§ COLONEL SYKESsaid, he rose to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, On what grounds British manufacturers and others are prohibited from transmitting to India and Hong Kong specimens of textile fabrics of British Manufacture under the Book Post restrictions, as they are permitted to transmit them to France and elsewhere?
MR. PEELreplied, that with the single exception of France, as to which a special arrangement was made at the beginning of 1861, the Post Office did not undertake to carry, under the regulations of the Book Post, specimens of textile fabrics or any other trade patterns. He had no doubt that a general adoption of the principle would be beneficial to commerce; but he was told that there were considerable difficulties in the way, and it must depend upon the removal of those difficulties whether the Book Post could be made available for patterns.