The Sun.
London, England, 1836-07-16 00:00:00

POST-OFFICE-YARMOUTH.

To the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland in Parliament assembled,
The Petition of the Undersigned Bankers, Merchants,
Ship Owners and others of Great Yarmouth.
Sheweth,

That your petitioners notice with great satisfaction a new
Law is to be introduced for the improvement and acceleration
of the post, and they submit that every post-office should be
situated in a eonvenient and respectable part of the town, in
the centre of business, where the mail couches and carts ought
to drive up and deliver the letter bags at the door of the Post-
office.

That the Post-office in this town is situated in a narrow, in-
convenient, and disreputable row or alley, where no coach or
mail cart can approach. It is .distant from the principal place
of business, viz., the Quay, on which aro situated the Custom-
house, Town-hall, Police-office, all the Banks, Subscription-
room, and Coach-office.
That your petitioners were informed at the Head Office that
the Postmaster-General has no control over this, as the Local
Office is provided by and at the expense and choice of his
Deputy, the Post-Mistress; but the Secretary more than a
year ago promised to recommend the removal, .and the Sur-
veyor many years since, at the death of the last Postmaster,
pledged himself to the removal upon the new appointment,
but no removal has taken place.
That this town exports more corn and flour than any port in
the world—supplied from three fine navigable rivers, on one of
which, the Waveney, are situated the market towns of Beccles,
14 ; Bungay, 20 ; and Harleston, 27 miles, distant.
That a ride or post connected this productive district with
Yarmouth, ,but it has been discontinued from Beccles to Yar-
mouth, although the mail cart comes, as formerly, as far down
the road as Beccles. So great is the inconvenience of suspend-
ing this short ride, that the advices of. the corn market of Bec-
cles on Saturday cannot be received in Yarmouth before
Monday, Harleston Market on Wednesday before Friday, and
Bungay Market on Thursday until after the Corn Market
at Yarmouth on Saturday morning.
The advice of the London Corn Market on Wednesday,
124 miles distant, is received the day before that of Harleston
on Wednesday, only 27 miles distant; and London Friday's
Market arrives at the same time with Bungay Thursday's
Market only 20 miles ; all business and shipments in particular
is thereby greatly impeded.
That the letters were formerly transmitted as under :
From Beccles, 14 miles, 4d. postage, in 11 hours, and 6
hours' course of post.
From Bungay, 20 miles, sd. postage, in 21 hours, and 8
hours' course of postage.
From Harleston, 27 miles, 6d. postage, in 3 hours, and 91
hours' of postage.

Whereas now—
From Beccles, 98 miles, 9d. postage, in 18 hours, 42 hours'
course of post.
From Bungay, 92 miles, 9d. postage, 17 hours, 40 hours'
course of postage.
From Harleston, 83 miles, 9d. postage, in 16 hours, 38 hours'
course of postage.
That the Postmaster-General will not reinstate the former
ride and expedition, nor charge the proper distance, because
the letters are sent round about the country, thus proving that
the Postmaster-General can impose additional taxes on the
public for delaying their correspondence, by sending Beecles
letters 98 miles instead of 14 miles, charging 9d. instead of
4d., excuses this act by alleging a ride of only 14 miles is too
expensive, although a public conveyance now travels the same
road at nearly the same hour of the late mail cart, driven by
the same man ; but the Postmaster- General will not permit
the letters to travel by this conveyance, although the letters
to and from Norwich are despatched by a pair-horse-coach
without a guard.
That your petitioners' entire f;reign and southern corres-
pondence passing through London is so delayed, that the an-
swer to a letter from Dover, Portsmouth, and all the nearer
Channel ports, of Saturday morning, is now only duo at Dover,
&c., on Thursday following ; whereas, if day mails were esta-
blished, the answers would be due on Monday—a matter of
vital importance to shipping, when the establishment of day-
mails would enable a ship to perform her voyage to Holland,
Hamburg, the North of Scotland, Lands-End—nay, to the
German and Atlantic Oceans, even by the present arrange-
ments the Captain can receive his orders in Dover harbour.

That the Yarmouth and London mail is transmitted in a
heavy night coach, leaving London at six o'clock; this is the
only town in Britain served by such a heavy irregular London
mail coach. Bristol, the same distance, receives their let-
ters an hour or two earlier, and dispatches their letters two
hours later.

Your petitioner's, therefore, pray that your Honourable
House may have regard in the new Law, to make it impera-
tive for the removal and providing of Post-offices in public and
central situations, under the controul of the Board, and that
all the mail-coaches and carts deliver their bags at the door.

That all public carriages be permitted to —carry letter-bags
upon a general requisition of the inhabitants, and upon a rea-
sonable charge to the Proprietors.
That the postages be taxed and charged by the nearest dis-
tance, and not by the circuitous, long, and tedious distance the
mail may be made to travel.
That day-mails be immediately established to and from
London.

That your memorialists may not continue to be the only ex-
ception in Britain served by a heavy night coach for a London
mail coach.

And they will ever pray.

TEWKESBURY CHURCH-RATES.—OR Friday a
meeting was held at Tewkesbury for granting a church-rate.
The vicar took the chair. A discussion took place, in which
it was argued that the rate was unnecessary, the church being
in good repair. ' handsome and liberal offer was made by a
Dissenter to provide " hell" the amount required, if the friends
of the church woitld contribute the other moiety. This was,
however, refusA. An amendment was then moved and se-
conded by two of the wealthiest and most respectable gentle-
men in the town, " that the meeting do adjourn to that day
twelve months." The Chairman read the amendment, and
then called upen the meeting to divide on the right and left of
the chair, but no show of hands took place, and before an
attempt had been made to ascertain the numbers, the rate
party insisted that as many parties present were not rate-payers
a poll should be taken for the original motion, which bad never
even been read from the chair. The anti-party protested
against this proceeding as unfair, until the amendment had
been decided upon; but a poll was notwithstanding immedi-
ately commenced by the churchwardens. The anti-rate party
hereupon quitted the church and circulated a printed protest
against this proceeding, which they declared illegal, and called
upon their friends not to go to the poll. It is uncertain whether
the churchwardens will persist in levying the rate.
A census of the prisoners in the central prisons and
h :uses of correction in France, lately made up; shows, that on
the Ist of January there were 12;440 -men, and 3,38 women,
including 157 political prisoners, and 97 under 16 years of age.