The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-18 00:00:00

MORALS OF THE COURT

TO THE EDITOR OF THE St 4.

Stn,—Having read your remarks on the correspon-
dence you publish respecting the unfortunate Lady
Flora Hastings; will you allow me to express a fear that
you have allOWed the tietl natural feelings excited by
the present crisis, to blunt your feelings and blind ytilr
eyes to the true state of the case. Every true »ianly
heart, and this I believe yours to be, is sensitively alive
to the honour of woman ; and begging you for the mo-
ment to lay aside the politician, I put the question to
yourself whether the moral influence of the Queen, as a
woman, is not really of more vital importance to the
country than the question of whether her councils shall
be guided by a Whig or a Tory Ministry ? Am I wrong
in believing, that you would join with me in saying,
that dark indeed would be the day for England, what-
ever
might be her outward prosperity, if her daughters
sliould become less sensitively alive to the respect which
was due to themselves, or if the first lady in the land
should not, in this respect. show an example which
every woman might safely follow. Is it not a thing to
be deeply regretted by all who feel the importance of
womanly purity and delicacy, whatever may be their
political differences, that our young and beloved Queen
should be in intimate association with any man whose
moral character has been impeached? To me, as a
woman, and, therefore, but little of a politician, I con-
fess, the breaking up of this political intimacy, would
well m Ike up for many other desirable things. L.

UNIVERSAL PENNY POSTAGE.

The total number of chargeable letters passing an-
nually through the Post-office, counting double and
triple letters as single, and including Id., 2d., and 3d.
post letters, as stated by the Committee at 77,500,000,
is tolerably close estimate. The actual cost of transit
is 57,4611., but the sum charged under this head, in the
accounts of the Post-office, is 287,3061.—50 that the
difference (between 229,8451.) forms a tax levied for
the purpose of transmitting 7,000,000 of franks and
other official documents, and 44,500,000 newspapers
free of charge. A further sum of 288,0781. is exacted
from the chargeable letters to defray the " cost of estab-
lishment," and the balance being the nett produce of the
year, generally about a million and a half, and this year
1,548,0001., is a further tax imposed and collected by
the State for the purpose of revenue.
Mr. Hill calculates the number of chargeable let-
ters at 80,000,000, and thus deduces that a five-fold
increase would give a gross total of 400,000,000. We
find it so stated at page 7 of the AbAract of his
evidence, and at page 55 of the Third Report of the
Select Committee. In both instances " the General
Post letters, including foreign and ship letters," are
stated "at 59,000,000." The Committee say, how-
ever, at page 8 of their Third Report, that on his
final examination, Mr. Hill stated the chargeable
letters, counting " double and triple letters as
single," at 57,000,000, on which data the gross
number of 77,500,000 seems to have been found.
The discrepancy may arise from this circumstance—
that where 59,000,000 are given as the annual num-
ber, the double and triple letters are not mentioned
as having been counted as single, while they are ex-
pressly so estimated when given at 57,000,000. But
taking 80,000,000 as the annual total of chargeable
letters, and supposing, on Mr. Hill's plan, a five-
fold increase, we have 400,000,000 of chargeable let-
ters. On these data Mr. Hill has calculated the
practical effect which the adoption of his measure
would produce upon the revenue, which may be given
briefly as follows :
The present cost of distribution is £575,384
To which he adds for a fivefold increase a sum of 89,417

664,801
He further allows for cost of stamps
And to meet unforeseen expenses .......... lOO,OOO

Making together £868,966
The computed expense divided among the number
of chargeable letters would amount to little more
than a halfpenny per document ; while the average
rate of postage would be one penny farthing for
each chargeable letter, at which rate 400 millions
of chargeable letters would yield a gross revenue
of