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1
435
Her Majesty's Mails
·
William Lewins
361
[193]
Most
of
our
readers
will
have
heard
or
read
stories
of
curious
articles
passing
through
the
post,
and
without
doubt
the
records
of
the
Returned-Letter
Branch
of
the
London
Office
will
present
strange
appearances
in
this
respect.
Sir
Francis
B.
Head,
who
was
permitted
to
peruse
an
extraordinary
ledger
in
the
General
Post-Office
where
several
notable
letters
and
packets
were
registered,
has
strung
together
a
catalogue
of
them,
which
reminds
us
of
the
articles
passing
through
the
post
before
the
revocation
of
the
franking
privilege.
He
tells
us
he
found
amongst
the
number--two
canaries;
a
pork-pie
from
Devonport
to
London;
a
pair
of
piebald
mice,
which
were
kept
at
the
office
a
month,
and
duly
fed
till
they
were
called
for
by
the
owner;
two
rabbits;
plum-pudding;
leeches
in
bladders,
"several
of
which
having
burst,
many
of
the
poor
creatures
were
found
crawling
over
the
correspondence
of
the
country."
Further,
there
was
a
bottle
of
cream
from
Devonshire;
a
pottle
of
strawberries;
a
sample
bottle
of
cider;
half
a
pound
of
soft
soap
wrapped
in
thin
paper;
a
roast
duck;
a
pistol,
loaded
almost
to
the
mouth
with
slugs
and
ball;
a
live
snake;
a
paper
of
fish-hooks;
fish
innumerable;
and
last
of
all,
and
most
extraordinary
of
all,
a
human
heart
and
stomach.--Head's
Essays.
[194]
The
annual
return
just
published
(February,
1864)
shows
to
some
extent
how
far
the
public
prefers
the
stamped
newspaper,
which
can
be
sent
through
the
Post-Office,
in
fact,
until
it
is
fifteen
days
old.
The
number
of
stamps
issued
to
the
principal
London
newspapers
from
June,
1862,
to
June,
1863,
are
as
follows:--
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
