duties, such as answering publics inquiries for letters or selling postages are performed simultaneously with their consular duties and with only small interruption, although it does happen, occasionally, when mails arrive after Office hours, when, of course, they will since apply themselves to the distribution of the correspondence.
We found that these duties, more especially the Stamping of the letters with the date of arrival or despatch had been much neglected; but we have taken steps to have these duties performed, in future, as efficiently as can reasonably be required of Officers having other important duties to perform.
The salaries paid to the Agents at the several Ports above referred to are as follows, viz: Canton £40, Swatow £100, Amoy £100, Ningpo £60, and Nagasaki £60.
And these salaries are, to our opinion, quite sufficient for the duties required to be performed; indeed, we should have felt disposed, in one or two instances, to have proposed some reduction.