THE Receiving Houses are open for general post letters till five, and St. Martin's-le-Grand till six P.M. The Branch Offices at Charing Cross, Old Cavendishstreet, and Blackman-street, Southwark, are open until a quarter-past six; in Lombard-street till half-past six; and at the General Post Office, St. Martin's-le-Grand, till seven, paying 1d. each; the extra penny on all inland letters to be paid by a stamp, but upon foreign, colonial, or ship letters the penny may be paid either by a stamp or in money, as may inland letters also at St. Martin's-le-Grand.

General post letters are charged by weight, as follows:Letters not exceeding

Do. 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 up to 16 ounces, beyond which no packet subject to postage shall be received; but parliamentary papers are an excep tion. The price of a postage is one penny, which must be prepaid, 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 thau half an ounce, but not exceeding an ounce, if bearing one penny stamp only, will be charged an additional twopence on delivery. Stamped envelopes are to be purchased at every post-office, as well as at most stationers, at the rate of 1s. 14d. per doz. of penny and 2s. 2d. per doz. of twopenny envelopes, and this rate is most rigidly ordered to be observed in all fractional parts of the dozen.

Money orders for sums under 51. 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. Letters, whether containing coin, or articles of value or not, may be registered on the payment of One Shilling and the postage, both in advance; but Post Office Orders are recommended for small sums; and, if neither of the above means 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.

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 five. They must be sent in covers, open at the sides, and 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. If addressed to persons who have removed, they may be re-directed, and sent free of extra charge. Such papers may be examined by the Post Office officers; and, if there be any breach of the above regulations, the packet shall be charged with treble duty; and, if it shall appear not to have been duly stamped, shall be stopped and sent to the Commissioners of Stamps.

British newspapers sent to foreign countries 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 newspapers are subject to a postage in England of one halfpenny. English papers pay in France a postage of 5 centimes. Foreign newspapers in like manner, if printed in the language of the country from which they are forwarded.

Newspapers to and from the Colonies are transmitted free, unless sent by private ships; and if going abroad must be posted within a week of their publication.

The Letter Boxes at the Receiving Houses will be open till seven A.M.for newspapers, and eight A.M. for letters; and those at the branch offices, Charing Cross, Old Cavendish-street, and the Borough, for the reception of newspapers until halfpast 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 nine A.M.

For Brighton, &c., the Letter Boxes at the Branch Offices, Charing Cross, Old Cavendish-street, and the Borough, for the reception of newspapers, will be open until half-past eight A.M., and for letters until nine A.M. The boxes at the General Post Office and at the Lombard-street branch office will close for newspapers at nine A.M., and for letters at a quarter before ten A.M. Mails despatched at halfpast ten 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 Majesty 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 and packets exceeding sixteen ounces in weight, with the exception of

those classes mentioned below, cannot be forwarded to their destination, but must be sent to the Dead Letter Office.

The following are the exceptious to this rule :-Parliamentary Petitious and Addresses to Her Majesty, Parliamentary proceedings, letters and packets addressed to or received from places beyond sea, letters and packets to and from Public Departments, and to and from Public Officers now franking by virtue of their Office, Deeds, if transmitted under such Regulations as the Postmaster-General may consider necessary. The rate of postage for Parliamentary Papers is one penny for every four ounces.

FOREIGN LETTERS.

RATES OF POSTAGE ON SINGLE LETTERS.

The uniform single rate on all letters conveyed by packet between the United Kingdom and the British colonies and possessions will be one shilling, with the exception of letters between the United Kingdom and Malta, the Ionian Islands, and India, when passing through France, the rates on which remain unchanged. Letters, therefore, intended to pass at the reduced single rate of a shilling between these three last-mentioned places and the United Kingdom should be addressed via Falmouth.

Foreign letters, when transmitted by packet, will be liable to the single rates of packet postage from Falmouth, Dover, and London, as given in the Table below, if posted or delivered at the port. If posted or delivered at any other place in the United Kingdom they will be subject to the additional single rate of two pence as inland postage.

Letters, however, between France and the United Kingdom, and also those in transit through France, will be an exception to this rule; the British charge on such letters will be the uniform single rate now taken from London, except in those cases where the letters are at present subject to a less charge than the sum specified. This last provision also applies to letters between the United Kingdom and Belgium, the rates on which, where lower than the sum specified, will not be increased.

Letters also between the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and between the United Kingdom and Spain, via Falmouth, form a further exception to this rule. No inland postage therefore will be taken on letters between the United Kingdom and France, and those in transit through France, or upon those between the United Kingdom and the United States of America, or upon those between the United Kingdom and Spain via Falmouth.

The single rate on all foreign aud colonial letters, except in those cases where a lower rate is now taken, when conveyed by packet will accordingly be as follows:

The single uniform rate on letters between the United Kingdom and places beyond sea (Hamburgh, Lubeck, and Bremen excepted, to which the postage is 6d. only, when conveyed by private ship) will be 8d. in whatever part of the United Kingdom they may be posted or delivered. This rate must be taken on letters between

* Letters intended to be paid to particular places of destination are also charged with the uniform British rate of 10d. in addition to thepostage from Calais,

+ Except in those cases where the present charge is less.

...10 30m 2 53a 16 Dartford ...........10 59m 30 Rochester..........12 26a 41 Sittingbourne ...... 1 34a

2 24a

12 57a

11 49m

56 Canterbury

73 DOVER...

114 BOSTON

131 Spilsby 148 LOUTH

LUDLOW and WORCESTER, from the Bull and Mouth, St. Martin's-le-Grand. 32 High Wycomb......11 25a- 3 Om 57 Oxford...

...... 2 7m

....

12 7m

10 47a 9 7a

5 14a

4 2a 2 37a 1 40a Swan

4 13m 2 46m

69 Kiddington.. 3 29m 85 Moreton-in-Marsh... 5 5m 115 WORCESTER ....... 8 20m 126 Hundred House.....10 2m 136 Tenbury ........11 27m 146 LUDLOW............12 24a NORWICH and IPSWICH, from the with Two Necks, Lad Lane. 24 Ingatestone ........10 30a 38 Witham............11 57a 52 Colchester......... 1 23m 64 Bentley ........ 2 36m 70 IPSWICH ............................. 3 12m 76 Barham ............................. 3 57m 88 Stoke.. ..... 5 9m 103 Long Stratton ...... 6 37m 113 NORWICH ...... 7 38m NORWICH and NEWMARKET, from BelleSauvage, Ludgate Hill.

31 Bishop's Stortford...11 30a 44 Littlebury ......12 52m 56 Six-Mile Bottom.... 2 14m

1 20m 12 7m

11 21a

10 46a

9 32a

8 la

7 Oa

2 59m

1 31m 12 4m