The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-21 00:00:00

THE POST-OFFICE AND MR.
• R 0 WL.AND HILL.
(From the Westminster Review for March.)
Mr. Rowland Hill has printed en analysis of the evi-
dence taken before the late Post-office Committee of
Inquiry, and we are anxious to assist in giving the ut-
most possible circulation to one of the principal facts of
his pamphlet, entitled the " State and Prospects of Penny
Postage," published by Knight. The fact to which we
allude is the complete refutation of the statement made
by the Chancellor of the Exchequer during the last
session, that, under the new system of penny postage,
" the Post-office did not pay its own expenses ;"—and
the refutation is by Colonel Maberly himself, the Secre-
tary of the Post-office. The statement was made, not
upon a return, but a mere estimate, which is now prQved
to have been incorrect in nearly every item. One of' its-
items was a sum of 612,8501., the wholatost of the pac-
ket service wrongly charged, and charged, for the first
time, to the account of Post-office expenditure, as if de-
signedly to damage penny postage. It did damage it so
far . that foreign Governments balancing at the time
the propriety of corresponding reductions, imme-
diately took alarm on reading bfr. Goulburn's state-
ment, and withheld the boon on the ground that the Eng-
lish system had proved a failure. The mischief, abroad,
that has been occas);med by this extraordinary official
blunder, has been incalculable ; and we do not doubt,
for it is a queStion of personal honour, that Mr. Goul-
burn, in his place in the House, will hasten to remedy-
the evil, to the utmost of his power, by a correct expla-
nation of the case, now that he is better informed. In
the meantime our friends on the Continent would do
wisely to disseminate through all the foreign journals
the following evidence given by Colonel Maberly :
" As I have stated over and over again, looking at it
as regards the Post-office revenue now as compared with
what the Post-office revenue was before the penny post,
the surplus of' income over expenditure is somewhere
about 600,0001 l''
The national honour is equally involved in the present
relations of the Government and the country to Mr.
Rowland Hill. If his plan had proved abortive, we can
understand why their author should have been dis-
missed ; but to adopt his plans, admit their success as
far as they have been yet carried out, and to disown
all public obligatios to Mr. Hill, is to disgrace the nation.
Is there a nobleman in the House who would thus disown
a debt contracted on Newmarket race course, and is a
great moral debt to be utterly disregarded by statesmen
and legislators ? We talk of American " repudiation,"
but what is this ? And where, in the history of the
United States, shall we find a parallel to Post-office
treatment of nearly every one who has proved himself
a national benefactor by the great improvements he has
effected in postal communication ? Mr. Dockwra, who
originated town posts shortly before the Restoration,'
and Mr. Palmer, who introduced mail coaches about the
latter end of the last century, both saw their plans
adopted, and found themselves, like Mr. Hill, turned
adrift by the Treasury, through the complaints and
ghop-
position of the Post- office authorities.
While we write, we are reminded of the benefits which
would result from one of his proposals, that of a lit
parcel delivery, by a letter from Paris, in which the
writer inquires why he cannot send to London through
the Post, under the new postal convention between Eng-
land and France, a copy of the Journal des Economistes,,
which he finds the Post-office will take no further than
Calais ?

Our readers should know that while that treaty was
in progress, an effort was made to procure the privilege
of an interchange, through the Post-office, of pamphlets
written by literary and scientific men oak both sides
the water. This failed (as was underatend) through
the difficulties started by the English Post-office,
who pleaded the old fallacy, that ttie mails would
break dovin with their load. A clause, however, was
introduced in favour of periodicels, but even this nig-
gardly provision for the intere'As of literature and sci-,
ence has been, up to the present moment, rendered
almost a nullity. Four times we have endeavours?,
to send periodicals under the new treaty, and. in
each instance found them charged nearly five shillings,
as letters over weight. In a fifth instance, we went
personally to St. Martin's-le-Grand, and submitted
a packet addressed to France for 'pre-payment.
The postage demanded was nine shillings. We then
referred the clerks at the Pay-office to the treaty, of
which they appeared to know little or nothing, but they
obliged us by sending our packet into the Secretary
ir
office to inquire whether it was one which under the
treaty could be forwarded at the reduced rate. The
answer returned was in the affirmative, and that the
correct postage would be eightpence. The eightpence
was paid ; and although in France a volume like t'Lie
Westminster Review can be sent any distance for
a franc, fifteen francs were demanded for tt,,js identla
cal packet (under four ounces) when it 82erived at its
destination. Where the blame of thisularity
lies we know not, for our e_
.Ir4ris to obtain
an explanation at home have hot hitherto been
successful. In addition to this subject of com-
plaint, the privilege whibh scientific men formerly en-
joyed of sending their letter, and
printed papers aroad
through the Ambassador's bag has been stopped. Such
is the present state of international communication be-
tween two great Powers claiming to be at the head of European eivil:aation.

---
VACCINE ESTABLISHMENT.
COPY of the LAST REPORT frOm the RATIONAL
VACCINE ESTABLISHMENT to 'I;IER MA-
JESTY'S SECRETARY of STATE
DEPARTMENT. 'for the HOME
TO THE RIGHT HON. SIR .7.1.74EF;
R. GRAHAM, HER
MAJESTY'S SECRETARY OF iv'
iATE FOR THE HOME
DEPARTMENT
Sir,—ln presenting (Mr Annual Report, we have the
'satisfaction to stab 'gnat the experience of the past
year ver
cey fully
.rms our confidence iu the protective
influen of To/.
_cination ; and that the zeal and activity
of the s=: 10'..
-al departments of the establishment have
k;.,kpt ..t0w!..., with the increasing demands upon their ser-
eo. The Metropolitan mortality by small-pox during
'lke last year, which has been remarkable for the se-
verity of its epidemic maladies, has been estimated as
low as 438, whereas by measles alone 1,400 lives have
been lost.
The number of charges of lymph distributed during
the last twelve months being 158,494, will be found to
exceed that of the former year by upwards of 31,000
charges, and from which no less than 85,550 cases have
been reported as vaccinated.
From a communication of Staff-surgeon Hall, at St.
Vincent's, we learn that he has succeeded in propagating
the true vaccine vesicle from lymph supplied by the
National Vaccine Establishment IR the following West
India islands, viz., St. Vincent, Trinidad, Tobago, St.
Lucia, Dominica, Antigua, and St. Kites. The Board.
most anxious, as in duty bound, to carry the benevolent
purposes of its foundation to the fullest practical extent.,
has embraced the opportunity recently afforded by our
new relations with the Chinese empire, to send a large
supply of vaccine lymph to Hong-Kong, from which may
be fairly anticipated the gradual extinction of the small-
pox, which has so dreadfully ravaged that quarter of the
globe.

Although the Board continues to receive OCCOACitft
notices of failure from the lymph distributed by it, they
are, however, happy to state, that such complaints are
much reduced in number, the average, as inferred from
the receipt of letters, being strikingly decreased; such
failures can only be explained by supposing that the
tients were not in a fit state to receive its influence, fbr
it has very generally happened that the same peat r. rich
has announced a failure in one district, has chronicled
the success of lymph derived from the seahP source in
other parts of the country.
(Signed) JOHN GOLDWYER .107DREws.
President of the Collet. of Surgeons.
V!".!,RIS -Senior Censor.
JOHNCLEE VTR TROuN,L
Registrar.
March, 1844.

_ . .
SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
WARWICK LACES (CONCLUDED)—WEDNRSDAY.
The Trial Stake:; of 10 sous. each, with 50 added. One mils.
(10 subs.) -
Mr. Minor'
a Molecatcher, 3 yrs, Est 121 b (S. Darling, jun.) 1
Mr. Brist-ow's Freystrop, 3 yrs, 7st.
Thy' following also started, but were not placed :—Mr.
St.';obings's Celeste, 3 yrs, 7st—Mr. Painter's Seafowl, 3 yrs,
6st 121b—Mr. Mostyn's Brunel, 3 yrs, 6st 121b—Mr. A. W.
Hill's Beaumont, 3 yrs—Mr. F. Ongley's The Elbe, 3 yrs, 7st,
Betting-5 to 4 agst Celeste, 7to 2 agst Freystr_op, 4to 1
agst Molecatcher, and 5 to 1 agst Beaumont. Won by a
neck. Celeste a bad third, and caumont fourth. Brunel
carried 4lbs overweight.
Tho Debdale Stakes of 5 sova. each, with 25 added. Twq
miles. Oil Subs.)
Mr. Hyde Clarke's Leo, by the Cardinal, list 71b
Mr. Laurel's Fire-king, aged, llst 71b .... 2
Mr. Warde's The Surgeon, aged, 12st 3
The following also ran :—Captain Musgrave's Drammoor,
5 yrs, llst 71b—Mr. C. Le Blanc's Huguenot, aged, list 71b;
Mr. F. Wilson's St. Cecilia, 6 yrs, llst 7115—Mr. E. Haworth's
Marengo, aged, I Ist 71b—and Mr. Little's Plekwick, list 71b.
Won in a cantor.
The Warwick Handicap of 15 soya. tach, 10 ft, and 5 only
if declared, with 40 added. Zr.o miles. (15 Subs., two
of whom paid )
Mr. Berrington's Fathew Methew, 3 yrs, sst 71b (Carter) 1
Mr. S. Scott's Mosque, yrs, Bst Slb ...........
The following els'', started :—Mr. Ravrorth's Vibration,
5 yrs, Bst 131b----Captain Musgrave nd Ajax, 6 yrs—.3lr.
Collins IsaaP, aged, 7st 81b—Mr. Rimber's Sylghau, 4 yrs,
ist 41b---lir. E. Dan's Jack, 5 yrs, 7st 41b--Mr. Balchin'a
TIP Zurate, 4 yrs, 7st—Mr. Holford's Pickwick, aged, 'lst--
and Sir C. Cockerell's Aurungzebe, 4 yrs, Est 71b.
Betting-2 to 1 agst Mosque, 4to 1 agst Isaac, 4to 1 agst
Pickwick, 7 to 1 agst Father Mathew, 7 to 1 agst Vibration:
Won by a neck, after a beautiful race ; Pickwick third an&
Isaac fourth.
The Farmer's Plate of 50/., with 10/. added. Heats, two miles.
Mr. Lucas's f, 3 yrs, 10St 21b (Mr. Hughes) .2 1 1
Mr. Co is Independence, 3 yrs, 10st 21b
Mr. W. Cowper's Carmine, 3 yrs, lOst 21b t) 3 3
Mr. Page's Chaff, 3 yrs, lOst 21b
A Forced Handicap of 10 sous. each. Once r' and and a dit.
tance. (3 Subs.)
Mr. Collins' Isaac, aged, Bst 111:;1), walked over.
BETTING AT WARWICK.
nsTER CUP.

9 to 1 on the field
15 to 1 agst Naan—taken
25 to 1 11'7: Yoked—taken
•

30 to 1 agst Alice Hawthorn
30 to 'I- agst Evorton.

13 to 2 agst Ugly Buck—t
7 to 1 agst Rattan
20 to 1 agst Running Rein

25 to 1 agst Leander
50 to I Mainatny.—t
The rest as before.

ON MAKING A BETTING Boox.--" It lends. ft
colour to one of the worst features of pot-house life---Ahe
Derby Clubs. Taking up on chance the nearest at, hand
sporting paper, we find in its first page no less than fifteen of
these abominations. They emanate from public-homes in all
parts of London—West Smithfield, High Holborn, the Strand,
Pimlico, Iluxton, and the London-road, from Manchester and
from Sheffield. They are illegal lotteries or little goes--beite
set by the cunning publicans (the Duke Hildebrauds of--mo-
dern Alsatian) to catch tippling gulls—traps for the un-
fledged apprentice and journeyman—the desolation of many
a tidy fire-side. Why are these gambling-houses overlooked!
wore than the hells of Regent•street.—Knighes LondOn.