Sheffield, and the postage is 5s. To obviate that heavy tax it has become the practice to have agents in each town, who collect the debts and remit the amounts through bankers. This mode would not be resorted to if the postage were reduced to 1d. The postage is a very heavy charge on the property of the bankrupt. He has an estate at Worthing—a man who kept a general shop there; it is the practice to let the fishermen get into debt, and they pay their debts at the mackarel season. On writing to them they returned the letters, being unable to pay the postages. In one case he paid 37. for returned letters alone. The estate of Crickett, Ruffle and Co., of Chelmsford, failed, and had nearly 70,000l. out in circulation in notes, many of which were held by poor people, labourers and others, who had, in some instances, a single note of 17. A dividend of 3d. in the pound was declared. He did not send notice to these poor people who had a right to receive 3d., because it would have cost them 5d.! Had the postage

been 1d. a notice would have gone as a matter of course. They would have got their dividends from a person attending the corn-market-who now calls with their orders for their payments.

We next abridge the evidence of a country solicitor. In his evidence we direct especial attention to the conclusive proof it affords of the good which would result from the payment of postage in advance.

Ev. 7386, &c.-Mr. Edward Gill Flight is a solicitor at Bridport. His partner or himself come up to London on an average six or eight times in the year, on professional business. Occasionally he brings up from six to twelve letters; if he comes up very suddenly he brings up fewer, but it is very seldom he comes up at all without bringing some for his friends. They are brought from individuals, clients or friends, at Bridport, who request him to deliver them in London. He very frequently sends letters up in coach parcels; and while in London he very frequently receives a number of letters in parcels with a request to deliver them. He finds the postoffice management, as to the charging of letters, very incorrect; he has very frequently received letters that were only single, marked double; but he has very frequently, on the other hand, received letters charged at only single postage

which have been double, and some treble; not at all unfrequently treble letters charged only single postage. From which he infers there is not only inaccuracy but inconvenience produced by the present mode of charging letters. He has been subjected to inconvenience by anonymous letters, as well as by letters signed by the parties. He produces a number of letters that have been sent to him in succession day after day by the same individual. The writer, avowing his intention to vex and annoy, says in one of his letters, that he means to keep up the annoyance daily for the next ten years, and although each of the letters might have been sent as a single letter, the majority of them are double letters; many of them are treble. Some of them are signed by the individual, and others are not signed at all. The reason he assigns for giving him this vexatious annoyance is, that he has been employed against him professionally. In one of his letters he says that he will be revenged, or something of that kind, and that he will go on affording this vexation, which shall cost 6s. a day for the next ten years, if he lives. Although the letters are all in the same handwriting each address is in a different handwriting; not a single letter is in the same handwriting in the body of it as the address, nor are any two of the addresses outside alike. He applied to the principal clerk in Colonel Maberly's department in London, and he stated that the postage of any letters sent for the purposes of vexation or annoyance would be allowed the parties back; in that case it was necessary not merely to give up the envelope but the letter also, and he wished to retain the enclosure in some cases, to make use of it in certain proceedings in Chancery in which he is now employed; although the envelope is of no use to him in those proceedings the enclosure may be; and it may be necessary for him to introduce the vexatious conduct of the party in his proceedings in Chancery, as affecting the suit and the party. He has had circular letters from Mr. Adey, and persons of that class. He adds that the individual before mentioned threatened he would not only send a daily letter, double or treble, but also send a coach parcel every day; he did send one coach parcel, but having himself to pay 2d. for the booking that annoyance was never afterwards repeated. Such coach parcels are frequent for the purpose of

conveying letters, where the postage would be more than the parcel; a treble letter or two letters are very often sent in that manner. At a general election, or the annual registration, a vast number are sent; circular letters from central committees are usually sent in a parcel to a person in the town, who then delivers them by hand in the town of Bridport. He did not propose to the solicitor of the post-office to prosecute this man who sent these annoying letters; because it would be very inconvenient if he had to dance attendance at the post-office upon the subject. He knows of other modes of evading the postage than by parcels. Very many persons are in the habit of telegraphing by means of a stale newspaper. There is a preconcerted arrangement by the party sending and the individual to whom it is sent. If the latter receive the Morning Chronicle, directed in the handwriting of the party, it is taken as a certain signal, and so in many other ways. The payment of a bill is telegraphed in the same way, and the arrival of a party in any particular town. He has not only done it himself, but has known it done by many others. It is a very common occurrence. This mode of communicating by newspapers, called telegraphing, is without any writing upon the paper; entirely by the handwriting of the party in the direc tion, and by a previous agreement of what is to be understood on the arrival of a particular newspaper. A reduction of the postage would put an end to most of those instances of sending letters by coach, and other modes of communication; because a stale newspaper would cost 1d. or 2d. It not unfrequently happens, in order to convey information of any occurrence connected with his profession, a paragraph is put in the newspaper, and a number of the copies purchased; by that means the information is conveyed through the post-office gratuitously. That is very frequently done, and he has done it himself. His professional correspondence would most unquestionably increase largely upon a penny postage, because the correspondence with his agent in London and himself in the country generally depends on having several matters to convey in the same letter, instead of writing often upon the immediate occurrence of any thing requiring advice or instruction. He would pay more in the year at a penny than at the present rate of 10d., because he would send fewer coach parcels. He

sends now coach parcels not weighing more than two or three ounces, which cost 3s. 6d. or 4s. before they are delivered. Upon coach parcels he pays a great deal in the course of the year, and if the postage was reduced in the way proposed, he should pay more than he does now for postage. That the previous payment of postage would put an end to the annoying system alluded to is illustrated by the fact, that the individual, although he had threatened to send a coach parcel every day, having to pay the booking, did not repeat that mode of annoyance. It is the object of his evidence to show the advantage of previous payment, and he is satisfied, as far as regards the system of annoyance sometimes adopted, and to which he has been unfortunately a victim, it must unquestionably put a stop to that. He has no doubt that the previous payment would much increase correspondence. He means previous payment of the penny; but it would be a very great advantage, even were the present rate of postage kept up, if individuals were compelled to pay the postage beforehand; it would be a great alleviation to the present system. In his profession his clients perhaps feel the heavy rates of postage more than he does, because, of course, he always takes care to charge the amount; but in a round-about way they suffer, from their character getting a scratch on account of the heaviness of their bills. It would be a great facility to his profession to forward deeds by the mail, at a small postage; and he would much prefer sending deeds through the post-bag, if possible, on account of the superior safety. Could he communicate with his clients at a cheaper rate of postage the communication would be much more frequent and beneficial both to the client and the solicitor and all parties concerned. His own feeling is he should correspond much more frequently but for the expense of the postage, and he should much more frequently send copies of documents, copies of depositions, and opinions, and cases; he should send those documents much more frequently but for the expense of postage, which, when it becomes double or treble, is a serious matter.

The witness concludes his evidence in these words:

"I apprehend that the amount of postage would be very much increased, were the price of each letter reduced, in the

correspondence between the pupils in great schools and their relations. I remember, when I was at school, I scarcely received or wrote half a dozen letters during the whole halfyear; whereas fluency, ease, and accuracy in correspondence form so essential a part of good education, that I should presume there could be no doubt that the quantity of letters between the scholars and their relations would be increased, as a part of the education of the former, very largely indeed.During the assize week I have very frequently received circular letters from law booksellers and others, and I can only account for this on the supposition that they are left by the barristers' clerks going the circuit, and I know other solicitors have at the same time received similar circulars; and from that I infer that this mode of conveying letters is universally adopted in all the circuits."

The impediments to the transaction of county business generally, caused by high postage, are conclusively shown in the following evidence:

Ev. 7454, &c.-Mr. Francis Wilson Ellis is the auditor of a district of unions in the county of Suffolk, comprising five unions and 160 parishes; also a commissioner for the river Blyth, i. e, conservator of the navigation between Southwold and Halesworth. He is a half-pay lieutenant in the royal navy; was a lieutenant in the last war, but has not served since the peace; he is the executive officer of the body of commissioners for the preservation of Southwold Harbour; the commissioners comprise the neighbouring gentlemen residing within fifteen or twenty miles; many of them are clergymen; and the executive department is confided to him; he is also agent of the Shipping Insurance Associations of Scarborough, Hull, Selby, Sunderland, Shields, Goole, Montrose, Arbroath, Hartlepool, and a variety of others to the northward. In consequence of these various situations his correspondence is extensive. Is an auditor of a district of five unions in Suffolk, comprising 160 parishes. It is a condition of the office of district auditor that he does not reside in any one of the parishes of the unions which he is required to audit; he must therefore necessarily reside at post distance. In his own case; the nearest place of audit to his residence is twenty-four miles, the farthest forty-two miles. It is by a rule of the Poor Law