thought a great and most important movement by the promoters of the cause.  There were, however, parties at that crowded meeting who thought that even this was a mere expedient—­that it was a mere pruning of the branches, leaving the whole system intact.  One of these was the late Dr. Andrew Thomson—­[cheers]—­who had the courage to propose that the meeting should at once declare for total and immediate abolition, which proposal was seconded by another excellent citizen, Mr. Dickie.  Dr. Thomson replied to some of the arguments which had been put forward, to the effect that the total abolition might possibly occasion bloodshed; and he said that, even if that did follow, it was no fault of his, and that he still stuck to the principle, which he considered right under any circumstances.  The chairman, thereupon, threatened to leave the chair on account of the unnecessarily strong language used, and when the sentiments were reiterated by Mr. Dickie, he actually bolted, and left the meeting, which was thrown into great confusion.  A few days afterwards, however, another meeting was held—­one of the largest and most effective that had been ever held in Edinburgh—­at which were present Mr. John Shank More in the chair, the Rev. Dr. Thomson, Rev. Dr Gordon, Dr. Ritchie, Mr. Muirhead, the Rev. Mr. Buchanan of North Leith, Mr. J. Wigham, Jr., Dr. Greville, &c.  The Lord Provost proceeded to read extracts from the speeches made at the meeting, showing that the sentiments of the inhabitants of Edinburgh, so far back as 1830, as uttered by some of its most distinguished men,—­not violent agitators, but ministers of the gospel, promoters of peace and order, and every good and every benevolent purpose,—­were in favor of the immediate and total abolition of slavery in our colonies.  He referred especially to the speech of Dr. Andrew Thomson on this occasion, from which he read the following extract:  “But if the argument is forced upon me to accomplish this great object, that there must be violence, let it come, for it will soon pass away—­let it come and rage its little hour, since it is to be succeeded by lasting freedom, and prosperity, and happiness.  Give me the hurricane rather than the pestilence.  Give me the hurricane, with its thunders, and its lightnings, and its tempests—­give me the hurricane, with its partial and temporary devastations, awful though they be—­give me the hurricane, which brings along with it purifying, and healthful, and salutary effects—­give me the hurricane rather than the noisome pestilence, whose path is never crossed, whose silence is never disturbed, whose progress is never arrested by one sweeping blast from the heavens—­which walks peacefully and sullenly through the length and breadth of the land, breathing poison into every heart, and carrying havoc into every home—­enervating all that is strong, defacing all that is beautiful, and casting its blight over the fairest and happiest scenes of human life—­and which from day to day, and from year to year, with