CONTAINING 
 
 E Hotter for tfte Cotuttrs 
 
 (Jfith the Names, Residences,and Description of the Phtters) 
 
 “ SECRET OR liNNER OFFICE” 
 
 Of indiscrimiiialely Violaiiiig Private Letters, 
 
 Eveffy Process of Imitating, and Betach- 
 iBig Wafers ; Brealt-ing, and Be-stamping 
 Seals, and Aljstraclissg Slonaey. 
 
 With other Important Information, obtained from the only Amhentio 
 S»uircc, and no\r siibinitietl to the serious consideration of all Classes 
 of the Community: in consequence of the gross attempts of the Guilty 
 Parties to frustrate the endeavours of that noble Patriot, 
 
 THOMAS SJOMIBI, It. I.P. 
 
 in obtaining an Open and Impartial Inquiry, and tbus conceal these 
 
 ASTOPKBIK® FA-t'L’S, 
 
 by the appointment of a Secret Commiltec, composed of their own 
 
 , Printed and Published by E. Hancock, at Cleave’s Gazette OfEce, 
 I, Shoe Lane, Fleet Street, where the Trade can he supplied ; 
 also at any of the nsnal Publishers. 
 
THE PEOPLES yOljiT-Mili 
 
 LETTER FOR THE COUKTRy! 
 
 WORTHY PEOPLE, 
 
 Ye whose sovereignty, like “ Othello’s occuptition is 
 gone !” Toil-worn slaves of free Britain, and inheritors of 
 Bastilles ! it is to you we address this Letter, the contents of 
 which being of serious import to you and yours, we hope that you 
 will seriously reflect thereon, and profit accordingly. 
 
 Of all the subjects that have engaged the public mind for 
 the last few years, the subject of “ Postage” has only been con¬ 
 sidered in the light of a “ Parcels Delivery Company,” the honesty 
 of whose managers was deemed unexceptionable, but their charges 
 rather too higli for the pocket. Accordingly the cry of “ Post, 
 OfficeReform” became tainted with a universal spirit of selfishness; 
 each individual, although loudly talking in public of its social be¬ 
 nefits, in private always considering how much he shottld gain in 
 actual sums per year, and the way in which it would suit his own 
 particular convenience. 
 
 It is this exclusive spirit of selfishness which, in spite of 
 Christian influences, poisons every class, and leads men in the ad¬ 
 vocacy of measures of public improvement, to overlook the moral 
 part of each subject; first, as regards general arrangements being 
 founded upon an equitable basis, so as nor to peimit of iht few 
 pos.'essing exclusive privileges at the expense of ihe vianj : and 
 secondly, to provide against the possibility of an) institution, espe¬ 
 cially that of a Post-office, being diverted from its general useful¬ 
 ness, for the purpose of oppressing the most unprotected portions 
 of society. For, alas! such having been Ibr a long time past too 
 notoriously the fact, hence it has been deemed moral and just to 
 re-sanction, by a clause in the last Post-office .i\ct, the most odious 
 ,of all the spy systems that the wickedness ot villanuus men could 
 /invent, and dignified too by the name of Ileform 1 And such has 
 been the reckless manner in which people have been bought and 
 sold, that latterly the usual precautions began to be somewhat re¬ 
 laxed, until a multitude of facts of so astounding a nature at length 
 transpired, that the mere rumour was sufficient to niakeeven great 
 men tremble, and dread an inquiry into them; while the forlumte 
 humble/t«i, out of the vast number of victims “ led to the slaugh¬ 
 ter” since the days of Oliver Cromwell, who made the discovery in 
 time, were ikemselces appalled at the sight of such a tremendous 
 engine of oppression, the de.structive powers of which, not being 
 confined to the country of its birth, the land where men are heard 
 
3 
 
 to sing “ Britons iwier, never shall be slaves,”-.-bul connecting 
 itself iviili similar infernal machinery in the most populous parts 
 of the World! 
 
 Yea, and what may astonish mankind not a little, is the 
 unblushin-j elfrninery ot those that were the chief abettors of the 
 odious system, (who, besides transporting men they had first insti¬ 
 gated by their agents to commit political crimes, sought also the 
 commission of murder by class-made law),now among the foremost 
 in aliackina the present occupants of ofH ;e ; yet only for the sake 
 of once more enlisting the popular sympathies on their side, that 
 they might again filch the people's money, in return for ruling 
 them with bludgeons, bayonets, and bastilles. 
 
 What wa-s intenried by the ooncocters ofthe scheme we are about 
 to disclose, as a blow aimed at lyranny, is looked upon as a god-send 
 by the loorsl of lyritnls; wliere’on they are seeking to fasten ano¬ 
 ther step of that political ladder by which they expect again to 
 ascend to the pinnacle of power; to further which purpose, they 
 have been making flowery speeches in Parliament, suitable to the 
 passing moment, while their parly prexs is laying claim to ex¬ 
 clusive intelligence, inventing all manner of absurd rumours, and 
 demanding an inquiry into Tory malpraciices, hut never once men¬ 
 tioning the worst examples of the \Vliigs ! 
 
 But it will nnf—muvt not, —cannot, and shall not “ take” 
 with an impartial public, while we have an opportunity of raising 
 the small still voice of truth. , 
 
 No, no, ye immaculate purilans,—honest representatives,— 
 disinterested patriots, to whom the emoluments of office are as no¬ 
 thing, and the w-(-lf.ne of the people everything; there must not 
 be a one-sided in(|mry, but an open radical investigation, embrac¬ 
 ing at hast the last twelve years, when perhaps yourselves will he 
 proved to have been very innocent of such dirty transactions, as 
 w.ell as clearing the cliaracters of the supposed delinquents now on 
 their trial; only taking care that one sacrifice shall be offered up 
 to appease the popular clamour—that great chameleon the most 
 perfect of all political curiosities that ever was submitted to tlie 
 public gaze. 
 
 But it so unfortunately happens, that the man with the 
 “ coat of many colours’’ claims a relationship with all of you; 
 for he has told us that he is a Radical, a Whig, and a Tory; 
 uniting in his person a species of Political Trinity, muffled up in 
 a garment “ without se.am” from head to foot; in truth, we might 
 say when he is gone, *• lake him for all in all, we shall luver look 
 upon his like ai;ain 1” 
 
 riiereiore, while lie is in the way, lie necessarily becomes 
 iji-e rvpreaentive fact of all the ‘ great facts’ that aie obtruding 
 
4 
 
 themselves upon our notice. .4s a matter of course, we can only 
 look upon such political ‘ isms’ as nought but a proportionable 
 quantity of dust thrown in the people’s eyes, to prevent them from 
 clearly observing the various workings of the ‘ Fobche System,’ 
 which by simple-minded persons was supposed to be carried on 
 .exclusively by the despotic governments of the European conti- 
 .nent, and not improved upon in ’free and merryEngland,’although 
 the importation and establishment of a French ‘ gend’arme’ ought 
 to have made them look out for coming squalls. 'I'o probe then 
 such monstrous evils to their source,—to follow up the exposures 
 that consequently must ensue, with a lasting benefit to the whole 
 nation, as well as to our credit in the eyes of the world ; we must 
 henceforth have, not a ‘ Roland tor an Oliver,’but anothtr Rowland 
 for a Graham : yes, a HILL, ‘ paved with the best intentions,’ and 
 so situated as to effectually remove our ills; which can only be 
 accomplished by establishing 'HIE PEOFLE’S POST BOX, the 
 managers thereof being freely chosen by, and acting for the people. 
 Accordingly, to lay the axe to the root, let 
 
 A real Post-office Reform be the nation’s choice, 
 
 ’Twill stifle treachery, and Revolution’s voice ! 
 
 Then commercial intercourse will be unshackelled, and the free 
 expression of opinion, communicated in security, and conveyed to 
 tile uttermost ends of the earth, will lead to the enlightenment of 
 mankind, and the establishment of human liberty on a firm and 
 imperishable basis. 
 
 “Oh, Liberty, what crimes are committed in thy name!’’ 
 
 Both the governments and people of every semi-barbarotis nation 
 have alike been guilty of ravishing her fair charms. And it is too 
 true, that there is much remaining to be done, before the virtuous 
 wife can be discerned from the harlot—tlie real difference betiveeii 
 knowledge and supmUlion—iVe distinguishing features of libntij 
 and licentiousness. These reflections must leave every well-wisher 
 of the hiin>an race much to hope for; yet, when we look calmly 
 around us, and survey the present signs of tiie political 
 horizon, can it be said that our hope is hopeless ? Rather, there is 
 .much to rejoice at; for every forward step that tyranny has taken 
 'she has gone two steps backward. Every particle of that fabric 
 -she has been rearing for centuries is fast crumbling, and every mo- 
 'inent threatening to bury her uijly carcase in its ruins. Whatever 
 repairs the crazy beldame attempts prove to be nothing but patch- 
 work. The news having gone forfti, that belter artists are needed, 
 loand b^told, a secret consultation takes place between herself and 
 her sister witches, who have too long spell-bound other nations; I 
 and to allay quietly the good spirit of Reform, they join together I 
 their infernal incantations, in the midst of which they drag forth ^ 
 
6 
 
 from the cauldron of iniquity, first, a legion of snakes, whom they 
 bid go and nestle in the bosom of every unsuspecting family, pro¬ 
 viding them with invisible cloaks, wherewith to disguise themselves 
 as a Detective Force, secretly to entrap honest men, but pretend¬ 
 ing to look only after those that steal; and secondly, a troop of red 
 and blue devils, having a General ewer them, who is to regulate, 
 concentrate, and unite in himself the be-devilmentof the whole; 
 then to be transformed into a corps of Letter Carriers, message 
 bearers, and so forth, whose lu/siness it will be, to pretend to be 
 /deserving the conlidence of everybody, in order to be enabled the 
 abetter to betray thm into the hands of those waiting to devour 
 'them ; for the performance of which service they will seem to be 
 very economical, by asking for only a small coin. But lest this 
 hellish scheme should be nmrred by there being two bodies, a Se- 
 eereteery shall be appointed, whose business it will be to receive llie 
 reports of both of them, and diligently forward them to one or more 
 of the hags belonging to the above-mentioned infernal conclave, 
 whose particular iutt iesi in his opinion might from time to lime be 
 mostly concerned, .'illhough couched in figurative language, who 
 will fail Id dis-sern at once the truth of the picture tlieiein repre- 
 
 Where is the sane man that will deny the staring, fact of our 
 Police and Post office sysiem.s having been couibiiied together, and 
 'made to act in a similar way Yet, in spite of all their machina¬ 
 tions, the l:nth has atlast come out, and it now remains fora British 
 public, if deip.siing such villainy, to arise in ihdr moral might, and 
 rend to pieces this atrocious cabal. 
 
 Experience has already told us, that we should be uselessly 
 .wasting our time to seek from a class legislature another more per- 
 'fect reformation. No, no, such a course will never do. Let us all 
 be resolved to do our own work. If capital and labour united have 
 brought into existence and rendered practicable those vast mechani¬ 
 cal wonders that we now behold with astonishment on sea and 
 land,—if commercial institutions of various kinds are carried on 
 .without the aid of governments, surely the heads of this intellectual 
 'nation united together will be competent to devise some compre- 
 'licnsive plan for establishing a General Fost office for the People. 
 
 “ Now i.s the accepted time; now is theday of salvation.” t 
 Now is the golden opportunity for capitalists to come forward 
 with their nurplus capital, (for which they will realize fifty per 
 cent.) and aid in instituting a NATIONAL JOINT STOCK 
 LETTER DELIVERY, and DESPATCH CONVEYANCE COM¬ 
 PANY : a majority of the constituencies at the same time being de¬ 
 termined to induce their representatives to sanction the great project 
 by a law. It has truly been said, ‘ Where there is a will, there is 
 a way,’ and if the people do not resolve forthwith to put a final stop 
 
6 
 
 Jo having iheir private letters clandestinely opened, to say nothing of 
 'the deep disgrace attaching to our national character of becoming 
 'the common informers of foreign despots, then, indeed, English¬ 
 men will deserve the iron rule of a Nicholas, tenfold increased in 
 barbarity. Having carried the expression of our feelings on that 
 portion of the subject to a sufficient e.xtent, considering the pro¬ 
 mise we have made, and intend to perform in the remaining part 
 of this teller, we shall now proceed to make use of a key that 
 will unlock the ‘ Cabinet of Mystery.’ 
 
 But previous thereto, we must beg the reader not to fail in dis¬ 
 tinguishing the statements given on our own authority, and those 
 derived from the information of otliers, which we shall endeavour 
 to render as clear as possible with that view : although in either 
 case we are so confident of giving currency to the real truth, that 
 we are prepared to prove the same opeiiiij at the bar of the House 
 . of Commons, or brdbre a more impartial ttibunal. 
 
 It is amusing to observe the repeated conferences held between 
 the Postmaster General and the Secretary of State; the going to 
 and fro of messengers between St. Martin’s Le Grand and White¬ 
 hall,—the consultations held between ..ir Boberi Peel and Sir 
 James Graham,—the orders issued to the heads of the ‘ Secret or 
 Inner Office’,—the incessant watchings of tho.se empioved under 
 them,— and the questions put to each and all, not excepting the 
 poor matron herself! Yet, whatever contrivance they may adopt, 
 unless they are prepared to grant, not a secret hut an open and im- 
 ,partial Committee of Inquiry, embracing in its objects the trans- 
 ■actions of the last ns well of the present Minislrip they can go on 
 till doomsday, coaxing, threatening, and spying each of their sub¬ 
 ordinates in turn, without ever being relieved of their anxiety to 
 know from what quarter we have received the information we pos¬ 
 sess of their secret doings. 
 
 If the only result be a ‘Monster Agitation,’ as Pat terms'it,we 
 shall feel proud that a ‘ Letter' from our ‘ Post Box’ has set the 
 ■whole family of bull-dogs on the right scent, with the hope that 
 they will eventually pin the mon.'ier beast. 
 
 As we have all along maiii.aiiieri, so we are prepared to prove, 
 .that our Police and Postage est..Lilishments are conjoined together 
 .as one entire spy confederacy. During times of political excite- 
 -ment, every central ns secret department, and every 
 
 -postmaster or his depulv for the time being acts as a spy, either of 
 -them being privy to the ransacking of particular po.‘t-bags by the 
 ■ agents sent down from London. 
 
 Government Eeporiers (who are the getiilemen spies) attend 
 public meetings, to take down the name.s and speeche.s of indivi¬ 
 duals deemed obnoxious to the ruling paay, whi''e police agents, 
 
7 
 
 known only to them, perform the office of identifying their persong. 
 After that is accomplished, notes are then compared, a proper un- 
 derstanding is come to, and reports drawn out, which are made use 
 of in the manner hereafter mentioned. 
 
 The heads of the local Police first communicate with the Ma¬ 
 gistracy (only by way of courtesy), excepting in places like London, 
 where the Police are independent of such a necessity, then ftirward 
 a copy of their report to the Home. Office, whore also has been sent 
 by express the Iteporter’s notes, which are duly compared and ex- 
 -aniined by the Secretary of Stale's Secretary, who places in proper 
 'Order, with references, all that he deems maleri.il for Iris principal 
 'to notice. If the great man in office should be bigoted in favour 
 of one particular party, or has been what is termed a ‘ political 
 ' renegade,’ which is much worse* the pariy whose actions were spied 
 'Upon are sure to be properly ‘ maikcd.’ 
 
 An interview will probably next lake place between the Com¬ 
 missioners of the London ‘ Police P’orce’ mid ihe said Secretary, 
 who will forthwith decide upon sending down rome pickeil men of 
 the A Division, with certain conjidniiial iiish uctious, delivered 
 only to the Inspector appointed to command them. 
 
 At the same time, while Poiiee spies are being ‘ put upon the 
 scent,’ the Post-office spies are sei to work in right earnesi, so that 
 as many fish as possible might bo ‘ caught in the net,’ at one pull. 
 The names and re.sidences of the individuals marked tor sale at the 
 Government auction are forwarded from the Home Office to the 
 Seent or Inner Office at the General Posi-ofjice, accompanied 
 with the usual instructions in such cases ‘ to open, copy, and duly 
 forward copies, correctly made out, of all letters addressed by, or 
 to any such suspected persons ; drafts of the same iiisinu.tions,wilh 
 the Postmaster General’s orders thereon, being again despatched to 
 the postmaster of the locality where the agitation e.xists. Although 
 a special warrant, under the hand of the Secretary of State is re¬ 
 quired in each case by a clause in the Post-oiiice Act, yet such has 
 hitherto been the security under which they have acted, that the 
 rule has not always been observed. Special care has always been 
 taken as regards the inferior subordinates, such as receivers, suh- 
 su7'ters, stampers, messengers, carriers, and so forth. 
 
 What is done daily and hourly by the heads of the ‘ Secret De¬ 
 partment’ in opening private letters clandestinely, for political pur- 
 ,poses, is also performed ou another scale by those very subordin- 
 'Btes; they having a secret method of their own, for extracting sove- 
 'reigns and half-sovereigns, and appropriating them to their own 
 'use. They will even go so far (if the difficulty in some cases is too 
 great for working them out) as to secrete the letter they have fixed 
 on, as one of the right sort, until a favourable, opportunity otfers 
 
8 
 
 itself for breaking it open: when, if the letter mentions anything of 
 a special nature, such as leading them to infer it came from, or is 
 addressed to a person of consequence, it is sealed up again, either 
 with a seal of a similar pattern, or in the best manner possible, and 
 forwarded without delay to its destination. But should the parties 
 -belong to the humble walks of life, they may whistle till the moon 
 'and sun salute each other, before they get the least redress, especi¬ 
 ally since the printed camions have been issued from the Post-office 
 against enclosing money in letters. 
 
 In every case it is but justice to remark, that the Postmaster 
 General cannot, and ought not to be made responsible for acts 
 committed by others in secret. But where there is no such tempt¬ 
 ation to intlividiiiil cupidity, it is quite another question. 
 
 During the lieiglit of the late excitement in Wales, in con¬ 
 nexion witli the pliysical force erv raibii.'!' in various pans of this 
 country, which we know to have been plamicri and fomented by the 
 r'Whigs then in office, for crushing the progress of a peaceable agi- 
 'taiion for the People’s Charte.r, the openiirs nf leiU'r's hywliols.w.'e 
 'became the order of the tiav; and we sol-rmily In-lieve it can be 
 proved before a pub'ic eoinmittee of inquirv, if i(rnnle(l, tiiat for 
 
 ■ every single letter opened by the present niiuistry, ;!:<>re were 20 
 
 ■ violated, and made use of by their pi edecessors for the base.st of 
 •purposes. To such a pitch bad the spy .sv.sicrn been tarried, that 
 •no man considered himself safe for a single hour. 
 
 At last men iregan to consider of taking the best mea.=ures that 
 could be dcvi-:eJ [or |jroiecting themselves, h was soon found out 
 that tyrants could be beat with their own weapons. 
 
 Upon mideniahle evidence it is proved, that the ll'hi^s are os 
 as deep m the mud us the Tmies are in the mire. What has been 
 elicited proves sufficiently the absolute necessity of men keeping 
 their eyes open and paying attention to the often quoted exbortalinn, 
 
 “ Awake ! arise 1 or be for ever fallen !” 
 
 But various plans, ai d men '■•{luallv prepared to carry them 
 out despite of every danger, are being concocted. While there is 
 a spark of virtue left, liberty shall nut die ! Tyrants shall have re¬ 
 turned to their own breasts, «itb tenfold vignur, the poisoned shafis 
 of tyranny ! .So turn we now to another scene, ami Im us see whe¬ 
 ther our prediction sfands any chance of beiiig verified. 
 
 On the subject of opening letters at the Post Office, the country 
 lia.s become agitaied from one end to the oilier. Through the ex¬ 
 ertions of the Bight Hon. Lord Badnor and Thomas S. Duncombe, 
 in both Houses of Parliament, to obiain a public and an impartial 
 investigation of the affair, the whole kingdom has given its attention 
 to'the matter in such a way, that nothing short of the real facts 
 being published will satisfy all parties. 1’lie leading articles of the 
 public press, talented thaugh they Oe, would render greater service 
 
to this cause, if it were not for the party spirit so clearly discernible 
 therein. 
 
 But amidst all the rumours with which the world is rife, there 
 is wamin!; what we are about to disclose, the Particulars of that ex¬ 
 traordinary and well executed 
 
 through the means of which was discovered the atrocious system 
 adopted in the ‘ Secret or Inner Office’ of the General Post-office 
 of violating private letters. 
 
 As a necessary preface thereto, we beg leave to record the 
 names of those whom we may not inappropriately term the Plotters, 
 honourable and public-spirited gentlemen, to whom the nation vyill 
 owe a debt of gratitude. They are as follow— 
 
 Mr. Wi\I. LOVKT r, National Association Hall, High Uolborn. 
 
 Mr, MAZZINI, Devonshire Street, Queen Square. 
 
 Mr. CALl)EllAli..A, Barometer Maker, Leather Lane, Holborn. 
 
 Mr. JOHN LINTON, Engraver, 85, Ilatton Garden, Holborn. 
 
 It having become notorious for a long time past, that the letters 
 of persons sent by means of the General Post were violated, parti¬ 
 cularly if addressed from foreign parts ; and it being evident to Mr. 
 Mazzini, as one of the number, that letters forwarded to him through 
 -the same medium presented a very suspicious-looking appearance 
 •about the sealed parts of them ; also having his suspicions strengthr 
 ■ ened by the complaints of others to whom he mentioned the citenm- 
 ' stance, he, with the rest of the above gentlemen, resolved to adopt 
 ' a scheme for finding the matter oat. 
 
 Accordingly they met together in the coffee-room of the National 
 Association Hall, arranged ihemselve.-,around one of its capacious 
 tables, groaning with the weight of printed documents on various 
 iiitellectual subjects, and without loss of time agreed to form a 
 Paper Conspiranj. A preliminary conversation then ensued, 
 snniOtf hat after the following manner— 
 
 Mr. MAZZINI. 
 
 ‘ Friends,—The subject I have to introduce to your notice is 
 of that nature, although not commonly discussed in public assem¬ 
 blies, must nevertheless be deemed of the highest imporiance to 
 society. You are well aware that I am 'an Exile from my native 
 -land on account of my political opinions being opposed to its irre- 
 -spousible rtilers. I sought to exercise the right which God arid 
 •nature Ivave sanctified, of making known to my oppressed and be- 
 •nighted countrymen that which 1 siticerely believed to be the truth. 
 Fiudiug ill the course of limc other great and good men who coin- 
 cideii with me, 1 banded myself with them, and by their aid sought 
 to effect a moral regeneration of our social institutions ; but unfor¬ 
 tunately, as you are all well aware, the spirit of tyranny arose, and 
 
with its iiiiquitous falls’s soustht to cast me into a gtoniiiy (Innireoi), 
 After many Tiarroiv escapes, ( aucceedefl in reachiii'’ tlie tree shores 
 of Britain, whereon 1 thou’lit i iiiisrht be suifered lo rest in peace. 
 But no. Gentlemen, I have lived long enough to find out that, even- 
 here, i could not live in security from my oppressors. 
 
 As you can all testify, I have endeavoured to conform to the in- 
 /Stitntions of this country, having never violated its hospitality, nor 
 dll a single instance been concerned in agitating political questions; 
 -yet [ have been subjected to the worst of persecutions, by my pti- 
 -vate letters having been broken open on several occasions, and their 
 -contents, 1 believe, cam nunicatecl to those foreign governments 
 ■who are seeking a favourable opportunity of partitioning the last 
 -remnant of ‘ fair Italia’ amongst them. In conclusion, 1 appeal to 
 -you, my friends, and ask yon whether such conduct is worthy to be 
 -associated with the name of Britons V 
 
 Mr. CALUERARA. 
 
 ‘ Gentlemen,—You all know that I am alike dependant upon the 
 'good faith of the Government of this country ; and never liaviug 
 done anything to forfeit their protection, you must acknowledge that 
 if I complain of similar treatment, I am equally deserving of your 
 commiseration. 
 
 Mr. LINTON. . . . 
 
 ‘ Gentlemen,—Having heard such disclosures, which I doubt 
 .not to be founded in truth, I have scarcely patience sufficient to 
 ■ admit of my giving utterance to the extreme indignation raging 
 'within my breast, at such scandalous usage of stranger.'. Gentlemen, 
 'in a word, it is vilhmous, —aye, it is so oidragiyus, that we ought 
 not to lose any time in instantly bringing the affair to light. 
 
 Mr. LOVETT. 
 
 ‘ Worthy Friends,—How often have I not, with all the elo¬ 
 quence and force that language will admit of, dwelt upon the 
 propriety of people awaking from their slumbers,—arising in their 
 moral might, or be for ever fallen from their condition as a free 
 people ? Such warnings have not been heeded; but rather 1 have 
 •endured in return the dark whisperings of calumny ,and been laughed 
 at by the interested and the ignorant; yet, hour by hour, day by 
 day, and from one year to another, men live to witness the effects of 
 a nation being sunk in ignorance, and beroming the tree agents of 
 iniquity. And, although amidst the multifa.-ious subjects that have 
 engaged my mind for a long period of time, I have occasionally 
 .suspected something akin to tile facts disclosed by our ioreign 
 friends, still it remained until the present inomeut for me to receive 
 .actual proofs of such an odious power being exercised by the rulers 
 'of our country. I am therefore entirely of Mr. Linton s opinion, 
 that measures sliould be adopted for ascertaining the truth without 
 ielay. So long as we conduct our Paper Plot in a legal manner. 
 
and for a legal purpose, no liarm will lesnlt to either of us. Having 
 been always convinced that violence defeats its own purpose, and 
 ihat bloodshed stains a cause founded in righteousness, I never can 
 be induced to associate with men whose motto is opposed to ' pmce, 
 law, and order.’ 
 
 These paper conspirators then proceeded to examining sundry 
 letters, chiefly belonging to Mr. Mazzini, and feeling confident they 
 had been opened, they decided upon trying further e.\-perinients. 
 
 To work therefore they went in right earnest; they each wrote 
 ,a letter, and superscribed them to Mr. Mazzini. Having read the 
 -contents of those epistles to each other, their next operation was to 
 -cut some pieces of paper, in various shapes, which they all witness¬ 
 ed to being so placed in certain parts of each letter, that if those 
 -letters should be opened at the Post-office, they would know the 
 - fact wiihout difficulty. To make assurance positively sure, they 
 -took great pains to .seal the letters in a manner that, if broken, 
 -would also tell against the Post-office. Several limes these e'Cperi- 
 -ments were repealed, and in each case the result was the same. 
 
 ■ In every instance they found i lie papers endosed iherein had either 
 ■been shifted or lost! And what tended to convinccMhem more than 
 that, was the bmiglino- way in which each letter had been re¬ 
 sealed I but above alb one of the tellers showed thefact externally 
 on both sides, as well as iiilernally. In adtlitiou to the endosed 
 .paper bavins: been shifted,—the sea! violated, the post-mark, dated 
 -1-2 o'dock, had been attempted to be obscured liy subsequently 
 -stamping over it the bourol 2, in order to prevent its being known 
 -that it had been detained. When the seals of those letters were also 
 -compared with the original ones addressed to Mr. Mtizziiii from 
 •abroad, their similar appearance established the astounding fact 
 'beyond contradiction. 
 
 Forlbwith Mr. Linton sought an interview with that well-tried 
 patriot Mr. '1'. f^.Duncombe,who afterwards conferred with the other 
 parties, by whom he was instructed to bring the matter under the 
 notice of the House of (lommons. 
 
 As the public hath witnessed, that gemlenian nobly did his 
 duty; but in vain were all the endeavours of a few, who supported 
 him on principle, against the opposition of two powerful parlies. A.s 
 we observed before, the party out of office’ had interested motives in 
 voting on Mr. Duncombe’s side : and the parly in place, foresee¬ 
 ing the likelihood of another political accident, of being outvoted a- 
 gain, at a Cabinet Council, held onlyafew hours before the last de¬ 
 bate in the Commons (July 2d)',®^ecided upon taking a middle 
 course, the I H'ect of which policy has since been seen. 
 
 To Mr. Diincombe’s motion for an open Committee of Inquiry 
 Sir James Graham offered a double nniendment; that is to say, an 
 amendment so worded as to have iu its operation a twofold effect— 
 
-by threatening the Whigs v/ith an inquiry into their post-office 
 'doings afeo, and proposing to make the Committee of Inquiry a 
 secret one, he appeared to be meeting the wishes of both classes of 
 his opponents, while all the while he was acting on the well- 
 known tact of dividing to conquer. 
 
 Mr. Duncombe’s object of obtaining an open and impartial 
 , inquiry was therefore defeated, by the desertion of his former 
 ■Whig allies to the side of ministers; the result of which wepro- 
 'phesy will be HUMBUG! 
 
 In the meanwhile we shall go on agitating the country and 
 support Mr. Buncombe in the future skirmishes which he will 
 find requisite to get up, before real justice will be done by the 
 Whig and Tory factions. 
 
 The last topic we have to notice in connexion with this sub¬ 
 ject, before our labours are concluded, is the process used for imi¬ 
 tating and delaching wafers, or breaking and restamping seals, 
 founded on the information of a gentleman employed in that de¬ 
 partment of the Post-oliice. It comprises in every respect that 
 ■which came to our knowledge some time before. 
 
 Wafers are opened by moisture, winch fact seems very fea¬ 
 sible ; but, to prevent the paper coming away with the fragments 
 of the wafer, some powerful, but colourless acid must be used to 
 cause the wafer easily to give way. 1 he .same coloured wafer is 
 then put in. taken from an assortment kept for the purpose. Sealed 
 letters are placed in a mould with the seal upwards ; upon the seal 
 is laid a sufficient quantity of plaster of paris, which is ilien sd se¬ 
 cured in the mould, that the contact converts the piaster into a per¬ 
 fect copy of the seal. By another proce.ss (analogous to those 
 effected by Electrotype), the copy of the seal with which the plaster 
 had been impressed is next used, to give a similar impression to 
 whatever wax is re-applied. Alierward.s the letter is opened by de¬ 
 stroying the wax piecemeal, and for all letters sealed in a similar 
 manner, the counterfeit, seal will serve. Our space being now too 
 confined to admit of any more observations on this all-important 
 subject, we must necessarily bid the reader adieu for the present; 
 at the same time hoping ivitk a most fervent hope, that the country 
 will be aroused from its lethargy, and be determined to carry out 
 a thorough reformation of this, and every other corrupt system now 
 cursing the land ! 
 
 P.S. The Particulars of the foregoing Plot were given to us by an 
 intimate friend of the Gentlemen concerned in it,who is also a friend of 
 ours, on whose strict veracity we can rely, or we would not have snbinil- 
 ted the same to the world. 
 
 FINIS.