Her Majesty's Mails

+-----------------------------------+ | | | Uncle John | | | | Hopposite the Church | | | | London. Hingland | | | +-----------------------------------+ It would certainly have been a wonderful triumph of skill to have put this letter in a fair way for delivery: for once the blind officer would acknowledge himself beaten; and then the Dead Letter Officers would endeavour to find "Uncle John's" relative, intimating to the said relative that greater explicitness is needed if "Uncle John" must be found. But they manage better with the next letter in the batch. +--------------------------+ | | | Coneyach lunentick | | | | a siliam | | | +--------------------------+ is part of the address of a letter which the sorter no doubt threw away from him with some impatience. The blind officer, however, reads it instantly, strikes his pen, perhaps, through the address, and writes on the envelope, "Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum," and passes it out for delivery. +-------------------------+ | | | | | Obern yenen | | | | | +-------------------------+ is seen in an instant to be meant for "Holborn Union." "Isle of Wight" is, in like manner, written on a letter improperly addressed as follows:-- +-------------------------------+ | | | Ann M---- | | | | Oileywhite | | | | Amshire | | | +-------------------------------+ The probability is that the last-mentioned letter will come back to the Dead Letter-Office, on account of no town being given in the address; still, the usual course is to send it out to the local district designated, there being always the possibility that certain individuals may be locally known.