PUBLIC RECORD "OFFICE, LONDON
10. The Expenditure of the Department for the Year 1887, so far as the same has been defrayed by the Colony, amounts to $28,278.95, which includes the sum of $8,427.66 paid for the conveyance of Mails by private ship, a sum $087.85 in excess of that paid in the previous Year for similar services; the total Expenditure in 1887 was therefore $1,077.51 in excess of that for 1800, whilst the sum disbursed by the Imperial Office in the maintenance of the Postal Agencies at the Ports amounts to £870.0.0.
11. It has been found necessary owing to the growing importance of the duty in Japan to establish a Post Office at Yokohama entirely independent of the Consulate, which is to be maintained at a cost of £500 per annum, from Imperial funds and £300 per annum from the Colony, and Mr. Simpson, late Assistant Postmaster General at Hongkong, has been sent there to carry on the service. This step has necessitated the temporary promotion of each of the remaining Officers, pending the arrival of an Assistant Postmaster General from home.
12. The amount realized by the sale of Postage Stamps during the Year 1807 was $128,176.24 of which Stamps of the value of £80,350.00 were sold in Hongkong and the remainder, vil: $17,825.98, at the Ports; the following is a list of the number and value of each kind of Postage Stampe sold, vis:—'
190,534 Stamps @ 2 cents each, ..........................................
114,969 158,925 179,861
"
»
H
#
6
8
#
**
44,429
13
"
n
17,896
18
#
108,220
24
#
#
79,545
30
JI
**
#
33,799 24,915
**
1
48 96
"
Total,
AcTURN having the NUMBER of Days allowed for the conveyance of Marts from London to Hongkong vid Southampton and við Larscilles; the time each voyage occupied, and the number of days lost or gained during the Year, 1807.
January
VIA MARSEILLER
Time allowed | No. of | No. of
days days
in
24
No.of
Time Table. occupied. gained, daya hust.
****9=9988889
1
VIL SOUTHAMPTON.
Dals of Departure
in
Tims allowed No. of No. of
days
doya Time Table. occupied. gained days lost.
No. of
Date of Departers.
1857.
1887.
4 19
62 days
51
January
46 days
48
50
20
42
29
February 4
February
43
₫ 3,810.08
20
"
4,698,62
March
9,415.50
20
14,388.08
April
4
March
April
6,350,76
20
9,174.48
May
4
May
28,252,80
20
#
$3,063.40
Juno
June
16,229,52
20
29,018.40
July
4
Jaly
20
#
$128,176.24
August *3
August 10.
20
22
September •
50
September 10
20
50
October
+
51
October
19
52
53
"
November
4
51
November
44 46
5
n
20
52
49
20
40
43
#4
December
4
53
50
"
December 10
46.
"
20
52
49
48
43
3
11
D
TOTAL, 1,188 days
1,159
41
13
TOTALY. 1,098 days 1,006
42
10
Da.
*
#
occupied in
Da
→
D
Average number of days allowed for each voyage, ..43}
occupied in " ..414t
-:-:-02 01 09 44 19 69 6=;;2:0) 05 61 65
:*:::::::::::::** : :* ¦ ¦ ::
28=8=8282628ARÅRÅRÅBERAS
13. The sum which the Colonial Government derived on Mails from the United Kingdom during the Your 1867 amounts to £700.3.0, or £437.4.0 less than the sum received from the same source in the previous Year.
14. During the Year 1867, 104,701 Letters and 145,507 Newspapers and Prices Current were sent in the Mails by the British Packets to the United Kingdom, which show a decrease of 7,070 Letters and 7,258 Papers in the Year 1867 as compared with the Year 1800, and this accounts in some measure for the falling off in the Imperial share of the Revenue.
15. The number of Letters sent to the United Kingdom in the Mails by the French Packets during the Year 1867 in 10,597 and the number of papers 4,428, shewing an increase of 523 Letters and 2,557 Papers in the Year 1867, as compared with 1868; the number of Letters and Papers sent from the United Kingdom, either by the English or French Packets is not entered in the accounts which accompany the Mails from London, and it has not been considered desirable to take the numbers bere because such a practice would involve delay in the delivery of the correspondence to the Public.
16. The Letters received in the Mails by the Pacific Packets number 4,001 and the Papers 6,188, and those sent 4,366 Letters and 4,670 Papers: the first Mail by these Vessels was received on the 31st January, 1867, and the first Mail ́was dispatched on the 17th February: there were 5 Mails dispatched and the same number received during the Year.
17. The Registered Letters received from London during 1807 numbered 985, or 40 in excess of those received in 1866, whilst those sent from Hongkong to Landon number 821, or 184 less in 1867 than in 1866.
18. The number of Ship Mails (ie. Mails conveyed by Vessels not under Contract) received at Hongkong during the Year 1967 was 1,179, or 58 in excess of those received in 1866, and the number of such Mails which were despatched from Hongkong was 1,747, or 131 more than the number sent in 1868.
19. During the Year 1867, 1,110 Official Letters on the business of the Office were received and 855 Letters were sent from the Office."
20. From the Returns appended it will be observed that during the Year 1867 great improvements have taken place in the Arrival of the British Contract Mails and that 19 Mails have arrived before their due data, one on its due date, and only four arrived after they were due here, and that 41 days were gained on the voyage and 12 lost in the transmission of the Mails via Southampton, and 42 days were gained and 10 lost in the transmission of those vià Marseilles, against 31 days gained and 25 days lust in the Year 1866, and that the quickest time in which a Mail was brought from London to Hongkong vid Marseilles was 38 days against 97 days in 1866.
21. I append a Return shewing the dates of the Arrival and Departure of the French Packets in the Year 1807, by which it is shewn that the quickest Mail brought from London by this line in 1887 occupied 39 days; the same time in which the quickest Mail was delivered in Hongkong in the previous Year.--I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient Servant.
F. W. MITCHELL,
Average number of days allowed for each voyage,........49]
..48
• Left London one day earlier than data fixed in Time Table.
General Post Office, Hongkong, 7th March, 1868.
• Left London 3 days later than time fixed in Time Table.
F. W. MITCHELL, Postmaster General.
Raruan shewing the DATES of A¤rival and Departure of the British Mail Contract Packets during 1887, and the number of days occupied in the passage to and from Southampton, and to and from Marseilles.
Name of Packet.
ARRIVAL
Date on which Packet should have arrived according to Time Table
No. of days occupied in the
No. of days occupied in the voyage vid Marseilles.
The Honorable CECIL C. SMITH,
Acting Colonial Beerstary,
Fe Jr.
Actual date of Arrival
voyage vid
Southampton
Postmaster General
1867.
1867.
Benares,
February
24
February
23
51
45
angoon,
mnes,
Haway
March
April
8
March
10
50
44
24
23
48
8
April
48
42
*ehar,
21
19
47
40
»
rnatic,
HAY
8
May
47
41
21
19
48
40
#
16
June
June
4
46
40
Awa,
20
17
45
July
7
July
8
45
moda,
31
17
44
23
August
August
8
45
20
18
46
September October
6
September
8
46
20
18
47.
6
October
8
50
44
21
60
44
आ
12,
November
10
November
8
50
14
24
23
51
45
December
10
December
68
48
28
91
61
"
D
44
1808.
1868...
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