Devorrp as Hongkong seems to be at the present moment to the acquisition of wealth by speculation in "companies," it does not neglect at the same time more legitimate business, as the report of the Committee of its General Chamber of Commerce, lately presented at the annual general meeting of members shews. The first question considered in the report, one which the Committee properly consider of vital importance, is the decline of the China tea trade. The report recognises that Hongkong is not directly interested in the trade, Sat it is interested in as far as the decline in the trade involves a decline in the purchasing power of the Empire, and a check to the expansion of the import trade, Improved culture and more perfect manipulation are suggested as Leong but the excessive luries are mentioned as the real weight which handicaps China tea in its competition with the untaxed teas of India and Ceylon. The Peking authorities are hardly enlightened enough, we fear, to be willing to give up their duties for the sake of the general good of the country, and it will probably seem to them that it is not worth their while to interest themselves in a trade which can only exist by being freed from any contributions to the State. The recent incident on the Calédonien in Hongkon; is made use of to point the renewed attack on the arrangement which gives foreign mail steamers the status of men-of-war in the British colonial ports, a privilege which is not shared by British mail steamers. Other Eastern Chambers have joined with Hongkong in this protest, which is backed by Governor des Veeux himself; but even Mr. Ryrie in commenting on the report did not commit himself to any statement as to the probable success of the protest. The paragraph in the report dealing with Australia's Exclusion of Chinese hey is strongly worded, for Hongkong las felt the injury to her passenger trade, and the Committee of course felt bound to notice the matter, but it seems to us to be only beating the air. The classes which form Australian public opinion are not likely to be influenced by the statements, irrefutable though they are, that the action of the colonies was arbitrary, and that it is "totally opposed to alli traditions of British legislation, either Imperial or Colonial, and in the highest degree calculated to brin; about strained relations between Englan and China." As we depend on Hongkong—with the assistance of Japan—for the small change which we are getting more used to carrying in our pockets, we are interested in learning that the Committee do not think a coinage of half-dollars necessary, but we agree with them that a liberal supply of 20, 10 and 5-cent pieces is much required. The report might have added something about the operations of the Canton mint, whose coins will, we presume, come into competition with our present supplies, between England and the Bast ie tat paragraph as to the rate of post
very clear. Those of us who are not so welded to old custom as to insist on sending our home mails through the British Post-office, can get the advantage of the lower rates charged by the French and German post-offices, an advantage in which Hongkong is not allowed to share at present, but which is earnestly desired. The General Post-office in London will not however reduce its tariff, and the only alternative men-rioted is the introduction of a cheap"Sea" postage, which the report says would scarcely prove an advantage to China, however acceptable to the Australian Colonies, if hampered with slow transit. As we have pointed out so often, the real difficulty is that the Treasury will not give up the income it gets from the Post-ofice, a profit which ought to go entirely in the improvement of the service, for it is surely bad political economy to exact a large surplus from such an institution as the Post-office. No doubt Mr. Henniker Heaton's Ocean Penny Postage will come in time, and we must wait patiently. The answer of the Committee to the Rev. A. Goldsmith's agitation for Sunday observance in Hongkong harbour, is simply a non possunus, They "do not see their way," for, as Mr. Rynie says, "it is a very difficult matter for the Chamber to tackle;" they cannot support legislation for this end, " which would be unfair unless an unyielding law applicable to all classes and nationalities of vessels be passed but why the Sunday observance enftxced by the Customs in the ports of China is impracticable in Hong-cong we do not leam. On the next subject, Pinnacle Rocks and other obstructions to navigation on the China Coast, complaint is made of the action of the naval authorities. Every one is agreed, including the Admiral and the Commodore, that the China coast wants a great deal more surveying, and the Hongkong Chamber raised a sum of $1,900 from which to pay fishermen for the information which they must gain in the prosecution of their calling but the surveying vessel Rambler has been withdrawn, and all the comfort the Committee can get from the naval authorities is, that they "trust a vessel will soon be detached again." When shall we see the Chinese avy detachiing a vessel or vessels for this useful purpose? The next point is not of as much interest to Shanghai as to Hongkong. The Hongkong Chamber is trying to get the outward mail brought by the French steamer sorted on board between Singapore and Hongkong, as is done with the English mails. We have the advantage of having the English portion of the mails brought by the-French steamers sorted in Fioughong, so that there is not much delay after the steamer arrives, but the French [Sapa of the mails has, we believe, to sorted here. The Committee announce that they have had the oppor tunity of furthering the arrangement but Mr. Ryrie could only tell the meet ing that the proposition had the sympathy of the agent of the Messageries Maritimes, but that he could go no farther without the consent of the authorities, As to a direct telegraphic cable between Hongkong and Singapore, we learn that the Eastern Extension Company had offered to lay one in consideration of receiving a' subsidy of £7,500 a year, but the Committee deprecate any expenditure of the colony's funds for the purpose, as the required facility would be obtained in other ways; and Mr. Ryrie suggested that " iffa foreign enemy were approaching Hongkong he would take precious good care to grapple for the cable and cut it" The Committee, we farther
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.