China is about to enter the Postal Union; application has already been made through the TInspector-General. It is supposed that this arrangement will do away with the various local post offices at the ports. It is not likely to pay for some years—not perhaps until the railway system in adopted. It will be a difficult and ge expensive thing to get letters to the large numbers of China Toland missionaries who are scattered over the eighteen provinces, and if the Empire as a whole be embraced it will be still more difficult and expensive. The courier service of the Board of War seems a very expeditious one. The officials all over the Empire must have their copies of the Peking Guzette. There are letter shops in all the large towns in China where letters and parcels are received and forwarded. The price is fixed by arrangement according to distance. There is a sum paid to the forwarding shops and also to the receiving shops. The Inspector-General has been working at this scheme for many years. A few ears ago correspondence Was entered into with the Hongkong Post Office about postal arrangements, but nothing came of it, The 1G. has sent in piles of information upon this subject with the result that the Tsungli Yamen memorialised the Throne in favour of a new Postal System for the empire under the care of the Customs. The Emperor issued an edict granting theprayerofthe Yaménwith the result as already stated that a request to be permitted to enter the Postal Union is on its way to Switzerland. The request will in all likelihood be granted. The I.G, has Jaid papers before the Chinese Government on otter subjects which are likely to result, in an increase of reveaue—a consummation 80 much to be desired. The scheme is the LG.'s initiation. To him: the whole credit of the plan is to be awarded. Its initiation is ascribed in your columns of the 7th of ril to the memorial of a Censor who revenues that, might be realised for the dil fated in strong terms on the lar
Imperial Exchequer by the establishment ofa postal system. The Emperor thereupon commanded the Tsungli Yamen to report, which was done favourably with the sugges: control. as is known here it was tion that Sir Robert Hart be given the just the other way round about. The Chinese are most unwilling to give foreigners credit for the initiation of any scheme for the re-organisation of China, "A pretext in the memorial of a Censor, you may remember had to be adduced for the punishment of the Szechuen Viceroy.. It would be inconsistent with official etiquette to admit that it was the result of an ultimatum by the British Minister. And where suppose you did any Censor acquire such information? Moreover, it is not the office of the Censorate to originate new Jegislation but only to criticise memorials already presented to the Throne. The foreign Press in China must be on its guard against accepting; without a grain of salt the reckless an frequently unreliable statements with which the native Press is surcharged.
oth April.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.