The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-10-16

Among others we find that $40 parcels
containing eggs improperly secured
arrived at the head office in n damaged
condition. The same cause explains
the spelling of 1928 bottles of medicine,
SO packages of fruit, and 80 hat boxes;
indeed it is not too much to say that
the very confidence shown by The pub
lie has its drawbacks in causing so
many articles to be posted without
adequate protection. Some of the in
stances of this are remarkable and will
bear quoting.
A few weeks ago a parcel containing
half a pound of tea arrived at the head
office with the paper torn. Observing
the tea coming loose, the parcel was
handed over TO the clerk whose duty it
IS to patch up such packages. On
turning the packet on end before en-
closing it in a fresh sheet of paper, the
attendant was surprised to see not only
a small quantity of tea escaping. but
also two half-sovercigns. 1t TRANSFERRED.
on inquiry, that some cautious person
had actually sent ten llalf-sovereigns
loose in half a pound of tea. p.csuma-
bly, thinking this method moro secure
than 4 po~st-oilice order Another Gu
r,ous story is told by the officials of
two live canaries which were posted in
en- ordinary wire cage in Berlin. and
were delivered alive and well in Bel
fast, notwithstanding that such pack
ages are against the regulations. AS
the cage had been accepted in Ger
many. and had passed from hand to
hand as far as Dover, the officials de-
cided to make an exception, and
passed the curious parcel on.
Were 1t possible to know the con-
tents of all the packages passing
through the parcels post some OK
traordinary revelations would doubt
less come to light. Even the small
proportion OF parcels which have their
contents exposed through arriving in .
damaged condition. shows a most re-
markable Ola podrida Of curiosities.
An apparently innocent cardboard
box being discovered with its side
broken at st. Martin's-le-Grand u
search was made for its escaped con-
tents. For some time the clerks were
unsuccessful, but they were at length
rewarded in the discovery of a very
active young viper, which endeavored
to clude all attempts at its rccapture.
The reptile was apparently aone the
worse for its journey from Colchester.
Leeches are allowed to 60 through the
post provided they are properly
packed, but they have on more than
one occasion escaped without being
missed from their package, but white
mice are contraband. and when de-
tected, as was the case the other day,
are invariably sent back carriage
paid
One of the most extraordinary par
cells yet discovered was found at the
King's-cross depot a month back, in
the form of a tin telescope case, the
end of which had got battered in tram
sit. Out of this crept some dozen
black beetles, and On opening the case
a hundred more were found inside.
The fact that these curious pets were
destined for Sunderland is interesting
as showing that there is at least one
place in England where the domestic
pest is appreciated. There is, indeed,
no end to the variety of objects gath
cred together in a parcels basket. On
one visit to the general post-o!lice we
have seen fifteen tons Of price-lists sent
out from n of the large cooperative
stores, several hundred iron spades
from Sheffield. without any packing
beyond the address label stuck on the
end; several dozen hat boxes; n couple
of hundred umbrellas and walking
sticks: nearly Il hundred lawn tennis
bats; parcels Of wet flowers. with the
paper pecling off; n sucking pig in
brown paper, with its head exposed;
two boxes of bees: over one hundred
parcels of fish. mostly tied in reeds;
the same number of bottles of meli-
cine, and several thousand parcels Of
different shapes and sizes. the contents
uf which 1t Is Impossible to guess. This
extraordinary assortment represents
one nights dispatch, the various items
going toevcry part of the United King
dom.
In the foreign department more care
is generally shown in packing, and
fewer extraordinary parcels are dis
covered, this doubtless being due to
the fact that the senders recognize the