C. S. O. No 3498.
không đông
20th September, 1869. (The 20 Sepb)
Chairman of Wengheng General Chamber of Commerce...
Hon the W. Menswick.
to
Colonial Secretary
(Hon. I.Q. Austin
Avochow
Recommends extension of Postal arrangement's by Mail
Enclosure No1 in Governor Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell's Despatch No 2001 of 29 September 1869.
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In 12505/69
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16. It was suggested to me that the extension of the Money Order system between the United Kingdom and Amoy would be a great advantage to the numerous Customs' employés and others; but I pointed out the difficulties in the way of this being done inasmuch as there is no Bank at Amoy through which the rate of exchange of the day could be ascertained and covering bills of exchange obtained; there was, however, a willingness evinced to accept Money Orders at 4/2.
17. For the above reason, and because of the frequent changing of the Postal Agents and the unremunerative prospects of the system in a community numbering only about 120 persons, I am not disposed to advise that Amoy be placed upon the List of Money Order Offices yet; but I assured enquirers that the Post Office Agent there would be kept supplied with correct Lists of the Money Order Offices in the United Kingdom, and forms for making requisitions for Money Orders, and that all requests would be invariably attended to in this Office upon receipt of the Money, any excess in their remittances to Hongkong being returned to them in Postage Stamps.
18. At Foochow, Post Office Agent Pelham S. Warren, Esq., the Consulate is situated quite away from the river Min (on the banks of which the Merchants' Offices and Godowns are built,) and the Post Office is consequently but little availed of except for the letters received from or to be dispatched by the Contract Packets leaving Hongkong. The Agent here makes up and receives Mails for and from Keelung and Tamsui in the North of Formosa.
19. At this Port each of the large Mercantile houses keeps a kind of covered house boat in which is conveyed the correspondence of the house to and from Pagoda Anchorage, a distance of about 14 miles, where the Steamers to and from Hongkong, as well as the Tea loading and other ships lie. This anchorage has grown in importance so rapidly that, at the request of the Vice-Consul, a separate Mail containing all letters, &c. addressed to residents or for the vessels lying there, is made up at this Office, and a further separate Mail is made up for the residents at the French Arsenal which is also situated there.
20. I found that the duties of the Post Office at Foochow, owing, possibly, to the Agent having been changed in July last, are but indifferently performed; no complaints were, however, made to me by the residents.
21. The salary of the Agent is £100 per annum, paid by the Imperial Post Office, and the Colonial Government maintains two Coolies at a cost of $5 a month each. The annual profit of the Agency to the Colony is estimated at $1,497.04, and the actual receipts of the Office for last year amounted to $4100.40.
22. The foreign population of Foochow is about 100 persons.
23. In addition to the Steamers plying between Hongkong and Foochow, viâ Swatow and Amoy, there are at present 4 Steamers running regularly between Foochow and Shanghai. The distance from Hongkong being 480 miles whilst that to Shanghae being only 380 miles, a good deal of the business in exchange, &c., which would otherwise be transacted with this place is now done at Shanghae; in fact I was assured on reliable authority that by one Mail, 10 lacs of Dollars were settled at Shanghae by means of these Steamers and that only 3 or 4 lacs were settled here for the same Mail during the present Tea Season, and, that on other occasions, similar but smaller transactions have been effected at Shanghae for want of more regular Mail communication with Hongkong. It is, however, known that the rates of exchange ruling at Shanghae have been somewhat more favourable to the Foochow Merchants during this Tea Season than those obtainable here, and this has partly been the cause of their taking the risk of the loss of a fortnight incurred by going to Shanghae to do business.