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of the mail from that Office goes to the United States and the Straits Settlements, this Agency may be ignored as far as the Trans-Siberian concerned.
No mails have been sent from Swatow, a few postcards only from Canton and 12 letters from Amoy. The Agent at the last mentioned port informs me that owing to the very irregular and insufficient communication between Amoy and Shanghai the new route is very little in favour, some of the letters despatched having taken a week longer in transit than they would have done had they been sent via Suez. The Foochow Agent has not yet forwarded me any details.
The first despatch from Hankow was made on November 24th, and the total weight of mail despatched during a month was 2 lbs. to Great Britain and 2 oz. to Europe, the Agent however informs me that there is likely to be a considerable increase in the mail for Great Britain as the four cent rate is charged whereas the German and Russian Post Offices have to charge 10 cents.
The Public in Hongkong appear at present to fight shy of this route. Some business firms make use of it for sending duplicates of documents but a large number of the letters appear to be from soldiers and sailors and are sent I imagine under the mistaken impression that they will be stamped with Siberian postmarks and with no idea of saving time. During the last few days letters have been found addressed to India, Australia, and Egypt marked via Siberia.
It at present takes 25 days for a letter posted in Hongkong to reach London by this route, but the Russian Government I hear propose to alter the route and send the mails from Tcheliabinsk via St. Petersburg and Wirballen instead of as at present via Moscow and Alexandrova which will decrease the time and it ought to be possible when the line is in better running order to send a letter to England in 22 days.
The opening of the Siberian route has much decreased the amount
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