Star.
London, England, 1826-11-02 00:00:00

CHILIAN AND PERUVIAN MINBL

The Shareholders of the Chili= and Peruvian Mining
Association, met yesterday at their Rooms, White Lion-
coon, Cornhill, to hear the Report of the Directors on
the present state of that Concern. All the Gentlemen
belonging to the Press were freely admitted, with the
exception of a Reporter of a Morning Journal, who was
at first excluded on account of an unfair and unfounded
attack upon the Association having appeared that very
,morning in the Paper to which lie belonged. After a
short ti are, however, the Directors, satisfied with having
marked their sense of the unjust article against them,
consented to his admission.

The Report was then read by the Secretary. It was
upon the whole favourable, and stated that 20,0001.
more would suffice to carry the concern into complete
.effect. It left it, however, to the Proprietors to form
their opinion as to the propriety of proceeding, and de-
clared that the Directors had not taken one farthing for
their services.

Mr. Alderman LVCAS, Mr. GOLDSMIDT, and two
other of the Directors, gave it as their opinion, from the
difficulty of raising more capital under the altered
state of the public opinion with respect to these specula-
tions, not from any want of confidence in the success of
the Company, if adequately supported, that it was pru-
dent the Company should be dissolved.
A motion to the effect that the Company should be
dissolved, and its concerns wound up by a Committee,
was then crrried. Fourteen days were given to the
Scripholders to come in and sign, though it was stated
to be improbable there would be any thing worth con-
tending for to receive.
Thanks were voted to the Cbainnan, and the Meedng separated.

It is stated that there were 26,533 slaves embarked
on board Brazilian vessels, on the African coast, be-
tween the first of Ju1y,1825, and the first of July, 1826,
for the Rio de Janeiro market. Of these poor creatures,
1,540 died on the passage; and 24,728 were landed at
the Brazilian capital.
The sailors in Bristol are very foolishly standing out
for wages. Sixty shilling per month is the sum they
require, whilst in London and other places forty-seven
shillings and sixpence only is given. There is an unusual
number of unemployed men in the port, but the mer-
chants are determined to resist so unreasonabie a demand.
The Governor of Gibraltar has issued a proclamation,
declaring the neutrality of that port during the contest
between Spain and her former colonies, forbidding the
entry of cruises, belonging to any of the belligerents
with prizes, and prohibiting the equipment of any ships
of war, or the preparation of any hostile expedition by
either party, within the limits of his jurisdiction.
The Court, of Cessation on Saturday decided a most
important point respecting the slave trade on the coast
of Africa. The question proposed for its decision was,
whether simple preparations for carrying on the trade
constitute the offence described in the law of. the 15th
of April, 1818, and subject the parties to the penalties
inflicted on those who are proved to have taken part in
this infamous traffic ? The Court decided in the affir-
mative, and-annulled a contrary Decree of the SOperior
Court of Senegal.
The rejoicing and feasting of the Chinese during their
holydays have ceased; their theatres are closed; the
Feast of the Lanterns, with the clamour of its noisy ac-
companiments, is over for a season, and the inhabitants
have at length returned to their usual occupations, and
the business of commercial life goes on with its accus-
tomed activity. The chief amusement of the Chinese
on these occasions is gaming ; the taste for it is univer-
sal, and amongst the richer classes large sums are lost
and won. Hazard is the-only game that is played, and
they have no games of address which might interest the
players without the excitement of staking money. Few
quarrels take place at the gaming table, and it is worthy
of remark that during the period of the holydays which
has just past, there did not occur a single instance of
riot or dispute, requiring the interference oldie Police.
Feasting (i. e. good living) is an indulgence which all
classes make a point of enjoying at this season ; and so
general is this practice, that in every settlement of the,
Archipelago inhabited by Chinese, provisions of the bet-
ter sort experience a considerable rise in price during
their holydays, rind in Singapore this year, all descrip-
tions of animal food rose 30 per cent. above the usual
cost,although large supplies had been previously brought
to the settlement to meet the demand.—Singapore Pap.
At a sale of old and curious arms and instruments,
which took place a short time back at Hamburgh, and
which had been collecting, at great expense, during a
number of years,* shield, which was said to have been
used by Joan d'Arc at the siege of Orleans, was pur-
chased by a Spanish merchant for the sum of 2,370 fr.
Deodands, which arise from a death by misadventure,
in implying the forfeiture of the instrument by which
that death is occasioned, are peculiar to the Coroner's
Court : they had their origin in a day of superstition,
and were supposed lb be a recompense for bloodshed,
and to appease the wrath of Heaven; their application
was to pious uses by the hands of the King's Almoner.
Deodands belong to the Crown, or to the Lords of Li-
berties having grants of deodands enrolled. A Jury is
to assess the value of the forfeiture, which must be at
the time in motion, it being supposed by our ancestors
that a body perfectly at rest could never be instrumen-
tal to the death of an individual, which gave rise to the
ancient maxim, " Umnia moventia ad mortem sant deo-
danda." It is sufficieptly obvious, that an authority
founded on such considerations, will require the exercise
of a sound discretion, inasmuch as the thing forfeited
and assessed may not, in many instances, belong to the
offender, and then the penalty would fall on the too&
lending prbprietor, and the culprit escape from justice:
to rectify which grievance on the proprietor, and to pre-
serve the ancient usage of the country, the Court of
King's Bench has constantly refused to interfere with
the measure of damage, or the value of the thing for-
feited, the effect of which,is, that the deodand becomes
in the nature of a fine, discretionary in the hands of a
Jury, to punish those who have offended; but not so.as
to have incurred a felonious breach of the criminal law.
Thus modified and administered, both the Crown and
the Lord of the Manor retain their ancient rights, and
the law of deodand is made a useful appendage to the
criminal jurisprudence of the country ; while the penalty
of discretionary fine, in a case of great ,culpability, ope-
rates both as a salutary caul ion and punishment to
master and servant—to the first, as a reasonable punish-
ment for having employed an improper and incautious
agent; to the latter, as it let-islets him li.ohle not only to
the damage which his ras!nsess, negligence, and wilful
folly have exposed his employer, but . lso to the proba-
ble loss of his character and situation. Deodands ate to be
recovered by returning the inquisition and a sessment
into the Crown-office, upon which a venire to answer
may be issued, and the amount levied by the Sheriff.