New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-08-31

| 10 unnecessary 70 suggest, IL 10 1eEiraoie ana
| proper to aco,d that expense. But the difficulty
is {, ssceria1 whether there is epy necess ty for
prepayment.
We have friend who has correspondent in
Hong Kong. For reasons not 1t al nth while
to recount it is the desire Of 10Th parties that
letters hence should nor be Pre- aid; but it is also
the desire Of both that the letters should 60. Our
friend has inquired at tho rOst-0ifce in this city,
and caused others to inquire as 10 tie postage to
Hong Kong, and the necessity Of prepayment Of
letters certainly not less than a score Of tines
and never by any chance has he received the same
answer twice! lie has gone from window to
window and put the same questions to those astuto
clerks, who are supposed to knew oil about hCUg
Kong and the postal arrangement tbereuntO re-
lating, ard be has received, with space of say
seysnty.fve seconds Intervening, totally different
answers. He has, by way of experiment, sent a
messenger with letter for Hong Kong TO one
window with directions to ASK what he postage on
lie sad letter to that mythical place would be, aud
the answer was "threc cents" lie has seut
messenger to another vlldow with the samH letter,
with directions 10 make the same inquiry in au ear
nest and at the same time pursasive manner, to tho
end that tka real factas to tho postage 10 Hong Kong
nry be defnitvely settled, rri the answer wps
| five cents" And, not discUU pgcG by the result
Of this onslaught nPou tho Intelligence Of Post
Office clerks lis pursuit under difficulties Of kugwl-
edge as TO postage to Hong Kong, our fiji d has
tuken bis letter in bis own hand aud nqUiI as ,hs
same window though 0ccupe-. il - oc pr;-
sumed-if we llay pesume anything IN rclaticn TO
Hong ROng--by another official what would Lo the
cost of insurug the transmission 20 Hong Kong of the
letter afoIcsaid aud th,n presented. The rcPy is
aud friend then aud there paid down in currous
coin of the realm-One dollar and sixty cents
Was his letter prepaid to Hong Kongi or 10
there any necessity Of prepsyIug' postage to ilong
Kong Was the clerk ignorant Or d'housst
or was il that tho other two clerks were goo.
rant Is there general state Of ignorance or
di honesty On the subject Of postage 70 Hong
Kong Our frlefd doesn't know.
Tho irst letter--uct tbs une whOsc postage,
as We have just related, went up from ) ceuts
10 100 ceuts, ut the rats Of about six cents
Dluute-tho first letter written to our aieud's
correspondent IN Hong Kong BY his family ia
Boston wa not prepaid, aud bo never got it.
| Instead thereof ho wrote " say the. be had re.
! ceiged iUrmidabIslook,ng documrni-to ho anu
hrs friends do oc 'asionally boar fron, another
! not sithstonding tus difficulties wlsa heset tho
subject Of Hong Kong po,tagc-~heh Informed
! him that, in her Msjcstys General Post-Ohco
vas lylUg a letter, ssy No. 95j,7j6,5U2, which
| be could have By calling or sendIDf ior after "a
prc.cribed mannrr IA accordance with the official
routine. II ~ happened 'hst Gu trend was Ia
London q lew weeks after ho heard Of ,hl,
and bcthinkIog tin that his correspondent
at Hong Kong would be glad 10 Sc, these
intercepted uIlng frnm home, bs ~iiIod
at The General Post Office g. E.ss ...
al. 80. ~ cosr.e, the inquiry was no
b.. 70 bad not plc rr9ust" documcntsr ,r,c
ar4 .f'lorif,. rr' tslfr.s, ne. o..
...ay af llr ... ..cYrcd Tor him u dsgr,. o.
.,..,aus d. -...s when b. ia proud 10 "a, te
..s .-.et -. ....g a free aud iudrpcr lent
p~U.,i. aud 500 euYrt vas made 10 iind the
ui'.. * epst.e. But Ia vain. At length an up.
peal wBs made Ia higher Official, whose higher
intelligence could grssF tue SUBJECT of postage to
iIons kulg. lls decision Was: that, botwIth-
Dug tue notice seuI ~ the gentleman at
Hong Kong, th- letter must have subsequently,
guue forward iuasmuch as, Hong Kong being a
Bntsh Colony, It would be only necessary 20
prepay on All American letter tue usual postage
iron tho United States To England. Our friend
lmmed ately wrote a. bis correspondent ia Hong
Kong 70 congratulate bim on having received at
length the long lost letter; and, rIotug III his
new acquired aud precious knoaledse in regard
10 Hong Kong postage, 10y which he felt that ho
had all American Post Office clerks "Ou the hip"
forever after, he abstaIned from paying on that
letter Of glad tidiogs any p"rtage whatever. lilo
enjoyed the luxury Of g"i 6 on credit all tho way
! ~ wherever Hong Kong is A Iew months
later, in due season, hts correspondent at Hong
Kong advised hiui that another porteuious docu-
ment from tue General POet-Ohioe ia London had
been received ANNOUNCING that q letter had been
detained there Tor bin for want Of postage.
| The date Of poStmark showed 1t TO be the letter
be lad So trlumphaotly mniled afer putting sev-
eral British officials to the trouble OF ascertain
ing the fact that, Hong Kong being British
Colony, letters thereto dad not need TO be pro-
paid
or course, our friend ia in the wrong; of
course, every body else. who is official, is in the
right; Of course, an unpaid letter to Hong Kong
from Boston is not stopped in London, because
Hong Kong is British colonyi Of course, an
unpaid letter to Hong Kong from London is
stopped Notwithstanding Hong Kong is British
colony; Of course, it is absolutely necessary to
pay one dollar and sixty cents letter to