The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1850-09-18
The London Post Office.


The London Post Office.
| Perhaps the most remarkable place
of its kind in the world, is the Lon
don Post Office. Our own post of.
fee and that of New York are curl.
ositics to the uniniatiated; but they
will not stand comparison, for one
moment, with the London Office
The business done there is almost in
credible. Some idea of the amount
may be gathered, however, from the
fact that it employees q force Of 1908
persons, and that at least 100000
letters pass daily through the Inland
department alone.
One of its most curious features is
the making up and despatching the
Indian mails. which arc sent off semi
monthly, on the 7th and Oath. The
letters are tied in packages, d
then placed in iron chests, the lids
which, when once shut, fastcn with q
spring, and cannot be opened without
a chiscl. These chests are one foot
eight inches long. one foot wide, and
ten and half inches deep; yet not
less than one hundred and twenty, on
the average, are despatched every
month. After being closed, they are
soldered and the seal Of the post office
affixed. They are then committed to
the charge of an agent, who accompa-
nies them across France to Marseillcs,
never losing sight of them till they
are placed on board the steamer for
Alexandria, whence they find their
way across the Isthrnus of Sucz, and
down the Red Sea, to their final des-
tination.
Another object of interest is the
dead letter Office. The number of
letters for whom no owner could be
found, and which we're therefore re-
turned as dead, was, in 1849, not
less than i ,476,456. of these TO-
i ~ z on heing apened. were found to
contain property to the amount os.
nearly two millions and half of dol
lars. Frequently, indeed, letters
containing money are posted without
any direction. Almost fifty thousand
dollars annually come into the Lon
don Post Office in this way, and
sometimes it is with difficulty that the
owners are discovered. Some time
ago a letter, on being opened at the
Dead Letter Office, was found to con-
tain five hundred dollars. A vast
number of letters are returned, under
the postal treaty, from the United
States to London, MS dead, no claim
ants for them appearing in this conn.
try: on two several occasions, "a 900
were thus sent bnck. The dead
letters are opened and read, and if no
clue can be found to the owner, are
torn up and sold for waste paper.
At the General Post Office at Wash
inSton, it is the practice, we believe,
TO burn such letters; and in this re-
spcct VIC think the London office ex-
hibits less delicacy than ours. The
secrets of dead letters should be kept
inviolate, and not exposed, rs they
are by sale as waste paper.
Packages, not exceeding in weight
sixteen ounces, are permitted to be
sent by the British mail; and many
curious packages in consequence pass
through the London Post Office.
Game of various kinds, plum pud.
ding, bits Of wedding cake, Holsters
and, strangcst of all, live mice and
pet canary birds have thus been for
warded, and safely delivered. In
one case, lot of lecches were sent
in bladdcrs, several Of which burst,
and tho water having wetted the
letters, many Of the poor creatures
were found crawling over the CORES.
pondcncc of the nation. In another
Instance, jar Of strawberries was
despatched through the mail. but be.
ing smashed in the bag, completely
destroyed packet full Of valuable
lace belonging to the late Queen Ad.
claide, a mercantile agent, going
his round through the country solici.
ting orders, found he had forgot his
pistol; he wrote to his wife for it, and
she sent it by return Of mail, labelled,
and loaded to the mouth with powder,
ball and slugs. A roast duck, box
Of spiders, and live snake were also
among the things forwarded in this
way. Most curious Of all, however,
was q bank note for fifty pounds,
without an envelope, the two ends
being merely wafcred together, and
the address written on the back. -
Ihiia. Bulletin.
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