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the whistling kirks. The vocal talents of the followers of the old established church of Scotland induced me to lament that this grand and solemn instrument had been thus banished: at the same time, it is fortunate that the bagpipes have not been introduced in its room, as hautboys have been in our country churches. That the organ affects. the mind with solemnity, and is an auxiliary to the pulpit,, only those to whom Nature has been very parsimonious will deny. The whole of the Lord's Prayer, I was informed, is seldom used. The moderates occasionally introduce parts of it; but the rigid Presbyterian ministers do not even go so far. In the established churches there are no altars; the communion is administered on a board or a table. Many of the lower orders like a particular cant or whine in their preachers; in former times this was called the Gospel soucht, or sound; and the more a preacher has of it, the more he is followed. It is whimsical enough, that, after the Reformation, the most devout and enthusiastic clergy used to adopt their rhapsodies to the tunes of common songs, a few lines of which were engrafted on the holy effusion. The following specimen is taken from a collection of pieces, printed at Edinburgh, by Andrew Hart, in 1590, under the title of "A compendious Book of godly and spiritual Songs, collectit out of sundrie Parts of the Scripture, with sundrie of other Ballats, changed out of prophaine Songs, for avoiding of Sin and Harlotrie."

It is a curious fact, that there are only ten resident Jews in Edinburgh, in which there is no synagogue; nor is there one, I am informed, in the whole country. The person who' communicated this piece of information added, “but der be many neither Jew nor Christian." This circumstance is no proof of the poverty of the country; on the contrary, it shews that, from the increasing prosperity of the Scotch, the accommodation of the rich Jew is not wanted; and that the keen stratagems by which the humbler Jew exists in other

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countries would be of no avail amongst a people remarkable for their acuteness in making bargains.

Of the Society of Quakers, above seventeen years of age, in Scotland, there are only between one hundred and one hundred and fifty; and in Edinburgh from forty to forty-five only. The number of Catholics in Edinburgh is about fifteen hundred. That of Easter Communicants is from five to six hundred. In the Lowlands of Scotland there are about fifty stations of Catholic clergy, but only thirty-three priests, and the like number of chapels. In the Highlands there are nineteen or twenty priests; and the number of Catholics is supposed to be greater there, and in the Hebrides, than in the Lowlands. A few years since, the Catholic clergy made a computation of the numbers of Catholics in Scotland, and. they were taken at about twenty-five thousand: since that period, a great number of Irish manufacturers have settled in Glasgow and the neighbouring country; where the aggregate number is considered not to fall short of thirty thousand; and others are evidently increasing, notwithstanding. the emigrations to Canada, and the very great proportion of Catholic young men who entered into the army since the war with France.

CHAP. IX.

ANECDOTE OF HANDEL-ORGAN AT GLASGOW-QUEEN MARY'S EXCLAMATION-SCOTTISH PSALM-SINGING THE HOLY FAIRTHEOLOGICAL ACUTENESS OF THE LOW SCOTCH-THEIR DEVOTION-EXEMPLARY CONDUCT OF SCOTTISH CLERGY-CHURCH LIVINGS AN ENGLISH TITHE ANECDOTE-SCOTTISH Clergy, HOW PAID-RELIGIOUS ANECDOTE-SPECIMENS OF DEVOTIONAL ELOQUENCE-SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH-THE MAIDEN-A CURIOUS RELICK-EDINBURGH VOLUNTEERS-SCOTTISH THEATRICALS-SINGULAR THEATRICAL ANECDOTE-MRS. SIDDONS― MACKLIN A NATIONAL CHANGE-MORE THEATRICAL ANECDOTES.

IT is related, that when Handel's Messiah was first performed, the audience were much affected; and when the chorus struck up "For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth," they all rose with the King, who happened to be present, as by one involuntary motion, and remained standing till the chorus ended; and hence arose the fashion of afterwards standing during that chorus in future. Handel was so sensible of the effect of divine music, that a few days after the performance of the above oratorio, he called upon the late Lord Kinnoul, who paid him many gratifying compliments upon the elevated pleasure which he had afforded the town; upon

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which Handel said, "My Lord, I should be sorry if I only entertained them; I wished to make them better."

In Holland, where there is the same church establishment as in Scotland, I saw several fine organs, particularly the celebrated one at Haerlem, which possesses the vox-humana stop. The Dutch, in this respect, have a better taste than the Scotch. Before I quit the subject, I cannot help mentioning, that, when I afterwards visited Glasgow, I began to think the national prejudice was beginning to yield in favour of sacred music, in consequence of my observing an organ in one of the churches there; but, alas! this innovation in the rigid discipline of Calvin was censured by the Presbytery of Glasgow in the following resolution: "That the Presbytery are of opinion, that the use of organs, in the public worship of God, is contrary to the law of the land, and to the law and constitution of our established church; and therefore prohibit it in all the churches and chapels within our bounds; and, with respect to the conduct of the clergyman in this matter, we are satisfied with his judicial declaration, that he will not again use the organ in the public worship of God, without the authority of the Church."

The Scotch appear not to have made much improvement in their psalm-singing since the time of the unfortunate Mary, if I may be permitted to judge of her feelings by my

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