6;o
11NDIA.
The construction of railways, besides fostering trade and cpm- merce, has produced social and moral effects indicated, to some extent, by a vastly increased postal intercourse. In the fiscal year 1859-60, there were 850 post offices and receiving houses in British India, and the number of letters and newspapers sent through them was 47,788,105, and in 1859-60 the number of post offices had risen to 3,710, and the letters and newspapers to 74,664,817. The following table gives the number of offices and receiving houses, together with the total revenue and expenditure of the post office in each of the ten fiscal years 1860 to 1869 : —
Tears ended
and receiving houses
Total revenue
Total expenditure
Number
£
£
[I860 ....
850
661,505
480,637
_
1861
914
608,524
519,805.
'£
1862
984
402,135
481,328
<<
1863
1,142
425.528
481,196
o
1864
1.293
459.882
502,671
co
1865
1,421
362.333
426,456
1^1866
2,070
406,466
433,304
S| f 1867
2,558
496,439
466,642
g ■{ 1868
3.159
659,679
548.439
S 1 1869
3,710
707.792
693,316
The following table shows the total number of letters and news- papers sent through the post offices in each presidency or province during the fiscal years 1867 to 1869 : —
Presidency or Province
Years (ended 31st March)
1867
1868
1869
Number
Number
Number
of covers
of covers
of covers
Bengal
11,950.962
13.822.252
15.236,422
Madras .....
9,598.559
10*829,753
11,917,657
Bombav .....
12,516,454
15.1(35,672
17,123,690
North- West Provinces
14.227,435
15.652,848
16,986.561
Punjab and Scinde .
8,496,235
10,001.172
10,631,585
Central Provinces .
1,632.352
1,991 j 175
2,142.100
British Burma h Total
460,819
515,593
626.796
58,882,816
67,978 365
74,664,817
Tn the fiscal year L'859-60, the mails travelled over 39,338 miles, of which total 32,765 miles was done by boats and 'runners;' 5,861 miles by carts and on horseback; and only 712 miles by railways. Ten years after, in the fiscal year 186S-69, the mails-
