The Sun.
London, England, 1838-11-22 00:00:00

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WITH wuicH
THE " TRUE SUN " IS NOW

INCORPORATED.

LONDON :
THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 22, 1838.

The average price of wheat during the last week was
735. 10d., or 11d, above the average quoted last
Thursday. The average of the six weeks is 695. ;
and the duty 13s. Bd. The price in the London
market was 765. 9d. ; at which rate 5,038 quarters
were sold. In Denbighshire the price is 865., but the
quantity sold was only 151 quarters. Whether the
rise be merely the result of speculation, as the Tory
and agricultural Journals say, or the result •of a real
deficiency, as we are afraid—for all consumers of pota-
toes know that the root is bad, as well as little produc-
tive this year—there can now be no doubt alp: wheat
will again be brought in in two or three ;Neck, e at the
nominal duty of ls. We hope fr..l,iat there is an im-
mense quantity ready to be introduced, but we fear
there is not. All that, can be got is not yet arrived ;
and we infer, from, that circumstance, that the present
rise is not artifici:ii, but the result of a real, though
partial dearth., which will soon make itself .manifest in
the distress and discontent of the working classes,
partiZ:ularly of the agricultural labourers.

One of the most annoying facts connected with the
Post-office which has been brought to light by the
recent inquiry is, that it is tainted by the general aris-
tocratic corruption which fly-blows all our institutions.
The poor must have their affections blighted, traffic must
be checked, science impeded, but the slightest conveni-
ence of the aristocracy must not be destroyed. They are
the great users o 4: franks, and it is said that some of the
official met 'nave sometimes sent a bootjack or a pot of
pomatum by a Post-office frank. It is most certain
that more weight is carried under franks than the
whole weight of chargeable letters. It results from the.
statements of the contents of two mails, made by Lord
LICHFIELD, one going to Edinburgh, the ;;Cner to
Louth, that 592 franks weigh more than 1,920
chargeable letters. Accordinpj, therefore, to his Lord-
ship's own statement, th:,-; people who send the charge-
able letters pay for 'ne conveyance of the franks. In
other words, *le tradesmen and merchants who are
obliged pay for the letters they send by the post,
also pay for the conveyance of the letters of Peers and
Peeresses. " In this," says Mr. A sHurtsr, "as in most
other fiscal regulations, those who are the least able to
carry the load have the greatest weight put on them."
It would, however, be useless in this case to multiply
instances of the immense social evils inflicted on the
community by the short-sighted avarice of those who
tax us, could we not bring forward a method by which
they might be completely obviated, the communication
by post facilitated and rendered secure, and the reve-
nue actually increased, while the public is largely
benefited. To Mr. ROWLAND HILL the public is
indebted, not fAly for the conception of such a plan,
but for bringing forward a vast mass of evidence to
show its practicability, and for refuting the numberless
objections by which official inaptitude and official
laziness have sought to stifle his plans. It is thus
shortly described by Mr. A SHURST, in his " Practical
reasons in support of ?dr. HILL'S plan for a universal
penny postage ":
" That all letters not weighing more than half an ounce,
passing from one post town in Great Britain and Ireland
to any other post town, shall be charged Id., and heavier
packets Id. for each additional half ounce, to be paid in
advance.
" That eater weights should be allowed for the lc,-
• cal posts."
The following is a sketch of the proposed mode of
collection :--,
" That stamped covers, or sheets of paper, and small
vignette stamps, the latter if used to be gummed on the
face of the letter, be supplied to the public from the
Stamp-office, and sold at such a price as to include the
postage. Letters so stamped to be treated in all respects
as franks.
" That as covers of various prices would be required for
various weights, each should have the weight itis entitled
to carry printed on the stamp.
That if any packet exceeded
_the proper
_weight, it
should be sent to the dead-letter-office, opened, and re-
turned to the writer.
" That sheets of letter paper of every
adedrdesss.cription should
;
be stamped in the part used .or the "
Tint wrappers, such as are used for newspapers
should also be stamped, and that every deputy-postmaster
should be required to have them on sale..
°use
o shu
red be
l
`• That the stamp of the receiving.h
struck upon the subscription, or duty stamp,p, to pvent
the latter from being used a second time.
The advantages secured by this plan would be—
" 1. That the Post-office would be relieved altogether
from the collection of the revenue, and from all accounts
relating to that collection.
2. The present trouble of receiving money for the let-
ters-wo4l, be avoided.
----0. ~r;nue would be collected in large sums at
(/./the , easily and at little cost."
41- sf stamping by the aid of machinery
-art ',•-•11° khe trifle. To be aware of the immense
which this plan would save in the
•
' qttapr doikatilient, we shall now quote a short passage
\tr