In 1663, the office was farmed at 21,000/.

In 1585, the revenue was estimated at 65,000!.; but probably this was too high, fince in four years long afterward, 1707-10, the average was but 58,052/.; the grofs amount in 1710, being 111,402.

In 1711, the rates being fomewhat increafed, the revenue was on an average of four years, 90,2237.

In 1722, the grofs amount was 201,804/. the net produce 98,010!.

In 1755, the grofs amount was 210,663.

In 1965, regulations having been made with refpect to franking, the grofs amount increased to 281,535

In 1775, it was 345,3217

In the years next noticed, the grofs and and net produce are given, and each of them till 1803, is to be taken asending on

the fifth of April.

1783, grois produce

1784, (poftage being increased)

1790,

1795, (franking restricted)

1796, (poltage again increafed)

1799,

1,012,731

657,383

1,320,585

924,839

1,343,180

18049

942,846

1805, (partly by cftimate) In thefe years it will be obferved, that the revenue of the poit-office has been continually progreffive, even when the rates of postage were not increafing; the expences, however, have been occafionally augmented by inevitable circumftances, fuch as war, which occafioned the capture of packets, and an advance in the wages of failors; and fcarcity, which obliged government to enlarge the allowance to the mafters of mail coaches, on account of the advance in the price of horse provender.

To produce this, almost incredible, augmentation of revenue, no real hardfhip has been impofed on the fubject; on the contrary, poftage is one of the few objects of long eftablished emolument to the state, in which the neceflities of fucceeding times have not effected a great change. The first imposition of poftage, in 1635, was rather injudicious than moderate. It was twopence for diftances not reaching eighty miles; from eighty to a hundred and forty, the fum of fourpence; above one hundred and forty, without further difcrimination, fixpences

in England, and on the borders of, and in Scotland, eightpence. It appears that these charges were not confidered moderate, fince in 1656, they were reduced; letters not to be carried eighty miles, paying twopence; all beyond, without difcrimination, threepence; and to Scotland, fourpence. This, too, was at a time, when the office was farmed, and the merchants confidered that a rival establishment would be a promifing fpeculation. In 1710, the rates were advanced by the addition of one penny, on the lower defcription of letters. In 1765, . they were new modelled, in the hope of counteracting the difadvantages then attending poft-office conveyance, by extraordinary cheapnefs; a letter then paid for one stage, one penny; for two ftages, twopence; for any distance exceeding two ftages, and within eighty miles, threepence; beyond eighty, miles, if in England, fourpence; and to Edinburgh, fixpence. These rates were too low to afford any confiderable revenue, except by a parfimony, deftructive of the main objects of the fervice, and by a monopoly, which would leave the public abundant reafon to regret, that they were not at liberty to purchase at a higher price, speed, punctuality, and fecurity. The modern rates are confiderably advanced; but the profit is obtained by deferting the abfurd limitation of never charging beyond a certain fum, whatever might be the distance, and adding to the poftage, as in reafon ought to be added, progreffively according to the distance. But affuming the distance which feems generally to have formed a medium, eighty miles; this was in 1635, charged fourpence; and in 1656, reduced to threepence; it is now eightpence. If the relative value of money alone were confidered, eightpence in these times bears no proportion to the fourpence, or even the threepence, then impofed, and the charge of postage is at that distance, really much lighter than it was then; but comparing the present. difpatch of a daily, with that which was then allowed, a weekly conveyance; taking into confideration the difference between the prefent expences, and that which was then incurred, of twopence halfpenny per mile, for boy and horse, and it must be obvious that the brilliant revenue above described, is owing to the increased commercial activity of the nation, and the judicious fyftem of management alone, and not to any extortion or impofition on the people.

A fmall deduction from the profits of the poft-office has always exiited, in confequence of the privilege claimed by members of both houses of parliament, and granted to certain officers of state, of sending and receiving letters free of expence, or, as it is termed, franking. This privilege in members of parliament was, at firft, rather a demand founded on the VOL. II. implied

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implied duties of their station, than a right established by any defined principle; and there were not wanting many independent minds, who contemned it altogether as a refervation unworthy of their exalted rank. When a bill was brought in, foon after the restoration, in December 1660, for the fettlement of the poft-office, Colonel Titus having reported it to the house of Commons with amendments, Sir Walter Earle delivered a provifo for the letters of all members of parliament to go free, during their fitting. Sir Heneage Finch faid, It was a poor mendicant provifo, and below the honour of the house. Mr. Prynne spoke alfo against the provifo.-Mr. Bunckley, Mr. Bofcawen, Sir George Downing, and Serjeant Charlton for it: the latter, faying, "The council's letters went free."-The queftion being called for, the Speaker, Sir Harbottle Grimstone, was unwilling to put it, faying, he was afhamed of it, nevertheless, the provifo was carried, and made part of the bill, which was ordered to be ingroffed. The lords, howeyer, struck out the claufe, and the lower house,, in this, among other inftances, paffed a bill of fupply as amended by the peers.

The privilege of franking confequently ftood on its old foundation of affumed claim, but it was guaranteed by the King's promife of perpetual allowance, and accordingly a warrant was conftantly iffued to the Poft Mafter General, directing the allowance to the extent of two ounces in weight for each letter, and without limitation as to number. The right was, however, confidered to be fo firmly establifhed, that in March 1735, the houfe of commons paffed a refolution, declaring that the privilege of franking letters by the knights, citizens, and burgeffes, chofen to reprefent the commons in parliament, began with the erecting of a poft-office within this kingdom, by act of parliament: and that all letters, not exceeding two ounces, figned by, or directed to, any member of the houfe, during the fitting of every feffion of parliament, and forty days before, and forty days after every fummons or prorogation, ought to be carried and delivered freely, and from all parts of Great Britain and Ireland, without any charge of postage.

In procefs of time, this licence was abused to a most dangerous extent; for as nothing more than the name of a member at the corner of the cover was neceffary, to pass a letter free of poftage to any part of the country, to which the fender thought fit to addrefs it, thefe fignatures, given with inexcufable facility, at length became fo numerous, as even to be publicly fold. The average amount of payment thus deducted from the revenue was itated at 170,000l. per annum. On this occafion, in 1764, the commons refolved, that certain regulations should

be

be adopted with regard to members of their house, and the lords forming a fimilar refolution, a bill was framed for the correction of abuses, and establishment of regulations. The right of franking having thus, by voluntary conceffion of both houses, become an object of ftatute law, has fince been further reftricted by various acts of parliament, fo that no member can now frank more than ten, nor receive more than fifteen letters in one day, free of coft, and the weight is limited to one ounce each. Nor will any letter go free, unless the member shall write the whole of the fuperfcription, and fhall add his own name, and that of the poft town from which the letter is intended to be sent, and the day of the month in words at length, befides the year, which may be in figures; and unless the letter fhall be put into the poft-office of the place, fo that it may be fent on the day upon which it is dated. And no letter fhall go free, directed to a member of either houfe, unless it is directed to him where he fhall actually be at the delivery thereof; or to his refidence in London, or to the lobby of his houfe of parliament. Certain officers of ftate have a power of franking, unlimited, either as to number or weight. Printed votes and proceedings of parliament, and newspapers, are allowed to be sent in open covers, figned by, or directed to, members of parliament, at the places whereof they give notice at the poft-office. The non-commiffioned officers, feamen, and private foldiers, actually on fervice in the navy, army, militia, fencibles, artillery, and marines, may fend fingle letters, if figned on their back by their commanding officers, to any place, on paying one penny; and they may alfo receive their letters from any place, on paying the fame low postage, and covers, open at the fides, inclofing patterns of cloths, filks, ftuffs, &c. and containing no writing but the addrefs of the fender, and the prices of the goods, are allowed to go for fingle poftage.

A branch of duty and emolument connected with the fituation of poft mafter, is the establishment for conveyance of letters and parcels from one part of the metropolis to another, and to a diftance not exceeding ten miles from London, formerly called the penny poft; now the twopenny post. The origin of this undertaking is involved in fome obfcurity. It commenced about the year 1683, and is faid to have been invented by an upholsterer, named Murray, who fold it to Mr. Dockwra, a gentleman of Hertfordshire, though fome confider Mr. Dockwra to have been the original projector. Under him it was fuccefsfully conducted for feveral years, till it was claimed by government, as connected, and interfering with the revenue due to the crown from the poft-office, to which it was therefore united, and as a compenfation, a penfion of 2001. was allowed to Mr.

D 2

Dockwra

Docwra for life; but even of this fact there are fome doubts, Parliament did not take cognizance of it till 1711, when general regulations refpecting the poft-office were made; in fubfequent feffions the price of letters delivered beyond the precincts of the metropolis, or, as it is ufually termed, off the ftones, was augmented, and in 1765, the poft mafter general was empowered to make a fimilar establishment, in any town in the British dominions. As the office is now eftablished, letters, and parcels, not exceeding in weight four ounces, are conveyed from any part of the metropolis to any other part for twopence, and to or from any part of the country to which the limits extend, for threepence, payable either by the party fending or receiving great improvements have been effected with respect to speed and certainty, and the profits are added to the general poft revenue.

Thus is the communication between perfons in all parts of the kingdom fecured and facilitated; for the detached fettlements in all parts of the globe, and for foreign correfpondence, packets are established, and departments are affigned in the post office for tranfacting these branches of business.

The law too has made provifion for the fecurity, and, as much as is consistent with the public fafety, the fecrecy of this conveyance; for although, by a warrant from one of the principal fecretaries of ftate, letters may be detained and opened; yet any perfon employed in the poft office wilfully detaining or opening a letter, without fuch authority, forfeits 20/. and is incapable of having any future employment in the office. By the ftatute, 7 Geo. III. c. 57. any perfon in the fervice of the post office embezzling or deftroying any letter, containing any valuable paper, or picking out fuch valuable paper, is deemed guilty of felony, and condemned to fuffer death without benefit of clergy. And the robbery of the mail, or of a poft office, is fubjected to the fame penalty. It is alfo enacted, 34 Geo. III. fefs. 2. c. 37, that if any perfon fhall fraudulently counterfeit, or alter the fuperfcription of any perfon entitled to frank letters, he fhall be guilty of felony, and fhall be transported for feven years. It is however to be obferved as the confequence of repeated decifions in courts of law, that the post master is not, like a common carrier, refponfible for any property which be loft or stolen from letters put into the office.

may

On the prefent establishment of the general poft office, the office of his Majesty's poft mafter general is vefted in, and executed by two perfons, with a fecretary and fix clerks, a principal and refident furveyor, feven riding furveyors, a receiver general, accountant general, a furveyor and fuperintendant of mail coaches, with various clerks and affiftants.