The Sun.
London, England, 1831-04-06 00:00:00

UNION-HALL

Yesterday, Mr. Burton Newenham was brought
before Mr.- CHAMBERS and Mt. 1111_TRRAY, charged
with threatening to shoot a gentleman, named Pittar,
his father-in-law.

The complainant stated that the defendant, who
is a young man possessed of considerable prop, ty,
=tried his daughter some time ago, and that, owing
to his brutal conduct towards her, she had aban-
doned his roof, and sought the protection. of her
parentS. She was now lying in a condition that
thero were but slight hopes of her recovery ;
and she solemnly conjured both her father and !ne-
ther not to permit her husband to see her, declaring
that she was convinced his pre-enee would so much
alarm her as to deprive her of life. On the preced-
ing evening, however,.the defendant did call, and an
interview luiving been refused, he declared his fixed
determination to see her, let what might be the con,
sequence ; and, in order to effect his object, when
prevented from entering the house by the hall door,
he endeavoured to get over the garden wail, threaten-
ing to shoot the complainant if he thre+7 any impe-
diment in the way. Before, however, he had time.
to intrude himself into the dwelling, he was given
into the custody of a policeman, and taken to the
station-house, where he had been confined until that

morning.
The defendant denied that he had ever ill-treated
his wife, and accused the complainant of being in-
strumental himself in urging his daughter to dese)t •
her own home for that other parents.
Mr. Pittar declared that he had used no mentl°
whatever to induce his daughter to leave.,bigne•
She had abandoned the defendant owing to his sri.l- •
duct towards her, and quitted his housp sporitusit,!.•
ousiy.
'rheigagistrates consulted Ify
aei 11:oe'af' 4-10",441(7-1
the
tit to find .treo~y twit,
made no to the Teapot's_lbj
nested themielvesii— tos.iturltstiiti.--

SINGULAR CEREMONIES AMONG THE
ANCIENT MEXICANS at the BIRTH of a CHILD.

As soon as the mother. was delivered of the
infant, they put it into a cradle, as it repre-
sented ; and, when it was four days old, the
midwife took the infant in her arms naked, and
carried it into the court of the mother's house,
‘4 hick court were strewed reeds or rusher,
which they call tule, upon which was placed
a small •essel of water, in which the said mid-
wife bathed the said infant ; and after she hail
bathed it, three boys being seated near the said
rushes eating roasted maize, mixed with boiled
beans, which kind of food they named yxeue,
which provisions or paste they lay before the
boys, in order that they might eat it. After the
said bathing or washing, the said midwife de-
sired the said boys to pronounce the name aloud,
bestowing a new name on the infant which had
been thus bathed ; and the name which they
gave it was that which the midwife wished.—
When they first carried out the infant to bathe
it—if it was a boy they carried him holding his
symbol in his hand, which symbol was the in-
strument which the father of the infant employed
dither in the military profession, or in his trade,
whether it was that of a goldsmith, jeweller, or
any other; and the said ceremony having been
gone through, the midwife delivered the infant
to his mother. But if the infant was a girl, the
symbol with which they carried her to be bathed
was a spinning wheel and a distaff, with a small
basket and a handful of brooms, which would
afford her occupation when she arrived at a pro-
per age. They offered the umbilical cord of the
male infant, together with the shield and arrows,
the symbols with which they carried him to be
bathed, in that spot and place where war was
likely to happen with their enemies, where they
buried them in the earth ; and they did the
same with that of the female infant, which they
in the same way buried beneath the metate or
stone on which they ground meal. After the
above-mentioned ceremonies, when the period
of twenty days had expired, the parents of the
infant went with it to the temple of Mezquita,
which they called Calmecae, and in the presence
of their Alfaquis, presented the infant with its
offering of mantles and maxtles, together with
some provision ; and after the infant had been
brought up by its parents, as soon as it had ar-
rived at the proper age, they delivered him to
the superior Alfaquil of the said Mezquita, that
he might be there instructed, in order that he
might hereafter become an Alfaqui ; but if the
parents of the infants resolved, that when lie at-
tained a fit age he should go and serve in the
military profession, they immediately offered
him to the master, making promise of him,
which master of the young men and boys was
named Teacitcau or Telpuchilato, which offering
they accompanied with a present of provisions
and other things for its celebration ; and when
the infant attained a fit age, they delivered him
to the said master.—Aglio's Antiquities of
Mexico.