Communions.—Bonar (Creich) and Coigach, 1st Sabbath of month; Shieldaig, 2nd; Dornoch, 3rd; Inverness and Gairloch, 4th.
Obituary Notice.—We regret to record this month the death of Mr. John Macdonald, elder, Sydney House, Lairg, which took place on the 27th of April. Mr. Macdonald, who was upwards of 70 years of age, took a very active interest in the Free Presbyterian cause from the beginning, and especially in our Lairg congregation, where he will be much missed. It is to be recorded with gratitude that he has left a legacy of £500 to the Church, to be applied to such purposes as the Synod may direct. We expect to have a fuller sketch in a future issue.
The Southern Presbytery and the Anglo-Spanish Marriage.—The clerk of the Southern Presbytery has been instructed to forward the following protest to the King, through the Secretary of State for Scotland:—
To His Majesty Edward VII., King of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c.
May it please your Majesty,
The Southern Presbytery of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland desires to express its deep sorrow and alarm at the recent entrance into the communion of the Church of Rome of a
member of the Royal Family, Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, whereby the Princess has openly renounced the God-honoured Protestant faith of her ancestors, and accepted a recognised system of error and idolatry, with a view to her prospective alliance in marriage with the Roman Catholic King of Spain. This Presbytery, with all dutiful respect to your Majesty, would declare it to be its sincere conviction that the countenance which has been already given in a variety of ways to the Popish religion by your Majesty and members of the Royal Family has materially contributed towards the accomplishment of this step on the part of the Princess. It would earnestly remind your Majesty of the many serious evils and great bloodshed that accrued to this nation in past generations through Royal intercourse with the Papacy and unfaithfulness to those Protestant principles to which the Crown is pledged by the most solemn engagements, and would make bold to sound a note of warning to the effect that, as the allegiance of subjects to the Throne is only obligatory as long as the Throne is faithful to the Protestant constitution of the realm, the present favour shown to Romanism may eventually lead to a civil conflict in this nation similar to what has been experienced in the past.
This Presbytery would humbly beseech your Majesty to do all in your Majesty’s power to discountenance the Romeward movement wherever it appears, and to strengthen the bulwarks of that Protestant faith which your Majesty has solemnly sworn to maintain and defend, and which is founded upon and agreeable to God’s most Holy Word.
(Signed) NEIL CAMERON, Moderator.
” JAMES S. SINCLAIR, Clerk.
Departure of Deputy to Canadian Mission.—The Rev. Ewen Macqueen, Bonar Bridge, left Glasgow by the S.S. Caledonia for New York, on Saturday the 19th May, with the purpose of visiting our Canadian Mission as deputy from the Church at home. It is to be hoped that Mr. Macqueen will have a comfortable voyage across the Atlantic, and reach his destination in safety, and that his labours will be abundantly owned of the Lord among our friends in Canada. We trust that the prayers of the Lord’s people throughout the Church will ascend on his behalf, and on behalf of the Canadian Mission.
Acknowledgment.—Rev. Neil Cameron begs to acknowledge, with thanks, 5/ for the St. Jude’s Building Fund, from “A Friend in Edinburgh.”
The Treasurer of the Dingwall congregation acknowledges, with thanks, 5/, per Rev. D. Macfarlane, from “A Friend in Edinburgh,” for Manse Building Fund.
Sermons by the late Rev. Archibald Cook—A New Volume.—There will shortly be published a volume of Sermons in Gaelic and English by the late Rev. Archibald Cook, Daviot,
with an introduction by the Rev. John R. Mackay, M.A., Inverness. The volume comprises about 25 Gaelic and 10 English discourses. The English discourses have never appeared in print, and the same is true of a considerable number of the Gaelic section. The book (200 pages cloth) will be had of Mr. John M’Neilage, 65 Great Western Road, Glasgow, and will cost 2/.
Memoir and Remains of Rev. D. Macdonald, Shieldaig.—Copies of this valuable memorial of the revered minister of Shieldaig, are still to be had from the author, Rev. D. Macfarlane, F. P. Manse, Dingwall; Rev. Neil Cameron, 4 Shaftesbury Terrace, Glasgow; and from the Religious Tract Society, Edinburgh.
The Assemblies.—The Moderators of the Established, Free, and United Free Assemblies, are the Revs. Dr. Niven, Pollokshields; Professor Bannatyne; and Dr. Hutton, Paisley. The Free Assembly met on this occasion in the Free High Church, as the use of the historic Assembly Hall has been granted to the U.F. Church. These courts began their proceedings on Tuesday, the 22nd day of May. The retiring Moderator of the Established Church, Dr. Milne, of Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, died only a little over a week before the Assembly met.
Notice to Congregational Treasurers in Western Presbytery.—Rev. Neil Macintyre, Glendale, desires the said Treasurers to send in as soon as possible their Annual Financial Statements. These Statements are expected to show the various amounts collected for all purposes during the year, and how the same have been expended.
Meeting of Synod.—Synod will (D.V.) meet at Inverness on Tuesday after the first Sabbath of July. The Rev. D. Beaton, Wick, Moderator, will preach at 12 noon.