The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-11 00:00:00

LETTER THE SEVENTH
FROM
THE CHAIRMAN OF 'FHB BOARD OF STAMPS,

TIII: RIGHT 110 N. T. WALLACE.

011,1.11 TAT lONS SUBMITTED TO THE LORD% OF 1113 31A.
OAT V., TREASURY, ON THE REPORT or messes. sv tees
A„r, lemurs. teonertsetosains OF INQUIBT INTO 1111
STAMP nreenenrwe tN Enimornon.
Nonelluti,d from the British Pros of yesterday.)
I next proceed to the subject of the appointment of
Messrs. Hatton and Cameron. AN these two appoint-
ments have been from the first most retennottely resisted
at the Head Olin at Edinburgh by Nlr. Ilepburrie and
Mr. pender ; as ro effort has been left untried to get rill
of them; and as the Commissioners of Inquiry concur in
austlemning them as ill.advisell and unnecessary ; I owe
it, in justice to myself, with whom they originated, to show
the teal ground on which they were proposed, and the true
cause of that opposition which is made to the carrying
them permanently into effect.
I shall now state distinctly the grounds on which I re-
eeeerientled the arrangement objected to, and which the
Board, b
urghm consideration, adopted. When I went
to Edinbrg in March last by the direction of your Lord-
ships (to treat for the purchase of the ground behind the
New Stamp Office, as well as for the sale of the old pre-
Alien), it was stated to me by many persons that the situa-
ewe of the New Office was such as to require that some
'accommodation should be provided to enable the mercantile
iuhabirante of the Ohl Town, RS well as the professional
persons in the New Town, to procure stamps without the
etremity of going to so great a distance ; strong complaints
were at the same time made to me, from many quarters, of
the general inconvenience which was felt from their not be-
ing able to procure stamps after three o'clock. nor on Sq-
uallsy after twelve (at which hours the Stamp Office closed),
without going to the house of one or other of the clerks,
who sold them at s high per centnee, on the plea that it wis
vet of office hours. I intimated, in reply, that I would, on
my return to London, submit to the Board, that a supply
of stamps should be furnished to two persons of credit and
respectability, who might be found to reside in situations
teffieiently centrical to afford the accommodation required.
Accordingly, on my return I proposed the two individuals at
present appointed—the one residing in theOMTown,theother
at the further end of Prince's-street, in the New Town ;
but I proposed them with this precaution—that they should
be appointed first for twelve months ash, by way of ex-
periment, 113 the amount of stamps sold by them in that time
would be the best test of the accommodation to be afforded ;
if it were Pilling, it would show thnt the accommodation
was not important, if few persons availed themselves of it,
end the appointment might then be discontinued ; if, on
the other hard. their demand was considerable, it would
show that the advantage was commensurate, as there could
be no inducement for not getting them at the Stamp Office
tat the facility thus Worded to individuals of obtaining
them nearer hand. No remuneration was stipulated to be
g:ren to either of the persons thus appointed, but it was to
abide the result of the experi:Lent fur the year, and to he
regulated when the extent of the sale of stamps should
have been eseertained.
" The corrmpondence which took place with the Board has been
laid before us, non which we learn that Mr. Hepbutne was finally
introcted to curry this arrangement into effect."
It it necessary to the full developement of this subject
to lay the cerrespondenee itself before your Lordshipa,
since, notwithstanding the opposition raked to these two
appointments, it is not too much to say, that no measure
could have been adopted undt r the guidance of a more re-
served anti cautious disert lion than was manifested by the
Beard on the preßent occa,:ion.
On the Tit (lay of June, 1'!121, the intended arrange-
ment was notified by the Secretary to Mr. Hepbttrne, as
follows :

" June 21,1031.

Sts.—The B lard being desiroila of asrertaining whether the
intik of Edinburgh can, without additional expense, be accom.
modatcd with lump% without the r.eccasity of obtaining them
immediately from the StasnisOtEce on the Regent's Bridge. di-
rnt that you *apply Mr. Hatton, of the upper end of Princes'.
tie r, wlth a stock of stamps foe sale, on Lis giving you accutity
fur the daly amounting forth* amount thoeuf. I am, kc.
" R. Hrphunw, Et.q. " W. KAPPEN.
A similar direction was given for the supply of Mr.
Cameron. • -

•
Ou the 3inli of June, a letter was received from Mr.
Ilepburne, in the course of which he writes as follows:
" &lit appears that Messrs. Hatton and Cameron are in *epee_
to! mof some emolument for their trouble, I hope to be favoured
ine determination of the Hoard as to this point."

In answer to which the following reply was written
13th July. 1821.
"St n„—l am directed to inform you, that the Board deem it
wish dde to ascenaia what mat be the amount of Stamps void at
the end of twelve months. previously to deciding on any specific
teear.eration to be allowed to Mr. Batton and Mr. Cameron, who
neat therefore accept the appointment on these terms, and in the
:cm lime account to you, at the end of each quarter, for the
aieount of stock sold. I am, de.
" It. llepburne, Esq." " W. KAreitw.
No steps were taken to carry those appointments into'
etl'ect ; on the contrary, every endeavour was, in the
mean time, made to frustrate them ; and on the 20th of
July the following letter was received 'from Mr. Hep-
home :--
" Stamp Office, Edinburgh, July 20, 1821.
" Honourable Sirs,—Since I had the honour to receive your
lever of the 13:h instant. Mr. funds'. Member of Par-
lament few the City of Edb:bur4ll, and the Lord Advocate for
Scotland, have been to this office to inspect the house, and more
especially to make some inquiries respecting the new appointments
tow in contemplation fore better accommodation of the public of
Edinburgh, in purchasing stamped paper. I believe these gentle-
men intend to correspond either with your Board or that of the
Trdasury on this subject. as they ale both of opivion that these
aphointments, particularly that in the New Town, will not be re-
quired.
" The Lord Advocate informed me, that the Treasury are about
tosend three gentlemen, to make a general inquiry into this de-
partment, and to make a Report thereupon to his Majesty's Go-
vernment. Thia will be very satisfactory to us; and what I have
at present to take th..: liberty to euggest to the Board is, to postpone
doing nny thing farther in regard to the appointment of the new
Sub--Distributors, until the arrival of these Commissioners. And,
trusting that your Honours will think it advisable to agree to this
sug;;estion. 1 will not trouble the Board at present with sonic re-
f.:arks sal the subj.:et of these appointments, which I feel it my duty
to do at the proper time.
" I have the honour to remain, de.
" ROHERT 11EPBURNE.
" To the lion. Commissioners of Stamps."
To the above letter the Secretary was directed to reply
us follows:
" July 28, 1821.
_ . .

•• Sir,-1 am directed to inform you, that the Board Cm at no
tint,: he unwilling to receive any suggestion, from whatever quarter,
which may be submitted to their consideration, previously to
carrying into effect any regulation which they may deem it expe-
dient to adopt.
With respect to the inquiti's which you inform the Board that
Mr. William Funds% Member of Parliament for the city of Etlin-
!ugh, and the bird Advocate of Scotland, called especially to
malt, respecting the proposed arrangement for the sale of stamps,
which the Board has deemed advisable, for the better accommoda-
tiA of the public of Edinburgh. if any result arising out of those
e tuiries had been communicated to the Board, the Commissioners
would hare given it every consideration, and would willingly have
suspended or relinqiiished any regulation which had appeared,
from eirournstene-s which they bad not foreseen, likely to produce
an effect in any manner at variance with the end proposed. But
vie Commissioners do not expect that any one of their officers
should be made the medium of communicating to them an opinion,
unsupported by any reason, of persons unconnected with the office,
that arrangements, which the Heard bad conceived to be expedient,
• will not be required ;' and that, because those persons had ex-
pressed an intention of corresponding with the Treasury upon the
subjeet,.such officer should therefore take upon himself to postpone
carrying the Board's orders into effect.
" I ant directed to add, that these appointments arc not of sob-
distributors, as they are termed in your letter ; that the Board feel
ii incumbent upon them, in the discharge of their public duty, to
make such provision as might appear to them most conducive to
the better and more convenient supply of stamps to the inhabitants
of the New and Old Town of Edinburgh ; and as it is intended, by
this aerangement, to ascertain, by experiment, at the end of twelve
months, the extent of actual advantage arising from it, the Board
desire that you will take the necessary steps for carrying their in-
structions into effect. 1 am, &c.
" R. Hepburne, FAO." " W. Karrax-
Having laid thus much of the correspondence on the
subject of these appointments before your Lordships, I
shall now proceed to observe on what is urged by the Corn-
tnissioners of Inquiry against their being carried into effect.
" As Mt. ilepbsise is responsible for all the sub.distributors in
the country, be states to as that the Beard of Stamps had never
before directed any portieniar person to be appointed to that office ;
and lie farther thought that the nature of the appointment had not
been, well sonsidereo, nor with a sufficient attention to local cir-
cumstances." _ . _

_ .....
It is, to ssy the least of it, not within the ordinary rules
of official coui tray that Messrs. Sykes stud Forbes should