The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-03 00:00:00

MAILS BY RAILWAY.

The following answer to the Rowland Hill circular
has been forwarded to us for publication :
" London and North-Western Railway,
" General Manager's office, Euston Station, Feb. 1.
" Sir,—Your letter of the 25th ult. has been laid before
the directors of the London and North-Western Company.
"The subject to which you have called their attention
is admittedly one of the gravest importance, and it has for
a length of time engaged their special consideration. No
effort will be spared on their part to perform the service
of the Post-office with that punctuality which is so essential
to the interests of a great mercantile country, and so necks-
saryto the convenience of all classes of the community.
" The directors cannot deny, nor will they attempt to
palliate the fact, that irregularity has occurred in the run-
ning of the trains on the part of the company, but a care-
ful investigation of all the circumstances attending the
performance of the mail service on the London and North-
Western Railway has satisfied them that the delays have
to some extent been produced, and in many cases have
been largely increased, by irregularities on the part of the

Post-office.
"You direct my special attention to the working of the
night mails, and the tabulated return, accompanying your
letter, gives the late arrival at Preston and Chester of the
down mails, and at Euston of the up mails during the
month of November last.
" On examining these returns, however, it appears that
in no single instance were the up mails delivered to this
company in proper time at Preston, and, although the
irregularity in starting was increased as the trains pro-
eluded on their journey, such a result is necessarily certain
to occur ; for, as I have frequently had occasion to remind
you, if a train is not punctually dispatched, it becomes
subject to a variety of contigent delays during its transit,
which cannot always be avoided without impeding the
entire traffic of the railway. In addition to this, more-
over, it appears that on nine occasions during the month
the trains were delayed en route for the service of the Post-
office beyond the time allowed for the duty or required by
the company.
" Again, on the down journeys, where no delay could arise
from the irregularities of connecting lines or branches, the
returns show that on no single day during the entire month
did the mail bags arrive at Euston square within the time
laid down in the official tables. This appeared so remark-
able a fact that, in order to insure accuracy in the state-
meat, I caused the records of the company to be compared
with those kept at the Post-office, and they substantially
agree. With these 30 down trains, moreover, 20 instances
of delay are reported by the railway guards as having
occurred at stations on the road for Post-office purposes
beyond the assigned limit, and after the business of the
company had been completed and the train ready to start.
" There are, doubtless, difficulties with which the
directors are unacquainted, in insuring punctuality in the
arrival of the mail bags at Euston-square and the prompt
despatch of the Post-office business at the road-side stations,
which it may not be very easy to overcome, and, they
would have refrained from alluding to these circumstances,
did it not appear that your letter is calculated, and (by its
appearingin the newspapers simultaneously with its receipt)
apparently intended, to convey an impression that the
entire blame of the delays, which all parties must lament,
is attributable to neglect, or want of arraagement, on the
part of the railway company.
" You truly observe, that the same precision is not at-
tained. by the mail as by the express trains, although the
latter are timed at somewhat greater speed ; but this re-
mark only corroborates the fact that, where the arrange- ,
me
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when the requirements of a public department have to be
consulted, and the service of the company is made con-
tingent upon circumstances beyond the control of the
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c, you allude to the
iveyance of horses,
private carriages, and fish-trucks by the mail trains. The
company give notice in their time-bills that they d not
carry horses or carriages by the down night ma for
which they are responsible. I have caused the lNovember
returns to be carefully examined, and cannot discover that
a single horse, private carriage, or fish-truck, was attached
to this train.
" With the up-mail two parcels of fish were certainly
received, and, .during the month, an occasional horse or
carriage was conveyed, but as they arrived with the branch
mails this company brought them forward.
You are aware that, with the view of accelerating the
passage of these trains, the company has willingly acceded
to the suggestion made by his lordship of diminishing the
number of stoppages, although the arrangement has ne-
cessitated the running of an additional train for the due
accommodation of the public.
"In conclusion, I am desired to remark that, sensible
of their engagements with the public, and especially with
the Post-office, the directors of the London and North-
Western Company will be at all times ready to receive
and consider any suggestion with which they may be
favoured for the improvement of the service and the
avoidance of delays, and his lordship may rely on the their
best efforts being exercised to maintain that regularity
which they entirely agree with his lordship in considering
as important for their own interest as for that of the
department over which he presides.
" I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
" MARK HIIISH.
" Rowland Hill, Esq., General Post-office."

Lord Londonderry has purchased the picturesque and
valuable estate of Nappan, the property of John O'Neil
Higginson, Esq., and presented it as a birthday gift to
the marchioness. It immediately adjoins her ladyship's
romantic Tower of Carron.