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318
The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
139
These
facts
show
what
a
poor
circulation
the
Post-office
had
at
the
period
in
question,
and
what
splendid
intervals
there
were
in
which
to
sort
the
correspondence.
Nowadays,
in
any
office
pretending
to
importance,
the
letters
pour
in
all
day
long
(and
all
night
too,
possibly),
and
they
pour
out
in
a
constant
stream
at
the
same
time--letters
being
in
and
out
of
an
office
in
certain
instances
within
the
space
of
a
few
minutes.
A
good
sorter
will
sort
letters
at
the
rate
of
25
to
40
a
minute.
But
let
us
look
at
what
a
sorter
has
to
learn
to
do
this.
A
leaf
of
the
circulation
book
in
use
at
Edinburgh
for
places
in
England
is
here
inserted
(p.
131),
which
will
be
of
assistance
in
understanding
the
matter.
It
will
be
observed
that
there
are
seven
times
in
the
day
at
which
despatches
are
made
to
England.
Letters
for
Martock,
in
Somersetshire,
for
example,
in
accordance
with
the
hour
at
which
they
may
be
posted,
would
be
sent
thus:
to
Birmingham
at
10.0
A.M.;
to
the
Midland
Travelling
Post-office
Forward,
third
division,
at
2.40
P.M.;
no
circulation
at
4.15
P.M.;
to
the
Glasgow
and
Carlisle
Sorting
Tender
(a
sorting
carriage
running
between
these
towns)
at
5.50
P.M.;
no
circulation
at
7.20
P.M.;
to
the
Bristol
and
Exeter
Travelling
Post-office
at
9.0
P.M.;
and
to
London
at
10.0
P.M.
Then
if
we
take
Mitcheldean,
at
the
foot
of
the
sheet,
its
circulation
is
this:
to
Birmingham
at
10.0
A.M.;
to
Gloucester
at
2.40
P.M.;
to
the
Glasgow
and
Carlisle
Sorting
Tender
at
5.50
P.M.;
to
Gloucester
at
9.0
P.M.;
and
to
Manchester
at
10.0
P.M.
And
so
on
throughout
the
book,
which
contains
the
names
of
some
1300
places
in
England.
Nor,
as
regards
England,
is
this
all.
The
sorters
have
to
divide
letters
into
the
several
London
districts
by
reference
to
the
street
addresses
which
the
letters
bear.
Again,
these
men
have
to
know
the
circulation
for
Scotch
towns
and
Irish
towns,
and
many
of
them
have,
besides,
such
a
knowledge
of
the
streets
of
their
own
city,
Edinburgh,
as
enables
them
to
sort
letters
for
delivery
into
the
several
postmen's
districts.
Thus
it
will
be
seen
that
the
sortation
of
letters
is
no
mere
mechanical
process,
but
demands
considerable
head-work,
as
well
as
activity
of
body.
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