The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-01 00:00:00

IMP.ROVEMEN

'S AT TIIE O.

OFFIO E.

Improvements ‘,f an extensive character, and of
[Duch iinp,,ralice to ti.e vublic, have just been

completed at ti,e G ot-ral st-office.

Alt erat ion s

Lave lakeu plice both in th, building and in the

dmi:}is!r:-.tion, upon a wort liberal scale ; and as it

s the wi h of t ‘e autho thtt the utmo-t

pu 1 city s ould be give:, to every hAnge which is
mtended to t :c,lit,.te• the despatch and delivery of
e ,°rufous quan ity of cc:lm spouderkee, our

rep rter has glean the falowin: particulars

ALTERATIONS IN THE HALL.
The sides ~t lie had ot th- office in St. Martin's-
-1 -Gr ind have b en brought out level with the
lonic s‘de pillars which support the roof of
the vs sr ibules, and ,wo capacious rooms constructed.
l'hat n the ut rt. side is for ttie posting of letters
to every par, ot the world, with the exception of
the L nd. n district area ; and that on the south
sld low used as an office for the sale of stamps,

Pubtal Guides, 'he dist, ibution of letters left "till
al ed tor," poste restante le ters, &c., &c. Glass
,ky-i ights have been fuser ed iu panels in the roof,
and though the . iterations have materially marred
the effect f the building, considered as a specimen
of architt-ciure, the hall has a light, if not an ele-

gant appearance. At the north-east corner of the
ti.il is the Electric Telegraph Office, and next to it
the pos•ing-hox for the "district" area. An officer,
iu unifrirm, is cous,autly on duty during the day
irr the hall to answer inquiries and give information
to applicants.
I.IIE UNDELIVERED AND RETURNED LETTER
OFFICES.

In consequence of the enormous increase which
has taktn place in the correspondence passing
chi ough tue chief überopolitan office, it has fol-
iin% ed hat the inquirers for letters " undelivered,"
~r become " dead," from various causes, have mul-
tiplied in something like a similar ratio. To meet
thi. increased and increasing difficulty a most elabo-
ra! e scheme been designed by the heads of the
office, and executed by Mr. J. Gould, the surveyor.
c,,tisists of ihe cousolidat ion of the Undelivered

with the Rtturned Le:ter Office, and in order to

effect tide oiject a spacious room has been con-
sti ucted, completely over the sorting offices. This
room is built upon immense iron girders, which
were tais,d and have been fixed in a very brief
space ( f time, and happily without the slightest
accident. Below a door has been opened in the
no:tu-west corner ti the front of the building,
where is pbcGd a window for applicants for miss-
sin;.; lvtt,•rs. These improvements, whilst they will
couch f,cilit4te the duly, will also be highly valued
by the public, wh, will ave much time in conse-
quence, and receive a much more speedy answer to
thei. applieatitns.
Inasmuch as much misapprehension has arisen
onsequetic- of want of official information in
regard to "de -a" anti " on, 'aimed" letters, our
eporr er has writ. en to the Seer( tary of the Post
,44 Office, anti received ti,e following reply :—" I beg
, leave to acqu oo that there is no printed list
- f übcl letters kept at the General Poet Office,
nor is the econt of de d letters which is kept in the
re urue I lett. r branch of this department accessible

to Ihe pitt,lie. I beg to add tliat all applications
reApe,ting mi letterA,' whether containing
A pt E eity or t, should be made to the General
Post-oiiiee "

THE NEWSPAPER DEPARTMENT.
A. most impr vement has been just
0.,mp,e,,d for the accommodation of vendors who
to send tapers'' just in time to save post I"
The c,,nirivance is very simple. As almi,st every
body ku we, the scene in the hall just before six
o'clock w.s one of indescrbable confusion, from
'o. rush or toe with bags and sacks, boys with
bundle,, and hund.eds with single newspapers, to
the window inside the hall. The mouth of the
yY le ter box has bet-n widened some feet, and the
t,ingle papers must all be posted there, while the
age, instead of being pitched into the window and
over into ihe office are taken in by the front door
of -he new under-ground office, put on a counter,
op, ned, rind the c,,nleuts poured into baskets by
the side of the counter. The baskets are placed
upon a tram, and immediately it is filled—which of
course is instantly—it is wheeled off, placed upon
the ledge of the ascending machine, and by the
medium of the " everlasting chain," lifted with the
6% men to the sorting room at the top of the building,
o he silted and despatched by the mails two hours
afierwards to all parts of the habitable globe.