POST OFFICE. (Hansard, 10 June 1850)

§ SIR G. GREY
appeared at the bar, and said that the Address which had been agreed to on the subject of Sunday labour in the Post Office had been presented to Her Majesty, and the following was Her Majesty's most gracious Answer:— I have received your Address, praying that the collection and delivery of Letters may in future entirely cease on Sunday in all parts of the Kingdom; and, also, that an inquiry may be made as to how far, without injury to the public service, the transmission of the Mails on the Lord's Day might be diminished, or entirely suspended; and in compliance with your request, I shall give directions accordingly.

§ MR. THORNELY
begged to put a question to the noble Lord the First Minister of the Crown with reference to this important subject. He wished to know whether there would be any exemption in favour of the foreign correspondence of the country? Suppose a packet from America arrived at Liverpool yesterday with some ten or twenty thousand letters. Under present circumstances those letters would be sifted in the Liverpool post-office late last evening, to be sent up by the mails, and would be delivered this morning in the metropolis, containing perhaps 100,000l. worth of bills of exchange, stocks to a 981 great amount, and letters of the greatest possible consequence. He wished to know whether there would be any exemption in favour of such letters lying at Falmouth, Southampton, and other places?

§ LORD J. RUSSELL
said, that with respect to the delivery of letters, the directions to be given by Her Majesty would be in accordance with the orders of that House, and therefore there would be no exemption with respect to the delivery of letters. With respect to the transmission of letters, the Address only proposed inquiry.

§ MR. M. GIBSON
desired to put a question with regard to the answer to the Address. He had only heard the words "collection and transmission." [Sir G. GREY: And "delivery."] He presumed that in post-office language, the word "collection" meant bringing the letters from the branch offices. Although the collection of letters in the large towns might be put a stop to by the Government, he presumed it did not follow that letters put in the chief office would not be transmitted. He supposed there was no intention to prevent the sending letters from the principal towns on the Sunday evenings, although the collection might be stopped.

§ LORD J. RUSSELL
presumed that the right hon. Gentleman referred to the transmission of letters; but what the Government wished to do was, to carry into effect the orders of that House. It was not for him to say whether any advantage would be derived from the arrangement.

§ MR. M. GIBSON
said, he supposed, although no mention was made of the circumstance, there would be no alteration with regard to Sunday newspapers.