Taking all the circumstances into consideration, and, for the sake of comparison, contrasting its achievements with the performances of the British Post Office in Shanghai, it will generally be admitted that "the Chinese Imperial Post serves the foreign Settlements on the coast satisfac-As regards this Colony the same applies to the management of the office on the Island, but as regards communication inland and Liukangtao. and the collection "ind delivery of letters on the former, there is room for improvement. A stop in the right direction is the recent removal of the post office from Weilaiwei City to Mat'on (roughly king, miles), and for this small merey foundly thankful, though the hoon eight months in coming and nogotiations for suitable premises have been pro-coeding spasmodically throughout—the whole of that period. "There would be fur~ ther improvement were it possible to place the office under proper foreign supervision, trustworthy and punctual Chinaman be-are find.
To describe a weekly visit from the Postmn on the Island as "supervision"
uld he, under the circumstances, an abuse of terms, and, as matters now stand, the natives in charge have their own sweet Consequently we hear frequent com-ints as regards the miscarriage and de Jay in delivery of postal matter." One resident was invited to an important function on a warship not long ego. but unfortunately the letter reached him by post too Iste to accept the invitation. That letter took three days to cross the harbour, nor.is it isolated instance. Important business let ters huve not come to hand end complaint on this score are not infrequent. When the Scuin Maru comes to the Colony she makes for the Island and stays there apparently for an hour, or so, before going to the mainland; and with reasonable dispatch it ought to be possible to ort. the letters brought by her and put those for Maton on board before she crosses the harbour. As mat-tors now stand, the vessel comes to the jtinland, stays there all night, and besins ler return journey nest day, before the letters she has brought to the port are even delivered on this side of the bay. Of all needless delays the most irritat those in connection with the mails brought by boats from Shanghai. Here again there ix prompt delivery of letters on the Island, and the steamers are frequently teo late for mails to cross by the 9 o'clock launch. But why, in the name of all that is common sense, should they so frequently be kept till the evening launch? It may be safely assumed that correspondence brought by the same vessel to both ports is often sorted and delivered at Chefoo before all the letters have reached their destination here.
7th November.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.