Towns > Edinburgh > 1846-1975 - Post Office Edinburgh and Leith directory > 1876-1877

560
POSTAL DIRECTORY— RATES.
:
INLAND BOOK POST.
A book packet may contain any number of
separate books or other publications (including
printed or lithographed letters), photographs (when
not on glass or in cases containing glass or any like
substance), drawings, prints, or maps, and any
quantity of paper, or any other substance in ordi-
nary use for writing or printing upon; and the
books or other publications, prints, maps, etc., may
be either printed, written, engraved, lithographed,
or plain, or any mixture of these. Further, all
legitimate binding, mounting, or covering of a
book, etc., or of a portion thereof, is allowed,
whether such binding, etc., be loose or attached ;
as also rollers in the case of prints or maps, markers
(whether of paper or otherwise) in the case of books,
pens or pencils in the case of pocket-books, etc.,
and, in short, whatever is necessary for the safe
transmission of such articles, or usually appertains
thereto ; but the binding, rollers, etc., must not be
sent as a separate packet.
Circulars — i.e. letters which are intended for
transmission in identical terms to several persons,
and the whole or the greater part of which is
printed, engraved, or lithographed, may also be
sent by book post.
The postage is one halfpenny for every two
ounces or fraction of that weight.
A packet posted wholly unpaid will be charged
with double the book postage ; and if posted par-
tially prepaid, with double the deficiency.
Every book packet must be posted either with-
out a cover or in a cover entirely open at both
ends, and in such a manner as to admit of the
contents being easily withdrawn for examination ;
otherwise it will be treated as a letter.
A book packet ma} - not contain any letter, or
communication of the nature of a letter (whether
separate or otherwise), not being a circular letter
or not wholly printed, nor any enclosure sealed or
in any way closed against inspection, nor any other
enclosure not allowed. (Entries, however, merely
stating who sends the book, etc., or to whom it is
given, are not regarded as a letter.) If this rule
be infringed, the entire packet will be charged as
a letter.
No book packet may exceed 5 lbs. in weight,
or 18 inches in length, 9 inches in width, and 6
inches in depth.
When, owing to a great and unusual iuflux of
letters, books, etc., the transmission or delivery of
the letters would be delayed if the whole mail were
dealt with without distinction, book packets may
be kept back till the next despatch or delivery.
COLONIAL AND FOREIGN BOOK POST.
The rates of postage on book packets to the
colonies and foreign countries are given in the two
following tables, as also in the Table of Colonial
and Foreign Postage.
Every book packet must be posted either without
a cover or in a cover entirely open at both ends, so
as to admit of the contents being easily withdrawn
for examination ; otherwise it is treated as a letter.
For the greater security of the contents, however, it
may be tied at the ends with string.
The conditions specified in the first paragraph
under 'Inland Book Post' are applicable to places
abroad, with the exception of water-coloured
drawings to France or Algeria.
No writing or manuscript mark, however, be-
yond the name and address of the person to whom
it is sent is admissible in or upon a packet for-
warded via France to the Argentine Confedera-
tion, Bolivia, Chili, Cuba, Ecuador, Hayti, Mexico,
Paraguay, Peru, Porto Rico,'St. Thomas, Uruguay,
Onited States of Colombia, or Venezuela.
The limit of size for a book packet addressed to
any place abroad is 24 inches in length and 12
inches in width or depth.
COLONIAL AND FOREIGN PATTERN AND
SAMPLE POST.
There is a Pattern and Sample Post to such
colonies and foreign countries as are marked in
the Table of Colonial and Foreign Postage with
the letter ' P ;' but it is restricted to bond fide trade
patterns or samples of merchandise. Goods sent for
sale, or in execution of an order (however small
the quantity may be), or any articles sent by one
private individual to another which are not actu-
ally patterns or samples, are not admissible.
The rates of postage are the same as for Book
Packets.
Patterns or samples, when practicable, must be
sent in covers open at the ends, and in such a
manner as to be easy of examination. But samples
of seeds, drugs, and such like articles, which cannot
be sent in covers of this kind. — but such articles
only, — may be posted enclosed in boxes or in bags
of linen or other material, fastened in such a manner
that they may be readily opened ; or, in the case of
samples of seeds, etc., for the United States of
America, Holland and its possessions, Belgium,
Denmark, Greece, Portugal and its possessions,
and Switzerland, in bags entirely closed, provided
such closed bags are transparent, so as to enable
the officers of the Post Office readily to satisfy
themselves as to the nature of the contents.
There must be no writing or printing upon or
in any packet except the address of the person for
whom it is intended, the address of the sender, a
trade mark or number, and the price of the articles.
A packet of patterns or samples sent to Portugal.
Madeira, the Azores, Cape de Verds, France, or to
Turkey, Syria, or Egypt, by French packet, must
not exceed 18 inches in length, width, or depth ; a
packet to any other place abroad must not exceed
24 inches in length or 12 inches in breadth or depth.
Samples of intrinsic value must not be sent to
any foreign country; and in the case of France,
samples of eider down, raw or thread silk, woollen
or goats' hair thread, vanilla, saffron, carmine, or
isinglass, are considered to fall under this rule, if
they weigh more than three ounces. Eaw and
spun silk, as well as coloured and twisted silk, may
be sent to Germany up to the same weight.
Such articles as scissors, knives, razors, forks,
steel pens, nails, keys, watch machinery, metal
tubing, pieces of metal or ore, provided that they
be packed and guarded in so secure a manner as
to afford complete protection to the contents of the
mail bags and the officers of the Post Office, while
at the same time they may be easily examined, may
be sent as samples to places abroad, except France
and places via France. Indigo cannot be sent to
any place abroad.
The limit of weight is not the same to all
countries. A packet must not exceed 24 inches in
length by 12 inches in width or depth.
INDIAN PARCEL POST.
Parcels can be sent to any part of British India,
through the Indian Parcel Post Agency — established
under authority of the Director-General of the
Post Office of India — at 122 Leadenhall Street,
London, E.C.
The charge from London to destination iu