Litchfield enquirer., 1864-12-22
TheBritisll POst-ofIice System.

TheBritish Post-ofIice System. Mr. Lewins the author of an interesting history of the British post o6ce, gives some curious facts concerning the Blind Letter office" which is entirely distinct from the dead letter office. He says:
 Here the clerk or clerks, selected from amongst the most efficient and experienced officers. guess 8. what ordinary intelligence would readily denomiuate insoluble riddles.-- Large numbers of letters are posted daily with superscriptions which the sorters cannot deci- pher, and which the great majority of people would not be able to read. Others again are received with perhaps only the name of some small wills ge, the writers thinking it work of supererogation to add some neighboring town. or even county. Numberless, for instance, are the letters bearing such addresses as 'John Smith. gardener, Flowsrdale," or ThrogrRor- ton Hall, Worcestershire" Circulars. by the thousand, are posted in London and other large towns without hesitancy. and with the greatest confidence in the final perseverance, principle of the post-office people, with addres ses not more explicit than the fcregoing.- Many country gentlemen would seem 10 cher ish the idea that the names of their mansions
 
 their manorial acres. and somehow they seem to inoculate their correspondents with the same absurb pOtion.
 If, however. it be possible to reduce the hi- eroglyphics on some strange letter to ordinary every day English, or find, from dligent search in his library of reference, information relative to imperfectly addressed letters (information which might have been given much more easi- ly by the senders,) DUP readers may be sure that the cunning gentleman of the Blind Office. justly known for hls patience and sagacity, will do it, unless indeed the letter be stone bliDd," or hopelessly incomplete. As g genuine ex ample of stone blind letters, take the following, the first of batch which has been known to pass through the blind-room of the General Post office: Uncle John, Hopposite the Church London, Hingland." It would certain ly have been wonderful trial of skill to have put this letter in fair way of delivery: for once the blind officer would acknowledge him self beaten; and then the dead letter officers would endeavor to find Uncle Johns" rela- tive, intimating to the said relative that great explctness is needed if { Uncle John must be found. But they manage bitter with the next letter in the batch. "Coneyach lunen- tick a sliam' is part of the address of letter which the sOrter no doubt threw away from him with some inpatience. The blind officer, however. reads it instantly, strikes his pen, perhaps. through the address. aud writes on the envelope, "Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum and passes it out for delivery. "Obern yemen" is seen in an instant to be meant for " Holborn UnioD." "Isle of Wight is in like manner. written on letter improperly addressed IS fol lows: "Ann M-Oileywbit Amshire." The probability is that the last mentioned let ter will come back to the Dead Letter office, on account of no town being given in the ad- dress, still the usual course is to send 1t out to the local district designated, there being al- ways the possibility that certain individuals may be locally known.
 Ashby de;la- -Zouch is town to spell which gives infinite trouble to letter writer ; but the post office official is especially lenient and pa tipnt in cases of this kind. There are fifty different ways of spelling the name and few letters, except those of the better classes, give it rightly spelt. Hasbedellar-s is the or dinary spelling among the poor living at distance Ash Bedles in such for John Hor- sell grander in the county of Lestysheer' is the copy of very address meant for the above town The blind letter officers of an earlier date succumbed before the following letter i: For Mi ter Willy .wot brinds de Baber in Lang Caster ware te gal is,' but the dead letter officers were enabled from the contents to make out that it was meant for the editor of Il Lancaster paper, where tho goal is.' The communication enclosed was an essay written by foreigner against public schools
 Tie blind officers are supplied with all the principal London and provincial directories, court guides. gazetteers etc. and by the help of this, theif library of reference, they are generally able to put again into circulation. without the necessity of opening them, five out of six of all the letters which are hand ed over to them. The addresses of some let. ters are at once seen to be the result of mistake on the part of the senders. Letters addressed Lombard street. Manchester St. Paul's Church-yard, Liverpool,' both obviously intended for London, are sent out for trial by the letter carriers at what are believed to be their real destinations. Letters, again, for persons of rank and emineuce, dignitaries of the Church, prominent officers Of the army or navy, whose correct addresses are known, or can be ascertained, are immediately sent out for delivery to their right destin .tion, howev- CT erroneously directed, without question or examination of contents. The following strange letters, meant for the eye of royalty, would not be impeded in their progress in any way: Keen Vic Tory at Winer Casel i and another Miss Queehe Victoria of Eng land,' would go to Windsor Castle without fail while the following, posted in London at the breaking-out of the Polish insured ion would find it's way to St. Petersburg as fast as packet could carry it : To the King of Ru- sheya FeoreD, with speed
 10 the "Soldiers' Aid Societies" and "Ladies
 Loyal Leagues" ot LitchfeM County:--
 DEAR FELLow-W oRKERs; When, several