ll _you_ that this office of member
of congress is not what it is cracked up to be. I calculated to
have a good time here this winter, after racing all over my
district, and making more than five hundred stump speeches in
order to get elected. But the fact is you can see the way I enjoy
myself. It is what I call the enjoyments horribly. Why, sir, I
never began to work in this way before in all my life.' I asked,
'How comes on the loan bill in your branch?' 'O, they are spouting
away, sir, and here I am franking the speeches. The Lord only
knows what is in them.' 'And the Ten Regiment Bill?' 'I know
nothing about it, and don't want to. Look at them thar letters,'
pointing to a two bushel basket of private correspondence--'not one
half of them answered; look at these speeches, not a quarter of
them franked. What attention can I give to loan bills and regiment
bills? Sir, I must attend to my _constituents_.' And we left him
to his labors. Our impression is, that it takes all day Saturday,
and Sunday too, to bring up the franking and letter writing
business of the week, for the members seldom get out to church."

VI. _Letter Postage Stamps, for Prepayment._

In England, as a part of the system devised by Mr. Rowland Hill, the
prepayment of letter-postage is greatly facilitated, and, of course, the
tendency to prepayment is increased, while the management of the
post-office itself, in all its departments, is simplified to the highest
degree, by the use of adhesive postage-stamps. The stamp is a small oblong
piece of paper, with a device upon it, (Queen's head) so skilfully
engraved and printed as almost to defy counterfeiting, against which
indeed the small value of each one, the danger of speedy detection, and
the high penalty for counterfeiting a royal signet, are equally effective
safeguards. The stamp is coated on the back with an adhesive gum, which
securely fastens the stamp to the letter, by being slightly wet and
pressed down with the finger. These are printed in sheets, and are sold at
all post-offices, at precisely their postal value; 1_d_., 2_d_., or 1_s_.,
as the case may be. The postmasters purchase them for cash, of the general
post-office, and are allowed a deduction of one per cent for their
trouble. The small shop-keepers of all descriptions, who buy from the
post-offices without discount, generally keep postage-stamps to sell for
the acc