Star.
London, England, 1829-04-20 00:00:00

MONDAY EVENING, APRIL /8M

bijou are of great importance, and will probably
represented in the Cabinets of England andiVraoce.-7
The subject in question ii the slave trade, which is eat-
sham with mote audacity than ever. A. slave ship of
this. island has been captured at sea by an Eselivb
frigate, which put on boards prize master. fifteen Beg-
lishmen, and ten free aggress, subjects of his Britannic.
Majesty. After some days *ailing the French attacked
the English, sad woueded•several of them, made theme
selves austere of the ship, and sailed for Guadeloupe.
They landed the English at Dominica, and have brought
to this colony their cargo of slaves, whom they have
sold, as well as ten megrims belonging to the Bogilish.
though they were born free."
Charles IL hat recently purchased the valuable col-
lection of books connected with it life and works ed.
Petratch,,made by M Maraud, one of the PrOfetnorn.,
in the University of Padua, and editor-of the admirable
,edition of the works of that great poet, published a few
Teals ago. This collection, of which a cataanguemeis
recently published at Milan. undet the title of Dtb&w.s.
Petrarcheseicontains about 900 volumes, and it cloth's*.
into three classes. The first compeisera comps also
lection of ell•the editions sif the poetical. works. of PC. i
trareh since 1470, the date of the first printed edition.
The second compri es all the translations of the worki
of this poet into the French, Latin, Spanish, Gee man, and
English languages ; it includes the works of all the
Cornotentmots on the Poet, as well as copies of all that
is ca netted with the Biography of Petratch. Tile third
class is formed of a great number of manuscripts on
vellum and papas, of the poem: or of works connected
with thy Poems of Pet arch. The honks. on their arrival
at Paris, are to be deposited in the Louvre.

OR I HURLA, Amt. 3.
♦ PRIVATE LIT/11A.
The number of victims hitherto dug out of the ruins
of the towns destroyed by the earthquakes, amounts
already to more thin 5,000, and that of the peri.oris
,wounded or mutilated, more than double the number.
The houses destroyed are between 6 000 and 7600.
Thi wine and oil of last year are lost.
. FILMY Fosse—Rants. Ann: 17 —Mee per Cents. 11111 r. 40e.
30e. 35e.—Three per Cents. 71If. Moe. 43e. 40e.-41ash &cock,
1,5531. 1,8531. SOe. 1.500 f. Naples Stuck, Of. 14E1104—Royal
apish Loan, wig sar —3panisb Route perpotoeUe, 54,41;
Hay tisn Loan, 500?—Exchange on London, one monk, Inf. 40s.
'"—Throe months 115 L IS..

PARLIAMENTARY REPORTas GOVERNMENt
LI FS ♦ "IMMO
(MIAMI /ROW Ma. lianavasenes mem.),

The huh 4 au questions having reference to the
failure- or continnaoce of We'll well known to be the
law of mortality. or the probability that.a human being,
who mar heist any gives year of age. will die in that
same year. If thit be accurately determined for each
and every single year in the natural lite of mankind, all
other questions whatsoever, of it financial nature; ante
cspable.of precise solutio‘being merely so many arith-
metical results.. The said probabilty, however. can only
be arrived' at through the experience of what has al-
ready happened to a- treat number of other hontan
beinge.all is the very same circumstances with the per-
eon Whose case is under consideration. Thus, it an
English Gesitlnnen, at this tins, aged 45, is the pascal.,
whose chance of dying in a single year is the subject or
inquiry, it may be answered that as experience hat
'shown• heretofore, in regard to 8.679 other person', who
were all in irks manner of the age of 45, these died
is a year. only 108 of theta,, so the Gentleman
itef questing has 8,571 chromes. for living a year, and
only 109 chances foe dying,out of, so great a number
lerevhances altogetheris 8,679. If -there *me a millios
of such persons, all 45 years old, the proportion who
would die ins year is thetefore 12 44i, and the oum.
bet who would not die is 987,5564• the individual
*poke* abet. of course, the one.millionds part of those
chances respectively, birth against. and for him, which if
obviously thedecimal fraction 01244 for the probably
.lity of dying-, and 987,556 for the probability of living.
Supposing that the areetors of any large 'and long
establi.hed insurance office were to permit the publica-
tion of the rate of mortality eapetienced in such iest/Or-
tion for the last $0 years. there can be urn doubt that
sbeY would htable to furnish the followittg particulate
to a high degree of accuracy-Ist. A list o 1 their mem-
bers on a given dip (suppose the Ist of April, 1799),
with the ste. of each person on that day.' Li. A list of
new members subsequently enrolled with the date of
that enrolment, and the age of the party in every case.
15d. Agaistst 'each name in eldest list there could be
titten the date of the tut premium received from the
,party, if no claim bad beep made. on the office for the
sum insured. and the precise date Of his death in case
there had been such a claim. Now, as the exact mgr
of the party when.enrolJed is the basis of the contnict.
;there
is great-risk and small temptation iis presuming
to impose a forged certificate.on the office, and it seesba
scarcely necessary to inqiire whether thrweis any chance
dutch tilting being wilfully practised. Theodora dates
relate to, matters too well knows) in the out* itself to
admit of any doubt. If so, it is. matter of dernonstrio
non that a correct report of the number of deaths at
'each age,and of the auasher of living persons at each
'age, out of which such deaths happened, may. be set
forth with almost positive certainty.
-In regard to the nominees of life annuities purclot
,front the State, it is plaio that the pseceding parti-
culars are to be attained with equal accut.cy.
'besides the stifling temptation to commit a fraud et.
ell, there is also saperaddod the metal gush okfal
sweartaai and the sublunary ;iambics of forgery and
:'perjury all those facts and dates being tecorJeJ
'on judicial testimony. Thr great mass of those no
minces are the shareholder. in the several tontines.
.and were nominated its infancy. when a concealment of
'age would have answered no beneficial . purpose w hat-
'ever to the p•oprietar. la. Use I:te auouities letely
'charged on the Sinking Fund, the purchase is. maile in
old age; and when the annuity iscou:ideratOe, the price
is se formidable that it cannot be adiracced but by
people of some note in society, and whom it is impair.
'sink to suspect of perjury. Without the oath and ps.-
rochiat cei;iscate, however, it is admitted that the
mates pet haps might strive hard to understate their age.
from vain and foolish, but not oort.spt motives, because
it is against their interest to do so. t
It the date of a death i". as a matter' of course, well
known at an insurance office, it is no less so in regard to
the nominees of lite annuities, for these ate never paid
without the most solemn judicial testimony on oath,
that the parties are alive.. No one abandons a life an.
nutty which in practice is .1 ways payable twice a year;
consequently, if there should be six successive payments
unclaimed, there is reesonro suspect the nominee to be
dead, although no suchivent were reported. -The in-
ference, hOwevei, would not be just it a shorter period
were fixed on, barna*, many annuitants leave three or
four payments otter dire. The friends of the nominee,
in respect Of the life annuities of the Sinking Fund,
ate 'Wowed a quartet
.of the' annuity on proving the
death; so that it is to their interest to report the death
as soon as May he. In reipect of the tontines, there is
a heavy penalty attaching to she proprietor Or his exe-
cutors; if they should withhold information of the death.
Notwithstanding all this, many deaths are never re-
parted ; in Whikh cases I invariably considerid the no-
mince. as dead who had not been beard of for three
years, and•assumed the date of death at three months
alter thd last payment I a rule which compelled me to
imminent my observations at October, 1825, in order
to allow the•prisper lapse of time.
It is frequently. but (surely at least as I humbly con-
ceive), very inconsiderately alleged that nominees may
sometimes beirmsdidently personated after their death.
and the ninon, drawn for A- seiies of 'years. Now,
bearing in mind that not merely once in a life time- or
so, ea in, great and sodden temptation, but twice-ix
doer, „veer deliberately, as long as this is attempfed,
Theme ta the tin of perjury--the crane of lottery .or
Simony to be committed, and the ruinous penalties con.
tieqssent thereupon to be focurred, with a risk of. d• t.cc.
tied which travels very near to the point of absolute eery
• y. As to tontines, the names, parentage, and resi.
deem •of the nominees are printed
.and. distributed
among the shareholders. At long intervals alter their
forniatios, the survivors ire surveyed and their names
again printed with
.their new residences, it changed.
,A s every proprietui late thus the means, so it is evi-
dently to his interest to report any death which may
come to his knowledge. The criminal who would
personate any defunct nominee, before i Magistrate.
and the Minister add churchwardens of the very parish
:In which the deceased had resided, can sever be sure.
;therefore, that the death is not already reported. All
tontine shares and life annuities,- with few exceptions,
.concern..people in the middling and higher classes ex-
clusively. because of the wealth necessary to procure
them—and who of -them it so obsture, that notice Of
t If this' were the Proper appertesity. seem elfy eidlealeas le-
ftis:es of such umadvame could have been adduced.