CO129-073 - Lieut. Governor Caine & Sir Bowring - 1859 [1-5] — Page 569

b.

see from the outside of the Post office

·

when a letter or letters for were ready for delivery to them and by the holder of each Box having a different lock and Key to it, although the Boxes would

open

on

the outside, the utmost security-

would be obtained, and by this plan

the Merchants might possibly be purt

in

i possession of their most important letters within a few minutes after the English Mails has been lander, and in the event of the very early departure of the outward mail after the arrival of the Mail from Europe inwards, they would be enabled to reply to such.

Correspondence,

and so have a

fortnight

time; from.

an estimate which I have

?

C

566

7.

made of the expense of completing these Alterations and some attendant improvements

in the interior of the office, I am of opinion

that a sum of Five hundred Pounds

would

soffice,

and I am Convinced that

this sum might be recovered, either wholly

or in part, from the Merakants, by levying

An Extra

ar

fee for their boxes, or by contribution from them towards defraying the cost of the alterations and: Secondly: a plow might easily be defines.

for sorting the Honghong Mail on board the Steamers between Singapore

and

Hong Kong, this portion of the voyage ~

occupies from 6 to 10 days and during the

lowest period of time one

the

Assistance

officer with

a Coolie or Labourer.

of a