"Mr. _Dent_ said, he was sorry to add, that this privilege had been notoriously abused, and was so publicly known, that paragraphs had appeared in a newspaper, of a Member having received £300 annually, from a mercantile house, to give them the advantage of this privilege. He hoped this fact was false, but he feared, however, it would be found too well warranted. By this Bill, Members were to receive only fifteen letters, and send ten, therefore the abuse, to this extent, could not be continued. At the same time, he thought, and should, bye-and-bye, more particularly state, in the motion he should submit to the House, that, when they were curtailing their own privileges, the Clerks in office should not be permitted to continue their abuses. "Mr. _Courtenay_ said, by the official returns it appeared that £30,000 was franked by the various offices, which amounted to one third of the whole of what was franked by Members of Parliament. Now the privilege was restrained in Members of Parliament, it would become more valuable to the Clerks in Office, and he should not wonder, if some of them should become not sleeping, but _writing_, partners in mercantile houses.... "Mr. _Dent_ observed, abuses in the offices did exist to a very great degree. The Commissioners of the Customs received large Packets which contained letters to all their acquaintances in Town: the abuse did not end here: 20 Custom-House Porters were immediately dispatched to 20 different parts of the town. "Mr. _W. Smith_ said, ... Public notoriety was sufficient grounds to proceed against the Offices. Though all those letters were superscribed for His Majesty's service, yet they went upon many other purposes. A friend of his had informed him of some Vine cuttings, which had been sent to Ireland, franked: he also knew of a silk gown franked into the country: this was hardly for His Majesty's service. "Mr. _Rose_ said, if those abuses, mentioned by the Hon. Gentleman, had been privately intimated, they would have had immediate attention and some remedy applied. The laws to prevent the abuse of franking had been transmitted to the several Offices, and by them the first offence was a penalty, and the second, a dismissal from Office. "The Bill was ordered to be read a third time on Friday."--(_Times, April 14, 1795._) The following are to be the new rates of Postage in this country:-- "For every single Letter by post, for any distance not exceeding 15 miles, be charged 3d. Double letters 6d. Triple 9d. Those of 1 ounce weight, 1s., and so, in proportion. "Above 15 miles, and not exceeding 30, for single Letters 4d., and so, in the same proportion. "Above 30 miles, and not exceeding 60, 5d., and so, in proportion.