miles circle, in two hours, and
in the twelve miles circle, in three hours.

In 1839, the estimated average of letters passing through the London
district post was about one million every four weeks, of which 800,000 or
four-fifths were unpaid. In 1842, the average was two millions in four
weeks, of which only 100,000, or one-twentieth, were unpaid--ninety-five
per cent. being prepaid. In 1847, the number was nearly three millions.
These do not include the "General Post;" that is the country and foreign
letters to London, but only those that originate as well as end within the
twelve miles circle.

The General Post letters, however, are distributed on the same principle
of free delivery, without extra charge, and the utmost diligence is used
by the letter-carriers to find out the persons to whom letters are
directed. I was witness to this, in the case of a gentleman from Ohio, who
went to England in a merchant ship, without having taken the precaution to
give his family any instructions as to the direction of letters. His
voyage was somewhat long, and before he had been three days in London, the
carrier brought to his lodgings a letter from his wife, which had come in
the mail steamer, and the people at the post-office had sought him out, an
entire stranger among two millions of people! The General Post letters
passing through the London office, were estimated in 1839 at 1,622,147,
each four weeks, of which only one-sixth were prepaid. In 1847, they were
8,500,000, of which above ninety-four per cent. were prepaid. This makes
the whole number of letters mailed and delivered in London, equal to above
146,000,000 a year; of which it is reasonable to calculate that about
75,000,000 are distributed by the letter-carriers by Free Delivery.

As nineteen-twentieths of the letters are prepaid, the delivery is
accomplished with great despatch. The greater proportion of them, of
course, go to those who are in the habit of receiving numbers of letters
daily, and with whom the carriers are well acquainted. A large proportion
are delivered at counting-rooms and shops, which are open. Most houses
where letters are received daily, have letter-boxes by the door, fitted
with an ingenious contrivance to guard against robbery, into which prepaid
letters can be dropped from the street, to be taken out by a door that is
locked on the inside. Thus the great bulk of the letters are delivered
with little more trouble or loss of time to the c