(row ouR ows connESroDENT.)
Ist, May.
It Rains and the days are: dak' and -dredry:'+' And 80 it has been, now: for woaks.'. In inet as ardently as min was wished for,.2 month ago, almost as much is a cessation of the all but continuous downpour looked for. Yot the blessings of this somewhat late rain cannot be overestimated.
Of matters' that "affect" our comfort and happiness, comes, next, in; importance the recent changes in the Postal Tariff.
It has long been evident that the inland courier routes have not been paying their way by a long shot, and that could not be expected, og. yet, for, seven) reasons 1.—Becuuse the Chinese Imperial Post Office outside the steam zone, will not receive and forward' money.. Consequently the Native Postal Hongs have been able to give an ultimatum to their customers, the business men, that unless all their patronage is given them, they will refuse to forward their silver. The consequence has been that the Chinese Imperial Post Ottice is left out in the cold. This is not the case hers only, but all over. The moment the Chinese Imperial Post Ottice decides to issue money onders the native hongs will close up shop.
.-Beoauso of the ilitaracy of the peopl at large and their being so little given to travel, friendly correspondence is practically non est,, and. business, correspondence is secured by the bongs as already mentioned. Newspapers hare only lately begun. to, be spread. But the new tant makes the postage amount to half of the, subscription Price, and will put a stop to the increase of subscribers.
3.—The slowness of the Luinese to take to anything new. This he will only do if it pays him. At the former rates it did in some respects, very much 56; now it does not, the native hongs taking' his books and parcels considerably cheaper.
How the Foreigners take it.
All our papers, books, parcels, and nodicals from foreign countries, though being fully prepaid according to imter-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.