The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-12-17 00:00:00

A PENNY-POST-OEIIT.

MY DEAR FRIEND—I write to you this letter to explain
to you why you have next to nothing to pay for it. The go-
vernment has settled the business ; and the Chancellor of the
Exchequer has resolved to set his revenue a going ly the poet.
We are to pay a penny for a letter, which is expected to
have upon it the stamp of the Post-office, and of public ap-
probation at the same time. 1 hardly think it will. Some
of the community are looking dull about it already. There
is a pence-ive air, about the two—l beg pardon, the—one
penny postman, which strikes every one. They intimate
that it is a gammon to load a man with an additional hun-
dred weight of paper, and to call that a reduction of public
duty. It clearly affects people of that stamp ; and the pub-
lic surmise it may even touch the newspapers. In short,
they say that the Times will be altered by the Post. Ladies
generally seem to like the idea, but there is a visible de-
pression in the Mails. Many a coachman has beers thrown
off his guard, and surprised into a most determined altera-
tion of carriage. The govern:tient will be a political mid-
wife, engaged in an evolastieg delivery. London is already
afflicted with a metropolitan rheumatism, produced by the
introduction of fresh draught into passages, the carpenters
having cut holes into all the street doors. Sanguine people
however, retain their knockers, in the hope of getting the
reward offered for the discovery of perpetual motion :7 They
say there is to be an issue of more than a million of letters a
day; but men are a little at issue about this. There must
be some truth in it however; as two thousand counter,:
have been engaged—one thousand to mod them, and the
other to count them upon. Sorters of all sorts are employed.
At the Post-offices, at all hours, the pigeon boles will be
surrounded by carriers. The poor fellows will be like
muskets, perpetually going of Rowland Hill has invented
this scheme ; but the postmen do not complain of him so
much as the other hills they must trudge over with their
great bags of letters. The only district there is any conten-
tion for is Bag shot heath, once famous for highwaymen.
They say, however, that we are all highwaymen now, and do
nothing but make them "stand and del;vcr" from morning
till night. Some mercantile quarrels have sprung. out of
the new regulation. For instance, there is a good deal of
milling among the paper-makers. The march of paper will
be prodigious—the French say we shall have none left, that
it will be all papier magpie ! Men, women, and children
are to write—right or wrong. Enjoinments to this duty—
now the other duty is off—press from all quarters.. " Be
sure you send me plenty of notes," says the son, departing
for College. " Write to me often, Billy do," asks the
affectionate mother, of her school-going child. Love-letters,
containing mutual pledges, will be popped into the Post by
thousands; and hearts gone past redemption will be slipped
recklessly through a hole in the door. It is uncertain wise.
ther orators will not cease spouting, and singers write the
notes which they formerly would have uttered. . Ironmongers
are looking up—and furgeey is going on famously—in con-
sequence of the great demand for steam steal pens. Mani-
fold-writers are quite exhausted. I confess Ido not like the
system myself—as it's Hill's, it has its ills; any good in it
will appear on an examination—

POST POrt.Tk:Nl.

THE THAMES TUNNEL—This work i 3 rapidly approach-
ing towards completion. The Tntinel is now advanced at
the rate of eight feet per week. On Wednesday the Duke of
Buccleueh and Mr. Walker, civil engineer,. visited the works.
- - -

EXTRAORDINART LIGHT.—On Monday evening., as a
gentleman was travelling between Rushden and the turnpike.
about half-past six o'clock, the atmosphere becahle liaised
so that for a few seconds every thing. was perceptible around,
as if from artificial light; but the cause of it was not percep-
tible.—Bedford Mercury.
The Queen Dowager, during her stay at the Duke of lint-
land's, lost a bracelet which she much valued, and which
.could not be found during her residence at the castle. Three
or four days after Queen Adelaide's departure, a poor woman
picked up the bracelet in one of the gravel walks, and took
it to the Duke, who, on forwarding it to the Queen Dowager,
received in answer a £lO note as a reward for the -finder's
honesty. —Lincoln Chronicle

MY LORD GREY.—A young girl from Aston Moir, lately
come to service in this town, was sent do en street by he:
mistress to a shop she had been at once previously ; but un-
fortunately, having taken the wrong turn, she lost herself in
the wilderness of streets, and wandered about the town for
above two hours. When questioned, on her return, where
she had been so long, she could give no account beyond thrt
she had missed her way, and went up one street and down
another, round and round, and always came to a luny
thing wie an auld mon po Me top 'at !—Neircastle Jor-
nal.

PEDESTRIANISM.—Thursday an interesting nice came off
between Lieutenant Simpson, 34th Regiment, and Ensign
Bernard, 18th Regiment. They were matched to run front
Chatham barracks to Gravesend and back, the distance nine-
teen miles. Lieutenant Simpson accomplished the distance
in three hours and ten minutes. Mr. Bernard gave up the
contest at the half-way house on his return from Gravesend,
having been attacked with cramp.—Dublin Evening Mail.
We hare heard that Sir B. Hal!, M.P., has given out
in Monmouthshire, that he intends to stand for that county,
should a general election take place shortly. The expellee
and the badgering of the new Baronet's Radical constituents
in Marylebone, are said to be not very agreeable to him. We
attach no importance, however, to his d:elaratio.is, as it is
most unlikely that he should parade his intention, at the
present period, if he was in earnest.-- Glouceder Chronicle,
Parties selling railway shares at the ['resent reduced prices,
are cautioned to see that the transfers, conveying them out
of their names, are properly registered in the books of the
company, as till that be done their liability continrte, and
they virtually guarantee the solvency of the buyer, as regards
any subsequent call that may be made upon such shares, till
the registration is completed.

Nov EST INVENTUS.—WithiII the last week a wedding fiTS
to have taken place in the parish of Ardleigh ; the morning
arrived, the bride expectant was dressed in readines ;, and
the friends had assembled to witne.is the ceremony ; but, to
the astonishment of all, the expected bridegroom was not
seen or heard of during the day ; and we do not know that he
has shown himself since. We forbear to mention names; but
the gentleman ought to be well trounced, unless he can show
good cause to the contrary.—Essex Standard. - •

OWEN' AT HUDDERSFIELD.—Last week, Robert Owen,
the Socialist, met with such a reception from a body of gen-
tlemen assembled at an inn in Huddersfield, -as must have
satisfied him that his doctrines are not even tolerable amongst
any but the most ignorant classes of society. On- Thursday
he made his appearance amongst the commercial gentlemen
assembled in the travellers' room, at the George Inn, just at
the moment when one of the gentlemen was reading a com-
mentary upon some of tire extracts from his published' works -
which had appeared in the newspapers. When it was ascer-
tained that the author of such monstrous doctrines was in the
room, the landlord was requested to find him-another apart-
ment; which he did. On the following morning Owen
entered the travellers' room with the intention of brea'sfast-
ing with the company ; but much to their, honour they re-
fused to sit in company with him. On his entrance all the
travellers rose in a body, and one of them, addressing him,
remarked, " Sir, we will not allow any man professing your
principles to remain in our company." Owen replied, " This
is too bad; I have been in better company than yours." To
this it was rejoined, "The party was sorry to admit that he
had ; but, if Lord Melbourne had no regard for the character
of the Court, the commercial travellers had too much regard
for their character to permit him to associate with them."—
Halifax Guardian.
GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.—The works of the Great
Western Railway between Dundas and Farrindon are so far
advanced that we understand the Directors confidently expect
to open the line nearly 30 miles beyond Reading about the
same time as to that town itself. In the neighbourhood of
Bath the works are making great progress. The " center-
ings" of the arch over the Wells road, at the bottota cf
Holloway, have been removed, and erected at the place
where the railway will cross Claverton-street. The arch and
the two gothic towers are pronounced to be excellent speci-
mens of workmanship ; and the entire viaduct, from the
taste evinced in its design, will form, when completed, quite
an 'ornament to the neighbourhood. At the tunnel near
Bathwick terrace, the workmen have commenced the form-
ation of the pavement way ; and near Hampton-row great
advance have been made during the last five or six weeks.
Nearly all the soil necessary for turning the canal at that
point has been removed, and used in the construction of the
railviay ; about 100 yards, exclusive of the inclined place
leading to it, having been finished. At Hampton and in the
fields beyond the cuttings and embankments are to a-forward
state. Close by the stone bridge, between Hampton and
Bathwick, the works are also Ve.gintting to alter the farce nt
the landscape.—Bath Chronftte.