3 j - ( Ireland.)— Ninth REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS [ Appx. thence, and of the British Postage on poft- paid Letters ; both books are fent occafionally to the Accountant General's Office, for the purpofe of his entering the particulars in the feveral. Accounts kept in his Office. The Mail Book inwards is alfo fent to the Treafurer's Office, to enable him to enter in the Letter Carrier's Pay- book the daily charges againft the Letter Carriers and Alphabet. If the British Mail arrives at the Poft Office after half paft five o'clock in the afternoon, the Letters for the Metropolis are not delivered till the following morning, but if it arrives before seven o'clock in the afternoon, the Britiffi Letters for the Country of Ireland are forwarded the same evening, if later, the. y remain for the following day's difpatch •, the sorting of the British Mail for the divifions in Examinant's Office ufually takes up three quarters of an hour. J. S. Rochfort, Jackson Golding. Fred. Geale, Robert Alexander, Chas. Stewart Hawthorne, John Hamilton. No. 4. The Examination of EDWARD SMITH LEES, Esq. i taken upon Oath, the 23d and 23d days of February ; 2d and 10th of May, roth July, and 10th October 1809. This Examinant faith, That he is Secretary to the Post Office jointly with his father Sir John Lees, bart. whofe appointment took place in 1774.. In J8OI, Examinant was united with him in the Office • with benefit of furvivorffiip his name is on the Establishment, joined with his Father's as Comptroller of the Penny Poft Office, and fince his appointment as Secretary he has always difcharged the duties of it; he w alfy Clerk of the Leinster Road, thefe Offices being always attached to that pf Secretary. The Secretary is appointed by Letters Patent, and holds his Office during pleafurc; he has a falary on the Eftabliffiment of s£.-$ oo. per annum, and a furniffied houfe, with an annual allowance of •£ 33. 5. for coals and candles. He also . receives a fee of one guinea upon the appointment of Deputy Postmasters and Clerks, these fees amounted in the year ending the 5th January 1809 to about £ 50. As Clerk of the Leinster Road, the Secretary has the pri- vilege of forwarding Irish Newspapers free of Postage. Sincc 1802, whenever his emolu- ments derived from this fource have fallen ffiort of ^ 849. 1. 8. per annum, the deficiency has been paid out of Poft Office incidents, in confequence of an arrangement made for that purpofe by Government, but for three years there has not been any deficiency in their pro- duce. The Clerks of the other Roads alfo receive allowances, equal to the deficiency in any year of their refpe& ive emoluments, taken on an averagt of dieir amount in the three years preceding 1805, but as their profits have lately arifen nearly to that ftandard, it is fuppofed there will not be any claim made for fuch compenfation in future. The office of Poftmafter General is executed by two perfons, who are appointed by Letters Patent, to hold duiing plea- lure, and have each a falary of ^ 1,500. per annum, with fuch quantity of ftationary as they may require for their private ufe ; the Poftmafter General appoints to all ( ituations in the Poft Office except thofe held by Patent, but if any new eftablifhment is adopted, Government firft appoints perfons to the different offices therein, and all fubfequent vacancies are filled up by the Poftmafter General. It is the duty of the Secretary to carry on the general corre- spondence, and, fubje< ft to the direction of the Postmaster General, to maintain order and dif- ci. pline in the feveral departments, and superintend the whole bufinefs. of the General Poll- Office, to controul its incidental expenditure, and to attend the Board, and give directions- for carrying into execution the orders of the Postmaster General. One of the Poftmafters General is fufficient to constitute a Board ; when they are in Dublin their attendance is very frequent, almoll daily ; in their absence, which, often occurs, and for months together, the Secretary communicates by Letter all such matters as he conceives may require the atten ion of the Poftmafters Genera), and in his absence the- duties of the Office devolves upon his firft Clerk. Daily reports are made to Examinant of the p. oceedings of the principal depart- ments belonging to the General Post Office, and he receives weekly from the Treafurer an Abftraft of his receipts and payments during the week, one of which is for the ufe of the Poftmaftcrs General, the other remains in his Office. .. The Deputy Poftmalters give security in sums varying from ^' 200. to £ 2,000, in propor- tion to their reci. ^ ts, according to the probable amount of which they are required to make their remittances, fome weekly, fome monthly, and fome quarterly ; and at the clofe of each quarter they return to Examinant, together with the Vouchers, an Account of their payments far incidents and for Ship Letters, credit for which and for the amount of their falaries, their allowances for riding work, and for expreffes, is given in their Quarterly Account, by the Accountant General, on the authority of the Secretary. The allowance made to Deputy Poft- mafters for riding- work, was generally about j£ d. a mile, latterly it has been in many inftances. jncreafed to 2d. and by a new arrangement about to take place, it is intended to increafe that allowance