POSTAL COMMUhUCATIONS. 3 



Peking (i860). By these conventions the Russian 

 Government acquired the right of organising at its 

 own expense a regular transmission of both Hght 

 and heavy mails between Kiakhta, Peking, and 

 Tien-tsin, The Mongols contract to carry the post 

 as far as Kalgan, the Chinese, the rest of the way. 

 We have opened post-offices at four places : Urga, 

 Kalgan, Peking, and Tien-tsin. At each of these a 

 Russian official is stationed, who superintends the 

 post-office, and attends to the regular despatch of 

 the post. The light mails leave Kiakhta and Tien- 

 tsin three times a month : the heavy mails only once 

 a month. The latter are carried on camels escorted 

 by two Cossacks from Kiakhta, while the former 

 are accompanied only by Mongols, and are carried 

 on horses. They are usually taken from Kiakhta to 

 Peking in two weeks ; while the heavy mails take 

 from twenty to twenty-four days. The cost to our 

 Government of maintaining the post through Mon- 

 golia is about 1 7,000 rubles (2,400/.) ; the receipts at 

 all the four offices amounting altogether to 3,000 

 rubles (about 430/.).^ 



The Chinese Government has also undertaken to 

 transport, from Kiakhta to Peking and back, every 

 three months, at its own cost, for the convenience of 

 our clerical and diplomatic Missions at Peking, a 

 heavy post not exceeding 26 cwts. in weight each 

 time. 



1 There is another post-road between Urga and Kalgan, estabhshed 

 by the Chinese for themselves. From this road another one to Ulias- 

 sutai branches off on the border of the Khalkas country, near the 

 station of Sair-ussu. 



В 2 



