370 
cluded. I hope soon to get a copy of it 
to send you. It is very much upon the 
plan of the United States. The executive 
power is lodged in the President, assisted 
by a Vice-President, and the law, pro- 
ceeds from the Senate and House of Re- 
presentatives, or Congress. [Bolivar is 
elected President, and General Santande 
a Vice-President, of the Republic. You 
may form some idea of the spirit in which 
the proceedings of the Congress have been 
conducted, when I mention to you some of 
their principal acts. ‘They have abolished 
slavery, by declaring the children of slaves 
born after the date of the Constitution, free; 
and they have provided means for gradu- 
ally emancipating the present generation, 
by setting apart a fund for the gradual 
purchase of their freedom. They have 
decreed the removal of every relic or 
vestige of the ‘ Holy Inquisition, through- 
out the country; and the Constitution con- 
tains no exclusions or restrictions on the 
score of religious belief. (This latter cir- 
cumstance will be found a great advantage 
to persons who may determine to come 
and settle in this country.) On the sub- 
ject of the Liberty of the Press, they have 
decreed, that every man is at liberty to 
publish his thoughts, but he is at the same 
time to be held responsible for the abuse 
of this privilege. They are very anxious 
to introduce our British ‘Trial by Jury; 
and by way of getting the people accus- 
tomed to it; and at the same time ascertain- 
ing how far it may suit the feelings of tlie 
Incidents in and near London. 
{May 1, 
country, they have directed the Judges 
for the present to make use of it in such 
cases as may appear to them suitable to 
the nature of the institution. They have 
also passed a decree for universal edu- 
cation on the Lancasterian system, 
throughout every parish in the Republic, 
providing specific funds for the purpose. 
I think you will agree with me, that for a 
beginning, these are not bad symptoms. 
The character of these people is very little 
understood in England. It has chiefly 
reached the British public through the 
representations of disappointed officers, 
who, liking neither fighting nor hard fare, 
returned home to write books containing 
representations, which they knew there 
was nobody in England to contradict, and 
with the profit of which they have paid 
the expenses of their campaigns. The 
North Americans are doing a good deal 
of business at the port of this city, La 
Guyra; some valuable returns have lately 
been sent to the United States in cocoa, 
hides, and coffee, After the country has 
had time to repose, there will be room for 
good business; but people on your side 
the water mut not be in too greata hurry 
to begin. There is no limit to the re- 
sources of this country, but they must have 
time to be drawn forth. By the new 
Tariff of duties made by Congress, goods 
are received at 5 per cent. less duty, 
coming direct from Europe than from the 
West India colonies.” 
INCIDENTS, MARRIAGES, anp DEATHS In anp near LONDON, 
With Biographical Memoirs of distinguished Characters recently deceased, 
— 
CHRONOLOGY OF THE MONTH. 
ARCH the 28th—A Common Hall 
was held in London, to take into 
consideration the present distressed state 
of the country, and the propriety of 
petitioning Parliament for a reform in the 
House Commons, as the most effectual 
mode of obtaining relief. Mr. Favell pro- 
posed a number of resolutions, enumerat- 
ing various grievances uncer which the 
country laboured, and attributing the great 
source of the grievances to the defective 
state of the representation. The resolu- 
tions were seconded by Mr. Galloway, 
and, with a petition to Parliament founded 
on them, carried unanimously. Mr, Favell 
moved the thanks of the meeting to Mr. 
Hume, for his unwearied exertions in Par- 
liament ; and also a resolution characteris- 
ing the punishment of Mr, Hunt as op- 
pressive, and suitable only to the reign 
of the Stuarts. No opposition was offered. 
April 4 At the Lancaster assizes the 
herrid scenes of the memorable Man- 
chester massacre was once more described 
before a jury, in a cause brought by Red- 
ford, one of the sufferers, against Major 
Birley and others. The trial lasted five 
days, but the jury gave a verdict in favour 
of the defendants, In the course of the 
examinations the Reverend Mr. Hay, one 
of the magistrates, assigned as a reason 
for his not noticing a poor wounded wo- 
man, that “ she was not very tempting.” 
He swore also that Ethelstone, another of 
the magistrates, read the riot act from an 
open window, and that he tapped him on 
the back, and exclaimed, ‘‘ Ethelstone, I 
never heard you in such fine voice ;” and 
this just before that charge of cavalry 
which was ordered and attended by such 
disastrous circumstances. 
— 11. The freeholders of Middlesex held 
their annual dinnerat the Mermaid Tavern, 
Hackney, to celebrate the return of 
Messrs. Byng and Whitbread to Parlia- 
ment. Mr. S. Lefevre, jun. presided. 
Some animated speeches were made by 
Messrs, Lefevre, Bennet, Hobhouse, and 
the County Members, strongly urging the 
necessity of reform. : 
The Court of Aldermen elected Newman 
Knowles, esq. late Common Serjeant, to be 
Recorder of London. Mr. Denman has 
since been elected Common Serjeant, after 
a severe contest, i. 
