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Wellington Independent, Volume VI, Issue 560, 22 February 1851, Page 4

of the leading-countries since we set the the example, and self-interest, as well as tho encouragement afforded by our example, promise to do still more, even in distant countries. There is, perhaps, no more prominent instance of the necessity of a change thau Mexico, for since the Americans extended their frontier, the customs revenue is almost destroyed, and has been declared by the present able and honest Minister of Finance, M. Payno, to be only about one-tenth of'the amount it should be. To repress such a wholesale system of smuggling as is known to prevail, scarcely any " preventive" service would'suffice, and the alternative is an almost entire abandonment 1 of collections, or such a material reduction in import duties as will render it no longer worth tho while of tho bold and enterprising men engaged therein. Unquestionably European merchandise could bo moro profitably shipped to Mexican ports direct, if low duties wore charged, but neither the merchant nor the government can stand against a system under which no revenue is obtained. The merchant, therefore, as a mutter of necessity, must divert his business into another channel, ho must employ American agents, and obtain supplies across the frontier, the enhanced cost of the goods being covered by tho saving of duty. 1 A worse evil is the corruption of public servants. The extent of bribery earned on is most notorious and demoralizing, and has aroused tho earnest vigilance of M. Payno almost immediately upon his coming into office. Sevoral of the customs' officials have been dismissed, others warned, and we tiro informed upon very good authority, that M. Payno, in private interviews with British mercantile men, has appeared to be deeply impressed with tho necessity of 'revising the 'tariff. With regard to bribery, there are European countries that are exposed to the saino taint; but wherever it does exist, the elevated range of the duties may be accepted as the main cause Portugal is decaying under her wretched monopoly system, and Spain already feels the advantage of hor tariff reforms; the trade of Cadiz and other ports having sensibly increased. The Sardiiiiain government abolishes differential duties' early, noxt year; and Brazil brings into operation a new commercial code. Tribunals of commerce will bo-established, and if fairly constituted, they will doubtless prove of great service. ■".'■'. The Great- Fiub in the City.— Notwithstanding that upwards of a week has elapsed; there l was, as lato as nine o'clock last night, an immonso quantity of fire still remaining in the ruins of'the promises' destroyed in Mark and Seoth-ing-lanes. At: that hour tho ongines were actively employed in pumping cold air into Messrs. Cunliffo and Dobson's wine-cellars, in order to reduce the temperature, so that the valuable stock in trade might not be totally spoiled. The water continues to force its way through the end of the arch, and, such is tho intensity of the heat, that it would bo impossible at present' to toll tho exact amount of mischief done to the proporty under ground. ■ During the afternoon a very large quantity of pigs' bristles were dug out of that part of tho ruins which the firemen had succeeded in cooling. A great deal of cloth and soldiers clothing were also got out during the day, but the salvage, it is now-feared, will not be worth one half of tho amount it was expected at first, owing to the fire acting upon it for so many days. Dreadful Accident at Malta.—A serious accident happened on tho 10th of September, after a match on the Piota, partly owing to bad horsomanship and hard riding, and partly to tho incomplete state of tho road turning towards Sa Maison, which. "was covered with loose stones. Lioutenanti Charles B. Parke, Royal Marines,'belonging to Her Majesty's Ship Beller.oph.oh, (a nephew of Col. Parko, C. A., one of Her Majesty's aids-de-camp,) was thrown from his horso, and received so severe: a contusion iv the hoad as to bring on frightful convulsions and total insensibility, though no limbs wero fractured. Happening to bo riding at the time with tho Assistant-surgeon of tho same vessel, Mr. Culhane, tho latter inimediatelybled him. on tho spo], and had him forthwith conveyed to tho civil hospital at Fiorina, (about half a mile off) on a sofa, where every aid that art could .suggest was-immodiatoly rendered, and after sitting up with him throughout the night, his brother officors had the satisfaction of seeing tho sufferer gradually return.to consciousness. On tho morning of tliq 12th,.he was sufficiently recovered to oa'.carried in a cot on board the Bellerophon, which left on tho following day for Englond. Taken from the hospital, Ayhoro, so many cases of Asiatic cholera havo been treated, tho coutagionists attribute to this circumstance the sad break out of .the disease on board the Bellerophon immediately afterr