The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-24 00:00:00

A new writ was issued for Sutherlandbhire, Mr.
HOWARD having accepted the Chiltern Hundreds.
Lord J. RUSSELL brought down a message relative
to Lord SEATON (Sir J. COLBORNE), which means that
the Commons are to vote him an annuity for life for his
services in Canada. The message is to be taken into
consideration on Friday.
Lord JOFIN RUSSELL presented papers relative to
Canada, and Mr. PAKINGTON presented some petitions
in favour of the Church of England from Canada.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL then proceeded to call the at-
tention of the House to the important subjects connected
with Canada to which the Governor-General's
depatches related, and, in a long speech, explained the
provisions of a Bill which he asked leave to in roduce
to unite the two Canadian Provinces. The Noble Lord,
proposes that the United House of Assembly shall con-
sist of 78 Members, to be elected as at present, but the
Representatives are to be in possession of 5001 p-o-
-perty as a qualification. The House to be elected for
four years, as now. The Upper House, or Legislative
Council, to be appointed for life, as at present. The
Noble Lord also adverted to the Clergy Reserves Bill,
to the abstract question of a Church Establishment, and
t o the necessity of passing that Bill to satisfy the people
of Canada. He said the Ministers, if not overruled by
Parliament, were prepared to give their assent to the
Bill. He concluded a long speech with a magnificent
peroration in favour of civil liberty and the political
education of a people, to which, unfortunately, most of
the details of his Bill seem opposed. The basis of all
good political education is self-government, which can-
not grow from Downing-street exercising power over
Canada, and from constituting in the Legislative
Council a permanent Legislature for the colony, inde-
pendent of the people. The Noble Lord moved for
leave to bring in a Bill to unite the two Canadian
Provinces. - _

_ .
Mr. HUME could not allow even that stage to pass
without declaring that he should object to many of the
clauses of the Bill. _ . _

Sir R. INGLIs appealed to Mr. HUME'S speech as a
proof that the Bill would not content the Canadians,
and he protested against the House of Assembly inter-
fering with the property, as he called the clergy reserves,
of the Church. Perhaps the clergy claim, as heirs to
the PorE, who formerly disposed of America, the
whole of Canada. At any rate, they insist on dictating
to the Canadian Assembly. The discussion on the sub-
ject, after a brief conversation, was postponed, and
leave given to bring in the Bill.
On bringing up the Report of the Ordnance, a fur-
ther explanation was given by Sir H. VIVIAN about
Mr. FooT, which Sir J. Y. BULLER appeared to think
was satisfactory.
The Union Workhouses Bill was postponed for a
fortnight. The Sewers Bill was read a second time ;
and at a Quarter before Eleven the House adjourned.

The returns relative to the working of the new
postage scheme, which have been for some time
expected, are now published, and we propose to
copy the results. The first returns are made to

shOW the number of letters and the amount 01

postage received in the London district between 6th
December, 1838, and 10th January, 1839, be-
tween 11th January and 14th February, 1839, and

the number of letters and the amount of postage

received in the five weeks of 1839 and 1849., (cor.

responding to the first period,) under the four-
penny postage rate, and received in the five weeks
of 1840, (corresponding to the second period,) under
the penny rate.
Under the old rate, the number of letters re-
ceived in five weeks, in the London district, was
923,917, including ship and foreign letters (rather
more than one-fifth, and excluding all franks.
The amount of postage was 57,300/. From this,
however, must be deducted 3,6371. paid for Go-
vernment letters, making the revenue 53,663/. Un-
der the fourpenny rate, the number of letters was
1,328,993, and, deducting 1,316/. paid by the
Government, the amount of revenue was 37,376/.

There was, therefore, under the fourpenny rate,
an increase of 405,076 letters, or about forty-

'our per cent., and a decrease of revenue of 16,281,

or about 35 per cent.
Under the old rate, taking another five weeks to
correspond with five weeks in which the penny rate
has been in operation, excluding franks, and includ-
ing ship and foreign letters, the number of letters re-
ceived in five weeks in the London district was
930,215, and the amount of revenue, deducting the
sum paid by the Government Departments (4,6241.),
was 55,4361. Under the penny rate the number
of letters received was 2,286,385, and the amount
of revenue, deducting the sum paid by the Govern-
ment Offices (8581.), was 39,6681. The increase
in the number of the letters, therefore, was
1,356,170, or nearly one and a half, and the de-
i crease of the revenue was 15,768/., or about 32 per
These are circumstances which, in the
incompleteness of the new system, tell very much
in its favour.

cent.

The great amount of Government correspondence
' which has paid at all times, such as that of the
Customs .and Excise departments, feels the advan-
tage of the reduction in the rate, and is reduced
from 4,6241. to 8581. It must, however, be no-
ticed that the Government correspondence which
was heretofore franked, and is now to be paid, ac-
counts being kept at the Post-office with the former
franking departments, is not included in this return.
Neither does the return take any notice of any in-
crease in the expense of the Post-office department,
which must, we presume, have been considerable, to
carry the new arrangements into effect.
There are also returns of the London district
post, in which, as comparatively little reduction has
been made, and in some cases, in fact, the rates of
postage have been increased, there is no correspond-
ing increase to that in the General Post depart.
ment which we have above quoted. The returns
from Ireland are confined to the amount of
postage collected in the Dublin district in five
weeks under the old rate, under the fourpenny and
under the penny rates, which were respectively
6,8501., 4,4181., and 2,8431. The returns from
Scotland give a similar account of the postage col
lected in the Edinburgh district in five weeks under
the three rates, which were respectively 4,4161.,
3,1321., and 2,4781., so that the increase of the
number of letters must have been proportionately
greater in Edinburgh than in Dublin, as the reduc.
tion of time postage is so much less. The number
of letters for the Edinburgh district cannot be esti-
mated; in the Dublin district they were respectively,
under time three rates, 212,000, 280,000, and
444,316. We may infer from this that the bulk
of the Scotch are in a better condition to appreciate
and profit by the reduction in the rates than the
Irish, being a more businesQ people, and education
being more diffused amougst them.
The total number of letters delivered in the
United Kingdom in the week ending the 24th
of November, 1839, under the old rates, was
1,585,973 ; in the week ending the 22d of De-
cember. 1839, under the fourpenny rate, was
2,008,687, and in the week ending the 23d of
February, 1840, 3,199,637. As might have been
expected, the increase in the London district is
much above the average increase in the whole em-
pire. We consider the returns to be most satisfac-
tory. The increase in the number of letters has,
we believe, fully answered the expectations of the
author of the change, while the reduction of the
revenue has been less than he anticipated.
We have no doubt that when greater facilities are
used for collecting letters, which are much wanted,
a still greater increase will take place. The
,htaos close
been
eusnrdi
ieerr the
hn efowr
ms)esrti eym,
neces-
sity
e receiving-boxesw hich
was
felt,
much complained of, and stifles,
we kriihoow,thaecnounmsi--
derable number of letters. By increas
ber of receiving,-houses, and by adopting some of
those artificial helps to sorting which we have ere-
whpilt op
erecommended, the receiving-houses might be
ke
en an hour or an hour and a halflate
later than
at present, and a greater number of letters collected
without any increase of expense.
There is also a want of speed and punctual'