1875 — Page 195

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measures were taken at all the l'orts to ensure the safety of letters, and the obliteration of stamps as possible after the posting of correspondence. The service is much indebted to Mr. BRENAN r his action in this matter,

44. It is often asked, "Is there any real advantage in Registration?" in a tone which implies that e questioner desires a candid private opinion, rather than what he decins a stereotyped official view. London firm to which I alluded in paragraph 38 had ceased to register its letters, actually con- dering that the only result was to draw attention to them!

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45. It may not be amiss briefly to describe the general features of the Registration system. The Officer who registers a letter gives a receipt for it, thus there is no question but that it was posted, or to who took it in. That Oflicer (who, in case of the loss of the receipt, is sufficiently pointed out the Counterfoil which he has filled up) is now responsible for the letter, unless he can show how it disposed of. He places it in a Safe till the mail is being made up. The addresses of all the letters gistered for that mail are then entered on a list, a copy of which, for record, is si..ultaneously taken means of a manifold writer. The total entries must agree with the number of letters and the amber of counterfoil receipts. The letters, with a copy of the list, are then placed in a sealed bag or cket, which not opened until it reaches the Office of destination. Thus there can be no doubt hat all the Registered Letters were despatcher.

46. The Officer who opens the mail makes it his first business to look for the lag of registered tters, the total number of which he finds also entered on the general Letter Bill. He counts them, s the total if correct, and hands them, with the list, to a colleague whose duty it is to prepare the ceipts for signature by the addressees. Each receipt has its counterfoil, and, as each is attached to letter to which it relates, the address is marked off on the original list. An entry is then made of the name of the carrier who will deliver the letter, and who is responsible for it until the transaction concluded by his bringing back the addressee's receipt. A special acknowledginent is sent to the spatching office. Thus there can be no doubt that all the Registered Letters were received.

47. Such are the main features of the Registration system. It may happen that the process described above has to be repeated several times, as when a registered letter passes from Shang- hai to Hongkong, Hongkong to London, London to Edinburgh, and from Edinburgh successively market town and a village. But, with differences of detail, the essential principle remains, That every Registered Leiter must be traceable from hand to hand through every part of its course,

d it is difficult to see what further precautions could be taken.

48. The security thus attained used to be attended, in the case of Hongkong, with a drawback the shape of delay, for, while the correspondence by the English Mail arrived sorted and ready for delivery, it took about two hours to prepare and enter the Registered Letters. It was determined to ry whether this could not be done at sea with safety and accuracy, and it is found to be both possible od advantageous. By the last few English Mails the Registered Letters have arrived ready for elivery, but the systein must for sometime yet be regarded as on trial.

49. The English Mail twice arrived unsorted, the first time because the Marine Sorter, going down to Singapore in the homeward Mail, just missed the outward steamer; the second, because he Ell ill and was unable to proceed. His Excellency the Governor of the Straits Settlements has kindly* Consented to make arrangements to prevent, when possible, the recurrence of a disaster like the first. In this case the Mail arrived in the middle of the night, and no inconvenience was sustained by the community.

50. The other instance was that in which the Agamemnon (private steamer) arrived here in the ternoon with the Mails from the Kashgar, which had broken down. This was a singularly heavy Mail, consisting of 80 bags instead of the average 66-68; it included an Australian Mail (a very usual circumstance) which always makes the work laborious, as there are many small packets to pen and to weigh, and natters were not expedited by the simultaneous arrival of the two contract Mails from the North and a private ship Mail from Singapore. One or two other Mails also arrived were closed at the same time. About two hours and a half had been allowed for the sorting, and hough this estimate was exceeded by only a quarter of an hour, some signs of public impatience ere observed. The heavy Mails of former years used to take four hours to sort, and then four more the newspapers. It should be mentioned that Mr. WILDING, the master of the gamemnon, brought he Mails on from Singapore without any charge whatever.

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51. In April last the Gwalior broke down within a few hours' run of Hongkong, and did not land her mail till four days after the arrival of the Lombardy with the next, having in the meanwhile drifted own to Hainan. The Sunda ran on a rock, and was subsequently beached in Haitan Straits, the mails Fere saved, but were considerably wetted. The Mails from the Lector (private steamer lost off Amoy) were saved uninjured.

52. The usual Tables with regard to the passages of the Contract Steamers will be found below Appendix B and C.) The following are the Best Passages of the year, counting to and from London :—

Homeward, Anadyr, left Jamary 14th,...........

Outward, Malica, arrived July 29th,

Outward, (Fr. Packets) Ava, arr. June 12th; Anadyr, arr. Sept. 4th, Homeward, (Br.) Kashgar, left Mar. 4 and Nov. 11; Sunda Mar. 18,

32 days. 35 days.

37 days.

38 days.

To San Francisco, Oceanic, left June 5th,........ From San Francisco, Ocenic, arrived August 11th...

25 days. 28 days.

• This detail hus been Intro-liteed at lungkung during the past year,

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