Her Majesty's Mails: An Historical and Descriptive Account of the British Post-OfficeLewins, William
History
Her Majesty's Mails: An Historical and Descriptive Account of the British Post-Office
Lewins, William
Postal service -- Great Britain
(_f_) The street, &c. should be given on all addresses. Well known
persons and firms get their letters, &c. regularly, although this
rule may not be adhered to; but the omission frequently leads to
delays in the _general_ distribution, and sometimes to serious
mistakes. In large towns where many names of firms approximate in
appearance somewhat to each other, the addresses of letters cannot
be too fully given. With London letters, this rule should be
strictly adhered to.
(_g_) The number of the house, and the correct one, should be
carefully added.[184] When information of this sort is kept back,
hesitation and delay frequently occur in delivery; though, perhaps,
few letters eventually fail to reach their destination on this
account.
5. Every letter should be examined with care before it is dropped in a
letter-box, in order to see that it has been securely sealed. Thousands
of letters are posted yearly without any precaution of the kind having
been taken with them, the Post-Office authorities having to secure them
as a consequence.[185] Not only so, but twelve thousand letters are
yearly posted without any address at all.
6. Good adhesive envelopes, not too highly glazed, of the ordinary size,
are sufficient security for letters,[186] if the adhesive matter has
been but _slightly_ wetted. If, for additional security, it be thought
advisable also to seal a letter with wax, it should be placed outside
the envelope. Very frequently, the wax is found to have been placed on
the adhesive matter inside the envelope, thus rendering both
ineffective.
7. Letters intended for warm climates should not be sealed with wax at
all, inasmuch as there is great danger of the wax melting and injuring
the letter, as well as the other contents of the mail-bag.
8. Care should be used in securing newspapers and large packets.[187]
Newspapers, when not sent at first from the newspaper offices, should be
addressed on the paper itself and tied with string, as great risk is run
in the matter of covers becoming detached from the newspapers
themselves. Book packets, in addition to being enclosed in covers,
sealed with wax, gum, or other adhesive matter (but open at the ends or
sides), may be tied round the ends with string, as additional security.
When the latter precaution is taken, there is less chance of letters
getting within the folds of the packet, which may happen when it is not
thoroughly secured.
9. Valuable packets or books, if they cannot be well secured, should
scarcely be sent through the post. All such packets are liable to be
roughly handled, and in the mail-bags exposed to pressure and friction.
When safely deposited in the mail-bags, valuable packets are still in
danger, inasmuch as the bags in many cases are constantly being
transferred from one kind of conveyance to another, and frequently
despatched from railway trains by apparatus machinery whilst the train
is in motion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account