The Sun.
London, England, 1838-11-29 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

SlR,—Your articles on the evils which arise from on.
heavily taxed postage, both to the industrial and moral ad-
vancement of the country, make the whole system totter
to its base, and a responding cheer from the intelligence of
the country is only necessary to complete its downfall. This
country must soon enjoy the great blessings which you have
so long and so ably advocated ; for, although our present
" Do-nothing" Ministry may reject the amendment of these
proved abuses, still the whole country is convinced that
so practical and inexpensive a good would be among the
first measures of a Conservative Ministry.
Comparatively little has, however, been said on the sub-
ject of foreign postage ; but this department is even worse
than the inland, and requires still more your assistance.
It is, in fact, a cruel and suicidal system, for the tax is so
heavy, that by far the greater number of letters travel in
bundles from England to the Continent by private hands.
I appeal to all those who -have intercourse with foreign
countries, whether the greater number of their letters do
not go by other means than through the Post-o ce
; and
I would ask all those who cross the seas, whether their
travelling-bags are not inconveniently occupied with bun.
dies of these letters.

I know this to be the case in my own instance. No
sooner do my friends hear that I am going abroad, than
my office becomes a reeciving-house, and the letters come,
not only in twos and threes, but often tied up in bundles of
a dozen.

Recently, on my return from Hamburgh, my friends sent
me bundles of letters, and one of my most intimate said,
" he would not give me the trouble, for that his packets of
letters were delivered regularly each post-day, at a merely
nominal expense." He fully explained to me his very sim-
ple and truly economical arrangement ; and it would be
really laughable, were it not for the great moral and social
evils which this system engenders, to see at least nine-
tenths of the letters travelling with the official boats, but
without paying any postage.
Is it not too bad to charge 20d. for each sheet of paper
transmitted through the Post-office to Hamburgh, when
the expense to the Government need not amount to Id. ?
The public would at present deem it an immense boon
if all foreign postage were reduced to 6d. for each letter
under a certain weight ; and I em confident that the cer-
tainty of speedy delivery, which the generally good ar-
rangement of the Post-office insures, would be a sufficient
inducement to most people to send these contraband let-
ters through the official channel.
Begging your strenuous assistance in this cause, I am,
Sir your most obedient servant, E. M.

LLO.YD'S SHIPPING.-(THIS DAY.)

DEAL, Nov. 28. —Wind S. S. W., blowing hard in squalls
throughout the day, with:rain. Half-past 7 P.M.—Rather more
moderate, but still blowing very strong, in squalls.—Arrived
and proceeded for the River, the Chase, from Cadiz.
PORTSMOUTH, Nov. 28.—Blowing heavy gales, throughout
the day, from S. S. E. to S. W., accompanied with heavy rain,
thunder and lightning ; at 9 P. M. blowing a hurricane from
S. W.—Arrived the Justin, Young, from Calcutta—sailed
29th June, St. Helena 28th Sept. ; Apollo, Milne, from St.
Vincent's for London, with loss of main-topsail-yard—sailed
Oct. 2 ; Lively, Trapp, from Bourdeaux; Horden, Shamack,
from Stockholm.

PLYMOUTH, Nov. 27, 9 F.M. —The wind, which has blown
a gale all day from the S. S. E., has now veered to the West-
ward, more moderate.—Arrived the Elizabeth, Appleby, from
Bristol, leaky, &c., bound to London ; H. M.S. Rattlesnake,
from India; the Pearl, from Naples to London, was run on
shore, 27th inst., leaky, &c., after being in contact with a brig.
The Commerce, Mason, was on shore here yesterday.
FALMOUTH, Nov. 27.—Wind S. to W. N. W., fresh, and
heavy gale ; latter part fresh breezes.—Arrived the Royal
Adelaide, Vivian, from Quebec ; Lion, Bauld, from Naples ;
Eliza and Nancy, Toulmin, from Messina; Rostow, Dren-
stane, from Denia ; and Atalanta, Salacon, from Cette.

LIVERPOOL—Wind blowing very fresh from the S. E.—
Sailed the Corinna, Macrill, for New Orleans ; Robert An
derson, for Baltimore; Gulielmo, Godfrey, for Syracuse
Janus, Mere, for Bordeaux.

OFF THE LAND'S END, Nov. 27.—Arrived the Jemima,
'rom Bordeaux.

JERSEY, Nov. 26.—Arrived the Emilie, Freeman, Stettin.
SWANSEA, Nov. 27.—The Thomas and Sarah, Williams,
from Newport to this port, ran onshore in the Bay this morn-
ing, and is expected to be got off; crew and cargo saved. It
is blowing a strong gale at sea.
LIVERPOOL, Nov. 28.—A ship from 400 to 500 tons, timber
laden, was driven on shore on a bank near Wexford the 25th
instant ; cargo washing out, five or six persons were seen on
board, and it was hoped they would be saved at low water.
SUNDERLAND, Nov. 27.—The Robert and Betsy, of Lynn,
is on shore behind the North Pier.

FALMOUTH, Nov. 27.—A French lugger, from Bourdeaux
to Plymouth, was totally wrecked in Gerrant Bay this morn-
ing ; three of the crew drowned. The wind hacked last night
to the S. E., and blew a violent gale till noon this thy, when
it moderated, and veered to W. N. W., with fresh breezes.
HALIFAX, OCT. 25.—Her Majesty's ship Malabar grounded
on a reef off Cape Bear, Prince Edward's Island, 19th inst.,
but was assisted off next day, and towed into Three Rivers by
the Medea steamer, with loss of false keel, main and lower
deck guns, anchors, cables, &c., making three inches of water
per hour; two men drowned.
BRISTOL, Nov. 28.—Arrived the Racer, Toogood, Smyrna.
CLYDE, Nov. 27.—Arrived the Jessie, Mitchell, Palermo,
DUBLIN, Nov. 26.—Arrived the Wharfinger, Buck, Eme-
rald Isle, Buck, and Devonshire (steamer), from London.
KINGSTOWN, Nov. 26.—Arrived the Baykett, Austin, from
Bordeaux ; Henriette, Sterns, from Seville.
CROOKHAVEN, Nov. 26.—Arrived the Hibernia, Quinn,
from Quebec.

The Union, Velun, from Newcastle to Barcelona, is totally
wrecked off Yarmouth—crew saved.
The Lady Alexandria, Curtis, from London to Drogheda,
was on shore near Falmouth on the 27th instant—crew saved.
The Maracena, Alexandre, from Bayonne, was capsized
into Brigham, with three feet water in the hold, and bound
to Rouen.
The Concordia, Blackaller, from Villanova to London,
was on shore on 'for Abbey Sands on the 27th instant.
The Stephenson, Fisher, from Wales to Plymouth, is totally
wrecked near Marazione—crew saved.
The Lady Wiiliamson, from Bathurst, to Sunderland, went
on shore the 9th ult., near Magdalen Islands—crew, and part
of the cargo saved.
The Swift, Hopper, from Malaga to Montreal, was lost
near the Magdalen Islands about the 15th ult.—part of the
cargo saved.
The Waterwitch, Shedden, from the Clyde to Leghorn,
was on shore near Wexford 26th inst.--crew saved.
The Gainsborough, of Ipswich. and Margaret, from Preston
to Wicklow, were on shore near Dublin 27th inst.

SINGULAR DEATH FROM HYDROPHOBIA( ?).
—An inquest was held yesterday afternoon in New-street,
Farringdon Market, on the body of Mrs. Johnson, whose
death was occasioned by hydrophobia under somewhat
singular circumstances. It appeared that, about five or
•ix weeks ago, a terrier dog, belonging to the husband of the
deceased, having become snappish, was locked up in a
cellar, from which he escaped about a fortnight since, and
jumping upon deceased lap, forced his head against her
mouth, into which some of the saliva passed. No notice
was taken of the circumstance till yesterday week, when the
poor woman was taken ill, and on Thursday most decided
symptoms of hydrophobia presented themselves. She died
on Saturday in a state of intense suffering, being perfectly
sensible to the last, and fully conscious of her awful fate.
Two medical gentlemen, who had attended the unfortunate
female when living, and had made a post mortent examina-
tion of the body, were examined, and stated most positively
that hydrophobia was the cause of death. Verdict accord-
ingly. The deceased had been much attached to the dog,
and often expressed her regret that her husband considered

it necessary to confine it. V Not the least suspicion was en-
tertained that it was in a rabid state. After the liberation
of the animal it suddenly disappeared, but is supposed to
have been killed by a policeman in the Blackfriars-road a
few days subsequently.

SUICIDE.—An unfortunate man, who lodged at 7,
Crown-street, Soho, was discovered yesterday with a rope
in a noose drawn to suffocation about the neck and fastened
to the top of the bed-post, by pulling from which purchase
lie seemed to have strangled himself. Distress is supposed
to have induced him to commit the rash act.

A few days since Mr. Justice Williams was passing
down Parliament-street on his way to the Court, when he
saw a policeman rudely pushing an old applewoman off the
pavement, telling her at the same time that she must not
remain there. His Lordship immediately addressed the
policeman, saying, " you must not do that—let her alone."
The policeman, not knowing his Lordship, evinced his dis-
respect for the high legal opinion that had been pronounced,
by thrusting the old woman off the pavement. The Learned
Judge, who had passed on, turned round, and on witness-
ing the policeman's conduct, ran back and told the officer
who he was, intimating at the same time that he would re-
present his conduct to the Commissioners. It is unneces-
sary to add that the applewoman was permitted to retain
her position.

The process of tickling to death, of which we have
before had an instance, has been recently renewed at Brig-
nodes, in the Var, were a man named Reboul applied it to
his second wife. It appears that after seizing her with one
hand he with the other tickled her violently at the bottom
of the feet, and on the knees and ribs, until he threw her
into a high state of irritation, and then held her with her
head downwards and her feet in the air, with the intent of
producing a congestion of the brain. This he had done
several times, but upon the last occasio:) she was saved by
the coming in of her neighbours, who were attracted by her
that he got rid of his first wife by these IPA:ns,
cries. Reboul was taken into custody, and it is susneet"::,
previous to this attempt, told his wife that -he knew how to
lisp se of any person without • i 1. self
compromisng Galignani. as he had,