§ SIR ROBERT PEELsaid, he wished to ask the Lord Advocate, What are the duties and emoluments of Her Majesty's High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and out of what fund the Commissioner is paid; what is the total amount of salaries paid to the several officers in the department of the Lord High Commissioner, and out of what fund such salaries are paid; and, whether the Established Church of Scotland is in a minority in that part of the United Kingdom?
THE LORD ADVOCATEThe right hon. Baronet has asked me what are the duties and emoluments of the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. In answer to the first part of the Question, I may say that the Lord High Commissioner represents 1885 Her Majesty in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. During the sitting of the Assembly in the Scottish capital, the Lord High Commissioner holds levées, and discharges other duties, as the representative of Royalty, in which members of other Churches, as well as those of the Established Church, take part, out of respect for the Commissioner as the representative of Her Majesty. The allowance made to the Commissioner to defray the expenditure of that office is £2,000, which was formerly defrayed out of the hereditary revenues of the Crown in Scotland; but in consequence of the surrender of those revenues, the sum is charged upon the Consolidated Fund. I am not aware of any other salaries paid to other officers in the department of the Commissioner; and I believe that the sum I have mentioned is necessary in order to defray the expenditure connected with the office. In the Census of 1861 in Scotland no account is taken of the religious opinions of the people of Scotland. It is, therefore, difficult to give a precise answer to the last part of the Question of the right hon. Baronet. I may state, however, that estimates have been made tending to show that members of the Established Church of Scotland constitute about one-half of the population. But I am quite aware it is possible other parties may hold the opinion that the Established Church is in a minority, as compared with the aggregate of the several other religious communions in Scotland.