The Sun.
London, England, 1836-01-14 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—As one of those " Subalterns of the Post-office,'
but without the " profusion of pay, and allowances, and per-
quisites, and so forth," attached to them in a letter sub-
scribed " Robert Wallace," which appeared in, your paper of
the 9th inst, permit me to present to the public a few facts at
they really exist, and thus show that the enjoyments attri..%
buted to -us have their existence only in the fancy' of the'
writer, and-without the least foundation or truth. The letter
conveys not an insinuation, but an absolute assertion,, that a
piece of plate was presented to Sir Francis Froeliniphy the
clerks of the Post-office ; and the writer augurs-.what he
deems.their reasons for so doing ; namely, ". As a justiTeturri
on their part far being maintained in profuse salaries, extra.,
vagant compensations, accompanied by the most uncomprett
mising attention to their personal ease and bodily comfort:s'i
I quote the identical words. Let me for a moment, then, be
permitted to see how far the assertion is based upon facts—
upon what grounds, real or assumed, the statement is made.
And now for the first assumption, the maintaining of profuse
salaries. Why, what is the fact ? The salary at entering
upon a situation (I speak as, and of a subaltern) is 701. a year.
There is no advance for a period of 'five years.. At the expira-
tion of this apprenticeship there is theiran increased allowance
of 201., and this continues for a further term of five more
years; so that at the onclusion of ten years—and those the
best of a man's life—a subaltern in the Post-office finds him-
self in the enjoyment of all the luxuries of life, and may,
" like Lords and other gentlemen, enjoy his otium cum &gni-
tate"—the bliss and content afforded by 901. a year, as a just
and fair requital for ten years probation. But then it may be
said that the duties of the office are not proportionate to the
payment. The duties are the following :—lt must first be
premised that the Post office business is divided into " the
Foreign ,-Ireland, 'Ship Letter, and Twopenny Post-offices."
In the Foreign Offie attendance is required during the entire
night. In the Ireland, from five o'clock in the morning till
half-past eight, and again at the same hours in the afternoon.
Oh, what a luxury ! What a time for enjoyment ! Up all night
in one instance; in the other, commencing only at fire o'clock
in the morning ; and all this in the vision of Mr. Wallace is
so " managed as to be over for the fashionable hour of going
to dinner." Prodigious discovery ! ! A word as to the re-
maining offices. The Ship Letter is similarly circumstanced
almost to the Ireland, and to it we have already alluded.
The Twopenny Post must doubtless be the one most calcu-
lated to support the . learned gentleman's argument ; and
doubtless from it he drew the source of his newly discovered
Knowledge ; but in this,' alas, it appears that the attendance
required daily amounts almost to twelve hours : from eight in
the morning till the same hour at night, with the mere ex-
ception of a time such as is allowed to the poorest labourer -
to enjoy his meals. Now, after this simple narration of facts,
and the detail of the duties of those employed in the various
Post.offices, with what degree of grace can Mr. Wallace con-
tinue his assertions as to the ease and comfort enjoyed, seeing,
as lie must, that it is unfounded in fact; and, if not originating
in some petty personal motive, perhaps an anxiety to be placed
upon the list of " The New Commissioners' Board," which
bears an adequate remuneration for any trouble attendant ; or,
if not, it can only be attributed to an orientalism of imagina-
tion on the part of the learned M. P. The letter contains an
awkwardly conveyed threat as to the " Commissionors.oLln,
quirt'," and the probable annihilation of the unfortunate subal-
terns by this Board. Why, these arc the very persons who,
have themselves regulated the salaries • and this, I presume,
they never could have done withouf salaries.;
having ascertained
the duties to be performed by the Post-office clerks, and that
it cannot consequently have its existence in the " erroneous
and antiquated system" of Sir Francis Frecling ; of which
latter gentleman I shall not even enter into a defence, so
little does he require it--the tribute 'of the people, and the
Government's approbation of his conduct for a space of fifty
years, are the best refutations of any charge that could be
brought against him.
These are the. leading topics to which I have thought pro-
per to advert as " a Subaltern ;" and this 'shows to the public
that we at least have neither the enjoyment, ease, nor salary,
that Mr. Wallace would fain persuade the world we had. The
other portions of the letter I therefore do not deem myself
called upon to speak, although the fallacy contained might as
easily be refuted.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A SUBALTERN OF THE POST-OFFICE.

We have been favoured with the perusal of a private
letter, dated Brooklyn, Dec. 19, written by a gentleman
connected with a Sheffield house in New York, from which
we are gTad to learn that the Sheffield establishments in
that city have generally escaped.—Slictfield Iris.

Maryport, we are sorry to find, has suffered very
severely in its shipping within the last two or three months,
and the loss of life has been lamentably great. The losses
are .as follow :—the Cumberland, 366 tons ; the Mars, 231 ;
the Dale, 156, and all on board perished ; the Collins, 226 ;
the Alexander, 171, and eight of the crew perished ; the
sloop Hopewell, 39 ; the sloop Ilfary, 28 ; the sloop Sarah,
34 ; and the Relief, 70. In all, 1,322 tons !—Carlisle
Journal.

On New-year's cve, Mary Stewart, residing at Hart-
ley, aged 96, was burnt to death, in consequence of her
clothes taking fire. The circumstance was not. known un-
til about 2 in the afternoon of New-year's day, when the
door of her cottage was broken open, and she was found HE-
less lying before the fire.—Newcastle Chronicle.
Three. Members of the late Corporation of. Boston
arc likely to be indicted at the ensuing Lincoln Osizei, fj
a misdemeanor, for the abominable jobbing in the' TOwn-
clerkship.—Lincoln Gazette.