352 MEXICO. tive, that no doubt or difficulty afterwards occurred, and things resumed at once their usual course. All this unpleasant, and tedious discussion, originated, (as has been shown) in the exercise of a discretionary power in a case where every article of the mutual compact ought to have been most explicitly defined. Fortunately, the disadvantages inseparable from such a state of things were corrected, in the instance under consideration, by a strong sense of jus- tice in the Executive ; and it must be admitted, that, how- ever good the abstract right of the merchants might be, to claim the indulgence which they at last obtained, it does no little credit to the Mexican government that it should, at a moment of some pecuniary embarrassment,* have given up, for three months, so large a sum as seven hundred thousand dollars, which were almost within its grasp. The fairness with which I have stated, in this Section, the disadvantages under which the commerce with Mexico is, at present, carried on, may be regarded as some proof that I have not, intentionally, overrated its importance. Many of the present abuses will, I trust, be gradually removed, for, in the reports of the Commissioners who have been employed by the Government to inspect the Custom-house establishments upon the coast, I observe that most of the grievances men- tioned in this Section, are noted as requiring redress. This is more particularly the case in a printed report lately pub- lished by Mr. Valdez, who was sent, as a Special Inspector to San Bias, and whose opinion concurs entirely with that of His Majesty's Consul, Mr. Barron, with regard to the causes which have reduced the trade of that port, in two years, from 500,000 to 94,000 dollars. It is from such investigations as these, originating at home, and conducted by natives, that
- The dividends for the July quarter, remitted by the Primrose, were
then making up, and the government was very anxious, on this account, to augment, as much as possible, the funds at its disposal upon the coast.
