METROPOLITAN WATER COMPANIES, WITH THEIR OFFICES. Chelsea-16, Great Queen-st., Westminster Hampstead-43, Frederick-place, Hamp- Kent-Mill-lane, Deptford METROPOLITAN GAS-LIGHT Alliance-39, Finsbury-circus New River New River Head, near Sad- Southwark and Vauxhall-Sumner-street, West Middlesex-20, Nottingham-place, COMPANIES, WITH THEIR OFFICES. British-11, George-yard, Lombard-street, City of London-Dorset-street, Salisbury- Commercial-Ben Jonson's Fields, Stepney Imperial 33, John-street, Bedford-row London-26, Southampton-street, Strand Poplar King-street, Poplar Ratcliff-189, Wapping High-street South Metropolitan-Canal Bridge, Old United General-6, Austin Friars street LONDON FIRE ENGINE ESTABLISHMENT, 68, WATLING-STREET. The following are the stations at which Engines are to be found, both Day and Night. Ratcliffe Wellclose-square Cheapside-68, Watling-street Holborn-No. 254, High Holborn Portman-square-King-st., Baker-street Blackfriars Farringdon-street Covent Garden-Chandos-street St. Giles's-George-yard, Crown-street Waterloo Bridge-road Shadwell Broad-street The Floating Engines lie off King's Stairs, Superintendent Mr. J. Braidwood, 68, Watling-street. GENERAL POST OFFICE, LONDON. THE Receiving Houses are open for general post letters till half-past five, or till six P.M., if the letters be pre-paid by stamps, and bear an additional Id. stamp as a fee; and at St. Martin's-le-Grand and the Branch Offices, at Charing Cross, Old Cavendishstreet, Stones' End, Southwark, and Lombard-street, till six without fee; at the first three Branch Offices táll a quarter to seven; at Lombard-street and the General Post Office, St. Martin's-le-Grand, till seven, with an additional 1d. stamp; and at St. Martin'sle-Grand till half-past seven P.M., with a fee of 6d. The extra penny on all inland letters to be paid by a stamp, but upon foreign, colonial, or ship letters the penny must be paid in money. General post letters are charged by weight, as follows:Letters not exceeding Do. Do. oz., one postage 1 oz., two postages 2 oz., four postages 3 oz., six postages; and so on, adding two postages for every ounce; but parliamentary papers are an exception. The price of a postage is 1d., which must be pre-paid, either by money or the use of a stamp, or it will be charged double, and if the weight of the letter should exceed the value of the stamps attached, the excess will be charged double: thus, a letter weighing more than half an ounce, but not exceeding an ounce, if bearing ld. stamp only, will be charged an additional 2d. on delivery. Stamped enve lopes are to be purchased at every postoffice, as well as at most stationers, at the rate of 1s. 1 d. per dozen of penny and 2s. 2d. per dozen of twopenny envelopes, and this rate is most rigidly ordered to be observed in all fractional parts of the dozen. Shilling stamps and tenpenny stamps are also now issued. Newspapers, to go the same day, must be put into the General Post Office before six o'clock; but those put in before half-past seven o'clock will go the same evening by paying a halfpenny with each. In the branch offices they must be put in before half-past 5, and at the Receiving Houses before 5. They must be sent in covers, open at the sides, and, to go free, no words or communication must be printed on such paper after the same shall have been published, nor any writing or marks upon such printed paper, or the cover thereof, other than the name and address of the person to whom it is sent; but, by affixing a stamp conspicuously on the cover, the paper itself may be written on, but this exemption does not apply to papers sent abroad. If addressed to persons who have removed, they may be re-directed, and sent free of extra charge. Failure in these conditions subjects the paper to the same rate of postage as an unpaid letter. Single books may also be sent by post, open at the ends, at the rate of 6d. per pound, which must be pre-paid by stamps, every fraction being reckoned as a pound. British newspapers sent to foreign coun tries (where they are permitted to go free through the foreign post) go free: but if otherwise, they are charged a British postage of 2d. each; or a rate equivalent to the foreign rate. French and Belgium newspapers are subject to a postage in England of one halfpenny. English papers pay in France a postage of 5 centimes. Newspapers to and from the Colonies are transmitted free (unless sent by private ships), and must be posted within a week of their publication. MORNING MAILS. The Letter Boxes at the Receiving Houses will be open till seven A. M. for newspapers, and 7.45 A.M. for letters; and those at the branch offices, Charing Cross, Old Cavendish-street, and the Borough, for the reception of newspapers until half-past seven A.M., and for letters until eight A.M. At the General Post Office and the Branch Office in Lombard-street, the boxes will close for newspapers at a quarter before eight A.M., and for letters at half-past eight A.M. Mail despatched at half-past nine A.M. No person will be permitted hereafter to send or receive letters free of postage. Members however of either House of Parliament will be entitled to receive, free of charge, petitions addressed to either House of Parliament, provided they are sent without covers, or in covers open at the sides, and do not exceed the weight of thirty-two ounces. Addresses to Her Ma. jesty will likewise go free of postage. The rates on newspapers and letters of soldiers and sailors will remain unaltered, with the exception, however, that the privilege now given to soldiers' and sailors' letters will be restricted to the cases in which they shall not exceed half an ounce in weight. Letters exceeding 4 oz. in weight, must be pre-paid in money or in stamps. With this restriction, any weight may be sent by post; but the packet must not exceed two feet in length, and nothing should be posted which will not bear the crush in the letter bags. The rate of postage for Parliamentary Papers is ld. for every 4 oz. They may be also sent to Hamburgh, Bremen, or Lubeck, viâ Hamburgh, open at the ends and prepaid, if not exceeding 2 oz. for 1d.; above 2 oz. and not exceeding 3 oz. for 6d.; above 3 oz. and not exceeding 4 oz. for 8d.; and 2d. per oz. extra up to 16 oz. Letters containing coin or articles of value are recommended to be registered. Such letters and any others may be registered at any of the receiving-houses in London till five o'clock for the evening mail, and at any post-office in the country until within half an hour of the closing of the bag to the place for which they are directed. The fee in any case in Great Britain is 6d. and the postage, and to France 6d. and double the French postage. Such letters bearing a sufficient number of stamps will pass as paid letters, but the registration fee must in every case be paid in money. Money orders for sums under 5. are granted by every post-town upon every other post-town in the United Kingdom, on application at the various offices; and also by and upon certain offices in the metropolis, of which the postmasters are furnished with a list, for which a commission of 3d. for Two Pounds, and 6d. for any sum above Two Pounds and not exceeding Five Pounds, is charged. They must be presented for payment within the second calendar month after their issue or a fresh order will be charged for, and within the twelfth calendar month, or they will not be paid at all. Post Office Orders are recommended for small sums; and, if neither that nor registration be adopted, that all bills, notes, &c., be cut in halves, and sent by different posts; the numbers, dates, &c., should also be carefully taken. No money orders are issued or paid on a Sunday. The following is a List of Receiving Houses within the limits of the London District Post appointed for the issue and payment of money orders : Within the Three Mile Circle. General Post Office, St. Martin's-le-Grand, Branch Offices — Borough, Charing Cross, Old Cavendish Street, Lombard Street (for issuing orders only) Battle Bridge, No. 1, Pleasant Row Camden Town, No. 98, High Street Gray's Inn Lane, No. 43, Up. North Place Kingsland Road, No. 4, Orchard Place Limehouse, No. 54, Three Colt Street Old Kent Road, No. 9, Northampton Place Pimlico, No. 28, Queen's Row The single uniform rate on letters between the United Kingdom and places beyond sea (Hamburg and Lubeck excepted, to which the postage is Gd. only), when conveyed by private ship will be Ed., must be paid in advance. The Postage to all the places marked + If not posted or delivered at the Port. t These Rates include the Internal Colonial Rate of 20. per half-ounce. Packet Inland Single Rate. Postage. Rate. 18 0 2 1 10 Holland 1s., in whatever part of the United Kingdom they may be posted or delivered. The rate of 8d. must be taken on letters between the United Kingdom and the East Indies, &c., when conveyed by private ship. It is clearly to be understood that the single rates of postage given in the above instructions are applicable only to letters not exceeding half an ounce in weight. Letters exceeding half an ounce advance in proportion to their weight. It must, however, be borne in mind that this Scale does not apply to French and Belgium rates on letters to and from France, Belgium, and through France, as the present system of charging French rates on such letters must continue in force, viz., a single French rate for each quarter of an ounce exclusive. Letters to and from warm climates are recommended to be sealed with wafers instead of wax. Mails made up in London as follows:Via London France, twice daily: till 7 P.M. Belgium, daily. Holland every Wednesday and Saturday: Letters received till 8 A.M. Germany and the North of Europe on the evenings of Tuesday and Friday: Via Southampton - Channel Islands, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday: Portugal, Madeira (via Lisbon), Spain, and Gibraltar, on the 7th, 17th, and 27th of every month. Gibraltar, Malta, Greece, Ionian Islands, Egypt, Ceylon, and India, the 20th of every month. British West Indies (except Honduras and Bermuda), Foreign West Indies (except Havana), Venezuela, and Jacmel (Hayti), 2nd and 17th of every month. Bermuda, Nassau, Havana, Honduras, New Orleans, Vera Cruz, Tampico, and St. Juan (Porto Rico), 2nd of every month only. Madeira, Grey Town (St. Juan de Nicaragua). New Granada, Chili, and Peru, on the 17th of every month only. Via Falmouth Madeira, Brazil, and Buenos Ayres, 4th of every month. Via Liverpool-British N. America, and United States, every alternate Friday during Dec., Jan., Feb., and March, and every Friday during the other eight months. LONDON DISTRICT POST. The principal office is at the General Post-Office. Letters going from one Part of the Town to another, if put into the bef. 1 2 3 4 5 6, and Receiving at bef. 8, 10, 12 a.m., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Offices S 6, 8 p.m., or Chief at 9 11 a.m., Office at 7 and 9 p.m. Will be sent out S at 10 12 a.m., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 p.m., and at 8 a.m. following morn. The above deliveries are confined to London; and in the environs, within a circle of three miles, including Camberwell, Camden Town, Dalston, Hackney, Holloway, Islington, Kent Road (Old), Kennington, Kentish Town, Kingsland, Newington Butts, Pentonville, Shacklewell, South Lambeth, Somers Town, Vauxhall, and Walworth, there are six deliveries a day, and letters posted in London before six are delivered the same evening. All places within six miles of the General Post Office have letters delivered the same evening if posted before five o'clock at a receiving-house, or before a quarter to six at the chief office. The district extends twelve miles round London, but includes Hampton Court, Hampton, and Sunbury, though beyond the limits; and the number of deliveries vary from five to two. MAIL ROUTES DIRECT FROM LONDON. The following List, by the kindness of the Gentlemen connected with the Mail-Coach Superintendent's Department at the Post-Office, has been corrected according to the latest arrangements, and is of importance, as enabling persons to ascertain the time of receiving and delivering letters, as well as of forwarding parcels, and otherwise availing themselves of these conveyances. A very trifling computation will enable them also to ascertain the time of the mail passing any of the intermediate places. The first column gives the distance in miles from London, measured from the Post-Office; the third is the time of the mail's passing from, and the last its time passing to, London. The mails leave the Post-Office, London, every evening at 8, except on Sundays, when they are an hour earlier. The time mentioned is London time throughout, for the difference between which and the time at the different places, see the Companion for 1831. BATH, BRISTOL, EXETER, and DEVONPORT. Miles. Night Mail. From Gen. Post Office 4 Paddington 17 West Drayton.... 22 Slough 26 Maidenhead 39 Reading 51 Wallingford. 56 Didcot 67 Faringdon 81 Swindon 95 Tetbury 195 Yeovil 200 Sherborne.... 227 Ilfracombe ....... 7 38m 4 50a 8 18m 4 10a 3 15m 9 48a 209 Dawlish 107 Gloucester 1 2m 11 40a 212 Teignmouth |