The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-27 00:00:00

caused a great increase to the number passing through
the Post-office. From the earliest period to the present
day, every time the postage was reduced and greater fa.
cilities given to the public the postal revenue increased.
Canning gives great credit in his report to the late
Lieutenant Waghorn for opening the Overland Mail
route to India. In the archives of St. Martin's-
le-Grand, the accounts of the Post-office revenue
are perfect from 1685 to the present time. Amongst
them is an item of expenditure in 1687 entered
thus—" Paid to Edward Lock, of Hounslow, for a man
to deliver letters at the camp, 41." From these archives
it appears that all the postmasters in the West of Eng-
land were well affected to William 111., and rendered
him great assistance when lid landed in this country.
These documents also reveal some curious particulars of
the abuse of the franking system. Among the items
franked by the Holland mail packets in 1695 were
with
great discoverers and long-range inventors for the
"some parcels of cloth for the !othing colonels in
Lords Grey and North's regiments." Also a pack of
hounds. Only just before the franking privilege was
abolished it is well known that a pair of buckskin
hunting breeches were franked by a Government
aennnclionsgedisintraoucbolveedr
soeffinctiainl ttobegom byai pl
ost, and w
bag.
Lord
im-
peovement of the Post-office. " Crude, ill-considered
schemes," says his lordship, " conceived in ignorance of
were
the simplest details of the business of the Post-office, or
pilfered from inventions already well known, reach me
in plenty, generally followed by pressinc, claims for re-
muneration." Cases of detected wholesale and retail
robbery of newspapers before they are posted are men-
tioned in the report as having been attributed to Post-
office delinquencies.
The present staff of St. Martin's-le-Grand consists of
2.500 persona. There are now nearly 6,000 more
Post-offices in the United Kingdom than there were
fifteen years ago. The mail communication with the
Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Scotland, Ireland, and
the north of England,
and that on the Clyde, has
recently been, or is in progress of being, improved.
Travel!ing post-offices have just been introduced into
the
Constantinople arrangements
and fotrb
et hcer
mmeaai
wcommunication
.
Ireland. The Postmaster-General still considers it best
btoetiweaevene
lan. Revisions, with improvements in the scales of sa-
lary, have just been made at the post-offices of Edin-
Manchester, Glasgow, and
burgh, Dublin, Liverpool,
Bristol, though not yet-carried into effect, The encou-
ragement which the Postmaster-General has given to
his subordinates to insure their lives has already led
to 200 insurances. The report intimates the probability
of the postage on newspapers and closed mails to and
~through France, from England, being reduced,, sad
that "so far as facilities for all intercourse by post can
avail the intimate relations of England and France will
be promoted to the utmost:" In 1740 there was only a
post from London to Edinburgh three times a week,
and on one occasion the mail from the English to the
Scotch metropolis contained one letter. In 1623 a mail -
containing despatches for the Secretary of State was sent
by express from Plymouth to London in 57 hours ; ex-
press
trains perform the distance now in five hours.

(From the Times of this day.)
On Wednesday, the 25th, the first telegraphic mes-
sage was received from Varna, announcing that the
electric communication between that place and Ratak-
lava had been completed. There is now no reason why
the Commander-in-Chief in the Crimea should not com-
municate with the office of the Minister of War in four
or five hours. Henceforward, if due despatch be used,
we are, as it were, present at the siege of Sebastopol.
'To state the case without the least exaggeration, the
daily papers, which are published in London every
morning on six days of the week, should inform the
British public of all that has occurred in the siege works
before Sebastopol on the preceding day. We are now
writing on the 26th ; our intelligence, as yet, reaches no
further than the 19th ; that is, we are more than a week
behind-hand on the old system, as compared with results
which we have a right to expect from the improvements
yesterday brought into operation. It must not be
imagined, therefore, that we are making it a matter of
accusation against Lord Raglan that he did not, when
the communication was opened, instantly take advantage
of it. A hundred petty obstacles, of which we can
form no idea, may have stood in his way. We are
speaking of the future, not of the past, nor even of
the present. It is not too much to expect that the
country should receive the earliest possible infor-
mation upon a subject so interesting to us all.
Some of us are in the deepest anxiety as to the
fate of relatives and friends, and all of us have made
the greatest sacrifices to assist in carrying this war
a successful issue ; it is, therefore, but reasonable
that we should receive the earliest and most accu-
rate intelligence as to the progress of the operations.
The battle of Inkerman was rightly named the soldiers'
battle; let the war with Russia be treated as the peoples'
. war, or it will infallibly.end in disgraceful coneeseinn, or
still more disgraceful'. defeat. Elecbrie oommunieation
is established between Balaklava and London, It is
perfectly right that to the 'military authorities at one
end of the wires and to official personages at the other
the first facilities should be offered. It is quite right, in
other words, that when the Government require the
use of the telegraph for public purposes they should
have the preference over private persons ; but, when
the public exigencies are once satisfied, the telegra-
phic communication between Balaklava- and London
must and should be as open io the public as
the communication between London and Holy head.
The day for mystification is for ever gone by, and any
attempt to confine electricity to the service of Downing-
street would speedily and infallibly recoil upon the
authors of it. We cannot anticipate a decision adverse
to the public service, although the First Minister last
night, in answer to a question from Mr. Layarcl, affected
to consider the point as one yet under consideration. " I
am not now able," said Lord Palmerston, "to state
whether arrangements have been made for affording the
use of the telegraph to the public ; but I will answer
that part of the hon. 'gentleman's question another
day." Even if the Government should propose to
themselves, as a patriotic task, that of hoodwinking
the public, or debarring them from access to the tele-
graph, they must see clearly enough that detection within
eight or nine days at latest must follow upon any
attempt at mystification. In the interval they will be
perpetually badgered with questions ; and, as at best
they can only fence them off for a few days, is it worth
while incurring the amount of obloquy which will cer,
thinly be their portion for so unimportant a result as
that of spiting the people who find blood and money for
the war ?

ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT
INSTITUTION.

The annual general meeting of the Royal National
Life-boat Institution was held yesterday atlthe London
Tavern. Rear-Admiral his Grace the Duke of Northum-
berland occupied the chair. The meeting was numerous,
and highly respectable.
The Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND, who was received
with applause, said that this institution, among all the
societies in the United Kingdom, was the only one which
had for its object the saving of life from shipwreck.
He had much satisfaction in stating that seansen, during
the past year had in several cases established life-boat sta-
tions along the coast chiefly from contributions among
themselves, and had very much distinguished themselves
in the saving of human life in more cases than one.
(Hear, hear.) This institution had had the pleasure of
subscribing in aid of those praiseworthy and spirited
efforts. A great change bad occurred in their institution
during the past year ; he referred to the aid they now
received from Government. That aid, however, was
given in a very judicious way. The Government, wish-
ing them to increase rather than to diminish their efforts,
had decided not to contribute towards the expense of
life-boats and the like. Their aid was to be given in the
way of paying the crews of life=boats established by the
institution, and in the shape of liberal 'rewards to
those instrumental in saving life. It was not the
amount received from Government that was valu-
able ; it was the acknowledgment of the principle which
was to be chiefly prized, During the last year 130 lives
had been saved by the exertion's of the institution, under
the blessing of God. Many cases of distinguished courage
bad been seen ; as at Whitburn, in Durham, where the
boat went out eight tunes and saved 60 lives. However,
he regretted to say that 1,500 lives had been lost by ship-
wreck during the year ' • and of these at least one-half
might have been saved had there been a sufficient num-
ber of life boats along the coast. He regretted also to
announce the loss the institution had suffered in the
death of Captain Manby, whose mortar apparatus had
proved so invaluable. That gallant officer himself saw
upwards of 1,000 lives saved during his life by means of
his invention. The boats now belonging to the institution
were all in the highest state of order, well supplied with
istorehouses and launching carriages, and all the crews
had the greate4t confidet,ce in them. Before he sat
down Ini•would do himself the pleasure of stating to
the rneetinv that the Emperor of the French, to show
the inturet-t lie ha 1 in their society, bad sent them a
contribution c.f 5001. (Loud, applause.)
The report was, then z- ail by the SECRETARY (Mr.
Lewis), which stated, that the life-boats of the institu-
tion had i.aved during the past year 132 shipwrecked
perions, and that the e..eisty had granted rewards
arnountm.f t i 3101.,.beside.i many honorary rewards, for
rescuing 223 others. Tire, institution has now 50 life-
boats under its charge. The accounts showed that the
sums expended during the year on the objects of the
society amounted to 3,6721. 154. 4,1.; while the gross re-
ceipt; were only 1,7441. 19s. 4d.; leaving an excess of
expenditure over income of 1,9271. He. This amount,
deducted irom the capital of 'the society, left them in
possession only of the reduced sum of 6,7611. 9s. 6d.
Captain SHEPHERD, H.C.S., Deputy Master of the
Trinity house, moved the adoption of the report. He
congratulated the society on the aid given by Govern-
ment through the Board of Trade. It was to be ob-
served, however, that that aid was given in a way which
would not by any means free the society and the public
from increased exertions. On the contrary, that aid was
given only as a reward for exertions, so that the more
According to the report of the Postmaster-Gene- good they effected the more money would Government
rat the gross postal revenue of Austria in 1852 was
give them. The society, since its institution in 1824,
906,805/. ; of Bavaria, 77,648/. ; of Denmark, 70,963/. ; had la en instrumental in caving about 10,000 lives, and
of France, 1,864,3801. ; of Holland, 115,2171. ; of 'it was to he hoped that, pith the countenance now given.
Prussia, 1,285,5961. ; of Russia, 771,080/. ; of Saxony, i
by Government, they would be enabled greatly ton-
-133,571/. ; of Sweden, 66,8881. ; of the United crease the sphere of their operations, and materially t>'
States, 1,273,7731. ; of Great Britain, 2,422,168/. The add to the benefits which the institution conferred upon
postal revenue of Liverpool in 1854 was 91,909/. ; of society.
Manchester, 74,7361. ;of Dublin, 53,6761. ;of Edin- Mr. GREGSON, M.P., seconded the motion, expressing
burgh, 41,6121. ; of Glasgow, 58,1361. Dublin is the the di,appointment he experienced on observing that the
only place amongst the large cities and towns in subscription list contained the names of so few of the
which the postal revenue is ' deerenshig. The Eastmercantile houses in the City.
`:rrilleki,lthe Cape of Good :Hope, Mauritius, and Van
The report. was unanimously adopted and ordered to
Wen's Land, are the only important dependencies to tII
wiSfeh the postage on letters from England .is more 1 be circulated.
-
lution •
Mr. MesTEnsteer, M.P:Moyed the fellowingrese .
than 6d. The. Postmaster-General considers
that i —"That this meeting, recognising the national importance
the general reduction of the Colonial.pestage to 6d. has
of the Rosai'Lifieboat Instltution, and the benelong-cofits which
.
proved a gs'epd measure; grid that there is a prOapect of have resulted to the cal se. of humanity from
the reduction being.nniversal, which will be of immense 'tinned and euccessfirl exertions, pledges itself its
to use,its
-
importance,—partiCiarly-with respect to the correspon- best influence to incieaSe.the resources of the society.
dence of the East Indies, which is enormous from this
This riveting fin flier desires to express regretitssincereye
country. A. century ago 72,000/. was paid out of the
that, notwitstanding the large neuamrb throughe livesrof
the direct
that
have
postal revenue for pensions ; at the present time there been saved during the past
are only three, viz., 4,7001. a year to the Duke of agency of the life-boats of y
the institution aed othez
Grafton as representative of the Duchess of Cleve- means, upwards of 1,500 persons perished from ship-
land, which commenced in 1686 ; 4,0001. a year to the wreck within the same period on the coasts of the
heirs of the Duke of Schomberg, which commenced in United Kingdom, h circumstance which more than ever
which commenced in 1708. In the Accountant 1695 ; and 5,0001. a year to the Duke of Marlbo ogb
- demands the renewed and increasing exertions of the Life-boat Institution, which may thus, under the blessing
General's office, 80,000 Postmasters' letter bills, and of God, be the instrument of lessening much. of the
5,500 receipts for disbursements have to be examined misery whieh such a large sacrifice of human life mast
every week. The Postmaster-General states in his re- necessarily cause."
port that great facilities would be afforded to the
Post-office if the public would post letters and news- Mr. Wit. COTTON', F.R.S., seconded the resolution,
which was unanimously agreed to.
papers as early as possible, write the number of
house and the name of the street and town legibly on n a
gThee ethanksr etc, the
care
meetingan d ato tnhte
ah Committeew hi
cohf
they
the address of every letter, and provide a letter-box at
every door. There can be no doubt that immense num- had conducted the affairis. of thereeiritirtuotfionthe were
vaakth,eo7
proposed by Mr. W)gujlein,
ego.
R v Mr. Yates, of Ro7S:
hers of letters are delayed or sent to the Dead Letter- England, seconded
byY Mr. Thomas Chapman, Peu
and acknowledged
office, owing to the stupid nomenclature of streets and
d and Mr.
numbering of houses in England. In no civilised cowl-proposed,
...._.
deputy-chairman
Dire.
om As BoAfetiNilaieebeol,riein.tnomehstnoteuinrpsiedus.iitti °tan e. n ,‘ That
try in the world is this so disgraceful as in Great Britain. FeescssilWeesoer seconded, the resolutionbe given to his
The Postmaster General states that there are 50 King-
the very cordial thanks of this m et!
streets, 50 Queen-streets, and 60 John-streets and Wil- d:igil.G., president
la-bueclarlei a the chair, and also
liarn-streete in London. Every street in one confirm- his
kind
, and the
ous line, or a well-defined part of it, should have one for
rr athece
the thesociety,co continued
tin Dukeufoerd
mfwe ;'dbi oc
loud aht he
en
as takes
pt i
ptlu t
suss,i o inn.
name distinct from all others in the same city or town,
welfare of the Royal Na
to ai
and the houses should be numbered in a successive order,
from one upwards. The same numbers should never
occur in the same street, not even on the opposite side
of it. " A. woman in London," says the report, " living
between numbers 14 and 16, numbered her house
95, because she had are old brass plate with that thenhseeertaisnaglatthiaean
number on it which had been used for a
formero the
residence. A hundred years ago the revenue of
Post-office was 140,0001., it is now.* millionsa sterling.
Sixty conveyed
Sixty years ago the mails were conveyed
three and four miles an hour ; thTeyeartewo
vreat poseal
30, 40, and 50 miles an hour. h
former a the- waisted.s asp
a agreed
reformers have been Palmer and Hill—the .t a rate of
seen the inside of a
nial-office. Neither had evet.
atrical manager, and the latter a secretary JP the Colo-
lutionised the external Pal-
mer revolutionised former increased
post-office, when they propoundedl
and
deiHr riellfotrhme si.nterrnaali
1,3 and rho latter of conveying
arrangements of the Posth-office,; . the
the speed
Palmer was suggested
re-
duced the postage of letters. The Tbhye
seeinggreat tradesmen
eonf
.refuse high that
po of;tag the
e
send lettsre of importance byho
rp,ri:atecdoach coaches instead.,l
of I.)y thepionsgt
poorbass
people .e
n
lleattttesir-s bybecauseseeing
they could not afford to pay for them,
and because by looking at the address on them
they contrived to gain all the information they wanted.
In 1764
present the packet service cost 10,0001
it c/.• a
a year,
190,000 Post-office money orders were griniteed:lrl.B3l a 9
theBoo,ooo
1854, the number granted was 101; millions. Accord-
ing to the report a mail conveyanc:for carrying Govern-
ment despatches was established in 1841. James I.
O
established a post for conveying foreign letters, and
conveyance of letters to a
his n established an inlandllpost. In 1664 the weekly' established. In 1683 a parts of the kingdom was
penny post, and in 1708 a half-
penny post was establishedin London in 1836th ' t ?Il
on
nelYfPlcori Weereduced from i
id-to ld e swila 0111

The subject is one of so much importance, and the •
events now occurring before Sebastopol are of so momen-
tous a character to the country, that we cannot refrain
from expressing some little surprise at the spirit in which
the matter was taken up last nightby the First Minister
of :the Croen. Were we in times of profound peace,
and had the question been one of the most jocular cha-
racter, it could scarcely have been treated with more
levity by (Lord Palmerston. There is a time for every-
thing, even for flippancy and bad jokes. Mr. Layard,
after referring formally to the opening of the telegraph,
asked if any news had been received from the Crimea ?
Lord Palmerston answered—". The First Lord of the
Admiralty received messages by it t.-day and yesterday.
These messages don't contain any news from the Crimea,
but simply announce that the telegraph is opened." (A
laugh.) Mr. Layard continued his questions with per-
fect temper and moderation.—" Am I to understand
that no information has been received with reference to
the siege—whether the bombardment has been suc-
cessful or not ?" This is a point upon which some
little interest certainly is felt out of doors. Lord
Palmerston's method of calming the public anxiety was
succinct enough--" The t,?legraphic message does not
hear upon that subject"—(laughter)—and so on. Lora
Palmerston seems to hare established such a character as
a comic performer that the house is proparel for a display
even when his words to the reader do not appear to be of
a very humorous description. It will soon be with him as
with the into Mr. Liston—his 'mere appearance will be
,the signal for general hilarity. 13e this, however, as it
may, it is at least satisfactory to find him, in answer
to a second question from Mr. Roebuck, stating that it
is his intention to work upon Lord Itagl•in through
Lord Panmure "to let us have every day some infor-
mation from Vie Beat-•of • war." In the transactions of
ordinary mortals this would follow as a inaAter of coerce
from the opening of telegraphic communication between •
the Crimea anal London, but we have been so long ac-
customed to see all bUsiness connected with the public
service so negligently transacted that -we really feel as
though we ought to erect votive tablets to the three
noble and illustrious lords who are about to unite their
strength for the attainment of so difficult an object. The
unofficial mind can detect no extraordinary difficulty in
preparing and forwarding a few brief telegraphic notes
once, or, if need be, twice a-day. The counting-house
of every merchant in London, with the help of a junior
clerk and'an errandboy, truAna.ges to perform the same
feat on every business-day throughout the week.

FIRST REPORT OF THE POSTMASTER-

GENERAL.

has been selected by the Emperor of
the French
1
Genera AuPiek
the head of his staff when he assumes the
p command as
of the army of the Crimea. This distinguished
, offiee,novr,
a senator, has been ambassador in Spain
and Turkey, and was at one time director of the Com.
mittee of Artillery.
THE SAILORS AND THEIR HORSES.—A very amusing
scene, I understand, took place at the camp of the Royal
Naval Brigade on Saturday morning. An officer of the
Commissariat department arrived there with an order
from Lord Raglan to have all the horses mustered for
inspection, as many had died, and otherwlie disappeared
of late, off the strength of his establishment.. The good.
natured brigadier who commands the maritime camp..
Captain Stephen Lushington, immediately issued orders"
for sounding " the general assembly" of the cavalry
of the naval brigade. In a moment the whole camp. •
became filled with equine lite, from the snorting_ steed,n,..:
who sniffed the keen mornin., air, and the hardy. enduring=
Cblaobsysabelltnogethdeodtrhoeophionrgse
into and out of " thii,
kerman, or to the 600 who rode
were
claimed
arid.;
jaws of hell" at Balaklava.
Some
bow came the pen
~
taken away ; others were not.
different
questions
and
by all those horses ? The
amusing. Sailors are.
chargers,artillery schnioeflugwrn at Pre:.
naturally kind hearted. Some stated
ward and arrested the farrier's
that they_lgid rushed
forward to terminate the lives . of. . .
fondausw oe fr answers
pet were,
,ands
uplifted arm, as he
where they succeeded
tedinanimation. Others had bought
hi was to camp,
grog, and some for a quid of to
theirs for a bottle 0
aui told, very
bacco • whilst finding the horses straying about...a:A
' tolaiie care- of them-14W) fro%
)364 led mbul '
..,istrre:s;t;ntTihnhegeysu.slpeodeneedf,
s'orp: -