musing. One was through what he called "family
boxes." When a student from the country comes to Glasgow to attend
the college, he usually receives a box, once or twice a week, from
his family, who send him cheese, meal, butter, cakes, &c., which
come cheaper from the farm-house than he can purchase them in
town. Probably, also, his clean linen comes in this way. The
moment it was known that any family had a son at the university,
the neighbors made a post-office of that farm-house.

The committee, in their report, concur in the opinion expressed by almost
all the officers of the department, that it was not by stronger powers to
be conferred by the legislature, nor by rigor in the exercise of those
powers, that illicit conveyance could be suppressed. The post-office must
be enabled _to recommend itself to the public mind_. It must secure to
itself a virtual monopoly, by the greater security, expedition,
punctuality, _and cheapness_, with which it does its work, than can be
reached by any private enterprise.

With this nearly all the witnesses also agree, although some of them
thought it possible that a less extreme reduction of the rate of postage
might have kept out the private mails, if it had taken place earlier,
before these illicit enterprises had obtained so firm a footing.

Lord Ashburton, who was examined before the committee, said that
had a uniform rate of 2_d_., or even 3_d_. been adopted
heretofore, most persons would sooner pay it than look out for the
means of evading it.

Mr. Cobden, of Manchester, said a 6_d_. rate between Manchester
and London would increase but slightly the number of letters,
since the sending of letters clandestinely has become a trade,
which would not be easily broken down. The railroads which are now
opening to all parts of the country will so increase the
facilities for smuggling, as _to counteract any reduction_ of from
twenty to fifty per cent. on the postage. No small reduction will
induce the people to write more. A reduction to one half of the
present rates would certainly be a relief to his trade, as far as
it went, that is, to all such as now pay the full rate; but he
thinks it would not induce the poorer classes to use the
post-office. It would occasion a loss to the revenue of fifty per
cent.

Mr. W. Brown, merchant of Liverpool, was sure a reduction to half