The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-17
Tho Pos, Office in China and Japan.

The Post Office in China aud Japan.
Ono Of the parties to the now Universal
! Postal Treaty, modifying the rates for
printed matter and other mail articles cx-
ccpt letters. which was lately concluded at
| Paris and on Tuesday was approved by
| HAYES Cabinet Is the empire Of Japan.
! Japan X II member of the General Postal
Union, and her stamps have for some years
been recognized as valid payment of post
| age to the other countries Of the union; but
China still adhcrcs to her old means Of mail
| communication though the English colony
at Hong Kong shares in the benefits Of the
| treaty.
After only six years adoption Of tho for
| cign postal system. Japan had IN 1877 the
large number Of 3,774 post Offices, l5l re-
cciving agencies, 9l6 stamp agencies, and
sGG street letter boxes in use and operation
With the establishment Of these mail facili-
ties the correspondence Of the empire and
the circulation Of its newspapers rapidly
! Increased, su that now the postal statistics
of Japan show surprising literary activity
During the year ending June 80, 1877.
there went through the Japanese Post
Onlcc 220j34j0 ordinary letters COG, 3A reg
ietered letters. and G.76l 272 postal cards.
The number Of domestic newspapers trans
mittcd in the mails during the year was
1872, $50, which was an increase Of 1928, Ia,
or 46 per cent. over the number sent in 1876.
and Of 1904 per cont. over that in 1873. The
care. honesty energy. aud order which pre-
vail in the administration OF the postal sys-
TEN. 80 recently established. are shown by
the fact that during 1877 only iS9 letters
and packages were lost by theft or highway
robbery. and of these i2i were subsequently,
recovered and delivered intact Tho family
Of a carrier who was killed while defending
his mail bag against robbers was pcnsiOncd,
and rewards were given 20 eleven persons
for aiding to save the mails in cases Of rob
berry, inundation, and shipwreck Regular
mails TO Fusau, Corea. and seven ports of
China facilitate the Intercourse between res
idents or natives Of the three countries
One OF our citizens Mr.. SAMUEL BRYAN, for
mcrly Of the Post Office in Washington. Is
the foreign superintendent ot the japanese
Postal Bureau. which already is beginning
to rank for efficiency with some OF the best
in the world
The Post Office in China. however, Is. with
few changes, and those for the worse the
same institution Of which MARCO pOLO six
centuries ago gave such wonderful ac-
counts. Now. as then. it is for the sole bcne-
tit Of the Government. According to MARCO
Polo, in the kingdom of the Great Khan.
buildings Of a pretentious style Of architcc-
ture. and well furnished within, were placed
at every Twenty-Five miles upon all the
main thoroughfarcs. and from 300 to 400
horses maintained at each station for the
special purpose Of conveying Government
dispatches to and fro. The handsome build
ings are now gone. but there still remain
couriers who carry Government dispatches
alone. at from $50 to 200 miles dav.
The correspondence Of the public il left To
shift wholly for itself so far as the Govern
mont Is concerned: but system Of private
agencies carries letters and small packages
at very moderate charges. Each city has a
a,rt in rtt,,Ier ~ lf.npanl ..,,H, nice