"_January 3rd._--The thieves (two) are taken; one is a discharged railway guard. They had the impudence to rob the down mail also the same night, and the Post Office guard having heard of the previous robbery, kept a good look-out. The property stolen from the down mail, including a packet of diamonds, is recovered--not that stolen from the up mail. There is an interval of about two hours between the two mails at Bristol, which the thieves probably employed in secreting the property first stolen. The newspapers are full of the particulars." _Theft at Caermarthen._ "_February 2nd, 1849._--Went upstairs to Mr. Ramsey's room to see the articles which have been stolen by the daughter of the Caermarthen postmaster. There is jewellery and haberdashery enough to stock a small shop, and £95 in money. The woman has kept the letters (200 or 300) from which the articles were taken, so that many can be restored. It seems that she has indulged her thieving propensities for seven years." It appeared afterwards that her object had been to amass such a dowry as would give her good matrimonial prospects. _Anonymous Contribution._ "_January 23rd, 1849._--Received an anonymous letter (postmarked Birmingham) containing 10s. in postage stamps 'Towards penny-postage memorial from a man to (_sic_) poor at the time to subscribe.'" _A Striking Result._ The following shows one of the extraordinary results of cheap postage:-- "_June 14th, 1849._--Last week's returns show that 3,100,000 letters [an unprecedented number] passed through the London office (general and district) in that period. On asking Bokenham for an explanation, he states that Hatchard, the publisher in Piccadilly, and a city house connected with him in the publication of a valuable Bible, are sending out 300,000 prospectuses of their Bible; they are all in penny envelopes; the postage would exceed £1,200." _Improved condition of Officials._ I received the following striking indications as to the amount of relief afforded within the last eleven years to Post Office officials:-- "_September 10th, 1849._--Having occasion to refer to some papers connected with the Liverpool office of the year 1838, I find it stated that, after a proposed increase of force, the clerks would be engaged from ten to twelve hours a day, besides occasional night-work; also that none of the letter-carriers would walk less than twenty miles a day, Sundays included. Such a state of things would now be viewed as monstrous." _Source of Dishonesty._