The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-15 00:00:00

i ECA US E--.

1. They will be expensive to Government.
2. The common envelopes supplied for general
use would be distasteful to the higher ranks ; they
would require their envelopes to be superior to
those used in trade correspondence.
3. They may be written or printed upon, and
thus injure the revenue derived from the duty on
paper.

4• The outlay of capital required to keep a stock
of the four or six various sizes, and the seven or
more various weights, would prevent stationers and
shopkeepers from selling them as no adequate
profit could be allowed.
5. They will add to the weight of the letter,
and thus lessen the benefit to the public.
S. Thee is no way of increasing the payment
to Tree the letter, if above the half-ounce, unless
every one knew, before wrapping the letter, the
exact weight it would be.
PRE-PAYA/ENT IN MONEY OLTECTIONA ULF,

BECAUSE-
1. The expense of the Accoumant department
must be as great as now.
2. The Postmaster would know with whom every
one corresponds.
3. No letter could be allowed to go unpaid, or
the penny would often be kept, and the letter put
in the box.

4. In large towns the press at the window, near
post time, might be such as almost to prevent the
Postmaster from making up the bags.
5. The Postmaster would have to sit from morn
till night at an open window, and often be obliged
to keep persons waiting in the street, whatever the
weather might be.
6. There would be a vulgarity about the plan
which would suit a savage nation, but would be
discreditable to a civilized one.
PRE-PAYMENT BY SMALL ADHESIVE STAMPS
NOT LIABLE TO ANY OF THE OBJECTIONS
ADVANCED AGAINST THE THREE PRECEDIN.

METHODS.

Against this plan, however, the following ob-
jections have been made which will be briefly an-
swered :-
1. The stamps may rub off.
ANSWER--Not at all likely if the adhesive
composition be suitable. The gum and the medal-
lion wafers are very often used, but do not rub off.
Besides, the stamp might be larger than wafers, and
if printed on paper would adhere so strongly and
dry so quickly that they could not rub off.
2. The stamp may be removed from the letter by
the postman, and a fresh stamp put on.
ANSWER—Not if the Postmaster had put his
office stamp partly upon it. This the postman
could not imitate, and therefore would not dare to
remove the stamp. If any, however, think them
insecure, what could prevent their using wafer or
wax in addition ?

3. The stamp may he taken off, and used again.
ANSWER—lmpossible. The Postmaster would
see, by the impression of the office stamp, that it
had been previously posted, and would tax the
letter.

4. They would not be kept by stationers' and
shopkeepers in towns and villages.
ANSWER—They would be so kept, as no serious
outlay of capital would be required. Stationers in
towns, from their nearness to the post-offices, need
not purchase more than sufficient for a day's sale.
They would attach them slightly by one edge to
the corner of the sheets (so as easily to be taken
off to put on the back of the letter), and thus re-
tail them singly ; or they would sell them, thus
attached, to the village shopkeepers in quires, the
paper being 3d. per quire inferior, would remune-
rate them for the outlay in stamps. There is com-
petition in almost all villages, and those who did
not sell stamps with the paper would not be able to
sell their paper at all.
5. They would be forged.
ANSWER—Not likely, for the following reasons:
The number sold to remunerate the forger must be
very great, and these must be sold at a reduced
price, or they would not sell. Every purchaser
must know, from the price, that they must be either
forged or stolen, and would be guilty equally with
the forger. A sufficient number of persons willing
for so trifling a gain thus to implicate themselves,
could not be found. If a stamp was discovered at
the Post-office to have been forged, the writer of
the letter would give information from whom he
purchased the stamp, and thus the guilty party
could not escape. Indeed the obstacles to their
sale, and the certainty of detection would be so
great, that it is more than probable the attempt
would never be made.
ADVANTAGES OF PRE-PAYMENT BY SMALL
ADHESIVE STAMPS OVER THE OTHER ME..

THODS.
1. The cost of them to Government would be
small.

2. They would be sold by all retail stationers in
towns, and shopkeepers in villages. attached slightly
to the sheets of paper.
3. They can be affixed by the stationers upon
such plain or fancy envelopes as their customers
may choose, in a few minutes, at little, if any ad-
ditional charge.
4. If the letter exceeded II; oz., additional stamps
might be put on, up to the allowed weight.
5. It possesses all the advantages of a money pay-
ment, as the peson who conveys the letter to the office
may there purchase a stamp and affix it, if not pre-
viously provided with one.
6. This plan will admit of letters being'sent un-
paid, if it be thought advisable to allow of their
being so sent.
_._

7. It would leave the paper trade undisturbed ;
It would allow of the stamps being invariably at the
back of the letter. The plan combines all that can
be required—economy, simplicity, uniformity, and
efficiency.