Star.
London, England, 1821-06-01 00:00:00

VIENNA, MAY 18.

The Emperor of Russia will make but a short stay
at Pest, where he purposes to pay a visit to the Arch-
d:lke Palatine, and thence continue his route for Pe-
tersburgh, where he will arrive about the 2d of June.

The letters from Constantinople continue to present
a deplorable picture of the state of affairs in that ca-
pital. The revolt of the Morea and the Islands of
the Archipelago have Carried the fanaticism and ex-
asperation of the Turks to its height; and this people,
greedy of blood, have abandoned themselves to the
greatest excesses against the defenceless Christians.—
The Porte acts like the multitude, with an inexorable
cruelty, of which the annals of Islamism have not for
ages offered an example. At the moment when the
Greek Patriarch and the other Bishops were arrested
by order of the Grand Seignior, the Greeks who were
collected in the Temples, struck with terror, took
refuge in the houses of the neighbouring Eccle-
siastics ; but they were pursued aad massacred in
great numbers by the furious populace.
French 5 per Cents. Monday, 84 f. 60 c.

A Mail has arrived this forenoon from Lisbon, with
Papers to the 19th May. The following are extracts :

LISBON, MAY is,

The Dinrio of to-day contains, at length, the De-
cree of the Cortes regulating the importation of grain
and pulse into Portugal. It is in nineteen Articles, r f
which the following are the heads The importa
tion of all lot eign corn, flour, bread, and pulse, into

Portugal and Algarve, is entirely prohibited, by land
and by sea, except into the ports of Lisbon and
Oporto. 2. The Regency may, in cases of urgent
necessity, suspend the prohibition. Importation of
foreign wheat is permitted, when the price of that of
national growth is, at Lisbon, 800 Tees, and at Oporto,
1000 rees per alquiere. The duty, which is 200 rees
on bard corn, and 100 tees on soft, at Lisbon, when
the price is from 800 to 900 rees per alquiere; and
at Oporto, 240 rees on hard, and 120 rees on soft,
when the price is from 1000 to 1100 rees, is only 20
rees at Lisbon, when the price is 900 rees and above ;
and in Oporto, the importation is free from duty
when the price is 1120 rees and above.
The importation of mullet is permitted when the
price rises to 400 rees per alquiere at Lisbon, and to
500 at Oporto. When the price is 400 to 500 rees
at Lisbon, and .500 to 600 at Oporto, foreign mullet
shall pay a duty of 120 rees at Lisbon, and of 160
at Oporto. The duty is 20 rees at Lisbon when the
price is 500 and above, and there is no duty at Oporto
when it is 600 and above. The importation of rye
is under the same regulation as that of mullet. The
importation of foreign barley and.oats is permitted,
without any scale, on payment of 40 rees per alquiere
in Lisbon, and 50 at Oporto. Beans, and all kinds
lof foreign pulse, shall pay 100 rees duty at Lisbon,
and 120 at Oporto, per alquiere. The importation
of foreign flour is absolutely prohibited. Foreign
corn, imported in Portuguese vessels, only half of
these duties.

LISBON, MAY 19.

The debates in the Cortes have been on subjects
of mere local interest. One of the most important
Projects still before them, and which they discuss
Article by Article, is the Law relative to the Liberty
of the Press. A very warm debate arose on the 11th
Article, which runs thus :
* Whoever abuses the Liberty of the Press, in any of the
cues mentioned in the preceding Articles (viz. lit, directly in-
citing the People to rebellion; 2d, combating the Constitutional
System; 3d, insulting or abusing the National Congress, or the
Head of the Executive Power), shall be condemned to hard
public labour, for a period not less than six months, nor more
than five years, and to a fine of from 60 to 600 milrees."

Some of the Members thought the punishment, in
some of the cases, out of all proportion with the
crime; that to excite people to rebellion, by writing
or putting himself at the head of the people—that to
condemn a writer to five years hard labour, was a
barbarous punishment; that it was far more severe
on a man of letters, not being fitted by his habits to
anything of the kind, than on a person in a different
situation; and that it might, in some instances, lead
to suicide.

After much discussion in their successive Sittings,
it was decided that the penalty should be deprivation
of offices and dignity, five years' imprisonment, andi
600 milrees fine, as the maximum for the crime of
exciting the people, by inflammatory writings, to
rebellion. The penalty to be attached to the two
other cases is to be fixed at a future Sitting.

A question of an interesting nature is now agitating
in Madrid, of the nature and progress of which but
little has hitherto transpired. It is a negotiation
between Spain and those colonies which still acknow-
ledge her supremacy, for a better form of govern-
ment than they have hitherto enjoyed. We subjoin
an extract from a letter received from Madrid on
this subject, written by one of the Deputies to the
Spanish Cortes from Mexico, and which contains the
most correct as well as the most recent information
that has been hitherto received of the progress made
in the negotiation :

ie MADRID, MAT 17.

" I have already informed you that, on the motion
of Count Toreno, a Special Commission has been
named to propose the means of terminating the dif-
ferences between Spain and America. In this Com-
mission I have the pleasure of bearing a part, and
am not without hope of seeing its objects fulfilled.
—There have been several private Meetings of the
American Deputies, and all agree in the necessity of
according distinct legislatures to the trans-Atlantic
dominions, reserving the executive power to the King,
and rendering the administration of justice indepen-
dent. We have a strong party among the Deputies
for the home provinces, who give us their support;
but they require that the Infantas of Spain should
assume the Regency of the countries in question.—
A similar idea is entertained by the Mexican Depu-
ties. It is not going too far also to say, that the King
and the Ministers in some degree espouse our cause.
Those who have held the high office of Viceroy and
other commands in America have, been consulted ;
and they accord in the general expediency of grant-
ing our claim. Felice, the Minister for the Ultra-
Marine Provinces, has had several interviews with
the King on the subject. Yesterday, all the Minis-
ters went up to communicate with him; and we have
the satisfaction of learning the expression of the
King's opinion, that the time is arrived when the
question may with propriety be entertained. Last
•night the Commission assembled for the first time.
The Ministers were present; and so important was
the affair considered, that nearly half the Members'
of the Cortes attended, although a Sitting of that
Assembly was then being held. After much debate,
we voted unanimously, as the first basis, that there
should be Legislative Bodies in America. To-night
the Commission will continue its Sittings for the dis-
cussion of the other bases, in which we trust to ex-
perience a favourable result, though we shall cer-
tainly have difficulties to encounter."