A. CAMPBELL IN EDINBURGH.

ON Lord's day the 8th, brother Campbell delivered two lectures in Edinburgh, one in the South-bridge Hall, the regular meeting place of the brethren, and the other in the Waterloo Rooms, to most attentive audiences. Indeed, that in the evening was overflowing, hundreds, if not thousands, went away unable to obtain. admittance. On Monday the 9th, a third lecture was delivered, subject, "The office of the Holy Spirit in the church of Christ." The attendance, though perhaps not so numerous as on the previous evening, was nevertheless very large and orderly.

On Tuesday morning three gentlemen, whom we suppose to be clergymen, called upon brother Campbell to congratulate him on his arrival in Edinburgh, &c. &c. and to inquire of him the position which he held towards American slavery. Brother Campbell, with his accustomed frankness and urbanity, told them all the truth; not suspecting in the least they use the intended to make of this short interview. But the devil was at work, and he evidently intended by these agents to turn the attention of the people from the gospel of Christ, to a subject, to say the least, but very partially understood by the people of Great Britain.

No sooner were these gentlemen gone, than brother Henshall remarked, they had no good design in their visit. Shortly afterwards brother Campbell was placarded the length and breadth of Edinburgh as the abettor and upholder of menstealers, and that he had been a slave-holder himself although he was not one now, but had given it up because of its unprofitableness, and not on account of its sinfulness in the sight of God.

Brother Campbell had engaged to deliver his last lecture in Edinburgh on Friday the 13th ult. The subject selected was "The true principles of Christian union as revealed in the New Testament. This lecture he reluctantly gave up. The excited state of feeling manifested, even by the cold calculating Scotchmen, on this occasion, took the place of their more intelligent and sober judgment. In consequence of this, and in vindication of himself against the unmanly, unjust, and iniquitous statements, sent forth to the public by Mr. Robertson, brother Campbell announced by placard through the city, his intention to deliver a lecture on Friday evening on the true position in which he stood towards American slavery-admittance by ticket, price sixpence, the money to be devoted to the Royal Infirmary. This proved to be a wise and judicious arrangement, otherwise the crowd, we may say, the mob, would have been immense, and nothing but confusion could have resulted.

Brother Campbell in commencing his lecture made some preliminary remarks in which he referred to the course he had adopted as a disciple of Christ during the last thirty-eight years of his life-the manner in which he had been received through the United States-the success which had followed his labours-the reasons for his taking a tour through England, Scotland, and Ireland—and, finally, the causes which now led him to vindicate himself against the allegations brought against him on the slave question, he proceeded to read the following correspondence:

THE REV. J. ROBERTSON'S CHALLENGE.

To the Reverend Alexander Campbell, of Bethany, Virginia, United States, America.

SIR. As I promised at our interview, yesterday, I beg to hand you the enclosed anti-slavery pamphlet.

The position which you hold in America as the leader of a sect; the opinions which you have published in reference to slave-holding; the fact that you have been a slave-holder yourself, and did not relinquish it because of its sinfulness, but for other reasons; and the fact that you now hold religious fellowship with slave-holders, appears to me to render it necessary that you should not be permitted to quit the capital of Scotland without receiving a PUBLIC CHALLENGE to vindicate, in the city of Edinburgh and before a Scottish audience, the position which you occupy in regard to American slavery.

That challenge I beg, hereby, respectfully to present to you, and declare that I am prepared to maintain that your POSITION and OPINIONS on the question of AMERICAN SLAVERY and SLAVE-HOLDING, are at once UNGODLY, UNCHRISTIAN, and INHUMAN.

The time and other conditions of the debate can be mutually arranged.

Hoping that you will see the propriety of accepting of this challenge, I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most humble servant,

Edinburgh, August 11th, 1847.

JAMES ROBERTSON.

REPLY TO THE REV. J. ROBERTSON.

To the Rev. James Robertson.

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SIR. Your letter of to-day was handed me this evening after my return from Kirkaldy, together with Mr. Thompson's speech in the Music Hall, Edinburgh, June 1846, for which please accept my thanks.

Your allusion to my position as a leader of a sect in America, however courteously intended, with your allusions to my position in reference to American slavery, rather indicates your own opinion of my position in both respects, than the facts of the case. I am neither the leader of a sect, nor the apologist of any system of slave

holding, ancient or modern, English or American. I do indeed teach that all Christians should form one community on the catholic foundation that " Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God,” irrespective of all difference of opinion on either the politics or the metaphysics of existing sectarian institutions. If, then, the advocacy of Christian union or Christian principles be sectarianism, I must plead guilty of the charge, otherwise I am neither a sectary, nor the leader of a sect.

the

As to your allusions to my opinions published in reference to slaveholding to the alleged fact that I have been a slaveholder, and to my reasons for emancipating my slaves, they are still more imaginative, unfortunate, and exceptionable, than your reference to my position to a sect. And still worse, I have to-day seen a placard of which, from certain allusions in it to our conversation of yesterday, I must suppose you to be the author, in which you call upon citizens of Edinburgh to "beware of me," that is, I presume, not to hear me on the subject of religion; for in no other respect are they in danger of me. Now in all these particulars, to say the least, I am sorry I cannot commend the candour, the liberality, the justice, or the conscientiousuess, which I had expected from a gentleman sustaining your moral and religious associations in this community.

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I am, sir, according to your placard, advertized as the defender of manstealers." Had you said that I was in your opinion a defender of manstealers, then, indeed, while I might regret the frailty of your logic, I could not regret that of your morality. If to take up an evil report of one's neighbour is no characteristic of an inhabitant of Zion, still less is it to originate and put into circulation an evil report against him. To one less accomplished than yourself, I should not have thought it would have appeared allowable to give to his neighbour for his offer or for his character the construction which any one may please to put upon one of his expressions, especially too when informed by his neighbour that he both reprobated and abjured the theory and the practice implied in such an imputation.

But to return from the placard to your letter-to the opinions which you say I have published in reference to slaveholding-Have you read my opinions? or only some garbled extracts from some ex parte representations of them? Have you not other opinions of mine upon the subject which would have more fully and justly exhibited them, and my position to American slavery, and have placed these extracts which you have quoted in a proper light before this community? Did I not in your presence say, in response to one of your company, that the opinions expressed in the Christian Baptist are still my opinions? Why, then, did you not also lay these before the public with those you have given? Did I not also intimate to you that the opinions expressed by the Free Church of Scotland were the same as those which I had published in America? Are they, in your judgment, defenders of men stealers? You say that I have been a slaveholder, and did not relinquish it because of its sinfulness, and therefore my position is ungodly, unchristian, and inhuman. You had only my word for it that I had ever owned a slave, and you

had my word also that I had owned some without buying them; also that I had bought others for the purpose of emancipating them-and that I had emancipated them; some for one reason and some for another; and that I had not owned one for many years. Why, then, did you not equally honour my word and tell the whole truth without suppressing one part of it and misconstruing another part of it, adding, that I did not relinquish it for its sinfulness, leaving it to be inferred that it might have been for its unprofitableness, or for some other cause? Was this done for a good effect or for a bad effect on the public mind, as it appears all to be done for public edification? Indeed, I have learned that your letter to me was placarded and exhibited at the door of the Waterloo Rooms before I had time to

answer it. You must be panic stricken. Do not think, my good sir, that I am going to carry all Edinburgh with me, not leaving you a single adherent. Be calm; be patient. Hasten leisurely!

But, sir, may I ask by what code of morality or politeness are you allowed to call upon a stranger, as if in common courtesy, without informing him of your intention; availing yourself of his frankness and candour, soliciting his opinions without informing him of the use you intended to make of them, and immediately on leaving him, walk into a printing office, placard his opinions, and then address him by letter for publication, as you have now done in that lying before me? I have, sir, believe me, too high an opinion of Scotland-dear to me from many pleasant associations, and of this Modern Athens, its elegant and enlightened metropolis-to think that your conduct is in harmony with its elevated standard of good taste or of good manners. I will not, therefore, ex uno discite omnes, take you, sir, as a proper representative of what is esteemed polite or moral at this meridian, until public opinion should have passed its sentence upon your conduct on this occasion. I opine, sir, that Scotchmen will not order any stranger or citizen first to be chastened, and then to ask him what he has done.

But in good keeping with your preface and introduction, you have challenged me to mortal combat, on pain of being proved "ungodly, unchristian, and inhuman," should I differ from you in a question of moral expediency, and that too, after you had first ascertained that I could not possibly accept it, having printed and published appointments and engagements throughout Scotland and Ireland for every day until late in September; and that too, to meet said appointments, after redeeming my pledges in Edinburgh, leave on Saturday next. Truly your bravery and courtesy are admirably unique and elevated.

Well, sir, as you are a very clever and lion-like man, if the AntiSlavery Society will endorse you as a trust-worthy champion of its cause, I hereby inform you that your challenge is accepted; and according to the mode of mortal combatants in this chivalrous age and nation, you having given the challenge, it is mine to choose the arms, and mode of using them. My appointments are printed and circulated for every day till the 22nd of September, and with the exception of one or two days after that, every day till the 4th of October, when I sail for the United States. I propose then to exchange with

you three essays of ten octavo pages, each to be simultaneously printed; yours in the affirmative, and mine in the negative; first, in the Anti-Slavery periodical, or some other popular paper in Scotland; and also in the Christian Messenger in England; also, in the Millennial Harbinger, which circulates through North America ; and also the Abolition paper printed in Washington city, United States. As I can attend to this amidst my travels; and as a printed argument will be more concentrated and useful than an oral one, your object can be more effectually gained and on a much larger field, than by a few speeches orally delivered to two or three thousand people in Edinburgh. I doubt not you and the public will concur with me in opinion, that this will be a more useful and effectual way of spreading our views before our contemporaries. I cannot therefore doubt your ready acquiescence. While, sir, I may thus show that you cannot sustain your allegations, I will, I hope, be able to show, without assuming too much, that my position to American slavery is the only moral and religious one, which a Christian well read in the Bible, Old Testament and New, can possibly sustain, and that yours is dishonourable alike to Moses and to Christ, so far as you make your theory a condition of Christian esteem and comWith proper respect,

munion.

Your obedient servant, A. CAMPBELL.

Edinburgh, August 11th, 1847.

P.S. It will be important that I hear from you to-morrow, as I leave on Saturday morning; and that arrangements be made for the carrying out of your challenge. It will be expedient that your first essay be sent to me as soon as possible that I may respond to it immediately. I will mention P. C. Grey, 81, Candlemaker's-row, who will send them to me as soon as put into his hands. I will, all things concurring, read your letter to me, and my response to you, on Friday evening, and will deliver a lecture on my position on American slavery in the Waterloo Rooms, at half-past seven o'clock. A. C.

REPLY TO MR. CAMPBELL.

To the Reverend Alexander Campbell, of Bethany, Virginia, United States.

SIR. Your letter of the 11th inst. in reply to my challenge, has only reached me this morning. You inform me that MY CHALLENGE IS ACCEPTED; but instead of agreeing to meet IN PUBLIC DEBATE IN THE CITY OF EDINBURGH, you propose that we shall exchange THREE ESSAYS OF TEN PAGES EACH."

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THIS, SIR, IS AN EVASION, AND NOT AN ACCEPTANCE OF MY CHALLENGE. I did not challenge you to A PAPER WAR, but to a PUBLIC DISCUSSION IN THE CITY OF EDINBURGH.

Let not the plea of previous engagements prevent you from meeting me face to face. I shall wait, if you wish, till your engagements are over; at the same time, I beg leave to say that the people of Great Britain and Ireland, will listen all the more readily