The following is a summary of the most important regulations of the British post office, reference being made for the minute details to the British Postal Guide: Inland Letters.—The rates of postage, prepaid, are ld. for a letter weighing not more than 1 oz.; 14d. when the weight is 1 oz. and not above 2 oz.; 2d. 2 oz. and not above 4 oz.; 24d. 4 oz. and not above 6 oz.; 3d. 6 oz. and not above 8 oz.; 34d. 8 oz. and not above 10 oz.; 4d. 10 oz. and not above 12 oz. A letter exceeding 12 oz, is charged ld. per oz.; e.g., for a letter weighing 16 oz. the postage is 16d. A letter posted unpaid is charged double postage. Letters insufficiently stamped are charged double the deficiency on delivery. Redirected letters are charged additional postage at the prepaid rate; and this may either be prepaid, or charged on delivery. Letters for officers, soldiers, or sea men on actual service abroad are redirected without charge. The same privilege extends —with several restrictions—to soldiers' and sailors' letters redirected from any part of the United Kingdom.
No inland letter can be conveyed by post which is more than 1 foot 6 in. in length, 9 in. in width, and 6 in. in depth, unless sent to or from one of the government offices.
Regietration.—The registration fee of 2d.—in addition to the ordinary postage—pre paid iii stamps, secures careful treatment to any letter, newspaper, or book-packet, and renders its transmission more secure, by enabling it to be traced from its receipt to its delivery. Letters may be registered for a fee of 2d. to any place in the British colonies, and for various rates of charge to different foreign countries. Letters containing coin, if not registered. are treated as if they were, and charged on delivery with a registration fee of eio...litpence; the same fee is charged on letters marked "Registered" and posted in the usual way instead of being given to a post-office servant. If lost, the contents are only made good to the extent of £2.
Foreign and Colonial the rates payable, reference is made to the British Postal Guide. Prepayment must be wholly in stamps. In some cases prepayment is optional; in others, compulsory; and to some countries the whole postage cannot be prepaid. A letter posted unpaid or partially paid. directed to go by a route by which prepayment is compulsory, is returned to the writer, unless there be another route to send it by, by which prepayment is not required. Letters, however, for Australia and New Zealand, if prepaid as much as one rate, are forwarded, charged with the deficient postage and an additional rate. Letters for the Cape or Natal posted unpaid (wholly or
iu part), in addition to the deficient postage are charged 6d. each. Those for St. Helena and British West; Indies; not included in the general postal union, are charged is. each in addition to the deficient postage. No letter for any foreign country may be above 2 ft. in length or one foot in width or depth.
Letters to be sent by private ship must be so marked; their postage varies from 21d. upward for half an ounce, and prepayment is obligatory in some cases, and in others not.
Letters to passengers on board the American or Mediterranean packets must be regis tered. and must be addressed to the care of the commander of the packet.
The post-office monopoly is applicable to letters only, and it does not include letters sent specially by private messenger, or letters concerning goods Or merchandise sent to be delivered along with the goods which they concern.
Netespapers.—In 1870 the impressed duty stamp was abolished; and now, any news paper published at intervals not exceeding seven days, and on a sheet or sheets unstitched, and registered at the general post-office, is transmissible by post within the United King dom at a postage of one half-penny for each transmission. The postage must be pre paid, either by an adhesive stamp or by a stamped wrapper. A packet of newspapers is not chargeable at a higher rate than a book packet—namely, one half-penny for every 2 oz. or fraction of 2 oz. The cover, if there is one, must be open at both ends, and such that the packet can be easily removed for examination. There must be no writing outside or inside, except the address of the person to whom the newspaper is sent. Registration for inland circulation includes registration for transmission abroad. Newspapers for foreign countries and the colonies are subject to the same general regu tions as for inland circulation, except that they may be published at intervals of 31 days, and printed on sheets stitched together. They must be posted within 8 days from the day of publication.
Parliamentary printed proceedings of parliament, with the words "parliamentary proceedings" written or printed on the cover, may circulate throughout the United Kingdom at the rate of one half-penny for every 2 oz. or fraction of 2 oz. Prepayment is optional. Parliamentary notices may be forwarded by post under certain regulations and restrict-ions, the postage chargeable, and a registration fee of 6d. being payable in stamps.