The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-02 00:00:00

THE IVEW POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS.

The arrangements for the compulsory prepayment,
by stamps, of the postage on all inland letters
posted in the provinces have now been in operation
ono month, and no serious difficulty appears
to have arisen to prevent their continuance, or their ulti-
mate extension to the metropolis. The prepayment of
postage on inland letters by stamps in the provinces, will
most materially diminish the expense and labour of
keeping the post-office accounts, and will doubtless be
preliminary to the prepayment by such means of all
kinds of letters in all parts of the kingdom. As a
matter of course the diminution of labour by the new
arrangements, as far ac keeping the post-office accounts
is concerned, has been counterbelanced in some degree
by the additional labour thrown upon the provincial
post-offices by the increased sale of postage stamps,
especially as a large portion of the public, whose
correspondence is not extensive, cannot be in-
duced to purchase more than single postage stamps
at one time, and an important question has arisen whe-
ther the post-office labour arising from the increased
sale of stamps could be by any means reduced. The
commission allowed to post• office keepers, and sub-dis-
tributors of stamps, on the sale of postage stamps, is
about one per cent. Licensed venders of stamps, who
are supplied by the sub-distributors, refuse, generally
speaking, to sell postage stamps, because they are al-
lowed no commission on them. Almost the whole of
the labour arising from the sale of postage stamps is
thrown, at the present time, on the Post-office depart-
ment, because there is scarcely any other place where
they can be obtained, and perhaps it is as economical
to let the burden rest on the Post-office, as to allow a
remueerative commission to the licensed stamp ven-
ders. But there are a very large number of persons i❑
the country who would voluntarily undertake the
sale of postage stamps, without any remuneration, if
permitted by the Stamp-office to do so. Thus, for in-
stance, almost all hotel keepers would willingly sell
postage stamps to their customers. At the present time
they do not dare sell half• a-dozen stamps to a com-
mercial traveller stopping and writing letters at hotels,
for fear of penalties to which they would be liable as
unlicensed stamp venders. A large number of petty
shopkeepers would also gladly sell postage stamps
without any commission, for the sake of drawing cus-
tomers. It must be remembered that there is no fee
charged for a license to sell stamps, so that a licensed
stamp vender is subjected to no expense, and hotel and
shopkeepers are generally under the supervision of the
Inland Revenue officers, who could effectually prevent
forged postage stamps from being circulated. By allow-
ing certain classes of persons throughout the country
to vend postage stamps, great accommodation would
be afforded to the public, and diminish most mate-
rially the expense and labour of the Post-office depart-
ment.

THE CASE OF M. D'EQUEVILLEY.

A L'EDITEUR DU SUN.

MONSIEUR,—On me communique a l'instant to nnmero
do votre journal du 25 courant. J'y trouve mon nom
acco:6 a celui do M. de Cassagnac I, propos d' un article
provocateur signs de lui, et publie dans le Constitutionnel
du 22.

Si j'ai 6t6 condamn6 a la suite du malheureux duel
cu succomba M. Dujarrier centre le beau-fiere de
M. Cassagnac, depuis justice m'a 6 6 rendue ; j'ai 6:6
acquitte par tousles hotnmes de cosar, et mis en liberte
par ordre des delezu6s du PEOPLE—de tousles souve-
rains, k plus juste et le plus nognanime—dont la
grando et puissante voix se fesait entendre le 24 Fey-
rier, 1848.
Je dois 1 sues amis, a l'arm6e Espagnole a la
quelle je n'ai pas cesse d'appartenir, de protester contra
uno accusation qua vous n'auriez pas renouvel:6s contra
moi, si vous aviez pris la poine do lire les documents
authentiques qua contient le volume quo je vous envoie,
et dont les journaux Espagnols, Frarcais, Allemands, et
quelques Anglais out e6ja rendu compte.
Veuillez recevoir, Monsieur 1' Editeur, I'assurance
mes sentiments fraternels
VT. et distingu6i.
D'EQ UEVILLEY.
1, Welbeck-street, Cavendish square,
November 29, 1851.
[The work referred to in the above letter contains a
memorial addressed to the representatives of the French
people by M. d'Equevilley, impugning the evidence
given on his trial, and protesting against the conduct of
the Judge who presided; copies of several official
family documents proving his right to assume the title
of Vicomte d'Equevilley; numerous testimonials from
generals and officers in the Spanish service (among
them are testimonials from Generals Prim, Serrano,
Lopez, Ortega, Orea and others), with whom he had
served against the Carlists from the time of the battle of
Mendigorria up to the end of the war; and an account of
the liberation of himself and M. de Beauvallon after the
revolution of 1848 by MM. Caussidiere and Sobrier, who
were at that time placed at the head of the police by the
Provisional Government. The petition for the libera-
tion was signed by all the officers, sub-officers, and men
of the 7th legion of the Parisian National Guard, and by
M. Crtnere, the director of the prison in which they were
detained.—En. Sun]

THE LIVERPOOL COUNTY COURT.
LIVERPOOL, MONDAY.—Mr. Pollock, the newly-
appointed Judge of the County Court, took his seat on
the bench this morning, at ten o'clock precisely. The
court was very crowded, and the new judge was most
respectfully received. Immediately on his taking his
seat the ordinary business of the Court was proceeded
with. This caused some disappointment, as several per-
sons had assembled under the idea that Mr. Ramshay
would present himself, and that there would be " a
scene in court." No allusion was made to the former
Judge, and Mr. Pollock commenced his duties, seem-
ingly as much at home as if he had been County Court
Judge for a much longer period.
The following letter, 'addressed to "W. Statham,
Esq., County Court, Liverpool," was received by that
gentleman, through the post, yesterday morning :
" Temple, Saturday, Nov. 29,.
"Sir,—l hereby adjourn the County Court until
Monday, December 29th, 1851. You will also adjourn
it to the same day for the whole business now standing
undisposed of.—" I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

" WM. RAMSHAY,
" Judge of the County Court of Lancashire,
holden at Liverpool.
" To W. Statham, Eq., the Clerk of the
County Court of Liverpool."
This letter was not read in court, nor, so far as wo
could see, was any notice taken of it.

It has been resolved in the French Assembly that
the concession for the proposed railway between Lyons and
Avignon shall be offered to public competition. A disposition,
how ever, is still intimated to withhold a return of the caution
moneys advanced by the parties to whom the original con-
cession was granted, and which was abandoned in 1847, with
the avowed concurrence of the Government. Under these
circumstances, notwithstanding the assertion that a party of
English capitalists have been negotiating to undertake the
work, there can be no prospect whatever that it will find
any support among the mercantile body in Louden, Belgium,
and Spain, in the case of concessions which were rendered
valueless by the commercial crisis of the period, both de-
clined to pursue the course which is now adopted by France,
and an unfavourable contrast of this kind must greatly aug-
ment the indisposition with which, from other considerations,
all persons at the present moment must regard the contem-
plated enterprise.
AIODERATORSIIIP OF TBR GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
THE FILE' elltillell.—The Witness states that Dr. Ma-
kellar is to be proposed for the Moderator's chair at the next
Assembly.