8 53,347,231 221,164
1839 55,891,003 238,394
1840 60,922,151 244,416
1841 59,936,897
1842 61,495,503
1843
1844

X. Table showing the Increase of Expense in the British Post Office,
consequent upon the Increase of the Number of Letters under the new
System; the Rate per Letter of the Cost of additional Letters, and the
Profits realized from such Increase, expressed in decimals of a penny.

Years. Increase of Increase of Additional Additional
Letters. Cost. Cost. Profit.
1840 93,000,000 L70,231 _d_. 0.181 _d_. 0.819
1841 27,500,000 101,678 0.887 0.113
1842 12,000,000 72,256 1.445 (12)
1843 12,000,000 35,826 0.716 0.284
1844 21,500,000 (13) -- 1.004
1845 29,500,000 6,870 0.055 0.945
1846 28,000,000 140,576 1.205 (14)
1847 2,2500,000 23,879 0.257 0.746

N. B. The increase of letters since 1839 is 246 millions, and cost of the
increase is .347 of a penny; so that every letter now added to the
circulation yields a net profit to the government of .625_d_., or nearly
two thirds of the penny postage.

FOOTNOTES

1 "The estimate for 1839 is founded on the ascertained number of
letters for one week in the month of November, and strictly
speaking, it is for the year ending Dec. 5th, at which time 4_d_.
was made the maximum rate. The estimate for each subsequent year is
founded on the ascertained number of letters for one week in each
calendar month."

2 "This is exclusive of about six and a half millions of franks."

3 The number of franks was ascertained for each of the weeks ending
January 11, January 21, and February 4, 1838; and the mean of these
three gives 126,212 as the estimated number for one week, which is 8
per cent. of the whole, and leaves 1,459,761 as the number of
chargeable letters.

4 Week ending April 21, 1847. The whole number in the week ending
February was 6,569,696. The number 6,148,876, for one week,
multiplied by 52, gives 319,741,552, the total number for the year
1847.

5 Namely, the gross receipts, after deducting the returns for refused
letters, &c.

6 Including all payments out of the revenue in its progr