Her Majesty's Mails Part 3

[31] Chambers' Domestic Annals.

[32] Lord Macaulay. Vol. i. p. 388.

[33] No less interesting are the particulars of one year's postal revenue and expenditure, extracted from the old account-books of the department, by the present Receiver and Accountant-General of the Post-Office. The date given is within a year or two of that referred to in the text, viz. 1686-7. The net produce of the year was a little over 76,000_l._, and the following is a few of the most important and most suggestive items:--

_s._ _d._

Product of foreign mails for the year 17,805 1 7 The King's Majesty paid for his foreign letters 178 18 4 Product of Harwich packet-boats 950 5 4 The Inland window money amounted to 870 4 2 The letter-receivers' money 313 19 8 The letter-carriers' money 30,497 10 0 The Postmaster's money 37,819 8 11 Officers were _fined_ to the extent of 13 0 0 The profits of the Irish Office were 2,419 14 0 Ditto Penny-Post 800 0 0

The Scotch Office appears not only not to have brought in any profits, but we find an item of absolute loss on the exchange of money with Edinburgh to the extent of 210_l._ 10_s._ 10_d._

Amongst the more interesting items of expenditure we notice that--

_s._ _d._

The six clerks in the Foreign Office and about twenty clerks belonging to other departments received per annum 60 0 0

The salary of the Postmaster-General was 1,500 0 0

Two officers had 200_l._ per annum, a third had 150_l._, and a fourth had 100_l._--all four, doubtless, heads of departments 450 0 0

There were eight letter-receivers in London, viz.

at Gray's Inn, at Temple Bar, at King Street, at Westminster, in Holborn, in Covent Garden, in Pall Mall, and in the Strand two offices, whose yearly salaries amounted in all to 110 6 8

The yearly salaries of the whole body of letter-carriers 1,338 15 0

The salaries of the deputy-postmasters 5,639 6 0

The entire total expenditure was 13,509_l._ 6_s._ 8_d._ "Thus we find,"

adds Mr. Scudamore, "that while the 'whole net produce' of the establishment for a year was not equal to the sum which we derive from the commission on money-orders in a year (Mr. Scudamore is writing of 1854), or to the present 'net produce' of the single town of Liverpool, so also, the whole expenditure of the whole establishment for a year was but a little larger than the sum which we now pay _once a month_ for salaries to the clerks of the London Office alone." If we subtract the total expenditure from the "whole net produce," as it is called, we get a sum exceeding 62,000_l._ as the entire net _receipts_ of the Post-Office for the year 1686-7.

CHAPTER IV.

THE SETTLEMENT OF THE POST-OFFICE.

Ten years after the removal of Docwray from his office in connexion with the "Penny Post," another rival to the Government department sprung up in the shape of a "Halfpenny Post." The arrangements of the new were nearly identical with those of Docwray's post, except that the charges, instead of a penny and twopence, were a halfpenny and penny respectively. The scheme, established at considerable expense by a Mr.

Povey, never had a fair trial, only existing a few months, when it was nipped in the bud by a law-suit inst.i.tuted by the Post-Office authorities.

In 1710, the Acts relating to the Post-Office were completely remodelled, and the establishment was put on an entirely fresh basis.

The statutes pa.s.sed in previous reigns were fully repealed, and the statute of Anne, c. 10, was subst.i.tuted in their place, the latter remaining in force until 1837. The preamble of the Act just mentioned sets forth, that a Post-Office for England was established in the reign of Charles II. and a Post-Office for Scotland in the reign of King William III.; but that it is now desirable, since the two countries are united, that the two offices should be united under one head. Also, that packet-boats have been for some time established between England and the West Indies, the mainland of North America, and some parts of Europe, and that more might be settled if only proper arrangements were made "at the different places to which the packet-boats are a.s.signed." It is further deemed necessary that the existing rates of postage should be altered; that "with little burthen to the subject some may be increased"

and other new rates granted, "which additional and new rates," it is added, "may in some measure enable Her Majesty to carry on and furnish the present war." Suitable powers are also needed for the better collecting of such rates, as well as provision for preventing the illegal trade carried on by "private posts, carriers, higlers, watermen, drivers of stage-coaches, and other persons, and other frauds to which the revenue is liable."

As these alterations and various improvements cannot be well and properly made without a new Act for the Post-Office, the statutes embodied in 12 Charles II. and the statutes referring to the Scotch Post-Office pa.s.sed in the reign of William and Mary, ent.i.tled "An Act anent the Post-Office," and every article, clause, and thing therein, are now declared repealed, and the statute of 9 Anne, c. 10, called "An Act for establis.h.i.+ng a General Post-Office in all Her Majesty's dominions, and for settling a weekly sum out of the revenue thereof for the service of the war, and other Her Majesty's occasions," is subst.i.tuted. This Act, which remained in force so long, and may be said to have been the foundation for all subsequent legislation on the subject, deserves special and detailed notice.

1. By its provisions a General Post and Letter-Office is established within the City of London, "from whence all letters and packets whatsoever may be with speed and expedition sent into any part of the kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to North America and the West Indies, or any other of Her Majesty's dominions, or any country or kingdom beyond the seas," and "at which office all returns and answers may be likewise received." For the better "managing, ordering, collecting, and improving the revenue," and also for the better "computing and settling the rates of letters according to distance, a chief office is established in Edinburgh, one in Dublin, one at New York, and other chief offices in convenient places in her Majesty's colonies of America, and one in the islands of the West Indies, called the Leeward Islands."

2. The whole of these chief offices shall be "under the control of an officer who shall be appointed by the Queen's Majesty, her heirs and successors, to be made and const.i.tuted by letters patent under the Great Seal, by the name and stile of Her Majesty's _Postmaster-General_." "The Postmaster-General shall appoint deputies for the chief offices in the places named above, and he, they, and their servants and agents, and no other person or persons whatsoever, shall from time to time, and at all times, have the receiving, taking up, ordering, despatching, sending post with all speed, carrying and delivering of all letters and packets whatsoever." The only exceptions to this clause must be--[34]

(_a_) When common known carriers bear letters concerning the goods which they are conveying, and which letters are delivered with the goods without any further hire or reward, or other profit or advantage.

(_b_) When merchants or master-owners of s.h.i.+ps send letters in s.h.i.+ps concerning the cargoes of such s.h.i.+ps, and delivered with them under the self-same circ.u.mstances.

(_c_) Letters concerning commissions or the returns thereof, affidavits, writs, process or proceeding, or returns thereof, issuing out of any court of justice.

(_d_) Any letter or letters sent by any private friend or friends in their way of journey or travel.

3. The Postmaster-General, and no other person or persons whatever, shall prepare and provide horses or furniture to let out on hire to persons riding post on any of Her Majesty's post-roads, under penalty of 100_l._ per week, or 5_l._ for each offence.[35] The rates of charge for riding post are settled as follows:--The hire of a post-horse shall be henceforth 3_d._ a mile, and 4_d._ a mile for a person riding as guide for every stage. Luggage to the weight of 80 pounds allowed, the guide to carry it with him on his horse.

4. The rates of postage under the present Act are settled.

_s._ _d._

For any single letter or piece of paper to any place in England not exceeding 80 miles 0 3

" double letter 0 6

" packet of writs, deeds, &c. per ounce 1 0

" single letter, &c. exceeding 80 miles, or as far north as the town of Berwick 0 4

" double letter 0 8

" packet, per ounces 1 4

From London to Edinburgh and all places in Scotland south of Edinburgh, per single letter 0 6

" " double letter 1 0

" " packets, per ounce 2 0

The other Scotch posts were calculated from Edinburgh, and charged according to the distance as in England.

_s._ _d._

From London to Dublin, single letter 0 6 " " double letter 1 0 " " packets, per ounce 2 0

From Dublin to any Irish town the charge was according to distance, at the English rate.

Any letter from any part of Her Majesty's dominions for London would be delivered free by the penny post, and if directed to places within a circuit of ten miles from the General Post-Office, on payment of an extra penny over and above the proper rate of postage.

_s._ _d._

The postage of a single letter to France was 0 10 " " Spain 1 6 " " Italy 1 3 " " Turkey 1 3 " " Germany, Denmark 1 0 " " Sweden 1 0 " " from London to New York 1 0

Other rates were charged to other parts of the American continent, according to the distance from New York, at something less than the English rate.