a Post-
continuing to pay rent for Office building at Shanghai after the expiry of the lease of the present premises, or whether it be considered expedient to adopt the views set forth in the Report of my last tour of inspection of Lite Postal Agencies in China and Japan dated 20th July 1871, No 43, paragraphs 24 to 27, of which I enclose a printed Slip.
I have to
(Signed) P. W Mitchell, Postmaster General.
(True Copy)
Smith Acting Colonial Secretary
24. Having learnt, that the new Gaol recently erected at a short distance from the Settlement had just been taken over by Her Majesty's Consul and that the prisoners from the old Gaol at the corner of the Peking and Upper Yuen-Ming Yuen Roads had been transferred to it, I called upon Mr. Boreh, the Surveyor in charge of Legation and Consular buildings in China and Japan, attached to Her Majesty's Treasury, from whom I ascertained that he was not aware that the plot of land upon which the old Gaol stands would be required either for the present or future purposes of the Foreign Office and that a portion of it had been already granted gratuitously to the Asiatic Society.
25. The remaining portion is well situated for a Post Office, being a corner lot, having frontages of 110 feet to Peking Road and of 129 feet to Yuen-Ming Yuen Road, and I would suggest that application be made without delay to the Home Authorities, either for a grant of the land, or to take it over at a moderate valuation, which according to the old valuation made by the Municipal Council of Shanghai for local taxes, viz.; 500 taels per Mow, would be say 1,351 taels, 5 mace; but I understand that whilst Mr. BOYCE values it at 3,000 taels per Mow giving 8,109 taels, he estimates the value of the lot, which contains 2 Mow, 7 Fung, 0 Lee and 3 How, at 10,000 taels. The frontage of 110 feet to the Peking Road and half the frontage, viz., 64 feet to the Yuen-Ming Yuen Road would be sufficient for Post Office purposes. The old buildings upon it are of no value except as materials, which might be taken into consideration in making a contract for building a Post Office.
26. The increasing importance of Shanghai as a commercial entrepot is such as to fully justify the erection of a Post Office and, so long as the Contract Mail Packets and the numerous Steam vessels, nearly all which carry Mails, continue to touch there, there must be a branch or Agency of this Department and I venture to entertain the opinion that, as an investment not to mention other obvious reasons, it will be far more advantageous to the Public to have an Office erected specially for Postal purposes, than to continue the present plan, paying rent and being liable to repeated changes.
27. Under these circumstances, I would suggest that a building similar to the General Post Office at Hongkong, but of somewhat smaller dimensions where necessary, should be built at Shanghai and I think that, in view of Mr. BOYCE's vast experience of buildings in China and Japan and the valuable local information as to Contractors and the cost of labor and building materials at Shanghai, his headquarters, that it would be well to ask him to undertake the supervision of the suggested building, in the same manner that Mr. BRUNTON, the Engineer to the Japanese Government, superintended the erection of the new Post Office at Yokohama in 1869.
Page 450
(Three lines at the top and bottom of the page indicating "Page 450" have been kept as per the original scan.)
has been removed as it is not necessary to include the explanation in the output. Here is the final output:a Post-
continuing to pay rent for Office building at Shanghai after the expiry of the lease of the present premises, or whether it be considered expedient to adopt the views set forth in the Report of my last tour of inspection of Lite Postal Agencies in China and Japan dated 20th July 1871, No 43, paragraphs 24 to 27, of which I enclose a printed Slip.
I have to
(Signed) P. W Mitchell, Postmaster General.
(True Copy)
Smith Acting Colonial Secretary
24. Having learnt, that the new Gaol recently erected at a short distance from the Settlement had just been taken over by Her Majesty's Consul and that the prisoners from the old Gaol at the corner of the Peking and Upper Yuen-Ming Yuen Roads had been transferred to it, I called upon Mr. Boreh, the Surveyor in charge of Legation and Consular buildings in China and Japan, attached to Her Majesty's Treasury, from whom I ascertained that he was not aware that the plot of land upon which the old Gaol stands would be required either for the present or future purposes of the Foreign Office and that a portion of it had been already granted gratuitously to the Asiatic Society.
25. The remaining portion is well situated for a Post Office, being a corner lot, having frontages of 110 feet to Peking Road and of 129 feet to Yuen-Ming Yuen Road, and I would suggest that application be made without delay to the Home Authorities, either for a grant of the land, or to take it over at a moderate valuation, which according to the old valuation made by the Municipal Council of Shanghai for local taxes, viz.; 500 taels per Mow, would be say 1,351 taels, 5 mace; but I understand that whilst Mr. BOYCE values it at 3,000 taels per Mow giving 8,109 taels, he estimates the value of the lot, which contains 2 Mow, 7 Fung, 0 Lee and 3 How, at 10,000 taels. The frontage of 110 feet to the Peking Road and half the frontage, viz., 64 feet to the Yuen-Ming Yuen Road would be sufficient for Post Office purposes. The old buildings upon it are of no value except as materials, which might be taken into consideration in making a contract for building a Post Office.
26. The increasing importance of Shanghai as a commercial entrepot is such as to fully justify the erection of a Post Office and, so long as the Contract Mail Packets and the numerous Steam vessels, nearly all which carry Mails, continue to touch there, there must be a branch or Agency of this Department and I venture to entertain the opinion that, as an investment not to mention other obvious reasons, it will be far more advantageous to the Public to have an Office erected specially for Postal purposes, than to continue the present plan, paying rent and being liable to repeated changes.
27. Under these circumstances, I would suggest that a building similar to the General Post Office at Hongkong, but of somewhat smaller dimensions where necessary, should be built at Shanghai and I think that, in view of Mr. BOYCE's vast experience of buildings in China and Japan and the valuable local information as to Contractors and the cost of labor and building materials at Shanghai, his headquarters, that it would be well to ask him to undertake the supervision of the suggested building, in the same manner that Mr. BRUNTON, the Engineer to the Japanese Government, superintended the erection of the new Post Office at Yokohama in 1869.
Page 450
Page 450
Page 450
Page 450
a Post-
continuing to pary rent for Office building at Shanghae after the expiry of the lease of the
many
present premises, or whether it be considered expedient to adopt the views set forth in the Report of my last tour of inspection of Lite Postal
in China and Agencies Japan dated 20th July 1871, Nr 43, paragraphs 24 to 27, of which
I enclose
a
printed Slip.
I have to
(Signed) P. W Mitchell,
Postmaster General.
(Irue Copy)
انتل
Smit
Acting Colonial Secretary
24. Having learnt, that the new Gaol recently erected at a short distance from the Settlement had just been taken over by Her Majesty's Consul and that the prisoners from the old Gaol at the corner of the Peking and Upper Yuen-Ming Yuen Roads had been transferred to it, I, called upon Mr. Borch, the Surveyor in charge of Legation and Consular buildings in China and Japan, attached to Her Majesty's Treasury, from whom I ascertained that he was not aware that the plot of land upon which the old Gaol stands would be required either for the present or future purposes of the Foreign Office and that a portion of it had been already grant- ed gratuitously to the Asiatic Society.
25. The remaining portion is well situated for a Post Office, being a corner lot, having frontages of 110 feet to Peking Road and of 129 feet to Yuen-Ming Yuen Road, and I would suggest that application be made without delay to the Home Authorities, either for a grant of the land, or to take it over at a moderate valuation, which according to the old valuation made by the Municipal Council of Shanghai for local taxes, viz.; 500 taels per Mow, would be say 1,351 taels, 5 mace; but I understand that whilst Mr. BOYCE values it at 3,000 taels per Mow giving 8,109 tuels, he estimates the value of the lot, which contains 2 Mow, 7 Fung, 0 Lee and 3 How, at 10,000 taels. The frontage of 110 feet to the Peking Road and half the frontage, viz., 644 feet to the Yuen-Ming Yuen Road would be sufficient for Post Office purposes. The old buildings upon it are of no value except as materials, which might be taken into consideration in making a contract for building a Post Office,
26. The increasing importance of Shanghai as a commercial entrepot is such as to fully justify the erection of a Post Office and, so long as the Contract Mail Packets and the numerous Steam vessels, nearly all which carry Mails, continue to touch there, there must be a branch or Agency of this Department and I venture to entertain the opinion that, as an investment not to mention other obvious reasons, it will be far more advantageous to the Public to have an Office crected specially for Postal purposes, than to continue the present plan, paying rent and being liable to repeated changes.
27. Under these circumstances, I would suggest that a building similar to the General Post Office at Hongkong, but of somewhat smaller dimensions where necessa- ry, should be built at Shanghai and I think that, in view of Mr. Borce's vast expe- rience of buildings in China and Japan and the valuable local information as to Con- tractors and the cost of labor and building materials at Shangbai, his head quarters, that it would be well to ask him to undertake the supervision of the suggested building, in the same manner that Mr. BRUNTON, the Engineer to the Japanese Government, superintended the erection of the new Post Office at Yokohama in 1869.
450
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