during the year. Eight new lines of railway post-offices have been
established, with an aggregate length of 2,909 miles. The number of
letters exchanged in the mails with foreign countries was 24,362,500, an
increase of 4,066,502, or 20 per cent, Over the number in 1871; and the
postage thereon amounted to $1,871,257.25. The total weight of the mails
exchanged with European countries exceeded 820 tons. The cost of the
United States transatlantic mail steamship service was $220,301.70.
The total cost of the United States ocean steamship service, including
the amounts paid to the subsidized lines of mail steamers, was
$1,027,020.97.

The following are the only steamship lines now receiving subsidies for
mail service under special acts of Congress: The Pacific Mail Steamship
Company receive $500,000 per annum for conveying a monthly mail between
San Francisco, Japan, and China, which will be increased to $1,000,000
per annum for a semimonthly mail on and after October 1, 1873; the
United States and Brazil Mail Steamship Company receive $150,000 per
annum for conveying a monthly mail between New York and Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil; and the California, Oregon and Mexican Steamship Company receive
$75,000 per annum for conveying a monthly mail between San Francisco and
Honolulu (Hawaiian Islands), making the total amount of mail steamship
subsidies at present $725,000 per annum.

Our postal communications with all parts of the civilized world have
been placed upon a most advantageous footing by the improved postal
conventions and arrangements recently concluded with the leading
commercial countries of Europe and America, and the gratifying statement
is made that with the conclusion of a satisfactory convention with
France, the details of which have been definitely agreed to by the head
of the French postal department, subject to the approval of the minister
of finance, little remains to be accomplished by treaty for some time to
come with respect either to reduction of rates or improved facilities of
postal intercourse.

Your favorable consideration is respectfully invited to the
recommendations made by the Postmaster-General for an increase of
service from monthly to semimonthly trips on the mail steamship route
to Brazil; for a subsidy in aid of the establishment of an American line
of mail steamers between San Francisco, New Zealand, and Australia; for
the establishment of post-office savings banks, and for the increase of