ASSEMBLY, GENERAL, in Scotland, Ireland, and the United States, denotes the highest court of the Presbyterian. church. It differs from the Anglican convocation at once in its constitution and in its powers, representing as it does both the lay and the clerical elements in the church, and possessing supreme legislative and judicial author ity in all matters purely ecclesiastical. The general A. of the established church of Scotland consists of representatives, clerical and lay, from all the presbyteries of the church, The royal burghs of Scotland also return elders to the general A. of the estab lished church, and each of the Scottish universities sends a representative. The A. meets once a year, in the middle of May, at Edinburgh, and sits for 10 days. Its deliberations are presided over by a moderator, whose election is the first step in the proceedings, after a sermon by his predecessor. In former times, this office was some times filled by laymen: among others, in 1567, by George Buchanan. In modern times,
the moderator is always a clergyman. 84 presbyteries, composing 16 synods, return members to the general A. of the established church of Scotland. Its relation to the state is represented by a royal commissioner, who exercises no function in the A. beyond that of adding by his presence the sanction of the civil authority to its proceedings. The other functionaries are a principal and a clop ity clerk, both clergymen, a procurator, and an agent. All business not dispatched du.i ig the session of the A. is referred to a com mission, with the moderator as convener. which meets Immediately after the dissolution of the A., and again quarterly. The general A. of the free church of Scotland, which has 16 synods comprising 71 presbyteries, and of the Irish Presbyterian church, are sim ilarly constituted, the principal point of difference being the absence of the royal com missioner. See PRESBYTERY, SYNOD, BARRIER ACT, etc.