The Express.
London, England, 1851-07-25 00:00:00

PROPOSED REFORM IN FOREIGN

POSTAGE.

The following gentlemen have formed themselves
into an association for the purpose of inducing the govern-
ments of the countries to which they belong to establish a
low and uniform rate of postage on letters to and from all
parts of the world—viz., Lord Ashburton, Sir J. P.
Boileau, Sir John Burgoyne, Sir Roderick Murchison, Sir
Stafford Northcote, Harts., the Right lion. T. M. Gibson,
M.P., the lion. C. I'. Villiers, M.P., Mr. Wm. Brown,
M.P., Mr. George Moffatt, M.P., Mr. C. J. S. Lefevre,
and Dr. Lindley, England; M. Walowski, Baron Charles
Du in, and Professor D'Aubigue France ; Professor Han-
' cock and Mr. C. J. Kennedy, America; Herr Von Wie•
bahn, Germany; and M. dc Bergne, Russia.
The association will also endeavour to induce all govern-
ments for the sake of economy to collect the whole of the
postage chargeable on foreign letters posted in their reepec-
tive countries, and to collect it by means of postage stamps,
and also to charge foreign postage according to one uniform
scale of weights.
From inquiries which have recently been made into the
foreign postal department of this country, the following
important facts have been elicited, viz.:
lst. That the postage on the foreign correspondence does
not pay the expense of conveyance.
2nd. That the high and variable postage rates on foreign
letters render the compulsory prepayment of all postage im-
practicable, and the consequent impossibility of carrying
out Rowland Hill's scheme as far as the reduction and Mill-
plificatim of the vast and complicated machinery of the
Post-office is concerned.

3rd. That the governments of the following countries
have agreed, under certain stipulations, to collect the whole
of the pustago chargeable on letters to this country, in order
to avoid the expense and trouble of a double collection of
postage, viz, France, America, Russia, Prussia, Austria,
Bavaria, Belgium, Baden, Switzerland, Greece, Sardinia,
Tuscany, 18 ofthe German states, and eight of the northern
European states, and England has agreed, under similar
stipulations, to collect the whole of the postage on letters
posted in Great Britain for the above named countries; and
that the governments of all other countries collect only their
own portion of the postage chargeable on foreign letters.
Rh. That of all the local governments of the British
colonies and dependencies the governments of Jamaica,
Berhice' Malta, and British North America only collect the
internal and British postal rates on letters fur this country,
and that England likewise only collects the combined
colonial and British postage on letters for the above places.
The local governments of all other colonies and dependencies
collect only their own local postage rates on letters for this
country.
bth. That England, America, and Prussia charge foreign
postage on the hall-ounce scale, and all other nations on
the quarter ounce scale; and thatl owing to France, Bel-
gium, and Holland, the three great thoroughfares through
which the Continental correspondence flows, charging ac-
cording to &different scale of weights from England, renders
the collection of foreign postage difficult and complicated.
Gth. That the foreign postage on letters to and from this
country varies from 101. upwards to 2s. 9d. on a single
letter, and that the collection of these various sums, the
variability of foreign po.tage, according to different routes
and scale rates, and the consequent necessity for correspon.
dents pointing out the routes their letters are to be sent,
impedes epistolary communication, and increases the cost of
the postal departments.
7th. That the charge on foreign letters is not governed
by the distance of their destination, since letters ter China
arc charged Is. each, and those for Spain 25. 2d., but accord-
ing to the quantity of correspondence originating between
this and any fanuitn country.