§ SIR THOMAS ESMONDE (Dublin Co., S.)asked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether his attention has been called to the case of Samuel Lyons, postal messenger, residing at 24, Lennox Place, Rathmines, county Dublin; whether he is aware that, on the night of the 7th of February last, Lyons received a registered letter addressed to Mrs. Elburn, 7, St. Kevin's Parade, Rath-mines; that he called at her address with the letter that evening, and knocked twice, but could not obtain admittance; that he then went on his round, and, when he had finished, took the letter home in his bag; whether he is aware that, next morning, Lyons took the letter by the first delivery, delivered it, 1618 and obtained a receipt for it; that, on the evening of February 9th, Mrs. Elburn came to Lyons and asked him if he remembered delivering a registered letter to her the morning before, which he acknowledged; that Mrs. Elburn then stated that the letter was open, which Lyons denied, and told her that as she had given him a receipt the matter should be referred to the Secretary of the General Post Office, O'Connell Street; whether, after about three weeks, Lyons was called upon for an explanation by the Post Office authorities; that he wrote his explanation at six o'clock on a Thursday evening; that it could not possibly reach the authorities before twelve o'clock next day, but that at five p.m. on Friday he was informed that he was suspended by the overseer on duty; that he was forced to take off his top-coat, although it was a very cold evening, and, having to walk home more than a mile without a coat, caught a very severe cold; whether, when he had been three weeks out of work, Lyons wrote to the authorities asking what steps they intended to take with him, as his means did not permit of his supporting his wife and himself any longer, and, as he had not received a decided answer from the Post Office, he would not seek for any other employment; whether he did not receive any acknowledgment from the authorities for seven days, at the end of which time he was informed by the Rathmines inspector that his case was still under consideration; that, since that time, Lyons has heard nothing further on the subject; and that, having now exhausted his means, his wife and he will have to go to the workhouse; and, whether the Postmaster General will state what steps will be taken in the matter?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. HENRY H. FOWLER) (Wolverhampton, E.)Without going into the details referred to by the hon. Baronet, I may say that the Post Office Authorities are of opinion that the registered letter in question had been tampered with by Lyons, and his services will be discontinued in consequence In accordance with the usual practice, his wages will be paid up to the day the decision is communicated to him. Lyons had not a permanent position in the Post Office; and it was part of the understanding on which his services were 1619 temporarily engaged that he had other means of earning a living. With regard to the overcoat, I am assured that he would have been allowed to retain it until next day if he had expressed a wish to do so.