The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-22 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

In order to facilitate the supply of early postal
information to the public, arrangements have been
made for recasting the matter in the Daily Packet
List (a publication which henceforward will bear
the title of Postal Official Circular and Daily
Packet List) and for publishing a weekly num-
ber ; the latter to include a notice of every postal
alteration, such as reductions in foreign postage,
and so forth, even when the notice has previously
appeared in the daily edition.
By purchasing the daily edition of the Postal
Official Circular, and the quarterly edition of the
British Postal Guide, any person may always be in
possession of the earliest and fullest information
regarding the rates of postage to all parts of the
world, the times at which the various mails are
despatched, and all other postal matters which con •
cern the public at large: and this object may, in
great measure, be attained by the purchase of the
British Postal Guide, and the weekly edition of the
Postal Official circular.
In the full hope of advantage, both to the public
and the department, from rendering compulsory, to
the extent of one rate, the prepayment of inland
letters, I issued, with the consent of your lordships,
an order to that effect ; but, as you are aware much
repugnance was manifested towards the arrange-
ment ; and, regarding it as one in which the public
were chiefly concerned, I did not hesitate, on
observing this manifestation, without any counter
movement, to recommend that the order should be
withdrawn ; a course in which you were pleased to
concur.
When the plan came into operation, some cases
of difficulty certainly arose which had not been
foreseen, and which scarcely anything but positive
experience could have brought to light. I have
little doubt, however, that by patient effort means
would have been found for surmounting these diffi-
culties, and that after a time the meas ire would
have been viewed with general favour. Most of
the objections lay on the surface, but not so most of
the benefits ; many of the latter requiring for their
knowledge and appreciation a full acquaintance
with the intricate machinery of the Post-office.
So far, however, as I could judge, the public pre-
ferred an immediate termination of the experiment
to the possible advantages that might arise from its
continuance ; and, acting on this belief, I advised
accordingly.
Much advantage had been obtained of late in
registering letters by the use of the manifold writer.
By this improvement, which was suggested by Mr.
West, chief clerk of the mail office, the time and
labour required have been reduced by one quarter,
persons bringing letters for registration have been
more quickly released, and greater security has
been obtained against error.
It is with much pleasure that I have witnessed
the establishment, among the clerks of the chief
office in London, of an institution called the Post-
office Library and Literary Association. The large
number of clerks who have enrolled their names
shows how general among them are a taste for
reading and a desire for mental cultivation and
pleasures of a superior kind. Besides much sup-
port within the department, the institution has re-
ceived many liberal donations, both of money and
books, from without—among' others, a munificent
gift of £3O from his Royal Highness the Prince
Consort.
When this association shall have been some time
established and be able to afferd used experianee,

I hope to see a similar institution, adapted to the
different circumstances, arise among the letter.
carriers.
Complaint is sometimes made that valuable books
in their conveyance by post are injured. On this
point I would remark that the main duty of the
department being the prompt and rapid transmis-
sion of letters, the bags are made up in great haste,
and are unavoidably subjected to rough usage in
their transfer to and from the several carriages by
which they are in succession conveyed—a transfer
effected in some instances even while the train is in
progress.
Ihis rough usage is harmless as regards letters,
and rarely injures any book packets ; but it does
sometimes happen that a book with an ornamental
binding, or a volume which is thin in proportion
to its other dimensions, is damaged by
the friction or pressure of the other contents of the
bag, unless protected by being carefully packed be-
tween stiff boards. Books of this class, except when
thus protected, should be transmitted by other
means than the post office.
Chiefly with the view of putting the public upon
their guard against different kinds of fraud, and of
showing an occasional liability to error when mak-
ing even precise statements, from the tendency of
the mind to record an intention as if it were an ac-
complished fact, a selection has again been given
from a number of complaints, which, so far as this
department is concerned,were on examination found
to be groundless.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

SAMBRE AND MEUSE.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held on Wednesday at the office, Moorgate-street—
Mr. W. P. Richards in the chair.

Mr. M. Chubb, secretary, read the notice conven-
ing the meeting. The report, an abstract of which
appeared in The Sun, was taken as read.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report and statement of accounts, drew attention to
the report of the general manager in respect to the
comparative value of the traffic for some years past,
its gradual increase, and other details. He thought
it was satisfactory that a reduction had been made
in the cost of fuel by means of a composi.ion which
they used instead of coal. One advantage in using
that kind of fuel was that no alteration was required
in the engines, as was the case in using coal instead
of coke. The branch to Chimay, which was opened
in September last, was producing the company a
traffic of about £4O a-week. The traffic would not
remain stationary, and the more it advanced the
better it would be for them in every respeet, as the
traffic was worked at very little extra expense. A
further length of the branch would be opened in
July next. He thought they would consider the
general manager's report satisfactory. With regard
to their proposed dividend of 3s per share it was so
far satisfactory that it marked an improvement.
They would see by the report that they had been
in litigation with the Belgian Government with
respect to a claim for a kind of income-tax, and he
might say the claim was totally at variance with
the understanding with the Belgian Government
on receiving the concession.
The report and statement of accounts were then
adopted.
In reply to questions, it was stated that the pro-
posed dividend would have been 4s. per share, in-
stead of 35., were it not for the claim by the Govern-
ment for income .tax and four or five years' arrears.
A dividend of 3s. per share for the half-year, pay-
able on the 6th of May, was approved.
A vote of thanks to the chairman and directors
concluded the proceedings.