LETTERS FROM THE OLD WORLD.

NUMBER LIII

EDINBURGH, Feb. 6th, 1858.

MY DEAR FRIEND.—It is more than a fortnight since I returned to this, my Edinburgh home, where a welcome, far beyond my deserving, met me from that clear and valued friend, who has been most appropriately designated, 'a mother in Israel.' So many pleasant meetings with friends have been my engagements, that I have no leisure to tell you of my recent peregrinations.

It was a dull, dreary, drizzly day when I bade farewell to Glasgow, but soon, (as we were whirled away by the Iron king,) every sign of mist disappeared, and the sun shone out in full splendor as the 'modern Athens,' with its picturesque hills, crags, turrets, towers, monuments, and Castle, were, once more, revealed to my captive gaze. I am never tired of admiring Edinburgh; all other cities look tame in comparison with it. Whether I climb the heights of the Castle, or Calton Hill, or stand on the North Bridge, or cross the Mound, or enter the City by the railway that runs between the old and new town, viewing on one side, the 'steep' 'glories' of the Castle, and on the other, the beauteous monument to the gu[i]de Sir Walter Scott, I find my self ejaculating, How beautiful! No city can be so picturesque as Edinburgh.

'Edina! Scotia's darling seat,
Hail to thy palaces and towers!'

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Since my return from the North, I have had some happy re-unions with dear friends, who were absent from Edinburgh when i can in the Autumn, and the weeks have whirled rapidly by, not giving me one leisure evening, to attend to the claims of my distant, but never forgotten friends. If these lines meet the eye of any such, they will, I trust, acquit me of neglect, or forgetfulness. 'Je ne change qu'en mourant' is my motto.

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I have recently met the Glasgow and Falkirk Anti-Slavery Societies, and in both cases I was much pleased, and interested. My dear friend, Mrs. Dr. Robinson, is not President of the former Society, and as the late president never came to the meetings, the change will be highly

beneficial in many respects. It is much to be regretted that our noble friend, Hon. Chas. Sumner, was prevented by a mistake, from meeting when in Glasgow, with the Gentlemen's Committee of the new Anti-Slavery Association. On that Committee he would have met with gentlemen entirely conversant with the subject of slavery, and Anti-Slavery gentlemen, whose hearts bent warmly in the cause of freedom, and who would have been delighted to grasp the hand of the noble Senator; and to have heard from his own lips, his hopes, and fears, and ardent aspirations for the true freedom of all his countrymen.

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Monseiur Jullien has been honoring Caledonia with his company and concerts of late. He possesses the gift of catering most successfuly to th epublic taste. His band are the very perfection of harmony and time, and he the leader always treats the highly cultivated muscians of his audience to some delicious music of Mozart, Beethoven or Medelssohn, played in perfection, while, towards the close, there is, usually, some clap trap performance for the general public.

To my surprize GRIST sang at this series of Concerts. Her voice, perhaps, is not as powerful as it once was; but it is as sweet as ever, and her "Vedrai Carino" was exquisite.

I have been several times lately, to hear readings from teh great Elocutionist, Melville Bell. I much enjoyed his Edgar Poe's 'Raven.' he made us, intuitively, look round to see the ill-omened black bird sitting at the door; and some of us listened in trembling apprehension, least the sound of the onimous 'tapping,' should be heard, 'evermore.'

His reading of 'the Ancient Mariner' was, perhaps, more open to criticism. A friend of ours at Halifax, reading this wonderful poem of Coleridge, more effectively, to my thinking, some months ago, in his own drawing room; at least, the supernatural came over me much more then, and I saw the dead men more vividly, than when hearing Mr. Bell. If Coleridge had only written his 'Ancient Mariner,' and his 'Hymn at Sunrise, at Chamouni,' his fame would have been immortal.

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I have been to hear some of the leading preachers in Edinburgh, whome I did not hear on my first visit. Dr. Robert Lee, of the Established Church, is known far and wide, as a great scholar, and learned man, as having introduced sundry innovations into his Church. Such as standing to sing! and kneeling to pray! having a written liturgy! and stained windows! If elt some curiosity to hear Dr. Lee, especially as he is now

one of our Queen's Chaplains. The first time I went to his beautiful Church of Grey Friars, a stranger officiated, in the absence of the Doctor. I was, however, much struck by the solemn stillness that pervaded the place by the deep devotion of the liturgy and the simple earnestness of the preacher.

Next Sabbath, Dr Lee conducted the service, I was agreeably surprized to hear a thoroughly Evangelical discourse of rare intellectual power, and entirely free from either 'German Rationalism' or 'Puseyism,' the two opposites, of which I had heard the learned man accused. Standing to sing and kneeling to pray, is such a turning upside down of the long established Presbyterian usages, that one does rather wonder how any minister can violate these time-honored customs, and yet remain in the church. The singing was very sweet, and the stillness that preceded and followed the service, would be copied advantageously by many other Presbyterian congregations. I greatly enjoy the preaching in Scotland, but always wish our friends North of the Tweed, would, in the places of worship, ensure more of the outward form of devotion; for though a mere form, is, in itself, worthless, stillness without, must tend to promote the spirit of devotion within, and religious aspirations are not likely to be increased by listening to the shuffling of noisy footsteps; or by looking at the hasty putting on of hats, &c. I know fully well that many of my dear Scottish friends lament this drawback to devotion in their churches, and surely it might be remedied, or whence is it that the church of the Rev. Mr. Caird in Glasgow, and Dr. Robert Lee's church in Edinburgh, are free from it?

I have heard Dr. Guthrie several times of late, and always with interest. He is, you know, the most popular preacher in Edinburgh. Dr. Candlish has, also, a large regular congregation, and is deemed by some, second to none, in preaching, yet is you once lose the thread of his discourse, the interest is greatly lessened; at least, se we found it.

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From the one end of the Island to the other, we are in no small commotion, on account of the recent attempt to assassinate the French Emperor, and the circumstances, that have followed; but you see the papers regularly, and I do not desire to enter upon political matters. There is no fear that our amicable relations with the French will be disturbed; of course, it is natural that our neighbors should be indignant, and therefore we need not wonder that a few of of them were rash in what they said, in the hear of the moment about England, and of course it is quite

natural that the Hotspur spirits on this side of the Channel, jealous for the honor of their country, should have taken up the matter. But, if any brother Jonathans are hoping that the alliance between England and France (of which I know some of them were jealous,) is at the end they will, I trust, be disappointed.

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In the brief letters, that from time to time, I write for you and your readers, my dear, I wish to avoid all references to personal attacks and misrepresentations, emanating from men wo have no fear of God before their eyes,' and who, entirely ignorant of the grace of disinterestedness themselves, cannot comprehend its existence in others; but, since friends of mine, and friends of yours, and of that important cause we are abhorring to serve, requested you to bring to serve, requested you to bring the matter before the attention of your readers in your paper, and in accordance with their wishes you have done so in the paper now before me, I take this opportunity of saying, that, I trust, you will in future, keep all misrepresentations of malignant Editors and partizans out of your columns, since my friends do not need convincing of my disinterestedness, and we are quite sure our enemies never will be convinced!! If the Editors of that virulent little journal, persists in publishing what is untrue, and meanly declares to publish a direct contradiction, when it is sent him, by a gentleman, the best way will be for you to rebut the falsehood, but, instead of troubling the readers of your paper with the article, (the majority of whom never see the attacking journal,) send it over toe Mr.—that it may be printed and circulated among all the readers of the attacking paper.

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I am much interested in the accounts of your friend Mr. Robert Johnson, that reach me from various friends here, to some of whom I have introduced him. In his profession he is progressing most satisfactorily. Professor Miller and Dr. Gordon give him a high character. When we think that nine years ago he was a slave in Lexington, Kentucky, his present standing is wonderful. His advantages are great, and, I trust he has the sound good sense, to make the most of them.

The weather continues very mild, for the season of the year, but the East winds must come soon, and the season when they prevail is the least pleasant on the eastern coast of Scotland.

This is a disjointed epistle, written in must haste. Excuse all deficiencies. Remember me kindly to all enquiring friends, and believe me as always,

Yours, most truly

JULIA GRIFFITHS.