"Your afflicted and almost despairing daughter, "CECILIA HUNTINGFIELD." Thus was a secret involving the honour of a noble family,--a secret compromising the most sacred interests--revealed to five men at one moment, by means of the atrocious system pursued in the Black Chamber of the General Post Office. The fourth letter was from Mr. Robert Stephens of London to his brother Mr. Frederick Stephens of Liverpool:-- "MY DEAR BROTHER, "I write you a few hasty instructions, to which I solicit your earnest attention. You are well aware that the 26th instant is my grand day--the day to which I have been so long and so anxiously looking forward. All my schemes are so well organised that detection is impossible. That fellow Montague gave me a little trouble a fortnight or so ago, by suddenly and most unexpectedly declaring that he would not act as the witness of identity; and I was actually compelled to give him five hundred pounds to silence him. What could have been his motive for shirking out of the affair, I cannot tell. Be that as it may, I have supplied his place with another and better man--a lawyer of the name of Mac Chizzle. But now for my instructions. The grand blow will be struck soon after mid-day on the 26th instant. Immediately it is done, I shall give Walter (I always speak of HER as a man) the ten thousand pounds I have promised him; and then off to Liverpool in a post-chaise and four. Now, if there be a packet for America on the 27th, secure me a berth; if not, ascertain if there be a vessel sailing for Havre or Bordeaux on that day, and then secure me a berth in such ship:--but should there be none in this instance also, then obtain a list of all the ships which, according to present arrangements, are to leave Liverpool on the 27th, with their places of destination and all other particulars. "Burn this letter the moment you have read it: we then know that it cannot possibly have told tales. "Your affectionate brother, "ROBERT STEPHENS." Poor deluded man! he believed that letters confided to the General Post Office administration could "tell no tales" during their progress from the sender to the receiver:--how miserably was he mistaken! And here we may observe that if the system of opening letters at the General Post Office were merely adopted for the purpose of discovering criminals and preventing crime, we should still deprecate the proceeding, although our objections would lose much of their point in consideration of the motive: but when we find--and know it to be a fact--that the secrets of correspondence are flagrantly violated for political and other purposes, we raise our voice to denounce so atrocious a system, and to excite the indignation of the country against the men who can countenance or avail themselves of it!