41. The Agency of the Local Post Office at Shanghae is the medium by which almost all other letters are conveyed and delivered.
42. I found the duty generally well performed, but as in all cases, except where there are Officers independent of the Consular service, I made many minor alterations and improvements in the system of carrying on the work, but I do not consider them worthy of notice here. I may, however, mention that I induced the Consul, as Official Administrator of the estate of the late Post Office Agent, who was drowned on the 3rd April last, to admit the amount of that Officer's indebtedness to the Post Office as a specialty claim upon his estate and to pay the same.
43. The salary of the Agent is £60 per annum paid by the Imperial Post Office and the Colonial Government maintains a Coolie at $6 per month. The annual loss from this Agency to the Colonial Government is estimated at $44.76, and the actual receipts in 1868 amounted to $356.46.
44. Ningpo contains about 128 foreign inhabitants.
45. At Nagasaki, Post Office Agent Adolphus Arthur Annesley, Esq., the Consulate is situate at such a distance from the business quarter, which is so much nearer to where the Steamers lay than the Consulate, that but few letters pass through the Post Office except those received and sent by the English Mail Packets.
46. The trade of Nagasaki is, however, gradually drifting to the recently opened adjacent Ports of Hiogo, Kobe and Osaca, and some of the Merchants and others have already left the place, in one or two instances after having incurred large outlays in building houses as residences and Offices.
47. I have made arrangements with the Agents for and part-owners of the Steamers running regularly between Nagasaki and Shanghai to convey gratuitously the small English Mails. I also endeavoured to obtain the sanction of the United States' Consul General and Postal Agent to permit the small packets of English Mails for and from Hiogo, Kobe and Osaca to be carried by the United States' Mail Packets running between Shanghai and Yokohama, through the Inland Sea, which vessels touch at the two first named places, offering to reciprocate the advantage sought by any feasible means at my command, but this Officer although apparently willing to make the concession, received a letter (which he permitted me to peruse), during my presence in Shanghae, from the Post Office at Washington taking from him the power.
48. The Mails for Hiogo, Kobe and Osaca, however, were sent on this occasion, by the Steamer Costa Rica in charge of the Purser. I transmitted instructions to this Office to send these Mails, in future, to Yokohama, to be forwarded to their destination from thence by the numerous private steamers running from that place to Hiogo.
49. In view of the reduction in the business of the Nagasaki Agency, and of the fact that the Agent's salary was increased from £60 to £100 under the authority of His Excellency's minute on my letter of 18th April, 1868, No. 25, on account of the Port being made a place of call for the Contract Packets under the Mail Contract of 19th November, 1867, which was, shortly afterwards, discontinued, and also because the revenue of the Agency falls far short of what is sufficient for the payment of the salary of the Agent and wages of the Coolie, I would advise that it be reduced to £40 per annum; the present Agent, I observe, has been appointed Vice-Consul at Hiogo and Osaka and, possibly, therefore, His Excellency may consider this a fitting opportunity for making the reduction.
Hongkong
801-19808
b. the
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The Secretary
Post Office
Minut 26.11.69
Jin Manson 18.
ali & Sandford 24 Sij
276
30 Nov? 1869
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Paul Grauwwith
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