The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-16 00:00:00

country, is sufficient to pay for the transit through
Egypt also. In toneeepeenee, hi:467er, of a subse-
quent offer on behalf of the Australian colonies to
pay the cost of transit in a single sum, instead of a
higher, postage being demanded, newspapers to
Australia are again forwarded via Southampton and
Alexandria at the former rate of one penny. One
evil attending all special privileges is the difficulty
of drawing a line of distinction. A few years ago
even a high legal officer declared his inability to
define a newspaper; and how can it be expected
that a power which was wanting in him can be
possessed by the crowd of persons, many of them
having but little education, engaged in the business
of the Post-office ? Yet unless a broad line of de-
marcation be drawn, not only the department but
the public have difficulty in recognising it.
The Postmaster-General comments at some length
on what he considers the evils resulting from special
privileges with regard to newspapers, and expresses
his belief that the true policy seems to consist in
establishing rates of postage as low as, by good and
economical arrangements, they can be made, and
then to admit of no exceptions.
When a postage stamp has been substituted for
the present newspaper stamp, newspapers will, like
books, be liable to detention when the mails are
heavy, but even as respects books the power of de-
tention is rarely used, while with regard to news-
papers it has never been employed, and there is no
intention of exercising it. The new arrangement,
moreover, will not give rise to any necessity for using
labels as distinguished from impressed stamps ; for
although there will no longer be any peculiar im-
pressed stamp for newspapers, it will be open to all
publishers of newspapers and news-agents, as it- is
to the public generally, to send to Somerset-house
newspaper covers to receive an ordinary postage
impressed stamp ; the only difference being that in-
stead of having to send a great mass of paper a
comparatively small quantity will suffice. Agents
who send many newspapers abroad have long taken
advantage of this privilege ; the peculiar news-
paper stamp not having for several years been
of any avail except as regards inland postage.
Nor will the circumstance that more obliteration
will be necessary to give rise to any delay in for-
warding newspapers, or to any abridgment of the
time for posting them, since the difficulty will be
surmounted, when requisite, by additional force.
Reverting to the charge of a transit rate of ld. on
newspapers passing through Egypt, the predictions
that this additional penny would greatly reduce the
number of newspapers thus forwarded have not
borne the test of experience. As already stated,
the additional charge in the case of newspapers
sent to Australia has been withdrawn; but on
newspapers to India it has since the beginning of
the year been regularly levied ; and the result shows
that no material diminution has taken place in the
number. In the last quarter of 1859 the news-
papers sent to India were, in round numbers,
276,000 ; and in the first quarter of 1860, 258,000 ;
the first number yielded a postage of £1,150, and
the second a postage of £2,150, or nearly double.
It has now been formally announced to the West
Indian Colonial Governments that on the Ist May
next (with a proviso that in Jamaica the period
may, if desired, be postponed to the Ist June) this
department will cease to charge itself with the
management of the West Indian posts, and that from
that day the Colonial Governments must themselves
undertake their control. A similar announcement
has been made in the case of Hong Kong. After
the Ist May therefore, or ut latest the Ist June,
the British Post-office will no longer have the dime
tion of any colonial post-offices except those at the
military stations of Gibraltar and Malta.
The means of complete registration from the
place of posting to that of delivery have been ex-
tended to letters addressed to Victoria (Australia)
and to New Zealand.
To most of the colonies letters must now either
be sent prepaid, or on their arrival will be sub-
jected to a higher charge; and it is hoped that
in a short tune compulsory prepayment, to the
extent of one rate, will in this class of letters,
be made general. Arrangements have been made
with the Postmaster-General of the United States
for forwarding the British correspondence for
San Francisco, Vancouver's Island, and British
Columbia by the overland mail on all occasions
when its arrival would thereby be expe-
dited. This arrangement, however, is limited to
letters, owing to the necessity of keeping down the
weight upon this line of conveyance.
Arrangements are making for forwarding addi-
tional mails to Bermuda by way of the United
States. A contract has been made with the Penin-
sular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company to
run a steamer twice a month between Malta and
Corfu.
The arrangement for sorting letters on board
ship have been extended to the mails forwarded by
the Cunard mail packets, and to those sent by
the packets maintained by the Canadian Govern-
ment, which latter contain most of the Canadian
correspondence, and part of that with the United.
States ; though of the last-mentioned correspon-
dence much still arrives in this country unsorted.
In cases where the sorting has been effected on
board ship the London correspondence is frequently
ie the hands of the letter-carriers within half an
hour of its arrival, and within the same time the
bags for the large provincial towns are on their way
to the railway stations.
By the Aet just passed the duty of entering
into contracts for the mail packet service, and of
superintending the execution of these contracts,
will shortly be transferred from the Admiralty to
he Post-office.
REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.

.b.rscotlNT _HOUSES.

CA.UTION TO BROKERS.

George John West, a broker, carrying on bug-.
nest at No. 3, Lambeth-road, near St. George's Cr-
thedral, appeared at the Lambeth Police-court le,
answer an information and summons taken out
against him by a poor woman named Twiler, and.
charging him that he, being a broker employed in
levying a distress for rent, did unlawfully charge a
greater amount for costs and charges than the 100
permitted:
From the statement of the complainant, the wife
of a labouring man, who has six small children, and
who had not been many weeks confined of the infant
she had in her arms, it appears that she had rented
the same apartment for three years, and that during
that time arrears of los. 9d. became due to the
landlord. On the 22d of last month, to her great
surprise, the defendant, accompanied by his man,
made his appearance, and from his look and man-
ner, she said, " I hope, Mr. West, you are not going
to avenge yourself upon me for my appearing as a
witness against your son." And he replied, Oh,
no; certainly not." (The witness here explained
that about 18 months ago she appeared as a witness
against the son of West, the defendant, on a charge
of felony at this court and at the session, and that
on seeing him come to seize upon her goods, her
first impression was that she being a witness in the
former case had something to do with it).
Defendant—Not in the slightest.
Mr. Norton (to the complainant)—Well, go on
with your statement.
Complainant—Well, sir, my husband had been
Qui of work, and I had not a shilling, so that I did
not know what to do, so Mr. West took the inven-
tory, and left his man from about ten in the morn-
ing to about six in the evening. I went to the
landlord, who said he did not wish to distress me
by taking my few things, and that he would be
satisfied to let the 15s. 9d. stand over, and to receive
it as I could pay, but that I must pay the expense
of the broker. A neighbour kindly lent me two
gowns to pledge for ss. 6d., which I understooi. to
be the expenses, and offered it to Mr. West. Ile
refused it, and said his charge was 7s. 6d. I bad
no earthly means of getting the other two shillings.
so I again went to the landlord, and he gave ma
two shillings. I then offered him the 7s. 6d.,, but
he refused to take it out of the hands of met'
wretch as he called me, and said I must put it into
the hands of the landlord. I did put it into thel
landlord's hands, and he paid it to Mr. West. -
afterwards called on Mr. West, and said II had
heard he took too much. His reply was, 4' did
not take a-- farthing from you. I supposo you
have been to the police court, but I don't care
a for Mr. Norton or -Mr. Elliott, or any one
I wish to mention, sir, that Mr. West
,00k away the key of my door, and I have not been
able to get it from him since.
The defendant cross-examined the witness about
matters connected with the case of his son, and, other
things which had no relevancy to the proceoilinge,
and amongst the questions put was, whether the
witness had not expressed her gratitude to is im for
his conduct, when she emphatically replied, 6 Most
certainly not, but I did to the landlord."
The defendant next called his man in possession,
but he did not assist him, and his defence w as that
he had received nothing from the complainant, and-
what the landlord chose to give him had nothing
to do with her.
Mr. Norton observed that the overcharge of 2s.
was clearly made out, and notwithstanding tine de-
nial of the defendant, he (Mr. Norton) could not
help thinking that the affair of his son aria coin-
lainant being a witness against him had re great
deal to do with the present case, as the whorte pro-
ceeding on the part of the defendant was hart h and
cruel, as well as illegal, and he must therefocre paY
treble the amount of the overcharge as well, as the
cost of the summons, and half a crown to thin com-
plainant for her loss of time.
. The defendant paid the 10s. 6d.
I

else.

COUNTRY MARKETS:

NORTHAMPTON—A? RIL 14.
At this corn-market wheat was in less supply, but-with &
very tolerable sale, at fully the rates of this day sten-,
night, prices ranging from 48s to 52s for white, and 46s to
51s for red. There was a good business passing in,larlert
malting 37s to 445, grinding 30s to 35s per qr. Oats la
fair sale, the turn in seller's favour, quoted at 2411 to 30.
per 24 stone. Beans, old, 38s to 40s •, peas, 38a to 440.
Rye, —s to —s ; malt, 68s to 72s ; flour, 33s to, 270 Pet
sack.

NORWICH—Aram 14.
At our market to-day there was a limited supply of wheat,
and the demand being brisk, prices were very well main'
tallied, and in some instances 2s more money was taken.
There was oy' a small supply of barle, and little doinfo
but late rates nlwere obtained. Flour advyanced 641 to le per
sack.
White wheat. 46s to 40s I Red wheat 408 to 450
Malting barley....42s to 46s I Chevalier barley 34s to 400
Distilling do.. ....25s io 27s I Oats. 24s to 280
Flour, 29s 6d to 32s per sack from the miller.