The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the

i8S4l FIRST ANNUAL REPORT, 311
contrasted with the charge of twopence-halfpenny made for con-
veying a letter to Australia from the United States, whereas the
American charges did not include the colonial postage, by which,
even when lowest, the total was raised above our rate. Again, the
American mails were despatched only by chance vessels, while the
English mails were conveyed by regular packets, bound under heavy
penalties to start at fixed times and to perform the voyage within a
stipulated period, and therefore engaged at higher rates, the British
Post Office paying threepence where the Post Office of the United
States paid but one penny.
It is mentioned that the book-post was now in operation with
almost every important colony, and with most of the minor ones ;
and that amongst other changes in foreign postage there was an
important reduction in that to France, which, from a rate varying
between eightpence and tenpence, itself a very great reduction on
earlier rates, had been reduced to a uniform one of fourpence.
By this improvement the postage between any place in the United
Kingdom and any place in France, including even Algeria, was
made as low as that charged, twenty years before, between the
nearest two towns in England, and less than the eighth part of the
postage charged at that earlier period on letters between say
Manchester and Lyons.
Street Nomenclature and House Numbering.
In a note to certain recommendations to the general public,
remark was made on the confusion and delay in the delivery of
letters arising from the application of the identical names to
different streets, the extent of this practice being shown by the
fact that in London alone there were found to be fifty King Streets,
as many Queen Streets, and sixty John Streets and William Streets.
In the Appendix mention is also made of perplexities arising from
irregularity in numbering, carried in some instances to such an
extent as to have the same number attached to seven different
houses in the same street, and, in particular places, exhibiting such
further anomalies as would seem altogether incredible. Mr. T. B.
Cooke, Inspector of Letter Carriers, who supplied the information,
ludicrous instance :
gives the following
" On arriving at a house in the middle of a street, I observed
a brass number, 95, on the door, the houses on each side being
numbered respectively 14 and 16. A woman came to the door,
when I requested to be informed why 95 should appear between