Esq. civil engineer. During this year the arrangements made for completing the long suspended erection of the College of Edinburgh were begun to be put in execution. The Parliamentary Commissioners, consisting of the Right Honourable the Lord President, the Lord Justice Clerk, the Lord Chief Baron, the Lord Chief Commissioner, the Lord Advocate, the Right Honourable the Lord Provost, William Dundas, Esq. M. P. Sir John Marjoribanks, of Lees, Bart. Hugh Warrender, Esq. the very Rev. Principal Baird, and Andrew Duncan, jun. M. D. appointed to manage the yearly grant of 10,000l. voted by Parliament for this purpose, met on Wednesday the 4th December, 1816, in order to receive plans and specifications for the completion of the building. The plan of Mr William Playfair being adopted, the prize of 100 guineas was adjudged to that gentleman. The second prize of 80 guineas was awarded to Mr Burn. Ac. cording to Mr Playfair's plan, the ex terior of the building, as originally planned by Adams, is to be retained, with very little alteration; but there will be a total departure from the internal arrangements. The southern side of the quadrangle is to be occupied almost entirely by the library, which will be 190 feet long, and one of the most elegant rooms in the king. dom. The western side is to be appropriated to the Museum, and the other two sides are to be occupied chiefly as class-rooms. The original proposal of accommodating the professors with houses in the College, was entirely abandoned. The Caledonian Canal, which had been carried on since 1804 by an annual parliamentary grant of 50,000l., was now approaching to its completion. Of the three districts into which it was divided, the eastern and the western were finished, and the workmen were now employed upon the middle portion. By the report of 1816, there had been already expend. ed upon this great national undertaking, 600,000l.; and it was expected that another 200,000l. would complete the navigation from sea to sea. An excellent account of this great national work, will be found in Mr Stevenson's article on the subject, in the Supplement to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. II. Part II. EMIGRATION. THE distresses of the times, and the difficulty of subsistence, rendered emigration a very prominent feature in the transactions of the present year. Amid the suffering which caused and accom panied these removals, some satisfaction may be afforded, by considering them as the means of peopling and civilizing the unoccupied and savage districts of the earth. We shall endeavour here |
