“Of the 2,100 registrars’ districts, comprised in England and Wales, about 400, containing a million and a-half of inhabitants, have no Post Offices whatever. The average extent of these 400 districts is nearly twenty square miles each; the average population, about 4,000. The average population of the chief place of the district, about 1,400; and the average distance of such chief place from the nearest Post Office, between four and five miles. “Again, while we have seen that those districts which are altogether without Post Offices contain, in the aggregate, a million and a-half of inhabitants, it can scarcely be doubted that even those districts which are removed from this class by having a Post Office in some one or other of their towns or villages contain, in their remaining places, a much larger population destitute of such convenience. The amount of population thus seriously inconvenienced the Post Office has declared itself unable to estimate; but it is probable that in England and Wales alone it is not less than four millions. The great extent of the deficiency is shown by the fact that, while these two divisions of the empire contain about 11,000 parishes, their total number of Post Offices of all descriptions is only about 2,000. “In some places _quasi_ Post Offices have been established by carriers and others, whose charges add to the cost of a letter in some instances as much as 6_d._ A penny for every mile from the Post Office is a customary demand.” By the plan sanctioned by Mr. Baring, an office was to be established forthwith in every registrar’s district where as yet none existed; my intention being to propose such further extension from time to time, as experience might justify. In my triumph at carrying this measure through the Treasury before the change of Ministers, I forgot to make due allowance for the Post Office’s power of passive resistance; and was, therefore, unprepared for a discovery which I accidentally made four months later, viz., that Mr. Baring’s minute on rural distribution had been suspended by Mr. Goulburn. Of the reason for this suspension I could never, so long as I remained in office, get any information; but more will appear on the subject hereafter. I have spoken of the great and increasing expense of railway conveyance. Convinced that there was room for economy, I had directed a portion of my attention to this department. “_September 10th, 1841._—Completed a long minute on the subject of a proposed day mail to Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the course of which I have endeavoured to establish some principles with reference to day mails, and to point out modes by which the cost of railway conveyance in this and other similar cases might be greatly reduced. Sent draft to Lieutenant Harness for his perusal.”