The London district comprises all places within a circle of twelve
miles from St. Martin's-le-Grand, including Cheshunt, Hampton, Hampton
Court, Sunbury, and the post towns of Barnet, Waltham Cross, Romford,
Bromley, Croydon, Kingston, and Hounslow.
There are ten postal districts, each of which is treated in many
respects as a separate post town. The names of the districts are as
follows, the initial letter or letters of the name forming the necessary
abbreviation to each, viz.:—East Central, West Central, Western,
South-Western, North-Western, Northern, North-Eastern, Eastern,
South-Eastern, and Southern.
The portion of each district within three miles of the General
Post-Office is designated the Town Delivery. Within the town limits
there are eleven deliveries of letters daily, the first or principal
commencing at 7.30 and generally concluded by 9 A.M.; the last delivery
commences at 7.45 P.M.; there being something like hourly deliveries
within the interval. Each town delivery occupies on an average
forty-five minutes. There are seven despatches daily to the suburban
districts.
As a general rule, the number of despatches from the suburban
districts is the same as the number of deliveries.
Information relative to the time of delivery and the time for each
despatch to the head office, and also from thence to the provinces, is
afforded at each town and suburban receiving-house. At each of these
houses, several hundreds in number, stamps are sold, letters are
registered, and separate boxes are provided for "London District" and
"General Post" letters.
THE "POSTE RESTANTE" AT THE GENERAL POST-OFFICE.
The "Poste Restante" arrangements for London are somewhat different
to those in the provinces; but like the latter they are meant to provide
for strangers and travellers who have no permanent abode in
London,—residents in London not being allowed the privilege.
Letters addressed to "initials" cannot be received; if so addressed
they are returned to their writers through the Returned Letter-Office.
Letters addressed "Post-Office, London," or "Poste Restante," are
delivered only at the Poste Restante Office, on the south side of the
hall of the General Post-Office, between the hours of 9 A.M. and 5 P.M.
All persons applying for letters at the Poste Restante must be
prepared to give the necessary particulars to the clerk on duty, in
order to prevent mistakes, and to insure the delivery of the letters to
the persons to whom they properly belong. If the applicant be a subject
of the United Kingdom (and subjects of states not issuing passports are
regarded as British subjects), he must be able to state from what place
or district he expects letters, and produce some proof of
identification; and if he sends for his letters the messenger must be
supplied with this information, as well as show a written authority to
receive them. If the applicant be a foreigner, he must produce his
passport; or should he send for his letters, the messenger must take it
with him.