Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1840-09-24
European COrrespondence.~No 6.
LONDON, Aua. Goth, Is

Americans, and SO thoroughly has it been de-
! scrbed through the press, that it seems hardly
/ possible to communicate anything that has not
already become familiar to your readers.
1t is often said that "there is but one London"
and it is only in visiting it, that the force of the
| remark can be fully realized.
After spending six weeks in seeing the numer-
Gus objects of interest, and the various displays
of talent, skill and philanthropy that are daily
open in London, to the observance of the curious,
| one feels more impressed with the vastness of
their extent and number, than satisfied with the
attention he has been able to give them.
Difficult as it is, to say any thing new of the
Metropolis of the world, there is probably no
place on the globe where so much that is original
is daily being developed. Here, the human
mind is brought together to form the most pow
erful focus, from which it is rapidly developing
those affections which present themselves to US !,
in the various forms which are peculiar to all
the departments of knowledge and of art. And
the power of expansion, and radiation which all
this concentrated light possesses in the very af-
lection that brings it into birth, is truly wonder
thirty hours it travels four hundred miles to Edin
burgh, in little over twenty, is in Dublin, in
about thirty six, reaches Paris-in fourteen days
NAV be in Boston; and with like astonishing
celebrity, if not the same velocity, traverses the
, whole globe, where man may be found to pay it
| tribute.
In visiting London for the first time, few
.-.I, with pSt
| than the Mail and Post Office establishment The
| regularity, precision and certainty with which
intelligence is carried for penny to every man $
house in the city, from any part of the kingdom,
| and from every neighborhood in the city, to the
most distant place in the kingdom, evinces what
may be expected in other countries, but what no
one has yet attained.
| 1t is an amusing scene to observe the post-boys
in their red gold lacedcoats small-clothes boots
and spurs, with earnestness and speed, thread
ing their way through the crowded streets to
their village and country destinations.
The pedestrian letter carriers for the city, may
be seen at various times of day, issuing in great
Numbers from the Post Office, either on foot, or,
starting in omnibusses provided by government
for that purpose, that they may proceed to GER
tain points with greater speed and thence execute
their duty on foot
A airing of four or five of these vehicles con-
tanning fourteen or twenty redcoats each, IS
often to be seen following the same street for a
mile and more and then dverging one after anoth-
or to their various appointments
But the departure of the great mails for the
Provinces and for ships and steamers in readiness
to leave for every country on the Globe, is par
ticularly striking, on every day especially, on
the Queens birth day, when the 'guards' or
mail carriers, receive new suit OF clothes and
form procession in honor of the day.
The late reduction of postage in this country
must inc vitaby produce the most important re-
suits By paying one penny, any thing not
weighing over half an ounce, and two pence OF
the weight of one ounce land Cd for every addi-
tional ounce up to ounces) may be sent by
mail to the farthest corner of the united king
dom, provided it is paid in advance, otherwise the
postage is doubled, and for newspapers, nothing
is paid,
The government, issues Id and I'd stamps,
which are to be bought in the shops and by
sticking them ON TO letter, the necessity OF pay
ing the postage on mailing a letter, is avoided.
They have also, issued envelopes for single let
tiers, with stamp upon them, and on which,
there being blank room, persons in trade have
used them to print and send abroad their adver-
tisements, and thus found motive for selling them
for about half the regular postage.
Great confidence is entertained here by the
friends of reform, that this measure, though its
present effect is to reduce the revenue will, in a
few wears at farthest, increase it. Already, the
number of letters received at the post offices in
some of the manufacturing and com mercial towns
of which Glasgow is one, is quadrupled within
six months.
Nav we not hope that that this noble example
of facilitating the circulation of intelligence, viii
soon be followed in America, where the very ma
tpre Of things is such as to produce, from the min
mum price of every service rendeicd to the grea
body of the people, the greatest sumtotal ofproit
1t can hardly be doubted that considerable re
ducton of the rates of postage in the U. s. woult
rather increase than diminish the revenue, and i
is to be hoped that we may ere long have Con
eress of sufficient forecast and practical wisdom
n TO take measures to that effect
The next object which incline to present t.