The Sun.
London, England, 1825-09-01 00:00:00

the East India Civil Service. Now, before
any trading Company could prudently offer
such assurances, the Hospitals and various
Asylums for Lunatics, for pregnant women, &c.,
must have been extensively examined. The effect
of different climates on human life, could only
be accurately ascertained from painful and labori-
ous inquiries conducted on an extensive scale.
When first the probabilities of human life at dif-
ferent ages were ascertained from tables of mor-
tality, and it was found, that what at first
view appeared accidental, could be reduced to
certain laws, an important and beneficial dis-
covery was made. Prudence was thereby enabled
to guard, in a great measure, against what must
always to a feeling mind appear a fearful subject
of a pprehension,t he destitution of dependent con-
nections, who, by the duration of life to a given
period, would be secured against want. What
an advance from the state of the savage, secure
against no accident, to this state of certainty with
1 respect to the object which men have most at
heart ! But still numerous classes of persons were
excluded from the benefit. The general law of
mortality was discovered ; but the law of mor-
tality in particular classes remained to be as-
certained. Even the probability of ,life in ma.
niacs, it appears, may be laid down with tlec
certainty of a law. Those to whom prope,':y
devolves on the death of these unfortuate per-
sons, or who by such death lose the possession of
property, may even here secure themselves
against fortune. On the importance of the dis-
covery of the law of life in our Colonies, to their
relations at home, it is unnecessary for us to
dwell. We remember being very much struck
with the mention of some facts respecting
births, by a gentleman extensively employed
in Annuity Investigations. It had been found
that the proportion between males and fe-
males born, was affected by the age of parents,
that the proportion of the sexes, for instance,
differs in illegitimate births (where the female
parent is generally young) from that in births
from marriage, where the parents are of all ages,
and that in a country in which marriages are
early, the proportion in the sexes born differs
'rorn that in a country in which marriages are
ater.

CIIINA.—(From a Montreal Paper.)—The
following is a copy of a paper printed in English
type on Chinese paper at Canton, and delivered
on board vessels arriving there,. for the guidance
of all concerned. The laws therein mentioned,

it appears, are rigorously executed. It will be
recollected that the whole commerce of England
with China was near being interrupted not long
ago, in consequence of a Chinese having been
killed, accidentally, it was said, by something
being thrown into a Chinese boat from an English
vessel :
Copy of Translation of Extracts from the Chinese Criminal
Code of Laws, transmitted to the President of the Select
Committee by the Viceroy of Canton, in April.
1. A man who kills another on the suspicion of.theftshall• be
strangled, according to the law against homicide committed in
an affray. • •
2. A man who fires at another with a musket and kills him
thereby, shall be beheaded, as in cases of wilful murder ; if the
sufferer is wounded, but.not mortally, the offender shall be sent
into exile. ' • .
3. A man who'pliti to death a criminal whcrhad been appre-
hended and made no resistance, shall be strangled, accordingto
the .law against homicide committed in an affray.
4. A man who falsely accuses an innocent person of theft, in
cases of greatest criminality, ir. guilty of .a capital offence ; in
all other cases, the offenders, whether principals or accessories,
shall be sent into exile.
5. A man who wounds another unintentionally shall betided
according to the law respecting blows given in an affray, and'
the punishment rendered more or less severe, according to the
degree of injury sustained.
6. A man who, intoxicated with liquor, commits outrages
against the laws, shall be exiled to a desert country, there to re-
main in a state of servitude.
The foregoing are articles of the laws of the empire of China,
according to which judgment is passed on persons offending
against them, without allowing of any compromise or extenu-
ation. •

PEARLS.— Th e imitation Pearls of French ma
nufacture having lately appeared in our Police
reports, the public probably are not aware that
they are open to great deception in purchasing
precious stones, in their variety of colours and in
appearance to the real gems. This imposition is
only to be avoided by the respectability, honour,
and long established credit of the parties with
whom you make your purchase. Of the trans-
parent stones, the emerald can be admirably
copied, as also the ruby, the sapphire, the pink,
and the yellow topazes, Ike.; they are produced
by foreigners in this country b-y cutting a colour-
less crystal to the form required. This being
accomplished, it is divided into two pieces, hav-
ing the two flat surfaces repolished, and a co-
louring matter mixed with transparent varnish
is laid between the divided stone, and so
judiciously brought in contact, that the division
is scarcely perceptible, but to the scrutinizing
eye of a judge. These imitations are denomi-
nated, doublets; many of which are foisted by
the unprincipled natives of India upon our young
inexperienced Europeans on their arrival in
the country. They have been known to send
them over to England as valuable presents to
their friends, when the imposition has been de-
tected. The turquoise is also very closely imi-
tated by the French, and has been offered for
sale as real to the London jewellers. It perhaps
will not be unimportant to our Readers, to know,
that that beautiful gem the opal, full of its re-
frangibility of colours, is not above imitation by
one of our English chemists, so as to have de-
ceived those well acquainted with the stone. How
the variety of prismatic colours are introduced ap-
pears a secret, and only one particular stone is
capable of being so changed as to enhance its
value. The discoverer of this transformation had
overtures made him to a considerable extent, to
undertake the multiplying of them, but.he de-
clined the offer. The test to detect them is very
practicable by taking them into the mouth for a
few minutes, and it. is deprived of its colours.—
If a real stone, the colours are unalterable and
pure. The hest method to detect a doublet is to
use a powerful lens, and minutely examine the
edge of the stone, when the division will appear
conspicuous.

•
A Court of Juquiry is sitting at New York on
the American Commodore PORTER, whose name was so fa-
miliar during the last American war. The proceedings are
not given ; but it is intimated that, whether acquitted or
not, he will quit the service of the States. He has, it is said,
the offer of being made an in the Mexican navy.