INLAND.

RATES OF POSTAGE FROM ALL PARTS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE CHANNEL ISLANDS, AND THE ISLE OF MAN.

and so on at the rate of 1d. for every additional half-ounce or fraction of half an ounce. No limit exists to the weight of paid letters, but no inland letter must exceed 2 ft. in length, or 1 ft. in breadth or depth. All inland letters must be prepaid in stamps, except Letters posted at St. Martin’s-le-Grand before five p.m. daily by one individual or firm collectively, postage of which amounts to £2 or upwards.

Letters by private ship, under ½ oz., 6d., except Belgium and Holland, Newspapers 1d.

Unpaid Letters.—Persons sending letters by post unpaid, which from any cause cannot be delivered, are liable to pay the postage so charged, under the 3rd and 4th of Victoria, cap. 96, and the 10th and 11th of Victoria, cap. 85; and, under the 1st of Victoria, cap. 36, may be recovered, with costs, by a summary process before a magistrate.

A letter when posted is considered the property of the person to whom it is addressed, and the receivers may not therefore give back a letter under any circumstances whatever.

Re-directed letters subject to a second postage at the rate charged for prepaid letters.

Soldiers’ or seamen’s letters are subject to a postage of 1d. if prepaid and under ½ oz.; by private ship 1d. gratuity in addition must be paid. Letters from abroad sent by or addressed to soldiers or seamen, when unpaid, are charged 2d. If sent to or through a foreign country they are liable to foreign rates in addition, but to no further charge upon re-direction.

Letters from soldiers or seamen to the United States are subject to the United States’ rate of 2½d. in addition to the usual reduced rate, the whole to be paid in advance when posted in this country.

Registered Letters.—Inland, colonial, and ship letters, can be registered upon payment of 4d. for inland, and 6d. colonial and ship letters, beyond the postage.

Registered letters for France, and countries through France, must be prepaid with double the amount of the ordinary postage, and those for Prussia, and countries through Prussia, must have the foreign registration fee and postage paid in addition to the British. Registered letters for Russia must prepaid with double the amount of the ordinary postage. Registered letters must be posted half an hour previous to the ordinary letters, but are received at the General Post Office, and at the chief district and branch offices in London, up to the latest time for posting, on payment of an additional fee of 4d.

Newspapers (stamped) sent by post must be made up in covers open at the sides, have the impressed stamp visible, and no marks or writing (other than the address) thereon, or anything enclosed, or it subjects them to letter postage. British newspapers, when duly stamped, are forwarded free throughout the United Kingdom (except those delivered within three miles of the place where posted, which are charged 1d.) Unstamped newspapers, if weighing under 4 oz., may be forwarded between places in the United Kingdom by affixing 1d. pottage stamp. For places abroad, the impressed stamp is valueless, as the postage must be prepaid by postage labels.

Note.—Newspapers for foreign parts and colonies, if posted later than fifteen days after date of publication, are charged letter postage.

Books, &c.—Printed books, pamphlets, magazines, reviews, &c. whether British, foreign, or colonial, may be forwarded by post between places in the United Kingdom (made up in the same manner as newspapers), if prepaid in stamps, at the following rates:—

and 2d. for every additional 8 oz., or any less weight; no pared to exceed 24 inch any way, but may contain more than one book, &c.

A Book Packet may contain writing (when not of the nature of a letter), and any number of separate books or other publications, prints, or maps, and any quantity of paper, parchment, or vellum (to the exclusion, however, of letters, whether sealed or open). And the books or other publications, prints, maps, &c., may be either printed, written, or plain, or any mixture of the three. Further, all legitimate binding, mounting, or covering of a book, publication, &c., or of a portion thereof, will be allowed, whether such binding, &c., be loose or attached; as also rollers, in the case of prints or maps; markers (whether of paper or otherwise), in the case of books; and, in short, whatever is necessary for the safe transmission of literary or artistic matter, or usually appertains thereto.

Inland Pattern and Sample Post.—For a packet of patterns or samples—

The postage must be prepaid in stamps, or it will be charged double. If the postage be over 24 oz. in weight it will be charged as a letter. There must not be any writing or printing, except the address, trade mark, number or price of the articles, which must not be on loose paper, but firmly attached to the samples or bags containing them. Any loose inclosure will be taken out, and charged as an unpaid letter, with an additional rate of 1d.

The patterns or samples must be in covers open at the ends, so as to be easy of examination. Samples of seeds, &c., may be enclosed in boxes of cardbord, or bags of linen or other material, but so fastened that they may be readily opened, otherwise they will be treated as a letter.

Scissors, knives, razors, forks, steel pens, nails, keys, watch machinery, metal tubing, pieces of metal or ore, and such like, as samples, may be sent, provided they be packed in so secure a manner as to afford complete protection to the contents of the mail bags and the officers of the Post Office, while at the same time they may be easily examined. Any packet containing such articles as these, which is found not sufficiently guarded will be stopped, and notice given thereof, but it will be charged with a fine equal to the postage to which it was liable as a packet of patterns.

A packet of samples or patterns may be kept back by any head postmaster for twenty-four hours when requisite, to prevent any delay to the regular transmission of letters.

The preceding regulations apply only to the United Kingdom.Money Orders are granted and paid it every post town in the United Kingdom, at a charge of 3d. for sums not above £2; 6d. not above £5; 9d. not above £7, and 1s. not above £10, which is the highest sum for which a single order is granted.

Money orders drawn on London are payable only at the chief office, between ten and four, except on Saturdays, and then between ten and one.

Payment of a money order must be obtained before the end of the third month in which is was issued, or a fresh commission is charged, and no order is paid after twelve clear months.

Money orders are granted and paid in London within the town limits between ten and four, and in the suburban districts from nine till six daily.

Savings’ Bank business is transacted at all money order offices, and Government Life Insurance and Annuity business at most of the principal receiving houses in the London district.

The receivers are not obliged to sell stamps, or receive registered letters, or attend to any other official business, before eight a.m. or after eight p.m.

METROPOLIS—DELIVERIES.

Within the town limits there are Twelve Deliveries of Letters daily. Letters from one part of the metropolis to another, if posted at St. Martin’s-le-Grand.

Each delivery commences from each of the District Offices about 45 m. after the time of despatch stated above.

SUBURBAN DELIVERIES.

There are seven despatches daily to the Suburban Districts. The first is at 7 a.m. to all places within the twelve-mile circle, and includes the Correspondence by the night mails from the provinces, and by any Colonial or Foreign Mails. The second despatch is at 9.15 to the Suburban Districts within about four miles of the General Post Office. The third despatch is at 11.45 a.m., and comprises, with a few exceptions, every part of the London district. The fourth despatch, at 2.45 pm., is to places within about six miles of the General Post Office, isolated localities excepted. The fifth despatch, at 4.45 p.m., extends to the whole of the Suburban Districts, and, except in the remoter rural places, the letters are delivered the same evening. The sixth despatch, at 6 p.m., is to places within about four miles of the General Post Office. The seventh despatch is at 7 p.m. Letters by this despatch are delivered the same evening at all the principal places within about six miles of the General Post Office; and at the more distant places early the next morning.

Dated Stamps.—The dated Stamp on a letter, or if there be more stamps than one, that having the latest hour, shows the day and hour the letter was despatched for delivery.

COLONIAL AND FOREIGN MAILS.

The Day Mails for France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, and North of Europe, via Ostend, are despatched at 7 a.m. Letters and Newspapers may be posted at the Chief Office, St. Martin’s-le-Grand, until 7 a.m., and at Lombard-street, the District Offices, and in the Pillar-boxes until 5 a.m. Correspondence for despatch by these mails must be posted the previous evening at the Receiving Houses.

For proper despatch of Foreign and Colonial Letters it is necessary to observe, that if the 2nd and 17th of the month fall on a Sunday, the West India Mail is despatched the next morning.

If the 14th and 28th fall on a Sunday, the Mails for the West Indies, via Liverpool are made up on the previous evening.

If the 20th fall on a Sunday, the Australian Mail, via Southampton, and the Cape of Good Hope and Natal Mails, via Southampton and Mauritius, are despatched on the following evening.

If the 26th fall on a Sunday, the Australian Mail, via Marseilles, and the Cape of Good Hope and Natal Mails, via Marseilles and Mauritius, are despatched on the following evening.

If the 4th, 12th, 20th and 27th fall on a Sunday, the Indian Mail, via Southampton, is despatched the previous evening.

If the 18th fall on a Sunday, the Mails for Aden, Calcutta, Madras, Singapore, Ceylon, China, and Yokohama, by French packet, will be made up on previous evening.

If the 9th fall on a Sunday, the Brazil Mail is despatched the next morning; and the Cape of Good Hope and Mauritius Mails, via Devonport, are despatched the next evening.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN AMBASSADORS.