Curiosities of the Post Office.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 11, 19 January 1870, Page 3

Curiosities of the Post Office.

Tho " Curiosities of' the VoaibOlcd? ti a' ' book that yet remains to bo written l / sls very long ago tho following postal ciinositios, despatched, as " packets" wore noted!:' —From Blackburn in Lancashire to Spitalfields, Loudon, two canary-birds, delivered by the postman alive and well, From Devonshire to London, a pork pie, To London, a woodcock, also a pair of piebald mice, which were kept in the Post-office a month, fed, and at last delivered to tho owner, who called for them. From Manchester to Castle-street, two rabbits and a bird—ls parcels of plum-pudding. From Bognor to Plymouth, a lobster. In one day, 31 letters coir.aining wedding-cake. On more than one occasion, without any envelope, u bank-note (one was no less than £SO), the two ends being merely folded upon each other, wafered, and the back of the iune then directed ! Innumerable leeches in bladders, several of which haviug burst, and tho water having wetted the letters, many of the poor creatures were found crawling over the correspondence of the country. From Plymouth to Hunmanby, a. bottle of cream. From a mother to her son, a pottle of strawberries, which, being smashed in the bag, completely destroyed a packet full of very valuable lace. A ship-biscuit, the address being on a very small piece of paper pasted thereon. From Totness to Dublin, an uncovered bottle full of liquor, merely labelled with an address, and the words " sample of cyder." From Exmouth to Hastings, half a pound of soft soap in thin paper. From Bishop's Strotford to Brunswick Square, a fish"; also several packages of plants, in wet moss. From Hastings to Bath, a bunch of grapes; also shrimps. From Kingston to Westminster-bridge-road, to Mrs , a roast duck. A flask of gunpowder. Fifty-three separate " packets," containing each a box of lucifer matches, one of which, on being handled, exploded in the Post-office. A traveller or bagman wrote to his beloved wife for his pistol; she affectionately sent it, labelled, loaded almost to the mouth with powder, balls, and slugs. To the Countess of cart, in coming from the west, was upset into a brook, which dissolved the paper covering of these brushes, and they, probably fancying they had arrived at their journey's end, instantly set to work, and destroyed a considerable portion of the epistolary contents of the bag. To Mr —, a live snake. From London to Wellington, Somersetshire, a very long cucumber. To iv naturalist in London, a live mouse, two china tea cups, and a box of live spiders. From Oxford-street to Merionsquare, Dublin, addresseil to Miss , a most beautiful head-dress of the genus Jigamaree. From London to Sudbury, two sweetbreads. To , a human heart, a partridge, a mackerel, a paper of fish-hooks, a human stomach, &c.