21 MARCH 1840, Page 6

At the Statistical Society on Monday evening, a communication from.

Mr. Rowland Hill on the subject of the new postage was read. It con- sisted of a series of estimates based upon the returns which have just been laid on the table of the House of Commons. The returns were stated to give the number of letters delivered from the several post- offices of the United Kingdom, according to an account taken for three separate weeks; the first before the reduction, the second during the operation of the fourpenny, and the third during the penny rate. The totals for these weeks (including franks during the two first) were stated to be as follows—

Week ending 24th Nov. 1839— 1,585,973 letters. 22d Dec. 1839 2008,087 do.

23d Feb. 1840 3,199,637 do.

Deducting franks, the numbers of the week of November become 1,450,873 ; and of the week of the fourpenny rate, 1,874,587. In order to estimate the increase on general-post letters, the letters of the old penny-posts, and of the London twopenny-post, where a small reduction only was made, should be deducted. Frdm an examination of the whole account, it appeared that under the 4d. rate, letters of all kinds in- creased 29 per cent. ; and under the ld. rate 121 per cent. ; or, de- ducting the Govertunent letters, 117 per cent. The greatest increase, under both the 4d. and ld. rates, has taken place in Scotland. Under the 4fl. rate, the chargeable general-post letters increased 40 per cent.; and under the Id. rate, 169 per cent., or deducting the Government letters, 165 per cent. In London, the district unpaid letters averaged about one in seven, whilst those of the general-post averaged one in thirteen.