Star.
London, England, 1830-07-01 00:00:00

SCINTILLif.

A provincial journal advertises for sale, " A London-
built handsome phaeton, nearly new, made to avoid the duty."
Amongst the " coincidences" connected with the reign
of the late King, it may be mentioned that there is no other in.
snore to the annals of Great Britain, in which the sceptre of these
realms has been swayed by four successive Sovereigns of the saute
name.
The Rev. W. S. Bowles remarks, that wherever there
is a cottage with a flower at the window, or a bird cage at the door,
thu owner is comparatively happy, and generally moral in proportion.
Very great interest is excited at Maelstrecht, near
Ghent, by the criminal prosecution instituted against a clergyman,
who, assisted by two other reverend persons, inflicted the punish.
mcnt of the knout on a woman, by way of inducing her to live
tuously with her husband. The instrument of torture was nothing
less than the cord of the church clock. Great efforts are making to
rescue the clergyman from punishment, on the pica of insanity.
A letter which appears in the Nicutv en Adverfente-
blad, dated the 12th of this month, from the chateau of Lor, gives
an account of a Bavarian, born blind, who with his mouth alone can
produce the most melodious sounds and harmonies of several mu.
siral instruments. The most remarkable arc the flute duos, and the
sounds of an harmonica, which resemble the exquisite music of the
Bohan-harp.
The ft/Boning curious case of divorce came before the
Civil Court of Paris a few days ago :—A young artist married a
lady poss.ssing a good fortune, and who had received an sitcom.
plished education. On the wedding night he perceived that his wife
was already tar advanced in pregnancy, in consequence of which he
immediately separated from her, and the nride was delivered of a
child littera day; afterwards. Precc things *sere thereupon insti.
tuted to obtain a divorce. The Com t decietsd that the d'‘..
not be allowed, but online! ..
......name of .la husband • •
had been given to the r!... .• .•1 be erased from the has: •
register.
Gouts Lows t • Citisa.—A vow!. bringing a Mfrs
of riot '(it being purely ece:.nd not torming a part oulyof •Ste Whig),
is admitted free of duty, and no prevent is eetieted, a ralaxsen t no
doubt having its origin in much wisdom, and r apri :mire of
watchfulness of the government OUT the welfare of the re ol• . r
in an article of such general consumption, it must alway.
sidezatum to have it brought to an average of easy access by that.
part of the community which forms the majority of every nation.—
But in China there arc no corn laws ; no maximum or minimum
line to protect the agricultural interest. And in a vast population,
where rice forms a very essential part of its food, a redundancy is
never feared ! Low prices are never dreaded ! since by them, the
poorer and more industrious part of society is rendered happy and
contented.—Caidon Ilcgislcr.
O.lTIls IN CHIN importsible to govern n ith-
out them, say the Statesmen in the British eenote. And more than
that, they 'cent to say by their practice, the more the Mater. TI:;
Deity is appealed to by law, many times a day, about pounds, ehi!.
ling~, and pence ; in which appeals, 99 out of a hundred, arc per-
juries. But even taking the average of perjury at a much lower
rate, suppose one out ola hundred, or even suppose none, still we
deny the right of any inferior authority, to make so many frivolous
appeals to the Supreme Power. China is governed without oaths.
We believe no Chinese court ever administers an oath ; and China
is the most populous country on earth ; it is theta/lye possible to
govern without oaths.
Gaales FL It s.—All around Kwong-choir-foo, there is
a class of pavane, who make gambling their business. Sometimes
they meet in tlower.boats, and sometimes in houses rented for the
purpose. The gamesters, who arc occasionally people of family.
literary rank, and some property, form partnership+, and inveigle
the sons of rich nien to play. To inspire confidence, they wear large
gold rings round their wrists. When once the simple become stu•,•:.
tied with the love of gaining, they are soon ruined. There arc seven '
noted gamesters in the neighbourhood. Cheonghcem is the first, a
literary Doctor, .50 years of age, an exceedingly bad man. profligate,
and devoted to gambling. Feichingpo, a fat old woman, 70 years
of age, still in robust health, and boxes well. She else has pugilism,
who attend her as bullies. A tea merchant, many years ago, bought
her from the haunt:: of prostitution. At his death, he left some
money, with which she commenced a gaming-house, and connected
herself with police runners, swindlers, and such like, to whom she
was a liberal:patron. She has now amassed, it is said, a lac cf
She lives on the 'blend llonam' opposite Canton ; anti, the breath
of scandal whispers, is admitted to the acquaintanceship of a Hong
merchant's wife, who has consented to be considered the adopted
mother of leichingpo's adopted son. Ilungkweize is bath a sintig.
glee, and a gamester, &c. &c. Feitauk lea great boxer, anti ili311;e:OS
leader in gaining and kindred vices. The law of China on guni:•g
is, ell who play for money or goods, shall receive nth blows. The
property found in a gaming-house shall be confiscated. Those who
keep a gaining-home shall be subject to the tame punishrue ;a. To
play for eirinkables or eatables is no offence.
WIVES AND CON CI'DIN ES IN CH IN Procia-
motion by Sung the Poonyu, or Whampoa magistrate, to prohibit
husbands front disordering the relative ranks of wife and concubine.
and to rectify the public morals.—She who is married by the ga.
dual process of customary presents is a tsei. or wife : she who runs
precipitately like a wild cow, is a tacep, or concubine. By these
circumstances. the honourable and the mean arc clearly di. tingt.iblL.l.
If the am:tiler be made the greater, or the base made the lionoLtataie.
the consequences are most serious. When a mistress.modeer Is in ,
the house. no audacious hand.maid must be allowed to overleap the
severing bridge. The wife in-doors, holds the authority; hoe
suffer a flattering cenculdne to cajole her lord! 1 have lately dis-
covered, that in this district there are daring and profligate meted:.'
are abandoned to wild licentiousness; by whom gay and attful ce::.
cubines are indulged in separate rooms, with their side affections
whilst die wife of their ',nom days is despised, or looked Os with
dislike and anger, because of her want of chewy beauty. The wife
is left cold, neglected, and solitary,—a widow with a husband !
whilst the concubine is dearly beloved, and every night treated Mier ,
a new bride. She then insinuates her lying tales, her words are his.
tened to and her plots complied with. The deeds done in a dark
place cannot bear to see the light. Meretricious arts are forthwith
produced by hundreds ; and the nearest kindred, related as bones
and flesh, are excited to scowl upon each other. Such sac the ruin.
ous customs which prevail, and which merit the deepest and bitterest
hatred. The ancient adage is very true : " Families well regulated.
will produce a well-governed state." I therefore issue this procla-
mation to interdict, most strictly, these ruinous customs ; and exert
my utmost strengtk to reform them ; that the honourable may be
honoured, and the mean treated according to their mean condition,
and the relation between husband and wife clearly established. The
ancient yikkitig classic says; " When the dual powers in nature
harmonize, then die rain and genial showers descend. ond shin
these descend, then the fruits of the earth are produced." To these
ends I issue my orders, requiring all Concerned in ininrin
selves of the tenonr of this proclamation. anti to see that they here-
after distinguish correctly between wife and concubine. if after
this wanting there be discovered the same disorder in fiuniiies
before, I am resolved to punish the offenders without nter...
Tremble at this ! Give heed to this ! Despise it not ! " For woes
and concubines to appear before magistrates, to accuse each other,
the one of cruelty, and the other of usurpation. is a common occur.
mice in China. The law of the case is, " whoever puts his wife in
the place of a concubine. shall be punished with a hundred blows of
a round cudgel ; and whilst his wife is alive, whoever puts a
cubine in the plats aids wife shall be punished with ninety blows.
and order be restored. Notes on the law say ; " The wire it the
husband's equal ; a concubine is only one who is permitted to ne
him occasionally. The honourable and the base are clearly ,Ls-
tinguished, and should not be confounded. To depress the ho-
nourable, mid exalt the base, is absolute rebellion again', ',vial
order and therefore offenders arc punishable so severely."

BIRTH.

O the 30th ult. Mrs. E. fic-a-c-1;;-. of Burtomerosernt. of 3

• MA itliED.
At the Hague, on Thursday, the 24th ult. at the Hotel Of i!i*4
cellency the lion. Sir C. liagot. his Britannic Majesty's Anibas+.3.
dor, Captain G Hay, R.N. second son of General Hay,
Governor of Edinburgh Castle, to G. M. Whitefoorti, four:n ,!ati4h-
ter of Sir J. R. Whitefoonl.—On Monday the 28th ult. by spe::.ll
licence, at Lieut. Gem Wetherall's, Camiebear.houge. Great 17
Commissary-General Sir G. Wood, to Louisa. eldest th0..!,1
the late General Fanning, formerly Governor of Prim: Lis .1
Island.

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