continues its erratic course. Recently a new regulation has come into force at the Chinese post office, whereby parcels water-borne from Shanghai or Chefoo are not subject to an additional rate as formerly, and international parcels so carried are taxed in the single domestic fee only. It is to be hoped the central authorities may soon see the absurdity of treating the Weihaiwei office as an "Inland Office" and thus free it from many of its present disabilities. For example, the office here cannot forward an international mail direct to Shanghai when opportunity offers as is sometimes the case, It must go vid Chefoo, thus losing the mail on occasion, or one must post one's letters on board the steamer.
Then agaly, no bag of international mail is made up for the office here, ao that residents receive their mails in a most erratic and uncertain way; now through the post office from Chefoo a couple or three days' after the Fleet's and the Commissioner's mail have arrived here, and now through the kindness of the Commissioner, on whose small stof the assorting and ordering of mail matter must throw a heavy additional burden. It is said
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.