the Editor of the $1n,—Local rumour says that the well-timed letter from your Tientsin correspond. ent ''Memento," on the Customs Postal Service, has greatly exercised the suscepti-Lilities of certain persons here, who being: in the Customs service, are naturally aroused by the serious imputation now hanging over that department, of having in some form or other failed to faithfull deliver certain letters contained in a mail bag and entrusted to the Customs Post Oflice here for distribution.
Such an "esprit de corps able, and far from ridiculing or underrating such feeling, it would be even most commendable if it were to show itself still more strongly by demanding an investigation into this regrettable affair, so that the onus of the disappearance of the two letters referred to by your Tientsin correspondent may fell on the shoulders of the person who was immediately concerned in this mysterious non-delivery of the same.
It could never be supposed for even a solitary moment that several persons in the Customs service here could combi together for such a purpose, or that a joint responsibility amongst the entire Customs office here for the disappearance of the missing correspondence exists. If it were imagined that such an unnatural collusion could possibly be formed in a public department, there would be an end to all confidence and to all social intercourse with those who are connected with it, Such a sveoping conclusion, therefore, that this missing letter affair was the work of more than one person cannot be entertained without the most serious consequences; but it is hard on every other one in the Customs' department that the one through whose carelessness or remissness, or by whatever other name this affair may be qualified, such disappearance of the two letters referred to occurred, should not have alone to bear it on his own shoulders, without compromising the reputation of others.
This non-delivery of correspondence had been only known since its occurrence to a few persons here, but now that it has reached the ears of the Tientsin public, and has also attracted the attention of the whole foreign public in China, since its publication in your columns, it becomes a question whether it does not behave the superiors of the Customs service at Peking to fathom this questionable transaction to the bottom, and to " place the saddle on the right horse," for the credit and good name of all those who have accepted employment in the Customs service from the Inspector-General of. Customs, and who naturally look to him or to his locum tenons to preserve the character of the service.
The Tsung-li Yamen and His Excellency Li Hang-chang have also an interest in clearing up this affair, which indirectly affects them; for if the Foreign Customs should bring discredit on the Chinese Government by being implicated in the non-delivery of letters entrusted to it, it can be no longer deserving of their support $37,830.90 or confidence, unless the painful conclusion per share... 18,915.00 forced on the public that the Chinese ins, with that added to a minute attached to the finding of Government conuires at such grievous
absorb the balance at credit reserve 40,000.90 the Dourt of Inquiry on the Joss of the irregularity in important business." Yesso, published in the Hongkong Gazette, If any such disappearance of letters were of office, Fi 7 $96,745.00 BE. the Governor says:—Let a letter be imputed to either of the foreign Post
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.