for January was 9629; for April 9129; for July 7509; and for October, 10,606, which gave an increase of 3097 in a week in October over the number received in July. [Instead, then, of the return made in October being for mis-directed letters during the smallest fortnights’ total of all letters, it was during the largest average of the year]. Mr. Gausden continuing, said a great deal had been made about the number of mis-directed letters and the delay in the delivery of them. In the case of 9386 arriving by the early morning mail there was no delay whatever, whilst the inconvenience of the mis-directed letters by the Dover and Day mail was only to the extent of three hours; and no post was sent out during that time. By the second day-mail there were 48 letters during the fortnight, which were delayed till the next morning’s delivery; but that was the only delay, and its average would only be about three letters per day throughout the year to all the inhabitants. On the former discussion it was said that St. Leonards would suffer very little inconvenience by the change, as the inhabitants would be able to post their letters nearly as late as they do now. He said, No! They would be debarred the use of the morning mail. Letters were delivered at about half-past eight, and the box was closed at half past nine. He had ascertained that at Brighton the boxes closed one hour before that at the general office. Under such circumstances as these how could the St. Leonards people make use of the first mail without sending all the way to Hastings. There was another point; the boxs(sic) at Brighton at night closed three hours before the mail left; and therefore they could not expect their letters to be sent away unless they posted them by seven or eight o’clock. St. Leonards, they all knew was a growing place, and he thought they ought to strive together to increase and not diminish the postal facilities of the place. At the St. Leonards Post-Office in 1841, the weekly average delivery of letters was 1542, but now there was an increase of about 8,500 [estimated average was 9236]. The population of the St. Leonards postal district was about 10,000, and these received an average of fifty letters each per year. That was a remarkable fact. An average of fifty letters for each individual of the population was a higher proportion than in Dublin, Edinburgh, or Liverpool. He would ask if St. Leonards was not to have some consideration from the gentlemen who represented the interest of the old town? St. Leonards asked them to give them a fair opportunity to go before the Postmaster-General to explain their position. He felt that the alteration if ever carried out, would bring inconvenience ten or twenty fold to the slight one now felt by the district generally. The income of the St. Leonards -
