TRADE REGULTIONS OF CHINA.

ABSTRACT OF THE NEW TRADE REGULATIONS, APPENDED TO THE TREATIES OF TEEN-TSIN.

1. In the present newly arranged tariff all articles which are only mentioned amongst the imports and not amongst the exports, and which may be however hereafter exported, shall pay duties according to the import half of the tariff; and all articles which are only mentioned amongst the exports and not amongst the imports, and which may be however hereafter imported, shall pay duties according to the export half of the tariff.

All unenumerated articles in the import and export tariffs, and which may not be classed amongst the articles under the head of Duty Free," shall pay an ad valorem duty of 5 per cent.

2. Foreign gold and silver bullion, and foreign gold and silver coins, foreign grain, flour, rice, biscuits, preserved meats, preserved fruit, cheese, butter, preserves, clothes, gold and silver ornaments, silver plated ware, scents, soap, coals, firewood, candles, tobacco, tobacco leaves, wines, spirits, malt liquors, household articles, articles or stores required for ships, bedding, paper, pens, ink, carpets, knives, physic for use of foreigners, glass, glassware, shall be exempted from paying duties on entering in or going out of port.

With the exception of gold and silver bullion, foreign money, clothes, and bedding which vessels may have on board only, vessels bringing any of the other above mentioned articles will be compelled to pay tonnage dues.

3. The import and export of gunpowder, iron shot, guns, (cannon,) small arms, and other military weapons, and native salt, are strictly prohibited.

4. It is now fixed that the following weights and measures are to be employed in the carrying out of this tariff :—

One Chinese pecul is equal to 100 Chinese catties, or 1334 lbs. English.

· One Chinese chang, or 10 Chinese feet, is equal to 141 inches. Twelve English inches are equal to 1 foot English.

Three English feet is equal to 1 yard; and 4 yards less 3 inches are equal to 1 Chinese chang.

5. Hitherto it was prohibited to trade in opium, (foreign medicine,) copper cash, rice, peas, beans, saltpeter, brimstone, and lead; it is now, however, stipulated that hereafter these articles may be bought and sold under certain restrictions.

Opium shall be permitted to be imported on paying a duty of thirty taels per pecul. Foreign merchants are, however, only permitted to sell it at the treaty ports, and will not be permitted to take it to other places for sale, at which it will be viewed in the light of property belonging to Chinese. Chinese merchants are alone permitted to take opium into the interior of the country; and foreign merchants cannot take charge of it for the purpose of conveying it into the interior of the country. Hence, the tenor of the 9th article of the Teen-tsin treaty permitting Brittish subjects to proceed into the interior to trade under a pass-port system, and the tenor of the 28th article of the same treaty respecting the transit duties, have no bearing upon trading in opium. With respect to the transit duty on opium, such will be left to the arrangement of the Chinese Government.

With regard to copper cash, it is prohibited to export it to foreign countries, but foreigners may export it from treaty ports to treaty ports, where it will be dealt with according to the present established regulations, viz., by the merchants concerned giving bonds to the Custom-houses. Should they not fulfil these bonds, the copper cash, on being seized, will be confiscated. On the copper cash reaching the treaty port to which it shall be the intention to send it, no duty will be charged on it. Vessels which transport copper cash, be it a small or a large quantity, will have to pay tonnage dues.

Rice of China, or foreign rice, if once imported, cannot be exported to a foreign country; but Chinese rice and foreign rice may be exported to other treaty ports under the same conditions as copper cash,

British merchant vessels are prohibited exporting peas, beans, pea and bean

cakes, from Newchang and Tangchow. At the other treaty ports there are no such restrictions, and they may export these articles even to foreign countries. Saltpeter, brimstone, and spelter, can only be imported when purchased by the Chinese authorities, or by Chinese merchants holding licenses permitting them to do so. British merchants are only permitted to sell these articles at the treaty sea ports, and are prohibited importing them up the Yangtsze. If British merchants violate this stipulation, then the saltpeter, brimstone, and spelter, will, on seizure, be confiscated.

6. British vessels shall act in accordance with the 30th and 37th articles of the Teen-tsin treaty on coming to the treaty ports.

7. The transit duties are now fixed at one-half of the duties which are to be levied at the treaty ports, being in accordance with the tenor of the 28th article of the Teen-tsin treaty.

Those commodities, which, according to the 3d article of this regulation, are exempted from paying duties at the treaty ports, shall, on going into the interior of the country, pay transit duties at the rate of 21 per cent ad valorem.

On foreign merchants taking merchandise into the interior, they must report such at the Custom-houses at the treaty ports, and pay the transit duties, when they will receive receipts to be produced en-route, and which will prevent them paying any further transit duties.

On British merchants purchasing goods in the interior, they will report the same at the first inland Custom-house, where they will receive a certificate, and on their arrival at the treaty port, they will produce the certificate and pay the inland duties. Should they violate this regulation, and en-route secretly sell the goods, on their seizure, they will be confiscated.

8. In the 9th article of the Teen-tsin treaty it is stipulated that British subjects, provided with passports, will be allowed to proceed into the interior of the country, it is now, however, stipulated that British subjects cannot proceed to Peking to trade.

9. British merchants will not hereafter be called upon to pay the shroff fee of one tael two mace on the payment of duties to the Custom-house.

10. Regarding the collection of the foreign duties certain Chinese high officers will be appointed for the collecting of them, who will either themselves, or some of their special subordinate Chinese officers, or some British subjects engaged by them for that purpose, superintend such collection.

Regarding the anchoring of the vessels, the placing of buoys, erecting of lighthouses, &c., the Chinese Government will arrange such and bear the necessary expense from the tonnage dues.

TARE ON COFFEE.

The importers of coffee at the port of Baltimore have been long impressed with the unreasonableness of the old usage of allowing 2 per cent tare on sales of coffee. The coffee bag is valuable and important to the purchaser of the coffee. It costs the importer (the Rio bag for illustration) thirty-five cents each; it weighs about one pound, while they, by their old usage, that ought long since to have been discarded, deduct for the bag 3 1 5 pounds, or when coffee is worth eleven cents, thirty-five cents a bag; thus furnishing, free of charge, a bag costing thirty-five cents, and also deducting therefor, in excess of tare allowed over the actual weight of the bag, twenty-five cents more, making the cost of the bag to the importer, which is given to the purchaser, sixty cents. They do not propose for the correction of this wrong to charge the purchaser with the entire cost of the bag, but for the abatement of the evil, they recommend that the allowance of tare on coffee sales should cease, whereby the purchaser will be charged with the actual weight of the bag, or about one pound, equal to eleven cents, being less than one-half its value to him.

POSTAL DEPARTMENT.

POSTAL REVENUE.

The returns of the Post-office Department for the quarter ending December 31, 1858, sum up as follows, according to the statement made by the Acting Auditor of the Treasury for the Department, Henry St. George Offutt, Esq. :

This shows the net proceeds to have been $985,662 44, being an increase of $53,555 70 over the preceding quarter, and of $99,110 86 over the corresponding quarter of last year.

The amount of postage prepaid in postage stamps and stamped envelops during the quarter was $1,376,681 93.

MAILING LETTERS AT THE CARS.

The privilege allowed of mailing letters at the cars has been so much abused at many points upon the lines of railroad, that the department has found it necessary to issue a circular to route agents on the subject. The mailing of letters in any considerable number by route agents, necessarily occupies the time which they should devote to the careful distribution and delivery of way matter, and is likely to interfere with the more perfect discharge of their duties. Another important consideration is the effect it has upon the income of local offices, in diminishing the commissions of those offices where the letters should properly be mailed. There is much complaint from postmasters of this evil. The rule to be observed by route agents in mailing letters, and to which their attention is now particulary called, is, that such letters as there is good reason to believe were written after the usual hour for closing the mail at the local Post-office, and also such as could not with ordinary diligence, have been mailed at the Post-office in time for the outgoing mail, when presented, may be received by the agent and mailed in the car. This, it is believed, will afford sufficient accommodation for the public; and letters coming withing the view of this regulation will not be

numerous.

It will not be permitted to individuals or mercantile firms having an extensive correspondence to mail their letters at the cars rather than at the Post-office, on account of greater convenience to themselves, or for any other reason, except as above stated. The safety of mail matter and the ready means of tracing lost

letters are considerations of great importance, and the same security and certainty on these points cannot be attained in mailing letters at the cars as in the postoffices; nor is there the same check in keeping the accounts.

In enforcing this regulation the agents are expected to exercise a sound discretion as to the propriety of mailing or rejecting letters which may be presented, giving as little offence to the public as possible.

POST-OFFICE STATISTICS.

Third Assistant Postmaster-General Zevely has completed his exhibit of postage stamps and envelops, which, during the quarter just terminated, were punctually distributed to the twenty-seven thousand post-offices which are spread over the United States. The result would indicate that the country is rapidly augmenting in correspondence, and that the cheap postage system is beginning to be fully appreciated by the people. For the quarter which ended the 31st of March last, there were issued 13,461,700 one cent stamps; 10,428,500 three cent stamps; 128,940 five cent stamps; 1,164,210 ten cent stamps; 401,825 twelve cent stamps; total stamps issued 55,585,175, and representing in money $1,518.559. The amount paid to the contractors for manufacturing them was $10,005 33. In the fourth quarter of 1858, the total issue of stamps-all denominations--was 45,410,850, which represented $1,266,290. The difference, therefore, in favor of the last quarter was $252,260.

The envelop account shows that no less than 8,978,950 were also sent to postoffices all over the country, viz. :—

The total increase on stamps and envelops for the last quarter is thus shown to be $311,093.

The system adopted by the lamented Marion has been steadily adhered to by his intimate friend and successor, A. N. Zevely, and with similar success in all its details. The business of the stamp bureau involves the receipt of 108.000 letters in a year, and items of record numbering many millions, which keep the clerks of that department pretty industriously employed.

REDUCTION OF POSTAGE TO BUENOS AYRES.

We are requested to state that on and afterthe first of April last, the single rate of postage upon letters sent from the United States in the British mail, via England, to Buenos Ayres, or any other port of the Argentine Confederation, or to the Republic of Paraguay, (the correspondence for which is forwarded in the mails from England for Buenos Ayres,) is reduced from 45 to 33 cents, prepayment required. This reduction is the result of a reduced rate of British postage from 24 to 12 cents the half ounce letter between the United Kingdom and Buenos Ayres.

RAILROAD, CANAL, AND STEAMBOAT STATISTICS.

RAILROADS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

We herewith give a statement of the railroads of New Hampshire from the opening of the Concord Railroad, in 1842, to the present time. It presents a complete summary of the operation of all the railroads in the State for a period of sixteen years. The railroads running into this State, but lying chiefly in other States, are not included-an account of these more properly coming under a description of railroads of other States.

The rate of gross earnings to cost has been about 11 per cent; net earnings, nearly 5 per cent. A better result would have been shown had the railroads lying partially in the State, such as the Nashua and Lowell, and Boston and Maine, been included. The reason why so few dividends have been paid, has been due to the embarrassed state of the finances of the companies, rather than to a lack of earnings :-