The Sun.
London, England, 1829-04-24 00:00:00

LEICESTER CHORAL SOCIETY.

The second meeting of this Society, under the
able direction of Mr. GARDINER, took place yester-
day morning, at St. Margaret's Church, in that
town. The orchestra consisted of upwards of a
hundred performers. The principal airs were al-
lotted to Miss LLOYD, late of the Royal Academy
of Music, and Mr. C. BLAND, of the Theatre Royal
Covent-garden. Miss LLOYD sung an air from
Judah, an oratorio composed by Mr. GARDINER,
He that ruleth Israel, with a brilliancy of voice and
splendour of execution that delighted the audience.
The favourite song of HANDEL, Angels ever bright
and fair, was given by that young lady with a deli-
cacy of expression, and a touching pathos, seldom
equalled. Her voice is of the highest order—it is
rich, sweet, and powerful. Her intonation is per-
fect. She is rapidly rising in her profession, and
will ere long become a great favourite. In addi-
tion to her qualifications as a singer, she posseses
powerful personal attractions. Mr. BLAND sung—
Softly rise, oh Southern breeze, in a pleasing and
unassuming style. The performance closed with a
motetto of MOZART, which was well managed.—
The church, although very large, was filled, and the
performance gave great satisfaction.

SILK TRADE.

A. BILL TO IMPOSE DUTIES ON THE IMPORTATION OF

SILK ND SILK GOODS, AND TO ALLOW DRAW.

BACKS ON THE EXPORTATION THEREOF.

Whereas it is expedient that the duties now
payable upon the importation of silk and silk goods
shall cease and determine, and that other duties shall
he imposed in lieu thereof; be it therefore enacted,
by the King's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with
the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and
temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament
assembled, and by the authority of the'same, that
from and after all duties payable
_

- -
upon the importation of silk and silk. goods, under
any Act or Acts now in force, shall be repealed;
and that from and after the said
there shall be raised, levied, collected, and paid unto
his Majesty the several duties of customs set forth
in figures in the table hereunto annexed.
And be it further enacted, that it shall not be
lawful to import into the United Kingdom any
manufactures of silk in any ship or vessel which is not
of the burden of 70 tons or upwards; nor to im-
port any such manufactures, being the manufactures
of Europe, into any port, except into the ports of
London, Dublin, and Dover.
And be it further enacted, that upon the impor-
tation of silk goods, the drawbacks of the duties
payable on the importation of thrown silk set forth
;n figures in the table hereunto annexed, shall be
allowed.
And be it further enacted, that the drawbacks
granted by this Act shall be allowed only in respect
of exportation to be rsade by the persons in whose
names the amount of duties to be drawn back had
been paid, or to be made by any holder of any written
order signed by any such persons, transferring the
right of making such exportations and of receiving
such drawbacks thereupon.
And be it further enacted, that the said drawback
.hall be allowed, although the manufactured silks,
.11 respect of which the same shall be claimed, shall
oot have been made of the thrown silk, in respect of
which the amount of duties to be drawn back had
been paid.

SOUTH AMERICA.

(From the Buenos Ayres Papers.)

The political news of the week is important, and
the destruction of Molina's force places the province
in a very imposing situation, as it regards the hos-
tile provinces. It is already rumoured that Santa
Fe has made propositions of peace. The following
official account has been published announcing the
defeat of Molina's force :

" Division of the North, Palmitas, Feb. 8.

" The undersigned Colonel of the division of the
north is happy to inform the Inspector-General, to
whom this is addressed, of the extermination of the
banditti of the south. At nine o'clock in the even-
ing of the 6th, the undersigned arrived at the vil-
lage of Pergimans with the 17th Regiment, and that
of the Hussars, after a march of 15 leagues, where
they passed the night ; and at eight o'clock in the
morning of yesterday, he received notice from his
spies of their having seen suspicious persons in the
neighbourhood, upon which an officer of the 4th
Hussars was sent to take them. This officer made
them prisoners in sight of the chief Molina ; and
from information obtained, the undersigned imme-
diately put himself in march, at two o'clock in the
morning, for the point which was occupied by Mo-
lina and 500 banditti. He was charged on the left
by the 17th Regiment, under Colonel Parngles,
and on the right by a squadron of Hussars, com-
manded by Major Milian.
" These perverse men had not the boldness to
resist the charge, but were dispersed and pursued
in all directions to a distance of eight leagues. It
is not easy to calculate the number of the killed,
from the different routes by which they were pur-
sued, but it was very great. Captain Segua of the
Blanderguiz Regiment, and some other officers,
were recognized among the slain. The chief Mesa
was made prisoner ; the persons called Ministers of
War, Cespedes and Jose Montes, with 131 men and
1,500 horses, were also taken. Molina escaped
with 20 men, favoured by good horses. We had
two soldiers slightly wounded."
The bulletin then proceeds to recommend the
officers and soldiers to-the notice of the Govern.
ment, and is signed Isidoro Suarez, and is addressed
to the Inspector-General and Chief of the Staff,
Don Ignacio Alvarez.
(From the Buenos Ayres British Packet of Feb. 22.)
A Court-martial was held to try Mesa, second in
command to Molina, who was taken prisoner in the
affair of Palmita, on the 7th ; and on the 14th the
sentence was promulgated, viz. the Court had found
Nlajor Mesa guilty of treason and rebellion, and
judged the said Mesa to suffer death. The sen-
tence was carried into execution on Monday morn-
ing last.
A platform was erected on the plaza, upon which
the prisoner was to undergo the ceremony of being
stripped of his uniform. Near it some regiments of
infantry were drawn up, with their bands and co-
lours. Exactly as the clock struck ten the troops
shouldered arms, the gates of the prison were thrown
open, and Major Mesa, guarded by troops appointed
to shoot him, came out, his head uncovered, a small
crucifix in his right hand, attired in a blue military
jacket and white trousers. Two Franciscan friars
attended him, one on each side, and he responded
to their prayers in a-firm tone, and walked without
faltering or any assistance ; he mounted the platform
without hesitation, and the process of degradation
took place. One of the soldiers girded a sword to
his side ; an officer's military hat was placed on his
head; after which, these appendages were taken
from him ; he spoke to those around him apparently
with considerable animation ; a drum on the plat-
form was beating; he then descended with the same
firmness, seated himself on a bench near the ditch
of the fort, and tied the handkerchief round his
eyes ; the soldiers fired, but as he still moved the
fire was repeated, and he ceased to exist.
General Lavalle, with the army, has proceeded to
the north, having left a respectable force at the
southern frontier.
Au officer arrived yesterday morning (Feb. 2'

from him, with despatches dated 'Fatal, the 29th
and 30th ult.; they confirm the news of the de-
struction of two villages of Indians, leaving in his
power 300 women and children.

Lady BYRON is in treaty for Hales-place, near
this City! Her Ladyship's rePidence at Bifrons, we un
derstand, will be occupied by the Archbishop of CANTER.
BLT RT.-Kent Herald.

COMPARATIVE SALUBRITY OF THE
SEVERAL COUNTIES OF ENGLAND.

The following observations, relating to the
salubrity of different districts in England, are
founded on extracts from the Parliamentary re-
turns laid before a Committee of the House of
Commons. The counties in which the mortality
was above the average were—Middlesex, where
it was 1 in 26 ; Kent, where it was 1 in 41 ;
Warwickshire, where it was 1 in 42 ; Cam-
bridgeshire, where it was 1 in 44 ; Essex,
where it was also 1 in 44 ; Surrey, where it was
1 in 45 ; the East Riding of Yorkshire, where it
was 1 in 47 ; Lancashire, where it was 1 in 48 ;
Of these eight counties, four are subject to agues,
namely, Kent Essex, Cambridgeshire, and the
East Riding of Yorkshire, comprising all the
counties of that description, except Lincolnshire,
in which the mortality was below the average ;
for it was 1 in 45, the average being 1 in 58-7.
The smaller degree of mortality in this last is, no
doubt, owing to the great portion which the dry
and upland ?art of this country bears to the fenny
districts. That there is a great difference in the
mortality in these is proved by their respective
returns. The mortality in the town of Boston,
for instance, which is situated in the fens,
is 1 in 27 ; whereas that of Stamford, which
is in the dry and upland division, is 1 in 50.
It may be asked whence arises the greater mor-
tality of the other four counties, of which the rate
is above the average ? With regard to Middle-
sex it is imputable, no doubt, to the various
circumstances adverse to health peculiar to the
metropolis ; such as the more intemperate habits
of life, and perhaps still more the unfavourable
influence of the air of this great city, particularly
on young children. It is worthy of remark,
however, that London has of late years been im-
proving in salubrity,—for it appears by the bills
of mortality, that the burials invariably and con-
siderably exceeded the christenings till a few
years before the close of the last century ;
whereas, since that time, the christenings have
generally exceeded the burials. This may, in
part, be ascribed to vaccination ; but it cannot
be entirely owing to it, for the decrease of bu-
rials took place some years before that admirable
discovery. The first year on the records of the
bills of mortality in which the births exceeded
the burials in the metropolis was 1790. To the
great diminution of mortality among young
children, so as to amount now to little more than
one-half of what it was as late as the middle of

the last century, we have already adverted. In
further proof of the improving health of Lon-
don, it is stated in the Parliamentary Report that
the annual mortality in 1700 was 1 in 25 ; in
1750, 1 in 21 ; i❑ 1801, and the four succeed-
ing years, 1 in 35 ; and in 1810, 1 in 38.
The increased mortality in the middle of the
last century has been imputed to the great abuse
of spirituous liquors, which was checked about
that time by the imposition of high duties.—
The other causes of superior health seem
to consist in a general improvement in the habits
of life, particularly with regard to ventilation and
cleanliness, a more ample supply of water, greater
abundance and better quality of food ; the im-
proved state of medicine, and the better manage-
ment of children. The high proportion of mor-
tality in Surrey is no doubt owing to its contain-
ing a portion of the metropolis, consisting of a
population of 170,000, which is more than one-
half of the whole county. The- high rate of
mortality in Warwickshire seems at first sight
the most difficult to be accounted for, the air of
this part of the kingdom being very salubrious.
It is, no doubt, owing to the town of Birming-
ham being situated here, for it comprises two-
fifths of the population ; and the mortality of
the average of the last tell years is 1 in 31. The
mortality ill this town is greater than in Man-
chester, Leeds, or Norwich. The operations in
metal have been alleged as the cause of this ;
but it is more probably owing to the want of at-
tention to cleanliness and ventilation, particu-
larly with regard to the streets, which are very
narrow and dirty. With regard to Lancashire,
where the mortality is somewhat above the ave-
rage, the number of large towns and extensive
manufactories, affording a great proportion of
artisans to rural inhabitants than in any other
county, except those in which the metropolis is
situated, is certainly the cause of this ; for the
air is very salubrious, and the greater quantity
and cheapness of fuel is extremely friendly
to life, health, and comfort. It is, probably.
owing to this advantage, that the inhabi-
tants of this county, particularly the females,
have become noted for their well-formed persons
and comely countenances, forming a contrast
with those of Buckinghamshire, where the fuel
was extremely scanty and high priced before the
late extension of the inland navigation, so that
the labouring classes suffered peculiar hardships
from this privation, and are of a stature so in-
ferior, that the militia-men are, by Act of Par-
liament, admissible at a lower standard than in
the rest of England. -The report of Manchester,
which is the second town in England in point of
population, forms an exception to the rest of
Lancashire, far the mortality there on the ave-
rage of the last ten years was one in 58, and in
1811 one in 74 : but that of Liverpool was one
in 34 on the average of ten years, and one in 30
in 1811. In the former town we have another
pleasing picture of the progressive improvement
of health ; for it is stated by the late Dr. Perci-
val, that in 1757, the annual mortality of Man-
chester was 1 25-7 ; and 1770, one in 28, al-
though at the former period the population was
not quite one-fourth, and at a later period not
one-half the present amount. This improve-
ment of health is clearly imputable to certain re-
gulations of police, particularly with respect to
ventilation, recommended and introduced by the
above-mentioned benevolent, enlightened, and
active phys;cian. The like progressive amelio-
ration of health is deducible from these public
documents with respect to the whole kingdom,
and which, in all probability, we shall, on a
future occasion, lay before our readers.—
Gazette of Health.

The Monopoly of the East India Company
begins to attract public attention throughout the whole of
England ; and deputies from all the principal towns are
expected shortly to arrive in London to confer with Mini-
sters on this subject. Mr. BUCKINGHAM'S Lectures,
which have produced this effect in the country, are every
day acquiring greater popularity in town. The attend-
ance on them at A LMACK'S has already been more nume-
rous than either in the City or at Freemasons' Hall ; and,
among the audience on each day, have been a number of
ladies, as well as Members of both Houses of Parliament.
It is Mr. BUCKINGHAM'S intentio❑ to repeat his Supple-
mentary Lecture, on the Evils of the East India Mono-
poly, and the best means of removing them—once at the
city of London Tavern, on Monday, the 27th instant, be-
ween the hours of five and seven in the evening, to admit
of Merchants attending it after Change; once at the Crown
and Anchor, in the Strand, on Tuesday, the 2Sth instant,
from seven to nine o'clock in the evening, for Central Lon-
don ; and once at the British Coffee-house, Cockspur-
street, Charing-cross, on Wednesday, the 29th instant,
from twelve to three o'clock, fur the Members of Parlia-
ment, and the Nobility at the West End of the Metropolis.