Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1817-06-17

privateer---and Manuel sailed forth with promis-
cnous crew, 10 The scene Of combat; while the two
government vessels OF war, with their officers, lay
snug in petto Capt de los Rios, afiera bloody
contest, was yctorious-he sunk the privateer, and
returned TO Havana amidst the acclamations Of the
inhabitants The Spanish officers though they had
no sense Of honour Of courage had feeling alive
20 envy and revenge--the brave Manue! was found
the next day after bis victory, sssassinated the
Alameda. public salk Of the city. A deed 80 at
trocions and 50 cowardly, that il seems to have ex
cited the horror of all the inhabitants of Havana
] he murder is nnreservedly laid TO the charge OF
his maicsty's officers and The motive by which Il
was perpetrated esinces the character OF the gov
eminent and it, agents, against whose bigotry and
despotism, the South Americans are gradually unit
ing TO secure their independence.
Freedom Of tn Press IN China The
following extract from the Quarterly Re-
view, for November, contains some cWious
information respecting the light IN which
the freedom of the press is regarded In
China, and at the same time shews what Is
meant by msrcy in despotlc govern
ment -
s The mixture of good and evil to which
3
has left balance, in the opinion of the Chi
nese, preponderating in favor of the for
mer. Their press, like our own, is free
and untettered IS to any previous licence or
restrictions and the laws by which II is
regulated are rather remedial than proven
tive bu, wo be TO him who transgresses
those laws, and who is convicted OF having
offended them Nice and minute as the
distinctions are in the Chinese code, be-
tween the degrees of crime and the cores
pon,ling scale Of punishment, the laws re-
garding the press are still vague and unde-
fined. The Leu-iee says,
" Whoever is guilty Of editing wicked
and corrupt books, with view of mislea-
ding the people and whoever attempts to
excite sedition by letters or hand bills, shall
suffer death by being beheaded ; the prin
cipals shall be executed Immediately after
conviction, but the accessories shall be re-
served for execution at the usual season !"
and all persons who are convicted of
printing, distributing, or singing IN the
streets, such disorde!ly and seditious com
positions, shall be punishable as accessa-
ries."
These laws regarding the press are not
dead letter : numerous instances OF their
application are on record, and made public
by an authority not 10 be questioned. In
the year l777, there appeared in the Pc
kin Gazette the trial and condemnation of
an author charged with the crime of high
treason man of letters says Pere Amiot,
who lived retired life in Kiangsi; loin
des emplois ct de la conr, il s'amUsoit a
penser ct ecrire." On information being
laid against him, his books were all seized,
and, with himself, carried up 10 the capitol,
where be was tried by court, composed Of
the princes of the blood, the ministers, and
mandarins OF the fist rank. The indict
men, contained four counts /. That he
had published an abridgment of the great
dictionary of Kang hi, (he very book Mr..
Morrison is translatine,) in which he had
the efrontery to contradict certain passages
Of this respectable and authentic book. Q.
That 10 the preface of this abridgment, he
had the audacity to print the triuaal names
of the ancestors of the present dynasty, and
of his imperial majesty himself. 8 That
in the genealogy ofhis own family, he had
the impotence to assert that he was descen-
ded from Hoang-ti, through the dynasty OF
the Tcheou and 4. That in some verses
he again insiDuales his pretended ancestry,
Using expressions highly reprehensible.
Being called upon for his defence, he al
ledgsd, /. L hat the dictionary being very
voluminous, and very incommodious, he
had made an abrIdgment which costs little
and is easy 10 handle. 2 That he had
used the trivial names of the emperors OF
the reigning dynasty, that the youth might
know VIVA, those names were, and thus
avoid The mention Of them BY any mistake;
that however, he had himself discovered
his fault 10 this respect, and had corrected
il by re printing his dictionary in which
they were omitted. s That stating his
descent from Hoang-ii, was though,less
piece of vanity that came across him, err
sing out OF wish To make himself with
the public person OF some consequence;
and A. That as 10 his verses, being bourne
an ay by poetic fire, il never once occurred
10 him thai the expressions made use OF
could be construed into bad sense. / he
great princes, ministers, president ofthe
tribunals, and mandarins of the first rank
thought otherwise they pronounced
Ouang si-heou guilty OF high treason, and
that according the laws of the empire,
the punishment due 10 the crime vas, that
the criminal be Gu, IN pieces, his property