! C6 ( Ireland.)— EIGHTH REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS [ Appx. returns it, if correCt, to the forting Clerk, and after entering in a book the number of Letters fo received, forts them to the different walks, noting particularly the number given to each head Letter Carrier ; by the head Letter Carriers, they are divided among the affiftant Letter Carriers, each of whom enters in a book the addreffes of the poft- paid Letters he receives. The addreffes of money Letters are required to be entered on the front of the Letter Bill, with the view of attracting more immediately the attention of the forting Clerk, by whom they are taken to an Officer, whofe duty it is to examine and compare them with the entries in the Letter Bill, which he afterwards figns as a difcharge to the Clerk who opened the bag ; he then enters the addreffes of thefe feveral Letters in a book, and hands them to the re- fpeCtive Letter Carriers who are to deliver thein, taking their fignatures in his book as his dilcharge, and giving them at the fame time a printed receipt to be figned by the perfons to whom the Letters are addreffed, and to be retained by the Letter Carriers as their voucher. Appendix, No. I. The arrangements that have been made in the Inland Office, though more immediately for the purpofe of accelerating the difpatch of Letters from and their delivery in Dublin, aTe alfo, by rendering the occafional introduction of perfons not regularly employed therein, unneceffary, conducive to the prevention of the embezzlement of Letters containing property. Formerly the Officers belonging to the Sorting Office were divided into two lets, which did duty each night and morning alternately ; and as no provifion was made for fupplying the place of fuch of them as from ficknefs or other caufes might be abfent from duty, it became frequently requifite, in confequence of the increafe of the bufinefs of the Office, to employ the Letter Carriers and Mail Guards to aflifl in its difpatch. Now, however, all the Officers belonging to the Inland Office are obliged to attend night and morning, and feveral Probationers are attached to the Office, who, being induced by the profpeCt of fucceeding to the regular Offices as vacancies occur, aCt for fmall Salaries; extra- Probationers are alfo in waiting, who aCt without any falary, in the place of fuch of the regular Officers as may be fick or fufpended, and are paid by thofe vvhofe duty they occafionally perforin. Affiftants on the fame principle as the extra- Probationers in the Inland Department, are likewife em- ployed in aid of the regular Letter Carriers ; and we find, that fince the adoption of thefe different regulations, and the feparate eftablifhment of the Britifh Mail Office, the delivery of the Inland Letters in the city of Dublin, the latenefs of which afforded juft grounds of complaint, is completed on an average about Appendix, No. S. i i o'clock each morning, being nearly two hours fooner than formerly. But not- withftanding the improvements made in the Inland Department, there ftill does not appear to be all the cotreCtnefs that is defirable in charging the Deputy Poft- mafters with the unpaid Poftage on General Poft Letters dilpatched from Dublin to the country, as we oblerve that differences, which when taken together, are confiderable, frequently occur between the Office charge ftated in the Letter Bill, and that which is admitted by them. Thus on an examination of the Accounts for General Poft Letters received from Dublin in the month of October in the laft year, and the month of March in the prefent, though from fome of them no con- clufion could be drawn owing to the incorreCt manner of making them up; we found that the Office charge in the former month was under the aCtual amount as admitted by the Deputies, by a total fum of £. 115. 18. 74. and in the latter month by a total fum of £. 136. 9. 9. while on the other hand, the allowance claimed by the Deputies for over- charged Letter Bills, amounted in the firft cafe to ^. 81. 4. 7. and in the latter to £. 91. 8. 7.; at thefe rates the annual lofs to the Revenue would have been confiderable, if the Poftmafters had not charged themfelves with the amount fo undercharged ; and hence it is obvious, that a Poft- mafter might obtain a character for integrity in the difcharge of his duty, while by admitting only part of the fum undercharged, and being allowed credit for overcharged Letter Bills beyond what he was entitled to, he was actually defraud- ing the Public. At the fame time it muft be admitted, that from the celerity with which the operation of taxing and telling the charges on the Letters is neceffarily conducted, errors may arife without blame being fairly attachable to the Office,, and poffibly the want of fufficient room for doing the bufinefs of the Inland De- partment with eafe, convenience and regularity, may have contributed to render thefe inaccuracies more numerous than they might have otherwife been. 1' he exiftence of them however, to fo great an extent, will we truft induce fuch regula- tions, as, that in a point of fo much importance, the utmoft poffible accuracy and correftnefs may be attained ; and in order that the Poftmafters General may have a diftinct