Star.
London, England, 1822-04-18 00:00:00

" bIEXICO.

" Before the insurrection of the year 1810, the kingdom con-
tained 6,000,000 of inhabitants, and it is worthy of remark, that
PROVIDENCE has been no less lavish in the distribution of her
gifts as respects mankind, than in the fertility and production of
the earth; the natives of this country, not excepting even the
Indians, being endowed with a quickness of perception and abi-
lity to acquire and make themselves masters of the arts and sci-
enees, that is very notable, and far exceeds that of the inhabi-
tants of Old Spain, and, perhaps, many other c•untries. At the
abuvemcntioned period, the kingdom may be said to have been
at its acme of prosperity; the Royal revenue exceeding twenty
millions of dollars, and the money coined at the Mint of this
City upwards of 28,000,000 annually ; it has, however, ever
since been on the decline, in consequence of the devastations
committed by both parties in the long and cruel war carried ott
between the Europeans and Americans, so that the population
cannot now be computed at more than 4,000,000; the revenue
at more than half what It was; and the money coined yearly at
I Rom Ave to k 4000,000 this year it will not exceed 4,000,000."

CPR ICE SEVEI,I7IMNCB.

PARLIAVENTARY PROCEEDINGS.
HOUSE OF COMMONS, APRIL 17.
Mr. MAYNARD, from the Southwark Court of Requests, piez,
muted a Return pursuant to an order of the House:--Otdercd
to lie on the table.

The secoad reading of the Marriage Act Amendment Bill was
postponed froth Friday next to Friday the 26th instant.
Mr. W. DUNDAS presented a Petition from the Candle-
makers at Edinburgh, praying for relief from the whole or a
part of the present duty on candles.—Ordeied to lie on the table:
Lord STA NI.F.Y postponed the second reading of the War
rant of Attornies' Bill till Monday next.
Sir F. OM NIA NN EY presented a Petition from Samuel
Brown, Captain in the Royal Navy, praying permission to bring
in a Petition for a Bill to erect a flying pier at Brighton.—Re.
ferred to a Committee.

Mr. P. 3IOORE presented a Petition from the Conunis-
sioners of Sewers against the Bill for Paving and Lighting Cam-
den Town.—Ordered to lie on the table.
Lord A. HA MILTON presented a Petition from certain in=
dividuals belonging to the Corporation of Rakers, in the Royal
Burgh of Perth, on the subject of the 13111 for Regulating Scotch
Burghs, and praying the House to take their situation into Rs
consideration.—Ordered to be printed,. •
Mr. KEN NRDY presented a Petition on the same au* et
from the Conveners of Trades in the Burgh of Ayr.—Ordered
to be printed.
Mr. SHAW presented Petitions from the Parishes of St.
Andrew and St. Nicholas Without, in Dublin, stating it to be
their opinion that the proposed Repeal of the Malt Duty would
afford little relief in that part of the United Kingdom, and sug-
gesting instead of the abandonment of the Malt Duty, a repeal
of the Window Tar.—Ordered to lie on the table.
_ _ _ _

Air. A 1.1..01 gave notice, that on Thursday, May 16, he
would move to refer to a Committee the last Report on the sub-
ject of Welsh Judicature.

Mr. C. W. WYNN postponed the second reading of the
York‘bire Election Polls Bill, till the 29th instant.
Mr. HUME wished to know whether the Returns in detail
relating to the Irish Civil List were ready to be laid before
the House ?

The Marquis of LONDONDERRY hoped it would be id
his power to answer that question to-morrow or very shortlyi
but at present he was not in a situation to do so.
Mr. BENNET called the attention of the House to the
state 'of the law with respect to accessaries before the fact in
certain cases if felony. lie pointed out the evils which were
found to result from the present system. Ile shewed that in
various cases those who were highly culpable escaped the punish.
ment they deserved from the defective state of the law, and he
proposed to give the Court a discretionary power in aggravated
cases to sentence to transportation. Ile moved for leave to bring
in a Bill to amend the law in question.—Leave was given to
bring in the Bill.
Mr. BENNET next brought under the consideration of the
House the state of the law with respect to certain crimes which
came under the head of Manslaughter. In the most aggravated
cases, at present the Judge bad only the power of sentencing
the offender to twelve mouths imprisonment. Such a punish..
ment was, in many instances, wholly inadequate. He noticed
two instances of this sort which had recently occurred, the one,
that where an unfortunate man had been thrown from the win-
dow of a house of ill fame, and who, after sustaining the most
excruciating torture for several weeks, had died : the other that
of a chimneysweep, who had lost his life through the inhuman
treatment he had received from his master. He thought it de-
sirable that in such cases a discretionary power should be given
to the Court to inflict severer punishini.nt than twelve months
imprisonment. With this view he moved for leave to bring in a
Bill to amend the existing law with respect to Manslaughter.
Mr. C. W. WY NN thought there was no part of our law so
deft; Live as that which related to the crime of manslaughter.--
Coder no head were cases so widely 'different comprehended as
under that of manslaughter. The most accidental destruction
of life, and the mcst determined killing, in some cases, were in •
cie eye of the law the same, and the Judge, in the most aggra-
sated case, could do no more than sentence the party to impits
sonment for a year, except by burning in the hand, which was a
species of punishment which no Judge would inflict, if it were
open to him in any other way to mark his horror for the crime.
—Leave was given to bring in the Bill.
The Marquis of LON DON D E ItRY said, when he had given
notice of a motion on the Report made by the Committee ap.
pointed to inquire into the existing Agricultural Distress, it was
by no means his intention to interfere in any way with the
motion, of which notice had been given by the Right Honour.
able Baronet opposite. That he might not do so, he would now

put uhf his motion till the Friday ; but as the lite;t
importance of the subject made it desirable to avoid unneces-
sary delay, he wished it to be understood as peremptorily
fixed for that thy.
In answer to a question or remark from Mr. PiIIT.LITS, the
Noble Marquis stated Friday week to be the latest period to
which he proposed to defer btimring the subject forward.—The
motion was accordingly fixed for EidAy, 26th inst.
Lord BELORAV F. presented a Petition from certain Land.
lords in the City of Chester, expressing their satisfaction at find-
ing that a Bill had been brought in to facilitate the Recovery of
Small I)ebts under £l5, and praying that the same may pass
into a hw.—Ordered to lie on the table.
The Report of the Irish Bank Charter Act was read, and the
Resolutions agreed to.
AGRICULTURAL. DISTRESS.

Sir THOMAS LETHBRIDGE said, it was again
his painful duty to bring a Petition on the subject cf
Agricultural Distress before the House. He held in his
hand a Petition from the Owners and Occupiers of
Land, Tradesmen, and others, of North Curry, in the
County of Somerset, in which the Petitioners com-
plained of the distressed state of Agriculture. To
afford them relief, they considered it necessary that
the expenses, of the Government should be greatly
diminished. They stated themselves to have perused
the Report of the Committee which had sat on agri-
cultural distress, and were considerably disappointed
with its contents. The measures which it contem-
plated, they could not regard as adequate to meet the
evil. The import prices which it proposed to fix, they
thought would be rather detrimental to the farmer
than otherwise. They wished the I louse to institute
an inquiry to ascertain at what price grain could be
imported from other countries by merchants, and to
compare it with the price at which it could be grown
in England, and this done, it would be seen that
higher prohibitory duties were necessary than were
at present proposed. The Petitioners had gone into
a calculation, which he had not examined so far as
to be able to say that he could go along with them
in it, but it set forth that the valiatien of one shilling
per bushel in grain was equal to the whole rental of
arable land. This calculation, if it e.tablished no-
thing else, proved how anxious the Petitioners were
that the subject should he fully inquired into. The
Petitioners further stated, that. it was necessary that
all kinds of agricultural produce should receive
greater protection, fur the question did not rest solely
, on the measw.es which might be adopted with respect
to corn.' Unless such protection were accorded, they
I declared, and in this he agreed with them, that with
their present burdens, with the tithes and parochial
taxes which they now paid, they could not continue
to carry on their concerns. Ile noticed the effects
produced by the alteration of the currency, and cone